Chapter 1: The Hole In The Earth
"This technology... its revolutionary!" The scientist on the screen exclaimed excitedly to the reporter, "This new laser drill is guaranteed to help us uncover new secrets about the planet we live on! Truly a breakthrough of the century!"
The TV continued showing the interview with the famous geologist. But today, my father and I were going famous than him, since we invented this laser drill that the news, worldwide, were talking about.
Let me introduce myself before anything else...
My name is Xavier Hinata. I'm half-Japanese, half-American, and the best way to describe my personality is... I'm a nerdy social recluse.
Yep, a basic of a definition as I could get. But it's true. I'm a nerd who hates the outside world.
That's because some bad things happened in my life... I was...
...
You know what, let's just get to more less-personal stuff.
My father is purely Japanese blood, but moved to America when he was little. There, he met a woman who became his wife, my mom, and also studied laser technology and geology for his entire life.
He was insanely busy, so I decided to help him by doing well in my academics. All of it paid off when I scored a job at his institute working as his assistant. We developed new technologies and formulas together, which were already quite spectacular already, and earned us a significant amount of fame and fortune, but our life's breakthrough never came until two months ago, when we finally worked out a blueprint for a laser that's so powerful and strong, it could dig all the way into the crust of the earth, and even into the mantle, we could even go beyond if we tried.
And today, was finally the day we could use it. After endless tests and trials, the government finally gave us their permission to test its full limits, and in front of the entire world too!
We also intended to travel down the hole to study whatever's down there. So to prepare for that trip, we made a special robotic suit made of the toughest material we could afford, and contains an intensely high-powered vacuum to suck out as many atoms as possible. We layered the inside with stacks of photonics crystals to prevent radiation from also harming us, and the team we're be going down with.
It's been tested, and it could withstand temperatures as high as ten thousand degrees Celsius, which is about double the temperature of the Earth's core. And withstand pressure as much as the deepest crevices of the Mariana Trench. It holds enough oxygen to last a person for an entire twenty-four hours, and stored enough energy to power itself for about a week.
We should be ready and set to go.
Me, my father, and a team of scientists will be venturing down the deepest hole mankind has ever created.
I felt a mixture of emotions stir around inside me.
"Hey." A deep, yet confident voice came from behind me, "Are you ready to go? Our laser is scheduled to shoot in approximately thirty minutes. We should be at the control center by now."
I turned around and saw my father dressed in a laboratory outfit, with the lab coat, protective goggles, rubber gloves, the whole shebang. There was a small symbol on the sleeve of his lab coat: a black 'H' letter in between a semicircle, a red line crossing the middle of the 'H' letter, the words 'Hinata Scientific Institute' displayed below. His wrinkled eyes and face, droopy from age and a lifetime of unfailing concentration in his experiments, faced me with a glowing determination and diligence.
This was the moment we worked for our whole lives. I couldn't waste it now.
I looked at him in the eye, "Yeah, I guess I'm ready as I ever could be."
I stood up from my armchair, and walked past him towards my temporary room to get changed.
But he probably caught on to my nervousness anyway.
"Don't be scared," I heard him say, "We're only be outside for a little while."
I stopped for a second. My head bowed, and facing away from him.
Then I continued walking.
--
"Chirsta... I whispered into her ear, rubbing her naked arm with my fingers, "I love you..."
"Me too..." She answered back. I could feel her fingers slide down my chest, getting dangerously close to my groin.
I pulled back her soft, brown hair gently and kissed her neck, sucking on it passionately. I could hear her moan in pleasure.
"Don't ever leave me..." I whispered.
I took her cheek in my hand.
"Of course." She smiled, giving me a small peck on my lips, "I promise..."
...
...
Who knew that she would break that promise less than a month later...
--
I stared at the carved, golden ring on my finger, thinking back in nostalgic despair. Gazing at it with forlorn desire.
A small, yet extremely valuable diamond sat desrletly on top of the priceless piece of jewelry.
This ring alone was easily worth tens of thousands dollars, maybe even a hundred thousand.
It was a symbol of wealth. A piece of work representing the fame and fortune my father and I had earned in our years of research together.
And yet...
"Gahhh!!" I threw it as hard as I could towards the solid steel wall in front of me. Releasing all my pent up frustration and rage on it.
It ricocheted off the wall and bounced on the floor with a few 'tinks' and 'tanks' until it slid to a stop through the force of friction and gravity.
Being personally customized to be extremely sturdy and possibly unbreakable through pure human force, it didn't even have a scratch on it.
It probably caused more damage to the molecular structure of the wall than to itself.
My head hurts.
I should probably calm down before I cause my own brain to have a hemorrhage.
I took a deep breath and counted to ten. Then walked over towards my abused ring and picked it up, putting it back on my ring finger.
When suddenly, I heard a knock on the door to my room, then it creaking open.
"Xavier?" My personal butler and only friend, Jacob, opened the door and peeked inside hesitantly, "Is everything okay? I heard you shouting."
"Yeah..." I turned my eyes towards him, "I just... remembered again..."
"Okay..." Jacob reluctantly closed the door, "If you say so..."
He left.
I yet, I just stood still for a moment. Thinking. Breathing.
I think it's time I get changed and ready.
Ready to make history.
--
The mechanical door before me slid into the wall automatically with a scan of my ID. A synchronized voice box above me produced the words 'Welcome Xavier Hinata'.
I took a deep breath.
I stepped through the metal frame of the door into the massive conference hall, and was immediately greeted with a thunderous applause from the audience in front of me.
They were scientists, journalists, and reporters from all over the globe, from different races, ethnic groups, countries, cultures, backgrounds, studies, all here to view the greatest, and most powerful laser ever created, to see it operate in all its glory.
They sat around round tables, originally talking and chatting to each other about their work and life, before putting their hands together and welcoming me with open arms.
