Free Alpha 1472 by Eddie Hastings Page B

he came to the foot of the hill. It was not steep; it just seemed to go on forever, upwards. Thinking to himself that he should have chosen a different direction he started to climb. As he did so the sand under his feet gave way and each step was diminished as his stride sank backwards. The short journey was arduous and exhausting, it seemed never ending, one step forwards, one slide back. But as he reached the top he was rewarded. The summit of the hill gradually gave way to a view that thrilled him beyond. He got to the absolute apex and lay down on his front and observed.
    “Can you hear me guys”
    He felt a little stupid alone on this sandy hill, no one for miles around talking to himself.
    “Loud and clear, go ahead”
    “I’ve come across a big town or city or something can you see it”
    The shuttle confirmed that they could and waited for J.D. to speak.
    “Could you zoom in on the town and tell me if the clothes we have are going to fit in”
    Control tried to get a good picture of the town from the camera located in the headwear that J.D. was wearing.
“John we can’t get a good picture unless you can keep your head still”
    With that comment J.D. placed his fist in the sand and placed his other fist on top of the first and then placed his chin on top, “Is that better?”
    The shuttle said that it was and that they would apply anti- judder to the images to see if they could get a better image to work from. They had been filming for about forty five seconds when J.D. asked if they had enough to determine whether the computer projection was accurate enough for them to pass undetected amongst the indigenous community. Control confirmed that they had and that the clothes which they now wore were good enough to pass. He then asked them to describe what they had seen in more detail.
    “O.K. well the town that you have found is nothing remarkable, it seems to be little more than a collection of roughly build houses, no particular layout to the town, no discernable road structures and no visible signs of mechanised industry whatsoever. The houses are, in the main, one story simple dwellings that seem to be built around one larger building that seems to be the centre of the town; we think that this building could be the main authority, if any, of the community, but at this point this is only supposition. It’s….err…it seems a little early to see any people but you can relax the ones that we have seen appear to be exactly the same as us two arms, two legs etc..Oh, and only one head which is a pretty good sign. Stand by we are just trying to increase the definition of the images. Here we go, there are some people there that seem to be dressed exactly the same way that you are john, and well, I don’t believe it they have the same long hair and, hang on, they seem also to have facial growth like you. John you are going to have no problem fitting in here.”
    With that J.D. stood up brushed the sand from the front of his robe and started down towards the town.
    Mary had been walking in the opposite direction and had heard all of what had been transpiring between J.D. and base, and the more that she had walked and the more she had listened, the more she had become settled, mentally, about the way that they would fit in amongst the locals. By now she was just strolling along taking in all of the smells and views of her surroundings, and although it was quite barren it held a certain fascination for her, somehow it felt comfortable and for want of a better word it uncannily felt like home. This was a feeling that she could not explain to herself, she had certainly never been here before or even been in a place that remotely resembled her present surroundings, but nevertheless it felt strangely familiar, comfortable. She seemed to have been walking for ages, nothing changing, nothing different, the same landscape the same lack of vegetation the same desert. Almost ready to resign herself to the fact that she would