Torment of Tantalus

by Bard Constantine

  She finally faced the reality of his downfall when she was summoned before the review board. She was shown photographs of her father, looking unruly with a tangled beard and wildly tousled hair as he conversed and attended meetings with men and women under investigation for ties to terrorist organizations. Reports were vague, but after being detained he explained his presence as “trying to understand the truth” and not actually attempting to attach himself to terrorist cells. When the investigative board couldn’t find sufficient evidence to build a concrete case against him, he was subsequently put on a government watch list and released.

  But not before destroying his daughter’s dream of a military career. All of her time and effort spent in training, overcoming a grueling boot camp, and finally becoming a member of the Armed Services was wasted, along with her hopes of honoring her mother’s memory through service. Elena was given an honorable discharge and booted back into civilian life as though her military aspirations were a bad memory.

  Nathan continued in his offhand manner, as though unaware of the salt he rubbed in her still-tender wounds. “Fathers will always let you down, won’t they? Small wonder Chimera targeted you. They have a long history of scooping up servicemen and women with checkered pasts.”

  “My past isn’t checkered, Mr. Ryder. My father’s actions have nothing to do with me.” Her voice grew heated as she stepped closer to him. “What’s with you, anyway? You get off on pushing people’s buttons? How did you get that info anyway? Those files are supposed to be sealed.”

  “Sure. By Chimera. I have limited access to their system, which didn’t suit me well. So I made it less limited. Not my fault their firewalls are vulnerable to certain payloads.”

  “You broke into their system? That’s a complete breach of protocol, and you know it.” Elena heard her voice grow increasingly high-pitched, but couldn’t stop the rush of anger at Nathan’s smug and invasive delivery.

  “What are you going to do, report it? Get me fired?” Nathan’s smile was mocking. She knew being fired would be a celebratory day for him. He consistently maintained that Chimera was more captor than employer, something Elena had yet to see any proof of. It wasn’t unusual for a privatized corporation to keep tight surveillance on their outside contractors. Espionage was always a threat to be on alert for.

  “No. Maybe I’ll get you locked into your little office. Restrict your access to even tighter parameters. Make sure you don’t leave the room without my direct permission. How about that?”

  The door opened at the shrillest point of her explosion, admitting the surprised aide and Michael McDaniel. Both looked slightly uncomfortable, like children in front of their arguing parents. Elena bit her bottom lip, immediately guilty over her lapse of control.

  Nathan appeared perfectly cheerful, however. “Come in, Michael. Have a seat. How are you?”

  “Pretty good for a prisoner, Mr. Ryder.”

  “I told you about formalities. Call me Nathan. Or Nate, if you wish.”

  “Yeah. Ok, Nate.”

  Elena resisted rolling her eyes when Michael sat down at the table opposite Nathan. It was irritating to witness Nathan’s complete change of attitude in dealing with Michael. She knew the two connected because their mutual feelings of imprisonment and unfair treatment, which was ridiculous. Michael was in treatment for his unstable mental state which made him unsafe to be in the public, and Nathan was free to come and go as he pleased. Yet both men suffered from massive doses of paranoia and self-importance, a potent cocktail that made them oblivious to the simple truth of their positions. She would be so glad when her assignment finally ended.

  Nathan steepled his fingers and gazed across the table as if preparing for a game of chess. “Same thing, Michael. Pick any ten samples from the table and place them in the order you chose them.”

  “Again?” Michael gave a resigned shake of his head. “This is pretty boring, Nate. What’s the point, anyway?”

  “Just indulge me. I promise to explain it all when my data is complete.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Michael sighed and selected a sample. Then another. He continued in a manner that appeared completely random. Elena glanced at Nathan. As usual, he had the look of a kid waiting for his favorite cartoon to start. He sat at the edge of his seat with eyes that practically gleamed with giddy anticipation. It was as if the repetitive exercise was the most important event in the history of mankind.

