Dark Horizon: PORT 101 - Book One

by J. A. Parrish

  Chronyte levels are returning to safe levels, dropping containment field. You may approach, said Julius.

  As Herb wiped the blood away from the wound, a wound that only moments ago had stopped just short of the bone. Herb was overcome by amazement and terror. The cut was completely healed, except for a small scar above the ankle.

  Alex opened his eyes and sat up on the table.

  Chapter 11, Effect

  Cadet Dirk Smithy had been on the force for 3 days, 13 hrs. 11 minutes. He still got a chill every-time he stepped through the station door. Everyday held the promise of a new case, a new adventure, a chance to show his father that he was more than a well funded security guard. It probably would have been easy to prove it, if anything good ever happened. It had been years since anything more than a noise complaint had crossed the Sgt.'s desk. These days, it was mostly noise complaints and domestic disputes over landing pads and airspace.

  In spite of the routine nature of police work, Dirk knew that something was about to happen. He felt it in his gut. If the ominous swirl over the coast wasn't a sign, he didn't know what could be. From the moment that he'd rolled out of bed, Dirk knew that today would be the day. Unlike everyday since his first day on the force, Dirk woke up with dry mouth. His head ached, but not where it usually had. It felt deep, like a faint memory crammed somewhere between where he'd buried his lunch-box time capsule and the code word that his brother had used when he wanted to sneak a girl out of the house before mom and dad woke up.

  As Dirk entered the station, toting his daily load of coffee and donuts, nothing appeared to have changed. Sgt. Perkins sat dozing behind the reception desk, slipping from one elbow to the other. Dirk bellowed a cheerful good-morning, stirring Perkins enough to hand him his Half Calf, Double Coco Moo and a scone. Perkins dipped, bit, smiled, switched elbows, and dozed off.

  The squad room was mostly empty. Most of the detectives had gone hiking, so a few desk jockeys and a few seasoned flat foots milled around the coffee counter waiting for Dirk to make his delivery. Even before he could start his cheerful salutation a half dozen hands descended upon his load. Dirk dropped the coffee onto the lounge counter and retreated to his cubical. Just another day, he groaned. Turning to the in and out baskets on his desk, Dirk began to sort stamp and sign his way into another ordinary day.

  The day was dragging by, but Dirk had somehow managed to stay conscious long enough to get every report into the out pile. After lunch, he'd dive into the wonderful world of digi-copying and filing, but now, he was ready for a little food and fresh air. As usual, the station had emptied out except for Dirk, Perkins, and the old new guy, Neil. Perkins was still dozing, but his scone was gone and his Half Calf had become today's pencil holder. Neil usually skipped lunch, but today he'd setup a little picnic at his desk. Dirk guessed that Neil had already copied and filed, because Neil usual freaked if you walked too close to his desk when he had files on hand and he never ate at his desk. But like Dirk thought, today was different, at least for Neil anyway.

  Dirk swept by Neil, as Neil spread a linen napkin across his waste. Dirk chuckled and shook his head. As Dirk headed for the door, he yelled, "back in a few." Perkins sat up, winked, smiled, and sank down onto his other elbow. Stepping onto the sidewalk, Dirk felt a stillness he hadn't felt before. People on the street still went about their business, but they seemed to move with an ere of caution. The sidewalks were lined with lunch comers and goers. Cheerful cliques huddled, clumped, and lined the streets. They contracted and expanded as catastrophic clique collisions were averted. Despite the wax and wane of office gossip and friendly banter, the stillness seemed to grow. Dirk shook it off and kept walking. His favorite deli, "Grub 'N Stuff" was about a half block away. Dirk could see the line just inside the door, from the station. The line looked shorter than usual. Maybe they're out of Mahi, Dirk thought. Dirk shrugged and headed for 'Grub 'N Stuff. The smell of the grill filled his nostrils. Dirk never ate the stuff, but those rice burgers smelled out of this world. Dirk had given up most veggies years ago. Everything you needed had been sequenced into the Stem farming process anyway. Dirk was almost a carnitarian, but he loved broccoli too much to give it up entirely. Besides, it went great with Stem Fish and lemon.

