Solitude

By Kenneth Joel Teicher

Early in the twenty-fifth century, agent Adrianne Atwood is on an assignment that is taking entirely too long. She's been tasked with gaining evidence to put Landro Jackson, a rich industrialist, behind bars. She knows where he is but figuring out what he's doing has become a complex puzzle.

Engineers have terraformed a planet, called Solitude, as the ultimate retirement local for the wealthy. Adrianne discovers that Jackson is conspiring to acquire the planet for himself. Taking advantage of his immense wealth, he enlists the aid of Solitude employees to accomplish his reprehensible goal. Adrianne's cover, as the assistant to the planet's project manager, has become second nature and she sees no end to her real job.

Helping her boss save the planet and its residents from Jackson's reckless plan begins overshadowing her mission. What appear to be natural disasters are revealed as the despicable results of Jackson's strategy. Adrianne's efforts at last generate the necessary evidence she needs. Jackson's arrest is imminent until the industrialist's mysterious death rips a successful mission from Adrianne's grasp.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Joel Teicher
• Release date: May 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311836076

Kenneth Joel Teicher

Having grown up in a home where reading was treated as not just a pastime but also a true pursuit. I have been reading many genres all my life, from historical biographies to science fiction. I have also learned to love the craft of writing. After years of diligent effort, I self-published my first book in 1991. Trips including historic sites, during a period of more than forty-five years, have always fascinated me - from the Roman Forum and Pompeii in Italy, the Acropolis in Greece, Stonehenge and the Roman Baths in England, the fantastic ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey, the ruins of Carthage in Tunisia, the fabulous Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, various sites in Israel, the fabled city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzä in Mexico, The Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall in China, and countless other locations around the world. These adventures have strengthened my fascination with the wonders of ancient civilizations and my growing amateur interest in the study of archaeology. They also triggered my desire to create a series of stories that have developed into the Erin and Craig action/adventure series. These stories are based on many of the locations noted above. I am currently working on the fifth book in the series. Future trips to other exotic and historic locals will, I hope, provide additional stimulating sites on which to base future stories in the series. My other passion is the fanciful world of science fiction. Over the years, I have sought to add my own work to the field. I am currently editing the seventh addition to this part of my collection.

Book preview

Chapter 1

What the hell’s going on? Yelled Daniel as he jumped up from his Tasini fur covered rocker. He had been frightened out of his nap by a loud rumbling sound.

The man, in his late seventies, immediately felt pain in his left leg as he put weight on it. Reaching for his cane, he forced himself to walk to the front porch of his stately, two-story house. A lovely, golden haired woman in loose fitting light blue jeans and a dark red-light pullover stood at the foot of the steps. She was staring open mouthed at the horizon. Following her line of sight, Daniel stood in awe as the top of the mountain seemed to come apart, raising a large cloud of dark dust. A torrent of rock and debris came crashing down their side of the mountain, obscuring the otherwise bucolic landscape. He gingerly managed the steps and came to stand at his wife’s side.

What’s going on? He asked the woman he had known since they were small children.

How in the world should I know, dear? His wife, Gloria, responded as she turned to face her husband. She made a great effort to hide her look of distain for his out-of-date gray cuffed pants and mismatched wrinkled orange shirt. She recalled throwing the old brown shoes he was wearing out in the trash months ago. She shook her head, realizing he must have retrieved them before the rubbish pick up. His balding head showed more of his pale scalp with each passing month. First, there was a terrible shuddering and now this, she continued, pointing to the mountaintop.

I felt it. This kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen here.

Of course not, dear, Gloria replied in an almost condescending tone. Do you think we’re in any danger?

Hard to tell. That mountain is almost two miles from here so I doubt any of that rock slide will reach the house.

But what if there are more … ah … what do they call them … tremors? It must be an earthquake.

Can’t be, he replied almost sarcastically. This place is supposed to have been constructed in a way that this kind of thing couldn’t happen. The engineers spent a long time checking out the entire place long before it was terraformed. We, and the rest of the residents, paid a king’s ransom for all the work they did.

Just the same, it did … Another loud sound, accompanied by the earth shaking, interrupted her words. As soon as it subsided, she continued, without missing a beat. … happen, twice now.

