by Kurt Petrey
“We still don’t know what is between us and the bottom level,” Cade said, “but we know we're either dealing with a pyramid shape or a dome shape structure. I went over the data from the bottom level, and based on what we’ve learned about this level, it would seem that at some point …” Cade paused, thinking, then tapped a few buttons on the screen.
“Some point what?” Ian snapped.
There was obviously no love lost between these two. Joshua wondered why they seemed to hate each other so much.
“At some point someone tried to destroy the entire facility,” Cade replied coolly.
Ian folded his arms. “You don’t know that. That is impossible to know.”
Cade didn't even look at him. Instead, he switched the display to a different image, to the one Ian had pointed out before. Once again, they saw the place where the part of the wall had been destroyed.
“Do you see how this point right here—” Cade said, stepping closer to the display and indicating the center of the image, where it didn’t have any debris, “—is clear, how everything has been pushed away from that point?”
His finger mimicked the motion the debris would have taken, showing where it started from. Joshua agreed that it did look like everything had reacted from a center point.
Cade kept staring at the image as he spoke. “It makes sense to me that there was an energy source point here. See how everything is pushed away from that point? That was where a massive storage of energy had been, and an event was triggered which released that energy, sending everything away.” He walked up to the capsule. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of those energy sources, but it didn’t go off.”
Everyone stepped away as if the device was suddenly more dangerous now than it had been before. “I seriously doubt it’s going to go off,” he assured them. “If it didn’t go off when the others went off, or when it was moved, then it’s not going off now.” He turned towards Ian, “So where are the bodies?”
“Why do you keep asking that?” Ian demanded.
“Because someone had to have placed these objects at their locations. And I say someone, because I seriously doubt a robot was programmed to destroy this place.”
“But what about the robot that almost killed me? It had to have been programmed to do that,” Ian said.
Cade studied the robot head. “But that was a tool made for a specific purpose. I'm sure it's possible to design a robot to destroy a facility, but what would be the point? More importantly, that would mean there was a programmer who had decided to destroy everything. Things don't just come into existence out of nothing. Sure, we had to stop a robot, but there's still a person behind this. Someone decided to kill us all.”
“Hold up,” Joshua said. “Are you suggesting we aren't alone? Or are you saying that one of us did this? Because no one currently awake did this. Ian was the first to wake up, and everything had been destroyed at that point. So I think it has to be someone else.”
Cade interjected, “Then again, that doesn’t mean that person isn't currently among us. Maybe they were awake before Ian was, and we just don't know that. We need to create a list of people who have woken up, then match them with their room. That way we can profile every person awake and find out if someone among us doesn’t belong.”
No one spoke for a moment. Ian stared at them both, incredulous. “Are you joking? You really think someone decided to kill us then hide among us?”
Cade shrugged. “I’m just saying it's a possibility. Maybe the individual or individuals found a way out, but the point is, we don’t know anything. We don’t have enough information, and that's why we need to explore all possibilities.”
“You can document all you want,” Ian snapped. “We're going to focus on surviving.”
Chloe stepped up to the desk and looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes. “I agree with Ian. We need to be thinking about things like where the food comes from, or what we'll do once we run out.”
“Won't the beds sustain us?” Joshua wondered out loud. “They kept us alive while we were asleep. Won't they continue to do so?”
“Obviously not,” Cade replied. “We are all still using the beds when we sleep, and we still get hungry through the day. Perhaps if we found a way to put ourselves back into the hibernating state it might be possible, but I wouldn’t advise that at this particular moment. Not even if we knew how to achieve it.
If Ashley was annoyed, she didn’t show it. “I know we have real problems that need to be dealt with. Yes, these are questions that need answers, but I do not see that they are immediate dangers. Am I right?”
No one spoke up.
“Okay, then. I'm going to establish a small group of people who will work with making sure everyone has an outlet to express themselves. That should help with all the frustration around here.” She glanced over. “Joshua, can you walk with me?”
He was caught off guard by the request, but from the look of people around him, the conversation had apparently concluded. He'd just started walking towards the door when Cade reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Seeing that you seem to be the only individual with security access, I would appreciate it if you could come see me—” Both men glanced at Ashley then back to each other. “When it's convenient, of course.”
Joshua was impressed by the apparent respect Ashley commanded around here. No one wanted to confront her, not even Cade.
“Okay. I’ll come find you.”
Cade glanced to Ashley, back to Joshua then nodded. “Thanks.”
Chapter 14
Joshua
As they walked towards the main hall, Joshua was struck again by the feeling that there was something familiar about Ashley.
“Do you agree that the most important issue right now is the people?” she asked, disturbing his thoughts.
Joshua shrugged. “I think it’s a problem, but I can’t say it’s the most important issue. Personally, I think getting out of here is the most important task. Just because we haven’t found a way out yet doesn’t mean there isn’t one. There seem to be multiple floors to check. Before yesterday I would have sent everyone searching for a way out, but now…” He shot her a weary grin. “Well, if there are robots out there programmed to kill us, then it's pretty obvious we need to stick together. We do need to be out there looking. We just have to be careful.”
