The Floor is Lava

Nathaniel steps around the purple ferns sticking out of the black volcanic soil. He has lived on this planet for several years now, mining uranium. The original miners had reached the limits of their technology and left the planet a century earlier. Nathaniel now took their place with some tech bought from the future. With the treasure he was digging up, he could power his ship and finance his travels for millennia. “I love the smell of neutrons in the morning.”

He then walks around one of the uranium piles left on the surface. His healing power makes him immune to the radiation’s long-term effects. As long as he doesn’t touch it, he’s fine. His plan was to prepare uranium in concise piles for easy pick up later. Although they tended to heat up and deteriorate lumped together in such large amounts, his future self could always pick them up yesterday before they had gone too far. This planet was to be his secret stash to be harvested as long as he wants.

He steps over some scat. There were animals here that excreted Prince Rupert drops of glass. One bad step and they would explode. He sees the animals among the ferns foraging for their nuts. They could be predatory at times, but their coal-like, infrared eyes could not see anything as small and cold as Nathaniel. Finally, he gets to one of the main entrances and climbs down the ladder. He meets up with Haticat, Fred, and Doctor Bill underground. “This vein is almost depleted,” Doctor Bill reports.

“Good. Just two more months of this and we are back in the exploring business,” Nathaniel says.

“Yes, mining is fun but I miss the variety of seeing a new planet every week,” Haticat says.

“And we’ll never have to stop for fuel again,” Nathaniel adds.

“Captain, the antigravity beam has been running slow today,” Fred announces.

“It just needs to be re-tightened until it has enough twist to shear the rock apart,” Nathaniel says.

“Oh,” Fred replies.

Nathaniel takes a walk through the mines. He will miss this place. He and his Stuffians built these tunnels. They had lived and worked here. He turns down a tunnel he rarely travels anymore just for old time’s sake. He takes in every curve and bump in the rock. “Hey, what’s this pickax doing here?” He bends down to look at it. It is not one of his. There are foot prints nearby – sneakers. He follows them for a while to a hole in the wall he does not remember. Holding up the radio to his face, he says, “Haticat, we have intruders.”

Soon, Nathaniel, Haticat, Fred, and Doctor Bill explore new tunnels they didn’t know existed. Doctor Bill scans the walls. Oxidation rates show this rock was exposed between nine and twelve months ago. “So, someone else was on this planet all this time, mining a mere kilometer away,” Haticat says.

“They must have discovered the equipment left by the original miners after we had moved west,” Nathaniel says.

“These footprints are recent,” Fred says with infrared goggles on his face. “They’re still warm.”

The four spread out and ready their laser pistols. They enter a roughly spherical cavern where equipment is stored. There are packages of drill bits and packages of tiny robots. “Who are you?” a voice demands. Haticat and Doctor Bill turn to see a Nino behind them holding a dual-aim laser pistol pointed at both of them. It is bigger than theirs.

“Who are you?” Nathaniel asks. He and Fred step out from behind a pallet of boxes behind the Nino, their guns aimed at him.

The Nino drops his gun and raises his arms. “If you try to take the mine without learning the equipment, it will collapse on you.”

“I can’t take it; it’s already my mine,” Nathaniel says.

“It’s mine!” the Nino replies.

“Mine!” Nathaniel yells.

Eventually, it is learned that the Nino’s name is Androw. He has been on the planet for two years and they have each been using the tunnels of the other, believing them to be part of the original structure. They reach a tentative agreement to share the mine, pending a more permanent arrangement that will divide it into two zones. Then they go their separate ways.

Unfortunately, they make lousy neighbors. Androw digs beneath one of Nathaniel‘s antigravity beam platforms and it falls into the chasm. They reach a truce, but then Nathaniel discovers Androw’s prospector bots using his water supply. It is only a small amount, but Nathaniel reacts by diverting an entire stream away from Androw’s zone. Androw shows up at Nathaniel‘s home with a drill truck, screaming and swearing. They reach a truce again, but five days later Nathaniel finds one of his screens that he uses to keep out animals has been cut. “Why did you cut it without asking me?” Nathaniel asks.

“You’re hard to talk with,” Androw replies.

“That’s not the point. Why did you cut it at all?” Nathaniel asks.

“Why not? It was in my way,” Androw replies with a snort.

“Do you know what’s in my way? This whole operation!” Nathaniel yells, then turns and fires a laser into Androw’s main control panel. Sparks fly. Alarms blare.

“Wait, what did you do?” Androw runs over to the control panel. “No, no, no, the robo-jacks need constant feedback from the seismometers. The whole system is collapsing!”

“Is that bad?” Nathaniel asks.

The cavern begins to shake. Hot gas hisses ominously from holes in the ground and then a bit of lava squirts from one of the holes. Nathaniel, Haticat, Fred, Doctor Bill, and Androw run through a tunnel, but eventually find their way blocked by a growing river of molten, radioactive metal. They take a zip line across, but the river is rising fast. Androw crosses first and throws the handle back to Nathaniel, who crosses second. Androw runs ahead while Nathaniel throws the handle back to Haticat. While Haticat is crossing, a sudden surge of lava catches his legs and pulls him downstream, bursting into flame. Then the stream rises even higher, blocking Nathaniel‘s view of Fred and Doctor Bill and forcing him back as it starts to flow down the tunnel he is in. He runs.

With all walkable tunnels blocked, Androw and Nathaniel resort to climbing up a vertical shaft one hundred meters deep. They push their hands and feet against the sides for enough friction to keep from slipping. Minutes later, glowing lava appears below them and the temperature slowly rises. When they finally reach the top of the shaft, they are still not in the clear. Androw’s stored uranium piles at this level have also collapsed and melted. There are already rivers. He accesses a terminal that still works to ascertain the damage. “The east side is completely blocked. I can’t get to my ship.”

“We’ll go to my ship,” Nathaniel says. The pathway west is not easy. The two Ninos must work together, hop across rivers on projecting stones, climb on walls, catch rides on floating islands of rock, and plan ahead their routes, sometimes jumping from sloped surface to sloped surface with no time to stop and catch their balance. It is the most physically and mentally taxing obstacle course Nathaniel has ever run. As they run through Nathaniel’s side of the mine, some of the support pillars sink when their foundations soften. Tunnels close in front and in back of them, causing them to change course three times. Boulders fall from the ceiling all around them.

Only at this point is Nathaniel able to take advantage of his super speed, but he feels bad leaving Androw behind. He has lost three friends today. Maybe he can make a new one. Nathaniel helps Androw climb up a wall and they are finally twenty meters from an exit. They can see the purple ferns blowing in the breeze. They run all the way to Nathaniel’s ship parked some distance away. The nearby volcano is wrapped in rivers of lava streaming across the plain the mines lie underneath.

At last, they enter Nathaniel’s ship, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. “Can you give me a ride back to my ship?” Androw asks.

“Sure,” Nathaniel says. He starts the takeoff sequence and lands next to Androw’s ship on the other side of the plain.

“That’s two years of work lost. It’s too bad we can’t go back in time,” Androw says.

“Well,” Nathaniel says, looking toward the force field generator station. “Yeah, it’s too bad.”

Nathaniel and Androw say their goodbyes and Androw’s ship accelerates into the sky. Nathaniel stays. He has one last thing to do before he leaves the planet. He rubs his fingers through his hair and walks to the gazebo where the time crystals are stored. He has to go back in time and rescue his crew. Pop!

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