Xn

by Clint Townsend

  “Sir?” Poseidon again whispered. “Internal suit temperature and heart rate are both stabilizing.”

  “All right,” Garret bluntly announced. “You can resume your duties now, but in the future, do us all a favor and save the celebrating ‘til you’re on the Arena.”

  “Yes, sir,” Euclid stated.

  ‘Idiot!’ Armada quickly typed and sent to Euclid’s helmet.

  Euclid chuckled to himself upon receipt of his brother’s insult.

  “Ugh! He’s killing me!” Armada bellowed as he typed.

  Chloe exited the bathroom, grabbed a handful of dried fruit from a bowl on the kitchen cart, and approached her husband sitting at the table.

  “He’s just excited and happy to know you’re alive.”

  “Happy or not, he’s gonna get all of us in trouble. Once you’re synchronized with the Nest and POG, anything you say will be heard and recorded.”

  “Well, don’t build him a clock, just tell him the time … give him the basics of what’s happened. You tend to go a little overboard on details.”

  “Do not!” he argued while typing.

  “Hate to break it to you, baby, but yeah … you do.”

  Chloe bent forward and offered up a small smooch on his neck.

  “Where are you off to?” he asked, not at all concerned.

  “I’m going to the receiving docks at the back of the warehouse. I need to devise a means of raising the door without an elevator access authorization code. If we can….”

  “Okay. I love you,” Armada stated, oblivious to what she just said.

  “Because, as you know, the crocodile infestation in the bowling alley is getting way out of hand,” Chloe snarkily commented, “especially after they’ve been drinking.”

  “Uh-huh,” he mumbled.

  “You’re absolutely pathetic.”

  “Okay, be careful.”

  Once again she kissed him, turned, and exited their bedroom.

  Armada sent instructions to Euclid on how to get from his dorm to the Arena activity room undetected. He also sent false identity credentials for logging onto the communication kiosk to contact him. Armada informed Euclid that a letter would be waiting for him, explaining all that had transpired over the past six weeks. Included in his lengthy communique were details on how to get to the SPUD station to obtain a swatch of the radar-deflecting material. While he felt it necessary to make Euclid aware of his encounters with the orb and union with Chloe, he elected to broach those topics whenever engaged in a real-time conversation.

  ***

  ‘As soon as you disappeared, we were all suddenly confined to the Arenas,’ Euclid’s note stated. ‘With exception to the Clouds, the staging zones, and our assigned Arenas, we were restricted from all other EVA projects, responsibilities, and assignments. Garret went nuts and temporarily suspended evaluations on the SUBOS. Wyczthack’s army of ‘doctors’ have been coming here ever since.’

  ‘Did Garret ever offer a reason for the changes?’ Armada wrote in response.

  He glanced back at the digital clock and Chloe as she lay sleeping, and snoring, in bed: 2:45 a.m.

  ‘Nope. Just “Don’t go here,”’ the incoming message read.

  ‘So, right after I left Cloud Eight was completed, and shortly thereafter Cloud Nine. Correct?’

  ‘Yes,’ Euclid swiftly replied. ‘However, once we all focused on the assembly of Cloud Ten, something strange occurred. One morning, right after linking up my comm-line with the Nest and our unit’s POG, I deployed to the staging area for Cloud Ten. I was about to assign work zones when something caught my attention. Off in the distance, underneath Cloud One, I noticed stacks and stacks of ten-foot tunnel frames. However, unlike those we used for creating the transfer corridors on the Arenas, these were black.’

  ‘Are you positive they were tunnel sections for personnel? Did you see any wiring conduit for radiant heat? That’s usually a telltale sign.’

  ‘Couldn’t tell you; I was too far away.’

  ‘Who delivered them? When did they arrive?’

  ‘Don’t know and don’t know. However, I can tell you without a doubt that it wasn’t any of us. Stacks have appeared for each Cloud, but none so far for Cloud Ten.’

  Armada quickly scribbled ‘CARBEL’ on his pad.

