Chapter 17 Lava Tube Rejuvenates

They decided to take another day to just relax up here, it was their vacation place. In addition to being a creative workshop place that had done so well that the management had taken it away from them to reap profit from it, without compensation for taking it, nor even asking permission. Such was the mindset of big management, apparently justifying that mode by declaring themselves "winners." There was also an old adage from way back in time, even on Old Earth, that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." It seems that at least part of mankind had not changed all that much. And part of that version of absolute power apparently had tools for discovering moneymakers that have been created, and worse, apparently had the power to observe a person's ongoing experience to a significant amount, and be able to erase selected parts of a person's memory such that they did not even remember owning the product they had created. And maybe other things too. Maybe the invaders were even now monitoring their experienced up here in their vacation cave hideout. It was a strange thing to contemplate. They soon realized it was a real crazy-maker. It seemed like the old novel named "1984" or some year like that.

The whole thing could take the zest out of life for the individual. On the other hand, maybe it would be a boon for those in the acting professions. Or those who did impersonations. Neither of those kind of activities were interesting to Geodon or Nansella. But they did like being lovers, and this was their time to enjoy home away from home with each other.

Refreshed, they arose the next morning and walked to the exit of the lava tube. They decided to take a little trip in their rowboat, bringing flashlights; and do a little exploring of the natural cave they had discovered on their previous visit up here. They got into the skiff, released the tie rope and Geodon paddled them off down the lake, as they enjoyed the sight of the ripples in the surface of the water and the sensations of the smooth ride and the changing shapes of the hardened black lava folds as they slowly went by.

Tossing their tie line with a small rock attached into a nearby crevasse, they left the boat and climbed over to the dark area of the mysterious opening. Shining their flashlights into it, it appeared to be a exit of a lava tube, much like their own. Walking into it, they discovered it soon flared out into a very large diameter tube and seemed to stay that size as they continued down its pathway. It dwarfed their own lava tube and even their satellite-blasted cave rooms. Again being sensitive to their breathing and state of mind, in case the air quality became unsupportive for them, they continued down this marvelous structure. "Imagine" Geodon chattered, "a walkway down one side of this tube, and along the other side would be shops and homes. this could be a place for a small village" he fantasized, sharing it with Nansella. However, she was more realizing that they had not brought the picnic basket so they could have a lunch here, and continue on the adventure. Nansella turned her flashlight off to save energy; they did not know the limits of the flashlights, and this already was the longest excursion in which they had used flashlights. Water began to appear along the lower side of the tunnel, and then the passageway abruptly got wader and higher, and they found rock shards along the floor; then there was light ahead. But instead of another cave entrance, it was from the ceiling overhead having collapsed.

A quick look beyond the collapsed area, showed that the lava tube continued on beyond. But now they climbed up the debris from the collapsed area, and emerged outside. Looking around from there, it all looked unfamiliar until they could see the very top of a pylon, then another. The pylons seemed to be the last in the line of them, so one of them at the end must be the terminal pylon at the vast lake, where the buckets dipped into the lake to refill and begin their swings back down the other side of the pylons, taking water back to town and the agriculture there.

Back down in the tunnel, they resumed their exploration beyond the collapsed area. Only a little further beyond there, the lava tube formed a "Y" junction; the other arm of the Y went back downhill, and the stem of the Y continued the gentle uphill grade. Geodon thought that the new arm of the lava tube seemed to go generally toward their other lava tube, and wondered if that was so. Starting down that path, Nansella suggested they go back and have a meal, then explore from their own tunnel and see if it indeed came here. Geodon suddenly became aware that he indeed was hungry, and they headed back the way they had come. Working their way over the heap of fallen debris and edging past the little water area, then it was a rather long walk until they reached their exit to their skiff. Stepping out into the sunshine, Geodon scanned the view toward both dock sites; there were no invaders in sight. So they got into the boat and paddled back to the lava tube exit. Tying the skiff to their little dock area, they headed down that lava tube a bit more hurriedly, getting quite hungry now. Back in their third cave room, they had a nice meal and took a nap; by that time, it was dark outside but no matter, it was dark in the lava tube too. Their flashlights also having been recharged, they headed down the unexplored part of their lava tube, soon passing by their little cache of crafts materials. The air seemed to be tolerable for breathing, although no breeze was apparent through the tube. The journey through the shiny surface black lava tube seemed to create a sense of being lost in time and space, as the flashlight's beams were mostly reflecting down the black tube bouncing forward instead of back so they could see the wall's surface very well. It was just walk down this strange surface, only the two of them seeing each other to the side, that seemed very real. But there were just two directions, forward and backward; yet if they dared stop and not mark which way was forward from there, they could well be retracing their path backwards. Their conversation also began to get monotonous, there being nothing out there to discuss anymore.

