New York Deep

by Andrew J. Morgan

  'When we arrive it'll be dark,' he said. 'We'll be landing on-site and going straight down. Everything is set up as it needs to be for you to proceed.'

  'So what do I need to do?' Josh asked.

  'We simply need you to take the seed into the room. That's it.'

  'And then what?'

  'We'll find out.'

  The helicopter bumped along through the air. They were flying low, and fast. The air was close, and Josh was starting to feel a little sick. He needed to distract himself. 'How did you work out how to make Hawkene?'

  At first, it didn’t seem like Edwards was going to tell him. Then he said, 'It wasn't easy, but our studies showed us that what we thought was impossible was in fact possible. We have the best minds in the world, Mr. Reed, and they worked non-stop until they cracked it.'

  'How did they do it?'

  'Trial and error. We were working in the dark, beyond our understanding. It was more a case of reverse engineering the problem than simply starting from nothing. Having the material to study made it a lot easier, but it didn't make it easy, not at all. But even the Hawkene has huge technological potential. It's strong, it's light, it has electromagnetic capabilities—it could well be the next wonder material.'

  Edwards seemed to be skirting the question. Why, Josh didn't know, but he knew enough to understand that when Edwards avoided revealing something, it was deliberate. The only difference was that he was pretending to answer rather than flat out refusing—perhaps to appease? Josh changed the subject. 'What's going to happen if you make a portal?'

  'Research, and lots of it. There's much to learn, much to understand. What you're doing, it buys us time. You have a gift, Mr. Reed, and we need to make the most of it. Not just for us, but for humanity.'

  'And if it doesn't work?'

  Edwards didn't say anything or look at Josh for a moment. 'Then we start over.'

  The helicopter buffeted violently for a minute, banking sharply then straightening up. Josh felt a warm unease creeping up his collar, and it wasn't the motion sickness. It was the feeling of regret, of not spending the time he should have with the people he loved. Faced with the possibility of not seeing them again for a very long time, he realized he'd been stupid in passing up the opportunities he'd already had. It shouldn't have taken all of this to make him understand.

  'You're doing the right thing,' Edwards said. Josh's thoughts must have been etched on his face more clearly than he realized.

  'It's not just that,' Josh said. 'I—I should have been there for them.'

  'Your family?'

  Josh nodded.

  Edwards checked his watch, then looked to Josh. 'When I told you it'd taken me several goes to make marriage work, well—that isn't quite the truth.' Edwards's tone had taken an unusual softness, a calm that Josh hadn't seen before. 'I haven't made any marriage work. They've all failed. My dedication to this mystery has been and will be the only thing in my life. Sometimes that's just the way it's got to be.'

  In a way, Edwards was right. Josh had decided to make his job the priority in his life, and there probably wasn't any other way it could have been. It was demanding and antisocial, with no flexibility and no time to spare. But he had known that all along. He had used it as an excuse, a responsibility to avoid the one he really needed to commit to. His fear had stood in his way. 'Is it ever too late to let go?'

  'You're asking the wrong man,' Edwards said somberly. He checked his watch again. 'Right, we're almost there. Are you ready to make history?'

  Josh said nothing. The helicopter's rotors spun up—and so did Josh's stomach—as the craft slowed and descended, making contact with the ground with quite a thump. An agent outside pulled the door open for them, and they disembarked. It was night by now, yet Josh had to shield his eyes from the blinding spotlights blazing down. He barely had any time to even catch his breath before some agents awaiting unloaded the seed in its container and then ushered them toward a small building in the middle of the grassy site. The helicopter blasted wind and noise onto them as they made their way toward it.

  'Please,' Edwards shouted over the mechanical gust, gesturing for Josh to board the elevator nestling within the small building. Josh boarded; so did Edwards, as well as the agent carrying the container. Edwards closed the cage and pressed a button, and they plummeted deep into the ground.

  'When we get down there,' Edwards said, talking above the rushing wind blowing up through the elevator shaft as they descended, 'I'll show you to the room. We have the seed, and there's a section of Hawkene ready to seal the entrance when you're done.'

