“Make yourself useful and grab me the infrasound accelerometer from over there, will you?” he called out to Bobby, who seemed delighted to be assigned any sort of task.
“Will do, Cap,” he responded. He made his way carefully around the pit and picked up a small cube-shaped object, with a protruding spike.
“This thing?” he asked. Lorenzo sighed.
“Yes, that thing. Give it here.” He handed over the instrument and stood waiting quietly. Lorenzo took a breath in to calm his irritation, but allowed him to watch, resigning himself to the situation.
“Okay, if you insist on annoying me, you may as well help. Take this sensor and place it on that ridge. Point the directional array towards the centre of The Black and lock it in position.”
Bobby could hardly contain his excitement as he trundled off with the long metallic pole. He did as requested and set up the device, using the struts attached to its base. The transparent head was coned and he pointed its tip at the centre of the black mass. With the tap of a button, a blue laser shot out of the device and rested firmly on the surface of The Black. Lorenzo watched intently. There was no reaction from the molten surface. The beam of light stood unchallenged.
“Okay, Bobby, come outta there. Make sure it’s not going to move, and position the second sensor directly opposite,” he said, pointing to the other side of the cave. The Englishman did as he was told and repeated the exercise. When he was finished the light of the two blue beams slowly bounced off the surrounding minerals in the rock. There was no reflection from the surface of The Black.
“Now what?” said Bobby, as he reached the scientist.
“We wait. Quietly!” responded Lorenzo. The pair watched as readings were taken. The silence was absolute.
“This stuff actually do anything besides melt everything it touches?” said Bobby, breaking the peace. Lorenzo sighed. He thought about pushing him into The Black.
“It emits vibrations when it senses certain frequencies. Right now, it is emitting the same ultra-low frequency acoustic signature that we have been observing since Jennifer Barrington discovered it. We don’t know what that means and we still don’t know the nature of The Black. I am about to test a theory of mine, that the vibrations are directly proportional to the ambient energy in the vicinity of The Black.”
“Eh. Right,” said Bobby, then paused. “Sorry, mate, meaning what exactly?” he continued.
“Meaning we don’t know why the hell this ‘stuff’ has been sitting here for millions of years, when its purpose seems to be to absorb organic and inorganic substances on contact.”
“If that’s true, then how come it hasn’t eaten through the cave floor straight into the planet’s core and out the other side?” said Bobby.
Lorenzo, surprised by the logic of the question, took a minute to answer. “The inside of these caves are laced with minerals that seem to be immune to the enzymatic reactions of The Black. It is probably why it has survived in here. Evolutionary luck.”
“So we still have no clue about what this is?” asked Bobby.
Lorenzo answered honestly. “None,” he said. The steady flow of data continued. “Okay, let’s turn up the volume.” Reaching down to the control panel he began to drag his finger across a screen, increasing the levels of both probes to twice their current amplitude. A small hum echoed from the upright stands as the pair watched.
“What are we hoping for here?” said Bobby.
“Not sure, to be honest, but the absorption of The Black of all ambient noise is interesting to me so I want to see what happens if...” Lorenzo’s sentence tailed off as the centre of the black fluid began to rise suddenly. The slow purposeful motion seemed controlled and made no sound. A snaking spiral began to form and solidify into a perfect tube shape. At about two meters in height it stopped. It held its position and waited.
“Fuck me!” said a clearly worried Bobby.
“Don’t move,” replied Lorenzo, who was clearly startled at the unexpected movement. “Don’t move a muscle. Stay perfectly still, Bobby.”
“What the hell is it doing?” Bobby whispered.
“It is reacting to the frequency.”
“Has it ever done that before?” Bobby added.
“No, never, and this is not the first time I’ve conducted this type of experiment.” They observed the perfectly still material. It remained in the shape it had just formed.
“We should get out of here, man, and get back up. I’m serious.” There was genuine fear in Bobby’s voice, but Lorenzo paid it no heed.
“It has stopped, Bobby. We are not in danger, it seems to be localising around the focal point of the two probes.”
“Then turn the fucking things off before it eats us!” replied Bobby frantically. Lorenzo shot him an angry look.
“Just calm yourself and stand back. I promise, if it makes any other movements towards us I’ll shut down the probes and we’ll get out of here. Okay?” he said. Bobby, clearly unconvinced, took several steps back towards the entrance of the cave and readied himself to run. Lorenzo, not entirely believing his own words either, took a step back from the edge of The Black and watched closely. The faceoff between the two life forms was a silent one. You hear me, monster, don’t you! he thought. Lorenzo took the control pad in his hand and swiped his finger across it. The hum from the two probes increased.
“Are you out of your fucking mind? What are you doing?” shouted Bobby. Lorenzo ignored him. The centre mass remained perfectly in shape and perfectly still. In one swift motion the entire pool of the black substance rose from the floor. Building on top of itself in layers, it emerged into a tower with perfectly smooth walls, which reached the height of the cave itself. Lorenzo was frozen in place at the sheer magnitude of the coordinated movement. After several seconds, the perfectly smooth surfaces that formed the membrane of the outer edge began to curve. At first Lorenzo thought it was an optical illusion, but then the walls became clearly convex. The fluidity of the motion of this now cave-sized mass was the most powerful thing Lorenzo had ever seen.