  ‘Speaking of strange,’ Euclid continued, ‘last week, after our EVA projects and after I had accounted for everybody, it occurred to me that the Clouds are being moved away from the Arenas. I hadn’t noticed it before, but as I activated my coil, the distance to Cloud Nine was noticeably farther away.’

  ‘So what’s been happening with the tunnel sections?’

  ‘Two days ago, again, after our assigned EVA projects, I looked out at Cloud Nine, and underneath was an active POG, but I couldn’t see anyone attached to the comm-links, even though the lines were extended and floating about. I could barely make out the internal lighting of helmets, but whoever’s assembling the tubes, they’re wearing black EVA suits. Furthermore, we’re unable to synch-up with their POG. I brought it to Garret’s attention, but he avoids discussing it. Plus, the tunnel sections are being assembled on the Cloud bellies, on end, aiming down. The whole thing gives me the creeps! Black suits, black tunnel sections, restricted movements, limited time out of our Arenas, and mystery contractors. I fear something nefarious is taking place right before our eyes.’

  ‘I’m afraid you’re correct, my friend. It’ll take a considerable amount of time to go through everything with you, but rest assured I’m working diligently to stop Wyczthack and White from accomplishing their goals. I’ll be in touch again soon.’

  CHAPTER 34

  PAPER OR PLASTIC

  “If we can disconnect the drive motor,” Chloe stated, pointing at the top of the roll-up overhead door, “then technically speaking, we should be able to place the fork tips under the door, raise the forks, and have enough room to retrieve the orders from Eden.”

  Armada bit his lip as he pondered her proposal.

  “Or…,” he said, raising his index finger, “we keep the drive motor intact, disengage the kiosk, disable the magnetic inhibitor, and you figure out how to reconfigure or rewire the manual open and close switch.”

  The couple traded contemplative stares and gazed intensely at the electric drive motor mounted high above.

  “As soon as we force that door up without releasing that magnetic lock, the panels will buckle. Whoever’s coming down, or ascending, is gonna notice it. We can’t take that kind of chance. All we need is for someone to say ‘Hey! Did you know…?’ and suddenly there’s an Engenechem response team dispatched to investigate the problem.”

  “Okay, I concede,” Chloe declared, raising her hands. “I can see your point. So what should we do first?”

  Armada thought for a moment, then said, “Baby, go back to our room and bring me my tablet. Also bring all your electrical tools.”

  “Be right back,” she replied, swatting his bottom as she passed behind him.

  “Thaaaanks, baaaaby,” he sarcastically stated, “loving you!”

  “Uh-huh,” she mumbled, walking away.

  Armada stepped around the corner into the charging station for the three electric forklifts. He hopped on one, turned the key, tilted back the three-stage mast, and slowly pulled forward. After clearing the battery chargers, he steered the lift directly at the overhead door, stopping just inches away from piercing the lowest panel with the fork tips.

  Armada dismounted the forklift and directed his attention to the receiving kiosk at the far right of the overhead door.

  Upon close examination, he discovered that the communication and power supply for the kiosk flowed through its connection to the bay door.

  ‘If we disrupt the power…,’ he theorized, ‘then Eden can’t confirm, or deny, whether or not a distribution request originated from here.’

  Armada peered upwards at the glowing green light above the door spool and spring.

  “I’m back!” he
heard Chloe holler.

  She rounded the corner and unloaded her tools on top of the forklift counterweight.

  “Whenever you’d receive a request for a distribution, would it show any specifics about who created the order?”

  “No,” she answered and stepped to the front of the forklift. “We only know when the requisition was generated, the terminal number, where it’s to be delivered, and the content. It’s never known as to who, individually, placed the order.”

  “So, if I create a request, I’m not gonna be forced to submit personal identity credentials. It’ll just need to include the kiosk terminal number. Correct?”

  “Correct. But if we fail to register a receipt authorization code, that’ll send up a red flag with Eden. Remember, everything is tracked and monitored. If produce goes out but there’s no supporting data to justify the disbursement, they’ll send someone to investigate. I know Cassandra … she’d track down a pea.”

