by P. R. Garcia
“Yes, she does,” Dr. Q said. “Right now she needs all the help we can give her.”
___________
Dr. Q was sitting in his favorite chair looking out the large observation window in the community room. He never grew tired of watching the panorama outside. Even though their secret facility was buried inside a mountain, the engineers had had enough forethought to give it one large observation window from which the inhabitants could see the outside world. The doctor didn’t know what the window was made out of, but he did know that from outside the facility it looked just like part of the mountain’s rocky side. Without his little glimpses into nature, he probably would have gone mad these past six months sequestered inside the mountain.
It was the end of winter, and the trees in the valley below were starting to bud. Already crocus and daffodils were poking their heads up through the snow that remained. He had even seen a robin earlier that day, signaling spring wasn’t far off. This next season would be an anxious one. Spring meant new life. They would get a more accurate assessment of which species survived and were capable of reproducing.
“I brought you a visitor,” Gayle said when she walked into the room. Dr. Q. smiled at the sight of his wife. She was four months pregnant, and there was just the slightest bump in her abdomen to testify to that fact.
“Commander Lucio, it’s so good to see you,” Dr. Q said as he stood, extending his hand to the man with his spouse. “I never got to thank you for saving us that day the pirates attacked.”
“Just doing my duty,” the Commander replied, shaking the doctor’s hand. “I was just glad we got there in time.”
“And now I understand you are going to oversee our departure from this place,” Dr. Q added.
“Yes, Sir,” Commander Lucio answered. “The powers in Washington feel it is safe enough for you to return to the real world. I’ve been assigned to help with your relocation and ensure that you remain safe.”
“I suppose the fact that we only have enough fuel to run our generators for another month might have something to do with our leaving too,” the doctor laughed.
“Probably,” the Commander laughed, knowing full well the doctor was right. It was more of a necessity that the facility was closing down. “With no one to run the oil pumps or operate the refineries, there’s no fuel to be had. So far we haven’t invented generators that can run on air or water.”
“And heaven forbid our government shares the fuel it has stored away somewhere?” Gayle asked.
“I can’t comment on that,” the Commander replied, his military stance reappearing. “And even if there was such a place, trying to bring several fuel carriers here would be quite difficult.”
“Plus the fact that it would also give away the secret locations of not only our facility but the location of the fuel caches,” Dr. Q added. “But it doesn’t matter. I look forward to living in the real world again. Truth be told, I never liked living behind concrete walls. And it certainly is not the life I want for my son.”
“So, you’re having a boy?” the Commander asked.
“It’s too early to know the sex of our child,” Gayle replied. “But Lachlan insists it’s a boy.” A serious look crossed her face. “Might we know where we will be moving to? And when?”
“Major Wesley’s widow has graciously offered her place outside Gatlinburg,” Commander Lucio replied. “It’s pretty remote and sits on a hundred acres. There are several outbuildings across the acreage that are being converted into residences. Plus, there are several parcels of land with homes already built on them that butt up against her property. The residents either died or moved away. All are vacant. There’s also a large barn located in a sunny meadow. It will be the perfect place for your new laboratory and can easily be converted to solar and wind energy.”
“I’m not sure how much more we can do,” the doctor said. “My team and I have studied the hell out of the LO virus and basically know no more than we did the day you picked us up. We have found no cure for it nor any reason why some animal species lived and some died. To date, we have not found any common denominator. Grasshoppers and frogs, considered to be indicator species and ones that should have died first, have flourished; while those that should have been impervious to the virus such as seagulls, flies and rats, died out right away. The virus has nothing logical about it.”
“Does that mean you’re giving up, Dr. Q?” a concerned Commander asked.
“Oh, not at all,” Dr. Q answered. “It is a mystery that scientists generations to come will try to solve. Right now, we still have so much data that is missing, data we will work to collect for the future. It’s been almost a year since Professor Steven’s students died horribly and we still don’t have communications with half the countries around the world. Doing everything by ham radio takes a long time. And until we have a complete list of every animal that survived, we’ll never figure out the connection between them. One of my top priorities still remains the Tasmanian devil. I can’t shake the feeling that in that animal lies the answer.”
“You haven’t been able to get any information out of Tasmania?”
“No. It along with Australia and New Zealand remain silent,” Gayle replied. “All three remain quarantined and off limits, even to drones. Satellite images have been of no help. And so far no radio broadcasts have been heard. As for the devils, they are nocturnal scavengers and are impossible to spot even with the satellite’s night vision capabilities. I fear we will never know the truth if our Tasmanian devils survived until someone can actually go down there and try to find them.”
“Isn’t that where you are originally from, Dr. Q? Australia?” the Commander inquired.
“Yes. Arnhem Land, to be exact. My parents still live, or should I say lived, there. It is another reason why I am so interested in the continent.”