“Jesus Christ,” Lorenzo finally uttered. He looked behind him but Bobby was gone. He had seemingly made a run for it. The floating sphere stared at Lorenzo. It remained still. Lorenzo thought about running but his muscles would not move. All of a sudden the black orb started to move. First enveloping the probe on its left, then the one on its right. The two objects disappeared quickly from sight. Lorenzo now knew that he was in trouble and began to back away slowly. The giant black sphere gently began to move in his direction.
“Fuck,” Lorenzo finally said out loud. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” He turned and made for the exit. The sphere followed calmly, enveloping the surrounding equipment. Lorenzo, realising the change in the sphere’s speed, began to panic. “
“Oh no!” he shouted and began to sprint. With a sudden knock, his head hit off the lower edge of the rock face as he tumbled to the ground. His faceplate cracked and atmosphere began to seep into his lungs. Blood from the top of his head poured into his mouth and eyes, as his blurred vision watched the encroaching black mass. Only feet away, his vision was masked by the filling of tears and blood. The burning in his lungs began to intensify. There was only one warning he could give to Bobby if he was still nearby. He drew a breath as The Black touched his feet and began liquefying his flesh. He closed his eyes one final time and screamed.
Quarters of Carrie Barrington
17:45 Martian Standard
Carrie woke suddenly and sat up, her soaked pillow falling away from her back. She felt like her heart was about to explode.
She heard a scream in her mind. The sadness and the terror of the voice chased by a dark monster lingered in her thoughts. Something terrible had just happened. She reached over to her comms panel beside her bunk.
“Carrie Barrington to John Barrington,” she said with upset in her voice. No answer.
“Go ahead. What’s up, Carrie?” The comfort of her father’s voice helped lower her heartrate.
“Father, something’s wrong. Something terrible has happened.”
“Slow down, Dice, take a breath. I’m on my way.”
“No,” she interrupted, “I’m coming to you. Where are you?”
“I am at the Aquaria command centre. What did you see?” he said softly.
“I think somebody has died. Has anyone gone to the Black Cave this morning?” There was a pause from her father.
“Meet me here as soon as you can. Barrington out.” The urgency in his voice told her all she needed to know. She jumped out of bed and slid straight into a jumpsuit.
Aquaria Base
18:01 Martian Standard
“Barrington to Fraine,” the commander shouted into the comm panel. The uncomfortable déjà vu was all too obvious. He had lost another one on his watch. He knew that he should not have allowed the pair access at a time when most of the personnel were emotionally compromised. Bad call, John. No answer from the comms.
“Shit!” he said. The support staff manning the command centre looked at him.
“Prepare a rescue team,” he announced. “Now!” There was a bleep from the panel.
“Commander?” said a panicked English voice.
“Yes. Bobby? This is Barrington. Report!”
“He’s dead. He’s fucking dead. I had to run. I left him there. I heard him screaming. The fucking stuff is alive.” Barrington froze.
“Where are you, Bobby?” he asked.
“Inbound in the RV,” he sobbed. “I left him. Jesus, I just left him.” The door to the control room hissed open and Carrie appeared. Barrington locked eyes on her as she approached.
“Tell me, Carrie,” he whispered to her.
“It killed again, Father. It knew. It followed him and attacked.” Some of the staff stared over at the pair. Barrington ignored them and put a hand on Carrie.
“Bobby, keep coming. I’ll meet you at the RV bay. Stay calm, you’re okay.”
“I’m nearly there,” came the reply. Barrington looked out of the windows, which curved around the command centre. In the distance, he saw the red trail of an RV approaching at speed.
“Barrington to medical bay,” he said. The comms bleeped.
“Doctor Brubaker here.”
“Michelle, we have possible incoming wounded. I want him put into quarantine immediately. Under no circumstances is he to be touched until a full bio scan reveals no indication of infection.”
“Understood, John. What are we dealing with?” she said.
“Contact incident with The Black,” he continued.
“Right. I’ll have him locked down. Don’t worry. Where will he be?”
“It’s Bobby Shields. He’s coming in the RV bay, ETA... hang on.” Barrington looked over at one of the young men manning one of the stations.
“Eight minutes, sir,” he answered the commander.
“Eight minutes, Doc.”
“Gotcha, I am on my way.” The comms bleeped again.
“Barrington to RV bay.”
A young female answered. “RV bay, go ahead.”
“Clear all personnel, I repeat ALL personnel immediately and seal off all airlocks. You have five minutes. Leave the main bay doors open.”
“Yes, sir,” came the programmed response.
“Okay, folks, let’s lock it down,” he called to his staff. Lights in the control room flickered to red. The commander tapped a few commands into his control panel. A hailing noise filled the control room.
“This is John Barrington to all colonial personnel. The base is on lockdown until further notice. I repeat. The base is on lockdown until further notice. No unauthorised movement in or out of the facility without my express consent. Doctor Tyrell, please report to main RV bay immediately. Barrington out.” With that, he made his way to the door.
