Exterminator : The Dark Beneath

“It is almost impossible to plan for every disaster, the universe has a way of throwing a almost infinite variation of potential stumbling points your way. So when we designed the ARC we did try and think of as many possible issues as we could, from earthquakes and meteor strikes, to terrorist attacks and riots. We could never plan for every eventuality. However, we could try and ensure that whatever caused the problem, the ARC’s system responses would ensure its integrity and the safety of its inhabitants.”

Diana Grimholt, ARC designer

11.02, The ARC

The blast started at the base of the Geoplant, the protective shield around the hydrogen catalyser failing under the intense heat of the electrical fires and triggering a hydrogen explosion which sent out a shock wave of energy and fire that raced up the plant, shattering piping and metal as it went. Safety features on the hydrogen storage pipes and units instantly clicked into place, but were shattered by the fury of the blast, triggering secondary explosions all around the area. Rock and concrete shattered, and the open lift doors did nothing to stop the blast travelling upwards, buckling the shaft walls as the chain reaction continued up the hydrogen lines.

The inferno burst into the connecting corridor and shot along it, blasting sealed doors off their moorings and shattering the walls as it spread, until it finally hit the armoured blast doors of the far lift. The reinforced metal and ceramic resisted the blast, the explosions force having been diluted on its path, but not before buckling them backing into the shaft itself, jamming the lift in-place.

The ARC above shook as the explosion caused tremors through the cliff face, tunnels collapsing as rock and concrete was shattered. Through the ARC people stumbled and fell as the ground beneath them heaved, A worker in the core maintenance shaft fell to his death as his colleagues watched in horror, his cutting torch spinning down the shaft beside him, cutting through fibre-optic connections and power relays as it fell. Low in the ARC Artemis screamed as her room bucked, her brother stumbling inside to hold her. In her mothers’ kitchens people fell around, narrowly avoiding being burnt or cut on the implements, and high in the ARC Michelle stumbled during a presentation as the boardroom shuddered. A hundred people died in accidents, and another three hundred suffered various injuries as the ARC heaved.

But as the rock beneath it finally settled the ARC stood firm, its core structure buffeted but uncompromised apart from minor cosmetic damage such as shattered internal windows and cracked wall tilling. Its designers, dedicated men and women, had gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that even in case of severe seismic events the superstructure would hold firm. The controlling supercomputer instantly detected the halt in power from the Geoplant and activated emergency systems, blast doors and hatches leading into the under works automatically sealed to close any breaches. Emergency crews were put on alert, and a army of drones woke from their storage units to begin patrolling the lowest levels, searching for structural damage or atmospheric leaks. The ARC’s systems responded to the disaster with emotionless efficacy. The same could not be said for its inhabitants.