Dark Fathoms

by James Axler

  Her eyebrows raising at that, she glanced back at Doc with a puzzled expression. “How?” she mouthed.

  Doc stepped forward again. “Query, computer—”

  “You may call me AIDAN, if that is easier,” the computer interrupted.

  “Ah...right. Um, AIDAN, query. Why do you have a file on subject Wroth, Krysty?”

  “Information received as part of emergency information dissemination from Wizard Island Complex for Scientific Advancement,” the computer replied. “Tight-beam burst data transmission received, along with notification of emergency of unknown classification at complex. All attempts to reestablish communication since that date have been unsuccessful.”

  Krysty’s blood ran cold at hearing that. She remembered all too well the scientific research-and-development facility AIDAN had just mentioned. Home to an inbred group of insane whitecoats, they had been only weeks, maybe even days, away from unleashing a rain of chemical and biohazardous devastation that would have snuffed out 99 percent of the remaining life in the Deathlands. They would have succeeded, too, if they had not captured Ryan and the others. Once the companions had found out what the demented group was up to, they had stopped those mad scientists from destroying what was left of the planet. But if the information and data about what they had been working on had been transmitted elsewhere...

  Doc quickly glanced at the rest of them. “So, you will have some information on John Barrymore Dix, Jak Lauren and Ryan Cawdor, as well.” The others, Thomas Finnegan and Lori Quint, were long dead and gone. Ricky, of course, wouldn’t be on file, since he had never encountered any of the redoubts before joining the group a few weeks ago.

  Mildred cleared her throat. “I’d imagine that you probably have a file on me, as well.”

  Doc’s face lit up at that. “That’s right!” He waved her forward. “Give your information next, Mildred.”

  She did so, including her identification number, which she recited in a surprised tone. “I didn’t think I’d still remember that,” she muttered.

  “Welcome, Dr. Wyeth. Good to see that your physical condition has improved since your cryo-freezing.”

  “Uh, right. Glad to be here,” she replied with a dubious frown.

  “Your arrival is most fortuitous, as the Poseidon Base has not had any functioning medical staff since 10/27/2008. Once processing is complete, you will report to the sick bay for standard medical duty.”

  “Great,” she replied, her expression indicating she felt the exact opposite.

  With a shrug, J.B. stepped forward next. “John Barrymore Dix, no ID number. Duty designation security, I guess.”

  “Temporary personnel will be assigned duty positions based on an evaluated and current needs basis,” AIDAN replied. “Continue with data entry of new personnel.”

  One by one, the rest filed up and gave whatever information they could. When they were finished, the computer was silent for a moment. “My sensors indicate that there is one more person in your group in the captain’s living quarters.”

  “Um, yes, the one you would know as Ryan Cawdor,” Mildred replied before Doc could answer. “He was attacked by one of the security machines as we entered the base from Pod Seven.”

  “My apologies for that,” the computer said, to Krysty’s surprise. “The security forces had been dispatched to meet your group upon entry into the main base area. They were only supposed to escort your group to the new arrivals orientation area. Unfortunately, the announcement that they should have heard along with you was not transmitted effectively. What is his current condition?”

  “He’s recovering now, and will give his information as soon as he is able,” Mildred replied.

  “Very good,” AIDAN replied. “To the rest of you, welcome to the Poseidon Base for Oceanic Exploration. Orientation commencing. Conceived in 1989 by famed undersea engineer Marco Palidas, Poseidon Base is humankind’s gateway to the oceans. After a suitable site was found on the seafloor approximately one hundred miles east of the Hawaiian Islands, construction commenced in 1991, and was completed in 1997—”

  Krysty heard the computer say the next couple of sentences, but her mind didn’t comprehend them, as she was stuck on a very important part she’d heard.

  She leaned over to Doc, trying to keep her voice quiet. “Did I hear that correctly?” she whispered. “We’re in this redoubt at the bottom of the ocean?”

