EARTH PLAN Read Online Free Page A

be taken back into the room, so he walked quickly away, across the field. His mind went to the pond he had seen before. He wanted to drink some water and then see what he could find to eat.
    As he bent down to drink some water from the pond, he found it strange there were no other animals at the pond or humans. Usually at the water sources he used to frequent there were others there, too. But not here. He drank his fill, tried to grab some fish and missed. He tried the stick, but he missed the fish with that, also. He was still sleepy, so he gave up on fishing and rubbed his eyes, yawning and trying to wake up. It was hard without some food to give him energy, like fruit he liked.
    In the mornings he liked to mate with a female. That was good to do early in the day when it was cool, and not so good to do in the heat of the day. He looked around and again wondered why there were no others. He thought about the female he used to mate with, who had borne several children from him. Where was she now? He didn't know, and fear began to set into him again. He felt panic rise in his chest.
    He left the pond and walked fast across the field, determined to get to the other side, miles away, and see just where he was. He thought he must have gotten lost and needed to find his way back to the places he was familiar with and the others he knew. This being all on his own was fine for a short while, but now it was not so good, he felt.
    He walked until he came to a grove of fruit trees like he was used to eating: bananas, papayas, and other fruits that grew in the tropical climate in the ship, very much like the place the man used to live in on Earth. He was happy to find this fruit in its natural state, and it was good to eat.
    Once he’d eaten his fill he collected some fruit and carried it along in the fur he had been wearing; he’d taken it off, as it was now hot in the “day” on the ship. There was still a way to go to the other side of the open space, and it was slow going, as there were many hills, rocks, and streams to cross.
    Finally, the man made it across the two difficult miles of the field and stood looking at a metal wall.
    This frightened him, as there was nothing like that back in his home, and it reminded him of the room he’d been stuck in on the ship. He looked both ways and saw that the wall stretched as far as he could see. There were areas of the wall where it was covered with vines and also rocks piled up in front of it. But the man could still clearly tell the wall was there.
    He was curious and wanted to touch it, so he moved between some rocks and put his hand on the wall. His first touch was quick, then he pulled his hand away. But it was enough to tell that the wall was cold. It was not like the walls in the room he’d been in; this wall was much colder. Those walls had been a bit cooler than body temperature, but this one was so cold it hurt his skin. So, he didn’t touch it again. He just looked closely at it, and the ice forming where the sweat from his hand stayed on the wall.
    Confused and wary, he stepped away from the wall and found a place on the grass amoung some trees to eat more of the fruit he had been carrying. It was pleasant to sit in the warm grass and eat. He felt pretty good, despite the confusion that came at times from being in this strange place.
    After he had eaten, his thoughts once more went to the woman he used to mate with. Emotions overcame him, of missing her and of being lonely. A sad expression formed on his face, and he lay down on the grass, covering his eyes with his arm. He tried to blot out the bright lights, and didn’t want to be there anymore. Tears sprang from his eyes.
    The computer watched the man’s reactions and recorded them. It also sampled his brainwaves, then searched for a match on such behavior from the vast database on the ship. It analyzed the results and concluded that the man must be in distress; that he was exhibiting sadness. It surmised that he