Gut Check

"Standing before you is a choice. One of profound possibilities, and cosmic consequences. Consider your choices carefully, but don't hesitate! You'll find that intuition is your best guide for the journey on which you are about to embark."

Trevor tried not to laugh. He succeeded, for the most part, but it was close. The recruiter was really laying it on thick. With his slicked back dark hair and calculating stare, he reminded Trevor of the carnival barkers hyping up their sideshow attractions. Come see the two-headed dog boy! Let him amaze and frighten you!

As comical as the pitch was, Trevor knew that the decision being hyped was actually quite serious. Life altering. He glanced around the room. There were maybe twenty recruits in all, counting himself, clustered in the small room.

There was one door behind them, the one that led them here. On the opposite side of the room sat two doors, ten feet apart. Both appeared unremarkable, but he knew that couldn't be further from the truth. He had seen the recruitment videos, the hint of what lay beyond those doors. It's what motivated him to sign up in the first place.

The recruiter swept his arm towards the doors behind him. "One room. Two doors. Endless possibilities. Your future lies in your hands; your destiny awaits. You've only to choose where to begin."

He waved them forward. Slowly the recruits advanced towards the doors. Some hesitated, indecisive. Others plowed forward, a determined set to their jaw.

Trevor considered the doors ahead of him. Neither gave any indication of what lay beyond. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He stepped towards the door on the left. A hand grasped his upper arm firmly. He glanced towards the instructor, whose face was inches from his own.

"Are you certain that's the door you want?" A knowing excitement danced in his eyes.

Trevor considered the question. "No, I'm not. But it's what my gut tells me to do."

The recruiter smiled. Up close, his teeth seemed impossibly large. "Excellent. Never second guess yourself." He released his hold on Trevor's arm and stepped back, his eyes already scanning the crowd of recruits.

The lines moved slowly but steadily, the right slightly longer than the left. He wondered if perhaps they had some advanced knowledge, some insight that helped in their decision. Briefly he considered switching lines, but he resisted the urge. Once he started second guessing himself, he was done for.

Conversations among the recruits were muted and sparse as the lines moved forward. Behind him he heard nervous laughter. Off to the side, muffled sobbing.

When he stood in front of his door he paused. Above each door were two colored bulbs, one red, one green. Currently the red was shining. A sense of foreboding went through him as he stared at the light. It was quickly replaced by one of resolve, and when the light switched from red to green he pushed through the door with no hesitation.

The hallway was cramped and dark; he could touch both sides without fully extending his arms. Runner lights along the floor barely lit the way. After several meters the hallway slanted downwards. Trevor also felt a slight curvature of the wall beneath his finger tips. It made sense that the corridor would spiral downward, the building itself wasn't that large.

Several minutes later the hallway leveled out and widened. At the far end a small room emitted a soft glow. He quickened his pace, eager to leave the darkness behind.

Inside the room were two tables, one on either side. The one on the left was lined with packets of survival gear and supplies. The other had rows of knives, pistols and rifles. An armorer sat behind the table, a checklist in front of him. "Take one each and proceed to the staging area." He sounded bored, unimpressed.

His arms loaded with gear, Trevor pushed through into the next room. It was larger, nearly twice as large as the armory. Soldiers were spread along the walls, rifles cradled loosely in their arms. Two short rows of benches flanked the central aisle, a small table near the center of each. He placed his gear on one and began sorting through it.

"You'll want your rebreather on before you go through." Trevor looked up. The voice coming from the speaker was tinny and had a slight echo. "The oxygen level is twenty percent less than here. They make up for it with double the pollutants, so you'll need to change out the filter every other day."

Trevor held up the filters. "There's only six filters. Shouldn't there be at least fifteen?"

A brief pause. "No one has run out yet." Trevor didn't feel reassured. He wanted to ask more questions, but he had an ominous feeling about the answer. Trust your gut.

With everything in place Trevor advanced to the end of the room. He glanced at the soldiers around him. He wondered briefly why they were there. Was it to discourage invaders, or potential deserters? He supposed both.

He paused at the edge of the transfer portal. He turned towards the control room on his left. He could barely make out the operator. "I won't be coming back, will I?"

Another brief pause, then a chuckle. "What does your intuition tell you?"

Suddenly sick to his stomach, Trevor faced forward again. Without any fanfare the portal entrance began to glow. A greyish blue liquid swirled within the portal opening. Like twinkling stars, tiny bursts of energy flashed in the glowing liquid. The swirling energies within were calming, almost hypnotic.

"Proceed." Trevor glanced towards the control room. The operator sat at his desk, staring out at him. Trevor looked behind. The soldiers were watching him, guns gripped firmly. He turned back towards the portal, and his destiny. He put the rebreather mask on.

Stepping forward, he entered the glowing liquid. As it enveloped him he could feel his body being pulled towards the exit portal on the far side of the galaxy. A thought occurred to him. He would see this room again, he was certain. He had a gut feeling.