The Crisis

I stood in the guard tower and gazed upon the open wastes of the dry desert. Sweat seeped through my battle dress uniform. The buzz of flies drilled into my ears. This facility seemed more like a prison than a testing ground. It was square, with a single gate to the west. Dark metallic walls bordered the small facility. Razor wire, attached to the top of the walls, glistened in the hot sun. I was positioned at the south west guard tower that overlooked a small portion of the hot Mojave desert. All I knew was that my battalion was positioned here for security reasons. That's all that I was allowed to know.

I ran my eyes across the barren land and scanned for anything that caught my attention. I still don't know why they find it necessary to wear flak jackets in one hundred and ten degree weather, in the middle of the dessert, where no one will find us. I reached around and pulled my canteen from its pouch. I fumbled around with the lid until it popped off. Taking a quick drink, I replaced the lid and put it back in its pouch.

I glanced back to the desert as something caught my eye. Something skipped across the dirt. I retrieved my carbine from its resting place on a hand rail. I raised it to my shoulder and peered through the short range scope. A rabbit made its way through brush, seeking something to nibble on.

"Stupid jack rabbit." I whispered to myself. To entertain myself, I enjoyed to imagine that the rabbits head exploded.

"Stephens!"

"Huh, what?" I fumbled with the rifle, trying not to drop it.

"Dude, your shift is over,"  Robert appeared from the staircase and stepped into the small, open windowed room. "What were you doing?" Robert has been my friend for years. In fact, he has my friend the entire time I have been enlisted in the Marines. Even before it became the Armed Forces of the Federation. He stood at about six foot. He would have black hair if his head wasn't shaved. His tan face dripped with sweat.

"Oh, nothing really," I walked passed him and stepped down the stairs. I walked through the small dirt court yard and into the barracks. I don't think I've ever been so happy to feel air conditioning in my life. I stood there for a moment and let the cold air wash over my face. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. As I let it out, I unbuckled the chin strap to my helmet and pulled it off my head. Warm sweat trickled down my face. I tucked the helmet under my arm and slung my rifle around my shoulder. I started down the small hallway to find my housing room.

The barracks were a long two story building. On the inside it felt more like a college dormitory than military housing.  Its rooms were about twelve square feet with a small closet in the corner, and a single bed. I found my room on the second floor and pulled out the key that hid in a small front pocket of my combat vest. I placed the key in the door and turned it. The lock made a soft click in reply. Taking the key from the door, I put it back into its pocket. The light wooden door swung open and I stepped in. I flipped on the light switch and set my carbine in a corner by the front door. Not even bothering to take off my combat armor, I collapsed onto the bed. The forty-pound armor plus weight of extra ammunition made sure I couldn't move. I still couldn't figure out why we didn't have an armory yet to store our weapons. I let out a grunt of frustration at the thought of getting up. My eyes began to feel heavy as I continued to lay there. I glanced at my wrist watch. It read three forty-nine. I gave in and let my eyes close. Sleep slowly crept over me. Five minutes, and then I have to get up... I thought to my self.

***

I looked around my self. I found my self to be awe struck at the beauty of the valley in which I stood. It seemed to be untouched by modern life. A large mountain range surrounded the valley. On one end it led the way to a dark forest that brimmed with trees and wildlife. To the north, a large castle clung to the side of a large mountain. I looked around my self once more before laying down. I rest my head back on the soft soil. I ran my fingers through the soft grass. Its blades tickled the palms of my hands. I watched as a large cloud rolled passed me overhead. Two birds chased each other through the sky. Their song relaxed me further.

I felt at piece. I wanted to lay there forever. Suddenly, a soft vibration passed through the ground. I turned my head and pressed my ear onto the soft grass, trying to listen to the vibrations. It seemed to be growing, getting more vibrant. The ground below me began to shake. I pushed myself up and looked around. Something large rolled over a hill in the distance. The artillery vehicle approached me. A few more rolled over the hill, following it. I sprinted in its direction to close the gap between us. The group of vehicles stopped. The heavy guns on top of them slowly rose up. I sprinted harder. As I reached the vehicle at the head of the group, the turrets stopped moving. They pointed to the sky at a large angle.

"Stop!" I screamed at them, trying to catch my breath. "What are you doing?!"

As if in response the first gun fired. The shock wave made my ears ring. I fell to my knees. I cupped my hands around my ears as they continued to fire. I looked up to the castle in the distance. The first shell landed. A tall tower exploded and collapsed inward of the castle. The sound of the bomb exploding reached me several seconds later. I barely heard it. My ears went numb from the sound of the artillery firing. A second shell hit the side of the castle. A large fire ball sent rubble falling from the wall. More and more shells landed upon the castle city.

I screamed. I couldn't hear myself do it, but I wanted to. I had to do something. Then the firing seized. My ears still rang from the thundering guns. I still continued to watch as the last of the shells crushed the castle. I watched as debris flew from the explosions. I wondered why they had destroyed such a beautiful thing. My hearing slowly came back as I heard the sound of helicopters in the distance. I looked up as the first of the troop transports flew over head. It was followed by twenty more as they approached the castle. Then armored personnel carriers bounced over the hills around me, making their way to the castle as well.

***

I was jolted awake by the sound of an explosion. I quickly looked at my watch. It read nine o'four.  I cursed as I sprang up and put my helmet on. An alarm began to wale as I grabbed my rifle and open the door to the hall. A few men ran passed, combat ready. I ran after them.

As we approached the exit, one of the men used his shoulder to break open the door leading to outside. The sky was dark and the alarm was only louder outside. Most of my squad ran into formation. A second lieutenant barked orders to move into the testing building.

