2042: The Great Cataclysm

by Melisande Mason

  The air was cool as Washington enjoyed the spring season, and the park, one of fifty-nine triangular parks designed by Pierre L’Enfant, that provided urban green spaces for locals to relax in the beauty of the outdoors. The Lincoln park, seven acres in size, featured many monuments, gracious lawns and gardens, and Nick wished he had time to enjoy the atmosphere and the calm it engendered in those fortunate to spend time here. He smelled the fresh cut grass and the perfume of prolific flowers as he walked, stopping now and then to steal a furtive glance toward the people walking behind him.

  He made his way to the boundary of the park where he spied a phone check station. People were coming and going in all directions, but none appeared to pay him any attention. He punched the connection service for Jerry’s number and waited while a flustered waitress on the other end looked for Graham.

  ‘Now you’ve got that waitress curious.’ Graham rumbled. ‘She’s wondering why someone would call for me on this phone. She’s not the only once curious, so am I. What’s up?’

  ‘Listen pal, I don’t have much time, I want you to do me a big favour.’ Nick wheezed from his fast walk.

  ‘Anything mate.’ Graham answered.

  Nick glanced around. ‘How long are you going to be in LA?’

  ‘As long as I like. Why? Are you coming over? That’d be great. It’s too bloody long since we got together.’

  ‘Yeah, I am, but I um, don’t want anyone to know. I’ll get on the first flight I can. Can you to check in at Jerry’s every couple of hours? I don’t want to use our sat-phones. Um, I’ll leave a message where to meet me.’

  ‘Oh, so it’s okay now for me to turn my phone off. Why all the cloak and dagger? Why can’t you just come to my hotel?’

  ‘I think I’m being watched. I can’t explain now. Just do as I ask, okay?’

  ‘Bloody hell Nick, what have you done now? Killed somebody?’

  ‘No of course not! But I could be in trouble.’

  ‘What again? Never a dull moment with you is there? Okay, I’ll call Jerry. I’ll see you when you get here.’

  ‘Thanks, mate. See you soon.’

  Nick hung up. If he wanted to get out quickly, he would have to call and get on the first available flight. He pushed the connection button for a domestic airline and was able to secure a seat on a flight out of Ronald Reagan airport to LA at 1pm. He flipped his watch, he had four hours to fill in.

  He needed something to settle his nerves, but even he would not take alcohol this early in the morning, so he opted for coffee.

  A group of people milled around on a nearby corner, making it impossible to determine if someone was watching him, so Nick briskly retraced his steps, nonchalantly swinging his arms. He turned a corner and was relieved to see a café on the same side of the street just one block away. He strode into the café fumbling in his pockets for change, and selected a seat at a table near the front window where he could see if anyone suspicious approached.

  He ordered a black coffee from the waitress, who looked like she was at the end of a twelve hour shift, and glanced around the room briefly noting the shabby décor, and the two men propped at the counter. They did not appear to notice his presence as they argued over the latest baseball game. Josh’s warning that the CIA may be watching him came back to him, and he wondered what they would do if they saw him going to the airport. The coffee failed to revive his energy or calm his nerves so he left, uncomfortably suspecting a presence somewhere in the background. He marched back to the Trancab station at the park, climbed into one and gave it directions to Laura’s apartment building.

  The spacious lobby here was typical of upmarket apartment buildings, housing a coffee shop and boutiques,with various areas of seating arranged around lush indoor plantings. Nick didn’t recognise the desk clerk, who was eyeing him suspiciously, wondering why a visitor or guest would wear a business jack-suit in this building. Nick could read his mind.Who was this interloper off the street? He struggled to keep calm as he assessed the people around him, most eyeing him with the same suspicions as the desk clerk. It was not the right time or place to be dressed as he was, reeking of body odour. A family approached the front desk and while the clerk was distracted, Nick slipped around to the nearest lift and impatiently punched the button to the Penthouse several times.

  The apartment was quiet, cool and deserted when he entered. He found Maxime curled up asleep on Laura’s bed. He’d have to do something about that cat, it would break Laura’s heart if she came to any harm. He decided to call Josh from Los Angeles and have him collect Maxime. Meanwhile he’d ask the manager to check in on her, he’d have to leave the key for Josh with him anyway. Then another thing crossed his mind. What about the animals? Those trapped in zoos. It didn’t bear thinking about.

  He showered, changed his underwear and climbed back into his distasteful jack-suit. Then he selected one of Laura’s briefcases, threw in some underwear, his favourite moleskins and some T-shirts, patted Maxime, and quietly left the apartment. He dropped the key off to the surprised desk clerk, with instructions for the manager, and strolled into the restaurant off the foyer. The place bustled with the late breakfast crowd finishing coffee. The staff recognised him from his many visits with Laura and took no notice when he wandered casually into the kitchen. Without pausing, he darted through the service door onto the street, where he broke into a run for the nearest Trancab station.

  ***

  Nick slumped into the front seat of a Trancab feeling a little smug, certain he had given anyone following the slip. The cab’s air-conditioning was not working and he screwed up his nose as the lingering smell of cigar smoke disgusted him. ‘Ronald Reagan airport.’ He commanded.

