by Dean M. Cole
“Nobody in Cleveland?”
“No, Rachel. Nobody else on the planet. Only Vaughn and Colonel Hennessy survived. They were testing a reactionless thruster, so the two of them were disconnected from the planet in a way that no one else had ever been. That’s why we know that no one else survived, and it’s why we believe you will live if you’re in free fall inside the vacuum chamber when the light hits.”
Colonel Hennessy’s voice came through the wireless handset. “What’s she talking about, Vaughn?”
“She’s right, Mark. You and I were the only ones that survived the first time I went through this.”
“I don’t understand. If I didn’t die … why don’t I remember any of it like you do?”
“That … That was my fault …” The Captain’s voice wavered. “But I'm not going to let that happen this time, Mark.”
Vaughn paused for a moment and then coughed. “Listen, folks, when you come out of the chamber, be careful. The light itself doesn't damage anything, but after everyone disappears, all hell is going to break loose. With no one left to monitor things, a lot of shit is going to go wrong. There’ll be massive crashes followed by big, goddamn fires. Don’t go running into a burning house, don’t try to rescue anyone. They're not there. They are gone! Watch out for one another, and for God’s sake, stay away from airports for a few hours.” His voice cracked again. “They're not safe.”
He paused for a breath and then kept going. “Actually, Ellington Field by you guys wasn’t too bad. That’ll be a good place to un-ass the city. Oh! Hey, Angela, where are we meeting?”
Randy nodded. “I’ll take that one, Commander Brown.” He raised the communicator. “Rachel, I take it you’re still standing next to Rourke?”
“Yes, sir, I am.”
“Good. Take a look under the cover of his suit’s rear equipment compartment. You’ll find a folded-up map. I placed it there just before we closed up the chamber.”
The intern’s nervous voice piped up. “Wait … What?”
“Just turn around, Rourky.”
Randy listened for the tearing sound of separating Velcro but then remembered that they were in near vacuum. There was no air to carry the sound waves.
He cast a nervous glance at the northeastern horizon. The usual layer of Houston haze tinted the sky above the distant trees. It still looked perfectly normal, but Randy knew that would change soon enough.
“Okay, got it. Is that Nebraska?”
Angela rejoined the conversation. “Yes. There should be a mark on the map east of Omaha.”
“Yeah, there is.”
“Good. That’s Soyuz North American Emergency Landing Point Three. I guess it’s self-explanatory. We’ll plan to make our descent into the area twenty-four hours from now. That’ll allow enough time for the light to finish … for it to go away, and it should give you enough time to get to the landing zone.”
Looking up from the devices, Randy blinked and canted his head.
Had the sky above the horizon just brightened?
“Major Lee, this is Captain Singleton in Cleveland. Mark just told me you’re an Army pilot, too.”
“Yeah, Apache attack helicopters. Been staying current by flying part-time with First of the One Forty-Ninth Air Cav at Ellington.”
“Okay, good. You have any time in utility helicopters … like Black Hawks?”
“Yes, got a few hours in a Seahawk when I was in the Navy Test Pilot program. They're basically the same. Why?”
“I saw a couple of Black Hawks last time I was at Ellington Field.”
“Yeah, they have two assigned to the unit.”
Randy’s heart threatened to burst from his chest. Over the last few moments, the northeast horizon had brightened significantly.
Captain Singleton continued. “Like I said, airports aren’t safe. You can’t count on having a useable runway at your destination. I visited Ellington last time. It’s not too bad there. I think the Black Hawks were okay. Check ‘em out. You’ll need to fly everyone to Nebraska in one of them.”
Randy looked at his phone. He wanted desperately to try Betty again, but …
“Avoid industrial areas and large cities, especially the Houston Ship Channel and downtown. That area was so bad that it looked as if it had been nuked. Everything had burned.”
Randy’s respiratory rate redoubled as he watched the horizon’s glow increase. Then a bright, white line began to rise from behind the distant trees. He lifted all the devices to his mouth. “Uh … F-Folks, we need to wrap this up!”
Angela leaned toward the camera. “Oh no, Randy. Do you see it?”
Looking at her, he pressed his lips together and gave a short nod.
“Oh, shit, shit, shit!” Angela lifted her hands. “Everyone listen. I need you to memorize this.” She gave them her CERN email address and then rattled off a string of numbers and letters. “That email and password will get you into the computer network at the collider. If all else fails, if I don’t make it and you need to reset the timeline, work your way in and overload the collider’s power circuits. There’s a lot more to it than that, but if for some reason I'm not there, you’ll just have to figure it out. Captain Singleton knows what to do.”
“Uh … No. No, I don’t.”
Randy jumped in. “I’m with Angela on this one, Vaughn. There's enough talent in this group. You'll figure it out if you have to.” He swallowed. “We’re about out of time here. The light is filling half the horizon now. Everyone has their assignments. I'm going to end the calls with the station and Cleveland.”
Angela wiped tears from her eyes and then nodded. “I'm so sorry, Randy.”
“Don't be. Just do your best. Set this right, and maybe none of us ever remember this. It'll be like it never happened.”
