Penticore Prime

by Mark Chevalier

  Contents

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Epilogue

  Because I could not stop for Death,

  He kindly stopped for me;

  The carriage held but just ourselves

  And Immortality.

  Emily Dickinson

  1830-1886

  Prologue

  Candor Shubin heard the blood-curdling screams in his mind, irreconcilable visions of a hundred gruesome memories, followed by tremors that caused his hands to shake. As faces that were twisted in agony flashed like horrified paintings onto the canvas of his inner thoughts, he could neither grasp nor fully understand their meaning. Were these visions a reality, or a dream? Reaching into his pocket he retrieved a bottle of pills, and a moment later he was chewing on two of them. The taste was bitter, and he felt the bile rise at the back of his throat. Yet at the same time his pulse began to slow as the screams faded to a dull whisper, and then vanished. He was grateful that his hands stopped shaking, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

  As the gray fog clung motionless to the tops of the trees, a thin rain danced against the backdrop of the tropical rainforest. While along the coastline of the island of Sumatra, the deep blue of the ocean frothed into white. And as the waves crashed against the rocky outcropping along the shore, Candor understood that something wonderful was about to happen. Wonderful, despite the murky sky above him, and the rain pouring down in huge droplets that rolled like pearls off the broad leaves of the plants around him. Wild grasses clung to his jeans, while patches of crimson mud stained his hiking boots.

  Soon it’ll be time, he thought. And he managed a smile, even as the rain seeped through his poncho. The excitement was palpable, electric. Like a living entity, or a schoolboy enamored with his first crush.

  “Soon,” he said to himself. “Soon the ocean ridge will break through the surface in a volcanic eruption that will add more than two miles to the mass of the island.” And I’ll be here to see it happen, he added silently.

  As a geologist, Candor was in awe of the event. To witness the crust beneath the ocean rise so quickly and violently was a fantastic prospect. Not to mention that he would have access to rock specimens that had gone unseen for millions of years.

  I’ll be able to get samples from the Paleoproterozic Era. Back from a time that we know little or nothing about.

  Proving his hypothesis is what drove him. The concept that the Earth underwent massive changes in a cyclical pattern. Changes that were so destructive they precipitated mass extinctions in the blink of a geologic eye. And changes that would one day replace humanity, and pave the way for new life to emerge. Scientists observed that fossilized plants contained up to four times fewer stomata for processing carbon dioxide. The conclusion being that the exchange between carbon dioxide and oxygen performed what Candor called an, “environmental doe see doe.”

  Yet unlike the German mycologist, Heinrich Anton de Bary, Candor believed that symbiosis referred to atmospheric conditions, and not just individual organisms.

  One feeds the other, he thought. The oceans are a giant carbon sink, with all the plants and animals making contributions. And when it builds to a tipping point, carbon dioxide takes over, and up to fifty-percent of the ice at the poles melts. The temperature rises, and new forms of life begin to emerge, slowly building waste oxygen. And then after a few millennia, carbon dioxide is slowly buried, the planet cools down, and oxygen becomes the dominant force once again. Global warming is a natural phenomenon, not a demon that lurks in the shadows.

  Candor wanted to prove that man was altering that cycle to the point of not just heating up our planet, but changing the paradigm altogether. The effect would essentially be to turn the Earth into a superheated wasteland, like the planet Venus, a place so inhospitable to life that evolution wasn’t just slowed, but stunted altogether. Yet Candor was pragmatic, he understood that self-preservation is what concerned humanity, so he had to present his findings in such a way that people wouldn’t dismiss him out of hand.

  Regardless of what happens, the Earth will survive when humans go extinct, he mused. What we enjoy now is our time in the sun, our species filling a niche in the grand scheme of nature. Who knows, maybe the Earth will repair itself after we’re gone. Not to mention that no matter what, we can’t live here forever. Eventually the cosmic lottery will catch up to us, and we’ll be exposed to some manmade or natural disaster. And if that doesn’t finish us, then the eventual death of our sun will do the trick. Granted that’s a few billion years in the future, but it’s there nonetheless.

  Candor believed that the only way for humanity to survive was to leave the Earth behind. He also knew that as a species, and for all our technological advances, we didn’t currently have the means to distance ourselves from the cradle of our evolution. That in the end, we might have been destined for extinction from the moment we became self-aware.

  “There you go again, you’ve got that thousand-mile stare going. Is the inner monologue going well?”

  Candor’s eyes never broke contact with the ocean. “It’s not polite to sneak up on someone, Theodore. Didn’t your parents teach you that?”

  Candor’s research assistant, Theodore Heinemann, stood beside him. “They sure did,” the young man replied, “but it’s never stopped you. Remember that time in Egypt?”

  A memory grazed the landscape of his thoughts. Candor shifted with discomfort as he remembered the time he’d stumbled upon Theo and an Italian archaeologist in carnal coitus. For Candor, it was an exploration of geologic formations that were perfectly preserved in the arid climate. While for Theo, it was an exploration into the inner workings of the female anatomy.