  He paused and glanced at her. “I’m sorry about belittling your dad, Elena. If anyone understands father issues, it’s me. I lashed out at you when I was really stressed over my own situation. No excuses, though. Wrong is wrong.”

  He turned back to the samples before she could answer, leaving her flabbergasted from the sudden change of attitude. In that brief moment, he had actually seemed genuinely apologetic.

  She was relieved when the tap at the door gave her a chance to excuse herself from the bipolar atmosphere. She stepped out at a gesture from Sid Damon, the head of security operations. The dark-haired man might have been handsome were it not for the intensity of his face, a perfect Nazi villain profile complete with prominent cheekbones and wide, glassy eyes that tended to shimmer with barely-controlled violence.

  “Private Ruiz.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  He handed her an envelope. “You’ve been reassigned.”

  “Reassigned? Did I do something wrong, sir?”

  “No. I thought you wanted to use your skills in the field, Private. Am I misinformed?” His heated stare made it clear what her response should be.

  “No, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  “That will be all, Private.” Tucking his hands behind his back, he strode down the hall.

  Elena took a backward glance through the narrow window, where Nathan still conferred with Michael inside. She placed a hand on the door handle before pausing to wonder why her first instinct was to share the news with him. She doubted he’d care one way or the other. Probably would be glad to see the last of her.

  Tearing the envelope open, she withdrew the paper and frowned at the message. “Mr. Damon, what is—?” She stopped, realizing Damon had already turned the corner. She scanned the confusing text carefully a second time, but it still didn’t make any sense.

  What in the world is an Aberration?

  Chapter 4: Pernicious Emprise

  True to its namesake, the Hive was abuzz with scurrying movement. As the central information center for Chimera Global, it required a massive amount of severely screened personnel and security to keep it running and relatively impenetrable. The building was a tall, oblong strongbox of pierced stone that took its place on the grounds of the historic Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle. The view outside the east window of the Command Hub was of mass reconstruction. Since acquiring the site, Chimera wasted no time in upgrading and restoring the buildings. The military training facilities and on-site university would soon be up and running. Students pursuing careers in the armed forces would be recruited, trained and loyal to Chimera Global before they even set foot on a US military division.

  The opposite view was of the building’s interior. The main lobby of the Hive was sprawled out under the watchful eye of the Command Hub. Hundreds of streamlined desks and cubicles were categorically arranged, each occupied by a hardworking research assistant. They were assigned to tasks ranging from intel to surveillance, receiving imagery and messages from posts all around the world.

  Alexander Blackwell watched the flurry of activity from his vantage point. There was a harmony to the staff worker’s movements, as though they danced to a melody just outside of hearing. It was all synchronized, smooth as a well-oiled machine, reliable as clockwork.

  He focused on the chaotic scene displayed on the main console directly in front of him. Traffic completely stalled, police and emergency vehicles assisting terrified people after a brutal exchange of gunfire in the middle of a crowded intersection. Old feed, but he constantly pulled it up because it irritated him. A si
mple mission that went completely haywire because he had underestimated his quarry. That didn’t happen very often.

  “Any leads behind your completely unnecessary show of force?”

  Blackwell’s mouth twisted when he turned to face his father. Senator Blackwell’s face took up nearly the entire display screen on the main wall. He often positioned his camera too close on purpose, finding it unnerved those he wished to intimidate or rebuke. Blackwell smiled. He was far beyond such obvious tactics.

  “I don’t know what show of force you’re referring to, Senator. The tragedy that took place in San Francisco was the direct result of a rogue FBI agent transporting data stolen from AIT databases. Her attack on government-sanctioned forces resulted in an unfortunate exchange of gunfire that injured civilians, one of them critically. It definitely raises questions on the screening procedures the FBI employs. The heat is focused on them, not Chimera’s private military corporation. Thanks in no small part to your inquiry on Capitol Hill, demanding answers and accountability.”

