Log:Riftgate - RG-1 - 01 - Ice and Snow

Riftgate - RG-1 - 01 - Ice and Snow 2008/12/07 	 Diamond Jade Kibin 1

Reception Area: TransMat Research Foundation
The reception area has muted black tiled floor, with the walls and roof painted off-white. The secretarial desk enclosure is barely twenty feet from the double set of glass doors leading in from the street. To its left is a large double-hinged door labeled Commander RG-1 and, ominously, underneath that Security. A seating area full of soft couches is to the right. Down the hallway that leads deeper into the building is are the offices of the Research Director and Executive Director. The direct elevator to the landing field on the sixth floor half roof is at the end of this hallway.

The receptionist. Is it the same one as used to be sitting at the desk when this place was Starguard? She looks familiar. She smiles as Kibin and Jade arrive. "Hello. You're here for the Riftgate team meeting?" she asks the two of you.

Jade nods. "That's-right where-is-it-we-go?"

The receptionist points to the door labeled Security, "Through there and down to the end of the corridor to the door marked Riftgate. You can't miss it. Go straight in."

Jade says, "Thank-you you're-on-the-team-then-Kibin? I've-often-wondered: why-do-you-have-opposable-thumbs?"

Jade heads in the indicated direction.

The receptionist smiles, "Welcome back Kibin. It's good to see you again. Go straight in, they're waiting for you."

Kibin nods at the receptionist, walking slightly behind Jade. He replies back to Jade's question, "I have opposable thumbs because of an interaction between my human DNA and the velociraptor DNA imprinted on my genes."

Riftgate Chamber: TransMat Research Foundation
The walls, floor and ceiling of this chamber are constructed of the same shiny metal as the Security Area. The expense of entirely enclosing an area some twenty yards wide and the same distance deep, and fifteen feet high, with Questonite must have been considerable. Dominating the chamber is the Riftgate itself. The glittering black metallic ring is ten feet in diameter although the portal diameter itself is a mere eight feet across. There's a definite warping of local gravity which can be felt close to the Riftgate. When active the interior of the ring displays a shimmering silvery surface with rippling reflections.

On the left side of the chamber as you enter is the control console, several banks of electronics and optical computing systems, and a small but self contained cold fusion generator capable of powering the Riftgate independently of external power. At each corner of the chamber are ceiling mounted automatic weapons just in case something unwelcome comes through.

There are two people in the room obviously waiting for your arrival in addition to another three in white coats tending the equipment. Jon Masters steps forward, "Hello. Welcome and thank you for coming. I'm Jon Masters, the CEO of TransMat. This is Janet Ferrel. She's the acting Riftgate Project director and also Starguard liaison."

Janet nods without any smile. No hostility. You get the feeling she's not much for smiling.

Jade says, "Hello pleased-to-meet-you."

Kibin nods in greetings to the other two people, looking over to the riftgate curiously.

Jade too shows much interest in the Riftgate: even to one who grew up where she did this is something special.

Jon Masters checkes his watch nervously and then sighs a little. "I was hoping that Alex Winters, the technical director could join us. But it seems he isn't able to make it. How much do you already know about the Riftgate project?"

Kibin scratches the back of his head, saying, "Well... uh... it looks like some sort of portal?"

Jade says, "Not-very-much just-what-Alex-told-me-mostly-and-what-I've-been-able- to-glean-which-isn't-very-much it's-perhaps-the-first-stable-interdimensional- portal-made-on-this-Earth I-gather-it's-already-been-used-at-least-once."

Jade says, "I-believe-the-idea-is-to-make-exploratory-expeditions-through- the-gate it-sounds-very-interesting!"

Janet nods. "Yes. Some background is in order. I'm a Starguard officer. You were a member of Starguard as well, Kibin. Both in the technical division and as a member of Colonial Bay's Starguard Gamma. So you probably both know that Earth was contacted by the Guild when we invented our own faster than light space drive. That was forty years ago. Wouldn't you think that forty years after the invention of a star drive we would have at least a few interstellar capable ships?"

Kibin nods back at Janet. "I'd assume so if nothing interfered, yeah."

Jade says, "Of-course-neo-Luddism-interfered-but-I've-lately-been-suspecting- that-there-was-Guild-interference-too oh-there's-a-thought-maybe-General- Ludd-was-working-for-the-Guild I-hadn't-thought-of-that then-again-the-role- of-the-Vanguard-of-Tomorrow-was-never-clear...."

Janet nods. "It's the belief of a growing number of Starguard officers that the Guild is discouraging Earth's role in space, both within our system and at an interstellar level. It may be that they consider us primitives and don't want us polluting their Universe. It is perhaps significant that the recent reduction in Starguard's budget and activities has occured after that belief had taken root."

Jon Masters listens, nodding at certain points in the speech.

Kibin nods again at Janet, staying quiet if she has anything else to say.

Jade says, "I've-been-uncovering-evidence-lately-that-the-Guild's-been- dishonest-with-us-from- the-start for-one-thing-their-territory-is-much- less-than-they-claimed unless-they're-keeping-a-still-bigger-secret."

