MuTerra

He stepped through the door, set his suitcase down, and inhaled a deep breath. No sense in taking any half steps now, he thought, if this is going to be the end of me… so be it. He closed the door behind him and thought about the day they first entered the mountain. It did not seem like that long ago, but that perception was impacted by where he was now. He took in another breath, and surveyed the area. It looked like some trees were showing signs of life, but they were mostly fir trees. It was quite rocky, but that stood to reason as he was on a mountainside. The sky was a heavy ominous gray with rolling clouds moving across the dim skyline. The sun appeared to be shining above the clouds it just was not able to break through with any direct light aside from the stray flash.

He picked up his case and started out. The area resembled nothing of its former self. There was no city beyond the foothills, and there was no noise beyond a slight breeze. The temperature was comfortable, but he was not sure if this was because of the time of year, or if it was always like this now. He stopped near a large boulder, and placed the metal case on top of it. He opened it and removed an array of instruments. With these, he collected samples and readings from the soil, trees, and the air. There was no water that he could see nearby, so he removed several of the smaller containers and placed them in the pockets of his overalls. This trip was going to be a one-day affair, so he decided to stay light on his feet and cover as much ground as possible.

He made a mental note of landmarks to keep track of his direction. The mountain was easy enough to find, but finding his suitcase again was another story. He half jogged, half ran as he went. The natural air felt great, even though he knew it could be deadly. After a mile or so, he came to a small clump of tall grass. It was yellowish brown, but still appeared to be alive. He removed one of his vials, and placed some of the grass, and the dirt, which clung to it, inside. The ground appeared to be dry on the surface, but he figured there must be some water not far below. He found a sturdy stick, and began digging as best as he could. When he was about ten inches down, he discovered muddy water trickling into the hole. He collected this as well.

He ran on for another few miles, barely feeling winded, and saw no other indication of standing water. Dr. Maddow had given quite an informative lecture on where to find the worms, or planarian as he called them, and what to look for. He saw nothing promising in the distance. He thought, it might even be possible that some of the samples he already gathered might contain the little critters. He decided to call it a day, and retraced his steps. He found the case with little trouble, and looked around the area once again before returning to the mountainside. It was an exhilarating day, but the main thing that stood out to him was the quiet. There were no birds or animals that he could see and no other sounds of life. That did not mean they were not in existence, he just did not see any. And no wonder, what was there to live on? It was a desolate place.

?

He went through the corridor and finally reached the sanitation room. He reached Lucas on his first attempt, and began his cleanup. There was an area set aside for his clothes and equipment. Once he had stripped down, he went through the shower and scrubbed himself harder than was probably necessary. Afterwards, he dried himself and went into the small chamber. The instructions were plain, and after he pressed the required keys, the reading appeared on the console. It was 0.00. He knew there was radiation outside by the readings he had measured earlier, and he knew he was supposed to be immune, but he was still surprised by the negative reading. I guess the ‘voodoo’ actually worked. While he was getting dressed, Lucas walked into the outer room. There was no one else about. He walked up to the door and spoke through the intercom, “How’d it go?”

“It was awesome. Just to breathe real air again, not this humid musty crap we live in,” Keith said.

“Yeah, well I don’t think we could breathe it all that long, so this will have to do.” He looked down at the console outside the door. “Everything looks normal,” he said as he entered the code that released the seal on the room. “Really, what is it like out there now?” he asked walking over to Keith.

“It’s different. The mountain is the same, but everything else is different. The sun was hidden by the clouds; there was virtually no water to be found nearby and very little plant life; no birds, no animals, and no people. It looked the same for a far as the eye could see, but my view was limited in direction by the surrounding foothills.”

“They say there are MuTerra out there,” Lucas said in a muted voice.

Before Keith could take exception to the comment and remind Lucas that the word for them was people, he realized no harm was meant by the term. The word had obviously taken hold and he did not think he would be able to change that now. “I didn’t see anyone or anything; there were no tracks or signs of life. But like I said, I only saw a small part of it. I’ll being going out again, and further afield I’m sure,” he said as he finished dressing.

?

When they returned to the office, Keith’s father was there along with Dr. Maddow and Jim Forrest. Lucas was also invited to stay for the debriefing since he was a part of the team now. Keith gave as complete and accurate a narrative as possible. Even so, the questioning seemed relentless. He knew that some of this was to satisfy a vicarious experience, the rest was for future planning. Dr. Maddow, not surprisingly, had more questions than the rest. Most he could answer, some he could not.

The determination was made that a team of research assistants would be assembled immediately. And, that Keith would be going out again soon. When their meeting was over, Dr. Maddow left to examine the contents he had brought back, Lucas returned to his duties, and his father dismissed Jim Forrest by stating he would like some time alone with his son. “How are you feeling,” Frank Bishop asked.

“Great. Whatever the doc did, worked.”

“Good. That is why this is so important Keith. If we are going to start over, people need the same protection you have. To obtain that, we need to give Martin what he needs.”

“I understand Dad.”

“The next time you go out, plan for several days. In addition to any samples Martin may want, I also want you to begin to map the surrounding area. Do the best you can and we can use the computers to refine it when you get back. You’ll be supplied with a recording device you can wear around your head. That way, we can see what it is we are dealing with. It should provide about six hours of recording time. Turn it on and off as necessary to complete as full a picture as you can. We’ll get you a portable shelter and anything else you think you will need.”

“Alright Dad, I’ll need to take care of a few things at the office before I go.”

“Think about your replacement too. It is likely that you will be spending more time outside and less at your desk.”

That announcement surprised Keith as he had become accustomed to both his job and his men. But he understood that change was coming.

—

“Can I get you something to drink Jim,” Frank Bishop asked his longtime friend and senior aide.

“Sure. I’ll have a little of whatever you are having,” he replied.

“Have a seat,” Frank Bishop said as he went to fix their drinks. When he came back into the living room of his apartment, he handed one drink to his friend, and carried the other one to his seat. It was a moment before either one spoke.

“Nice,” his friend said after taking a sip.

“Jim, it’s time we started making preparations to leave. To begin with, we’ll need to build a staging area outside the mountain where we can establish a foothold into our future,” Bishop said.

“Is it safe to go out yet? I know Keith just took a short trip out, but I thought the radiation levels were still beyond the protection capacity of the Demron suit for any sustained length of time?”

“There are other sources of protection, some of which are on a need-to-know basis.”

“I’m not in a position of need-to-know?” he asked in an agitated tone.

“That depends,” Bishop went on ignoring the retort, “on whether or not you would be willing to be the one to take charge of this next stage. You would be in complete control of pioneering man’s journey into the new world.”

“You make it sound as if it is an adventure, when it may in reality be a disaster.”

While he was not used to being talked to this way by his subordinates, he indulged his friend to maintain the appearance of Jim being his peer. He also knew how he would feel if the positions were reversed. Jim was no fool, nor did he want one for this undertaking. “If you think I want you to try something that hasn’t been thought through, and planned for, then you are mistaken. It would be a waste of time, manpower, and material to undertake