Transient Echoes
Page 25
On the way to his office, she passed the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the Office of Compliance, the Department of Civil Protection, and the Department of Corrections. Each of them looked identical to the last, except for the plaque outside the door.
Once she was at her destination, she touched the scanner on the wall and waited for it to verify her identity. A second later, the doors slid open.
“Analyst Sol?” asked a young man in a receptionist uniform. “Master Gel is waiting for you. Please proceed.” He motioned to the back of the room to a paned glass window and another door.
She could see the master analyst on the other side of the glass, sitting behind his desk and talking to the air around him. He was probably in a meeting with someone on his visor.
Lena went to the door and waited to be recognized by her superior. He made eye contact with her within seconds but didn’t acknowledge her arrival. She waited several minutes, presumably because he was still in the middle of his conversation and didn’t want to be interrupted. She understood. He was an important man.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes, he removed his visor and motioned for her to enter and take a seat. She did, saying nothing. It was impolite for a subordinate to speak first.
“Thank you for responding so quickly to my invitation,” said the master analyst.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
“Do you know why you have been called to this office?” he asked.
“No, sir,” she said.
“Would you care to speculate on the cause?”
She paused, trying to look as though she were giving it more thought. “I honestly cannot think of anything, sir,” she said. Of course, this was a lie. She knew exactly why she was here. Discovering an energy anomaly at a potentially blacklisted site in the quarantine zone was not a common occurrence. Not as far as she was aware.
“You are here because you received a priority message from the defense system in regards to grid 1103. Is this accurate?”
“It is,” she said.
“Did you find this report to be unconventional?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” she responded.
“Why?”
“Because the source of the discharge did not originate from a listed asset. The energy appears to have come from an underground facility, though there are no records of such a place in the database.”
He nodded. “You are sure?”
“If the Rosenthal scans are to be believed, sir.”
“Why do you think the site was unlisted?” he asked.
“A variety of reasons, sir, but I couldn’t say with any certainty.”
The master analyst took his visor and placed it over his eye. Immediately, his pupil dilated, indicating the neural connection. His eyes left hers and seemed to focus on the air above the desk. “Lena Sol, level-5 analyst, eight years’ experience beginning at age thirteen. Several commendations for excellence and dedication to service.” He looked at her. “A superb portfolio. No infractions noted. You should be very proud.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You seem to be quite adept at your station, Lena Sol,” he said. “I have a hard time believing you don’t have a single theory regarding this unusual event.”
She stiffened.
“It’s okay. Go ahead and tell me what you think. I assure you, I will not file a report.”
She let out a small sigh. “Yes, sir.”
“So what do you think?” he asked.
“There are a few possibilities. To begin with, the database may have simply been corrupted and never fixed. The scans are not as accurate when dealing with underground sites.”
“And the other possibility?” asked Gel.
“Someone may have blacklisted the facility,” she said.
“Have you ever heard of such a thing?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, of course not.”
“Really?” he asked. “I find that surprising. I hear rumors all the time.”
She shifted in her seat. “I’ve heard a rumor or two, sir, but never anything believable.”
“Would it bother you to learn those rumors were true?”
“If they were, I’m sure the government had its reasons.” A non-answer, but a safe one. She was in dangerous territory.
“I agree. But such things, if they exist, would likely be considered classified and confidential. As a grade-5 analyst, you are several levels shy of receiving the necessary clearance to even speak about these matters.”
Oh, no, she thought, feeling panicked. She shouldn’t have said anything about a blacklisted site. What was she thinking?
Master Gel gave a thin smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. Sol. You can relax. You are not being reprimanded. On the contrary, you’re about to be promoted.”
Her jaw fell. “Sir?”
“The fact of the matter is that you are correct. This is a classified location. You received this alert by accident through a fault in the system. It should not have gone to you. Policy states I have two options now. Either I can send you to a memory facility and have the information extracted, potentially damaging your brain in the process, or I can promote you and give you the necessary security clearance. Given your exemplary history with the department, I’d rather side with the latter. What do you think?”
“Y-Yes, thank you, sir,” she said, struggling to get the words out.
“Very good,” he responded. “Now, if you’ll join me, please link your visor with mine, so I can finalize the promotion.”
