by Chad Josey
The other two guards not speaking to Joe stalked the car. Their faces tensed with their right index fingers hovering near their triggers.
“Okay, you are clear to go through.” The guard speaking with Joe motioned them to go ahead.
“Thanks…" Joe pressed the button on the armrest as his window rose. He pressed the button again as the window reversed down. “Is there something going on, Sir?”
“Is there… you’ve not heard?” The guard’s eyes widened, his mouth opened in shock looking at Joe.
“No, what? As soon as we decided to rent a car, we ran to the counter. We’ve been making wedding plans during the entire drive.”
“You need to turn on the radio, then. We are under attack. New York and Washington have been hit, and they believe other cities are next.” The guard yelled over to the other two standing on Mary’s side of the car. “They don’t know what’s happening.”
“Hit? Hit by what?” Joe asked.
“Planes. Those damn terrorists finally did it and attacked us using planes. That’s why your… hell, all planes for that matter, are grounded.”
The guard standing on Mary’s side tapped her window and motioned them forward as other cars queued behind them.
“What?” Joe did now understand what the guard was saying as he reached for the radio releasing his foot from the brake. Joe repeated the guard’s words to himself. We are under attack? “What radio station?”
“Awe, hell, it doesn’t matter, Son. Any of them,” the guard said as Joe drove away entering Maine.
Joe pressed the scan button on the radio. Hurried reporters appeared on every station. Announcements came about plane crashes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
With the reports, Joe and Mary drove in silence. The road twisted ahead of them through a thick section of forest. Hillsides grew with bright, golden leaves creating a kaleidoscope of magnificent color. It was beautiful. The sight went unnoticed by Joe and Mary.
“Joseph, I’m scared.”
“I know Mary. It’ll be okay. We should be near Bangor in an hour. We’ll find a hotel room for the night and find out what’s happening before we go any further.”
A reporter’s voice said on the radio. “Here’s what we know… at 8:46 a.m. this morning, a plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center… at 9:03 a.m., a second plane crashed into the South Tower… at 9:37 a.m., hijackers flew another plane into the western side of the Pentagon in Washington…"
“Washington, too… what’s going on?” Joe’s concern heightened his sense of urgency to find any hotel along the desolate stretch of road.
“… At 9:59 a.m. the South Tower of the World Trade Center suffered a complete collapse to the ground. A horrific sight of smoke and debris filled lower Manhattan.”
“Dear, God… those poor people,” Mary said with a faint voice as she supported her head with her hand against the window.
“… Then reports came of another plane crash at 10:07 a.m. this morning in rural Pennsylvania. We can only speculate that this plane crash is connected to the events happening in New York and Washington…”
Joe held Mary’s shaking hand as she cried beside him. “We’ll find a place to stop soon, Sweetie.”
With each turn, the passing golden trees disappeared behind them. Terrifying radio reports played inside the car.
“… At 10:28 a.m., the World Trade Center’s North Tower collapsed. Countless numbers of fire and police rescue teams were in that area…"
“Okay, looks like Bangor is a few miles away… oh good, there’s a sign for a motel ahead in two miles. Let’s stop there.”
Joe stole a glance over to Mary; tear-tracks etched across her cheeks. “It’s okay, Sweetie.”
The area outside the motel was empty of people as they pulled into the roadside motel parking lot. Joe parked the car. “Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll get us a room.”
He opened the door. Mary grabbed his arm, pulling him back to her. “I love you,” she said letting him go as she continued to listen to the radio.
A little bell clanged against the glass door as Joe walked inside the small motel. The entire motel staff of six people had gathered around a television in the lobby.
Joe approached the group as he caught his first images of smoke rising above New York City. A cleaning lady consoled a crying older man, who wore an apron. He must have worked in the motel kitchen.
“Uh, hello… my fiancée and I would like to get a room for the night.”
A large, tall man stood from his chair. His eyes remained locked on the television screen. “Um, okay, I’ll be right there.” As the man turned around, it was visible to Joe the man had been crying. The tip of the man’s bright red nose matched the corners of his eyes.
He led Joe back to the check-in desk. “Terrible… just terrible. What a helluva a day, isn’t it?” The man pulled a key off the wall behind the desk. “Here’s a key to one of our rooms.”
“Don’t you need my credit card or anything?”
“Hell, Man, can’t you see? It’s the end of the world. Just take the damn key. Consider it a gift.” The man gave Joe the key and rejoined the group gathered around the glow of the television.
Joe walked back to the car to get Mary. He opened her door. She limped out of the car falling into his arms. “I am so tired. All the traveling and talking today… then, this news… it’s killing me.”
“It’s okay, Sweetie. We have a room. Let me get our things out of the car. We’ll rest and figure out what to do next.”
As they walked inside the lobby to the elevator, Joe purposely stood between Mary and the television blocking her view. “Don’t look. We’ll turn on the TV in our room and see what’s happening for ourselves.”
