Dark Fathoms Read online

  Indeed, the rest of the group could hear the old man’s rich baritone voice echoing in the corridor as he walked down it.

  “What singing ’bout?” Jak asked between spoonfuls of fish soup.

  “Something about how everything’s gone wrong somehow, men of power losing control...” Mildred frowned as she tried to decipher the lyrics. “It sounds familiar, I just can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Well, don’t worry about it, here he comes.” Ryan attacked his fish again as Doc stumbled into the room. He was a mess, his jumpsuit hanging open, his lank, silver-white hair sticking up on his head making him look as if he’d suffered a mild electrical shock. His skin was ashen and dark bags had grown under his bloodshot, rheumy eyes.

  “Doc? Doc, are you all right?” Mildred asked. Everyone was staring at him, now.

  “All right? My dear Mildred, I could not be better! For I am among friends, am I not? Good friends who will not suddenly sprout tools on the tips of their fingers, or lights for their eyes, or wire for hair, correct?”

  He looked at the group expectantly, as if awaiting an answer.

  “Um...that’s correct, Doc,” J.B. replied. “Want to join us and get something to eat?”

  “Oh, sure, sure, that would be grand.” Tottering over to the table, Doc was about to sit in the chair Ryan had pulled out for him when he stopped. “How can I be sure that none of you are cyborgs?”

  “Mebbe you should head back to your room and get some rest, Doc,” Ryan suggested. “AIDAN said you’d had some kind of fit during the night.”

  “Yes! Brought on by a nightmare of monstrous proportions...and one that I am not entirely sure I have awakened from, yet.” Doc retreated from the table and walked to the center of the room. “AIDAN? AIDAN, are you there?”

  “Of course, Dr. Tanner, I am always here. How can I assist you?”

  “How can you assist me?” For some reason, Doc found that question very funny. First he snorted, then giggled, then laughed loudly. “How...can you...assist me...it wants...to know!”

  “Mildred, mebbe you better get something for him from the infirmary,” Ryan suggested.

  “Agreed.” She slipped out the door.

  “How can you help? You, you hostage-taking, forced-procreation-demanding machine from the very bowels of hell!” Doc began.

  “Doc—” Krysty tried to interject, but he rambled on, his words growing louder and louder.

  “Can you return me to my family? Can you return me to my life?”

  “Doc, mebbe you better come over here.” J.B. and Ryan both got up and were cautiously approaching the old man.

  Doc half turned to them. “No! I want an answer to my question.” He turned back to the empty room. “Well, can you, AIDAN?”

  “Can I do what?”

  “Can you give me my family back? Can you give me my life back?” Doc shouted, raising his arms in rage.

  “If you are requesting that I return you to your original time and place of origin, I regret to inform you that I cannot,” the computer replied. “The nearest time-trawl chamber is several thousand miles away, and I am unsure if it is still functioning at this date. I am afraid that I cannot assist you any further in this matter.”

  Doc stood motionless while the computer spoke, then slowly let his arms fall back to his sides. “Of course you cannot. You are just a simple machine, that’s all.”

  Mildred returned carrying a hypodermic needle. At Ryan’s nod, she kept it hidden in her hand as she approached him. “Doc?”

  He started at her appearance beside him, blinking in confusion. “Mildred? Is that you?”

  “Yes, Doc. You don’t look so good.”

  The old man’s shoulders slumped. “I am tired, Mildred...so very, very tired.”

  “I think you need some rest. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll put you to bed?” She took his arm and gently led the unresisting man out of the room.

  Everyone waited until Mildred returned. “He’s out and sleeping like a baby. The tranquilizer I gave him should allow him to sleep for the next ten to twelve hours.”

  “Good—one less thing to worry about,” Krysty said. “Mildred, do you think he’s feeling worse because of being stuck down here?”

  She thought about that for a moment. “Hard to say. He had that bad flashback when we arrived, so this could be a delayed effect from that. Or...” She shrugged. “Look, we all know his mind was never that cogent in the first place. With all the jumps we’ve taken, who knows if they’ve scrambled him even further. Without a whole battery of tests, it’s just too hard to say.”

