by Kurt Winans
“I understand. We can’t create a larger problem.”
“Exactly, as it would defeat the entire purpose of the fresh infusion of human DNA into the current population.”
Aurora then asked, “Alright dad, that’s perfectly clear, but what are your thoughts to facilitate phase four?”
“There’s not much that we can do because phase four is, for the most part, beyond our control. We should respect those involved, and give nature time to take its course. Each recruit, as well as those of the appropriate age group in each population center, know what needs to be done in order to assist in saving the gene pool. With that said, the process becomes more about natural selection and then the most basic of human instincts as opposed to anything else.”
Within a few weeks after the initial shuttle ride for Ross and Aurora, Tori provided them with a wonderful surprise. She had always maintained a desire to visit one of the planets few remaining museums, but had never seriously considered that such a trip would be possible. That belief suddenly changed when she once again met with the same pilot who had offered Ross the co-pilots seat. He informed Tori that after completing and double checking all the number crunching associated with passenger load and fuel consumption, the round trip flight was possible if certain concessions were made. That conversation provided Tori with the additional motivation she needed, and she knew that Ross and his core group would want to join her.
On the morning of the flight, Ross and the nine other members of his group eagerly awaited their chance to climb aboard for the exploratory adventure. Among them was Tikal, who after a brief period of uncertainty, had dealt with the space flight from ₹-593-Ԅπ-2-2 quite nicely. For this flight his initial posture was much more relaxed, as both Aurora and Ross had assured him that it would be very short in comparison.
Tori had brought along seven members of the scientific community that expressed a desire to explore what had been neglected for roughly four centuries, so there would be a total of eighteen passengers. When faced with that number, the pilot said to her, “Why didn’t you inform me that you were bringing so many people?”
“Is it a problem to have more than I expected?”
“It could be. Very little margin for error exists, because, as you already pointed out, there is no place to refuel between here and where the museum facility is located. We must be cognizant of the total weight that we have on board.”
“Do a few extra people really make a difference?”
At that moment, the pilot decided to add another safety concession to his previous list by leaving two members of his crew behind. He knew that shedding the weight would help with the fuel consumption rate, and those crew members were not actually needed for flying purposes. A moment after liftoff, he announced, “The flight to the museum will take longer than the distance would normally require, because I will be cruising at low speed and altitude for maximum fuel efficiency.”
Tori then asked, “How long do you think it will take?”
“Probably just over three hours each way.”
Throughout the vast majority of the flight, Ross had been gazing out the window for any landmarks that might be recognizable. For the most part the topography was flat and dry, but then he saw large mountains looming in the distance. As the pilot began to slow and search for the exact location of the facility, Ross realized where they were. Then he turned toward Gabriela and the others, and stated, “I can’t believe it, but it looks like we are going to land in the mountains of what we knew as Colorado.”
Gabriela asked, “Colorado? Are you sure?”
Colt looked out the window for a moment in an attempt to verify Ross’s claim, and the identity of their destination suddenly occurred to him. Turning to Ross, he said, “If we’re going where I think we’re going, then the location makes perfect sense for use as a museum.”
The pilot finally located the landmark that the historical disc recordings had referred to, so he began final approach. After setting the shuttle down on a flat area a few hundred yards from the abandoned entrance, he opened the hatch so that the passengers could disembark. Moving briskly toward the entrance, Ross and Colt noticed that the words were still faintly visible upon the identifying arch. Staring at each other, they simultaneously realized they were the only two people in this group of twenty that knew of the facilities former purpose. Then Ross exclaimed, “This is truly unimaginable. Somehow this place has withstood everything for twenty-six centuries!”
Before Colt could reply that they were indeed at the location he had suspected, Tori said, “Ross, I’m not familiar with that word before mountain, can you pronounce it for me?
Ross replied, “It’s Cheyenne, the name of this mountain fortification. Now come on, let’s all take a look inside.”
One scientist intervened by asking, “You know what this place is don’t you? Have you been here before Ross?”
Turning toward the woman, Ross smiled and said, “Yes. I have visited the Cheyenne Mountain complex several times, and Colt was actually with me on a few of those occasions.”
Tori then said, “Well that’s good news for the rest of us, because the two of you can lead us through the facility.”
For several hours the group cautiously moved about within the complex, but no sign of human skeletal remains were ever seen. On occasion Colt would look at exhibits portraying life during the centuries after the asteroid apocalypse, but he mainly focused on searching out potential threats or danger.
While on point roughly thirty feet in front of the group, Colt peered around a corner and suddenly stopped in his tracks. As Colt gazed with wonder at the exhibit now directly in front of him, Ross picked up on the familiar posture of his old friend. Without any need for clarification, Ross quietly said, “Everybody stop right where you are, Colt sees something that might be a problem.”
After several seconds of everyone collectively holding their breath, Colt turned to them and said, “Ross, there is no danger that I can see or hear, but you have got to look at this!”
