Extinction 6

by Hosein Kouros-Mehr

  “Where?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She giggles softly. “Sure, I look forward to it.”

  “We’ll do it soon. I love you, Olivia.”

  She pauses for a few seconds. “Thank you for calling me.”

  He disconnects as a helicopter descends on a concrete platform away from the electrical wires. Looking up, he covers his eyes from the blinding star and then runs back to Anil. “Let’s get you home.”

  Anil winces as he tries to get up. “What about the reactor?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Austin shouts as he lifts his associate off the ground. “It will stop when the fuel runs out.”

  The team carries Anil toward the copter, strapping him into a back seat. Diego shouts above the engine noise. “There isn’t enough room for us, Dr. Sanders. Why don’t you fly Anil back to his wife and I’ll take everyone else home?”

  Austin gleams. “Thank you, Diego.” He boards and closes the door. “Let’s get out of here!”

  Beth looks back from the driver’s seat. “Anil, where is your wife?”

  “Cupertino.”

  She taps the screen and the helicopter lifts and speeds to the west. “We’ll be there in ten minutes. Hold on tight!”

  The San Francisco Bay Area comes into view. Austin glances below and spots a crowd dancing in the streets of Livermore. “What’s going on over there?”

  Beth looks down. “They’re celebrating.”

  “Why?”

  She points. “The street lights are back on. It looks the city’s coming back to life.”

  “Incredible. Isaac, zoom in.” Austin stares at Livermore as it fades in the distance. “People are alive again. They’re back from the dead.” He stares at the desert landscape. The dry Sierra Nevada Mountains stretch for miles and the ocean emerges on the horizon. Austin presses his face against the window.

  My home.

  He closes his eyes.

  I’ll do everything I can to protect you.

  A ringtone fills the cockpit. The chopper’s tablet flashes with an incoming video request. A title shows up on the screen—“President of the United States of America.”

  Austin’s jaw drops. “Look who’s calling us!”

  Anil’s eyes widen. “Oh my goodness…”

  Beth answers the call and President Hughes appears on the screen. “Hello, is this Dr. Andrews?”

  She quivers in shock. “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I want to congratulate you on your stunning accomplishment. I understand you’ve launched the world’s first fusion reactor.”

  “It’s an honor to hear your voice, Mr. President.”

  “The pleasure is mine. Because of your work, oil prices have fallen $15,000 per barrel. That’s a 17% drop in less than twenty-four hours. The ramifications of your technology are extraordinary.”

  Beth shines. “Thank you, sir. It’s the work of my dedicated team.”

  “I’d like to invite you to the White House.”

  “I’m at a loss for words, Mr. President. We’d be delighted to see you in person.”

  “The pleasure is all mine. I can’t overemphasize how critical your technology is for the world. It came at the right time.”

  She takes a deep breath. “Yes, Mr. President. While nuclear fusion delivers abundant clean energy, we still have to explore the unintended consequences of our reactor—”

  “Consequences? Like what?”

  She looks up at the bright star. “For one, the technology appears to affect space in some way.”

  “You’re referring to the wormhole?”

  Beth turns to her colleagues in surprise. “Is that what we’re seeing in the sky?”

  “Yes.”

  “You mean we’re looking through a portal at another star?”

  Austin smacks his forehead. “The gravity wave must have warped space-time. Einstein predicted this in his theory of relativity.”

  Beth tilts her head. “Mr. President, are you certain it’s a wormhole?”

  The Commander-in-Chief points his finger. “Dr. Andrews, please allow my government to assess the developments in space. We do not believe your technology poses any danger to our planet. The benefits of fusion power far outweigh the risks.”

  “That is wonderful to hear.”

  “This energy crisis threatens our existence. A few weeks ago, I held a summit to find solutions for the fuel shortage. Your reactor is the answer we’ve been looking for. Thanks to you, the cost of raw goods has cratered, bringing down the price of food and clean water. We are on our way to an economic recovery. I commend you for a job well done.”

