The plane shook as it dipped down. Will peeked out of the window. They were approaching the foothills, and ahead was a squat building slotted into the cliff face. The airship hovered above the building and landed with a gentle whoomp.
The fasten seatbelt sign got turned off. The guide stood and gave them a small bow. "We have arrived. Hope you had a pleasant journey, and may you have a smooth awakening."
Excited chatter filled the cabin. The students filed out of the plane. Remy and Will followed the throng out of the plane.
The sunlight was bright, and Will had to shade his eyes. He followed the tide of blue uniforms down the ramp. They had landed on top of the squat building. The roof was painted in a nondescript gray, but he didn't get much chance to explore the sights. Soldiers in military gear were waiting for them at the bottom.
"Clear the LZ! Single file, people," one of the soldiers yelled. "Do not dawdle!"
"Move, move, move!"
They were escorted down the building. Remy nudged him on the side and handed him something. Will palmed the device without even looking. With a quick look around, he peeled the adhesive tape off the back end of the device. When they reached the end of the stairs, he slapped his hand on the side of the wall, and the coms node stuck to it. It was the standard gray and blended in well in the dim, muted light. Remy was off to his side, and he nonchalantly shook his pants leg. About a dozen tiny bots skittered out of the bottom of his trousers and made for the shadows.
Heart beating fast, Will looked around. The students chatted as they made for the building exit, none the wiser. Will let out a deep breath and made his way out along with everyone.
The sun was in his face, and he was greeted with a green vista as far as the eye could see. There were trees in the distance with sunlight peeking through the leaves as they gently swayed in the morning breeze. Everyone stared in awe. They had seen trees in VR before but never like this. It was something visceral, an innate sense of realness that was impossible to capture.
The grass crunched under their feet as they walked. Few students bent down to touch it with fascination.
Will looked back up at the mountain. The tree cover was extensive, but there was one region where the foliage was absent. A massive stone path cut through the foothills as it snaked its way up the mountain. It went up and up and disappeared into the cloud cover. Were they supposed to climb all the way to the top?
"Yes, take it all in." A tinny electronic voice came through a mech visor. Will turned around, and an armored mech soldier strode up to them. The mech suit's servos whirred as they walked. The soldier made their way to the front of the group and took his helmet off. "Go on, take a deep breath."
A collective sigh came from the crowd as they did. They looked punch-drunk.
"No nuclear fallout or signature contamination. Pure, unfiltered air," he continued. "Probably the first time for many of you here."
He looked around at the group. "As you can see, Hallucia is special, and I expect all of you to give it the appropriate amount of reverence it deserves. You are all guests here, and I expect you to behave as such."
One of the students raised their hand. "Is there a network connection here? My slate is out of the coverage area."
The soldier's eyebrows twitched. "The Tower connection is unavailable since there is no tower here. Your slates would have to remain dead for now."
Off to the side, one of the soldiers tapped his wrist, and the officer frowned.
"Alright, we will be making this brief. You are the first to land here, but there are ten more batches on their way. So, what is the first thing that you should learn here?" He scanned the crowd. "Be careful with your breath."
"You will have trouble breathing with higher elevation. Most of you start dropping like dead bots when you climb. Take things slow and steady."
"Second," he raised two fingers. "Do not wander off. Keep to the paths. I don't want to spend the afternoon searching for your corpse in the hills."
"Third," he raised another finger. "Be respectful to the locals. As said before, you are guests here. Do not embarrass the Tower."
"And fourth," his lips twitched. "Be mindful of the wildlife. Do not eat the grass or leaves. Do not put things in your mouth you don't recognize. Even if you think you do, you do not."
"The same goes for the animals," he said. "If you see any wildlife, stay put. Do not touch it. Do not pet it. Do not approach it. This is not a toy. This is not a holo vid. Do not mess with the animals. They will eat you."
"And now, finally, this is a special administrative zone, and the military's presence ends at the base," he gestured to the orange-robed monk who had walked up to him. "This is Gesun Varna. He will be escorting you up the mountain."
The Gesun wore orange robes, the shade of saffron. A ceremonial mark was drawn on his forehead in turmeric. The vertical orange line went from his brow ridge to his hairline.
The priest nodded towards the students. "Please follow me."
The students fell behind the priest, and Will felt his slate vibrate. Remy and he exchanged glances. That was the ping. Scout was safe and on location.
Will sighed with relief. He desperately wanted to go check on Scout and see if he completed his mission, but a ping was all he could receive. The coms node was rudimentary, and no complex messages could be sent. Even if it could, it was a toss-up if Scout had spare computing power to evaluate mission success. He would have to check it himself.
Remy put a hand on his shoulder. "It will take a while for the minis to map out the way. We'll sneak out when the ceremony starts and everyone is occupied. Just have to hang tight for now."
Will sighed. "You think Scout managed it?"
"We will find out soon enough," said Remy.
Will gazed up the mountain and the massive stone steps that led up it. It was a long trek up.
"Here we go," said Will and began to climb.
