Chapter 10
I switched on my flashlight as soon as I stepped inside of the hall, though the night vision that Francine had added to my visor helped as well. The bright beam cut through the blackness and revealed the grim interior of the nuclear power plant. Large particles of dust and other substances swirled through the air as though they had their own gravity. It looked like I was walking along the bottom of the pool because the particles never seemed to fall to the ground, but instead, continued to dance and float through the air on their own respective journeys.
It was weirdly entrancing, but I forced my attention away from the show and focused on the hallway. It was wide enough to drive a forklift through, and the floor had been tiled with white squares that were now cracked and covered with dirt. There were chunks of debris scattered around where parts of the walls had crumbled and fallen off, and cracks covered the moldy walls everywhere I looked. Old lighting fixtures still hung down from the ceiling on brown wires, but all of the bulbs were blown. Slivers of glass sparkled as the beam from my flashlight swept over the smashed bulbs, and for a moment, it almost looked magical.
But then I swept the beam toward the ceiling, and I saw that it was just as cracked and scarred as the walls. It was not a reassuring sight, and a part of me wondered if the whole building was about to fall down on my head. Still, I couldn’t focus on that now. I needed to get the uranium and get out of there.
So, I began to creep through the silent building. It was just as quiet as it had been outside, only in here I could hear the faint creaking sounds as the slowly disintegrating building struggled under its own weight. Other than that, though, all I could hear was my own breathing and my footsteps on the floor as I stepped onto shards of glass or chunks of brick.
There were doors every few feet along the corridor, and at the end of the long hall I could just about make out a staircase that led both upward and down, which meant there were levels below the ground floor as well.
“Jeez, how big is this place?” I whispered to myself.
I pressed each door as I passed them. A couple of them near the entrance were locked, but as I got further in, they seemed to be in worse and worse condition until eventually, there were just rotten pieces of wood on the ground, or the metal door was rusted and on the floor instead. I peeked inside the rooms where the doors were missing, but it looked like personal offices and a couple of conference rooms.
One of the rooms was filled with lockers that went from the floor to the ceiling, and I was able to see an old uniform inside an open locker. It was threadbare and had pieces of it missing, most likely disintegrated with age or thanks to some small insects gnawing at it over the years. Maybe this planet had moths like on Earth. Anything was possible.
Further down the hall, I stepped into a couple of the old offices that were larger than the rest. As I looked around the rooms, I could see desks, bookshelves, plant pots, filing cabinets, chairs, and threadbare carpets, and I was amazed how closely it mirrored offices back on Earth. It was strange to see all of it just abandoned and destroyed, and I wondered if this was what Chernobyl looked like after the reactor had melted down.
I shuddered as I realized that I literally had a view first-hand of what Earth would look like if a war ever turned nuclear, and it was not a pleasant sight. I tried to comprehend all of the empty houses, all of the abandoned schools, the ghost towns and the flattened cities, and most of all, the sheer number of lives that would be lost if this were to happen to Earth.
I couldn’t even fathom what it must have been like for the survivors of the war that were trapped down here on this planet with virtually nothing to keep themselves alive. How lonely it must have felt to try and band together however many of their kind were left and to rebuild some semblance of society in the wake of this utter destruction. Still, the will to survive had kept at least some of them going, and that was wholly commendable. Although, if it were me, I would have started working on a way off this hellish planet the first chance I got.
I sighed and moved on until I arrived at the staircase. I looked to my right and saw another corridor, but the roof had completely collapsed and there was no way through. The corridor to my left was intact, but there were only a few doors, and those all appeared to have been sealed shut at some point.
That just left the stairs. I walked over to the banister and leaned over it so that I could look up through the stairwell to see if it was going to collapse under my feet, but it seemed sturdy enough, as did the stairs below me. But it was hard to be sure, since the light from my flashlight wasn’t strong enough to reach the bottom. There were windows on the upper levels of the stairwell, or rather gaps where they had been, so at least there was some pale sunlight up there. It certainly looked a lot more inviting than the dark and dank down below.
“Alright, Frankie,” I said. “Up or down?”
“I am able to detect that the uranium is on one of the lower levels,” the AI replied.
“Of course it is,” I sighed. “Okay. Down into the belly of the beast I go.”
I sighed as I eased my weight onto the first step and held my breath as I waited to see if the rotting board would give way and send me tumbling to the bottom. But the step held, and I crept down to the next one and then the next one until I reached the landing for the next floor.