Janet points to the Riftgate. "However through there is an unknowably large, possibly infinite, number of alternate Earths to explore, trade with, and if uninhabited, to colonize. It's a new beginning for us. A whole new universe to explore from our own backdoor so to speak. That is what the Riftgate Project is about. And leading the way will be the Riftgate teams."

Kibin ahs... "So circumventing dealing with the guild completely, and staying on Earth? Cunning."

Jon Masters nods. "Although in theory there are an infinite number of possible alternative Earths, in practice finding them is not a trival task. Many of those found are hostile environmentally. Not survivable without extensive life support systems. So when an alternative Earth is found we want to take a look at it. First with remote probes, and then with an exploration team."

Kibin nods back at Jon. "And the exploration team checks to see if it's inhabited at all, and if it's inhabited and with a sufficient amount of technology, trade?"

Janet nods, "That is the purpose of this meeting. To recruit memebers of those teams."

Jade grins and nods. "It's-an-excellent-idea and-even-better-it's-a-field- in-which-we-may-have-the-edge-on-the-Guild for-some-reason-they-don't-seem- to-have-developed-interdimensional-travel-much as-far-as-we-can-tell it's- been-speculated-that-conditions-on-Earth-make-it-easier-than-on-most- planets though-truthfully-we-lack-data am-I-right-in-my-impression-that- an-alternative-Earth-has-a-greater-chance-of-being -survivabe=than-a- random-planet?

Kibin looks over at Jade confused, asking, "Could you repeat that?"

Jon Masters takes a few moments to parse Jade's comment before nodding.

Jade repeats it a bit slower for Kibin, with a slight look of frustration.

Kibin ahs, and nods in understanding. "Well from what I know of alternate earths and my experience with them, a lot of them tend to just have a slight change in history. Like no extinction-level event for dinosaurs."

Janet nods after the repetition. "Yes. We believe so. Although the first Earth we're found is marginal. Earth 947 is apparently in an ice-age.

Kibin hmmms. He asks Janet, "Can you lock onto alternate earths if you have some sort of matter sample from that world?"

Jade says, "Oh you've-matched-it-to-an-Earth-we've-had-contact-with-before?"

Jade deduces this from the number.

Jon Masters says, "No, Jade. We're filling in the unused dimensional numbers before starting on extending them. We're sent a probe through. There's a city there much like ours only less advantaged. Maybe fifty or a hundred years it our guess. No sign of life in the city but there is a weak intermittent radio signal."

Janet nods, "To locate the source of the radio signal we need a cross bearing. The probe only has a limited range and being a tracked vehicle, is slow.

Jade nods, knowing that some holes had been left when tentative worlds turned out to be hoaxes or identical to previously identifed ones. "What-are-condtions- like-there? Any-other-sign-of-life?"

Jon says, "Anyway, to get to the point of this meeting we're hoping to recruit Riftgate team members. Either or full time or part time employees of TransMat. Would you be interested?"

Kibin nods at Jon. "Yeah, sounds interesting, and I've already been to several alternate earths before."

Janet nods, "I was hoping you would agree, Kibin. Your Starguard record was excellent."

Jade practically bounces. "It-sounds-really-interesting I-can't-think-of- anything-I'd-rather-be-doing!"

Kibin huhs at Janet. "Thank you... really? Did my record say anything in particular about me?" he asks curiously.

[To Kibin] Jade says, "Probably-a-fair-bit-under-Distnguishing-Features."

Jon nods to Jade, "I wish I could be an active part of it. But getting out of the office is an increasingly rare pleasure these days."

Janet gives a tiny quirk of the lips, is it a smile, to that remark. "Capable in combat, good technical skills. Jumps before looking. That's the guist of it, Kibin."

Kibin ahs, nodding. "Don't recall any instances of the jumping before looking... hmmm. Uh, anyway, yeah, I'd love to join."

Jade says, "The-price-of-success? Or-of-the-growing-competetion-from-Hypersite? I-imagine-there's-a-rush-to-get-into-China-before-them but-you-shouldn't-let- it-keep-you=in-the-office-all-the-time there's-plenty-of-precedent-for- successful-businessmen-with-exciting-hobbies!"

Janet produces a number of folders. She gives one folder each to Kibin and Jade. "These are the employment contracts. You can have a lawyer look through them if you wish but I'm sure you'll find them very satisfactory. Meanwhile how would you like to take a look at Earth 947? Just a quick trip to get a cross bearing on the radio signal and then straight back."

Kibin nods, taking the employment contract and quickly glancing through it. He nods to Janet, replying, "Sure." He glances down at himself, saying, "Do we get uniforms to replace my starguard one, by the way?"

Jade says, "I'd love to!" while already starting to read the contract.

Janet answers, "That depends. There are uniforms in the pipeline but they aren't ready yet. However as you'll be acting as our first contract with other human cultures we hope you'll consider rejoining Starguard. In which case, we still have some of your old uniforms on hand, Kibin."

Jade says, "To-what-extent-is-this-a-TransMat-operation and-to-what- extent-Starguard?"

Kibin nods at Janet... "Thought Starguard was shut down though," he replies back.

Janet does smile this time, "It becomes a Starguard operation when something goes wrong. Otherwise its a civilain TransMat operation."

Kibin ahs.

[To Kibin] Jade says, "Just-the-local-branch-not-the-whole-thing!"

