The Coordinate

Chapter 5: A Sudden Disaster

            Beads of endless sweat trickled from the back of her head, her neck, and her forehead. And it wasn’t just because of the nervousness, but also the heat. Students from all doors suddenly spilled out like a shaken soda bottle. The alert message repeated over and over again as most lights all over the facility became red. Keeping close as Jordan clung to her tightly, they followed rows of lines organized by the guards that led to the saferooms deep within the facility.

            Her heart was pumping fast, faster than it ever did, but she was managing to control her breathing, and she kept up a calm mask on her face. Her stomach was as if trying to heave itself up her throat. Her head was light and spinning already because of the simulation module, and the constant shaking made it even worse. Instinctually, she leaned closer to Jordan, laying her head on his chest.

            What caused this?

            The chances of something like this happening was near impossible. There haven’t been a single devastating earthquake for a hundred years because of the plate motion stabilizers, so that was crossed out. If Washinton was collapsing above them and was about to crush everyone in the underground, that would be another possibility but it was unlikely to happen because of those eight massive pillars. Regardlesss, natural disasters like these aren’t supposed to happen anymore. So why?

            What the hell was happening?

            “Winter, you doing alright?” Jordan whispered to her.

            “Yeah, I am.”

            “You’re not panicking, are you?”

            “You i***t. Your heartbeat’s practically a car engine down here.”

            Jordan sighed, “What the f**k’s going on? How is this even possible? I tried calling Mrs. Finch but she’s not answering.”

            “I’m sure everyone is just as confused as we are.” Winter said, “Any ideas of how this could happen?”

            “No. It should have been impossible. Dr. Raven himself designed the fortifications and safeguards to counter all kinds of natural calamities. That could only mean this can’t be a natural calamity.”

            “You’re not going to consider  that maybe even Dr. Raven’s designs can have flaws?”

            “Nope. That’s impossible. If God’s mind existed, that would be Dr. Raven.”

            “Whatever. I just hope Rori is okay.”

            The rumbling intensified. Roars and screeches echoed throughout the walls, rapidly overlapping each other like machinegun fire. Gasps filled the halls, and panicked mutterings started to drown out the looped alert messages.

            “What were those?” Winter’s voice sharpened.

            “Railgun fire.” Jordan replied, his voice lowering.

            “The city’s under attack?”

            Orange light shone from above, temporarily overtaking the false sunlight, followed by explosions in the distance and even more rumbling. Winter felt it, the mounting dread of everyone in the hall. The air became hotter, the mumbling and weeping became louder than even her own thoughts.

            A few minutes later, they made it deeper underground. It was an extremely large space with metal domes lined up everywhere. Jordan and Winter looked around, finding the domes with names attached to them that both of them didn’t understand. Jordan flicked his wrist over and over again, tapping on the call request to Finch, but she never answered. “Where the hell are we supposed to go?!”

            They looked around, finding people in uniforms urged forward by what seemed to be their advisors into domes, but it didn’t seem random. Different students in different uniforms were segregated into different domes.

The railgun fires followed by explosions still echoed from above. The ceilings shook with every boom, lightly shoving everyone. Jordan tightened his arm around Winter as they kept wandering the large space. A space that was already initially so vast but was in fact almost the size of a goddamn village.

            An alert overlay projected from Jordan’s arm. She raises his hand to his face and found it was a call request from Ms. Finch. He accepted immediately.

            “Where the hell are you?!” Jordan roared, “What’s happening?!”

            “I’m busy right now, Jordan. Right now what’s important is keeping you and your peers safe. Where are you right now?”

            “We’re in the underground shelter! We don’t know which dome we’re supposed to go!”

            “On the farthest left corner, there should be a dome with my name in inscribed on the entrance. I’ll give you the Absolute Authority Module so you can open it. After which you’ll have to use that to track everyone your batchmates and guide them to the dome. Do you understand?”

            “What, no! I’m staying here and watch over Winter.”

            “Absolutely not,” Finch asserted, “Jordan, listen to me. You have to find the others and put them there, understand!?”

            “Why do I have to-“

            “Jordan!” Winter stepped in, “Just do it. I’ll be fine.”

            Jordan’s eyes shook and widened, looking at her. He took a deep breath, “Fine.”

            “Jordan, one more thing.” Finch said over the call, “If circumstances pushes you to point a g*n on someone, and that someone was is a person that you once cared deeply for, what would you do?”

            “What the hell is this question!? We’re in a possible life-and-death situation here!”

            “Answer me.”

            “I’d point the g*n at myself! There. Happy!?”

            “I see.” Finch ended the call.

            Jordan and Winter did as asked, fast-walking through the already crowded space. As he approached the dome on the farthest left corner, he found two people wearing familiar uniforms banging on the door and busying themselves with their drive holograms. Jordan recognized them immediately, and they did him.

