Fantasy Journey to Year 1,000,000,000

McCrae had taken Gouda up to the Devonshire in a shuttle, accompanied by a security guard, as per Taylor's orders. Personally he thought the precautions were excessive; Gouda didn't look like she could hurt a fly. She was a blonde, giggly girl, perhaps 20 years of age. Her age was one of the things McCrae intended to verify. He had heaped scorn on Elizabeth's impromptu "scanner examination". That was the difference between biologists and doctors. He practiced medicine.

The girl was tittering as McCrae put her on an examination bed and inserted her body into the med scanner. A full analysis commenced.

McCrae was analyzing the results even as the bed slid back and she came out of it.

Gouda really was 20 years old, or thereabouts. McCrae was disappointed, somehow; he was expecting these people to be thousands of years old.

There were differences in her brain. Her brain was like a human from the 23rd century, but had somehow... atrophied. There were fewer neurons, fewer interbrain connections. It was like looking at the brain of a child. And there was something else... a line of nerves extending from her brain, down to her fingertips. And what was implanted in her fingers?

Gouda giggled as McCrae picked up her hand and started to look at her fingertips. They looked normal, but the scans said there was something unusual there.

"You like my hands?" she asked.

"Yes," said McCrae.

"I can do many things with my hands," said Gouda. "Things you would like," she added.

"I'm sure," said McCrae, giving a quick glance at the security guard standing by the door, his face impassive. He went back to examining her fingers. Just what was it the scanners had picked up?

"Do you like Shulpapa?" she asked.

"Sure," said McCrae. "Everyone likes Shulpapa, right?" He went back to examining the readout from her scan. He barely paid attention as Gouda got up and wrapped her hands around his body.

Suddenly, he began to get aroused. Very aroused. "Stop that," he said, trying to shrug her off.

But Gouda simply giggled and latched onto him stronger. McCrae's mind was suddenly filled with the images of a nurse named Kathy he had met at a recent medical conference, a woman in her 40's who found time to spare between lectures just as he did..... they had gone back to his hotel room, and he had made love to her. He had pounded between her legs... it had felt so good... it had been so long....

As McCrae slipped in and out of the vision of lust, he became aware of Gouda's fingers, on his face. Her fingers had developed suction cups. She was taking from him, draining him.

McCrae, pounding between Kathy's legs....

Gouda, sucking the lust from his mind, feeding on it.

McCrae, his organ getting tighter and tighter...

The pounding in his head, getting tighter and tighter.

McCrae exploded inside of Kathy, and he cried out....

The security guard heard his cry, and realized something was wrong. He ran forward, and pulled at Gouda, but she flung him away, and turned back to McCrae

For a moment, though, McCrae was free. He grabbed the first thing on his medical tray and injected her, even as she raised her hands to make contact with him again.

"It's built into their fingertips. They use it to elicit strong emotions from others, and then absorb them," said McCrae. "It's a very painful process."

"What kind of emotion did she absorb from you?" Jennifer asked.

"We can talk about that later," said McCrae, looking down at the unconscious Gouda. "The important thing, Captain, is that anyone on the surface may be in danger."

"I'm on it," said Taylor crisply. He readjusted his frequency to broadband. "Attention all landing parties. This is Captain Taylor. Report back to the landing area immediately. Do not delay for any reason. Lieutenant Babangida?"

"Yes sir," said a deep voice.

"Contact all landing parties and make sure they are on their way."

"Yes sir," came the response.

Taylor, his face full of tension, tried to compose himself as he faced Juci. "This thing of absorbing emotion through the fingers; do you know about it?"

"Of course. We all do it," said Juci. "It is all part of receiving pleasure," she giggled, as she tried to touch Taylor.

Taylor slapped her hand away. "This receiving pleasure, can it ever hurt people?"

"Well, no," said Juci. "Except those few who like boing boing. And some who really like shulpapa. You need to stay away from those."

Taylor activated his wristcom. "Lieutenant Babangida? Have all landing parties reported in?"

