“The third floor, which we will be bypassing for now, is living quarters. Directly in front of the lift gate for the elevator, you will notice a large set of doors.”
I did see them, as we cleared the rock. Letters above the doors spelled out 'MESS HALL'. Perkins spoke on, heedless of reactions from the crowd. The elevator came to a rest while she spoke.
“The mess hall is where everybody eats. Three meals a day for everybody. On the other three tunnels we have living units. You will be assigned a unit or suite based on family and marital status, or age and gender. Individuals will be assigned a room based on gender- men to the men's side and women to the women's. Families will receive suites to keep them together. Please note, men are not allowed in the women's wing and vice versa.”
There was some light grumbling, but nothing to note. Perkins hit the button labeled '4' and the ground once more swallowed us.
“We are nearly done with the tour, folks. While there is a small emergency response room in the tunnel near the main hangar, the hospital itself is on the fourth floor. There is an elevator that connects the two for fast response. The hospital is one wing on the fourth floor. IT, Administration, and general office spaces cover the other three wings.”
Perkins paused for a moment, as if reviewing notes.
“Oh yes, about the mess hall. It is open 24/7 but meals are only served hot for two hours each, four times per day. Breakfast is 0500 to 0700, lunch at 1200, dinner at 1800. We have a midnight meal at 2300 for our late shift workers. Some of you may be asked to work in the mess hall, since that is another major focus of our facility. We have many people to provide for, after all.”
The elevator came to a smooth stop once more. I looked over the edge and noticed the shaft did continue down, though the gap between elevator and wall was too small for even a child to crawl through.
Perkins pressed a button on the panel and the gates lifted. She led us to a set of doors with 'ADMINISTRATION' over them.
“One last thing before I turn you over- floor five is restricted. Most of you will not be working down there. If you do, you will be given appropriate credentials. Now, we are in the logistics section. Please form an orderly line, and we'll have you all settled in no time.”
She smiled brilliantly, then pointed at an area that was clearly meant for lines. She walked ahead and into the section she had indicated. A small sign hung from the drop tile ceiling, also saying 'Logistics'. She walked behind the cubicle walls that separated the section from the rest of the area.
Various other signs hung over other areas. Walkways were clearly defined. It all spoke of military efficiency. I could see Perkins' hair bobbing as she talked animatedly with someone in a cubicle. They poppped up for a split second to check the line, then sat back down.
A moment later, Perkins walked back to the front of the line.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the last stop for today. Each person or group will be called by an available specialist. Please wait here until called. Any questions you have can be directed to your specialist as they interview you. Have a good day!”
With that, she left. The line subtly began to shift as people found their partners and conversations broke out.
I looked around, and eventually found Linda with Eddie. She was chatting amiably with Jessie. I walked over to them, giving Lin a quick squeeze as a greeting.
Chapter 3
Darkness +15, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
-61°F
0213 Hours
Brandon stood just ahead of the four of us. He towered over us, standing at six-four. He had his braids drawn up into twin poms on top of his head again, and I'm sure his daughter was responsible. He talked amiably with her, slowly moving forward as the line advanced.
Each interview took roughly ten minutes. I gathered there was four specialists at work. Each person walked in and quiet conversation happened, then they walked out. Each person had a white plastic card in their hand.
Yawns kept rippling through the line. It had been an extremely long day, and for some of us this was the middle of the night. Other people were far more bright eyed, having been on the late shift for a few weeks.
The first group slowly filtered out, and Brandon walked in with Angelica. Jessie stood near Linda and I, quietly watching the line.
Jessie was short and fit, maybe five-five. She had long hair carefully dyed white. Her blonde roots blended in fairly well, though careful examination showed two weeks worth of growth. She kept to herself, close to us but at an arm's length.
Linda however was pressed to my side. She was shorter than Jessie, at just five-one. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders, and contrasted well with her big green eyes. She was just shy of thirty years old, and looked great.
Next to Lin stood her son, Eddie. He was goofing off with my Holo Micro, lights flashing across his face as he played a game. The headband covered his eyes, but his brown hair was bunched around the band. He was short still, built stocky like his dad had been. I knew his height bothered him, but he hadn't even gone through puberty yet.
He had celebrated his tenth birthday recently, and was ready to be an adult. His wish was granted in the worst way, with the world ending. For the previous two weeks he had to help out around the office with chores. Still, he was a good kid, especially considering his father had passed two years before.
Lin and I had been fast friends from the start. I could see that it bothered Jessie a little, but I always figured it was just Jessie being the protective little sister. Linda had never really brought up her family, and shortly after I joined the company her husband passed away.
She was my partner on a few projects, so I picked up the slack and just did my best to be present for her. Time passed, and she slowly recovered. I could see the pain on her face often in the first six months. As time passed, she came around and we were working equally again.
