AB
The Blake Reynolds Chronicles
Bret Dee Landon
Copyright © 2014 Bret Dee Landon
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.
First Digital Edition: December 2014
Cover Design by Keary Taylor
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Landon, Bret Dee, 1963-
AB : a novel / by Bret Dee Landon – 1st ed.
Contents
Prologue
Day 1: Discovery Dr. Kun
Day 2: Blake Reynolds
Day 2: Dr. Kun
Day 3: Blake
Day 3: Captain John Nellis, USNS Mercy
Day 4: Captain John Nellis
Day 4: Blake
Day 4: Tara
Day 4: Luke Dameon
Day 4: Lord Dameon
Day 4: Blake
Day 4: Tara
Day 4: Blake
Day 4: Tara
Day 4: Blake
Day 5: Captain John Nellis
Day 5: Blake
Day 5: Lord Dameon
Day 5: Blake
Day 6: Lord Dameon
Day 6: Blake
Day 7: Blake
Day 8: Blake
Day 8: Lord Dameon
Day 9: Captain John Nellis
Day 9: Blake
Day 10: Blake
Day 10: Lieutenant McBride/Sir
Day 10: Blake
Day 10: Lord Dameon
Day 11: Blake
Day 11: Lord Dameon/Sir
Day 12: USNS Mercy
Day 12: Blake
Day 12: Lord Dameon
Day 12: Blake
Day 12: USNS Mercy/Captain Nellis
Day 13: Blake
Day 13: Lord Dameon
Day 13: Blake
Day 14, sunrise: Blake
Day 14, 9:00 am: Lord Dameon
Day 14, 9:00 am: Tara
Day 14, 10:00 am: Blake
Day 14, 10:00 am: Lord Dameon
Day 14, 10:05 am: Tara
Day 14, 10:06 am: Blake
Day 14, 10:06 am: Tara
Day 14, 10:15 am: Lord Dameon
Day 14, 10:20 am: Blake
Day 14, 10:20 am: Lord Dameon
Day 14, 10:25 am: Blake
Day 14, 10:30 am: Tara
Day 14, 10:35 am: Blake
Day 14, 10:40 am: Tara
Prologue
You never know how far you can go unless you have been forced to go somewhere you didn’t want to.
-- Major Blake Reynolds
Day 1: Discovery Dr. Kun
Dr. Ottah Kun sipped his morning coffee as he scrolled through his hundreds of daily emails. He was only slightly paying attention to the screen because his mind kept wandering to what he was going to present at NASA’s Deep Space Conference in London next month.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He rolled the chair over to his desk and grabbed the phone from the top of a stack of papers. “Hello, Dr. Kun speaking,” he spoke in his heavy Indian accent. Tony Fines, one of his graduate interns working at the Maui, Hawaii Space Surveillance Site, was on the other end.
“There is a meteor headed almost directly towards Earth!” Tony blurted out. “It is on a near-direct path to us!”
Tony continued to ramble until Ottah interrupted him. “Slow down and start over.”
“Last night I was sitting at my desk reviewing the previous hour’s tracking data. I noticed something that hadn’t been there the night before. It was a small meteor, about a quarter mile wide and two million miles out. Now that by itself wasn’t worth getting excited about because, as you know, we get hundreds of these every year. So I watched it for a couple of hours and monitored it so I could run the numbers and plot the trajectory of the meteor. Doctor, this is where it gets quite intriguing. The data shows that the meteor will come within 500 miles of the Earth in the next twenty-four hours.”
It only took a second for what he had just heard to sink in. Dr. Kun’s eyes grew wide, and he spit out his coffee across the desk. In the history of the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT), they had never recorded anything coming so close to the Earth. A few times a year, they might track a small asteroid or comet that would come between the Earth and the moon, but never anything this close.
“Have you rechecked your data?” Dr. Kun asked.
“I checked it three times! It comes back the same every time.”
“Send me that data, now!” Dr. Kun ordered before hanging up the phone.
Ottah’s finger twitched as it rested above the mouse. His eyes stared at the screen as he clicked the reload button on his email account. The longer he waited, the more frequently he clicked until it was continuous. After several minutes, it finally appeared.
He struggled to steady his hand as he clicked the download button. The next two hours were spent analyzing the data and checking the trajectory.
Dr. Kun leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on his head. “Should I notify my boss at NASA how close this thing will come to our planet or just let it pass by and write a paper about its passing?” he muttered to himself. After mulling it over in his mind for another hour, he decided to call the director of NASA and inform him of what was coming.
The phone call with the director was brief, and a meeting was scheduled with the president of the United States and his chief of staff for the afternoon. They would review the possible impact the meteor might have.