“Do you think it’s possible your parents possess the same thing that made you immune to the LO virus?” Commander Lucio asked. “Might they still be alive?”
“It is a possibility that haunts my thoughts,” Dr. Q answered. “Especially since there are going to be new grandparents. They went to live with my Pappy’s people in the Outback when the virus first hit Australia, so there is a good chance the virus did not reach them there. Or, as you mentioned, they too are immune.” He took several steps toward the observation window. “Oh, come here, Commander. Look.” He pointed to the valley below. “Can you see him? The big buck just emerging from the trees.”
The Commander watched and was impressed by the size of the deer emerging. “He’s beautiful. I can’t believe no one’s claimed him as their trophy.”
“Thankfully, the people in this area realize how few deer are left and have allowed him to survive,” the doctor said. “If we wait just a few seconds, there’s usually two or three does with him and a new fawn. Yes, there they are now.” As the three watched, two females and a newborn emerged, following the buck down to the creek running through the valley. “There’s some new spring grass growing along the creek there. They come out at least once a day to eat. I will miss watching them.”
“From what I was told, there’s a small herd of deer down at the new site,” the Commander stated. “And in my last communique with Mrs. Wesley yesterday, she stated that a mother black bear was seen with two new cubs.”
“That’s wonderful news. Black bear sightings have been rare.”
“Do you think we’ve learned our lesson?” the Commander asked. “You know, mankind?”
“I hope so,” Dr. Q said, smiling at his wife, thinking of what the future of their child would be. “If not, there’s not that many of us left to do much damage anymore. The Earth will heal herself. In fact, it has already begun to do so. With no factories or automobiles running for a year, air pollution is almost nonexistent. Already global warming is starting to reverse, and rainforests are reclaiming the land that was taken from them. The more trees, the more oxygen there is. Add in the fact that the majority of livestock were wiped ou
t and the amount of methane gas they produced has dramatically dropped, our atmosphere is the healthiest it has been for decades. Satellite images of Antarctica even show snow falling in some areas that haven’t received snow in the past twenty years. And I imagine it will take decades, possibly even centuries, before we can get the electric grid back up, process oil into fuel, become an industrial world again. Or maybe the next generation won’t want industry. Once the current generation dies off the new generation will have no knowledge of such things as Facebook, the Internet, X-box or the other material things that drove our society. With no way to process fossil fuels, clean energy will be our fuel source. And who knows? Maybe mankind will learn from what has happened and live beside Mother Nature instead of destroying her.”
“At least that is our hope,” Gayle said, sliding her arm inside her husband’s. “Now, I believe lunch should be ready. Won’t you join us, Commander Lucio?”
“It would be a pleasure,” the Commander replied.
The three walked down the hallway to the dining room. Each wondered what the future held for Earth. Had mankind learned what greed and indifference brought? Only time would tell.
DEDICATION
To the people of Earth who fight every day to stop global warming, protect our wildlife, end pollution and restore our environments. These crusaders and warriors fight every day to sustain our world with little or no thanks. Thank you.
To London and Jessica, whom I will always love.
To Darlene Williams, for her continued support and encouragement and for her love of the Europa Saga.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to D. Williams for her help in finding my errors.
A special thanks to M. Sixtus, who expertise and travels around the world enable me to write better books. He is always a wealth of information and he keeps me accurate in my scientific facts. I’ve learned so much from him. Also for his help in finding my spelling mistakes and punctuation errors.
I know that some of my spelling errors have given both some good laughs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An international, bestselling author of the Europa Saga, Ms. Garcia describes herself as a not too grayed-haired old lady who loves science fiction, the ocean and crafts. Formerly a naturalist on the whale watching boats in California, she turned her passion for marine life and science-fiction into the Europa Saga. Her first book, EUROPA Awakenings, reached Number One in the Romance/Sci-Fi category and Number Two in the Adventure/Sci-Fi category on Amazon. (EUROPA Awakenings is available as a free eBook at the link blow.) The Europa Saga is perhaps the first multi-generational family Science Fiction epic to be written, covering five generations of the same family. Lately, Ms. Garcia has turned her talents to designing journals: Christmas Address and Trivia books, a helper for writing a Science Fiction Book, and various journals featuring whales and other animals. (You knew she couldn’t pass up doing several with whales, including a 365-day journal.) She is also working on several children’s books and plans on writing a prequel to the Europa Saga, telling the story of the Oonock civil war and their trip to Earth and Mars.
When she’s not writing or designing journals, Ms. Garcia spends her time knitting and crocheting, something she has been doing for fifty-five years. She is also an award-winning basket weaver, following in her maternal grandmother’s footsteps, Margaret Dark Feather.
For more about Ms. Garcia, or the Europa Saga, visit her website. http:/www.prgarcia1.com. You can see her available journals at http://www.prgarcia1.com/journals.html.
