→ Transmission (audio-first). Read only if you can’t listen.
HQ, come in. HQ, come in. Approaching the hole. 100 feet. Repeat. Repeat. Mike, I didn't get it. Can't hear your radio. Boost signal. 50 feet. Closing in. That's better. I'm almost there. Oh man... It's huge, man. It's fucking gigantic. Affirmative. Looks like I can go in. Yeah. Three hundred feet max. Drop the avatar, get the fuck out of it. Easy. Not sure I can make it three hundred. It's pitch black and smells like a shithole. Ever been in a horse stable? Smells like someone burned horse piss and an overheated car. Can't breathe. Safety line holds. Unwinding. Avatar is active. Cam is on. Confirm signals and vitals. Affirmative. Lights on. Closing in. HQ—can you see that? Looks like the cars got rammed into the ground with it. Poor guys. Don't look human now. Fuck, man— Mike, Mike did you see that? Did you see that? I just tipped the body with the gun, and it's just... dust. What's that shit? It's still hot here. How deep am I? Can I drop the Avatar? Affirmative. But you owe me a good bourbon. Can't eat for a week, man. Stench is horrible. Bourbon will do. Moving in. HQ, see the glow? What is that? Looks like funghi? Sure, man, I am not an idiot. Not touching shit. They are fucking hot anyway. Smells like some overripe fruit. This is nose torture, man. What's that—can you see that? No, I'm good now. Sorry. The smell and heat are bad, man, it's bad. It's fucking bad down here, man. I wanna go home. This is all shit. I think I hit the Avatar. That guy... fuck. Fuck. How much further? Are you stupid? Not going through that. You see that? That's the fucking entrance of hell. Repeat. Can't hear you. Repeat. Affirmative. Moving in. I hate this job. I fucking hate this job. HQ, can you hear me? I'm back. Can you hear me now? Dropped the Avatar beyond the gate. I'm right at the gate now. I need to get out. Coming out now. What do you mean? Avatar is supposed to send a signal. I can't go back there. You don't know what it's like. Can't go back. Avatar's lost. Returning to base. Going home now. Did you not see the guy here? Want to see again? Did you see his face? Are you fucking kidding me? Wanna see Ellie, I'm going home now. Fuck this shit. Did you hear that? What do you mean you don't hear anything? It's like... a creak. Smell is better. Maybe it's cooling down. It's... beautiful. Like a choir. They sing. You have a signal? Confirm detonation? Thought I should go back? Wait. Wait. I'm going back. I need to look. Somebody is back there. Negative. Give me five minutes. Need to check. Something's going on there. Mike, can't hear that? It's really beautiful. Like Chopin. I love Chopin. No. Fuck you, man. I am going to check. It's.... like... la la la. You know? It's human. Do NOT detonate. Hear me? Do not blow this shit up. Removing my clothes now. Heat is unbearable. Shit—Mike. Mike, the funghi are on my skin. They're fucking beautiful. Love them. I love this stuff. lalala
Related document: You’ll go, then I’ll go
Listening: Bandcamp — YouTube — Spotify
Part of Nathan Hatch’s and Norm DePlume’s series “Loving the Alien”.
Original photo by Adam Percem. Manipulated by Ashmore under the Unsplash license.
