The End of The World
Lamees Alhassar
Copyright © 2016 Lamees Alhassar All rights reserved. ISBN: 1536946826
ISBN-13: 978-1536946826
CONTENTS
Chapter One 1 Chapter Two 27 Chapter Three 63 Chapter Four 103 Chapter Five 131 Chapter Six 161 Chapter Seven 197 Chapter Eight 249
CHAPTER ONE
After the alarm rang, she stood up from her bed. It was exactly 2:00 AM, the desk clock was saying. She got up from the bunk bed and stretched. She was wearing her underwear and her long, dark hair was dishevelled. She looked around and spotted her robe hanging on the wall nearby. She stood up, reached for it, and put it on.
For a moment, she stood by the window. She looked outside and peered into the dark sky. All she could see were the millions of stars that surrounded her. As she peered further into the skies, she saw nothing but darkness. Pitch-black darkness. It was dark. It was always dark because when you are in outer space, all that you can see are stars, stars, and more stars. They served as a means to get directed through the darkness.
She picked up the laptop by her side and opened it. She waited for it to power up before she put on her earpiece, which was in form of a Bluetooth receiver. She needed to make her daily entry.
“Good morning. This is Captain Kristen, Commander of Atlantis Mission Explorer,” she stated. “Today is day 1,472 since we departed Earth. Our time here is exactly 2:09 AM and I have just woken up. I will soon go to the bridge to see how my crew is doing. I hope today will be a good day for us, a day when we will have some good news to relay back to you at home. News that will bring us all hope and salvation.”
She shut down the laptop and sighed.
“Hope and salvation,” she repeated to herself.
After spending so many days in outer space, those two words sounded so foreign and alien to her. But what could anyone do than to have hope? She looked into the dark skies around her.
Hope and salvation. She stood up and walked to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and came out. She then got dressed in her space suit. It was like a bodysuit made of a grey, leathery material. It was perfectly fitted to her body and covered her completely from her neck down to her toes. She did not need to put on any boots because the suit had completely covered up her feet and was serving as a protective shield, even to her feet. That was how the suit had been designed and made. It was supposed to be worn without the need to put on any other piece of clothing while in outer space. No need for gloves, belts, or boots. Just the body suit and that was all.
She picked up the earpiece again and fixed it over her left ear. She then walked to the door and placed her right palm on the panel on the side. A white light went over her right hand as the panel scanned her palm.
A message was displayed on the scanner.
“CAPTAIN KRISTEN. IDENTITY
CONFIRMED.” The door slid open and she walked out of her quarters into the corridor. It was lighted and had white walls. She walked through it until she came to another door. She placed her palm on a similar monitor. After a scan was performed on her, a message displayed on the panel.
“CAPTAIN KRISTEN. IDENTITY
CONFIRMED.”
The door opened and she stepped into the elevator. “Hello Captain Kristen, where would you like to go?” the elevator asked in a voice that sounded feminine.
“Take me to the bridge,” Kristen replied. The elevator moved upwards through several floors and stopped. Kristen got out and as she did so, she stepped into the control centre of her ship. She was standing on an elevated platform. There was a series of steps by her right which led down into a lower platform. On that lower platform there were three members of crew. They waved at her and she waved back.
“Good morning, Captain,” one of them said as they waved. “How was your sleep?”
“Just okay, Mahmud,” Kristen replied. “Have the others not yet resumed?” she asked, looking around. “Not yet, Captain,” Mahmud replied. “But they will soon be here, I am sure.”
It was already 2:23 AM, earth time. Just then, the elevator door opened and three other members of crew dressed in the same attire like Kristen’s stepped onto the bridge.
“Good morning, Captain,” one of them greeted her. “Good morning, Lynda,” Kristen replied. “You guys are late. What happened? Did you oversleep?” “Maybe they overindulged in alcohol,” Mahmud joked.
“Alcohol? In space?” Lynda asked. “Mahmud, why did NASA really send you on this mission?” “To make sure that I keep a close watch over you,” Mahmud replied.
“Really? And what makes you think I cannot take care of myself?”
Mahmud smiled. “Because you never resume on time,” he replied.
“Okay, enough of the chitchat,” Kristen stated. "What is the present status?" “Everything is okay, Captain,” Mahmud replied. “We have been cruising through and there were no encounters or incidences.”
“Any sightings yet?” Kristen asked. Mahmud shook his head. “None yet. But you know that if there had been any I would have personally come to your bunk to wake you up myself.”
Kristen nodded. “Yes, I know,” she replied. “But I wonder why you would have to do that.”
“Do what?” Mahmud repeated. “You do not want to be notified if we make a sighting?” “No, not that,” Kristen replied. “I meant, I wonder why you would have to personally come to my bunker. Whatever happened to our various ways of communicating – like the intercom, our radios, and all?”
Mahmud smiled. “I am just kidding,” he stated. “I hope you are,” Kristen replied. “Because I do not want to handle a jealous Lynda. I am sure she would not approve if you started coming to my bunk without her knowledge and permission.”