  Chapter Seven

  “Pause orientation, AIDAN.”

  Except for his moving mouth, Doc looked like he might have been carved from wood, he stood so still. Just when Krysty thought she’d have to repeat herself, he turned just enough to regard her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Regrettably so, Krysty,” he whispered back. “Even seeing all they had accomplished, I had not thought it possible to construct such a facility this far below the ocean, and yet here we stand, inside just such a complex.”

  “How—how deep are we?” Mildred managed to force the words out.

  “Regrettably, I am unfamiliar with the floor of the Pacific Ocean,” Doc answered without a trace of sarcasm. “It would seem that one hundred miles east of the Hawaiian Islands would be far enough to avoid the constant volcanic activity from the islands themselves. However, if we are anywhere close to an abyssal plain, then we would find ourselves under a few thousand fathoms of water at best.”

  “Shit,” Mildred said. “AIDAN?”

  “Yes, Dr. Wyeth?” the computer answered.

  About to reply, Mildred cocked her head. “Is that your name, or is it an acronym for something?”

  “It is both. It stands for Artificial Intelligence Direct Assistance Network.”

  “Right. How far below the surface are we right now?” She asked.

  “Poseidon Base is 1,391 meters below the surface of the ocean.”

  The blood drained from the stocky woman’s face as the realization continued to dawn on her.

  No one else spoke for a long time. Like many of the others, Krysty couldn’t help glancing at the ceiling, her mind’s eye easily imagining the vast, endless ocean surrounding the failing base, pressing down on it with the pressure of millions of tons of water, constantly moving over the outside, seeking the tiniest crack or crevice to pour inside.

  With a grimace, she shook her head. Dwelling on how hopeless the situation appeared at the moment wasn’t going to get them out of it. She glanced around again to see everyone looking at Mildred, who had closed her eyes and was taking several deep breaths.

  “You all right, Mildred?” J.B. asked.

  “Honestly, no.” She opened her eyes again. “I thought the underwater corridor was bad. That was nothing compared to the way I feel right now.” She sucked in another deep breath. “But I will manage.” She looked around at the rest of them. “None of you have anything to worry about from me.”

  J.B. and Krysty both nodded at that; it was all they needed to hear. J.B. glanced at Doc. “Might as well continue the spiel.”

  The old man nodded curtly. “Continue orientation, AIDAN.”

  AIDAN continued as if it had never paused in the first place. “—and the first staff arrived on 11/23/1997. Although the facility was intended to primarily explore and research the ocean and its flora and fauna, the events of 1/20/2001, and the subsequent response of the United States, necessitated a fundamental alteration of Poseidon Base’s mission.”

  The machine paused for a moment. “Dissemination of the following classified information is normally for Grades Epsilon and higher. Currently there is no one among you with the prerequisite clearance. However, given the exigent circumstances and the current state of the base itself, I am temporarily granting Grade Epsilon clearance to Doctors Tanner and Wyeth for the purposes of this orientation. Do you both agree to permit the others to hear the information about to be relayed?”

  “Yes, AIDAN,” Mildred said, sharing a worried look with Doc. “This ought to be good.”

  “Upon receipt of the program changes distributed
by the Totality Concept, steps were taken to ensure that the base’s new primary mission—ensuring the safety and protection of the men and women aboard in order to carry out their new directives—was achieved with minimum disruption. Other than the self-inflicted injury to Captain Lucas, control was achieved and maintained until early 2006.”

  Doc looked at the rest of the group with watering eyes. “Sounds like the reasonable decisions any dictator would make to ensure that his dominance over the general populace continued unchecked.”

