The Tellurian Threat: A Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller (The Tellurian Archives Book 1)

by Debashish Das

  The deserted room-turned-bar rang with soft laughter. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. Besides, does it make a difference?”

  “You give the job to Yuri, he passes it on to me, and I collect the payment from Yuri. That’s how the whole thing works,” Damian said looking pointedly at the bald man. “Why are we here? This isn’t normal.”

  “Neither are you,” the man said, his blue eyes drilling into him.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You weren’t the first person who tried to find the man I was looking for, but you are the first one to have succeeded. That, in itself, is surprising, considering I had never heard of you. But what amazes me is the fact that I’m sitting across from a man whose name I don’t know. And that is a first too.”

  It seemed he wanted something, but Damian had no idea as to what it might be. Better to keep quiet and wait than to walk into another trap. The man didn’t seem bothered by his silence, and it seemed to stretch out interminably. He ground his teeth, not knowing how much longer he could hold out before the tension broke him.

  The bald man finally spoke. “I could use a man with your skills. No more hunting around for contract jobs, no more eating the shit that they call food in this place. I’m offering safety and comfort.”

  I don’t have time for this. I cannot get involved. I cannot let the last few years of work go waste. I’m close, I can feel it. But there was no way he could say no and walk out of this alive. They wouldn’t kill him here, but it was inevitable. He couldn’t let that interfere with his plans. It was one variable too many to deal with. But what if… “I’m listening.”

  “I had a feeling you wouldn’t refuse,” the bald man said, smiling. “No more go-betweens, no more Yuri. We deal directly. I’ll send a man to you with what I need to be done, you deliver, and you get paid. You don’t accept jobs from anyone else, nor would anyone know that you’re working for me. I have a feeling you’re not the talkative type.”

  “No need to send the man. I can set up an encrypted channel to communicate directly. No one would even be able to tell we’re working together. Same for the transactions.”

  “I knew you were the man for the job. See, it’s working out great already.”

  He nodded. “I need a few things first. I’ll take them in exchange for the last job’s payment.”

  The bald man looked a little surprised. “That’s… unusual. But I’ll humor you. What do you need?”

  Damian took out his mobile, opened a few files, and started making a list. When he was done, he placed the mobile on the table and nodded once at the bald man. He picked up the mobile and scanned the list for a few moments.

  “You continue to astound me. Never, in all my time in this business, have I seen a list like this. I’m tempted to ask why you need these items, but I won’t. However, you should know that the value of the items on this list exceeds the payment for your last job, by a lot. But seeing as you’ll be working for me, I don’t think that should be much of an issue.” The smile still lingered on the bald man’s face while he sat in silence for several seconds. “These items, they’ll not be easy to procure. But I’ll consider this an investment, in you. You can think of it as a loan. You keep doing jobs, and you pay it back. But you have your demands, so it’s only fair that I get to make some demands too,” he said, pushing the mobile back across the table.

  He is up to something. I should have anticipated this, Damian thought, clenching his fist under the table. It was a dangerous game he was playing, and against a seasoned player, but believed it could work. A known threat is better than the unpredictable attack.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. It’s only reasonable that I protect my investment. You see, some of these items that you requested are quite dangerous, to procure and handle. So here’s what we’ll do. I’ll send some men to deliver them, but I think they should hold on to those items until you need them. It’s for your safety. Don’t worry, the men will be with you 24x7, so the moment you need those items, all you’ve to do is ask. Fair enough?”

  There was nothing to do but nod in agreement.

  “Excellent, I know we’ll do great together,” the bald man said, reaching across the table with his bottle.

  Damian picked up the near empty glass of water and clinked it against the bottle. It seemed they had a deal.

  “Cheers,” the bald man said, the same sinister smile playing on his lips when they had met last time.

  Damian threw his bag onto the bed before the door slid shut and rushed to turn down the air-conditioning. The walk back to his apartment had left him drenched in sweat, so he flung off his shirt and grabbed his jacket. It would take a few minutes for the shivering to stop. But he couldn’t stop the torrent of thoughts rushing through his head. He sat down on the bed, nursing his injured knee.

  I have to be careful. The bald man is not someone to be toyed around with. He knew he had been lucky to escape Yuri’s with his life. Showing the bald man that list had been a risky move. But it paid off, didn’t it? He wouldn’t put it past the bald man to suspect he was up to something, but he highly doubted that anyone would be able to figure out exactly what it was. Maybe that’s why he is setting those guards on me, to watch my steps, make sure that I am not a risk to him. But the guards shouldn’t be a problem if I step carefully.

  He realized that something had been bugging him since his meeting with Kyle. The sudden encounter with the bald man had driven it out of his mind, but with that thread tied up, he could focus on solving this new puzzle.

  He pulled his console out of the bag and started running a trace for Kyle’s mobile. The questions he had been asking about R&D had seemed out of place. Why would an analyst be interested in R&D? No, no, it can’t be that. He seemed more interested in finding out why I left. All that talk about ethics and morality had been too close to the truth for his comfort. He needed to find out what was going on.