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THE EUROPA SAGA
If you enjoyed EXTINCTION 2037, check out Ms. Garcia’s Europa Saga. It is a new and fresh idea of who the Atlantians were and what really happened to Atlantis. Told through the story of a young twenty-year-old female who discovers she is not really human, it is a story of survival, adventure, assassins, and self-discovery. You can download the first book, EUROPA Awakenings as a free eBook download on several popular sites. For a listing, visit her web page.
http://www.prgarcia1.com/awakenings
Book One - EUROPA: Awakenings: Begins Europa’s story. The day after her twentieth birthday, Europa’s mother is assassinated. While coping with her mother’s loss, she accidentally stumbles upon a secret attic containing countless treasures, paintings hundreds of years old of her parents and her mother's diary in which she states Europa would be born human, never to know who and what she is. Determined to learn the truth, Europa begins to unravel her true identity and the fact that her parents were not human. As she flees to safety, her mother's assassin follows, determined to end her life also. He must keep her from learning the connection between her and Jupiter’s Ice Moon, Europa. (Available as a free eBook download on several popular sites. For a listing, visit her web page. http://www.prgarcia1.com
Book Two - EUROPA: Quanundocii: A new commander leads the Terrians, determined to fulfill JeffRa’s vow to exterminate the Oonock race. Europa cannot save her race as a human, so the Orbs began to change her into the Oonock she was meant to be. They unify her with her true love in the Quanundocii, the purest form of love, which makes her indestructible as long as they are together. With her father, Jeanip and her new mate, she prepares to engage the Terrians in one more battle; winner takes all.
Book Three - EUROPA: Engagement: The new Terrian leader has found the hiding place of Europa, the other monarchs, and the Oonocks. Determined to annihilate their race from the universe once and for all, he launches an armada of predator ships to destroy them. Europa desperately searches for a way to save her people, unaware the cost she must ultimately pay is something she is not prepared for.
Book Four - EUROPA: The New Monarchs: Europa has saved her people and begins her reign as queen on the moon Europa. But her transition is not a smooth one as she tries to adjust to an aquatic life. Plus, Enok and Medaron have been gone from Europa for over six thousand years, and the clan leaders are none too willing to embrace a new Waters’ queen and king. But the clan leaders are not her only worry. A new adversary, Z, emerges to complete JeffRa’s vow of revenge while an ancient enemy returns from their distant past, one they have no defense against.
Book Five - EUROPA: The Horrturn Truth: For ten million years, four lilac Orbs have formed a barrier between the Oonocks and the Horrturn. But Z removed them, and now the beasts swim free, slaughtering the Oonocks mercilessly. Europa must find a way to stop both foes if her people are to live. With the help of a youngling, she will learn the truth about the Horrturn and begin to fulfill her destiny.
Book Six – EUROPA: The Lilac Orb: Mytwindee's murder and a new attempt on the monarchs' lives bring new urgency in finding Z and the Lord backing him, Lord X. But the traitors are not their only worry. A probe from Earth has arrived and is drilling through the ice shield in search of life. To protect their world, Europa and Kiijon must hide their world's existence. But the probe may be a way to communicate with Europa's father, a chance she is not willing to abandon. It could be a way to obtain the Lilac Orb left on Earth and re-establish the security veil dividing the Horrturn and Oonock. If not, her people’s lives and her rule as monarch are over.
Book Seven – The Light of the Blue World (Prince Enok’s Story): Twenty years after arriving on Earth, Prince Enok begins to fulfill his destiny to save the blue planet and its inhabitants from extinction. But some humans are not ready to give up their power and financial empires created by using fossil fuels. They are determined to stop this new crusader at any cost.
Book Eight – The Shadows of Apathy (Prince Enok’s Story) continues Prince Enok’s struggle to save Earth. B
ut those against him are more determined than ever to keep building their empires. A bounty of two hundred and fifty million is offered to anyone who ends the young prince’s life. But death is not Prince Enok's only worry. A deadly bacteria is found at the bottom of the ocean, a lethal force created by the vast amount of garbage the humans have dumped into the oceans for hundreds of years. This bacteria kills everything – plankton, fish, plants, invertebrates, marine mammals and the essence of those Oonocks who have flowed out into the Waters of Life.
Book Nine – The Dream of Atlantis (Prince Enok’s Story) concludes Prince Enok’s story. Just as all hope is lost to save the planet, a new possibility emerges. But to use this miracle, it will be necessary to tell the people of Earth exactly who the Waters are and where they came from. Are the humans ready to learn a race of aliens live amongst them?
Book Ten – The Secret of Mars. Mary goes to Mars in hopes of finding remnants of the destroyed Oonock colony. While in the field, a strange Mars storm occurs and Mary disappears. Sensing something is wrong with her twin sister, Amber races across the galaxy to Mars, only to disappear also. Jeanip and Earon travel to Mars to search for the lost princesses. In their search, they discover Mars’ secret, something none of them could have imagined.
