The Black: Arrival

by Paul E. Cooley

  But first, they had to get the distillation tank washed as well as the other glassware. Between her, Marie, and Jay, the lab was usually spotless after every test. But she had to admit that Marie was the OCD member of the trio. Any spec or stain was enough to drive her into a whirlwind of frenetic action. Provided, of course, she wasn’t watching, prepping, or analyzing an experiment.

  And instead of helping Jay and Kate, Marie was possibly dying somewhere in an ER. Her lip quivered. Kate took a deep breath and suddenly wished she could take off her helmet and wipe away the tear squeezing from her eye.

  “You okay?” Jay asked.

  Kate’s voice came out in a croak. “Yes.”

  Jay had gathered all the equipment that had been in contact with M2. A pile of the stuff sat beside the chemical sink. He picked up the tray they’d used for the inspection of the boiled M2 and then stopped. “Um. Kate?”

  She broke out of her fugue and walked to the sink. “What is it now?”

  Jay stepped back from the sink. “I think we may have a problem.”

  She stood next to him and followed his gaze. A beaker sat in the sink. It was completely clean. But that’s not what Jay was staring at. The sink was made of stainless steel, but it was nicked and marked by years of abuse from toluene and other cleaning fluids. The metal was dull and in need of a good polish. Except for the amorphous shape leading from the beaker to the drain.

  “What the hell did that?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  Jay cleared his throat. “You think maybe Marie poured M2 into the sink before we went on break the first time?”

  Did she? Sounded like something she would do. Kate tried to remember, but it seemed like that had happened a thousand years ago.

  “I, um, don’t know, Jay.”

  He pointed at the shape. “I’ve seen that before.” He shivered and his breath huffed into the mic.

  Kate scrunched her eyebrows. “Where?”

  Jay gulped. “In the secure area. Where I found the lid.” He turned to her. His eyes twinkled with manic energy. “There was a tiny drop of M2 on the shelf. I tried to scoop it up using some plastic, but it melted it.”

  “Right. You told me that.”

  “What I didn’t tell you,” Jay said, “is that when I turned back to get the lid, the drop seemed a little bigger. And I think it moved.”

  “Moved?” Another shiver dripped down her spine. “How could it move?”

  He shrugged. “I said it seemed to. I don’t know that it did. But there was a, well, a polished shape next to it. Like it had eaten through all the shit staining the steel.”

  Kate slowly turned and stared back down into the sink. There was no sign of any M2, but she could see her own reflection in the shining area of metal. “I don’t get it,” she said at last. “They bring this shit up from below the ocean floor and it looks like oil. But it’s obviously not.” She looked at the equipment piled next to the sink. She frowned. “Jay?”

  “Yeah?”

  Her face paled. “Um, where’s the M2?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  She gestured to the various instruments. “I don’t see any traces of the oil. None.”

  He clucked his tongue. His faceplate fogged. “Maybe it slid out like it did when we put it in the waste. It all moves together, or not at all.”

  “Huh?” she asked.

  Jay rolled his eyes. “What I mean is that the stuff sort of, well, attracts itself. The molecules must bond in some way. Like glycerine. It moves like a liquid, acts like a liquid, but has some kind of, I don’t know, magnetism to itself?”

  She thought for a moment. “So that’s why it wouldn’t come out of the beaker easily? When you put it into the waste?”

  He nodded. “I think so.”

  Biting her lip, she stared back into the sink. “We need to drench this with toluene. Now.”

  “Right,” Jay said. “Breaks up normal heavy hydrocarbons. Might work on this shit too.”

  “We hope.”

  Jay leaned forward and turned on the tap marked with a “T.” If not for the faceplate and hood, their noses would have burned from the gasoline-like stench of the liquid. Toluene, in conjunction with other solvents, poured out of the faucet and bathed the sink. More importantly, they went down the drain and into a waste tank. Although the solvents could destroy small amounts of hydrocarbons, it wasn’t enough to handle large quantities. Neither chemist heard the sizzling sound as the chemicals streamed into the drain.

  They quickly washed and drained the Pyrex and instruments. When they’d finally exhausted the pile, except for the tray containing the boiled black, they glanced at one another.

