The Prometheus Effect

by Jonathan Davison

  “No. It's unusual but not rare. One can only imagine what was going through his mind.”

  “Are the police involved? Are they treating it as suspicious?

  “No. I think that the truth will surface eventually. People have great mechanisms for covering up turmoil in their lives. We may find all manner of things as they surface. Perhaps his personal life was not as steady as they led us to believe.”

  Coffey scoffed at the remark. He knew Paul's family and his life was as near as damn it a perfect one. It also seemed incredibly irregular that the police were not conducting more of an investigation.

  “I'll see Jill tomorrow, see what I can do.”

  “That would be good. Oh, there was something else I needed to have a chat to you about.”

  “Oh?” Coffey knew that this was going to be about the debacle aboard the Destiny. Coffey wanted answers too, perhaps he could be enlightened now that he was back on 'terra firma'.

  “I am aware that you were not fully briefed regarding the Prometheus project. I am sorry to have put you in that position. Paul was fully briefed and trained for this mission, it seemed senseless to complicate things by squeezing in too much information too quickly, we didn’t want to overload you.”

  “I appreciate that, although I must admit that I have huge reservations about what I saw up there. There was an atmosphere of secrecy and non -cooperation, not really conducive to smooth running operations. At times I felt that it could impinge on safety. Also, I have many questions regarding the deployment of the Prometheus satellite. I've never seen such irregular deployment, can you enlighten me as to why it was placed into a degrading orbit?”

  Janus looked down at his feet and calculated a carefully constructed answer.

  “To be honest...no.”

  Coffey laughed nervously.

  “Are you serious?” The tired astronaut asked with incredulity.

  “Let it go Roger. We have a situation here. I don't want to hear any more of it. Your career here could be placed in jeopardy if this conversation goes any further than these four walls. Do you hear what I’m saying to you?”

  Coffey sat back and exhaled with disbelief.

  “Bill, are you playing hard ball with me? Since when did NASA get involved in secret military agendas?”

  “I didn't say anything about the military did I? I'm warning you Roger. This is the end of it. Take your pay cheque, your mission patch and forget you were up there.”

  “And what if I don't?” Coffey knew this was pushing his luck but he wanted to see how much it meant to his Director. Janus stared into space and then coolly and calmly replied.

  “Then I’ll be sorry your gone.”

  Janus stood upright and without a glance towards the astounded astronaut, he strode out of the lounge purposefully.

  For a moment, Coffey reflected on Janus' comment and considered a future where he was not part of the NASA organisation. It did not bear thinking about, NASA was his life. It then struck him that Janus may not have been talking about his career but something far more sinister. Coffey suddenly remembered his cheerful and determined friend Paul Niemechek and a cold shiver ran down his spine. He suddenly had the urge to be far away from Kennedy and with the greatest of haste.

  Coffey collected his things and made his way into the vast car park where he scanned the horizon for his distinctive Yellow Corvette. He looked back to the complex and with a heavy heart suddenly felt as if this magical place had been tainted. He had fondly gazed upon these buildings since he was a small child, now they had lost their lustre.

  Coffey sunk into the deep black leather bucket seat and wound the window down. The car was hot and stuffy. He was meant to have picked Buzz up from the kennel but now he had other things on his mind. He had to see Jill Niemechek, he had to know if she knew of a reason why Paul might have chosen to end it all.

  Coffey pulled out of the complex, waving briefly to the familiar security staff on the gate. Stopping at the junction, Coffey noticed that his brake pedal was long. He had not long had the car serviced, it was an older ZR1 model and was tough on its brakes. He gave it no further thought as he pulled out swiftly and made for Orlando.

  Coffey dropped the top and was once again excited and content as the wind blowing in his hair reminded him of his early days as a pilot in his Uncles restored bi-plane. Traffic was light and he pressed on towards the city at speed. A red light up ahead caused him to ease of the gas until he realised he would have to stop. Coffey leaned on the brake pedal with just enough pressure to begin deceleration but with a startling realisation, it was apparent that no amount of pressure was about to engage enough stopping power to avoid a serious impact with the car ahead.

  Swerving suddenly, Coffey took to the pavement and thoughtfully placed the car in a spin by applying his hand brake. When the vehicle had come to a halt, he was facing the direction he had come from and his car's nose was in the air, its rear end dug into a shallow ditch. Coffey climbed out, his hands shaking as he detached the seat belt.

  He stood and looked at the stricken vehicle. It had thankfully avoided major damage thanks to its owners quick reactions and clever thinking; traits which had served him well throughout his career.

  As a passing jogger ran to his aid, he leaned back against the car's nose and looked to the heavens.

  “My God, are you alright?” Asked the young female who had ran to his aid.

  “Yes. Thank you.” He said breathing slowly and deeply.

  “What the hell happened?” She inquired.