We should go in and call Bennett. He better have a very good explanation for this – whatever it is, Daniel decided.

Do you think it’s safe? Gloria asked, ignoring the anger in his voice.

To go inside? What choice do we have? The house is built with foot thick walls. If you remember, you complained that I was overspending when I helped design the place, Daniel answered, looking west, toward the setting sun. Now you’ll see how well that money was spent. Come on, let’s go in. Dusk is coming on and, this time of year, it gets pretty cold out by nightfall.

Daniel took Gloria’s extended right hand, tucking his cane under his arm and, using his other hand on the banister, pulled himself up as he slowly began climbing the steps, side stepping to maintain his balance. Unlike Gloria, he was not aging well. He refused to exercise even though it was his idea to build a small gym on the first floor. She made use of the equipment on a daily basis to maintain her strength. As a side benefit, it helped preserve her youthful appearance.

Once inside, she offered her husband a smile. You’re right; it doesn’t look like any damage has been none. Not even one of your little artifacts fell off the mantel.

Daniel gave her a sour look as he glanced at his precious collection. She was referring to the growing group of mementoes he had been accumulating ever since their honeymoon, more than fifty years ago. The objects represented some of his most prized possessions; epitomizing memories of all the exotic places, they had visited all around the Coalition of Planets. Without saying a word, he hobbled over to the desk, where the planetary communication device rested. He pressed a button that should have immediately autodialed the number to put him in contact with the administrator of Solitude’s management. All he heard was the silence of the non-functioning apparatus. His sour look grew wider as he slammed his fist on the oak desk.

No answer? Gloria asked, calmly.

Not even the carrier signal. I guess that quake, if that’s what it was, must have somehow knocked out communications.

But isn’t the signal is transmitted through the air? Gloria said, never having learned much about anything technical.

Daniel smiled at his wife. For a time, she had studied to be a biologist. However, the arduous complexity of the field confused her. His work, in the field of genetics, had made them rich and she happily gave up any dream of having her own career.

You’re right, but there are repeating towers for all of Solitude’s communications.

She nodded, feigning her understanding. What do you think we should do?

As long as we don’t feel any more tremors, we may as well spend the night here. Like I said, the house is pretty solid. I’ll go over to the headquarters building in the morning that is if communications are still out. I’m sure someone will be there to explain what’s going on.

Whatever you think best, dear, replied Gloria, ignoring her concern for Daniel to drive himself. He had a history be bad driving habits that only got worse as he aged.

The old man ignored his wife’s condescending tone. What’s best is for this never to have happened. We’ve been here almost three years and, as you recall, this is not the first time something … ah … unexpected has occurred.

You mean like the very high tide last year? They told us it had something to do with the repositioning of the moon.

That was just a story they concocted to keep us all from registering official complaints.

How do you know that?

During a meeting, a few weeks after the event, Bennett told us it was normal to have to make periodic adjustments in the orbit of our moon. I cornered one of the engineers after the meeting and managed to coax the truth out of him. He told me that the orbit of the moon had been decaying for a long time. Apparently, the astrophysicists got the math wrong. If they had done the proper work the moon’s orbit would never have needed any adjustment.

Gloria’s look of confusion brought a smile to Daniel’s face. Don’t worry, dear. It’s all fixed now and it won’t happen again, at least that’s what they told us. Let’s go to bed. I’m sure Bennett will have a ‘good’ story about what’s happened.

They went through their ritual, preparing for bed. After their typically abbreviated hug and kiss, Daniel and Gloria got into bed and were soon fast asleep. Several hours later, there was a tremendous thunderous noise. This time there was no accompanying tremble in the house but the sound woke Daniel. Too weak and sleepy to lift his head, he managed to turn to face his wife; she was fast asleep. Between her sleep blinders and earplugs, she was effectively oblivious to the world around her. Turning back to face the ceiling, Daniel attempted to replay the sound in his mind. What could that have been? He wondered. What could have caused such an awful sound with no physical effects? After mulling over the question for a while, Daniel fell into a troubled sleep. The answers would have to wait until he spoke with Bennett.

