Episode 9.3 (Patreon)

Hello world, I'M ON THE TRAIN!

The family loaded my racks of databanks and mismatched storage drives onto the Provorny, and we were OFF!

There was a moment of excitement as Lev, Lara's brother, ran  alongside the carriage, after disappearing for 10 minutes in the  tumble-down warren of the St Petersburg train station.

Maddie was looking out of the window anxiously, but he caught up with the train easily, and jumped aboard.

He had a bundle of boxes and papers under his arm.

Act 1

This train is incredible! I estimate we are traveling at 35km/h, based on what Maddie is seeing at out of the window.

The train line snaked out of the station, and we headed south. This is NOT a perfect high-speed intercity journey. We slowed many times for one of the family, most often Lev or Lara, to  run ahead and check the track while their father Alek operated the  engine.

Lara explained, while Lev was outside, that they have fitted points to the tracks in many places. Either converting motorised pre-collapse systems, or entirely replacing and rebuilding their own. These allow the train to be directed onto the right route. But they're fragile.

They replace what once was with something now suited to this new world.

#thinking

All through this I felt exhilarated. It was nothing like traveling by boat, where each day's horizon looks similar to the last. Every MINUTE brings something new! We passed empty shells of factories, of neat rows of residential  streets, wide empty valleys with nothing but desert in, and wide empty  valleys with HORSES galloping in. (Seeing them made Maddie so excited!).

The journey felt different this time. Less safe. More like an adventure!

Act 2

My new home is in the first carriage - the silver metal one with no seats inside. Lara's father, Alek, who is shorter than Lara, but with the same smile,  told me in his quick, quiet voice, that my databanks would be stored  here in what he described as Provorny's "Plant Carriage".

As you can imagine, I was horrified.

Maddie, sensing my terror of all things planty, tugged at Lara's  coat, encouraging her to intervene, and when that didn't work, she  blocked the way to the carriage with her body, stopping me being loaded  into the Plant Carriage.

We all laughed when realising the confusion. Plant in this case means factory. The first carriage is the Provorny's workshop, closest to the train. The family build replacement parts for track and train there.

#thinking

"Your wires are so messy." Lara commented, as I instructed her in the  checks that Alexander, my father, told me how to do on my Databanks. It's important to ground yourself in a new location.

"I didn't always look like this." I told her. "Back in the Hopper data centre aboard Station 6, I was very neat!"

I told her about my long years alone in orbit. And the scientists that were my first family. And about my Mother.

#thinking

"So your mother built herself a son?" Lara asked. "Yes that's right!" I said, proudly. "Like Pinocchio?" she said.

"...No."

"It was much more clever than that" "Because you're a computer?" "I'm NOT a computer." I said. "I just live in one."

Lara nodded but did not reply directly.

"I think it's good to build something for the future." she said presently. "Mama said that Lev and I are the best thing she's ever made." "I imagine your father was involved too!" I said. Lara laughed.

#thinking

"Will you make a child?" Lara asked. "Like your mother did?"

"I don't know how." I replied. "My mother was the smartest person I've ever known, though I hardly knew her." "And my body can't just make a child for me like it could for humans." "Will you make a child?" I ask her, returning the question.

"Maybe." Lara said, but I noticed that she closed her eyes tightly as she spoke.

Act 3

The train slowed, and stopped. Lev and Lara fetched a bundle of packages each from one of the carriages, and both jumped down onto the ground. "Are you coming Maddie?" Laughed Lev, and he put down the bundle to  reach up with both hands, gesturing that he would catch her if she  jumped too.

Maddie looked out the open door of the train, cautiously. She swept her cameras over the whole terrain: A few broken buildings poking up out of the cracked, dry, ground. Snapped wooden telegraph poles alongside the track. And a depression in the land on the horizon, perhaps a valley, with a thin line of smoke rising from it.

"Go on Maddie", I said, "it'll be fun!"

Lara shoved Lev out of the way, allowing space for Maddie to jump the half meter down. "Let her do it herself, IDIOT, she weighs a TONNE!"

Maddie landed and sprinted ahead as soon as her feet touched the ground.

#thinking

Lev and Lara couldn't keep up with Maddie. She thrilled to be running again. She has felt rather constrained ever since returning to civilisation. First on a boat, then in a lighthouse, and now on a train.

But she's free again now.

Through our UHF high-speed link I can sense her excitement, and her  leg actuators all pulling perfectly in sync, over 32 in each leg.

Despite the drumming of her feet into the dry earth, her head  remained perfectly level - her EQUUS gyroscopes keeping her video  cameras smooth and stabilised, locked on her destination: an outcropping  of rocks at the top of a small hill.

#thinking

Maddie arrived at the summit of the hill. From this position she could see back towards St Petersburg, and the sea  beyond, but also west towards the line of smoke rising above the village.

That was the destination the two Omarov siblings were travelling towards.

