The letter read:
Dear Mr. Miller,
It is my unfortunate responsibility to report that your father, Greg Miller, and his friend, Billy Callahan, died in the line of duty assisting their country several days ago. They were passengers on an airplane headed to Antarctica. Billy’s voluntary work helped us comprehend the complexities of the orb that was unearthed in Israel. You should be proud to know that without the help of your father and Mr. Callahan, we would have been unable to learn anything of substance from Billy’s union with the orb.
Travel to the coldest continent on the planet is always a risky proposition, and the Federal Aviation Association is in route to the location of the plane crash, which occurred several hundred miles from their destination at McMurdo station. While I may have dismissed Mr. Callahan’s claims prematurely, I promise you that neither man died in vain.
Their contributions will take the United States to great heights in the 2060s and beyond. I trust you are keenly aware that as President, my concern for the people of the United States and be cause I do not wish to cause a panic, I am unable at this time to disclose publicly any of the successes we’ve had with the Orb. In fact, there are only a handful of people in the entire world who know of our achievement, and outside of a few well-placed scientists in the US and Israel, nobody does, or ever will know of its existence.
I assured my advisors that you would never mention the orb again. On behalf of both countries, we thank you and have placed a sum of five million dollars in your savings account at Durango Trust. The money will never replace the love you had for your father, but I hope this token of our appreciation will go a long way in assisting you through the grieving period and beyond.
The world is a dangerous place and my decisions regarding the orb will benefit all of mankind. The first of those will be the new drilling platform in the Pacific Ocean. Public knowledge and details of this letter would be perilous. I must insist you return this letter to the soldier who gave it to you. I hope that God guides you through the coming challenging days ahead.
God bless the United States of America,
President Dodge
1/16/2061
The devastating news crushed Ballard. He handed the letter back to the soldier.
“I’ll see myself out Mr. Miller. Sorry for your loss.”
Ballard sat on the sofa and cried for ten minutes. Part of him was proud for knowing his father never neglected his friendship for Billy. The other part cursed Billy for not dying in the earthquake and freeing his father from a lifetime of carrying on for the friend, which ultimately led to his father’s death.
“Damn you Billy Callahan! Damn you to hell!”
CHAPTER 45
January 18, 2061 - McCurdo Station, Antartica
Billy finished another round of questioning from the staff at the station, and wondered how much longer his imprisonment would last.
Greg came walking down the hall shouting for his friend.
“Billy! Billy? Where are you?”
“What’s up with you? I’m fine. Maybe a little mad about the endless questions, but they haven’t hurt me.”
“We’re dead, Billy. Dodge God-damned killed us.”
“I know I’m not the sharpest piece of ice in the Antarctic, but what are you talking about?”
“Follow me…I’ll show you. Hurry, I don’t think I was supposed to see this.”
Greg grabbed Billy’s arm and the two men strode past Greg’s room, and continued down the hallway until they reached the crew’s break room.
Billy applied the brakes to his friend and tried to stop them from entering the room.
“It says ‘Authorized personnel only. Do we look ‘authorized?’”
“Fuck that, get in here. I’m fucking authorizing you,” yelled Greg.
“Why are you so upset? Hey, that’s Ballard on the television.”
“Yea, I know. I’ve been trying to tell you. Stand there and listen.”
Greg pressed the “play” button on the remote control and Ballard’s voice came through clearly from the television speaker system.
“I’m stunned at the news. My father was a great man and he’ll be missed by many.”
The camera switched images and the television anchorwoman read from the teleprompter.
“Greg Miller was sixty-one years old and our thoughts go out to his family. Stay tuned later today for a special report on the life and death of Billy Callahan, after Don Sunstock takes a look at the rest of the week’s weather forecast and Emily St. Cloud previews tonight’s action in the National Basketball Association. We’ll be right back after these messages from our sponsor. This is Donna Belkin reporting.”
The woman on the screen had no idea that Greg and Billy were quite fine, sans Greg’s continuous battle with cancer, a battle that he might lose eventually, but not on this day.
Billy stared at the screen.
“And I thought I’d seen it all.”
“You’ve seen quite a bit, but this is a first. Billy, don’t you see, they’re never letting us out of here. The rest of the story that you missed was that they said we died in a plane crash. No survivors. No bodies to bury. No follow up story. It’s all bullshit to make everyone back home forget about us. How in the hell are we going to contact anyone and contradict this news? I don’t even have a cell phone, and even if I did, the nearest cell tower is thousands of miles away.”
Billy rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration, “we can’t tell anyone we heard this. We need to figure out a way to let someone know what’s going on. Even if it takes us ten years, we can’t give up.”
CHAPTER 46
February 1, 2063
Space, several light years from Earth
“Captain, there is an urgent message from the communication center.”
“Send it to my headset, please.”
