Quintessence

41 Percent.

The lockdown was supposed to last 12 hours. This, they said, was long enough to verify the reliability of the Safehold’s support and backup systems. After 12 hours, it was announced that there had been some problems detected in the power systems, and that the fuses governing the operation of the exterior doors and short-range communications had been damaged by the effects of the Dark Star, causing them to burst in the power startup cycle.

The elected Coordinator at the time, Margaret Franklin, had assured the Residents that the issues delaying operation were being worked on, and that they should use this opportunity to practice the sort of regular life which would be required for the continued operation of the Safeholds.

Grandfather told me that the first few days were nothing short of jubilant. Aside from the issues regarding the doors, which they were assured could be opened manually, if necessary, the Safehold operated like a well-oiled machine. My Grandfather said he had noted the unusual professionalism of all those he had talked to. In the weeks and months leading up to the closure of the doors, he had found himself mixed in with individuals from all backgrounds, from the reformed raiders to the uneducated but hardworking farmers. After the doors were closed, he found that he was talking exclusively to people who were, as he had put it, intellectual and scientifically inclined.

Grandmother had also noticed this, as they discussed when they went back to their quarters at night. Grandfather decided to take a trip out and investigate his residential block’s emergency exit. Stopped in his attempt by security, he was told that access was impossible. The guard had been told that while they ran the diagnostic cycles any major errors could result in sudden decompression which could render the doors dangerous. Unconvinced, but unable to continue, Grandfather returned to his quarters.

Following this, the Coordinator announced over the PA system that everybody was to gather in the plaza, something unexpected had happened on which they needed a vote. Grandfather had taken this as an opportunity to raise his concerns. As a working member of the Support Engineering Staff, he had already proven useful to many of those in the Safeholds who were having trouble with their personal appliances. He believed he could raise enough solidarity to force a vote in a manual opening of the main door. Those in charge had already predicted this type of move and had acted to preempt such an event.

Once those that were free had gathered, Margaret made her announcement. Simultaneously, she transmitted over the entire Safehold PA system. The riots outside had gotten too bad, she said. The claim was that those outside had seen the unexpected failure of the doors as permanent, as a deliberate attempt to force them to fight a losing battle amongst themselves. The truth, as we would later learn, is that the Coordinators never intended to reopen the doors to the Outsiders. Intercepted communications had confirmed this to some of the more enterprising individuals outside, so in fact, they had not simply assumed the worst, they had discovered the truth.

Residents in the Safehold were told that attempts were being made to bargain with the Outsiders, to calm the masses so they could reopen the door without mass panic or violence. Margaret ended her speech by ensuring that the doors were firm, and were in no risk of being compromised. She asked that anyone with training or skills in negotiation should report to Administration, where they would be considered for duty in helping restore the situation to normal.

Grandfather had volunteered for service while hiding his agenda to get closer to the truth.

Once in line at the Administration area, he had discovered that this concern was more widespread than he had assumed. On discussing this with his fellow volunteers he had learned that many others had similar trepidations, and had come for lack of other options in voicing their apprehensions. After an interview, wherein Grandfather had listed both his and his parent’s experience in settling disputes after the First Pass, he was told that he was placed on the shortlist and that they would get back to him once a decision had been reached.

On his way out he had noticed a man dressed entirely in black, with whom he had talked with while in line, a man who had been openly critical of the handling of the emergency integrity test, and whose knowledge of the Safeholds electrical systems had led him to believe a total lockdown was never necessary. The man was being walked out of his interview at the same time as Grandfather, red-faced and fuming at whatever had transpired.

The next day the names were given out for who had been selected to meet with representatives of the Outsiders. Grandfather was not one of the five selected. After reporting to Administration, they were never seen alive again.