  The console beeped indicating the trace program had run its course. It had turned up blank. Not good. He ran the program again, but got the same result. Something was definitely wrong, he had been able to trace Kyle’s mobile until just a couple of days ago. He opened another window and started typing commands to access the output from the ghost script he had uploaded to Kyle’s mobile. The cursor just kept blinking, and his anxiety started crawling up inside him again. Suddenly, the output data stream started flowing. He exhaled deeply with relief. Without this, everything was lost.

  But why is the trace coming up blank? My program is perfect, it can’t be the program. A thought passed through his head, a memory from a long time ago. Encryption upgrade! Fuck!

  He tossed aside the console and scrambled to switch on the monitors lined up on the desk in front of him. Positioning his chair in front of the keyboard, he started typing commands rapidly. His head snapped from one monitor to the other even as his fingers flew over the keyboard. “That’s it, that’s it,” he mumbled to himself. He knew he was getting closer to solving this puzzle. If this was what he suspected, there was no time to lose.

  Suddenly, Damian leaned back in the chair, his hands absolutely still. The buzz of the server stack mixed with the drone of the air-conditioning system was the only sound that could be heard for the next few moments. He had found what he was looking for, but didn’t know whether it was good or bad.

  Kyle’s ID encryption had indeed been upgraded. The ghost script was still transmitting data, but it was encrypted. Damian sat stunned in his chair. He recognized the code on the screen. He had written it himself. But how could it be?

  It could only mean that Kyle was not just inside R&D but inside OneTech itself. He had planned to use the ghost script on Kyle’s mobile to route his attempts to get inside OneTech’s servers, but now he didn’t even need to hack it. With Kyle’s mobile already inside the security layers, it would be like taking candy from a kid.

  Damian sat with hands poised over the keyboard. This is too much of a coincidence, too convenient, he thought to himself
. What is a data analyst doing at OT? Wait, maybe Kyle wasn’t a data analyst, and was just posing as one. No, that wasn’t possible. His ID & citizenship records were authentic. They could have been faked, though. Maybe Kyle had always been at OT, and this was a trick to draw me out. But how did he find me in the first place, no one could have even have known I was here. Besides, I contacted Kyle, not the other way around. Is he using Kyle as bait? How did he know I would take it?

  It didn’t matter, he decided. He would be able to use his ghost script to access all the data he needed. They would eventually discover his script and erase it, so he had to act before they could. But it wouldn’t matter if he got all the data he needed. He had waited for years to be able to do this. Nothing was going to stop him now. It was crucial to his plan, everything rested on this one thing, and he was running out of time.

  Things were moving faster than he had anticipated, and he had to move faster. But before he could do anything, he suddenly noticed his fingers were trembling as they hovered over the keyboard. He had been hyperventilating without noticing it.

  “No, no,” he groaned from between his chattering teeth. It had started, and would only stop after it had run its course. The physical and the mental stress had finally caught up to him. He grabbed the edge of the desk and tried to stand up, but stumbled and crashed to the ground. The tremor had reached his legs, and his injured knee hurt worse than ever. He tried to hold onto the pain as a way of staying conscious. But soon, the tremor claimed his entire body and he lay on the floor twitching and trembling.

  Chapter 12

  “You wanted to talk?” Kyle asked, stepping into the office.

  Rohan nodded. “Would you like some tea?”

  “That would be nice, thanks.”

  Rohan walked over to the corner and started brewing tea on the table. “Green or black?”

  “You have green tea!”

  “Yes, not a lot, though.”

  “I didn’t even know that you could still find green tea.” Kyle adjusted the cushion and leaned back against the wall to make himself more comfortable. With his legs spread out in front of him, sitting on the floor didn’t seem so uncomfortable.

  “There are ways to get it if you are determined enough. It’s one of the luxuries I indulge in,” Rohan said with a grimace.

  “Oh, I can’t wait to taste this green tea. I mean, everywhere they keep talking about how amazing it was and how sad it is that you can’t have it anymore.”

  Rohan laughed. “I should warn you, it doesn’t really taste that good.”

  “Well, I’ve never shied away from tasting stuff, even if I was told it would be bad.”

  “Hmmm,” Rohan said pouring the tea into cups. “What’s the worst thing you’ve tasted?”

  “There was this one time when one of my friends managed to find someone who said he could get us real Vodka. So we got together at his apartment, and he had the whole thing set up nicely. Decanter, shot glasses, the whole shebang. We gathered around the table, and he poured the Vodka into shot glasses. It looked like water, but he assured us it was the real deal. We looked at each other and decided to go for it. So we counted to three and just threw back the shot. You wouldn’t believe how horrible it was. I mean, it wasn’t just the taste, which was oily and stank of lubricants. It burned as it went down the throat and even down to the stomach.” Kyle gave his head a little shake. “It was a wonder none of us threw up.”

  “Well, I can assure you this doesn’t taste as bad,” Rohan said laughing and placing the two cups on the floor between them. “Drink it while it’s warm, it gets bitter as it cools.”

  Kyle picked up the cup, blew on it and took a tentative sip. “It’s… very different.” He took a bigger sip. “I can’t decide if it’s good or bad.”

  “Kind of like your experience at OneTech?” Rohan asked, smiling shrewdly.

