The Black: Arrival

by Paul E. Cooley

  “I think you got it all,” Kate said.

  “Okay.” Jay began tilting the beaker back up again. When it was once again upright, he nodded to Kate.

  She pressed a button and the lid slammed down atop the barrel. “Say goodbye to the sample, Jay.”

  “Bye, sample,” Jay said.

  Kate depressed the floor pedal with her foot. The trap opened and a vacuum pump whooshed. The apparatus was designed to suck any solids or liquids through the trap and into the waste container below. The container held up to 20 gallons of substance before it had to be emptied, but HAL rotated their traps between the day and night shifts. That ensured the chemists knew what had been placed in the barrel so they could avoid mixing volatile chemicals.

  “Now what do I do with this?” Jay gestured with the beaker.

  She rolled her eyes and pointed. “What do you think you do? Put it in the damned sink.”

  Jay growled in his throat and followed orders.

  The door at the front of the lab beeped twice. Kate turned and watched Marie step through the door. “And did you find Chuckles?”

  “Stephen,” Marie said. “His name is Stephen.”

  “Yes, I know, but—” Kate stopped. “Marie? You okay?”

  The normally mocha-skinned woman was very pale. Marie shrugged. “Guess I got the flu or something. Started coughing pretty bad.”

  “Yeah,” Kate agreed. “I can hear it in your voice. Sounds like you’re breathing through cheesecloth.”

  “You need to go take something,” Jay said.

  Kate turned. Jay had left the beaker in the sink and was walking toward them.

  Marie sighed. “I took a bunch of stuff. Just going to take some time to kick in.”

  “No.” Kate pointed toward the door. “You are quarantined, young lady. Until you get a nap.”

  “But, you guys will have to do everything yourselves!” Marie’s voice broke on the last word as she coughed into her arm.

  “Uh-huh,” Jay said. “So what we need is a chemist with the flu corrupting our samples.”

  “Give me a break.” Marie smiled. “Like a little snot wouldn’t do that stuff some good.”

  Kate giggled. “As chief scientist of the chemical analysis division of HAL, I’m telling you to get your ass upstairs and crash on a couch.”

  “Okay.” Marie wiped a runner of snot on her sleeve. “I’ll go to the mother’s room.”

  “Good plan,” Jay said. “Sit in that glider and sleep.” He looked at Kate. “You think we can get Maeve to check on her?”

  Kate grinned and pulled out her phone. “Of course.”

  *****

  The waste container was clean. It moved as a tiny puddle. The constant assault of light and warmth had nearly destroyed It. Without nourishment, It could do little.

  Before It dropped into the trap, saliva flew inside and dissolved into the puddle. It absorbed the material, broke down the DNA and biological components into their constituent atoms, and rearranged them to be part of Itself.

  The energy was enough to sustain It a little longer. But without more, It would cease to be. It slowly slid across the metal, searching for something else to absorb. But there was nothing to consume besides the molecular film left by cleaning solutions and chemicals.

  It ceased moving. It shrank in size as it pulled itself into a small, dense layer. It had to wait. Continuing to move would only weaken It further.

  *****

  Ratchet and Clank were blowing the shit out of everything. Maeve maneuvered the cartoonish wombat-looking character from side to side as a huge creature flung missiles at it. Her thumb expertly pressed the four buttons on the controller in a sequence only she seemed to understand.

  The boss’ health bar disappeared and the creature fell into the virtual ground. Ratchet’s world shook with the impact. Maeve grinned as the screen faded into a cut-scene. That’s when her phone chimed.

  She pressed the “Start” button and the screen froze. Her phone buzzed again. She dropped the controller and grabbed the phone off the table. Maeve rolled her eyes as she read the message.

  “Bad enough I’m stuck here. Now I have to be a nurse?” she said aloud. The texts were from her mother. And they were pretty clear. Maeve sighed.

  She stood from the couch and grabbed her glass of water. If she had to meet Marie at the stairs, at least she could get another drink while she was at it.

