“You are correct. The predictions that you were all told should have been accurate, except for one thing…” Ottah replied in an equally loud voice. “The meteor has started to slow down. We don’t know how this is possible. Some of my colleagues are saying that this suggests some form of intelligence is at work. We just don’t know! But we do know what the effects are: The meteor will hit our planet.”
Everyone exchanged confused looks at one another as they tried to take in what they had just heard.
“We have been able to narrow down where and when we expect the meteor to hit. We expect it to come down out in the central Pacific, somewhere in the vicinity of the small island nation of Niue. What we don’t know is what impact this will have on the planet, if any.”
Ottah’s nerves had calmed now a bit, and he continued with the report.
“With the little time we have had to gather information, we first know that the meteor does not have a solid iron core like most meteors. This is a very good thing because it lessens the impact. It has an outer layer that could best be thought of as dirty ice. The center of the meteor seems to be made up of a solid nonmetallic-type material that we have not yet identified.
“From the trajectory and its composition, we expect that most of it will burn up in the atmosphere. And the rest, if any, will fall harmlessly into the ocean. There could be a small tsunami, but it is estimated to be very small. Unless we have missed something, this should not be a major incident. There may be a large explosion high in the atmosphere, but not much else. We believe that this is how the Earth got all of its water to begin with billions of years ago.”
Ottah could see some relief come on the faces of some of the participants in the meeting.
Not knowing what else to say, Ottah sat down on the small stool next to the podium, put his hands in his lap and looked at the president.
President Fisher gave a nod back as if to say, “Well done.”
He stood. “I recommended that any nation with a scientific interest in the event sends ships to monitor the impact and, if need be, to render aid.”
As the two men left the room, President Fisher leaned over to Dr. Kuhn and whispered, “Well done, Doctor.”
Day 3: Blake
After spending the night on the base, Blake awoke at his normal 06:00. After a quick jog, he quickly showered and ate breakfast. It had been a while since he had done any shooting, so he decided to head to the gun range and get some practice in. Once he made it to the shooting range, he started shooting in tight groups on the targets. After his second set, something on the western horizon caught his eye. It was high in the sky, and he had to squint to see it.
He assumed it was the meteor that he had heard about the day before because it had an exceedingly long contrail and seemed to be on fire on its leading edge. All the men on the range were now looking to the sky, following the streak with their eyes. It was nearly a minute before it disappeared below the western horizon.
Blake ran to stow his rifle then headed to the mess hall. When he walked inside, he noticed several Marines gathered around the TV watching a news report.
“What’s going on?” he asked the nearest Marine.
“They are saying something about a meteor that they have been tracking for the last several days. It has just entered the Earth’s atmosphere.”
“I just saw that thing fly overhead a few minutes ago. It was huge! Did they say anything about it doing any damage?”
“They didn’t say. They think it is just going to burn up in the high atmosphere.”
Blake stood there watching the news reports for a few minutes then shrugged and walked out of the room. “Well, at least it won’t interfere with the days activities,” he thought to himself.
The sunlight felt warm on his face as he strolled across the base to a building on the far side where he needed to turn in his reports. Halfway across the grounds, he crossed paths with a young female Marine who looked similar to Tara. She gave a quick salute and continued on.
Once she was out of sight, his thoughts wandered to Tara and their brief life together. How she wanted to follow in her family’s footsteps, become a Marine and be one of the first female helicopter pilots allowed to fly into a combat zone. How they had met when Blake had sent out a call for an extraction when his platoon had come under fire. They had wounded soldiers who needed to be picked up, including himself. Even though he had been hit and was bleeding excessively, he was instantly attracted to her appearance and courage.
Early in the afternoon, Blake was assigned to teach a class in hand-to-hand combat with his high school friend, Stetson Baxter.
Blake thought to himself, “This class will probably go as it does with most new recruits. They all think they are tough as nails and ready to handle anything.”
Blake called the recruits to attention and walked up and down the line, staring at each of them in the eye. He stopped in front of the largest recruit, about six foot three and all muscle, and scanned him with his eyes from head to foot. He looked him straight in the eyes for several seconds.
Blake glanced over at Stetson, and they both exchanged quick grins.
“Soldier, do you think you have what it takes to throw me to the ground?” Blake barked.
“Yes sir. I believe so, sir,” the private shouted back, still staring straight ahead.
Even though the private had three inches and thirty pounds on him, Blake knew what would happen before they even started. Almost every time, the new recruit would throw the first punch to his head, trying to go for the knockout blow. This time was no different. Blake watched the recruit’s muscles tighten, and when he started to bring his right arm back, Blake knew that he had guess correctly. When the recruit’s arm came forward, Blake grabbed his wrist. With one fluid motion and before the private could react, Blake twisted his body and flung the soldier over his shoulder. As the private hit the ground hard, the air was forced out of his lungs. Instead of letting it end there, Blake twisted the man’s arm until his face showed how much pain he was in. Blake could tell from the private’s eyes that he had surrendered so he released his arm and removed his boot from the private’s neck. The rest of the recruits had the look of “Holy shit” on their faces.