"All except two groups. Ensign Raleigh was escorting two scientists in the northwest corner. I can't raise him. Scientists Asimov and Clark were in viewing some outdoor sculpture in the southeastern part of the settlement, and I can't raise them either."

Taylor knew the sculpture yard Babangida was talking about. It wasn't far away. He made an instant decision. "Take some men and begin a search in both locations. Use extreme caution. I'll meet the team searching for Asimov and Clark. Taylor out."

Taylor turned to Jennifer Hale. "Get Doctor Shaw back to the ship."

"Captain, you're not going to go out there alone! That will violate your own rules," said Jennifer.

"Lieutenant, I need to find our missing men, and I need to make sure that Doctor Shaw gets back to the shuttle safely. This is the only way I know how to do both. Go, Jennifer!"

"Yes sir," she said.

As they turned and left, Taylor thought he saw a look of concern in Elizabeth's eyes.

Taylor started off for the sculpture area at a run. He saw people all around him, but he was on his guard now, and didn't let any get near him.

As he got closer to the sculpture yard he heard voices yelling.

"Boing boing! Boing boing! Do you like the pain? Does the pain make you feel good? Boing boing! Boing boing! Boing boing!"

Taylor burst into the sculpture yard, and saw a terrible sight.

The two scientists were on the ground. They were surrounded by people who were kicking them, beating them, punching them, and slamming blocks of wood into them. At the same time there were people with their hands on the heads of the fallen scientists, yelling "Boing boing! Boing boing!" at the top of their lungs.

The ground around them was red with blood.

Taylor drew his compression pistol, set it to maximum, and blew apart a statue just feet away.

That got their attention. Some of them turned and faced him.

"Do you like pain?" one of them shouted.

"Boing boing! Boing boing! Boing boing!" the crowd cried.

And then they rushed him.

Survey Service training kicked in. Taylor instinctively held his arm up to his face and rapidly fired off shots. He hadn't had time to reset his pistol; each shot ripped through the body of an attacker.

Five people were blown to pieces before they could reach him. But they were too many. They started grabbing him and punching him. Someone grabbed his pistol away. He started to go down under the blows of madmen.

And then there was a shout, and someone in front of him exploded. And then another person exploded, and another after him.

The mob turned tail and ran, leaving a pile of bodies behind them.

Ensign Bill Collins and two crewmen stood there, with smoking compression guns.

"Captain, are you all right?" said Collins.

"Yes, I'm all right," said Taylor, feeling blood on his forehead. Blood was spilling on his face, but it wasn't a deep wound. "See to the scientists."

There was nothing to see too. Asimov and Clarke had both been beaten to a pulp. The crowd had beaten them to death and fed on their pain.

"What kind of crazy place is this?" Collins asked, gasping as he saw the dead bodies.

"It's the kind that we don't want to spend any more time with. Let's... let's get back to the ship."

"What about the bodies, sir?" Collins asked.

Taylor shook his head. They would be very vulnerable carrying the bodies to the ship. They would leave them here, and come back later, in force, to retrieve the bodies. "We will return for them. First I want to make sure that everyone else gets to the ship safely." They started off at a run.

There were a lot of scared scientists and crewman lining up to get into the waiting shuttles. The Devonshire had two shuttles and one of them was rapidly being filled to capacity while the second was landing. It would take more than one trip to bring everyone back. Taylor immediately ordered a defensive perimeter set up around the landing area. Survey Service crewmen drew compression rifles from the shuttle and circled the landing zone in a tight circle.

Doctor McCrae emerged from the newly arrived shuttle with Gouda in tow even as scared scientists rushed aboard it.

"Michael! Are you all right?" said McCrae. Without waiting for an answer, he started to inspect Taylor's head wound.

"I'm fine. I... where is Lieutenant Babangida? And where is Jennifer and Doctor Shaw?"