The door had a strange marking on it in flaking paint, and it was obviously reinforced. There was a small window in the center of the door that still had the glass, which looked thick and unbreakable. It was too dark to see what was on the other side, though, so I held the flashlight up to the glass.
I could just pick out dust-coated, rusted machinery and computers that looked way more advanced than anything that we had on Earth. There were no other rooms on this floor, just one enormous space brimming with futuristic technology that now lay in ruins. It didn’t look like it had been touched since the war, and when I pushed against the door I could see why. It was sealed shut, and it wouldn’t budge no matter how much force I used against it. .
“I’m guessing the uranium isn’t in here?” I said.
“No, it is further down,” Francine replied.
I turned and looked at the ominous, dark stairwell that would take me even deeper below the surface.
“Naturally,” I sighed.
The next floor was much the same, with a sealed door and a gigantic room filled with machines and computers beyond it. I wondered briefly what had happened to the people who worked in those rooms and if they’d made it out before they were sealed, and then I started down the steps once again.
I had passed two more floors when I saw the first signs of possible life. There was a trail through some of the dust, and though I tried to convince myself that it was probably just the Wildern version of a rat, I could feel my neck hairs standing on end. I paused on the next landing so that I could check for any other signs of animal life, but there weren’t any droppings or paw prints.
“What is it, Will?” Francine asked.
“I’m just getting the feeling that I might not be the only one down here,” I said.
“The depth of these floors are beginning to interfere with my sensors,” the AI said. “I may be less helpful when warning you of attackers.”
“Now you tell me,” I chided. “If I get eaten down here, my ghost will haunt you forever.”
“You will not get eaten,” the AI replied, though I heard uncertainty in her voice.
The next landing turned out to be the final floor, and I nearly had a heart attack when the flashlight swept over a skeleton by the door. It looked human to my untrained eye, and I had a brief moment when I wondered if some poor wretch had been brought here and left to die.
I had to remind myself that the natives who had built this world had been similar to humans, and so it made sense that their skeletons would look like ours. I took a deep breath and then inched closer. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but when I nudged the remnants of a lab coat to the side, I spotted teeth marks on some of the bones.
“I really hope that happened long after the guy was dead,” I groaned.
“It is quite old,” Francine said. “Whatever ate this person is not still alive.”
“Yeah, but some mutated generation of offspring might be,” I replied as I turned to the door. “And since we’ve reached the bottom finally, then this must be where the uranium is stored.”
“My scans are still experiencing interference,” Francine replied. “But I believe you are correct.”
“Great,” I said as I walked over to the door and pulled it open. “Huh. That was easy.”
I shone my flashlight through the doorway, and it lit up the passage.
“Oh, God, why?” I groaned. “What is it with aliens and eating people?”
The narrow passage was lined with skeletons, and it was far more obvious with this group that the meat had been ripped off their bones. The bones had been left where the people had fallen or been caught, and while most were lying on the floor, a few were leaning against the wall.
“Protein is an essential--” Francine began.
“No,” I interrupted. “Just no.”
There was only one other door, and that was at the far end of the hall. It hung at an angle as though it had been ripped open by something trying to escape whatever was on the other side.
“I always hated Jurassic Park,” I sighed and began to walk through the corridor. “And all of this is starting to feel kinda similar to it.”
I stepped over and around the bodies even though I kept telling myself that the bones couldn’t hurt me. But it felt wrong to just kick them out of the way, so I did my best not to disturb them. Besides, I didn’t want to alert any monsters that might be lurking in the darkness by rattling a bunch of bones.
When I reached the next doorway, I shone my flashlight through the broken door. Beyond it was another corridor lined by yet more doors. It was also filled with crumbling skeletons, all of which had teeth marks from where the bones had been gnawed on.
“It’s official,” I muttered. “I’m in hell.”
As I started down the next corridor, I trained my flashlight over the floor and walls. I sucked in my breath when I spotted long, deep gouges that had to be claw marks, and from the width of the marks, the thing had to be big.
I put my hand up to the long scratches, and I realized that it had the same finger span that I did, only these grooves had been made by claws or talons, not by fingernails. There was a dark stain near the claw marks, and when I checked the floor, I could see more inky pools of dried liquid splattered on the floor. It was probably blood, and I had to close my eyes for a second as I tried not to imagine what hell these people had gone through.