  “Well, we don’t want to upset Cassandra now, do we? Let’s get the kiosk terminal number before we disconnect anything.”

  Armada approached the freestanding terminal and powered it up. In a few moments the screen flashed the sequence ‘16M-711KLT-65’ in bright-red characters.

  “All righty then, enter this sequence on my tablet.”

  After saving the kiosk identity number, Armada walked back to the forklift and instructed Chloe on what to do.

  “I want you to get in the seat, pull the middle lever toward you, and raise the forks up to the bottom of the spool. Once I’m in place, I’ll have you toss me the tools I need.”

  “Okey-dokey.”

  Chloe climbed up into the seat of the forklift and turned the key. “Hang on, baby. Going up.”

  Armada gripped the steel backrest as the carriage lifted him nearly twenty feet high. In no time at all he successfully disconnected the magnetic inhibitor and junction box that led to both the kiosk and manual switch for raising and lowering the overhead door. With the junction box removed, they would no longer be reliant on authorization codes to open and close the roll-up door.

  “Done and done,” he proudly announced. “You can bring me down now.”

  “Oh, may I, please?” she taunted and slowly lowered the forks.

  “All right. All you gotta do is rewire the switch and we’ll be in business.”

  Armada jumped off the descending forks, landing with a thud.

  Converting the switch proved to be no challenge whatsoever to Chloe. Within seconds of removing the back plate, she reconfigured the wiring, bypassing the junction box, and reattached the cover.

  “Hold on to your hats,” she announced, placing her finger on the green open button.

  “Fire away,” Armada ordered as he stepped in front of the overhead door.

  Chloe pressed the button and the heavy metal partition began to rise up off the floor.

  “Good for you, baby.”

  “Yay for me!”

  The couple then walked to the edge of the dock landing, leaned over the steel safety rails and gate, and peered down into the abyss.

  “So this is what a 17-mile-high elevator shaft looks like,” she commented, then gazed upwards.

  “Yep, yep.”

  “You know, I must admit that from the perspective of an engineer, this truly is an impressive and awesome structure. Just the sheer size of it is intimidating, let alone the design and creation aspects of the internal systems and components, and their cohesiveness and interconnectivity. I would’ve loved to have been part of it from the beginning.”

  “Well,” Armada began, scooting closer to her, “in a way we both have. Our being alive is part of the whole point of the SUBOS.”

  He curled his arm around her waist.

  Looking down again, he noticed the flashing yellow safety beacon lights of the elevator. “Uh-oh. Platform’s coming. Better get inside.”

  Armada removed his hand from her hip and turned away. “C’mon. It’ll be here before we know it.”

  “Wow! That thing is really moving!” she exclaimed.

  “How fast do those travel?” she loudly inquired as she jogged back to the safety of the receiving dock.

  “You do the math,” he replied, lowering the door behind her. “Eight 75-horsepower planetary drive motors. That platform can start at ground level and reach the Aerie in an hour.”

  “That’s like three minutes a mile! Dang!”

  In a break from traditional wire ropes, pulleys, and counterweights, the Engenechem freight elevators employed the use of eight electric, heavy-duty planetary drive motors, two on each corner, stacked one on top of the other. Each pair of motors turned two massive gears whose teeth dug into imbedded vertical strips of ribbed metal, with an electrified contact guide running parallel to, and in between, the panels of teeth. Operating much like a subway, the motors received a constant source of power via contact with the middle rail, thus allowing the elevator to ‘drive’ up or down.

  “Okay, so now what?” Chloe asked.

  “Now? You mean right now at this very moment? Well, I for one am….”

  Armada stopped in midsentence as vibrations from the powerful drive motors rumbled through the bay walls and metal overhead door.

  “Wow!” Chloe barked, covering her ears.

  For a brief moment, the bay door shook and brilliant amber light shone through a tiny slit between the door and concrete dock.

  “As I was saying,” he continued once the vibrations subsided, “for now I think we should make a grocery list and place an order … to go.”

