Final Destination, Chapter 6: September 27, 3094

“I have some results,” the computer told me this afternoon.

“Wonderful,” I said. “It’s about time. What have you found?”

“It looks like my plasma hypothesis is correct, Miles Porter. Based on the analysis of the rock samples that the probes have obtained it would appear that sometime around the year 2800 this system was struck by a fast-moving wave of plasma that obliterated everything in its path. The rocks that survived were probably on the side of the planet opposite to the plasma, so they had some protection. The rocks indicate that the plasma composition – ”

“Who cares about the plasma composition, Al! Get to the point, please. Did you find any signs of life? Any artifacts?”

“I am not done with my report, Miles Porter. There is important plasma data – ”

“Yes, Al, you are done with your report. You are not going to tell me about the plasma’s chemical composition. Tell me about the artifacts.”

“I have found one artifact so far, Miles Porter. It would appear that a section of a facility survived the blast and is still intact.”

Al loaded some probe data onto the cockpit console and started showing me some pictures. “This particular fragment, which I have labeled 0141-5926-5358, is an oblong rock fragment 3 miles by 4 miles by 9 miles at its longest points. It has on it a section of research facility that at one time must have been deep underground. The facility does have some damage but its outer walls were built out of an immensely strong shell and have survived relatively intact.”

The pictures the console displayed were encouraging. I could see what he meant: the outside of the facility was burnt down to bare metal but the building itself looked intact. Part of it was protruding out of the ground, but the computer believed that there was another section located underground.

I was pleased. “This is terrific news, Al! Well done. Take us there and land outside the facility. Once we get there I’m going to go out and do some investigating.”

“Very good, Miles Porter. We should be there in about twenty minutes.”

* * * * *

The computer was exactly right. Twenty minutes later we had landed on the rock fragment (I guess you could call it an asteroid, although it wasn’t exactly orbiting a star). Al set the ship down squarely in front of the research base, which was much larger than I thought it would be. The front door was actually pretty large, and it presented me with my first problem.

“Ok, Al, so do you have any suggestions for opening the door?” I asked.

“I am not programmed to perform that function, Miles Porter. You will have to use your own resources.”

I looked at that huge door and grimaced. This would take a little bit of work.