After an extensive search, Butler One detected some modern technological equipment with the ship's scanners.
"There must be ruins nearby, but are you sure it's modern? What is it?"
"Computer technology, Miss O’Malley. We are approaching the relevant area now."
"Computers way back in the past! I wonder if we haven't uncovered somebody else who has time travelled before us. Are we even still on earth at all? Maybe they teleported us to another planet, as well as sending us into the past. Maybe that planet was very advanced for a while, before it was overgrown by jungle."
Wildstar came to rest beside some concrete ruins. There were also materials of steel, plastic, iron and others, according to Wildstar's elemental scanner.
"It's the ruins of an old city. We've found something at last" said Ann.
They located an opening and began to explore.
Butler One had to float above the rubble, because the use of his wheels was impossible. Ann walked beside, using a powerful torch, which she had taken from Wildstar's room of gadgets (part of the legacy left to her by the late Jeradd).
Wendell rode on her shoulder. He was so young, and had trouble understanding teenage dialogue at the best of times, which often left him with nothing to say in reponse.
"My robot might be replacing me at Freedom Fields forever. People would start to suspect things in a few years, when the robot did not grow any taller or show any other signs of ageing. We must get back somehow" thought Ann.
They came to a room which was full of computer hardware, and discovered a reel of tape in a box. On the outside of the box were the words:
THE LAST RECORD OF OUR PLIGHT
Ann had been expecting to see skeletons. So she tried to ignore their frightening appearance.
"There aren't that many. A lot of them must have made it out into the fields and become the tribes we discovered. We cannot play that tape without any working equipment. There's no more electricity I suppose. How could all this be on earth's past?" thought Ann.
Butler One confirmed that the tape could be played back using Wildstar's facilities.
"Well that might help us. Hey look at this. The computer sticker says 'MADE IN 5522'. could that be the year we've reached?" asked Ann.
"It is possible, Miss O’Malley."
"But they said we would be sent into the past! Let us go back to Wildstar and play that tape. I'm suspecting deception now."
* * * *
Butler One prepared the tape for playback, and then listened with Ann to the message:
"This is the last record of our plight. This message was recorded in the year 5551.
This is the last of earth's great cities. All of the valuable resources which enabled
us to enjoy the wonders of modern technology have been depleted. We are now
without the simple benefits of light and power. What remains of our scientific
equipment is useless. A few of us have survived thus far, and we will make our
way into the fields to join the other tribes who have abandoned our cities before
us. There was indeed enough evidence to avert this tragedy, but our world leaders
continued to waste money and resources on developing weapons of war. Trust was
replaced by measures of security in all periods of recorded history. Inefficient uses
of vital resources was commonplace, and now there is nothing left. The irony is
that, in trying to reach the forefront of technology, we have left ourselves with no
more resources. Our final fate is to lead a lifestyle which will be even more
primitive than that of our predecessors of thousands of years ago. If anyone finds
this record, it will be too late to prevent the awful losses which have already been
suffered. We have only been able to explain the tragedy, rather than prevent it.
Maybe one day it would be possible for the earthlings of the future to be
transported to a new world as rich in resources as ours once was, but would they
learn from our mistakes? Only time will tell. This message is now completed."