  ***

  “Okay, here goes nothing,” Armada nervously stated and clicked the ‘submit’ tab. In a matter of seconds he received a requisition acknowledgement.

  “Here we go, here we go!” he excitedly stated and opened the order response from Eden.

  Chloe stood behind him and reviewed the distribution receipt as he read aloud.

  “Sixteen M … estimated delivery … requisition confirmation number … strawberries, peaches, plums, oranges, bell peppers, red and yellow … looks like everything we ordered was approved.”

  “Yay!” Chloe hollered and patted his shoulders. “Oh, Armada, you won’t hardly believe how incredibly delicious these fresh fruits and vegetables taste!”

  She came out from behind him and took a seat in the empty chair to his left at the end of the table.

  “It’s all organic. No fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides … everything is grown by way of hydroponics and aeroponics. It’s not like it is below with monoculture farming. I mean, everything interacts and works together: the bees, the plants, the trees, us, the workers … I wish there was a way I could get you into Eden.”

  “What’s the shelf life on this stuff?”

  “Oh, gosh, weeks … nearly a month. A requisition of this size, for two … say seventy-five to eighty pounds … that’ll easily last two weeks at a minimum. That all depends on our portioning and how often we eat. But mark my words, as soon as you see and taste a twelve-ounce strawberry, a pound-and-a-half peach or ten-pound cantaloupe, you won’t wanna stop.”

  “Well,” he said, glancing at the clock, “it’s 5:45 now, and our requisition confirmation says order delivery will be by 12:00 a.m. Sooo….”

  “Sooo…,” she mocked, lowering her voice.

  “So, in the meanwhile, why don’t we see what we can see on the Clouds?”

  Chloe nudged her husband with her foot.

  “Why don’t I see what I can see on the Clouds, and you see what you can see with Euclid?”

  “Deal,” he replied, and spun his chair away from her. “Coffee?”

  “You know it!” she exclaimed, pulling her tablet in front of her.

  Armada rinsed out their mugs, tossed in a section of dark chocolate in each, and started the brewer.

  CHAPTER 35

  DISCOVERY

  After logging on the Engenechem Master Server, Chloe made it her primary objective to identify the video cameras on t
he Clouds. Whereas everyone was aware of the surveillance systems on the SUBOS and orbiting Arenas, Arks, and Eden, details on the viewing capabilities of the Clouds were intentionally kept under wraps. What kind, how many, where, recording parameters and sensitivity, all information pertaining to Cain’s ‘electric eyes’ was top secret.

  “Going through the Master Server program by program is gonna take forever,” she complained. “I don’t know how we’ll have enough time to inspect each and every file.”

  “How about this,” Armada stated, walking to the table with their cups of coffee. “Let’s review the Master Server history and identify the most recently added operational programs. After that, we’ll go through each one of ‘em and run a scan of what files are taking up the biggest amount of bandwidth space. Several hundred video cameras constantly downloading data isn’t exactly easy to hide.”

  As Armada hacked his way into the active POGs for Arena One in search of Euclid, Chloe launched her investigation into the historical activity of the Engenechem data storage system.

  “How long have we been in hiding?”

  “Oh, in my estimation … eight weeks or so. Maybe nine.”

  After scouring the server’s hard drives for an hour, Chloe located a new Master Server program titled ‘CYCLOPS,’ whose creation date was several months old. When she performed a scan to identity what features of the program were running in the background, hundreds of file numbers appeared.

  “Baby, I think I found something,” she said, poking his arm.

  Armada leaned over as she turned her tablet screen toward him.

  “Uh-huh. Now find out the file location, open the parent folders, and explore the individual subfolders. If there’s that much data being downloaded to that many files in one program, odds are pretty good you’ve located the Cloud surveillance system.”

  Armada pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Good for you, baby.”

  “Thanks!”

  Chloe smiled and began the arduous task of opening and examining every subfolder in the CYCLOPS program file.

  ***

  “Augh!” Armada growled, rubbing his eyes. “I can’t locate Euclid. I’ve gone through every comm-link on all active POGs and his identity number isn’t registering.”