Broken Investments

The crimson sun rose above the planet’s terrain, its light dancing across the sand lined mountains of the planet. Yet like every other day before it, William didn’t see it.

Miles beneath the surface he continued to sleep, despite the constant buzzing of the alarm alerting him to yet another day.

He turned, his eyes flickering as he attempted to wake himself. Like every other day before it, William swiped upwards on his wrist watch silencing the alarm as he reached for the table next to the single cot he lay upon.

From its surface he retrieved a heart-shaped locket, twirling it in his hands as he stared at it longingly. Had it not been for loneliness drying out his eyes months previously, he may have even cried.

Instead he remained motionless. His mind blank, thinking of neither the pains of the past nor the persistent abandonment of the present. Although nearly a year had passed since she had passed… he was no closer to uncovering the meaning of the locket and why she felt compelled to give it to him before passing into the void. Perhaps it was nothing more than the ramblings of insanity.

A year ago… had that much time truly passed? To William it felt almost unimaginable. The sudden onset of loneliness triggered by tragedy. He still wasn’t sure exactly what happened, only that his guardian gave her life to complete the construction of the complex he now found himself in, the only protection from the unknown nightmares that now ravaged the world above.

A disease like no other - is what she called it. Within days of contracting it her mind was rendered useless, her body following not far behind, leaving him alone to ponder his purpose.

Yet William supposed he should be grateful. It was her sacrifice that allowed him to survive today… even if it was in a state of suspended loneliness. The complex itself was designed to be self-sufficient. Over a mile of underground paradise divided into three distinct zones – the small but functioning living quarters – the farming cube complete with self-regenerating soil and artificial sun light that mirror the surface above - and the rec center, a fully functioning training facility designed to keep his body and mind fit.

As if on que, an automatic rang out, interrupting the silence.

"Good morning Sir, how are we feeling today?”

William turned to face the haphazardly sharpen metallic by-peddled robot, one of the many projects left uncomplete by her untimely passing. In its outstretched pincers lay a fresh linen shirt which he took, draping the loose fitting clothing over his shoulders.

“Alive…” muttered William.

“Alive is good” responded the robot, although William paid the response no mind as he got up, tucking the locket securely inside his pants pocket. He brushed past the machine with zero thought and began to make his way down the narrow corridor to start his day. Just another day.

It only took a handful of moments for William to get to the new destination. At the end of the long corridor the room opened up, revealing a large metallic doorway. He slid his hand on a glass pane next to it, causing the doorway to slide up, flooding the cavern with brilliant light. He blinked, flexing his hand to shield his eyes from the light as he stepped through the archway, it closed behind him.

He could feel the loose dirt caress his feet as they settled into the soft peat grass. Lush vegetation billowed out from earth on either side. Above him clouds seemingly floated above, filtrating the sun into manageable speckles of light. Had William never seen the surface he may have forgotten that everything in this room was artificial.

He reached upward towards one of the larger plants, plucking from its vast vines a curved shape plant. Peeling back its outer shell, William bit into as he closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of the room and the tingle of the fruits juices to massage his senses.

In the distance he could hear the trickle of the farms aquaponics system functioning. One could even consider it paradise, if not for the lack of human interaction. Like every day before he would eat a small breakfast from the curated fields before returning to the rec center to continue training for a nonexistent future.

Opening his eyes, he finished the food and let the outer shell fall to the earth below. William found himself smiling, allowing himself one of the few respites he gave himself daily. Yet before he could embrace his mourning routine, a new sound pierced the surroundings, one that he had not heard before.

An alert.

He flicked his wrist watch, causing a digital display to self-impose itself in the air before him. The clicking stopped as the video feed narrowed, magnifying the picture it was attempting to display. William recognized the image at once, one of the several air intake valves above the surface that supported the complex. The valve was nearly invisible on the screen, burrows in loosely defined rubble and rock.

“System - status report”.

“Minor seismic activity caused a slight shift in the plates, resulting in disposed rocks. Damage minor; however, ventilation system only functioning at 50%.”

“How long does system integrity have”?

“Based on current calculation, air quality will remain stable for 6 days, 22 hours, 21 minutes, 6 seconds and counting”.

William swore under his breath. Although normally a minor inconvenience to fix, there was only one way to perform such maintenance and based on everything William knew… that amounted to a death sentence. Yet if he didn’t travel to the surface he would run out of air in one week’s time anyways, ensuring death.

He wasn’t sure how long he took to process the new information; however, it didn’t matter. There was only one possible solution. He had to go to the surface and clear the debris by hand.