  Beth nods. “More importantly, sir, fusion does not emit a single greenhouse gas. We will finally end our addiction to fossil fuels and stop global warming. With this technology, we can stop the mass extinction and bring our world back from the brink.”

  “You are brilliant, Dr. Andrews. We want you to build hundreds of reactors. We will subsidize your work and provide all the resources you need. Your technology is extremely important for the future of civilization.”

  Beth looks away in contemplation, then abruptly stares into the camera. “Mr. President, we are happy to design new plants but only under two conditions.”

  The cockpit goes quiet. Austin turns to Beth. “Are you crazy? You’re talking to the leader of our country!”

  She waves him off. “I know what I’m doing.”

  President Hughes leans back. “I’m listening, Dr. Andrews. What are your conditions?”

  She sits up tall. “The Information Tariffs are destroying Google’s reputation and business practices. We would like them rescinded.”

  “Consider it done. What else?”

  Holding back his overwhelming joy, Austin silently applauds as he listens to his boss.

  “The second condition is for the War to come to an end. Our young people have never experienced a peaceful world, and it is a shame that most of our resources go to weapons and defense systems. The fighting must stop now!”

  The President raises a fist. “Dr. Andrews, I despise this conflict as much as you do. Believe me, peace is on my mind every day.”

  “I want to live in a world free from conflict and bloodshed.”

  The President extends a hand. “We are heading in that direction. Thanks to you, America has taken the upper hand in the War. As oil prices collapse, Russia’s economy will soon be bankrupt and our enemies will be defeated. The conflict cannot continue much longer.”

  “Thank you, sir. It’s so wonderful to hear that.” She continues after a pause. “…I have one last request.”

  “Yes, Dr. Andrews, what is it?”

  “I’d like to be reinstated as Google’s CEO. Mr. Kharon misled our employees and unfairly ousted me. I was never given an opportunity to defend myself.”

  “Consider it done. Not only that, Dr. Andrews, but I would like you to be on my Energy Council. Your insights are needed to steer America in the right direction.”

  “That would be my honor, Mr. President. We will make the world a better place for our children and future generations.”

  “We will indeed. Thank you for your time.”

  The call ends and the cockpit erupts in applause. “That was amazing,” Austin shouts. “Beth, you just ended the War!”

  She chuckles. “I’ll add that to my resume.”

  The chopper approaches Cupertino and an A.I. prompts for a destination. Beth turns to Anil. “Where is your wife?”

  “112 Mercer Street.”

  She enters the address. “We’re very close to it. We should be landing in a couple of minutes.”

  Anil tries to move. “Just park on the roof. We live on the twentieth floor thanks to Dr. Sanders.”

  The helicopter descends onto a roof deck.

  Beth peers down. “It’s time to bring baby Lumi into the world!”

  33.

  A HELICOPTER flies through the New Mexico desert and approaches a five-mile airport. Thousands of
spacecraft sweep across the dry landscape, their nosecones pointed to the sky. The chopper lands on a private helipad reserved for owners.

  Felina and Manos rush from the vehicle and board a driverless taxi. “Welcome to Spaceport America,” the onboard A.I. says to them. “Please fasten your safety belt.”

  Manos buckles in. “I haven’t been here in months. Is my ship ready for takeoff?”

  “Yes,” Felina says, “your Falcon 12 was inspected last week, Mr. Kharon. It’s prepared for launch.”

  “Excellent. I’m glad it’s finally useful for something.”

  The cab drives on a lane flanked by spacecraft rising like skyscrapers to the heavens. It slows near a medium-range, reusable rocket with a single liquid oxygen engine. Supported by a steel frame, the white aircraft has an inscription on its tail—“GoldRock.”

  “You have arrived.”

  They exit the car and walk towards the scaffold, taking its elevator up ten stories. A warm breeze greets them on the top level.

  Felina takes in the view. “Look at all these spaceships!”

