by David Cline
“Barely.”
Stalbridge looked at him. “What do you mean?”
Danville scratched his forehead. “I have been piecing data together for the last week. The first solar flare to hit us measured at a X-28, tying the record for the most powerful ever recorded which occurred in 2003.” He looked at Stalbridge. “With the earth’s magnetic field weakened, the first flare packed a powerful punch. We witnessed firsthand on the roof what that looked like. The second flare was far more powerful.”
Stalbridge peeled off some mud that had crusted against the skin on his arm. “How did you estimate the class when all of our helio satellites went down?”
Danville grimaced. “Using weather models and data I gathered from instruments that were monitoring current atmospheric conditions, I was able to get a relatively accurate guess. It’s not exact, but it’s close.”
“How powerful was it?”
“X-150.”
Stalbridge whistled.
“Powerful enough to raise sea levels by an average of 6 feet,” Danville continued. “The scariest part is the third rocket. I have been able to review the data on the Odessa network. They programmed a beautiful system to track all the key data points needed to tweak and fine tune the rockets’ trajectory and position of detonation. If that third rocket had continued its course, we would have been looking at a solar flare measuring over X-1000. It would have hit earth directly. I speculate we would have seen water levels rise over 100 feet worldwide.”
Stalbridge closed his eyes. “Millions of people would have died.”
“Hundreds of millions,” Danville said. “And that would be just in the first few days. The effects of that much rainfall could eventually lead to our extinction. Every city close to the ocean would be under water. Approximately 40% of the entire world’s population. There would be worldwide food shortages. Water borne diseases would spread like wildfire. The electrical grid would get fried and likely never restored. Dams would burst. Cities in valleys would become lakes.” He paused. “The world would devolve into chaos.”
“You really think we were that close?”
Danville shrugged. “According to my analysis.”
“We are going to barely survive as it is.”
Danville flipped around and began to type again. “I do have some good news on that front.” He adjusted a monitor so Stalbridge could see better. “I have been in constant communication with some of the leading scientists around the globe. Professor Goodwill included. After some fierce debate, we have concluded that in a few months the earth will reestablish a state of homeostasis.”
“What do you mean?”
“The planet’s ecology has forever changed. There is no doubt about that. But change does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Our models predict that ice on the poles will accumulate rapidly over the next few years. Some arid regions will once again flourish with vegetation. Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Namibia.”
“You want to talk about climate change.”
Danville rolled his eyes. “I have always marveled at the politicization around the issue of climate change. The arrogance of people assuming we need to take a snapshot of the conditions of the planet right now, an infinitesimally small snippet of time and argue any deviation from those conditions is abnormal or malicious. These are the same people who think that if humans suddenly disappeared, the climate would cease to change. Hurricanes would stop happening. The temperatures would cease to fluctuate. Has anyone even debated whether increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere could be a good thing? The Cretaceous Period had way higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and life flourished.”
“You think it’s all a crock?” Stalbridge asked.
Danville rested his chin on a hand. “Geology has way more to do with climate change than humans do. As we have witnessed the last few weeks, so does the sun. I have never seen anyone on these incessant panels of experts discuss the effect the sun has on our climate. In my opinion, all of the globalist politicians convincing their people that they need to vote for them and their radical policies or face imminent extinction is a power grab and a method to usurp freedom from individuals and put in the hands of governments. What do you think?”
Stalbridge instinctively reached for his pocket only to remember his prized cigars had long since run out. “As the head of S.A.T.R.A. I am in a position where maintaining working relationships with these politicians, universities, and governments you so brutally characterize is in the company’s best interest. So, I must tread lightly around such controversial issues.”
“And as a friend, off the record?”
Stalbridge winked at him. “I am pro-humanity and pro-environment. They are not mutually exclusive.”
Danville looked out the window. The sunset had penetrated through the storm and reflected bright orange off the glass. “It’s a shame Nick and Adam aren’t here to participate in this conversation. I know Nick’s disdain for globalist politicians and especially the media extends even further than mine.”
Stalbridge frowned. “A damn shame. No one will ever understand the sacrifice they made for all of us.”
There was a long pause as the sunlight began to fade and the room became darker. The automatic lights in the hallway turned on.
Stalbridge slowly rose to his feet. “You should get some rest Chris. Go home and hibernate for a few days. You’re just as much of a hero as Nick and Adam.”
Danville sighed. “Just don’t tell anyone. I prefer a life under the radar.” He stood and stretched his back. “What about you? Headed home?”
Stalbridge shook his head. “I’m going to be on the phone for the next few hours. I have a long list of people I need to call back, including the governor’s office and the President of the United States.”
“Hopefully to receive the thanks of a grateful nation,” Danville said, turning each monitor off.
“If they do, it will only be a display of tokenism. At least from the governor. I have higher hopes from the President.”
“At least there is a clear culprit to blame,” Danville said, putting a laptop into a backpack. “No need to go out and find some innocent sap to blame it all on. I presume the details of Odessa’s operations I passed along are being used well?”