When darkness fell, we were all trapped in the office, only able to leave for short periods of time to scavenge. Everybody lost someone. There was no complete family in our group. Grief, stress, and danger lead to interesting choices being made.
So, when I invited Lin to move in to my tent, nobody batted an eye. It was common, if unspoken, that people were hooking up. I invited Lin to my tent under the guise of giving Eddie his own space. Nobody commented on it.
I could just make out Brandon talking. He seemed agitated, as if the interview wasn't going well. His words had an edge.
“Just my daughter, she's 10 now.”
The specialist said something, but I couldn't hear what. Brandon replied, more upset than before. He was louder too. Lin and Jessie had stopped talking to listen.
“No. No! You can't split us up. No! She's my daughter, and like hell you're taking her away from me.”
The specialist continued talking, slightly louder, but still too quiet to make the words out.
“Angel is NOT going to the Women's dorms! Give us a family suite, you have to have a ton available.”
“Dad, I don't want to live on my own,” Angelica choked out through a sob.
Suddenly I could see his massive frame approaching us. He led Angelica by the hand, both clearly upset. Somewhere on the other side of the cubicles a door opened. A man leaned out and loudly addressed the open room.
“Brandon Richards? Are you still here? Come on in here, we'll discuss this further.”
He stopped short, Angelica nearly bouncing off of him. He took a deep breath, then turned and trudged back to the office through the maze of cubicles.
I looked at Lin. It wasn't good that they were trying to separate kids from their parents.
“Next!”
I jumped slightly. Lin and Eddie were up next. I ushered them forward, looking to Jessie for support. She looked conflicted for a moment, then nodded. I nodded back and walked with Lin and Eddie into the cubicle.
Linda looked back at me i
n mild confusion as they came to a stop in front of the desk. A slight woman sat behind the desk, graying at the temples. She was clearly tired. This was the same specialist Brandon had been talking to.
I gave her a tired smile and leaned in close to Lin.
“Trust me?”
She hesitated a fraction of a second, then nodded.
“Okay, follow my lead.”
The specialist watched, but didn't hear what I said. She sighed, then started the interview.
“Have a seat. Names?”
We sat in the two chairs provided, Eddie on Lin's lap. I answered after we were situated.
“I'm Dante DeWisr, D-E-W-I-S-R. Pronounced 'dee-wiser'.”
“That's a strange name,” mentioned the clearly bored and overworked specialist.
“Yeah, it's Welsh or something. Been the family name for ages. Anyway, this is my wife, Linda, and my stepson Eddie.”
I benignly smiled at Lin and touseled Eddie's hair. Neither of them said anything. Linda did give me a sharp look, but followed along. I had warned her after all.
“Really? Where are your wedding rings,” asked the specialist.
“Oh that. I'm pretty clumsy sometimes. I had my ring on while doing dishes the morning before work, back before everything... happened. Soap made it loose, and it rolled into the drain. I couldn't find it on my own and didn't have time to call for the plumber before work. I suppose it's still there.”
The specialist nodded.
“And his?”
“He had to send it out for resizing. Told you you were gaining weight, babe,” jabbed Linda. She had a malicious twinkle in her eye as she said it.
“Is that why we were always eating that rabbit food babe?” I shot back. She snickered, remembering the last lunch we had in the cafeteria. Even with the quip, I did feel my cheeks flush a little. I had gained weight over the past six months. Only a few pounds, but it was enough to keep me from wearing my class or service rings comfortably.
“Okay...” she said as her fingers glided over the keys of her keyboard. “You'll get a family suite- should be two bedrooms and one bathroom. Looks like you have a micro-kitchenette as well. Not much in there except a mini-fridge and microwave. Most rooms have those.”
She paused for a moment as she filled in more boxes on her screen.
“Right, you'll be in room 231. That's Family Wing, on the west side. The wing is marked when you take the elevator up. Left at the main intersection and it'll be on the right.”
She took a map from a pile and drew a ragged line with a highlighter along the path, ending with a splotch over the room we would have. She pushed the map over to us, centered between Lin and I. Then she opened a drawer and withdrew a handful of blank plastic cards.
She touched a few options on the screen, then held the card up against the corner of the monitor. After a moment, she did the same with the other two cards. Then she carefully placed them on top of the map.
“These are your access cards. They have your unique ID codes. First is Dante, then Linda in the middle, and Eddie on the other side.” She pointed to each card in turn, starting on our left.
“Don't lose these. They are your access to your suite, as well as your meal card, and how you will access school or work.”
I nodded, then took my card. Linda let Eddie take their cards.
“I would recommend marking each card with a letter to prevent mixups,” said the specialist. She carefully placed a sharpie on the map where Linda's card had been. I nodded, and gestured for Linda to grab it.
