Transport 3_The Zone

by Phillip P. Peterson

  Ultimately, Morrow had been right. The transporter on this planet had to be destroyed. It was a tragedy they didn’t have an atomic bomb. It would have done the job of getting rid of the danger, and the alien consciousness couldn’t have done anything to stop it. In fact it could have carried on living, undisturbed and isolated on this planet, which would remain its prison to the end of time.

  Finally Morrow nodded and looked at his watch. He stuck his pistol back in his holster. His men also lowered their weapons. “Then we made the right decision. The planet must be destroyed! The plan will succeed. We have fourteen more minutes.” He took the walkie-talkie. “Mitchell, can you hear me? We’re making our way back. Prepare for the evacuation to Venus.” He turned to his men. “Go! Back to the transporter. We have to get away.”

  Russell was close to despair.

  Fourteen more minutes! Then my wife and my children will be dead along with that evil alien intelligence!

  He tugged again at his handcuffs, although he knew it was pointless.

  But then something utterly unexpected happened. General Morrow and his men suddenly stopped, rooted to the spot, as they stepped back into the transporter.

  Russell couldn’t see anything, he was still standing on the rocky ground in front of the entrance. What the hell is in there? He stood on tip-toe and looked over the shoulder of the soldiers in front of him.

  His heart skipped a beat. Marlene!

  It really was her! She was standing in the tunnel with an automatic rifle and aiming it at Morrow and his soldiers. She was flanked by Sammy Yang and William Lennox.

  “Drop your weapons!”

  “Marlene! Marlene!” Russell shouted.

  “Get out my line of fire, damn it!”

  Russell pushed past the soldier’s back to the side.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing!” Morrow shouted.

  “I’ll say it one more time,” Marlene said. “Drop your weapons!”

  The inevitable happened. One of the soldiers raised his weapon, but Marlene opened fire before he had a chance to even let off one shot.

  Russell dropped to the floor and tried to make himself as small as possible as bullets flew over his head. The shooting only lasted a moment, then the soldiers lay dead on the ground. Morrow groaned and heaved one of the bodies from his chest. He had also taken cover in time. The general fumbled at his holster. Russell edged forward and threw himself onto his arm.

  “Marlene! The pistol, quick!”

  Marlene needed only a second, then she was standing over him and pulled Morrow’s weapon from his holster. She helped Russell to his feet, keeping the general pinned to the ground with a boot on his back.

  “You’ll regret this!” Morrow’s face had hardened into a grimace.

  William Lennox grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up, until he was on his feet. “You piece of shit,” he hissed. “You would have let us all die without batting an eyelid.”

  “How did you get here?” Russell asked.

  Marlene grinned. “On foot!”

  Russell looked at her in confusion. “Yes, but ... why?”

  She knew exactly what he meant. “You can thank your wife.”

  Chapter 32

  Marlene had sat in front of her hut for a long time weeping. When Ellen hurled those angry words at her, it was as if a dam had burst. After Albert’s death, the pain had settled in her heart like a clot, and prevented her from thinking clearly. As it burst into a thousand pieces, the full force of her emotions came to the fore. She had cried about Albert, and about her behavior toward Russell, and all the other members of the colony for whom she had always been there in the past. New California had become her life, her home, and all the people who meant anything to her were here. How could she have been so indifferent?

  Then she’d mulled over those words again: self-pity. She had let it take control of her, and indulged in feeling hate for Russell and everyone else. But Ellen was right. Russell had only done what was sensible in the face of imminent danger. Like Albert had, and like she had herself. And then at the critical moment she’d retreated and left the others to face the danger alone. Marlene understood why Ellen despised her for it. And the more she thought about it, the more she despised herself.

  Then Marlene got up. Maybe she could still help. But by the time she got to the workshop, she saw that Russell and the others had already gone. And there were no more jeeps left in the colony, which she could have used to drive to the transporter. So Marlene asked Donald Bell for a weapon and started to run. It was almost four miles from Eridu to the transporter, and she feared she would arrive too late to join the fight——but she had to try.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was at the base wheezing, only to find Russell’s team chained to the fence. She freed Sammy Yang and the others, and together they stormed into the transporter, although only Marlene was carrying a weapon. Mitchell was sitting there all alone at his laptop and was taken completely by surprise by their sudden appearance. They forced him from his chair, so he couldn’t do anything dumb, and tore the walkie-talkie from his hand. Then Marlene got him to tell her what was going on, before running off with Sammy and Bill to stop the general.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to Russell.

  “S’alright, we can talk about it later,” he replied, after Sammy had removed his handcuffs with the general’s key. “Thank God you came as a rearguard. If you’d come with us, you would have been chained to the fence as well.”

  “What should we do now?” Sammy asked.

  Russell picked up one of the dead soldier’s weapons. “We have to get back to Mitchell,” he said. Marlene sprinted after him and Sammy, holding the general’s pistol, followed them with the general in tow.

  “We have to cut the connection to the transporter in the black hole,” Marlene said. There had been very little time and she still hadn’t quite understood Morrow’s plan following the engineer’s brief explanation.

