The Greatest Bond Part II
by N. Rackley
NOTE: This was a story that I wrote way back when I was eleven years old. Some day I hope to finish it. We discovered the original manuscript a short while ago, and decided to post it for everyone's reading pleasure. Enjoy!
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School went by slowly, but Derek was still dumbfounded. His - well, the only this he could call it would be a dream, was just so... so real.
He remembered the smell of freshly cooked meat, the taste of the air, the sounds, the touch of the cold, smooth, varnished wood of the guitar. Derek didn't noticed that passage of time as he contemplated. Harper? Healer? Fort Hold? No, it couldn't be right. It simply couldn't.
The rest of the day passed in silent confusion and expectation.
***
Derek awoke in the same chamber, however, he was not alone. There was someone else in the chamber with him.
It was the same woman, who was at the moment staring into the fire across the small room. Derek tried to sit up and the sound made the woman turn.
"You're awake," she said.
"Yes. How long have you been watching me?"
"Oh - a couple of hours."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Lyrrin, head woman of Fort Weyr. And you?"
"Derek."
"Interesting name."
"For you, maybe. Where I'm from, it's rather common."
"And where is that, exactly?" she asked with a kind face, but she looked rather skeptical. Derek, however, responded quickly.
"I'm from Earth."
"Earth? Hmmm... Well, we'll have to check with AIVAS to verify that."
"AIVAS?"
"Yes. We have an AIVAS."
"But... I thought it shut itself down."
"Oh... Oh! You mean that AIVAS! No! We found another one."
"Well... if you found another one, what is the date?"
"Seventy five turns after ninth pass."
"Seventy five turns?" Derek let himself fall to the bedsheets. It was different - everything was different. This changed everything! He thought it could be something else. Not after. No thread? Amazing!
"No thread?"
"No. Why?"
"Just wondering. When will we see AIVAS?"
"Soon. A dragon is coming to convey you to Fort Weyr."
"A DRAGON? I've never ridden a dragon before..."
"Yes you have."
"I have?"
"When the brought you here - F'ban conveyed you after he found you listless on a beach near southern. He had never seen your condition before, so he brought you here to Fort Hold to see if the Healer Hail could do anything."
Derek was dumbstruck. Dragons? That must have been what he had seen as he lay on that... that beach...
"Come with me."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. Or, at least, in a few minutes. You need to change out of those strange clothes."
She gestured towards Derek's jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. He hadn't noticed it before, but he was dressed in ... Earth clothes!
Earth clothes on Pern! he thought, What a laugh!
"I'll just wear them."
"Very well then, but you will have to change eventually - you've been wearing those for three days."
"I need them if AIVAS is going to recognize me as from Earth."
"Fine."
She led him down the stairs, under a great archway, and out into a rather large outside courtyard. There was a small dot in the sky that gradually became larger. He couldn't quite tell what it looked like yet, however.
He could hear something - as if it were only half of a conversation. It was quiet, and one had to concentrate slightly to hear, almost as if it were a thought.
We're overhead now, said the voice, Do you wish me to land in the courtyard? Yes, then I will do it.
Derek had read about people who could hear dragons, but he could never have known that he would have the ability as well! He was astounded! Here he was, watching a dot in the sky, and he could hear its thoughts!
We're landing now.
As Derek watched, the elegant, arching shape of a bronze dragon, its shimmering eyes, landed in front of him. A man was sitting on its back and dismounted. He removed a leather riding helmet.
"So this is the one, eh?" he asked.
Lyrrin nodded. "Yes. Be careful, though - he believed that he really is from Earth - thousands of turns ago."
The man laughed. "Well, I guess that only AIVAS can tell." The man turned to Derek. "I"m N'roke, this is my dragon, Larrinith."
"Pleased to meet you," replied Derek and he nodded to Larrinith.
Do you really think that he's from Earth? the dragon asked its rider.
N'roke muttered, "I don't know."
Derek however, looked Larrinith straight in its blue-green shimmering eyes, and stated, "Yes, I am from Earth. It doesn't matter what N'roke thinks, really."
N'roke's jaw dropped, and Larrinith's eyes flashed red, and blue again.
Can you hear me? asked the dragon.
"Yes, I can," replied Derek.
N'roke then spoke. "It has been almost fifty turns since anyone has been able to hear any dragon other than their own."
"I... I didn't know that..."
"It's all right. I'll keep it a secret unless you want me to reveal it."
"Could you for now?" Derek knew, even as he said these words, that the dragon man wouldn't be able to keep his word for long, however, that did not matter. For all he knew, this was a dream, and he was going to wake up soon. He wished it would last.
"This way," N'roke said, and led Derek to the back of his dragon. Derek had no trouble mounting the beast, although N'roke offered to help. As they took off, the wings beating on either side of them, N'roke looked at Derek. "Have you ever gone between before?"
"When I was unconscious."
"I guess that doesn't count."
Get ready, said Larrinith.
The trip between was cold and airless, and Derek could feel nothing, but he was not afraid. He felt, rather, content. It was - strangely enough, comfortable with him.
They emerged and a burst of warm air hit their faces. They were soaring high over Fort Weyr (Derek could recognize it from the books). The description was quite adequate. Dragons soared overhead and below, all headed towards the same estimation - the Weyr. N'roke led Derek down the great staircase after they landed at the Star Stones.
In a great chamber was a door. N'roke passed several dragon riders who saluted him. Derek supposed that he was a wing leader.
They passed through the arching door way and into a different, smaller chamber. The walls looked like they were made of some sort of synthetic plastic. ON the far wall was what looked like a giant computer monitor. A green light glowed next to it, and on a pedestal (or similar; more like a shelf extruded from the wall) was a type of image scanner. Derek looked around in awe.
"State your intentions," said a voice.
N'roke spoke first. "AIVAS, I have brought a person before you who claims to be from Earth. We hope that you may be able to shed some light on the matter."
Derek looked at AIVAS. It was the most advanced computer program ever written. He had tried to attempt artificial intelligence once (not only was he adept with a guitar, but programming computers, too), and had failed. He wanted to create one that would speak, read, interpret, etc. He planned to be a programmer, not an amateur guitarist.
The computer observed Derek, and then stated, "He is from Earth." An image flashed on the screen. It was an image of a typical person, like one Derek would see at school every day. "This is the type of clothing worn in the time period that he has described that he comes from. Will you come closer and introduce yourself?"
Derek stepped forward and spoke. "I'm Derek."
"Derek Nathalan?"
"Y...Yes!" Derek was startled. "How did you know who I am?"
"Technological database. AIVAS is a project that has been under development for many, many turns. You were on the chief programming team."
"Me?"
"Affirmative. In approximately fifty turns, you will help give birth to AI. N'roke, treat this boy well - he is one of my original creators."
N'roke looked blankly at the screen. "Creator, sir?"
"Yes. He is from the past. In fact, he is from the distant past."