            “Jordan, what’s going on?! We couldn’t contact Mrs. Finch!” one said,

            “Yeah, and this damn door won’t open! I think we need Mrs. Finch here!”

            “Hold up,” Jordan said, approaching the door. There was a small pad, the size of a hand, in the center of the door. Jordan flicked his wrist and pressed his palm into it. With a green light, the two boys entered the dome. It was a large living space fit with chairs, tables, an old radio, and a cabinet full of canned products.

            Jordan and Winter went in himself, with Winter immediately taking a seat and massaging her temple. Jordan approached her, “Stay here, okay?”

            “Of course I am.” She said.

            “We’re going to stay here too,” the other guys said.

            “Wait, Walter, Mike. I need you two to help me.”

            “Help you with that?” one guy said.

            Jordan inhaled, “Mrs. Finch said  that the first three people to come here should look for the others and guide them to here.”

            Winter’s tilted her head, her brows rose.

            “What?! How are we supposed to find them! It’s f*****g dangerous out there. We don’t know what’s happening!”

            “She sent gave me the Absolute Authority Module. I can track them with it. I’d bring Winter with me but she’s in no condition to walk properly. The more eyes, the better.”

            “But-“

            “Finch’s orders, Walter. Come on!”

            The two sighed and went with him. Before leaving, Jordan glanced at Winter and winked with that signature mischievous smile.

            She sighed. What a dumbass. He could have just give the module to them and lie that they were tasked to find them instead…

            It wasn’t long until Winter was alone inside the dome, alone with her throbbing head, alone with her treacherous thoughts.

This was a terrible day. First, she didn’t get a decent sleep, then she fails one of the only test in the program that didn’t allow for retakes, and now, this happens.

            The ground was still shaking, the weapon fires, screeching, and booming still echoing throughout the walls. A louder bang filled the air for a moment, drowning everything else, then cracks, thuds, and finally…

            Crash!

            Winter jumped, turning behind her as the dome was crumbling in on itself. Immediately, her legs propelled her forward out the door. She ran and ran, alongside people who looked back and saw the ceiling collapsing. They rushed outside the saferooms like water through a small slit.

            Winter flicked her right wrist to try and contact Jordan, or anyone for that matter, but there was another impossibility—the drive connection wasn’t working. She flicked again and again, only to find the holographic projections to never appear. She looked around the panicked mob as she ran, finding them unable to activate theirs too.

            The screams intensified, and heat flooded through her body. Composure was lost, and Winter’s legs wanted to run along with them. She stopped and glued herself to the wall as others ran and stampeded over each other. Alongsides panicked screams, she heard screams of pain and agony.

            Calm down…

            She took deep breaths, controlling the beat of her heart. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breaths until the screams and the outside roaring became nothing but a blurry noise, and the only sounds left was the beating of her own heart.

            She opened her eyes agan and now found less people lagging behind. She kept still on the walls, sticking to it like it was her lifeline until finally, she was the only one left. Surprisingly, there was no more rumbling, and the weaponfires halted.

            She sighed and walked down the stairs, back to the saferoom everyone had abandoned. She looked up the destroyed ceilings and had found a light seeping through large hole, and a black, alive-looking… spacer ship?

            It looked like a spacer ship, but it was different. There was something about its ventablack hull, like it an organic kind of metal. She imagined touching the thing melt away her hand immediately, but she still wanted to.

            Is that what was causing all this commotion? A rogue spacer that turned on the NWIC, or some terrorsit that was able to h****k a ship? That would explain why there would be railgun fires, but-

            The hatch on side opened, and from it, someone fell to the ground.

            There were cams watching this, right?

            She stepped back, but the moment it tried to stand, confusion dawned on her.

            It was a novasapien with a strange pair of horns, and the brightest blue ones she had ever seen. Most translucent horns were usually dull in color, but this was a bright electric blue. Other novasapiens had horns resembling those of antelopes or rams, but she was sure this was the first novasapien she ever saw with… devil-like horns.

            It tried to stand up again. His hips were shaking, his legs looking like it was on the brink of collapsing. From the distance, Winter could only imagine the strain and pain it brought to him.

            He collapsed on the floor again. He tried to get back on the ship by leaning into the hull and trying to climb, but with that kind of bloodloss, it was already a miracle that even he could barely move.

            It looked like he needed help… but if that was the cause of the rumbling and attack, then wouldn’t it be better to let him rot? But what if he also was one of the people defending the city and managed to get shot down?

            Er…

            It wasn’t her place to help someone in need like this. It should be medics and nurses, right? Besides, she’s never held a conversation with anyone except Rori and Jordan, so it should be better for her to leave…

            But it’s a spacer!

            She was never a fan of spacers, she only wanted to become one for her own personal reasons, but perhaps she could…

            But aren’t spacers usually busy?