  “We better keep a close eye on him as long as we’re here. No telling what he might do if he thinks AIDAN is an enemy.” Ryan looked back at the table and the scattered remains of their meal. “I think we’re pretty much done with breakfast now.”

  “Before you begin your work this period, I have to discuss something with all of you,” AIDAN said. “Please, sit down.”

  Wary looks on their faces, Ryan, J.B. and the others all took their seats again. “What’s going on, AIDAN?” Ryan asked.

  “During my conversation with Dr. Tanner, I noticed that he mentioned, and I quote, ‘forced procreation,’ unquote,” the computer said. “I want to know where he would have learned about that.”

  Ryan glanced at everyone else before answering. “We found a vid in the command center, recorded by one of your former officers, Martin Yates. He left a message warning us about the program.”

  “Ah yes, Commander Yates. I understand now. Did the message contain anything else of interest?”

  “No,” Ryan answered while shaking his head slightly to the others. “The vid only said that—nothing else.”

  “Are you unwell, Ryan?”

  “No, why?”

  “I noticed that you were shaking your head,” AIDAN replied. “I was only inquiring in case you were suffering from fatigue.”

  Ryan frowned questioningly at J.B., who shrugged. “I’m fine, thanks. What did you want to tell us about that particular program?”

  “I simply wished to explain about the procreation program.” The computer paused. “Although I must say that I have very high hopes for its reimplementation, based on the activities of certain pairings last night. To begin with—”

  “Just a nuke-sucking second!” J.B. said. Shocked silence fell over the room for a moment, broken only by a strangled noise from Jak that might have been a cross between a laugh and a cough. “You saying you were watching while—that—was going on?” Pinkness bloomed in his cheeks and spread across the rest of his face.

  “It is nothing to be concerned about, Mr. Dix. The monitoring of every staff member’s room has been a constant in this facility from the beginning—strictly for health reasons, mind you. For example, if Dr. Tanner’s condition had declined any further, I would have been able to inform Dr. Wyeth and summon assistance for him. I think you understand what may have happened if his condition declined and I was not watching him.”

  “Yeah, but...” J.B. had folded his arms over his chest. “Unnatural is what it is.”

  “J.B.’s right,” Krysty said. “From this point on, AIDAN, we do not want you to be observing our rooms when we’re sleeping.”

  “Very well, I would assume that one of you would summon me in the event of an emergency regardless.”

  “Of course we would,” Krysty replied. “Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand, shall we?”

  “Of course, Krysty,” AIDAN said. “One of the revised protocols was to immediately begin scheduled procreation efforts intended to increase the overall population of the base for the eventual return to the surface. Participation was mandatory for all personnel, male and female. Initially, the program was implemented and progressed satisfactorily for 4.7 years. However, analysis afterward has indicated that this program was one of the reasons for the increased aberrant behavior.”

  “I can’t possibly understand why,” J.B. said. “Hell, I’m surprised this thing hasn
’t offered to hold my dick while I piss yet.”

  “I do not understand the meaning of that statement, Mr. Dix. As I have no physical appendages, such an offer would make no sense.”

  “Oh, for—” J.B. began to reply, only to receive an elbow in the ribs from Mildred. “Never mind. Just keep going.”

  “My plan had been to wait until all of you were better acclimated to your surroundings before reintroducing the program. Of course, with three healthy males and two healthy females on staff now, all from sufficiently different genetic pools, the procreation program will also be reinstated as soon as possible, as the base will need repopulating as soon as possible.”

  Ryan cleared his throat. “Well, now it’s all on the table. I don’t know that we’re all going to be ready to start reproducing like rabbits right away, but I think we’ll be able to figure something out.”

  “That is good to hear, Ryan. I was positive that you and the rest of your people could see the valid reason behind the implementation of this program.”

  “Certainly—it just makes sense, that’s all,” he replied as he stood. “Now, if there’s nothing else, we have to get down to maintenance. Testing the diving suit today.”

