2041 Sanctuary (Let There Be Light)

by Robert Storey

  Some of Walker’s men glanced round, the corporal having gathered them together at the back of the tent.

  Goodwin lowered his voice. ‘Just look, it’s amazing. It points the way, there’s something there. All you have to do is what I just said, simple.’

  Rebecca grasped his hand. ‘I believe you, but I’m scared. What if they lock me up, too? I have to look after Joseph.’

  ‘They won’t, trust me. When we find what’s at the lake they’ll realise I was right all along.’

  She shook her head. ‘I can’t—’

  ‘What if I told you there was more truth to the frieze than you know? What if I told you the words you quoted were right?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He looked around to make sure they weren’t overheard, then flicked through the pages of the Bible. He held it up for her to read.

  ‘And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority,’ he said in quotation, ‘but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgement of the great day. Jude 1:6. Your words, yes? Do you remember when you said, it’s not like it’s the end of the world?’

  She nodded, captivated by Goodwin’s intensity.

  ‘Well, it is. There are six more asteroids heading for Earth right now and only a miracle will stop them all.’

  She shook her head and half stood. ‘Six more? That can’t be.’

  Goodwin pulled her back down, glancing back to make sure they hadn’t been overheard. ‘Professor Steiner told me in his message. The world really is at an end and only the GMRC’s Space Programme has a chance of saving us, and so far their efforts have apparently all been in vain. They failed with AG5. They are likely to fail with the rest. The asteroids will hit, and the surface will burn. Nothing will be left.’

  ‘Oh my G—’ Wild-eyed, Rebecca looked like she was going to be sick.

  ‘Please, Rebecca,’ he grabbed her hands, ‘the fish stocks won’t last forever, the light could come back, Hilt may never return. But I can get us to the surface and into another subterranean base, but I need your help and I need it now. Are you with me?’

  The dilemma in her eyes gave way to a weak smile. ‘How can I say no?’

  A fleeting ray of hope laid a hand on his heart. ‘Thank you,’ – he kissed her cheek – ‘thank you.’

  ♦

  Darklight operative Zack Michaels waved to his comrade sixty feet away. The soldier acknowledged him with a nod before moving back out of sight around the perimeter of the small enclave that held the U.S. Army decontamination team. As ever, Zack had landed the nightshift. He couldn’t believe it, twelve days in a row, it was unheard of. His captain, Winter, had just waved away his complaints when he’d raised the issue, which was typical; the man had had it in for him ever since Zack had slept with his cousin, who held a position in one of Hilt’s reconnaissance units. How was he to know the two were related? Women shouldn’t have to change their surnames when they married, it made things too complicated. He couldn’t help but smile at the memories, though; he’d had some fun and so had she, so what was the harm? He never said the relationship was monogamous; he wasn’t a damn mind reader.

  His thoughts turned to Lieutenant Manaus, the buxom, long-legged seductress he’d seen the day before. He’d heard she was a tiger in the sack, but also choosy. He’d have to play the long game if he was to land her, but he’d get there in the end … he always did. There was one big problem, however; if his captain had been pissed about his cousin, he’d be spitting feathers if Zack had his way with his sister. A half-sister, granted, but a sister nonetheless. Darklight should introduce a law against nepotism, although, he quickly decided, that would limit my supply of— A noise nearby made him focus.

  Rifle raised, he scanned the area with his visor. A woman approached. It was the young carer who’d visited the director earlier. She looked nervous, and he found his eyes drawn to her shapely figure and ample bosom.

  He lowered his gun. ‘Hi there, miss, are you lost?’

  She gave him a grimace of a smile and moved closer. ‘Yes, I think I am.’ She got out a map. ‘I thought I was heading back to my tent, but I got turned around.’

  ‘Here, let me take a look.’ He propped his rifle up against his leg and took the map from her. She moved to his side and his eyes dropped to her cleavage, and he had to remember what he was supposed to be looking at. He held up the map and turned around. ‘I think you need to go that way—’ He lowered the sheet of paper to see a man standing before him, grinning, and the last thing Zack remembered was a fist flying toward his face.