Janet nods to Kibin, "Starguard was cut back dastically in staffing and budget. But there are people who feel the same way we do about what is happening. Starguard maintains responsibility for alien affairs off planet. We managed to get a decision that alternative dimensions counted as being off planet."

Kibin says, "Ah... neat."

Kibin says, "So when are we going to go through the portal?""

The door opens and Olivia is escorted into the chamber by the receptionist, "Janet, another for the pep-talk."

Janet nods, "Hello. Diamond isn't it?"

Jade looks up as Olivia enters. "Hey."

Olivia nods, and dips her ehad a bit, "Diamond, Olivia, either works." she says and smiles a little, "hello everyone." she says softly.

Kibin waves a hand to Olivia.

One of the technicians brings a radio receiver and two thick cold weather survival suits for Jade and Kibin.

Jade says, "How-hostile-are-the-conditions-exactly?"

Kibin takes those two things, checking to make sure that the suit can fit on him before putting it on over his jumpsuit.

Olivia nods, "Sounds interesting." she says and smiles a little, "Definitely would probably be interested in at least a part time member if not more."

The technician offers Jade the environmental report from the probe. It's Arctic conditions. 10 degree Fahrenheit. Slight increase in radiation level over normal but safe for several days. Normal atmosphere.

Jade says, "I-have=my-studies=but-they-don't-take-up-that-much-time-I-might-be-able-to-manage- full-time-depending-on-what's-involved."

Jade nods, and starts getting dressed. Not too bad. "Much-variation-in-the-conditions-or-are-they-fairly stale?"

Jon looks over Jade's shoulder, "The radiation is consistent with increased solar irradiation due to a loss of ionosphere as a result of the lower temperature. The isotope ratios aren't those you'd get from a nuclear war. So it's not a nuclear winter as far as we can see."

Olivia nods a little, "Just gotten basics of weather and radiation, anything else, or are you looke for us to be the first team there?"

Kibin comments after he gets the suit on, "Dinosaurs and ice ages don't mix well. Good thing you have these suits."

The technician says, "Stable over the period we've been monitoring, which is only twenty-four hours."

Jade nods. "No-huge=temperature-drops=at-night that's-good."

Jon tells Olivia, "The probe we sent through has picked up a weak radio signal. Too low level to determine the content though."

Janet nods to Olivia, "You'll be the first team to go through."

Olivia nods a little, "Sounds alright, count me in if the others don't mind."

A technician asks Olivia, "Will you need a cold weather suit?"

Jade says, "The-more-the-merrier."

Jade finishes dressing up snugly.

The technicians get to work. It's almost anti-climatic. One moment the riftgate is inactive. The next moment there's a slight humming and a skimmering curtain appears inside the ring.

Kibin hmmms. "So, no giant vortex opening, no woosh effect, no giant flash?" he asks.

One of the technicians looks over at Jon, "Rift is open, Sir."

Jade watches the whole business, and doesn't look disappointed.

Jade says, "What equipment will we have to track down the radio signal?"

Jon grins boyishly, "I guess we could built it into the next model, Kibin."

A technician gives Jade a portable radio receiver with direction finding capability.

Olivia shakes her head, "No, just a radio." she says and smiles a bit. She moves over to join the other two.

Jade looks over the equipment and nods, finding it straightforward enough.

Janet hands over small hand held communicators, "We'll have something better by next week. We have some Starguard communicators being changed to another frequency but they aren't ready yet."

Kibin stores the radio on the suit for now, saying, "So... I'd guess you'd just walk right through the gate to the other side? Like a stargate?"

Jon laughs and nods. "Yes. I admit it. I built the riftgate with that in mind. It didn't have to look like that at all."

Jade says, "I-always-thought-the-Holly-Hop-Drive-had-more-style."

Kibin ahs, and chuckles. "Right... so just walk through basically. What were the other ideas?"

Olivia smiles and shakes her head, "Amusing." she giggles a little and really for a moment seems like the teen that she appears to be, but that is gone a moment later.

Jon says, "The rift looks the same on the other side, except the gate isn't visible. You can step back through it. If you happen to step back at the same time someone else is stepping through all that happens is you'll bump noses. It's foolproof."

Kibin says, "Ah. So unlike stargates, you don't get vaporized if you try going back the other way."

Jade says, "Good-to-know I-see-you-have-your-own-power-source-too is-there-a-backup?"

Jon shakes his head. "No. I designed it so you didn't have to wait while unfriendly natives were shooting at you."

Kibin ahs... "What about security precautions, to prevent people from wandering into it and ending up here while we're away from the rift?"

Jon explains, "That is the backup. It's not power intensive. We run on city power. The cold fusion comes online if the city power fails."

Jade points to the weapon mounts. "They-thought-of-that-Kibin."

Kibin ooohs, glancing up at the ceiling. "Didn't notice those."

Janet says, "I'm here. You may have noticed the walls, floor and ceiling are Questonite. Even if somthing comes through I cannot handle it's not getting past here."

Jade says, "And-then-there's-the-security-room-outside."

Janet nods.

Jon also nods, "That's one of the reasons we constructed it in this area.

Kibin says, "Ah right... didn't this use to be the cell area of Starguard?"