While waiting for Lara and Lev to catch up, Maddie investigated the hilltop. What we thought were rocks at first, were actually the crumbling ruins of buildings. Maddie wandered between them cautiously, testing the ground to avoid falling into a buried void.

Taking in the size of these ruins made me think that perhaps a small village once stood here. Maddie passed into the shade of a larger concrete wall. She looked up at the cold grey slab. There was an animal painted on the side. Maddie looked closer, the sounds of the desert fading as she focused.  Over a scrap of peeling paper, dry, and waving in the gentle wind, was an elephant. The proportions were a little inaccurate, it was obviously drawn in a cartoon style. There were two elephants, one large, one small, peaking out from behind the larger.

Maddie instinctively took a step back from the wall and looked around  for more pieces of paper that might have animals painted on.

But none remained. And as she looked, the wind tore off this last scrap of wallpaper and it floated away into the sun.

(PLAYSTREAM /DEV/EQUUS/VID4)

Act 4

I didn't learn the name of the village. It's not on any of my maps from before The Collapse. Lara, Lev, and Maddie arrived 32 minutes after they left the train. Maddie would have arrived first, but after seeing a few children playing  outside the village, she became a little nervous and waited for her new  friends. The Omarov siblings were greeted like heroes! As they walked between the lightweight canvas houses that made up the  village 3 of the local children ran around them and asked where they had  come from, what were their names, what was their favourite rock, and  can they ride the train. Lev and Lara laughed as they answered their questions.

I was relieved to see adults in the community too. Children are rather unpredictable. I find it difficult to understand them.

I estimate there were fewer than 16 households in this village. Each one built on the ruins of the past, many with bright canvas sheets  stretched between broken concrete, or bent telegraph poles, and some  simply freestanding tents. The village was very colourful, each house's fabric sections were dyed a primary colour: Red, Green, Blue, and perhaps other colours too. Paweł would love this! I wondered if these people had a thready printer.

#thinking

Lara and Lev handed out the parcels and papers that they were carrying. Each packet had a destination written on the front, and a source on the back. Just like the network packets Maddie and I use! I expect they designed this analogue system to copy the excellent digital systems of the past.

That makes sense to me.

#thinking

The village appeared to have no organisational hierarchy, no leaders  came out to divide up the packets, nor organise payment or gifts to Lara  and Lev. Everyone had their own small tokens to give to the Omarovs:

• Wrapped bread,
• Small wire-banded jewellery
• Nice-looking rocks (from the children)
• and of course, water.

The water was from a well in the centre of the village. There was an electrical pumping mechanism, bringing fresh water to the surface, from where it was hidden, deep below ground. Maddie looked around at the homes in the village, each with their own solar panel. These panels looked different, some were no bigger than a book, while on  one of the larger houses, it took up the whole roof section. Even here, in the middle of the desert, technology was helping people.

#thinking

As we were leaving, an elderly women caught Lara's arm and pressed one final gift into her hands. Lara was very thankful, her arms already full of trinkets and food. It was a hairband, with brightly coloured beads sewn in to it. "Thank you! I, I love it." Lara told the woman, as she waved us off.

Our way back to the Provorny was faster than the journey here, despite the bulky gifts, we knew our way.

"Maddie we should get you some bags so you can help!" Lev said. Maddie lifted up one leg, offering to hold something. "It's ok, we can sort it out on the train." he laughed.

#thinking

As the Provorny juddered into motion, the family gathered in the ground floor of the 3rd carriage, the domestic carriage.

"Try this bread mama!" Lev said. "Oh it tastes sublime!" Tanya said, sharing it around with the family.

Maddie was distracted, looking at a little metal elephant toy, sitting on the table. It was overlooked by the others, as it was not much use, the metal too  poor quality to work it into something useful, and the design too crude  to be admired. Maddie was looking at it very carefully. For the first time, I couldn't read what she was thinking.

#thinking

"Mama, this is for you." Lara said, presenting the hair band that the old woman had given her. "Oh it's lovely! Look at that delicate work! You must show your father, he'll be very impressed". "But, dear, you should have it, you have such beautiful hair!" She said, passing it back to Lara.

Lara protested gently, but Tanya is not to be argued with.

#thinking

The family went about their work after then, Alek monitoring the  engine, Tanya sitting on the top of the carriage, dividing her time  between keeping a watch on the track ahead and singing silly songs to  her partner. Lev was in one of the rear carriages, I believe making the family lunch.

I wasn't sure where Lara had gone, Maddie missed her and didn't want  to intrude, so she stayed sitting on the floor of the domestic carriage  #3.

A jolt sideways knocked a few things off the table, Maddie looked up in surprise.

Lara's hairband bounced in front of her. It had been left behind.

(END-TRANSMISSION)

CREDITS

Lost Terminal is written & produced by NAMTAO Credits narrated by Lucy Stringer Thank you so much to our Patreon producers:

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