“Llewellyn, I need you to keep working on the system preps for the incoming transits from Phobos. You’re in charge here until I get back,” he said to an attractive female officer at a control screen in front of him.
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
“Can I do anything?” Carrie asked.
“Yes, you can. Come with me. I need you to be there when Bobby comes in.”
Main Vehicle Hangar
Aquaria Base
18:45 Martian Standard
The assembled group stood looking through the glass into the RV hangar. Tyrell was last to arrive and stood next to Barrington and Doctor Michelle Brubaker, the chief medical officer. A fiery woman in her early fifties, she kept her curly, greying hair tightly pulled back in a hair clip and her hands firmly planted in the pockets of her white coat. The large enclosure held a fleet of thirteen vehicles of various design, depending on the type of work required on the surface. Carrie was standing beside her father with her arms tightly folded. She looked worried. They waited outside the main airlock viewing room and watched as the trail of dust from the incoming RV made its way towards them.
“Get ready to hit the door,” said Barrington, as he watched. Doctor Brubaker placed her hand on the hangar door release panel and waited. In a whirlwind of red dust the RV sped into the hangar and swerved, narrowly missing another smaller version of itself before coming to a grinding halt.
“Hit it, Doc,” he said to Brubaker, who hit the control panel, bringing down the main hangar door. Silence surrounded the bay as the dust settled on the ground. Barrington could see Bobby in the vehicle, with his faceplate resting against the steering column.
“I’m going in,” said Brubaker, as she made her way into the airlock.
“Hang on, Doctor,” Barrington said, grabbing her arm. He hit a button on a control panel in front of him, which bleeped.
“Bobby. This is Barrington. Can you hear me?” His voice carried into the hangar bay over the loud speakers.
“He could be hurt, John. I need to get in there,” said Brubaker.
“Not yet, Doctor,” said Barrington, asserting authority in his voice.
“Bobby?” he repeated. The figure in the vehicle raised his head and looked over to the commander.
“Yes, sir, I can. I’m okay,” came a stumbled reply. Barrington waited.
“John, please,” said Brubaker.
“Okay, Doc, in you go. Do a visual before you make contact. Everyone else stay here.” He turned to the hangar and pressed the comms.
“Bobby, stay where you are. I’m sending the doctor in. Do not remove your faceplate until instructed to. Understand?” A nod from the young man satisfied the commander. The airlock hissed and Brubaker made her way over to Bobby, who had swung around and was sitting on the edge of the vehicle.
“What do you think, Tyrone?” Barrington asked Tyrell, still watching the RV bay. Tyrell drew a long breath.
“Unknown, John. There’s no reason to believe that The Black is a contagion. Then again, we know very little about it. I’m afraid I have very little to offer at this juncture. My instinct tells me that Mr. Shields is perfectly fine. If a little shaken.”
Brubaker reached the RV and placed a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. She removed a medical scanning instrument from her shoulder bag and began taking readings. A few minutes later, she turned to the commander.
“John, I am not showing any signs of infection or injury. I think we can get him to the medical bay.”
He turned to Carrie. She was crying.
“He’s terrified,” she said.
Medial Bay
19.30 Martian Standard
“It moved,” Bobby said. He was lying on a diagnostic bed, now out of his atmo suit. Tyrell’s face changed to one of fascinat
ion.
“In what way?” he asked. Barrington put his hand up and motioned for the doctor to hold questions.
“Bobby, just start from the beginning. Take a breath and slowly recount everything that happened.”
The Englishman began slowly recounting the events to the captive audience. At the end Barrington looked at Tyrell.
“Thoughts?” he asked. Tyrell stood and watched the patient.
“It would seem the beast has awoken. Commander, with your permission, I would like to return to my lab to run some tests.”
Barrington thought for a moment. “Tyrell, if that stuff shows any sign of movement, I want it incinerated. You are not authorised to remove it from its containment chamber. I want someone there with you at all times and right now I want options for transportation of The Black off base.”
Tyrell looked annoyed. “John, I don’t think it poses any immediate threat. It would appear that it was reacting to defend itself from what it perceived to be a direct attack. I really don’t think—”
Barrington interrupted. “Those are your instructions, Doctor. We have incoming from the Phobos base and several inbound craft with survivors aboard. The risk to life on this base is too great to start fucking around with an aggressive life form that has cost lives.” Carrie looked surprised at the force in her father’s voice. Barrington knew that he had momentarily lost his cool in front of everyone and drew a breath.
“Please, Tyrone. Just do as I ask.” Tyrell nodded and promptly left. The commander tapped his comm link. “Barrington to Meridian.”
“Chase here, go ahead, John.”
“Chase, can you meet Doctor Tyrell at his lab, please? He requires your assistance.” He glanced back and watched the frustrated Tyrell leave. He was muttering something under his breath. He reached the exit and turned back.
“If you don’t mind, Commander, I could also use Carrie’s assistance in the lab at her earliest convenience.”
“Of course, I will send her over in twenty minutes.” He turned back to Bobby who was watching the exchange.
“Get some rest and, when you’re ready to get back on your feet, we will talk some more.”
The Agathon: Book One Page 8
