The Rainbow Factory: Questionable Ethics
‘REPEAT; DO NOT ENTER THE FACILITY ‘
The voice rang out through the building. I knew I had only one way out. I picked up my lighter and flipped it on and started walking down the stairs. One floor...twelve...twenty floors should be enough, right?
‘ALL PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE THE BUILDING
DO NOT ENTER THE FACILITY AT ALL COSTS ‘
I walked towards the door slowly, and casting a glance around be saw a flashlight. I grabbed it and turned it on, illuminating the room. On top of the door to the facility were three stencilled words.
THE RAINBOW FACTORY
-3 days earlier-
I stood watching over the men and women in orange jumpsuits conversing below. A voice rang out from the intercom.
‘Good morning. You have been selected out of a group of prisoners deemed too unsafe to be left alive. You were going to be killed. But today, you have a chance to have a lighter sentence, and a chance to serve your country.’
I’d heard it a hundred times before. Just as usual, the prisoners appeared immensely happy at their possible chance of life. Just three days ago I’d seen hundreds of these prisoners herded like cattle into the Factory. I didn’t know what happened in there but I sure as hell knew they never came out.
I checked off names on my checklist as they took role call. It’d only be for a day or two they’d be needed. Taking personality tests for whatever reason, and then they’d go to the Pegasus device.
The next day we were already saying goodbye to them. Sometimes I feel bad about some of them I actually liked. Just as I was turning around to look over the break schedule when I noticed a single prisoner held stationary by guards. He appeared angry, almost grey in his worn jumpsuit. A single guard walked up to him, his beret sporting a stitching of a lighting bolt with two wings; the Cloudsdale Weather Service insignia.
‘Tell us why it didn’t work,’ he demanded
‘I’m not saying a word!’ the man snarled
The officer raised his pistol and aimed it at the man’s head.
‘Last chance.’ He said. The man said nothing.
I shielded my eyes as I heard the crack of the pistol ring out through the loading bay. I looked around the place, trying to distract myself. I saw the big open floor space, with its iron bar walls placed systematically around the floor to stop congestion of the prisoners. I saw the small rooms where personality tests were conducted. I looked over to the spot where the man was, they were already dragging him away...
Towards the Factory.
‘Hey James! I’ve got the report on Weather Control Deep South. It looks like we’re going to schedule some sno- ‘ The technician’s voice was cut off as he looked at the flashing telescreen, a message popping up on the screen.
We have switched to emergency protocol 112-B. All subjects may now be gathered from secondary sources.
I looked fearfully at the screen. This was the first time we’d had to switch to secondary recruitment methods. What it meant was that in times of need subjects for the Factory could be taken out of normal prisoners, simple detention centres and even mental hospitals. Tertiary sources were the public... only to be used if extremely necessary.
The group of prisoners that meandered into the loading bay were physically indifferent than that of the previous groups. But the way they talked suggested less serious criminals. A few were just muttering to themselves. We did the speech, got them to calm down and it was completely routine.
Or, it was until they got here. A blinding flash of light and the doors banged open, heavily armoured soldiers ran in wearing gas masks. Canisters of opaque gas rolled into the centre of the bay and started spewing acrid smoke everywhere. Soldiers rappelled down from the broken skylights, and upon landing lifted their guns to aim at the scientists. I saw a security officer pull a pistol on one of the soldiers and then all hell broke loose. I couldn’t see 2 metres ahead of me and only knew there was an emergency cabinet somewhere here.
A bright red box bolted into the wall came into view. I immediately grabbed a gas mask from the box and some flashlight batteries. I kept on running for the stairwell of the building and almost tripped on a dead security officer. Grabbing his pistol, I sprinted forwards. I saw the stairwell just as a soldier came into view, his mask broken and his hands reaching for something to cling to. Instead he found bullets. As I sprinted up the stairs the lights cut off. I pulled out my lighter and decided it could be used for light. Then I had a thought.
I just killed a man.
The Rainbow Factory: Questionable Ethics
I walked through the door into a service shaft. It was a narrow corridor, dimly lit with red warning lights. About 100 metres up it cut off into a series of catwalks overhanging the Factory machines. I walked up to the catwalks and looked over the edge. A veil of steam blanketed most of the big chamber, but he could see lights, glowing through the vapor. I could hear clanks and bangs as the machinery went to work. It appeared the Factory had it's own power source. I saw a maintenance ladder and climbed down, wary of any enemies I might find. I knew that the soldiers had taken the Loading Bay, but as to whether they'd managed to access the Factory was a mystery. It was my only chance.
As I walked around on the floor I looked at the mysterious Factory. There was a conveyor belt carrying a glowing liquid, that was hammered into bight strips of all colours, almost like neon. There were clicks and ticks and tocks as clockwork around me transported carts carrying vats of liquid, or what he thought might be bodies.He watched as a tube dispensed some of the liquid onto a conveyor belt, carrying it away. The tubes were connected to big round chambers.