Blake introduced Stetson, and they spent the rest of the afternoon drilling the recruits on proper hand-to-hand combat techniques.
After their class, Blake invited Stetson to eat a quick snack in the mess hall. Both of them grabbed some fruit and they sat at the table closest to the TV.
“So did you see the look on that big guy’s face after he hit the ground? It was all I could do to keep from breaking out in laughter in front of the recruits,” Stetson said as he slapped the table with laughter. Blake just smiled as he chewed on his apple.
The story on the news caught both of their attentions. “…The meteor that was reported on earlier today and seen by many has exploded high in the atmosphere above the small Pacific island of Niue. At this point there are few details available. We will bring you more details as they become available.”
For a moment Blake stopped chewing so that he could focus his attention on the news report. Then Stetson had to break the silence.
“I bet those islanders had to clean out their pants when that thing exploded,” Stetson joked.
“Maybe so,” Blake replied.
Day 3: Captain John Nellis, USNS Mercy
Captain John Nellis had been stationed on the USNS Mercy for almost two years. The 400-foot-long medical ship had spent most of its time touring the Pacific, investigating reports of infectious diseases, and rendering aid when they could. It had been a long tour, but John felt a sense of satisfaction with the people they were able to help. However, he was looking forward to heading home to San Diego and spending time with family and friends.
During the second day on its journey back, Captain Nellis had been ordered to change course. They were to head toward the tiny island nation of Niue, located 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand. Th
ey were informed that a meteor was predicted to impact the Earth’s lower atmosphere near that area, and they were the closest ship. Their orders were to observe its entry and report the effects as it entered the atmosphere, whether it burned completely or crashed into the ocean.
John stood on the deck of the ship. The sun was low in the sky, since the day was only a few hours old. The spray of the water on his face made him think of his younger days on the beach. Almost everyone on the ship was on the deck to watch the event that had postponed everyone’s shore leave. There was light talk amongst his command staff about how this had better be something spectacular, or else they would be giving a piece of their mind to someone. Who that would be, John didn’t know, but he had to agree with their sentiment.
The Mercy was thirty miles upwind of Niue when the meteor first started to enter the atmosphere.
John gazed up as several of his shipmates pointed towards the eastern horizon. At first, it appeared as a light streak high in the sky, similar to when a jet is flying high in the sky with a trailing plume of vapor coming off its engines.
Suddenly, it started to trail a plume of vapor that grew brighter and heavier. It swiftly turned to smoke, and the leading edge appeared to be on fire. Once it reached the lower atmosphere, the tail became smaller. It flew directly over their heads and had started to head west when the explosion happened.
There was a huge flash of light. John had to close his eyes as the brightness caused him a moment of pain. Seconds later, a massive shockwave hit the ship. John and several others were knocked to the deck of the ship.
As he struggled to stand up, he noticed that to the west, thick smoke and dust filled the sky and the sun slowly changed color to a blood orange. Once he regained his balance on the deck, all he could do was stand there, eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape.
The island that had been on the western horizon was no longer visible. It was obscured by the smoke and dust that was filling the air.
As John scanned the horizon with his binoculars, he couldn’t see any effects of the explosion besides the dust falling over the area, and most of it was settling over the island.
Captain Nellis picked up the phone and called Pacific Fleet Command to give them an update and send them a video. After a few minutes of reporting, the Mercy was ordered to Niue’s port to inspect any damage or ill effects from the explosion and render any aid that was necessary.
The boat slowly waded through the water towards the smoky air. It would be a few hours before they reached the island, so Captain Nellis ordered the communication officer to contact the Niue port authority.
After a few minutes of tuning the radio to the correct frequency, the communications officer spoke into the microphone. “Niue port, this is the USNS Mercy. Do you copy? Over.”
After several seconds of static, the communication officer repeated his message.
This time, a man with a heavy Polynesian accent interrupted the static on the radio. “American ship, what just happened? Over.”
“We were sent to monitor a meteor that was forecasted to hit near here. The fire in the sky and explosion you heard was the meteor. We are ordered to verify if there has been any damage done to the island or if the people have suffered any ill effects. Over.”
“To my knowledge, there isn’t any major damage other than a few broken windows. I also haven’t heard of anyone getting sick. Just a lot of scared folks out here. Over.”
“That’s great to hear, Niue. We will be pulling into your dock in a few hours, if you don’t mind, to check things out. Over.”
“As we say on the island, ‘You are welcome here, and may the warm winds blow your way.’”
About an hour out of port, the Mercy’s chief medical officers received an urgent video call from the Niue medical clinic director, Dr. Una Pally. Captain Nellis ordered the communication officer to transfer the call to the main screen. When Dr. Pally appeared, Captain Nellis stepped in front of the viewer and said, “Hello, Doctor. How are things going?”
”There have been at least one hundred patients that have come into our small clinic, and more are coming in every minute. All of them have symptoms of high fever, severe body aches, and extremely bloodshot eyes. We are only a small facility and can’t handle such a large number of patients. Can you help us?”
