Never Again

by M. A. Rothman

  The former general looked at her and smiled. “Madam President, I doubt that any prior office holder would have done better, and to tell you the truth, I can’t imagine a single one who could have faced such gut-wrenching choices.”

  “I suppose every president has their moments of turmoil, but nonetheless, it’s part of the job. Anyway, just before you got here, I sent Burt to talk to all of the contingency candidates we’d selected and let them know that we are probably going to be standing down on Noah’s Ark. It gives him an opportunity to share some good news with some folks, and besides, I figured he needed the stress relief more than I did.”

  The tabletop suddenly flashed, indicating an incoming call, and Margaret slapped the phone icon to answer it. “Yes?”

  “Madam President?”

  The panic in the woman’s voice sent a shiver running through Margaret. “Yes, this is President Hager, who is this?”

  “Oh, Madam President, I’m sorry to have to reach out to you directly. I tried Burt, but he doesn’t seem to be responding.”

  “Doctor Patel? Portable phones don’t work within the center, what’s wrong? What can I do?”

  “Madam President, we’ve got trouble. Everyone here is doing everything we can about it, but I don’t think ... I really need to talk with Burt and Dave. It’s complicated. I think I can fix it, but I need their help.”

  “Doctor Patel, I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about, but Doctor Holmes will be here in an hour or so, and I can go hunt down Burt. Hold one second.”

  Hitting the mute button, Margaret glanced at the tabletop and opened up the Noah’s Ark plan once again. A wave of nausea flushed through her, accompanied by cold beads of sweat that made her clothes stick to her skin. Taking a deep breath, Margaret flipped to the last page on the list of faces for Noah’s Ark and spotted the image of Doctor Neeta Patel. Margaret had added it after she’d settled the list with Burt. Margaret knew that he needed a second in command, preferably someone younger.

  She glanced at Walter. “We need a fast mover to bring Doctor Patel here right away.”

  The former general nodded. “I’ll arrange it.”

  “Doctor Patel, I’m arranging for you and the others to meet here in the Cheyenne command center. Give your second control of your tasks and I’ll have somebody pick you up in five minutes. Be ready.”

  “Uh ... okay. I’ll be ready. Thank you.”

  Walter sighed, leaned over and tapped on the phone icon to call in the orders. As he dialed the numbers, he glanced at Margaret and grumbled, “We’re still in the shit, aren’t we?”

  Barely controlling her gag reflex, Margaret nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  ###

  With the last bus of the day having just emptied, Stryker motioned for the next person in line.

  He was a dark-haired boy, probably nine or ten.

  Stryker held his hand out. “Let me see your ID.”

  The kid handed over the government-issued ID he’d received during the initial evacuation.

  Stryker waved a scanner over the plastic card. The device read the embedded chip and flashed green, indicating it was a valid and unaltered ID card.

  He approached the kid with the handheld scanner. “I’m going to flash a light in your right eye. It won’t hurt.”

  Even though the boy carried a worried expression, he nodded bravely and stared straight ahead, unblinking.

  Stryker pressed a button on the device, it initiated a quick retinal scan, and the LED printout indicated an identity match.

  He scrolled through the boy’s records and glanced at him. “Jeff, I’m going to ask you a few easy questions. Just give me the best answer you can. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jeff responded meekly.

  “How many sisters do you have?”

  “I don’t have any sisters.”

  Stryker nodded. “What’s your mother’s name?”

  “Michelle.”

  “Do you know your father’s middle name?”

  Jeff paused and scrunched his eyebrows. “I think it’s Franklin.”

  “Other than your mom and dad, who else in your family is scheduled to arrive here?”

  “My aunt and uncle are, along with my cousins.”

  “Their names?”

  “Tisha and David are my aunt and uncle. Jeremy, Katie, and Brad are my cousins.”

