Herb stared at the list, depicted by the globe. Not one corner of the Earth had been left untouched. The list read like a travel guide. Even the seas were speckled with the swirling, silent, storms. Despite their dark and ominous presence, the storms were silent and seemingly inert.
The computer chimed... as it competed its analysis, jerking Herb out of his ponderous daze.
Julius's reverberated across the lab.
Analysis complete... Most of the locations have the following in common.
To the right of the globe, the commonalities were bullet pointed. Both the globe and the list were color coded accordingly.
1. sparsely traveled
2. common topic of folklore; legend; myth; superstition
Herb's face twisted as he read the list. Not quite what he expected, but there was something... Not unlike the locations, the list read like a travel guide, describing the points of interests for wide-eyed tourists.
Next to each, the percentage of commonality was listed. As Herb read, his mind kept wandering back to the mention of folklore and myth, but only for a moment.
Julius, have we had additional reports from the retrieval teams?
No... However, there appears to have been an increase in police activity at all locations. Julius brought a global listing of police departments.
Browsing the list, Herb said, no surprise there... The swirls are probably causing some people to panic.
Not quite, Julius said, deflating Herb's moment of frivolity.
According to reports, they are mostly noise complaints and reports about wild animals. Some people have reported reptile attacks and ghosts.
Herb started to laugh aloud.
Reptiles and Ghost, he asked?
Julius made the throat clearing noise and continued, prefacing his report with an "as I was saying."
The majority, yes... In general, they report monster lizards. Some say Raptor-like.
There have also been dozens of reports about domestic disturbances involving people in period dress shooting at cars or running and screaming through the streets. Most reports called them phantoms and spirits.
Herb's face had steadied. He thought about Alex, the drained chronyte, the disturbances, and the ghosts...
Have any of the people been taken into custody? Herb asked.
Some, but very few appear to speak any known language, at least, none that the police departments have tried.
Others appear to speak Old English, French, and what appears to be a dialect of Spanish or Portuguese.
Contact Simmons... Herb said.
The display blinked over to an image of Commander Simmons.
Simmons winked as he spoke. What's up Doc?
As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Herb did not look like he was in a good mood.
Commander... Herb said, in a disturbingly prosaic tone.
We may have a bigger problem than expected.
The smile on Simmons' face evolved into a somber and sickly grin.
Bigger than swirling holes in the sky, he asked? What's going on Doc? I don't like this. You've got to give me something. It ain't exactly easy to keep doing my job when my men expect the sky to fall.
Herb smiled as his expression softened.
Not yet Avery. First I need you to check something else out.
Simmons tried to smile, but only a little.
Still not liking this, Doc, said Simmons.
The smile on Herb's face receded. Get a team together and interview the people on the list that I'm sending to your comm-pad.
Julius, send the list for our local precinct to Simmons.
Already done, Julius reported.
Got it! Simmons said, as the grave look on his face softened.
Make sure that you bring a linguist and the new guy, Rich...
I think you mean Rick... Simmons said, chuckling.
Whatever... If I remember correctly, he's a sociologist and a history buff. He should be involved in every interview or at least have him review the data caps.
Okay, got it Doc.
When you get there and start interviews, make sure that Julius has a live feed. I want recordings, blood samples, and samples of their clothing.
Are we talking about some kind of outbreak? Simmons asked, with a look of deep concern.
No! Herb retorted.
Just get it done! We may already be out of time.
I’m on my way, Dr. Li.
Simmons out...
Herb turned to Julius, staring at the lists and the latest scans of the swirling storms that speckled the planet. Herb slumped down in his seat, letting his arms fall limp.
What have I done?
Chapter 07, View Point
Alex may have been displaced and locked up, but he was quickly adjusting to his new situation. Now that Alex had been untied, dressed and fed, he start to take in what the darkness had hidden so well. Except for Alex's chair, the room was mostly empty. The walls were a semi-glossy aluminum shade. There were no seams or squared corners. Con-caved rectangular shapes were centered on 3 of the 4 walls. The door was centered in the fourth, leading out into the hallway. The shapes and the door had rounded corners. A small panel next to the door had two keypads, one above the other. The one nearest the top had your standard 0 to 9, but the second listed an assortment of icons abbreviations, and numeric combinations.
Assuming that the numbers are some sort of security access, Alex decided to give the second panel a go. On the first row, Alex pressed the Menu button. The lights dimmed... Alex backed away from the panel, expecting Brock and a battalion to burst in. None did. His shadow bloomed, as a shimmering blue light enveloped him from behind. Turning around, a list labeled, Main Menu, appeared in the rectangular panel behind him. It must be some sort of flat-screen, he thought.
Alex read through the menu. Environment, Entertainment, Appearance,and View, it read. As he read, he unconsciously started to read aloud, first inaudibly, slowly rising to a whisper.
Environment... Entertainment… Appearance... VIEW...
As soon as he said it, the menu shifted. A voice echoed his command, whispering back to him... View...
A new list sprung into view...
Window... Roof... Wall... Observation... Audio...
