About the Contest
This story is written in response to 
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Prompt
I am looking for a science fiction/horror/fantasy (fiction of any sort) story set in a future where a cavity capable of sustaining life has been found below the surface of the earth.
I want to hear a story set at some point in the future, inspired by the concept of Hollow Earth. Your story could be fantasy, horror, scifi, speculative, environmental, futuristic, or full on conspiracy theory based, as long as it’s fiction, there is no limit on the genre. How big the space below the surface of the earth is, what/who is down there, how /when it was found, what it’s like, that’s all up to you. It should be able to support life, but it doesn’t need to contain any when it’s found, although it equally could do. The perspective you chose and the story you tell is entirely up to you, you could set your story anywhere from the initial discovery of this cavity to the far distant future where it is just another part of the planet. I would like a fictional story set in the future featuring a cavity capable of supporting life below the surface of the earth. This could be the focus of your story, or it can be the background setting in which your story plays out, let your imagination run wild!
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The Story
“Approaching planet Gamma,” Xithrium’s voice echoed through the viewing deck.
The crew of the Mirroring Transporter were in Space as far as time immemorial. Captain Zerome was the thirty-second captain of the ship, a lineage which spanned thirty generations. What remained unknown was the genesis of the crew. Nobody knew where they came from or why were they on the ship in the first place. The first generation never left any material that the succeeding generations could read about their genesis.
“Status?” Zerome was one of the best captains to command the ship, and his name had become synonymous with bravery and quick-thinking. He had no equal when it came to commanding the ship. Though today was different, he was standing perplexed looking at a planet that he had never seen before and yet it was calling him; a connection he was unable to explain.
“Beacon identified. The northern land cluster of the planet is emitting the beacon,” Xithrium said. She too was far from normal. The same perplexed and uncertain look grew obvious as the planet grew larger across the viewing deck. The pull of the unknown was growing beyond anyone’s ability to explain.
“Maneuver towards the northern cluster,” Zerome’s voice had a touch of timidity, a trait unknown to him till then. The only solace was that no one cared to notice. The crew on the viewing deck were mesmerized by the planet, and Zerome feared if it was some kind of an epidemic that he had to protect his crew against. But the pull was too strong to allow any logical thinking.
“In position,” Lzara said. Nothing was different from what the crew had seen so far.
“Surface composition,” Zerome continued with his usual line of status checks. Around that time, there was a click, and the moisture controller switched on. It usually happened to control ambient temperature and prevent humidity. Zerome realized that not only him but the twenty-five crew on the deck were sweating. And the unusual stimuli causing the sweating was right in front of them – planet Gamma.
“Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon-di-oxide, decayed gamma radiation, and twenty-eight inert gases,” even before Zerome could ask, Lzara knew the next question.
“Decayed gamma radiation? Effect on us?” Zerome asked. Lzara was right in her expectation. The crew on the viewing deck were smarter than most of the other crew and hence to expect them to think what the commander would be thinking was not too out-of-the-way.
“Zero impact. The decay is total. Though, there are no life-forms on the surface of the planet,” Lzara replied.
“Prepare a surface vessel. Office Lzara and Xithrium to join. Officer Carlos, take over the deck,” that was the first time since coming close to the planet that the boom in Zerome’s voice returned. To most of the crew members, it sounded like excitement similar to the one that a kid would have on finding a new toy.
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Probe to the Surface
“Descend to the beacon location,” Zerome ordered. Lzara was piloting the much smaller vessel while Xithrium continued with the scans.
“Commander, this appears to be a trap,” Xithrium said slowly while still looking at the readings on the dial.
“How do you mean?”
“The beacon is exactly over a hollow structure.”
“Run the subterranean scan and report.”
“Scan complete,” Xithrium was awestruck at what she was seeing.
“Officer…… officer,” Zerome’s call remained unanswered, “Officer Xithrium.”
“Huh… yes… commander.”
“Report.”
“Yes, commander,” Xithrium took a minute before she could report. “The structure is 800 meters below ground level. It is three levels deep, with differing dimensions for each level. The uppermost level is ten square miles and has many rooms and some vegetation area. The next level is about five square miles. The lowermost level is ten square miles with instruments for command and control. Laterally seen, the three levels are stacked one above the other with a common axis.”
“Hmm,” Zerome joined his hands and was slowly rubbing them.
“There is a conical concrete slab over the topmost level. Appears to be protecting the three levels. It is at a gap of three feet from the three levels below.”
“Is there any entrance to the structure?”
“Scans show three entrances. Each for each level. Within the structures only the lower two levels have entrances to each other.”
“Where are the entrances? Not visible here.”
“They are camouflaged and blending with the surface.”
“Any life signs?”
“Scanning for life signs,” Xithrium’s eyes widened as she turned from the dial to look at Zerome, “yes. Many. Bipedals,” Zerome looked at Xithrium and took a few unsure steps towards the dial. The readings were mesmerizing. He was not sure what to do. If these were aggressive life forms, then the three of them would be too less to engage. They would be eliminated even before an action could be taken.”