They found their room and opened the door. Mary pushed ahead of him, grabbing the remote to turn on the television. As each channel passed, the same images appeared. Scenes from New York City, from Washington, from Pennsylvania reported the grim news.
Arm-in-arm, they sat on the edge of the bed. With their very own eyes, the horror unfolded before them for the first time, today.
Time had stopped.
It felt like a movie. The horrific images of the World Trade Center falling over-and-over-and-over again replayed providing a sense the day was on a constant repeat.
After an hour of the sad reports bombarding them, Joe could no longer take it. “I’ve seen enough.” He stood from the bed and walked into the bathroom. “I will take a shower and then go find us something to eat.”
A few minutes later, Joe finished and came out of the bathroom, wearing the same clothes as earlier. Mary had not moved. He kissed the top of her head. “Sweetie, I won’t be gone long. I’ll bring us back a burger or something.”
Mary bolted from the bed and hugged his shoulders. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too… while I’m gone, how about you take a shower. You’ll feel so much better. I’ll be back, soon.” Joe walked Mary back to the bed and then left her alone in the room.
Finding a diner a few miles up the road, Joe returned twenty minutes later. He opened the door to the room holding two brown paper bags. Dark, grease spots decorated the bottom of each.
Joe was happy Mary had taken his advice and gotten a shower. She sat propped up on the bed. Her wet hair draped across her naked shoulders. The white, cotton robe from the back of the bathroom door provided warmth. She was reading a Bible she had found in the desk beside the bed.
“Mary, I don’t think I’ve ever known you to read that before?” Joe sat the two grease-soaked bags on the desk.
“Come here, you’ve got to read this. It’s the end of the world, I tell ya. I wanted to know what was coming next?”
She held the Bible between them as she read out loud. “The Sun will be darkened, and the Moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the
sky, and all the nations of the Earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”
“But, you’ve never really gone to a church before, so you can’t just read that and understand what it means? There are so many different meanings of things in the Bible.” The smell of the greasy hamburgers floated through the air. Their stomachs rumbled from not having eaten since breakfast.
“You’re right. And, I haven’t. But, what the hell is going on?” Mary asked as she closed the Bible, placing it on the bed. She sat up and cried. Joe held her close to him.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on either. I am scared too. But, right now… right here, we are together, and we’re safe. And, I will never let anything bad happen to you. I will always protect you.”
“I know, but all those people. New York City. I mean—”
“Shh, I know. It’s so terrible,” Joe said trying to console her. He said this more to convince himself everything would be okay. “Hey, let’s eat, and then I’ll come to bed with you. We can read more of the Bible together.”
“Okay…” Mary paused glimpsing the television. “Joseph, I know we’ve never done this together, but can we say a little prayer right now?”
“Sure…” Joe grabbed her hand as they slipped down from the bed onto the floor.
Mary began, “Dear God… ”
October 3, 2001
Stony Brook, New York
“GOOD MORNING, Professor Baptiste,” Joe said in a loud voice. “Ah, seems like old times, again.”
Joe loved Professor Baptiste’s office. The familiar scent of thirty-year-old books with a hint of cigar smoke filled the room. Joe had spent many hours over the past two years with Baptiste with the professor serving as both his advisor and mentor.
Baptiste rose from behind his desk and took off his glasses, which fell to his chest connected to his metal-linked necklace. “Joseph, it’s so good to see you, again.” Baptiste greeted Joe with a handshake in the middle of his office.
“Yes, you too, Professor.”
“I’m happy you’ve joined our graduate project team.” He grabbed both of Joe's hands. Joe’s wedding ring pressed against the professor’s fingers. “Oh, I see you have exciting news to tell me?”
As the professor released his grip, Joe held up his left hand showing his wedding ring. “Yep… that’s right. I’m married.”
“So, you had an eventful summer after graduation?”
“Oh, if only you knew the half of it.”
“Here, sit down,” the professor said pointing to a brown, leather sofa against the window in his office.
Joe sat. A familiarity rushed over him. He had spent many an afternoon in this same spot. Professor Baptiste loved to discuss biology, genetics, and various scientific theories. Now, Baptiste served a new role as Joe’s PhD Advisor.
“Oh, Professor. Where do I begin?
“To be sure… Mary, right?”
“Well, yes, of course.”
“Just checking. I never know these days with you kids.”
“Yes, Mary. I proposed to her in Paris on top of the Eiffel Tower.”
“Well, that’s—”
Joe continued, cutting off the professor. “We were there because of a job interview I had. We wanted to plan a nice, big wedding. But as soon as we got back, we knew we did not want to wait and went to the courthouse.”
“That’s a lot right there in your sentence, Joseph,” the professor said. Baptiste crossed his legs as he sat back into the chair beside the sofa. “You went from proposing at the most romantic spot in the world to getting married at the courthouse?”
“Well… you know…” Joe said stammering sensing the professor’s disapproval. “When I proposed, it was last month on September 10th. We flew back to New York City the next day. And, that’s when all hell broke loose.”
The professor uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to Joe.