Janet nods again. "Yes. We still have a few cells outside, just in case of need. But this was originally the end of the cell block."

Jade thinks. o O (So this is where Spitball and Board were held....)

Jade says, "Do-communications=work-through-the-portal-at-all?"

Jon nods, "Yes. Radio does. Sound and normal vision doesn't. The probes have tiny rifts built into them so they can report back independently of the main riftgate."

Kibin says, "Yup... just like stargates."

Kibin says, "Well, except for the tiny rifts in the probes."

Jade says, "Good wouldn't-want-to-be-incommincado."

Olivia nods, "Alright, well are we ready?" she asks and looks towards the rift curiously. THis is something that she finds a bit interesting.

Kibin walks over to the rift, curiously sticking a claw into the rift.

Jon says, "Good luck. I wish I was going with you."

Jade nods enthisiastically. Finally a chance to see something perhaps seriously different and interesting!

Jade says, "You-could-still-change-your-mind!"

Kibin says, "So we just need to locate the radio source, correct?"

The rift interface ripples around Kibin's claw. He can feel the cold at his claw-tips.

Olivia nods and smiles and lets her body shift and change and a moment later she is a living statue of diamond.

Janet nods. "Yes. This is the first time the rift has been used for a team. After all, youre the first team to be formed. Let's keep it short this time."

Jade readies herself for the reported temperature. "Ok-let's-go!"

Kibin hmmms, taking the claw back. He nods at Janet, closing his eyes and hopping through the rift.

Diamond follows along, not really bothered by cold or any of that, but she is what she is and armored up just in case they come across something.

Jade steps through open-eyed ready to check out what's on the far side as quickly as possible.

When he steps through the rift Kibin's claws dig into the slick ice and save him from a slip. Jade is simply nimble enough to correct her balance although she slips and slides several feet.

Jade looks about.

Kibin looks and sniffs about too, now that he's through the portal. He shivers a bit, snorting some condensation out of his nostrils.

Diamond comes through and almost slips, she definitely is not the most agile. She bites her lip and looks around back and forth a bit.

Colonial Bay City Square - Earth 947
The city square is cold, dead, and deserted. Only the second and higher floors of buildings can be seen above the snow and ice. A bitterly cold wind cuts with icy teeth into any exposed flesh. Many of the building roofs have collapsed under the accumulated weight of snow. The visual architecture shows some of the older buildings familiar to the characters from their own world but none of the newer buildings. It's as if the city square had been rebuilt from a hundred year old photograph.

There appears to be no damage other than that caused by time and inclement weather conditions although the build up of a dozen or more feet of ground ice and snow conceals anything beneath that level. The sky is clear of clouds allowing a dim yellow sun to shine down without providing any real heat. Around the sun can be seen a wide halo of diffused flickering luminance. The only sign of any recent activity is the Riftgate environmental probe in the square, a small tracked, and expendable, vehicle used to check alien dimensions for survivability.

The team is through. It's cold even in the suits. A moment after Diamond steps through after Kibin and Jade the rift flares with light and then vanishes leaving a scotched burning insulation smell.

Jade says, "That-wasn't-supposed-to-happen!"

Kibin looks behind him at the rift, blinking. He asks, "Isn't the rift supposed to stay open?"

Diamond cocks her head to the side, "Um, did we just get stuck here?" she asks and tries the radio.

Jade says, "Yes!"

There's no radio contact back to TransMat.

Kibin goes over and taps on the probe, waving a hand in front of it and seeing if it has any sort of camera or communications device.

Jade says, "The-probe-has-it's-own-minirift-so-communications-through-that-should-be-possible. "

Diamond sighs and blinks, and then shrugs a bit, "Well might miss my next photo shoot and I can't reschedule." she giggles a bit and then looks back over at the others again.

There's a remote control camera mounted on the probe. As Kibin waves his hand in from of the lens the cameras nods up and down in reply.

Kibin asks the probe, "Hello? Any sort of microphone in there or something?"

The camera is moving up and down in a erratic fashion.

Jade says, "Ok, that's communication." To the probe she says, "What happened? Nod in Morse, or ASCII, whichever is more convenient?"

The camera communicates in morse... Sabotage. Riftgate damaged. Repair take six or seven days.

Jade says, "Will-we-have-communication-for-that-time what's-the-life-of-the-probe?"

Morse: Twelve hours more.

Kibin frowns, as he interprets the morse code in his head. "Wait... we're stuck here for up to a week?"

Morse: Can shut down. Save hours for later

Jade says, "Just-what-I-was-going-to-suggest."

Diamond nods, "Well probably should shut down and set up set call back times. Also if it is going to be a week, can you contact my agent at 555-6565 and tell him I need to reschedule next shoot, and will explain later." she looks back at the others..."Sorry, work." she thinks for a moment, "Guess we get to explore a bit more."

Jade nods. "We-need-to-find-shelter-and-heat-first."

Morse: Spares for riftgate also sabotaged. Repair two weeks. Seek shelter food. Disassemble probe. Take communicator

Kibin replies back to Jade, "Or, find the radio signal, there might be a survivable colony there."

Jade says, "Two-weeks-crap."

Diamond nods, "Well at least we don't need to find as much food. I don't require any so.." she just breaks off for a moment and glances around taking in the terrain for a moment.