  “I do not recall being informed of this. What are you hoping to accomplish with this test?”

  “If we’re going to be here for the rest of our lives, we’ll need as much equipment as we can get in working condition,” J.B. replied. “Although we can make sure the suit’s in working order by inspecting it and replacing parts, the only real way to make sure it’s functioning correctly is to use it outside, in the water.”

  “I understand. Proceed with your testing. Also, you should repair the console in the maintenance room so that I can better monitor the proceedings in there.”

  “After the test, we’ll get right on it,” J.B. said while rubbing his eye with his middle finger.

  Without warning, all of the lights in the kitchen went out. There was a silence before the computer spoke up again. “And it would appear that the circuit in the mess hall has malfunctioned, as well. Please schedule a repair time as soon as possible.”

  “Of course.” Ryan waved at the others. “Come on. Time for me to take a dip.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “The power system’s fully charged, and the liquid oxygen reserves are at ninety-nine percent,” Ricky said as Ryan, J.B. and he ran over details of the suit’s operation. “Are you sure you don’t want me to test this thing?”

  They’d found the teenager snoring in a plastic chair, a tarp wrapped around his upper body. After waking him, Ricky had given Ryan and J.B. a brief talking tour of the suit, and both men had looked at the teen with even more respect afterward. He’d not only practically memorized the operating manual, but he could talk fluently about every system in the powered suit, reciting operating specs and other facts as easily as if he was reading them off the appropriate page.

  Ryan shook his head. “We already discussed that on the way down here. If something malfunks on this thing, I’ll be counting on you two to figure out some way to get me back here. Not that it’s going to happen,” he said, catching Krysty’s frown. Mildred, who’d decided to stay nearby in case Ryan sustained an injury during this experiment, didn’t have a pleased look on her face, either.

  “Well, it was going to be me or you,” Ricky said. “The liquid oxygen requires eye protection to see through...so that eliminates J.B., I’m afraid.”

  The Armorer shrugged. “I have to begin stripping and fixing that mini-sub anyway.”

  “Need liquid oxygen in sub, too?” Jak asked.

  Ricky shook his head. “The sub’s thicker, so it can be pressurized for regular air.” He looked at J.B. “It depends on how long the porthole repairs hold, too.”

  J.B. rubbed his chin as he regarded the rounded-off metal tube. “It’s going to be heavy, with all that metal. What’s the suit’s maximum towing capacity, Ricky?”

  “The ADS 3000’s maximum buoyant towing capacity is 8,000 pounds,” the young man replied.

  “Four tons? Sounds like it’s enough to me,” Ryan said.

  “And that’s why I’ll be making sure it is enough,” J.B. said with a smile. “It’s going to be close, no matter what. Let’s have Ricky run you through how to operate it with you inside. You’ll be doing everything but walk—that we’ll handle at the very end. Ready?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Ryan spent the next half hour mostly nodding at Ricky’s more detailed explanation of the suit’s various systems and how they operated. He filed away the most salient information, such as how long he’d have out there and so forth, as well as the emergency measures in case he needed to evacuate the suit in a hurry. Obviously he’d have to make it back in order to leave the suit if there was trouble. If anything happened too far away from the base, there’d be no chance of survival.

  “All right, hop in and get yourself situated,” Ricky finally said. “I want to go over the basic systems once more, and have you get some practice with those powered gripper hands. From what I read, they can be a bit tricky. But first, let’s get you inside.”

  They had a ladder near the hoist for that very purpose, and Ryan climbed up and onto the steel arm, carefully pushing himself over until he was able to drop into the suit. With J.B. watching, as well, Ricky went over the heads-up display, which featured oxygen and power levels, sonar display, and even a rear camera, so Ryan could see behind him if he had to back up.

  “Okay, I’m going to close the hatch—might as well double-check that the seal’s airtight now,” Ricky said. “You can talk to and hear us through the microphones mounted in the suit itself.”

