Second Genesis by Donald Moffitt

Author:Donald Moffitt [Moffitt, Donald]
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Science fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, General, Science Fiction - General, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction - Science Fiction, Space Opera, High Tech, Science, Life Sciences, Genetics & Genomics
ISBN: 9781585863426
Publisher: E-Reads Ltd
Published: 2001-01-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

The airless streets were filled with space-suited tourists from the tree these days. They gawked at the massive excavated buildings, hunted for souvenirs in the rubble, and generally got in the archaeologists’ way. About a quarter of the population could be found on the surface of the diskworld at any given time, and the proportion was increasing as quickly as pressurized accommodations could be provided and atmosphere plants cloned.

Bram strolled down the broad, roughed-out avenue with Mim at his side, trying to keep his feet on the ground and rubbernecking like anybody else. A lot had been accomplished since his last visit; duties aboard the tree had kept him busy there for several Tendays. The tops of more buildings had emerged from the gray dust, and the tallest of them now stood at a height of twenty feet or more.

“It's coming to life again,” Mim said, reading his thoughts. “You can almost imagine what it must have been like."

“Hundreds of thousands of people going about their business—more than ever existed on the Father World, let alone gathered in one place,” Bram agreed. “We've found shops, theaters, even a sports arena where they played a game in midair with a ball and stick, and you were out of bounds when your feet touched the ground. And we've only begun to dig."

Mim said wonderingly. “So many! As many as the Nar! And it looks crowded to me with only a few thousand here!"

“Most of the shirt-sleeve traffic between buildings would have been through the tunnel system. Still, it must have been pretty lively on the surface."

Two space-suited people walked by, bearing a huge slab of granite that seemed to be covered with bas-reliefs. They were walking almost normally, thanks to the tons of mass that kept their boots pressed to the ground. One of them freed an arm to wave at Bram and Mim as they passed. The slab dipped, but the person caught it before it floated too far down out of its inertial path.

Bram waved back, frowning within his helmet. “I wonder where they got that,” he said. “They're supposed to leave things in place till an archaeologist can have a look at the site. There are too many helpful amateurs wandering around."

“Does it matter?"

“Very much, apparently. Ame says that the way finds are sited tells them as much as the finds themselves. And with bones especially, there's a question of missing pieces."

“Those long-footed skeletons?"

“She's got some fairly complete ones. There's a question about the dating. She sent word that there's something she wants to discuss with me."

“And lots of Cuddly bones?"

“Yes, and some they can't identify. She thinks that they may have been pets of Original Man."

Mim gave a subdued shudder and linked arms with Bram. “Ugh—bones! Still, it makes a good excuse for an excursion. The view gets more spectacular all the time."

They both looked toward the horizon at the half-risen disk. It was a swollen red orb that stretched across most of the sky, its oblique angle squashing it out of shape.

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