The captain sat back in the chair. He rested his arms on the side railings and exhaled a long slow sigh. He figured his luck of wandering the galaxy without any stimulation was going to continue. “I wonder what wild adventure headquarters is going to send us on today?” he said sarcastically.
The message played in stereo on a smooth silver headset with soft black cushions. He pressed a small button on the right hand side of the chair and a woman’s voice filled the headset.
“Captain Kirock, the missing orb has been found on Tenegraw. A human activated the beacon and it began transmitting approximately fifty ‘earth’ years ago and we are receiving the communication data now. You may recall your ancient history classes, and the section pertaining to our initial stages of universal colonization. The Tenegraw project failed miserably, and one of the recording orbs disappeared. We closed the matter years ago… at least until the recent message from the machine. Human interaction prompted the orb to transmit the entire video log. It may be helpful to talk directly to him, but with over ten billion people on the planet, picking out his particular signal placed inside him may prove problematic. The teacher named Eeka confirmed the humans have been destructive, violent, and wasteful of their natural resources. Sound familiar? Headquarters has authorized your ship to investigate and take appropriate action when you arrive. Message end.”
Kirock removed his headset, “Navigator, set course for Tenegraw.”
“Captain, did you say Tenegraw? You’ll have to give the computer a minute or two to find the coordinates.”
“You heard me loud and clear. If I have to keep repeating myself I’d be delighted to find a navigator with better hearing to set my course.”
“Yes sir, I didn’t mean —”
“Tenegraw. Got it?”
“Setting the course right now,” sweat dripped down his long cheek.
“Navigator, what’s our estimated time of arrival?”
“Sixteen days. Sorry captain, at current speed we will reach our destination in 14 ‘earth’ days.”
“Thank you.” The captain motioned to his weapons officer to come closer with a wave of his hand.
“Yes, Captain, what can I do for you?” asked the tall, slender man. He stood seven feet, five inches high.
“Make sure your bells and whistles are ready for this trip. That new weapon of yours may be required. What do you call it again?”
“The planet buster.”
“Double check your protocols and procedures before we leave the parsec. I want every option possible available to me when we get there.”
CHAPTER 47
February 15, 2063 - McMurdo Station, Antartica
Greg’s failing health prevented him from spending too much time outside the McMurdo compound. On this day the winds were strong and the temperature was a frosty five degrees below zero. Greg coughed more and more, cancer wreaking havoc on his body.
“Happy anniversary, pal,” said Greg.
“What?” replied Billy.
“According to the rest of the world, we died over two years ago. You were supposed to figure out a way out of here by now. If we showed up back in Durango now, Ballard would think we were ghosts.”
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, you look like a ghost. We could use some sun. We’re the pastiest looking people I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s cold out today, but sunny. Grab the suntan lotion,” said Greg.
Billy slapped at his legs. “Dammit. I left it on my bathroom counter at the Pentagon. I’d hate for you to get skin cancer down here.”
Greg winced and shot Billy a dirty look. “You’re going to pay for that someday. Let’s go outside.”
“Captain, we’re within range. Awaiting your orders.”
Kirock opened the communication system.
“Attention all crew members. We are nearing a planet the inhabitants call ‘Earth.’ We called it ‘Tenegraw’ eons ago. It has come to our attention that they are on the brink of grave nuclear activity. My orders were to check out the current conditions, and respond in an appropriate manner. I’ve reviewed their transmissions during our trip and it’s clear that this may be a great opportunity to test our newest weapon. There will be some unfortunate collateral damage to a small percentage of other living creatures, but the humans are ones we would be targeting. Earthlings have this quaint idea that an imaginary old woman runs the animal kingdom and the planet’s weather. They call her ‘Mother Nature’. We may have to speak on her behalf today, but let’s not be too hasty to initiate global extermination. We’re analyzing their nuclear capacity along with their recent history of violence and damage to the environment. The results of those tests will help me determine the next course of action. Captain out.”
The southern ocean teemed with life. The block of land that formed the continent of Antarctica did not.
McMurdo station was ice- covered and barren. The closest thing to a female human being was 10,000 miles away. The last woman returned to Germany a week ago. What remained was a small band of half -frozen, military and science personnel. The skeleton crew kept the base operational. Dodge ordered the base to remain open until Greg and Billy died.
Greg stood on the balcony of the apartment complex that housed all the government employees at the station and wrapped his face with a wool scarf.
“It’s damn chilly today, Billy. I thought Chicago was harsh.”
“This place isn’t fit for humans. Now I understand why my father never came here.”
Greg nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe we’re going to die here. It’s so unfair. Do they expect you to think of some minuscule, trivial, bit of information that will help them understand the orb in more detail?”
“The shrink said I’ve repressed the violence I witnessed. It could be true. The things I witnessed…so much bloodshed.” Billy stopped there, not wanting to put those memories in words.
The navigator patched in the weapons chief directly to the captain.
“Captain, I’ve secured the planet, there are patches of icy land on the southern and northern hemispheres outside the target zone. It’ll take a minute but I can refigure the target position point to include them.”
