Portentum: Africa Reborn II

[Brent Mason]

This is another chapter that I wish to share with you all. The Chapter is called "An Awakening"

Dominique lights a cigarette, his face aglow from the glowing ash in the darkness as he stands behind a large turbine that provides the needed energy for the pump to the refining station.

“Command, section clear,” a guard says as he traverses the platforms leading to the petroleum staging area.

The guards are to report in at certain intervals to notify the central command of any suspicious activities. The region is on high alert based on the many jobless and poverty-stricken denizens of Mirobi. The company has the same fears as the Imperial Council concerning the rumors of the PFA and their intentions of regional disruptions.

Dominique has been a guard at Dominion Oil for four months; he had rigorous training and classes to educate him in cases of emergencies concerning the pumps, valves, pressure regulators and gauges among other safety components and plant attributes.

“Everything is clear,” Dominique replies as he continues to patrol his sector, smoking his cigarette.

The corridors that the guards walk through would appear to be a mythical maze to anyone who did not know the facility. The humming sounds of generators and buzzing noises of machinery would only impair the untrained even more to a point of disorientation. That is the purpose behind the ear devices that each guard is required to wear to dampen out the machines’ noise yet provide all audio to the guards at other posts and the central hub. The worse of the sounds are the turbines that keep the plant operating, giving power to the generators.

This plant has been producing oil for five years. Employment within the plant is now at a minimum. Supposedly the Chinese Corporation that bought the land from the Shirashan government thought it necessary to have more machines that would be more cost efficient. It appears to have worked, for financial documents show a profit in the past two years. A skeleton crew is all that remains of a labor force that was once twenty thousand. It is now one thousand. The effect of the layoffs wreaked havoc on Gendahala and Mirobi. The region that once began to thrive with employment and businesses has been replaced by unrest, disease, and crime.

As Dominique moves along the lines, he needs his flashlight when walking through the caverns beneath the main mezzanine. It is dark and damp in this area. It is also the middle lying point that is known to the guards as the Qeshino, or the Labyrinth. Dominique never felt comfortable patrolling this area, as he felt that if there were a problem, the other guards or technicians would not be able to arrive in time and to resolve the conflict if one arose.

As he has walked the corridors many times before, he eagerly puffs at his cigarette to remove the nervous feelings he has for this job. He sometimes turns off his flashlight and stares at the dark corridors to test his bravery. A sound or a plinking noise comes from down the corridor, where there is nothing but blackness. He flashes the light in the direction of the noise but only sees pipes and electrical cords that line the walls of the hall. Another noise is heard from the opposite direction.

Dominique swivels around, flashing the light in the other direction. The nervous and shaking movement of Dominique’s hand bounces the light from the flashlight, reflecting the sweat that is pouring from his hands down to the butt of his cigarette. He is frightened, his eyes widening in fear, then squinting to see if there is something there.

Then a glint of metal can be seen far down the hall as if flashing. As soon as he sees it, it is gone.

“Is there anyone else down here?” Dominique asks through his radio that is mounted to his uniform’s shoulder.

He stands in his place for ten seconds. It is a long ten seconds of turmoil as he feels a gnawing sensation in his soul.

“Static is coming through; could not hear you. Repeat yourself, Dominique.”

Dominique hears another noise coming from further down the corridor.

“Can you hear me now?” Dominique asks with a trembling in his voice.

“Yes, I can hear,” the voice on the radio replies.

“Is there supposed to be anyone else patrolling these corridors or any technicians working in this area? Respond.”

Dominique has trouble holding his flashlight steadily in his hands to accurately flash it in any one direction. His cigarette is slowly burning to its butt’s end.

“Yes, there is a technician looking at one of the turbines close to the area that you are in; there seems to be a fluctuation on the meter readings leading to the main coil reactor. He has been there for only a few minutes. Check the status, as we are still reading fluctuations on the meter reading.”

“I read you. I will go to check on his status. In which workstation is he located?” Dominique asks with a feeling of relief.

“Workstation 1A,” the voice replies.

“On my way,” Dominique replies.

Dominique throws the cigarette butt on the ground and puts the remaining light out under the sole of his boot. He continues to walk toward the workstation. Again, down the darkness of the corridor, he sees another glimmer of light that he had previously seen in the opposite direction. A thought enters his mind that something strange is going on.