  Feeling chipper after a nice Stem Steak and steamed broccoli, Dirk made his way to the door. As he reached for the handle, the door flew open, slamming against the wall with a klunk. The glass at its center clicked, as a trail of cracks emerged from within. Dirk grabbed the door, steading it, before it could swing back and shatter into a shower of glass.

  In the streets, leaves swirled upwards, whipping around in autumnal funnels. People scattered, running for doorways, cars, and hollows. Cars shook, resisting the winds persistent pleas to topple over. Dirk thought that he'd heard screams, but he couldn't tell over the rushing wind. Suddenly, the wind stopped. Leaves fluttered to the ground, confetti-d caricatures of fallen leaves. People spoke, but there was no sound. Dirk gestured for them to remain calm, as he stepped outside. The door swung open, slipping from his hands. It struck the wall again and its glass exploded onto the sidewalk next to Dirk, who took no notice. He'd wondered if they'd all gone deaf, because not a sound could be heard. People peered out into the street, first studying Dirk, but then following his gaze to the sky.

  The sky had become an ominous grey-blue, almost glowing. To the south, along the coast, the grey-blue seemed to trail off into a great swirl that hung just below the horizon. Slowly, windows, doorways, and sidewalks were lined with people, gazing into the southern sky. Again, the wind began to rise, breaking what had become a maddening silence. Murmurs of relief resonated through the streets, but as the rushing wind became a roar, a wave of panic washed over them all. Dirk could feel a pounding in his head. It wasn't painful yet, but he could feel it growing. Some of the onlookers started to scream, while others fell to their knees and tumbled into the fetal position, with their hands grasping their heads. Dirk was in pain, but he managed to stay on his feet.

  Suddenly, a thunderous crash broke through the roaring wind. Flickering points of blue light hovered, swirled, and blinked all around. Some receded into nothingness, while others grew and started to take shape. Grey-Blue blobs wavered into grey-blue silhouettes. Some knelt and appeared to be praying, while others flailed and kicked, as if under physical attack. Others merely clutched at their silhouetted heads.

  While some shrunk away from the glowing phantoms, Dirk peered wide eyed into the glow of the phantom before him. He was almost certain that it was a woman. The pounding in his head had begun to overwhelm him. With each passing moment, it became increasingly difficult for him to stand, so he sat down on the curb, still studying the grey-blue phantom in front of him. His vision had begun to blur, but by then he was sure that it was a woman.

  As suddenly as it had appeared, the swirl fell away to the west. The pounding in his head had receded to a stinging hum. The grey-blue phantoms started to flicker. They were no longer flailing or clutching their heads. Some were reaching out and some of the onlookers were reaching back. Dirk's phantom seemed to be returning his gaze. Dirk tried to stand, but he was still dazed from the pounding. He found himself stumbling backwards, but not onto the pavement. A pair of ghostly, glowing limbs were wrapped around him. Looking down at the arms, they solidified. Gently, the arms lowered him down. Peering up, Dirk saw long amber hair, gentle brown eyes, and soft pouty lips smiling at him.

  Sgt. Perkins burst out of the station and shouted at the top of his lungs. "What the hell was that?" Dirk smiled, looking at the woman, and said "thank you." The former phantom smiled and said, "sure, but can you tell me what just happened?" Dirk shrugged. Still smiling, he sat up and said, "Something different."

  Chapter 12, Heinlein One

  Simmons didn't know what to make of the sound he'd heard in Herb's voice. He'd tried to cover it, but Simmons had heard something that he'd never e
xpected to hear in Herb's voice. Fear... And the look on his face was perplexing, innocence with a touch of panic. It wasn't really anything about his face that got to Simmons, it was more about what he'd seen in Herb's eyes. Whenever Herb was on the verge of his next miracle of science or whenever he had to save the world from impending doom, Herb always had a sort of glow about him. But now, that glow was more like a furnace. His eyes had been mad, fierce, and damned near horrific. Simmons had seen a similar look once, but that was back when he was still a grunt.

