by J. R. Tate
“It is. Judging by the look on your face, you want to know how it works, right?” Mike pushed off of the pole and circled around it. “Just look at those clouds right above us. Absolutely beautiful. Man controlled science happening right before your very eyes.”
“Yeah, how does it work, Mike?” Maybe the less Ryan knew, the better chance he’d have of Mike not killing him, but how could he not inquire with it right in front of him? The more he knew also gave him a better chance of stopping future occurrences and they could finally rebuild without the worry of such an apocalyptic event happening again.
“These antennas shoot energy surges up into the ionosphere. You know, the upper atmosphere that runs off of electrically charged atoms.”
Ryan had read some about the ionosphere but it went beyond what they taught him in his general storm spotting classes. He made no indication he knew what Mike was talking about because this was way over his head. There were plenty of conspiracy theories about government controlled weather and atmosphere, but he never believed much of it. Now, right before his eyes, it was apparently happening.
“These antennas are able to shoot the maximum number of ions and atoms up into the atmosphere, causing a disturbance at higher levels in the ionosphere. Certain amounts of electricity can cause floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and now the winter weather we are dealing with. It can flip the earth’s magnetic poles, which it seems that has happened now that Texas is looking a lot like the North Pole. It can make the upper atmosphere like a giant magnifying glass, frying everyone underneath it, which would explain the horrible drought and high temperatures we had as well.” Mike paused and took a breath, the grin on his face making the hair on the back of Ryan’s neck stand up. “Hell, it can even cause earthquakes just by the shift it causes on the planet.”
“Why, Mike?” It came out in a whisper. Ryan was completely shocked that anyone would ever think to do such a thing.
“We first got the idea from the military.” Mike disregarded Ryan’s question and continued on, as if he were a salesman trying to market his creation. “They originally honed in on the ionosphere to try and control communications during the war. We played around with it a little and realized, holy shit, we can do a lot more. There’s biological warfare… why not meteorological war too? Countries wouldn’t be able to fight against that. You asked earlier why there was no snow right here. This is where we manipulate the ionosphere. Then it moves on, drifting away from here, leaving this as the safest spot on earth. No snow. No drought. Not even one tornado. Just damn near perfect.”
“So you decide to kill off everyone? I still don’t know why you’re doing it! Why?” Ryan raised his voice, yelling at Mike. His anger flared and he didn’t care that the gun was still aimed his direction.
“You realize I’m going to have to kill you, right? I can’t release all of this information and trust you to walk away a free man. I’ve worked too hard to get this built. I’ve worked with other men. Other governments in other countries are paying me to do this. Paying us… lots of money…” Mike trailed off, his eyes moving toward the cabin where another man was walking their way. He was older and Ryan didn’t know him. “Speak of the devil, here’s my partner in crime now.”
“I told you not to bring anyone here.” The man glared at Mike. “Who is this?”
“Ryan Gibson. He was on the fire department with me.”
“So you decide to bring him along for a field trip? Son of a bitch, we’re already dealing with too much right now!”
Ryan watched as the two men argued. If they continued to go back and forth, it might have been the perfect time for him to run off, but he wouldn’t be fast enough. His physical health wasn’t the best after his escapade through the frozen wasteland and he was certain the older man was also armed. There was no way he would be able to outrun two guns.
“I just wanted him to see what was going on before I kill him,” Mike said, glancing at Ryan from the corner of his eye.
“I don’t know why you’re smiling, Mike. This has gotten way out of control! We were supposed to figure out a way to control the electricity sent up into the sky. We were supposed to be able to turn it off and on! And now look at us! We’ve practically wiped out the entire human population! This was supposed to be used for war against other countries, not against our own people!”
“We’re getting there,” Mike replied.
“What’s the point now? Nature has gone against us. And now I’m not sure we’ll be able to come back from it.”
“It just needs a few more tweaks. We are literally a few steps away from millions of dollars, Cal.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Now he knows my name! Gah!”
Ryan watched on, noticing the tension between Mike and Cal. If he could tough it out and be patient, it was likely that the two men would just end up killing each other and that would solve the issue. At that moment, the attention was off of him, but as soon as he moved an inch, the focus would be right back on him. He now knew too much and the only way to get out of here safely was to sneak away. Other than that, he was a dead man.
“Can’t you just turn the system off?” Ryan asked, unable to keep silent too long. “Wouldn’t that stop the antennas from sending atoms and electricity up into the atmosphere?”
Cal turned on his heel, facing Ryan, his grin turning into a loud laugh, much like an evil scientist. The man wasn’t amused in the least bit – he was annoyed, and apparently Ryan’s suggestion was too simple of a fix that wasn’t going to work.
“We can’t just turn it off! Don’t you get it! If we completely stop sending the electrodes up, the atmosphere will backfire. Just think of it in terms of medicine. You take a daily pill everyday for months… hell, even years. The doctor doesn’t take you off of it cold turkey or your body will spaz. It’s the same with the atmosphere.”
