Hyrum got back up sometime later. When he did so he was finally able to see where he had ended up. The platform he was on was one of many. They all hung suspended above the ‘void’. He checked down below and couldn’t see the bottom. He shivered as he stepped away.
He picked his stuff back up and followed the directions in his notes. Every hundred feet or so the platforms intersected and created paths between each other. He followed the path counting his steps along the way. Eventually, he got far enough that he could barely see the wall he had come from. Around him, all of the directions looked the same. The paths were eerily quiet until he came up to his destination.
He looked up above and he saw what looked like a rapidly flowing waterfall. The water fell to the void. Hyrum noticed as he got closer that it was not water at all. The ‘water’ moved differently to be water. He could see it now. The water was actually electrons that jumped around excitedly trying to flow back up the cliff face but ultimately falling into the void.
Next to the waterfall was a building. It hung by the same method of the platforms. He could see a machine attached to the outside of the building moving as he approached. The machine was part of the growing noise. It moved like a piston back and forth in a repetitive motion. Each time it would reach out and grab hold of the falling electrons before releasing them.
Once he got to the front of the building he read over his list one last time before stuffing the note into his bag and then throwing the bag into his work jacket disguise. He zipped up the uniform and found the jacket created a bulge that made him look much fatter than usual. Hyrum sighed and entered the building.
“Another late arrival then. We will be docking your pay this time,” said a shrill voice.
The woman was large and glared over him. Hyrum looked back at her and then around to the building around her. No one else was in the entrance but her. There were stairs leading up and down. He noticed behind her that there was a box of donuts. He really wanted to grab one but now was not the time. Trying to remember the plan he had just gone over he responded.
“Oh, I am not one of your regulars. I am just here to fix… the filters on some of the pipes. There are always a few that get rusty and pieces that need repairs.”
“Is that what you are doing. I thought I had done last week.” She looked him over closer.
Hyrum suppress what feeling he could and answered “It was done last week but I am here to fix it up and install new equipment because the last guy was fired for shoddy work, so we have had to look over all of their work over the past month. It has been a real pain to go back over. Personally, I would rather just check this place off my list so I can be done with it. If it is fine with you.”
He paused before continuing, “Of course, that would mean signing off that the job is completed to your satisfaction and that all liabilities are in your hands in regard to.” He took out his notes for dramatic effect. “everything up to but not limited to shortness of breath, blurred vision, monochromatic vision, one-eyed vision, fatigue, dizziness, chest pain, eye pain, foot pain, arm pain, abdominal pain, pain pain, headaches, diarrhea, allergic reactions, burns, vomiting, rashes, loss of taste and smell, shortness of breath, longness of breath, wheezing, fevers, chills, sore throats, abnormal growths, regular growths, cancer, and..,” he looked up at her examining her and continued, “ and weight gain.”
“No that can’t be,” said the woman in shock.
“It is. Those were most of the symptoms we have encountered when presented with this issue. And sadly, more are popping up. It really is terrible.”
“You must fix this at once. Of course. Lead me to where the last guy did his work.”
Hyrum followed the lady up the stairs where he was able to see into some of the rooms. As they walked through he saw into the adjoining rooms. A few people were in the rooms, but they were busy with projects and didn’t notice them. It was then that he noticed one of the items he had been looking out for. On the lady's waist hung the keycard. It swung as she walked. Hyrum sped up his pace and jumped up and grabbed the keycard. She didn’t notice and they kept walking down a turning hallway.
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They stopped at a set of metal doors. Hyrum couldn’t see through. The lady reached for the keycard. It wasn’t there. She turned to face him.
“I’m sorry I must’ve miss placed my keycard with my food. I need to go grab it.”
“No worries. I understand,” said Hyrum trying to keep the smile off his face. “I will just wait here then. I don’t think my small legs can make it up and down these stairs again.”
“Hehehe. That is what your old worker said to me as well. I am too forgetful sometimes. I will be back quickly.”