  Manos rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in those. Mine is the best one.” He leads her across a bridge to the Falcon 12’s entrance. “Let’s hurry and get up to space.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They enter the rocket and close the door behind them, climbing two flights of stairs to the cockpit. Manos takes the command chair and looks up through the windows. “Good morning, Falcon 12.”

  Recognizing his voice, the ship’s A.I. activates the control system. “Hello, Mr. Kharon. Will you be flying today?”

  “Yes.”

  “What is your destination?”

  Manos points to the bright star. “We’re going to that wormhole.”

  “Prepare for launch.”

  The floor vibrates as the engine ignites. Automatic seatbelts lock Manos in place, moving him along a track and rotating ninety degrees to face the sky. He covers his face in the luminous starlight. “That thing is so damn bright.”

  Felina hands him a pair of goggles. “This will help.”

  “Thanks. Hurry and strap in. We have no time to lose.”

  Felina jumps into her seat and it locks her in and orients itself for launch.

  Manos dons the glasses and points. “Wow, look at that star!”

  Felina sports the eye gear and her jaw drops. “It’s like the Sun, only bigger and brighter.”

  “Let’s head up there and see what it is.”

  A thunderous roar fills the cabin as thrusters catapult the rocket off the ground. Manos clenches his jaw in the gnawing g-forces. Seconds later, the rumbling turns to a soft murmur as the ship enters the deep atmosphere.

  Earth’s curvature comes into view, its fragmented ozone layer outlining the edge. Felina points to North America below them. “Look, it’s so beautiful!”

  The A.I. comes on as the boosters power down. “Welcome to Falcon 12. I hope you have a pleasant journey. Please keep your seatbelts fastened until we reach our target speed of 20,000 miles per hour.”

  Manos unbuckles himself and climbs out of the chair.

  Felina waves her hand. “Mr. Kharon, it’s not safe to get up now.”

  Manos ignores her and reaches for a small refrigerator, grabbing two beers and falling back into his seat. “Peace of mind can’t wait.” He pops the bottles open and hands her one. “Cheers!”

  She smirks. “Cheers to you, sir.”

  As Falcon 12 enters space, Manos begins to drift weightless. Droplets of beer percolate across the cockpit. “Now this is a party.”

  Felina stretches her arms and catches the drops with a handkerchief. “We should follow protocol, Mr. Kharon.”

  A monitor beeps. “We have reached the target velocity. It is now safe to release your harness belts. We will arrive momentarily.”

  Manos peers from the window. “The Earth looks so different with a second sun shining on it.”

  Felina bristles. “Wow, the oceans are turquoise...”

  “Look at Greenland over there. It looks yellow under the starlight.”

  “This doesn’t seem real.”

  “Are we dreaming?” Manos laughs. “It feels like I’m on acid.”

  She appears worried. “I hope you’re not, sir. Let’s stay sober for this journey.” She points to the North Pole. “That’s the last of the Arctic glaciers. In a few years, the polar ice caps will be gone.”

  “We should take some ice as a souvenir. It will be worth a lot of money someday.”

  The ship flies past the moon towards the wormhole. Felina analyzes a navigation monitor. “Mr. Kharon, we don’t have an ETA to our destination. I’m not sure how far away it is.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t appear on our map.”

  He looks over. “Well, how do we know where we’re going?”

  “I was hoping you would tell me, sir.”

  They sit silently as the star grows larger in front of them, its incandescent bluish light filling the cabin. A black ring surrounds it and demarcates the boundary of a portal. The ship shutters as it approaches the object.

  “Falcon, stop immediately!” Manos shouts.

  The rocket rapidly decelerates, hurling Manos against the controls. Minutes later, they slow to a crawl and hover in space in front of the star. Manos helps Felina get back into her chair. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” The bright light glows on her face. “Should we cross to the other side?”

  Manos turns to her. “What if it’s a one-way road? We’ll be stuck in outer space forever.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Gareth said there’s a planet out there, but I don’t see anything.”

