Runaway World

Daniel Vole

     "Good to know," said Andrew distractedly. "Would it be possible to talk to our children? I haven't heard their voices for over five weeks."

     "I'll pass on your request," the voice replied, "but by the time we've gotten them to a transmitter you'll have arrived anyway. You'll be able to talk to them directly. Is Captain Douglas there,"

     "I'm here," the Captain replied, making Andrew jump. He hadn't realised the Captain was standing in the doorway behind him. "Condition Sienna Two. All's well."

     "Sienna Two, confirmed," the voice replied. "The President will be pleased to hear it."

     "Long may his administration endure," Douglas replied. He leaned forward to see the instrument panel better. "We are now two miles out. ETA six minutes."

     "I'll inform the perimeter guard. Welcome back, all of you. All of New Philadelphia will celebrate."

     "Should be one hell of a party," said Douglas, stepping back into the doorway.

     "Code words?" said Andrew as he cut the connection. "In case the five of us somehow overpowered all your men and are planning to take over your city?"

     "Never underestimate the power of military paranoia," the Captain replied with an embarrassed smile. "Don't worry, the code words merely said that you were telling the truth and that you weren't going to try anything."

     "As if we would with our children held hostage," said Susan with a frown.

     "I'm sure they've been treated very well and will have some exciting stories to tell when they get back home," Douglas replied. Susan just kept frowning at him, though, until the Captain looked away, his eyes turning towards the cockpit window in front of him.

     There were large, bulky objects on the horizon that hadn't been there on their first visit, Andrew saw. Weapon emplacements. Cannons by the look of them, positioned on hilltops surrounding the approach to the city, their long barrels pointing out towards the most likely routes an invader might take. Andrew shook his head in amusement. "If New London meant you harm, they could just drop rocks on your heads from orbit," he said.

     "I expect it makes someone feel safer down there," the Captain replied. "What's an army without guns?"

     "What's an army without an enemy?" Andrew asked. He frowned as a thought suddenly came to him. "Is it possible that they want to see New London as a threat in order to justify their existence?"

     "What we want above all is to survive," the Captain replied. "And to survive, they need what they can only get from New London. I would imagine that simply having it given to them would be a blow to the pride of some people, though. They would be much happier if they could obtain it in honourable combat. You can bet that the President has teams of analysts drawing up plans for the invasion and subjugation of your city. Just as an intellectual exercise, of course."

     "Well, we're going to have to disappoint them," Andrew told them. "We are indeed leaving this world. It's not a trick. This time next year, we'll leave our city empty with the doors wide open. You'll be able to walk right in. If that's a blow to their pride, they'll just have to find a way to deal with it."

     The Captain nodded with a smile of amusement.

     A moment later the tunnel down to the blast doors of New Philadelphia came into view ahead of them and they drove down to the hole made by the bunker buster two hundred years before. They continued on to the hanger space where they were delighted to see, alongside the four cannibalised IceRunners, four New London hab-rovers, one of which had been decorated with gleaming silver and brass to give it an official look. The transport of an ambassador, the first such person to have existed for over two centuries.