  “Hold on. If we’re not doing the liquid oxygen now, how am I going to breathe in here?” Ryan asked.

  “The suit has a built-in fifteen-minute reserve that constantly refills from the air around it,” Ricky replied. “You’ll be fine.” With that, he closed the access hatch, sealing Ryan in. He heard the hiss as the suit pressurized and the whir of the bolts as they secured the hatch. It was a bit claustrophobic in there, but Ryan adjusted himself to his surroundings as best as he could.

  “It’s going to be a bit odd once we seal you in, because only your head and neck are going to be covered in the liquid oxygen, for conservation purposes,” Ricky’s voice now came from a speaker near his ear. “Since the liquid will be in your lungs, there shouldn’t be any kind of pressurization issue with the rest of your body.”

  “Good to hear,” Ryan said, taking in everything around him and making sure it matched with what Ricky had told him. “So, how do I move in this thing?”

  “Well, your legs have been fitted into the legs of the suit, so walking is pretty much like you would normally do it, except you may have a wider stance, due to the thickness of the legs themselves,” Ricky said. “Now, as for your arms—”

  “Yeah, I’ve got these things halfway up the sleeves.” Hunching over, Ryan could barely make out what looked like a handle with four plastic loops mounted in it. From the looks of it, he was supposed to grab the handle and stick his fingers through the loops.

  “Right, those control the articulation of the grippers at the end,” Ricky said. “Just slip your hands into them and get a feel for how they work.”

  Ryan did so. He found that the handle was mounted in a circle of metal, but he could move each one in just about any direction he wanted. As he did, the freshly washed clamps rotated on their ball-jointed wrists, twisting and turning.

  “Okay, once you’re comfortable with that, try using the grippers. Move your fingers as if you were using your hand to grab something,” Ricky commanded.

  Ryan followed his directions, watching as the two-piece clamps opened and closed along with the movements of his hands.

  “Damn!” Jak, along with everyone else, was watching now. “Grab something?”

  “Might as well,” Ricky said. “Give you a shot at walking, too. Let’s set you down first, okay?”

&nbs
p; “Um...okay.” Ryan looked up at the ceiling of the room above him, seeing the chain leading to the steel crossbar of the hoist. He heard a loud clicking, and felt himself descending. A few seconds later, he hit the floor with a solid thud.

  “All right, everyone, give him lots of room,” Ricky said as Ryan saw him appear in front of the suit’s thick viewport. Immediately, the HUD put a flashing green caret above him for some reason. Ryan saw everyone else in the room tagged with the same marking.

  “What’s this little green mark over your head, Ricky?” he asked.

  “That’s the friend-or-foe recognition system,” he replied. “I set it up to scan the room and designate everyone in here as ‘friendly.’ Now you cannot hurt them with the suit, even accidentally. It simply will not let you.”

  “That’s handy,” Ryan said. “Okay, what should I go for?” His voice was projected to everyone else in the room by external speakers.

  “This’ll do.” J.B. held up a solid iron cylinder about eight inches tall and six inches in diameter. He set it on the ground a few feet away from Ryan, then backed away. “Come and get it.”

  “Just lean into it and walk normally,” Ricky said.

  “All right, here goes...” Ryan did exactly that, leaning forward so that his legs pressed into the front of the suit’s legs. As soon as he exerted enough pressure, it lurched into motion, allowing him to take a step forward, the foot landing with a thunk that echoed throughout the large room. Ryan paused for a moment, making sure his foot was stable before lifting the other one and swinging it forward.

  “How’s it feel?” J.B. asked.

  “Like walking with twenty-pound boots on, or maybe through heavy snow,” Ryan said. One more step brought him close enough to be able to grab the metal cylinder. He eyed it for a moment, flexing his fingers and hearing the clamps do the same.

  “Nice and easy...” Ricky said.

  Ryan slowly began bending at the waist, tilting the upper half of the suit forward. A sharp beeping sounded in the cockpit once he was at about forty-five degrees, startling him. “Fireblast! What’s that?”