System

11. Entering Eden

It was a dry world and the hot sun beat down on the dead soil and dying plants. Tall trees with thick trunks provided a little shade, while clumps of twisted fronds were the only sign of life in what was clearly an unforgiving terrain.

Swan kicked his feet against a stone and a small amount of dust rose into the air. He was wearing thick walking boots which left clear tread marks on the ground behind him.

'Things have certainly changed,' he said as he wiped sweat from his forehead. 'Are you sure this is the same place?'

'Pretty sure,' Watcher replied as he took a swig from a water bottle. He was still clutching the old guide book but, like Swan, was dressed for the harsh conditions.

'There's a map here,' he said, tapping one of the pages. 'This is definitely the same valley where we saw the spiders.'

'It's changed a bit since then,' Swan replied.

Watcher nodded as he passed the water bottle to his companion.

'They've done this on purpose,' he said grimly. 'The people running the whole experiment - evolution doesn't work in a steady way. You need to puncture the equilibrium and that's what they've done. They created an extinction event - brought the temperature up a few notches, removed some of the water and generally messed with things. The giant spiders couldn't hack it. They have all died off and the animals that ate them had a pretty tough time too. The survivors have had to adapt or die - that's natural selection for you. It's pretty cruel really - especially when someone is making it happen.'

Swan had a metal walking stick and he scratched some vague markings in the dirt. He drew a sad face and a dead spider.

'So we're out here looking for the creatures that were tough enough to make it?'

'I think so,' said Watcher as he looked around them. 'Although I think this trip may be a little different. Look at that!'

He pointed his own stick at some marks on the edge of a low hill.

'Footprints!' Swan exclaimed.

'Bootprints,' Watcher corrected him. 'And they leave the same tread marks as ours. We're not alone!'

The two men followed the footprints along a dry path and around a low hill. Before long they stumbled on a small group who seemed to be waiting for them.

'Good morning, gentlemen,' said an older man with metal glasses and tufty white hair. 'We were so glad you could make it.'

There were three in the group. A younger woman with a red clip-board, the man who had greeted them and a middle-aged woman with purple hair.

Swan wasn't sure how to respond but Watcher stepped forward and held out his hand.

'It's good to be with you today, professor?...'

'It's just plain doctor, I'm afraid,' the old man said with a gentle laugh as he shook Watcher's hand. 'Doctor Kurt Fredrickson. Have we met before?'

'I believe we have,' Watcher replied. 'But I think it was a while ago. You've been involved in the project for a long time, I think?'

'Eighty years now,' Kurt said with a smile. 'Yes, it's been a long time. When I started, we only had this one dusty warehouse with racks of discarded computers - and the only way we could see inside was through virtual cameras. We've come a long way since then!'

He gestured around him grandly.

Swan took another look at the old man and was just about able to recognise the young engineer from Cambridge.