  A gust of wind shook the window pane. With the console blaring the game’s audio, she hadn’t noticed the weather change. Rain was falling. The wind had picked up. And she’d little doubt the temperature had dropped. She sighed.

  Maeve opened Kate’s office door and stopped. The hallway was darker than before. The fluorescents that had practically shined off the off-white walls seemed dim and wan. She stuck her head out through the doorframe and looked from side to side. There was no one in the hallway.

  A tremor of fear rose up her spine. Darkness. It was one of those childhood fears that still gnawed at her. She didn’t believe in Hell, but if one existed, she knew hers would be endless darkness punctuated by alien sounds and the occasional slithery touch on her skin. She shivered and stepped out of Kate’s office.

  The hall was silent except for the sound of the air conditioner and the wind buffeting the building’s exterior. Maeve walked with careful steps toward the break room. She froze as the overhead lights came alive with full brightness.

  She squinted through the sudden illumination. Maeve swallowed hard. She tried to call out, but her voice came out in a guttural whisper. She cleared her throat. “Hello?”

  There was no response. She cocked her ear to listen, but there was nothing to hear. Heart thumping in her chest, she continued walking.

  When she reached the corner, she peered around it. Empty. She loosed an inaudible sigh and turned into the break room.

  The fluorescents came on the moment she stepped across the threshold. With the exception of the garbage cans and recycling bins, it was impossible to tell a meal had been served an hour earlier. Maeve wondered if HAL had cleaning faeries on staff.

  She opened the fridge and pulled out another bottle of water. She spun off the cap, filled her glass, and tossed the empty bottle into the bin.

  A creaking sound caught her attention. She remained as still as a statue and focused on the sound. A soft click followed a squeal. “Hello?”

  A wet, chest-rattling cough echoed from the hallway. She flinched and nearly dropped her glass. “Marie?”

  A hand appeared in the doorway. Then Marie. Maeve sighed and then she saw the look on the woman’s face. Marie was more than just sick. She looked…diseased.

  Maeve put the glass on the counter and walked toward her. “You okay, Marie?”

  The chemist pulled up her arm and coughed into her sleeve. “Yes,” she managed in between gasps. “I think I need to lie down.”

  “You need some drugs?”

  Marie shook her head. “Already took some. Think I just need some blankets and a place to crash.” Marie tried to take a step and swayed on her feet.

  “Let me help you,” Maeve said. She walked to Marie and put an arm around her waist. “Where are we going?”

  “Down the hall,” Marie croaked.

  Maeve took the slight woman’s weight and they shuffled in awkward steps. Marie’s lungs rattled with each breath, the next more labored than the last. Maeve felt trickles of sweat falling from Marie’s forehead and into her hair. She wondered if Marie had somehow become infected by something in the lab. No, not infected. Contaminated.

  They reached the end of the hall and Maeve turned them around the corner. A large room with an open door was at the end of the adjacent hallway.

  “Is that where we’re going?” Maeve chuffed. Marie didn’t speak, but she felt the woman nod. “Just a few more steps, Marie.”

  Marie said nothing in return. She seemed to be growing weaker with each step. Maeve’s back started to ache and she suddenly realized her arms were cr
ying out from the effort. When they started, Marie was still holding up most of her weight. Now she was little more than a rag doll on sticks.

  As she led Marie through the open doorway, the lights came on. After the stringing brightness of the hallway, the wan glow of the overheads was soothing. A glider sat in the middle of the room. A small bed was up against the west wall. A crib, of all things, was pushed against the east wall.

  The walls of the other offices were barren and off-white except for whatever the denizens had hung themselves. The mother’s room, however, was covered with bright landscapes. Starscapes covered the ceiling.

  Maeve led Marie to the bed. When they were at its edge, the girl awkwardly turned her charge around until Marie could sit. Instead of sitting, Marie’s ass plopped onto the mattress. Bed springs creaked.

  Maeve let out a long sigh. Her arms and back ached and her heart raced in her chest. She turned her eyes to Marie’s. The woman seemed unfocused and distant. “Marie? You okay?”

  Marie turned her head and stared at Maeve with glazed eyes. A pained smile crossed her lips. “Need to sleep.”