“What is it Colt?”
“It’s another exhibit, but nothing else that we have seen today can begin to compare with what I’m looking at.”
Advancing to the side of his old friend, Ross agreed with the sentiment as he couldn’t believe what lay in front of him. When the remainder of the group advanced to join them, Ross gulped and asked, “Colt could you please read whatever is on that plaque so that everyone can hear?”
“No problem Ross. Just let me clean it off first.”
“Thank you.”
Still quite awestruck, Colt moved forward roughly ten feet and dusted away centuries of cobwebs and dirt from the plaque. Then before beginning to read aloud he turned and said, “Well, it’s obvious that the spiders have survived all these centuries.”
Another of Tori’s scientists exclaimed, “I’m sure many species of life other than humans were able to evolve by adapting to their new environment and survive extinction!”
Ross replied, “That’s very well said doctor, and I agree with your assessment. Now Colt, if you please.”
Colt turned back to the plaque and began, “This exhibit contains artifacts saved from the Oval Office of the White House in the United States of America’s Capitol City of Washington D.C. Each item was obtained during the final desperate days leading up to the asteroid apocalypse which began on August 24, 2022 A.D.”
Aurora couldn’t help herself, but no one around her seemed to mind as she blurted out, “This is beyond amazing!”
Ross understood her sentiment completely, and added, “It most certainly is. I wonder who was responsible for this.”
As Ross and Aurora began to study the exhibit with questioning eyes, Colt asked, “Should I continue?”
Aurora responded, “Sorry Colt. Please continue.”
“The contents once belonged to Ross Martin, who as the forty-fifth President of the United States, looked to the stars beyond our technological limitations and helped to provide hu
manity with a fighting chance to stave off extinction.”
Suddenly Tori blurted out, “Ross, is that you?”
Turning to see his bewildered new friend, Ross calmly replied, “Yes, but that was in a different and distant lifetime.”
“Indeed. Well, let’s add that to the list of subjects we can discuss later. As for now, the plaque says you were the President of the United States. So what does, or should I say did, that mean?”
Janet chimed in and said, “Tori, it means that for a few years Ross was one of the most powerful people on Earth. He became the elected leader of vast amounts of territory that included the land that we are currently standing on and the area of the population center where we all live.”
With a sigh of irritation, Ross said, “Calm down mom. I know that you’re proud of me for my former accomplishments, but please leave them in the past where they belong.”
Colt reentered the conversation by saying, “Ross, there is one more passage on the plaque.”
“Alright Colt, we might as well hear the rest of it.”
The question that had already surfaced in the minds of Ross and Aurora was then answered, but with an interesting twist. Colt read on, “These effects have been dedicated by the surviving descendants of both the Ross Martin and Dennis Strickland families.”
With understandable excitement in her tone, Aurora blurted out, “Oh my God! That means that mom, Rachel, and the rest of the family survived after we left!”
Ross gulped with utter astonishment, and then quickly pointed out, “No Aurora, there is no proof of that. Now please get a hold of yourself.”
“But dad, the plaque says…”
He cut her off by adding, “I heard what the plaque claims Aurora, but surviving descendants doesn’t specify who lived or died!”
Looking back at the exhibit, Ross recognized an item very dear to his heart. Propped up against the wall, with a torn, faded, and crusted over red ribbon attached, was the fishing pole that he had cherished since his youthful days in Rumley. The message of the plaque, and the fact that the fishing pole was within the exhibit, certainly implied that some member of the Martin family had survived, but there was no way to identify who that person, or persons, were. Ross had given the fishing pole to his grandson Luke scarcely more than an hour before departing Earth in the alien transport, so perhaps he had somehow ensured the artifacts safety in this location or the Strickland family shelter. Not that it really mattered how it was done, because anyone who had survived would have now been dead for twenty-six centuries.
After a moment of contemplation over that prospect, Ross turned toward Tori and candidly asked, “Do you or any of the scientific team have an issue with me retrieving my old fishing pole?”
She made eye contact with everyone in the room, but there were no visible or verbal objections from any of them. With arms then extended to her sides, Tori shrugged her shoulders and responded with, “I can’t begin to understand the magnitude of what all of you must be experiencing at this moment, and I hope that you will openly discuss it with me and our scientists at a later time. As for now, I don’t think anyone would blame you for wanting to remove a few artifacts of your century from this long forgotten exhibit.”
Looking at each of those who had come with Tori on the adventure, Ross nodded and replied, “Thank you.”
That was all Colt needed to hear, so he quickly asked, “Ross, would you like me to get the fishing pole for you?”
“Thanks Colt. That would be great.”
“Is there anything else you want while I’m in there?”
“Yes. Could you please get the American flag? The two flags that made the journey from old Earth to our former home moon and back have a pre-determined purpose, so we can use this one to educate Tori and everyone else about Colorado, Texas, and your home state of Nevada.”