  “Point taken,” said Candor. “You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

  “Not a chance,” Theo said, breaking into a grin. “And truth be told, you could use a little companionship. You know what they say about all work and no play.”

  “I’m too old for that now, not to mention that I was never any good at it. I always make a fine mess of things. There comes a time when a man must face the fact that he’s not cut out for marriage, or interpersonal relationships.”

  Theo crossed his arms over his chest, smirking at him. It was an expression that Candor knew well, especially after working with him for the past five years. It was a look that said, “You’re full of crap and we both know it.”

  “Can I be candid with you, Candor? I never said anything about marriage or a relationship. You take life too seriously. I’m not talking about commitments, I’m talking about having some hot, grunting, screaming, mind-blowing, ear-splitting, sweaty pig-sex. You know you’ll get load-lock if you let the dry spell go on too long, and masturbation only gets you so far. Sometimes you need to have audience participation.”

  Candor laughed despite himself and said. “You really are an insufferable smartass.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Theo replied as he raised both hands in a mock show of surrender.

  “Come on,” he told Theo, “let’s get to the shoreline. Did you get the recording gear in place?”

  Theo displayed two hands that were covered with grime, just to make his point perfectly clear. Candor nodded with approval. From their current vantage point they could see the shoreline, and a thin stretch of uninhabited beach. It was little more than jagged rocky cliffs, followed by a steep drop into the crashing waves. And since their climbing gear was lost in transit, they had to make do with an overgrown path through the rainforest.

  Disappearing below the canopy, Candor made a mental note to take samp
les and photographs of the indigenous plants. It wasn’t his line of work, but he made promises to his colleagues, and was duty bound to honor his word. As they walked, Candor listened to the sounds of the birds as he thought about what Theo told him. Of course, he realized that Theo was young, and with a propensity towards recklessness that bordered on sheer anarchy. He lived in the moment, seizing life with a zeal that Candor found both invigorating and annoying.

  For his part, Candor longed for companionship. Yet each time he drew close to attaining that goal, the problem he’d suffered with since childhood became an insurmountable roadblock. And as he approached his late fifties he felt time running out. So now whenever he became romantically involved, his tendency was to end the relationship prematurely. At least before his problem became an issue. And just like Newton’s law of gravity; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

  Now, you’re an old man who is going to die alone, he thought dryly. You’ll pass out of this life leaving no children to give your name, nor a wife to give your love. It is what it is, I suppose.

  They rounded an incline through the forest when suddenly the ground shifted beneath them. “Earthquake!” Theo shouted.

  Steadying himself on a nearby tree, Candor checked to make certain that Theo was unharmed. “Underwater seismic activity has been ramping up the past few days. The Indian Ocean is going to be a very different place by this afternoon. We’d better hurry.”

  The ground rumbled as they made their way down the path, pushing thick foliage from in front of them as they went. And then just as abruptly as it began, the forest receded, and they found themselves on the beach again. Candor approached the monitoring station, which consisted of a satellite dish and a laptop computer fastened to an aluminum tripod.

  “I hope the quake hasn’t knocked out the relays we put in the bay. Or the measurement buoys ten miles out in the middle of all this.” Theo said, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched the data fill the computer screen.

  “All the markers are in place and transmitting,” replied Candor. And then looking at Theo, he smiled. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

  “That’s just the technical stuff. What about my charming personality?”

  “Wow!” Candor marveled while ignoring Theo’s comment. “That quake was about a four-point-five on land, but six miles out its seven-point-six and intensifying. I’ve never seen a volcanic eruption grow that quickly.”

  Sweat beaded on his forehead, as Candor’s fingers danced over the keyboard in a blur of movement. Theo knew that it was Candor’s intensity that drove the reaction, not the sweltering heat. Candor’s attention left the screen and moved to a set of high powered binoculars. “At this rate, the volcano should break through the surface any minute.”

  The waves continued to churn, and a multitude of minerals and gasses mixed with the saltwater, turning them crimson. While at the edge of the eruption, a ruddy green underwater cloud was fast on the heels of several schools of fish as they fled the chaos. The ground shook again, more violently than the first time. Yet Candor’s eyes never wavered, intent on watching events unfold.

  “This one is a seven-point-eight.” Theo shouted over the roaring ocean and the crackling trees behind them. “I hope you know what you’re doing!”

  Candor heard Theo, but he was only paying attention to him in the abstract. He knew that even if the forest burst into flames behind them, the shore would hold. There was always risk, but Candor had taken every conceivable precaution. “There it is!” Candor shouted, pointing as the first plume of smoke vented through the water. “Over there and rising fast, about six miles out!”

  Theo could see it, even without binoculars. And a tug of apprehension began to seep into the marrow of his bones. He studied enough about volcanic eruptions to understand how this event would unfold. Yet now that he was smack in the middle of mother nature’s wrath, he wasn’t so sure that coming to Sumatra was a good idea.

