Although the overall crisis for the ship seemed to be stabilizing, the mood of the passengers was anything but. Speechless shock and petrified fear were quickly thawing into anger, indignation and contagious calls for action. Reiner was about to radio the Captain and ask for further direction and assistance when he spotted Mr. Summers and Petty Officer Perkins enter the back of the theater. He waved his flashlight and started walking towards them, mindful not to run and thereby start a panicked stampede. No, he had to keep a calm and professional demeanor if he stood any chance of keeping control of the situation. Luckily Mr. Summers recognized him, rushing to close the distance and ask, “Have you seen my wife and daughter?”
“They insisted on waiting for you at the Deck 10 forward lobby,” Reiner answered with more than a little surprise. “In light of what happened, I’m sure they were safer there than those who went to the muster stations. They said you told them to stay there. Didn’t you find them?”
“No, they were gone by the time I got there. We thought they might have come down here or the muster stations. But if they aren’t here, then I hope not. Those muster stations look like a war zone,” Kevin said.
“They were not at the muster stations when the fire and water hit, if that’s you’re thinking,” Reiner said. “I was in the Casino and the Martini Bar before the water washed me in here and I am certain they had not come down before that.”
“Thank you,” Kevin replied. “At least that’s something. I just can’t figure out where they could have gone. And I’m worried they might be injured.”
“If they are, they might have gone down to get medical attention in the ship’s hospital,” Reiner suggested. “We’ve started taking the badly injured down there too.”
“Good point,” Kevin agreed. “I guess I better check there next.” He started to turn away, but Reiner grasped him by the arm.
“Please wait,” said the Lieutenant. “Can you tell us what is happening out there? These people have been in here since this started and most of them are ready to go into a full panic soon. I don’t know what to tell them. Since you’ve been on the Bridge and know more about what’s happening than the rest of us, will you please talk to them?”
“What? Me?” Kevin was taken aback. “What would I say?”
“Just explain what has happened. Tell them what to expect, or whatever you can think of to keep them calm,” Reiner pleaded. “Otherwise, I’m afraid this could turn into a riot.”
“Alright,” Kevin agreed reluctantly. He didn’t want to delay his search for his family, but he could see that these people were in dire need of reassurance. He and Petty Officer Perkins followed Lieutenant Reiner down to the main stage while trying to decide how to explain the situation to these passengers.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Reiner shouted. “Please listen for a moment! Can I have your attention please?” The room quieted down slightly and he continued. “This is Mr. Summers. He just came down from the Bridge and is also the one who warned the Captain what to expect when we saw that big fireball hit the ocean. He’s going to tell you what is happening. Please stay calm and give him your full attention.” Reiner stepped back and gave Kevin center stage.
As a TV weatherman, Kevin was used to live public speaking. Every weeknight he spoke to countless thousands through their televisions, but was no stranger to speaking in front of large crowds either. In Southern California he usually had good news to report. In fact, he often joked that he could just say that the weather would be nice without checking the forecast and be right most of the time. When he reported bad news it was usually related to high winds and wildfires, or occasional heat waves, heavy rain and mudslide warnings. He’d never had to forecast tornadoes, hurricanes, or blizzards, aside from reporting trouble other places and reminding Californians how lucky they were. The current situation put all previous weather related disasters to shame. He wasn’t prepared to give these people a complete forecast yet. He doubted that would go over well. Nevertheless, he had to tell them some of what had happened and what to expect, at least as it concerned those here on the ship. So, taking a deep breath, he looked around the room and started speaking.
“What we witnessed earlier was an asteroid strike in the middle of the ocean. It landed more than 100 miles from the ship, but it was serious enough to cause everything we just went through. The initial effect was a superheated blast wave, similar to a nuclear blast. It did significant damage to exposed portions of the ship, including shattering windows and igniting fires. Those of you here in this room were lucky to have escaped most of that.
“Soon after the initial blast wave we also encountered unprecedented ocean waves hundreds of feet high, emanating from the impact zone. That was the ‘roller coaster’ ride that the Captain warned you about. I’m happy to report that Captain Krystos steered the ship perfectly through that danger. We rode over and through the waves with only minor additional damage and flooding. I should add that the water from those waves that entered the ship through broken windows played a major role in putting out the fires that were started by the initial blast wave. So, although I understand the flooding was bad here, you should be glad that it probably saved the rest of the ship.
“At this point we seem to have made it through the worst of the local effects of the impact. The ship is seaworthy and the crew is working hard on damage control. They expect to restore normal power soon and we are still underway at reduced speed. I understand that all the pumps are working and the water that came in with the waves will be gone soon. There have been quite a few injuries and some fatalities in other parts of the ship, but for the time being this theater is probably the safest and most comfortable place for you to be.” Kevin paused, hoping that would be the end of it, but wasn’t surprised when a question was shouted from the audience.
“What about the meteor that fell through the roof here and killed that man?”