Once more, Eddie reached out. He snagged the marker and handed it over to his mom. She carefully and artfully drew an 'M' on her card, then an 'E' on Eddie's card. I held out my card after she shot me a glance. My card received a 'D'. I wasn't sure if it was for Dante or Dad.
“Now, Dante, what did you do for work?”
The interview continued for another few minutes. I saw something flash up on the screen of the specialist when she tried to assign a job for me. It was red, reflected on her face, just for a split second. She made a face, then went back to placid boredom.
“Alright. Mr. DeWisr, you'll be in R&D on the fifth floor. You will be escorted in the morning to your new assignment. Mrs. DeWisr, you'll be in the hospital. You report at ten-hundred. We understand it's a late night, so you have some leeway the first day. Both of you will be reporting at o-six-hundred Monday through Friday after tomorrow.”
She changed her attention to Eddie.
“You, sir, will be in school. That's in Records on the fourth Floor. That is in the Administration wing. Think you can find it?”
I was impressed. She didn't talk down to him, and in fact treated him as an adult. He swelled with pride.
“I sure can!”
I chuckled. With that, the interview was over. Eddie jumped off of his mom's lap. We stood, and walked out. Linda immediately grabbed my hand, and we walked out of Administration to the nearest passenger elevator.
Linda sighed, putting her head on my shoulder as we waited for the elevator to climb to the next floor up. I would have to find the stairs, the elevators were too slow for my liking.
The doors opened, and we walked toward the archway with 'Family Wing' stenciled over it. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Eddie was staying with his mom... with us. We had done it.
Still, I worried about other people who didn't have someone to help form a full family unit. I worried about Brandon and Angelica. I would have to check in on them after getting some well deserved sleep.
Chapter 4
Darkness +15, 2033
Greater Seattle Area, Washington, USA
Location Undisclosed, Base 13, Project Osiris
-61°F
0257 Hours
The three of us stood in front of the door with '231' stenciled on it. Eddie stood slightly in front of Lin and I, hopping slightly. We could tell he was excited, possibly more than we were. He turned back and looked at his mom. She smiled, enjoying his energy, and nodded.
He let out a whoop, despite his evident exhaustion. He took the last step forward, and swiped his keycard across the black plastic block next to the door. Nothing happened for a moment, then a faint electronic beep sounded. The door audibly clicked, and Eddie took the door handle and turned it.
The door swung open, heavy but quiet. It was a smooth motion. I figured the door was a firebreak, though how a fire could happen in a concrete hallway was beyond me. The hallway was stark and militaristic in its function and total lack of form.
What I was not prepared for was the suite beyond the door. Eddie let loose another great shout, despite the hour. He rushed in, intent on exploring our new digs. I was shocked by what greeted us.
A short hallway led past a door into a fairly sizable living room. I could see the couch and TV from the doorway. Both were large and luxuriant. Eddie blazed past the first door on the left, and the lighter set of doors on the right. He leaped over the back of the couch, bouncing off the cusions. He was a mess of giggles.
Linda laughed, watching the happy antics of her son. I was amused, but the joy on the boy's face was something different for me compared to what Linda was experiencing. I could see small tears well in the corners of her eyes as I watched her.
I gently put a hand at the small of her back and usered her in. She sniffled a bit and walked in. We talked quietly as Eddie babbled nonstop about everything he found.
The door on the left led in to a bathroom. It had a small sink and toilet, as well as a shower stall. It was well appointed, if a bit spare in size. Everything was well lit, and the surfaces fairly shined. The counters appeared to be made from granite.
I marveled at the opulence. Perhaps the suites had been intended for VIPs, but we had been granted this one. I found myself wondering if all of the dorms and suites in the facility had the same level of luxury.
The slatted wood doors opposite the bathroom were a shallow closet, evidently for shoes and jackets. I didn'd understa
nd why anybody would be wearing a jacket inside the massive facility. Still, there were hangars for a dozen jackets provided.
The floors were carpeted. It was lush and soft, allowing almost a pillowy walk. It wasn't overwhelmingly soft or bouyant, but it was nice to walk on, especially compared to the concrete outside the suite. The walls were a quaint eggshell white of some kind. The lighting was soft.
Overall, the suite was homey, welcoming in every aspect. I could see how someone would be happy to call this home. I reflected back on the weeks of living in tents, surviving on propane cooked frozen food. I remembered always being in vaguely dirty clothing.
We continued out of the hallway, still observing everything. Eddie zipped about, endless energy as only the young have. Just to the left outside the hallway sat a small tiled nook. It had a mini fridge and a microwave situated above a small single burner range. Everything the traveler could need.
Darkness Trilogy (Book 2): Death In Darkness Page 2