  Stryker smiled and gave him another nod. “Okay, we’re almost done.” He turned and motioned toward the pathway leading to a building behind him. “I’ll need you to go back into the exam area. A doctor is going to take a look at you and make sure everything is okay.”

  With his chin quivering, Jeff asked, “When can I see my mom and dad?”

  Putting a hand on Jeff’s shoulder, Stryker knelt so he was face-to-face with him. “As soon as the doctors finish their exam, your parents will be waiting for you on the other side. I promise.”

  Jeff nodded and walked along the path to the outer exam room.

  Stryker watched the boy until he disappeared through the swinging doors. Few people knew that the doctor’s visual exam was a ruse to look for hourglass-shaped tattoos. What the large x-ray and MRI devices were looking for was beyond him.

  Turning his attention to the few remaining people from the bus, Stryker motioned for the next in line.

  ###

  The charred aroma of hamburgers and hot dogs permeated the building as mess hall workers fed the several thousand people assigned to the Poconos Evacuation Center.

  There were at least five-hundred people crowding the tables as Stryker sat down with his family.

  He sat next to his sister, and Emma, Isaac, and Lainie settled on the bench seats directly across from him.

  Without hesitation, both kids attacked their large bowls of macaroni and cheese.

  “Do you kids like the food?”

  They both nodded as they devoured heaping spoonfuls of their favorite food.

  He bumped shoulders with Jessica and asked, “How’re you doing, Jess?”

  She took a big bite out of her hamburger and chewed for a moment before answering. “As best as any of us can. I met up with a couple of teachers, and we’re thinking about starting some classes for the kids. Do you have any idea if we can order some school supplies?”

  “I don’t know, but I can ask. The quartermaster can probably get just about anything, I suppose. Just tell me exactly what you need and I’ll see what can be done.” He turned to Lainie and hesitated.

  She looked drawn and had a worried frown. Her plate held a few pieces of fruit and some toast.

  “Lainie, how are you doing?”

  His ex-wife pressed her lips together and barely shook her head.

  She didn’t want to talk. Something had been up with her ever since he got called up for duty. Was it because he was wearing a military uniform again?

  He sighed and was about to ask the kids a question when a beeping alert sounded over the loudspeakers.

  Images flickered along the walls, immediately drawing Stryker’s attention.

  The screens showed the US Homeland Defense Network logo, along with a countdown of 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1....

  Text scrolled across the screen and Stryker read it aloud for the benefit of the kids.

  “The following alert is being sent nationwide. Citizens located in evacuation centers can be assured that their safety is of paramount importance. Screenings have already been done upon entry into the evacuee system.”

  An image popped up on the screen with a network news anchor reading from a script.

  “This is a broadcast coming through the US Homeland Defense Network.

  “Many people have been calling 911 emergency centers due to the increased brightness of the DefenseNet grid. There is no need to call authorities regarding this matter. This is normal.

  “The scientists are reporting that tests are being done on DefenseNet, and that we should expect the same l
evel of brightness until full activation.

  The reporter flipped to another page.

  “It is now being reported that the federal government has tightened security within our borders due to increased terrorist activity.

  “Borders are sealed, all domestic and international flights have been suspended, and dusk-to-dawn curfews are in place throughout all major cities in the US.

  “As many of you have seen reported on this station, there’ve been increased reports of terrorist acts in our towns and cities over the last six months. Many of these incidents have been initiated by what is now confirmed as a doomsday cult called the Brotherhood. We are asking all citizens to be on alert.

  “Members of these cults are known to be motivated by sadistic beliefs cloaked in the guise of a false religion. They are seeking to destroy our world.

  “If any of you have suspicions or are concerned about this so-called Brotherhood, contact a uniformed officer immediately.”

  Isaac turned from the broadcast and stared at Stryker. “Dad, are we—”

  “We’re all perfectly safe.” Stryker reached across the table and squeezed both of his kids’ hands. “I’m here to keep you and everyone else safe.”

  Emma frowned. “Are you going to shoot the bad guys?”

