“The cold hard truth is that while we’ve had billions of dollars poured into studies of the Antithesis, our alien invaders, we still don’t know much about them.

I mean, we have the fleshy bits that are actually fruit.

Yes, the killer dogs and birds tearing society to the ground are actually fruit like the apple of the long past.

I guess we have our new take on Adam and Eve.“

* Anonymous internet comment, June 2053

***

I was staring at an alien plant. There is only one alien plant that comes to mind that provokes urgency and importance.

The Antithesis was here.

A small ringing filled my ears as the world around me spun.

The Antithesis? The extra terrestrial plants that consume planets, devouring biofuel before sprouting seeds and launching those into space to start the cycle again.

I stumbled away from the circuit board throwing an arm out to try to find the wall to steady myself. Crouching, I got low either by choice or necessity as my balance faltered.

The Antithesis threat has always been a threat, but not so close to home. Macroon has always been safe. The founder built the arcology for safety.

The ringing grew in intensity as panic threatened to take control. No. No. No. NO!

I fought back, I can’t go down there again.

Never again!

Breathing in a shaky breath I punched the steel wall. The pain in my fist gave me something to focus on. An anchor to reality.

Focusing my eyes I saw the catwalk I was on and the cables that snaked to and fro underneath.

If the Antithesis were here, then I needed to move!

Standing on unstable legs, I moved toward the exit. Fuck the power!

As I stumbled forward I heard a ruckus behind me, the other technicians had figured out something and their commotion was grating to my overtaxed senses.

Tempted to turn back and see what was giving them joy. I shook myself. Do not be distracted by others. I have been through worse and distractions are the first things that-

The power came on in a rush of flashing lights and the hum of electronics powering through startup sequences.

I reached up to turn off my headlamp when three things happened.

I heard the sound of falling rope, the slithering slide of something long winding itself softly to the ground.

The lights overhead started flickering, as some alien material was not completely cleaned off the equipment.

And lastly a scream pierced the room followed by a meaty squelch.

Immediately an emergency klaxon blared with red emergency lights as the security doors began to descend.

The closest door was to the service belt I wasn’t familiar with but anywhere is safer than staying here.

I ran, using fear and adrenaline to fuel my sprint. The sound of slicing and screams permeated behind me with the scent of fear and blood getting past my respirator.

I made it to the door while it was still starting to close.

Ducking slightly I jump to the door controls. Just a panel of analogue inputs, a physical keypad stared me down. Grabbing the edge of it I pried it off the wall and grabbed at the wires. I parsed the colors apart carefully as the siren screamed its warning as people died right behind this door.

As I found the wires to close it I stopped.

What about the others?

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I glanced back and found the room illuminated in red with flashes of white as something moved quickly, targeting the white beams of headlamps and penlights before a scissoring sound and scream and the light fell to the floor. What started with nearly twenty technicians was cut down to barely six or seven beams of light still making their way to security doors but that wouldn’t last.

Wrestling with the decision of personal safety or saving others for a second. I tried to slow the door’s descent.

Another technician made it under the door and shouted out. “Urgi and Bremmin are right behind me! Keep it open!” her voice was desperate and panicky.

I grabbed the wires and pulled but the doors continued to drop.

Freaking out I saw a screen to the side of the panel flicker between the warning and a blue text box that read:

“Let it close or you’ll all die.”

“Keep it open!” the voice behind me screamed again.

Thinking fast I threw off my glove and felt the circuitry manually, instinctively feeling the pulse of machinery and what felt foreign. I fell into the trance, feeling the electric currents thrum and picked out strange signatures, as if someone outside the system was manipulating the system to close the door.

Someone was here and trying to force the door to close faster than normal.

I couldn’t stop it with the resources I had available, instead I could delay it by engaging the emergency fault sensors, tricking the door’s system.

They originally added the fault sensors because a door was dropped on a small puppy under it that gave the corporation that made the door a bad reputation. It was a rich lady’s purse dog and now they had all these strange caveats to maintain during an emergency, most of all was the profit and reputation of the corporation and not the safety of those who needed to be saved in an emergency.

The emergency fault sensors worked.

As the door slowed I exited the trance to see the screen next to me flash blue again.

“Listen to my instructions carefully or you’ll all die.”

The two other technicians slid under the door and the screen flashed a last time.

“DROP IT”

I pulled the fault sensors back and heard one last cry from beyond the door.

“Wait!” came the frantic call, the others behind me calling out but something wasn’t right.

“He’s already dead.”

Instead of reengaging the fault sensors to slow the door I finally pulled the wires that safely lowered the door so it came down in a crash.

I shuddered with my decision. What if he was still alive? Will we hear him die?