  Trancar traffic was building up and the ten kilometres to the airport was going to take at least thirty minutes. He had no sooner left the station than he spied a black Trancar behind him that carried a government identity plate. His pulse rate quickened. He glanced at his watch and saw he had plenty of time. Seeing the only way to shake the government car he guessed was following him, was to get out of the Trancab, which he could not do as it was programmed to take the shortest route to any destination. He wished for the days when he could have ordered a cab driver to ‘lose that car behind us’ instead he commanded, ‘Capitol South Metro.’

  His Trancab diverted and so did the government car. They were definitely following him. He figured he could give them the slip at the metro station and be on the train to the airport before they caught up with him.

  It was a chance, and a slim one, but it was the only thing he could think of. He had to get on that plane.

  He announced his charge card number as the cab pulled up in front of the metro station, and when the door automatically slid open he leapt out, taking off in a full run into the station. An overhead display showed each train’s destination and timetable, and once entering the terminal it was necessary to stand on a moving walkway to move along a tunnel leading to other train platforms. The walkway travelled at the speed of a slow stroll, so Nick walked rapidly passing the long lines of people ahead. He had little occasion to use this metro when visiting Laura, as he usually came in from Dulles International airport where Trancabs were readily available. Now at the end of the walkway, he found himself in a large open area confronted by more walkways going in different directions.

  He spotted two men in jacksuits on the walkway behind pushing their way past passengers toward him. His heart pounded, he hurried past several walkways until he spotted the one to the airport.No, he thought,can’t let them know I’m headed to the airport. Instead he took the walkway next to it. Now he began to run. Startled people cursed him as he pushed past them. The two men followed ten metres behind. He came to the end of the walkway where two trains waited, heading in opposite directions. He made for the one on his right. There was a group of three people standing by the walkway with suitcases stacked on a trolley. He pushed the cases off the trolley as he passed, scattering them over the platform. He did not s
top. The train on his left began to close it’s doors, so he diverted from his path and dashed into that train as the door closed. He watched as the two men stood with hands on hips among the scattered suitcases.

  Nick bent over for a moment, then collected his senses and peered around the carriage. Everything looked normal, shoppers and school children. He had no idea where he was going. He stood by the door ready to depart at the first station and get on a train to the airport.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  The army Veto landed softly on a plateau in the wired and heavily guarded compound in the hills of Pennsylvania, three hundred kilometres north of the capitol Washington, DC.

  General Worth eased himself out of the pilot’s seat, and Porter Douglas grunted as he pushed his overweight frame from the passenger’s seat and followed Worth toward a large steel shed. Built against the mountain, it seemed to melt into the side of the earth and was surrounded by scrubby bushes that gave it an unkempt appearance. Most of the iron wall panels were rusted and two or three had detached themselves in varying degrees from the side of the building. The entry door stood slightly ajar. A light breeze flapped a faded poster advertising Coca Cola on its rusty exterior.

  ‘Why the hell would they advertise Coca Cola here, in this remote place.’ Douglas commented as they entered the shack.

  Hundreds of black dots danced in front of his eyes as he adjusted his vision to the dim light inside. He looked around amazed by the collection of items: a dust-covered vintage tractor, broken wooden crates, tools and other dilapidated farming equipment. As he moved around small clouds of long accumulated dust swirled around his ankles, clouding the mirror finish of his regulation boots.

  ‘What the hell’s this?’ He wheezed.

  ‘It’s an old storehouse.’

  ‘I can see that, but what’s it doing here?’

  Ignoring him Worth walked to a rusty panel at the rear of the building and pushed aside a ratty bail of hay to reveal a square black box attached to the bottom of the panel. He pulled a key from his pocket and opened the box. Inside was a panel of buttons that he quickly pressed in a combination and stepped back. Seconds later the panel opened with a slight whoosh as trapped air escaped revealing a darkened entrance. Worth stepped inside and bright white light instantly flooded a corridor ahead of him.

  ‘Good God!’ Douglas exclaimed. ‘This’s the President’s entrance to Mt Rockwell? I never would’ve found it.’

  ‘That’s the idea. We’ve got two others even better concealed than this. Ingenious isn’t it?’ Worth’s gave a crooked smirk that rather than show amusement made him appear malevolent.

  The two men walked down the long corridor and stopped in front of another door. This time the security panel was in full sight and Worth punched out the numbers to open it. They stepped inside a large room to find an armed M.P. standing by the door.

  He saluted briskly and led them to another door where the MP directed Worth to place his palm over a panel. A door slid silently into the wall. Ahead of them was a small area that contained an electronic weapons detection screen. Once the generals had passed through this screen, the MP ushered them to another door to a smaller cubicle and closed it behind them.

  ‘Christ. This is more secure than Forth Knox.’ Douglas quipped. ‘What now?’

  ‘This is the decontamination chamber.’ Worth said. ‘Once we’re through here we’re on our own.’

