The Explorer's : In The Beginning

Chapter 2

"The SPEED Division has discovered an increase in the dark matter in the location of where they suspect a red zone wormhole will appear. The top scientists believe that this wormhole is the same one that opened 15 years ago this very day. And I quote the words from Dr. Matthew Lichow, the head Researcher at SPEED, "Our expert forecast is that the wormhole will open to full access in a year's time."

The news had been playing in the background as my eyes flitted through the papers on the desk. I scanned the words again and again for the fifth time but nothing was getting through to me. The liquid in the beaker was overboiling and the machine beeped signaling that the scan of the rock fragment from a recent import was complete. But the news anchor's voice of excitement was still louder, yet I didn't want to turn it off.

"This amazing discovery has shocked the world, especially the families of the First Explorers. The SPEED Division will aim to send their best Explorer's to retrieve anything left of the First, even if it may just be their remains."

Just their remains, huh.

Since I came back from The Ring, I have been struggling to focus on my tasks. The cluttered surfaces of the normally pristine white tables, the faucet pouring water down the drain and the twinkling glass splattered on the tiled floor made it all clear. I didn't want to admit it, but I honestly felt like I was at the wrong place.

My hand gripped the silver nub of the faucet, shutting it off, moving onto the lit fire under the beaker. I needed a break.

A bright red glow filled the room as a loud siren sound emitted from the speaker on the ceiling, the sound stung at my ears. I don't think I 'll ever get used to it. But this was the fourth time the alarm had sounded this week, yet the corner of my lips tilted upwards as I placed the clipboard covered with scribbles onto the table. I was grateful for any distraction- even if it happened to be a mischievous little alien. I walked towards the exit, not forgetting to scan my thumb print ceasing the loud whirring sound. My footsteps echoed on the tile floor, following the normal pattern down the hall towards A-CR (containment room), one of the confinement rooms for the alien plant life that the BioLife Division studies. A green light flicked on, notifying that the facial recognition was complete and the double doors slid open with a soft swoosh.

The large rectangular room was filled with rows of glass tubes ranging from five to ten feet high, some filled with pure water and others with a combination of gasses and liquids adjusted to whatever conditions were necessary for each plant species to survive. The glass was thick enough that the plants couldn't break through, an adjustment that was made only after a lab technician was left with shards of glass protruding from his arm, after stepping a little too close to the tube. It had become normal to me and all those that worked in the Fring Lab, as we were the only laboratory in the District to study species from Yellow Zone planets. That is planets that had a 56% survival rate. And this was only made possible due to Mrs. Fring's title as director of the BioLife Division, and being one of the top botanists in the district. I often wondered if Mrs. Fring's promotion was a blessing or a curse, as I stared at the man eating organisms.

A hard thump on glass caused me to turn to the tank on my left, which held a Vetoid plant that swayed back and forth. The plant easily towered over me, at six and a half feet tall with a dark gray color and orange polka dots. It resembled the earth plant known as the venus fly trap, except its teeth were about three inches long and were strong enough to pierce human skin. I had come to learn that its primary source of food was flying bugs the size of an adult bunny, which didn't put her at ease. Finding a substitution for that size of a meal had been such a pain.

But who was I to complain, when we were the ones that ripped the poor plant from its home.

I walked closer and knocked twice onto the glass, which caused the plant to sway back and forth and lean its head towards the glass and thump again. I cracked a smile at the smart creature. A clash of glass hitting the floor made me snap my head in the direction of the back of the room. I almost forgot about the pesky reason I was here in the first place. Even though Fring Laboratory only studied plant life, we happened to make one exception, that was staring right at me.