  “Brakes failed.” He replied succinctly.

  “Jeez, what are the chances of that happening?” She asked rhetorically.

  Coffey thought for a moment and then with an icily sinister tone replied.

  “Zero.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The Royal Standard Hotel, Islington, London

  November 14th 2020

  Joshua awoke to the sound of voices outside in the corridor. Raised voices, not aggressive, but panicked. He threw back the heavy white sheets and writhed around stretching his limbs and rubbing his eyes. The room was still very dark, the thick black curtains belied the fact that it was daylight outside. It must have been early though, the alarm had yet to sound.

  Sensing that something was amiss, Joshua rolled over and swung his legs down so that his bare feet were caressed by the soft pile of the carpet. There were yet more voices. He could hear a young female of Baltic origin above the others. It sounded like the chamber maid. Joshua had become familiar with some of the staff during his extended stay, she was a quiet and very shy specimen hence it seemed odd that this morning she was curiously verbose.

  Quickly wrapping a dressing gown around his skinny frame, he opened his door into the corridor and peeped out. He saw a cluster of staff at the end of the corridor, one girl was crying, the others were holding her, consoling her. Joshua tutted and ventured back inside his room. Obviously a relationship break up or a death in the family he thought as he wandered over to the kettle and flicked the switch. Stretching over the table, Joshua grabbed the heavy black curtains and yanked them apart, preparing himself for the bright morning light to scorched his tired eyes.

  “Fucking hell” He said syllable by syllable in a most profound manner. His heart pounding and his eyes wide and alert, Joshua looked out upon a view so surreal, he could have been in a vivid dream. The overcast skies above London were blood red like a hastily constructed lighting effect on a Star Trek episode. Traffic outside was almost nonexistent, a few brave souls stood outside their buildings and huddled together trying to take in the amazing sight of a new and terrifying world.

  Joshua rubbed the window pane with the flat of his hand. It was a ridiculous action yet in his mind he needed to know that this was just not some kind of a trick, a dirty window or similar. He opened the window as far as he could push it before it reached its limits and thrust his face into the gap to smell and taste the air. It seemed normal, the red hue of the atmosphere did not s
eem to affect the air quality. Joshua began to hypothesise in his mind what the meaning of this was. Perhaps a nearby chemical factory had inadvertently released something into the atmosphere, perhaps it was a rare and unexpected weather event that could be explained away by the Met Office. Whatever this was, it was enough to bring the capital to an apparent standstill.

  Joshua quickly reached for the television remote. BBC News was his first destination. Surely it would be all over the channels unless the event was localised but Joshua did not see how it could be. The sky was not just a shade of pinky red as seen in a sunset, it was darkened, thick and oppressive. Like something from a Science Fiction movie, an alien planet maybe?

  The journalist struggled with the remote control to get some kind of response from his set. The power appeared to be on but a black screen was all that it could muster. The TV had worked the evening before, he had watched it to wind down after a hectic day sorting out new accommodation.

  What the hell was going on here? He thought as he tried a new plan and opened his laptop. Joshua's heart rate increased another notch when it soon became apparent that the wireless point was not giving off any signal. His computer searched in vain for a connection but to no avail. There was a radio on the alarm clock by his bed, he wasted no time in switching it on and scrolling through the preset channels. His reward for his efforts was a peculiar kind of static, a droning tone unlike the usual white noise when a signal is not present. Joshua sat on the edge of his bed and collected his thoughts for a moment, then with haste, began to clothe himself at great speed. Without bothering to look in the mirror, tidy his unruly hair or brush his teeth he scampered from his room and headed towards the reception. Perhaps by talking to others he could get some kind of grasp on the situation.

  Thankfully, unlike the television and radio, the elevators worked as normal and as the doors parted for the ground floor, Joshua was greet by a noisy hubbub, a gathering of hotel guests and staff, some in scant dress all walking around like headless chickens. Children were crying and their parents looked stunned and shocked. Everyone was searching for answers but it was soon very apparent that there were none to receive.

  Joshua found the nearest figure, a middle aged business man, suited with briefcase, furiously tapping on his mobile.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?” Joshua inquired politely but with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

  “No one knows.” Replied the well dressed man as he looked out of the reception windows to the throng of people gathering in the street.

  “The television and radio networks are all down, mobile phones are useless, we just don't have a clue.” He continued, reinforcing Joshua's beliefs.

  Joshua thanked the man who looked as terrified as the others and forced his way out into the street through the people who were milling around as if awaiting some kind of announcement. The journalist looked upwards towards the ruby red clouds and the sun which was still shining brightly but now with a disturbing crimson aura. Apart from the drone of people talking, the city was deathly quiet. Very few vehicles were running, there were no aeroplanes traversing the sky leaving their contrails in their wake, it was if the city had just ground to a complete standstill.

