Planets Falling (2 page)

"Seems like a strange time for a drill," Jon mused, sipping his drink as patrons filed out and headed to the shelter.  Ferris grabbed his hand.  He felt like he was twelve again, completely self conscious of his grip.  Was he sweating?  Her palm was cool and reassuring.

"This is no drill," Ferris exclaimed.

They hurried along the walkway leading away from the sector's central plaza when the air pressure sank.  Several people struggled to breathe and fell to th
eir knees. Others turned to drag the helpless to shelter.  Dust, paper, drops of water lifted into the air and rushed toward the breach, wherever that might be.  A tornado had opened up on the paved surface of the dome.

"Follow me." Ferris pulled him into a small passageway off the walkway.  She waved her security card and they entered through a small door.  The door slid shut behind them and the pressure rose, wrapping them in thick, luxurious air.

Outside the door, the bodies of four unlucky patrons who waited too long to respond were strewn across the plaza.  Their eyes bulged.  Engorged blue tongues protruded from their surprised mouths.  The sector was completely sealed and silent.  The sirens had stopped.

For a moment, mars, hostile and angry, had succeeded in invading one of the tiny pimples of earth that riddled its surface. 
Technicians in bright yellow plastic suits entered through an emergency airlock and wandered the perimeter until they found the breach.  A large hole was ripped at the base of the half-meter thick dome.  Adorning the frozen edges was what seemed like a crust of thick, brown ice.

"Hey Gus, this shouldn't happen.  What the hell caused that?" a maintenance specialist II named Henson asked over the transmitter.

His companion, Fres Gustonson replied, "No idea.  In my 15 years here, I've never seen anything like it.  There's no sign of an explosion or projectile.  It’s like the breach happened inside the dome. I’ll be damned.  These fragments look like they were weakened and shattered out toward the open planet."

"Well let's get a temporary patch installed.  Call medical and have them get to those poor people."  Henson was having difficulty parting his gaze from the blue, stiff bodies in the still
, artificial grass.

While Henson and Gustonson busied at their task and the bodies were shuttled away on gurnies by other yellow suited personnel, Pinch and Jon waited in the dark corridor.  "Where are we?" Jon asked.  He wasn’t sure whether it was the coffee or the sudden decompression, but his bladder was complaining furiously.

"Maintenance tunnel." Ferris fumbled in the dark until she found a power panel and activated the lighting.  "The underbelly of the colony’s riddled with these things.  We could go from one side of the colony to the other and never see the surface.  They use these for maintenance now.  But when the colony first started, these passages provided housing, storage, everything.  People lived down here.  Like trolls."  She stuck out her tongue and growled.

"When do you think it'll be okay for us to go back out?"

"It’d probably be better for us to head over to another sector."  Ferris smiled a little, took his hand again, and led him down the dimly lit corridor.  They turned corners here and there, occasionally going up or down ladders.  It was clear that Ferris knew the layout well.  "Before we head back to the surface, I want to show you something, if you can keep a secret."  She seemed like a little girl ready to show him a line in her diary.

Jon wondered what her intent might be.  They had narrowly escaped decompression sickness or perhaps suffocation and here was Pinch leading him on some secret quest underground.  God only knew what happened up there.  Shouldn't they be on the surface finding out what was the matter?

The voice in the inquisitive part of his brain faded.  He noticed that Pinch's hair had come completely undone and was hanging loosely around her neck.  What shade of blue were her eyes?"  He was more curious about her than the maze they were navigating. The events unfurling on the red surface seemed dim and distant.

"Well, here we are."  They were standing in what appeared to be a dead end of a tunnel, with the exception of a small panel on one wall with a blinking yellow light.  Ferris again raised her card.  The light turned solid blue and the wall disappeared.  In its place was a swamp - a wetland - on earth.  Or at least it was an approximation of one.  The humidity hit him flat in chest.  And then the smell of living things enveloped him- wood, grass, that indescribable smell of fresh-turned soil during planting time, flowers, rain, all the scents that he suddenly realized he missed so much from home.  Even the deep, dark
funk of the mold in the ground was enticing.

Yellow light, not the perpetual red that bathed everything topside, sprinkled through the vegetation.  Trees, many which appeared as if they belonged in the Jurassic, rose toward what looked like a blue earthen sky.  Of course, that was impossible, he thought.  There must be a sophisticated light panel up there.  The room before them stretched far into the distance.  His ears reveled in the hum of insects and the call of birds.