Alex said... Window... The background of the rectangular shapes on each wall faded... Beyond the window ahead of him, Alex could hear the ocean, crashing over monstrously huge rocks that seemed to have been arranged to act as a defense against monster waves. Looking to the window on the right, Alex saw the skyline of a small city. He had no idea which city, but at least he hadn't been carted off to a secret research facility in the middle of nowhere. Even if he didn't know where he was, at least he had a concept of where to run, if he managed to escape.
The menu still loomed over the window, displaying a cascade of crashing waves below. Wall, Alex exclaimed. Again, in a whisper, a voice echoed Alex's request. Wall... followed by please specify... as the words trail off, a compass appeared on the menu, with four prominent letters, N, S, E, and W. Alex said W. Nothing happened. Looking back at the compass with a puzzled look, his face quickly transitioned into an inaudible duh, as he became aware of his own stupidity. Alex said, West correcting himself.
As the 'st' rolled off of his lips, the open window filled in. Momentarily confused, Alex started to repeat his request just as the room was flooded with light. The wall wavered, pixelated, and faded from view. As it did, a menu item flashed in the corner of the wall. FG, blinked in and out. Not thinking, Alex said FG? As he did, the building, attached to his room also faded from view. Now Alex could see the hills to the North West, a city, and the river that ran past the city. As his gaze rolled back towards the hidden building, Alex could see a road leading up to and passed the base of the open wall.
Turning to the menu, Alex said Observation. Just as before, the active view faded, before transitioning to match the new
request. No more than a second after the West wall solidified, the walls, ceiling, and floor became a ghostly shimmer. In a moment, the room is flooded with the dull light of a waning day. Alex, his chair, the door, and its panel were all that remained. Alex stumbled, falling backwards over and into his chair. If not for the presence of the door and his chair, Alex would have thought that he was walking on air. As before, the building had been hidden and replaced by what lay beyond the building and much of the grounds. He could see a fence and a few guards patrolling the perimeter, but the rest was hidden. As Alex turned toward the north eastern shore, the sky seemed to twist and contort, forming a dark swirling hole in the sky. Alex saw the same blue glow that he'd seen on the beach earlier. Alex felt a chill run up his spine. As he watched, the swirl seemed to swell, enveloping the room, the beach, the city, the river, and the hills beyond. Alex's head started to spin. Beads of sweat rolled down his brow. Alex yelled, OFF! A disembodied voice said, View Off? Alex, strained to maintain consciousness, grunted... View Off! The light dimmed, as the room regained its opacity and Alex slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Chapter 08, Foresight
Alex... Alex! Herb implored. Alex lay unconscious on the examination table. Are you sure that's he's alright? Herb asked Julius. Julius remained silent for a moment, confirming his initial analysis. Finally, he spoke with absolute certainty.
Aside from a sudden increase in adrenaline, I'm not detecting anything unusual. However, his chronyte resonance has started to fluctuate.
Herb started at the news. Is it dropping or increasing?
Technically, both, said Julius. From what I have observed, his levels stabilize and hold for 2 to 3 hours. Then, they drop by 5 to 9 percent, leveling off and finally increasing by another 21 percent before the cycle begins again.
Herb's face flushed with anger, as he spoke. Why didn't you report it earlier?
Julius detected his change in temperament. So exhausting, he thought, as he answered. I've only been monitoring him for a day. I noticed the pattern earlier, but couldn't be sure that it was a pattern, until it happened again. He was most likely at the end a cycle when I started monitoring him. Reporting my initial observations would have been little more than a hypothesis, without at least one reoccurrence. Once, does not a pattern make.
Fine... Herb replied, as the anger in his face melted back into concern.
Although... Julius began... once he lost consciousness… I thought that it might be of some relevance. Speaking of relevance... The swirl above the south eastern coast doubled in size just before our guest took his tumble.
Herb pondered, probably just the chronyte in his body. Did anyone else pass out or have any physical reactions to the expansion? He asked.
One moment, please... said Julius. Searching...
There were no reports from within the building, but several reports have come in from the police station where the retrieval team is setting up.
Herb turned to Alex. His eyelids pulsed. He must be dreaming, Herb said. Have Simmons contact me as soon as he's ready. Let's do a full sub-molecular scan on Alex before he wakes up. I want to have a few answers for him when he starts asking for them.
Chapter 09, Empty
There it was again, the pounding. Alex pressed his hands to his temples, rhythmically kneading the throb in his head. Water lapped over the sand and stones, as Alex threw his blanket over his head. Whoever said that the sounds of the ocean were good for getting to sleep, never met Alex. Alex sat up. The blanket slipped down, clinging to his skin before it clumped in his lap. Arching his back as he stretched, Alex yawned, brushing the sand from his face, opening his eyes.
