FANTASTIC PLANET v2.0 by Stephan Wul Read Free Book Online Page A

decomposition. It was impossible to get anything from the first
corpse, the one in the ditch. But two stadia away the Traag found collapsed on
the road had suffered less. Look at this!' it is?'
    'The right
side, at the twenty third rib. Nice Om bite, is it not?'

2
    On Continent
A's coastline, a small port abandoned long ago by the Traags harboured a
strange underground city.
    Inside a
network of drains and old sewers a hidden city had taken hold, with its
streets, housing units and public buildings. An Om city, of three million Oms!
    Feverish
activity reigned. Small commando units continually appeared at its gates,
bringing back from the Traags a great number of assorted packages: tins of
food, scrap metal, tools and info headsets. All was put down in a jumble and as
each unit commander reported his losses other Oms sorted the spoils, rolling
tins down corridors and carefully carrying headsets to the study rooms.
    In the city
centre, a disused main sewer had been partitioned into work chambers for
official departments. In one of the chambers a tall Om with a blond beard was
looking gravely at the graphs adorning the walls. He pointed at one.
    'The food
stocks are still rising', he said. 'Twenty thousand weights! I've already made clear my decision to stop stocking. It's time and energy
wasted. We've already got enough to last for a year after the exodus!'
    'Calm down
Terr', said a middle-aged black Om seated in front of him. 'Your orders haven't
had time to reach everywhere. The units are not all equipped with teleboxes.'
    i did say...'
    i know, Valiant is doing his best, but the factory in question is located
one hundred and fifty stadia from here. To get there, one needs to cross two
stadia of open ground, and as there are no moving bridges in the area it's
really hard getting source material. I've posted half the telebox fitters to
Workshop E to keep them busy.'
    Terr jotted
down something in a notebook. He then turned a few pages, frowning.
    'Not too
many losses yesterday?'
    'Average. Still no news from the Klud operation?'
    'Let's hope
they succeed! Without these parts we'll never be able to leave. The three
machines would only be worthless scrap heaps.'
    'Have faith
in Valiant. He put his best Oms on the job.'
    A light on
top of a box flickered. Terr pressed a switch:
    'Yes?'
    'Vail here',
a voice said.
    Terr and
Charcoal smiled.
    'Well?' said
Terr
    'The parts
are coming, Terr. I'm touching one as I'm speaking. The other two are on their
way, somewhere near Path 4. We've practically got them.'
    'Well done',
cheered Terr. 'Bring the first one to the workshops as fast as you can!'
    'Thanks to
the travelling line it'll be there in a few minutes.'
    in one piece, I hope.'
    'My men are
padding it. Don't worry.'
    Terr hit
Charcoal triumphantly in the ribs. He put away his notebook in his gown pocket
and said:
    'First test in the docks in three days, my old Char!
    Char put his
hand on his shoulder.
    'Beware,
son. You're pushing yourself too hard. You hardly sleep; you eat in a great
rush and...'
    'Fve never
felt better.'
    A commotion
filtered from next door. Someone knocked.
    'Yes!'
    An Om with a
parched face appeared.
    'Terr', he
said, 'the Old Lady isn't feeling well. She's asking for you.'
    Terr and
Char exchanged meaningful looks. They left the room without a word and headed
for a circulating corridor. Terr pressed a priority button and waited a minute
as red lights lit up at every junction. He then sat down astride the cart's
saddle. Char sat behind him.
    They rolled
down the slope faster and faster. At the ninth milistadia Terr slammed on the
brakes, jamming the cart on the ascending cogs before rushing into an adjacent
corridor. Having saluted on his way some of the city's renowned faces he
entered the Old Lady's home.
    She was
lying down on a comfort mattress.Her legs were hidden beneath a blanket. She
made a weak sign with her hand.
    'Leave me...
alone with him', she whispered.
    Char put a
finger to his lips and gently