  Josh nodded. 'Okay. Is there anything else you need me to do?'

  'That's it.'

  'And then we go to Manhattan?'

  'Exactly.'

  Josh couldn't help but feel that there was more to it. It seemed too simple, too easy, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.

  The elevator opened up below into a small chamber, where thick tubes ran along the ground, bypassing complex equipment covered in glowing lights and swathes of buttons.

  'This is where our team has been working since moving from the lab,' Edwards explained.

  'Where are they now?'

  'Reassigned. No one's been down here in a while.'

  They came to a stop and Edwards pulled the cage open.

  'Follow me,' he said, walking in the direction of one of two smaller tunnels leading from the chamber. Josh jogged to catch up, with the agent following carrying the container. They entered the tunnel, which quickly narrowed, the thick tubes following alongside. As they got toward the end, Josh had to duck a little.

  'And here it is,' Edwards said. A small hole greeted them, lined with Hawkene. A machine, grasping a piece the same size as the hole, waited, the thick hoses that had trailed the tunnel with them buried into its base. 'I'll be waiting topside for you while you take the seed in. Once you're done, exit the room and we will remotely seal it behind you with this.'

  'And where will I go?'

  'Come back to the elevator and return to the surface. You'll be picked up there.'

  Josh looked into the hole. It was jet black. It wasn't cold in the tunnels, but he felt cold.

  'Here,' Edwards said, passing him a flashlight. 'You'll need this.'

  Josh took it. Then Edwards directed the agent to place the container down, dismissing him afterward. Edwards swiped his card in the lock as the agent returned to the elevator, and the container opened. Inside was the seed.

  'This is what you'll be taking in with you.'

  'How will I know if it's worked?'

  'You'll know.'

  Josh went to reach for it, but Edwards stopped him. 'Not just yet. We'll give you the signal over the PA when we want you to begin.'

  With his hand still frozen in mid-grab, Josh took that thought in. Edwards wasn't taking any chances. He clearly didn't know what was going to happen, but there was no point arguing; the only way Josh was going to get to Manhattan was to do as he was told.

  'Is there anything you're not sure about before I go?' Edwards asked. He seemed nervous—excited nervous.

  'I think I've got it. Wait for the signal, take the seed into the room, see what happens, come back out, go to the surface.'

  'That's it. Okay, well—I'll be going now.' Edwards gave Josh a cursory glance before turning on his heel and walking quickly out. Josh watched him for a moment before directing his attention back to the room. It was still dark—as if it were going to be anything else—and it was most certainly foreboding. The room in Manhattan, it was welcoming, inviting, familiar. This was none of those things. It was empty, lifeless.

  He looked at the seed. It swirled silvery, small, yet so powerful. Could this thing really contain enough energy to send the world into chaos? It certainly seemed that way. Josh couldn't help but think that Edwards was playing with fire. His fingers tingled with anticipation as he waited for the call. The tunnel was quiet, save for the beating of his heart in his ears. Ahead, the hole loom
ed. He would have to duck to enter it. It was so dark. So ominous.

  'Mr. Reed?'

  The voice over the speaker made Josh jump. He clutched his chest, blinking to slow his heart.

  'You may begin.'

  After a few calming breaths, Josh picked up the seed. Again it swirled harder, that energy and warmth flowing into him. Suddenly, a pain shot up his arm, and he dropped it back into the container again.

  'Mr. Reed, please continue.'

  Josh looked up, massaging his arm. The pain had been like a shock, a mild one, and his bones still tingled. Up by the speaker he saw a camera; Edwards was watching. He swallowed, fixing upon the seed again. Why had it hurt him? It was like a warning. If it had wanted to kill him, it surely would, but it didn't. The jolt was a message, not a punishment.

  'Please, Mr. Reed, we are short on time.'

  Edwards was right. He was holding Josh to ransom here. If Josh wanted to get back to Manhattan, he had to do this first. He held his breath as he reached for the seed, anticipating another shock. His fingers grasped and he lifted the seed up—and this time it was fine. The warmth and energy flowed through him, with no sudden bursts of pain.