  Private Avery Simmons unfastened his restraints and stood up, bumping his head on the cabin ceiling.

  With all of this technology and research, they can't figure out how to give us a little headroom, he said, rubbing the back of his head.

  Private Simmons didn't really mind a little bump on the head, but the idea of spending his first day at a new post, in the infirmary, wasn't the first impression that he wanted to give his new C.O. Pressurizing his suit, Simmons entered the airlock and realized that he couldn't remember being told the name of his new CO. Closing the cabin door, a hiss and a click emanated from its edges. The red light above the hatch switched to green. A female voice bellowed in his ears.

  Cabin door secure. Proceed to external hatch. Disengage safeties to exit the craft.

  With a ssssss....crackle, click... the voice fell silent. Making one final check, Simmons flipped up the safety. For a moment, he thought that he'd done something wrong, because nothing happened. Just as he was about to flip the switch again, the bellowed in his ears once again.

  Safeties Off... De-pressurizing airlock. Please Stand By...

  Simmons felt a little unsteady, as the air rushed out of the room with a hiss. Just as the hiss subsided, a green light blinked above the outer hatch as Simmons felt a slight clunk, just before the outer hatch slid open. He'd already felt the change in the airlock, but once he took his first step out of the ship, he could really feel the difference. It wasn't 0 G or as restrictive as being under water. He felt like jumping, just to see how high he'd go, he'd seen enough bad movies to know that it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.

  A fish tank at NASA was one thing, but this was it, the real thing, Heinlein One. He was on the moon.

  He'd streamed video of the place, but being there was better than he'd imagined. The base was massive. Most of it was labs and living quarters, surrounded by eight landing pads. On his initial approach, Simmons had seen several buildings, set out a great distance from the base, but saw no visible system of transport to them. He assumed that they were probably generators or test facilities of some kind. They were big, but the main facility was enormous. Emerging from an airlock in the main facility, two soldiers approached Simmons with caution. One held a stun rifle. The other was holding a stun pistol and data pad. Simmons saluted and stated his designation and assignment.

  Private Avery Simmons, reporting for duty at Heinlein One, sir!

  The two soldiers looked at Simmons, then at each other. Suddenly, Simmons heard a snort and then laughter, as the two solders clutched their stomachs. Simmons still saluted. The soldiers approached, still laughing and directed him to the airlock. Simmons' hand slowly slipped to his side and he entered the open doorway. Much larger, with no shortage of headroom, the base's airlock door closed. A red light, lining the ceiling's edge faded to green, as a voice calmly welcomed him.

  "Welcome to Heinlein One, Private Avery Simmons."

  The inflection in the voice was warm and inviting, but Simmons knew that it had to be the new A.I. he'd read about in his mission briefs. Once again, Simmons felt the click clunk vibration as the door sealed itself. The voice spoke again.

  "Pressurizing airlock... This will only take a few seconds."

  Simmons felt his stomach contract as the air rushed into the airlock. The two soldiers leaned against the wall near the inner door. Suddenly, the one to the right of the door, stood and motioned for Simmons to approach, so Simmons did. Startling him, the voice returned.

  "Pressure restored. Safeties engaged. Feel free to remove your helmets. Sorry about the delay. One of the secondary pressure systems was blocked."

  The green light lining the ceiling turned blue as the inner door hissed and clicked, sliding open. The door opened onto an inner chamber lined with hooks, lockers, and environment suits. To the left and right, double doors capped the hallways leading into the main facility.

  As they entered, Simmons and his hosts removed their helmets. Simmons tried not to, but he smiled.

