FLOOR 21

by Jason Luthor

  Polar North, for the pleasure of the council, is a large region in the northern tower, so-called because it is frozen behind a wall of Creep so dense that you’d never be able to safely burn your way through. Our current estimation is that Polar North extends from Floor 28 down to at least Floor 45 and likely farther. It is the single, largest, and most dense infestation of Creep in the Tower that we are aware of.

  Saying you want to break into Polar North is like setting off on a legendary quest. It’s an almost mythical accomplishment by Scavenger standards.

  Still, I trust Mike, and even if things don’t pay off, I know there’s an elevator access shaft that we can use to head farther down into the tower. If his plan doesn’t work, of course. So, finally, I give him the nod. “Sure, Mike,” I tell him. “Let’s go check it out.”

  So we march. By Floor 30 you’re talking about having to be careful about where you step. It’s not too bad, but there are definitely areas of the ground to avoid. The first problem is that Creep infestation can eventually lead to decay and rot, so we’ve had more than one man over the years fall through to the next level. The evidence of that is in the occasional hole you’ll see that dots the floor. The bigger problem is that stepping directly onto the Creep is a quick way to get yourself killed. It’s hard to gauge when the stuff will react, but there have been times a man has stepped onto a part of the floor that’s grown a thick layer of Creep, only to have it come alive and whip at his legs. You’ve got about thirty seconds to move in and apply a dose of flame to get all that skin and tissue to retreat. If you don’t, it’ll wrap right up his leg and suck him into the wall. Again, it doesn’t happen too often, but we’re all aware that not everyone who goes on the Scavenging comes back. There’s a reason for that.

  That’s pretty much what we’re encountering as we move toward 30-15. Mike’s got point because he’s got that uncanny ability to navigate the halls. Sure enough, soon we’re in the thick of it, and Creep’s pouring out of the roof. The most disgusting part is it slithers down, and I can feel that slimy liquid it produces dripping onto my clothes and helmet. At this depth, getting any of it on your skin is a real quick way to trigger a massive hallucination and mental break, so I order everyone to slide their visors down. That keeps the stuff out of our eyes. The more direct access Creep has to your circulatory system, the faster and more potent it acts. If that’s not a good reason to keep it out of your eyes, I don’t know what is.

  Anyway, we finally reach the target area, but Mike doesn’t stop. He keeps moving on, passing by halls 30-16, 30-17, and so on. We’re heading into some rarely explored space, and I’m about to ask him what his plan is when he suddenly veers off. I’ve lost track of what hallway we’re in by this point, but I trust the guy. Besides, scavenging teams are used to this sort of stuff. Our basic job description is urban explorer, and we’ve all got an explorer’s itch.

  Thing is, we keep taking turns and twists. Soon we’re in so deep that I’m not sure where we are. In my mind I know there’s no real reason to worry, since our tablets keep automatic maps of every direction we take, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy wasting time. We’re not even stopping to explore any of the rooms, so we’re burning valuable scavenge time to follow up on a hunch of his. Anyway, he takes us into one of the Maintenance closets. They’re not Cleanup closets. Cleanup teams don’t come here. In the old days, before the Before, they used these areas to store chemicals and other stuff for scrubbing down the Tower. I know, because we’ve found detergents and other cleaners sitting here that are decades past their shelf dates. It’s not the sort of thing we scavenge, but it adds a few pieces to the history of the place.

  At this point Mike turns to us and says, “So, I’ve got this theory. I’ve been looking at the layouts of the Tower we’ve made from previous trips, and I’m pretty sure there has to be a Maintenance access to here.”

  “Maintenance access?” I ask him, unsure. “We know there aren’t any around here, Mike. Those are only for use around critical systems, so the old staff that took care of the place could get to the power plants quickly if the Tower ever had an emergency.”

  “Yeah, but if you try looking at all the maps we have of those access points, they all seem to lead this way. Have we ever actually found any power plants?”