The following day another gathering was held in the Plaza. Coordinator Franklin had announced that those outside had agreed to meet under false pretenses, that when the emergency sally port had been opened teh Residents had been attacked and beaten while the Outsiders made an attempt to break through and into the Safehold. While the backup doors had been closed, and the security forces successful in recovering the bodies of three of the men, they had all died of their injuries. It was announced that in three days’ time there would be a communal funeral held in the Chapel, which only adults were permitted to attend.

The three men all shared a funeral, all open casket. Grandfather told me the men had been beaten so badly that viewing their mangled faces left many of the mourners so distressed they had become physically sick. One of those in the caskets was the man in the black suit.

During the next meeting, the Coordinator had apologized and told the audience she had approved of open caskets in order to give a proper impression of the state of matters outside. Through her tears, she announced she took full responsibility for their deaths and that she only allowed them outside for her willingness to see the Outsiders properly represented and cared for. She declared that, as a result, she would put her leadership up for a vote the following day. She was voted in again by a landslide. On the same day, she had instigated another vote on whether immediate attempts should be made to open further good-faith negotiations with the Outsiders. The vote came back negative, in another landslide.

For almost three years, the Residents inside of the Safehold achieved some degree of comfort in the regularity in their routine. While tensions were initially high, everyone knew their continued cooperation was the only thing keeping them alive and free from suffering. At least that’s what the Coordinator had declared and reinforced in her daily announcements.

I can’t find fault with those who believed her. After I found access to her old recordings I have to admit that she was a spectacular orator, not once did her tone falter, nor did she ever betray any hint of her true agenda, at least so far as I could tell.

Thus, most believed her. Those who didn’t, such as my Grandparents, hid their opinions out of fear. They bided their time, as Grandfather understood enough about the human condition to know this level of peace could only be temporary.

People can adapt to a great many things, but being confined underground, away from natural light for a long period of time can wear on even the sturdiest individual. Personality assessments secretly performed on those invited into the Safehold before the lockup had made an attempt to select those with a high tolerance, but even the most robust assessments could never be completely accurate. By the time the first month underground had passed, there were a dozen who had suffered severe mental anguish through their growing claustrophobia. Even those who had already been staying underground and had not left for months before the lockup had been showing signs of instability. Grandfather said it wasn’t just the lack of open spaces which triggered these people so badly, it was the removal of any choice in seeing the outside.

Drugs had managed to mitigate the problem somewhat, but required consent and would never be viable as a long-term solution. Panic attacks had begun to affect notable members of the community, and their influence helped spread this response through many of their workers, who would in term bring their instability home to their families.

After so many months, discontent had again grown to a level where it could not be reasonably ignored as isolated and unjustified. The people gathered a referendum to again make an attempt on the outside.

This second attempt ended much the same as the first. Volunteers were taken, Grandfather did not partake this time, and those selected were again sent out, one by one, to get some indication of the viability of limited outside mobility. Again, all we had gotten back were bodies. These were closed casket. After the funerals, these bodies were either buried within the sealed tunnel and sections outside of the rear of the Safehold caves or cremated, per their family’s wishes.

While those inside grieved, the Residents were encouraged to offer their support to the families who had lost their loved ones, or those whose continued claustrophobia made their lives increasingly unbearable. Grandfather and Grandmother had taken the time to talk to the families who had lost their loved ones to the supposed violence outside. Through subtlety and discretion, rather than direct questioning, they had determined that almost all of these families had been suspicious of the actions of the Coordinator and her direct command. None of them openly admitted suspicion of the Coordinator’s involvement, whether through fear or unwavering loyalty, my Grandparents didn’t know.

My Grandfather’s fear of what the leaders could be capable of led him to one inescapable conclusion. Whatever was going on outside - they didn’t want anyone to know. He told me that he didn’t even tell Grandmother what he had planned, he wanted to give her plausible deniability if he was discovered. He knew his plan would leave him exposed, the work roster and fastidiousness of those working on the upkeep of the Safehold systems meant he had only limited time before he was discovered.