To be standing before them all... I felt elated and...
Afraid.
My insecurities were getting to me again.
What if one of them wants to talk to me? What if a reporter interviews me in front of the world? What if I say something wrong? What if I embarrass myself again? What if...
All these 'What if'-s filled my mind. I could barely concentrate and focus on what was before me now.
This was the greatest event viewed by the world since the first moon landings, and I was going to be part of the center of it all.
That thought made me even more nervous.
Sweat started raining down like a waterfall, into my ears, my mouth, nearly into my eyes. My hands started twitching. I tried to smile, but it probably made my fear look even more obvious.
The faces of the audience before me started to merge together, their laughs distorted and weird, their bodies spiraling into a single entity. A single face.
It was a face of a beautiful girl, a woman with flowing brown hair and eyes. She stared at me with a menacing grin, a look that towered over me. I was nothing but a lonely atom before a mind-numbing galaxy. She opened her mouth and whispered, 'I promise...'
Those words echoed again and again in my mind.
The applause died down, and the eyebrows of some skeptical people raised as they started murmuring to each other.
'Is this really THE Xavier Hinata?'
'He looks like a puny mouse...'
'Did he really discov—'
Suddenly, a loud booming voice, accompanied with a pat on my shoulder, snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Everyone! Please put your hands together again to welcome my son!" My father spoke into the microphone as he slung his arm around me, "Let's ensure that it's astronomically loud so that he can REALLY hear it!"
Again, the giant room was filled with the reverberations of great applause and cheers.
My father patted me on my shoulder again and guided me towards the front of the stage.
I nervously adjusted my lab coat.
"Just bear with it a little longer..." He assured me softly as I stared blankly at him, "I won't make you do the interviews later on if you don't want to. So you don't have to worry."
I was still worried though.
My father stopped as we reached the edge. "Greetings everyone!" He raised the microphone to his lips when the applause stopped slowly, "I formally thank you once again for being able to join us in this momentous occasion! Now that all of us are here, we can start with the first event... Dinner!"
The conference hall was filled with mutters and murmurs of confusion.
My father burst out in laughter, "Oh, I'm just joking! You all don't have to fret."
The murmurs were soon replaced by laughter too. Some were genuine, others were of pure annoyance.
He cleared his throat as he handed me a pair of special goggles made to block out rays of harmful light and radiation into our eyes. "Now, let's get on to the real event! The laser."
He raised his hands and clapped a couple of times.
A metal shutter behind us opened up, revealing a control room filled with scientists who worked under us. They were furiously pressing buttons and analyzing monitors.
My father clapped again.
And then, the walls beside us opened up as metal shutters as well.
The audience in front of us gasped as they turned their heads to the metal shutters.
They opened up, and was slowly pulled upwards by a system of gears and cranks, and a transparent glass pane replaced it behind.
And through it, the outside world was revealed.
A landscape of trees and vegetation spread out before us. But what was truly marveling was the massive machine erected up in the distance, supported by four titanium legs. Made out of a variety of metals and materials worth millions of dollars, it was a beautiful sight to behold, but as awesome as it looks, being an amazing work of art wasn't its true purpose. There was giant lens placed right in the middle of great behemoth. It was aimed directly into the Earth. A huge heat and radiation protective barrier had been set up about a kilometer from the machine itself.
We were currently in a conference hall about forty stories in the air, in the middle of a great forest in the equator of the Earth.
And we were going to witness a laser, OUR laser, dig into the very flesh of the Earth.
Truly remarkable.
"Now listen carefully, everyone." My father spoke again, "As nice as it is to see the laser in all its glory, it would also be nice to KEEP seeing..." He chuckled lonesomely, then cleared his throat again. "...When you first entered the hall, you should have been given a pair of protective goggles. Please put them on now while the laser is charging up."
Every person took out and put on a pair of goggles similar to the pair my father gave me earlier.
My father and I too, put on these goggles. To ensure our lenses don't fry as we watch the laser.
I strapped the rubber band around my head and adjusted them to fit around my eyes perfectly.
The view was a bit blurred, and darkened. But knowing how bright our laser could get, I was going to need it.
My father put a finger to a small device in his ear, as if listening to something. Then he turned back to the audience.
"And without any further a do, let's begin!" He said and raised his arm.
The audience before us started clapping with enthusiasm, probably overjoyed that they didn't have to listen to my dad's jokes again.
But their joy would be suddenly disrupted as a bright light shone from the side.
From the lens of the laser, a red, blazing light shone into our eyes.
The laser was ready.
Reporters and cameramen began crowding towards the giant glass pane. Speaking, shouting, trying to get their voices heard.
We watched with awe and admiration, as the light grew brighter and brighter. I thought that the goggles were not going to be enough to protect us from the curse of permanent blindness.
But fortunately, just moments before I was going shut my eyes...
The laser finally fired.
A strong and loud sonic boom resonated through the entire area, blowing the leaves off trees, knocking birds out of the sky, and popping our ears.
I cringed as I felt the air in my ears rush out suddenly, and swallowed to correct it.
Then I stared again in wonder at the great beam of heat and light. That extraordinary beacon that dug into the crust, into the very skin of the Earth.
It was amazing.
But then, all of a sudden—
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening howl resonated through the land, nearly bursting my eardrums from the inside out.
The ground trembled like an earthquake had hit us.
I nearly slipped, but I managed to steady myself before I fell down.
Some others weren't so lucky. They fell from their seats, screamed and yelled in pain and fear, hid under the tables.
But then, they started clapping.
They cheered and called out in approval.
They thought that this was supposed to happen.
But it wasn't.
It WASN'T supposed to happen.
The sonic boom was expected, but that ghastly howl...
It sounded like a scream.
A scream of pain.