I wrote this "book" over a two week period starting on October 15th 2013 and ending on the 30th. It is presented her mostly in it's raw form, and I have edits to do and things to add/remove. I don't know if it would even be worth the effort, but I will finish it while I work on a few other ideas. It is more than likely nothing but a base outline of a very bad story too? I guess I will find out eventually.
The Flyswatter and the
Moon A Science Fiction Short Story
by M.E. Douge
When I was very young, three to be exact, I
distinctly remember my brother Randy sitting me down in front of the old black
and white TV. “Sit down and watch this, this is important!” he said, and I have
never forgotten those words, or the ones I heard next from the wondrous box of
my childhood. “This is one small step
for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The imaginations of a generation took
root in those few moments on the moon, mine included. --- M.E. Douge
Chapter One
The calls were at all hours of the
international clock, Russia to U.S., U.S. to Britain, and China to Russia. All
concerning the troubling news of what an Australian astronomer had discovered
mere minutes before. From Washington DC to Beijing all levels of the government
were being awakened to something they could only read about in antique Arthur
C. Clarke novels, a celestial object, rather large, is headed straight for
Earth.
Professor Anne Kelly already
knew what the object was, and more about it that most, from the Sydney
Institute of Astronomy, she was researching near earth asteroid (nea) 2012da14
for the few months since she had been assigned to the new North Ryde Premises.
It was her fifth assignment and she got to pick it or Hawaii. She never suspected that she would be the one
to make this kind of discovery, but the powers that be have scheduled an
unmanned rover type experiment for 2012da14. She was tasked with all of the
research data.
Discovered in February of 2012 by astronomers
at the La Sagra Sky Survey program in southern Spain. Anne made sure they were
brought on board with full data. This was no time to withhold information
hoping for that next Nobel. She felt solutions were the only hope at this time,
few feasible, but an answer must be found. Complications already are setting
in. Anne’s director at The North Ryde Premises has always been less than keen
on Anne’s work, brilliant and concise it very rarely could be faulted. But the
Director was the epitome of an alpha male, narcissistic and stiff as the starch
on a priest’s collar. He walked sternly and quickly to Anne’s station, a
cubicle stacked with long readouts and barely enough room for her chair. “Are
you out of your fucking mind!?” Director Peter Quince said with a hushed
“inside” voice, trapping her in her cubicle.
His voice was guttural, spittle forming at the corners, face turning to curious
rouge. He knew he should have tried to get her out of the station that very
first week. “You are fired! Dismissed! Get the hell off these premises! You
have five minutes and security has been called to escort you out! Forcibly if
necessary!” “What kind of nut job are you? Do you realize that because of your
stupidity, and lack of experience here, you have told the leaders of the free
world that an asteroid is going to hit us?” “More than that! The big one!?”
Anne tried to stand up for herself and show him the data, checked three times,
but he wouldn’t have it. She could not even get a word in before two uniformed
police officers arrived to escort her from the building. She could
grab only her purse before leaving and they checked that too, makeup, cell
phone, glasses.
A world away from down under, there was a
cabin in the woods. A morning fire was heating up the kitchen and the main
room. A few old acquaintances sat drinking coffee in comfortable camping
attire. They had been there for a week. Outside a crisp fall morning was breaking free
to the warmth of the late morning sun. Sentries seen and unseen were scattered
about, in what was almost nothing more than a million dollar training exercise
four times a year. The artificial trees were getting harder to spot as they
were before, thank Hollywood for that. Two of the largest superpower leaders
sat across from each other and shared general chit chat and gossip concerning
everything from the Middle East to Miley Cyrus. It was just a distraction, to
give them more time to think about the huge problem newly at hand. The two
superpowers had no time to put together a proper plan for this specific
scenario. “Eight days, we need more information now. Start there on your side
and I will mine.” President Bowman said “I suggest we find this Professor Anne
Kelly, she may have something we can use.” As the Russian President left Camp
David, he only missed the Ambassador to China by moments. An almost exact
conversation took place, sans the Miley Cyrus reference.
Chapter Two
It was a few minutes after five a.m., and
Marcus was just leaving for his early meeting. He did this most every day, a
support group that had helped him kick some very addictive habits. It was still
dark at that time and walking in his neighborhood could be a bit dangerous, but
over the years he has yet to see anything too out of the usual. An occasional
drunk some younger kids coming home after a night out. The walk of shame for a
few as well as the occasional worker hustling to an early shift.
Unemployed for the better part of two
years and struggling to re-find the next step in life. He was retaining his
hope and faith, for himself and his wife Lori. He held onto the feeling that
things would get better somehow, his personal life was okay, inside, he had
learned so much in the last few years about the human condition, how his life’s
experiences fit into it, that his coping mechanisms blossomed. Lori finally got
back the man she married, found again beneath the scars of life that had
changed his psyche. After 20 years together, they had formed a bond again
thought lost so few years ago. Serenity, understanding and the beautiful task
of simply loving unconditionally was alive and well, and now comforting beyond
words. They could not have children, but held all the empathy and compassion
for those that did. They decided that a cat would be nice to have and when a
beautiful cat adopted them shortly after losing two longtime feline family
members. Smart and photogenic, Hobbes soon became their child to them, and
spoiled. Marcus noted that he was acting weird that morning, well…weirder than
normal.
NASA scientists were being brought back to
work, Pentagon analysts and civilian workers were ordered back to work, workers
wondering what this all meant. A Government was shutdown happening right at the
moment and the default in its 11th hour.
Politicians leaking this to the media has
spawned rapture induced riots in over a dozen cities and people in rural areas were
gathering on farmlands to witness what to some was the second coming of Jesus or
Moses or Muhammad. The situation room at the White House was filled within four
hours.
In a gallery waiting area sat
a dozen bedraggled looking Generals, Scientists, and Public Relations experts
with various states of complexions, holding stacks of data, tablets and laptops
all askew on their laps, a hurried unkempt look struck most. The President and
his team of Secret Service, The Vice President, National Security Advisers, and
the Secretary of State en route from the Middle East, due within the next few
hours. This scenario was going on in every Government across the world. A
mandatory emergency United Nations Assembly had been called. Time was of the
essence and the leak protection aspects of this information had lasted roughly
four hours. It was out and the world knew, Eight Days...
Marcus
was continually looking for work; he lost his driver’s license from a DUI a few
years back and facing the daunting task of picking up his life at 47 years old.
Long term addictions to alcohol and drugs, he found jobs in the restaurant
industry for years before drinking his way completely out of the business. Now
cleaned up and looking for the next opportunity to ensure a better future. Facing
his own ideas of what is wrong with the world, and having nothing but time at
the moment, he thought too much about stuff. He was just a cook, unemployed,
what did he know anyhow. He was a kind and giving soul to most of those he met.
But because of him being an introvert, he looked for every way to catch few
breaks a week in hikes to the backwoods of the North Cascades.
Marcus had been camping and hiking this area
his entire life and there were a few spooky places that he had heard of over
the years. They were myths and folklore because he hadn’t seen them through his
many travels through every trail-less acre he could find for over thirty years.
Lori had no problem staying home alone and taking care of the cleaning. It was
so much easier with Marcus gone. He was sure most spouses felt the same.
The digging had gone on for two days; Marcus
had scraped up a job digging a sewer line for a local plumbing company. It was
tough work, but he was a digger and finished well ahead of time. He was
counting the money he would need for his weekend, as well as feeding his small
family. It would be tight to the pennies and nickels, but it was going to work.
A blessing occurred when the plumbing foreman paid him a small bonus for
finishing ahead of time. In a few hours he would be off to something he had
looked forward to for a long time, “at least a week” he thought.
Chapter Three
A swarm of Federal agents from just
about very law enforcement agency surrounded the North Ryde Astronomy premises
in Australia. Professor Quince saw a few acronyms that even he had never seen
before. A late Australian sun had not only made his pasty completion worse, but
the sudden onset of heavy sweat and
fatigue hit the heavy set alcoholic. “What can I help you with gentleman? He
managed to crackle, in a somewhat helium-esque voice. “We need all of your
files and hard drives, thank you for your service.” The tone and mannerisms of
the investigators left him speechless, and the exposed. “Concealed” guns zipped
his lip even tighter, overwhelmed; he was passed out on the floor in about
thirty seconds, if that. Reaching into his pockets an agent retrieved the astronomers
ID, pill bottle and phone; The agent took note of the high dose of anxiety
medicine. Agent Bennett from the NSA had taken point on this because he had
seniority, and connections the others didn't have. No rouge agent, he used
every part of every team member he could, no matter what their acronyms are.
