An hour went by before the battle ended.
Max rolled over on his stomach and got into a kneeling position then gradually stood, all the time pushing up through the entwined limbs and heavy bodies. He managed to make a hole large enough to climb up through and helped Gemma out.
Ally crawled out, followed by Julie.
“Wow, will you look at that,” Max said.
A hundred giant red ants lay dead on the battleground, mingled with an equal amount of larger black ants, each brutally slain, a few still twitching.
It had been a brutal fight to the death and looked like a gruesome scene straight out of a science fiction movie.
“We better leave. Probably not a good idea to be out in the open,” Max said.
Ally couldn’t wait to get back to Fort Mason.
At least they would be safe there.
34
Cass heeded Celeste’s warning and set out to kill the colony of ants and the remaining fruit flies. She decompressed the ant farm containment and watched the tiny insects shrivel and die through the Plexiglas. Then she hooked up a hose from a liquid nitrogen tank to an adapter on the side of the other habitat and froze the fruit flies to death. She didn’t relish her next task but knew a quick death was better than an agonizing slow demise from starvation and euthanized the lab rats and guinea pigs.
She drifted out of the Columbus module through the hatchway into Harmony sleeping quarters and then into Destiny where Rob was corralling the giant tardigrade and spider by the entrance hatch to the Quest airlock.
Cass wasn’t taking a chance and wore a surgical mask, as there were still liquid droplets floating about the compartment. She still had no idea if the green goblets were insectaria blood or deadly venom. She didn’t mind being up close to the tardigrade, as it looked harmless, especially as it was dead. But the spider was another story. Dead or not, the arachnid was hideous. The last thing she wanted was to have to touch it.
She was more than grateful to give Rob the honors.
“Rob, open the hatch.”
The robonaut gave the hovering creatures each a gentle nudge to keep them in place and turned around. It spun the wheel on the hatch and pulled open the door.
“Rob, place the cargo into the equipment airlock.”
The tardigrade was the first to go in. It was a tight fit at first, but Rob managed to squeeze it through. The robonaut pushed the spider in next.
“Seal the hatch.”
Rob complied with the command.
Cass manned the controls and depressurized the airlock and opened the outer door. “How about we give our uninvited guests a fond farewell?”
Rob didn’t respond.
“Follow me,” Cass instructed and drifted into the next module. Rob followed close behind. Cass stopped herself and gazed out the center portal of the cupola and was relieved to see the two bizarre creatures floating away out in space.
“Time to gear up,” Cass said.
Though she hadn’t been looking forward to another spacewalk, Cass knew she had no choice as the only way off the space station was piloting the Soyuz, and that meant removing the asteroid that was blocking the passageway to the spacecraft. It was risky at best and might not even produce positive results. For all she knew, the asteroid had punched a hole in the hull and was the only thing sealing the breach. Once the asteroid was removed a leak could cause the structure to rupture and then she would be worse off than when she started.
The only way she would know for sure was to go out there and see for herself.
She got back into her Extravehicular Mobility Unit with Rob’s assistance, and afterward, the two of them were outside again, navigating in space. Cass made sure their tethers were securely fastened and glided along the closest truss until her helmet lights shined on a bulge above the Soyuz coupler.
The asteroid had a rough surface and was twice the size of a large medicine ball.
Cass took a pry bar from her tool belt. Rob already had a similar implement in its hand. “Rob, place the end of your tool under the rock.” She waited for Rob, and when he was ready, she stuck the tip of her pry bar under her side of the asteroid. “Now push down!”
Their joint effort resulted in dislodging the meteor chunk from the concavity.
Cass half-expected a pressurized gush but the hull seemed intact. It reminded her of when she would go grocery shopping and grab a food can from the shelf only to find that it was dented, and then would quickly put it back, afraid she would get botulism from the contents if there was an air leak in the can.
The next thing was to go back inside the space station, program Rob, and give the robonaut its next assignment and extend the internal wall out, where it had been pushed in from the asteroid to make enough room so Cass could slide through into the Soyuz.
A feat that seemed easy enough—in theory.
It would be like taking a piece of bent metal and trying to restore it back to its original shape.
Sometimes it bent back fine.
Other times, the piece broke in half.
Cass could only pray that everything worked out for the best.
35
Frank and Wanda followed Crandall, Wade, and Jack down the embankment that skirted the three-tiered brick fortification tucked under the southern span of the Golden Gate Bridge. Over a century-and-a-half old, Fort Point had originally been built as a cannon battery to protect the bay from invading enemy ships. The once-historical site was now a ruin of toppled masonry in part from time and natural erosion, but mostly as a result of the destructive force of the powerful tsunami.
Everywhere Frank looked there were huge mounds of debris from the hundreds of houses near the marina that had been swept off their foundations. The trek back to Fort Mason wouldn’t be easy. There were no roadways to follow, nothing but obstacles that needed to be averted or scaled. Mason Street and Marina Boulevard were no longer definable, buried under mud and rubble. The once pleasant four-mile walk by Crissy Field and through the Mariana District was now an arduous hike through the worst hell imaginable.
