At a quickened pace, he left the armory and rushed toward the main utility room. Craig hurried behind him and when the arrived they found the room full of dense, black smoke.
“Get the extinguishers,” Max yelled.
He ran inside and shut off the main breaker. Sparks were shooting from the back of the recirculation unit and the metal around the carbon scrubber was charred and melted.
Craig ran inside and started spraying the fire extinguisher from side to side. The foam retardant sizzled as it doused the fire and filled the room with more smoke.
“Shit!” Max grumbled. “This thing is done.”
Craig dropped the empty canister and surveyed the damage. “Will it still run.”
Max laughed. “It was barely running before.”
“What does this mean?”
“It means you guys have a week to find us a way out of here.”
Craig stared at Max with a strained face. He took a deep breath then nodded his head and walked back into the hall. “Get the egg ready to move. I’ll make the announcement.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna leave in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll bring us up to operating depth.”
Craig headed to the command center, leaving Max alone with the smoldering equipment. He stared at the burnt pieces of metal and charred wiring while a million thoughts rushed through his head.
“I don’t want to die down here,” he mumbled to himself then left the room.
The egg moved on something like a massive tank track and was fixed with a drill on either end. It allowed them to navigate the substrate, burrowing deeper or shallow when needed. A nuclear reactor powered the entire facility and that along with the oxygen farm, rebreathers, water tanks and food storage could’ve kept twice as many people alive for ten years. Unfortunately, things seldom went to plan.
Equipment was falling apart left and right. Every day their options dwindled and if they didn’t find an agreeable atmosphere, the egg was likely to become the final resting place for them all.
“Prep us for departure,” Max ordered as he walked into the control station.
Jacob turned around with a puzzled face. “Departure? I thought they weren’t leaving for three more days?”
“Time table has changed. We need to get them out of here as soon as possible.”
“Um, okay. You’re the boss,” Jacob said as he swung his chair around and started banging commands into the computer. “You gonna tell everyone we’re going mobile again?”
“Craig’s already on it. Just get us ready to move.”
~~***~~
Daniel wrapped his hands around Amber’s waist and pulled her close. She giggled and he pressed his face into hers and kissed her. When they finally came up for air she gasped and let out a little chuckle.
“What was that for?”
“Good luck I guess.”
“Don’t be so dramatic Daniel. You’re not going off to war.”
Daniel laughed. “I know, I know. Just…you know with it being so out of nowhere…I don’t know. Maybe I’m over thinking everything.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Besides, MJ is your chaperone. That lady is legendary, nothing is gonna happen to you.”
“I saved her life before, you do know that right?”
Amber smiled. “So, you’ve told me.” She kissed him again then leaned her head against his chest.
“I’ve gotta get my stuff ready.”
“Ok. You still sleeping over tonight, right?”
“Yeah. Just gotta make sure Trevor is okay with Chloe. Grayson has been spending a little too much time around our place.”
“Cut the kid a break. You were worst.”
“I’ll cut that kid.”
“Oh whatever. Just go finish what you have to and get meet me at my place. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“Hurry up and you’ll find out.”
Grinning, Daniel kissed her on the forehead and hurried off. His room was on the other side of the facility away from the other residences. He moved there half a year ago, when he started working night and day to keep the scrubbers online. It meant he didn’t have to navigate the twisted corridors when he was half asleep, but it also meant he was far enough from Amber to send a postcard.
He hummed to himself as he walked the lonely halls. Anything to keep his mind off the upcoming mission. He was terrified, and for good reason. They had no clue what to expect once they left the facility. They’d sent drones, cameras, small tracked vehicles, and nothing had come back. The world above them was a mystery, a black hole that swallowed everything it touched.
“Trevor?” Daniel called out as he swung open the door to his apartment. “Trevor, is Grayson still in here?”
When there was no answer he walked further inside and screamed again. “Trevor! What are you sleeping?”
He passed through the living room and poked his head inside of Trevor’s bedroom, but it was empty. He made his way to the game room, but that was empty too.
“Did everyone just decide to get a life all a sudden,” he grumbled.
Shrugging, he grabbed a bag and started to pack his things. A few changes of clothes for his time at Amber’s, his canteen and a rusted pocket knife he’d been hanging onto for the last few years. When he was done, he slung the tote over his shoulder and grabbed his toothbrush from the bathroom.
“Damn it, Trevor. Stop stealing my toothpaste,” he growled then spun around and headed back to Trevor’s room.
The place was a mess as usual. His blanket was thrown on the ground, clothes and mismatched pairs of shoes were everywhere. It was amazing that he could have so much stuff in such a small area.
Daniel pushed the bathroom door open and the UV lights automatically came to life. They gently buzzed, casting imitation sunlight across the room. He scanned over the sink, locking his eyes on his toothpaste then grabbing it with a victorious grin. As he spun to leave an image reflected in the mirror and his legs buckled, sending him falling into the sink.
Trembling, he tried to balance himself, but his body wouldn’t listen. His legs faltered beneath him and his arms could hardly hold onto the counter.
