A Darker Plan

4. Destination unknown

"Jeez Sinclair you're turning green... I'm gonna be pissed if you infect me with something."

"I'm sorry - I'm sorry. I'm always so sick - I know. It's not a virus... so don't be so worried looking."

"Better not be."

The lift stopped. I stood up and drew in a long breath. The doors slid to the left.

I could not believe what I was looking at next. My eyes felt as if in a seizure, like I would faint in that very moment.

The vision in front of me made no sense. My brain wouldn't process fast enough. There were lights, darting left, their speeds varied, they were blinding bright, like torch arc-lights. The depth and the amount of lights were flowing like a river and it was overwhelming. The sight forcing a gasp out of me. I breathed deeply in astonishment. And the wind noise was an unstoppable staccato rhythm of air puffs against our faces. I actually leaned out a little to get a better view.

"My god!"

"Easy Sinclair watch that edge! Watch it! You're a goner for sure if you fall."

The corridor of travel was ridiculous
massive. It dropped downwards maybe five stories then curved across to the other side. This underground structure, it must have been here long before Lightlake air base was even on the board. I gave my eyes a rest and backed away from the dock. An automated circular hatch rolled inward and sealed.

"I've seen some very weird shit down here Sinclair. I'm told this is only a hub city, and that theres twenty more cities underground. City Twenty-one is in it's early planning stages right now."

The lights streaked across with such speed, nearly appearing as solid lines then fading out. If all of these objects are headed in one way, then, there must be another tube for traffic heading the other way?

If I turned my head quickly I could follow and see for a split second one of the objects. Most shapes were rounded, egg shaped, many about the size of a bicycle or as big as a car. I had no clue how they were powered since there was only the a whooshing of air and no other sound.

"When, when did they build this?"

"No one told you?"

"No,"

"It was created around seven hundred."

"What, seven hundred years ago?"

"Seven hundred BCE."

"What?"

"You heard me."

I didn't want to believe this. My mind went into overload. But it seemed to be real. To be true. I had to accept it.

"Here's our ride."

One of the streaking lights slowed in front of us, then stopped. Shaped like an egg, it was quite odd with it's featured-less silvery mirror finish hull. An oval hatch parted and on the inside was a bright greenish hue, as if looking into a lime colored ball. Cleveland smiled. He raised his hand gesturing me in.

"Pretty cool huh? Welcome to the big time buddy."

I was in awe. I sat down on a firm but comfortable bucket-like seat. The interior had no seams, no defining lines to be found except for the seats that seemed organically curved out of the structure. There were no windows that I could detect though I'm sure they were there, and we need only a button or some other activator to press. The hatch closed without a sound and I felt us quickly accelerate, my back was pressed firmly against the seat. We were bathed in this odd, lime green light. I turned to Cleveland.

"How long have you known about this?"

"I've worked down here three times before. Its all classified space. You know black budget stuff."

"Yeah... How long until we reach the..."

It was then that I was no longer pressed against the seat. Cleveland, meeting my eyes, raised an eyebrow. The beautiful star-like door spread open and he stepped out. I followed him and glanced behind at the remarkable interior, attempting to burning it's design into my mind.

"C'mon lets roll, you'll see it again after work."

The corridor ahead was obviously of this same technology. Maybe I was looking at the future of architecture, strange exotic metals yet to be revealed to the world. Wherever my eyes wandered I was met with curving material and glowing archways that provided serene lighting and a new stream of objects that passed by us at overhead. Objects were flowing in both directions above us. I paused in fear of collision with something fast approaching, an object the size of a basketball flew right at me, swerved effortlessly, and I turned to watch it resume course, it's bright yellow lights trailing away around the bend in the corridor with hundreds of others.

"Come on, come on, you'll see them again too."

"What the fuck? Cleveland, what is this all this about?"

He didn't stop walking but I could hear him.

"Classified info man - you know that already."

"It's alien for fucks sake!"

He giggle then. Like it was funny. We took a few more steps and he pointed up to an oddly shaped light above the outline of an oblong hatch. The light was flush against the curved structure. It reminded me of a daisy or something.

"This is you, botanicals, flower boy. I'll come get you at the end of your shift. Don't try to pick up on her pervert."

"Her?"

He finally broke his gloomy stare and smiled. I stood there, in front of the massive hatch. I looked left and right – I didn't see any type of lever or button to activate it.

"Your mag-I.D. Hold it up." Cleveland said.

I held it up for whomever, because I didn't see anyone but the flying things and Cleveland walking away, down the corridor. The hatch in front of me suddenly shot up, scaring the bejesus out of me with an overall bright light.

I shaded my eyes. Branches reached out overhead from trees that lined either side. A country road. The perfect illusion of one. The hatch instantly swished down behind me, and my shadow appeared on the hatch. It was an after noon sunlight with beautifully puffy shaped, light gray clouds across the sky. I walked ahead and I reminded myself then that I was twelve stories underground. The illusion was perfect. A dozen or more blue chaffinch, suddenly fluttered above me. They would settle inside the cover of leaves on the trees. Then they chirped in a sudden outburst amongst each other in shadow. Then they emerged like puffs of pollen, flying off to the next tree.

I took a deep breath. I could taste something in the air again. That tinny flavor like what was on the flight earlier.