  Maeve nodded and slid off the bed’s edge while she unhooked Marie’s arm from around her neck. Marie tried to shift her weight on the mattress. The springs creaked again. Marie lay backward, her legs still hanging off the bed. Maeve grabbed them and pushed them upward until they too were on the mattress.

  She lifted Marie’s head and put a pillow beneath it. “You cold?” Maeve asked.

  Marie, eyes closed, nodded.

  Maeve bit her tongue and looked around the room. Besides the glider, crib, and bed, the room was practically vacant of other furniture. A small chair was next to the door. Maeve saw what she was looking for.

  Blankets were piled up on top of the chair. Maeve made a mental note to thank CEO Mike for giving a shit about his employees. She unfolded the thickest of them and covered Marie’s feet, legs, and torso. Marie’s weak hands pulled the blanket up to her neck.

  “You need another one?”

  Marie shook her head. “Not yet. Can you, put another one next to the bed? I’ll grab it if I need it.”

  Maeve placed a dark blue comforter within Marie’s reach. “There. You want some water or something?”

  Marie shook her head. “No.” She held out her hand. “Thank you, Maeve.”

  The teenager clasped her hand around the clammy, hot skin. Marie’s pulse seemed to throb in her veins. “I think we need to get you a doctor.”

  “Will sleep. If I’m not a little better soon, I’ll get someone to take me.”

  Maeve nodded. “I’ll come back and check on you in twenty minutes or so, okay?”

  Marie swallowed and her face screwed up in pain. “Thank you, dear.”

  Maeve smiled. “Sleep now. I’ll be back soon.” She let go of Marie’s hand. The woman seemed to relax and immediately fall asleep.

  She waited a few moments, her eyes focused on the rise and fall of Marie’s chest. When she was sure the woman could breathe and appeared to be resting, she rose from the bed and headed to the door. As she reached for the light switch, she heard something crackle.

  Maeve turned and looked back at the bed. Marie had rolled over on her side. Bed springs. That must have been the bed springs. Marie’s leg moved beneath the covers. Maeve’s face dropped into a sad smile. “Sleep well,” she said and shut off the lights. She walked from the room, closing the door behind her.

  She didn’t hear the crack and snap of bones as tendons and ligaments dissolved. She didn’t hear Marie’s unconscious gasps of pain. Maeve headed back to Ratchet and Clank without a clue.

  *****

  More oil. More goddamned oil. Or whatever this shit is. Kate punched buttons on the distillation console and set it up for a heating run.

  The lab was kept at a constant 18.3°C. Once oil was placed in the stream, the distillation furnace would heat it to 350°C. At that temperature, the crude would flash into different hydrocarbons, with the lighter components turning into gas. In theory, anyway. The M2 oil was so light, she wondered just how many different types of hydrocarbon it contained.

  “Think we can get away with just 3.75 liters?”

  Kate flicked her eyes to the dispensing station. Jay had the distillation sample container set up below the spigot. “Better make it 5.5 liters.”

  She stared back at the screen and set the timers. Once the oil was in the distillation feeder, the gas furnace would heat it up. When the crude reached the target temperature, the computer would release the oil through the heat exchangers and into the tower.

  The tower itself was composed of trays with coolant temperatures. As the oil boiled at the tower’s bottom, gasses would rise toward the top. Hexane, butane, propane, and other light hydrocarbons would be trapped in the top trays while heavier hydrocarbons would condense at higher temperatures in the lower trays. Simple process, really.

  Sensors at each tray in the tower would analyze the condensed gas and send the readings to the computer. After thirty minutes, they’d have their readings and know the true boiling point of the crude as well as its overall hydrocarbon content.

  “Um, Kate?” Jay said.

  She looked up from the computer. Jay stood a few feet away from the container with his eyes locked on it. “Yes?”

  “Can you, um, come here and look at this?”

  Kate rose from the chair and walked to the dispensing station. “What is it?” Jay pointed a finger at the container. She followed his gaze and her brows scrunched together.

