“Only once or twice, sailor, Why don’t you tell me some more?”
“Oh,” she added. “That whole head-denting thing? We can experiment with that tonight if you want, but you have to let me get this stuff ordered first.”
Hannah looked over the list of things that Mark asked her to order from Amazon.com.
“Two hundred kids’ swimming pools? What, a personal jacuzzi for every one of the chickens? What’s up with that?”
Mark stood behind her, chuckling as he very gently rubbed her shoulders. Hannah closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation.
“The water tanks are filled now, but I still plan to run the water tap as long as possible. At some point the water plant in Junction will shut down, probably just days after the collision, But until that happens I’m going to fill up whatever I can find to hold water.
“And those swimming pools will hold a lot of water.”
Hannah reached for her side and groaned when Little Markie kicked her.
Mark noticed her wince. “Honey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, baby. That’s just the little sailor telling me he wants to come out and play.”
The smile left her face and she grew serious for a moment.
“Honey, should I feel guilty? I mean, in a few weeks nearly everyone on earth is going to die. And I find myself feeling incredibly happy most days. Almost joyful. And it’s not that I know people are going to die, I’m happy because I know that you, and that Little Markie, are going to survive. And that I’ll continue to be with you both. And we’ll all still have a future together.
“What kind of awful person does that make me? To dwell on our future when nearly everyone else we know is facing an almost certain death? I should feel like a monster, but I don’t.”
Mark knew exactly how she felt. He’d been feeling the same way.
“Don’t let the guilt get to you.” He said. “We’re taking steps to save as many people as we can. And it just makes sense to save the people we care most about. It’s human nature, and anybody else in our position would have done exactly the same thing.
“I ask myself sometimes whether we should try to save a few more, to bring just a few more people in with us. And then I catch myself. I remind myself that this whole thing is just full of so much uncertainty. So much guessing. We don’t know how long we’re going to be in here. We don’t know how many supplies we’ll need to survive. We’re just guessing. Hell, we don’t even know for sure if we have enough for the forty of us.
“But I do know that every additional person we brought in would lesson our chances. And I don’t want to nearly make it, only to run short and die of starvation in the last few months before breakout. Just because we brought a couple of people in that we didn’t have to.
“So, yes, sometimes I feel guilty. But then I look at you and I put my hands on you and I feel the little life inside of you. And the guilt goes away.”
At that moment, the mine’s telephone rang twice. Then nothing.
It was a signal from Bryan. He was getting close with his last truck full of diesel. He’d finished filling the last two diesel tanks two days before. This was just an additional truckload he planned to park in the back of Bay 21. Just in case it was needed. Then he’d be out of the diesel game.
Mark moved over to the security console and scanned the cameras. He was watching for Bryan’s truck as it came into view. And then he’d be watching for any suspicious cars that appeared to be following him.
Bryan had developed a habit of greatly alternating his speed the last few miles before getting to the mine. And he’d pull over to the shoulder occasionally. Just to see if the vehicles behind him would pass him. They always did, of course. The federal government had lost interest in all of them by this time. They had a pending catastrophe to worry about. They had no time to jail innocent citizens.
But Bryan was just paranoid enough to insist on the extra precautions. So he’d slow from 70 miles an hour down to 50 occasionally, just to make sure all the cars passed him and disappeared into the horizon. And as each one passed, he’d look closely for more Blues Brothers.
And at the same time, he’d closely watch the rear view mirrors on each side of his rig to see if there were any cars behind him who refused to pass. Cars which slowed down when he did to keep pace with him.
He never saw any. But that wouldn’t keep him from watching.
Bryan pulled up to the mine and saw that Sarah was already there, with the overhead door open, waiting for him. He slowed to a crawl and pulled in, then paused for a moment so his eyes could adjust from the bright sunlight to the softer light within the mine.
Sarah closed the overhead door behind him, climbed up on the running board of his cab, and said “Hiya, sexy. I missed you.”
Bryan said “I missed you too, boogerhead.”
Then he eased the truck slowly through the mine and parked it. It was the last load of diesel he’d haul for a very long time.
-39-
President Sanders took the podium. He was unusually nervous. He knew going in that the entire world would be listening to his every word. Even worse, they’d be skeptical of what he had to say. Most of the world thought he was hiding the fact that he’d known about Saris 7 for a very long time. And he was, of course. But it was important that he convince them otherwise.
“My fellow Americans, I’ve got some disheartening news to share with you this morning.
“But lest you despair, I also have some news that is encouraging. And I assure you that you are in no danger.
“I was briefed yesterday afternoon, about the time Mr. Nariv committed suicide in Tel Aviv, that there is indeed a large meteorite heading through space towards earth. I was told that middle level managers at EDI Incorporated discovered this information quite some time ago and kept it to themselves.
“Our investigators weren’t sure why the information was kept from senior executives at EDI. Perhaps it was a matter of distrust, or a personal vendetta by one of the ringleaders of the group.