"Like my terrarium?  This is my special garden." Pinch grinned.  Apparently, the events above had left her as well.  Or perhaps she didn’t care so much.

"My God, Pinch.” Jon stammered.  “How did you pull this off?"

"Will Holst brought me down here when I first arrived.  It was an empty hole then - one of several dozen storage facilities for the colonies.  The first colonists kept heavy equipment, food, gas canisters, water, and other supplies as far as the eye can see.  Most of this is a natural cavern.  Water scoured it out billions of years ago.

The original engineers simply improved on nature. They added reactors to generate power and put in various buildings and storage sheds.  When the colonies moved aboveground, this area was largely forgotten.  The power generators were too large to move upstairs and were considered inefficient, so they sat unused for years.  We decided to convert this to a prototype for one of the many ecosystems we plan to install in the domes.  Free, unlimited energy from the generators, if a bit noisy and temperamental.  The rest of the stuff was shipped in over the past few years.  I'm measuring the fluxes among all the components of this ecosystem.  Oxygen's produced by the plants, the plants decay and generate methane
and carbon dioxide, then you have to follow how the materials and energy cycle through the animals and microbes.  My little piece of earth on mars.  Helps fight the home-sickness.  Do you feel that way too?  I miss earth so much.  Just the feel of the soil between my toes.  Watching a honeybee poke around on clover?”

She gave Jon no time to answer. “
Of course, my, I mean our goal is to eventually move all this beyond the boundaries of the domes.  If we can find the right mix of microbes and early successional plants, we think we can kick start global warming on the planet. This is one of the places on the planet where we're beginning to select strains and species that can get things cooking on the open surface."

Jon was nearly speechless.  He managed to ask, "Is this the only, uh, laboratory on the planet?"

Pinch answered flippantly, as if this underground system was no surprise.  "No, there are twenty other facilities like this with other mixes of life scattered across mars.  One of our most important issues is trying to determine how to convert martian soil to happier stuff.  That's where we're counting on you.  You work your magic and life will spring up on this sad cinder of a planet." She smiled hopefully at him.

They explored the area for more than an hour, silent.  Ferris was holding a stark white orchid.  Her face tightened, betraying her first signs of concern.  "Jon, the incident upstairs wasn't an accident."

Fuerst paused and turned to look at her.  His eyes froze at the sight of her mouth.

She continued.  "Think about it.  The wall of the dome’s thick and nearly impenetrable.  There was no sound of impact or explosion.  Either the dome was intentionally opened or someone weakened the wall to allow the inside pressure to blow it out."

"So you think someone may have used a corrosive or allowed a hatch to open?"  Jon sighed loudly.

"A year ago, a couple of our microbiologists, Namis and Tashiako, discovered some corrosion around a few of the outer structures of the colony domes.  They took a sample and found that the
problem was caused by bacteria.  They grew the corroded material under conditions similar to those in the local soil and found a strain of bug that probably came in with one of the transport vessels or maybe it was some chimera with martian bacteria - no one really knows the origin.

Whatever it was, it certainly concerned the company.  If this bacteria got bad, it could threaten the integrity of the colony.  So, Namis started growing the critters in culture to identify a class of anti-microbial compounds that would kill the microbes and stop the corrosion.  Tash decided to isolate the more virulent strains and came up with a particularly nasty bug - figured they should plan for a worse-case scenario.  Combined with martian dust, a little moisture, and the polymers used in the walls, the stuff thrived.
”

She paused to sniff a pink rose.  “
Luckily, they came up with a preventative biocidal spray.  Because the bug was very bad juju, we ordered Tash to destroy it.  But it looks like he didn't.  Or someone pinched some and kept it under their bed.  Who knows.  This is not a good situation.  This bacteria is rotten and could be used as a potent bioweapon."

Jon felt like puking. He nodded slowly.  "So you think someone intentionally spread this bacteria on the wall of the Sector, causing it to breach?"

