by R. K. Sidler
“It’s good to see you," he said as he extended his hand to his son, “You’re looking good Terri,” he said as he briefly embraced her. “So what do you think of our little operation here?" he said as he turned and escorted them into his office.
Apparently, Keith thought, it was just going to ‘lunch en famille,’ as his father closed the door behind them. “Quite a place,” Keith said.
“I thought it was amazing. I never knew it was this big. And your aide said the places we couldn’t see are even bigger,” she finished.
“Yes. We have large amounts of storage facilities, and other operation areas within the complex. You just never have enough room for everything you need.”
“I can’t believe you actually have a tractor trailer driving inside a mountain,” Terri said.
The general smiled at her while leading them to a table set for three.
When they had finished their meal, they made small talk catching up with current and career events in each other’s lives. At the time, Keith thought his father was a bit distracted. Generals obviously had busy schedules, and a forty-five minute luncheon with family seemed like quite a luxury considering everything that was happening around them. While these thoughts were still in his mind, his father said he wanted them to meet someone. A doctor no less.
“Are you still going to school Terri,” the general asked.
“Yeah Dad; I hope to eventually get out of nursing and into research.”
“Then, I think you’ll enjoy this,” he said with a smile as he led them into a corridor they had not traveled earlier.
After a number of turns, they came to a desk with an armed guard seated behind it. When he saw the stars of a general officer, he immediately rose to attention. “As you were,” his father said. “I need to sign these two in.”
“Yes sir,” the young man said as he handed over a clipboard a bit uncomfortably in the presence of a General officer.
While his father looked at his watch, wrote their names, date, time, and destination into the corresponding blocks, Keith took the time to look around. He noticed for the first time all of the pipes and conduits running along the ceiling, and not just the walls. He saw lines for water, both hot and cold, electricity, gas, cable, and one other, which he could not identify because the tag was turned. Each line was painted differently to signify what it held, while also having a metal tag attached to the lines to label it. It was redundant, but that was the way of the military. By then they were on their way. He had not counted on being here quite this long, but Terri seemed to be enjoying herself, and he did not get to spend much time with his father, so he would endure. The young airman opened the door so they could pass through, then secured it behind them.
“How do we get out,” Keith asked when he felt the change in pressure and heard the door being locked.
“We’ll call him from there,” his father said pointing to a phone on the wall, “He’ll ask for the word of the day and then he’ll open the door.”
Before they could go any further, a genial older man, who appeared to be in his early sixties, walked up to them.
“Dr. Maddow, this is my son Captain Keith Bishop, and his wife Terri, who I told you about earlier.”
“My pleasure captain,” he said as he shook his hand in a much stronger grip than Keith expected, “And to you too Mrs. Bishop.”
“Nice to meet you,” they replied in turn.
“I don’t know what would interest the captain in here as it is all mostly research and labs, but if you would like to see our programs here Mrs. Bishop, I’d be happy to show you around. Your father-in-law said you have a professional interest in this sort of thing.”
Terri was considering the size and scope of the laboratory as she examined her surroundings. “I’d love to,” she said with a winning smile.
“Good. Come with me,” Dr. Maddow said as he turned to lead her away.
Keith was making an appraisal of the man they were just introduced to when his father motioned for them to move along. He was friendly enough in his manner, but his eyes told another story. They were not what one would refer to as ‘evil,’ but they were cold and calculating, even while his overall demeanor was friendly. He did not seem the type to be happy about giving a private tour to a stranger, an unimportant one at that, but then again, maybe it was asked as a favor by his father.
“Why don’t we go back to my office? I have a number of things to talk to you about in private,” his father said.
“Okay dad,” Keith said as his thoughts were once again interrupted. His father was never an obvious person, which is why Keith was patient enough to know that for whatever reason he was brought here today, it would only be revealed when his father was ready to do so.
―
Friday 3:57pm
When they were back in his office, no one else was around. They went into a small anteroom and his father closed the door. After Keith took a seat, his father went to a small table holding a laptop computer. He touched the keypad, which brought the computer back to life. He picked up a small remote control device, and walked back and sat next to his son. In the manner of an accomplished orator, he began the slide program.
“Ten months ago this anomaly was discovered by a Spanish astronomer by the name of Dr. Rosa Alves. She, and her staff, calculated the trajectory of this anomaly. It was of no significance at the time, other than the discovery itself. When she found the anomaly once again, six months later,” he said as he progressively went through a number of slides on the power point presentation, “it was not where it was projected to be.”
“Now here is the problem. The size and speed of the anomaly was underestimated, possibly because it wasn’t that important, or more probably because they were limited to best guess information. While the size and speed difference wasn’t a major concern, what became a concern was the change in flight path,” he said as he moved onto another slide, which displayed a small bright object at the bottom left hand corner of the screen.