“What we do know, at this point, is that the senior executives and managers of EDI have been cleared of any wrongdoing. The problem seems to have lied with a dozen or so employees. They have all scattered like leaves in the wind and gone into hiding.
“The Justice Department is considering charging these individuals with federal crimes.
“It is believed that there was some kind of dispute within the group that caused some of them to go public. We are fortunate they did, because it will give us the time and the opportunity to deal with Saris 7.
“I have also asked the Attorney General to open an investigation into this matter and to find out if anyone in the federal government knew about the meteorite. Despite what Mr. Nariv and Mr. Holmes have stated, I assure you that no one in my office knew anything about the problem. And no one has been making plans to shelter anyone in Washington. We are in this together.
“If the Attorney General discovers anyone in any of the three branches of government who knew about this issue and kept it to themselves, I have directed that charges be filed and that they be held accountable.
“As for Saris 7, my advisors tell me that we have the capability of sending a rocket into space to knock Saris 7 off course, so that it bypasses earth instead of striking it. We are making preparations to do this now.
“Our NASA scientists tell me that because of fuel restrictions on our available rockets, we must do this as Saris 7 nears earth. No more than three days before the scheduled impact date. This gives us plenty of time to prepare a rocket and arm it with a large nuclear warhead.
“I have asked the best and brightest engineers and scientists the nation has about the probability of success for this mission. They have assured me that they will not fail.”
Across the world, most people watching the news conference were relieved. The skeptics felt a little better, but were still apprehensive.
NASA scientists were aghast. They knew that such a mission would
be near impossible, even with a year to prepare. With such short notice, it could not be done. And contrary to what some may have believed, NASA did not have a warehouse full of spare rockets that they could just fire off into space whenever the mood struck. Each was made individually, for a specific purpose, in a process that took a year or more even under the most ideal conditions.
In the mine, the group of four was furious. They hadn’t thought much of President Sanders to begin with. Now they hated him with a passion.
Sarah turned to Mark and said “You’re an engineer. What’s your opinion, can they do this or not?”
Mark responded. “You mean can NASA get a rocket ready to fire in eight weeks, after retrofitting it with a nuclear warhead? Doubtful. Even if they had a rocket already on the launch pad, which they don’t.
“I know that NASA’s done some amazing things, and with their backs against the wall they would probably try to do the impossible. But I think it would be just that… impossible.”
“I actually did some research on ICBMs.” Bryan added.
The other three looked at Bryan, incredulous.
Sarah said “You did research? You only get on the internet to look at porn.”
Bryan smiled and tried his best to look offended. Then he said “Not true at all. Sometimes I look at the sports scores also.
“Anyway, I checked out the intercontinental ballistic missiles. Those are the ones the U.S. Air Force has in underground silos up in all the northern states.
“They can’t be used to blast the meteorite because they weren’t made to leave the earth’s atmosphere. They’re not sturdy enough. They were made to fly within our atmosphere, and if they tried to leave it they would burn up. So would their nuclear warhead.”
Hannah finally added her view. “So if NASA can’t do it, and the Air Force can’t do it, then where does Sanders get off guaranteeing that it’ll get done?”
Sarah said “Sanders is full of crap. He’s lying through his teeth to convince everybody they’re safe so they won’t lynch his stupid ass. Did you notice at the news conference how many secret service agents were standing around him? Have you ever seen that many before?
“He’s scared. He just wants to keep the peace and pacify everyone’s fears, until it’s time to go into his bunker with his buddies and family members, and then watch the rest of the world die.”
Hannah brought everybody back to reality.
“But,” she said, “isn’t that exactly what we’re doing?”
Mark said “I talked to Mom yesterday. She’s scared. She’s trying to keep a brave face, and telling the grandchildren that everything will be okay. That God would never really let this happen, and that He’s going to just reach down and swat Saris 7 right out of the sky. But then she asked me about those suicide kits and whether the grandkids would suffer. It broke my heart.
“I told her to put that thought out of her mind. I promised her that she was safe and so were the grandkids. And to just trust me on that.”
Hannah said “I think it’s time we told them.”
-40-
NOV 11, 2015 8 WEEKS UNTIL IMPACT
Mark had asked his family to assemble at their mom’s house. He told them only that their survival depended on their showing up and listening to what he had to say.
Mark was not one prone to making grandiose declarations. And he hated drama. So the mere fact that he would call such a meeting got everyone’s attention. And they all came.
Mark’s sister Karen was the first to arrive, with her husband David. They had no children of their own, since David was medically unable. But they had adopted a beautiful little Korean girl a couple of years before and named her Rachel. Rachel was the light of their world.
Debbie showed up next with husband Mike. Anna and David, called “Little Dave” after his uncle, followed closely behind them, carrying their favorite toys. Anna immediately ran to Bryan, her favorite uncle, who always spoiled her with ice cream and gifts.
Mark had stopped and picked up a copy of The Goonies for the kids to watch in another room while the adults met in the dining room. He even brought popcorn and soda for them in case his mom didn’t have any.