“This work was signed off to a Professor Anne Kelly?” Spouted Bennett. Take the
fainter and get him checked out and find out what he knows about Kelly and her
work. But start on finding her now, call the infantry in on this, you all know
what this means. He had picked up a slight Australian accent in his nine months
stationed in Perth.
Marcus had briefly heard the story of the
asteroid but thought it was just another fly by, dramatized by the mainstream
media. He had a four day weekend and he
was going to do a solo hike to in an old hiking area. Heck! If the world ends
(wink, wink), he thought what a better place to be than invited to a very special
Native American ceremony celebrating the land we all live on after his hike.
But in his lifetime Marcus had heard the end of the world for years. Of course
he did not stay long enough to hear the international outcry and validation from
the science communities.
He wanted and needed a break,
and to find some serenity on the reservation. Away from civilization away from
cell phones and honking horns, that turned him constantly irritated and ready
to get away. He purposely parked about ten miles from the reservation. Emptying
the car of valuables and the coil wire, he wanted to walk in and clear as much
societal bullshit as he could before he got there. Taking his time, he was in
no hurry. If he recalled correctly there was a train bridge near the river that
he enjoyed the last time he was here. It had been a number of years since he
had been here and it looked as though the trailhead had grown over just enough
to hide its location. Ferns and devils club quickly growing to help hide the
path, Marcus wondrous of how the mountains reclaimed so much so fast.
Being alone in the woods was where Marcus
felt really at home. Abundance to do just about anything and the freedom to
commune with nature in peace. Marcus took the time to examine the back country
of the reservation, connecting to his primal senses, and ancient connections.
Oh he was a guru in his own mind he laughed to himself. He came across a small
boxed valley, no larger than a double wide trailer, but completely enclosed. It
made him think it was a cave of some kind in the distant past, the top mostly
open to the elements. This is exactly the type of place that Marcus looks for
in his hiking trips. A copy of the J.K. Hodges book on Pacific Northwest mining
in the late 1800’s had brought him to numerous finds. Old townships long
forgotten, mines and their stories of unfortunate mining accidents, and the
struggle for life for some in the 19th century. But he was far from the map
markings and the terrain seems somewhat older, with a certain indefinable aura.
Stopping on a knoll looking out over one of the most beautiful shallow valleys
he has seen in his many years he took a small break and sat cross legged in the
fresh sweet grass that was just coming up to his knees. The dew shining their jewels
of light in the morning sun, the valley view was being painted well in his
mind.
The recent deep defunding of NASA had left
the U.S. with very few options toward resolving this death knell approaching.
Everything was either in the process of being scrubbed or underfunded, Space
was closed.
NATO and other coalitions of nations have
convened via phone, web and messengers of all kinds. If anyone had some kind of
secret weapon or technology, they were being called out with threats of war,
even genuine groveling. The NSA and Cheyenne Mountain teams were finding no
credible scenario for survival. More information was needed. Who had the power
to do anything about it if the U.S. can’t? Panic spread like locusts, and human
nature was in full view.
Chapter
Four
Anne was
struggling with her emotions at the moment. She thought she was some sort of
demon, chosen to tell the whole world that it is coming to an end in just days.
That there was nothing we as mankind can do about it. Measuring 6.3 miles
around, (nes) 2012da14 had been photographed and followed for the last few
years. Its orbit was stable and posed no risk to Earth or its satellites. What
Professor Kelly had observed was a shot in a trillion or two. A midsized group
of rogue micro meteoroids from some undetected meteoroid storm had impacted the
asteroid. Veiled in vapor plumes coming from the far side of the rock it was
almost undetectable. Using ESA’s recent flyby data, and following it for over a
month a more complete picture emerged and 2012da14 was now locked into Earths
orbital path, collision imminent.
Her decision and its findings caused a lot of
problems around the world. Not following her training she tweeted about it with
her family back in Colorado. It was picked up and spread like hot syrup on
pancakes, it was definitely out. She moved the small box of trinkets from her
desk that they unceremoniously tossed behind her, breaking a few. Concentration
eluded her and she curled up on her couch armed with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s
Chunky Monkey and her snuggly blanket. Her body seemed to relax a bit for a
while, and then the real horror set deep into her psyche. She jumped, almost
startled. At that very moment she felt like she completely dissolved, and to
call it some kind of meltdown would be laughable at best. She had most of the
relevant research copied onto her SD card on her phone. But what the hell is
that going to matter! Sitting down on her apartment’s pillowed window benches,
that surrounded the modern design of her leased flat. She cried and cried why
did she have to find out first? What kind of Supreme Creator could pull this
grotesque emotional soul exploding fallout on someone, anyone!
She screamed as the “locked” door opened with
what seemed like a key. Two very well dressed men stepped into her apartment
about that time. Badges ready and no explanation of what the hell was going on.
“I could have had a gun! You fools! Anne shouted as she curled up deeper into
the corner. Agent Andrews of ASIS, Australian version of the FBI simply said
“We know you don’t have a weapon, and ours are bigger anyhow.” She was
handcuffed politely and rushed unceremoniously to the middle of three black
cars waiting outside. Nothing was said by the agents as they scooted her into
the car. Other agents were seen scrambling into Anne’s apartment with white
boxes as she pulled away. Terrified and speechless, they began to ask her who
she was and where she worked. “Nowhere at the moment! She replied with an angry
snarl. Nothing more was said on the ride.
The black government car
pulled into a secret airport hangar, a Boeing 757 was already warmed up. Anne
noticed that there were others she recognized for the science industry. Also a
few dozen soldiers in Australian uniforms and what looked to be some serious
government agents in suits. There were a few people that didn’t fit in, and
their presence was somehow troubling but comforting at the same time. This one
had been modified to refill in mid air and Anne soon found out it was a very
opulent jet. She was never truly scared, she knew what she knew, and that could
save lives and possibly this planet. Where did they keep the damn Ben and
Jerry’s? She thought as she crinkled her face.
Marcus had been on his hike to commune with
the balance that is nature. He greatly associated it with a higher power in his
life. Tomorrow he would meet up with Jonathan Grey Feather, someone he had been
studying with for over twenty years. Not
really friends but a level of trust that is found so rarely today. Honor of the
man, and nothing more. Jonathan had shared the stories of his people with him
and Lori the legends of the warriors, the plight of the white man on their
lands. The Ancient verbal history of the spiritual lands. The relics that still
lie in the sands of time. And the legends of the sky people our creators. Those
are the stories that brought goose bumps. When he spoke of them an aura of
absolute beauty surrounded him like a very bright snowflake corona, truly a
halaait. As he arrived in the morning he was blessed and smudged with sage. He
was reborn again that night, the campfire spoke to him of his own direction in
life and he was new again and ready again to breathe with wholeness. To most
this sounded silly for a white guy with a troubled past find himself cleansed
in this manor, but it has worked for him and it felt right. He dreamed grateful
dreams.
The next morning he began to climb the
mountain, it was his last day and he knew that it would be a year or more until
he could return.
The trail began as a dried up
creek bed with some rather large rocks. His ankles were not too happy for the
first few miles, but the terrain quickly turned to grand Cedar and Douglas fir
halls over age old roads and railroad tracks. It had been many years since they
kept up the almost invisible trails at the road’s ends. Knowing the way by
heart from the many trips to his favorite place. Grateful for all of our maker’s
wonders, He trudged on. The spirituality
he felt in the woods for Marcus always seemed to give him some sort of sixth or
seventh sense so to speak. The land looked new again even after many trips to
the area, he could see the balance in it all anew. A sense that at first, had
him thinking of some sort of cataracts. Deciding to take a try at the ridge
across the lake of where very few travel, he was off, trails not necessary.
Chapter Five
The plane had all the amenities that you
would find for the super rich, champagne, meals, and a first class crew. Anne
was hurried into a window seat and beside her a heavy set, bearded and
terrified man of about forty was pressed into the one beside her. Sweating
profusely and seemingly afraid to make eye contact with anyone he clutched his
battered circa 1973 briefcase. Anne tried to introduce herself and the man
simply nodded a few times in a hurry towards her, sweat flying from his
forehead never making eye contact with her. This was going to be a “trip” she
thought as she looked around at the eclectic assortment of I.Q.s... Professors, and scientists she could only hope
of working with, let alone meeting filled the seats. Tired and missing her ice
cream she tried to get a nap before all of this…whatever it is started
unraveling. Uneasy exhausted sleep set in quickly, She was soon awakened by
both a tone over the intercom, and her seatmate’s increasingly powerful body
odor. The next voice she heard made her heart skip a beat and found her
struggling to recognize it. It turned out to be the Prime Minister of
Australia, Tony Alcott. “My sincere apologies” he started out, no more than six
feet in front of Anne. “We find ourselves in a most unfortunate position, on 12
October, a near earth object (nes) 2012da14, one which had already passed
safely passed the orbit of the Earth. Encountered a micro meteoroid storm in
quadrant SQ4 altering the trajectory of 2012da14 towards; from our best
estimates directly back at us.”