At that moment Elizabeth came running up to them, in the company of another scientist named Wade Tanner. Elizabeth's clothes were torn, and her hair, which was normally in a bun, was coming apart.

"Elizabeth! Doctor Shaw! What happened? Where's Jennifer?" Taylor asked.

Elizabeth struggled to get her breath. Finally she spoke. "We were attacked. By a mob. Jennifer and Ensign... Ensign Tanaka, who was escorting Wade... drove them off, so we could escape...."

"What direction?"

Elizabeth pointed, her chest heaving, unintentionally causing her small breasts to stick out prominently.

"Fulton, Myers, with me," said Taylor.

"Michael! You're not going to take on a mob, are you?" McCrae yelled after him.

Taylor didn't answer.

[Ten minutes earlier]

As Jennifer and Elizabeth had rushed back to the shuttle, the crowd around them grew increasingly menacing. Jennifer and Elizabeth had linked up with Suki Tanaka and Wade Tanner, but only Jennifer and Suki were armed.

"I like your softies," said one man.

"Thanks," said Jennifer, fast walking back to the ship. She couldn't help but notice the growing crowd that was keeping pace with her.

"I like your softies too," said a second man, looking at the curves of Jennifer's uniform.

"That's great," said Jennifer, not liking the look of the mob.

Suddenly, their way was blocked by two big men.

"I'm Dani," said one.

"And I'm Fulgi," said the other.

"Do you like Shulpapa?" Dani asked.

Jennifer looked at the crowd as it closed in. She realized they were about to be taken. She raised her compression pistol and made eye contact with Suki, who did the same. "Elizabeth!" said Jennifer. "When I say run, you and Wade run."

"What?"

There was no time to say any more. Jennifer and Suki opened fire, and started gunning the crowd down. They would have made their Survey Service marksmanship trainer proud. They stood shoulder to shoulder, emotionlessly gunning down everything in a 45 degree angle, clearing a path.

"Run!" Jennifer cried.

Elizabeth only blinked twice before she grabbed Wade by the hand and ran through the crowd. The crowd converged on Jennifer and Suki, and Elizabeth heard the sounds of more compression pistol shots, until suddenly the guns went silent.

Jennifer and Suki were sexually aroused, reliving memories in their minds. Jennifer was reliving an experience she had had with her husband Michael, the day he had proposed to her. He had gotten on bended knee and asked her to marry him. At the time, it had been the happiest moment of her life. Jennifer had said yes, and then they cried and hugged each other, and then Michael had made sweet love to her. Jennifer had spread her legs and smiled as he pounded into her. It was such a sweet taking... so sweet to be taken, by the one she loved....

Suki was back on the Bonadventure. Mark Waters was pounding into her in the small cargo bay, in the third module of the tri-module scoutship.

"No, Mark," she had said. "Sean might come by."

"Let him come," Waters chuckled.

"No..." she moaned, but it was just a moan. His lips were on hers. He had taken her so many times, that her resistance was just a ritual. She smiled as he kissed her again while banging her especially hard.

"Captain's girl... Captain's girl... Captain's girl... so helpless... so needy...."

"Yes... yes... yessssss....." Suki hissed. She felt the pain, and the pleasure.

His eyes, burrowing into hers.

The pain, and the pleasure.

His penis, filling her so fully.

The pain, and the pleasure.

His eyes... his body... his hands... his fingers....

There was the sound of an explosion, and then another and another.

Suki gasped, as if blinders had been taken off her eyes. She saw a man, with suction cups on his fingers bent over her face, pressing against it with his fingers. Suddenly the man was flung away by a powerful fource.

One by one they were all flung away, until she saw a new face, familiar face.

"Suki? Suki? Are you all right? Myers, see to her!"

Taylor went over to Jennifer. Like Suki she was lying on the ground, in a daze. He could still see the faint imprints of suction cups on her face. "Jennifer? Jennifer, answer me."

"Michael," she said, as if in a dream. From the way she said it, Taylor wasn't sure exactly who she was addressing.