  The air was sweet and dry, not like the metallic sterility of an EV suit. He knew that it wasn't fresh air. More than likely, it was probably something of the recycled or purified variety. He wasn't sure, but he could swear that he could smell the aroma of chocolate chip cookies and baked bread, which made his smile broaden even more. Primarily, Simmons was just happy to be in a room with high ceilings, at least one with ceilings higher than his head.

  The room was seamless, except for the doorways. The walls were a semi-glossy aluminum shade, with a hint of blue. Simmons had read about the basic specifications, but he hadn't realized how basic those descriptions had been. What he was seeing was far beyond basic. His shuttle was mostly plastic, composites, and ceramics. Heinlein One was a marvel. He could only guess at what materials he was seeing. His companions chatted away, as they stripped off their EV suits and found empty hooks and lockers for them. Simmons did the same. As he undressed, he became suddenly aware that they were not soldiers.

  One of them was a young woman, probably not much older than his older sister. She had to be at least 5'7, with a sporty build, long dark amber hair, and olive skin. The other was about her height, but younger. Probably my age, Simmons thought. The young man's hair was short, straight, and dyed a pale blonde shade. If not for is haircut and eyeglasses, he would have looked much older. Their appearance didn't give them away, it was what they said. Grunts talk about their C.O., what the cook is serving for lunch, and the letter from the girl back home. These two, they said things like trans-dimensional migration, molecular coherence, chronometric convergence, and things about strings and time.

  As soon as they saw Simmons watching them, they looked at each other, nodded and walked over to him. All dressed in their space skivvies, introductions were made. The women reached out to shake Simmons' hand. Simmons took her hand and shook. Hot for an egghead, Simmons thought, as he introduced himself.

  Hello...

  I'm Simmons, Avery Simmons.

  She smiled and cupped her free hand over his. It’s nice to meet you, Avery. I'm Sonya and this brilliant young man is Herbert, she said.

  Herbert clasped Avery's hand and shook. Sorry about our reaction outside. We usually aren't so formal up here, so when you saluted like that, we kind of lost it.

  No problem, said Avery. I'm a little surprised too. I expected more of a military reception.

  Sonya and Herbert smiled at him and chuckled. I guess they didn't tell you, said Sonya. Tell me what? Avery asked, eying them nervously.

  Even though Herbert and I are technically military, you were brought up here to be our military liaison and chief of security. They didn't like the fact that we chose you, but you fit our requirements and theirs, so they agreed.

  What requirements, asked Avery?

  Well, first of all, Sonya said, you had to be up to the trip. Second, you had to be military. Third, you had to be a munitions expert with knowledge of structural engineering. Most important of all, you had to be a thinker, not one of those mindless attack dogs.

  Like I said, we're scientists first. We're smart enough to know the limits, but that doesn't mean that we succumb to them. That's why you're here. We'll unravel the secrets of the universe, while you keep us from blowing it, and us, up.

  For a moment, Avery just looked at them. Sonya and Herb looked at him expectantly. He was pretty sure that they were out of their minds, but he knew t
hat this could be a major career opportunity, if he decided to be a lifer. After all, how tough was it going to be to keep a handful of techno geeks from killing themselves? It’s not like their trying to blow up.

  Sonya took Avery's hand. Well, what do you think? We won't order you to do this. If you want something a little more militant, we'll just tell them that we changed our minds, but we'd hate to go through this again.

  Herbert stepped forward, putting his arm around Sonya's shoulders. At least give it a shot, said Herbert. As security head, you'll have the finally word in matters of personal and general security. Regardless of rank, your word on security matters will be final.

  Avery smiled. Sonya squeezed his hand. Excellent, said Herbert. Let's get you inside and you can meet the rest of the team. Once Avery had finished stripping off his EV suit, the trio entered the station.

  Like the airlock and inner chamber, the facility walls were a cool metallic blue, passing from ceiling to wall with no visible seam or corner. At the first intersection, they took a left.

  Once you meet the rest of the team, we'll get you settled in the barracks, said Sonya, gesturing toward the opening to the right of the intersection. Sonya locked her arm around Avery's leading him down the hallway.