“2012da14 has a mass of 6.3 miles in
circumference and is mostly a rocky mass with the I.Q.s we have on this plane,
I don’t think I need say anything more.” Anne was not too shocked about the
news… it was her find after all. Abbott continued “We are joining an
international team from all corners of the globe at Cheyenne Mountain in the
U.S. to try to find a viable solution. The information is out there and panic
is just beginning to leak into the public. It’s going to be a long flight so
button up and get those giant heads working!”
The sweaty and pale gentleman next to her began to noticeably relax.
“I’m sorry? Landon is the name, extending a hand to her; Anne simply smiled and
ignored the sweaty gesture. Turning back to the window she was soon fast
asleep, passed out was more the word.
That magical “sense” never left him as he
scrambled through blueberry bushes, devils club with painful spikes at least
five inches long, and leaves as big as a coffee table. The forest floor was as
comfortable as some of the best carpet, the recent rain and constant moisture
at this altitude helped. Scrub alder was doing its best to erase man’s foolish
wounds. Older firs and cedars had fallen years ago, and in their sacrifice he
found the trail as easy to see as a sidewalk in Times Square. He had a
flashback just then as he rounded a very large cedar stump, easily twenty five
feet around. It had three other trees growing from it covered in Spanish moss,
from almost head to toe. He had a picture at home somewhere of this tree, and
then a memory hit him. He had left markers all those years ago, no not the last
time or the one before that but when he first visited this place. He used to hate
it, it was a type of prison to him at one time. He spent his time wandering the
area and beyond, looking for a way out. Of course he was always found, there
was a freaking Native American deity running the place. Legend had it he has
been doing this for something like 800 years. Marcus never asked him anything about
that when they spoke. Like most people Marcus was selfish and self centered,
and was always worried about himself when they met up for lunch at the noodle
shack. Why does he always pick the noodle shack to meet up with me? Marcus
pondered. But that was many years ago and Marcus was forever grateful for his
“second” father. Not really knowing his birth father. Gray Feather was aware of
the boy’s feelings, and was grateful himself. For never having married, very
few people come into one’s life that genuinely move you and bring pride to your
living history.
Anne was brought to a cheap hotel in some o
- dark thirty hour and told to get some sleep. Guards were placed by each door
and all Internet and wireless was being blocked. One thing about these asses is
they tell you straight up that you are screwed she thought.
One thing about the people she noticed is
that they had no concern with data that she and others had. She had seen Pigpen
carry his now stained briefcase and some copy paper boxes into his room.
Checking the door and looking for obvious cameras, she stealthily did her best
quick strip and into the shower. No Shampoo! Argh! Very warm water quickly took
the angst away. What the hell has happened to her life in the last eleven and a
half hours? There was a jumpsuit on her bunk when she was finished and that
just about made her lose it completely. What did they expect her to do? Go get the
damn rock? Sleep came in snippets and it must have been a solid two hours and
twenty three minutes before she was awakened and told to board the plane. The
emotional nightmares of the knowledge she carried had changed her. She felt
split in two, the succubus of mankind itself, and a victim of giving a shit.
They had apparently landed in Guam or
Midway by the lack of anything around them, that explains the choice of
lodgings, she laughed to herself again. I guess when you know that the world is
going to end, inhibitions fall by the wayside. Like your best friend at eight
years old that you pushed right into the ditch while riding bikes just to win
the race. A number of the gentlemen dressed in suits gathered everyone together
at the board table onboard the plane. Of course it was opulent it belonged to
the Prime Minister, and there was no press on board leaving room for the
smartest minds that could be gathered in a matter of hours. One of the suits
began to speak “Your mission, sadly to say, is to find some sort of way to
destroy or move a giant asteroid headed for Earth.” A monotone voice, used to
giving orders of great sacrifice broke a bit with those word actually being
spoken. Bennett was a tough old lifer this was giving him retirement thoughts
if we all make it through he thought. A glance a little longer skyward than
normal escaped him as well as genuine sigh of responsibility. The lines of rank
and discipline coming back by the time he took two steps. He still had a job,
get to work he thought.
Chapter Six
Intrigued by the thought of even finding
just one of his rock and twig markers, Marcus took about a half an hour to get
his bearings.
They would be by old
Horseshoe Bend, just to the Northeast. But he used to follow a decent trail to
get there, and it had all but been obliterated by the saw grass, ferns,
overgrowth and scrub alder that had taken over with great abandon in the last
twenty years. Never daunted by the lack of trails, Marcus triangulated a rough
spot that looked familiar as a possible starting point. And with walking staff
in hand began clearing the saw grass and nettles. In doing so he created a line
of sight to make sure he was on course. If he remembered right, “and that would
be a stretch after all those years of killing brain cells.” It would be about
two miles to the ridge looking over his favorite fishing spot when he was
younger. Years ago Jonathan had told him that there was great event there. But
so long that even he; Gray Feather could no longer remember the story. He also
said to look for crystals in the clay line of the river. Smiling, he said they
sell like hotcakes to the tourists coming from an old man like me. Ha! Marcus
laughed and the endearment grew.
He emerged from the grass and shrubs to an
open field of a landslide of mud and grass. Not in the recent past, grass has
grown over it many seasons, and alongside the river a decent trail familiar to
some old memory. Marcus remembered that the rock that he spent so many summer
days by; Fishing in the perfect pool was very much a trek farther on. He paused
and hydrated up and ate a granola bar.
He had forgotten that it had
been in his pack for over a year. But it was somewhat edible and with enough
water he scraped it down.
The trailhead he recalled was right, that
part of it next to the river was untouched. A gentle trail that was a road one
hundred and twenty four years ago. It brought back some great times and even awe
to the fact that change sometimes, is so slow that we can reflect on the past.
Many logs have come down over the winters and climbing them was a small test
for him and his determination. Soon the trail/road ended in a mash of huge
trunks, gravel and mud. “North still” he said grabbing his lightweight jacket
and tightening his boots. Walking stick in hand he climbed the mini mountain of
Mother Earths destruction, and found a small runoff stream and followed it north.
The men in the suits were serious as
different passengers cried at different times; Emotions must be kept on some
sort of dermal keypad. These guys were the closest thing she had ever seen to a
Terminator. Bennett moved to the head of the table, laptop and a stack of
manila folders in front of him. Studying them in silence for a good ten
minutes. “Dr. Anne Kelly PhD in Astrophysics?” he asked; looking around at the
women seated at the table.
Anne then noticed the even
more menacing man at the rear of the plane. Sweating buckets more than Anne’s
seat mate Landon, it was a gooey mess that was Professor Peter Quince. Useless
weight on this or any other plane in the thoughts that Anne had. After a rather
vertical lift off the plane leveled off and the plane’s crew of military
officers began making the passengers comfortable as best they could. Why would
they bring a half melted gummy bear like Quince in on this?
Startled that her name was called out
first, she collected herself and answered “present.” “Dr Kelly, you were the
one to discover this through your research into (nes) 2012da14?” “Yes - Sir”
“Just call me Bennett” he interrupted, “please go on.” Anne continued “I was
working at the North Ryde complex in Australia, working on a paper about NEA’s
2012da14 for my research after a recent flyby of Earth. I was studying the
debris field and their composition as it related to ejection. Starting last
week my instruments started picking up large numbers of targets, including
large pieces of the asteroid itself.
Most of the ejected material is following its original path to the Sun.
But early data on the trajectory of 2012da14 shows it is clearly headed back
here.” Her old boss at North Ryde stood
up at that moment and shook his head, “You’re wrong! “Your data is wrong, your science is wrong!”
“How in God’s creation does a massive asteroid change course?” The standing up from the board table
irritated Bennett to no end, the screaming was strike two. Bennett reached into
his stack of manila folders, a thick one Anne noticed. All of a sudden she busted out laughing, she
just had the revelation that the man blathering about a lot of belligerence. Looked
exactly like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen from the movie Dune. Bennett, seeing the conflict and humor asked
Quince to sit down and continue to listen,
Not a large man, but when
Bennett gave orders, few seldom ignored them. From the large manila folder, ‘it
turned out to be an envelope’ the agent took out a stack of photos, taken
yesterday, or this morning depending on where you were from. It was a current picture of (nes) 2014da14;
it was actually twelve pictures that created an image. Large debris was seen
floating around with smaller debris seemingly following the original trajectory
of the rock. Bennett continued “The most recent tracking of it does show that
it is on a numerically perfect trajectory to impact the Earth in Seven days
6.24 hours. We will be landing near Cheyenne Mountain within the next few
hours. Get some rest, we will have to check in with the Air Force Space
Command’s 721st mission support group, and then meet with Lt. General Johansen
of NORAD.” Anne found herself emotionally and physically weak. Sleep came to
her within moments in her “cabin” no more than a carpeted and comfortable jail
cell, gold toilet seat included she thought.