Jade says, "For-two-weeks-we'll-need-some-and-I-don't-have-much-fat-to-live-off!"

Jade says, "Let's-head-for-the-buildings-for-a-start-after-I've-got-the-communicator."

Kibin sighs. "I still need to eat... and more importantly need to eat meat I'm fairly sure, so no moss or lichen. So, I suppose we might as well find that radio signal, and hope there's a colony there."

Jade sets about extracting the communicator, and seeing if there's anything else worth salvaging while at it.

Kibin looks around, and sniffs for any sort of living life aside from Jade and Diamond.

There's no scent on the wind other then ice and snow as far as Kibin can detect.

Diamond nods, "Well if we have to can make a snow shelter, it would keep you warm." she says softly, "How long do you think it would take to track the radio signal?"

Kibin shrugs, taking out the radio signal and checking to make sure that it can detect the direction and strength of the radio signal.

With a little work Jade can (a) extract the minirift and link her hand held radio into its communications for direct contract. (b) There's a spare power cell that you can rig to make a fire-starter. (c) Thermal material from the casing that can be used as blankets."

Jade says, "Not-long-if-it's-not-distant."

Jade extracts all these, asking Diamond to carry anything heavy.

With some of the items from the probe and salvaged materials from the city buildings Jade manages to build a wind-sail powered ice-sledge.

The radio signal is intermittent but you can get a bearing on it.

Kibin hmmms, watching Jade making that sled. "Inventive," he comments.

Jade goes perpendicular to that bearing to triangulate on the signal.

Diamond nods and smiles a bit moving to help.

If you assume the geography of this Earth is much the same as your own, triangulating the radio signal seems to suggest the source is about 1200 kms away, moderately close to Denver.

Jade says, "Kibin-the-radio-source-seems-to-be-in-Colorado I-suggest-we-look-for-shelter-closer."

Jade points to the buildings. "We-may-find-some-supplies-there-too."

Kibin sighs. "Great... maybe, maybe there's some frozen food."

The heroes go to the city library to see what news sources they can find. Checking old newspapers it seems the big freeze happened in 2012AD.

Diamond moves to assist as she can, reading and checking things. Checking other languages if need, since she knows a few.

Jade assesses the building as we approach, looking for one intact enough to serve safely as shelter.

Kibin follows Jade, shivering again. "Of course the sabatoge had to happen on an ice alternate universe."

Diamond nods and moves around as well to look for a competant building, not getting too far form the others though.

Jade says, "At-least-it-has-a-breathable-atmosphere radiation's-a-bit-of-a-worry all-the-more-reason-not-to=be-outside-too-long-if-it's-solar."

The story is easy to piece together as it was headline news. Sad though. It seems there was great fear of global warming. So a plan was put into place. Trillions of squares of silverized mylar squares were shot into orbit to form a sun-screen to reduce the heat getting to the planet. The project was finished in 2012AD, just in time for the sun to go into a Maunder Minimum. Ice formed, rasing the albedo of the planet and reducing the heat staying in the atmosphere. The result was an ice age.

Diamond shrugs and sighs a little, "So...hopefully the radio signal is survivors."

Jade says, "Hopefully...."

Kibin nods. "Yeah, possibly with either a large stockpile of food or some way of growing their own."

Jade says, "I-wouldn't-expect-everyone-to-be-wiped=out especially-not-if-they-had-decent-power-sources."

Jade tries to find record of people moving somewhere. Particularly given the lack, so far, of corpses.

Diamond nods, "Well lets find a place for you both to rest and that we can make for keeping you two warm as well."

Kibin nods at Diamond. "Warm is good, yes. I suppose we have plenty of water, heh."

Jade says, "Water-is-easy-with-a-fire. We-can-burn-books-but-I'd-prefer-something-less-precious must-be-lots-of-wooden-structures. Food-is-the-problem."

Kibin nods at Jade... "Again, find some frozen food? It might still be good, if reheated."

The records in the newspapers seem lacking for the later part of the freeze. Probably because the social system was breaking down. The very last day of printed newspapers have instructions for people to remain in their homes until 'preparation' teams called on them.

Jade says, "I-imagine-there-will-be-food-somewhere-though-a-lot-of-it-may-be-under-six-metres- of-ice. And-possibly-human-flesh-if-the-preparation-teams-have-the-most-ghoulish-interpreta tion-of-course um-sorry-I-mentioned-that."

Kibin replies back to Jade, "There might still be a bunch of people that weren't rescued in time..."

When you leave the library and search other buildings you find a complete absence of any food. Every building, even to vending machines, seems to have been cleaned out. You do find the people though. In their beds frozen solid. Beside each is a disposable hypodermic.

Kibin frowns, walking over and looking at the hypodermic needle.

Jade says, "Ok-what-I-thought-not-the-most-ghoulish-can-you-tell-what-they-were-killed-with-Ki bin?"

Jade says, "They-may-have-eaten-everything-before-they-gave-up-or-the-survivors-may-have-taken -all-food-with-them FISHING!"

When examining the bodies Kibin sees there's no sign of the cell damage there ought to be. When the people froze it should have destroyed every cell in their bodies as the water turned to ice. But there's no sign of that having happened.

