Legends Of The Multiverse #19 - BENEATH, Part 2: The Expedition
Part 1 - The Signal
Transcript - 2215 Hours Day 1 - Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter
Unit Commander (UC): Fresh Air, do you copy?
Fresh Air (FA): Copy Ultra 6.
UC: We are at 10 clicks, Fresh Air. Awaiting orders.
FA: Copy that Ultra 6, continue your descent to 11 clicks.
UC: Copy that.
Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter Debrief
Private 1st Class - Martin Johansen - Page 2
...continue our descent to 11 clicks. Commander Scott relayed the orders to our unit and we continued. Private Micheals and I connected the pre-laid communications line to a portable relay and began to un-spool new line as we went. We did a field test of the quick evac system and it was confirmed functional.
Sergeant Mallorey manned the primary borer, which was ordered to the front of the of the line. It took about twenty minutes after receiving the order before we were on the move again.
My suit's heat dispersal remained optimal, although we were seeing approximately one degree Celsius increases in temperature every 100 meters. We covered about 300 meters over the next six hours. Nothing abnormal occurred.
At approximately 0420 hours, Sergeant Mallory hit an unmapped deposit of some kind. I think he said sapphire maybe, but something very hard. Forward progress halted and we requested a high density drill bit be sent down the tube. Fresh Air reported one was dispatched and would arrive in 33 hours. Commander Scott ordered us to make camp.
Transcript - 0910 Hours Day 2 - Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter
UC: Fresh Air, do you copy?
FA: Your coming in a little choppy Ultra 6, but we copy.
UC: We're experiencing some turbulence down here Fresh Air. Anything to be worried about?
FA: Nothing abnormal on the local scans, Ultra 6. Looks like a little belly ache, that's all.
UC: Copy that Fresh Air - just wanted to confirm, put the gang at ease.
FA: Copy that.
Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter Debrief
Private 1st Class - Martin Johansen - Page 4
The new bit arrived at 1100 hours on day 3. We passed it forward towards the borer and Sergeant Mallory began the installation. In order to get to the drill head, he needed to back up the borer a couple of feet. He did so, but then became startled. Something about the mineral deposit shifting. I think he was concerned about a cave in.
The Commander radioed up for a scan. Everything came back clean. .7 on the richter scale I think - but within normal ranges. Command gave the OK to drill, but the Commander and Mallory went to a private comm for a few minutes. When they got back to shared frequencies, Mallory switched out the bit. Took about an hour and then the Commander ordered us forward.
Transcript - 1206 Hours Day 3 - Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter
UC: Fresh Air, resuming drilling.
FA: Copy Ultra 6
[20 second of radio silence]
UC: Cave in, cave in, retreating up the tube!
FA: Negative Ultra 6, last scan came up clean, there's no...
[Speakers overlap]
UC: Everybody up tube! Fresh air we have a localized seismic event, moving...
FC: ...sign of a cave in Ultra 6, we have, Jesus Christ what the fuck is that...
UC: ...up tube, up tube! Mallory's gone, the borer fell through. Negative copy Fresh Air...
FC: Ultra 6, get up tube, there's a cavitation event occurring directly ahead of you.
UC: ...move your asses! Fresh Air, requesting quick evac activation.
FC: Activation approved, get your ass to the 10K marker. What are you seeing down there?
UC: [unintelligible]
FC: Negative copy Ultra 6, say again.
[Audio Reconstruction Incomplete]
UC: [unintelligible] towards [unintelligible] Mallo[ry] [unintelligible] saw bloo[d] [unintelligible] repeat [unintelligible] blood.
FC: That's a negative copy Ultra 6, status...
Unknown Transmission: Saolamagəhnūansheeri. Saolamagəhnūansheeri. Saolamagəhnūansheeri.
Saolamagəhnūansheeri. Saolamagəhnūansheeri.
[Transmission repeats 500 times over 57 minutes and 25 seconds]
Expedition Alpha Bravo - Unit 6 Encounter Debrief
Private 1st Class - Martin Johansen - Page 4
Almost immediately after Mallory began to drill, it started. The whole tunnel shook like crazy, and we could see the carbon fiber reinforcements start to buckle. I was at the back of the line. About 100 meters ahead I saw the lights on the borer just disappear, and we all heard Mallory screaming on the comms about blood and then nothing.
I admit, I ran before the Commander gave the order. It's probably the only reason I'm alive today. Michaels waited and even the 20 seconds made all the difference.
I ran up tube as fast as I could. It got dusty real fast, so I just kept my eyes on the neon comm line I'd been laying. I heard some back and forth over the radio, but I don't really remember any specifics. I was, not in control sir, I'm ashamed to say.
It was around the 10 click marker that i heard the voice, if you could call it that. Same kind of thing from S1, only a lot louder. I could hear it through my helmet, not just on the radio. It made the earth shake.
I kept running until i got to the the quick evac and hooked myself in. That's the first time I looked behind me and saw there was nobody there. Just darkness and that voice. The quick evac took 30 seconds or so to warm up and as it did, that's when it happened sir. The tunnel just fell away. I mean, like there was nothing under it. If I hadn't been hooked into the evac line, I'd fallen myself.
That's when I saw the lights of the borer, and Mallory's helmet all lit up inside, moving around. It's hard to gauge the distance, but I'd say he was at least a click away, on the other side of this new cave.
Then it started moving - the whole borer with Mallory in it. Not of its own power, but upwards, through the cave, like it was floating or something.
I told Comm Sat this, i know it sounds crazy and I guess it was too dark for me to see for certain, but I swear, right before the evac kicked in, Mallory's lights disappeared and, well, you know how your hand looks when you stick a bright flashlight up to it in the dark? Well that's what I saw. Just giant, glowing fingers closing in on him, and that damned voice speaking over and over.
Then the evac kicked in and dragged me up tube. Now, here I am.
Guess who just got a notification for this post :'D
What is thatabout?!
LOL! steemd revealed the issue. Look with what link you coupled your part one: https://steemit.com/steemstem-meetup/@suesa/the-steemstem-meetup-at-the-lhc-my-recap however you did that... I guess something similar happened to your list of posts in the mushroom posts.
Ok - mystery solved:
One of my species posts - A.bisporus - was written up in conjunction with one of your science challenges!
As a result it was put in the suesascience tag and has suesa in the permanent title! I had no idea that this would have the effect of notifying you - nor did i even rememver that was the case.
Luckily, the most recent compilation post is going to take the place of the old list as like a 0-35 link - so this shouldn't happen anymore.
Today was just a random mess up on my part - but it revealed the underlying, unrelated problem by chance!
One less thing to keep me awake at night!
Wha? How do you couple a link? To make the lists i copy the last posts link from my homepage...
Ohhh,but i did link the wrong one... i do my posting bu mobile - and sometimes it copies the post above and below the one I'm aiming for. And i just resteemed your post, so it must have done that this time.
And i would wager that somewhere in my html list for the mushroom posts is another errant post link...I'm sorry ' but glad we figured it out.
Excellent your story dear. I always see your post and follow you..
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