  The vacuum pump whirred as it loosed the crude from the pipes. The oil, however, flowed in a concentrated stream, much faster than it should have. “What the hell?” Kate looked at Jay. “How much pressure did you give it?”

  “I didn’t change the settings,” Jay said. “It’s like its struggling to get out through the pipe.” He swallowed hard. “But that’s not what I’m looking at.”

  Kate looked at the container. It was trembling. “What the hell?” She walked to the container and stared down into the hole. Without proper illumination, it was impossible to see anything other than darkness in the container.

  “Move back, Kate,” Jay said. “As soon as we reach 5.5 liters, I’m shutting this thing off.”

  She nodded. “I’ve never seen that before. Damned thing’s made of iron. How the hell is it shaking like that?”

  Jay shook his head. “No clue. But I don’t like this stuff.”

  “Me neither.” She stepped away from the rattling container. The rapid flow of oil slowed. The pump groaned as it decreased the pressure in the pipes. “We need to get this damned thing checked,” she said. “That pump sounds like it’s going to give out.”

  “No shit,” Jay said. The oil falling from the spigot thinned and then turned from a stream into droplets. When the dripping ceased, he moved to the container and hit the lever. The top slid closed with a thump. The container ceased trembling.

  Kate shivered. “What the hell kind of oil is this?”

  “Let’s find out,” he said. He rolled the container to the atmospheric distillation machine. He placed the metal hose over the containers lid, screwed it down over the threads, and then hit the release. A metallic “chunk” sound echoed inside the iron container. Jay wiped his forehead. “Ready?”

  “I guess.” Kate walked back to the computer station. She checked the status lights on the screen. The distillation unit reported the system was closed and ready for a run. She looked up at Jay. “We’re green.”

  “Good,” he said. He stepped away from the container and peered over Kate’s shoulder. “Let’s see what this shit is.”

  She clicked “Run.” The heater beneath the distiller whumped as natural gas flowed over the pilot light. A series of numbers in the upper right corner of the screen blinked as the temperature slowly rose.

  Jay stretched. “Thirty minutes.” He yawned. “What other tests can we run?”

  She shrugged. “We can run the light spectrum test, I guess. But f
irst, I want to make sure Maeve is taking of Marie.” Kate pulled out her phone and texted her daughter. She placed the phone on the table. She watched as the readout continued its upward trend. “Guess we have about five minutes before the oil gets circulated through the heat exchangers.”

  “Then I guess I’ll get samples prepared for the UV test. We still want to do the NMR?”

  She tapped her fingers on the table. “Yeah. I want to know what the hydrocarbon bonds look like.” Kate cleared her throat. “PPE’s find is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” She glanced upward at Jay. “Or you.”

  He nodded. “Got that right.”

  A sly smile lit her face. “This may be something for the scientific journals. Assuming, of course, PPE lets us talk about it.”

  “Good point.”

  Kate’s phone buzzed. She picked it up and looked at the screen. Her smile turned into a frown. “Maeve says Marie is really sick. She left her in the mother’s room. Guess she’s sleeping now.”

  Jay bit his lip. “Maeve going to check on her?”

  She nodded. “She says she’s going to go in there in about twenty minutes. But she thinks Marie needs a doctor.”

  Sighing, Jay pulled out his phone. “Man, that flu came on fast. Wonder if she’s got that shit the vaccines missed.” He chose Darren’s contact info and checked the bars on his phone. As usual, the lab was impenetrable for cell signals. He relocked the phone and walked toward the front of the lab. “I’ll see if I can get Darren on the line.” He shook his cell phone. “Useless for calls.”

  Kate chuckled. “That’s why Maeve and I are talking over the WiFi.”

  Jay shrugged and picked up the cordless phone from the desk. He dialed Darren’s extension and waited. The phone rang twice before it picked up.

  “Why, hello, lab,” Darren said in his slightly effeminate voice.

  “Hey, Darren. It’s Jay.”

  “And what can I do for you, Mr. Hollingsworth?”

  “We have a bit of a situation,” Jay said. “I’m afraid Marie came down with something. She’s pretty sick.”