Chapter Seven
The color on the hill in front of him was
different, not something natural he thought as he climbed up the four hundred
feet practically straight up. Surrounded by Bear dens and blackberry bushes he
got to what he thought the strange color was. It turned out to be a group of
Skunkweed growing up from what he could tell was a sulfur or copper runoff. The
metals in the water changing the Skunkweed color a neon type yellow. He also
saw a group of Chanterelles around them. He loved Chanterelles but the water
source made the decision for him quickly. Talk about trippin on mushrooms’ he
mused to himself. He found himself
following dear and bear trails. They are everywhere and if you follow one too
long you will get lost. It is one of the stories that Jonathan had told him
around a campfire years ago. That dear and bear and wolves especially create
trails that have no end, that turn men in circles. They make them through
terrain that makes a great noise alerting every animal to the danger. That is
why they are called the spirits of the forest.
When Marcus “escaped” all of those years ago from the camp he followed a
lot of those trails. And as nature would have it, they did lead back very close
to the camp. Thinking back to a childhood memory, Jonathan was sitting on the
logjam waiting for him as he clumsily broke twigs, trying to make it across the
river at the end of the lake. With long pipe in hand and sitting cross legged,
he asked Marcus in an almost ethereal voice”When will you ask for help?” Tired
and emotional Marcus was out of breath, he was too tired to fight his real
feelings and let it out. He has no recollection of what he said or how long he
spoke. But he does remember the end. That he screamed and cried and begged for
help at least a half dozen times, before he collapsed on the logs a dozen feet
from Jonathan.
Jonathan did not move, he continued to
smoke his long pipe and watch the lake in the distance. Marcus… after many
minutes raised his head and asked “What do I do?” With that Jonathan slowly
rose up from his cross legged position as if he levitated. Then gingerly walked
across the log jam, and held out his hand to help Marcus up. “We have work to
do!” he said as he pulled up the youngster.
You need a shower and some
rest, the lessons we have to learn is never in a hurry, just as long as it is.
The entrance to the complex, a nuclear
fortress made to resist a thirty megaton explosion. Was filled with enough cars
that it brought back visions of the L.A. Freeway at rush hour to Anne. She was
taken to a waiting area and thoroughly inspected, medical and all. Violation at
its finest and she could feel the personal trauma. When she was fifteen she had
to go through a similar experience at the local hospital. Made to feel like a pariah
by everyone including her peers, the bastards got off scot free. She on the
other hand has paid the price again and again for years… even now. NORAD-North
American Aerospace Defense Command, had everything at their disposal. After
being lead through giant doors, countless hallways, and a row of regular
elevators, she stepped off one into what had to have been the largest room she
had ever seen, underground that is. Airman Lovelight-Goforth escorted her down
a few flights of metal stairs. It looked like a warp core reactor from the new
Star Trek film with that guy Pine. After a few minutes the “warp core” opened
up to reveal a very large elevator. “Oh, good you made it” Airman Lovelight-Goforth
said as other escorts brought the others from Anne’s group down the stairs. She
made a mental note that Baron Quince was not among them. As they stepped into
the “elevator” They were instructed that this is a pressurized unit and their
ears may pop many times along the way. “We are going a great distance down, but
you will be ok.” Just then the doors closed and almost immediately Anne’s ears
popped and continued to, almost to a painful degree. She stepped out into a
hall and immediately prodded left; there was a circular structure that she was
apparently walking around. After going about three hundred feet, she and the
other members were shown the door to a lecture hall.
She was stunned, practically every
scientist was there, Hawking stood out first in the left corner. My God she
thought everyone who was anyone was there. Timothy John (Tim) Berners Lee -
creator of the World Wide Web, Richard Dawkins, Persi Diaconis even Gordon
Moore the founder of Intel, Roger Penrose and too many more to count. The one
person in the room that she immediately gravitated to was probably the most
important person in this room on this subject. Allan Sandage, the world’s
greatest living observational astronomer and a good friend if he remembered
her. They were all slowly finding their places in the lecture hall. Allan had
to sit very near the front if he was to hear this. He hadn’t told anyone he was
going very deaf and relying on reading lips more and more.
Anne sat two seats away from
Dr Sandage his groupies squatting and almost fighting over the seats. Agent
Bennett was in the background as the Secretary of Defense Chuck Nagel stepped
to the lectern. “Gentlemen, and ladies, I must first apologize for the hasty
and somewhat uncomfortable means by which you have arrived here today.” On
09-September at approximately 19:30 hours an asteroid well known to our
scientists was bombarded with micro and macro meteoroids. In doing so the
asteroid (nes) 1012da14 has altered course. That being one that directs it
right into Earth’s path.
“People!”
He continued, we brought you here to try to find a solution… Earth as we know
it has just over six days.” “I have made at your disposal every military and
experimental knowledge base we have. These agents behind me will be your point
people. I have complete confidence that a solution will be found in time, but
if not, may God have mercy on our souls.”
After hearing it said out loud by someone
else Anne felt a little relieved that she didn’t have to be some dragon lady
antichrist that got to tell the word we were doomed. She let it out of the bag
but Uncle Sam just did that for her. Agent Bennett made a bee line for her when
the formalities were finished “Anne? Anne
Kelly?” “Yes!” She replied startled that he remembered her name. “You
were the first to see this in your findings right?” “Yes” she said proudly “And
the first to leak it out to the world too huh?” Bennett continued. Anne wasn’t
sure if she was in some very serious trouble or being asked to help. “I would
like to see your phone if I could?” ”You see there are seven gigs of
information missing from your lab. We already know you have it, we searched
your phone when you were talking with Mouse? I believe it was?” Furious but
really apathetic at the time she handed him her phone.“SD Card still in it?”
Bennett asked. She nodded silently like a child being lectured for doing
something bad.
Bennett had her follow him with a half dozen
other - guests up some stairs. Landon, or Pigpen, as she had begun to call him
was one of them. Still in military style overalls and her Nikes they were soon
seated in a rather impressive “tech” room with all the screens and gadgets one
could ask for.
Chapter Eight
“Kelly!” Bennett spouted out first “We
need to know everything on your SD card” skipping the Google phone across the
backlit table.
“I don’t have the time to
undo your encryption or data hideouts.” Anne started taking apart the heavy
protective case, breaking it in the process. That will cost me another
seventy-five bucks she thought. Removing the SD card she was pointed towards a
work station on the far side of the room. It took her a second to find the
right slot for the card, there must have been twenty. While she worked away at
putting her data in order she had to walk a fine line between layman
understanding, and brilliant insights from the professionals. While she was
doing that, Bennett had the others in the group break into small groups or work
solo on their particular expertise. It turns out Landon cleaned up ok for a
large man, and after being taken straight from the gym in the middle of a
workout things made a lot more sense. Besides he got the workstation right next
to her and she soon found out that he is, or was, depending on if the
University President knew where he was, the head of the Astronomy Department at
Stanford. Oh! He has issues...Anne silently thought to herself as she got back
to work.
His
pace up the mountain was slow and steady, always looking and listening to that
part of the forest that the average hiker would easily miss. He was in the
backwoods anyways and very few if any have gone this way, at least not in a few
decades by the looks of things. He was thinking his old hiking friend Vickie
Wallace and her dog Alyse would love this. To the East he could see a large
cliff of rocks that had columnar jointing, huge pieces of granite and other
materials sticking practically straight up. He would make a small camp there
when he got there, but that was still a ways. The fall flowers and beautiful
changes in nature could add time to that very easily, but that’s why he was
there. He had an easy time crossing some streams that were not nearly as gorged
as when he was here before, the melt having been over for a few months now. Something
right then stopped him. It was a severe case of déjà vu, he knelt down and
tried to recall the millisecond of memory or intuition it had just placed in
his head.