  “Well, no.” He’s right about that. We assume the old Maintenance access tunnels lead to the power plants because the cluster of power cables from the old electric grid start to get denser and denser. Thing is, we’ve never been able to track them to their source. Our general assumption was that they at some point led downward, but to be honest, it’s always been a guessing game.

  Anyway, Mike goes on. “I’m thinking the reason the Creep is so dense this way is because the old power plants are in Polar North.”

  “You can think that all you want, Mike, but we know there aren’t any access tunnels on this side of the Tower. They’re all on the east or west side.”

  “Yeah, but why don’t they go anywhere important?” He doesn’t bother waiting for an answer as he whips out his flashlight, scouring the surface of the walls. “Nobody really knows what happened when they shut down the Tower. All we know is what’s in front of us.”

  “Which is what?”

  “That there’s a bunch of access tunnels and power cables that basically go nowhere. That run around the Tower from south to east and then cut toward the north wing. Then the access tunnels vanish, but the power cables keep running. Why? Because they keep going, to the power plants.”

  “Then . . . why isn’t there any access?”

  “Well, I’m kinda stumped on that one. I think that whatever happened in the Tower started in the north side. Think of it like, why is the staircase immediately after Floor 21 sealed up with rock and concrete?”

  “For the obvious reason. It prevents the Creep from spreading upward. At least, it prevents it from spreading upward easily. It can’t just pass through solid stone.”

  “Right. So, what if the Creep started in the north and then spread out? What if they stuffed up the access tunnels because that was the easiest way to trap it for a while?”

  He says this, and I look from him to the walls around us. Like I’ve said, Mike’s a sharp guy. I’ve been doing this a few more years than he has, and I’ve never considered that. Then again, Mike’s got that grasp for figuring out space and navigation. I look around at the rest of the team, and they just shrug. Turns out, I’m not the only one who’s never considered this.

  Finally, I throw my hands up. “All right, Mike. Why do you think the access is here?”

  “Because the access tunnels always have entrances from rooms like this. I mean, that kind of makes sense, right? They were closed off to the public and only for Tower workers. When I was looking at the maps, I noticed that one of the access tunnels used to run this way. Now, all of us know you can follow those tunnels for a while before you hit dead ends, where they blocked it up. Thing is, without that concrete, at least one of the tunnels would pass right behind this room.”

  “I’m liking what you’re selling, Mike. Okay, you’ve got me on the line, now reel me in. How do we get into this tunnel?”

  He takes a few steps over to the side of the room opposite the door we came through. “Access tunnels are always on the same side of the room. Right?”

  I nod, but I can’t help but frown. “Sure, but . . . Mike, there’s a solid concrete wall there.”

  “Are you sure?” He turns, knocking on the gray surface in front of him. “What if we placed an explosive here?”

  Everyone protests immediately, and I wave him off, shaking my head at the idea of it. “Mike, you know we have to avoid using explosives at all costs. Shake the area up too much, and we’ll instigate a Category 2 Creep Incident.”

  “So, we just use a little less. All we have to do is use enough to blow out this wall. We all know that Polar North’s been the one place we’ve wanted to get in for years. There’ve been more than a few people that’ve tossed t
he idea around that the Creep’s coming from inside it so, if I’m right, then it’ll be worth it. We’ll finally have a crack at finding out how all this started, maybe even find some way of putting a stop to it.”

  “But like you said, that’s only if you’re right. What if you’re wrong?”

  “Then we haul our butts out of here. It’s not like it’d be the first time we had to.”

  Thing about a Scavenger is that we’re risk takers by nature. As I look from face to face throughout the room, I can’t help but notice that they’re all smiling. Hell, I’m smiling, too. So I toss my hands in the air. “Okay, Mike. Why not? Just do me a favor.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Put a hell of a long timer on it. At least that way if there’s an incident, we’ll already be down the hall. We’ll be able to see if there’s any reaction to the explosion and get out of here before anything comes after us.”

  He gives me a thumbs-up. “I’m on it,” he says as he reaches into his pocket. We all carry small amounts of plastic explosives as a precaution, since you never know when you’re going to find yourself trapped and in need of an escape. The only thing is that an explosion will drive back the Creep for just a minute or two before that stuff gets angry and starts to spread rapidly. Mike puts a five-minute timer on, which is more than enough time for us to run back up the hallway. Actually it’s enough time for us to run a few hallways down.

