Doomsday Minus One

by Andrew Dorn

  A minute passed then Emmeline’s voice said: “Go!” Simon realized it was the moment they had withdrawn from the tunnel and headed out to the elevator. There was another static interruption then the pinpoint of bright light reappeared. In a matter of seconds it got brighter and brighter still. Then, to the stupefaction of everyone in the room, it blew up in a dazzling flash. The camera’s optics burned out and the screen went dark. Seconds ticked by on the display but the screen stayed blank, with no discernible features.

  “It overwhelmed the sensors?” Emmeline asked.

  “No,” Frank said. “Observe.”

  A pale blot of light emerged from the darkness, hovering in the air in front of the camera. The luminosity was coming from a formless blob of semitransparent matter, which drifted about like a mote of dust in sunlight. The blob began to vibrate, stretching itself in the process before splitting apart, creating two exact copies where before there had been one. The two blobs bumped into each other and separated again producing further copies of themselves. Soon the screen was packed with these blobs as they went on dividing at a breakneck pace.

  Simon struggled to make sense of it. The blobs seemed to behave like primitive organisms or even better, like microbes in a Petri dish. They were proliferating at a swift rate, merging and splitting in a dazzling choreography. He had no idea what it was but it was remarkable to behold.

  He noticed a new pattern within their frenzied ballet. They had begun to change into what looked like cells. They were tiny now, so small they showed up as a creamy cloud to the camera. The nebula of minuscule particles was puffing outwards then contracting unto itself as if animated by an invisible heart. The vision was unsettling and from the corner of his eye, Simon saw Emmeline turn away from the monitor. The cloud pulsed with more energy and it looked to Simon that it was about to disintegrate. The pulsation increased even further, to a stroboscopic level so hard to watch that everyone in the room shielded their eyes. The cloud of cells shifted to liquid form for a millisecond before imploding with a jolt, vaporizing itself in the process.

  The light show was gone.

  “Jesus H. Christ.”

  “Weird, no?” Frank said, turning to Simon.

  “Bloody weird,” he answered with a shudder. “And scary.”

  Frank nodded in agreement.

  “Are we sure it’s gone?” Emmeline asked.

  “Well, we will need to send a team down there to make certain. This time, however, we’ll go with full hazmat suits and with the right gear,” Frank replied as he cleaned his eyeglasses. “Just to be on the safe side, the mine will stay secured until we are positive that whatever we’ve just seen is gone for good.”

  “Whatever it was...” Gerry started.

  “... is mucho extraño,” Arturo concluded.

  Frank cleared his throat. “I can’t force any of you to go down there. This is a volunteer assignment. I realize it’s not part of your job description.”

  Gerry guffawed but turned a deeper shade of crimson when he saw that none of the others had.

  “Ain’t that the truth,” he said, throwing his hands up. “I’m sorry Frank, I’m not ready to go down but I’ll be happy to give you a hand on the surface. My head is still sore from yesterday.”

  “I am fine with that,” Frank said. “Arturo?”

  “I wish to remain with Gerry. I... I don’t like the extraño.”

  “Understandable.”

  Frank turned to the remaining two who had not yet spoken up.

  “Count me in,” Simon said. “I need a good story to tell the kids.”

  “You have no children,” Gerry objected.

  “That’s true enough,” Simon answered. “But one day, who knows?”

  “You can count me in too,” Emmeline said.

  Frank raised an eyebrow to the scientific adviser.

  “You don’t have to this Ms. Brochu. This is not why we brought you in—

  “I would not miss this for the world.”

  Frank was about to explain why she didn’t need to feel pressured into volunteering when he saw the firmness in her eyes. It appeared she had already decided for herself and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  “Huh, ok then, great and thank you, I appreciate your dedication,” he said with a nod. “We'll start the operation tomorrow morning, 8 o’clock sharp. For the moment, I want you guys to go to your habitats and unwind while I take care of the gear.”

  Simon and Emmeline nodded in agreement.