She left him and began searching downstairs for her missing keycard. As soon as she was out of sight he followed her path and walked past the room again. He was able to collect the microscope in one of the nearby rooms and a vial of condensed electrons in the furthest rooms. He double-checked what he needed and found that he was missing the last thing.
‘It must be in the locked area.’
He ran back to the door and with the keycard, he opened up the doors. With a click, they activated and slid open to give him access. The doors opened up to a stairwell that he followed. As he descended further he heard the sounds of other Hydrogen’s.
“Lock in the position. Adjust it two degrees to the left. I said the left.”
The sounds of heavy machinery clanged.
“Be careful. It is almost fully charged. Who knows what will happen if this thing blows up.”
“Sorry boss.”
Hyrum peeked his head in. He could see large glass pipes on one side. They pumped electrons from the waterfall up and into the building. Most of the piping went into a large machine they had in the center. Wires also ran to and from the machine. It looked like a giant saw tool with spinning blades and everything. Hyrum look around the other sides and didn’t see what he was looking for.
‘Where are the canisters. I can’t replace it with the gas one now so they will know right away if I take one, but it is looking like I will need to get past them anyways.’
As he muttered to himself someone spotted him.
“Hey who is there? You can’t be here. This place is restricted. Someone grab him.”
“Shit.” ‘Here goes nothing.’
Hyrum ran into the room as fast as he could before the others could react to the yell. When he entered he saw the canisters behind the machine, hidden from his view earlier. He also took out his first distraction. He searched in his bag and found his lunch and on the other hand, he got matches.
With his trusty food, he threw at the nearest people. The old ham flew at his attackers. They dodged his first volley but in their haste, some further back slipped on the wet food tumbling into others in the process. When Hyrum brought out the matches someone inevitably shouted, “Not Fire”.
Hyrum held the match as far away from himself as he could as he lit it. He pushed past the impromptu guards and the match got some of them on fire. Hyrum jumped away from those burning and so did everyone else. This gave him time to grab one of the canisters not connected to the machine.
“What have you done,” shouted another Hydrogen.
Hyrum turned back to see exactly what he had ‘done’. Apparently, he had done a lot because half of the people around him burned, and the machine turned on. Big red lights started flashing and the room they were in started to shake.
“What exactly have I done?” asked Hyrum mostly to himself as he didn’t really see why people burning was a problem for him specifically.
As if to answer his question one of the other impromptu guards shouted “Run for your lives. The whole place is going to collapse.”
Cracks started to form on the pipe. ‘So, he really did do a shoddy job,’ thought Hyrum as the pipe exploded. The electrons flooded the floor and stuck to everyone. Some of the guards screamed as they were immediately ionized against their will. Hyrum was further from the pipes looked on in terror. He ran towards the wall, but the electrons were already flooded to the entrance on the other side.
The saw machine did not help in the matter as it collected the electrons and flung them towards the entrance. The saw picked them up and when they hit the wall they exploded before dropping to the ground in one piece. Hyrum stood on top of two canisters to save himself as the building’s inner wall was destroyed by the saw blades. In a luckier turn of events, some of the flying bombs hit the outer wall instead. It was much less sturdy. The gaps opened up a new exit way and some of the floods left out the new way instead.
Hyrum waited for a minute longer and decided on a plan to escape. Using the canisters his wobbly feet stood on he moved the pile of them closer to the exit. With the one extra in his hands, he placed it on the ground before adjusting his feet and picking up the previous one. Slowly he inched toward the door with this method. Once he got to the stairs he held tight to his items including one of the canisters.
Everyone was in a panic as he left the building. Most had evacuated already, and no one stopped him inside. He followed the path he had come through and run for the exit. When he saw the door he picked up the pace, but the building started to tip. Inside the machine room, the flood of electrons started to tip the room and in turn the whole building. Hyrum slid as he ran. He saw the connecting platform just outside the open door. With all of his might, he sprinted out the door and had to jump to make it to the other platform.
The sound of the building reverberated and rocks from the cliff face fell off. Hyrum turned to see the building at almost a 90-degree angle. The giant cable that held it up was completely frayed. With a reverberating snap, the whole thing dropped. There was no noise as it dropped into the void.