  A red light flashing above the door signalled the all clear and they stepped out into a cavernous room where artificial light gave off a curious daylight effect. Offices with glass partitions enabling the inhabitants to be viewed from the outside circled the ground floor, and above them high on a mezzanine floor were as many offices again. People dressed in Navilon body hugging blue uniforms, with a storm cloud embroidered above their name on their chest, hurried back and forth busily carrying out their duties.

  ‘For such a huge area it’s so quiet in here.’ Douglas commented.

  ‘Yeah, they renovated this place two years ago, replaced all the old glass with Navilon, upgraded all the electronics, just about rebuilt the place. The Navilon makes the offices almost soundproofed.’

  ‘That stuff’s so versatile. Christ, next thing they’ll come up with a way to use it as food.’

  ‘Yeah, the invention of the twenty-first century. Bit like how the invention of the world wide web changed everything.’

  Douglas turned his head. ‘This’s bloody incredible!’ He wheezed. ‘What are all these people doing?’

  ‘Running the utilities for a small city.’

  Douglas gazed around the enormous open area. ‘How long have they been here?’

  Worth led the way to an area where a row of padded seats were arranged beside a freezer cabinet that contained an assortment of drinks and snacks. ‘Some of them are new, but most have been here for years. It’s just a skeleton staff right now, but it’s about to expand rapidly.’

  ‘How the hell have you kept this hidden for so long?’

  ‘Well, you know the army, we can do whatever we want. I’m surprised you’ve got so many questions.’ He paused and narrowed his eyes. ‘You should’ve been aware of all this being a one star.’

  ‘Yeah well, I am. I figured it’s not something I needed to care about. Thought it was just stock piling food and equipment for an emergency. I didn’t realise there was a sophisticated city under here.’

  Worth selected a drink from the cabinet. ‘There wasn’t until the renovations, it was old, dusty and dingy - Jesus, eighty years old I believe, and as you said, a place to store emergency supplies. The staff have the highest security clearances and they’re highly paid, they’ve got first class accommodation for their wive’s and kids here as well.’

  ‘Kids? How can kids have security clearance? They wouldn’t understand.’

  ‘Staff families are restricted to one child, so it’s not hard to keep them quiet.’

  Douglas narrowed his eyes. ‘How the hell can you control that? This’s the US - not China.’

  ‘Ah, the wives need to be willing to be sterilised.’

  ‘What! That’s bloody barbaric, and they agree to that?’

  ‘It’s a contract for life. They get looked after by the government in return. Everything they want. Kid gets the best education and opportunities, all their living costs are paid for plus holidays, Christ we even provide high yield investments for them. Why wouldn’t they?’

  ‘Well, if you put it that way, a good incentive. Although I’m not sure my wife would’ve done that.’

  ‘Dunno what’s going to happen now though. Their cushy lives are about to be turned upside down, and as for contracts...well.’

  ‘How did they get all this stuff in here without raising questions?’ Douglas said.

  ‘Through more secret entrances on the other side of the mountain. We haven’t put this together overnight. They’ve been funnelling stuff in here since the seas started rising back in fifteen. Here comes our transport.’

  ***

  An electric two seater open car pulled up in front of the Generals. ‘Tour.’ Worth commanded.

  Douglas sat back quietly and marvelled at the scenes unfolding around him. They drove through long narrow streets tunnelled into the earth, lined with concrete and lit by strong fluorescent lights overhead. They travelled for miles, along the way passing several other similar cars carrying army personnel. In places where the earth permitted it, buildings had been plunged into it’s heart; stark structures of steel and glass propped at curious angles, as a method to provide accommodation, and at the same time to shore up the earthen walls around them. Each building was identified by identical utilitarian signs bearing block numbers, and every now and then larger buildings appeared that General Worth described as various commercial complexes.

  The air supply was cooled by air-conditioning piped from outlets in bulging silver tubes that snaked along the ceilings above, maintaining the temperature throughout at an ev
en seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Everything was clinically clean, and Douglas mentally calculated the cost of equipment and cleaning staff required to keep it this way. They passed a large shopping mall, a hospital, schools, gymnasiums and even a movie theatre.

  ‘They’ve thought of everything haven’t they?’ Douglas said. ‘I s’pose they’ve even got swimming pools.’

  ‘Yeah. There’s one or two. Leisure’s important. We could be locked up here for some time. If we had a nuclear war we’d have to stay here for months.’

  ‘It’s not going to be a war, though.’

  ‘True. However, it will be just as devastating. People will be looking for food and shelter.’

  Douglas shuddered. ‘It’s eerie. I wouldn’t want to be locked in here too long. How many people can it house?’

  ‘About ten thousand. Perhaps more.’

  ‘Amazing! Are there more like this?’

  ‘Yup, but not exactly like this. Most country’s have made provision for their leader’s protection. Even the Queen of England has an escape castle set up.’

  ‘Really! Makes you wonder what other secrets the government’s hiding from the public.’

  ‘Yeah. Need to know stuff.’

  They stopped for lunch at a fashionable cafe where the staff wore the same blue uniforms. People seemed normal, even friendly, and the service was impeccable. ‘Make the most of it.’ Worth said. ‘It won’t be as relaxed as this once everybody moves in.’