“Yes, well…” Kevin hesitated. “That was certainly unfortunate, but it was not a meteorite. At least I don’t think it was. The asteroid impact also threw what we call ejecta high into the atmosphere. It’s composed of the ocean floor and possibly parts of the asteroid itself. Those bits and pieces are falling back towards the ocean now. The larger fragments, like that one, are quite spread out and it was simply bad luck that one of them fell into this room, but that danger will also pass soon. In the meantime, you know the old adage about lightning never striking the same place twice? I think it should apply to fireballs too. So this is still the best place to be right now.”
“How do you know that?” another man yelled.
“I’m a meteorologist,” Kevin replied evenly. “I work as a weatherman and I’m studying for a doctorate in Climatology. I’ve studied the effects of asteroid impacts. But let me add one more reason for you to stay here. Right now, outside, it’s raining. But this is not a normal rain. It’s from the ocean water that was vaporized by the asteroid strike and it is still very hot. Scalding hot. It may also contain chemicals from the asteroid that you don’t want to be exposed to. So please stay here, remain calm, and I am sure the crew will see to your needs as soon as possible.”
With that Kevin stepped off the stage, ignoring more shouted questions about food, lifeboats, bathrooms and when they could go back to their staterooms. He and Petty Officer Perkins looked straight ahead as they walked up the aisle and out of the theater, passing several crewmen who insisted that the other passengers remain seated. Kevin could only hope that his ad hoc presentation had done more good than harm to their morale.
Kevin’s own morale was buoyed by the knowledge that so many of the passengers had made it through the initial crisis unharmed, even if they were angry and confused. It boosted his hopes for finding Amanda and Emily alive and well. Nevertheless, his next destination was the ship’s Medical Center on Deck One. If either of them were injured he wanted to be with them.
****
Chapter 9:
Although this was the pinnacle of the information age, with 24 hour news a
nd instant global internet access, the news media was kept in the dark about the asteroid impact for more than an hour after NASA and the US Military became aware of it. The primary reason for this was the remote location of the asteroid impact and the time it took for officials at various agencies and departments to confirm the event and seek direction on how to respond to it. Nobody wanted to be the one accused of issuing a false alarm, and none of the decision makers realized the dire consequences of events unfolding on the other side of the world.
There were widespread sightings of the asteroid as it entered the atmosphere and streaked over the Middle East and South Asia and these were widely reported. However, there were only a few scattered eyewitness reports of the impact at sea. Brief messages from ships, such as the SS Sedulity and other less fortunate vessels, took time to trickle up through proper channels and longer still for anyone to act on them.
The first public alarms were raised in Australia after contact was lost simultaneously with two jumbo jets over the mid-Pacific. It was initially assumed that the planes had collided, although they should have been many miles apart. However, air traffic controllers quickly received half a dozen panicked reports from other airliners describing a massive fireball and mushroom cloud in the middle of the ocean. An Australian television network monitoring these civil aviation broadcasts grabbed a scoop on the story, or what they thought the story was. They reported that two planes had been lost in what appeared to be a nuclear explosion over the ocean, because that is how the surviving pilots of other planes described it. This sparked debate over the possibility of terrorism, or a horrible accident aboard a nuclear submarine. It would be some time before they realized that the truth was far worse than either of those scenarios.
“Captain, we have restored partial satellite television service, Sir.”
“Excellent, Mr. Crawford. What are you getting?”
“We have GNN International and several foreign language stations online now. Should have more soon. We’re also trying to rig a shortwave antenna without having to go outside in that damned rain.”
“What’s the news saying on GNN?” the Captain asked. “Any mention of the asteroid?”
“A minute ago they were talking about sightings of a massive shooting star over Europe and Asia, reports of windows breaking in India and Indonesia, but no mention of an asteroid impact or any further danger,” Crawford replied.
“Very well, keep listening and get me a working sat-phone. How long does that take, anyway?” Captain Krystos asked with more than a hint of impatience.
“Yes, Sir. Here’s an Iridium phone that one of the crew just brought up from a lifeboat, Sir,” Crawford said as he held out the device.
“Well why didn’t you say so?” the Captain said in exasperation. “Call this number and hand it to me when you get through.” He passed Crawford a piece of paper with the number for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center written on it. After a few moments Crawford reported that the number was busy. The Captain told him to keep trying.
****
Hank Donner was feeling like a real asshole. The man looking for his family, who somehow knew Hank’s name, and the crewman with him had caused Hank to put his own frustration in perspective. He looked away from the shattered poker table, where his dreams of paying for this cruise lay in a shambles, and took the time to look at the other passengers huddled in the remains of the casino. They were a wretched group that might have been mistaken for homeless bums anywhere else. Their clothes, probably quite presentable earlier in the evening, were sopping wet, many of them were in tatters from burns or rips. And those were just the people able to sit up. Others moaned and writhed on the floor. Far too many of the bodies he saw weren’t moving at all. Hank realized they were probably dead and suddenly appreciated how lucky he was to still be alive, as well as what an ass he had been earlier.
Hank shook himself out of momentary shock and moved towards the closest group of injured people in the casino. “Howdy, can I offer you folks any assistance? Are y’all okay?” Hank said this without realizing how stupid it would sound.