Ashley nodded. “So … it isn’t safe for people to help search, and they shouldn’t be sitting around doing nothing. What's the alternative?”
Joshua thought about that, realizing she was right. Everyone needed a purpose, and it did seem like they were stuck here—at least for the time being. “I agree. They need tasks, and there are plenty of things that can be done around here. We need to start getting more people involved. But how do we do that?”
She didn't reply. They walked in silence until they reached the door, then she pressed her hand on the sphere and the door slid open. As they walked through, she looked over at him.
“I want to show you something,” she said.
They walked through the main hall, where a few people sat at tables, talking. Most of the others seemed to be in the hallways or in their rooms. They didn't seem as angry as the crowd from yesterday, and he thought perhaps that was because the alarms had stopped. Maybe they understood something was being done, which would be a relief. The stress of the unknown had gotten to them. Good for them, he thought, but Joshua knew too much. And the more he knew, the more he realized he needed to know. There were simply too many unknown factors, too many things that didn’t add up.
They entered through another extension of the main room. It was similar to the bottom level, with a room at the center and shafts or hallways branching out. She led him into a large room holding racks of food, and each rack was topped with different colored lights. The sweet smell of fruit was strong.
“This room is filled with fresh food,” she explained. “A portion of it is starting to go bad, but we are processing a
s much as we can into meals that will be preserved for far longer than it would have lasted. I imagine it won't be long before all the food is ruined, though. As much as I appreciate the fact that there's so much food, I'm bothered by the fact that there's no indication of where it came from. It’s just here. We come in here, pick up what we want, and eat, usually with no regard to how long it’s gonna last.” She sighed. “And since we don't know where it came from, chances are we won't be able to get any more. No matter what we do, Joshua, we won't last very long once the food is gone.”
“All the more reason to pull together and find a way out,” he replied.
“True, but the crowd mentality scares me. If we don't put in some kind of rules about how the group should behave, I fear they will become uncontrollable and do a lot worse than just shove each other around. The human mind can only take a certain amount of stress. Food, water, and managing our waste are all extremely important things that need to get dealt with, but our minds are by far the most important factors. We need to encourage a sense of unity, or we will fall apart.”
She headed towards the back of the room, and he followed, picking up an apple as he passed. He took a bite then stared at it, wondering once again what was going on. How did he know that what he was holding was an apple? The more he spoke with these people, the more he started to believe that although he had some knowledge and a few memories, compared to people like Chloe, he didn’t have much knowledge.
“I understand,” he assured her, “and I’ll back anybody that you think can get the job done.”
Ashley smiled expectantly, and he raised his hands. “As long as it isn’t me. I told you. I’m not able to do what you need. I’ll help out any way that I can, but I am not the man for this.”
She nodded, but he thought she looked a little sad. He took another bite of the apple then remembered he needed to see Cade.
“Do you know where I can find Cade?”
Ashley sighed, and this time he had no doubt she was unhappy. He knew she didn't want to hear that he wasn't going to help, but what else could he do? He was no leader. He would only disappoint her.
On the other hand, clearly she was right about this priority, and he understood her frustration. They needed someone to take charge.
In that moment he remembered how surprised Ethan had been when he'd stood up to Michael on that first day. No one else had done that, just him. Maybe he could help. He let out a long breath, knowing he would regret what he was about to say.
"Look, Ashley, I'm not saying I am willing to lead these people, but I do agree that someone needs to step up. If no one else does, I will."
Ashley's face lit with happiness. She leapt towards him, kissed him on the cheek, then hugged him tight.
*****
It took Joshua a few minutes to find the area where Cade was working, and even after he found the right room he didn’t find him. Cade's room felt somewhat similar to the control center, but it had a few different types of displays and devices. A guy Joshua hadn't seen before was leaning over a device, holding a light and tool that gave off a humming sound.
Joshua raised his voice. "Hi! Do you know where I can find Cade?"
The guy clearly didn't hear him, didn't realize he was even there. Joshua walked closer and tapped him on his shoulder. The man started with surprise, then swung around to face Joshua.
"Oh, hello," he said.
They stood silently for a moment, staring awkwardly at each other, then Joshua spoke up.
"So, I’m looking for Cade," he said.
"Right. Cade is probably down the hallway towards the end. Just keep walking until you can't go any farther. You can't miss him."
The guy was right. Cade was standing back and watching a group of men who were working on the wall where the hallway ended. After a closer look, Joshua saw they were unbolting some panels. He walked up to Cade and stopped beside him, arms crossed.
"What do you think is on the other side?"
Cade did not respond at first. When one of the guys announced that they were about to take off one of the main panels, Cade turned to Joshua. "We are about to find out." He walked closer to the action, evidently in charge. “Take it nice and slow, everyone."