Chapter 2

Bennett sat quietly facing his supervisor, Rando Carifly. The unscheduled visit surprised him and he worried about the motive. The two men sat in the seldom-used employee lounge, staring out the dramatic floor to ceiling windows. Bennett attempted to ease his mood by studying the birds fluttering around in the nearby trees. Only a few carefully selected species flew in the cool, dry air. They had been precisely matched to each other even according to the melody of their songs. In fact, every animal inhabiting the planet had been conveyed to the world not by natural selection, but by carefully developed physiological profiles intended to harmonize with the beauty of the fabricated world and its unique human population.

The planet itself had been scrupulously constructed to meet a most demanding scheme. Every aspect of the biosphere had been altered by the builders, even the elements of the atmosphere were modified to provide a perfect sunset every night. The planet was called by many names but the one it was best known by was the code name used during its construction, Solitude. It started out as a cold, unfriendly planetoid where life had never taken root because of the hostile environment.

Long experience experimenting with world climatic control taught the terraformers how to situate the landmasses in the most advantageous locations around the planet. Areas assigned to contain future oceans were designed to maximize the beauty of the world and maintain the tidal system in perfect balance. The rain fell only at night and the temperature varied within a constricted range between a low of 20 degrees and a high of 31 C. They could do nothing about the sun. However, it had been picked for Solitude’s star because of its age and stability. The other planets in the solar system, all naturally occurring, were uninhabited for various reasons. The primary one being the lack of natural resources.

Even the ozone layer of the planetoid had been carefully augmented to minimize the effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays. A serene wilderness blanketed most of the planet as if it were one enormous park. Water in the seas, taken from several comets, was meticulously filtered so that no alien life could contaminate the perfect world. The surface soil contained only a specific variety of pulverized stone, was also devoid of any living organisms. Nothing had been left to chance; even the inhabitants had to meet strict requirements, all except for Bennett and his crew. He was assigned to the planet as its manager or, more precisely, its caretaker.

Solitude was not Bennett's idea, but he had been involved in the plans for its construction from the outset. It was designed as a location where the wealthiest people from the Coalition of Planets could retire. The funds expended to develop the world had virtually no limit. Bennett never knew where all of the money came from to build the planet and didn't really want to know. He was only an employee, but he shared a place on the most perfect world in the settled galaxy. It seemed to him that nothing had been neglected on Solitude and yet the imagination of its inhabitants continuously tested both his team and the planet's ability to satisfy their every whim.

So, how are things going? Asked Rando in an offhanded manner, breaking into Bennett’s thoughts.

Pretty much as usual, Bennett carefully replied, wondering if this was a prelude to his boss’s true purpose. Between my people and the bots everything is under control. Although, I must say that at times, I feel like a social director or babysitter more than anything else. I try to keep out of their squabbles; I mean I have enough responsibility just making sure all the systems are maintained properly.

Bennett stopped, realizing he sounded like he was complaining. When he thought about his responsibilities, the residents and the planet itself, he could never decide which facet of his job created the biggest problems for him. He had been told what to expect by the people who had hired him, but they never made it clear just how far reaching those responsibility would be. Maintaining the basic physical plant of the world included everything from mowing millions of square kilometers of lawn, to adjusting local weather conditions. About the only thing he wasn't responsible for was the private areas of the homes the inhabitants occupied. As well as Solitude had been constructed, it never reacted to changes he made exactly as he hoped it would.

Besides having to keep the planet in perfect running order, he had to play baby sitter for two hundred sixty five thousand of the most spoiled people in the galaxy. If the residents were simply elderly people with their own difficult medical problems, his job would have been an easy one. Solitude was a very exclusive place, only the richest people could afford to live on it. These people had spent their lives without ever having to lift a finger to do anything except direct someone else to do their bidding. Their old age only made them that much more demanding.

As Bennett stared through the large window, the interior lighting caused his reflection to appear in the glass. He absentmindedly studied his features. Curly brown hair hung over his ears, reminding him he was overdue for a haircut. Large brown eyes stared back at him, over his flat broad nose. He looked away when he noticed how tight his jersey stretched across his chest. Once again, he promised himself to make better use of the employee gym and more closely abide by the strict diet provided to him.