“Are you picking up infrared or thermal signals from the areas?”
“There’s some residual matter emanating from a nuclear power plant in the south. The plant is not operational at this time. I’m getting sporadic transmissions from the radio towers at the North Pole. There can’t be more than a thousand humans.”
Greg and Billy stared at the magnificent sun. Orange and red hues spread across the horizon, the intensity of the color amplified by the snow covered mountain ranges.
Greg tightened the strings around his parka, trying to keep out the wind. “We might be better off growing old in this place. The President has taken the world to war. Everything that you said came true. There’s fighting in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.”
“Billy interjected, “It figures they’re still fighting in the Middle East. That’s not going to change due to oil or water.”
Greg went on. “Pollution is worse. Last week Congress took several animals off the endangered list. Not because the animal population has recovered, no, it was because the government wants the land for development. Dodge was on the news last night bragging about the success of the deep well drilling in the Pacific. How can he sit there and smile at the camera when he knows we’re sitting here, dead to the rest of the world. It seems like just last night we were sitting around with Nurse Corley, and now look at us. We’re pathetic. Trapped here like an endangered species.”
The navigator called for the captains attention, “Captain, pardon me sir, but we’re receiving the matching signal.”
The Captain stopped in his tracks. “What are you talking about? There are more than ten billion people down there! Those were your very own words. You said our sensors can’t discriminate in that detail.”
“Sir, I beg your pardon, but you don’t understand what I’m saying. The signal, the person who connected with the orb, I found him. He’s one of the few humans at the South Pole!”
Kirock sat back in his chair. A hundred thoughts ran through his mind. When the navigator indicated the human was located, those records would be permanently stored in the data file. He could find himself in hot water back home if he used deadly force without speaking to the human. There would be a long interrogation, and questions about his decision-making process and news of the new weapon would travel throughout the galaxy, potentially putting his home planet at risk. But these humans were a long-term threat to peace in the galaxy. Not now, but in several hundred or a thousand years they would figure out how to travel to distant locations in the universe.
The captain gave his orders to the weapons officer.
“Scale down weapon readiness to level two.” He walked out of the control room and headed to the conference room located directly adjacent to his battle station chair. “Get the staff assembled in the conference room in ten minutes!”
Officers scrambled preparing for the meeting.
First Officer Lazarr barked orders to the remaining crew.
“Okay, you heard the captain. Those reporting, get ready, everyone else, make sure we stay out of radar contact, and keep us hidden behind their moon.”
The captain was the first one to speak when the meeting began, “I want to talk to the human. Get the transportation system ready. We’re going down there.”
The head of the transportation crew objected.
“Captain, you can’t land down there and be seen by humans. That’s against all rules and regulations…there are very specific orders about —”
The Captain interrupted.
“Rules? We came within a few hours of destroying the entire planet’s population. If the last thing a human sees is a few of us, what’s the harm? I need to speak to that human. That task supersedes any of the rules. If you don’t want to bring our crew down there, we can bring the human up here.”
The transportation chief didn’t like that plan either.
“I don’t recommend that. There’s too much risk of exposure
to radar, even their primitive sensors might find us. If those are the only two options, then I agree with your assessment, we should go there instead. But I still would like my point noted in the record.”
The Captain agreed, “Duly noted. Your objections are officially in the log. Now, go figure out a way to get down there, and get me face to face with that human.”
CHAPTER 48
February 15, 2063
The alien transport ship came to rest a quarter of a mile away from the frozen station. The captain climbed out of the ship, and placed his feet on the frozen tundra of ice and snow.
“Coldest spot on the planet, Captain,” said Lazarr.
“Let’s find that human, and get out of here,” declared the Captain.
The two marched toward the station, covering large sections of ground with each step.
A silver pole with a large speaker at the top sprang to life signifying trouble. The blast of air traveled through Greg’s parka.
Both men immediately raised their hands to their ears and tried to block the deafening sound.
Their confusion lingered as a group of staffers ran to them and tried to escort them back inside the station.
“Are you guy’s nuts? Get in here! A cold front is moving in.”
Greg yelled at the guard, “We’ll be there in a minute. I’m enjoying the view. Since you won’t get us out of here, maybe we’ll just walk out the door and keep going until we get to America.”
“Mr. Callahan, we’re following orders to keep you here, and keep you safe. We can’t let you leave and get yourself killed out there.”
Billy scoffed at the guard. “Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it a hundred times. You don’t want us to freeze to death. I’d love to be in the room when you tell the President that I died on your watch!”
“Hurry up. I’m coming back in two minutes to get you old-timers back in the barn. Understand?”
“Yes boss!” they yelled in unison.
Greg put his arm around Billy, “The view? That was a good one. Doesn’t he know by now that the view hasn’t changed in two years?”
The Two Worlds of Billy Callahan Page 20
