Communication Error

The smell of burnt plastic and hot metal arrives before any words.

The hallway lights flicker erratically. The communications room door is bent outward, part of the frame torn off. One of the glass panels in the entrance is shattered, fragments scattered across the floor.

Inside the room, the screens remain on.

They all display the same message:

COMMUNICATION ERROR

There are three bodies inside.

One lies next to the main console, one hand still near the control panel. Another is lying face up against the wall. The third is partially covered by debris that fell from the ceiling.

In the hallway, a few meters from the door, lies a fourth body.

The first ones to arrive must have gotten too close when the explosion occurred.

—Don't go in yet—Samira says.

He stands in front of the entrance, looking first inside and then at the others. His voice is firm, though he is breathing faster than usual.

—There may be another landslide.

Lucía stays a few steps back. She looks at the bodies and then looks away.

-Four?

Count mentally.

—There are four.

—Yes —Samira replies—. Four.

-God...

Lucía puts a hand to her mouth. For a few seconds she seems unable to decide whether to move closer or further away.

—Has anyone called emergency services? From another terminal? From an internal phone, even?

—I'm already checking it —Aiko replies.

Aiko stands by one of the panels in the corridor. She isn't looking directly at the dead bodies. She's observing the lights, the indicators, and the small maintenance terminal installed against the wall.

—The internal network is still working.

Press several times.

—But there is no outside connection.

"Can you fix it?" Eleanor asks.

Eleanor is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She has a small cut on her forehead and her hands are trembling.

-Don't know.

Aiko looks at the screen again.

-Not yet.

"That's not exactly reassuring," Eleanor murmurs.

Ingrid appears from the end of the corridor with a toolbox in one hand.

—What happened?

—The communications room—Samira replies—. Something has exploded.

Ingrid puts the box on the floor and looks around for several seconds.

—The generator?

—It doesn't seem so.

—Then I want to know what went wrong before it happens again.

He crouches down next to the box and begins to check its contents.

—Aiko, can you check the status of the electrical grid?

—I'm already on it.

—Perfect. I'll check the emergency systems.

Eleanor raises her head.

—Shouldn't we...?

She remains silent.

-That?

—I don't know. Do something about them.

Samira looks towards the bodies.

-Yeah.

He moves a little closer to the door, but doesn't go in.

—First we need to make sure it's safe. Then we'll get them out of here.

—We can't just leave them there —Lucía says.

—I don't plan to do it.

Samira's response is immediate.

—But I'm not going to get five dead either.

Valentina appears from the corner of the hallway. She's still wearing the clothes she had on when the emergency started. She looks around the room and stops.

—Are these everyone who was here?

"We don't know," Ingrid replies.

—And communications?

Aiko shakes her head.

-Out of service.

-Completely?

-Completely.

Valentina looks towards the screens.

—Then we are isolated.

No one answers.

Evelyn remains near the entrance.

He crouches down and picks up a piece of black plastic from the floor. He examines it for a few seconds before placing it on a corner of the frame. Then he kicks aside some shards of glass to clear an area for them to pass through.

"At least someone is thinking clearly," Valentina says.

"I'm trying to make sure nobody cuts their foot," Evelyn replies.

His tone is cold, almost indifferent.

Valentina looks inside again.

—There are four dead.

-I know.

Evelyn looks around the room again.

—That's precisely why.

Lucía approaches Valentina.

—We need to check if anyone else is injured.

"The infirmary," Valentina says.

-Yeah.

Lucia looks at Eleanor.

—Can you walk?

-Yeah.

Eleanor tries to get up. It takes her a little while, but she manages to stand.

-I'm fine.

—You don't seem to be doing well.

—I'm doing well enough.

Lucia nods and approaches to help her, but Eleanor gently rejects the hand.

—I can do it alone.

Evelyn looks towards the corridor that leads to the infirmary.

—The automated pharmacy is there too.

—Then let's go —Lucía says.

Valentina hesitates for a moment before following them.

—I don't want to be alone.

—You're not going to be alone —Lucía replies.

The three of them begin to walk away.

Evelyn stops for a moment and looks back.

Samira is still by the communications room. Ingrid and Aiko are checking the systems. Eleanor is waiting a few meters ahead.

Then Evelyn continues walking.

Samira finally enters the room, careful not to step on the remains on the floor.

—I'm going to check if any of them are still alive.

—Do it —Ingrid replies.

Ingrid opens the nearest maintenance panel.

—Aiko.

-Yeah?

—We have power, but some lines are consuming more than normal.

Aiko stops pressing the terminal.

—How much more?

—I don't know yet.

—Then find out.

They both get to work.

Eleanor watches for a few seconds as Lucia, Valentina, and Evelyn walk away.

—Are we really going to stay here?

"No," Ingrid replies without looking up. "Let's find out what happened."

—And then?

Ingrid looks at her.

—We'll see later.

In the communications room, Samira kneels next to the first body.

Check your pulse.

Nothing.

Then he moves on to the second one.

Nothing.

The third one doesn't respond either.

Outside, the lights are blinking again.

For one second, all the screens in the room display a different line of text.

COMMUNICATION ERROR.

Then they return to the usual message.

A small red light flashes once.

And it turns off.

The complex falls silent again.

Nobody knows yet who caused that.

And, for now, no one has sufficient reason to fully trust others.