He lost it the sense swept
away like a whiff of smoke carried by the wind. A bit shaken he continued on
his journey. He was beginning to think that this was one last vision quest type
adventure. He was getting older, and his life was nothing but hand to mouth. He
was terribly lucky to find a woman like Lori so many years ago. Twenty years,
twenty years and he hasn’t found a way to break it yet? Now that was an
accomplishment he could be proud of. But the same could be said for her going
through a war of sorts for that long. Earning every medal and accommodation
more than once. They made it through, but only with the generous help from an
aging mother and her social security check. Checking the Sun for how much
longer he had, he hurried a bit faster towards the standing cliffs. It was
perfect in every way, a small patch of level grass fed by a small stream that
pooled as it ran down the mountainside. Firewood was just yards away and the
view of the shallow valley was priceless. An eight point Buck decided to wander
close by as he was setting up his tarp. Magical, simply magical… As he slept
that night he had dreams of talks with Jonathan but it wasn’t him really, he
seemed even older if possible and white as a spirit. Jonathan spoke of the
ancient times and how he was now in very sacred and ancient land. He was safe
from all the woodland beings and close to a very old part of the Earth.
Bennett was on Anne’s ass to finish up her
work; nobody had anything near a solution on any of the other groups. Science
fiction was tossed about like it was reality. Sadly the reality was we were
just not that good, or nearly as ready to deal with anything like that. We were
the proverbial china shop waiting for the bull and not being able to do
anything about it. Anne’s data was dissected into the different groups. An
early examination by many discovered a second larger object. The computations
say it may be a fragment of Comet ISON a comet that recently flew into and out
of the Sun’s gravity, a grand affair for astronomers everywhere. If it was a
portion of ISON then the gravitational slingshot it had to have gone through
would have brought it up to incredible speeds. The slingshot effect is
something that NASA and other space agencies use quite frequently to boost
spacecraft and save valuable fuel. But ISON was, and is still being studied at
great length, how did they not see this coming? Over the next few hours the
Academics, Scientists, and Military Personnel bickered in groups ranging from a
couple here to a group of about twenty over there. “What do we have for
spacecraft?” Pigpen asked Bennett. “We have nothing that would get us there on
time, and neither do the Russians, China, Japanese, or Jamaicans.” He finished
with a smirk. The groups that had broken off into different situation type
rooms this caused Anne amused thoughts of the human condition. She must be
losing it, this being so surreal. The world was going to end in a hellish
apocalypse described many times or so a thousand ways. In expensive Hollywood
movies, drugstore paperbacks, and Discovery Channel’s many episodes of life
after man. Her thoughts went to her brother; he must have a dozen or so comic
books on the subject. Deeply Autistic, but loving the pictures mostly, she
remembers reading them to him before bedtime. His contagious smile lighting up
her heart when the good guy won the day.” Dr. Kelly!” It was Pigpen calling out
to her from their “situation” room. “We have a few new views and numbers on
ISON and 2012da14 they may hold an answer for us!” “Where did the 2014da14 data
originate from?” she asked in a manner that said she knew the answer already.
“I don’t know?” Landon replied trying to handle all of the papers in his hand while
catching up with Anne as she hurried to her workstation. In one of those comics
she used to read to her brother there was something that went something like
this, yeah, she thought! She had just been recruited into some sort of Justice
League. She laughed out loud. Pigpen just looking at her confused through his
thick glasses.
Chapter Nine
The morning rain was more of a mist…It
was the kind that gets water into every single crack of your clothes - and
body. During the night, with the strange dreams, he felt that he had been
somewhere very far away, but right where he was. He was in an exceptionally
good mood, and since this being his “vision quest” (He always had to laugh a
little when he said that because of the horribly made movie by the same name). He
felt good enough to climb the fearsome rock face behind him. He had been there
before, but not this close the stories he heard of guys dying while trying was
enough to deter him from ever trying it before. He had enough gear with him to
try it at least, if there was any trouble he would simply back down, No
problem. As he was walking around the base of the vertical jutting cliff he was
looking for a climb line. He saw he could get a good twenty feet up without
even trying too hard, the stones created a series of steps. It would be a hard
start after that because of a massive overhang… perfectly rectangular he saw.
The climb line after that looked pretty good, great in fact. Marcus started his
MSR flyweight stove and made his breakfast of oatmeal. He tossed in some late
blackberries that the bears had not found yet or were saving for later after
the lowlands were picked clean. He thought about the best plan of action if he
were to do this. Oh my God! Lori would be so freaking pissed at him if
something happened. If he didn’t die from it she would kill him but the climb
still had him tough. Turning his head and glancing at the spot again. He did
the thing that guys learn in football and the military, that thing isn't so
big, I can take it! Yeehaw! He had to repeat that a few more times as he was
getting his gear ready. Yeah, he may do it but just like anyone else he was
scared shitless. The fear really did mean Fuck Everything and Run. Marcus sat
cross legged in the moist morning grass, directly in front of the climb; the
rope had already been rigged up as far as he could go at the moment. He
meditated and cleared his head, he prayed to his maker for safe travels this
day and always. He prayed for his wife Lori that she always has the light of
love shine on her. He did this daily at
home but for some reason it worked so much better in these surroundings. He
felt great, heading towards the rope, doing a last minute gear check. As he saw
earlier the first twenty feet or so looked fairly easy, but he still was a
cautious climber. There were years of loose dirt and small rocks in the
corners, dusty handholds and short weak vines could mean his downfall. He was
going to be late but Lori would understand, Marcus completely forgetting any news.
Anne poured through the latest data;
different people were assigned to her situation room as they all now called
them. She almost felt like she had a little orgasm when Allan Sandage took over
Landon’s area and began talking to her. It crossed her mind that a few minutes
have gone by and that “little O” may have been bigger than it seemed. “I’m
sorry, could you begin again?” she felt terribly embarrassed to ask this. “Are
you ok?” Sandage asked with a curious look on his face and a slight tilt of his
head. “Oh yes I will be fine, you just caught me off guard. I was a million
miles... actually 187 miles away” Anne said. “Home? Yeah it’s hard to keep
focused sometimes, this would be a big one!” “Allan Sandage” he said as he
extended his old and wrinkled hand. “Yes, I am very honored to meet you again,
My name is Anne Kelly and your work is legendary.” “Bah! I just kept at it like
a crazed fool! If you do something long enough you will by odds alone. Find
something nobody knew about!... You said again?” as if he didn’t know if he
heard that right. “Yes! We spent a summer in Arizona about ten years ago” she
said obviously sympathetic to his age. “I’m sorry dear my memory isn’t the same
as it was. Well times a wasting, I am on this team let’s look at what we have
so far. So I can get home to a decent meal … horrible commissary.” Landon was
still on the team and she welcomed that, he treated her like some sort of
teacher. He being the smartest one in the class having to show off every little
thing first to impress her. He was her teacher’s pet, funny she thought.
Bennett walked quickly into the room “Anything yet?” “No we have just received
all of the data” Sandage told him “Hurry it up...I’m sorry the Russians are
pressing the nuke angle!” “That won’t work sir!” Anne cried out. “2012da14 is
made up of a plutonium/magnesium ore! They would do little if anything and
could even ignite it to some degree!”
Bennett knew that a nuke option had never
worked in the simulations… never. Space was not like that, it didn’t work that
way.
Landon raised his hand; Bennett gave him a
look like really’ “What do you got geek squad?” Anne laughed a little and
looked down smiling. “Well I have been studying the data from all the sources,
the Solar Dynamics Laboratory had some data that they had not gotten to yet
because of the government shutdown.” It was ISON but it wasn’t, ISON had
ejected a large portion… probably another mass that had collided with it long
ago.” “Those ejecta followed a different
trajectory, one that brought it on a collision course with 2012da14. From Dr.
Kelly’s information that ejecta was composed of almost pure gold.” Weight! Anne
thought, and a lot of it. “We are trying to calculate the weight ratio now”
Landon chimed in. Smart guy, she thought.
Chapter Ten
The first twenty feet would be easy he said
to himself as he turned on his go pro camera, ha! It just reminded him how out
of shape he was but he had gotten to the top of the easy part. He was now at
the overhang that made him really re-think this folly; it was not as inviting
as it looked on the ground. It was about nine feet out and pure granite. It was
as square as if it were cut by the Master Masons of the Pharaohs. Looking for a
way to defeat the obstacle, he saw that on his left that the rock face extended
about halfway to the front of the overhang. A few juts in the rock and some
foliage made him think he could get a hook on something. Moving over ever so
slowly, a little up and a little down he was able to make it near enough to the
corner to tap a spike and carbiner, he hooked up and took a rest, hydrating up.