"Yes I do.  The naturally occurring bacteria only causes minor damage.  Maintenance inspects and treats the entire colony with biocide regularly.  Of course, corporate keeps this under wraps.  Even maintenance thinks they are spreading some sort of anti-corrosive on the metal and has no clue that the stuff eating the walls is biological in origin.  The chances of a supercorrosive bug occurring spontaneously on the planet is nearly impossible.  So, someone used Tash's strain to cause the incident. Genetics will confirm it.  And I guarantee that our people are being rounded up and grilled for information as we speak."

"Tash?"

"He’ll be the first suspect.  There is no way he did this.  What a mess."  She rolled her eyes and jumped in a puddle.

Chapter 2 – Interrogation

Tashiako Akia was sitting on his
sweaty hands in a spartan room in the colony's security sector.  This was the one place no one wanted to visit.  All light was artificial and dim.  The walls were pigmented slate grey.  Color was absent.  Guests and even most of the workers had no idea what this facility was.  Any queries were met by a simple, official answer:  “Maintenance and storage”.

Will Holst and director of security Ansa Heldren were sitting across the table from Tash. 
Director Heldren was a severe woman with a tight pout.  Her skin matched the walls.

"Tash." Will leaned forward, his kind face riddled with concern, "Why would you do something like this?  People were killed.  We already have confirmation that the hole was caused by your biofouling bact
eria.  You told Dr. Ferris and me that you destroyed all of it.  I thought you were part of my team."

"Like I told you before, I did wipe out the strain.  Incinerated the last vials myself.  I- I  have no idea where it could have come from.  Access was restricted to our lab.  I mean my wife and kids go to Sector 3-12 all the time. Even if I had some motive, I wouldn't endanger them."

Heldren stared blankly at Tash.  "As you know, we are under no governmental jurisdiction.  The company pretty much owns you and your family.”

She stood up, crossing her thin arms.
  “We have a huge public perception problem with the loss of those people, especially the guests. I doubt that you did this purposely, but you must have allowed the microbe loose.  At the least, we're shipping you back to earth.  Worst, you will be sent to one of our penal facilities until the lawyers figure out what to do with you."  She shook her head dismissively, staring at the table with disgust.

"What about my family?"  Tash wiped his eyes.

Heldren's face tightened further. "You've forfeited your family for now.  Talk and you might get them back."

Two security guards adorned in light body armor entered and ferried Tash away into the ashen darkness.

"What are we going to do Ansa?  I don't think he did it."  Will stared at his shoes.

"We need accountability, Holst."  Heldren sipped her coffee and ran her needle-like fingers through her ebony hair.

She continued.  "I don't care whether he was responsible, directly or not.  It was his bug that caused the problem.  It is his carelessness that caused this issue.  And I have to give the board and shareholders something.  Once news of this safety breach hits earthside, I guarantee that new signatories to our resorts and adventure camps will drop."  She tapped her fingers on the table.  "If you don't have a stomach for this, then get your people in biological engineering in line.  We cannot afford sloppy work."

They sat in silence for a moment and then Will said, "I need to consult with Ferris about this.  We'll go through the biosecurity protocols and make sure nothing was missed.  How sure are we that this is not some form of bioterrorism?"

"Why on earth would anyone want to do that?  We all rely on this facility for our lives and livelihood.  We have no intelligence supporting the supposition that this is due to activity from an outside group.  We screen all entries into the colony and there's no one here with a motive.  It was Tash.  Final."  With that dismissal, Heldren took her coffee and left the room.

Holst pressed a button on his sleeve and spoke into it.  "Central office, this is Holst.  Where's Pinchot Ferris?"

His sleeve spoke back in a drawl- someone from the southern part of North America.  "Hey Will."  It was the anonymous voice of one of the administrative staffers.  He could never keep their names straight.  "Pinch was last located in Sector 3 during the breach, meeting with Jon Fuerst. Once the incident happened, they blipped off the grid.  That's a bit weird.  What do you think happened to them?  They couldn't have been sucked out, right?  What’re you thinking?"

"No.  Their communication pins must have malfunctioned in all the confusion.  I'll try to find them in the labs."  He sighed.  Will knew that they descended into the subterranean tunnel network and suspected they were in the earth cavern underneath the dome complex.  He slipped out the door, made sure no one was following him, and headed underground to intercept them.