Chewing her lip, Angela nodded again. “Will do, Director. ISS, out.”
Randy ended the video call and then raised his office handset. “Captain Singleton, thank you for everything you've done and what you're about to do.”
“I wouldn't thank me yet, Director. You haven't seen what's on the other side of that light.”
“Ah shit, Singleton.” He shook his head. “Make this go away, or I swear to God, I'll come back and haunt your ass!”
Randy jammed a thumb into the keypad and ended the call.
Staring at the approaching wall of light, he tried to estimate its speed. It still looked quite distant, but nonetheless, the curtain of energy already towered over the city. He felt as if he were standing near the base of an impossibly tall cliff, one made of brilliant white light instead of rock.
The upper reaches of the light now extended straight up to the limit of his vision. The advancing left and right peripheries of the energy curtain gave a better indication of the speed of its approach than did its now indiscernible height.
“I’m going to do a three count like this—and for God’s sake, don’t jump right now—three-two-one-jump. As soon as you hear the first part of the word ‘jump’ coming out of my mouth, you had better be leaving the platform! Got it?”
They all acknowledged his instructions.
The light drew closer.
Randy’s heart pounded in his chest.
His suddenly dry throat refused to swallow.
As he spoke, his words came out as a croak. “It … It's almost here.”
He finally managed a swallow.
“You heard Commander Brown and Captain Singleton. Do what you can, stay alive, and … and make this count.”
“Yes, sir.” Commander Bingham said, his voice heavy with emotion.
Rachel’s voice broke through the speaker. “We got this, Director, even if I have to kick their asses myself.”
“Of that, Major Lee, I have no doubt.”
The light had now devoured nearly half the sky.
Watching the left and right sides of the advancing wall, Randy tried to estimate the time left. It was mere seconds now, but he had to get this perfect. He figured that their falls
to the mats would take barely more than a second.
Thoughts of his family percolated to the surface. Inhaling deeply, Randy closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Betty. We’ll be together soon, one way or another.”
Randy opened his eyes. “Oh shit.”
The apparent movement of the light suddenly looked incredibly fast. It had drawn damned close, but still it made no noise.
He raised the communicator to his lips.
“Here it comes! Get ready!”
After watching it a moment longer, he nodded.
“Three!”
He waited a beat.
“Two!”
The plastic housing of the communicator squeaked in his grasp.
“One!”
The light suddenly raced to envelop him with unimaginable speed. Randy’s eyes went round.
“Jum—!”
The wall of energy washed over him.
Randy’s final utterance echoed off the nearby buildings. However, in the wake of the light’s otherwise silent passage, neither human, animal, nor even insectile ears remained to detect the reverberating sound waves.
Part II
“There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.”
—William Frederick Halsey, Jr.
Chapter 9
Vaughn continued to move the pump lever up and down. What had started as a stitch in his side now felt like an ax buried in the base of his ribs. He’d also achieved a new level of exhaustion, having long ago burned through the last of the meal that he and Angela had shared in Corsica a seeming age ago.
Mark’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “So these robots had long necks?”
Vaughn released the handle and bent at the waist, resting with hands on knees. “No …” He paused for a breath. “They didn’t have any at all. We started off calling them No-Necks, but after a while that just seemed too long.” He shrugged. “You said it. I’m a lazy man. If I can shorten a task, you know I will.” He pointed at the lever. “I just wish we could shorten this one.”
Mark pushed him aside. “Here, it’s my turn anyway.”
“Be my guest.”
As Mark began to move the lever up and down, he looked at Vaughn with raised eyebrows. “How long? … How long were you gone?”
After taking a couple of breaths, Vaughn stood up. “I’m not really sure. It took me almost two months to figure out that Angela was trapped on the space station.”
Mark winced. “Two months? Ouch.”
“Yeah, not my finest hour. I was a little slow on the uptake on that one.” Shaking his head, Vaughn looked at the floor. “Anyway, we lost track of the days when we were trapped in the time loop. Felt like years, but it was probably another couple of months, so maybe four in total.”
Mark nodded thoughtfully and then looked at Vaughn with an inscrutable expression. “You still haven’t told me why I wasn’t with you through all of this.” His pumping arm paused. “I died, didn’t I?”
Vaughn felt his insides twist. He nodded slowly.
His hand slowly lowering from the lever, Mark stared at Vaughn for a long moment. The dark skin of his face paled. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “What happened? Did I get sick?”
“No … It wasn’t that.” Vaughn regarded Mark from beneath peaked brows. “Just promise me that if you hear an explosion or see the aftermath of a crash, that you won’t go rushing in. Like I told everyone else, there’s no one there.”
“Is that how it happened? Is that how I … died?”
Vaughn nodded mutely.
“What did I do? … When did it happen?”
“I … I can’t.” Vaughn glanced at the chamber wall nearest to Cleveland Airport and shook his head. “Maybe someday, but not right now.”
After staring at Vaughn for a moment, Mark nodded and grasped the handle again. His labored breathing echoed through the intercom connection as he worked it up and down.
Sometime later, Mark looked at Vaughn. “Those amphibians … they looked like Admiral Ackbar?”
