Under the same universe

E: M w

The drive to the station was much better traffic wise. Uggh, when I get to the station more paper work and more investigative reporting. But I  smile,  work is my life now.

I keep thinking about the clip I edited, the thing burning up in our atmosphere and the occasional pulsing purple flame coming from the object. I never did ask all my questions to the doc before chaos erupted.

I can only guess that the composition of metal and the heating of the rock made that color, kind of like the fireworks we all enjoy.

I will look over the footage and thanks to my slight fascination with being an astronaut as a kid, I bet I could predict the trajectory of the "meteor"  though I am pretty rusty.

I get to the building that houses the station, and sign in the equipment. I reinspect the SUV making sure I don't leave any personal items and to reassure myself that it is in clean working order. Hell, no I am not being blamed for someone else's mess.

So I also take pictures to show the security person, sign in the company car and walk to my floor where I have my desk. I take a second to get my thoughts together when I sit down. I twirl around the USB before inserting it into my workplace computer.

I watch the original clip at normal speed, marveling at the unusual bursts of purple flames licking the object. I am struck with, why would it suddenly have the purple flame near the end of the clip and no where else in the beginning of the clip? I slow the speed of the clip each time I see it until I get frame by frame of the event. I stop at the moment where it seemed like there was no flames engulfing the meteor.

What the hell, there should be a continuous burn into the atmosphere, right? I zoom in as much as possible, the pixels are very grainy but I can make out a small pointy corner. I close my eyes and wait a second to open them before zooming out and then in to make sure it wasn't just distortion from the video.

I go frame to frame repeatedly watching the meteor burst into flame and then not.  Until i got to the purple flame bit. It looked as though the purple flames where gently flowing off the rock instead of from the rock if that even makes sense.

I took about 2 hours of research and reviewing some math plus some frustrated anger with tears to figure out the approximate location. I think I have got a good idea where the thing might of landed. I pull up a map, going through each section carefully until I got to the abandoned section of manufacturing plants with mines.

I know some of these buildings personally. My dad use to work at one of these plants before it was packed up to another country where the labor was cheaper. I would go to the plant to wait in the lunch room for my mom to get off her shift to pick me up.

What my dad didn't know was that because I was insufferably bored I would study the different pictures on the wall about all the safety exits, the factory one dimensional layout and the mine shaft layout with its air shafts.

I look at my phone, its two in the morning almost three. I am kind of tired but the knowledge of what it might be doesn't leave me.  I shut down and put away my work space.

I get to my car, start to drive for miles before I realize that I am near the road block. I see no one, so I park my car in some obscure spot under a tree. I am already here I might as well, I shrug.

Taking in a deep breath, looking around at the darkness I start walking with the help of my phone and a picture of the map i had taken various pictures of.

Next thing I know its pitch black, there is no sweet smelling fresh air. Stale air is all around me and my feet crunch underneath me. I don't know how I GOT HERE.  I was tired but I damn well know what I was doing and where I was going. I get on my hands and knees searching for my phone. Nothing, a sheen of cold sweat coats my skin as I realize the gravity of the situation. Shit, Shit, SHIT. I gulp, I have no choice but to move forward. I had told no one where I was going and my phone has gone missing. Maybe missing work someone will try calling me and then send the police. I can only hope.

After crawling in endless darkness I sniff out fresh air. I almost smile I must be close to some kind of opening. The darkness around me gently lightens, something flows into my left eye. Whhhat? I guess in my desperation my injuries where ignored by my own pain receptors. I swiped the liquid from my eye, bringing it closer  to my face. Blood, it must be my blood.

There is enough light for me to realize that I am out of whatever it is I was in. Looking around, I straightened to my full height from a crawling position. A building looming over some distance away shocked me. My dad's old work place. I swivel around, the fucking mine shaft. I could have died.

                                    (Minipurse)