Almost as if the screen could read my mind it flashed blue again.

“You saved two more. I only could save two. Thank you.”

I felt someone behind me grab my shoulder and turn me around. It was the female technician who grabbed the front of my jumpsuit and slammed me against the wall.

“WHY DID YOU CLOSE IT! WE COULD’VE SAVED HIM!” anger burning in her eyes as she pressed me harder into the metal surface. Urgi was on the floor winded while Bremmin was standing, both looking at the door in horror.

I tried to keep my cap pointing downward, so maybe she would be distracted by the penlight’s glare but all plans went out the window when we all heard the knock.

Thump thump.

Someone was knocking on the door, trapped on the other side.

Facing the door, I couldn’t see the expression of the woman almost strangling me but I knew it wouldn’t be friendly.

I messed up again. Hanging my head with the thoughts of getting another person killed, we heard the knock again.

Thump thump.

“Open the door” the woman grated out through clenched teeth. I couldn’t. I broke all the wiring that controlled the door for speed. I could of course repair it but if someone needed to be saved in the next five minutes they were dead.

I opened my mouth to say that when I paused.

Where was the screaming?

“Can…” coughing to clear my throat I started again. “Can you hear any screams?” I asked.

The others in the room listened but only heard the knock again, tapping out the familiar cadence as if in no rush.

Thump thump.

In the silence we also could hear a pattern in the knocking, the sound happening every 30 seconds or so.

Thump thump.

Why? The eerie sound came again 30 seconds later but this time the others flinched and slowly backed away. Could it be…the Antithesis knocking?

I was lowered back to the catwalk and also allowed to back up from the door. The systematic tapping was grating.

“I’m sorry” I said, realizing that they probably knew the man that didn’t make it to the door in time.

But I refused to look them in the eyes. I could apologize for their grief, but…I can’t see the raw emotion in them, nor see any of the blame they might still cast upon me. Not again.

Sweeping the service tunnel with my gaze I found the familiar scenery of cables draping the ceiling and the curved walls that hid the other apparatuses that kept the city alive. It should’ve felt familiar and safe.

It didn’t.

Panels were missing in some places and stains appeared on others to reveal it wasn’t my station, like seeing a sibling of a friend. Almost right but not quite and with the red glow of the emergency lighting it was unnerving.

I shivered. Glancing at Urgi and Bremmin I could see they were both standing and Urgi was coming closer to shake my hand. “Thanks, I don’t think we would’ve made it without you.” He said, his usual light voice heavy, “I… I’m sorry for Denstill here, she can get worked up.”

I nodded, but that was a mistake. As I lifted my head back up I instinctively met Urgi’s eyes. His grew wide in recognition.

“Pele?”

The single word froze me.

Urgi knew. And even as he said it he retreated a step back.

Now the others, the female technician, Denstill was turning my way as was Bremmin. The secret is out to the small group.

“You sonnovabit-”

“Who’s Pele?” Denstill asked over Bremmin’s outburst. Looking around at the anger on the others’ faces and back at me.

I said nothing, I tried to avoid these situations by isolating myself and playing the ghost, the unrecognizable technician but Urgi probably witnessed it firsthand and such a thing would be unforgettable.

Taking another step away, Bremmin was the one to answer. “Pele’s Ascendency, have you heard of it?” Seeing Denstill shake her head, Bremmin continued. “A prominent engineer wanted to give people a second life, to allow them to live in machine bodies instead of flesh. Dubbed Pele’s Ascendency, the plan was to use Mesh space, something so complex it couldn’t use the old standard internet to upload a mind. But you know the Mesh is a world of itself, nothing so simple as a connecting cable. So when the machines were inhabited by hackers instead of the recipients what do you think happened?”

Bremmin paused, his jaws working with suppressed anger and screamed out, “EVERYONE INVOLVED DIED! FOURTEEN PEOPLE EXPECTING TO LIVE FOREVER, TO LIVE WITHOUT DISEASE OR PAIN WERE KILLED BY THE VERY BODIES THEY WERE PROMISED!”

Now I remember. Bremmin must be related to Sofia Bremmin who was a recipient that couldn’t use her legs. Perhaps she was his mother or aunt? Regardless, every time the story is repeated more people are added to the casualty list. Only eight people died but saying that would be a mistake.

Denstill looked at me in horror, “Then this is…?”

Urgi was silent until now but made the introduction all the same. “Yes. The once great engineer Pele, who disappeared after the incident. Somehow still on payroll, most likely because they have some blackmail on RuCorp.”

Turning away from me in disgust, Urgi trudged forward, soon joined by the other two.

They left me alone in the tunnel, next to the door where a massacre took place where an alien was tapping away to lure others to open Pandora’s box.