There was definitely something down here, or there had been in the past, I was sure of it. A chill seemed to creep into the air, and the hairs on the back of my neck were on end as I studied the scene of a mass death. They had been eaten. But by what?
“Okay, Frankie,” I said. “Which way?”
“Through the door at the end,” the AI said. “Once you go through there, though, my imaging abilities may not be as effective.”
“Noted,” I said as I hurried toward the doorway at the end and peered through it.
It opened out into a spacious room filled with various computers and containers. Similar to the rest of the nuclear plant, everything was covered in dust, the walls were cracked and crumbling, and small particles swirled and danced tauntingly in the light of my flashlight.
Thankfully, there weren’t any skeletons in this room, or none that I was able to see anyway. I was sure there were some remains hidden in the shadows here and there, but what I didn’t know couldn’t hurt me. So, I wandered over to some of the computers for a closer look.
I had been sure that the technology I’d seen was impressive, and as I studied the computer in front of me, I knew that was true. I wasn’t a tech geek, but even I could tell that it was better than anything on Earth.
“It is a shame,” Francine said.
“What is?” I asked as I tried to wipe off one of the monitors.
“These computers are very advanced,” Francine said. “It would not have been long until this species would have been able to create inventions that other species would not even think possible, including AI as advanced as myself.”
“Always gotta slip that word ‘advanced’ in there, don’t you?” I chuckled. “You’re right, though. It’s a shame that all of their progress was cut short by the war.”
“It is more obvious why they were attacked by other lifeforms now,” Francine said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If technology like this fell into the wrong hands, or the wrong leaders came to power here, then Wildern would have been almost unstoppable,” the AI said. “Coupled with Wildern’s almost endless supply of nuclear power at their fingertips, the other planets in the system must have been terrified. If they were not such a peaceful people, they could have easily taken over the Bellatorus System, if not the rest of the galaxy.”
“But they were peaceful people,” I sighed. “And yet, they were still almost wiped out, and their planet was reduced to this radioactive wasteland.”
“I also told you that the Bellatorus System is prone to war,” Francine said.
“Very true,” I said as I began to wander around the desks and admire the various equipment these people had at their disposal. “So, maybe the people of Wildern should have expected their neighbors to attack. But would that have saved them?”
“I do not know,” Francine admitted. “I suppose we never will, either.”
I started to explore the rest of the room, though there was no way to bring any of the technology back online. I was studying a tablet that was as thin as paper when I spotted a few containers in a corner that looked out of place in this temple to high tech. I walked over for a better look, and I frowned when I realized that it was filled with foil pouches like my own MRE’s came in. There was more of the strange writing, but the pictures showed fruits, veggies, and even full meals.
“That’s kinda weird,” I said.
“What is, Will?” Francine asked.
“Sorry, my thoughts just jumped somewhere else,” I said. “What I mean is, it’s weird that all of this is still down here.”
“Why is that weird?” Francine asked.
“All this tech, and this food,” I said. “Why wouldn’t any of the survivors come down here? I mean, this is practically a bomb shelter, and someone clearly had the foresight to keep food supplies in here. Then there’s all this tech that they could have used to maybe, I don’t know, build a spaceship or at least hail one passing close by. They must have been desperate for supplies of any kind, and yet, it’s all still here, and no one seems to have touched it. Isn’t that super odd?”
“When you put it like that,” Francine said.
“Whatever killed those people must have kept the survivors away,” I mused. “And it was scary enough that they were willing to leave all this behind.”
We both fell silent for a moment as the reality of what that might mean set in.
“Maybe we should--” I began.
“Get moving?” Francine said.
“Yup,” I replied as I closed the lid of the container and hurried off toward the next door at the back of the room.
The next doorway opened out to another corridor with yet more doorways. I tried to picture where I was in relation to the surface and decided that the underground portion was far more vast than the mall on the surface.
“Which way now?” I asked.
“Keep going straight,” Francine said.
I no longer cared whether I disturbed the dead or not. A sense of urgency had filled my body, and all I knew was that I didn’t want to meet whatever had eaten the flesh from the bones of the people who had come down here before I had. Whatever it was, it was scary enough that no one had dared venture down here since, even though there had been supplies down here that could have saved them from starving.
The next room was even larger than the first, and I realized I was in the main reactor room. The machinery down here loomed over me, and the ceiling was at least four stories high. As I shone my flashlight at the ceiling, I saw that some of the machinery was so big that it was connected to the ceiling with thick, metal beams. For a moment, I could picture the scientists and engineers who kept this place going as they moved around the vast space and checked the gauges. But then I blinked, and I was back in an empty cavern.
