Extensis Vitae

Chapter 4



The cool air blowing in the door of the Black Hawk helicopter felt refreshing after the stifling heat down on the ground. The mission had been a successful snatch and grab of another High Value Target. The mood was jubilant, made more so by the fact that they would be leaving country and would be back stateside in five days. Somebody had broken out a boom box and cranked it up.

“Hell yeah,” Reznik murmured as Maynard James Keenan’s voice cut through the heavy bass guitar riffs. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. Five more days, and then back to Bragg, he thought.

He was sitting next to Nash, who insisted on having the outboard seat so he could spit his dip out the open door. The peacefulness of the evening belied the brutal war being fought in the shadows of the country below.

Reznik pulled the worn photo from his breast pocket and looked at it for the hundredth, maybe thousandth time since they’d been apart. In the picture, he was mugging for the camera, his arm around his girlfriend, Amanda. She was a cute blonde with blue eyes. Short and slim, she barely came up to his shoulder. They were standing on the summit of Mt. Evans, one of the Rocky Mountain Fourteeners they had hiked.

Amanda worked as a financial analyst for a mutual fund company in Denver. They had been dating for about four years now, having met when Reznik was still stationed at Ft. Carson. Now, since he was at Bragg, they had a long distance relationship going, but Reznik usually flew out to Denver once a month or so when he wasn’t deployed. This time, though, I think I’m going to buy you a ring, he thought. He started thinking over scenarios for how he wanted to do the proposal.

He yawned. The steady thrum of the chopper and the exhaustion that followed the adrenaline high of the mission were lulling him to sleep. He knew he wasn’t the only one.

“Oh…holy shit!” Nash’s cry snapped Reznik out of his reverie. His eyes popped open to see a fiery streak cutting through the darkness as it rose from the terrain below. It was strangely beautiful against the black backdrop of the terrain below and the fading pink sunset in the partly cloudy sky.

Then the warning klaxons started going off in the Black Hawk. Everyone who wasn’t already strapped in reached for something to grab on to as panic struck. The pilot swung the chopper into an evasive maneuver, but Reznik could see it would be too late. He clutched at one of his unused shoulder harnesses and managed to loop it around his arm.

The fiery streak of the rocket-propelled grenade exploded into the tail section of the Black Hawk. The explosion tossed the helicopter around and it began spinning out of control. People were shouting in terror—whether curses or prayers, Reznik would never be able to say.

The last time Reznik saw his friend Nash, he was falling backward in slow motion out the open door. His hand reached out and was close enough to grab onto, his eyes wide with fear and his mouth open in a silent scream. But Reznik couldn’t move—his body had gone numb, and he found himself frozen in place. Little did he know that his paralysis was due to the shrapnel that had torn away from the fuselage and lodged in his back, severing his spinal cord.

Reznik and Nash locked eyes for a moment before Nash tumbled away from the Black Hawk and disappeared into the darkness below. The helicopter spun out of control and quickly began losing altitude as Reznik tried to fruitlessly will his limbs into motion and grab on to something. His arm slipped loose from the shoulder harness, and then came the terrifying vertigo as he found himself tossed out the open door like Nash had been moments earlier. Smoke and fire were all around as the Black Hawk plunged into the mountainside.



***



A splitting headache and a sore back were his reward from the dust-up with the security team. Reznik looked around and picked himself up from the floor of the holding cell. The cell looked like it could have been taken from any small town jail. It had a hard cot on one wall and bars on two sides. The metal walls of the bunker made up the other two sides.

“What did I tell you about staying out of trouble?” a familiar voice asked.

Reznik looked around and saw Myrna seated in a chair near the door. She had her feet propped up on the desk. He couldn’t tell whether the look on her face was one of amusement or irritation.

He stretched his sore back and grinned sheepishly at her. “What Swanson wants me to do is madness. I told him no and that I was leaving, but he and his security goons weren’t happy with that answer.”

“I told you the word ‘no’ wasn’t in his vocabulary.”

“Yeah, you were right. So what happens to me now?”

She smiled. “Well, lucky for you, Swanson is desperate and I was able to talk him into letting me convince you to help.”

Reznik shook his head. “Not gonna work. This is a suicide mission. I need to get out of here and get back to my fiancée in Denver. I was planning on proposing the next time I saw her.”

Myrna had a funny look on her face—part pity and part anger, it looked like. “You really don’t know what has happened, do you? How much did Swanson explain about the outside world?”

“He said something about there being nothing left except this Colony and the others, and that Denver didn’t exist anymore or something like that. I don’t know…he didn’t make any sense.” Reznik sat on the bunk and put his head in his hands.