He was making good time; he wanted to
enjoy it though. His thought was at first to swing away from the corner and
somehow get a handhold on the face of the overhang. But after being there a
while he realized he could simply go up the left side to the top, some one
hundred feet up. Sure, it wasn’t the face, but it was just as vertical and he
had plenty of equipment. Already the views were amazing, little ecosystems had begun
on each of the little square pilings. Colorful little lizards, Western Skinks,
stuck their tongues out at him as the scurried away under some moss. The North
side was also mossier; he would have to watch for that, moss destroys rock and
makes it brittle. If it gets worse he will work his way to the face. Making
sure to vocally say a prayer and wishing his wife well while he was looking
over an absolutely beautiful fall valley. He started to climb, he loved this. It
was in his soul, he felt he became one with the rock and the wind and defied
gravity itself.
The moss was mostly a nuisance but he
made his way up. He moved to the face about halfway up because of the rock
condition and a route that seemed to open up. It looked almost like a miniature
inset grooved ledge that had been carved into the rock. Like some disturbingly
curved smile going up to its left ear.
Taking the line that was afforded to him by the rock itself he was
brought to the other side. This is where he got his second wave of a déjà vu
type of feeling, but this one was quick to pass and he just stopped. At this point
he was having second thoughts about proceeding. He was about a quarter of the
way up to, not the top, but a small field set into its face, almost impossible
to get to from the top. He took a long break and ate some lunch on one of nature’s
perfectly made tables. It was about
seven by nine and almost perfectly flat, he was amazed by the geologic forces
that must have had to occur for the rock to be jutting almost perfectly
straight up. The sandwich and juice helped clear his head a bit and he was soon
on a vertical path again.
Bennett was visually agitated as he spoke on
the phone. You could see him through the glass walls that were everywhere. Now
we know why it costs the government so much money to get things done. He came
back into the room with a look of desperation on his face. “The Russians are
preparing to go with a nuclear plan” he said, as if he were telling someone
they had cancer.
Anne just blurted out some unintelligible
guttural sound and the others in the room simply hung their heads and fell
silent. The nuclear option was one that has been debated time and time again. Since
the first time someone brought up the notion of something coming at the Earth.
From aliens to asteroids, nuke-em had been the mantra since the fifties. But as
we learned more and more about space, and effects and affects of actions
therein. We were not too sure that the nuke-em strategy would be wise, or even
work at all. Looking again at all the data and images, especially Dr. Kelly’s
and seeing the composition and satellite readouts Allan was beside himself. As
he took his head in his hands and said very calmly “Agent Bennett, we have a
fox in the henhouse” as he sighed.
Bennett, looked up at him at that point and just gave him a look, he was
way too tired to play word games now. Normally a pretty level headed guy he was
getting pissed, and scared. Anne’s spectrographic data and research indicated
that 2012da14 is made up of an, until now unknown type of radioactive material.
In levels which would surely make it very pure. It also has a large pockets of
a material we know much of Magnesium. Via the data again it looks pretty pure.
“I am aware of what the rock is made of doctor, what is your point?” Bennett
said with a little too much crisp in it for Allan to appreciate. He was an old
man, he didn’t need to be there, fuck these guys, he thought. “Whether the
Russians succeed in moving that thing or not, we have the whole gigantic bomb
problem to work out.” He continued “The thing is made of materials that we make
our biggest bombs with, but it is carrying a massive amount more of it than we
have ever even found on Earth!” “Let’s try to blow it up!?...Duh wonder what’s
gonna happen? I don’t know Beavis what do you think?” Anne and Landon chuckled
at the professor’s use of humor, especially the Beavis reference. The humor
escaped Bennett, but what Dr. Allan Sandage had said did not, and he left the
room in a hurry. Anne was hungry, as well as the rest of her clique. It was
hard to tell what time it was so far underground and she could already feel her
body clock getting messed up. Asking around she found out that there was a
better commissary a little farther away, normally reserved for the officers. But
this emergency had changed everything, probably for good.
Chapter Eleven
The President was not happy; screaming in the
Oval Office about the idiot Russians and the damn Chinese. The Russians want to
blow everything up and the Chinese think this is some sort of game and want
more information before making up their minds. The NATO nations were working
closely together on this, but there was too little time really to arrive at a
workable solution. The Space shuttle retirement could not have come at a worse
time and all of the other rockets used for the ISS needed weeks to get ready.
“What about the X37B?” asked President Bowman, months left in his second term. So
he was familiar with Washington DC and its workings. X37B was a very secretive,
until recently, space program ran by the Air force that used a robotic version
of the space shuttle. Smaller in size, it was able to stay up for months
collecting data and whatnot. “The X37b was underfunded in your last budget; it
is in pieces being studied at Groom Lake testing facility.” “Area 51!?” the
president quizzically looked at his Chief of Staff. “Yes sir.”
“Well what answers have those
brainfarts over at NORAD come up with?” The Presidents skin was getting thinner
by the moment and he apologized to Ben Brandt his trusted Chief of Staff. Honestly
he was the only reason Bowman could even do his job. “They are furious at the
Russian solution and say that it may cause more harm than good.” “Nothing
nuclear is ever good” The President said under his breath a bit. The Townes
team think they can get a laser on it, but it would take too long to do enough
to change the trajectory.” “What else?” He was pressing Ben for something,
anything to reach for a little hope with; Ben didn’t have any to give. The mere
size alone got his educated brain going over the effects of something like that
impacting the Earth, over and over again. “It appears to be an end game
scenario at this time Charles.” The president knew that when Ben used his first
name it was the truth. Two men in charge of protecting a nation and its people
and finding nothing more to do than wait and hope. “Call the Russians” he said
as if he had decided to sell his soul to the devil.
As he inched and crept his way up the
mountain he came to another one of those perfect tables. Not as square as the
last but still beautifully covered in a soft moss. The weather was turning
foggy at this elevation and he figured he was a good one hundred feet or so
from where he started. Making sure to change the batteries in his camera this
morning he took it off of his headgear. He took pictures of the views that were
especially appealing to him. While he was putting the camera back together the
back piece fell, and not wanting to lose it over the side gave his foot a quick
flip. It worked! the clear plastic piece flew behind him into a corner of the
ledge.
Reaching for it, his hand caught a very warm
draft of air. It was coming through a small crack in the rock that was about
four inches wide and twenty feet high. He looked at it from all angles and it
was just a crack. Taking the walking stick off of his pack Marcus prodded its
depth… not much a foot or so here and there. But in doing so could not deny the
hot airflow coming from it. If nothing
else it was a great seam to get to the top of the next steppe where he could
free hand it and save his dwindling gear. As he chalked up his hands and found
a foothold he was simply in awe of the warmth. Everything else around him
caused his breath to show and dew to reside on all of its favorite places. The
clouds were low and he was at their level, it couldn’t be a thermal, he had
felt enough of those over the years.
As he climbed he almost did a double check
on his handholds. making sure he was not grabbing some kind of volcanic lava
rock, he kidded with himself. About half way up the fifty or so foot climb it
hit him, it felt like a dryer vent. But not any dryer vent it was one that
smelled like his previous neighbors when she was drying clothes in the summer.
Bella, yeah that was it! It was Bella’s dryer smell, thinking he forgot to ever
ask her how she got things to smell so nice. A little farther up he saw that
there was a gap opening up in his crease. If he could wedge himself in there a
bit he would take a quick break, at least he would be out of the mist. Muscles
tight and straining and at times making him wonder if at his age they would
give out altogether, he climbed upward.
“We have no alien ships or technology! For
the last time stop asking me!” it was a general statement made to a large group
of tired and anxiety riddled scientists and others. Anne could sympathize, she
was going through bouts of it too. But since she first pounded out her original
work she made herself at peace with it all. Besides inside she felt was still
that demon of some kind that brought this wrath onto her beautiful planet.
Landon came rushing in obviously from just using the facilities. Because he was
still adjusting his jumpsuit and holding a few wet paper towels in his hand. “I
think I got it!” he said with a childlike excitement. “The ISS!” he blurted
looking around to the faces in the room, everyone must know what he was
thinking?
A bit flustered,
he clumsily pulled out a huge white board on wheels from a far wall. “We have
looked into that, it won’t work! It doesn’t have the means nor the mass to do
anything to it!” Dr. Sandage said. Landon started furiously sketching something
that would make him lose in any Pictionary game he ever played. Eventually he
got what looked like the Earth and a few squiggly lines, “Is that a rainbow?”
Anne had to ask as he swept the pens across the top of the board. “Landon!
Landon my boy, I can see what you are trying to put forward. But the ISS has
minimal fuel left and as of twenty minutes ago is now completely empty!”