They decided to stop for awhile, marking which way would be forward, by one of the flashlights set on the floor of the tube shining in the direction they are walking. The spot of light also was something to focus upon while they were resting, sitting with their back against the wall of the tunnel, finally fully absorbing the experience of being there, no doubt the first living beings to ever be right here, ever.

Nansella was the first to notice it. She cautiously began to tell Geodon that she was also feeling different. Ever since she had come to the town, she had always had the subtle feeling of not quite ever being alone, although the other presence did not seem to be otherwise communicating with here, it was just present. And now it seemed to be gone, and the difference was letting her know the difference. She was alone with Geodon and only him, for the first time since they met. Geodon was thoughtful about that awhile and replied that maybe he too now was aware of such a feeling. No third party involved now. Just the two of them. Although they were just sitting shoulder to shoulder and holding one hand with the other's, suddenly they were far more aware of each other than they had ever known. They just sat for half an hour, just relishing being together, with no mysterious chaperone now. They conjectured that maybe whatever was invading their minds while in town and had been involved with the strange loss of their new thriving business; maybe right here and now it was no longer pestering them. Why was that happening? Was it a shielding effect here in the tunnel? Or maybe because they really did not know what time it was nor where they were now. All they knew was forward and backward directions, and that was an arbitrarily defined thing, by their flashlight's direction shining on the floor near them. Could they re-create that feeling of being in a place beyond time and location, somewhere else? It was something to consider. But it also might really only be a property of this physical place, too. It would be interesting how this felt from memory once they had gone back into familiar space.

So they lined themselves up facing in the tunnel the same way the flashlight was shining, then Geodon picked the flashlight up and they began to walk forward. At least they hoped it was forward, per their flashlight technique, which seemed reasonable. It was only a few more minutes of walking up the gentle upward slope of the tunnel, when they found that there was a branch in the tunnel off to the left. So they turned and began to walk down that branch, which had a gentle downward slope. And then a bit of light shone and then they were back at the now familiar collapsed section of the lava tube, and blinking in the bright sunshine; and soon were spotting the two pylon tops as before.

So they had confirmed that the two lave tube tunnels were connected. And that there were two natural openings to the outer world, one collapsed area opening; and the opening they had made into their artificial cave. Plus, they did not know what lay on further the main lava tube. This meant that their third bored cave hideaway was approachable from three other places now, not just their somewhat concealed doorway into their bored cave. They both examined more clearly where they were in relationship to the two pylons in view. Although the rugged terrain seemed to make it impossible to cross the space without a helicopter or building a pylon extension. In fact, this was an interesting kind of place in that it was probably unapproachable except from through the tunnels, unless PE helicopters were brought in, of course. From above, the collapsed part of the tunnel might not be obvious as different from the frozen folds of the lava elsewhere.

Having satisfied their curiosity, they retraced their steps back to the Y junction, and began the long walk back towards their little hideaway, where food was awaiting their arrival. Nansella's picnic basket was getting fairly empty but not entirely; another dinner, another night here, and munchies for the trip back to town in the transfer pod. The thought of a tasty meal was luring them on down the tunnel. They also thought that if they would bring along a round object, a ball, that it might be able to detect the gentle slope of the tunnel, a way to determine which way was forwards, in case the flashlight technique had been forgotten. But for now, it was just deliberate keeping track of the way they were moving. It was a long hike down the tunnel, and again the sense that they were lost in time and space happened along the way, both comforting as freedom from the mysterious external watcher, yet a bit uncomfortable due to the worry that they might be lost and not be able to get back. But the thought of dinner waiting kept them oriented to reality. And then they were at their doorway into their little bored cave hideaway, and lights flooding the room. They put their flashlights into the recharger to get them ready for some other adventure. And they especially enjoyed the dinner flavors.

Nansella commented that she was now feeling more fully alive than since she had come to the agricultural-retirement town with its forbidding prison tower. They luxuriated in the especially alive feeling, eventually drifting off to sleep that way and awakening the next morning still feeling wonderful. Before they opened the door to leave, Geodon suddenly suggested that this experience might be a salable thing. Maybe PE management would not steal it from them; but actually PE could just declare ownership of all their vacation place that Geodon had built with so much labor, and even forbid them from coming back here. So maybe they ought not think about commercializing it. Besides, if it indeed had an effect of temporarily disconnecting from the mysterious watchful monitoring by PE management, PE might indeed forbid people from experiencing it. This became a perplexing puzzle. But at least they had fun exploring on this venture; and before they came here they were feeling fairly hopeless and trapped. Now things seemed better again. What the reality was, they did not know; and they felt they had little control over that.

Before leaving, they put some of their bedding and their empty food containers in their #1 cave room, hoping to indicate that was where they had spent their time on this trip, in case PE management sent goons up here again to investigate and rip off salable goodies.

They had but the one snack remaining which they shared in the transfer pod, as they swung up and down across the vast lava rippled landscape below.