Rise of the Carnelians (Europa)

by Jason Gehlert

  Ground Zero

  7:30 AM

  A half-hour had elapsed since Nolan had gathered his readings. He quickly phoned Samson, praying there would be enough time to scatter the crowd to a safer area. Nolan knew at this juncture that everyone would ultimately perish underneath the fiery lava geyser about to spew from Old Faithful, but he had to try.

  “Samson. How can I help you?”

  “Raul, we need to evacuate immediately,” Nolan said urgently.

  “I’m sending out the park rangers.”

  “You don’t understand. Our timetable’s off. Yellowstone will explode within a few minutes. We need to alert the president.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Do we have an estimated time of when the eruption will happen?”

  “My best guess, within fifteen minutes.”

  “Christ Drake, that’s not enough time to get those people out of there.”

  “Well, you’re gonna have to try,” Nolan responded. “Do you want me to alert them?”

  “No. No need for a panic. They will only run around in confused fart circles. I am dispatching the Jeeps now.”

  “I’ll keep in touch, Samson.”

  “Good luck, Nolan.”

  “You too.” Samson closed the phone. His thoughts wandered back to 2019 when Nolan rescued him from that lava flow. Samson only wished he could return the favor.

  7:40 a.m. - Manhattan, New York

  Adrian left spacesuits for each of the passengers to wear on the voyage.

  Seth, Gillian, Angela, and Philene were the last to find them inside their lockers. The gray and black zip up suits had Blakely Aeronautics sewn on the upper left pocket, and Project Europa printed across the back, underneath the neck line in small font. Each of the team’s last names was etched into the right hand side of the jumpsuits. The foursome stuffed the lockers with their own belongings, and quickly changed before joining the rest of the crew inside the cockpit.

  “This is pretty fucking cool,” Seth said, letting out a low whistle. “Adrian sure knows how to pull out the stops.”

  “Yeah. He’s a real gem,” Gillian crisply responded.

  Commander Thaddeus Kaspar had chosen the captain’s chair, a shiny, black seat that put all the controls at his fingertips.

  “Sweet, isn’t it? Is it everything you ever wanted, Commander?” Adrian circled around the surprisingly giddy Russian.

  “I like.” Kaspar rubbed his hands together and regarded the virtual computer, maps, and joystick as if they were a beautiful woman, appreciating their technological elements.

  “I had this chair specifically designed so you can control any aspect of the Abagail in comfort.” Adrian looked for some sort of reaction from the additional team members and was pleased when he saw their amazed faces.

  “I can fly this from right there?” Commander Kaspar asked pointing at the silver and white seat.

  “Yes. You can activate the shields, weapons, the air conditioner, steering, anything you can think of.”

  “What’s this for?” Ulysses peered over the chair’s armrest, obviously looking for the gizmos he had created for Adrian.

  “That is a little treat for the commander and me. It is a thermal reading device that is DNA specific to each of us. It ignites the engines and prepares the ship for launch.”

  “Pretty fucking cool,” Seth replied with a twisted grin from behind the men.

  “I’d say.” Ulysses beamed. “Adrian here rummaged through my brain for this very idea. It is some rewarding experience to see it in practice.” His language was starting to evolve as his continual exposure to Americanized vocabulary began to trickle into his everyday conversation.

  “I want to leave in ten minutes,” Adrian informed the team.

  “What do we do for food aboard this vessel?” Gillian asked .

  “We have a suitable kitchen, where our ship’s cook, Randolph Kray, will prepare anything your heart desires.” Adrian moved around the cockpit, attempting to find the perfect rhythm for his walk on the metallic floor that was pocked with small grids overlapping each other. Adrian’s detest for boarding anything that moved, became evident while he continually searched his pocket for motion sickness medicine.

  Commander Kaspar wriggled about in the chair, shifting his buttocks from side to side. “I definitely like. It’s very comfortable.”