“Very well,” Stalbridge said. They walked toward the door. “Their assets have been frozen around the entire world. Last I heard, militaries from multiple countries were tracking them down. That is one phone call I look forward to making. Getting an update on Odessa. There is actually a rumor circulating that after gathering every survivor within Odessa’s operation, they are going to hold a tribunal in Nuremberg.”
“Symbolic,” Danville said.
They stood in the hallway and faced each other. Stalbridge extended a hand. “If the world will never know what really has been done here, let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude on behalf of all of humanity.” They shook hands. “It is a unique honor working beside you.”
Danville nodded awkwardly and turned to leave. “Keep me updated as more details emerge.”
“Always.”
Stalbridge turned toward his office. “Now it is time to help piece the world back together.”
Chapter 39
Nick Wood started the twin diesel engines on the 32-foot charter boat as Wilkins pushed the bow a few feet into the water before jumping onboard. Wood reversed in a slow arc and then put it in gear. A flock of white birds took to the skies ahead of them.
Amara laid on her back in a black bikini and sunglasses, enjoying the warm rays of the sun. Wood craned his neck. High above the water at the edge of the cliff, he spotted three figures watching them. He waved as Wilkins opened a cooler, extracted an ice-cold soda, and sat under the canopy.
“Is that Mateo and his daughters?”
“Yup. Wishing us good luck on our search.”
“They’ve got a million dollar view up there.”
Wood pointed the bow toward the narrow opening of the cove. The morning was b
right and sunny. Not a single cloud in the sky.
It had been two months since they had escaped the cave system in Patagonia. Broken and bruised, the trek back to civilization had been grueling. It took them three days just to find a road in that remote section of the Andes. It took another two days after that to finally contact other human beings. The entire area had been devastated with flash floods and mud slides complicating their journey.
When they at long last limped into a small town, they discovered they were in Chile. The local hospital was overflowing with patients due to the global storm. It took another week to finally receive proper medical care. They spent an entire month recovering in a quiet town north of Puerto Montt. Wilkins even found a local dentist who fixed his teeth. Wood no longer recoiled every time Wilkins smiled.
It was around then that Wood decided it might be a good idea to contact Danville and Stalbridge. When he finally got through, he had no idea the reaction his call would have. First it was euphoria. Then curiosity. Then anger. Danville later related that S.A.T.R.A. had held a funeral with full honors for their fallen brethren. The presumption of death had affected Stalbridge particularly hard and he had not been the same since. Wood apologized for not calling sooner. Wilkins had a good laugh out of the whole ordeal and felt like Tom Sawyer.
When they felt sufficiently recovered, they contacted Mateo and traveled back to Argentina. The hospitality Mateo and his two daughters offered could only be compared with that of Hermana Rosa. It took only a few days before their spirits had completely rejuvenated and laughter echoed throughout the small house.
Because they were so far off the grid, any news post super storm went largely unnoticed by the three of them. From what Wood gathered, it seemed the world had made a rapid recovery and life went on per usual.
Wilkins leaned over the stern and gently placed a silver instrument in the boat’s wake, courtesy of Danville. It was the latest and greatest for mapping seafloors and underlying structure, combining multibeam echo sounders, sidescan-sonar, bathymetric sonar, and seismic reflection systems into one. Wilkins knelt on the white cushioned seat and uncoiled a thin rope until it bobbed 20 feet behind them.
The rocky cliffs rose over them as Wood piloted the boat through the narrow opening. The sound of surf crashing against the Argentina coast increased as they entered the open ocean. The afternoon sun glared brightly off the water’s surface and he reached for his sunglasses.
Wilkins opened a laptop as he took another sip from his drink. He stared at the screen a few moments before pulling the rope to adjust the sonar’s position. After checking the screen again, he sat back in the shade and closed his eyes.
“How we looking Adam?” Wood asked.
“I got a good feeling this time,” he said without opening his eyes. “Our U-boat full of gold is out here somewhere.”
Amara sat up in the bow and stretched as she exhaled a relaxed breath. “Any word on what they found in our Nazi cave? I bet treasure plunderers and conspiracy theorists are descending on that cavern like vultures to a rotting carcass.”
Wood entered a command into a computer panel by the steering wheel, activating the autopilot. They began to turn parallel to the coast and would make systematic horizontal passes as they mapped the seafloor. He checked their speed and then joined Amara at the front of the boat. She laid down and rested her head on his lap.
“Stalbridge is on site in Chile raising hell,” Wood said. “He is acting as liaison between the Chilean and United States government. There is a lot of history buried down there. I wouldn’t trust anyone else to organize the exploration and cataloging efforts.”
“Don’t forget they offered that job to you,” Wilkins said, standing up and throwing some chewed up sunflower seeds into the water. “The entire world is waiting with bated breath. Reporters from nearly every nation are in Chile with nonstop coverage. You would be an overnight sensation. Not your scene?”
Wood ran his hand through Amara’s hair and looked out toward the misty horizon. A pod of dolphins played in the distant swells. A gust of warm wind washed a fresh salty scent over them. He smiled. “I can’t think of anything in the world more my scene than right now.” He placed a gentle hand on Amara’s cheek. It was warm from the sunlight.
Just then, Wilkins’ laptop began to beep. “I think we got something here.”
Amara smiled up at Wood. “And so begins our next great adventure.”