Kibin huhs... he says, "I don't think they're actually dead. Simply more or less in a state of suspended animation, cyrogenic freezing essentially."

Jade says excitedly, "This-may-have-be-so-catastrophic-the-land-ecosystems-survived-but-I'd-wager-in-wat er-life-would-have-survived-thrived-maybe-with-the-death-of-humans-and-other=predat ors suspended-animation-brilliant that's-not-a-bad-idea-if-desperate-definitely-no-bookburning-then.

Kibin ughs, rubbing his head. He asks Jade, "Could you maybe talk a little slower? You're giving me a headache, and I didn't get any of that.

Jade says, "I-think-we-can-assume-no-carnivores-on-land-or-these-people-would-be-nibbled-at sorry we should go fishing! there's-almost-certainly-sea-life-left that's-how-to-cope-with-an-ice-age."

Kibin groans. "Fish... maybe. There's an idea, and something I could probably eat."

Jade says, "THere wouldn't have been fish stock to keep the whole population alive but-they-should-support-as-for-a-few-days-after-46-years-if-the-date-is-the-same-he re-the-fish-stocks-may=be-larger-than-at-home!"

Diamond cocks her head to the side a little, "So do we have enough idea then to stock up and head towards the signal?" She shrugs a bit, "Or I could just head to it and get back with you since I don't have to stop for sleep or anything."

Jade says, "Well I-really-want-to-check-out-the-signals that's-what-we're-here-for-right?"

Kibin nods at Jade. "Yes. And again, they probably already have food and such."

Jade says, "So-the-question-is-do-we-try-fishing-to-get-food-for-the-journey-first-or-just-go- for-it-and-hope-we-make-it-before-we're-too-hungry?"

Diamond nods, "If you rig the sled for me to pull, I can pull it while the two of you sleep, I don't need it, so." she shrugs a bit.

Jade sets to work rigging the sled. "Another-thought-too we're bound-to-cross-rivers-with-frozen-fish-in-them-you're strong-enough-to-dig-them-out-I-should-think-Diamond?

Diamond nods, "Probably." she says softly,"I could do tha."

Jade says, "Well, let's go for it then."

Kibin nods at Jade. "Sounds like a plan I guess, better than freezing my tail off in the city."

Diamond nods, "Ready when you are."

Jade wraps up warmly in a blanket on the sled. About the best she can do for everyone now is not to freeze to death.

Jade says, "Ready."

Kibin hops on as well and wraps up snuggly in one of the blankets.

The travelling is surprisingly easy considering the situation. What helps is there are roads to follow, and although under many feet of ice and snow they provide passes through the mountainous terrain. Even better, at some major road junctions you find prefrabicated shelters, half buring beneath snow but obviously placed after the freeze. The shelters have dried rations and solar batteries systems that provide a trickle of warmth for a few hours.

Jade says, "Well-it's-evidence-of-survivors!"

Kibin says, "That it is, yeah. Non-popsicle-survivors."

Diamond nods as they trudge on and stop in a few of the places for them to warm themselves. She seems to be doing fine herself, but she has wrapped a blanket over her shoulder to keep from sparkling too much, wouldn't want to cause diamond blindness.

Checking the direction of the radio signals you find, as you get closer to the souce and able to determine the direction more accurately, the source is on a line running straight through Cheyenne Mountain.

Jade says, "Cheyenne-Mountain no-surprise-there."

Kibin says, "Cheyenne mountain?"

Diamond cocks her head to the side, "What's Cheyenne Mountain?" she asks as she heads along, trying to get them closer.

Jade says, "A-military-base-headquaters-of-the-North-American-Aerospace-Defense-Command-in-the -twentieth-century I-thought-you'd-be-good-at-history."

Kibin says, "...well, it is the main base of Stargate Command. I was just wondering why it was no surprise that you'd get a radio signal from it."

Diamond shrugs, "I spent over a hundred years shacked up in a mountain cabin cut off from the world, some things I don't know." she shrugs a bit.

Jade says, "The-operation-centre-is-about-a-mile-under-granite it-was-designed-to-withstand-nearby-nuclear-weapons and-to-be-self-sufficient so-it-was-most-likely-to-survive-this."

Jade says, "Caves-don't-forget-will-be-a-habitable-temperature-even-in-this-climate-in-any-cas e-of course."

Kibin says, "Ah..."

Diamond nods and listens, she knew little, but nothing specific.

It takes, allowing for stops, a fraction over two days to travel to the NORAD base where the radio signals originate from. It's clear when you get close that there are still survivors. Tracks on the roadway from vehicles, probably only a few weeks old as they are blurred but not covered by fresh snow. Then you come to a fence. The gates are open. From the fence the roadway winds up a hill to an opening in a cliffside.

Kibin replies, "Yeah, fresh tracks. Seems recent." He sniffs the air, trying to smell any recent people nearby.

Jade says, "Be-on-your-toes-no-telling-how-friendly-the-natives-will-be could-be-anything-from-glad-to-see-other-survivors to-wanting-to-kill-us-to-stop-us-taking-the-last-After-Eight."

Kibin replies to the others, "Yeah, people have been this way in the last week or so, apparently. Shall we go inside?"