  'Okay, good,' Edwards said. 'Now, carefully, take it into the room.'

  Holding the seed with a delicate touch, Josh crept toward the black hole. His muscles were tense with apprehension, his mind racing with the possibilities of why it had shocked him. Ducking into the blackness, he let the weight of the seed rest in one palm while he used his other hand to retrieve the flashlight. Flicking it on and pointing it down, he saw a ramp into the room, like they'd had in Manhattan.

  'Good,' Edwards’s voice was saying back in the tunnel. 'Keep going.'

  One step at a time, Josh edged down the ramp. The seed was heavy, and seemed to be getting heavier. And warmer. From the wash of the flashlight, the swirling was also speeding up, emitting a glow of its own.

  He was at the bottom of the ramp. How far in did he need to go? The seed was almost unbearably hot, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hold it for. Walking further in, the flashlight glimmering off the Hawkene, he winced as tingling heat seared his palm.

  Then a sudden agony filled him—but it wasn't his agony. It was a sense of agony, from something else. A warning. He dropped the flashlight to the ground, where it bounced and rolled away, tossing the seed to his cooler hand to ease the pain. Yet still that sense enveloped him. Something was wrong. Not here, in this room, but nearby. The seed, it was crying out to him, calling for his help.

  He had to go. Now. Wrapping the seed up in the front of his sweater to make it easier to hold, he ran back to the ramp, the flashlight forgotten. He followed the glowing hole in the wall and soon he was ducking out to exit into the tunnel.

  The PA crackled. 'What are you doing, Mr. Reed? Go back into the room, please.'

  Josh ignored Edwards, and as he cleared the tunnel and headed into the deserted chamber, he could feel the heat of the seed warming through his sweater.

  'Mr. Reed? Stop where you are, Mr. Reed, immediately!'

  Again, Josh ignored him, running past the elevator shaft and toward the other tunnel, following the tubes. That was where he needed to go. That was where the cries were coming from.

  'Mr. Reed,' Edwards said, without emotion, 'whatever you think you're doing, I suggest you stop. Please return to the elevator shaft. I will meet you there.'

  Josh could see that the tunnel ran down deeper underground. As he entered it and sprinted along it, he could see that it curved ahead, the pipe following into it. Josh sprinted even harder, lungs screaming agony and razors slicing his throat. He could smell burning material, just his fingertips supporting the seed to avoid them getting fried.

  'Reconsider what you're doing, Mr. Reed. We don't have time for this. Let's go to Manhattan now. We need to go to Manhattan. Come to the elevator, Mr. Reed, so we can go.'

  The tunnel straightened, then dived down deep. The seed was too hot to hold now, and Josh wrangled his sweater off as he ran, trying to carry the seed without touching it at all. He stumbled, sweater halfway around his neck, and had to slow to get it off.

  'Come back, Mr. Reed. Come back and do what you know is right.'

  With the seed now tightly wrapped in his sweater, Josh sprinted on. The pipes followed down the slope, and Josh ran as fast as the agony flaring in his side would let him. As the tunnel flattened out, it opened up into a cavern filled with equipment that reached up high toward the ceiling, like skyscrapers. The pipes wound deep into the equipment, and slowing, he followed them in.

  The room was empty and quiet, and he moved as quickly as he dared between the towering machinery. It all appeared to be off, or at least standing by, covered in settled dust that hadn't been cleared off in a long time. The equipment also looked old, dated, like it had been installed over a decade ago.

  This room had been here even longer than Josh had imagined. It had probably once been a hive of activity, but it was deserted now. The project wasn't simply on hiatus; it had been shut down, had been for years. Josh began to understand more clearly Edwards's obsession with the place: he'd thrown everything away to pursue it, and it had led him nowhere. Now he'd had another taste of the success he'd hoped to achieve before, and he wasn't going to let that slip. The PA had been quiet for a minute or two now, and that could only mean one thing—Edwards was coming down to get him.