The panel seemed a little stuck. It required a few hits with a large bar, but after a few attempts the panel shifted slightly and they were able to pull it down. What Joshua saw behind the panel was unsettling, because it was just a wall of stone. Nothing more. The knowledge hurt deep in his gut, because he had the overwhelming feeling that outside these walls was nothing more than the same stone. There was no way out. They were trapped here. They would die within a metal coffin, surrounded by stone.
Cade took a few steps back and stared at the stone wall. "Well, there you go." He turned to Joshua. "I need access to a room. Come with me."
The door slid open to the room where Joshua had just been, and Cade and Joshua walked over to the man in the middle of the room. He was still hovering over the device.
Cade tapped the man's shoulder. "Ryan. Power the door one more time for me."
The man straightened, walked over to the door opposite Joshua, then crawled underneath a desk. He removed a panel and reached into the wall. In that moment, the display on the desk went out and the sphere to the right of the door glowed blue.
“Joshua, would you be kind enough to place your hand on the sphere?" Cade asked.
“Sure.” Joshua walked to the door. "What do you think is on the other side?"
A slight smile played over Cade's face, and his white-blue eyes laughed. "There's really only one way to find out."
Joshua wasn't about to go in unprepared. He looked around, then grabbed a large pipe from a collection of tools near the wall. When he carried it back to the door, Cade lifted an inquiring eyebrow.
“In case there are killer robots on the other side.”
“Ah. Good planning,” Cade said.
Joshua stepped in front of the sphere and placed his hand on it. The display above the sphere read Joshua – 147, Security Access Level 1. Access Granted, and he lifted the pipe into a swinging position. The control center's familiar beeping sound came to life for a moment, then all was quiet. The door slid open, and Joshua breathed in a slight chemical smell as it revealed a dark room on the other side. It took a little while for his eyes to adjust, then he stepped inside.
The walls were bare, with no access panels. The ceiling looked different, and when his vision adapted he could see it was made of a different material. The only thing in the entire room was a large metallic column in the center. With no danger in sight, Joshua lowered the pipe and leaned it against the wall near the door.
Cade walked in behind him then touched the central column. He walked around it, studying it from all angles. “Ryan,” he said, “go get Chloe. She needs to see this.” Ryan turned to leave, but Cade stopped him. He pointed at the column. “And ask her to bring the device with these symbols on it.”
Joshua was confused. “Why do you want Chloe to see an empty room?”
Ryan leaned in, studied the column, then left. Curious, Joshua bent down and noticed the markings running from the bottom to the top of the column. Lines were cut into the column, as if it were made of tightly connected slices.
“What do you think it is?” Joshua asked.
Another long pause, then Cade spoke calmly. “I believe this is the key. I think I recognize this column.” He hesitated, then quietly said, “I think I remember it.”
Joshua’s eyes widened. “You have memories?”
Cade's face went bright red with embarrassment, and Joshua realized he hadn't meant to reveal that little secret. It was like Joshua's memories of Ashley: he had the strong desire to speak with her about it, but he hadn’t said a word. Cade was hesitant, too, most likely worried about the same things that Joshua worried about. It was comforting to know that he wasn’t the only one with memories—though the content was very different.
“I meant to say that I think I k
now what this is,” Cade muttered, trying to recover from his accidental outburst.
Joshua was just working up the nerve to tell Cade that he also had some memories when Chloe walked in.
“Wow,” she exclaimed. “What is this place? Oh! What's that?”
Joshua shrugged, marveling at her constant good mood. “I opened the door and this column was inside.”
“Good. You brought that device,” Cade said.
Chloe lifted a small spherical shape, and they all looked at it. “I never could figure out what this was, or what it did.”
Cade stretched out a hand. “May I?”
Chloe gave the device to Cade and inspected the column, seeming just as confused as Joshua felt. They watched, curious, as Cade walked to the back side of the column and stopped beside an indention the size of the sphere. It was just a little higher than eye level at the center of one of the slices. Frowning, he studied the characters on the sphere, then the ones on the wall. After twisting the sphere a few times, he placed it closer to the column. Suddenly it left his hands and slammed into the column.
"It must be magnetized," Cade said.
They all watched, mesmerized, as the sphere shifted in place then stopped and flashed a brilliant white light. The letters on the column flashed in sync with those on the sphere, then the pieces of the column began to shift and twist until they extended at least four feet from the center, revealing a new column unlike anything else they had yet encountered. It was filled with glass-like layers and seemed to be powered down.
Looking shocked, Chloe stepped into the inner circle and started examining the device, focusing on a certain spot at the center towards the back.
Chloe turned to Ryan, “Ronald, go get a data cable and a heat gun.”
The three men exchanged a glance, saying nothing. As Ryan left for her requests, Chloe reached down and pulled some smaller panels from the floor. She stepped out of the circle, and her eyes went to a specific spot in the room.
“We need to follow this cable,” she said. “It seems to be headed in that direction.” She walked towards the wall then stooped to open a panel on the floor. “Yep, this is it. Just like what happened at the super station. Someone has cut or burned through the cable.”