“That bastard. What did he promise you in return?”

“Nothing really. He just said that he’d help me be on my way after I helped him.”

“That’s not right. He’s trying to bargain with you when you don’t even know the terms.” She got to her feet. “I’m going to have to explain a lot to you. Do you realize I’m sticking my neck out for you? Will you promise not to get in any more trouble while you’re under my care?”

Reznik felt a little guilty about that. She had treated him well all along. “Yes, I promise,” he said as she approached the cell.

She swept her hand over a control pad on the cell door. It beeped, and then with a clank the lock disengaged. “Proximity reader—it scans the embedded chip in my hand,” she explained to his curious look. “Why don’t we go back to my lab and I’ll fill you in on everything?”

“Sounds good,” he said. “Maybe on the way we can grab something to eat and drink?”

“Good idea.”

As they stepped out into the corridor, Reznik noticed that two new guards were waiting outside the door. Myrna led Reznik down a short hallway to the room with the main security desk. He recognized Cole sitting behind the desk.

Cole gave Reznik a glare. “Myrna!” he called out. “Can I have a word?”

Myrna sighed. “Will you give me a minute?” She walked over to Cole. “What is it, Jason?”

Cole said something in a hushed voice with a glance at Reznik. Myrna looked irritated as she responded to him. After speaking for a moment, Myrna walked back over and waved for Reznik to follow.

“Everything all right?” Reznik asked once they were back in the main corridor.

“Yes. Jason’s a little over-protective sometimes, that’s all.”

“Well, I didn’t give him any reason to like me very much.”

“That’s very true,” she said with a laugh. Reznik liked the sound of her laugh—it was fresh and genuine.

“Are the two of you together?”

She shook her head. “We used to be, but he has a hard time with the ‘used to’ part sometimes.” Reznik nodded.

They approached the dining room and went inside. Several people were eating at the tables and having casual conversation. All the conversation died as soon as they noticed Reznik. Curious looks and hostile stares met him wherever he looked.

“It’s not polite to stare, people,” Myrna said with some irritation. A few people mumbled and went back to what they were doing, but most continued to watch, some with undisguised hostility.

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Reznik quipped quietly to Myrna.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but that’s no excuse for the icy glares. Especially since we are pinning our hopes on you.” She continued walking, but halted when she saw that Reznik had frozen in place.

“That’s a robot!” he said in shock. A robot had just wheeled out of the kitchen area carrying bowls of food in its four arms. It was about as tall as an average person, and was cylindrical in shape. It had a couple of sensors on its square head that were supposed to look like eyes.

“How observant,” she said sarcastically. “But yes, we have a few of them around to aid in cooking and cleaning and the like. They also do some work in the reactor chamber, sanitation section, and anywhere else that would be too hazardous for humans.”

“How can I be of service, sir and madam?” the robot asked in a surprisingly human voice. It arranged the food it had been carrying on the counter.

“Sandwiches sound okay?” Myrna asked Reznik.

“Sure, that’s fine,” Reznik said.

“Yes, madam,” the robot replied after Myrna ordered two meals. Its four arms reached out in different directions, and, moving in a blur, it assembled two large sandwiches with a generous helping of potato salad on each plate.

“Thanks,” Reznik replied as he took the plate from the robot. He wondered if it was even necessary to thank a robot.

“It was my pleasure, sir,” the robot replied. Reznik followed Myrna farther along the counter to pick up a glass full of what looked like Kool-Aid and a fork and a napkin. They sat down at a table in the corner.

Reznik thought the sandwich was roast beef, but he couldn’t be sure. The meat didn’t have any flavor, and the sandwich mostly tasted like mustard. Nonetheless, he scarfed it down, as he was famished. The potato salad tasted like potato salad and was fairly good. The Kool-Aid could have been fruit punch, and had the aftertaste of sugar substitute.

“How was it?” she asked when they were finished.

“It was all right—not sure about the mystery meat, though.”

She smiled. “Doesn’t taste like the roast beef you are used to, huh? Well, this meat is grown in a lab.” She laughed at his surprised look. “What did you expect? You don’t see any cows grazing in any pastures around here, do you?”

Reznik snorted in laughter. “I guess I had no idea of what to expect. I still don’t know enough about what the hell is going on to form solid expectations at this point.”

“We’ll get to that soon, I promise. If you’re ready…” Reznik nodded and they got up and left the dining facility.

Their security escort caught up the them again before they got far. Myrna led them back down the stairs past the level with the living quarters. They reached the bottom of the stairs, turned right, and went past the makeshift medical bay where Reznik had woken up. A little farther down, Myrna stopped outside a laboratory and swiped her hand in front of the sensor. After a soft beep, the door slid open.