  If AIDAN heard his comment, it did not reply. “Unfortunately, it soon became clear that humans were not meant for prolonged habitation in a facility such as Poseidon Base. The matter-transfer unit in Pod Seven was supposed to alleviate this issue, as once order had been restored on the surface, new personnel would be transported to and from the base to begin rebuilding the nation. However, when repeated attempts to contact superiors on the surface failed, many of the staff believed that they were going to be trapped here for the rest of their lives. Although some were able to come to terms with this development, others had problems adjusting to their new reality. Increased mental instability, paired with the enforced confinement in the base itself, led to an increase in aberrant behavior.”

  “How did this behavior manifest, and what was its outcome?” Mildred asked in the dead silence.

  “The aberrant behavior manifested in a specialized psychological breakdown, resulting in an increase in paranoid delusions, including a persecution complex, and auditory and visual hallucinations. Emotional difficulty and social withdrawal were also observed in a high percentage of personnel. Attempts to utilize base equipment, including the matter-transfer unit, for unauthorized purposes increased exponentially. Many came to believe that they were being watched by an invisible force present in the base and that this force was plotting against them.”

  “Apparently they still couldn’t program a sense of irony into these things,” Mildred muttered.

  “What happened?” Doc asked.

  “Remedial measures were taken, which grew progressively more severe as more incidences occurred. Five incidents were traced to deliberate sabotage planned and carried out by high-ranking officers. Further remedial action was necessary to correct this behavior.”

  “Clarify what you mean by remedial action,” Doc said.

  “The problem was twofold: correct the guilty and ensure that their crimes would not occur again, and provide an example to the rest of the staff still inhabiting the complex. The solution was both simple and elegant. Those personnel who were deemed incorrigible were reclassified as security staff and modified to better perform their new duties.”

  “Oh God...” Mildred put her hands to her mouth. “You made them into those...things out there.”

  “Affirmative.”

  “In the name of all that is holy, do you not understand the dissonance here?” Doc sputtered. “You said yourself that your overriding directive was to protect—protect—the personnel of this base! How on earth do you rationalize those things out there as protecting anyone?”

  “It is very simple, Dr. Tanner. In order to protect the larger group of productive personnel, it was necessary to isolate and contain the aberrant ones. Imprisoning or executing them would not have been the most efficient use of base resources. Modifying them into their present state gave the base a permanent security force, freeing other humans from that task. Consider it similar to removing an infected hand so that the rest of the body may survive.”

  “‘Efficient use of resources....’ I don’t know how much more I can take of this—insanity,” Doc said.

  AIDAN continued as if it hadn’t heard him. “Once no longer able to act against the base, they were assigned to oversee the remaining personnel and ensure the program’s continuance. However, their appearance had the opposite of its intended effect.”

  “I’ll bet. After all, who wants to be guarded by cyborg freak sec and their new comp baron?” J.B. asked from his position against the wall.

  “The modified units caused the aberrant behavior to increase exponentially, forcing even more modifications. When the last group of base personnel attempted to destroy the security staff and interrupt my power supply, there was no other choice but to take the same measures against them.”

  “By which you mean—” Mildred jabbed a thumb at the door, her meaning clear to everyone in the room.

  “I do not understand your question, Dr. Wyeth.”

  “You mean you turned the rest into those...things, as well,” she said quietly.

  “That is correct. Unfortunately, it was necessary in order to continue carrying out my mission and prevent the destruction of the entire base.”

  “So, just to be clear, there are no more...normal humans in this base,” Krysty asked.

  “There were not—until now.”

  Even in the warm, still air, a shiver ran through Krysty’s body. “And exactly what are we expected to do here?”

  “With assistance from me, all of you will be trained in base operations, as you will be manning this facility for the foreseeable future,” AIDAN replied.

  “And...just how long is that?” Mildred asked.

  The computer’s answer sounded dreadfully final. “Either until new orders are received or for the rest of your natural lives.”

  Chapter Eight

  “We’re su’posed t’do what?”

  It was an hour later, and the paralyzing agent had worn off enough that Ryan could sit up and talk. He flexed his numb fingers, trying to work some feeling back into them while the others filled him in on where they were and what was happening. Ryan had listened to most of the explanation in silence—even the revelation that they were several thousand feet under the ocean didn’t come as a total shock.