"Come on, we have to get you back to the shuttle."

The shuttles were gone by the time they were returned, ferrying up scientists and crewmen to the ship. The remaining eight members of the landing party, all armed Survey Service crewmembers, stood in a semi circle, with compression rifles and pistols drawn. A crowd stood respectfully in the distance.

"Was there any trouble?" Taylor asked Lieutenant Babangida, who seemed to be in charge.

"No sir, not from this lot."

"Is everyone accounted for?"

"No," said Babangida. "I found the bodies of two of our men, Niles and Draper."

"Bodies?" That meant two more dead. "Were they beaten to death, like Asimov and Clark?"

"No sir," said Babangida. "They didn't have a mark on them. They were just dead. Doctor McCrae took them back to the Devonshire."

That meant there were four men dead, two scientists and two crewmen. "Anyone else?"

"Ensign Raleigh is missing. He was with Niles and Draper. We weren't able to find any sign of him."

Taylor looked up and saw a shuttle maneuvering to land. He would have liked nothing better than to tear this city apart looking for Raleigh. But he saw how quickly they could be overcome by sheer numbers. As the shuttle touched down, Babangida said, "Do we go after him?"

"We will," said Taylor. "But not yet."

After they returned to the ship, Taylor went to the sickbay to see to the injured men.

When McCrae saw the Captain, he insisted on bandaging his cuts. In addition to his forehead, Taylor had a cut on his upper arm that he hadn't noticed, and had bled onto his uniform sleeve. McCrae cleaned and bandaged both of his wounds.

"You examined the native girl, Doctor. What are they?" Taylor asked.

"Humans, more or less," said McCrae. "With a few changes. Their minds have become simple. And their purpose in life is to seek pleasure. Those suction cups on the fingers only come out when they're draining experiences or feelings from others."

Taylor nodded. He went over to Jennifer and Suki, who were being examined by a nurse. "Jennifer, are you all right?"

"Yes sir," said Jennifer. "Just a little shook up."

Taylor looked at Suki. "Suki?"

"I'm... I'll be fine, sir," she said. She still had the faint imprints of suction cups on her face.

"What... what did they take from you?" Taylor asked.

"Sen... sensual experiences," Jennifer stuttered.

Taylor looked at Suki, who nodded, blushing.

Four dead. Two scientists and two crewman. And possibly a fifth member of his crew, if Ensign Raleigh wasn't recovered. And it was all his fault.

"Don't blame yourself, Michael," said Victor. He smiled and patted Taylor on the back as he sat down next to him in the cafeteria.

"It was my decision to allow landing parties."

"You took all necessary precautions," said Victor. "You insisted the parties be armed. You insisted no one be alone."

"It wasn't enough," said Taylor, thinking of the bloody bodies of crewmen Asimov and Clark, literally beaten to a pulp. And they were still down there.

"This is what the Survey Service is all about," said Victor. "Taking risks. We all knew that when we signed up, Michael. Every time we step in or out of an airlock we're taking chances with our lives. It's all part of the game. Asimov and Clark knew that. So did Niles and Draper."

"He's right," said a new voice.

Taylor turned to see Doctor Shaw standing there. She was freshly bathed and in a clean uniform. "May I join you?"

"Please," said Taylor.

She sat down. Her hair was once again in a tight bun. "I feel the blame is mine, Captain," she said. "I was the one who persuaded you to allow landing parties."

"You can't blame yourself," said Taylor. "The decision ultimately was mine."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Captain... I'd like to apologize."

"For what?" Taylor asked.

"I... had the wrong impression about you. I thought you were reckless, irresponsible, and careless. But when I saw you charge off, all on your own, to save members of my science team against a mob of angry people... it was so foolhardy... but also brave. And I'm sorry. I had you all figured out, Captain, and I was so, so wrong about you. And I'm sorry," she added, giving a sad smile.

Taylor didn't know what to say. He nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Now, can we make an agreement that if you won't blame yourself for this, then I won't blame myself either?" Elizabeth asked.