“Really?” Mahmud repeated. He turned to Lynda, who was checking some monitors. “Tell me, Lynda, is it true?” Mahmud asked.
“True about what?” Lynda asked.
“Is it true that you would be jealous if you knew that I went to our captain's bunk?” Mahmud asked. “And why would you be going to her bunk anyway?” Lynda asked.
“To pass on vital information,” Mahmud replied. “Vital information?” Lynda repeated. “Vital information about what?”
“Like, maybe if there was a sighting,” Mahmud replied. “Whatever happened to the radio?” Lynda asked. “Or the intercom,” Kristen added.
“Come on, guys,” Mahmud stated. “I only wanted to communicate.” “You don’t have to go to where the captain is staying simply to communicate with her. Come on, Mahmud. We are not in the stone age,” Lynda stated.
“You are a spoilsport,” Mahmud replied. “Maybe you are only jealous that it is not your bunk that I would be coming to.”
“If you did come to my bunk I would not allow you access,” Lynda retorted.
“I would override your door’s security,” Mahmud insisted.
“And I would use my laser gun to vaporize your sorry and lonely ass,” Lynda stated.
Mahmud smiled and looked at Kristen. “You see why I like her? She is very hot.”
“Hot or cold, whatever. Just go and do the routine check in the electrical room,” Kristen replied. “Okay, I am going away, Captain.” Mahmud nodded and pointed at Lynda. “But I am very sure that you are going to be calling me soon.”
“Why would I do such a thing, for goodness’ sake?” Lynda asked.
“Because you cannot do without talking to me,” Mahmud said.
“Even if you were the last being in the entire universe, I still would not talk to you,” Lynda said. Mahmud nodded. “Yeah. Maybe not talk. But you’ll need me for other things. You know?”
Lynda picked up a tablet and made to throw it at Mahmud, who quickly ducked and left t
he bridge. After he had left, Kristen went over the status of their position. The monitor in front of her was saying that by now they should be about eight hundred billion miles away from Earth’s present location.
“Eight hundred billion miles away from home,” Kristen whispered to herself.
Just then, a message appeared on her monitor: INCOMING CALL FROM EARTH. “Lynda,” she instructed. “A call is coming in from Earth. It is most likely Mission Command. Have it enlarged and enhanced on the screen please.”
“Yes, Captain,” Lynda replied, and tapped on some keys on her console. Immediately, the widescreen on the bridge came to life. A dark-complexioned man with a thick, greying moustache and a bald head appeared on the screen.
“Good morning, Kristen,” the man said.
“Good morning, Director Edwards,” Kristen replied.
“Is it morning or night over there?” Edwards asked. Kristen looked out of the window at the black night sky. “It is always as dark as midnight out here, Director,” Kristen replied. “No one can say for sure if it is morning or night. You know we are not revolving around any sun. We are just flying through space.”
“Yes, I know, Kristen. I was just trying to make light humour,” Edwards replied. “How is the crew? Are there any issues?”
“No, Director. None at all. Everyone is fine.” “I see,” Edwards replied, and there was a brief silence before he asked, “Any sightings?”
Kristen shook her head. “None yet, Director.” Edwards nodded. “Just keep on looking, Kristen. Just keep on looking. You know you are our only hope for now. You are Earth’s only hope.”
“I know, Director. We all know. And we are not relenting. We are doing the best we can.” “What day is it?”
“Today is day 1,472.”
“1,472,” Edwards repeated. “That is over four years already.”
“Yes, four years,” Kristen repeated.
“Yes, Kristen,” Edwards reiterated and sighed. “Four years.” There was a pause, and it was as if the line had disconnected and gone off. But it had not. Edwards was still there. He had a pensive look on his face and a distant look in his eyes. It was as if he was lost. Perhaps lost in thought. After a long while, it appeared as if he suddenly realized that he was on broadcast. Edwards blinked and looked into the camera.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I must have gotten carried away in my own thoughts.”
“Yes, Director,” Kristen replied. She understood. “Anyway then, I wish you all the best on the next space jump, Atlantis Mission Explorer,” Edwards said, and the line went dead.
Kristen looked at her other crew members. They were all staring at the blank screen as if waiting or hoping that it was going to come back on again.
But it did not. Or it would not.
The crew members did not think of that. They just kept on staring at the dark screen. “Lynda, get me a reading of the positions we have covered in the last 48 hours and the distance between our current position and the next black hole,” Kristen announced.
“Yes, Captain,” Lynda replied, and started to type away on her keyboard. The other crew members had also cut away their gaze from the screen. The longing in their eyes was very evident.
And so was the loneliness.
The feeling of being lost in time and space. But who wasn’t? Kristen thought to herself.
All of 1,472 days.
Over four years.
And still there was no end in sight.
And still there was no sighting at all.
Who wouldn’t feel the despair? Kristen thought again. It was more than four years ago since they had last seen Earth. Four years since that fateful day when they departed from their home.
And even after more than four years, it still felt like yesterday. The day when they departed Earth. Kristen could vividly recall Edward’s speech on that day. He had handed them all a picture each. It was a picture of Earth as at that day.