  “The seat is constructed from a special type of memory foam my scientist created for me,” Adrian said. “It will remember your posture and conform to it every time you return.”

  “Man, you really do have all the bases covered, don’t you?” Gillian chirped.

  “Yes, I do. I want my team to have the best flight experience money can buy. Your production will increase tenfold if you are well-rested, well-fed, and, in some regards, pampered to the nth degree.” Adrian slid his sunglasses off and looked over the team. “We will succeed at colonizing Europa. I guarantee that.”

  7:55 a.m.

  Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park

  The park rangers arrived in their hybrid electric Hummers ready to round up the crowd. One of the rangers coolly stepped out from the vehicle and summoned the driver to hand him the large megaphone.

  “Good Morning, my name is Maureen and we will be safely escorting each of you toward the eastern entrance of the park.” Maureen’s passion for ecology, nature, and people had kept her focused in her daily routine patrolling the park. Her recent relationship with Nolan Drake empowered her to fully appreciate life, as she silently prayed for his safety.

  The smattering of tourists whipped their heads around together. The soft chattering soon dissipated as they waited for the ranger to continue.

  “Thank you all for coming to Yellowstone National Park. It is a pleasure to have you here waiting for Old Faithful’s magnificent eruption.”

  A loud voluminous roar rose from the crowd.

  “However, due to some unforeseeable circumstances, we have to shut down the geyser today.”

  A scattering of ‘why’, ‘how come’ and even an ‘oh shit’ could be distinctly heard throughout the crowd.

  “I will personally, along with the rest of the rangers, escort everyone to a safer area.” Maureen peered up at the sky, wanting to see Nolan fly over in his chopper.

  Again, a collection of ‘what’, and ‘what’s going on’, swam through the crowd.

  Maureen attempted to force feed a bunch of lies down their throats. “Old Faithful has been a bit cranky and unpredictable lately. We need to make sure that everything is okay with the old coot.”

  A string of laughter erupted, but no one seemed willing to leave their position.

  A man from the crowd in a wildlife shirt and flag suspenders, bristled and took a step forward. “We traveled all the way from Tennessee.”

  “Ed, it’s okay,” the woman next to his said, touching his arm.

  “Carol, we are not budging from this spot.” He glared at the ranger. “This is the last stop on our whirlwind Americana tour.” He defiantly stamped his one-hundred year old foot into the dirt.

  “Sir, you have to come with us. It’s for your own safety.”

  “The geyser is acting all weird because of global warming,” Ed shouted at the park ranger. “That’s why this geyser’s so unpredictable.” His wife simply buried her head into her hands and shook it.

  “Perhaps,” the ranger replied, “but either way it’s not safe here today.”

  “Global warming has caused this. It has caused Mother Nature to rear her ugly head,” Ed shouted back.

  Maureen looked up into the sun-drenched skies, a smile stretched across her face as Nolan Drake hovered above in the helicopter.

  “Look at all those innocent people down there,” Nolan pointed out as he scoured the area. “They are sitting ducks down there at the epicenter of the eruption.” His thoughts were of Maureen, wondering if she was down there with the crowd. Probably, since she always patrolled the park at this hour, and would be the first to respond as the senio
r park ranger.

  “I felt that last rumble, and I don’t like it one bit,” Timmy replied.

  “I didn’t like that last one either. It felt really strong,” Nolan raised one of his devices. “Those waves registered pretty high on my seismic reader. Not to mention these thermal readings are like nothing I’ve seen before, even in Hawaii.”

  “It does raise the ante a bit,” Carl chimed in. “I fear for those people down there. Hopefully, the rangers can get most of them out of there in time.”

  “Is the Europa Agenda still on the table?” Timmy questioned Nolan.

  “To my knowledge, President Forsythe has a plan in place to send another team into Europa’s orbit. If we survive, I plan on buying some nice southern real estate.”

  “Another team?” Timmy asked.

  “There was another team that flew there on board the Amity,” Nolan replied, peering through his binoculars. “They were to assist some of the resident astronauts maintaining the station.”

