The Death of Murphy South

Murphy, 22, loved rock 'n roll and the bush. He had just been approved as a ranger in the reserves. By age 23, Murphy was allowed to go out alone and handle small tasks. A week before his 24th birthday, Murphy was assigned to investigate a small river that had recently changed. They didn’t know why there was extra water flowing down, but a plane had found a new lake that wasn’t there before. Murphy was tasked with figuring out what had happened.

The government bosses didn’t know that Murphy had been growing plants in the bush, so he eagerly accepted the opportunity to go out. On his way, he stopped by one of his farms and picked up some traveling wacky tobacco. He hiked to the river, walked up to the lake, and began his investigation.

He marked his path, checked the perimeter, and tried to figure out how the lake had appeared. He set up camp, wrote in his journal as he was taught, and then relaxed for the next two hours, smoking and swimming. After exploring the rocks around the beach and taking a nap, he prepared to make a floating raft to take measurements with a spool of fishing line and a metal weight.

However, during this ill-fated journey, he made a critical mistake. As he lowered the weight, it connected with a gravity field, causing the spool to twist around Murphy's fingers. He was pulled down to the meteorite, where he was slowly compressed over two minutes, becoming about a millimeter thick.

As Max paddled to the middle of the lake, he prepared his stick and lowered the weight, letting the line out. It took only seconds for the clear plastic fishing line to connect with the gravity of the meteorite. The stick was ripped from Max's hand, and he ended up with a cut from the stick. Max paddled back to shore, applied first aid, and realized he needed help.

He started his trek out of the bush and, hours later, reached his truck. He used the radio to call the government switchboard and request assistance.

This is where the story takes a cloak-and-dagger turn. The receptionist on duty was also a member of the Cerberus Foundation. Whenever something unusual or related to the Cerberus Foundation occurred, she was instructed to notify the group. That night, the call was transferred to a left-handed commander on duty.

Max: “Hello, I’m looking to speak with the officer in charge.”

Officer Granger: “This is Officer Granger. What is the nature of the issue?”

Max: “I was sent to investigate a new lake, and during my investigation, something under the lake grabbed my tool and almost pulled me in. I believe Murphy, another member, has been taken to the bottom of the lake. I can’t find him, which is why I was sent out there.”

Officer Granger: “What do you mean lost? What happened in more detail?”

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Max explained the situation over the next five minutes and was informed that Officer Granger would take over the issue and that Max was relieved of this operation. Max went home and didn’t think about it again.

The General’s Last Days

General Kepkin, also known as Bob Kepkin, learned of the anomaly at the bottom of the lake. Descriptions suggested that the anomaly even pulled the tops of the trees toward the middle of the new lake. The general put a plan into motion to get people and equipment to the site. He called in a small group from the Cerberus group, who sent a recon team. The team returned two days early with a report that explained everything. The metal had been pulled down, and dragging it out with vehicles and large ropes would require many people.

It took days to clear a path through the unexplored bush. General Bob oversaw the operation, disguising it as a routine investigation. He ordered Sgt. Rob Walker, one of the most respected sergeants, to take control. They planned to drop an anchor onto the item and prepare ropes tied to very large trees.

Sgt. Walker, with the help of others, got into a boat with a thick rope and a large anchor. To get the anchor out of the boat, he rocked it back and forth until the anchor flipped overboard. After days of work, everyone watched as the anchor was dropped, and the object began sinking. However, no one, not even Sgt. Walker, anticipated the speed at which the anchor was pulled down. This created a shockwave that disturbed the surface of the water.

Sgt. Walker was in the water when the shockwave hit. He struggled to right the boat, and when he finally looked up, he saw the horror of the rope being pulled into the water. Within seconds, the rope was taut, and the crew, holding onto it, started pulling.

Despite their efforts, the meteorite was moving. Sgt. Walker, now onshore, saw an orb of water emerging from the lake. With only a couple of rifles on hand for protection, he decided to test the laws of physics. He made a Molotov cocktail and threw it into the air while one of his corporals shot it.

As Sgt. Walker threw the Molotov, the group managed to pull out more than 60% of the water-covered meteorite. The timing was disastrous. The gravity bubble could only hold the water until it was a certain percentage out of the water. When the water fell away, it released methane gas that had been trapped around decaying biomaterial. Adding an exploding Molotov cocktail to around 100 tons of compressed methane resulted in a catastrophic explosion.

The meteorite’s shell shattered in all directions, killing General Bob and many others instantly. Sgt. Walker was badly injured but managed to order the remaining survivors to roll a small car to a truck. The material surrounding the core remained dense, and the treetops bent inward as they rolled it.

A young woman noticed Sgt. Walker’s severe bleeding. Behind them, a fiery inferno consumed the area, covering up the incident for the Cerberus group. Once the higher-ups learned what had happened, they ordered the meteorite to be transported to a water treatment facility on the perimeter highway in Winnipeg.

At the facility, the butlers inspected the meteorite and issued orders: create a secure bunker to protect it without causing damage. The butlers, accustomed to special projects, called for a vault to protect the meteorite and devised a puzzle to solve it. A young member named Fred was selected for this task. He was invited to Winnipeg, unaware of what awaited him.

Fred, initially overwhelmed, took the money provided and headed to a bar. After drinking and socializing, he ended up smoking a joint and spending the night with a woman. The next day, he presented his design for a self-protecting vault that used both human and technological elements to secure the meteorite.

Six weeks later, Fred worked on an old silo underground was converted into Fred's gravity chamber and the meteorite was lowered down.