“We are about 45 minutes away from your port. When we arrive, I will send a team to the clinic and see if they can render some assistance.”
”Thank you! We are a little in over our heads here. We don’t really know what to do.”
Once the call ended with the doctor, Captain Nellis ordered the communications officer to contact Admiral Marriott of the Pacific Command. Within minutes, he was talking with the head of the Pacific Fleet.
After the admiral appeared on the screen, he said, “How is the meteor-watching going, John? I hear that this planet dodged a bullet today.”
Captain Nellis took a quick breath to steady his nerves. “Admiral, I think we have a problem. I just ended a call with one of Niue’s doctors. He has reported that over 100 of their citizens have become ill. I think that we may have an epidemic on our hands. Given the timing and circumstances, I think we have to assume this has something to do with the meteor.”
For a few moments, neither one of them spoke. Admiral Marriott cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Let me contact the head of the CDC and the Pentagon, and I’ll get back to you. Send me your report and proceed with level one contamination procedures.” The video screen then when black.
Captain Nellis ordered the communication officer to turn on the ship’s communication system. After a few seconds, the communication officer said, “Ready, sir.”
Captain Nellis grabbed the mic for the ship’s communication system. He cleared his throat and pressed its button. “This is the captain. We have just received an urgent call from Niue Island, and they need our help. I have talked with Pacific Command, and they have ordered us to give assistance in any way we can. It appears to have something to do with the meteor that exploded an hour ago. Since we don’t know what we are heading into, I am ordering a level one contamination protocol. All personnel will remain in their HAZMAT suits until further orders come. That is all.”
The crew knew the drill; all the members of the ship scrambled into their suits and prepared for their next orders.
About fifteen minutes out of port, the Mercy received another call from Dr. Pally. Once again, Captain Nellis stood in front of the screen, only this time he was in his HAZMAT suit. His voice was slightly muffled as it came through the filters. “What is the update on how things are going, Doctor?”
“Captain, things are getting much worse! It appears that nearly half the population has been infected, including half the hospital staff. The first people that were infected are starting to show signs of psychosis. Most can no longer communicate and are becoming increasingly violent.” Dr. Pally’s voice became even more panicked. “There have even been some unconfirmed reports of infected people chasing and killing non-infected islanders. Those of the staff who haven’t been infected have barricaded themselves in the commissary and their offices. I have called the police station and government offices to request help, but I have not received a reply.” Shouts could be heard in the background, and suddenly the connection was cut.
When the call ended, Captain Nellis could see the shoreline of the island. The Mercy had a small contingent of Marines stationed on their ship, and he ordered them onto the deck. They were armed and ready as they pulled into the port.
The captain walked out onto the deck of the command bridge and looked at the dock and shoreline through his binoculars. He was in utter shock at the carnage he saw. His stomach started to heave, and bile made its way up his throat, having never seen or heard of such carnage in his life. He had to grab the railing to steady himself.
The smell of blood filled the air. There were bodies of men, women, and children lining the dock, their blood spilling onto the gro
und where their bodies had fallen. It seemed as if they had tried to escape to their boats but didn’t reach them before something hacked them to pieces. Even more appalling were the other men, women, and children disemboweling and carving up the bodies of the dead. When they turned to look at the ship coming into the dock, the captain through his binoculars could see their eyes were yellow and red. Their faces and clothing were covered in blood. Many had deep wounds on their bodies, probably from machete slashes.
John yelled down from the command deck to the sergeant on the main deck, “Take out those things on the dock.”
“You heard the captain,” the sergeant barked. Each of the Marines started firing short controlled burst. Within seconds, the firing stopped, and all the infected lay dead on the dock. Their dead bodies now lay crumpled alongside their victims.
All the sailors and medical personal that had been standing on the deck as they approached the dock were either leaning against the railing or had fallen to their knees after witnessing this carnage.
After the ship was tied up and the engines shut down, a high-pitched scream echoed from the far end of the dock. The Marines trained their guns at the approaching two men, four women, and two children. They were all running and screaming.
The captain brought his binoculars to his eyes to see what was happening. He noticed blood-red eyes on the three men that were chasing the group. When the women noticed the ship, they started screaming in heavy Polynesian accents.
“Please help us!” the lead woman shouted.
“Help, my baby!” another woman yelled.
The men in the back of the group were doing their best to keep the infected away from the others. One man carried a shotgun, and the other held a machete. They were about fifty yards from the ship when the man with the machete tripped on one of the bodies on the deck and fell to the ground. Within seconds, one of the infected men was on him. He swung his machete with all his might, but the infected beast snatched it out of his hands. Just as the infected demon was about to plunge the machete into the helpless mans chest, its head exploded from a bullet, shot by one of the Marine’s guns. The man on the ground wiped the demon’s skull and brains off of his face and resumed his run to the ship.
AB (The Blake Reynolds Chronicles Book 1) Page 2
