Caverns of Mercury

Chapter 1 – The Boss Juan Crewton had always been a law-abiding citizen, but that was about to change. Every man has his breaking point, and Juan had reached his. He double-checked the bomb, making sure all the connections were in tight. He hadn't set out to become a rebel. He wanted nothing more than to go to work, do his job well, and help his fellow Hermians turn Mercury into an awesome second home for the human race. The planet definitely had the potential. All it needed was men and women willing to put in the work. But one thing stood in the way of that, and that was politics. Juan set the timer for ten minutes. That would be long enough to get clear, but also short enough to prevent anyone from finding the device in time to disarm it. He activated it, and the digital clock began to count down. He stood and turned to leave. Strong hands grabbed him and threw him against the concrete wall. “Hey!” He tried to resist, but his arms were held tight by a pair of men, one on each side. He yanked and tugged and attempted to kick at their legs. A third man stepped forward and punched him in the belly. Juan gasped, and his legs gave out. He sank a little, held up by the two men whose fingers around his arms were like iron collars. His body convulsed and heaved, trying to get some air but not quite remembering how to do it. After a few agonizing moments, he started breathing in a normal rhythm again. The third man backed away, appraising the situation. He was short, well-built, and wore an expensive-looking business suit. He put his hands on his hips and looked curiously at the bomb. Juan squinted and stared, trying to identify the man. He was positive he had never met him before, but there was something familiar about him just the same. “What should we do with him, boss?” one of the men holding Juan asked. The man in the suit turned his focus from the bomb to Juan. “I don't understand. What were you trying to accomplish here? You obviously intended to blow up the inner door of this airlock, but that alone wouldn't cause a breach. You'd need to blow up the outer door, too.” Juan looked away and said nothing. “Maybe there's another bomb, boss,” the second man said. “One we can't see through the window. Outside, maybe. Want me to check it out?” The suited man looked thoughtful. “This airlock hasn't been opened recently. He'd have to have used it to go in or out, so he didn't carry a bomb out this way. He could have used a different airlock, but it would have to be one that was near enough to this one in order to plant both bombs quickly. After all, he wouldn't want to risk discovery. No, I think there's just the one bomb. Simpler that way. Fewer variables. I think he must have uploaded some sort of computer hack so he could open the outer door remotely.” Juan flinched at that. The suited man smiled. “Yes, that's it, isn't it? You open the outer door, blow the inner door, and then this whole sector loses its air. You would have preferred to open both doors at once, but the failsafes make that impossible. You don't like resorting to the use of a bomb. You're an intellectual. You like things that are clean and orderly and efficient, and bombs are none of that.” Juan stared at him incredulously. The man laughed. “Don't look so shocked. I know all about you, Juan Crewton.” He gestured to his men. “Let's examine that outer door, shall we?” One of the men opened the inner door, and then he and his pal wrestled Juan into the airlock. The suited man knelt next to the bomb, examined it for a moment, and then yanked out some wires. The digital counter disappeared. The man watched it for a moment, nodded, and then stood. He gave Juan a sympathetic look. “No boom, I'm afraid. Not anymore. But it's all right. You're about to experience something similarly exciting. Come on out of there, guys. Let Juan have the view all to himself.” The two men threw Juan against the outer door and then hurried out of the airlock. The inner door began to slide shut. Juan scrambled to his feet and dashed towards it. It closed before he could reach it. He pounded on it with his fists. “Enjoy your exposure to Mercury's atmosphere,” the suited man said through the airlock's speaker. “Or lack of, rather.” Juan stared at him through the window. “Please.” His stomach turned to acid, and his lip began to quiver. He glanced behind him at the outer door, and then looked back at the man. “Please don't do this. Put me in a cell. Put me to work in the mines, or in one of the factories. Anything. But not this.” The man's expression became hard. “If you think I'd let you off the hook like that, then you don't know me well at all.” Juan studied him again, trying to figure out why he looked familiar. “Who are you?” The man smiled. “I'm the boss. I just arrived today from Earth. You're my first small victory, but you won't be my last. Not by a long shot. In time, I intend to deal with every last rebel on this planet. And then I'll go after those Free Spacers on the other planets. In short, I'm the man who is going to remake the solar system into one holistic system of business and government. It's the natural order of things. And it all starts here on the gray planet.” He put his finger on the button for the outer door. “My name is Nat Leland, and Mercury is mine.” Juan's eyes widened. Nat pressed the button. The pumps whirred to life, sucking the air out of the airlock. Juan's ears popped, and he held his breath. He began clawing at the inner door's seal, trying to pry it open with his fingernails. One of his nails bent and ripped away from his finger, leaving it bloody and raw. He ignored it and kept scrabbling away, leaving red smears on the door. When as much of the air was reclaimed as possible, the pumps shut down. The sudden silence was eerie, and Juan began to tremble. He couldn't hold his breath anymore, and he exhaled with a wheeze. He tried to suck in another breath, but there was none to be had. He alternated between clawing at the door's seal and pounding on it with his fist. The outer door opened, and the remaining air rushed out. Juan spun around. There was just space now, a big nothing where a solid barrier had once been. The raw surface of Mercury lay beyond, a near-vacuum atmosphere pummeled ceaselessly by intense solar radiation. The lifeless landscape stretched to the horizon, offering naught but death. His body kept trying to breathe, heaving and gasping for air that was no longer there. He clawed at his throat, as if trying to free some obstruction or other. He sank to his knees and stared in horror at the open door. His consciousness began to fade, and he slumped over. His last thought was of how beautiful and bright the surface looked, like some sort of majestic gray desert glittering under a harsh white sun. Then the gray darkened to black, and he slipped away.