“No!” he cried out. “No! No!”
Swallowing, he scampered to his feet and stumbled to the back of the bathroom. His eyes were frozen on his brother’s lifeless body as it hung from a climbing rope affixed to a metal beam in the ceiling.
As his senses returned, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his knife then stepped onto the side of the tub. With a quick swing, he sliced through the rope and grabbed Trevor’s body with the other hand, falling to the ground with him.
Rolling him onto his back, Daniel pulled the rope from around his neck and shook him from side to side. “Trevor! Come on, Trevor wake up,” he groaned as tears rolled down his face.
Trevor’s face was lax and his bloodshot eyes were cloudy and dull. Daniel cradled him in his arms and rocked back and forth, press his forehead against his brother’s. A lifetime of memories flashed in front of him, a lifetime that he refused to let go.
“Trevor!” he screamed until his voice broke.
He laid him down on the floor and tilted his head back. Placing one hand over the other, he was about to start CPR when he noticed the not duct taped across Trevor’s chest.
“Sorry. I hope you can understand. There is no tomorrow for me.”
CHAPTER 6
TURNING THE PAGE
The tap of heels across the tile floor had an ominous cadence. It was like seconds ticking off a clock, like the metronome of life rushing forward, barreling over anything in its way. There was no stopping it, no way to avoid the inevitable, so Daniel took a deep breath and sat up.
Chloe shivered in his arms and he squeezed her tighter before looking down the hall. Cynthia was walking toward them with her head lowered and her glasses slightly askew. She stopped in front of the beach and c
leared her throat.
“He’s in a coma,” she said lowly. “But he’s lucky to be alive.”
“A coma?” Daniel echoed. “Does, does that mean he’s going to live?”
Cynthia took her glasses off and wiped tears from her face then nodded. “I…I just don’t know what the damage will be like. There’s no way to know how much time passed before you found him.”
“So, how long will he be in a coma?”
“Could be hours…could be weeks, hard to know. You two should go get some rest. There’s plenty of available rooms down here. Craig will be rounding everyone up in the morning to discuss where we go from here and you can come see me after for an update on your brother.”
“I can’t leave him.”
“Daniel there’s nothing you can do. He’s in good hands and his status isn’t going to change tonight. Take car of yourself for now.”
Cynthia patted him on the shoulder then headed back into the clinic. Daniel stared after her and took a deep sigh of relief, finding a bit of optimism in her words. The last two hours had been a nightmare and he clung to the silver lining, especially now that he was left with the grim reality that his brother tried to kill himself.
Since Sherry and the others died Trevor hadn’t been the same. Their years underground slowly weathered him, but Sherry’s death was the final straw. Daniel felt to blame for not noticing it, for thinking that Trevor was fine and just needed space. He should’ve been a better brother.
“Daniel!” a familiar voice called from behind him.
He turned his head slowly and forced a weak smile. “Amber.”
“Oh my God. I just heard what happened. Is Trevor gonna be okay?”
She hurried beside him and grabbed the sides of his face. Leaning forward she kissed him then pressed her forehead into his and took a deep breath.
“He’s in a coma,” Daniel mumbled. “We won’t know much else tonight.”
Amber covered her mouth and straightened up. “I’m so sorry.”
Frowning, Daniel stood up and grabbed Amber with his free hand. With his other arm wrapped around Chloe, he slowly started toward the room.
~~***~~
Craig took a deep breath and leaned his head back. He folded his hands across the table then stood up and turned to face MJ. She was staring at him from across the table. She looked strained and worried, tapping her finger against her leg in agitation.
“This has obviously complicated things.”
“That’s one way to put it, so much for being diplomatic,” MJ replied.
“I just mean logistically we’re gonna lose two. Not to mention, we should’ve had you guys up there already. I don’t wanna be insensitive, but our problems haven’t changed. We either figure this out or we all might as well hang ourselves.”
MJ winced at his words then turned toward the door as it swung open. Thomas entered with Jacob on his heels. His face was flustered and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“They’re starting to show up,” Thomas announced. “There’s a lot of talk, a lot of questions about what we’re doing.”
“Okay. Let’s get this over with,” Craig replied.
Thomas nodded then propped the door open. One by one the residents started to pile in and took seats around the long, rectangular table. Alistair and his mom, Daniel and Amber, everyone from the egg was in attendance. It was the first time everyone had been together in the same place in over a year. Once the room was full, Craig raised his hands and cleared his throat.
“A lot has gone on in the last two days. I know many of you have questions, so we can start with that.”
As soon as he finished hands shot up across the room. Craig tried to hide his displeasure and straightened his back then pointed to the closest person.
“I heard we’re sending a team to the surface,” the scraggy-faced man said. “Is that true?”
“Yes, that’s true. We’ll be ascending shortly and the team will be on their way.”
“Why?” a woman from the back of the room shouted.
“We need to find out if there’s any place up there that’s livable. We need to test the air, soil, water.”
