Consequences

“Don’t worry. The only people who know about it are you, me, and a couple of my security guys who know how to keep quiet.” Mr. Carson’s voice echoed from the open window of the expensive vehicle he’d arrived thirty minutes ago in.

Brian closed his eyes. His boss was right. He couldn’t afford to say anything, even if this whole business rubbed him the wrong way. One last time. He almost had enough to buy a ticket home. Once there he’d forget all about – well, everything.

“Johnson!”

Brian opened his eyes at the sound of his surname, turning to look at the man he’d hired on with over five years ago. Malcolm Carson was one of the richest men in the Omega System. That fact seemed cool when Brian first met him. He’d arrived at Atlas Five at the tender, and impressionable, age of eighteen. Flat broke after using his university funds to purchase the ticket. Getting hired into Carson’s security team was a dream come true; enforcing his belief he’d done the right thing even though his parents disinherited him for it.

Now, looking back, he saw what an idiot he’d been.  To reach the level of wealth his boss had, one did a lot of unpleasant things. Or to be more exact, one paid others to do such things. Others like Brian.

“Mr. Carson,” he replied. Calm. Expressionless. His boss waved him over as he stepped out of the deluxe Rover.

“How long to dig it up, do you think?”

Brian shrugged, knowing the gesture would piss his boss off and just not caring. He didn’t want to do this. It wasn’t right.  “Depends on how far down it goes. Can’t tell from here.”

His boss’s gaze narrowed in on his face, which Brian kept expressionless. A talent he’d picked up shortly into his working relationship with this man.

“What’s the deepest one on record?”

Brian’s fascination with Atlas Five history was a well-known fact. He’d often be found with a data tablet open to one of the latest studies.

“Twenty feet.”

“Hmm, an hour or two then. Once it’s clear of the ground, we stake the body in the sun and fill up the hole. Poof. No endangered species to worry about.” His boss looked up at the pale crimson sky. “Looks like you need to start digging, or you’ll lose the strongest of the light.”

Brian nodded.  His teeth clenched tight, he stayed quiet as Carson got into his vehicle and left. He remained standing, watching, until he saw only an empty red horizon before him.

His company vehicle, a gray Rover built to withstand missile and laser fire, was parked behind him. He trudged over to it trying to find a way out of this mess.  He pulled out the mech-drill, standard issue on Rovers here, and set it up by the hole in the ground which was encircled by intricate alien carvings. Mr. Carson had been furious when he heard about its existence.

The previous owner didn’t disclose that an Alien gravewell existed on the land. Gravewells meant the government seizing the land to study it. Instead, the man sold it. Brian had caught up with him two days after the sale. Now, not only was he property-less, but he was also life-less.  And one more black mark existed on Brian’s soul.

Big red buttons tended to be self-explanatory. Brian stared at the drill’s. Do this or walk away? He didn’t have the funds yet for off planet travel and so what if he did? Mr. Carsen’s reach stretched over multiple solar systems.  

“I can help you.”

The words didn’t truly register at first. Brian paced beside the drill. One article he’d read claimed gravewells weren’t actual graves, but others quickly denounced it. Still.

“…help me.”

Shit, he’d lost it completely if he was talking to himself.

“I can help you, if you help me.”

That wasn’t him. He spun around searching, but no one was there.

“Don’t hurt me.”

“Who is this?”

A strange tug at his fingers.

He glanced down at his hand. Nothing. Wait. Faint light pulsed along the alien markings.

He stumbled back, tripped; twisting at the last minute to land on his knees. A light burning on his foot made he glanced behind him. His boot touched one of the markings. He tried to push away, but something stronger yanked him onto the gravewell.    

Flames burst for the sky and then disappeared. The land lay empty once more.