Jade says, "Seems-a-shame-to-come-all-this-way-without=paying-our-respects!"

As you approach it becomes obvious the interior of the tunnel is lit. It's also obvious the lighting is dim, the lamps barely giving any light. A distance inside the tunnel ahead of you there's a massive steel door. Standing on guard, wrapped in layer after layer of cloth, are a pair of soldiers. Who are paying a remarkable amount of attention to the tunnel entrance considering the assumed lack of visitors.

Kibin waves in a friendly manner with one arm to the soldiers.

Diamond cocks her head to the side as she sees the guards. Of course she is looking like a diamond statue which might be taken for an ice creature or something, but she cocks her head to the side a little, "Hello."

Jade smiles a greeting too, looking mostly like a human being. :)

One of the guards starts to call out, "Where the devil did you come fro..." Then he looks more closely and sees Kibin and Diamond. "God's frozen spheres. They're aliens!" He exclaims. "Halt! Uh, do you speak American?"

Kibin replies back, "English? Yes, yes I do. And I'm not exactly an alien."

Jade says, "With an accent. Don't-worry-we're-friendly."

The other guard is on an intercom. "Just stay where you are. The OOD will be up in a minute."

Jade nods.

Kibin nods back... "OOD?" he asks.

After a couple of minutes a group of soldiers emerge from the door. You see it must be slightly open as it doesn't move before they come out. Walking out to you all is a soldier with pips on his shoulder. He looks at you and shakes his head in disbelief, "From the stars?"

Jade speaks slowly, for once. "No, from a parallel Earth, in fact. Sent to make contact. It looks like things haven't gone well on your Earth."

Jade makes extra effort. First Contact, and all that.

The officer is a bit wide eyed. This is something of a shock. "Parallel Earth. Like in those trashy science fiction novels my son reads despite my disapproval?"

Kibin nods back at the officer... "I guess so, yeah. Though from one where the global warming paranoia wasn't so drastic it seems, and there's no ice age right now."

Jade grins. "Yes, exactly like that. It's true though. I'm-from-England-on-our-Earth - I-imagine-your-England-is-pretty-much-entirely-under-ice?"

The officer shakes his head, "He's not going to let me forget this. Well, welcome to NORAD. You've come at a bad time. Still if you'd come a few months later you wouldn't have found anything here. Come in. I'll take you to the President."

Jade says, "Bad time? What's-wrong?"

Jade enters.

The officer points up to the dim lighting. "We're running on battery power. Maybe a month left. After that this complex will be uninhabitable."

Diamond shakes her head, "What they said." she says softly and shakes her head a bit. She blinks a little and nods, "President?" her eyes widen a little.

Jade says, "What-happened-to-the-primary-power?"

Kibin hmmms. "So I'm finnally going to meet the President, albiet one from an alternate reality. Heh."

The officer says, "The primary reactor is out of fuel. It lasted for ninety years. Not too bad really. Even with the blasted sun-shield we had enough solar panels to replace it. But before the engineers could finish getting them online some kind of mutated creature moved onto the mountion top. They seem to feed off the power. And they move too fast. We're tried shooting them but they are so fast we can't hit them."

Kibin huhs. "Well, fast things I can deal with."

Jade nods. "Kibin's-very-fast-and-so-am-I-when-it-comes-to-reaction-time."

The officer warns, "They seem to soak up the output of the solar panels and can shoot off electricity from their mouths.

Diamond nods, and shifts back into her regular form, losing the armor, though her skin still sparkles and her eyes are gem-faceted, "And I am just hard to hurt and rather strong."

Kibin nods at the officer. "Okay, so fast.... and can shoot electricity."

The officer looks at you all. "If you could chase off the creatures we can get the solar panels connected. And then put operation Clear Sky into action. You'd have the gratitude of our entire world."

Kibin says, "Operation clear sky?"

Kibin asks, "You mean you have something to remove those sheets you put up in the sky?"

Jade nods. That sounds not so pleasant. "We could try to help you with them anyway. Though myself, I'd need a weapon - doesn't sound like-they're-likely-to-let-me-run-up-and-hit-them."

Olivia nods, "My guess would be a way to remove the mylar." says the teen.

The officer nods, "Yes. We've been working on it for the last century. Ground based lasers that can burn off the mylar squares of the sun-shield. They need to be x-ray lasers. Visible light lasers we had but not x-ray. Not until just recently."

Jade nods.

Kibin nods as well. "Sounds simple enough."

Olivia nods, "Probably the best way since you probably can't get me into orbit."

The officer asks, "Where to? The president or the mountaintop? The President will take you seriously. There aren't a lot of talking dinosuars or statues. But if you can chase off those creatures he'll give you the moon if you ask for it." He seems a bit wild in his speech, as if so dumbfounded by events he's a little irrational with sudden hope.

Olivia shakes her head, "not a statue, a genetic mutation, just don't ask when and where I was born." she grins. The sparkly teen turns and looks at the other two, "So...creatures first or?"

Jade says, "Mountaintop first, then."

Jade grins. "We're-older-than-we-look. Although-Kibin's-about-70-million-years-younger-than-he-looks."