  Felina activates the ship’s telescope and looks through the wormhole. She beams the image onto a monitor. In the magnified view, a dark object blocks a portion of the star.

  Manos points. “That’s it! Zoom in.”

  A blue world comes into view. Felina waits for the image to focus. “My God, there are oceans.”

  “Gareth was right! This must be New Earth.”

  “It has white clouds and an ozone layer—”

  “And ice caps! That’s probably water on the surface…”

  “Not necessarily, sir. It could be a poisonous sea for all we know.”

  “It looks like Earth except the land is purple. Why is that, Felina?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to inspect it.”

  Manos rubs his hands in contemplation. “We should cross the tunnel.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “What if we can’t return?”

  “That’s a risk we have to take. It’s the GoldRock way.” He buckles into the command chair and instructs Felina to do to the same. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Falcon, go full speed ahead!”

  “Preparing ignition…” The rocket accelerates and the g-forces hurl them backwards in their seats. As they cross the event horizon, flashes and streaks bounce across space and the cockpit shakes thunderously, detaching electronics equipment from the control panel. Starlight flashes randomly like magnified electrons dancing in orbit.

  Then everything goes dark.

  “Felina?” Manos shouts.

  “I’m still here, sir.”

  “What’s happening?”

  Seconds later, light reappears as the ship barrels through the passage and exits the other side, spinning rapidly on its axis. The universe twirls from the cockpit window and a planet comes in and out of view. Manos shuts his eyes and vomits. “I’m sick to my stomach.”

  Felina’s face grows pale.

  “Falcon, stop the ship!” he shouts.

  The air brakes activate and the Falcon 12 comes to a forceful halt. Manos releases his harness and hurls into a bag.

  Felina breathes heavily. “That was excruciating.”

  “I think I’m dying.” He gags. “Did
we cross the portal?”

  She stares from the window. “Yes, I believe so. Take a look.”

  He peers out. “Oh, my goodness…”

  They see Earth and the moon on the other side of the portal. Manos turns his head and spots a blue world with two moons orbiting it. “Where are we?”

  “Falcon, what’s our position?” Felina inquires.

  The navigation console flashes. “You are in the Barnard’s Star solar system.”

  “Where the hell is that?” Manos asks.

  “In the Milky Way Galaxy.”

  Felina reads the monitor. “Mr. Kharon, you have to see this.” Her jaw drops. “I’m at a loss for words.”

  Manos looks over. “What is it, Felina?”

  “We just traveled six light years in less than a second. We’re 36 trillion miles from home!”

  “How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know, sir.”

  “Get Gareth Allen on the line. Let’s finish this mission and return home.” He buckles in. “Falcon, take us to New Earth and land where it’s safe.”

  Boosters fire and Falcon 12 lunges forward, veering to the left and bringing the planet into view. Oceans and white clouds wrap its surface along with a thin ozone layer. A single purple land mass covers the equator.

  A voice comes through a speaker. “…Falcon…do you copy?”

  Manos jolts upright. “Gareth, is that you?”

  “Yes. We lost track of your ship. Where are you?”

  “You won’t believe this, but we crossed the wormhole to Barnard’s Star and we’re about to land on New Earth.”

  “Incredible. You’ve made history, Manos!”

  “Don’t congratulate us yet.”

  The ship slows and grid fins pop out from its base. A lead shield emerges from the underbelly as the rocket rotates and descends into the atmosphere, heading for the purple lands.

  Felina runs a search. “Apparently, there are 15 planets in this solar system. New Earth is 100 million miles from Barnard’s Star, about the same distance as Earth from the Sun.”

  Manos shakes his head in disbelief. “This is amazing...” The sky turns blue as Falcon 12 slows its descent. “Gareth, there’s land in front of us.”

  “What is it like?”

  “We are flying through white clouds! There are purple mountains covered in snow with streams and lakes everywhere. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”