Historia: Beneath a Deadly Sky

“Tell me about the world above,” said Evelyn.

“It was a beautiful place,” said her grandmother. “The sun was warm, and the air was clear and fresh. There were millions of kinds of animals, some that walked, some that swam, some that flew. It’s all gone now.”

Ever since that conversation, Evelyn had been obsessed with finding a way for humans to return to the Earth’s surface.

Life underground was dismal. They lived in a small, metal bunker. Outside her door was a network of metal corridors. There were some larger spaces where she went to school, and eventually university. But no corridor led outside. Not even the air could come or go, without passing through the enormous filtering system.

Evelyn became an engineer. She maintained the filters, and developed a better way to filter out the deadly virus. One day, she saw first-hand how deadly the virus was, when there was a leak. The senior supervisor was exposed, and he died almost instantly.

That made Evelyn even more determined. She began to design a device that could clean the atmosphere. Before long, her work was noticed. She was invited to speak to the High Councillor – the leader of the humans underground.

“Did you know the virus was created by humans?” said the High Councillor, handing Evelyn a glass of wine. “There was a company that specialised in genetic research. It was meant to be a beneficial virus. It would keep people healthy.”

“What went wrong?” Evelyn asked.

“Who knows? The virus didn’t attack the right targets. It was meant to protect people from other diseases. Instead, it became the greatest disease of all.”

“I’m going to kill it. We won’t be prisoners underground for much longer.”

“I admire your determination, my dear,” sighed the aged Councillor. “We’ll be watching your progress closely.”

Evelyn continued to work on her device. Finally, the prototype was ready. Someone had to go outside to test it. Evelyn’s supervisor volunteered.

The night before the test, Evelyn couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t allow the supervisor to risk her life. The whole project was Evelyn’s idea. She should take the risk. So she sneaked to the top level and put on the protective suit. She got in the elevator and rose to the surface.

Evelyn was shocked. She had thought it was night-time, but the sun was radiant. She realised that their ‘days’ underground were governed by the electrical system.

Evelyn looked around in awe. She saw a world covered in grass, trees and flowers. In the distance she saw ruined buildings smothered in vines and lichen. She could hear birds singing, a sound that filled her heart. It took Evelyn a moment to remember that the virus had killed all the birds. Was it possible…?

Slowly, with shaking hands, Evelyn took off her helmet. Then she took a deep breath. If she was wrong, it was better to die quickly. But she didn’t feel any pain. The air was sweet. The virus was gone.

“Now you know,” said the High Councillor.

Evelyn spun around. He was standing behind her, wearing a protective suit, holding a gun.

“Councillor?”

“We were a company. It was our duty to make a profit!” the Councillor shouted. “We gave a special genetic mutation to people who could afford our price. The virus would only protect people with that genetic mutation.”

“But the virus didn’t work,” said Evelyn, beginning to understand. “It killed people with that mutation.”

“At first it killed indiscriminately. Eventually, it focused on the intended target. People like me. People like the other councillors and the supervisors, and all of our families. The descendants of everyone who received the genetic mutation.”

“The virus is still here,” Evelyn realised. “But it’s only dangerous to you! So… everyone else can go outside?”

“No, Evelyn,” said the Councillor coolly. “That’s exactly the point. None of you can leave. We need you underground, with us. No one can ever discover the truth. And – I’m sorry, my dear – no one will.”