“What you see there, and here,” he said as he continued on to other slides, “Is our sun. Our nation’s most respected scientists and those of other nations, all concur on a trajectory that is within one-hundred miles from the sun, to possibly colliding with the sun itself. Since the sun is not solid like the earth, the results of an impact, or even anything closer to the one-hundred mile projection, will cause catastrophic conditions here on the earth.”
He advanced the slides forward showing simulated scenes resulting in such an impact. “In any event, the earth as we know it will no longer exist within a few days' time. Best estimates are less than a twenty percent initial survival rate among all living creatures in the first stages, followed by predictions of less than five percent for any long term survival.” He got up from his seat, placed the remote device back on the table, and closed the top of the computer screen. He turned to his son in anticipation of his response.
“You’re serious,” he said already knowing the answer. While his nature was to be light hearted in relation to just about anything, and humorous when he could be, his father was not.
“Deadly serious.”
“That is what all of those trucks, and all this supposed exercise is about?”
“We have been preparing and planning for this for the last four months. This is just the final phase.”
“Who all knows about this,” he asked with a bit of suspicion.
“There are facilities like this around the world. Arrangements have been made to fill them all to capacity with both people and supplies.”
“And who determines who the people are?”
“People like me, people who are well connected, but most importantly people who can contribute to providing mankind with what we will need to repopulate the surface whenever it is possible to go back out.”
“What about the people on the outside―when will they be told?”
“They won’t. Some already know, others had to be silenced because of what they knew a
nd what they were going to do with that information.”
Keith digested that for what it was. He had taken lives, and made decisions, which cost other people their lives. He was neither a fool nor a coward when it came time to make a tough decision. Nevertheless, at the moment it took some time to digest the scope of how his father, and others, had acted in cold blooded calculations which would knowingly affect billions of lives without their even being aware. Then he thought of his little brother. Frankie, Jr., was not a chip off the ol’ block. While the General was quite formal and conservative, little Frankie was the antithesis. Keith and his brother were always close, with Keith often running interference between the two. Frankie just could not adapt to life as a military brat, always moving from one place to another. In time, he did anything he could to upset the ‘old man.’ Eventually, he even went as far as becoming a journalist who used his platform to embarrass the military in any way he could while knowing his name reflected on their father. Keith did not agree with the lengths of rebellion Frankie went to, and often tried to reason with him. Their father had never been overly hard with his family, and he tried to accommodate them as best as he could. But once their mother died of cancer, Keith’s efforts were no longer enough to keep things from getting out of control. Frankie took her death harder than the rest of them, and even blamed their father. He was wrong, but his stubbornness just would not let him get over it. That was one way the two of them were just alike. “What about Frankie,” Keith asked with concern in his voice.
“I tried,” his father said in resignation.
“What do you mean you tried?” Keith said raising his voice.
“I called him. I tried to get him here with you and Terri. I thought maybe by using your name, it might have succeeded, but it was just a hope.”
“You can’t just let him go without telling him. Jesus Christ, why didn’t you just tell him,” Keith demanded.
“Tell him what,” his father retorted, “Hey son, everyone on the earth is going to be dead in a few days. Why don’t you come out here and live with me underground?”
After the reality of the situation set in, Keith knew his father had done his part, even if he could not really accept it at the moment.
“Honest to God Keith, I tried everything I could to talk him into coming here. After my last call, I think he thought I was just up to something and was even more adamant in refusing than he was with my first call,” he finished in a voice full of appeal.
Keith was actually surprised to hear that not only did his father try, but he did so more than once. He did not think they even talked anymore. And, maybe they didn't. That was the problem.
“I’ve got things to do son,” he said gathering his composure, “We will talk again, but by now the complex is locked down. No one is entering or leaving. You will have a role here, just like everyone else. I’ll call for you in the next few days. It’ll be up to you to explain this to, and deal with, Terri. I don’t envy you that, but it’s your responsibility now.”
Keith looked at his father, still trying to process the many and varied thoughts racing through his mind, when the words dawned on him that he would be the one to break the news to his wife. She had a family too, and they were very close. It was not turning out to be the day he hoped it would be.
TWO
The mass and speed of Ignatio-17 was greater than estimated. It was even larger than the impressive comet McNaught. This was of little interest though, once its true course had been calculated. There was not enough time to determine where Ignatio-17 had originated from, nor how long it had been in existence. That was of little consequence now.
This particular comet was composed of more rock than ice, and was highly irregular in shape. Coursing its way through the Milky Way Galaxy at speeds in excess of 25,000 miles per hour, there was no stopping what was to come. There was no ill intent on its part, as it had nothing to do with its own destiny. It was such a small thing in relation to the universe around it, yet it would affect so much.