“Request permission to land,” Lzara voice startled Zerome for a moment. He gave her a blank look. Lzara repeated. “Request permission, commander.”
“Acknowledged. Land,” Zerome said. Xithrium set the coordinates so that they landed well away from the hollow structure yet near the beacon. Lzara guided the vessel to the set coordinates.
The audible crack on the surface and the ever-so-gentle opposite push on the vessel numbed by the dynamic suspension confirmed the landing.
“Open hatch,” Zerome bellowed.
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A New Land
The protective suit worn by the team was armored to keep them safe from the environment as much as protect them from an attack. Zerome was the first to step out of the vessel and walked towards the beacon. Lzara and Xithrium followed.
The land was barren with the terrain being the only objects obstructing the line of vision. The surface was white probably from the dried up water surface which left the salt behind. The temperature read as 28 degree Celsius on the crew’s helmet visor. The composition of the air was good enough for them to breath directly.
“Lzara is the atmosphere safe for exposure?” Zerome asked.
“Yes, commander but I would advise against it.”
Zerome gave it a thought, but the compulsion that led them to the planet resurfaced. Ignoring logic and overruling the advice of the second-in-command, he opened the visor. The audible click startled the two officers.
“Commander,” Xithrium’s protests were a bit too late. Zerome was beyond the visor’s protection.
Zerome took a deep breath. The fragrance of dry earth meshed with that of the sultry dry salt created an ecstatic tingle in his spine which fired through his entire body. It led to an involuntary smile which amused Xithrium and Lzara. Their apprehension from a moment ago dissipated in the atmosphere around. They too opened their visor.
“Why does this place feel like home?” Lzara spoke out to no one in particular.
“We don’t have a home,” Zerome said. At least, the ship log talks about none. Lzara’s sigh was not lost on either member with her.
“Well, let’s see what the beacon has in store for us.” The beacon appeared to be a smart device. It was not audible to them as it was emitting ultrasonic laser waves. The only proof that it was active was the blinking light. Zerome reached out and touched it. And immediately, audible beeps followed.
“Life form detected,” an automated voice from the beacon called out. “Activating access to the bunker. Deactivating beacon,” with that a grunt was heard below the beacon and the beacon’s light went off. A moment later, another grunt and the surface right beneath the beacon opened up. A structure rose above the surface. It was a ten-by-ten rectangular structure which opened up once at the surface.
“What now?” Xithrium said.
“We go in. Check weapons and keep ready. Visors on,” Zerome ordered. All three stepped into the structure. After about few second the door closed and the jerk led them to realize that they were descending.
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The Hidden Lifeform
The structure descended ever so slowly making enough noise to wake up Zerome’s entire ship from slumber. He surmised that the unused structure had given abode to hydrated iron oxide, which in turn impeded the movement of the structure. The protests of the iron oxide notwithstanding, the descend continued. After a few minutes, the structure came to a halt with an even bigger grunt. The door opened, and Zerome awaited the moment of truth.
“Status?” Zerome was surprised to see an empty space once the door opened.
“They are all around us. Just not coming out,” Xithrium said, reaching out to grab her weapon from the thigh hold. Zerome and Lzara followed suit.
Zerome peeped into the dial which Xithrium was holding and walked towards the closest life form. He gestured to Lzara and Xithrium to stay back.
“Identify yourself,” an unknown voice called out from behind the wall.
“I am Zerome, captain of the Mirroring Transporter.”
“Mirroring Transporter?” the unknown voice asked.
“Yes.”
A shadow came out from behind the wall and walked towards the captain. Lzara and Xithrium walked towards the Captain with weapons pointing at the shadow. With each step, the shape of the individual was becoming apparent. It was similar to them – bipedal.
The individual came out of the shadow. Lzara and Xithrium took a step back. Zerome was frozen to say or do anything.
“I am Sherman, leader of the Area-51 bunker,” the man said. “I think you can remove your helmet. If you are from the Mirroring Transporter, then you should be fine.
Zerome clicked open his visor and Sherman was taken aback. That’s when it hit them that they were mirror images of each other. The other members of the bunker came out. Lzara and Xithrium were stunned as well to see their look alikes.
“Come, have something to eat. We owe each other a lot of explanation,” Sherman said and gestured them to walk towards a room.
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The Past
Zerome, Lzara and Xithrium had enough to eat. They were mesmerized by the fact that there were not only similar looking people but also others who were similar to the crew aboard Mirroring Transporter. Besides, the food was similar too.
“Well, Sherman, I think I am ready for the explanation,” Zerome said.
“Alright, let me tell you what I know. Eight centuries back in 2118, humans had progressed beyond hatred, anger and all known illogical emotions. There was consensus to destroy nuclear weapons. The ideal way was to put add-on boosters and fire them at the Sun. That way, we could destory the nuclear weapons in the safest manner possible. Our ancestors were amid technologies like teleporting, time mapping, holographic travel, space exploration and many other marvels of that time.”
“Our ancestors?” Lzara’s raised eyebrows backed her surprise.
