The way Damian saw it, everything was still proceeding as per plan. The only difference was that the magma was rising faster than he had anticipated. But that could be taken care of. If he could reroute the magma flow within the geo-thermal plant, force it to take a longer route, it would slow it down enough to bring it within his calculated velocity range for optimum heat transfer.
He was about to start making the modifications to the plant’s control system when he was interrupted by a series of beeps. He brought up the flashing window to see what it was. It seemed someone was trying to override Waylain’s internal control system, trying to manually change how it worked. A smile broke out on Damian’s face and he shook his head. “Rohan,” he said to himself. “It’s too late to stop this now. What are you trying to do?”
He pulled up the command console and typed a few commands that would take him to the control system’s back-end, so he could see what Rohan was trying to do. He kept his eyes on the virtual screen, carefully observing Rohan’s handiwork. This doesn’t make sense…
When Damian realized what Rohan was trying to do, he burst out laughing. Rohan was trying to open up the top dome and expose Waylain to the earth’s atmosphere. It was clever and would have certainly worked. Without the hermetic seal, there was no way he could have gotten the clouds to form. But he had anticipated Rohan and Patrick’s interference and had piggybacked Al onto all peripheral control systems as well. So he opened up another window and started typing commands on the virtual keyboard. Why Rohan? Why are you so determined to stop me? We both wanted to bring rain back to our planet, so why are you trying to stop me?
He had spent most of the last year writing programs for executing this plan. And with access to Al. Je had been able to override all the original programming of the control systems. With the modifications he had made, Al had become an enforcer of his will, rather than just a background observer. Now, Al had hijacked all control systems he’d piggybacked it on and was sending commands that were indistinguishable from the original software. That was why Rohan had not been able to detect his movements in spite of having combed through all the important control systems.
By now, Patrick would definitely have discovered that the magma was headed toward Waylain, and there was no way to stop it in time, at least, not without risking a massive explosion, which would put Waylain at risk. He knew Patrick would never take that chance, that must be why he was getting Rohan to open the top dome. Damian completed rewriting the code that would prevent the top dome from opening and hit enter. That should stall them while I take care of the plant’s setup.
He had discovered the existence of the geo-thermal plant long before he had any intention of using it. Like most people, he had dismissed it as a relic from Waylain’s past. But when Patrick had discovered the simulations he had been running in secret, everything had changed. Patrick threatened to take away everything that he had worked for, so he decided he would take what he needed and disappear. It had worked; everyone thought he was gone for good. That’s when he had come up with the idea of using the geo-thermal plant for creating the seeded vapor and then sending it into the atmosphere. But the simulations had failed. Slowly, he realized it was impossible to bring about such a massive change without a sacrifice. Waylain was destined to bear witness to the first rainfall in centuries. That’s when he decided to bring the heat source to the reservoir, instead of the other way round. No one would be expecting that. To his surprise, he had found most of the electronics intact in the geo-thermal plant, despite the fact that it had been lying abandoned for decades. Once he had restored it to basic functionality, all he had needed was access to Al so he could set his plan in motion.
Damian’s fingers flew over the virtual keyboard, modifying the flow route to adjust for the higher velocity of the magma. He was almost on the verge of accomplishing the mission that he had dedicated most of his life to and couldn’t wait to see the results. He wouldn’t let anyone stop him, not when he was so close. The rainfall in Waylain is just the first step in restarting the water cycle, which is vital to mankind’s survival. Why can’t anyone else see that?
He leaned back in the chair after making the modifications, trying to work out the crick in his neck. He had not slept for over 48 hours; there had just been no time. But it wouldn’t be long now. He could sleep when this was over. He was about to take off the VR headset when he realized that Waylain would be in full-scale evacuation mode right now.
He was sure the emergency sirens would have thrown everything into chaos. Intrigued, he switched the view on the headset and pulled up the security cam feed from the city level. A video sprang into view. The VR setup made it seem like he was there in person, looking down on the streets from up high. The streets were crowded, there was movement all around. The law enforcement forces were separating people into groups and clearing large open spaces wherever possible. It looked almost like ants milling about a sugar cube, except there was no sugar cube, just large empty spaces.
He suddenly realized what was happening. They had turned the city level into an evacuation zone. The empty spaces were meant for the evac vehicles. That was why Rohan was trying to open the top dome, so the evac vehicles could enter and leave safely. It was a much faster way of getting the people to safety than having them go up to the surface. But now that he had made sure the top dome would remain shut, there was nowhere for the people to go. He could tell that the crowds were getting impatient; they could sense something was wrong.
A faint smile appeared on his lips. This was turning out to be so much better than he had anticipated. All these people in the streets would soon be able to experience the rain for themselves. Some would try to hide in fear, but most people would stand there awestruck by the miracle he had made possible. Water falling from the skies.