  Senator Blackwell grunted. His thick, dark eyebrows nearly smothered his eyes when his frown deepened further. “It took months of arm-twisting and favor-collecting to clean get your name clean. This is the last time I pull your ass from the fire, Alex. You still haven’t realized cowboy tactics only get the liberals more involved in trying to make headlines by targeting gun laws and sequestering privatized military operations. And who’s got to deal with those spineless cowards? Not you, that’s for certain.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it’s terrible.” Blackwell’s hand hovered over the End button. “Anything else you need, Senator? I’m sure you have plenty to occupy yourself with other than checking up on the corporation you cut all ties with.”

  Senator Blackwell leaned closer, until the entire screen was dominated by his scowling visage. “You’re still determined to pursue this outlandish theory? Have you forgotten the financial dent you absorbed when you sent the Gorgon into the Triangle? The only prototype manned probe of its kind, designed to break all deep sea diving records, and you sent it to it to the one part of the world where things just vanish. Decades worth of time and funding—wasted. “

  “Not to mention the five specialists on board. Especially Dr. Rosen and his wife, both assets who will be hard to replace. I haven’t forgotten, Senator.”

  “All the capitol you’ve invested on this hypothetical energy source—it’s fool’s gold at best. You’ll shipwreck Chimera in a matter of months if you keep at this obsession.”

  “The face of the future is sculpted by daredevils, Senator. The timid just watch it happen. Give my regards to the President.” Blackwell allowed himself a tiny amount of satisfaction at the startled look on his father’s face when he shut down the connection.

  He glanced at the only other two people in the office. Mary Jane Kelley and Sid Damon stood as far apart from each other as the room allowed. Mary Jane was normally spirited in both her style and personality. Her hair was true red, glinting in waves to her shoulders, her face expertly touched by nude shades of makeup. Her glamorous looks were contrasted by her neatly arranged black suit and tie, stylishly cut to still appear distinctly feminine. Damon looked rumpled in comparison with his rolled-up sleeves and predator demeanor.

  He smirked. “Guess you didn’t want to share the bad news with the Senator.”

  “That we lost contact with Dr. Stein and the Tantalus? Of course not. Things are bad enough without my father trying to push his way back into Chimera affairs. And especially when a billion dollar facility completely vanishes.”

  “Not to mention the cryptic last transmission.” Mary Jane pulled up the digital message on screen. The words pulsed in red characters, abrupt and ominous.

  STAY AWAY

  Blackwell stared at the message, thoughts whirling. “We’ll figure it out, Mary Jane.”

  “How?”

  “By thinking it through.” He felt his jaw clench, and slowly relaxed before the grinding started. “We’ve sent drones in the general vicinity, but they vanish without a trace. It all goes dark, like some black hole is pulling everything in. Yet nothing registers on normal scanners. Infrared, sonar, thermal, and satellite imagery all read as normal.”

  “But not on the aberrant detector.”

  “Correct.” Blackwell picked up a tablet and flicked the image to the larger display. “The scanning technology pioneered by Nathan’s ghost hunting peers was highly modified after we purchased all rights to it. Now we’re able to harness its full potential.” All three stared at what rotated on the main screen with a shared sense of awe.

  It appeared to be a hurricane of darkness. The image was choppy and flickered as though unsure of itself. It revolved in place like a stalled typhoon, or a roiling explosion spewed from a hateful volcano. Their eyes were transfixed, unable to tear away from the screen as the view zoomed in, magnifying the bubbling cloud of unknown origin.

  Mary Jane broke the silence. “It was a mistake to send your people out there. You had no idea what they would be facing. You sent them there to die.”

  “They chose to go.” Blackwell’s gaze was locked onto the display. “No one was forced. They knew the risks. And so do I.”

  “You’re not seriously considering sending more personnel out there, are you? After everything we’ve already lost?”

  “I am, and I will. I’ve invested too much into this venture to tuck tail because we hit choppy waters. Fortune favors the bold, Dr. Kelley. Not the cowardly.”