Sandage reported. The ISS was evacuated this morning, there had already been a
Soyuz Capsule up there changing out a new rotation of teams. They were trying
to get them all to fit into the tiny capsule, all six of them. It was either
going to be a disaster or a miracle. But none of the current astronauts felt
they wished to die in space. If there was a chance to see their family again
they would take the chance. The Russian government gave them the Ok to try it. Knowing
that their very expensive spacecraft would probably fall too fast, and crash
and burn. Even so, it was a humanitarian side of that government seldom seen by
the West. “We got squat! might as well join the Russians in throwing nukes at
it!” Anne was tired of coming up with nothing, she had to feel there was
something that could be done. In Washington DC, there was already a call in
progress that was sending those very wheels in motion.
Across the country and world for that
matter, it wasn’t what one would think the end of the world would look like.
Large riots in some of the bigger cities, looting and such for food. But on the
whole it seemed mankind was still waiting for the inevitable. Many thought the
big space rock would just not hit us, others believed in their religious deity
saving the day. Then there were some that were so disgusted in what man had
become that they welcomed our annihilation. Most everything was going along in
a somewhat orderly manner, you know, for it being the end of the world and
all. Wall Street had taken a devastating
hit though, it may never come back! Oh goody!
Chapter
Twelve
The gap in the crack of a massive
monolithic type rock was just above, it really looked a little bigger as he got
closer. He was going to have to take a better look at how to get up into it. He
decided he was going to have to do a little swing move from one arm. If that
didn’t work he was going to have some explaining to do to Lori… from the
hospital. Taking his time to line himself up and mentally go through the
motions needed to do this, he looked up one last time and did a double take. He
stopped and tried to crane his head back as far as he could to look into the
opening. What he saw was a feather he thought, but not any feather it looked
like a Ravens feather
Underneath the feather he saw
a small stack of stones. It had to be a message or place marker used by people
of the First Nations, as a type of road map and travel guide of sorts amongst
other things. He couldn’t see the whole thing so he had no idea the meaning of
it. He decided to be very careful when he “flipped” up to the rock’s gash as
not to disturb it if he could help it. After a few more moments of
concentration on his upcoming action he went for it. Surprisingly enough did a
spectacular job of doing so landing just where he wanted, with no damage to the
marker. It was gloomy and a bit dark; taking out his flashlight to see it
better the only word he could think of for what he saw next was thunderstruck.
With the blessings of NATO, and most of the
United Nations it was determined that our only best hope was to use the nuclear
option. Washington begrudgingly joined in with Russia in determining which
warheads would be used, and which were the most viable. It was a bit comical to
the teams doing this because each side found that there were no real secrets
left. We knew of all of theirs and them ours. After a bit of uneasy laughter
from both sides they got to work, China was abstaining, citing faulty Western
science. “When do I go on?” President
Bowman asked Ben, “You have about two hours to read up on the copy and make any
changes” “Are you ready for this sir?” Ben asked the leader of the free world.
“I don’t know? Right now it is just a speech addressing the nation. If it ever
hits me what is really going on I may very seriously lose it!” At first Ben
didn’t like the thought of him “losing it.” Then he remembered just then that
this was a man like any other. The fact that he could lose it made him happy
for the human aspect of this President he served. As the countries finished up
their defensive plan for Earth, Japan, Israel, Pakistan, India, and even Iran
sent word that they would like to be a part of it too. Iran stating that it
would be too unacceptable that the capitalist infidels should be the only ones
working to save Allah's world. Brinkmanship in the face of certain death. Typical
of the regime, but every bit helps, right? A few hours later a somewhat shaken
looking President stepped up to a podium set up on the steps of the capital. Some
in the crowd have been waiting for a few days, others just arriving to hear
this historic speech. Carried on every TV station and radio and through the
national alert system. He cleared his throat, held back his emotions and began
what very well could be his last address to this wonderful nation, and world.
As the camera light turned on and he stared into the waiting eyes of the world
he threw up a little in his throat, grabbed the glass of water and began.
“My fellow Americans… Citizens of the
world, it is with grave news that I speak to you this afternoon. Roughly four
days ago earth’s scientists studying Near Earth Objects, meteoroids and
asteroids, discovered that one which had just passed safely by us. Had altered
course and now poses a serious threat to Earth. Scientists from all corners of
the globe have been working around the clock to come up with a solution. Today
I believe the best one of them has been found. A coordinated strike using
nuclear warheads from around the world will be launched in roughly three hours.
Data is still being aligned with the team of countries, and the effect of it
will not be known until sometime tomorrow.” “Now” he took an extended pause and
looked down at the podium for an eternity as far as air time was concerned.
“Now my fellow citizens...nothing like this has ever been attempted” he said
with almost a sound of defeat in the quiver of his voice. “We have no guarantee
that this will work, but it is our only. Last. Best hope. Please know that I
will be praying for the safety of all of you in the coming hours. Please hold
your families a little closer and pray to whatever God you believe in. This is
not a drill, this is not a cautious warning. This IS our last stand being made
here today… May it be made with peace towards your fellow man, for all of our
fates are now one in the same.”
His heart was pounding, Marcus had never
seen or felt anything like this. It was a marker for sure, but it looked like
it was hundreds of years old by the dust and dried plant debris. He was in a
cave that was no more than a crack in the huge stone he had just climbed. It
was about three feet wide and he could almost stand up in it so it was almost
six feet high. It was also about seven to eight feet deep tapering inwards
towards the rear. The crack continued to travel up the back of the cave and
there was still heat coming in from it.
Excited was not the word for it, amazed was
the best he could come up with. Because the wonder he found of the cave was not
the hot air, or the old trail marker but the colors! Everywhere around the cave
from floor to ceiling point there were paintings and pictographs. Cave
paintings of the most vivid colors, one over the other, he saw the symbol for
water in bright indigo blue, brilliant red ochre’s, yellows and greens. He
flipped his flashlight around into the lantern position and he scoured the
walls. It looked as if it were graffiti of sorts written many times over. Some
painted over or smudged out to make room for some other pictograph, or painted
the same over and over again that the original was badly mangled. He did see a
few paintings that made his heart again skip another beat. It was a pair of
simple white handprints, not together, like you would find at the local police department
lineup wall, but separate and of different individuals. In all of the stories
he heard from Jonathan about the ancient times he remembered this symbol, it
was truly ancient. It was told to him that the earliest walker on Earth had
used the practice of the hand on the cave wall as the first type of land deed? Or more apprpriately, Thanks I was here. Marcus also recalled
that the First Nations People stopped using that symbol some fourteen-thousand
years ago. Yes, the stories Jonathan told were a stretch at times and he knew
that. But by being here in this place they seemed to all come into truth. He
had little reason to doubt anything old Grey Feather told him again. His
excitement had caused him to lose all track of time and the sun was fading fast
to the West, hiding a bit sooner these days behind the Olympics. He would stay
until early morning and get down and out of here before Lori got too worried
about him. Taking out his camera he began to document the site. Maybe he won’t
have to worry about rent next month after all he thought. Marcus could do just
about anything and his creative side was off the charts, but that didn’t mean
he could get and hold a job doing anything. Always struggling to make ends
meet, his wife Lori being the wonder that has kept him going so long. She was
definitely his world and he would do anything for her. Over the years she had
done much too much for him he believed. Maybe with these
pictures he could do
something nice for her? He didn’t know if they were worth anything or too Sacred
to share. He was tired, time to sleep. With the warm air entering the cave
Marcus simply propped up his pack against the right side wall. He leaned back
against it tossing his jacket over him, he was out within minutes. Overwhelmed
by the day and too full of dreams to focus on just one aspect of it.
Chapter Thirteen
The primary launch codes were given. A few of
the countries that would have liked to have been involved could not be. Their antiquated
technology and /or their respective locations on the Earth at the time of
launch were cited. Amazingly the masses of humans around the world gathered in
town squares, and city centers and parks. They held vigils and prayer services
as the launches took place. Over three hundred various types of rockets bounded
skyward, few of them actually seen by the people on the ground. But the sound
of them took over the twilight sky and a thunder never heard had permeated
every molecule available for sound to travel. And in it the deep hum of our
last, best hope had been delivered to the skies. In God we trust is written on
the one dollar bill, how appropriate it sounded right now.
“Well it’s out of our hands
now” the President said as he sat down on the white settee in the oval office
with a fresh Johnny Walker Red on the rocks. Not a real drinking man, he had
had a few lately. “Why don’t you go home to Molly? Ben?” “Molly and that dog of
yours, whats was its name?” “Go-Go” Ben replied as his thoughts went to his
wife, they had been in constant contact throughout and she knew everything that
he did. But they needed to be together, this job had stolen so much precious
time from her. He was in the Middle East with Bowman when her Grandmother
passed away, he felt devastated that he couldn’t be with her then. It was two
months before he got home even then. “Sounds like a plan sir” he answered,
moving to the door and removing the professional business façade as he quickly
exited the building. He got to be a mere man again with his wife and dog and
cat Enid, what a better way to experience the end of the world, he mused to
himself out of nervous energy.