Ryan scoffed and shifted his weight. “I don’t see how this could get any worse than it already is.”
“I wouldn’t say that. You’ve only seen a very minute section of what the weather has been doing in your little nook in Texas. You haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what our little project has done to the rest of the country and probably the rest of the world. And besides, we are under contract. We have to keep these machines running for as long as we signed on or we don’t get paid.”
“Or you don’t get paid?” Ryan repeated, disbelief obvious in his tone of voice. “You’re worried about a damn paycheck after everything that has happened? You’re responsible for the deaths of millions and billions of people! You’re responsible for almost killing off all of mankind. And you’re standing here, telling me you have to keep these machines on because of a fucking contract?” If anything was going to get him shot, it was his blow up, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.
“We are close to getting this right where we need it. Then it’s complete security for the United States.” Mike finally spoke up again. “I wish you could understand it, Ryan. The power of knowing you can spawn off tornadoes during a supercell thunderstorm. Or you can completely shut rain off for months on end. And lets not forget tsunamis. It’s population control.”
“You call killing off almost ninety five percent of the mankind population control? You have completely lost your mind!”
“We didn’t mean for that to happen. But once we get it right where we need it, that will be how it is. We can get the population back up. It’s just trial and error.”
“Something tells me you can shut these antennas off any time you want. None of this ‘weaning the atmosphere’ bullshit you just fed me. Where’s the power switch, huh? How do you get these things to completely shut down?” Ryan took a step forward and both men lifted their guns, aimed right at Ryan’s head.
“Don’t take another step,” Cal yelled, his index finger resting on the trigger of his revolver. “You touch any of these machines and I make sure you die a slow and painful death, do you understand me?”
&n
bsp; Ryan held his hands up, stopping in mid-step. “You two have got to realize the damage you’ve caused. Is it really worth the money? Mike, you lost your wife. You lost your family. For a paycheck?”
Mike shook his head, his smile wide. “No, Ryan, that’s where you’re wrong. It’s not for the money. It’s not for the paycheck. It’s for the power! It’s for the thrill of being able to play God. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Just think of it as thinning out the herd. Those who couldn’t make it are gone. Those who have are the strong ones. We’ll come back better than ever – a superior human race that can make it through anything.”
Ryan took a deep breath. There was still so much to ask, so much to figure out, but he wasn’t in a spot to ask many more questions. Both of the men in front of him were completely insane. The only way he stood a remote chance of making it out of this was to play it cool, do what they said, and eventually catch them off guard. If he continued to press them, it was like pouring salt in an open wound, and eventually one of them would get tired of dealing with him.
“So, what’s next?” Ryan asked.
“Take him back to the cabin. Tie him up in the basement. I’ve got work to get done and I’m not sure what I want to do with him yet.” Cal squinted his eyes, still unwilling to lower his gun. “This isn’t over, Ryan Gibson. We’re not letting you loose. I just feel like you might be valuable to us in some way.”
Ryan didn’t say a word as Mike handcuffed his hands behind his back, shoving him forward. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground, his body fighting the attempt he made to get back to a standing position.
“Get your ass up, Ryan!” Mike pulled on the cuffs, the hard metal digging into the fresh wounds from where the ropes had burned him. “I really hate how it is ending between us.”
“You did this, Mike. I don’t feel a bit of sympathy for you. You did all of this. All of the people who are dead is on your head. Every single one of them.”
Mike didn’t respond as he unlocked the cabin and opened the door that exposed a steep set of steps that went down into the dark basement. Ryan had a feeling he’d never see the light of day again. This was likely where he’d die. He thought about Cecilia and Ryan. He wondered what Steve and his father were up to. Eventually, they’d all be dead too. There just weren’t enough resources to keep them alive for much longer, despite their attempts at getting Harper Springs back to some type of normalcy.
“Don’t worry about Cecilia. She’ll make me a good wife.” Mike grinned again, not even looking like the same man Ryan had known before.
“Fuck you, Mike. Fuck! You!” Ryan yelled, his anger reaching the highest level he had ever felt. If he wasn’t cuffed and restrained, he would’ve been capable of killing Mike.
“I don’t think you’re in a place to be talking to me that way.”
Mike shoved him down the stairs and Ryan toppled over several, his body collapsing onto the hard floor with a loud thud. Pain shot through his entire body and the metallic flavor was heavy on his tongue again. The last thing he thought about was Cecilia and then everything went completely black around him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Steve had to remind himself to keep the pace slow. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him they were close. During all of this survival, he had learned to try to listen to what his gut was telling him better than he had when they had technology to rely on. It helped that Darryl had spotted the R and G carved into the tree – if it wasn’t for that, he’d still be extremely apprehensive about the direction they were headed.