  “What happened?” Carl said.

  “The Amity was never heard from again, losing her transmission with NASA weeks after her arrival at the space station.” Nolan wiped his brow. “And, the astronauts haven’t contacted Houston either.”

  “Well, I hope this team has better luck than the previous expedition.” Timmy played with the zipper on the bags and glared out the back window, watching another violent jerk start to rip apart the Earth at the seams.

  7:59 a.m.

  Manhattan, New York

  “Everyone, please grab up a seat,” Adrian said. “They are going fast.”

  The booth seats stretched around the cockpit, with the daunting captain’s chair smack dab in the middle of the room.

  The cockpit offered a panoramic view of the docking bay, and eventually, outer space.

  “How much longer?” Philene found a place next to Ulysses, who shot off a corny grin in her direction. She continued to fidget, trying to find a comfortable spot in the chair.

  Seth scooted over towards Angela, eager to talk up a storm with his new friend.

  Adrian watched as the final seat was taken up by Gillian and walked over to her. “May I?”

  “If you must.”

  Adjusting his clothing, Kaspar approached the captain’s chair, sitting down moments later.

  “Thirty seconds to go, Commander,” Adrian called out to Kaspar.

  Kaspar placed his hand, palm down, over the sensor and within a split second, the Abagail’s multitude of engines roared to life.

  “Wow, that was kick-ass!” Seth exclaimed.

  “Calm down, cowboy,” Angela responded with a nudge into his ribs.

  “I built those engines,” Ulysses added. “Monetarily, they are top-notch.”

  “I hope so,” Adrian replied. “It was my money after all.”

  Gillian rolled her eyes at Adrian. “Are you always this arrogant and cocky?”

  “No. I have better days than this.”

  “Everyone, buckle those belts up,” Kaspar instructed his crew.

  Adrian slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved a small black remote control.

  “What’s that?” Gillian poked her nose into Adrian’s personal space.

  “A giant garage door opener,” Adrian remarked as he pointed the device straight ahead at the hulking silver doors. He gently pressed down on the red button, initializing the process.

  Kaspar watched as the doors slid open, revealing an underground runway. “This is interesting.”

  “An underground airport?” Philene gripped her seat belt.

  “Where else would you have one?” Adrian asked.

  “Above ground.” Gillian quipped.

  Adrian ignored the gibe. “I meant where else would you have one for a spaceship that doesn’t exist yet?”

  “Well, um, good point.” Gillian seemed to deflate a bit and Adrian couldn’t help feel smug satisfaction. He enjoyed putting Gillian in her proper place, especially when she came across as being right all the time.

  “Commander,” he ordered, “please take us down the runway.”

  “Yes Sir,” Commander Kaspar ran his hand over the virtual control. The ship’s flight instrument were touch sensitive, allowing its captain to slide his fingers across the sleek screen. Everything from 3D maps, vital statistics about the ship, and starting the engines to name a few could be accessed at Kaspar’s fingertips. The Abagail proceeded ahead with caution.

  “I never dreamed that this would ever happen,” Angela said.

  “Yeah, pretty cool, isn’t it?” Seth added.

  “All of this is so sudden,” Philene said. “Did anyone have to say goodbye to their loved ones?”

  “I spent a few hours with my family last night. They understand what is about to happen, and tearfully embrace our heroic yet sudden departures.” Angela’s eyes welled with tears.

  “My parents and sister felt the same way,” Seth said. “It’ll be okay, Angie.”

  Adrian watched Seth and Angela, briefly resenting the fact that he had nobody in his life to turn to. Science, money, and technology became his extended family.

  The Abagail started to pick up speed down the runway.

  “Is there another door at the end?” Gillian asked. For the first time Adrian could see awe in the cynical young woman’s face. It was nice to know she could be impressed.

  “You’ll see.” Adrian slid the sunglasses back over his eyes and clasped the arm brace tightly with both hands.