“I will come to that,” Sherman said. “So, our planet was on the path of friendship and love. On a designated date, the weapons were fired for safe transit out of Earth’s atmosphere and its eventual destruction by the Sun’s heat.”
“So planet Gamma is Earth?” Zerome enquired.
“If we both are talking about this planet, then, yes, Earth,” Sherman said.
“So, let me guess what happened. Someone had other intentions of using the nuclear weapon. Backstabbing?”
“Very good, officer Xithrium, but that was not the case. Our ancestors timed the firing of the missiles quite well, such that each weapon would sequentially leave the atmosphere without affecting Earth or the satellites in space.”
Zerome was stroking his chin.
“Then, something went wrong. After nearly eight hundred missiles escaped our atmosphere, one of the weapons’ propulsion developed a snag and was unable to escape the atmosphere. It started a decay back to Earth. The sequentially fired missiles also met the same fate. Before our ancestors could stop the take-offs, fifteen weapons were already in the atmosphere. They were decaying rapidly. Earth had about three days before the missiles would completely decay and hit land.”
“Hmm. That explains the gamma radiation outside,” Zerome said.
“Yes, but it does not explain you and me.”
“True. So tell us.”
“The three days were too less to evacuate people or stop the missiles from falling back. So, they did something to preserve humans.”
“Twentieth-century bunkers,” Xithrium said.
“Correct. Our ancestors got some of the important people of the time and as many civilians as possible down to the bunker. But they then did something more. They cloned each of the humans in the bunker and teleported the clone on to the Mirroring Transporter.”
“Hmm.. Now, I get the reason for calling the ship the Mirroring Transporter. The mirror image of humans being transported,” Xithrium looked at Zerome.
“Correct, again, Xithrium. If the humans in the bunker did not survive, at least the clones would continue life over here, once they could return.”
“That still does not explain how we were back and how you all are still here,” Zerome was stroking his chin.
“Well, we being still here was us beating the odds of survival. But you coming was no coincidence. That was planned.”
“How come?”
“The beacon which you must have seen at the surface was to remain inactive till the radiation remained. Once the radiation dissipated, the beacon was activated to attract the attention of the Mirroring Transporter. That’s how you could come back and start life back over here.”
“That’s assuming you’ll do not survive,” Lzara said.
“Either way, with or without us. We couldn’t come out on our own at all; if we did, then we risked polluting the bunker and killing everyone. So, we had to wait until you returned. Only when you’ll opened the bunker could we be sure that it was safe for us to step out.”
“Does not sound fool-proof. We could have come on our own around here,” Zerome smiled.
“Not really. The Mirroring Transporter wouldn’t have allowed you to near Earth. Even if you did override the system and came close, you would not have come down with the radiation all over. The scans would have told you that the surface was too dangerous to land. And lastly, the beacon would have been inactive anyway amidst the radiation. So, sounds fool-proof to me.”
“Yeah, smart cookies our ancestors,” Lzara said. Sherman was happy that they were accepting their past.
“I have been wondering long about our genesis. Now, I have found it,” Zerome said.
“Welcome back to the past, then,” Sherman said and smiled.
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My World
“So, the beacon over Area-51 was for Mirroring Transporter alone?”
“Yes. There were many other bunkers and many other beacons and transporters. Now that the radiation has dissipated, those beacons would be activated too. So, we will have more Earthbound vessels soon,” Sherman explained.
“Sounds like fun,” Zerome said. “But there are two of us. What do we do?”
“Not only two of us but two of everyone in that bunker and Mirroring Transporter. You see, it was not just cloning but cellular-life-pattern cloning.”
“Which means?”
“Both will have a similar life trajectory. Same lifetime, same time of death, so on and so forth.”
“Why?” Zerome asked perplexed.
“Imagine your father or grandfather who passed away in Mirroring Transporter being still alive over here when you find them. Or imagine you coming here and finding two generations after you over here. That would have created too much of mental stress. Hence, we were time connected.”
“How come you know about the Mirroring Transporter and us. Yet we knew nothing about Earth?”
“That’s easy and I think you would have already guessed that. There was not enough time to give you literature or details of Earth before the nuclear disaster. To compensate this lack of knowledge, the beacon was designed to automatically send signal to the Mirroring Transporter. Also, our ancestors in the bunker ensured that knowledge of the Transporter was passed on to subsequent generations so that we were ready to meet you whenever you came.”
“Makes sense,” Zerome said. "But still, why not teleport you guys directly to the Mirroring Transporter then?"
"That would have been sheer call to ensure continuity of human life. If Earth was destroyed, at least, you remained. On the other hand, if you'll were destroyed in space, at least we remained."
"But now we both remain," Zerome completed. “So, coming back to my earlier question. We are two of us here. What do we do?”
“You live your life, and I live mine. I don’t think the gene-linking works once you are back here. Our ancestors thought through that too,” Sherman said.
“Well, good to know. Happy to have a home, finally,” Zerome smiled.
“And your own life,” Sherman completed the thought for Zerome.
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Image Courtesy: Pixabay