  Chapter Fifty Six

  ‘What do you mean, gone?’

  Captain Winter hung his head. ‘They managed to overpower the sentries.’

  Offiah swore. ‘And Director Goodwin is with them?’

  ‘He’s not in the tent and no one else has seen him, so, yes, it’s a fair assumption.’

  Kara muttered a curse of her own. ‘And they haven’t been picked up by any of the patrols?’

  ‘They would have reported in,’ Offiah said, giving Winter a stern stare.

  Kara checked the time. ‘And why are we only finding out about this now, Captain?’

  ‘Corporal Walker and his men secured our personnel and took their weapons and helmets, ma’am,’ Winter said. ‘We think they’ve been listening in to our coms for some time as they called in the correct codes at the right intervals.’

  ‘So where are they?’

  ‘We don’t know, ma’am.’

  ‘The lake?’ Kara looked to Offiah.

  The major shook his head. ‘They’d have been seen.’

  Kara felt sick. How has this happened? she asked herself. Because Richard is no fool, her mind answered. He may have become detached from reality, but he is nothing but persistent. If he believes something is in the lake, he won’t stop until he finds it. ‘We need to check all the rafts are accounted for,’ she said, ‘and send out teams to scour the shoreline.’

  ‘We can check the rafts at the beach in case they sneaked past us,’ Offiah said, ‘but if we release personnel to roam the rest of the water’s edge we’ll weaken the security of the camp. The entity could return at any moment.’

  Kara feared for Goodwin’s safety, but she couldn’t risk the lives of others to ensure his return. She didn’t know what to do.

  Captain Winter turned to Offiah. ‘Let me take my team, sir. We’re redundant now anyway.’

  The major looked uncertain.

  ‘How many are in your unit, Captain?’ Kara said.

  ‘Twenty, and we can get more gear from the central cache.’

  ‘I’m willing to reassign a single operative from daytime patrols,’ Offiah told her. ‘One won’t make much difference and it’ll boost Winter’s force to forty-five.’

  ‘Do it,’ Kara said, ‘but keep it peaceful, I don’t want Richard killed in some kind of firefight.’

  ‘If we’re fired upon we’ll have to defend ourselves,’ Winter said, incredulous.

  ‘No,’ – she gave a shake of her head – ‘just use warning shots, or retreat if you have to.’

  The Darklight officer didn’t respond.

  ‘Do I make myself clear, Captain?’ Kara said, her tone like iron. ‘Warning shots only.’

  Winter nodded and Kara moved away to speak to the communications team at the rear of the command post.

  ♦

  Captain Winter moved closer to Major Offiah, his voice low. ‘Sir, with all due respect, I’m not going out there if we can’t engage. They’d soon realise we didn’t want to hurt the director, we’d be sitting ducks.’

  Offiah made sure Vandervoort was still out of earshot. ‘The doctor is making a decision based on emotion, we know that, and on this occasion she’s made the wrong call. We can’t allow Walker and his men to be on the loose, it compromises the integrity of this entire camp.’

  ‘So you sanction return fire?’

  Offiah rubbed the back
of his head where Sergeant Alvarez had knocked him unconscious a couple of weeks before. He’d had just about all he could take from the U.S. Army decontamination team and their games; they’d been a thorn in everyone’s side from day one and this was the final straw. ‘It’s time to stop playing games with these people. Hilt was always too lenient. I’m in charge now, and I say this ends.’

  Winter’s eyes lit up. ‘Attack and extract?’

  ‘You do what you have to do, Captain, just bring Goodwin home.’

  Captain Winter gave a crisp salute and left the tent.

  Major Offiah gazed after him, hoping, praying, he’d made the right call.

  Chapter Fifty Seven

  ‘Look, Goodwin, I like you, you’re an okay guy. You’ve looked out for us in the past when you didn’t need to, I see that. But, don’t mistake me for a fool. Alvarez may have been my superior, but he was a racist, hot-headed idiot who didn’t know his ass from his elbow.’ Walker hefted his rifle. ‘I’m the leader of this little excursion, and what I say goes. And right now I’m saying she stays.’