He spent the next two weeks closely studying the workings of the heating and air conditioning systems. While it was difficult, he did manage to find his way to getting work with the three separate central systems. While these ran concurrently, they were also each built to handle the entire load, if one or two suffered major malfunctions and needed to be deactivated for repairs. With the systems located in adjacent rooms, all sealed but connected through a system of service corridors, he could apply his modifications in a single afternoon.

It was fortuitous, he said, that he had known some of the workers for over a year, and that these Residents had expressed their sympathies with his concerns. One woman, by the name of Danielle Hardy, he had worked with especially closely, as she was in charge of that sector’s security. Grandfather invited her over for dinner with him and Grandmother.

Under the guise of his coincidental birthday, he plied her with alcohol, until her tongue had become free enough to declare her true thoughts. She didn’t believe those sent outside to bargain had been killed by the Outsiders, she had said this was a common belief among those who worked in system maintenance, but that everybody feared too much for themselves and their families to speak out.

The next day, after she had sobered up, he had asked her if she stood by those remarks, and she did. He had a plan, he had told her, and that to pull it off he would need her input and ultimate support. She agreed and went to work employing the aid of her most trusted Staff.

Three days later, Grandfather had worked to damage the regulator controls and to steal and hide any of the backup parts which could be used in case of an emergency. That afternoon he staged a public fight with Danielle, in which she punched him square in the jaw, accusing him of sexual harassment and knocking out one of his teeth in the process. He told me that he admired her dedication, and her right hook.

As she laid in a complaint to security, Grandfather went into hiding in the storage area, within a shipping container that had been outfitted with enough basic support to ensure his survival for a month. Once he was safely inside, his compatriots locked the doors and stacked more containers around him.

He learned what happened in his absence later, from Grandmother. She had never believed the story that he had harassed Danielle, but went along with the investigation as she quickly surmised Grandfather would not have engaged in such activities without good reason. She had even gone as far as to denounce him in public, an action which she maintained was the most difficult thing she had ever done.

At first, the investigation went along without much fervor, fighting was rare but not unheard of, and as the Safehold was tightly locked he hadn’t anywhere to go. At least that was the way it went before the air conditioning units failed.

Before the failure of the conditioning units the temperature of the Safehold was kept steady at between 18 and 23 degrees celsius. After the modifications which Grandfather had made, the temperature steadily rose by one degree per day.

It was three days before the difference became obvious to most of the population. On day four the Coordinator employed an investigation into the conditioning systems. The engineers worked slowly, proclaiming it was complicated and delicate work. On the fifth day, they declared that someone, someone high up and with unrestricted access, had tampered with the control systems and broken key components in the automatic regulation system which could not be repaired, only replaced. They filed in their official report that this was sabotage.

After interviewing the stationed engineering staff, the Coordinator quickly came to the conclusion that this had to do with the missing man. The man whom, according to the engineers, had been technically apt, but odd, and dissenting in his trust of the command structure. My Grandfather.

As their search for Grandfather had intensified, the heat slowly rose, and discontent within the Safehold had similarly steadily risen. It wasn’t just the temperature that had been growing, it was the humidity. People began to drip sweat as they worked, their efficiency slowing to a point where homeostasis barely held. Each day this worsened, each day more grew increasingly frustrated with the incompetence of the leadership and engineering crew. This is when the nickname of the Oven arose and would remain, even after the problem of excess heat was solved.

The man who caused this mess could not be found, the parts he had hidden could not be located, the damage could not be fixed, and the Residents had become sluggish. Anger was expressed in the plaza meetings, demands were made that this be repaired before it was too late, and all they got back were platitudes and empty promises.

Ten days into the plan and the trusted engineers of Danielle offered a definitive course of action to the command structure. Open the main front and three closely positioned back doors for a period of a few minutes. They claimed that if they left an open path for the fresh air to run through the Safehold then they could safely drop the temperature back to comfortable levels, this solution, they said, would give them enough time to finish machining makeshift but effective replacement units for the missing air conditioning components.

