Dad and I entered the High Council chamber, the non-public one. From this room, the Council can go into the public hearing room, where they listen to grievances and hold court as a team of judges. Only two of the other four council members were there: Jackson Davis, a young black man who lost his left arm in an accident when first building Arcadia Station, and Sylvia Proctor, a mature blonde haired former Amazon.
"Alice," they both said with smiles.
"Are you two all right?" I said.
"Yes, was that an earthquake we felt?" Sylvia said.
"Worse," answered Dad. "It was the Forest Orb."
Jackson and Sylvia's faces blanched the same way Dad's did when I first mentioned it to him.
Before either of them could say anything, I offered, "The Wolfdroids and I discovered it on our survey dig. Right before Queen Anza showed up to retrieve it."
"Then it's begun," Sylvia said. "She hardly waited the proper mourning period before taking matters to hand."
"What's going on?" I said. "Dad's been cryptic since I told him."
Jackson offered me a seat. "What do you know about how Arcadia Station came to be?"
I sat down and looked at the three council members, all looking at me with intense gazes. "We acquired the land from the Amazons because of the thermal vent in what's now the center of the Station. Cheapest, simplest form of power we could find."
"Exactly," Dad said. "You did pay attention."
"And what do you know of the actual agreement?" Sylvia prompted.
"Arcadia Station was allowed only a certain amount of space into Tanglewood, but we have gone twice as far as the original deal allowed. The contract has been updated four times since the original."
"And how were the Amazons able to accommodate the expansion so easily?" Jackson asked.
I looked at each of them in turn, they all expected me to either know or guess the answer. "The Forest Orb?" I said.
"We never learned its full abilities," Dad said. "But we know it has the capability to make plants grow or recede at an alarming rate?"
"Define 'alarming'," I said.
"I watched trees as tall as the Council Tower shrink to mere twigs in under an hour, so they could be moved," Dad said. For a frame of reference, the Council Tower was three stories, so about fifty feet tall. Not small by any means, but nowhere near as massive as an old Earth Sequoia.
"The land was also shaped to flatten out for ease of building," Jackson said.
"Seeing how they did that," Dad continued, "is one of the main reasons your mother left to join the Amazons."
"I see," I said.
A knock at the main public chamber door interrupted any further statements. Sylvia opened the door to usher in a peace officer. "Councilors," he said by way of greeting. "Ms. Action, there's been an issue in your labs."
Dad and I exchanged a look. "I'm coming along," he said. I didn't bother to argue.
We took the transport tube across the Station, but had to get out two stops before the section with my lab. As everyone disembarked, a peace officer was helping direct people with minimal information. Until he spotted Dad in his official robe. He turned to the officer next to him, said something, and then approached us.
"Councilor," he said by way of greeting. And it looked like he was trying his darndest to avoid eye contact with me. "How can I assist you?"
"My daughter's lab is in the Alpha section," Dad said. "She is trying to get to her lab."
A drop of sweat trickled down the officer's left temple. "Yes sir." He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "But it seems that it is your daughter's lab is the um... source of all the problems."
"How so?" I said.
The officer continued to lock eyes with Dad and avoid looking in my direction. "Begging your pardon, Ms. Action, but it was your lab that caused the commotion earlier. Your lab is gone."
"Take us there," Dad said before I could get a word in. "Now."
"Yes sir," replied the officer. He hurried off, grateful he didn't have to ignore me anymore. He came back on one of the new hover-bikes that had three extra seats: one behind the pilot, and then one to each side of the passenger seat. It was more like an open aircar with just a pilot in front, but no one agreed with me.
Dad and I hopped in the passenger seats and the officer took off through the emergency vehicle door. As soon as we got outside, I could see why the tube was stopped where it was, and why the entire Station shook. Right where my lab would be in the middle of Alpha section was a mass of forest growing up right through Arcadia Station. Trees, bushes, a small hill supporting the flora, and the buildings around it pushed back and crumpled as the planet had burst up through the city. I wondered if the boys were okay, and how much of anything survived in that area.
"So far, no deaths have been reported," the officer said over his shoulder. "Plenty of injuries, however."
I glanced at Dad, he waved away any concerns of charges being filed.
As we neared the damaged area, I could see movement in one of the trees. Light glinted off whatever it was, so I asked the officer to take us closer.
Beta sat nestled in the fork of three tree branches, Alpha cradled in his arms. At least most of him was. It looked like he had been torn in half by something. Still functional, he turned to wave at us as we approached. The officer got us within twenty feet of the robots. Beta stood and carried Alpha to the hover bike.
"My apologies, Alice," Alpha said. "I seem to have destroyed your lab."
"I'm just glad you're okay," I said. Tears filled my eyes.
"I also lost the Orb."
"We'll find it again," I said. I moved to the center seat so Beta could get in with Alpha. "Can you take us to the University section?" I asked.
"I'm not sure I should..." the officer started.
"Do it now," Dad said. "Can't you see we have an injured citizen?"
"Right away, sir."
My backup lab was at the University. It's actually where I first built Alpha. The other two were built in the now-destroyed lab. I should be able to repair Alpha and have him back on his feet in no time.
I hoped.
And how would we find the Orb?