As the time approached for the conference call with President Fisher, Ottah began to sweat and became tenser. He had never spoken with him before and he was afraid that the president would not be able to understand his English.
When the phone rang, it startled Ottah. He quickly picked up the phone. “Hello.”
A young woman on the other end spoke, “I will be placing you on a conference call with the president and the director of NASA.”
The phone went silent for a moment. Ottah could feel his throat swell and knew that the words would be hard to get out.
Once he was connected, Ottah could tell that he was hearing the middle of a conversation.
“…good, sir. But unfortunately, this call isn’t for a friendly catch-up. I have with me on the phone Dr. Ottah Kun. He is in charge of the department in NASA that tracks comets and asteroid in our inner solar system. What he has to report could inject fear and panic in the people of this country, if not the entire world. Dr. Kun, please repeat what you told me earlier today.”
Ottah cleared his throat, trying to calm his nerves before he spoke. “Well, um, sir … my English, I, meteor track, close.”
The President interrupted him. “Dr. Kun, please relax and start from the beginning.”
“Yes sir, thank you. Early this morning, we were tracking a previously unknown meteor approaching our planet. This is not unusual; we see several of these a month, and a few even pass between the Earth and the moon every year. Most meteors have an elliptical trajectory as they circle the sun. However, this particular meteor seems to be following a straight trajectory. This is very rare.” Ottah paused, waiting for the “aha” moment to reach the president.
Ottah could just imagine in his head the president sitting back in his chair and rolling his eyes.
“Doctor, this is very interesting, but tell me why I should care.”
“Sir, this m
eteor is quite large, and my data shows it will pass very close to Earth. Depending on what it is made of and if it has any debris trailing from it, a quarter of the population on the planet will see the largest meteor shower in the history of mankind. The meteor shower will even be seen in the daylight!”
Ottah could hear the squeak of the president’s chair over the phone, as he sat up.
“Does it pose any threat of damage to our planet?”
“No sir. Not if it stays on its current course. But it should be a spectacular light show.”
“Doctor, when is this ‘light show’ supposed to happen?”
“In less than two days.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I will schedule a meeting with the National Security Council and the members of NATO later this evening. I would like you both to be there to present your findings. I will have planes sent within the hour to fly you here to Washington. Dr. Kun, please prepare some data for everyone in attendance to review.”
When President Fisher, the director and Dr. Kun entered the room, they noticed that all the key members on the council were in attendance. The vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and the national security adviser were all in their assigned seats at the table. There were also two dozen countries attending remotely.
All three walked to the head of the table and stood in front of the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, less than two hours ago I was informed by the director of NASA and one of their lead scientists, Dr. Kun, that there is a newly discovered meteor heading directly towards the close proximity of the Earth.”
He paused for a moment and evaluated everyone’s expressions to make sure he had their attention.
“Dr. Kun, please updates us on your latest findings.”
Ottah did not have much time to prepare a presentation, let alone one for an audience of this importance. His hair was uncombed, and he still wore the lab coat he had put on earlier in the day. He rummaged through some papers as he stepped towards the microphone.
“We have taken some preliminary measurements, and it appears to be about a quarter-mile wide. So far, its composition has not yet been determined, so we can’t estimate its weight. Current estimates have the meteor coming within 500 miles of Earth. But without knowing its mass, we can’t make precise predictions of when it will pass by the Earth. We estimate that we have less than forty hours before it reaches us.”
Ottah stopped to catch his breath and adjust his glasses. “A copy of our latest data will be sent to each of you in the next few minutes.” Ottah nervously looked back to the president and returned to where they were standing.
The president then stepped forward one more time. “We ask every nation to have their best scientists help us determine if this meteor is a threat or not. I also highly recommend that the public should not be informed, other than a simple statement that we will release in the next few hours. Within the hour, you will each receive all our current information to help give you a jumpstart on your research.”
When the president finished, Ottah could see a sense of urgency on the faces of the world leaders on the screens; they began turning to their aides and whispering things or picking up the phone and making calls. One by one, the monitors went blank, and the members on the security council left the room to make plans for their areas of responsibility.
Day 2: Blake Reynolds
Blake Reynolds was having another restless night. He was fighting in some battle from one of his previous four tours in the Middle East.
His sweet wife, Tara, was used to his mumbling and twitching throughout the nights. It came with the territory of being a soldier’s wife. As she lay there wondering what Blake was dreaming about this time, her thoughts turned to her own tour of duty in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot. After a few minutes, she rolled over and glanced at the clock.
Through blurry eyes, she could barely make out zero-five-thirty. Tara knew she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, so she slipped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Blake. She softly walked to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Blake was drawn out of his disturbing nightmare by the sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee filling his nose. He sat up and thought, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Blake quickly showered and ate breakfast. As he approached the front door, Tara was holding their four-year-old daughter, Kaya. They were blocking his way out.