  “No,” Russell corrected her. “We have to destroy the transporter on TZ-1. Otherwise New California is next up tomorrow afternoon.”

  “What are you thinking?” Sammy asked.

  “I have a plan,” Russell said. He didn’t sound too convinced. “I hope it works and Mitchell will help us. We don’t have much time.”

  A few seconds later they were standing back in the spot that connected the two planets, which had once been the transporter on New California. Mitchell was sitting on the ground glaring at Jenny Baldwin, who was standing a few feet behind him holding a wrench threateningly in her hand.

  “We have to get out of here!” he screamed.

  “You’re not moving from the spot until Marlene gets back!”

  The two of them were so absorbed, they didn’t notice the others approaching.

  Russell walked up to Mitchell, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to his feet. Shocked, Mitchell turned to the captured general. “We have to get back to Venus!” he begged, his face pale. “We only have twelve minutes left until Dante falls into the singularity.”

  Russell let go of Mitchell and took a deep breath. “Now listen to me very carefully. There are sixty men, women, and children living on New California, including my own family. You have the chance to save them. I know you don’t really agree with General Morrow’s plans, and you’re welcome to come and live with us on New California. If you help us, you will be celebrated as a hero, like Dr. Payne, who also had the courage to stand by us.”

  “Bloody traitor,” Morrow hissed.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Sammy shouted.

  “Don’t listen to Morrow. Answer one question for me——and be honest. We have to destroy TZ-1 to stop the death zone. Can you maintain the connection between Dante and TZ-1 but take New California out of the network?”

  Mitchell shook his head. “No, the transporter’s safety mechanisms would break the connection between Dante and TZ-1 before the transporter falls into the singularity. Morrow told you that already. We need Ne
w California as a means of blocking the safety mechanisms of the other two transporters. There’s nothing else I can do from here.”

  Marlene’s heart sunk. Had it all been in vain, after all?

  “Why not?” Russell asked.

  “After I established the connection to TZ-1, I passivated the transporter on New California. I made it inoperative, so that nobody can cut the connection anymore. Nobody will be able to use that transporter for anything ever again. Following our evacuation, only Venus was supposed to be taken out of the network. And I have to do that from there.”

  Russell looked at the engineer in horror. “Then we’re really screwed.”

  Marlene looked appalled. Had it all been for nothing?

  “Correct, Harris!” Morrow said, drily. “Nothing can stop it anymore. Come with us to Venus. Then at least you will survive!”

  Mitchell’s face turned red. “None of this would have happened if we’d followed my plan! Then everyone would have survived!”

  Russell grabbed him by the scruff of the neck again. “What was your plan?”

  “I wanted to evacuate the people from the Venus base to New California and use the transporter on Venus to maintain the connection between TZ-1 and Dante. I’d already prepared everything, but Morrow desperately wanted to keep the transporter on Venus for humanity.”

  “Those were my orders ...”

  Sammy knocked him on the head with the butt of his rifle.

  “Could your plan still be carried out?” Russell asked.

  Mitchell nodded. “I would just need to annul the connection to New California instead of the one to Venus. But I can only do that from the control center on Venus. And we only have ten minutes left.”

  “Will you help us?” Russell asked.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Morrow said.

  “I told you to keep your mouth shut!” Sammy hissed. “Or I’ll shoot you on the spot!”

  Mitchell looked at the general contemptuously. Then he turned back to Russell and slowly nodded. “I’ll help you.”

  “Then go!” Russell cried. Sammy pulled the cursing general with him. Marlene followed Jenny Baldwin, who was still holding the wrench in her hand.

  Seconds later they reached the bizarre crossroad, from where the tunnels led to the transporters of TZ-1 and Dante. Marlene looked down toward the black hole. The formerly gray corridor was turning a reddish color. Blue lightning flashes flickered from the walls and danced through the tunnel that seemed to lead into infinity.

  “What is that?” Sammy asked quietly.

  Mitchell ran his hand through his hair. “The transporter must have passed the event horizon of the black hole and is now falling toward the singularity. The transporter won’t be able to withstand the force. It’ll collapse at any moment.”

  And we’re losing valuable time! “Then we’d better hurry up,” Marlene urged.

  They continued running toward the closed wall of the transporter in the Venus lab.

  “There are probably several soldiers outside. They’ll shoot us as soon as we open the wall,” Jenny said hoarsely.

  Marlene shook her head. “We have a valuable hostage. They won’t shoot.” She stepped forward, put an arm round the general and pulled him in front of her body like a protective shield.

  She handed her weapon to Sammy, took his pistol and held it to Morrow’s temple. He grunted. “I’ll go ahead,” she said to Russell. “Open up!”

  Russell put his hand on the wall, and immediately the cool light of the lab streamed in. Marlene stepped into the laboratory, with the general pressed firmly against her. A good dozen soldiers and technicians looked at them in surprise.

  “Drop your weapons!” she screamed.

  None of the soldiers moved.

  “Don’t listen ...” Morrow began.

  Marlene held her hand in front of his mouth and gripped him tighter.