It wasn’t necessarily that he was thoughtful of his little nieces and nephew, although he did adore them. Rather, he brought them popcorn and soda to lessen their interruptions.
Once the children were engrossed in their movie, Mark took a deep breath and got started.
“Okay, about this meteorite thing. Mom, that conversation we had about the suicide kits? I want you to put that out of your mind now and forever.
“None of us are going to die. I promise you that.”
He reached out for Hannah’s hand and explained.
“My beautiful little wife, the scientist, discovered Saris 7 two years ago. And for the last two years, we’ve been secretly preparing for the collision.
“We have a safe place for us to go, after the sky turns dark, and the earth freezes over. And we’ve got enough food and water and other supplies to keep us safe until the earth thaws out again.
“And then when it does thaw out and when we can come out of our shelter, we have a different place we can go that is safe. Where we can start to rebuild our lives and get back to normal again”
David, with a look of great relief on his face, asked “Where is this place?”
Hannah took over for Mark. “That’s the thing. We’re not going to tell you. It’s nothing personal, and if any of you have any anger about that, you can blame me. It was my idea to keep the location a secret.”
Mark spoke up again. “Here’s the thing. The more you know about our secret location, the more chance the word will get out. And if the word gets out, people will start looking for our safe place. And if they find it, there could be violence. And some of us, or some of our loved ones, could get hurt.”
“I’m asking you to trust us. You all know me. You know I wouldn’t lie to you. I wouldn’t tell you we had a shelter if we didn’t. I’m asking you to trust me when I tell you that our shelter is safe, it’ll be fairly comfortable, and that it will give you a chance to survive. Now, please, let’s just leave it at that for now.”
Hannah said “That’s the good news. But there’s some bad news too. The bad news is that we only have enough provisions for forty people. That means that some people are going to be left behind.
“Everyone here, and your immediate families, will of course have a place. David, we’ve made space for your mom and your dad, and your brother Robert and your sister-in-law Jennifer. But we had to draw the line there. We cannot invite Jennifer’s parents or siblings. We’re sorry. But if we invited her parents and siblings, then they would want to bring their own spouses and their siblings, and their kids. And each of those siblings’ husbands and wives would want to bring their own parents and siblings, and before you know it, the list of forty would be four thousand instead.”
Mark said “What we all need to remember, is that we can save forty people, and only forty. If we try to bring more than that, we run the risk of running out of food or water, and threatening us all. That’s why we must draw that line.”
David said “I understand. But what on earth do I tell Jennifer? She’s my sister-in-law, and she’s a great woman. And she loves her parents and brothers as much as we all love our own.”
“Tell her we’re sorry. We have some money left from the lottery that we’ve set aside for this very reason. We’re prepared to give Jennifer a hundred thousand dollars. Today. All she has to do is give us her bank account number so we can transfer the money into it. Tell her to have her parents and brothers find a safe place to shelter. Use the money to buy whatever supplies they can.
“And tell her to pray that they can survive. And hope that they’re still alive when it’s all over, and we can all get together then. I’m sorry, but tell her that’s the best we can do.”
Hannah turned to Debbie’s husband, Mike. “I’m sorry, Mike, but the same situation appli
es for your extended family.
“We’ve put some money aside to help them prepare. And we will pray for them to make it through. And if they can survive until the earth thaws, we will help take care of them. But they’ll have to get to that point on their own.
Mike was speechless. He simply didn’t know what to say. His two brothers were avid outdoorsmen. They were used to hunting for food in cold weather. His youngest brother was a survivalist, and even built a bunker when the world was going nuts about the Mayan calendar thing. But he didn’t know much about it. And he doubted that it would be big enough to hold everyone they would want to protect.
“Honey, I know what you’re thinking.” Debbie told him. “But you won’t be a damn bit of good for them if you stay back to help them. You’ll just be another mouth to feed. Your family is rugged. If anyone can survive on the outside they can.”
Mark wrote a number on a small piece of paper and handed it to Mike and David.
“That’s the ham radio frequency we’ll be monitoring. If your brothers and their families can survive until the earth warms, we’ll have a safe place for them to stay and live. We’ll have livestock and crops and security to ward off marauders. But they have to dig in somewhere and survive to that point.
“Tell them to memorize this number. When the earth warms, to find a ham radio and a power source. A large truck battery will work. Tell them if all the batteries are dead, to find an industrial battery store. They’ll have new batteries. They’ll also have powdered sulfuric acid.
“Tell them to pour the acid powder into the battery and add water to activate the battery. Then to use the battery to power the radio.
“Tell them when the earth starts to warm, to transmit on that frequency every day at noon. Tell them when the sun is directly over their heads.
“We’ll monitor that frequency every single day when the warming starts. If they survive to that point, we will give them directions to guide them to the compound.”
Mike still had no words. He had tears in his eyes, though. Debbie held him close. She said “They’ll be okay, Honey. And our Anna and Little Dave will survive. They’ll get a chance to grow up, and have children of their own. You’ve got to be strong for them.”
Final Dawn: Escape From Armageddon Page 13