  Rebecca moved forward. ‘I won’t say anything, I promise!’

  Walker grabbed her arm and yanked her close. He drew a knife from his belt and Rebecca went stock still as he put the blade to her throat; he looked at Goodwin over her shoulder, his eyes calm and calculating.

  ‘Harm a hair on her head, Corporal,’ Goodwin said, struggling against the men that held him, ‘and I’ll see you hang!’

  Walker ran a finger down Rebecca’s face and down the side of her neck to her top which he teased out with a finger. ‘Very nice,’ he said.

  Rebecca cringed away from him and Goodwin felt his rage surge. ‘Let her go or I swear to God you’ll never see the surface. You’ll be stuck down here forever!’

  Walker hesitated and then pushed Rebecca from him. ‘Do you know how long it is since some of these men have had a woman, Director?’ Walker moved amongst his unit. ‘Do you know how long it is since I’ve had a woman?’

  Goodwin said nothing, his eyes holding onto Rebecca’s. She stood on her own, exposed and terrified. He couldn’t let her suffer the same fate again, he’d rather die.

  ‘I heard she likes it rough,’ Walker said, ‘but this time Hilt’s not around to protect anyone, so this is how it’s going to be, Director – Richard. You’ll find this entrance, exit, or whatever it is you’ve located, lead us out of here, and I’ll promise not to take this tender morsel and pass her round so we can all get our fun on. How about that?’

  ‘Yes, YES! Just leave her alone!’

  Walker gestured to his men and Goodwin fell forward, released. He ran to Rebecca who clung to him like a vice.

  Walker pulled on his stolen Darklight helmet and switched on the visor to assess their position in relation to Goodwin’s map. ‘It’s two clicks, north west.’ He put his hand out in the direction. ‘Let’s move.’

  The small party of thirty moved off, Walker in the lead with Goodwin and Rebecca ushered along behind, at gunpoint, the secret of the lake beckoning them onward.

  ♦

  A few minutes later a small light appeared where Walker’s unit had stood. A shimmering form reached out to touch the soil, the tracks in the dirt a giveaway to everything that had just transpired. The illumination blinked out and darkness resumed. The chase was on.

  Chapter Fifty Eight

  ‘What light?’

  ‘I saw a light behind us.’

  ‘If you’re screwing me about—’

  ‘No, seriously, I saw it.’

  Walker’s eye twitched, his nervous tic forcing his cheek into a rhythmic jig. He wiped a hand over his face. ‘Everyone take defensive positions. If something moves, shoot it. Fuck!’

  ‘We could call it in.’

  ‘What, and have Offiah come down on us like a ton of bricks? No chance. We’re safer out here with weapons than back there without, and if I’m going out it’s under my own terms, not waiting to die like a caged animal. Now shut up, secure silencers and get eyes on!’

  A ripple of fear swept through the group of men. They fanned out, weapons made ready, eyes scanning the pitch black that pinned them against the cold of the lake at their backs.

  Walker turned to Goodwin, who examined a small, rune-encrusted obelisk. ‘Right, Director. We’re at the coordinates you found. It’s time for you to try out our equipment.’

  Goodwin looked down at the decontamination suit he wore. ‘And you kept this a secret why?’

  ‘Because they’re not meant for diving,’ Walker said. ‘Alvarez didn’t even know they can be taken underwater, and when Hilt wanted to explore the submerged caves he found with his scanners, these suits would have been useless. They can only go down forty metres and the self-contained air breathers only last for ten minutes in liquid. I didn’t say anything as—’

  ‘As you’re a conniving bastard who also knew about the entity, but failed to tell anyone until it was too late.’

  Walker sniffed and then a smile creased his rat-like features. ‘I like the new you, Goodwin, bluntness suits you. But you’re right, why should I have told you anything? We were your prisoners for weeks on end. I didn’t trust you, and I still don’t.’

  Goodwin looked around. ‘Then why come out here? Why risk everything?’

  ‘I told you, I believe, like you do. Now stop your chatter and get in there.’

