CHOSEN: A Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Dystopian Novel

by A. Bernette

  “What I don’t get is why they need to have so many files of just the blueprint. What is so important that it needs to be kept under such tight security? It’s blueprints of a place that does research on Antarctic sea life, emissions and environment,” Stella questioned.

  “I’m going to message Marco to have him try to open this file next. I want to see what is in the N3 file.”

  “What about tomorrow? Do you think what he sent today will help us find any other cool discoveries or what’s behind that door RS11? If not, I suggest we take a day to sleep in and then ask Dad about getting a real tour, when they are done with their meetings. After all he should know, right?” Stella reasoned.

  “I’ll look at the blueprints more carefully and see what I find. I want to go down to the next level tomorrow and hopefully these blueprints have information on that level,” Stephen said before looking around nervously as if someone might suddenly appear. “I’d rather not ask Dad before it’s necessary. Don’t you want to explore some first, Stella?”

  Chapter Thirty

  Stay

  Antarctic Research Center

  The pacing was beginning to wear on Stephen’s senses. Stella had walked back and forth between the bed and the window more than twenty times already as he synced, moved, and organized files.

  “If we are going to do it, we should go back today,” Stella said, surprising Stephen.

  He couldn’t tell if she was being serious or messing with him. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Stephen, we should go back out when they go back into their meeting. They’ll be in there for hours and tomorrow who knows what will happen. They may shut this whole place down and then we won’t be able to get back in. I just have a feeling - a knowing that I can’t shake.”

  Stephen looked at Stella. “I want to go down to the next level. We can do that with what we have, but we don’t have any more information on what anything is. So all we will be able to do is look at closed doors.”

  “Maybe all the doors won’t be closed. Maybe we’ll have some good luck and something will be open for us,” Stella said optimistically.

  “I’d like to grab lunch like we discussed before coming up here. I am starving. Not literally starving, but I am very hungry,” Stephen said.

  “Good idea. I’m starving too,” echoed Stella.

  As the two were about to leave for the kitchen, a message came through from Marco. “It'll be tomorrow before I can get to N3. Have full day of training and can’t get away.”

  “Does that mean that he won’t even be able to look until tomorrow or that he’ll send it tomorrow?” Stella asked with concern.

  “I don’t know. It sounds like he won’t be able to look at it until tomorrow and then who knows how long it will take. They’ve done two so I guess they are getting the hang of what is required. If that is the case it probably won’t take them very long to do N3 for us. We just don’t know if we can get down there tomorrow. They won’t be in their meetings so we won’t be able to move so freely,” Stephen answered Stella trying to borrow some of her optimism but regressing.

  “I would really rather not ask dad, so I agree with you. We should take the chance today, when they return to their meeting.” He didn’t want to risk that Stella’s intuition was right and they couldn’t do anymore exploring after today.

  “I’m going to record it this time, Stephen. In case there is anything strange, maybe we can capture it and figure it out later.”

  “Good idea. But first, we need to get lunch,” Stephen reminded her.

  They snuck back out of Stephen’s room and walked silently towards the kitchen, checking for anyone from the ARC team or any of the visitors. Seeing it was all clear, they scurried like mice into the kitchen and made sandwiches as fast as they could.

  “We should put this away,” Stephen said pointing to the mess they’d made.

  “Put the mayonnaise and turkey away. The rest will be fine,” Stella said heading out of the kitchen.

  Stella checked the living area and waved Stephen to hurry up. They snuck back the way they’d come after the prior expedition and soon arrived at the door marked ‘No Entry’.

  Years earlier, Johan had told the twins that if there was ever a serious emergency on the ARC that they were to go through that door and to the first room they saw. The door would remain unlocked and they could close it from the inside.

  The large room had food, water, medical supplies, and beds. It was a small self-sustaining apartment that would take a bomb or other detonation to break into. The room was the only reason the ‘No Entry’ door was not locked and the panic room looked just like all the other doors from the outside once closed.

  If under attack the attackers couldn’t tell the difference. The twins had always wondered who would want to attack a research center in Antarctica, but their dad just said, “You never know. Better to be safe than to be sorry.”

  “Let’s get past this level and down to the next. Where is that staircase again? We saw it on the blueprint and I think I remember seeing a strange marking earlier. It didn’t say ‘Stairs’. It looked more like the face of a stepped pyramid. I thought it meant Danger or something,” Stella said, looking at the tablet with Stephen.

  “There it is,” he said. “Ahead on the right. Come on.” He walked while looking for the symbol along the walls and doors.

  “I see it!” Stella said excitedly as they turned a corner and passed a dull marking at the top of the hall with the pyramid symbol. The symbol appeared to have been hand etched into the plastic sign that hung loosely by the door.

  Stella walked to the door under the symbol. It had a security panel on the side, but the lights on the panel were out.

  “If it’s not locked, must mean we’re allowed in, right?” she said without waiting for an answer.

