Broken Mirror: Apophis 2029

by Michel Savage

  "What are you still doing here?" Kel asked as she gently tapped on the thick glass that separated them. He smiled back and raised his hands to his secured cell.

  "It's a mere safeguard against contamination," he explained, and I have everything I need and more than enough idle hobbies here to keep me entertained."

  In a facility this size, we could imagine that he had more than enough food and water to last him the rest of his life. Instead of risking the contagion, he had chosen to seal himself off. Cypher revealed had been here since the day the catastrophe hit, while most of the personnel had already been evacuated to the underground shelters along the rail system. Only an exclusive staff of scientists had been left on detail here to secure the laboratory habitat.

  Our questions were many as we tried to piece together the information which had been revealed back in the lab chamber from Betty's computer, along with Cypher's own first hand account. It was Tasha's inquiry to her father's disappearance and consequential collapse of the tunnel road that won our Host's foremost attention. Being of strategic importance, a squadron had been left to guard this facility, which explained the cluster of military vehicles strewn across the base entrance outside. He proceeded to explain the purpose of her father’s mission, and how it had so abruptly ended.

  "A convoy had been assigned to escort one of the lead scientists along with a secured meteorite fragment excavated from the surface impact site," Cypher began, as he took a seat in the tall chair facing us, "Unfortunately there was an alleged mutiny within the ranks of the security contractor and we failed to acquire the sample specimen," he concluded, while we kept silent that we were already aware of this knowledge.

  "But what did they need the sample for, was it to create a vaccine?" I asked on Tasha's behalf. Cypher gave a long sigh, as if either he was choosing his words, or it was a subject he would rather entirely forget. Either way, we wanted to know. We had lugged that rock all this way here after all, at our own risk. Tasha had brought the capsule with her, since she did not trust letting it out of their site nor wished to leave it behind in the breakroom during this introduction.

  "The fragment was a primary specimen for the military branch on the blue level," he finally admitted as we turned our attention to Beatrice, whose face flushed with mild guilt, "as you can tell, we were quite secluded here from the ravages that affected the global population, and this site was kept secret in effort to keep it from becoming a target of infiltration or air strikes from foreign rivals," Cypher related.

  "I'm a little confused. Why would anyone want to attack this compound in the first place?" Tasha inquired with our joint interest behind her.

  "It would be nothing to do with the failure of the Veil probe, I assure you," Cypher declared, his eyes lingered on Betty when he spoke, "nor anything to do with the secret space station that was constructed on this site; but it could certainly be over concerns about the exploitation of the virus that would make this complex a target."

  It wasn't until that very moment when he revealed this crucial position that we could finally put all the pieces together. The scientists stationed in the upper levels of Fallhaven had been researching how to enhance the virus for military applications. Cypher further went on to disclose that the automations working around the clock in the Phase Development lab where Betty had been stationed, were not creating biological test samples as a remedy for clinical inoculations, but were instead tailored to intensify the original pathogen for use as a biological agent for adoption towards chemical warfare.

  "I've attempted many times to shut down the program that has been running on the blue level over all these years, but I was locked out its system and unable to affect the termination of that phase of operation," Cypher admitted, "since its integration is deeply rooted into the core system of the complex, and doing so would require that I cut all power to this facility that protects me," he explained as he got up and walked to the large pane window to the outside world. The sun had already set, but its soft glow was still settling in the cloud swept sky that painted the distant horizon.

  "The files showed that this Mirage space station, or whatever it is called, was unresponsive to hails, and there was no activity displayed from the orbital," Thorn stated as an inquiry to the man behind the glass about the data the computer had shown the group just moments before at Betty's work station. Cypher nodded solemnly at his remark, his pattern changing to a callous tone.

  "And there wouldn't be either," he acknowledged with an almost whimsical flare, "as the original launching platform, we had full access to remote systems on the station, of course. I took it upon myself to induce a certain level of ...intervention." he finished with a pause. We weren't quite sure what he had meant by that last statement, and he could read that by the confused look that spread among us.

  "What did you do?" Beatrice spoke up, a serious tone seeping from under her breath. Our self-elected host casually wandered back to his chair, leaning upon it in thought as he placed a hand to his chin. We were all a little disarmed by what he said next.

  "The final transport of our top branch Commanders to the orbiting station was postponed by a few last minute glitches and unforeseen mechanical setbacks. When our Administration here failed to acquire the meteor sample for their project research and the widespread outbreak of the alien virus resulting from the incursion that followed, they decided to initiate an emergency launch to evacuate the top members of the governing body to the Mirage orbital," he pointed above in reference to the space station still circling the Earth, "with a little ingenuity, a single person could override a few systems, push a few buttons and abort the launch mid flight with a kill switch ...kapooow!" he added with dramatization using his hands to represent a rocket in flight and then exploding along the length of its journey.

  "You blew it up?" Ava intervened, to clarify his theatrics.