  Ulysses checked his watch, leering at the slow, methodical crawl of the hands, waiting for it to reach Eight O’clock.

  “Five seconds and counting,” Ulysses informed the team.

  Everyone took in a full, deep breath, filling their lungs one last time before the Abagail started her inaugural launch.

  Eruption

  8:00 a.m.

  The Earth began to split apart underneath the tourist’s feet, sending a rampaging series of violent earthquakes rippling through the park. The sudden force brought the park rangers to their knees.

  “We don’t have any time left. We need to go!” the ranger barked out to the staggering crowd.

  Maureen slid into the driver’s seat of the rescue vehicle and revved the engine, while some of the tourists piled into the back.

  Ed and Carol stayed behind, waiting for the spectacular geyser show. Their hands were entwined in an interlocking mechanism of love. “Enjoy the show,” Ed whispered into his wife’s ear.

  Nolan peered down, watching the tourists scamper about like ants feeding at a picnic. “They are not going to get out in time.”

  The trio of vehicles started their exodus from Old Faithful with the majority of the tourists tightly crammed inside.

  Nolan noticed a few stragglers and wanted to help them, but time was running short. “We need to get out of here,” Nolan yelled at Carl.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Carl turned the helicopter, circling about the stubborn tourists.

  “We need to get out of the ground zero area, and fly around the perimeter, outside the initial eruption. If we don’t, the chopper will burn within seconds of the heat blast.” Nolan pulled his binoculars up one more time to watch the scant crowd. “Timmy has prepared the park’s Seismic Relayer, a new piece of equipment used to relay back data from the eruption.”

  “They’re ready,” Timmy called up, making last second adjustments.

  “We are going to have to drop the devices into the lava flow.” Nolan pointed out to Carl.

  Carl scowled at him and then tightened his lips. “Right.”

  The Hummer’s churned along the rocky trail, desperately trying to out run the separating terrain.

  “We need to go faster,” one of the tourists shouted at the Maureen.

  “We are going as fast as we can,” she replied.

  Old Faithful rumbled one last time before it exploded and all hell broke loose. . .

  Manhattan, New York

  “Four, three,” Ulysses counted
as the Abagail zoomed down the runway, headed straight for the opening steel doors.

  “This is better than Disney World,” Adrian chortled.

  “I can feel my face being pulled back,” Seth replied with a pained look on his face.

  “My ears are touching each other.” Angela instinctively reached for Seth’s hand and gave it a forceful squeeze. “How will the Abagail depart from underground?” she called out to Adrian.

  Seth tried to look over at Angela, but with the force of the Abagail’s trajectory, he was unable to turn his head. However, deep within, he felt a surge of happiness traveling through his body.

  Gillian pressed against Adrian, forcing the billionaire into in his seat and leaving an impression of his body embedded in the foam.

  “Just ahead,” Adrian said, his voice escalating, “the doors will open and expose a thin film of plasma, which keeps the water from flooding the tunnels. I also had a hand in its design, supplying the grants for the project. The plasma compound will replace the Holland Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel’s infrastructures, thus reducing the cost of raw materials and reducing the energy consumed to produce the materials.” The Abagail surged through the doors and into the watery depths ahead.

  Commander Kaspar expertly piloted the gorgeous craft through the water, and straight up toward the calm waves of New York Harbor.

  Yellowstone National Park

  “She’s seconds from exploding.” Nolan’s eyes widened with a combination of excitement and fear. He glanced down at the thermal reader. The red mass was growing larger.

  “Two, one,” Carl said.

  A steady stream of hot, molten magma forcefully shot up out of the throat of Old Faithful and spewed from the ground, sending a wall of lava high into the sky and then cascading down on the Earth, instantly smothering the surprised tourists in a river of lava as they attempted to catch a glimpse of the historic eruption.

  Skies above Manhattan, New York

  Thousands of miles away, the Abagail slammed through the crowning water and screamed into the air, lurching towards the sky.