“So, where would I keep uranium?” I mused as I looked around the room.
It made sense that it would be somewhere protected and encased so the radiation wouldn’t leak out. I could ignore the filing cabinets which were along the far wall and the box of safety equipment by the door. There was a concrete dome in the center, though, and I assumed that was the actual reactor.
There was a single, sealed door on the reactor, but it was open just enough that I could wedge my fingers around the edge, pulled it open, and stepped inside. I could hear something dripping inside, and when I worked the beam around the core, I could see the pool of water where the rods were normally kept.
“Ha!” I said triumphantly as I marched over to the water.
But the water was empty, and I almost threw the flashlight in frustration. I checked every inch of the reactor, but there was no sign of the rods.
“Are you certain that you checked everywhere?” Francine asked.
“Yes, I’m certain, thank you very much,” I said irritably as I returned to the control area.
“Maybe you should just--” the AI began.
“I’ve checked everywhere,” I said.
“Okay,” the AI replied.
“Are you sure this is where you detected the uranium?” I asked.
“About eighty percent certain,” Francine replied.
“Eighty?” I grumbled. “That’s quite a bit less than a hundred. A fifth less, in fact.”
“Impressive math skills, Will Ryder,” the AI said.
“Don’t be snarky,” I replied. “That’s my job.”
“I am sure it was located on this level, Will,” Francine said. “Maybe you should check again.”
“Fine,” I said.
I scoured every inch of the place, and even went through the filing cabinets, checked under the desks, and nearly pulled apart every piece of machinery in the place, but there was still no sign of the uranium rods that must have powered the reactor. It was insane and frustrating, and I was starting to feel like this whole trip had been a waste of time and effort.
“It is here,” Francine insisted.
“Someone must have hidden it,” I said. “Maybe when the attack started?”
“Or when it was over,” Francine suggested.
“I guess that would make more sense,” I agreed.
I started prowling the room again, only this time I moved more slowly as I looked for any clues that might point toward a hidey-hole. Had some of the scientists moved the uranium to a safe spot because they planned to come back for it one day? Maybe they’d tried and met the creature that ate them instead.
Another shiver went down my spine, but I pushed that aside as the beam of light flashed over something embedded in the floor. I’d walked over it at least twice without noticing it, but as I knelt down and brushed away some of the debris, I saw that it was a small handle.
I quickly wiped away more of the dirt and debris and discovered a small trapdoor. It was only about a foot square, but that was big enough to hide a rod or two.
I looped my fingers underneath the handle, braced myself, and pulled as hard as I could. It took some serious force, but eventually, I was able to pry the small trapdoor open with only a minimum of screeching from the metal. It looked empty at first glance, but then I realized that most of the space wasn’t directly under the hatch. I tried to angle the flashlight so I could see what was inside, but some devious designer had made sure that was impossible.
I sighed, steadied my nerves, and then shoved my hands down into the dark hole underneath.
Once the initial fear of something reaching out and grabbing my hand subsided, I pushed my arm in further and further until eventually, my fingertips brushed against something. It felt like a box, and after feeling along the edges, I finally found something that I could hold onto. I started to tug it back toward the hatch, and my grunts echoed around the cavern as I pulled on the heavy weight on the other end.
“Please don’t be a body, please don’t be a body, please don’t be a body,” I muttered as I pulled it toward me.
Finally, I got it to the trapdoor and was able to see what it was.
I recognized the style of casing immediately, since the plutonium I had acquired to power up Francine’s Dark Matter Conversion Engine had come in a similar case. I was nervous as I pulled it out of the trapdoor and set the heavy container onto the floor. I had high hopes for what was inside it, so if it was empty, I was going to be really disappointed.
I undid both of the latches on the lid and slowly opened the case to reveal the rod casings insides.
“I told you the uranium was down here,” Francine said smugly.
“This is it?” I asked. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Francine said. “It is more than enough for the ship.”
“Awesome,” I said excitedly, and I couldn’t help but smile. “We should get this back to the ship. I’m ready to get the hell out of here--”
I froze when I heard a noise behind me.
I had been right. Something was down here with me.
I let go of the box as my other hand went for my gun. I stood up and spun around, all in one smooth motion.
Only, I found the barrel of a gun pointed right back at me, and it was aimed right between my eyes.