  “Drop your weapons or I swear I will shoot him!” she screamed.

  Slowly the soldiers let their weapons slide to the ground.

  “And now get back! Into the control room!”

  Mitchell stepped forward and turned to the scientists and technicians in the laboratory. “Get in the transporter!”

  “Yes, but——” spluttered a young man with a beard.

  “If you want to live, get in the transporter and run to the other side, to New California!” Marlene said. Hesitantly the man started to walk toward the transporter. Others followed him.

  “Sammy, stay there and lead everyone who wants to leave Venus to the other side. Jenny, you hold the fort in the laboratory, and shoot anyone who tries to touch anything here.” Marlene turned back to the soldiers, who had retreated to the steps of the control room. “It’s your choice. The base on Venus will cease to exist in a few minutes. You can either stay here and die or go to New California and live. It’s up to you.”

  Suddenly Morrow twisted himself in her grasp. She took her hand off his mouth and placed it on his neck, pressing it slightly. “Stay still, damn it!”

  Morrow gasped for air and finally stopped writhing around. The soldiers hadn’t moved an inch. Suddenly one of them shot forward and jumped at Marlene. A shot echoed through the lab, as Russell fired at the man. Blood sprayed from the wound on his chest onto Marlene’s face. The man fell head-first to the ground and lay motionless on his stomach.

  “We don’t have any time!” Russell urged. He turned to point his weapon at the other soldiers. “Into the control room! Right now!” he roared. Finally the men started to move. Russell followed them up the narrow steps. Marlene, with Morrow in her grasp, followed.

  In the control room, several men and women were standing, at their consoles, shocked. They had watched the events unfold through the big window. Dr. Hope looked at the intruders open-mouthed. “Mitchell! What are you doing?”

  Russell forced the soldiers through the door leading out of the control room into the corridor, then closed the door and activated the lock.

  “I’m carrying out my original plan,” Mitchell said in a loud voice. “Go through the transporter! You know what’s going to happen.”

  “You can’t do this!” Dr. Hope whispered.

  “I can. And I will!”

  “Get on with it!” Russell screamed. “Everyone into the lab and into the transporter!” A young, blond woman let her clipboard fall to the ground and ran to the door and down the stairs. The others followed her. Only Dr. Hope stayed rooted to the spot.

  “I won’t allow this,” he said calmly. Then he ran toward one of the consoles. He got as far as stretching out a hand to one of the switches. Russell fired a single shot through the physicist’s head. Hope collapsed onto the console like a sack of cement. Thick drops of blood ran down the side.

  Mitchell heaved him aside, then pulled up a chair and sat down at the console.

  Marlene watched him uneasily. They had barely more than five minutes left. At least Morrow had stopped struggling. She loosened her grip around his neck a little.

  “You bloody traitor!” he hissed. “You have no idea what you’re doing!”

  “Shut up,” Marlene replied sharply. Behind her she heard a loud banging noise. It came from the corridor.

  “They’re trying to break down the door,” Russell said. He turned to Mitchell. “How much longer do you need?”

  The engineer hammered at his the keypad, then he stood up. “Done. The connection to New California will be cut off in four minutes. The transporter here in the lab will keep open the connection between TZ-1 and Dante. Let’s get out of here!”

  Russell pointed at the door to the corridor, which was being shaken again by muffled thumps. There was already a dent in the middle of the door. “What if they break through? They’ll change the settings.”

  “They don’t know how to do that,” Mitchell said. “But they could activate one of the emergency switches. Then all connections would be cut off.

  Marlene groaned. Then the death zone would reach New California tomorrow morn
ing and it would all have been in vain. It was too great a risk. “One of us will have to stay here to defend the control room, in case they break through,” she said firmly.

  Russell cursed but nodded. “Otherwise we can’t be sure.” He looked down into the transporter lab. Marlene followed his gaze and looked at the black sphere, which was still open.

  If only these damn things had never been discovered!

  She pushed Morrow down into one of the chairs that stood along the wall of the control room. She didn’t let him out of her sight for a second and kept her pistol pointed at him. He said nothing and just glared at her.

  “I got us into this mess,” Russell said slowly. “I’ll stay here.”

  Mitchell nodded and left the control room in the direction of the transporter.

  Marlene laughed. If she had to go back home now through the transporter and tell Russell’s children they would never see their father again because he had sacrificed himself, then she would never be able to look at herself in the mirror again. “That’s my job,” she said softly and smiled. “Go back to your family.”

  Russell shook his head. “No, I can’t let you——”

  Marlene stopped him with a wave of the hand. “I’ve decided. I’m staying here.”

  Russell didn’t answer, but stepped up to her and gave her a big hug. She returned his hug without taking her eyes off Morrow. She would die in a few minutes. It was the last hug of her life. And it was nice that it was with Russell, with whom she’d been through so much. It was good to know there were no more hard feelings between them.

  Russell wanted to say something, but Marlene didn’t let him and pushed him away. “Go. You’ve only got about a minute left.”

  He pointed at Morrow, who was sitting on the chair with pursed lips. “What about him?”