“Yes, I mean no, we are not okay,” replied a man who was crouched down holding the hand of a woman spread out on the floor next to him. “My wife was thrown against something and now she can’t move or feel her legs.”
“Damn, that doesn’t sound good,” Hank replied. “I’d offer to help get her to the doctor, but I don’t think you should move her.”
“I know,” the man nodded. “One of the crew said they would bring medical help here, but it seems to be taking them a long time.”
“Can’t say as I’m surprised,” Hank said. “There’s plenty of hurting going around on this boat right now. Best to just keep her comfortable and still until they get here. But I’ll remind them about you folks if I see the medics.” He backed away and tipped his cowboy hat, which had remained perched on his head throughout the turmoil of the past hour.
As he moved to the next group of survivors Hank realized that he looked out of place. After seeing the giant fireball cross the sky through the sunglasses that he wore even at night, and nearly being deafened by the shock wave, he had followed the directions of the crew to go downstairs and ended up in the theater. He avoided being exposed to whatever started all the fires and had been sitting in a first class booth that didn’t even get wet when water flooded much of the theater. Seeing the man in the balcony get splattered by a fireball and others being swept away by flooding was the closest Hank had come to understanding what those outside the theater had gone through.
Hank’s clothes were still dry and he was dressed for an evening at the casino, maybe even the disco. He wore a light weight black leather jacket over a white shirt with black buttons, a black bow tie, black jeans with a lone star silver belt buckle, and polished black cowboy boots with silver accents. It was his typical outfit for a night on the town, or anywhere else that he wanted to display his self-image to the world. The black cowboy hat that topped it off wasn’t an accessory. It was his persona. He liked to stand out from the crowd in most situations. The boots added two inches to his six foot frame and the hat added four more. His persona was egotistical and grandiose, at least to most of those who met him. Hank usually liked it that way. Not now. His unsullied attire stood out from the crowd, proving that he had eluded the horror that others had endured, or succumbed to. He lacked the scars earned by other passengers in their recent tests of fire and water.
Hank paused again, looking for a way to make himself useful, and spotted a man and woman staggering towards the door. The man seemed to be supporting the woman, but he didn’t appear to be in much better shape than she was. Hank hurried to intercept them and said, “Where are you going? Can I help you?”
The man glanced up at him and said, “Trying to find a doctor for my wife. It doesn’t look like help will be coming here any time soon.”
“Good call,” Hank agree. “Well, let me help you.” He moved to the other side of the woman and slipped her arm over his shoulder, taking up much of her weight by reaching around her back. She winced and let out a little scream. “What’s wrong? Where are you injured?” Hank asked.
“My ribs and my leg,” she whimpered.
“Oh, sorry,” Hank said, loosening his hold around her back and side. “Guess I should have asked that first. Okay then, just lean on me and let me know if you need more support. They told me the Med Center is a couple floors down on the main stairs.” The man and woman both offered their thanks and the trio moved slowly out of the casino and through the Martini Bar towards the atrium. Hank almost dropped his hold on the injured woman when he saw the carnage ahead of them. The charred and drowned bodies littering their path brought bile into his throat. A sickly sweet smell that reminded him of a hog roast in West Texas was almost too much to stomach. Only the salty wind blowing through the broken windows relieved his olfactory distress.
The couple he was escorting also faltered at the sight and smell that confronted them, but Hank e
ncouraged them to press on. “Don’t mind the scenery,” he said. “Sometimes you have to go through hell to find salvation. The stairs are just ahead.”
****
Lydia reached the main longitudinal crew passageway. It was nicknamed Broadway because it was the widest corridor aboard, running almost the entire center of the ship, one deck below the public areas. This was the fastest way for the crew to get around the ship, as well as deliver supplies for the bars and restaurants and bring room service meals to the service elevators. The crew even used electric golf cart type vehicles to move things along Broadway. One of those electric carts was abandoned and overturned in the corridor where the “roller coaster ride” over the waves had deposited it. Broadway itself was also blocked off in both directions by large watertight doors, but the deck was dry and otherwise clear. Still no sign of any crew, but there must be a route to higher decks in this isolated section of the ship.
She spotted a bank of service elevators, but was not surprised to find them inoperative. It would probably be quite a while before full power was restored. She wished that the watertight doors along the corridor would open, but understood why her husband would keep the ship locked down after what she had just been through. In fact, Lydia had no idea what had actually happened topside since leading the passengers below from the Resort Deck. She could only hope that the worst was behind them and that most of the passengers and crew, especially her husband, had come through it unscathed.
The Captain’s wife was a strong woman of faith and courage, but she was physically and emotionally exhausted. The ordeal of being flushed down a whirlpool, bashed into bulkheads and nearly drowned, not to mention hanging from a light fixture and struggling to wade through the receding floodwater, had combined to wear her down. Her uncertainty of what was happening to the ship, her husband, and others aboard was also a heavy burden. Lydia moved slowly down the corridor towards the watertight door blocking her passage. She knocked on the door without much hope of a response. There wasn’t one.
Sedulity (Book One) Impact Page 10