  “There aren’t any bad guys in here,” Lainie explained.

  “But if someone needs shooting, you’ll do it, right?”

  Stryker barely suppressed a smile and stared grimly at his daughter. “If someone needs shooting, I’ll take care of it.”

  “Good.” Emma nodded approvingly and turned to her mother. “I told you Daddy would shoot the bad guys for us. We don’t need to sleep with you anymore to keep you safe.”

  Lainie’s face turned red as Jessica cleared her throat and said, “Does anyone want some dessert? I know I do.”

  ###

  Margaret had expected Dave to be emotionally crippled by what had occurred, but other than a rather grim demeanor, he seemed unchanged.

  She watched as the scientists heatedly discussed the situation.

  Neeta had just drawn complex diagrams on a whiteboard depicting navigation plots and acceleration curves when she said, “If we take the Moon and launch it down the middle of the cone of debris, it’ll smash straight through without really even slowing down.” Drawing arcs away from the Moon, she explained, “The gravity effects will attract the nearest objects to crash into it, and the rest of the objects should slingshot outwards. We’ll just need to give it a little time for the hole to expand and it’ll be like threading a needle. We can sneak the Earth right through the debris.”

  “With the loss of the Moon,” Dave noted.

  “Most likely,” Neeta confirmed. “We’ll have to assume lack of remote control once it gets hit.”

  Dave nodded, grabbed one of the dry-erase markers, and began writing some equations that made no sense whatsoever to Margaret. He tapped on the whiteboard and grumbled, “Since our orbital angle is taking us in the direction of the debris, I don’t think we can counteract the Earth’s inertia and get out of the way before encountering the debris.”

  Neeta nodded vigorously. “That’s why I think the Moon’s the only shot we have.” She glanced at the others in the room. “Any other thoughts anyone can come up with? Am I missing anything?”

  Margaret glanced in Burt’s direction. He’d remained oddly silent during the discussion. She cleared her throat and asked, “Let me see if I understand the gist of what you’re saying in layman’s terms.

  “We’ve got what we believe to be what Doctor Holmes is calling a warp ring around both the Earth and the Moon. It allows us to move in any direction we want, but it’s like moving a boat. We can’t just change direction instantly, and we aren’t like a race car that can go from zero to sixty in nothing flat.

  “Because the Earth is moving in a particular direction and it would take too much energy to overcome that momentum quickly and go backward, the plan would be to take advantage of what Doctor Patel had done and slip through the middle of the first wave of debris heading toward us. However, that plan got shot to hell when we realized that instead of creating a giant cylinder of debris that the Earth and Moon could fly through, we found a bunch of giant asteroids that had previously been obscured by thick dust at the end of the cylinder. So instead of drifting through a cylinder, we find ourselves drifting into a cone. Am I right?”

  Dave nodded at Margaret. “Yes, ma’am, that’s right. Even though that engine we have can produce enough power to do just about anything we need, I don’t think the ring is made of strong enough stuff to take a full blast from that engine. So changing the Earth’s direction quickly isn’t in the cards. We’re basically able to steer left, right, up and down–but no reverse. The Moon, on the other hand, has a good amount of thermal energy we can tap, and it’s big enough that we could accelerate it in the direction we’re going and take out the stuff ahead of us.

  “I’ve plotted out what we need to do. It’s kind of like shooting pool. If we do it, and hit the objects hard enough with the Moon, the debris will bounce out of our way and the momentum of the Moon will carry it past where we would change direction anyway. Unfortunately, we’ll of course have to deal with the consequences of not having a Moon anymore, but that’s why everyone evacuated the coasts anyway, isn’t it?”

  Margaret turned to Burt. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I think they’re right,” Burt responded, and with a grim expression, turned to Neeta. “I’ll need detailed navigation coordinates and acceleration profiles for what you’ve plotted out.”

  Neeta put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow. “If you’d have picked up your phone, you’d know that they’re already in your e-mail’s inbox.”