When we hired you, we told you the job would not be an easy one, Rando replied, once again interrupting Bennett’s thoughts. That’s precisely why we provided you with your three assistants, a great number of engineers and a very large and innovative cadre of androids; the most expensive and human-like ever constructed.

Bennett stifled a smirk. The androids, locally called bots, were certainly equipped to handle the tedious chores. They also curiously acted almost superior to their human supervisors. They seemed to possess the singular ability to respond to instructions in a most condescending manner. They worked continuously, never requiring more than a brief period to recharge. His three assistants, on the other hand, were the most amiable group of people he ever worked with. Each functioned on a separate eight-hour shift so that a senior member of the staff was always available for the residents and the frequently unpredictable activity of the planet itself.

Although his assistants were often called to one area or another on the planet, their primary responsibility was in the main control center. From this location, they were able to carefully monitor everything from the weather to the most mundane demands of the inhabitants. Even such ludicrous requests as the availability of tennis balls somehow found their way to upper management. Originally, Bennett had been told that he would only be required to be on duty during one shift. This intention could seldom be put into practice as he was constantly being called upon to deal with some kind of emergency, real or imagined. There were many days when he found himself working almost around the clock.

Bennett had been relaxing in his office, preparing for his monthly visit to the automated weather station when his boss arrived. He didn't really have to visit the weather station but felt that it was too critical a part of the physical plant to leave attended only by the bots for very long. It was not simply a monitoring station; the facility had the capacity to alter the weather patterns on every quadrant of the planet. The most difficult example of its capabilities was tested two years ago when one of the residents demanded some wind so that he could fly a kite. They had finally created the temperature inversion that would create the necessary breeze. Bennett would never forget the amount of effort it took just so one man could enjoy a few hours reliving a childhood memory.

Bennett was thankful when the annoying chirp of his communicator interrupted the conversation. Excusing himself, he walked several yards away in order to answer the call-in privacy. An original resident was on another one of his crusades. This one was to rearrange the Harbor near his house so that he would have a shorter walk to the beach. The change would require the removal of a number of trees near another resident's tennis court. Bennett could never understand why, with so much vacant land, these two decided to live so close to one another. One of these people now demanded to speak with him.

Bennett, I hope you aren't planning to give in to Henderson’s demands. I simply won't allow you to uproot any of the trees around my tennis court. Besides the fact that I love the way they look, they also serve as a natural barrier to the breeze that comes off the harbor. To eliminate them would disturb our tennis game. Their removal would also break my concentration, as I would then have a clear and very distracting view of the harbor while we play. Why don't you just install a moving walkway for the old man if he's so lazy that he won't use his own energy to walk to the beach?

Mr. Johnson, you know the rules, no moving walkways can be installed unless a minimum of five percent of the population will benefit. As much clout as your neighbor has, he could never override the planetary rules. In any event, I doubt whether he would even desire us to install a moving walkway for him. He just wants to have his way and won't be satisfied until he gets it or is provided with a much better alternative.

Then why don't you just transplant his home closer to the harbor?

An interesting idea Mr. Johnson, but I doubt that would really make both you and Mr. Henderson happy. If there is nothing else, you will have to excuse me as I have some pressing business to attend to. Bennett lied, hoping to hear the end of this conversation, at least for the time being.

Fine Bennett, but don't forget where I stand on this issue.

Bennett was thankful to hear the connection broken. Johnson always appeared to be at the other end of whatever argument was currently going on between the harbor area residents. He was one of the younger inhabitants of Solitude and seemed to attract more than his share of confrontations.

Something important? Rando queried, as Bennett retook his seat. He sat upright on the deep cushion so that his short legs could touch the floor.

No, just one of our residents with another complaint. Bennett explained the basic grievance and received a wry grin. I was just on my way to the automated weather station when you arrived. Care to join me?

Rando nodded affirmatively and, after retrieved his tunic, they headed out. Bennett stared absentmindedly at the coat. Outerwear was never required in the tightly controlled climate, unless you traveled to the mountains in order to partake of some winter activity.