“Please remain outside, we need to speak in private,” she told the security team.

The duo looked at each other. “Ma’am, our orders are to not let him out of our sight,” one of them said.

“Well, then you can look through the window. I’ll be fine,” she said and walked inside. The room lit up as she entered. Reznik followed, and the door slid shut behind him. He saw the guards exchange a look through the window, but they remained outside.

The large room was bisected by a long counter covered with flasks, vials, and various instruments. A pair of microscopes sat near each end of the counter. A couple of computer terminals were against the right wall. In the back left corner of the lab was a comfortable looking sofa and a couple of easy chairs with a coffee table between them. Myrna gestured to the sofa and chairs.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she told him. She walked over to a counter where a chrome box sat next to a stack of dishes.

“Are you a chemist?”

“Biochemist. My responsibilities primarily involve maintaining the integrity of the food supply, among other things.”

“Well, my compliments to the biochemist on lunch, then. Although, the mystery meat could use some work,” he teased as he sat down on the sofa.

“I’ll get right on that,” she said with her pleasant laugh. “Would you like a cup of coffee? This might take a while.”

“Sure,” he replied. “Just curious: why do you trust me enough to leave the guards outside?”

“I read your file. You seem to be the type of person who does what needs to be done not because you are ordered or forced to do it, but because it’s the right thing to do. I just have a good feeling about you.”

“Thank you for your faith in me,” Reznik said.

“Well, just don’t let me down again like you did with the ‘don’t get in trouble’ thing, okay?”

He laughed. “It’s a deal.”

She pushed a button on the chrome box and it hummed for a few seconds. She placed a couple mugs into the machine. After another couple seconds, it beeped and she pulled the mugs out. The rich aroma of coffee filled the lab. She brought him his cup and sat in the easy chair facing him.

The coffee tasted pretty good, considering that it was probably a lab-produced reproduction of the real thing. Myrna took a sip and watched him over the rim of her mug. “Where shall I begin?”

Reznik shrugged. “Might as well start at the beginning, I guess.”



***



And so Myrna began. “The year was 2079. There—“

“Did you say twenty SEVENTY-NINE?” Reznik asked in shock.

“That’s right. So you have no idea what year it is right now? How long they kept you on ice?”

“On ice? It’s all murky still—my memory still hasn’t come back all the way. I remember…some sort of special project I went to work on…but that’s all.” He shook his head in frustration. “I hope it will come back to me. Sorry to interrupt—please continue.”

“In the year 2079, there was an impact event on earth—some call it the Cataclysm. The international space agencies detected the asteroid with enough time to give only about three months’ warning. It was estimated that the asteroid was approximately two and a half kilometers across—large enough, according to most experts, to create an extinction event. The last one of these occurred roughly 65 million years ago.”

“That’s what wiped out the dinosaurs, right?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes, that’s correct. Extensis Vitae—the corporation that built these facilities that they called the ‘Colonies’—had already planned for some type of cataclysmic event, be it global war, extreme natural disasters, nuclear terrorism, etc. The ‘Extended Life Solution,’ they called it. At the time, nobody paid any attention to them but a few survivalists and some of the ultra-rich who didn’t have anything better to spend their money on. People had better things to worry about. After the alarm was sounded about the impending impact event, however, that all changed. Panic broke out and everyone was desperate to have a place in one of the thirteen Colonies. There were thirteen new Colonies to start a new society, representative of the thirteen original colonies of the U.S.A. The rich and powerful controlled the most powerful corporations, which, in turn, controlled the weak central governments of the world’s nation states. The board members of Extensis Vitae conveniently were chosen as the administrators who would govern the Colonies. It was all about political connections. So the rich and powerful literally had the power to choose who would live and who would die by selective admission to these great Colonies. They strategically chose some of the brightest minds of the time along with their families, so that they would be able to establish a new society one day. Many other corporations, governments, and private individuals tried to set up their own survival shelters, of course, but most started late with their preparations. These other shelters were likely incapable of withstanding the sheer destructive power of the impact; also, they would have been unsuitable for the long duration of quarantine necessary after they buttoned-up. Extensis Vitae, on the other hand, had planned and built the Colonies to withstand the worst-case scenario. It is unknown how effective these other efforts were. Nobody knows how many people outside of the Extensis Vitae Colonies were able to survive the Cataclysm and, if they did survive, for how long.”

Reznik was in shock. He couldn’t even think of where to begin asking questions. “How long have you been down here?” he finally asked her.

