“How could they do this?” Aldous reacted, barely able to move his mouth. “How could the A.I. and James give such a treasure—such a jewel—to the Purists?” He turned away from the scene in front of him and regarded Rich with an astonished expression. “The Purists started WWIII to prevent these very miracles from ever happening. Venus never would’ve been terraformed in the first place if they’d remained in power. They don’t deserve this paradise.”
Rich sucked his lips to one side for a moment as he considered Aldous’s reaction. “I think James thought it was fitting. Venus is the new Garden of Eden. The Purists are the only ones who never ate from the Tree of Knowledge.”
“That’s not something for which they should be commended,” Aldous replied sternly.
Rich shrugged. “Maybe not, but practically speaking, they needed a home base. We weren’t giving them a say in anything anymore, but they deserved the right to carve out their own destiny. Honestly, Venus is awesome, but after everything the Purists have been through, they do deserve it.”
Aldous shook his head, gripping the back of the seat in front of him, digging his fingers into the soft material. “I have difficultly finding words to respond to such an ill-informed opinion.”
“Ah,” Rich said, winking at Aldous, “there’s the arrogant son-of-a-bitch I’ve come to know and loathe. Welcome back.”
Aldous turned back to the front view screen as a wall of white began to form on the horizon. At first, he wasn’t sure if he was seeing some sort of optical illusion, as the sun stained the enormous object with a golden sheen that made it difficult for him to regard it without squinting. Tears nearly formed in his eyes before his mind’s eye tinted his eyes to compensate. “What is that?”
Rich smiled. “This is very interesting. Chief, I think I know where the Purists are taking us.”
“Where?” Aldous asked impatiently.
“You’re seeing the falls?” James’s voice asked through his aural connection to Rich.
“Yep,” Rich replied.
“Yep, is not an answer to my question,” Aldous reacted, his temper short.
“Chief, you better hang on,” Rich said. “I think we’re in for a bumpy ride. It looks like James put the Purists in the place where they’d be least likely to be found.”
“Richard,” Aldous spoke, softening his tone as he regained his patience but speaking slowly and enunciating every word as he asked, “what is this thing?”
“Seriously, Chief,” Rich said as he strapped into his seat and gestured with his head for Aldous to take the seat in front of him. “Strap in. You’ve got about three seconds.”
“Three?” Aldous said, tilting his head quizzically before the ship suddenly made it to the edge of the falls and dove steeply into the white abyss of ocean spray, sending Aldous off his feet and against the ceiling. His magnetic field ignited just in time to keep him from being harmed, but he struggled to float into his seat and strap in as the ship took them on a wild ride through the wall of mist.
“This is so utterly awesome,” Rich whispered as the ship traveled through the mist for nearly a full minute.
“I’m glad you like it,” James replied, “but keep your eyes peeled. Remember, Aldous is a major suspect. Venus’s powerful magnetic force-field should be able to jam any attempts at communication that Aldous might make to give away your position, plus the Purists have ample equipment to detect signals, but Aldous is tricky and if he is the one behind this, he had time to plan ahead. Watch him close. You’re our eyes and ears, buddy.”
“Where in Heaven’s name…” Aldous wondered aloud as the view screen continued to reveal nothing but a dimming whiteness. Then, almost as soon as he’d finished speaking the words, the ship began to vibrate, a thunderous sound crescendoed and echoed through the bridge.
“Is that,” Aldous began to form the words, “a waterfall?”
Rich peered through the mist to see the edge of the incredibly powerful falls, millions of liters of water plunging downward every second. “Holy. Crap.”
“Is this…is this how they power it?” Aldous wondered aloud. “There’s so much energy—”
Incredibly, a structure suddenly emerged from the white torrent, splitting the falls in two like a rock formation splitting a raging river, the white water blasting explosively in reaction to the disruption. When the explosive reaction settled, the structure finally took shape, a hexagonally shaped tunnel jutting out, and allowing them access to the mysteries within.