  “What do we do with the solids?” Jay asked.

  Solids. Phase change. Kate thought for a moment and then grinned. “We can perform an experiment.”

  “Experiment? What kind of experiment?” Jay asked.

  “How much M2 do we have left?” Kate pointed to the spigot.

  He shrugged. “Probably somewhere around 12 liters. Why?”

  She clasped her hands at her waist. “We have M2 in solid. We have M2 in liquid.”

  “Uh, I already don’t like where this is going,” he said. “I don’t want any more shit out of the barrel than necessary.”

  “Agreed,” Kate said. “But follow my logic. We clean the tray with toluene and see how it reacts. If it does, then we take a sample of the liquid and try the same.”

  Jay licked his lips. “You want to experiment on this crap when we don’t even know what it does?”

  “Science hates cowards,” she said.

  “And hell loves fools.” Jay clucked his tongue and then nodded. “Okay. So how do you want to do this?”

  “Let’s take a small sample of the solid, put it in a clean beaker, and then pour the solvent into it.” The terror, fear, and worry she’d felt earlier was gone. Instead, her stomach churned with excitement. “After that, we set up the fluoroscopy and NMR tests. And while they’re running,” she pointed at the sample spigot on the wall, “we do the same test with the pure M2.”

  Jay stared up at the ceiling. For a moment, she was certain he was going to say no and call her crazy. When he finally smiled, his eyes were more manic than ever. “Brilliance. That's all I can say, sheer unadulterated brilliance.” The words came out as Wile E. Coyote.

  “Then let’s do this,” Kate said.

  He grasped the edge of the tray and placed it in the sink. The corner of the metal clanged. The remains of the hook section crumbled. Kate and Jay exchanged a glance. “Fragile.”

  “No shit,” Kate said. “Turn on the tap and stand the hell back.”

  Jay nodded to her, took in a deep breath, and turned the tap. The solvent solution rushed out of the faucet and consumed the remains of the boiled M2. When the toluene covered the layers of sediment, Jay killed the solvent flow and stepped back.

  Kate sucked in a breath as the lab filled with the sound of frying bacon. A cloud of steam rose from the sink as the toluene dissolved the particles. The sizzling sound faded and then disappeared. The vapor dissipated. They exchanged another look and then Kate peered over the sink’s edge.

  The tray was empty save for the toluene. There was no sign of the M2 solids. Kate frowned. “What the hell?”

  Jay joined her, looked in the sink, and then chuckled. “Well, that’s not what I expected.”

  “It catalyzed it.”

  He nodded. “Or something akin to that. But there should still be some remnant of it.”

  “Not if it dissolved. I mean,” she licked her lips, “that cloud of steam? That was heat, Jay. It reacted pretty violently.”

  “That worries me,” he said. “If it reacted that way to, um, the boiled M2, what’s the liquid going to do?”

  She sighed. “Good question. I think we need to answer it. But first, I want to set up the other tests.”

  “Okay,” Jay said. He looked up at the clock on the wall. “Jesus. It’s late.
”

  Kate nodded. “Yes it is. And we haven’t had a break in a long time. Do you want to take one?”

  He shook his head. “No. We can have the samples ready for testing pretty fast. Once the NMR starts, we’ll have time. Plus, the fluoroscopy shouldn’t take long. The NMR won’t require any supervision. We can get some coffee or take a nap. I’ll set up the NMR to alert us when it’s ready.”

  “Fair enough,” she said. “Then let’s get it done. I need a nap.”

  *****

  The comfy chair wasn’t so comfortable anymore. Ever since Darren had left with Marie and the ambulance, his stomach had been turning cartwheels. Mike’s eyes were closed, but all he kept seeing in his head were flashing lights.

  He had to call Simpson. He had to call him and tell him that HAL couldn’t possibly get the analysis done in time. They were down a chemist and he’d no doubt Jay and Kate were less than focused on the task at hand. And he had to admit—he didn’t blame them.

  From what Darren said, she probably wouldn’t survive the night. Darren, normally unflappable and always in control, had barely been capable of coherent speech. Whatever had infected Marie had put her into some kind of coma. Darren said he’d seen blood on the sheets in the mother’s room.

