'The ayes have it, Jake, me boy,' Sean said, speaking for everyone. 'Let's roll.'
'Ragna, are you back there?'
'Indeed. I am hardly elsewhere.'
'Do you want to get back in your vehicle or leave it here and come with us?'
'Being that I am scared to the point of voiding my nitrogenous wastes, no, thank you, I think. We will be space truckers for a while.'
I started forward.
The road followed a trough between two low grassy hills. There wasn't much to see except a few strange trees and some shrubbery. This area had a manicured look to it, like a park. The grass was short and the trees had a pruned and cared-for look to them, though that very well could have been their natural state. There was a lot of color here. The green of the grass was brilliant, almost iridescent, and the trees and shrubs were of various pastel shades. Pink and blue strata of rock ran along the slopes higher up.
'Pretty,' I heard Darla say.
Everyone nodded in silent agreement.
The valley began to wind and the road bore slowly upward.
'Anything sneaking up behind, Sam?'
'Not a soul.'
'Hmm. I was just thinking.'
'What?'
'Did you erase the Wilkes Al program yet?'
'No.'
'How come?'
'I haven't been ordered to. You know I can't erase any files without your okay.'
'Oh, right, sorry.'
'So why haven't you?' Sam asked pointedly.
'Huh?'
'Why haven't you ordered me to erase Wilkes?'
'It's harmless now, right?'
'Absolutely. I got him right where I want him.'
'Well, maybe we should let it be. That program may have some information we need. There are still plenty of question marks that need clearing up.'
'Whatever you say.'
'You're sure you pulled its teeth, now.'
'Don't worry about it. You can't fool this computer twice.'
'Well, we don't want a repeat of that takeover bid.'
Sam grew exasperated. 'Hey, did anybody else just hear me tell him not to worry about it?'
'I'd never count Corey Wilkes out,' Darla said. 'I wouldn't even trust death to cramp his style.'
'Yeah,' I said. 'He's soma like you, Sam, in a way.'
'How would you like to walk, son of mine? Next time you get out of this rig, I just might not let you back in.'
'Sorry.'
'No respect for the dead.' The road leveled off on a bluff overlooking a wide plain. I slowed and pulled off the road. I wanted to have a look at this.
'Oh, it's beautiful,' Susan said.
'Sam, something tells me the air here is just fine.' 'It certainly is.' 'Let's get out.'
'Uh, I'll stay in the truck.'
'Okay. You?' I did a double-take. 'Yeah,' I said, and laughed.
We all spilled out, walked off the shoulder, and stood looking at the marvel across the valley below. On a far hill stood a magnificent structure.
It was a palace or maybe an entire city, a massive yet graceful array of tall domed cylinders and lofty spires all enclosed behind a fortress wall. It was a fairy city, an imperial palace in a never-never land. It was El Dorado, or Xanadu, or Shangri-La. And it was all a glossy, brilliant green. Flying buttresses of green glass soared between towers, sparkling in the late afternoon sun. Crystalline ramparts looked out across the valley.
Susan was awed. 'It's the Emerald City.'
'It is looking quite like our fables and stories of old,' Ragna commented.
I looked down. The Skyway cut across the valley and went into serpentine turns as it climbed the citadel atop which the city stood.
The black dot of a vehicle had just come down from there and was heading across the valley toward us at a terrific clip.
'Well,' I said. 'Here comes something.'
Everybody caught sight of it and drew back a little, getting closer together.
We waited.
The dot grew into a vehicle that was sleek, long and black with green trim. After shooting across the valley, it slowed a little and began its ascent up the near side, taking sharp turns with effortless grace.
In another minute it gained the crest of the hill. It pulled off the road about twenty meters away from us.
The vehicle was magnificent, a technological rhapsody in shining ebony and jade green, its aerodynamic surfaces whimsical and free yet somehow mathematically precise as well. Fins angled up from the rear, thin swept-back wings flared from the sides. The fuselage was set about with tear-shaped bubbles and rounded protrusions. The needle-nose was tipped with silver. It looked more like a plane than a ground vehicle, and I didn't doubt that it could fly.
Was this an example of Roadbuilder technology? If there were Roadbuilders inside, why hadn't they simply levitated across the valley to meet us? Compared to the wizardry that had brought us here, this was decidedly middle-tech.
The next thing that happened shocked the hell out of us.
The green-tinted bubble-top popped open and a human being climbed out.
A strange one, though. His long hair was the color of copper, his face the color of coffee with heavy cream. His black eyes were large and wide apart. He had a straight sharp nose over full lips and his face was a perfect oval. There was something of the androgyne in him, with masculine and feminine aspects melded into one body. He climbed down from his vehicle and walked toward us in a flowing movement in which grace and self-assurance were combined.
He was dressed in a green full cape, black pantaloons and boots, and a black leather jacket with black piping. The cape was embroidered along the edges with elaborate designs in black thread and the jacket flowed with green scrollwork.
He stopped a few meters from us and spoke.
'Welcome,' he said, and smiled. 'You've come a long way and you must be very weary. We offer our apologies if you've been inconvenienced in any way.'
The voice was not effeminate so much as it was epicene. It was clear, lyrical, lilting?almost musical.
No one responded. We all stood there airing our tonsils.
Finally I shut my mouth, swallowed, and said, 'Hello. Yes, we're pretty tired. Uh, thank you.' I massaged my forehead and tried again. 'Uh, look here. I'm Jake McGraw. And these are my friends…'
'Greetings to you all,' the man said, smiling warmly and looking around. 'You may call us Prime.'
'Us?' I said.
'Uh… me. Forgive the plural. Merely a habit.'
'Prime,' I repeated.
'Yes, Prime will do.' He turned and looked up, watching a cloud roll by. 'Beautiful weather, wouldn't you say?'
'Yes.' I shook my head. 'See here?' I began.
'You know, I was just about to have lunch,' Prime said, turning to me, 'when I had news of your arrival. You