  "Not the station, mind you ...though I do admit that it had originally crossed my mind," Cypher granted to our dismay, "unfortunately for them, at the last moment they chose not to include me on their exclusive VIP list, so I taught those arrogant fucks a little respect!" he admitted with smug resonance. The grin he wore proved that he still found an ample amount of amusement from their demise after all these years.

  "You just ...just, murdered them?" Beatrice spat back, exposing the true color of her loyalties to everyone in the room. Cypher stomped up to the glass and gave the old woman an ugly glare, stepping out of character for the first time. The unbalance of his genius coming to light.

  "Murder! Murder? Those self serving aristocratic lumps of human filth deserved worse!" he spat back in anger, "I've had a great deal of time to contemplate their conduct over these past several years, and I would do it again, a hundred times over. They didn't care about the world they had destroyed from their bungling, their only selfish concern went towards surviving the aftermath of their negligence," he affirmed.

  His words rang true. The elite branch of our ruling government and military grossly mismanaged the recovery operations and conspired to weaponize the virus rather than concentrate on cleaning up their own mess. It was about securing their power, even after proving they did not possess the ethics to wield it. Then they tried to jump ship when they lost control of the entire situation; it served them right. As for Cypher, I was actually beginning to like this guy.

  There were still a few dozen personnel posted on the space station, but by remotely overriding a few airlocks and purging the atmosphere in selected sections on the station, Cypher was able to vacate the entire platform of its staff. The man was a touch psychotic, but intelligent. It was a dangerous mixture.

  The phase development lab on the blue level below us was designated towards the process of replicating of the MN4 virus for genetic splicing into various compounds. The automated machinery had continued developing research samples nonstop for the past several years. Not trying to create a cure, but revealing ways to manipulate the pathogen into various forms for military applications.
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  Beatrice had been a part of the original research staff that had helped develop the monstrous mutations at Fallhaven. Those test creatures had been secured in cryogenic freezers for future study, until the day they had eventually lost control of containment. We all knew how that had worked out for everyone.

  They had been aiming to regulate a half-life to the virus in effort to effectively utilize the microbe as a weapon on foreign soil or against any resistance met by their new regime. Instead, the initial mutagens that were crossed tested with a soup of experimental pharmaceuticals ended up being wildly contagious and further resisted all forms of controlled degeneration. Their grand idea of spreading a designer disease that would be rendered impotent over a set duration of time had eventually backfired on them in a spectacular way.

  More disturbing, was Cypher's revelation that these genetic research facilities had been attempting this same scenario with every known viral outbreak over recent decades. Whenever a new disease or epidemic had been detected within any given country across the globe, those instances had actually been the first steps of many in the test-phases related to this Mirage project, which had been birthed to create a designer virus. However, it wasn't until the introduction of this exotic alien germ appeared that there was a truly potent and viable candidate for their covert operation for population reduction and control. They had been creating and testing bioweapons here under clear violation of international treaties.

  We had to agree on one point with Cypher, that the world was a better place with out our high-ranking officials running the game. Not only had they entirely botched the mission to prevent an asteroid collision that would likely have never happened in the first place, but had also added fuel to the flames by trying to forcibly manipulate and gain global domination through treachery and intimidation. It was beyond reckless ...it was madness.

  While we were arguing with Betty about her involvement with such an immoral agenda, Cypher tapped a few buttons on the arm of his control chair. A mechanical arm on our side of the glass wall reached out and snatched up the covered capsule that Tasha had set beside her. We all turned just as a separate clamp uncovered the soiled cloth, unveiling the meteor sample held within. Cypher nodded to himself in contemplation for a silent moment before cutting the tension in the air with a audible sigh.

  "I had been wondering what this little item was that you were so careful lugging about, its contents had been shielded from the cargo scanners by the lead lining I would presume," Cypher stood debating for a second with a finger to his chin, "is this what I think it is?" he inquired to the young girl as she clung tightly onto her rifle with a scowl of resistance stamped upon her brow.

  "My father was the hired escort originally assigned to deliver your lead military scientist and this meteor sample to this facility all those years ago," Tasha revealed to Cypher as his eyes lightened up at her words, "as you already know, this package was never delivered."

  "Until now," Cypher uttered as his face glinted brightly from behind the glass while he gazed at the container. Beatrice took a stand in front of the box in defiance, as if blocking his view would somehow sway his mind. The robot arms simply moved the container higher above her head and closer to the transparent wall where he could view it in greater detail, "a very dangerous gift indeed," he smiled while admiring the celestial shard containing the microbes that had forever changed the world we knew, "so enchantingly beautiful, yet so deadly," he exclaimed while his eyes swept down to Tasha, as if to complete the meaning of the metaphor.

  "What happened to my father?" Tasha spoke flatly, her blue eyes turning cold as steel in that moment. She had waited a long time and many sleepless nights for an answer. We all quelled our jabbering among one another to hear his response.