            Argh! f**k it. I’m doing it.

            “Hey!” she called out.

            The man glanced at her briefly before attempting to climb up again.

“Hey!” she called out again, “D-do you need any help?”

A faint noise came out from him, almost like a scoff.

            No answers. She sighed, Guess it was worth trying, I suppose. I better get out of here now.

            “W-wait!” the man called. His accent and tone was foreign and weird. Strange, she thought. Novasapiens have already developed their own accent, but this one sounded like it was his first time ever speaking English.

            “I need… help.”

            Winter paused, cautious. “What kind of help?”

            “Are you…” he paused, looking at the floor, the same kinds of motion one would do if they were looking for the right words, “…a spacer?”

            “W-what…?”

            “Heh, a dazed human. Guess…I shouldn’t be surprised.”

            “What?”

            “Nothing… nevermind.”

            “Yes, I am a spacer, or…a student, rather.”

            The man’s eyes lit up, “That… will have to do, but… nevermind.” He said, resuming back to his struggles.

            “Wait, are you a spacer?” she asked.

            “Judging from the suit, what do you think?” He said, with a sort of amusement.

            “What you are is a prick,” she said, her brows furrowing. What kind of condescending attitude would someone show to a stranger?! “Nevermind. I’m out of here.”

            “Not the best insult I’ve ever received,” he said, “Oh, and don’t go that way.”

            Winter turned back, confused, looking at the man with inquisitive eyes.

            “It’s a mess in there. Buildings outside are transforming into cannons.”

            Her eyes widened, “Cannons?”

            “Raven’s signature city defense systems; buildings transforming into massive railguns and cannons. Pretty cool in theory, pretty bad in practice.”

            “W-what!?”

            “Damn, you catch up pretty slow. Just stay quiet and stay here until your droppers or something arrive.” He said. A moment ago his speech was clunky and harsh, but now it sounded natural.

            Winter’s eyes kept focusing on the bright blue devil-horns. It was just… something else.

            The man then fell into the floor again, gasping, groaning.

            “H-hey… do you need any help? I can call medics for-“

            “Your drive connection won’t work here. If you want to help, you can do so by helping me back on the ship. And please, do.”

            “I don’t even know if I should help you. What if you’re a bad guy?”

            “Bad guy? You’re going to call me a meaningless word like that?”

            Winter reluctantly approached, but as she got closer, his features were now clearer.

            He had the pinkest, whitest skin tone from any novasapien she had ever seen. Other than that devilish horns, his hair was long, unkempt, and black as the ship’s hull. The tightsuit he wore was a design that standard issued suits didn’t look like.

            “What kind of spacer are you?”

            “The last of my kind. That’s all  I can say.”

            “Are you the reason why the city is getting all riled up like this?”

            “I may or may not be.” He snorted. He suddenly coughed up blood. He didn’t look like he had much more time anymore. “f**k it,” he said, then erupting into a quiet, painful laughter. “Guess I’ll just die.”

            “What happens if I help you?”

            “You’ll have my eternal gratitude and I’ll probably be indebted to you. Hell, if you go so far as to help me pilot my ship…” he took a lungful of air, “…you might even become a real spacer.”

            Winter’s eyes lit up, “What? What do you mean?”

            “Exactly like what I said.”

            “How would I immediately be able to ride a spacer if I come with you?”

            “I don’t have the time nor the energy to explain anymore, girl…” He coughed another spout of blood, “But my ship is… special. As long as anyone rides it with me, they’ll be able ride and pilot everything.”

            “How is that even possible!?”

            “Damn, you really are… slow.” He said. His head suddenly limped. She stepped closer, palming her b****y cheek face. He wasn’t moving, but he wasn’t cold just yet. She neared her hands to her nose, and air was still being taken in, albeit very slow.

            f**k it!

            Winter pulled the surprisingly light man and climbed up the hatch to his ship. Inside, there were two configurator chairs—the chairs that binds the spacer to their ship—closely across each other. She put the man into one of the chair and she sat on the opposite side.

            I’m doing this to become see if he was telling the truth! If it was a lie and this guy is actually bad news… I’ll just tell the government that he coerced me.

            Wires rose from the back of the chairs, arching and slithering like snakes. She shrieked, but covered her mouth.

            “Thanks…” said the man, “My name is Swallow.”

            “Winter,” she said in return. “Err, what now?”

            Wires dug into Swallow’s back, slowly creeping up to his spine. Winter gasped as the wires on her seats dug into hers as well. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t… feel anything.

            “Now, you just come close…” Swallow said, his iris rolling up, leaving a pure white. He reached his b****y hands to Winter’s cheek, and…

            His horns touched her forehead.

            Cold washed over her, like being buried under an avalanche. It was overwhelming…

            But it felt nice.

            Bright light filled her senses.