A shocked hush descended upon the room as Louise finished speaking.
“Have you been in contact since?” William asked, breaking the silence.
“No. I’ve tried for the past two days, but have been unable to reach her either through email or the phone.”
Another hand rose towards the back of the room.
“Yes, Andrew.”
“Could it not be something to do with communication failure?” he asked in the hope of injecting some positive light into the situation. “The internet has been overloaded with people trying to find out information for weeks now. So maybe the whole network has broken down.” He looked around the room for support. “Maybe the antenna was destroyed by a boat or that oil rig nearby has managed to drill our cables.”
“No,” an irritated voice called, “you would be told there was no signal. I can still access the internet, which incidentally is now alarmingly traffic-free as nobody is talking.”
“Has anybody been able to contact anyone on the surface in any shape or form in the last few days?” William appealed.
A hand rose, again towards the back of the room. It was not as straight and demanding of attention as the others had previously been.
“Yes, Carl?”
“Radios have always been a bit of a hobby of mine. I didn’t want to give it up and it was a good way to keep in touch with my cousin whilst I was down here. Over the past couple of weeks I have to confess,” Carl pulled a sorry face, “to listening in on conversations I maybe shouldn’t have.”
The room went silent.
“What sort of conversations?” William asked, cautiously.
“Military.”
“Oh...” he did not know what to think. “Go on.”
“Initially they tried to contain the virus discreetly within the cities by instructing anyone who was ill to go to containment centres.”
William nodded. He had been told about this during one of his earlier conversations with John.
“Then, when the population began to panic over the number of sick and the containment centres were full to bursting point, they closed down the roads to try to stop people fleeing the cities in the hope of escaping the virus. The problem is, it seems to be in all the cities.” He looked around the room. “I don’t know if there are any remote regions which are still virus free, but from what I was hearing towards the beginning of last week they had completely lost control and containment was no longer an option. Soldiers absent without leave was epidemic and everyone was just running for their lives.”
“What about abroad?” William asked, fearfully.
“It seems to be the same there. This quickly became a global thing, thanks to air travel. It was at least a fortnight before the virus was recognised, by which time it had gone everywhere in Europe and across the Atlantic in the lungs of commuters.”
These cold, brutal facts were too much for some and a number of people left the room either in tears or with their faces white with shock.
“I haven’t been able to contact anyone at the Faslane Naval Base for nearly a week now,” William confessed. “Have you heard anything more in that time?” he asked Carl.
“I’ve picked up the odd person doing what we’re doing, searching for others, but it’s gone alarmingly quiet.”
William stood a moment, the magnitude of the situation briefly overwhelming him. He looked at Susan, before introducing her proposal to the community. “Susan has expressed a very strong desire to return to the surface. She is aware that anyone who leaves will not be able to come back into the Domes, but finds the idea of not knowing what has happened to her mother unbearable. At great risk to herself she wants to return to the surface and report back on what she finds. I have decided to allow her to go as I don’t feel like I can insist she stays; this is an experiment, not a dictatorship, and I just hope she is aware she might be returning to nothing more than a desolate world.”
He looked at Susan pointedly during the last of his statement.
She nodded silently, then linked arms with a friend standing alongside, who had moved closer to offer comfort.
“I also think it’s only right to ask if anyone else feels they absolutely must return to the surface as well?”
William was shocked when instantly four other arms shot up in response. The Domes required a certain number of personnel to continue to function. If enough people wanted to leave then they would have to close down the project and everyone would have to go. People, who may otherwise want to stay safe from the virus until either a cure was found or it burned itself out, would have to take the risk of contamination along with the rest of the exposed planet. He was also distressed to see two of the hands belonged to his dear friends, Joseph and Hannah Bexster.
“All right. I will have to talk to all of you individually, but if I’m happy your reasons are sound then I’ll release you from your duties. Has anyone got anymore questions?” When nobody spoke, he added: “My door is always open. The more information we have the better, so if you have anything, and I mean anything, you think I should know, then come and tell me. Any questions?” The room remained silent. “Meeting over.”
William made his way to Joseph and Hannah who waited, knowing he would want to talk to them about their decision. He knew it did not take a genius to figure out that they wanted to go to the surface because of their daughter and granddaughter, but he still hoped to persuade them they might be better off staying here for the moment.
Hannah smiled as William finally made his way through the crowd.
“We know what we’re doing,” Joseph said, bypassing the pleasantries in the process. “We’ve been talking about it for three days.”
“You said Hilary had moved out of the city into a remote region, so a lack of contact does not necessarily mean they’re victims of the disease.”
“We can’t stay here,” Hannah informed, softly. “Not knowing is killing us. We know exactly where Susan is coming from.”