  “Do you hear yourself? You really think spouting clichéd quotes can somehow justify the fact that your own people are dying? You should have taken Michael McDaniel’s testimony more seriously. What if everything he said was true? What if you somehow opened a portal to some hellish dimension and unleashed God knows what into the world?”

  Blackwell whirled around so viciously that Mary Jane took a startled step backward. He felt the fury that radiated from his face. So much like his father’s. He tried so hard to contain it, but it was always there. Lurking. Waiting to be unleashed.

  “So what if I have? These events, these Aberrations as Nathan Ryder calls them, have been occurring on our planet for ages if his information is correct. No one else has even come close to discovering what they are, why they occur. No one but me. You think they’ll stop happening if I cut my losses and retreat? No, Dr. Kelley. Not a chance. We’re being invaded by forces we don’t even understand. Don’t kid yourself. This is a war we’re fighting. Right now I’m the only one equipped to fight back. I won’t be the one who lost our world. I will be the one who saves it.”

  His chest heaved with the release of adrenaline from the explosion. He hadn’t meant to reveal so much, but it felt so good to finally utter those words. He watched the realization dawn on Mary Jane’s face.

  “So, this obsession with harnessing the aberrant energy source is just a facade? You’re really planning on stopping that thing?”

  “The theoretical energy research is a red herring to keep my father chasing his tail. I’m far past that shortsighted goal now. Our situation is actually much more catastrophic.” He returned his gaze to the screen, where the boiling mass churned like a cloud of Biblical locusts, ready to devour the world. “The readings indicate the phenomenon is growing. Its mass has increased by .2 percent since the scanners first discovered it. At its current rate of growth it will have reached the Bahamas in six months. In eight months, it will have made landfall on the coast of Miami. I don’t have to tell you what that will mean if we haven’t found a way to stop it by then.”

  “Then you need help. You shouldn’t be playing lone wolf here, Alex. Alert the White House. The full resources of the government should be levied at this.”

  “Right. Because our government has a great track record of reacting in time to prevent catastrophes. You know how they operate: Independent studies—delays. Expert analysis—delays. Congressional hearings—delays. Private meetings between power brokers—delays. Committee meetings with UN r
epresentatives—delays, delays, delays. The US doesn’t anticipate, Mary Jane. It reacts. You know this. But by the time they react to this—”

  “It’ll be too late. I understand. But I still suggest you lay a foundation for support, even if you choose to move ahead. Chimera has many friends—and investments, in Washington, including your father, to say the least. You should call in all favors.”

  “My people are pursuing all avenues available. In the meantime we will assemble an elite team for a rescue mission. I don’t mean to let our people die out there. Dr. Stein is one of the last pioneering geniuses left alive, especially since we lost Dr. Rosen on the Gorgon mission. That makes Stein and his team all the more valuable, and I’m going to get them back.”

  Mary Jane shook her head. “I don’t see the point of blindly venturing into a probable disaster. You might be able to get a reading of this aberrant cloud, but it’s still hundreds of square miles in size. Zeroing in on the exact position of the Tantalus has proved to be futile so far. It’s either been moved or completely wiped off the map. Either option seems impossible, but we seem to be leaving reality behind the further we investigate this thing.”

  “I might have to lay all of our cards on the table, Dr. Kelley. After all, I have an available asset who has proven he can flawlessly identify aberrant readings.”

  She eyed him askance. “You’d seriously consider using Michael McDaniel as a member of your team? The man is under psychiatric evaluation.”

  “But we know he isn’t insane. Severely traumatized, but that’s nothing properly prescribed medication can’t pacify. The fact remains that Nathan’s studies prove Michael is either biologically or mentally attuned to debris from Aberration sites, no matter the age of the sample. I’m willing to bet he can sense the nearness of an Aberration, which means he can probably guide us to our missing facility, and Dr. Stein.”