  Goodwin stared out at the lake, the dark surface a black calm. He glanced at Rebecca who stood at his side and held out a wadge of paper to her, which she accepted.

  ‘Joseph’s drawings and my photos,’ he said. ‘Keep them safe for me?’

  She nodded and he gave her hand a squeeze before moving towards the water’s edge.

  Torchlight from atop Goodwin’s transparent helmet highlighted the hard stony ground that disappeared beneath the glistening liquid. Either side, remnants of ancient stonework marked the fringe of an extensive chain of derelict structures that led off towards the Anakim city behind. The edges of these low-slung creations also sank into the subterranean loch, further cementing Goodwin’s belief that they were in the right place.

  He adjusted his helmet and removed his shoes and socks. The surface felt cold against the soles of his feet and he quickly pulled on the loose-fitting boots provided. Suppressing a shiver, he paused; about to embark into the unknown he couldn’t help but fear – not for himself – but for Rebecca. If this suit fails and I don’t return she’ll be left alone with Walker’s animals. The thought made his mind cry out in horror.

  Walker drew alongside; he held his knife in one hand while the fingers of his other played with its razor-sharp edge. ‘Time to do your stuff, Director. Don’t make me ask again.’

  ‘I’ll be back,’ Goodwin said to Rebecca. ‘I promise.’

  Rebecca gave him a fearful look. ‘Be careful, Richard.’

  Goodwin broke eye contact with her, activated his breathing mask and stepped into the water. A shock of sensation swept up his spine. Icy liquid poured into his boots, consuming his feet and ankles, with only his suit preventing further infringement as he waded deeper.

  When he was in up to his waist, the sound of sloshing water faded as his motion slowed. He stopped, the impenetrable blackness before him daunting even to his numbed mind. If someone had told him just a week before he would willingly walk into the lake’s freezing depths, he would have laughed and told them they were mad. But now it was his sanity that was questioned, his leadership doubted. Remembering what was at stake, not just Rebecca’s life, but the lives of everyone else back at camp, he pressed on. His next step sent water washing over his shoulders as the lakebed shelved off. His body felt buoyant, but the air canisters and circulation equipment on his back kept him firmly planted. Another step sent him sinking beneath the surface. The lake rushed into his helmet, covering his head in its glacial chill. A thrill of fear and pain sent a flash of light dancing before his eyes.

  A voice echoed through the water that burned frigid in his ears. �
�Don’t forget to breathe, Goodwin,’ Walker said via the helmet’s communication system, ‘the mask is sealed tight on your nose and mouth, the water can’t get in.’

  Goodwin fought for calm, but found himself unable to open his eyelids against the bitter fluid. ‘It hurts!’ he said, his voice muffled.

  ‘Suck it up,’ Walker told him, ‘time’s ticking, you’ve got less than ten minutes.’

  Cursing, Goodwin forced open both eyes and pain lanced through them like a spike to the brain. Seconds passed and his vision cleared. A small display encased in the helmet’s transparent shield showed him a myriad of warnings and data. Through the blur of fluid he only had eyes for the small timer that signalled the duration of his oxygen levels. Nine minutes to go.

  Thankfully, the decontamination helmet also boasted a screen that enhanced vision. It was nothing like as sophisticated as Darklight headgear, but in conjunction with its powerful light bar it provided adequate illumination of his surroundings, albeit distorted by the constant ripple of water. Pressing a button, he vented his exhalation and it bubbled up around him. The ground angled down and he took another step, and then another. Down and down he went, into the darkness, searching for something, anything.

  After another minute a depth gauge told him he’d passed below twenty metres. Something swam past his face and he cried out.

  Walker’s voiced warbled in his ear. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘I’m fine, it was just a fish.’ Just a fish, Goodwin thought with an emphasis on the ‘just’. He knew full well what sort of animals patrolled these depths. Creatures that could tear flesh and consume bone. He carried on and another ten metres down, the lakebed levelled out. In itself this wasn’t a curiosity, but when other parts of the lake had been found to descend beyond their capability to measure, which was well over a mile, it meant to Goodwin only one thing – this was where he’d find their exit to the surface.