William stopped. “Okay.” He drew his lips tight. There was time yet for people to think it through properly and change their minds. “I’m going to continue to try to contact the surface for another three days. It’ll take that long to prepare a sub.”
“Three days?” Joseph said, suspiciously.
“I know the emergency subs are always ready,” William confessed, “but I’m not letting anyone go without plenty of supplies and that’s where the three days will come in. I’m also hoping in three days everyone who has decided to go will have had time to re-think their decision and instead will opt to stay.”
Joseph gave a sharp nod. He knew in three days their decision would still be the same, but was aware it might not be the case for everyone.
Chapter Thirteen
The Domes, Two Miles off the North East Coast of Scotland.
“Joseph, Hannah, come in,” William said, as the couple stopped at the open door to the office. He waited until the pair were seated before asking the question which had been burning away at him for the past day. “Have you reconsidered your decision to go to the surface?”
“We have given it very careful thought, but we still wish to go,” Joseph replied.
“The reasons for leaving outweigh the reasons for staying,” Hannah added, “and we feel it is even more important now we know Susan is going.”
“We’ll stay as a group and search for our families together,” Joseph informed. “It’ll be safer that way.”
William nodded. “I have to admit that alleviates my worries about Susan going alone. As social systems fall apart, a darker side to society begins to emerge. I think Susan is just focused on her mum and I question how much she’s thought this through.”
“We’ve talked to Susan quite a bit over this,” Hannah said, “and I agree with you to some extent, but I think she is prepared for the worst. It’s just that niggling doubt you can’t ignore.”
Joseph leaned forward, “You must appreciate we’ve had the same thoughts about the breakdown o
f society as you and because of that we feel we need to be on the surface with our daughter. I know she has Paul, but the bigger the group the safer they’ll stay, so we feel it’s very important we’re there to be supportive.”
“You said she’d moved out of the city. Do you know where she went?”
“Yes,” Hannah replied, “to some holiday homes in the Cumbrian Hills we used to rent when she was a child.”
“For better or worse, everyone needs to know what’s happening up above,” Joseph urged. “Even if the situation is hopeless, it’s only natural to need to know the details.”
“You do realise what you are going back to?” William implored. “I’m talking about the illness here.”
“Yes,” the couple responded together.
“John told me, just before we lost contact, the death toll on the surface was climbing by the hour,” William warned. “You know they’re saying it’s an airborne Ebola. Hannah you were a nurse, you know the path the disease follows. The only thing good about it, is it’s quick. Ebola is contagious enough as a contact virus – but an airborne Ebola, accelerated to be used in biological weapons, would be practically unstoppable. Are you really prepared to risk exposing yourselves to such a disease? You might not even live long enough to find your daughter.”
Joseph shook his head. “The uncertainty is killing us anyway.”
“Besides, there is the possibility it may have also burned itself out,” Hannah informed. “You do realise once it’s accelerated, it might also disintegrate quicker.”
“Well, let’s hope,” William said, sceptically. “You understand, no matter what, you can’t come back into the Domes though.”
“Yes, of course,” she said, “we would never do anything to risk anyone else in any case.”
He sat back and sighed. For the first time in his life he felt his age. “What about the department?”
“Patterson is more than capable of taking control,” Joseph said. “Everything is in place; it’s now just a matter of monitoring and maintaining. I can’t be considered essential personnel any more.”
Joseph waited. There was a great sadness in his friend’s face and he knew it would be a terrible decision to have to make, but he could see William was running out of arguments. Generals sent soldiers to war with the possibility of death – but they were scientists not soldiers and William Cramb was no general. This made him no less a powerful leader, but instead, his career had been spent working towards the preservation of life, not its destruction.
William finally spoke. “It grieves me enormously to think I may never see you and Hannah again,” he said with a distinct sadness to his voice, “but I cannot be selfish so I think it’s only right I agree.”
The pair nodded approvingly and smiled.
“I want to talk to Susan again, although I doubt her mind has changed, and Max and Trinny, who also raised their hands.”
****
“Hello, Max, Trinny, thank you for coming so promptly.”
Trinny put out a hand to halt William before he continued. “I just want to say, I’m not stopping for the meeting. I’ve reconsidered and decided I’m going to stay in the Domes.”
William smiled. “Excellent. I’m very pleased to hear it.” He looked at the nurse. “Is it also the same for you, Max?”
“No.” Max moved to a seat. “My decision stays the same.”
“Okay, well thanks for coming Trinny.”
As the young woman left the office she passed another, slightly older, lady on her way in.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise you were here with Max,” Judith said. She turned to leave.
“Is there anything I can quickly help you with?” William asked.
Judith turned back to face the professor. “I want to be released from my duties to return to the surface.”