  She gently pushed on it like she’d done with so many other doors, expecting it to be locked. What neither twin could see was that the keypad had a short and wasn’t communicating with the main security system for the lower levels.

  Stella pushed at the door and it clicked and opened. A faint white light flickered unpredictably as the door swung in. They found themselves standing at the top of a wide landing, on either side of which were steps. Both sets of steps lead into darkness.

  Stephen tapped on his tablet and recorded the location. It wasn’t a check but he wanted to precisely identify where it was, given the lack of detail on the blueprints.

  Stella tapped several buttons on her watch. She could hear something coming from down below. She wasn’t going any closer, but she could record the sounds. She grabbed the hand rail and leaned her other hand over the center of the stairwell to get it closer to the sound. What was under her hand felt odd, scratchy.

  It should’ve been smooth metal but when Stella let her light shine on the rail, she could see it was anything but smooth. Long scratches crossed the rail going from right to left before fading. She shined the light along the rest of the rail and could see the same type of scratches start again right where the staircase began to wind down.

  “Stephen, shine your light on your side. Do you have long scratches there too?” Stella asked. She traced the scratches with her fingertips. They could be fingernails but that would require very sharp, strong nails.

  “Yes, they’re on this side too. What do you think they are?” he asked, tracing his fingers along the path, and taking a step down the stairs.

  “Don’t go down there. We don’t know what’s down there, Stephen!” Stella said grabbing his shirt.

  “It’s a staircase on the ARC. It’s probably a boring science lab.”

  “With those sounds? I doubt it, Stephen,” she said, not letting go of his shirt until he turned and stepped back up to the landing.

  “I’m still recording, so be quiet for a minute.”

  Stephen stood quietly, his fingers still tracing the scratches in the rail. He ran his fingernails across them. They weren’t evenly spaced or sized. They we
ren’t always straight. They were at different angles, almost as if some metal had been dragged along them for short bursts before lifting up.

  ***

  The Science Institute was wrapping up their time with the group. “We are confident that if we don’t take action now, we will not have time to properly evacuate the at risk areas and there will be significant loss of life. If we act immediately, there is still the possibility of a high number of casualties given the amount of activity and the magnitude of both earthquakes and volcanoes that will likely be triggered. Ladies and gentlemen, we are literally sitting on a ticking time bomb. We don’t know what the timer is set to, but sooner rather than later, it is going to blow,” Dr. Hudson said to the group.

  “We have sent you all the data we have been able to pull together and it is conclusive. If I may, I would recommend,” Dr. Hudson began before being abruptly interrupted by both Tomas and Phillips.

  “Thank you, Dr. Hudson,” The two said in unison.

  “That’ll be all for now,” Phillips nodded, ending Dr. Hudson’s attempts to persuade them.

  “Yes,” the Admiral General chimed in, “If we need anything else we will be in touch. Until then, just remember your confidentiality agreements and that on all matters related to this project and the research associated with it, you are sworn to withhold that confidentiality. Any breach of information, Dr. Hudson, could be considered treasonous,” Mylar paused. “Do you understand, Dr. Hudson? And I need to know that those people behind you also understand. You are all held to that same standard.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand.” She looked back at her team.

  “We understand,” they said in unison.

  “Thank you. That is all.” Mylar cut the transmission and clasped his hands in front of him.

  Mylar sat forward in his chair and when he opened his mouth his words came out in a whisper, forcing everyone to lean in towards him. “Just for the record, no one outside of official World Consensus government leadership may inform the public of any concerns regarding this matter. It becomes a matter of security and I am second in command for that area. If we deem it is necessary to inform people of any possible issues, we will do so; on the terms we decide are best for the continuation of the World Consensus and what is in the best interest of the majority.”

  “Please excuse me for just a moment,” Zura said, pushing back from the table.

  “What do you mean? This is a very important meeting and you need to be here,” Mylar said to Zura.

  “I will be back in just a moment. I need to use the restroom. While the rest of you had a break and a tour, I remained in here to finish a few things and make sure that transmission happened. Now, I will be back in five minutes,” she said, giving Mylar a look that dared him to stop her as she left the room.

  Zura’s heart was beating so fast she thought they might see it thumping beneath her uniform. She walked at a quick clip trying to keep her steps sure and confident as she moved away from the table and towards the ROC room exit. When she got through the doors to the lab she ran up the stairs to the decontamination chamber. She anxiously waited for it to finish its process.

  The moment the door on the other side opened, she took off her footies and began running. Zura ran up the stairs to the work room and then right on through. In seconds she was out the door into the corridors leading towards their living quarters, proving why she’d deserved the track scholarship during her undergraduate years.

  She ran into Stephen’s room. Empty. She then turned and left to check Stella’s room. They were both empty. Then she stopped, turned, and ran back towards the living areas and kitchen. Bread and knives were out on the counter but her kids weren’t there.

  Zura paused for a moment and closed her eyes. Where are they? She took off running again. She was at a full on sprint now, only slowed by the angles of the ARC. She ran down the same hall the twins had walked through not that long before and only hesitated momentarily as she stood in front of the door marked ‘No Entry’.