“We wanted to get married right away because you just never know if today will be your last day or not.”
The professor leaned back again into his chair signaling his approval to Joe. “I can’t believe it… so, you were on a plane when it happened.”
“Yes, and that’s just it. We were flying to New York at the same time. Hell, we weren’t even aware what had happened until that night in a motel room in Maine. We felt we were so lucky because that could have been us.” Joe’s voice cracked. A sense of fear from his memories four weeks earlier had returned.
“In the motel… You didn’t drive home from the airport when you landed.”
“No, our plane got diverted to Canada. On a whim, we decided to rent a car and drive back from Halifax.” Joe reached out to unwrap a peanut butter cup from the candy tray on the table in front of him.
“Hell, Mary and I, we were so excited about planning our wedding that’s all we talked about. On the plane… walking through the airport… driving the car… not until we got to the US Border did we find out.”
“Wow,” the only response the usual talkative Professor gasped.
“Yes, wow, is right. Where were you?” Joe asked.
“I was here in the office getting ready to go teach Biology 202. One of my students barged in here and told me I had to go watch the TV in the lobby.” The professor raked his hands over his baldhead. “I got there in time to see the second plane hit the Tower, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach.”
“Yeah, there were TVs in the airport and people were standing around. But, we were not even aware what was happening.”
“I couldn’t stop watching. To think this happened less than an hour away, and felt so helpless as the Towers fell.” The professor rose from his chair. “Well, let’s talk about a happier topic, your research plan.”
Joe stood from the sofa and placed the empty candy wrapper into his pants pocket. “Yes, let’s.”
“But, first, we must go get some coffee,” the professor said, opening the office door. Joe and the professor walked across the hall into the lab. “So, tell me about this job offer in Paris.”
“Not much to tell, really. It was a great opportunity. The work sounded very exciting. The salary was great. Hell, any salary to a college student is great. But…” Joe hesitated to finish his sentence.
The thoughts about whether he had made the right decision rushed to him. “But, the job was in Paris. And, what we had experienced, we didn’t want to live outside the country… at least for now.”
“So, you came back to me.” Baptiste turned back to Joe stretching out his arms with a smile on his face.
“Yes, I did. And, thank you again for allowing me to join your group to work towards my doctorate.”
“Joseph, my pleasure. I’ve been teaching for almost thirty years now. And, you have a real talent in the lab.” The professor poured himself a cup of the worst-tasting coffee in the world. “You remember your first day of class with me?”
“Yes. Like it was yesterday.”
“That speech I gave. I have given it on the first day in my class many times,” the professor said sipping his coffee. “What do you remember most from that speech?”
“I remember you challenging us to find our passion and to follow it.” Joe poured sugar into his coffee to kill the terrible taste.
“And, during that semester and in our later work together, I saw that passion firsthand.”
Joe’s numbed taste of the coffee did not faze him after years of working with the professor. “You challenged me, but I had another reason pushing me into this passion.”
“Your mother, right?”
“Yes, my mama. Losing her at such a young age, I… I…”
“No need to explain. I understand.”
“If having a passion for genetics can help someday determine what caused her cancer, then it can help determine a cure. And, then… then, I'll understand the reason behind losing her. If nothing else, maybe I can prevent some other ten-year-old from losing their mother.”
“Love… it’s a strong motivator isn’t it, Son?” the professor said, placing his hand on Joe's shoulder.
“It sure as hell is. Now, let’s go figure out how I will save the world.”
7-Discovery
PRESENT - Colorado, 4:12 p.m.
1,835 Days Prior to Impact
NOTEBOOKS with printed coordinates, mathematical simulations, scenario analyses, and pictures of decades’ old research lay in front of Joe. Gabriel had excused himself from the room giving Joe time alone to review the information.
Joe's appearance had changed. He was a disheveled man. Long gone was his pressed shirt, which he had tucked neatly into his dress pants in preparation of his speech he would not deliver. Noticeable coffee stains were on both knees.
Joe reviewed the information. Unless the Eden Foundation had fabricated the data, it became clear to Joe he was validating the same results. On a notepad, he had written 2020 at the top of a page, circling the year over-and-over.
The door to the room opened. Gabriel walked inside holding Joe’s favorite beer.
“Here, I thought you could use this,” Gabriel said extending his hand.
Without a word, Joe chugged it as fast as he could, conjuring brief memories of his undergraduate days. When the last drop of beer emptied from the bottle, Joe slammed it down on the table as he pushed his notebook away.
Gabriel noticed the black circles drawn around the year 2020. “I see you came to the same conclusion.” Gabriel placed his hand onto the written note and pushed it back to Joe. “That’s only five years away.”
Joe could not force himself to make eye contact with his own handwriting. The same conclusion taunted him from the paper.
“The data shows it will happen on September 11th, 2020. And, if the size, speed, and composition of that son-of-a-bitch are truly what these readings show…”
Gabriel grabbed Joe's shoulder. “Yes. It’s correct. I can assure you. We have studied the calculations for the past sixty years.”
