II - The Diary of Jonathan Flynn.
I still remember the first days, so much suspicion, so much fear. We were lost in another world, but it was them, those supposed heroes of humanity that really felt it. Perhaps if we'd known what was in store for us we'd have been afraid as well.
I sometimes wonder if home every really existed. Somehow things like supermarkets and drive-through restaurants seem so unreal, so unlikely. I sit here in front of my computer screen and I ask myself, just what is it I'm trying to get back too? Just what was so good about home that I'm so desperate to get there at all costs?
Chapter Two: Sudden Dawn
There wasn't time for introductions. Earl's leg took everyone's attention. With the help of the young girl Jonathan hoisted him up from the ground. They began to struggle forward. Behind them followed two other men, the first a slight built dark haired fellow who had the look of a man convinced he is dreaming and finding no problem with what he was seeing. Same too the other man, though if Jonathan had been able to see he would have thought it an altogether more distressing sort of expression. If he had seen it he would have said it was a mix of intense fear and utter joy. The latter being the look that he would have been disturbed by. This second man, much wider and wearing only stained pyjamas followed last of all.
The party reached a solid steel bulkhead, with some scrambling around the edges and copious amounts of swearing from the girl, along with groans from Earl, they managed to activate the electronic locks. With a whirring hiss the door slid open, disappearing into the wall at their side. Before them the darkened compartment began to light up immediately. At first just two lines of green shot away from them on the floor, separating out some distance away they began to trace out the diverging walkways through a large circular open deck. As computer screens began to click into life the group stumbled out onto the first gangway. "Some kind of science lab" the dark haired man muttered from behind them, "or a ship" came the faltering almost awed reply from his larger companion.
Jonathan and the girl lowered Earl down into the first place they could find, a deep chair surrounded by a bank of computers, the screens of which eagerly burst into life when Earl was settled. "Looks like it's all set up to turn itself on." Earl looked at the screens, Jonathan could tell he didn't really care, but it seemed to take his mind off his leg. "See if you can get a map of this place up, find an infirmary for you." Earl laughed, then started to cough, "ha, save myself now eh?" Jonathan smiled weakly. He turned to the girl that had helped him, "thanks, name's Jonathan." "Liz... Elizabeth, but call me Liz." "Hi Liz" The dark haired man sat down next to Earls chair, Jonathan slid down next to Liz, "I'm Thomas," the man said, extending a hand. Jonathan shook it, "Jonathan" "Liz" the girl smiled from the other side of Jonathan. "What happened to you?" she asked softly, "You mean before this whole abduction thing?" Liz smiled, "yeah before that." "I lost a tonne of money, that wasn't mine, then I lost my job over the phone and my wife walked out. Guess I didn't take it all that well." Thomas smiled weakly. Liz stood up suddenly, "hey wasn't there a big fat guy with you?" Thomas looked around, "yeah, bastard fell on me when we fell out of that… whatever it was."
They all stood, "any luck Earl?" Jonathan asked quickly as he scanned the dimly lit room. Earl shook his head, "damned if I get this machine, it wants some kind of code, I just keep clicking activate but it just keeps sending me pictures of god knows what. See? What's that? Looks like a giant metal toothbrush, god knows." He hissed suddenly as his movements knocked his leg into the chairs edge, "could do with this sorting, god's sake." "We're gonna go look for that other guy, we'll find someone to help." Liz patted him on the back, "right lads, split up, lets hunt!"
They separated, each standing at a different hatch, with final waves they each jumped through into a different corridor. The room they had left Earl in was a large open plan bubble, clustered with computer screens and readouts, split across and down by the green lit walkways, suspended over wiring and pipes just like the corridor they had arrived in. Jonathan took the stairs downwards, leaving Thomas and Liz to take the forward and back hatches. As he stepped through each dividing hatch, some of which were open, others not, the green lights flickered into life, giving him just enough light to go by. Looking behind him he could see the lights sputter out again as he passed.
He made his way slowly through three similar hatch separated sections. In his head he still couldn't shake the idea of a giant submarine. He just couldn't think how they could have all been brought here without being aware of it. His thoughts were interrupted as he pushed the next hatch open. The air temperature dropped significantly, he could feel the air start to scratch at his lungs. The railing he had been following was covered in ice and the lights that guided him had changed to an icy blue.
He had worked in a supermarket over summer, and visions of walk in freezers full of chicken dinners and ice cream tubs filled his head. He hadn't realised how hungry he was. But as the blue light spread Jonathan began to realise just where he was. The chamber before him was enormous, he could see a great distance before him, above and below his walkway the chamber stretched into a pure white mist of icy air. But this massive space was far from empty. Clustered in packs of eight and huddled together all through the room where large bathtub like capsules. Jonathan had watched enough sci-fi to know what he was looking at. It was cryogenics, or cryostatics, he forgot which. But it was freezing people! Thomas was right, this place was some kind of scientific lab.
He walked on slowly the icy blue lines preceeding him. As he went he suddenly noticed a patch of icy blue ahead of him, distinct from his own progress. It was sputting slowly into darkness as he hurried towards it. He arrived at a bank of machines but couldn't see where the light had gone to. If it was someone else in here they'd vanished. His attention turned to the computer readout infront of him still blinking feebly in the dark. Suddenly the dim light flashed green and spread across the whole panel. Above him eight of the tub sized pods began to hiss violently. He stepped off the walkway onto the platform that ran below the tubs. A computer panel at the clusters base proclaimed they were being 'warmed'. He guessed their sudden arrival was waking these people up, whoever they were. As he walked round he suddenly came face to face with a pod. It had already lowered to the gangway he occupied, and it was empty. Whoever these people were, one of them was already awake.