The officer leads you out of the tunnel and up a rough narrow track. The going is difficult, which is presumably why the soldiers couldn't bring any heavy weapons to use on the creatures. He stops at the foot of the final ascent. Looking up you can see the black solar panels and also three snow white creatures looking like wolves with long fur that stands out like it's electrified.

The creatures appear alert and turn to watch you when you appear.

Jade says, "Could-I-have-a-weapon-or-do-I-have-to-do-this-barehanded?"

The officer nods, "What kind of weapons are you familair with, Miss."

Kibin hmmms, watching the creatures.

Jade says, "I-don't-have-much-experience-but-I'm-sure-I-can-manage nothing-too-big-though-I-don't-really-have-the-mass-for-the-recoil!"

The officer hands Jade his M16 assault rifle. "How is this for you?"

Jade grins. "I-guess-we'll-find-out!"

Diamond shifts back into armored form and watches the creatures herself, "So the three or are there more?"

The officer says, "Three is all we're ever seen."

Jade raises her forcefield, making sure it doesn't interfere with the operation of the gun.

Jade advances on the wolves and fires the M16 before the wolves get much of a chance to react.

The bullet from Jade's shot hits a wolf in the flank but the electrified fur seems to slow down and stop the projectile before it gets to the body.

Kibin hmmms as the fur stops the projectile... interesting. He runs quickly at the wolf things, ending up practically on top of them.

A wolf, the one that was shot, breaths a arcing charge of electricity at Jade.

Jade saw that one coming and sidestepped with ease.

The officer is astonished. "You hit it! And it missed you!"

The other two wloves turn on Kibin trying to tear and rend him with fangs.

One wolf misses, the other scrapes fangs harmlessly across Kibin's scales.

Diamond leaps to land next to the two wolves fighting Kibin and brings one of her fists around to slam into one of the two wolves.

The wolf hit by Diamond yelps as it's knocked over onto the ground.

Jade closes another 8 metres and fires at the wolf again.

Jade misses, still unused to the gun.

Kibin lets loose a velociraptor screech at the wolves, jumping and slashing with the claws on his feet at the wolf who hit him.

The fur around the wolf seems to slow down Kibin's claws almost to a stop.

There's something in that screech from Kibin that bypasses conscious thoughts and even animal hunger, and speaks directly to the part of the brain that _remembers_ being a small vulnerable mammal hiding from the great reptiles. With tails tucked between their legs the wolves flee howling in fear.

Diamond cocks her head to the side, "That was over quick." she says and shakes her head a bit, "Well, we can keep guard while you get your people up here."

The officer has watched in amazed disbelief. "Wha... How...!"

Jade nods. "We'd-best-keep-watch-to-make-sure-they-don't-come-back.."

Jade grins to the officer, "Oh-I-went-to-school-with-worse-than-that."

The officer looks at Jade, the fastest of them all. He says in a startled manner, "You're not human either are you? I've never seen anything like it. In fact I didn't really see it now. You were just a blur when you moved."

Kibin watches almost with a glare as the wolve things run off, then blinks when they leave. "That felt good..." he comments.

Jade says, "Well-I'm-about-as-much-human-as-those-are-wolves which-is-to-say-mostly does-that-bother-you?"

The officer recovers his composure. Mostly. "Uh. No. Not at all. You've all done us a great great favor." Then he rushes down to call the engineers up to finish the job of wiring up the panels.

Jade says, "You=might-want-to-put-some-razor-wire-around-them-too in-case-the-wolves-get-brave-again."

The wolves give you no further trouble. The engineers come up and do their job. When they have finished there's a rapid flickering from a close by mountaintop as a bank of lasers starts firing into the sky. It will take years to clear the sky but the task is underway.

The officer comes back with the engineers. He say, "The President wants to speak with you. He's waiting in the New Oval Office below."

Jade smiles. "Shall-we?"

Kibin nods to the officers. "It'll be nice to finnally meet him," he replies.

Diamond nods and smiles, "Of course." she says and shifts back to more human looking form.

The officer guides the three of you down into the now brightly lit tunnels to a room with guards on the door and the Presidential seal. He knocks, a voice tells you to enter. The President is seated behind his desk but stands at you enter. He's tired looking, in his late fifties at a guess. "Welcome to the United States of America, I've been informed of your activites above. You have the thanks of a grateful nation. When we pass this news on the the other redoubts I'm sure that will be a grateful world."

Jade smiles. "I'm-glad-we-could-help and-I-hope-this-will-prove-the-beginning-of-a-long-friendship-between-this-world-an d-ours."

Jade thinks. o O (I'm no diplomat - I wish someone more suited were here!)

Olivia cocks her head to the side a little, "It is entirely possible yes and we were pleased to be able to help, it is what we do after all, but I can see things have been different here, but I am glad we could be of assistance."

Kibin nods at the President. "Happy to help, sir. Do you think we could stay on base for a couple of weeks? The device we used to get here broke down on the other side, and we're stuck here until it gets repaired."

The President says, "You have given us a future that we didn't possess before your assistance. I can think of no better way of starting a friendship." He looks over at the guard peering through the doorway, "Can we arrange some refreshments for our guests?" he asks the guard. Then he gestures over at a coffee table with chairs placed casually around it. "I'd be fascinated to hear how you arrived here."

And so the first mission of RG-1 turns out to be a great success.