Once retrieved, Hank then cared for the fishing pole while Ross and Colt respectfully folded the flag into a triangle of aged off-white stars with a badly faded blue background. Then, after saluting the flag, Ross asked, “Aurora, could you please watch over this for me, and keep it as safe as you have done so splendidly with the other two?”
Accepting of the challenge, she said, “Most definitely!”
Intrigued by the ritual she had just witnessed, Tori silently added the event to her ever growing list of things she would have Ross explain at a later date.
Moving on, the group soon came upon a chamber which was significantly larger than any other portion of the complex. Ross and Colt instantly knew where they were, but no one else had any clue. Although no longer in use by the time of Ross’s presidential administration, the control room had served for many years prior to that as the nerve center for America’s former nuclear missile defense system. Fortunately, Ross knew that explaining the need for such a control room before the apocalypse of 2022 may not be in the best interest of those now residing on the planet. The subject matter was delicate to be sure, and Ross understood the need to give it considerable thought before disclosing his knowledge of that aspect of the human endeavor to anyone.
Emerging from the vast network of tunnels, the fresh mountain air was an instant reminder to the group of how stale the air had been within the old Cheyenne Mountain complex.
Shielding her eyes from the sunlight, Tori said, “I’m glad that we came on this trip. I learned some things about our history that were never mentioned on the historical disc recordings, and exploring this long forgotten facility was fun.”
Ross replied, “I agree. It’s fortunate that your ancestors had the foresight to create those discs for educational purposes, but it’s also a shame that so much human history had simply been omitted to eventually become forgotten.”
Then young Hank interjected and reminded all those present of what else had already apparently been forgotten. He said, “I thought there were many interesting things for all of us to look at, but to me, the best part of everything that we explored today was the exhibit for Ross. Just think about it. We all learned that our family might have a distant relative living somewhere on this world.”
Before engaging the engines for the return flight, the pilot and co-pilot performed a standard pre-flight check. When asked for a reading of the fuel status, the co-pilot gulped and quietly replied, “The gauge reads forty-eight percent.”
The pilot snapped his head to the right and peered into the other man’s eyes. Then he asked, “Did you say forty-eight?”
Nodding positively, he replied, “Yes sir, forty-eight.”
Fortunately for the flight crew, none of the passengers had heard the quiet exchange, or noticed the concern on the face of the pilot. They were all quite busy discussing what had been seen and learned inside the confines of the museum.
Leaning slightly to his right in an attempt to further secure their secrecy, the pilot asked, “Are you sure? Maybe the gauge isn’t reading properly.”
After lightly tapping the gauge with his finger, and then running a quick, but significantly more scientific diagnostic of the instruments, the co-pilot quietly replied, “Everything checks out sir. Our fuel is definitely at forty-eight percent!”
“That’s strange. I know that we had the range at slow speed to cover the roundtrip distance. We must have used more fuel than I thought we would while searching for this facility.”
“What are we going to do? Should we leave some of the passengers here, and then come back to get them later?”
“No, I don’t think that’s a viable option. There is no way we could make it back here before dark.”
“Then we could come back at first light.”
“That would be possible if those we left behind had provisions of food and water, but we didn’t bring any with us.”
“Alright, then what’s your plan?”
“I think we can still make it back home with forty-eight percent if we fly a slow direct course. We will definitely be cutting it close, but I don’t believe that we can pursue any other option.”
Having mutually agreed that was their best course of action, the shuttle soon began a gentle rise into the sky. After setting a direct course for their population center, the crew maintained a vigilant watch on the fuel gauge.
Ross, having developed a keen eye for such things during his many years as a former pilot and astronaut, had noticed the co-pilot tapping the gauge on the instrument panel. His gut instinct also informed him that the ensuing quiet discussion with the pilot could be a sign of a potential problem on the flight deck. It was not Ross’s place to discuss the matter publicly among the other passengers, nor would it serve any productive purpose in creating concern by doing so, but the body language of the two men seated at the front of the shuttle revealed their collective discomfort. While maintaining a well-practiced poker face, Ross inwardly prepared himself for a surprise element to the return flight.
During the early moments of the flight, Ross, with Hank and Kristyn on either side of him, had informed all who would listen about the fishing pole he received from his grandfather all those centuries before. Then he provided them with a history lesson about how each of the stripes on the flag represented one of the original thirteen colonies when the United States came into being. As for the stars, they represented the growth of the nation, as each signified one of the eventual fifty states, including Colorado.
Well over an hour later, when many of the passengers had fallen asleep, Hank moved toward the flight deck. Unable to fight back his nearly always inquisitive nature, Hank wanted to take advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself. His goal was to learn all that he could from the flight crew about how the shuttle operated. Ross seized the same opportunity for a private discussion with Tori. Looking into her eyes with serious intent, he said, “Tori, I need to speak with you about something that is rather delicate.”
“Sure Ross. What’s on your mind?”