Mankind had destroyed the natural order of things and had been forced to move underground. They had all closed their eyes and pretended that things would get better. But he had taken control, and he was going to make it rain. Most of these people didn’t deserve to live, let alone experience this rain. But nature didn’t discriminate, and neither would he. They would all bear witness to this miracle.
Chapter 20
“It’s not working,” Rohan complained. “The system is blocking my attempts at opening the dome.”
Patrick looked visibly agitated on the wall-screen, but his voice was level. “It should open, it was designed to open. It could be physically jammed.”
Kyle was still reeling from the shock. The knowledge of what was happening was too terrible. How can they be so calm in the middle of all this? There’s a torrent of magma headed our way, and they are talking like it’s just an ordinary day at work. His eyes moved to the other half of the wall-screen in Rohan’s workspace, which showed Waylain’s citizens milling about in the streets. They were used to occasional quakes, but the evacuation announcement that followed the sirens had set everyone on edge. Kyle could almost see it coming. The air was rife with tension and panic. One small incident and they could be witnessing full-scale riots. Mass hysteria had a way of warping even the most logical of people.
“It doesn’t matter. The control system is not letting me through; it’s not allowing me to take manual control. It has to be Damian. Once the top dome is open, there will be no cloud formation, no rain. He knows what we are up to.” Rohan spoke as if he was analyzing an interesting algorithm.
Kyle couldn’t restrain himself any longer. “Are you not seeing what I’m seeing? That crowd on the streets is getting nervous. One push, one stumble, and it’ll turn violent. We have to get them out, now.”
He realized that the last sentence had come out as a shout. Rohan turned around to stare at him. But Patrick picked up his mobile after giving him a sharp look, spoke rapidly into it and waited. Then he nodded his head and said, “It is looking bad out there. I’m going to get the people moving onto the surface for evacuation.
“Damian has won. He has snatched control of Waylain from u
s and now forcing us to abandon it. It’ll be slow going. We have limited surface exits and all of them narrow. If you believe in any Gods, pray to them that we don’t have a stampede on our hands.”
“No, we can still save it,” Rohan said. He had turned back to the wall-screen and was looking at some fluctuating graphs. “We have about… four hours left, before the magma reaches the geo-thermal plant. If we can divert the flow…”
Four hours! Kyle thought to himself as he glanced at the video feed again. That’s not nearly enough time to get the people out.
Patrick seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Even with all our evac vehicles and the ones that are on their way from the surrounding SubHabs, it won’t be enough. If we could have opened the dome, it would have gone much faster. But four hours… I don’t know.”
“But once we get them all on the surface, the people should be safe, right? All of the magma and its destruction will be contained underground?” Kyle asked.
Patrick was on the mobile again, so it was Rohan who answered. “The plant is still within Waylain’s perimeter, and magma is… magma. Who knows what kind of destruction it will wreak. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the magma, let alone standing on top of it. But in theory, everything on the surface should be okay. If we are lucky, the people will get away to safety without even knowing what was really happening.”
“I don’t think we should rely on our luck holding up.” There was steel in Patrick’s voice when he said it. “It should never have come to this, but now that it has, we have to do our best to limit the damage. There’s nothing more we can do for Waylain’s citizens. They are being guided out to the surface, the evac vehicles have been instructed to ignore the safety limit and take in as many passengers as they can fly with. But we still haven’t done anything about the magma. We have to block it, divert it, whatever it takes for the evac vehicles to get away to safety.”
Kyle was nodding his head, but his eyes were glued to the video feed, which had switched to a different view. There was barely enough light to make out what was going on, but Kyle could see the reddish-purple tinge in the background. It was a familiar sight. He had looked up at the majesty of the night sky many times when he was driving back home. But now, all his attention was on ghostly images moving in the foreground.
Suddenly, the glare of harsh tungsten lighting came to life all around. People raised a their hands to shield themselves from the glare. They were moving in serpentine rows, lined up in front of what seemed like huge cargo bays. They were slowly walking up the metallic ramps and were swallowed by the darkness of the cavernous interiors. The law enforcement personnel were moving about with neon glow sticks, guiding people and trying to maintain order. Everything seemed under control, but just barely.
It was a blessing that it was night time outside. The temperature would be bearable, but it seemed that all the empty space and dust was affecting the people. Some were throwing up where they were standing, some were coughing and sneezing, and the rest were shuffling forward with bowed heads. Kyle’s eyes were drawn to a little girl who was crying incessantly. The harsh lighting showed the dirty streaks on her face where the tears had run down. She was in her father’s arms, clutching him tightly and peering back directly at the camera. Kyle could almost see the confusion and fear in her eyes. Her father turned and whispered something to her. She turned away from the camera to look at the giant evac vehicle they were about to enter. Just as quickly, she turned around and buried her face in her father’s coat.
Kyle wondered if it had been like that all those years ago. Had the other kids been just as scared? Felt just as helpless and confused? An old anger came to life within him. He wanted to lash out at everyone, because no one man was responsible for this disaster. He realized that Rohan and Patrick were still talking.