In a daze he found himself in an area of the complex he hadn’t ventured in over a year, the circular elevator shaft that would take him to the surface above. On the wall outstretched a hazmat suit hung in stark contrast the concrete wall behind it. Without much thought he donned the suit, preparing his body for the brief journey that lied ahead. Hopefully it would not be his last.

As the archaic elevator shifted under the weight of suppression, William took a deep breath. This was never supposed to happen and yet for the first time in a year perpetual loneliness was the farthest thing from his mind.

The elevator lurched forward as the outward walls twirled and shifted, revealing a 360 view of the surface world. At last he was here, the last place he wanted to be. Taking one step off the grating below, he surveyed his surroundings.

The surface hid the complex well. There wasn’t a single indicator that a thriving city laid beneath the surface, save one remanence – a large mound of dirt and stone that lay roughly a mile away. That was William’s target and where he knew that he would find the air-intake valve that would need to be cleared.

Next to the outcropping he had just emerged from, a solitary vehicle greeted him, looking lonely upon the desolate grey-like soil. Its silver foiling reflected the sun’s heat. He threw his legs over the device as it hummed to life, a fortunate find. It would turn the mile long hike into a comfortable 5 minute drive.

In no time at all he found himself at the foot of the outcropping. Carefully and with much consideration he climbed his way up the steep incline until he saw the target, a metallic cylinder protruding from the earth. It twitched uncontrollably as it tried to free itself from the stone rubble to no avail. Carefully he reached down to the stone below and gripped it firmly with both hands, revealing a brand new problem to contend with.

William swore. The stones were too heavy to lift by hand. Clicking his wrist watch, he brought up the digital interface once more.

“System – it appears that the stones blocking the valve are too heavy. Start trouble shooting scenarios”

“Hello William. There exists a maintenance entrance nearby with access controls directly to the valve. The tunnel should have the tools you require to clear the debris”

Of course there was a control room on the surface. She would have thought of everything after all. It didn’t take him long to find it. The entrance was nestled in-between the carved in mountain scape.

The opening led to a solitary room. A single large-paned piece of glass appeared draped over the far wall, seemingly out of place. Before he could even begin to look for a solution to the problem at hand the center counsel caught his eye.

A single pillar protruded upwards. On the top of its surface, a pristine cut-out of a heart lay in stark contrast to the smooth material that was used to construct it. He recognized the shape at once… the same shape of the locket that had been given to him almost a year ago.

Without thinking William flung the protective gear from his body and reached into his pants pocket to reveal the platinum locket. He placed it firmly into the exposed space in front of him. The device clicked into place as magnets took hold. The glass screen blinked into existence.

In front of him where the glass had previously stood, his mentor now revealed herself. Her complex features as beautiful and awe inspiring as the last day she remained well.

“Hello William”.

William gulped. He could feel the skin tightening underneath his throat. Although it made sense that she would leave a message for him… why here? Why above the surface clearly contaminated by disease and danger?

"William, I am sorry that you had to find out this way. It was never our intention to leave the chosen behind alone in this world. You and the others deserved so much more”

Others..? The word left a sickening taste in his mouth.

“The planet you find yourself on was the last remanence of a dying people. A planet dedicated to our survival. Humanity has for many ages teetered on the edge of extinction – hunted by the demons of the universe… plagued by war and violence. It was our duty… the last of humanities military complex… to save us.

“That solution… was you. A weapon so fierce that it would recreate the cosmos in our image. A biological weapon that would leave no corner of the galaxy unscathed except the chosen few. A new series of biologically engineered humans designed to be the best of us – an investment into all of our future selves.

“Originally there was supposed to be 1000 clones… 500 men, 500 women - each with a one-of-a-kind genome. You and your kind were meant to represent the best. Yet as always it’s not uncommon for war to have other plans. The weapon was released prematurely and it’s only a matter of time before you and the few others we had time to create will be all that will remain.

“Enclosed in this capsule are the coordinates to the 20 other individuals, whom like you, are the future of our civilization. Unfortunately time was not on our side. But it can be your ally.”

The taste of anger and filth filled his mouth as he swayed forward. Convulsing, he spew forth froth, bile, and hate from his mouth. Sweat pooled on his brow as his hands pushed up against the now stained pillar in front of him, wallowing in his own filth.

“Enclosed in this capsule is the coordinates to the 20 other individuals, whom like you, are the future of our civilization.”

As the anger slowly left his body, a new emotion rose to take its place.

Hope.