Going down the snow covered incline was challenging – the horses continued to fight against them, their hooves unable to gain traction on the slick slope. With as smooth as the snow appeared with no tracks to be seen, Ryan had probably been caught in an avalanche. Steve was from Oklahoma where it was mostly flat – he didn’t have experience with skiing or any type of mountainous conditions in the winter time. But then again, neither had Ryan – this area of Texas rarely saw enough snow to even allow skiing, much less walls of it rushing down the sides of mountains.
Darryl’s horse was matching his step for step, and though every fiber in his being was telling him to hurry, they couldn’t push it or they’d both tumble downward, and it was still high enough that they probably wouldn’t survive it. Keeping the horses safe was important too – Steve wasn’t sure what they’d stumble across when they got down to flat land again.
Ryan could be injured. If he truly was involved in an avalanche, they would have to hurry and get him back to Harper Springs for medical attention. They still weren’t able to travel fast with the horses, but it’d at least be quicker than hauling him on foot. With the random blizzards and ice storms, none of them would ever make it back alive, all three of them freezing to death.
And Mike Rayburn was also something to consider. What if he was completely hostile and came after them? Steve liked his chances of survival much better if he could run a horse away from the situation.
“It looks like we’re almost to the bottom,” Darryl said, pointing downward. “The snow is getting a little more rough, meaning it all piled up where the avalanche hit.”
Steve couldn’t keep himself from going faster, quickening the pace of the horse. When they got off of the incline, he circled where Darryl was talking about. More tracks appeared, signaling that whoever it was involved in the collapse of snow had probably survived. He surveyed the foot prints, confirming that they were two different sets of boots, and they matched the ones that had stopped at the top of the hill.
“Would you look at that!” Darryl gasped and when Steve finally saw what he was looking at, he had the same reaction.
“Are we seriously seeing this? A valley with absolutely no snow?” Steve had to blink to make sure he wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. “What in the hell is going on?”
“I thought with all of this I have seen it all, but this is something else. It’s like a secret land that only certain people know about. Is this where we need to rebuild? Was that what Mike was trying to show Ryan?”
“I don’t know but this is too strange. How in the hell can that be possible?” Steve rode the horse closer, seeing the valley dipped below them. “I wish I had some binoculars. It looks like there is something fenced in with razor wire.”
Darryl put his hand on Steve’s shoulder right as he went to move closer. “Whoa. You see razor wire? You can’t tell what is inside the fence?”
“No, I need to get closer.”
“Something tells me we should probably be careful. Why would they have something in razor wire? This all seems really strange. And how can this one particular valley have dodged the weather? There’s a cabin on the other side – not one single structure survived the tornadoes.”
“Could they have rebuilt one?” Steve asked. “They’ve had months to do it.”
“They definitely could have but it looks like it is in pristine condition. Where in the hell did they get the material to build something like that when everyone’s supplies got wiped off the face of the earth?” Darryl clicked his tongue and stared down at the mystery before them. “I don’t know about this… And I’m still not sure how Mike and Ryan would tie into it. We need to find out what is inside that fence. That’ll probably answer some of our questions.”
“We just can’t be spotted. We’ll probably have to wait until tonight to try and get closer. With their rebuilding capabilities, whoever this is probably is keeping good watch on everything. If we get caught, we’re all as good as dead.”
Backtracking toward the hill again, they found a crevice where they could rest and be somewhat hidden. Due to their lack of knowledge on what was happening, they couldn’t be too careful when it came to technology and what was readily available. It would’ve been very easy to step right into a trap and then they’d never be able to save Ryan and figure out what was going on.
Due to it being winter time, the days were shorter so they wouldn’t have to wait too long. D
uring their time waiting, Steve tried to watch if anyone was coming or going, or if any activity was happening in general. He was completely confused about how they could be untouched and how everything around them was covered in snow, appearing like the ice age.
There was a truck that weaved in and out of rows that spread out for acres. Since they were so far away, Steve couldn’t tell what the area was made up of, except that it looked like small towers. If they could get closer he might be able to get a better look, but it still didn’t explain all of the other questions.
“Look at that!” Darryl pointed up to the sky. The sun was going down in the west but there was still enough light to notice the clouds right above the clear area.
Streaks of white cascaded across the blue, and the setting sun lent an orange hue, making it look like a painting. For a second, Steve forgot where they were and what was going on around them. He took a second to admire the view, his mouth dropping open at the sight. They were cirrus clouds, blanketing just right above the small, clear area.
After a few minutes, the streaks swirled together, blending into large, gray clouds. The wind picked up and the temperature began to dip. As it progressed into a winter storm, it pushed off to the east, away from the antennas, toward where he and Darryl were. Within seconds the sun was covered and it got as dark as night, aside from the light beaming up from the cabin and mystery farm where they suspected Ryan was.
“Move west, Darryl! It’ll get us out from under this system!”
Steve got on his horse and it neighed and bucked, sending him backward against the hard snow. Unwilling to let that slow him down, he hopped back up, grabbing the horse’s reins before the animal could escape. Hopping back on, he gained control, both men riding down the hill again, being spotted neither of their concern at the moment.