Tara smiled. “Someone told me you can’t leave until she tells you something.”
Blake leaned in. “So what do you want to say, Sweetie?”
Kaya rubbed her barely open eyes. “Daddy, I love you. Come home safe!” she said in a soft tender voice.
“I will, Sweetie.”
“OK, Marines. Today’s operation is a test of teamwork and resourcefulness. It is a lesson to learn how to overcome adversity and obstacles using whatever resources you have available. We are going to carry these two large telephone poles three miles down this trail. Once there, we will improvise with whatever materials we can scavenge and build a bridge over the ravine. It should be strong enough to support a Hummer driving over it.”
Blake knew it would be hard on the new recruits, as it was already over eighty degrees. Some of them were already sweating.
“And if we do it fast enough, I will even let you eat lunch today. We don’t have all day, so pick up those poles and get moving!”
Most of the soldiers were completely exhausted by the time the two platoons reached the ravine. Once the poles were placed on the ground, Blake gave orders to the two patrol leaders to begin. He took a seat under the shade of a large Juniper tree and logged the progress the groups made in the logbook that he had brought.
After an hour, the two patrol leaders reported to Blake. “Sir, we have completed the bridge and are ready for your inspection.”
Blake stood and walked to the middle of the bridge. He bounced on it a few times and nodded his head. He walked back to the patrol leaders, who stood in front of their respective patrols.
Blake pointed to the other side of a small hill. “Now for the real test... I want each of you to choose a soldier from your patrol. They must each get in the Hummer and drive it across the bridge you just constructed. Are you both still confident in the results that you can risk one of your soldier’s lives?”
They both glanced at each other nervously as if to say, “I think so.” All the soldiers in both patrols stared at the ground as the patrol leaders looked for volunteers. When none stepped forward, two were selected.
Two men selected ran to where Blake had said the Hummer was hidden. What he didn’t tell them was after his inspection of the bridge, he knew it would support the vehicle without harming anyone.
As the two men came around the bend in the Hummer, the other soldiers started to shout with their arms raised. Some shouted, “You got this,” and “Piece of cake.”
The Hummer crossed the bridge slowly. It creaked and sagged slightly. As the rear tires cleared the end of the bridge, the whole group let out a shout in celebration.
Blake allowed the soldiers to celebrate for a few minutes before he demanded their attention. “Very good, Marines. It looks like you kept your fellow soldiers alive to fight another day. Now, once you have disassembled the bridge and taken the poles back to where you found them, you can take a break for some chow.”
Their jubilation changed to grumbling as Blake climbed into the Hummer to drive back to the base.
Once Blake arrived back on base he headed to the mess hall for a quick lunch. As he ate he absently listened to the afternoon news report. Suddenly, he heard something that caught his attention.
“…from the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking Agency of NASA. A meteor has recently been discovered heading towards the vicinity of Earth. In the next thirty-six hours, it will pass within proximity of our planet. Experts report that the Earth has nothing to worry about, but it should be visible to some portions of the planet as it passes
by. Once again experts report the meteor poses no danger to our planet.”
Blake thought to himself that ought to make for some excitement tomorrow.
Day 2: Dr. Kun
Dr. Kun walked into the large circular room. The sterile smell reminded him of the last time he had visited a friend in the hospital. In the center of the room was a huge circular table. It had a narrow path through the table, which led to the center. The center of the table had been removed, and a podium was placed in the middle.
Already seated was President Fisher, his security council and what Ottah thought must be the president’s chief science officers.
The president stood as Ottah walked into the room.
“Please join us.” The president extended his arm and directed Ottah to stand at the podium in the center.
Ottah thought his knees would give out before he reached the center. He had never been so scared in his life.
Once he reached the podium in the center he grabbed it with both hands to help steady himself.
Ottah took a deep breath and scanned the room. High on the walls all around the room were large video monitors. On each was a different, very important-looking man. In the corner of each monitor was a small flag to show which country he represented.
Once his nerves had calmed down he began.
“My team and I have had a chance to analyze the most current tracking data. We have also consulted with many of the lead scientists around the world. We have some grim new to share with you: The meteor will hit the Earth.”
His comments were met with silence and blank stares. Ottah wasn’t sure that everybody present in the meeting had heard him so he repeated his words again.
“The meteor that we have been tracking for the last two days will hit the Earth!”
The representative on the screen from Great Britain stood and spoke in a very loud voice. “I thought that you told us yesterday that the meteor would pass harmlessly by at least 500 miles?”
AB (The Blake Reynolds Chronicles Book 1) Page 1