  Some might think that’s an overreaction, but the truth is that when you piss off the Creep, it can spread like a fire on fuel. That’s why Mike sets the timer so long. Not only do we get pretty far away, but we get settled in with enough time to observe any reaction from down the hallway. As I stare through the red haze, I hear the explosive go off. Instinctively my body tightens up, and I can actually feel my legs tightening as every muscle gets ready to run. A quick look around the team shows that they’re all prepared to do the same thing.

  Still, while we wait for something to happen, nothing ever really does. I’m expecting at least some reaction, but, no, nothing. Since this was Mike’s plan, I tell him to take point again. If anyone’s going to have to spot a Creep incident first, it should be the guy who pissed it off. Again, though, nothing ever happens.

  Actually, I’m surprised a third time. We arrive back at the Maintenance room, and, I mean obviously, the place is trashed. We just blew it up. All the chemicals and shelves are on the ground and there’s a small fire going, so we make sure to get that snuffed out before it spreads into the halls and starts an incident. It doesn’t take much to see that Mike was right, though. There’s a gaping hole in the wall, and behind it is a thin tunnel. Even from my side of the room, I can make out the power cables running along inside of it.

  “I’ll be damned,” I say, hands on my hips. “Good work, Mike.”

  “Nah. Anyone could have figured it out.”

  “Mike, people have been trying to figure this out for decades, maybe longer. Give yourself some credit.”

  Everyone agrees with this and starts patting Mike on the back. He’s obviously not used to the attention, and maybe doesn’t even care, but everyone deserves a moment to shine once in a while. I let them all do their rounds of congratulating while I take a step inside, shining my flashlight so I can get a look. “No sign of the Creep in here. Wasn’t expecting that. It’s pretty narrow, though, so we’re going to have to move in single file.” Mike starts to move into the tunnel, and I have to push him back. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s late, and we’ve been on the move all day. We’re all excited about this, but if we don’t get rest, then we’re putting the team at risk.”

  “Yeah, okay. So we wait until tomorrow?”

  “Right. Let’s scout out one of the nearby rooms and see if we can find one that’s not spilling over with Creep.”

  The thing about our jobs is you can’t be too picky about where you sleep. I mean, there are a couple of rules. Don’t sleep facedown. You run the risk of accidentally getting Creep in your face, and I don’t even want to think about accidentally getting it in your mouth. Other than that, don’t pick any room where the Creep’s so thick that you risk triggering it. If the bed’s covered in it, don’t sleep there. If the floor’s just overwhelmed with it, don’t sleep there. Pick a relatively empty space, settle in, and don’t move around too much through the night.

  Outside of that, there’s not much to do except for sleeping. The only thing you can’t forget to do before going to sleep is to set up the particle sensor, which detects changes in the air related to Creep growth. If it detects rapid growth, well, it does exactly what it’s supposed to and blares alive to get us all on our feet. Most of the time, it doesn’t go off.

  Most of the time.

  Commander Vick’s Report Number Thirteen

  We lost Goodrich today.

  In general, things have been intense since we made our way into Polar North. Even though the access tunnels didn’t take us straight to the power plants like we’d hoped, they at least got us far enough north that we’ve easily been covering more uncharted territory for the last five days than we have in the last year of scavenging.

  As I’ve said in my previous reports, the Creep is at a level you never see unless you’re closing in on Floor 50. There are times when it’s so thick along the walls that you’re scared you’re going to brush up alongside it and it’s going to grab you. So, to prevent that, we’ve been following the Demidov Protocol whenever things have gotten particularly intense. That is, two Scavengers at a time with a distance of about ten yards between each team. Point team’s got it worst, having to take corners and be the first into rooms, but that’s the reason we rotate.

  Anyway, I tell the guys all the time not to be greedy, but human nature never changes. In Goodrich’s defense, I don’t think he was trying to be too impulsive. He just saw something he thought he could get to.