As he approaches the area that the workstation is in, he notices that there is none of the activity that he would expect if a technician were working. There is no light or any other flashlight other than his illuminating the door leading to the turbine holding area. He notices a tool bag and box with sensors and wires, tools used to fix such hardware that is needed to operate the turbine’s system.

He shouts out, “Technician, where are you?”

He hears nothing but the humming and buzzing of the machinery.

“Technician, do you hear me?” he yells again.

Through another passageway he notices the same flash he saw as he made his way down the corridor. He starts to go toward it with a curiosity as to what keeps providing this shimmering of light.

Again Dominique shouts, “Technician, are you down here?”

His flashlight begins to seem like a vibration bouncing off the passage walls as his hand begins to shake once again. He stops for a moment to reach for his package of cigarettes. Sweat covers his hands. He nervously lights his cigarette.

“Any sign of the technician?” the man on the radio asks.

Dominique is startled and drops his cigarette and lighter. “No, all I have found are some tools next to the turbine’s system carrier. There is no sign of the technician,” he replies bending down to pick up his cigarette and lighter.

“He has to be there somewhere; we have tried to contact him, but he is not responding. Let us know what you find. There seems to be something interfering with the comm. links, and we may be out of radio contact the further you go toward the power core. We will send additional help to locate the technician. There are still fluctuations that are affecting the oil output. Continue your search.”

Dominique feels a sense of calm knowing that other guards will be joining him shortly. He remains in his place until the others arrive. He continues to puff at his cigarette, still sweating, as the corridor is hot from all the running turbines and engines. There are boiler rooms located in the lower levels directly under the spot Dominique stands on.

As Dominique takes a draw on his cigarette, his face is aglow from the burning ash. His expression is visible in the ash, as he shows a fear on his face. The glimmer of light is only a few feet in front of him. As he raises his flashlight to see what it is, the batteries go out, and his light fades. He thinks to himself that the light caught a glimpse of something that seems out of place or should not be there.

It is completely dark now, as the only light is that of his cigarette that he has dropped on the floor from his panic. He fiercely grapples for his belt pack which holds the extra battery cell for his flashlight. Reaching behind him, he can hear the footsteps and voices of his fellow guards coming down the corridor from behind him. He relaxes as he feels calm from the sensation of company in these dark and dank halls and passages. Dominique slides the casing off the flashlight and removes the spent battery. A guttural sound is heard from behind the turbine staging area.

Dominique’s eyes, if they could be seen through the dark, are wide and frantic at this point, as he has never heard such a sound in all his days. He desperately fumbles around to get the battery into the flashlight. His hands are trembling, and he is sweating profusely. He keeps looking back and forth, up and down, trying to obtain the slightest image through the darkness. Nothing can be seen, as all is pitch-black.

“Dominique! Where are you?” a voice cries out from the distance.

“I am here!” Dominique replies. “Hurry!”

At this time Dominique hears and feels the battery pack finally snap into position and he clamps the flashlight casing back together. Another guttural sound is heard only a meter away. The glimmering light that he has continuously seen is moving toward him. It is making no sounds. He clicks the flashlight on, and there is light again.

Dominique quickly shines it in the direction of the noise and glimmering light. There is nothing there. His chest and throat feels tight, and it is hard for him to breathe. He panics and slowly backs up toward the door of the corridor. He stumbles across something soft. He slips and falls. His flashlight reveals a gruesome discovery, it is the technician. His face has been ripped off, and his body is disfigured from being torn to pieces. Blood is everywhere.

A hot blanket of air is now upon the back of Dominique’s neck. He quickly swivels around in a panic, screaming. His flashlight shines upon the last thing he sees in this world. He is lifted three feet into the air. The lurching, tugging, tearing and wresting of Dominique’s body is heard by the other guards that cautiously creep toward the sounds.

They are Shatim and Azeek, guards from different quadrants of the plant. They look in horror as they see Dominique being held aloft by some unknown force. They shine their flashlights higher to obtain a better look of the offender. Once they gaze upon the face of the attacker, a large flash of light is seen coming from four different directions.

From what can be seen ten miles away, massive black billowing clouds of smoke and soot fill the skies over the region with a burning red glare of fire within its folding round shape. It appears Dominion Oil has been destroyed by sabotage. This is the beginning of an end for this region, as a major source for its economy has been decimated by bombs and an inferno.