  “Well?! What are you hanging here for? Off you go!”

  They shuffled out of the room, Simon and Emmeline bringing up the rear.

  “I’m surprised you want to go back down there after you...” Emmeline started, “uh...”

  “Fainted like a fainting goat,” Simon said in a helpful voice.

  Emmeline smothered a burst of laughter.

  “Now that you mention it,” she said. “It did kinda look that way.”

  “I’m going back because of that, if you want to know,” he said, feigning defensiveness.

  “How so?”

  “I had a vision during my... uh, spell, and I wonder if it’s somehow linked to the light show we’ve just seen.”

  “It might just have been a hallucination, you know. We were under stress, the heat was stifling and you were running around a lot.”

  “I know.”

  “There might be nothing down there anymore.”

  13 Hazmat

  THERE MIGHT BE nothing down there anymore. Emmeline’s statement still lingered in Simon’s head the next morning. He woke up at dawn, started up the coffee machine, chided Virgil for drinking water from the toilet then took a hot shower. Fifteen minutes later, he watched the sun as it rose between the great pines surrounding the compound, its brilliance dimmed by an opaque layer of clouds.

  The weather forecast called for rain, with a 60% chance but he knew it might as well be 100%. He could sense it in his bones. His right knee and lower back were stiff and sore and it was not from the previous day’s exertions. His thoughts went back to what Emmeline had said. Could it be true? Could they have been victims of a collective hallucination? But what about the proof, the video recordings?

  There had to be a reason behind it all.

  He wiggled into a timeworn pair of blue jeans then pulled on his beloved Binghampton University sweater, which he had meant to throw out but could never do. He loved wearing comfy clothes and nothing could beat an old pair of denim. After zipping up his mine-issued coverall, he put on his jacket, bright orange and emblazoned with the LTI logo. Groaning because of his lower back pain, he slid on his Gum boots, stuffed his gloves in a back pocket and grabbed his helmet. He was ready for another day down the rabbit’s hole.

  Twenty minutes later, he was wandering the quiet offices of the admin building. It was early and the team had not showed up yet. Simon followed the fresh scent of brewing coffee, zigzagging between pallets of equipment in the narrow hallways. He spotted Frank in the conference room, coffee in hand, scrawling on the e-board.

  “Top of the morning to you, Mr. Curtis.”

  Frank couldn’t help but grin at Simon’s atrocious attempt at a fancy British Lord accent.

  “And to you, sir.”

  Simon hung his helmet and jacket on a hook next to the door before making a beeline for the coffee machine.

  “So what’s on today’s agenda?”

  “Adventure and excitement!” Emmeline said as she stepped inside the room.

  Simon’s smile grew broader as he saw her nod in his direction. Emmeline had realized that appropriate clothes took precedence over fashion at the bottom of a mine. She had blue jeans, though way nicer than Simon’s, a classic white t-shirt, an LTI security vest and knee-high rubber boots. She had tied her hair in a bun and sported a red bandana around her neck. Simon readily approved the new look.

  “Let’s hope for more mundane excitement,” Frank said.

  Simon raised his mug. “I second that.”

/>   Emmeline took a seat at the end of the table, pulled out a mini tablet from a backpack she had been carrying and jotted down what Frank had put on the board. “Any news about Sterling?”

  “Yes, he’s doing good. He’s at St. Joseph’s, down in Bangor, and according to Anna, is being prepped for reconstructive surgery.”

  “That’s great to hear Frank,” Simon said.

  “Indeed,” Emmeline concurred, cheered up by the news.

  Frank replenished his jumbo-size mug to the brink before speaking.

  “So, this is what’s up for today and it is straightforward: we need to be absolutely certain the phenomenon is a thing of the past. Simon, that is your expertise.”

  “Yes, I’ll run some new tests.”

  “Excellent, you and I will go down as soon as you are ready.”

  “I would love to tag along, if you don’t mind,” Emmeline said.

  “Huh, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. We are going full Hazmat on this. Do you have any experience with breathing gear by chance?”