  As the volcano pushed through the surface of the ocean, a great column of smoke and ash bellowed into the morning sky. Theo watched as it mingled with the clouds, turning them black like the clouds of a thunderstorm. The ground beneath them heaved, and Candor raised his hands to steady the binoculars. He was amazed at the amount of magma the volcano ejected, and the sheer power behind the act of pushing a landmass to the surface. His hands were shaking with excitement as he tried to refocus his vision. Turning the wheel to zoom in, he strained to see the point at which the magma shot from the volcano. And just as he brought the lenses into focus, his eyes caught a glimpse of something he didn’t expect to see.

  In the middle of all the fire and fury, with smoke literally pouring out of the ground, he caught a hint of unnatural white. From his vantage point, it looked like a shooting star. And it passed so quickly, that he was positive that it was dust on his lenses. He looked back into the belching column of fire and smoke, and there it was again. It shined like a lighthouse beacon as it rose, vaulting through the air with terrific speed.

  “Look up!” Candor exclaimed. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

  “What the heck is that?” Theo replied, catching sight of the opalescent object against the dark backdrop of soot and ash.

  “I don’t know, but it must have come from deep underground. Maybe it dislodged into a lava tube and found its way into the epicenter.”

  “Uh, boss.”

  “What is it?”

  “You might want to watch that thing. It looks like the wind is carrying it this way.”

  Candor felt the pang of losing this historic moment as he backed away from the binoculars. Following Theo’s outstretched finger, he tracked the path of the object. And as it drew closer, he began to make out some detail. It looked like a white cube, even through the wafting smoke in its wake. Yet more to the point, Theo was right, it was coming their way.

  “Are the cameras on?”

  Theo’s mouth hung open, his eyes fixed on the growing point of light.

  “It’s just like you ordered. There are two on the shoreline, and one on the cliff behind us.”

  “Then let’s find some cover.”

  “We’re too late!”

  “Hit the deck!” Candor screamed, clutching Theo by the collar and dragging him to the ground.

  The object streaked overhead, accompanied by a host of volcanic debris. The whistling sound grew into a thunderous roar as it passed above them. Yet it was still too close for comfort, as it slammed into the beach some distance away. The ground shook, and Candor knew that it wasn’t an earthquake, but the massive impact of the object as it struck the island. Clouds of smoke and ash formed a dingy fog as they got to their feet.

  “We have to go check that out! Did you see that?” Theo said. And his eyes were large with excitement, as the adrenaline pumped through him.

  Candor felt it too, as he hefted his backpack and headed up the shoreline. Looks can be deceiving, he thought. Meanwhile his legs pumped, and the sweat began sticking his undershirt to his skin. As impossible as it seems, I saw it ejected from the volcano. I must find it! Whatever it is, it came from deep underground. We’re talking miles underground, further down than we have the capability to go. This is big, like Armstrong landing on the moon!

  Twenty minutes later, Candor and Theo emerged into a ring of blackened rocks. Behind them the forest was quiet, and Candor didn’t know what unnerved him more. Was it the eerie silence, or the tremors that continued to shake the ground and impede their progress?

  “There it is.” Candor said, pointing to a thin line of smoke.

  “It doesn’t look like it’s that far away now,” Theo replied.

  One quake, and three tremors later, they climbed over an outcropping of large boulders. Composed of volcanic rock that stung the meat of his palms, Candor looked down at the strange object. It sat in a crater below them, glowing as it projected a faint humming sound. Candor could feel his heart beating faster as the discomfort of his tired limbs was for
gotten. Theo leaned over to touch it, and immediately Candor stopped him.

  “Wait Theo, look at the sides of the crater. The dirt fused into glass. It takes a lot of heat to make that happen.”

  Theo saw that Candor was right, even though he couldn’t feel any heat coming from the object. “You think it’s because of the lava?”

  “It may have stored enough residual heat to account for some of this, but I can’t say for certain. Do you see the way it’s glowing, and what’s that sound coming from it?”

  “That’s weird, especially for an icosahedron.”

  “What the heck is an icosahedron?” Candor was never interested in geometry, but he knew that Theo held a degree in engineering. If anyone should know, he would. It was one of the reasons why he made a good research assistant. Theo was incredibly meticulous, and documented everything that Candor required. And not just using text alone, but a highly accurate mix of text, pictures, and drawings.

  “A twenty-sided cube, and one of the five platonic solids,” Theo replied. “What, didn’t you ever play Dungeons and Dragons as a kid? Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that back then kids only played with sticks, balls, and rubber bands.”

  Candor had no desire to get into the grimy details of his past as he replied. “Don’t forget about our phones, smartass. Two cans with a piece of string in the middle.” Then turning his attention back to the object, he continued. “I don’t know how, but it looks like it’s radiating its own energy. We need to be careful.”

  Theo nodded as they both examined it, and Candor noted the faint glow of multiple shapes radiating from the center of the object. It appeared to be roughly three feet in diameter, with a shell that was milky white, like porcelain. “Look at it,” said Candor. “It isn’t even scratched or reddened by the heat from the volcano.”

  “It can’t be from around here.”

  “That sounds plausible. Although it came from underground, it didn’t fall from the sky. It has to be something that’s been buried for a long time, perhaps millions of years.”