  "As I mentioned, there was an instance of insubordination between the military personnel and the contracted mercenaries who were hired to deliver this most valuable package," Cypher began with a nonchalant wave to the small stone as he turned once again towards the window on the far side of the room; his voice amplified through a hidden speaker to us at a constant volume from wherever he stood with the cell, "when the authorities in charge at the time discovered that the armed escort had delivered their Scientist, but had left the rock sample behind as a bargaining chip and began demanding answers, the situation quickly escalated into a firefight after they were informed about the true nature of the Mirage project," Cypher finished with a long breath.

  "But why were the tunnels blown, it seems a bit extreme for a lockdown," Tasha argued.

  "When the mercenaries held the lead scientist as leverage, they apparently didn't like the bits of classified intelligence we disclosed that the purified sample of the asteroid was actually going to be utilized for final development as a bioweapon, rather than a cure; they had a pretty ...let's say, volatile reaction to that information and they took measures to seal off the base from within," Cypher related, acknowledging that her father and the rest of his squad had fought back and collapsed both points of entry to the complex.

  The mountain tunnel was fully collapsed and blocked all ground based vehicle exits, and they took measures to sever the subterranean train rail below ground. Power to the base was being supplied by the hydrogen generators through sealed conduits in the underground tunnels, so they ultimately failed to shut down the facility completely as initially planned. Their heroic move crippled the continued function of the base and all but a few helicopters left in commission, but they couldn't handle the volume of materials required to continue operations on site. During the insurrection, the base was irreversibly damaged and key sections were compromised which eventually led to a breach in containment. To avoid exposure, that incident initiated an emergency evacuation of all top officials by launch to the orbiting space station.

  Cypher didn't quite agree with the governmental oversight and their compliance with the military branch in the production of a control virus; his section was initially organized towards the success of the Veil probe. Cypher's division quickly lost any continued value after its failure to mitigate the asteroid; and it was not long thereafter that the true purpose of the Mirage Station was exposed to the personnel in its entirety. Having helped design the guidance systems for the transit vehicle itself, Cypher took measures into his own hands for having been left behind, in the form of exacting swift vengeance. Needless to say, he certainly got the last laugh; so to speak.

  He admitted that Tasha's father had died during the revolt. He had done what he believed was right, and in a small way, justice was served. The containment of the base led to the entrapment of those personnel here on the site that eventually succumbed to the disease. During the chaos of the initial clash with the mercenaries, there were a few of the original staff which had escaped via the underground rail system to the outlying shelters; some of them unknowingly spreading the contagion on their persons as they fled to the other bunkers along the subway system. It was almost ironic how all the precautions set in place to protect the underground facilities had been jeopardized by the fleeing faculty who had good reason to hide their personal involvement with this highly illicit operation at the testing lab, to all the rest of the shelter residents.

  It was a grand failure. It never ceased to amaze me how human kind could be so arrogant and small-minded, and could never seem to grasp the larger picture to see anything beyond their own pettiness. With their top officials slain in the catastrophic failure of the launch vehicle, the rest of the military personnel and staff tried to escape the facility on their own, and succumbed one by one to their own personal fate among the shattered and bloody walls of the base. Many of the workers still lurked here in their infected state, mentally deranged and aimlessly shambling the corridors in search of food; staring listlessly behind their dull bloodshot eyes as the virus coursed through their veins.

  Cypher had used his knowledge of the station construction and its computer systems overrides to have the robotic automations help him construct a containment cell
on the top floor. He had more than enough rations and supplies available for him in storage that would have sustained the thousands of workers that had once staffed this facility. He then devised an elaborate system of disinfecting any goods and programmed the failsafe program to target anyone who either lacked security clearance or was infected. Here in solitude, he lingered for the past several years, alone in his ivory tower.

  He watched in earnest through the security feed during the mayhem that ensued around the base, as the contagion spread and the once few weepers, quickly became many. This led to a problem that he had been working on since he locked himself up in his gilded glass cage. The power levels that maintained his elaborate system relied upon had become compromised over the span of time; and he needed to shut down the debilitating energy drain from the automations working feverishly in the biotech chamber on the blue level below. He was certain by the old woman's reaction to his tale, that she would be less than cooperative to assist him towards that ultimate goal.

  These past years spent trapped inside his glass box had not gone entirely wasted for Cypher, while he worked diligently crafting a wild plan. On the launch pad in the underground bay, he stated there sat a prototype shuttle that had been used as a model for the shuttle transport created for the high officials. During his time incarcerated on the top floor, he had reassigned the robotic units in the bay to finish construction on the smaller model to make it flight worthy.

  All that was left to complete his venue was to divert the excessive power being funneled away by the untiring automations in the Phase Development Lab, and have it diverted directly into the hydrogen cells on the prototype vehicle. Cypher was an engineer who wanted to take his place among the stars as he felt he had deserved, and he was going to persuade his current guests help him achieve that.

  The Run