She reached for the pocket of her space suit and brought out the folded picture and gazed upon Earth. She sighed and returned it to her pocket.
That day, Edwards had handed out the pictures to all of them. They were the same picture, only that several copies were made to reach all members of the crew.
“Members of Atlantis Mission Explorer,” Director Edwards had started. “In your hands is a picture of Earth, your home planet, as of today, the twenty-third day of July, 2093. That picture was taken just a couple of minutes before I summoned you all to this briefing prior to your departure.”
Edwards had paused and looked around at all the faces of the crew members seated in the debriefing room. “You may be wondering why I have given you all the same picture,” he had continued. “Well, it is for a good reason. I want each of you, as a separate individual to remember why you are on this mission. You are on this mission not because of your fellow crew member, not because of your mission commander Captain Kristen, not because of me, not even because of the president, or even the United Nations. You are on this mission simply because of Mother Earth.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Edwards continued. “Earth needs you. In all of your individual and separate lives you have had the best from Earth. You have enjoyed the most from Earth and its resources. I cannot exclude myself, either. Neither can any human being on Earth, alive or dead. However, we cannot all be chosen to go. Neither can the dead be called to wake up to assist. It is only you, the crew members selected for this mission. As you journey into outer space on this mission, as you spend the next couple of days, weeks, and maybe months in those regions in the sky, always look at those pictures and remember that this is why you are there. You are there because of Earth.”
Edwards had paused and glanced at them again. “I cannot tell you the level of gratitude that everyone has for you all embarking on this trip. But the fact remains that the entire planet is depending on you to be the reason we have reason to hope again. In fact, you, my dear astronauts, are earth’s hope and salvation.”
Hope and salvation. Kristen looked around the bridge at her colleagues as they went about their work. She looked at the monitor and checked some of the data that was streaming across a screen. Their shuttle was moving slowly through the dark, empty space. There was no other planetary body close to them. All that could be seen were the distant stars flickering in the distance.
Kristen could remember some of those nights on Earth when she had stayed up late, looking into the black skies above. Those were nights when she could not fall asleep because she was worried. Worried about what their future mission into outer space could hold for them.
How did it come to all this? she wondered. The news had started to come in gradually at first. First were the floods, which were caused by large-scale tropical storms. Tsunamis began to affect much more than coastal cities; they were now ravaging the interior cities, cities that were deep inside that should have been protected by the hills, mountains, buildings, structures, and civilization.
She vividly recalled the deaths that had occurred in India and Pakistan as a result of the record-setting heatwaves. In 2050, when these heatwaves began in intensity, many people and scientists dismissed it as a ‘mistake,’ as if nature could deliberately make mistakes. In that year, hundreds of people had died in those countries because of the heatwaves. One report had described it as people were dying even at night, when temperatures were supposed to have reduced. It was crazy, watching people have several baths every day with ice blocks and ice-cold water just to reduce the scourge of the excessive heat.
As if that was not worrisome enough, rainforests around the world began to catch fire. A lot of them were doing so for the very first time ever. One of the most astounding was when the Olympic National Park in Washington also burst into flames and lush, green vegetation began to burn without control. And while people were beginning to ponder what was going on, a climate control meeting that was scheduled to be held in London had to be cancelled. The reason was simple: nobody wanted to suffer a repeat o
f what had just taken place in India and Pakistan. There was the real fear that the same heatwaves were set to begin in London because for the first time ever in the United Kingdom, a temperature of almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in a single day in a month that was not supposed to be the hottest month of the year.
The Americas were not spared their share of these bad omens. Kristen remembered how the United States covered the news of the fire that had virtually leap-frogged and jumped over their I-15 freeway during rush hour. As expected, pandemonium had broken loose and as she watched the scenario unfold on live television from the canteen at NASA’s facilities, Kristen was awestricken. Initially, the authorities were saying that it was the work of terrorists; some security experts claimed instead that it was the handiwork of extremists. Another theory claimed that it was simply white supremacists that were bent on entrenching a regime of pure white leaders in their country.
But was that the reason why fire was jumping over a freeway and completely burning up cars, trucks, and other vehicles in its path? How possible was it that any of these groups were able to harness the forces of nature to bring chaos, harm, and destruction down on their people? Could terrorists control nature in order to achieve their evil agendas?
So many questions. It was much later that the truth of what had happened came out. The worst and most devastating drought in over four thousand years was being suffered by California. Surveillance satellites were able to show footage where a 10-acre fire in a brush gradually began to swell and increase until in a couple of hours it had increased almost twentyfold. In its mad and uncontrollable rampage of destruction it had jumped over the freeway in order to continue to burn away at the brush and dried vegetation on the other side. It was not the work of any evil group. It had been the work of nature. And nature was simply trying to tell them that nothing could stand in its path, not even manmade freeways.
Other parts of the world soon started to send in their own reports. As a massive El Nino was being formed in the tropical Pacific Ocean, countries like Puerto Rico began to strictly ration its water. Some might wonder what was so special about countries rationing their water. There was nothing special, except when one considered the fact that for a country like Puerto Rico, this was the strictest ever in its history.
The End Of The World Page 1