She did as he told her. A moment later, he called for a document to appear between them, detailing Lena’s work history and current position as a level-5 systems analyst. In an instant, the title changed to level-9, causing Lena to gasp quite suddenly. She had never heard of anyone jumping four levels in a single promotion.
Master Gel removed his visor. “There,” he said. “Now you are authorized to hear what I am about to tell you.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“As you have already surmised, Ms. Sol, the location you received is indeed blacklisted from lower level personnel. The question you’re surely asking yourself is why? Are you aware of the history surrounding that area? I’m sure you know the general story about the tribal conflicts and toxicity of the land, yes?”
She nodded.
“All true,” he assured her. “However, there’s a little more to it. The reason behind the pollution and radiation has to do with the facility in question. You see, under the mountain is an abandoned city, largely undetectable. The only reason you were able to find it was because of the Rosenthal satellite, which was only recently launched.” He shook his head. “It seems no one thought to delete the details of this location from the satellite’s scans, but I suppose mistakes happen. Regardless, this facility exists and has been there for roughly two hundred and sixty years.”
Two hundred and sixty years? Lena considered this. If Gel’s math was accurate, then this place was the oldest structure in the quarantine zone by at least a decade.
Master Gel went on. “The purpose of this location was to carry out a wide variety of classified scientific research. Due to the dangers this work entailed, the order was given to establish an outpost far from Everlasting, should anything go wrong.”
“What sort of work could be so dangerous?” asked Lena.
“There was a project,” explained the master analyst. “An experiment dealing with cutting edge quantum theory, specifically aimed at discovering and potentially developing a means for matter transference through a singularity.”
“Matter transference?” asked Lena.
“A wormhole,” he replied. “A means of moving from one point to another, no matter the distance, in a matter of seconds.”
“I see,” she said, surprised.
“Indeed, but after a few decades of research, a discovery was made. Quite accidentally, I might add.”
“What kind?” she asked.
“The dangerous sort,” he said. “The scientists did indeed find a way to open a bridge, but what they found on the other side was not what they expected. In attempting to create a means of traveling great distances through space, they inadvertently opened a door to another universe. A separate reality, if you will.”
“Another reality?” she asked, a little taken back. “Incredible.”
“What followed was a disaster,” said Gel. “The machine activated successfully, but the gate caused a power surge throughout the facility, damaging several systems in the process. This in turn caused an immediate containment breach in one of the fission reactors, which was our main source of energy at the time. The resulting radiation swept through the compound, killing everyone in a matter of minutes. Those who managed to escape died a few days later.”
Lena was stunned. “Sir, this is…I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s hard to believe, I know,” he said. “The machine and the underground city associated with it were considered lost. The intense levels of radiation were beyond deadly, and the government at the time refused to risk more lives. Thirteen thousand people were lost that day.”
“What happened to the portal, sir?”
“It was believed to have shut down after the power failure,” said Gel. “With no energy to draw from, how could it continue working? But four years ago there was a disturbance, an energy spike which bore a striking resemblance to the signature of the portal. An investigation was performed, but there were no conclusive results. However, several theories have been surmised.”
“What kind of theories?”
“That the portal was never closed,” said the master analyst. “That it remained open for two hundred years, only shutting down on the day in question, when the energy surge occurred suddenly and without warning, right in the heart of the quarantine zone.”
“Sir, would this be the same energy—”
“Yes,” he answered. “The event from four years ago is identical to the one you stumbled upon only a short while ago. What’s more, they have been occurring with some frequency these last few weeks, and as you might expect, we are concerned.”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the Rosenthal satellite is not capable of giving us the status of the machine, nor can it detail the state of the facility. As such, we find ourselves in a situation requiring a more hands-on approach.”
“You mean the government is looking to send a research team?” she asked.
“Exactly true, yes,” said Master Analyst Gel. “Several departments have been tasked with providing an experienced and qualified member for this joint operation.” He grinned and arched his brow. “As it happens, Lena Sol, I think you’d make an excellent candidate.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. N. Chaney has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.
He migrates often but was last seen in Avon Park, Florida. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.
Transient Echoes is his second novel.