“It’s been twenty years now. I remember just a little bit of the surface world when I was a little girl. In the final months, it was not a pretty sight. Anarchy reigned, the few surviving governments collapsed, the military was called in to put down the anarchy, and a lot of blood was shed. It got so bad that the Colonies secretly summoned everyone who had been chosen. They brought all of us inside a month earlier than the publicized date and sealed the vault doors. By the time anyone realized what the Colonies were doing, it was too late. The asteroid was projected to strike in the Atlantic Ocean, creating a mega tsunami estimated to be nearly 250 meters high that would wipe out the east coast of the United States, as well as Western Europe. An estimated one to two billion people died from the effects of the initial strike and the resulting earthquake and tsunami. The power grid collapsed, and nuclear reactors went into meltdown. The survivors of the impact fought and killed each other over the scarce resources as society totally crumbled. The rest eventually died of sickness, starvation, exposure, radiation poisoning, et cetera.”

“Unbelievable,” Reznik breathed. He was still struggling to get his mind around the catastrophe and trying to imagine what a post-apocalyptic Earth would be like. “So what’s it like up there on the surface now?”

“Nobody knows for sure. The aftermath that I just mentioned is all based on our best estimates. The vault door has never been opened since it was sealed twenty years ago. Swanson refuses to open it. There are rumors that some of the other Colonies have sent explorers up there, but it’s not known for sure what they found. Some say that it is totally desolate; that mankind has been wiped out and Mother Nature has reclaimed the planet. Some say a new civilization has been founded that’s based on the control of natural resources. Others claim that it is a radioactive wasteland from sea to sea, and murderous gangs prey upon the weak. There has even been some wild speculation about mutants and monsters roaming the surface. Who knows what’s bullshit and what isn’t. Unless you can find somebody that has actually been to the surface, it is all just a bunch of theories.”

“I’ll bet Swanson has a pretty good idea what is out there since he is in contact with the other administrators. Do you think he will let me leave the Colony like he says?”

“No,” she replied without hesitation. “Not to the surface, anyway. I don’t think he will open the vault door until he has confirmation that it is safe to repopulate the surface, or if his hand is forced.”

“I have a feeling his hand will be forced. It’s all well and good to think that the world has been swept clean of whatever corrupt society he thinks was out there, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Eventually, he will have to take a gamble and open the vault door. I, however, have seen humanity in its worst and most desperate state, and I know that survival instinct is incredibly powerful. I think the people sheltered inside these bunkers would be shocked at what the surface world could be like.”

“Not everyone,” she said. “It takes quite a bit to shock me. As a scientist, I like to observe and measure things for myself, not take others’ words as gospel. A growing number of people have become more and more vocal in recent days about opening the vault door. Of course, there are those who have grown complacent in the safety within these walls, and are afraid of the unknown. I am firmly in the ‘lets open the door and see what it’s like on the surface’ camp. The effects of impact winter should have ended years ago, so why not get started rebuilding up there?”

Reznik nodded slowly. “You have wisdom beyond your years. Someone like you should be leading these people.”

She laughed. “I’m no politician—I’m blunt and honest to a fault, as I’m sure my father or many others here could tell you.”

Reznik reached out and patted her hand as he saw the sadness in her eyes at the mention of her father. “It will be all right. I’m sure your father is fine.” The lie wasn’t as easy to voice as he had hoped and he knew she could see through it, but she nodded and gave him a sad smile.

“So what is this surprise that Swanson says you have for me?” Reznik asked, anxious to change the subject.

“Surprise? Do you mean the augmentations?”

Reznik looked puzzled. “I’m not sure—Swanson just said it would be something that would give me an advantage over whatever I might find at Colony 13.”

“Must be the augmentations, then. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see it,” she said, deep green eyes twinkling.

Just then, her eyes lost focus and she cupped her ear with her hand. As she swept her hair behind her ear and turned her head slightly, Reznik saw what looked like a couple small blue LED lights glowing beneath the skin just behind her ear. Myrna was silent for a moment, then nodded and spoke in a low voice. “Keep him calm and bring him down to the med bay. I’ll meet you down there and see what I can do to fix him up,” she said.

The blue lights winked out and she turned back to him. Seeing his puzzled look, she explained, “Datalink implant—it’s pretty standard these days. You don’t have to carry a comm unit or mobile phone, or whatever they called them back in your day.”

“Look, I have to head back to the med bay for a little while to patch up one of the workers that got injured outside the reactor chamber. I would invite you to tag along, but it might make people nervous. You’re welcome to stay here, though, and I’ll be back when I can, or you can return to your chambers, if you prefer.”

Reznik stifled a yawn. “I think I’ll turn in for the night. I have some thinking to do since my whole world has been pretty much turned upside down in the last couple of days.”