There was no telling how many bodies lie under all the detritus and rubbish.
He glanced over at Wanda and it pained him to see how haggard she looked from being so distraught, not knowing if Dillon or Ally were even alive. He wanted so much to hold her and reassure her that they were safe, and soon they would all be reunited, but the more he tried to convince himself, the less he believed it was even true.
It was doubtful that anyone could have survived such a disaster.
Jack and Crandall continued to assume the lead, Wade following behind, their rifles slung over their shoulders as they traipsed in shin-high mud, blazing a route through heaps of roofing material and demolished lumber. Automobiles were stacked on top of each other, angled in every which direction, some upside down on their roofs like a toddler’s discarded toys.
Crandall glanced back at Frank. “How you two doing?”
“We’re okay,” Frank replied, even though he knew Wanda was far from okay.
“Watch yourselves. It’s not very stable,” Jack called down, climbing on top of what looked like the remnants of a shipwreck that had dashed upon the rocks and washed ashore in a collective heap.
Frank gave Jack a wave and glanced over at Wanda. “You go up first.”
Wanda paused at the base of the rubble. She didn’t look up, but instead, stared indecisively down at her boots.
“Honey, we have to keep going.”
“I know. I’m just afraid what we might find once we get there.”
“Here, let me—"
“Look out!” Crandall yelled.
Frank and Wanda gazed up.
“Oh my God!” Wanda gasped.
Jack screamed as a giant California forest scorpion hoisted him in the air and tightened its claws around his midsection. Wade stepped back and lost his footing, sliding halfway back down before catching his fall.
Crandall slid his gun strap off his shoulder and aimed
his assault rifle at the creature.
“Careful, Crandall,” Frank yelled. “Or you might hit Jack.” He couldn’t believe the size of the thing. It looked like something out of a Ray Harryhausen movie, only this wasn’t a stop-motion animated clay model; this thing was real and had to be twenty feet long. It was the biggest transmogrified scorpion Frank had ever seen. He wondered if it was possible for it to have ingested more than one life form, and if it had, could that have been the reason for its immense size.
The predatory arachnid clambered over shaky rubble on its six legs, snapping its huge claw at Crandall as it pulled Jack away, trapped in the other pincher. It raised its tail high above its body, ready to strike at anything that tried to steal away its captured prey.
Frank could tell by the grimaced look on Jack’s face that he was having trouble breathing and that the vise-like claw was probably crushing his ribs.
Wanda surprised him and began scaling the rickety heap.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m going to distract it,” she replied and kept climbing.
Jack screamed again but this time his head slumped on his chest. If they didn’t act quickly it would be too late.
Frank took another way up to further confuse the creature. It was difficult to get a proper foothold, as his weight would cause a board to break or slip out from under him and he would have to scramble for another secure position. The last thing he needed was to fall and get impaled on a split board jutting up from the ground.
Wade was doing his best to get back up and help his friend, but the mud-slick slope of debris was getting the better of him and he kept slipping.
The giant scorpion stepped sideways when it saw Wanda. It curled its tail and pointed its deadly stinger.
Wanda had created enough of a distraction for Crandall to come up from behind and fire off a short eviscerating burst into the scorpion’s abdomen. The creature’s legs buckled and it crashed down.
Crandall made sure it was dead and shot it twice in the head.
Scampering up, Frank reached Wanda, and the two of them managed to pry the claw open and release Jack. Miraculously, he was still alive.
“Jack, can you hear me?” Frank said.
“Yeah. Man, what the hell?”
Wade finally made it up and looked down at his friend. “Shit, Jack, you got more lives than a frigging cat.”
They waited until Jack felt up to traveling and continued on.
It took them another hour before they reached the high ground at the edge of Fort Mason. The recently erected fence was flattened, so they stepped over it and made their way down Great Meadow, careful not to slip on the mud-soaked grass.
Both of the pavilions had been destroyed, leaving only the piers left.
Only one of the barracks remained standing.
They stepped down off the retaining wall into the parking lot littered with wrecked cars and trucks. Wading through the remaining standing water, Frank looked up at the barracks and could see faces staring down from the third story windows.
Shelly waved and yelled down. “Thank God you all made it back.”
Crandall smiled up at his wife.
Frank was happy to see the relieved look on Wade’s face when Debra and Amy waved from a window.
“Is Dillon with you?” Wanda yelled up.
“Yes, he’s fine,” Shelly replied.
Frank heard the drone of approaching engines and turned. Four ATV’s came down Great Meadow and stopped short of the retaining wall.
Max, Julie, Gemma, and Ally climbed off the four-wheel bikes.
Wanda turned to Frank and almost collapsed in his arms.
“See,” Frank said with a sigh of relief. “I told you everything would be fine.”
36
Celeste had just gotten off the radio after a lengthy discussion with Cass on the International Space Station. The astronomer sat back in her chair and stared blankly at the dials and meters on the console. Sitting next to her, Milt was too stunned for words.