“Yeah, I started calling that version of Earth Mon Calamari.”
Mark nodded. “Of course, Star Wars.”
“Exactly! Thank you. Angela had no clue what I was talking about.”
Grinning, Mark raised an eyebrow. “Did you really say ‘It’s a trap’?”
“You know me. Of course I did.”
A red light began to flash in the upper corner of Mark’s helmet visor. Then the same indicator began to strobe in Vaughn’s helmet.
“That’s the CO2 alarm.” Mark paused and then nodded. “Never mind. I’m sure you already knew that.”
Vaughn grinned as he checked the atmospheric pressure. Seeing that it had finally risen to a safe level, he unlatched his helmet. In his peripheral vision, he saw Mark doing the same.
Vaughn dropped his to the floor and then winced as he remembered Mark’s previous reaction to his dropping the helmet. However, when he looked at the man, his friend had a shocked look on his face.
“Oh shit, Vaughn.” Mark’s face suddenly flushed. “Sorry … It’s just that …”
“I know. It’s a big change.”
Mark shook his head. “It’s not just a change. You … you’re emaciated. Look at your neck … You look like something out of a World War Two concentration camp photo.”
Vaughn chuckled. “Stop, you’re making me moist.”
Mark smiled self-consciously and then shook his head. “Well, at least you didn’t lose your sense of humor with all the weight.”
As it had last time, the steam rising from each of their suit necks became a torrent.
As an icy chill ran down his spine, Vaughn stepped back up to the pump. He grabbed the handle and started to move it up and down. “We better hurry. I don’t have the meat on my bones that I did last time. Don’t want to freeze to death before we get this damn door open.”
Before a minute had passed, the room seemed to spin.
Vaughn wavered and nearly fell.
Mark rushed to his side. He placed a stabilizing hand on his shoulder and guided him toward the large door.
Vaughn’s vision narrowed. He turned, intending to lean on the wall, but his knees buckled. He would have fallen hard on his ass if not for Mark’s assistance. Panting, he gave the man a nod. “Thanks. Think I’ll just rest here for a moment.”
His friend patted him on the shoulder and then jogged back toward the handle.
As he watched Mark work, Vaughn massaged the temples of his pounding head. His peripheral vision ebbed and flowed with each labored breath.
Sometime later, the loud, metallic clunk of the last lock retracting echoed through the chamber. Then a narrow shaft of light from the room beyond sliced through the vacuum chamber as the door began to slide open.
Closing his eyes, Vaughn rolled toward it and basked in the warmth that trickled through the narrow opening.
A moment later, he felt someone patting his face. From the residual stinging pain there, he realized it hadn’t been the first slap.
“Vaughn! Wake up!”
His eyes fluttered and then opened. He winced against the bright light that burned into them.
Through slitted lids, Vaughn studied his surroundings.
He was propped up against a wall in a large room that he now recognized as the garage outside the chamber entrance.
Kneeling next to him, Mark stared at him intently. “You scared me there, buddy. Was starting to think I’d lost you.”
“What happened?”
“You passed out. At first, I thought you were asleep, but when you didn’t respond, I came over and found out you were unconscious.”
Vaughn’s eyes began to adjust to the room’s light. He looked around.
His stomach growled.
He extended a hand toward Mark. “I’m awake now. Help me up.”
Mark assisted him to his feet. Not waiting for his friend, Vaughn headed toward the doorway that led into the facility.
“Where you going?”
“Just try to keep up.”
A moment later, Vaughn walked into the already stinky break room. Burned eggs and melted spatula adorned the stove top once again.
As he turned off the burner, he heard Mark enter the room behind him and then pull up short. “Oh shit. You’re right. They … They are gone.”
Raising his eyebrows and nodding, Vaughn stepped up to the vending machine and unceremoniously jammed his boot through its front. As it had before, the glass broke and fell to the floor.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”
Vaughn waved a dismissive hand at him and then reached through the opening and grabbed a bag. He tore it open with his teeth and began to devour the Funyuns within. A moment later, he pulled the now empty bag away from his mouth.
As Vaughn crunched the last of the golden rings, he rolled back his eyes and sighed. “Now I know how Angela felt.”
Suddenly, a deep rumbling explosion rocked the building.
Vaughn opened his eyes in time to see Mark running from the room. “Wait!”
It was too late. The man was gone.
“Goddammit!” Mustering what energy he could, Vaughn ran after him.
“Mark!”
A moment later, Vaughn emerged under a too bright sky. Wincing again, he held up a hand to shield his eyes. As it had the last time, columns of gray smoke dotted the horizon.
Mark stood transfixed in the center of the quadrangle-shaped courtyard. He scanned the horizon just as they had done last time. Turning back toward Vaughn, he looked skyward. His eyes widened as he saw the ball of orange fire rising above Cleveland Airport, the same one that had lured them before.
Breathing heavily, Vaughn held up his hands. “Just wait one …!”
The world began to spin again. His knees buckled, almost sending Vaughn back to the ground.
Mark ran past him, heading toward the airport.
Panting and bent at the waist, Vaughn managed to hold onto consciousness. “Dammit, Mark! … Stop!”