“Ain’t that why we sent the drones? Why are we sending people now?”
Craig glanced at MJ before responding. She shook her head from side to side then frowned. He turned back to the mob and shrugged.
“Look, I’m gonna shoot straight with you,” Craig started. “Multiple systems have already begun to fail. This place was never made for us to stay in it as long as we have. If we don’t find something on the surface, our outlook isn’t good.”
“So…so you’re saying we’re all gonna die?”
“I’m saying we need to get this thing up to operating level and get a team on the surface. Every minute we waste discussing it is a minute closer to death.”
Everyone quieted down and hands fell as people began to whisper to one another. Suddenly, Daniel stood up from the back and started walking toward the front of the room. A sea of eyes watched his every step, the rumors had already begun.
“I need to talk to you,” Daniel said as he got closer to Craig.
“Okay,” Craig replied then turned back to the group. “We need to lock the facility down. We’ll be moving up to operating depth in an hour, so make your preparations.”
Grumbling, the crowd started to thin. They slowly rose from their seats and went their separate ways until only a few people were left. The stragglers talked amongst themselves, ignoring what was going on in the front of the room.
“I’m going,” Daniel said when Craig turned back to him.
“What?”
“I’m still going. I’m going topside with the group.”
“Daniel, your brother is in a coma. You need to be here, you need to get your head right.”
“My head is right. He tried to kill himself. That’s what this place did to him. If he’s gonna wake up, he has to have something else, something better. If I can help find that, I need to.”
Craig tightened his jaw. He understood how Daniel felt more than most, but empathy wasn’t his job. “Daniel, I can’t let you do that. I know how you feel, but you need to be here for your brother when he wakes up.”
Daniel squinted his eyes and bit his lip as he turned to leave. “It wasn’t a request, Craig. I’m going.”
~~***~~
“Back off the thrust a bit,” Max ordered.
Jacob pulled the lever toward him slightly then glanced at Max. He nodded as the sound of the drill slowed.
“What’s our depth?” Craig asked.
“Hundred meters to go. We don’t want to go any higher than sixty. The pods can get you the rest of the way.”
Max and a few others were sitting up in the control station, piloting the massive machine. Everyone else was buckled into jump seats in an adjacent room. The mood was sullen and the blanket of worried faces could hardly contain their fear.
The entire structure rumbled and shook as they slowly crept through the rock and soil. The sound of the machine ripping through the earth was terrifying, it brought flashbacks of a time they’d all tried to forget.
“Revolutions on the drill are spiking,” Jacob said as he tapped his finger on the dial.
“I told you to back off the thrust.”
“I did!”
Max swiveled his chair around and glanced at the control board. The needle that measured drill RPM’s was bouncing off the redline. Alarms and warning sirens squawked like crows and the lights flickered and dimmed.
Craig narrowed his eyes, stretching his neck to see the gauges. “What’s going on?” he asked nervously.
“I don’t know,” Max snapped.
There was a sudden bang and the walls shuddered like a bell. The egg listed to the side then a panel exploded from the wall and shot across the room, slamming into the opposite wall.
Max reached across the control panel and yanked the lever all the way back. A grinding noise screeched then a loud m
echanical clunk rang out. Wires sparked and black acrid smoke spilled from a torn hose.
“Hang on!” Max yelled.
The egg pitched then rolled and lurched upward. Jacob was nearly thrown from his seat, but the harness snagged him backward. Max scrambled to bring the machine under control, but nothing was working.
Another explosion blew apart a piece of the control panel and he was knocked backward. Craig snarled and let out a moan then the lights shut off and cast the entire facility into darkness.
CHAPTER 7
FORCED HAND
Warm blood trickled down Max’s face as he blinked away the pain. A red emergency light flickered above him and moans of confusion and agony echoed from the other room.
Air escaped the outer shell with an ominous hiss, alerting him to the immediate danger. Fighting through blurred vision, Max shut off the power to the drill and started running diagnostics. They were losing air and if he didn’t’ fix it soon the entire structure would implode on itself.
“Jacob,” Max called out. “You okay? I’m gonna need your help.”
Jacob was staring at the cracked screen in front of him, his mouth was hanging open and his fingers were wrapped around a metal lever like it was a lifeline.
“Jacob!”
Blinking, he shook his head and turned to face Max. “I’m here…I’m here,” he mumbled.
“Craig, can you flip the auxiliary switch on the back wall?” Max asked.
Craig made a grumbling noise then chuckled. “That’s gonna be a problem,” he said in a casual tone.
“What?” Max turned around and gawked.
A footlong shard of metal was stabbed through his thigh, impaling him to the seat. The jagged sheet was covered in crimson as blood dripped into a puddle underneath him.
“Shit!” Max growled. “Jacob, find Cynthia and check on the others.”
Jacob glared at Craig then unbuckled his seat and staggered to a stand. He took a deep breath then rushed off toward the other room. Alistair and MJ came running around the corner and nearly ran him over.
Never Tomorrow Page 3