  “I have hazardous waste operations and emergency response training and am Level 3 hazwoper certified.”

  Frank acknowledged, convinced by her credentials, while Simon kept nodding, too impressed to think of anything cool to say.

  “Once the tests are done and we are sure that all is good, we will resume operations.”

  Simon shot a glance at Emmeline who nodded in agreement for Frank’s benefit.

  “Any questions?”

  “You don’t happen to have some tea around?” Emmeline said.

  “Tea? Oh, right, I had forgotten about your, uh, deviant choice of beverage.” Frank said with a sorrowful shrug.

  “Deviant?” Emmeline protested.

  “No worries,” Simon declared.

  He plucked a tea bag from the breast pocket of his coverall.

  “I discovered this treasure in my pantry. Earl Grey, I believe.”

  Emmeline accepted Simon’s offering with reverence. “You remembered.”

  She put the bag to her nose and sniffed the characteristic scent emanating from the bag.

  “Ah... The pinnacle of civilization inside a small perforated bag.”

  Simon enjoyed observing her as she went about enthusing about the tea. He felt positive he would enjoy watching her even if she was just reading out loud the ingredients from a cereal box; she had that kind of an effect on him.

  “Guys, if you have finished blabbering about beverages, I would appreciate if you would move your...”

  “Derrières?” Emmeline offered.

  “Yes.”

  Frank watched the duo with a grin plastered on his face. What a team he had, a bunch of smart alecks for sure, but professionals in every aspect. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Off we go then.”

  They all strolled into the Equipment room, a few steps away from where they conferred.

  “Oh, hi Gerry, I thought Frank had given you the day off,” Emmeline said as the engineer turned her way, holding up a suit.

  “Well... we Irish folks prefer to be around where the action is, and it wasn’t in my cot.”

  “Well, I for one am glad to have an engineer check my suit,” Simon said, with a friendly slap to Gerry’s back.

  “Indeed?” Gerry said.

  “Yes, it suits me just fine.”

  Both Emmeline and Frank groaned in tandem at the dreadful pun.

  Gerry, still reeling from the geologist’s stab at being a humorist, took out a suit from a large plastic container.

  “You guys are lucky. These suits are brand new,” he said, spreading the clothing on a work table.

  Hazmat suits were not standard mining equipment, since, as the name implied, they were designed to protect workers handling hazardous materials. LTI had a few of them in stock, more for fire drills and emergency evacuations than for real use.

  “Perfect. Ok, people, let’s get suited up,” Frank said, grasping the pale gray suit Gerry offered. “We got a job to do.”

  The suits possessed a hood, which covered the head leaving only the face exposed. They were not fully enclosed class 3 suits used in heavy chemical spills but Frank judged they would be good enough. They would need, however, to strap on SCBA’s, Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. The SCBA’s provided the user with 4 hours of air from two KO2 canisters affixed inside a sleek backpack. Potassium superoxide, KO2, removes carbon dioxide and water from exhaled air and generates oxygen for breathing. The units were slim, low-weight packages, allowing for great freedom of movement yet still providing complete protection against toxic fumes and other contaminants.

  Frank strapped on the mask, which fully covered his face, and checked that the lens wiper was functioning. He adjusted his straps and buckles, making sure the seals were tight. They were. He was all set. Gerry looked him over, double-checking everything, then did the same with the Simon.

  “Emmeline, let me check you out,” Simon said.

  Emmeline froze in her tracks, mimicking a deer caught by headlights. Simon realized what he said could be misconstrued and turned red in the face.

  “Huh, I mean, I must check your, huh, equipment,” he said with the definite impression he had put his foot in his mouth.

  “Please do,” Emmeline said with a quick nod.

  He approached Emmeline and checked the air supply. He asked her to turn a valve. She made a thumbs down gesture.

  “What’s wrong?” Gerry said.

  “We have an error message,” Emmeline said.