  However, the demand the computer system overseeing the base was placing on them was a surprise.

  Krysty bent over as if adjusting the plastic-sheathed pillow behind his head, her mouth close to his ear. “Figure the whole place is wired with electronic eyes and ears. Some still work, a lot probably don’t, but we don’t know which is which. Assume we’re being monitored by AIDAN at all times.”

  “Right...right,” Ryan replied through stiff lips. “What about malfunk?”

  “You mean, what’s the chance the system’s gone nuts?” J.B. asked with a shrug. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, the pieces of his Mini-Uzi spread out in front of him as he cleaned the weapon. “Doc or Mildred are probably better qualified to answer that one, though it sure told her how deep we are under the surface faster than an Ingram burning through a full mag.”

  “Although everything else in this underwater nightmare seems to be falling apart,” Mildred said. “From what I can tell, the computer seems to be functioning more or less normally—”

  Doc snorted, but didn’t comment any more.

  Mildred continued with a sidelong glare at him. “—although it seems to be interpreting its orders with an unusual degree of latitude.”

  “You are correct on both of those counts,” Doc said. “I was not privy to the experiments the scientists were doing with artificial intelligence before skydark...and I had no idea that they had made such strides in their time. From what little I had gleaned of their work, I’d have thought something like our invisible, all-seeing overlord was at least a decade away...yet here we all are.”

  “So, how get out?” Jak asked, nodding at the door. “Not become one those bastards.”

  “Got that right,” Ricky seconded. “Rather eat a bullet than be one of...those.”

  “All right, everyone just calm down,” Ryan said. “No one wants to go down that road, and we’re not, either. We’ve been in tight spots before and have always found a way out. I’m sure there’s one here, too. We just have to find it, that’s all.”

  “Besides, we don’t have much choice but to play along at the moment,” J.B. said. “What’d the comp say before we came in here?”

  “That it was evaluating
each of our ‘files,’ and would assign us to the department where each is most needed,” Mildred said. “I know I’m going to the medical lab, but I have no hope in hell of guessing where the rest of you might end up.”

  “Hardly gave it enough information to make any kind of logical decision,” Krysty said.

  “Won’t matter too much, anyhow. Right now, our best bet’s just going with whatever it tells each of us,” Ryan replied. “We have to check out the rest of this place and see what’s what—and find out whatever we can to get us all out of here.”

  Slowly, he levered himself to the edge of the bed and shoved his legs over. “Bastard drug’s got me moving triple slow.”

  “If you can move, Ryan, that would probably be best,” Mildred said. “It would help oxygenate your muscles and further diffuse any of the remaining drug still in your bloodstream.”

  “Moving’s exactly what I intend to do,” Ryan replied, waving off Krysty, who had risen to support him. “Appreciate the offer, but I’m not that far gone yet.”

  She frowned in mock annoyance. “Maybe next time I’ll just leave you where you fall, see how capable you are then.”

  Ryan grinned at her. “Fireblast, Krysty, don’t think I don’t appreciate you hauling my ass out of there. But here and now’s something I’ve got to do for myself.” And he was right. There was only one person who could find out if there were any lingering effects from the drug, and that was Ryan.

  Taking a deep breath, he heaved himself to his feet and swayed there for a bit, his arms held stiffly out from his sides for balance. “All right, let’s go see what this bastard comp has in store for us.”

  He tottered over to the door, walking on two legs that felt as if they ended in blocks of wood carved to look like his feet. Ryan had to fumble with the door three times before he could jerkily slide it open and walk into the other room.

  “Good afternoon, Ryan Cawdor,” a bodiless voice said.

  “Hello—AIDAN, is it?” Ryan answered.

  “That is correct. Before we continue, do you wish to review the orientation the others have already viewed?”