  Joshua's first instinct was to make his way to the Messenger's offices in Fleet Street. It was a centre of information gathering and if there was anything significant to be known, it would arrive their first. Joshua jogged briskly to Angel tube station. He was not sure if services would be running. This was not because of some technical issue, but just because any members of staff would no doubt have woken up and been mesmerised by the sky like the others. He was right, the station was desolate considering it was now a quarter to eight in the morning.

  “Sorry mate, nothing running at the minute. No staff to drive the bloody trains. Everybody's scared shitless.” Announced the uniformed guard.

  At least not everybody was stopped in their tracks by the bizarre events thought Joshua as he realised he would have to walk a couple of miles to his destination. Thankfully, it was only a twenty minute hike and due to the fact that the streets were fairly empty, it was one of the most pleasant walks he had taken in London for some time. Despite the sheer anxiety of not knowing what this all meant, nothing untoward had yet taken place which spelled any kind of danger to life and limb.

  Plucking his smart phone from his pocket whilst walking briskly, he tried to ring the office to no avail. The network coverage was indeed nonexistent. Joshua knew that something on a terrifyingly large scale must have transpired to bring the telecommunication networks and media centres to their knees. Several thoughts raced through his mind, a cyber attack of some kind maybe or maybe a new kind of electro-magnetic pulse producing weapon? The red sky could not be explained by anything, the most he could picture was a nuclear strike or meteor which might have thrown dust into the atmosphere to produce the strange colouration. Still, he had felt no tremors and if there was indeed a nuclear event taking place, he would no doubt already be merely a dirty stain somewhere as London would have already been levelled in the attack.

  Working up quite a sweat, Joshua finally arrived at the Messenger's offices. As suspected, the building, usually buzzing by this time was almost deserted. Making his way into the large opened planned hub, he was greeted by one of his new colleagues, Sarah Palmer as she continued in vain to contact anyone by telephone. The televisions were all on but silent and blank and other staff members sat back on their chairs, their hands locked behind their heads, waiting for something to happen.

  “Any news?” Joshua inquired as he took off his jacket in the well air conditioned office.

  “Nothing.” Sarah replied slamming down the phone.

  “I've sent Rick over to Downing Street but without our phones, we're pretty much in the Dark Ages here. I have Johnny running as courier on his motorbike.”

  Sarah was a tall slender woman in her late thirties. She was the Fashion Editor but she was also a fantastic journalist and had obviously taken charge.

  “I can't believe that the media networks have all failed. Do you think we've lost all our satellites in some weird cosmic storm or something. That may account for this crazy red sky!”

  Joshua was no astronomer but he felt there must be a rational reason for this and felt that it was most likely a far less sinister explanation than everybody suspected.

  “I guess that would explain the mobile phone network crash maybe, but the radio, the land line?”

  Sarah was already ahead of Joshua, analogue radio signals had nothing to do with satellites, they were generated by transmitters on the ground. Britain had yet to go fully digital in that respect. The telephone land lines were equally numerous, their silence was telling. It was also quickly deduced that the usual foreign radio stations picked up on long-wave were also absent. This was not just an event on a local scale, it was global.

  There was a sudden flicker of the numerous television screens which were dialled into various channels. The office fell silent and as a banner stating a news announcement was about to be broadcast, the tension level in the office was palpable. There was no familiar news reader to break the story, simply a blue screen with clear white writing which slowly scrolled up the screen and looped at the end of its cycle.

  Public Announcement: There has been an incident. The public are in no immediate danger. You are requested to remain in your homes and await further instructions. Information will be broadcast when it is available. It is recommended that you do not travel at this time. Remain in your homes until you are instructed otherwise. More to follow.

  There was a stunned silence in the office. Joshua looked over to his right where several people were weeping.

  “This is crazy. What the hell is this? What a ridiculous announcement. It doesn't say anything. The only thing that is going to do is incite panic!” Sarah said waving her arms around.

  “Give it five minutes and there will be people tearing through the streets looting. There's going to be anarchy.”
She continued. She was probably right thought Joshua as he slumped down upon an office chair which bounced under his weight.

  “Here comes the cavalry.” Someone called out from the window. Joshua walked over to the vast glass panel and looked out over the street where a number of army vehicles powered through beeping their horns loudly as they went.

  “Are we talking martial law here?” He said, thinking out loud.

  “At least they're here to protect us from the masses.” Another reporter said cynically. Past experience had taught them that the public did not need much of an excuse to initiate a riot.

  “Are we under attack?” A tall young man asked as he stood with his palms against the window.

  “I can't see it myself. Who would have the capability of killing off our networks like this and how do you explain that?” Joshua said as he pointed to the fierce red sky.

  “I don't think anyone knows what the hell is going on, even the government.” He continued expressing himself bravely.