James Scotson: Planets Falling

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.

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 bacteria. 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 gases 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.”