The testing building was the largest building in the center of the facility. Its tan walls were reinforced for the purpose of such an explosion. We lined the walls on either side of the main entrance. A man kicked open the doors and ran in. He was followed by every one. Soldiers cleared the long hallway on the inside. They ran room to room looking for the source of the explosion. The hallway was dimly light. A few of the lights flickered. I ran to the end of the hall. I pushed open a door that led to the main testing room. I held my carbine at the ready for what may lie ahead.

I tried to focus on what I was seeing. I lowered my rifle and tried not to vomit my lunch. What was left of dead scientists scattered the room. Bits of bone and oragns clung to the ceiling. Limbs were thrown to the corners of the room. I looked around the blood splattered room. In the center of the large room was a large ring. It was about thirty feet in diameter. It stood on end so that it looked more like a door. I heard foot steps behind me.

Robert stepped into the room. He glanced around the room and turned his head to vomit. He stepped out of the room to hide from the horror. The machine in the center of the room suddenly came to life. The massive ring turned blue as energy began to flow through it. Small bolts of lightning shot across the diameter of the ring. It created a low hum as the center filled with a solid neon blue light. It was strange that the light was not transparent. It looked as if the light had formed a solid blue wall. Two more Marines ran into the room through the door behind me. One stopped and looked in shock around the room. The other stood to my right.

Across the room, a groan rose up from one of the bodies. The three of use sprinted to the source of the sound. A young woman was laying on her right side with her back towards us. I knelt down beside her.

"Ma'am, are you alright? There's been an accident. Ma'am?" I carefully rolled her onto her back, revealing charred flesh. The skin that cover the right side of her face was black and would have easily peeled off with the slightest touch. Where her right eye had been was nothing but a black hole. Her tongue hung freely between exposed, black teeth and burnt muscle where her cheek used to be. What was left of her nose dangled with bits of black skin. One of the men behind me turned and vomited.

She slowly opened her left eye as she came back to consciousness. The eye darted back and forth scanning the room.

Her jaw began to move as if trying to speak. She swallowed hard and tears streamed from her single eye.

"Ma'am you're injured and I need you to please remain calm." I turn and screamed, "I NEED A MEDIC IN HERE!!!"

One of the soldiers continued to stare at the injured woman in disbelief. He looked to young to be in the Marines. His face expressionless. The other Marine hunched over again and vomited once more. He wiped the residue on his sleeve and walked over to the younger soldier. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lets go, we need to find a medic." The young man still continued to stare. The older soldier took his hand off his should and jogged off to find a medic. Just seconds later, several men ran into the room. One stopped and gazed at the gore. He swore under his breath. A medic pushed me aside and began to asses the woman's injuries. I stood and walked out the exit. I followed the hallway to the main entrance. Stepping outside, I found a wall near the door and sit down resting my back on the wall.

People yelled and ran about in the chaos of the dirt court yard. Helicopters flew above, only adding to the noise. Flood lights lit up the dark night. I set my rifle down next to me and drifted off into sleep...

***

I awoke to the hot sun. I wasn't the only one who had taken to sleeping in the dirt yard. Still sleeping soldiers lay scattered across the dirt. I don't know why I hadn't simply just gone back to the barracks. I tried to recall the events from last night, but it all seemed blurry.

I looked to the distant horizon. The sun barely peeked over the mountains. In the sky, helicopters continued to pass over head. There was the occasional group of five or six soldiers that ran into or out of the building. I stood and walked into the building, following a group of non-commissioned officers. I followed them through the long hallway, and into the room that contained the giant ring. The floor had been cleaned of all body parts but was still stained red.

The ring still had been filled with the non-translucent blue light. The machine made a constant low hum that filled the room. A few scientists and high ranking officers gathered around the base of the tall machine. One of the scientists sat at a desk that had a small computer on it. He toyed with a few buttons of the computer that moved an explosive disarming robot around on the floor. The robot moved back and forth while he tested a camera that was mounted on the front of it. An officer approached him and said something. The scientist nodded in response and stood from his chair. He walked over to a wall and pulled down a projection screen in front of a group of chairs that had been filled with the officers and scientists. Another man rolled up an old looking projector and turned it on so that the projection screen lit up. The scientist cleared his throat.

"As you all are aware, we have discovered something extraordinary," the gestured toward the ring. "It seems that in our attempts to discover a new power source, that we've some how opened a wormhole to a different universe." The projection screen behind him changed slides to show a diagram of a wormhole. "Now we don't know exactly how this has happened, but we still need to research into it some more. To explain the explosion that you all felt last night, we've made a theory that suggests that when the wormhole had opened it sent a shock wave of energy that ripped apart or burned anything near the entrance. Now if you will turn your attention the wormhole itself, I'd like to test my theory of this even being a wormhole at all," Grabbing a wire from the projector, he walked over to the computer on the desk. He plugged the wire into the side of the computer so that the projection showed the camera view of the robot that remained on the floor. He pushed some controls on the computer that moved the robot toward the blue field. The robot stopped just before entering. The scientist hesitated a little before moving the drone any further. He pushed forward on the controls. The robot slowly entered the blue. The camera view of the screen became fuzzy and eventually turned black as the robot became fully soncumed by the blue circle.

The audience of officers and scientists sat on the edge of their seats, staring intently at the blank black screen. The scientist continued to move the robot forward in hopes of not being a failure. The projection screen began to go fuzzy again then a picture appeared. It wasn't very clear at first, but the image slowly became visible. The robot had ended up some where in a dense forest. The small audience broke out into applause. The scientist smiled and walked in front of the audience.

"Next, I'd like to try to send a few soldiers to test it on humans."