  Gerry double-checked the breathing apparatus, directing his attention to the miniature digital display which every SCBA possessed. Err 20 meant a problem with the main hose. He disconnected the hose, verified its integrity, making sure no foreign object had been lodged inside. There wasn’t. He reconnected the hose to the socket then restarted the unit.

  “Ok, guys I’m good now. No more errors. Thanks Gerry,” Emmeline declared.

  The engineer peered at Emmeline’s display and saw that it indicated 4h, which was the maximum amount of air available. The unit appeared to be performing as it should be.

  “Part of my job, Miss Brochu.”

  Frank raised his hand, calling for attention.

  “Don’t forget people, we have 4 hours of air before we run out. It should be more than enough for the job at hand.”

  Simon opened a locker labeled GEOLOGY USE ONLY and selected the equipment for the verifications he needed to make. He strapped on a utility belt to his waist, making certain not to mess up the hose from his SCBA. He packed the belt with various hand-held devices, turning them on and off and verifying their charge. At last, he signaled that he was ready.

  “Let’s do this,” Frank said.

  The trio in their Hazmat suits, accompanied by Gerry, exited the building and made their way to the adit, some 300 meters away.

  “Arturo?! Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

  The operator had his arms crossed over the chest, helmet and lamp turned on, like a warrior awaiting combat.

  “You know where Gerry goes, I go, boss,” he said with a shrug.

  Frank exhaled with a loud sigh but was nevertheless pleased to see him. A pair of extra arms could always prove useful.

  “Ok then, Gerry, Arturo, listen up,” Frank started. “Once we are inside the elevator cab, I want you guys to seal up the plates behind us.”

  “You want us to do what?” Gerry objected. “But what if something happens down there and you have to pull out in a hurry?”

  “I want to make sure we do our best to contain this thing if there is something down there. Sealing the panels will double the security. Once we are sure there’s no danger anymore, we’ll come back up, cut free the panels and do a celebration dance.”

  “It’s a half-ass idea, if you ask me,” Gerry said.

  Simon was taken aback by Frank’s suggestion and was about to object when he realized it would do no good. The man had taken it upon himself to keep whatever ha
d caused the incident below bottled up, and if it meant being sealed up in a shaft, then so be it.

  “It’s not too late to change your mind,” Frank turned, staring at Simon and Emmeline. “If what I’m proposing doesn’t work for you, no harm done. We’ll just seal everything up and wait for the special measures team from HQ to come in.”

  Simon could either accept or refuse but he had the distinct impression his boss already knew what he would say. He was too inquisitive, too curious, to not go, despite the inherent risk. Though, he conceded to himself, he would never have ordered the panels resealed. It was such an unintuitive decision that even Frank must have doubted its usefulness.

  “I’m in,” Simon said.

  He and Frank turned to Emmeline.

  “Count me in.”

  Frank nodded in appreciation then walked over to where Gerry stood. He put a gloved hand to the engineer’s shoulder. “Can I count on you guys to get us out if needed?”

  “Of course, boss. But I don’t like your idea.”

  “I know, but it’s gonna be fine,” Frank said. “Emmeline, Simon, you guys ready?”

  They both raised their thumbs.

  “Then let’s go see what’s down there.”

  14 Subsurface

  “GO AHEAD, GERRY,” Frank Curtis said.

  They were all facing the plastisteel panels outside of the condemned elevator shaft. Gerry nodded behind his darkened visor and switched on the laser cutter. The powerful but pencil-thin red beam began slicing through the rubberized compound of the seals, opening the vertical gap between the panels. Five minutes later, Gerry shut the beam off and admired his handiwork. The panels were still propped up but it was easy for him to pry them apart to gain access inside. He was about to proceed when a hand grasped his elbow.

  “We’ll take care of that.” Frank said from behind the engineer.

  Gerry removed his visor, nodded in acknowledgement and pulled back to where Arturo waited, some 10 meters away. Simon and Emmeline positioned themselves in front of the panels, ready to go in. They had switched on the breathing units and were standing by, waiting for Frank’s order to go ahead.