Finally, Ryan broke the silence. “Do you realize what you’re asking her to do?”
“I’m quite aware.”
“It’s bad enough she’s marooned up there. Now you’re sending her on a suicide mission?”
Celeste turned and stared up at Ryan. “I know, it’s a shit thing to ask, but what choice do we have. I’ve consulted the Astronomical Consortium and they all agree there’s no other way. If we don’t move Mother Lode out of Earth’s orbital ring, the asteroid will eventually reach orbital decay.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“It’s only a matter of time. And yes, Ryan, I’m sure,” Celeste said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “What kind of a monster do you think I am?”
Ryan suddenly felt like a heel and bowed his head for a moment. He looked up apologetically. “I’m sorry. I just hate to see her put in this situation.”
“So do I, but like I said before, it’s this or we wait for the doomsday bomb to come crashing down.”
Humans had been sacrificing their lives for centuries so that others might live. It was a gallant creed honored by the few for the many. Ryan knew Celeste was right.
“What now?” he asked.
“It’s going to be dark in a couple hours. If you don’t want to drive up to Mt. Hamilton in the dark, I suggest we leave now.”
“Seriously? We’re going back up to the observatory?”
“It’s the only way we’ll know if Cass was successful.”
“Then we better get going,” Ryan said.
***
Once when Ryan was younger, the family had driven down to Los Angeles and visited Griffith Park Observatory. Ryan had been jazzed as he wanted to boast to his friends that he had been in the same spot James Dean had fought another teenager in the scene from the movie, Rebel Without a Cause. The actor had been such a cultural icon they’d even put a bust of James Dean on the exact location.
Ryan remembered sitting in the planetarium and staring up at the massive ceiling while a narrator—accompanied by a background of dramatic classical music—spoke about the constellations. It all seemed so real and mind-boggling as a kid. He was a little disappointed when his mom explained that it was all a show. Even still, it was quite impressive.
But it didn’t hold a candle to standing on top of Mt. Hamilton in the middle of the night. The haze had cleared and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Even though it was extremely cold and he could feel the chill under a thick layer of clothes and a heavy parka, Ryan preferred to be outside at the moment.
He’d never seen so many stars in his life; millions of tiny pinpricks of light scattered on a magnificent black canvas. Standing over 4,000 feet above sea level, he felt like he could reach up and poke each one.
It really was like being on top of the world.
He wondered where Cass was, up there in the mix of everything.
Ryan went down the walkway and up the steps into the main building.
A small group of researchers and astronomers were clustered around the giant telescope as he came into the cavernous observation room. Some had gone up onto the catwalk. Ryan looked up and saw the end of the telescope pointing out through the narrow opening in the dome.
As the 40-ton telescope was stationary, the floor had to be raised to accommodate Celeste so she could see through the lens. The scientists had been at it most of the night, taking turns so as not to get eyestrain and miss sighting the International Space Station whenever it would make its brief orbital pass through space and could be seen by the powerful telescope.
Celeste moved away from the lens as another person took her place.
“Well?” Ryan asked as she came over to where he was standing.
“So far, she’s been able to reposition the space station and align it in the orbital path with Mother Lode. That was over an hour ago. We can only hope she has enough fuel in the thrusters to complete the job.”
“You look tired. Let’s go grab
some coffee.”
They left the observation room and went down the hall. A coffee pot was brewing on a counter in the old gift shop. The hanging clothes and other souvenirs had been moved and stacked against the far end of the room so tables and chairs could be brought in, converting the space into a break room.
Ryan poured them both cups while Celeste sat down.
“Here,” Ryan said, placing Celeste’s coffee in front of her. “Black, right?”
“The stronger, the better.”
Ryan sat across from Celeste. He sipped his coffee slowly even though it wasn’t particularly hot, just something to wile away the time.
They heard heavy footsteps out in the hall. One of the researchers appeared in the doorway. “Celeste! She did it!”
“Oh my God!” Celeste said, jumping up from the table and spilling her coffee.
Celeste bolted out the door and ran back with the other man to the observation room while Ryan remained in his chair. He could hear people cheering, their howls echoing in the huge room down the hall.
It seemed that Cass had indeed, saved the planet.
Mother Lode was no longer a threat.
But as much as Ryan wanted to rejoice, he couldn’t help thinking of Cass up there, dying alone, entombed in that spacecraft endlessly drifting in the eternal nothingness of space.
The landline phone rang on the service counter.
Ryan debated if he should pick it up knowing that there was also another phone in the observatory sharing the same line. But with all the hollering going on and everyone cheering, he doubted if anyone could hear it ringing.
He got up from the table, went over, and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“I need to talk to Celeste! Right away!”
“Milt?”
“Yeah, is this Ryan?”
“It is. What’s up?”
“You got a pen handy?”
“Wait a sec.” Ryan spotted a stack of Lick Observatory stationary pads and a round tin with pens on the countertop. He grabbed a note pad and pen. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Milt rattled off a series of latitude and longitude coordinates. Once he was through, he asked Ryan to read it back, which he did.
Battleground Earth Page 13