  Burt nodded curtly and asked Dave, “Any further concerns about the plan?”

  Dave shook his head. “Not with the Moon part. I think as long as we remotely keep the Moon on course and adjust as we get closer, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, we’ll have to keep a close eye on the wake of the debris expansion after the Moon hits those asteroids. I think Neeta is right, and we can’t follow right behind the Moon because it’s going to take a day or so for us to get a big enough hole through the debris.”

  Burt turned to Margaret and said in a low voice, “We need to talk.”

  ###

  As Margaret settled at the head of the command center’s conference room table, Neeta asked, “Where’s Burt?”

  “That’s partly what I’m here to talk about,” Margaret responded grimly. After Burt had told her his plan, she reluctantly signed off on it, and after he left her office, she’d actually gotten sick for the first time since this whole Indigo thing started. Margaret didn’t think she’d have as hard of a time as she did with the consequences of his plan, but she also knew he was right.

  The conference room was bigger than they needed. It easily sat thirty, but gathered around the table were only four people: her, Dave, Neeta, and Walter.

  “It’s almost time, people,” Margaret said. “In about thirty-six hours, with the Moon leading the way, I’ll be revealing to the public some of the cards that we’ve been keeping back. We’ve done well holding everything together, but the last thing we need now is panic. So tomorrow morning, I’ll be giving a speech which details what we’ll be doing and what people should expect to see. I’m going to need all of your help with filling in the details, especially the ones about what people might experience. The less of a surprise it is, the better.

  “As to Doctor Burt Radcliffe....” Margaret paused and took a deep breath. “You all know what we’ve been fighting with security-wise. Suicide bombings, insane attempts at destroying our way of life, the desire to see the Earth destroyed.” Margaret leaned forward, reached across the table, and briefly placed her hand on Dave’s outstretched fingers. “Despite the recent tragedies in Ecuador, we’ve successfully rebuffed many of the attacks against us. I had also asked B
urt to secure the Moon base against any possible attacks. There have been thousands of cyber-attacks on the Moon’s servers in the last couple weeks. They were bad enough that they managed to knock the lunar satellites offline. We do have a remote video feed indicating that everything is still operational in the control room, so it seems that all of the remote hacking has been thwarted by what Burt had done up there.

  “He also added security measures against any physical intrusion of the Moon base. Luckily, those countermeasures were never needed. Thanks to our Air Force, we shot down nearly half-a-dozen attempts at unauthorized travel to the Moon.

  “Most of you never knew that we had a contingency plan for the Moon. On the chance that we wouldn’t recover from the initial attack that knocked out power at some of our substations, I authorized Burt to employ physical countermeasures to prevent someone from taking over and changing the preprogrammed navigation settings of the Moon base’s server.

  “That contingency plan was never needed. Yet as you know, a new contingency for the Moon has materialized.

  “I hold full responsibility for this, and I’ll carry the guilt to my grave. Nonetheless, Burt is currently en route to the Moon. His countermeasures required him and only him to be the one who unlocks the server and steers the Moon to where it needs to go.”

  Neeta gasped, and tears dripped down her cheeks. She clasped her hands to her mouth.

  “B-but...” Dave stammered, pressed his lips firmly together and shook his head. “Another unmitigated tragedy,” he said, with a raw tone to his voice. He swallowed hard. “We need to make sure his selfless acts are remembered by everyone.”

  “Excuse me.” Neeta quickly stood and walked toward the far end of the room, her hands covering her face.

  Margaret coughed as she struggled to bottle her emotions regarding the situation. She turned to Dave. “Let’s talk more about what we’ll do when the time comes. For now, I need your help describing to the world what they should expect to see.”

  Dave’s expression became solemn, yet his voice held a firm strength in it. “Of course. I’ll help however I can.” He glanced at Neeta and pushed his chair back from the table. “Let me go talk to Neeta.”