District 111

The air near District 111 is thinner so it was crucial to bring a few extra tanks of oxygen, although it made a large dent in Prosperity's supplies budget. "The dent was necessary," Frank said before we all departed from the rooftop hanger. Frank said a lot of things before the war, or so I was told. Afterward... he chose his words carefully and stoically. He had a right not to talk if he didn't want to divulge, after all, he was there during The Fall. October 14th, 2089 was the exact date and year the bees disappeared.

Before the news outlets took over the subject matter, there was gossip concerning a FDA-approved pesticide that was causing the species population to decline rapidly. The media pointed fingers of blame towards different countries until at least five of the accused stood up in arms and declared World War III on the United States.

When the bees disappeared, NASA, the CDC, TWAS, the United Nations, and all other countries attended a world conference to discuss the plan for the human species if hope became expendable. It was known as Operation Endurance and was also called the Early Armistice Attempt. There was Plan A, and then Plan B. Time ran out for plans and scientists, as they stated the clock starts and ends with ten years. A decade to fix what was gradually destroyed by human greed almost 200 years in the making.

We had ten years to successfully clone and replicate the DNA in bees to foster the evolution process of the species in hopes it was enough time for the bees to propagate, expand and promote growth, or our hopes lied with the group of astronauts deployed into the galaxy and distant solar systems to find sustainable life conditions as well as organic material growing on a planet. If they were to discover these planets, they were to disperse the remaining colonies of bees upon that surface world as a last resort to sustain life for the human race. And they were to remain on whatever distant world they came upon in case Plan A was a failure.

There was limited coverage for the crisis during the launch of Perseverance and her crew of six astronauts. Death became impatient for blood until the third world war occurred. Laws were destroyed overnight, businesses, banks, and hospitals overrun by radical groups and terrorist organizations infiltrated every known and unknown system of government. And then, the Earth went dark for years. All we have of what's left of the old world are tattered books, abandoned 20th-century structures and homes, and a fraction of the technology humans had a century ago. Prosperity was one of the factions that were created to resemble some form of order; a structure for the new judicial system and enforcement of Law. The human race had forgotten about Operation Endurance, including Perseverance and her crew, except for Prosperity. And regrettably, the human race became increasingly malnourished as the years passed by.

Margot Byrnes started her campaign with Prosperity during the Summer of 2142, and the leader of the cruiser was Frank Deans, the last known survivor, and veteran of World War III. That was 7 years ago, and Margot knew more about the History of the World now than she did before she met him. Margot had the best hand-eye coordination out of the team members so she operated the patrol cruiser that would escort Team Lumin to District 111, or what used to be North America. There were irregular readings of data sent back to the main server Homeland utilized and Margot was called in to interpret the readings. She discussed the findings amongst the crew as they drove to Site Q.

The jeep growled in protest as Margot Brynes accelerated over the uneven terrain, causing billows of red dust to rise in their wake. Even the windshield wipers did little to divert the effects of the dust storm. The lightning struck leagues away, illuminating the cabin of faces in the vehicle.

"Is that someone important to you?" Danny Stone indicated with his head in the direction of the visor. A photograph of an adolescent brunette girl wearing a red sweater and jeans was clipped on. The girl was smiling with a slightly younger version of Margot beside her.

Margot's eyebrows raised in question until she followed Danny's line of sight, and sighed while flipping the visor closed without uttering another word.

"She doesn't mean to bite, Stone, only when you get too close." Frank chuckled, typing different commands into his laptop.

"Shut it, Frank. I just want to get in and get out. You know I don't like coming out here." Margot flipped some controls that decreased pressure in the cabin gradually, the engines beneath the cruiser fired awake. "Yes." She stated curtly to Danny, brooking no argument from him.

The rest of the team observed District 111 through the cabin windows as they arrived at the outskirts of Site Q. The inner compound was over 200 feet beneath the ground, which was why Frank believed it necessary to bring a handful of extra oxygen tanks as a precaution. District 111 was known for its surface and the ground beneath to be overheated to the point of softening metals which is why it's a risk to investigate this Hell on Earth.

Frank pressed a melody of keys that shifted Prosperity further down what's called The Pit: the 237-foot drop deep beneath the dirt.

"I was assigned to Lumin to collect samples of biological materials and compounds, but what's the point if it's too dangerous to be handled without injury or death?" Howard Banks scoffed, having been forced to join the expedition as one of the last known microbiologists aside from Margot herself.

Margot rolled her eyes at the miserable man in the rearview mirror and addressed the team of the impending landing. Keeping her hands steady, Margot gripped the handle to gradually power down the engines.

"Drop in 5, 4, 3..."

"..2,...1," Frank chimed in unison, marking the seconds with his right hand. "Engage exhaust, power down main thrusters. STARS, what's your reading of the site?" He looked over in the jungle of wires along the roof of the cabin where the A.I. robot nested, conserving power. A titanium humanoid with bright blue pupils awoke without sound and tilted his head toward Frank.