Taylor slowly considered, and nodded. "All right, Doctor Shaw."

"Elizabeth," said Elizabeth. "My friends call me Elizabeth."

"All right, Elizabeth," he said, staring into her green eyes.

"I knew the two of you would become fast friends," said Victor.

Both Taylor and Elizabeth blushed and momentarily looked away.

Victor sensed the awkwardness and changed the subject. "It's a fascinating puzzle we have down there, isn't it?" said Victor. "Eight million years. And almost no evolution."

"You call that no evolution?" Taylor asked.

Victor waved a dismissive hand. "Our own knowledge of evolution is limited, given how short a time humanity has existed. Only for about 200,000 years, if the scientists are right. In eight million years, we evolved from the apes, it is said. But in eight million more years... we apparently turn into these beings. But the difference between these beings and ourselves is much smaller than the difference between apes and humanity."

"What are you saying?" Taylor asked.

"I'm not sure," said Victor. "Only it seems that evolution has been... slowed down, guided somehow."

"By technology?"

"That is what one would expect, if humanity was slowly continuing to evolve. But what we saw on the planet was not just evolution, but de-evolution. Call them homo inferior, if you like," said Victor.

"It makes no sense," said Elizabeth, fingering her bun. "There has been no war or ecological disaster which could have caused it. It's as if man's brain has simply... atrophied."

"And yet, someone must maintain the machines which support their lifestyle," said Victor.

"Juci said that when the machines broke down, the big brains fixed them," said Taylor. "With all that was happening, I never got a chance to pursue that further."

"A more advanced, educated people?" said Elizabeth. "If so, where were they? We saw no sign of them."

"I don't know," said Taylor. "And frankly, right now I'm not very interested. We have a crewman missing. Until we recover Ensign Raleigh, everything else is on hold," said Taylor. "The Survey Service doesn't leave anyone behind."

"I'm glad you and Michael have reconciled," Victor said, as he walked Elizabeth back to the crew quarters.

"I'm not quite on the level of calling him Michael yet," said Elizabeth self consciously, fingering her bun.

"He's a good man, You will be soon, I'm sure," said Victor, smiling knowingly as he parted ways with Elizabeth, going down a side corridor to his quarters.

Elizabeth turned to go to her own quarters when Vincent Roman literally bumped into her.

"Oh, sorry," he cried, rapidly backing up after feeling the warmth of her small, scientifically minded breasts briefly pressed against his chest. As he recovered, Vincent looked up at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth , I hear you were attacked on the planet, are you all right?"

Look at her face, her face, look at her face, her face, only her face-

"Yes," said Elizabeth, feeling a little flustered as well. "The, the Survey Service made sure I got out."

Vincent looked at her face intently. "Are you sure you're all right, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she said, nervously fingering her bun, pushing her index finger in and out of it.

Somehow the gesture seemed to excite Vincent. His gaze involuntarily dropped to Elizabeth's breasts. She caught his gaze, and Vincent reddened.

"I'm so glad you're fine!" he cried, as he turned and rapidly walked in another direction.

Taylor went to sickbay to find out what had happened to the two dead crewmen they had retrieved.

"I don't know what to tell you, Captain," said Doctor McCrae. He had performed autopsies on Niles and Draper. "They didn't have a mark on them. Their hearts simply stopped."

"Poison?" Taylor asked. Jennifer Hale, in a clean uniform, stood at his side.

"No sign of it in their system."

"Then what?" Taylor asked.

"I detected signs of... intense trauma in the brain," said McCrae. "In a certain specific section of their brains."

"What section would that be?"

McCrae hesitated. "The part that regulates... the reaction to fear."

Taylor looked at McCrae with horror. "Are you saying these men were... frightened to death?"

McCrae nodded. "It's a distinct possibility."

"Oh my God," said Jennifer. "I thought what I went through was bad." She instinctively reached out and grabbed Taylor by the arm. Taylor laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Jennifer, are you sure you're up for duty?"