  After getting off the phone with Darren and Kate, he’d looked up the symptoms for hemorrhagic fever and dozens of other nasty illnesses. None had the rapid incubation time this had shown. Whatever had infected her was faster than anything he could find on the web.

  What the hell did your people do, Simpson? What the hell did you bring up?

  The phone buzzed. Mike opened his eyes and stared at the LCD caller-id strip. The word “UNKNOWN” blinked at him. He didn’t want to answer it, but he had to. It could be Darren calling from the hospital. Or the hospital itself.

  It buzzed again. Mike let out a sigh and leaned forward in his chair. The leather creaked on well-worn springs. He lifted the plastic receiver and strangled the buzzing sound.

  “Mike Beaudry,” he said into the phone.

  There was a pause. “Mr. Beaudry. This is Doctor Hutchins from the Houston Center for Disease Control.”

  He sat rigid in the chair. “Ok. Can I help you?”

  “We haven’t confirmed it yet, but we believe your facility was the origin point for an extremely hazardous bio-contaminant.”

  Mike closed his eyes. “What kind?”

  Pause. “We don’t know. We are continuing to treat your employee, Ms. Marie Krieger, and would appreciate your cooperation in the meantime.”

  “What do you mean cooperation?” Mike’s skin prickled.

  “The CDC is sending a team to inspect your lab. We ask that you allow no one in or out of the facility until we have time to investigate the pathogen as well as ensure no one else from HAL has been infected. Do you understand?”

  No one in, or out. “You’re putting us under quarantine.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes, sir. That is correct.”

  Mike tapped his finger on the desk. “Doctor Hutchins, how do I know all this is on the up and up? How do I know you are who you say you are?”

  Another pause. “Mr. Beaudry, do you have access to a computer?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then lookup the number for the CDC. Call it. Ask to be transferred to Houston and ask for me. Until then, please allow no one in or out of the facility. Our team should be there in the next twenty minutes.”

  Mike nodded. The acid in his stomach boiled over into his throat. He loosed a bile-tasting belch and sighed. “Okay, Doctor Hutchins. I’ll put the facility in lock down. Expect a call from me shortly to verify your identity.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Beaudry. Please alert your staff to stay clear of the, um, barrel of oil. It is vitally important they not come into contact.”

  Mike nodded. “I will, Doctor Hutchins. I’ll call you in a few moments.”

  “I look forward to it.” The line went dead.

  *****

  The SEM whined as it continued to scan. Neil sat in front of the monitor and watched as the computer generated a picture line by line. With each passing nano-second, the SEM bombarded the sample with lines of electrons. The “optics” registered the brief illumination of the sample and translated them into hi-definition pixels.

  With the sample safely in the SEM, they’d decided to take off their suits. Until they had to manually handle M2, there was little point in getting hot and sweaty and wasting any more of the lab’s O2 supply.

  Neil tapped his fingers on the table’s edge. “Bill?” He swiveled in his chair and stared across the room. Bill was at his own computer, no doubt watching porn. “Bill!”

  The bio-chemist groaned and then turned around. “What do you want? The scan done yet?”

  “Um, no,” Neil said. “And that’s the problem. Come here.”

  Bill loosed an epic sigh and rose from his chair. The crackle of old bones echoed in the lab as he flexed his knees. “Too old for this shit.”

  “Right,” Neil chuckled. “Stop bitching and take a look at this.”

  “Okay, okay.” Bill walked until he was behind Neil. “What the—” He pulled his glasses from the front of his lab coat and put them on. His bushy, grey eyebrows scrunched together. “That’s not right.”

  Neil hissed through his teeth. “No shit.”

  The screen’s edges were filled with grey. The water molecules were clearly visible. That was, until the computer started to render the center of the emulsion. The screen should have been displaying molecules of M2. Instead? Black. Nothing but black.

  Neil smacked the table’s edge. “So what the hell does it mean?”

  Bill shrugged. “No clue. I’ll have to go look at the operating manual. But I’ve never even heard of something like this.”

  Neil nodded. “Maybe what we should—”

  The phone on the wall buzzed. The two men exchanged a glance. Bill sighed again and walked to it. He caught it on the third ring. “Lab. This is Bill.” Neil watched the man’s displeased frown disintegrate into confusion. “Okay, Mike.” He stabbed a button on the phone and the intercom went live. “You there?”