He looked into the window of one and saw a room. There was a person in there, surrounded by drawing supplies. I watched as his pencil broke and he looked around the room for another, or a sharpener. He saw a door in the wall and walked over. The door closed and I could hear a scream.
I started walking away from the room at once. I looked around for any sign that an exit may be near. All I saw was an elevated platform to my right. Two figures in lab coats and wearing goggles were there. I waved at them.
'HEY! Help me! Soldiers have attacked the Factory! We need to escape!' I yelled. One appeared to spot me and tapped his friend on the shoulder and pointed at me. One of them started to run over to the control panel. Just then, he of them slipped, falling on the control panel. A mechanical arm whirred around and smacked one of them in the face, and grabbed the other.
'No no no! Help me! Oh god no!' he screamed as the arm deposited him in a circular room.
I sprinted up to the platform to see if the scientist was okay, but to my dismay the only person who I'd seen was dead. I walked past him to the control panel and looked for any buttons that appeared to be something like-
'EMERGENCY EXIT!' I yelped as I saw the button right there i plain view. I pressed the button and a path of lights illuminated the ground a bit to my left. I started walking down the path.
When I got there the door was blocked with rubble from a collapsed chamber, the only available path being an elevator shaft that was empty of anything remotely like an elevator. I turned and faced the giant machine at the centre of the building, marked with metre high letters proudly stating 'PEGASUS'. I thought of why the hell the soldiers would come here, and raid the place. What were they, some sort of underground cult?
Wait a second.. I thought
Underground? I thought as I glanced at the elevator shaft.
That's It! I'll take the tunnel passageways out of here! I thought as I started to climb down into the bowels of The Rainbow Factory.
The Rainbow Factory: Questionable Ethics
I climbed down the service hatch, solemnly regarding what I’d just discovered about our little ‘Rainbow Factory’. I knew that nobody ever left, but seeing firsthand what happened in the chambers was too much.
I had gotten off at a floor when I heard the screams. Thinking one of the technicians were hurt I ran towards it, upon arriving I only found a master surveillance room. I saw a view of... creatures tearing a man apart as he desperately clinged to a barred metal door. I immediately ran back to the nearest service hatch.
I landed my feet on the bottom floor of this hatch. I inspected the wall for directions. There was a timetable accompanied by a list of destinations.
1:50 PM – Quality inspection TRACK 2
9:00 AM – surface to main station TRACK 1
9:00 PM – main to surface TRACK 1
The list went on until it reached a footnote at the bottom
In the event of an emergency TRACK 0 will send trams out every half hour. Emergency personnel may be using TRACK 0 at the time.
It was the train station! The Factory and the complex around it had a tram system to get around quicker. If the sign was right he’d be out of here in no time! He walked towards the door, seeing a bright red sticker on it.
ATTENTION
All personnel using this station as an emergency egress point must be reminded that in the case of an emergency all subjects and information must be secured.
(LEVEL 3 CLEARANCE AND OVER ONLY)
All personnel involved in the emergency must be terminated, all data destroyed. Detonation of the on-site failsafe nuke is to be advised.
I walked through the door, into the train station. Glancing at the map on the wall I realised that the Factory was much bigger than I thought. Hundreds of buildings, production facilities, and that was just on the surface! a giant network of tram lines connecting a big facility that ran all under Cloudsdale!
I jumped when I heard the tram coming down the line towards the station. When it stopped I walked up to it, eagerly. It stared moving when I pressed the big button marked 'GO'.
As I was just departing from the station a tremor shook the tram. Static filled the telescreen, followed by a message
PROTOCOL 173 ACTIVATED. FACILITY CLEANSING IN -1- HOURS
I visibly paled. The facility was going to lock down, and fill itself with poisonous gas. Any biological matter inside would be disintegrated. It'd take about an hour to build up the gas, then flood the vent systems.
The tram had stopped. I had barely noticed. The track was covered in rubble, presumable from the soldiers. I got out and started running. I kept on running until I was out of breath. I couldn't stop. I had to get out of there. I saw a way to get to the surface quicker, but it was through a corridor labelled 'Processing'.
What I saw in there was never meant to be seen. I left that place a changed man. I knew things that nobody should know.
When I finally walked out, into the sunlight I was relieved. I looked up to the chimney stacks, spewing out muilticoloured smoke. As the doors slammed behind me and the facility was flooded with poisonous gas I didn't think of anyone inside. I was free.
As I sit here writing this, I know that somebody must hear the story of The Rainbow Factory. I can see the gun next to me. After what I saw in the Factory, I cannot go on. I've decided to do it. I hope somebody finds this.
Fin