"Yes," said Jennifer. "I am."

"Good," said Taylor. "Because I want you to take command while I find Ensign Raleigh."

They returned in force. Two shuttles packed with ten armed crewmembers each. When the shuttles landed, one group of ten, armed with concussion rifles, formed a circle around the perimeter. Their commander was Lieutenant Babangida. Babangida was a former member of the Nigerian territorial army who had joined the Survey Service six years ago. He had a solid performance record. The first team was in good hands.

The other group of ten, lead by Taylor himself, marched to where the scientists Asimov and Clark had been killed. They gathered up what remains they could in body bags, and marched back to the shuttle, always staying together, in one group of ten. They linked up with Lieutenant Babangida's group guarding the shuttle and turned over custody of the bodies. Then Taylor again led his group of ten back into the center of town. They marched slowly and methodically, their hands tight on their compression rifles. Curious eyes followed them. No one seemed in the least bit upset that Taylor and his men had slaughtered more than a dozen of their fellow countrymen.

Taylor made his way to the administrative building where he had met Engin. Engin was there again, along with Bernard, waiting for him, it seems.

"Captain, you have returned," said Engin.

"Yes," said Taylor. "I'm looking for one of my missing men. His name is Ensign Raleigh."

"Ensign Raleigh, Ensign Raleigh... what a nice name," Engin smiled.

"Do you know where he is?" Taylor asked.

"No, well, I don't think so," said Engin. "Do you, Bernard?"

"No," said Bernard.

"You realize we're going to search this town, house by house if necessary, until we find Ensign Raleigh," said Taylor grimly. There was something in his voice, a grim tone, which made Engin and Bernard suddenly sober up.

"That's not necessary, Captain," said Bernard.

"Then tell me where he is," said Taylor. "Is he dead? Alive?"

"I don't know," said Bernard. "But the big heads would know."

"The big heads?" Taylor had heard references to them before. "What big heads?"

"Those big heads," said Bernard, looking up.

Taylor looked up. All he saw were clouds. Was Bernard making some kind of religious gesture? Or was he mocking Taylor? There was so much about these people that he didn't begin to understand.

"I don't see anything," said Taylor.

"Look again, Captain," said Bernard.

Taylor looked up, and his jaw dropped.

Suddenly, above them, was a city in the clouds.

It was big and gleaming and futuristic and... it hadn't been there mere seconds ago. Taylor activated his wristcom. "Devonshire, this is Taylor. Are you getting this?"

"Captain, this is Lieutenant Hale." Taylor found himself relieved to hear her voice. "Sensors are picking up a veritable city, floating two miles above your location."

"How did we fail to detect this city before?"

"Unknown, sir."

Engin pulled at his sleeve. "The big brains are only seen when they want you to see them."

"Captain Taylor!" a deep voice rumbled.

Taylor looked around. The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere, and nowhere.

"Yes? I am Taylor."

"My name is Arnack. I am speaking to you from the floating city of Chanda. We are a race of beings called the Ascended. We have been monitoring your situation ever since you arrived. You seek a missing crewmember, do you not?"

"Yes," said Taylor. "Do you know where he is?"

"Not at present. But we can help you find him. It would be of benefit if we could confer together."

"I would like that," said Taylor.

"Our city has landing facilities big enough for your ship, your Devonshire. Come and dock with our city's landing port, and we would happy to have you for a visit."

Taylor paused, carefully counting to ten. His first instinct was to accept. But then he remembered his instinct to trust the people on the planet, and where that had led him. He took a deep breath. "I appreciate your generous offer, Arnack. Right now I am on a mission of mercy. Let me return to my ship with the bodies of two crewmembers we recovered, and talk to my officers. Then I will respond to your offer."

"Very well," said Arnack. "We also are aware of your greater mission, and perhaps can help you with that as well."

Taylor grew excited. Now he would have to visit these people, these Ascended.

But first things first.​