  “Neil?”

  The head of the bio-lab looked up at the speaker on the wall. “Yeah, Mike? What’s up?”

  “We have a bit of a problem. Marie was infected by something in the chem-lab. Or rather, may have been.”

  “Jay told us,” Neil said. “She doing any better?” There was a pause. He and Bill exchanged a glance. “Mike?” Neil asked.

  “I don’t have an exact status on her condition, but from what the CDC said, I don’t think so.”

  “Shit,” Bill said.

  “Shit is right,” Mike continued. “Jay said you two are running tests on the PPE sample”

  “That’s correct. But—”

  “Then stop. Now. The CDC has asked we quarantine anyone who has been exposed to the PPE sample. They’re afraid the contagion will spread.”

  Bill and Neil exchanged another glance. Neil cleared his throat. “Okay. We’ll, um, leave it where it is. Not much luck anyway.”

  “Good. One more thing. You have to stay in the lab.”

  Bill frowned. “What? What do you mean stay in the lab? We’ve been in here for—”

  “The CDC is sending in a team. They want to make sure the labs are kept in lockdown and any and all staff that have been exposed remain there.”

  Neil shook his head. “Mike, we’ve got nothing down here. No restrooms, no water, no food—”

  “Look, Neil, they’ll be here soon. If they find us breaking quarantine, it might get a lot worse. Stay put. Please.”

  It was the “please” that struck Neil. Mike sounded scared. Neil turned to the finished SEM picture. The sample was black. No other color. No other details. Just black. “Okay, Mike. Understood. And we’ll stay away from this shit.”

  “Good. I’ll give you an update as soon as I get one. Stay safe.” The speaker squawked and then buzzed with the sound of
a dead line.

  Bill turned off the speakerphone. The lab descended into silence save for the gentle, nearly inaudible whoosh of the A/C.

  Neil chewed his lip. “Now what do we do.”

  “I don’t know, but—” Bill broke off. His eyes stared at the glass wall separating the bio-lab from the chem-lab. Color drained from his face. He raised a gnarled finger.

  “What?”

  Bill didn’t answer, but his body started to shake.

  Neil rose from his chair and looked into the other lab. His blood turned cold. “Jesus Christ! What the fuck is that?”

  *****

  Just approaching the sample delivery system was enough to make his stomach flutter. They needed two samples, one for each test. The NMR didn’t require a lot. Just 50 ml. The fluoroscopy? A liter. Another goddamned liter of M2 out of the barrel and into the lab. While Kate prepped the NMR for the scans, his job was to gather the samples. Approaching the faucet, he was beginning to have second thoughts.

  What if he spilled that shit? Would his suit protect him? Or would it melt through and turn his skin into vapor while it sizzled through his bones?

  He shook off the thought. He grabbed two of the largest beakers from the wall. Each would hold 2 liters of liquid. For the fluoroscopy sample, it was acceptable. For the NMR? It was absolute overkill. Coward, a voice said in his mind. Afraid of a little hydrocarbon.

  “Fuck off,” he whispered. He glanced at the NMR station. Kate hadn’t noticed his words. Jay sighed. He put one of the beakers next to the dispensing station. The other? It was shaking in his hands. He gritted his teeth and typed in the amount of liquid he needed. The crimson digital display flashed 50ml. He placed the beaker beneath the spigot and moved his index finger to just above the “dispense” button.

  Images raced in his mind. A rushing river of black that ate light and everything in its path; tentacles with hooks that slashed and destroyed anything they touched; the crackle of dissolving bones and burning fabric. Jay closed his eyes and shook away the horror film rolling through his imagination.

  Imagination. That all that it is, Jay. Get over it. He stabbed the button.

  The vacuum growled as it sucked the viscous fluid through the metal and glass tubes. Air burst from the spigot and then M2 began to flow. Jay stood at arm’s length, the beaker cradled in his hands. The impossibly dark liquid plopped into the beaker’s base. Before he knew it, the vacuum pump shut off and the controller beeped. A final drop of M2 blooped into the tiny pool at the beaker’s bottom.