  So all Josh could do was move onward. He sensed he was near where he needed to be, where the seed wanted him to be. Thin wisps of smoke were rising from his sweater, and he could feel that heat radiating from it. It wouldn't last much longer.

  A deep rumble threw Josh from his thoughts and spiked his heart rate.

  What was that?

  It sounded like it had come from within the walls of equipment. He continued through, holding his breath, each step careful. He walked and he listened. The sweater was beginning to hiss, growing louder with each step.

  The rumble came again, and Josh stopped. It had come from the center of the room, from among the most concentrated area of machinery. Edging his way between the towering devices, he came across a clearing in the middle of the room. There was pit dug there, deep and wide. He leaned over the edge to see below, and what he saw nearly made him fall in.

  Chapter 25

  The first creature had been hewn from crystal, an almost amorphous shape with a vague hint of biological design, but this was different. The facets of crystal writhed in among themselves, swirling as the portal swirled, glinting with life and energy. Almost . . . almost as though it were breathing.

  The pipe, the one that had run all the way down the tunnel, fed into the pit, down under the creature. Was this how they were making the Hawkene? This creature, clearly weakened, must have been just about able to produce the crystal, which Edwards then used to build the new room. It was being held prisoner, exploited for its abilities. It was writhing gently, groaning, calling out to him. It was in distress, held against its will.

  Josh looked on, rooted to the spot. Edwards had held this back from him. He'd known that Josh would have been appalled. What else had Edwards held back? His determination to see his life's work come to fruition had turned him into a ruthless machine. What would he do to Josh if he caught him now? Josh couldn't be sure. Better just to get out of there, and fast.

  Looking about, he saw a smaller exit at the other side of the room with what looked like another elevator cage in it, but before he could move, a voice echoed across the cavern.

  'Mr. Reed, I know you're in here!'

  It was Edwards. Without thinking, Josh took off toward the rear exit, jumping over the pipe that fed into the pit. As he jumped, the seed went heavy against his sweater, sizzling through the material. It thumped onto the ground and rolled into the pit.

  'No!' Josh cried out, but it was too late. Many pairs of running footsteps were heading his way, and he had to go. Leaving the seed behind, he ran, jumping over equipment and cables as fast as his legs w
ould take him. But even as he ran, he could see that the elevator cage was not there. He could press the button to call it—it was lit—but he'd have to wait. Crashing into the far wall, Josh repeatedly bashed the button, but his fears were confirmed: the elevator was a long way off. He could hear it trundling down, but it wasn't going to get there fast enough, nowhere near. The deep groan from the pit sounded again.

  'Get someone covering the exit!' Josh heard Edwards yell, and through the equipment he saw one of the agents sprint back up the slope and out of sight. The remaining agents, however many there were, continued their pursuit, appearing one by one, weapons raised.

  'We have him, sir!' one of them shouted.

  Edwards appeared last, a sheen of sweat clearly glistening on his brow. He had run—they had all run—to stop Josh. This was a definitive blow for Edwards, as Josh realized that none of this was orchestrated to his plan any more. It was all improvised from now on. Josh needed to be extra careful. He'd seen Edwards's wild side in passing before, and he knew it was dangerously unpredictable.

  'Mr. Reed,' Edwards said, arms outstretched in a display of welcome. 'It seems things have got a little out of hand, don't you think?'

  'Why?' Josh shouted back, pressed against the wall, listening for the elevator as it slowly wound its way down the shaft. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

  'Haven't you figured it out already?' Edwards said, touching his fingertips together. 'You're a clever man.'

  As ever, Josh felt like he was being wound into a trap. Chest rising and falling, he thought carefully before he spoke, while the creature groaned again. 'I want to hear you say it.'

  Edwards shrugged. 'And why would I do that?'

  Think, Josh, think. 'Because . . . because I still have the seed,' he lied. 'And if you come near me—well, you know I'm the only one who can touch it.' Judging by the slip in Edwards's grin and the way the agents all shuffled back a half-pace meant that they all understood the threat, and still believed that Josh did indeed have the seed. Josh went with it. 'And you can't kill me, because I'm the only clue you have left.'