Jon and Pinch picked at their meager lunch in a small research lab adjacent to the colossal fabricated jungle.  Hours had passed since they escaped and they were unsure about their next steps. The room seemed strange to Jon, jutting abruptly from such an organic place.  It was brightly lit, angular, and sparsely furnished.  A tiny refrigerator and stove were tucked into one corner.  A bunk shoved against a metallic wall beckoned to him.

Jon
was having trouble processing the unfurling events and just wanted to curl up and sleep.  Pinch produced some cheese, crackers, and a can of soup.  They slurped and crunched while the ballasts of the lights hummed.  The sounds of the earth room were distant, even though they were produced a mere portal away.

Pinch's voice broke through the backdrop of small noises.  "Will should be down here at some point.  He’ll know where we need to go next".

As if on cue, the portal opened and Holst walked into the room.

"I am so glad you are alright.  How much do you know?"  Holst asked.

Pinch replied.  "The sector lost pressure and we escaped through one of the service tunnels.  I'm guessing that it is biological, related to Tash's plastic-eating bug?  What's happening on the surface?"

"Good guess about the cause.  It's identical to Tash's microbe.  Things are awful upstairs.  We lost four civilians
– two of them paying guests.  Security has implicated Tash, as expected.  I know he can't be responsible.  I think someone is culturing the bacteria and using it as a form of sabotage.  I bet it's a disgruntled person trying to get revenge either on the company or more specifically, our biology team."

Pinch frowned.  "Who would have the knowhow to make that happen?  Within our group, I can think of no one who’d remotely consider doing such a thing.  And within the general staff of the colony, I can't imagine any of them having access to the strain.  If they did, I
’d doubt they’d be able to keep it from spreading.  The stuff eats through just about any synthetic material.  How bad was the damage topside?  I hope they used biocide once they discovered what it was."

"Maintenance and security found out the hard way.  The bacteria ate through one of the tech's suits and caused it to decompress.  The poor bastard.  Henson, I think is his name, suffered a bad case of the bends.  When the air pressure dropped, the gas
es in his blood fizzed out like soda pop.  They have him in a recovery chamber right now.  He’ll probably pull through. They rushed in with the disinfectant right after that."

Jon set down his spoon.  "My God you two.  Who had access to the storage facility?  Given the high level of security in those labs, it should be fairly simple to whittle down the potential suspects.  I'm just a soil geologist but it seems pretty clear to me that it was someone with sophisticated knowledge, access, and highly technical materials."

Ferris and Holst glanced at each other.  Holst laughed dryly.

"Well Jon, security wasn't our strongest asset, contrary to what the suits in corporate might think," Pinch noted.  "I mean, we were hired here to improve conditions on the planet, not threaten them.  So, while only Tash and Namis plus me and Will had full clearance, lots of technicians and students were in and out of that space all the time. Not that anyone else was supposed to know about the strain.

But you know how we all talk openly about things around here.  It wouldn't be that hard for someone with microbiological knowledge to stash a small sample of spores in a containment vial and slip it out of the facility in their coat.  If they kept the bacteria away from moisture and airtight in a freezer, they could hold it indefinitely.”  She slumped into a chair.  “It just doesn't seem possible that one of us did this."

Holst ran his hands through his thinning hair, wrinkling his brow.

"You have to be kidding me," Jon croaked, throwing his cup across the room.  "If you can keep all this," he pointed to the dripping foilage outside the room's portal, "a secret, then it seems to me that you could hold some bioterrorist's dream goo in a locked safe."

Pinch sighed.  "I suppose we ought to tell the company that security was lax.  That should let Ta
sh get back to his family.  It’ll set our research back, but we'll survive."

"Now Pinch, do we really want to risk losing all the progress we've made the last decade?"  Holst countered.  "They may come back and tell us that the risk is not worth the bottom line.  We need to try and contain this within our group.  When we have more information, then we can go to them."

"So you’d be willing to let Tash rot in confinement?  What is wrong with you?"  Jon asked.  He stood to leave.  Then he realized he had no idea where to go.

"I understand your frustration Jon. A wise person told me to avoid rushing to judgment before I have my facts straight.  Give me 48 hours before you go forward with this."  Will stood up and headed for the portal. "I'll find out the truth behind this.  Tash will be fine until then."

Ferris rested her hand lightly on Jon's shoulder.  His anger washed away and was replaced by a warm calm.

As Will walked out, Pinch and Jon sat silently in tacit allegiance to his plan.