Gehenna (Part Two)

Their sighs, lamentations and loud wailings
resounded through the starless air,
so that at first it made me weep;
- Dante, Inferno, Canto III, lines 22-24

---

I slowly lowered myself down the shaft.  The elevators in this area were off line too. I elected to take a direct approach.



As I was not using any form of mechanical friction brake or harness, I had the rope wrapped around my waist in the traditional fashion. It was static rope, a nylon core in a black, braided polyester cover.  Low elasticity.



It had only been a month since being attacked by the spice miner in southern Araxes.  While I was feeling much better overall, I could feel this was stressing my injured ribs.



I came to rest on the lowest floor the elevator would have reached. I was now on Level One.  The floor with the loading bay, and its train, was Level Four. This meant two floors above me remained unexplored. I did not like the idea.  I was determined not to overlook anything of value, and I did not want any unknown dangers lurking behind me.



To my surprise the elevator to my right sat open.  As the only light in the lobby, it seemed warm and welcoming.  I peeked inside. It was clean. It appeared to be in working order. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the second floor.
 


I heard the moaning first, then the helpful little ding announcing my arrival. The door began to slide open with a faint scraping sound...

Time slowed.





Half a dozen shapes loomed. I saw my gun lower. I felt my finger tighten on the trigger. The weapon erupted, its muffled sounds amplified in the confines of the elevator.

Bodies pressed forward, hands grasping, and then collapsing in a red haze. Moans turned to cries and screams. The firing mechanism slammed home again and again. Empty cartridges leapt to the floor, tinkling as they struck the tiles.

Then suddenly it was over, and I was left with the sound of my heart pounding. I steadied myself against the wall and fought the urge to tear off my mask.

A moment passed.

Gingerly, I stepped over the grizzly remains and into the second floor lobby.

---

I made my way past a series of three sealed rooms. This was sterile packaging.



In the last room of the series, an articulated robotic arm spun violently around in wide circles.  The sharp claw at the end waved triumphantly above human remains on the floor. 

A machine malfunction had resulted in a gruesome, fatal accident. Another piece of the puzzle.



Still shaken by the incident at the elevator, it seemed to me that the further I travelled into this facility, the greater the horror that waited.

---

The hallway led to a set of steps and beyond that into a larger office area.

A cyclone could not have done more damage.  Cubicles and partitions shattered as though by a mighty blow. Chairs and desks uprooted.  Papers now scattered like so many fallen leaves. The lights here, where they worked, flickered on and off.



On my right, at the far end of the room, I could see people.

---

Her dress had been pretty once.  Stylish yet business appropriate. Perfect for the office. She had been someone who had taken pride in her appearance, no doubt taking care that final morning to make herself presentable for whatever the day might bring.

But now the bow on her dress was hanging limp to one side. The heel of her right pump was missing making it difficult for her to balance. Her skin was a sickly pale.  Her head hung at an odd angle as the muscles in her neck began to fail. Her hair had the dry texture of the deceased.

She hovered amidst the debris of her working life – the memos, the work orders, family photos, and those little artifacts we add to our office area to make it our space,

She was not alone.  A man stood by the false window weaving back and forth. Another, with broken limbs, dragged himself in small patterns across the floor. The geometry of the damned.

But it was the woman who caught my attention, and to her my gaze returned. I could not bring myself to pull the trigger.



How many people had worked in this facility? How many were affected?

I lowered my weapon.  I decided she and her co-workers presented no immediate danger, and I turned my attention to the opposite side of the room.

---

A cardboard box sat open on one of the upright tables, someone’s attempt to gather things of importance.  Sadly, the carton was empty. It would have been useful to see what someone felt was valuable enough to save. Confidential memos might have been actionable. Personal items could have helped identify victims.
 


I glanced at the papers spread out across the floor. There was too much evidence here. What I would give for a week in this place with a forensic team!  I needed time to measure and to classify. I needed time to build a case of criminal negligence against Umbrella.



But weeks I did not have, and we had decided on a covert approach to maximize the value of any information I might find. 

Quickly, I began to sort through the papers on the floor. I took what I thought useful. Kneeling down, I stuffed my pockets with phone message logs, signed packing slips, schedules for who made the coffee, anything with a date and a name.

Somewhere these people had families.

I stood up, and took one last look around the room, then returned the way I came.

---

Level Three, by contrast, was dark and cold.



As the elevator door closed, I lost my only source of light, and the darkness engulfed me. I turned on my flashlight.



The layout of the lobby was identical to those I had seen so far.  The hallway, on this level, turned to the left.  There was an unhealthy chill in the air. Refrigeration gone terribly wrong.



Down the corridor, a door stood open. Mist spilled out into the passage. A glow from inside beckoned. I clamped my flashlight to my belt and crept forward.



I had found cold storage, but nothing prepared me for what was inside.



Bagged, and hanging from a rail on the ceiling, were two figures. A third figure was stretched on its back across a small examination table.

They were humanoid in shape but there was nothing human about them. Each was taller than any man.  The skin on the top portion of the head appeared to be pealed back and the bone removed to reveal the hemispheres of the brain. Agony was written on the lower section of the face.



Muscles appeared exposed on the torso and limbs. The limbs were distorted, as if the creatures were as comfortable on four legs as two. The hands resolved into long claw like fingers or talons.
 


As I stood contemplating the atrocities before me, it was clear that this had been deliberate.  The design of these creatures may have been discovered through a series of experiments, but here were three such beings, apparently identical. One was still attached to monitors. That suggested an attempt to study and to replicate.



I took photo images, measurements, and tissue samples.

---

At once I understood,
and I was sure this was that sect of evil souls who were
hateful to God and to His enemies.
- Dante, Inferno, Canto III, lines 61-63