  He couldn’t.

  We’ve been noticing a trend, and it follows Mike’s original assumption. The closer we move to where he suspects Polar North’s heart to be, the more we’re finding random, massive outgrowths of Creep. Our working theory is that it fed off the power reactors when it originally spread and then possessed the rest of the Tower that way. No way to be sure, but what I am certain of is that the Creep isn’t evenly spread out, even here in the north wing. It definitely starts to intensify as we move toward where Mike suspects the power reactors are. He’s doing his best to lead, but even with his superior sense of direction, the infestation is really making it difficult to make steady progress north without getting diverted.

  Another change we’ve noticed is that we left the typical apartments of the Tower behind and entered . . . something else. It’s hard to be sure, but there aren’t any beds or drawers here. Well, there are, but they’re not like apartment beds. They’re more like cheap bunk beds designed for people working here, as if they were set up for a quick nap if people got tired. We’ve been using them. It’s a big relief since I’d hate to have to sleep on the ground under these conditions.

  It’s pretty obvious that this was some sort of working space, either a lab or mechanical area. We don’t really know what the tower was used for before the Before so it’s quite possible the area we now call Polar North was some sort of workshop. I can back up that observation with the types of materials we’ve been scavenging, which are mostly of the tools and materials variety. The Pocket Space generators in this part of the Tower are all full of the stuff.

  Which brings us to the loss of Goodrich. We made our way into what was beyond question a former lab of some sort, but the overgrowth there was intense. Immediately I wanted to back out, but Goodrich argued back. You have his profile, so you’ll know that he was always one of the headstrong ones, a natural Floor Niner. They’re almost always that way. Plus, you know these guys really do get off on being heroes back home. So on our way out, Goodrich spots a Pocket Space generator just a bit exposed from the rest of the Creep. I guess he must have thought it was far enough out that he could
access it without any risk, but as we’re all aware, the Creep doesn’t react very well to Pocket Space activation. In a confined space, it’s best to activate the generator from a distance, and, well, Goodrich didn’t. I didn’t realize what he was doing until the blue glare from a portal opening up reflected inside my visor. The team spun around at once as Goodrich was working his trigger unit, trying to draw out the materials inside the portal.

  The instant we turned, we saw the Creep hanging above starting to shiver, and you don’t need an alarm to tell you what that means. I began to order Goodrich back, but before I could, a stalk of the Creep whipped downward. Goodrich kind of caught sight of it in time and jumped away, but the fleshy appendage shattered the floor underneath him. A dozen cracks splintered out and the team leaped away, scrambling for the door. I turned around to see Goodrich, who began to rush away from the Pocket Space portal. The floor must have really been corrupted by Creep, though, because he’d barely taken a step before it gave way, shattering into a dozen chunks. The last I saw was him reaching out for me, and I could only stare as a mammoth part of the wall collapsed around him. Creep and concrete plunged down into the darkness as I jumped out of the room, barking at the team to haul off. We were barely down the corridor before parts of the hall began to sink into the floor beneath us.

  I’m not sure how long we ran, but we didn’t stop moving until the sounds stopped. By then we were deep inside Polar North, with no immediate path back the way we’d come. One man down and now cut off from any part of the Tower we were familiar with, I had no choice but to order the team deeper. We’d just have to try and carve a way out.

  Commander Vick’s Report Number Sixteen

  Two more gone late yesterday.

  Nwosu got taken by the Creep. She was supposed to be following the Demidov Protocol and sticking close to her teammate, but I don’t know, I guess she panicked. Of any of us, she’d always had one of the worst problems with claustrophobia. It isn’t something that will get you knocked out of the Scavengers if you can learn how to control it, which she normally does. I guess the losses we’ve experienced over the last few days just had her on edge, because she broke rank with her partner and started to sprint to the end of a particularly infested hall. I could see the Creep reacting to her panic, which it’s known to do, especially in congested parts of the Deep Creep. It whipped her with so much force that she was dead on impact. Then it did the gruesome work of absorbing her into its mass.