Ignatio-17 exploded as it survived to reach the plasma and magnetically charged fields of the sun. This collision, occurring during the time of a Solar Maxima, set off a series of events that would forever change this part of the solar system. Sympathetic coronal mass ejections in alarming scale displaced massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation. One of the greatest of these was directly in line with the earth. It took less than two days for the full force of the solar charged particles to set off a geomagnetic storm of unprecedented size and scope. The first indication that something significant was taking place was the sight of the Aurora Borealis being visible throughout the world. What followed that picturesque scene was devastating. The massive amounts of solar and cosmic radiation that passed through the magnetosphere caused an almost instant change in the earth’s axis. With this shift came the expected tectonic plate disturbances.
Earthquakes of a magnitude that ripped continents in half took place one after another. Once dormant volcanoes mimicked their active brothers, filling the sky with volcanic ash and the land and seas with molten fluid, rising up from the depths of the earth. The polar caps were no longer such, and began melting as the increasing temperature of the planet and the rising seas claimed their share. Electrical storms crossed the landmasses as they ruptured and broke apart scattering the last vestiges of civil development.
In collusion with the earth changing events, were the byproducts of civilization itself. Adding to the already elevated radiation levels was the destruction of the many nuclear reactors throughout the world. Some were swallowed up by the ground itself, others were ejected into the rising water, and some were simply ripped apart as their radioactive materials were released without restraint. Their ensuing meltdowns formed ‘hotspots,’ void of life, and added to the already rising planetary radiation levels. Refineries were ignited as they expelled their seemingly endless supply of natural fuels. There was no corner of the earth that remained untouched from the calamity.
Solar flares continued their assault for the next forty-eight hours as the earth convulsed and moaned through its forced readjustments. Eventually, volcanoes subsided, tidal waves receded, and electrical storms lost much of their tenacity. The tectonic shifts that occurred were such that after years of agitation, they had finally separated to a degree that would inhibit any further significant activity.
—
The earth was calm once again, but it bore no resemblance to its former self. The skies were a gray and violet hue resulting from the accumulated amount of volcanic ash in the atmosphere combined with the ionized particulates remaining in the clouds.
The seas were now all a deep blue losing their once pristine beaches, white sands, and clear waters. Debris was everywhere. Wind and waves were the only sounds dominating a once vibrant landscape. The birds were gone, the mechanical noise of the cities no longer generated their unnatural sounds, and the sky was hidden. The sun was trying to pierce through the cloud-covered skies but with little effect. Life did still exist on this planet once threatened with overpopulation. Whether or not that life could continue, was yet to be seen.
―
On what is now known as Day One, the records indicate that global military and civilian systems warned of the impending solar event several hours before impact. Some observers believed the levels of charged particles recorded were the result of malfunctioning equipment, while others turned their attention to the end result. Because of this, the warning had little effect. Those secure facilities that remained opened, allowed some others to enter their protection, while the greater number paid scant attention to the conflicting and fragmented reports. The storm penetrated earth’s atmosphere in the early afternoon. By nightfall, mass panic was worldwide. The entrances were made secure before the day’s end.
Those who made it to the DUMB’s felt the upheaval around them. Some facilities were torn apart from the separation caused by massive tectonic shifts, making their efforts to reach safety in vain. What no one coul
d know at the time, aside from those in the international space station, was that where there were once seven continents, there were now eleven. The world was transformed to the point of being unrecognizable to any of its remaining inhabitants.
****
Hours after the first, and final, transmission from earth in relation to the massive solar storm, the six members of the international space station looked down on the planet in utter astonishment. No matter what other thoughts tried to break through their concentration, nothing could counteract the mesmerizing effect of the scene unfolding so many miles below. The landmasses were literally separating into smaller segments with some areas seeming to disappear under a rising sea. Smoke from active volcanoes covered much of the sky. The progression was as if it was in slow motion, yet the onlookers knew it was anything but. The earth appeared to have changed its rotation from the dramatic convulsions it had experienced. After an indeterminate amount of time, one crewmember finally spoke the words they were all thinking;
“It’s over. It’s all gone, they‘re all gone,” he said in a hushed voice.
No one could utter a word in reply. A few remained uncontrollably locked in concentration; others could not watch for one more moment. Sometime later, they discovered the body of the only crewman who dared speak hanging from the ceiling, in his quarters. While they all understood, and some even considered it themselves, they could not talk about it. They sent the body into space.
Their attempts to make contact were in vain, as they knew they would be. They rationed their food and drink to make them last as long as possible even though they knew the inevitable. Not one of them had the courage to talk about that. The one wish they all had was to return yet again to the beautiful planet they once knew; not to be with family and friends, all of whom they believed to be gone, but to experience and see first-hand the evolution of this new earth.
****