“… that would be even worse. We can’t risk letting the magma anywhere near the reservoirs. I’m not sure if the outer shell can hold up. And the moment it comes in contact with water, it’s all over. All that will be left will be the biggest crater the world has ever seen. The explosion will be felt even hundreds of miles away,” Patrick said, shaking his head.
“So there’s no question of blocking the magma?” Rohan asked.
“Ever tried stopping a can of cola from popping? One way or another, it’ll find a way to come out. We can’t simply block the magma without giving it an alternative path to flow into.”
They were still trying to work out a plan. Kyle would have said something, but he saw that they were busy typing away on their respective keyboards. It wasn’t just idle chatter. Their voices didn’t betray it, but the nervousness with which they typed gave away their fear. Rohan’s wall- screen was a jumble of windows, Patrick’s face and the video feed barely visible behind all that was going on.
Something Patrick had said just registered. “What do you mean explosion? I thought you said the danger was only the superheated steam.”
“Have you ever seen an underwater volcanic eruption?” Patrick asked, but didn’t seem to expect an answer. “The moment all that cold water touches the molten rock all hell breaks loose. The explosion doesn’t seem like much because of all that water on top of the volcano, but the effects are felt all around. It can create a massive whirlpool that lasts for days, trigger tsunamis in nearby areas. Hell, it can even change the alignment of the tectonic plates.
“If the magma hits Waylain’s water reservoir, there’s no ocean to suppress the resulting explosion. It will be a spectacular display of destruction as the explosion tears through the city and onto the surface. And we’ll be sitting bang in the middle of it.”
Kyle felt his heart climb into his throat. His voice came out in a whisper. “And Damian knows this?”
“How could he not?” Rohan answered. “That’s what his entire plan has been all about. Get the magma close enough to the water reservoir, get the water to vaporize, and bring the water back down as rain. I have no doubt that he truly believes that he can control the flow of magma, that he can predict its behavior and prevent it from breaching Waylain’s outer shell.”
“The only problem,” Patrick said, “is that the arrogant fucking asshole doesn’t give a shit about what happens to Waylain or its citizens. I could fucking kill him with my bare fists if I get my hands on him.”
Kyle’s anger flared to life again. Unlike Barden, this time he had a clear focal point for his anger.
“If we do find him, please hold off killing him for a few minutes,” Rohan said sarcastically. “I would love to hear how this was going to save mankind and create a new future for all of us.” He continued in a normal tone. “Okay, all the heat generators in the reservoir are at maximum. Hopefully, by the time the magma breaches the outer shell, it will encounter only steam.”
“Not sure how that’ll help,” Patrick said, “considering that temperature difference would still be in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius. But at this point, I’ll take what I can get.”
“We open up all of Waylain’s exhaust ports. Maybe the magma will flow out through the low-pressure channels.” Rohan suggested.
“But you said Damian has sealed all of them, right? If you couldn’t get the top dome open, how do you plan on opening the exhaust ports?”
Rohan let out a frustrated sigh. “If I could just have had access to the console that Damian was working from… there would be so much more we can do.”
“He’s probably on board one of the evac vehicles and grinning through his teeth. How the fuck did he get through when all the law enforcement personnel were looking for him?”
“Because he hasn’t left yet,” Kyle said.
He was greeted with a stunned silence.
“You told me he was a control freak, that he liked to plan everything and monitor every step?”
Rohan nodded slowly.
“Wouldn’t he love to be on the ground while his biggest accomplishment comes to fruition? If he’s a fanatic, and as arrogant as you say he is, where do you thin
k he’d be when the first drop of rain falls?”
“Maybe…” Patrick began.
“But until then, while all of Waylain is being evacuated, what’s the only place that still has access to power, to the network, and to all the control systems? And most importantly, access to Al’s servers?”
“Fuck,” Patrick screamed, slamming his fists down on the table.
“Exactly.”
Chapter 21
Just over two hours left, Damian thought to himself. He knew his work here was done, and he should be making his way to the city. He wanted to be out there when the first drop of rain fell. He wanted to see the miracle he had wrought come to life.
But his eyes were glued to the virtual screen. The video feed from the security cameras showed the evacuation was in full flow. People were nervous and scared out there, on the surface. Good riddance, Damian thought. The fucking cowards don’t even deserve to see this miracle. They can run and hide now, but they can’t run away from the future that awaits them.
His left leg suddenly started cramping up, and he cried out in agony. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting here. The VR headset had become heavy and was digging into his face. He was tempted to take it off, but he couldn’t bring himself to terminate the connection to Al and the control systems. There was nothing he could do anymore. It was all running according to his program. If any changes were needed, Al could react infinitely faster than he could. He really should be making his way to the city.
The Tellurian Threat: A Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller (The Tellurian Archives Book 1) Page 16