  It was Kyle’s turn to laugh. “You could say that. All of this is strange to me, but the weirdest thing is this claustrophobic feeling I can’t shake off. I’ve lived in the city for so long that taking the elevator down makes me feel like I’m going deep underground. And then, the fact that we’re underwater too, makes it even worse.”

  Rohan nodded in acknowledgment. “I know how that feels. Most people just get used to it, but I have a feeling it’ll be harder for you. I guess that’s why you spend most of your time in the cafeteria.”

  Kyle smiled self-consciously. “I guess, but you did say as long as I get the work done… right?”

  “Hey, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

  Kyle looked at him for a few moments. He felt he could be open with Rohan; he just made you feel like you could talk to him. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  “You don’t act like you’re the boss but you are, right?”

  “Technically, I founded OneTech. There’s a difference.”

  “But you do run this place. Everything that happens here goes through you.”

  Rohan seemed a bit uncomfortable. “Let me put it to you this way. I’m responsible for shipping the projects we’re working on, but I can’t do it alone. I need help, and I guide the people working here to do what needs to be done. Beyond that, I just let everyone be.”

  “I was just asking because everyone seems to work independently and it doesn’t seem like there’s one person you could go to, you know, to talk about stuff.”

  “Yeah, I understand. We kind of set it up that way. Each person is the owner and the executor of the area of their work. We wanted to promote collaboration, so people would talk freely rather than creating a hierarchy.” Rohan rolled his shoulders as if working out the stiffness. “But I see where you’re going with this. You are not sure what’s going on, the work is not what you’re used to, and on top of everything else, you probably feel like you don’t know what you’re doing here.”

  Kyle took another sip of the tea. He was getting used to the taste, it felt refreshing. “I may have been wrong about you not acting like the boss. You seem to have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the workplace.”

  Rohan smiled. “I think you are overestimating my people skills. But to be honest, I was and still am paying extra attention to you, even though it may not seem like it.”

  “I’m flattered,” Kyle said, even though he was slightly confused. “But should I be concerned?”

  “No, it’s just that I know what it feels like to be in a place where you don’t feel comfortable, even though on the surface nothing seems to be wrong. I just wanted to let you know that you can… talk to me. Whatever questions you have, feel free to ask.”

  “Really, whatever I want to ask?”

  “Yes,” Rohan said in earnest. “I know this is a big change for you, probably bigger than anything you’ve gone through before. So, yes, anything.”

  “Well,” Kyle said exhaling deeply, “I’ve been through worse, but I did give up a very good position and an excellent team to come and work here. I guess my biggest question would be why? I understand what Al is and what it does, but what’s the bigger picture behind all of it?”

  Rohan sipped on his tea silently. Finally, he said, “Have you heard of the Dalton incident?”

  “Of course, everyone has.”

  “True, but do you know that it had been predicted nearly a hundred years before it happened?” Kyle shook his head, but didn’t say anything, so Rohan continued. “It was a minor paper published by a group of environmental scientists and was largely ignored by the world. In all honesty, all they had done was conjectured that something like the Dalton incident could happen. Their predictions about the scale and significance of the event were much lower than what actually happened. The interesting part is that this paper came into prominence three years after the Dalton incident.

  “There was a huge outcry at that time. People were angry about the fact that the governments had not done anything in spite of having been warned of it. The media turned that outcry into
a campaign for better environmental monitoring systems. That’s how each Subterranean Habitat ended up with its own array of monitoring systems, and we still monitor the data to this day. That’s what Exel’s Analytics department does; most of their effort is directed toward preventing another Dalton incident.”

  Kyle knew his work at Analytics had been important, but he had not known the history of it. But the way Rohan had been speaking made him feel like something was missing. “Are you saying we may be facing another incident like Dalton?”

  “Worse,” Rohan said shaking his head sadly. “The way things are, we will be caught unawares if another Dalton happens. We could be heading toward a similar incident now, and we won’t even see it coming.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. You said all the SubHabs are monitoring environmental data rigorously.”

  “They are, but independently. Each Subterranean Habitat is concerned with its immediate surrounding and its own safety. That’s where the problem lies,” Rohan said, shaking his head sadly.

  “You see, almost no one read the actual paper that predicted Dalton. Even when the media was hyping it up, the only point of concern was that it existed, not what it said. For anyone who read the paper, one thing would be abundantly clear. Getting to the conclusion took a team of seventeen scientists, from a variety of disciplines, who did their research across five continents, and had collected 12 years’ worth of data. Even then, the prediction wasn’t clear. They doubted their own research because they said they didn’t have enough data to connect the dots. Can you see the problem we’re facing now?”

  Kyle pondered on it for a moment. “So you’re saying all the SubHabs are analyzing their own data, so we have enough data. But we are not analyzing all that data together, so we’re not actually doing anything meaningful with all that data.”

  “Exactly,” Rohan said enthusiastically. “What makes this problem even more complex is the fact that each Subterranean Habitat uses their own proprietary hardware and software, there are no standards. So even if we were able to get all that data together in one database, it would be nearly impossible to derive intelligent analyses out of it.”