  She pushed through it and ran down the steps to the next level. Zura darted down the hall, knowing which way to go.

  “Stella?! Stephen?!” she said in a loud whisper. Yelling would trigger the sound decibel alarm. There was no answer. “Stella!? Stephen!?” she said slightly louder. Then she saw a faint glow coming from down the hall. There shouldn’t be any lights on down there unless someone had triggered them.

  Zura took off again in a dash towards the light. She reached the place where the pyramid front was above her and the doorway still had light coming from underneath. She pushed the door gently, startling Stella and Stephen.

  “Mom!” Stella said dropping her camera. She fumbled to pick it up. “What are? I. We. Um…” Stella stumbled over her words, stuttering nervously.

  “Come out of there. Now!” she yelled in a whisper. Her eyes becoming wide with fear. A look they rarely saw except when they were about to be in trouble for almost getting themselves hurt.

  From below they heard the faint sound of clanging. It was what Stella and Stephen had heard earlier, but it was louder, as if trying to get their attention. “What’s that sound?” Stephen asked leaning over the rail trying to get a glimpse into the dark.

  “I said now,” Zura repeated, ignoring the question and holding the door open for Stella and Stephen. The twins knew they were in trouble and wondered how their mother had found them. She was supposed to be in that meeting.

  “Mom, we were just bored and wanted to check out the ARC before we left,” Stephen said.

  “I’m sorry,” Stella said.

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Zura said, quieting any conversation before it could start.

  Zura remained silent as the three of them walked back through the door. She looked at the keypad on the side of the door. She pushed the door shut and punched in a code to make it relock. She wasn’t sure how that panel hadn’t been locked but the technicians would have to fix that immediately. The code she entered was only a temporary fix.

  Zura didn’t speak a word until they had reached the Exit side of the ‘No Entry’ door. The three walked through and Zura closed the door behind them.

  “We will not speak of any of this until we are back home. Just in case you are wondering, Stella, yes, you two are in big trouble. You know the rules and you both can read. It clearly says ‘No Entry’. Right here – plainly. There’s a damn good reason for it saying that and the two of you decided you were just going to stroll down to where you had no business going because you were bored. Go to your rooms. Separate rooms. Find a good read, do some homework, study ahead, solve world hunger but you won’t be coming back out until dinner.” Zura was furious.

  Her stomach still churned with the fear of what might have happened. They had no idea. She didn’t have a real idea, only enough to know there was something down there that was worthy of her fear.

  Zura marched them back to their individual rooms and then put her watch up to their security panels, pressing in a code at each door. She would know if they left their rooms and for how long. They’d managed to get themselves on lockdown, but they’d also managed to discover another door with a cool staircase and what felt and looked like intentional scratches or carvings on the handrails. The twins had been taking pictures of them and recording the clanging sounds they heard when Zura had found them.

  Zura stopped at her room and went into the restroom. She looked in the mirror and wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Her hair had fallen out of its bun. She tried to recompose herself as she put her hair back in place. She did actually need to use the restroom and might as well do it since she said that’s where she was going.

  When Zura arrived back in the ROC room, she was met with a glare from the Admiral General. She smiled graciously, first at him, then at everyone else before taking her seat.

  “Thank you for waiting as I was away. I understand we have a lot more to discuss and it sounded like you had more to say Admiral General My
lar. You may continue.”

  Mylar looked at her dumbfounded. Most people didn’t speak to him like that. He recognized that though he was the Admiral General she thought she owned the room.

  “As I was saying while you were gone, I will be writing up an action report to be followed by all parties. This will be the official course of action and anything else will be considered unsanctioned. I understand all the concerns that have been expressed by your team, Zura, by the Science Institute, and even by Representatives Magiro and Silver. I will take those concerns into consideration. However, we cannot risk our long term plans by diverting resources, time, and attention away from what is necessary.”

  “Diverting them to save the lives of our citizens?” Zura asked, pushing the issue.

  “Diverting them away from the vital work being done here and elsewhere to ensure the continuity of life, even if it means there are some casualties,” the Admiral General said to Zura, unwilling to waver from his mission.

  “So you are saying that even if it means hundreds of thousands, millions, or possibly even billions of casualties, that is acceptable? At what amount of loss of life is it acceptable to divert resources?” she pushed again.

  “That’s enough, Dr. Zura Bello. You have your job and I have mine. My job is to ensure continuity. Yours is to provide research and information so that everyone else can do their jobs. Do you understand that?” he said with his eyes turning into slits.

  Zura took a moment and looked at him. “I thought your job was peace and security, but I understand - perfectly,” she said.

  Changing her tone, she glanced around the room. “I think we’ve done enough for today. Since there is nothing that my team can do to help prevent the death of millions or billions of people, we might as well dismiss and begin preparations to leave in the next few days. You all can get back home a day early.” She gave a tight lipped smile, aimed at Admiral General Mylar. Every word she said dripped with sarcasm.