“Oh... You’d better come in then. I’m just about to discuss the same with Max.” He waited for her to sit. “You never expressed a desire to leave at the meeting.”
“Leaving never crossed my mind, until you mentioned Susan wanted to go. Afterwards I thought about it a great deal and decided I would be far better off on the surface than down here.”
William nodded as he saw the logic of it.
“I’ve spent my career working on curing diseases, particularly viral diseases, and I think they will need every scientist in this field of study trying to solve this problem as fast as possible.”
“Do you think there’ll be the facilities to continue to do research?”
“Yes. We can make our way to the Disease Control Centre in Kent. I used to work there about ten years ago, so I know the layout.”
“I’m slightly worried about releasing you,” William said, troubled. “We might need you here.”
“There hasn’t been so much as an outbreak of flu since the project began. There are no major diseases amongst the residents and as long as no-one from the surface comes down here, you’ll be safe from contamination.”
“Okay...” He looked at the tall broad shouldered man sitting next to Judith. “What are your reasons for wanting to leave?”
“Like Susan, it’s got a lot to do with family. I haven’t been able to contact my twin brother for just over a week and I am very worried about him. That’s the main reason, but not the only one. I also have to say I was fine with staying down here for two years; however, the idea of staying for an indefinite period is more than a little bit suffocating. I can’t stand thinking I might never see the sky again,” Max said, passionately. “I know there’s a chance this is a suicide mission, but I feel I must go.” He was the first to acknowledge they could all be going to their deaths. “I’d rather live a possible short life on the surface than a certain long life in a plastic prison.”
“I’m surprised you are the only person who wants to leave for this reason,” William confessed, “I’d actually expected more. Okay, that’s fine. I accept you both have valid arguments and have obviously thought this through. I’d like to think a little bit longer about my decision to release you, Judith.”
Judith smiled and nodded. She thought letting her go might not be a straightforward situation and appreciated why William was reluctant. Still, she knew logic supported the fact that her talents would be better put to use on the surface.
“An escape sub is being prepared with as much food and water that can be safely carried,” William informed. “If any special equipment is required then give the technicians a list and they’ll make sure it’s all on board by Wednesday morning.” He looked at Judith, “I’ll get back to you about my decision tomorrow.”
Chapter Fourteen
The Domes, Two Miles off the North East Coast of Scotland.
William embraced Hannah warmly and held her close for a good minute before releasing her and stepping back. “You take care,” he said, intensely. He looked at Joseph, “I’ll think about you both every day and pray, sometime soon, we will all be together again,” he added sadly.
Hannah was unwilling to risk speaking and simply nodded, her emotions more powerful than she expected. She knew she would be upset, but never thought it would be this bad and now likened it to facing a death.
William turned and took two radios from a man standing behind. “Thank you, Niri,” he said, before passing them to Joseph. “We were lucky these were left by the construction workers. You should be able to use them to listen out for other survivors and keep in regular contact with the Domes.”
“Excellent.” Joseph looked impressed. He had thought once they made their way to the surface they would be cut off, so this was an unexpected bonus.
“Carl is continuing to listen for anyone else trying to communicate and, if required, we’ll co-ordinate and guide you to them. Keep the radios on so we can keep in constant contact. They take standard batteries but, either way, I’ve been told they should last about a week before they need replacing.”
William handed a small bag to Judith. “We couldn’t spare too many plastic gloves or su
rgical alcohol; goodness knows how long we’ll have to make what we have last, but we’ve given you about ten pairs each and a couple of bottles of ethanol for sterilising. There are also masks and enough anti-viral drugs to continue to, hopefully, offer some protection until you can pick up some more tablets and equipment at the nearest chemist or hospital once you’re on the surface.”
“Thanks,” Judith said. She took the bag and stuffed it into a holdall at her feet.
Two large rucksacks, left by the construction workers, and several large, donated wheeled suitcases were packed to capacity with supplies of food, warm clothes, bottled water and additional sterilising tablets.
“I just wish we could offer you more,” William said sadly, feeling he was sending the party to the surface woefully equipped. “Who could have predicted we’d need survival equipment, plus enough plastic gloves and masks to run a hospital?”
“It’s alright,” Max said, “you’ve done better than we expected and I’m sure once we’re on the surface we’ll be able to quickly stock up.”
The others started to move the baggage onto the minisub, whilst Joseph and Hannah said goodbye to their friend.
“We’ll contact you once we arrive and tell you what we’ve found. Hopefully we’re panicking for nothing and there’ll be a bemused welcoming party wondering what we’re doing back.”
William sighed. “Yes, I do hope so.”
As Joseph and Hannah moved into the sub and sealed the door behind them, William stepped back away from the harbour and waited for the craft to go.
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