This idea was immediately denied. They were told that they could not risk the Outsiders killing any more of their people. They were told the Outsiders were still outside, waiting and watching with weapons in hand. Having predicted this response, the engineers reported that they could easily build a form of portcullis, which would effectively block the entry of any human but would allow the cold air to flow through freely.

Again, this idea was denied, with the same excuse. They would find the man and replacement parts before the heat grew out of control they said. The engineers spread this word throughout the community. They already had a way to solve the problem they said, Residents were suffering unnecessarily, and a flawless fix could easily be applied.

The frustrations of the Residents eventually reached boiling point. A group of volunteers had agreed, among themselves, to man the doors as they opened, weapons in hand to protect any possible encroachers. The idea was denied.

Three days later and the temperature in some areas had grown to over 35 degrees celsius. It was no longer a matter of authority, the people were going to open the doors and, short of large-scale murder, nothing was going to stop them.

Against the combined might of the Safehold population, the Coordinator and the relatively small security staff could no longer resist. At 3 PM, thirteen days into the plan, the doors were finally opened and a freezing wind blew freely through the corridors of the Safehold.

As they cringed against the sudden blast, the Residents stared outside, prepared to defend themselves against a coming horde. What they found was not a crowd of angry Outsiders, what they found were hundreds of frozen corpses. Men, women, and children, lying together in huddled clumps which were encrusted in a thin layer of jagged white ice.

After ten minutes the temperature had cooled enough that the doors had been again resealed. The Residents turned their attention to the Coordinator and her direct staff.

Once the doors had been opened, and the reality of the outside was known, the engineers began to move the shipping containers which had locked Grandfather in for his two-week stay. He was not in a good way when they found him. Inside the container, he had far less ventilation than the other Residents. He was barely conscious, almost rotting in a pool of his own sweat and stink. He never regained his memory of what had happened in the container past the first week. Grandmother said it was six months before he fully recovered.

The smaller containers holding the temperature regulators which had been locked up with him had not suffered any damage, and the engineers had them installed and the system back up and running within hours. There was considerable anger towards them once the Residents figured out what they had done, but over time this had morphed into acceptance, even admiration, and respect. They had gambled, and it had paid off.

The Residents demanded answers from the Coordinator. She held an immediate meeting where she stood in front of the gathered Residents and apologized for the deception. She said this was the accepted procedure, decided on by top social scientists the world over, to help people grow accustomed to their new lifestyle and not be crippled by the guilt of what had become of the Outsiders.

She said the cold had been determined as unavoidable, that leaving the doors open would have inevitably led to overcrowding and eventual violence on such a scale from which no recovery would be possible. They had one chance, she had claimed, and the only way for some to survive was for most to die. Again, her tears seemed genuine.

She finished her speech by conceding her immediate resignation, and her acceptance of any punishment the public vote saw fit. One day later the vote came back. She and everyone knowingly complicit in her deception was given the same sentence. Exile to what was now the frozen wastes.

They were loaded up with the warmest clothes that they could carry and sent into the frozen city of El Paso.

Before she had left she had instigated a mass deletion and lock on much of the higher-level data and communication systems. The lock would eventually be broken, though most of the deletion would prove too thorough to be reversed.

The temperature outside had proven to be far beyond what the Resident’s feared, and it wasn’t until a scouting party some weeks later that they had enough data to understand why.

We had thought, or perhaps just hoped, that the effects of the Dark Star had been temporary, or at least recoverable. Before my Mother or Father had been born, the earth had already been damned. While the Dark Star had devastating effects on the surface of the planet, the effects on the entire planet were much worse. Three months after the plan instigated by my Grandfather and Danielle Hardy, the word had come down. Calculations had been checked, rechecked, and checked again. The earth had lost orbit.

Our planet, which had been locked and leashed to the sun for some four and half billion years, had broken its grip and was heading out into the depths of cold dark space.