JTokarz
Plant Police
"You are trespassing on private
property owned by the ComTek Corporation. Leave immediately or
face criminal and civil penalties. We will find you. That is
all."
The loudspeakers crackled and cut
out, leaving only distorted metallic echoes to bounce off
countless pipes and half-built concrete walls. In one corner of
the dark labyrinth, two whispers hid under the fading warning.
"Let's jet, Moose. If you really
want, we can poke around some other abandoned building, but let's
make sure it's really abandoned next time," hissed Corey.
Moose stood up and walked out of the
dark corner the two had scuttled into when the speakers had first
boomed. His hulking figure shaded Corey from the cool moonlight.
He spoke casually. "You heard that announcement. It's a
machine. I drive past this place every day, and there's never
anyone around. Even if there is any sort of night watchman in
this dump, he's too lazy to come out and get us. We just got the
standard warning. It's probably just a motion detector hooked up
to a tape player or something. We'll go soon, but I'm taking my
time. We haven't seen anything cool yet."
"In my book, getting yelled at
by a disembodied voice is cool enough. That thing sounded damn
creepy. You're probably right about the guard." Corey
crawled out of the shadow and into full moonlight. He brushed
dust off his ripped jeans and battered backpack. "Maybe
there's something in here worth finding. The loudspeakers are
supposed to scare off the wussies looking for a place to drink
their dads' beer. "
The two friends resumed wandering
through the skeletal construction site, occasionally tagging
particularly tempting walls with spray paint Corey carried in his
bag. They traveled further into the industrial complex, past
enormous rusted steel supports and shiny pipes of myriad
dimensions. Many new looking pipes snaked up from the concrete
floor, and slid back down into the foundation. Steaming vapors
escaped from cracked tubes.
"This isn't just some factory
they never finished building. I bet it's really a chemical
weapons plant, or maybe they're hiding aliens in a bunker half a
mile down." The green X-Files logo on Corey's shirt glowed
in the dim light, quietly endorsing his theory.
"Yummy. Nerve gas makes me
happy." Moose chuckled, and grinned his best mad-scientist
grin. "This place rocks; it's all dank and nasty and creepy.
We gotta bring the rest of the crew out here."
As they talked, they continued
through the plant. The forest of strange pipes slid by. Moose
noticed a large metal plate set into the concrete floor. Two
handholds cut into it, and it was partially covered by three
cement blocks and a coil of thick wiring. Without a word, Moose
and Corey cleared the trapdoor, revealing faded yellow diagonal
stripes painted on the rusting metal. Corey looked up from the
door and caught Moose's eye. Moose winked, said, "This'll
make such an awesome story," and yanked the trapdoor up.
Rusted hinges screamed and were
silent. The boys froze, listening for any sound other than the
tortured echoes of the door. Corey dug a flashlight out of his
backpack, and pointed it into the void below. Straining to see
into the blackness, both boys felt warm, damp air breathe over
their faces. The flashlight's beam swirled, illuminating only
some agitated dust. Several steps led into the darkness.
The loudspeakers blasted again.
"You have been warned. This is your last chance to flee. The
Plant Police are coming. They see you. They hear you. They smell
you. Prepare yourselves. That is all."
Moose was the first to speak.
"That has to be someone's joke. They shut this place down,
and on the last day on the job, some dickhead changed the tape,
that's all." He shivered, and stepped down through the door.
Corey said nothing, but followed.
At the bottom of the stairs, Corey
looked up. After about fifteen feet, the stairs melted into the
darkness. Corey spun the light. Darkness swallowed the
flashlight's beam before it could reach the ceiling or walls.
Somewhere, water dripped, filling the empty hall with echoes and
splashes. Moose swore in awe. His breath swirled the soupy air.
It tasted alive.
A voice spoke. "You. You two
must not be here. Trespassers are forbidden. It's not good for
The Plant." Wet and soft, the voice was very different from
that of the warnings above. The intruders stopped breathing. A
uniformed figure materialized in the flashlight's beam. "I
am Officer Chris, of the Plant Police. You boys are in some
trouble."
"So we'll just--"
"Silence! Do not speak. Your
breaths disrupt The Plant's special atmosphere. Do not try to
run, my partner is directly behind you."
A voice spoke, inches from Corey's
ear. "Hey, how's it going?"
Corey spun, illuminating a second
man, dressed like the first. This one wore glasses, and smiled
crookedly. Despite his perfectly cut uniform, he seemed to be
wearing a rumpled black cloak. It was just the air around him,
sucking at the light. The first officer spoke again. "That's
Vorg the Destroyer. He's a bit odd."
"Hey, y'know, who isn't?"
Moose volunteered. At the sound of his voice, Vorg's face lumped
downward, a cruel scowl replacing his vacant grin.
Vorg growled. "These two are
spies, maybe from another Plant. I can smell it on them." He
grabbed Moose and Corey, one in each hand, and held them in the
air. Shocked by his strength, neither young man could do more
than whimper. Corey's flashlight clattered to the floor. "We
must bring them to The Plant for judgement."
The two flew through the mist as Vorg
stalked first in one direction, then another. Pale green patches
appeared, illuminating the damp tunnels. Bioluminescent mold on
the walls and floor sucked nutrition from the slick rocks,
transforming chemicals into light. Moose and Corey's skin gleamed
sickly, but the Plant Police appeared healthy and relaxed.
At last the winding corridors opened
up. The four entered an enormous cavern, ringed with cloaked
figures. Colorful mushrooms growing from the walls lit the room.
More pale green mold dotted the walls. Twenty feet below every
human in the room, fat white mushrooms glowed in the soft soil.
The Plant's patient leaves stretched low over the ground, soaking
up the white light. An enormous trunk stretched almost to the
cavern's ceiling. Branches clawed in every direction; some
rejoined the central stalk. Greasy crimson leaves sprung from
every branch. The whole Plant swayed in time to a low, chanting
melody. Viney tendrils clung to the walls, searching the dim
cavern for more light.
Moose and Corey gaped. Their minds
choked, failing to comprehend more than a few random details of
the scene. Everyone in the chamber silenced, waiting for a report
from the Plant Police. "These two have ignored the warnings
above. They have invaded the sanctuary of The Plant. They have
poisoned the air with their reckless breathing, and their very
existence threatens us." Whispers passed around the chamber
and faded. Giant leaves wafted, absorbing the echoes. Chris
continued, "Despite what these outsiders have done, they are
not without value." More low voices spoke. Some started
chanting. The vines writhed and pulsed. "Heal the
plant," Chris roared. "Feed the plant!"
Vines slithered and wrapped around
Moose and Corey. Spines ripped at their flesh. The plant hoisted
them above its pit and drove them into the soft soil. The earth
burned, but not with heat. White mushrooms crowded the bodies,
already changing life back to light. The Plant's roots dug,
finding delicious nourishment.