"Godspeed, Mr.Deans. The most updated result is inconclusive with the reading prior to landing. At 0400 hours this morning, the temperature intake malfunctioned and froze to negative 30 degrees celsius. "

Frank sighed, "Well, that isn't strange at all," as he adjusted his helmet and exited the cabin. All five of them, including STARS, walked along the ground. Margot noted curiously to herself that her protective suit felt heavier outside the cabin. "The air is thinner and denser at the same time? How?" She whispered, looking around the abyssal darkness.

"STARS, come on, man," Howard complained, trying but failing to turn on his flashlight from his control panel. The headlamp attached to his helmet flickered with dying light, casting ominous shadows dancing along the dank cavern walls. Fear seized him for a split moment. Cold sweat threaded its way along his neck as he blinked at a fleeting image that shifted; a face of shadows that was no friend to him.

Danny Stone came up behind Howard as the man waved Danny away impatiently, trying to catch a glimpse of what he saw moments before in the wavering light.

"I'm on it." STARS complied, data scrolled across the robot's pristine features as it accessed its mainframe. A bright glare flooded the premise, the deep crevice-like cavern becoming visible in the realm of light.

"To answer your question earlier, Mr. Banks, the reason why Prosperity dragged you out here is that instead of the usual 200-400 Fahrenheit temperature we'd get out here, this site for some reason came back as cold. Colder than anything could possibly get around here." Frank said, staring at the bold intimidating formation of rock a handful of yards ahead.

"Margot, what do you see? You're further ahead than us." Danny spoke, walking closer towards the woman who went silent on him in the cruiser, and now out on the field, too.

A deep unsettling feeling came upon the crew, unannounced and uninvited. Just as their ears popped in unison, a faint glow appeared from further within the rock. STARS aimed his lights towards the glow and a hush befell the group in an audible silence.

Margot stumbled, her knees hitting the dirt with force as she desperately clawed the ground, a glint of metal catching the light in the tussle. She sat upon her ankles defeatedly, holding what appeared to be a heart-shaped locket.

"..Willow..?" she breathed, clutching the locket and raising her head to see a glow emitting from the mound of dirt that drew the team's attention.

Her eyes ran along the wall, reading the illuminated words as bitter, angry tears streaked her cheeks.

Frank eyed the locket unsteadily, his jaw-dropping open as he recalled the horrible event Margot shared with him. A memory of Margot years ago tearfully regaling her experience flooded his mind.

"She was taken out of thin air, Frank," Margot said with tears and disdain.

"What exactly do you mean?" He implored her.

"I saw a creature pour out of the corner of a wall in my apartment, grab my daughter, and dragged her back into the crack in the wall. Her scream went with her, muffled beneath the brick." She stared at the floor and sobbed into her hands.

Frank didn't know how, but he knew he believed her. He asked her what creature took her daughter and she turned to him, her lips trembling out of fear and rage.

"It was pitch black and had fire for eyes."

Frank came back to reality, remembering his heart beating fast as she recalled what happened. He knew what this site was before they left the cruiser. He could feel it.

Margot let out a wail of anguish. Her voice echoed along the tunnel, the cry reverberating off the rock distortedly. A pulse followed, very similar to a quake as the team observed the earth tremble faintly, then shake violently as the wave of pressure seeped into the rock. The light from before, the false light emitting from the mound began to pulse like a strobe. It was then they could see the mound of rock was in actuality a large doorway. The letters glowed with a sinister luster.

Relinquĭte omnem spem, vōs quī intrātis

"It's Latin," Howard exclaimed. He thought for a moment, a bewildered expression capturing his features. "Abandon... all hope, ye who... enters here." His voice sounded far away as he spoke the words.

"What the hell is that!" Danny screamed, pointing at the ground near Margot. Black shadows crept from the ground beneath her body, aiming for the light emitting from the Gates of Hell. All around them the ground beneath began to glow like dying embers, the cold dissipating as quickly as the heat poured in.

The locket levitated in the direction of the Gate as if to guide her steps. Amidst the chaos, Frank witnessed Margot crawling into the gateway and knew instinctively that the pathway would close. He dodged black mist and reached for his rifle inside the cockpit.

"Margot! Catch!" He threw the old rifle towards her and saw her catch it single-handedly.

Margot stood, her ears ringing whilst looking out of the doorway. Howard and Danny were faltering unsteadily along the ground, hugging their helmets as if something was inside them. Frank was looking at her with a sad smile as the heat along the ground began to build.

"I love you like a daughter, Marge. Now go find Willow."

Before she could say anything, an inferno erupted, swallowing her old life. The new path lay in darkness. The locket thrummed with life and beckoned.