Before him, a vast ocean stretched out in every direction. Behind him, a dense jungle blanketed the landscape, a twisted tangle of vine and leaf. The sky was a dull blue, almost smokey. Alex thought about the wallpaper on his bathroom walls. Aside from the color, the sky was empty... No clouds. No moon. No Sun. As before, the beach was littered with the funny blue stones, but now they were no longer blue. They were just grey stones. The blue shimmer which had once flowed from their core was gone. Even the beach seemed to have lost its luster. The air was still. Alex walked to the water's edge. There was no breeze. Stepping into the surf, the water washed over Alex's feet. The water was very warm, too warm. He stepped out of the water. His skin tingled as he stepped out of the surf. His foot seemed tanner, he thought.
He started to walk, proceeding along the beach, like he'd done before. As he walked, there was nothing, not a sound, other than the lapping of the ocean. Even the jungle seemed to be silent, not even a breeze, nor the flutter of a leaf. Lions, tigers, and bears... Oh my... Alex thought and chuckled to himself. But there was nothing. Even bugs seemed to be avoiding this place. Where are the birds, seagulls, something? Nothing... Once again, he came to the place where the massive pillars once rose out of the ground, repeatedly as far as the eye could see. Now there was nothing, nothing but an ancient series of crumbling stones, well overgrown and eroded by time.
Alex walked a little further, proceeding with more caution. When last he'd tried to pass this way, he'd been rendered unconscious and woke up in a box. Looking at it now, that must have been a very long time ago. But still... better safe than unconscious. As he walked, the jungle along the beach started to thin. He'd remembered seeing a city beyond the hills to the west, so he climbed the hill to the thinning jungle that ran along the beach. Reaching the top, the land beyond the ridge dropped off into a vast canyon that seemed to go on for miles. The jungle seemed to grow along it's edges and only it's edges. The walls of the canyon seemed to be perfectly smooth, like glass. Around the edges, loose soil and rock sprinkled over the edge, lightly tapping as they scampered along the canyon wall before sinking into the vast darkness of this clay pot pit. The crater extended well beyond the visible horizon, only reflecting the dull blues of the sky along the uppermost edge. Alex looked to the north. No city, no hills to the northwest. The western coastline, which once framed a city and the outlet of a river, had long since crumbled to dust.
Beyond the coast, a small mound sat where the southern tip of the city had once been. Good thing this is a dream, Alex thought. Otherwise, I'd be a little on the worried side, he muttered to himself. As if on queue, the sky sank into darkness. Shadows grew and swallowed the ocean, the jungle, and the sand. Slowly creeping over the western skyline, a swirling hole enveloped the horizon, sending a chill through Alex's body. His head started to pound. He clutched his head and the pounding continued to grow, as the swirl climbed into the sky. The trees around the crater came to life and the ocean seemed to swell. Leaves flapped into the air. Waves crashed against the sand and ancient rumble. Alex fell to his knees, kneeling before the edge of the glass canyon, that seemed to magnify the pounding which had spread to his spine and arms.
Alex toppled forward, clutching his arms, as he slipped over the edge and fell into the canyon, slashing his ankle on the edge. Shards of glass protruded from his leg, shattering as he spun and twisted his way along the canyon wall. Alex screamed as the glass in his leg tore and ripped its way out. For a moment, the pounding in his head and arms had become a dull itch. But soon, his head and arms added their voices to the pain in his leg, forming a chorus, which sent Alex into unconsciousness, as his limp and twisted body sank into the shadows with a shower of glass and loose earth.
Chapter 10, Awake
Herb and Julius were busy at work, when Alex shrieked. The walls echoed and test tubes shook. Herb turned to the examination table where Alex had been lain. Eyes still closed, Alex sat up and began scream. Herb tried to restrain Alex, but was shoved back. With his eyes still closed, Alex's screams became statements.
You did this. All of it is gone. Nothing, no one, just trees, wind and the hole in the sky. We are dead, all dead. Dead!
No sooner had his voice faded, when he slumped back onto the table. His screams still reson
ated in Herb's ears, but Alex was motionless, still asleep. Approaching the table, Herb noticed that Alex's pant leg appeared to be wet. Herb touched the dampness. Warm, red wetness decorated the pads of his fingers. Startled, Herb rolled the pant leg up, revealing a hideous gouge in Alex's ankle, which had started to clot.
He's got a massive cut on his ankle, Herb shouted.
Not according the scans that I took a second ago, Julius insisted.
Well, forget what you scanned before. He's got one now! Scan him again, while I patch him up. Herb scrambled around the table to a cabinet on the far wall.
You're right, Julius bellowed. He has a cut on his upper right ankle and a minor abrasion on his forehead. His blood pressure has sky rocketed. His pulse has become erratic and his adrenaline levels have doubled. He appears to be in some sort of emotional distress. His head and arms are flushed with blood.
Herb rolled up one of Alex's sleeves. His arm pulsed, gorged with blood. Herb shouted, get medical up here!
Dr. Li, he appears to be stabilizing. Heart rate is dropping. The cut on his ankle is scarring over and the abrasion is fading. His chronyte levels have exceeded safety levels. Activating containment field… Step back, Dr. Li. It is for your own safety.
Herb stepped back. As Herb watched, Alex stirred. Sweat rolled down his cheeks. The red swell of blood in Alex's arm began to recede. I think he's waking up, Herb said, as he stared at what had been Alex's wound.