Chapter 1 - The Depths awake
Veydras Mine 0
five years ago
Orange and gray dust lay like a second skin over the walls of the massive drilling cavern. The mine stretched across several levels. Steel and titanium platforms clung to the rock walls. Narrow bridges connected the individual work areas, spanning a dark abyss whose bottom no one could see. Spotlights cast a cold light on the rock. But even they could not dispel the darkness of the depths. Five workers stood before a massive rock face. Orange veins ran through the black rock. They pulsed slowly. Regularly. Almost like a heartbeat. A crack broke the silence. At that very moment, a radio signal crackled through the men’s helmets.
“Mine 0. Report status.”
The voice sounded dull and mechanical. One of the workers stepped closer to the wall. He examined the orange lines. The longer he looked, the less they resembled crystals. And the more they resembled something alive.
“That...” His voice trembled. “That’s not ore.”
The others looked at him questioningly.
“What do you mean?” another miner called out. The man slowly raised his hand.
“That’s not an orange crystal.”
For a moment, no one said anything. Then the cave shook. Just slightly. Dust trickled down from the ceiling. A small, round crack appeared in the middle of the wall. The worker froze. He couldn’t explain why. But the crack looked wrong. Not like broken rock. But like something that had opened up. Behind him, another worker reported over the radio:
“Mine 0 reports normal operations. Drilling will continue.”
The massive machines roared back to life. Hydraulic cylinders hissed. Drill bits began to gnaw their way into the mountain once more. For a moment, the noise drowned out the miners’ unease. Next to him, another worker stepped up to the wall.
“If that’s not ore...” He swallowed. “Then what is it?”
The first man didn’t answer. Both stared at the rock. A third worker had taken off his helmet and was examining the glowing orange veins up close. Then it happened. A thud. Dull. Deep. The entire mine shook. Not like an explosion. Not like a collapse. Something else. Something alive. The sound echoed through every platform, every bridge, and every tunnel. Like a heartbeat. All the workers froze. Slowly, they turned toward the wall. Then the rock split open. Orange light shot out of the cracks. The pulsating veins began to flicker frantically. Another thud shook the mine. Louder. Closer. The breathing implants reacted immediately. Warning lights flashed. A blue breathing implant flickered. Then it burst. The man screamed. Another implant overloaded. Then another. And another. Sparks flew through the air. Thick orange smoke billowed out of the cracks in the rock. Within seconds, it filled the entire cave. Panic broke out.
“To the elevator!” “NOW!”
The workers ran. Metal boots pounded across the bridges. One man ripped his helmet off his head and coughed black blood onto the floor. Another frantically clutched his throat, gasping for air. Behind them, more breathing implants burst. The sound of shattering crystal mingled with screams and alarms. Then one of them saw something. Between the glowing orange cracks. Something dark. Something that was moving. Like a shadow. But shadows aren’t supposed to move.
“Mine 0 to Outpost!” The worker pressed the radio to his helmet. His voice cracked.
“Seal the shaft!” Another heartbeat shook the mine. “I repeat...” The man coughed up blood. “Seal the shaft! Immediately!”
Then darkness swallowed everything. Silence. No screams. No machines. No alarms. Just the dull pulsing. Once. Again. Then everything was quiet.
When the rescue teams reached the shaft hours later, they found only destruction. Platforms had collapsed. Steel beams lay on the mine floor like broken bones. Bent helmets and torn safety suits lay amid the scrap metal and dust. There was no sign of the workers. In the midst of this devastation sat a little girl. Motionless. She had pulled her arms tightly across her chest. Her whole body was trembling. Her eyes were wide open. With fear. Beside her lay the ruins of the mine. Before her lay the ruins of a world she would never see again. A breathing implant glowed on her arm. Not blue. Red. It flickered erratically. As if it might fail at any moment. Tears streamed down her face. The girl didn’t move. Then something happened. The air around her grew darker. Shadows crept across the floor. Slowly at first. Then faster and faster. Black figures emerged from her body. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds. Their eyes glowed orange. Her breathing implant glowed brighter. The red circuit tracks beneath her skin began to light up. The girl closed her eyes. And for the first time, fear opened her eyes.
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