The Hive Solution

Chapter 26

Mason stands at the airlock door ready to go. It took an hour for him to get into his radiation suit which looks like a slightly smaller version of what an astronaut would wear. Light grey in colour it's not that bulky but Mason still finds it cumbersome and difficult to move in. On his back is his oxygen pack together with some other tools and equipment that he asked for before he left for the mission. On his right wrist is a touch pad and screen which helps him manage the suit's systems. Black will direct Mason from the small control room which is right next to the airlock. He comes to a small window in the internal airlock door to talk to Mason.

"Remember what I told you, you'll notice a sharp drop in temperature Joe. The sun hasn't really broken through the cloud in years and the temperature here is only a few degrees above freezing"

"Thanks Carter, I'll keep it in mind" he says as he turns to the outer airlock door.

The door opens and straight away Mason is consumed by the silence. No birds, insects, nothing. Just small gusts of wind whistle round his helmet. He steps down from the van and a small cloud of fine powder erupts from his footfalls, he glances round, the whole area is covered in a fine layer of the stuff.

"No time for sight seeing Joe, get moving" says Black over his headset.

"Right, I'm on my way" he replies as he makes his way across to the hole in the street.

"How do you feel Joe?" asks Black with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I feel fine thanks for asking" Mason fires back chuckling. "Don't worry Carter, I'll tell you if I start feeling sick"

Mason reaches the hole which must stretch some hundred feet across, as he peers down into the darkness he can see it's too steep for him to climb down.

"I think we should of brought a ladder" says Mason sarcastically.

"Yeah, I can see that on your video feed, I think if you can't see another way you should come back to the van"

"Nah, I ain't giving up that easily, let me look over there, there's an entrance down to a subway station"

Mason makes his way across to the other side of the street. Descending down through the sidewalk are a flight of steps to the subway below, the railings which once bordered them now melted into a strange concocted shape of tortured metal. Looking down Mason can see a large drift of sand and powder which has collected up against the left side of the stairwell but there's just enough space to get down on the opposite side.

"I think I can get down through here"

"Okay Joe, how are you feeling?"

"I told you I feel fine, if anything changes I'll let you know" replies Mason with a hint of irritation in his voice.

Mason steps down into the dark and gloomy lobby area of the subway station. He waits a moment while his eyes become accustomed to the darkness.

"Turn on your torch light Joe, you might be okay but we can't see anything" says Black.

Switching on his helmet light illuminates the area and opens up the horror in front of him. On the far wall near the ticket kiosk are probably 50 bodies all scorched and charred from the heat of the blast. Being underground must of shielded them from the worst of the intense heat but he can clearly make out male and female, as well as smaller people, children.

"Poor bastards" says Mason under his breath. "Why haven't they decomposed?"

"It's the same as the wrecked cars Joe, there's no bacteria. Which reminds me, you've gotta get a move on and get underground before the radiation really gets to you. I'm already reading fatal levels inside your suit, if it weren't for the nano's you'd already be in trouble"