Anne had been in the command center watching
the huge screens that wrapped the room. Air force officers were rushing about
reading displays off of clear plastic screens. Marking them here and there and
yelling out numbers to others back and forth. Coordinates and times, speeds,
and course corrections. A modern day Hannibal charge she thought, terrified
that she knew the outcome of this circus even before it happened. God she hoped
she was wrong. For the first time in her life wished she was stupid and others
were right. But, with some of the world’s most brilliant minds behind her. She
was left with a growing icy coldness spreading over her chest.
The missiles chosen were done
so for their chances of success. A few of the best prospects were launched
first. Their payloads were large enough to hopefully cause a change in its path.
The rest were launched as a group from ground and submarine based launch sites.
But just as Anne had feared the math didn’t add up. The larger ones had run out
of speed too quickly to safely move it on time. Their warheads also would not do
what people thought they would in space. The larger group of smaller missiles fared
even worse. Unable to be corrected after the initial launch and no orbital
equipment. They became giant useless floating dildos as soon as their fuel ran
out, which they did far earlier than the scenarios showed. “What does that
screen show?” she said as she turned to a Captain Manginelli by the name on his
tag. Hesitant for a moment to speak of such things but realizing the
uselessness of secrets at this time. He said “That is the whole scenario… white
ones indicate strike group alpha, and the blue represents strike group beta.”
“If you ask me they should have used a call with Omega in it somewhere” he
added. She smiled, knowing that he was more right than wrong. Their last, best
hope had gone fizzle pretty damn quick she thought. Back in the situation room
they had spent the better part of 46 hours together Anne, Landon, and Sandage
quietly looked at one another, no words were spoken, there were none left to be
said, quiet goodbyes made only through their eyes.
Marcus slept deeply, the climb had really
worn him out. In that sleep he dreamed the craziest sequence of dreams he had
ever had. You name it, Old First Nation songs went through his head, he
drowned, and he was at the White House. It was all crazy and he was even
laughing in his sleep. His wife Lori told him that he did that every now and
then and he didn’t know whether to believe her. Sometime during the night he
rolled off his pack to the right.
He woke up to the sound of
rock breaking and himself falling at the exact same time, he was falling! Some
kind of light around him, the ceiling is caving in! Ouch! Crash! He slashed
into a shallow pool. Upon awakening it takes people a second to really wake up,
after more than a few confused moments of what the hell just happened? He got
the picture. He had fallen backwards through a thin part of the back of the
“cave” A few feet maybe four into a cavern. Which had a shallow pool of water
about a foot deep at its bottom. But he saw light? And he still could, it was
coming from the other side of the cavern. A bright green, it moved in the water
to the ripples he had caused by his fall. He righted himself into a deep squat
and waited for something else to happen. After what seemed to him like an hour
(four minutes) he moved and found he was not going to be attacked. Freaked out
beyond belief, he had no word for it, which was odd for Marcus.
He
could see that the walls were covered with a glossy melting like substance. That
looked like someone had taken Tapioca pudding and whipped it to a hard peak. Then
mashed it down into some relative of the Michelin Man. There were trillions of
small crystals that made up the floor of the cavern. It was too dark to see
them well, but they were so small they did not hurt to sit or touch them. Then
he noticed that the walls had a few, not too many, cave paintings as well. This
just spooked Marcus to no end, he definitely found something. For it to be in
the middle of the night after a day like today didn’t help his nerves very much
at all. He found his footing and found that he could reach his pack. He found
his headlamp because he couldn’t quite reach his flashlight/lantern that was
still in the middle of the cave floor.
It was pink! When he switched
on the LED headlamp the cavern glistened, the small crystals that were the
floor were a beautiful rose colored pink, the Tapioca Michelin Man walls were
more Pepto Bismol with cherries in it. And the water was blue, like someone had
added just the perfect amount of food coloring to it to take a picture. “Pictures!”
Marcus blurted and reached onto the new... ledge? Marcus searched for his
camera, he had to jump a bit but he got it from the far side of his pack.
Blinded by total excitement he began taking pictures, some with flash and
others without. For one of his pictures he wanted to re-create the view he had
seen when he first fell in. Turning off his headlamp after making sure his
camera was set properly, he sat in the water legs ahead of him in a V.
As he did, the thought of the light he saw
when he fell entered his mind and he sat there in the blue water wondering
about it. He was still tired, but functioning now on nervous energy and
adrenaline. As if in a trance he sat there the water was as warm as a bath tub,
that must have been where all the heat was coming from. He knew it was water,
and pretty fresh when he fell in and tasted it. A bit of a dusty aftertaste but
he was the one that fell in, it wasn’t the waters fault. As he sat in the now
calm water the cavern began to brighten he thought? Or was it just his eyes
playing tricks on him? From the far side of the cavern the thing he thought was
a glowing green rock or something began to grow, it was coming towards him.
Chapter Fourteen
News channels around the world were following
the missiles. The only story, other than the reports of violence and looting
here and there. Smaller countries were changing hands as if in a poker game but
at this point few if any really cared. There was yesterday’s story of the
crashed Soyuz Capsule, but all appearing to survive.
Some had displays up showing the projectiles
and their path to saving humanity. From the religious set up that CBN had
pulled together out of a handful of truths. To the ever watching CNN who had
hijacked a military feed to get the scoop on everyone else, everyone was
watching. Anne and her team sans Bennett; who seemed to have disappeared
sometime when the Russians were talking with Washington. Watching with the rest
of the world as the really bad news came across the TV from a know-nothing
talking Barbie head. “It appears that most of the missiles will not hit the
intended target except for possibly two of them. They are still on track to
destroy it.” Destroy it!? Anne thought what kind of Cosmetology School did
these people go to? The best we can hope for is to knock it off course. “Well”
said Sandage, “at least no matter what happens we won’t have as many of those
dang blasted nukes around to mess up the mix!” Anne and Landon looked at each
other and had to laugh out loud, as if that was a big concern now. The two
missiles did hit 2012da14; they struck on the heavy end of the peanut shaped
asteroid. A giant explosion shook space around it and after all was said and
done, there it was travelling the same interstate towards Earth. Immediate data
indicated that we had slowed it down a bit though. It looks as though we had
gained an extra eighteen to twenty four hours. But the data that followed was
not nearly as well received.
The temperature of the asteroid was rising,
and fast. “I think we just lit the Roman candle aimed right up our ass” Anne
said in her best Wanda Sykes impersonation. It might have been taken as
something crude to say, but the truth of the matter was that she was right. She
would go home to her family if there were enough time. But this could possibly
be the best place to ride out the initial blow… who knew she was such a sadist.
“The President soon came on all channels again
to announce the by now, well known news. “We have failed to avert this disaster;
our best efforts have fallen short. Our fate is in God’s hands now, may he have
mercy on our souls.” he said before slowly turning away from the podium to his
Secret Service agents. As if he was being taken away to the gallows. There was
unrest in many of the larger cities still, but, as if out of some defense to
humanity itself. Most were going to go out as the good people they were, not
letting go of the good no matter how bad things got. To Lori, who was watching
this all unfold on TV alone all she could do was think about Marcus, and his
not knowing any of this. What a welcome home he is going to get “huh Hobbes?”
she said to their kitty. She had made all of the calls to family and friends, all
of them hoping that the data was off and it would just do a fly by. But knowing
in her gut because she trusted it that this was really it… How sad she thought,
for such a juvenile species.
As he started to do some kind of crab crawl
backwards, away from the green...whatever. He realized he didn’t want to make too sudden
of a move. It might just reel back and eat him whole like some sort of cave
whale. He decided to sit very still and watch, for whatever it was. If it
wanted to do him harm it had plenty of chances to do it before now. As he
waited for his fate to befall him… actually he was too scared to move at that
point. He looked down into the water and saw a bright green floating bit and
then a few more. There were billions of them… that was the light he saw when he
fell through? Some kind of organism that uses bioluminescence but what were
they? They were as small as krill and as bright as small LED. They flowed
around him in the shallow water. His fall must have scared them to the other
side, which he saw to be very much deeper. Maybe that’s where the heat was
coming from? He guessed. As he sat there in the water and took flashless
pictures of his new little buddies. He noticed that daylight was beginning to
enter through his not so delicate remodeling. The light “bugs” started to
recoil from the light, and he had the sensation that he was being bitten by
some of them. Yeah he was! Ouch the little bastard! Jumping out of the water
and making it to the ledge in one shot. He wiped furiously at his legs and
forearms, the most exposed of his skin. But they were everywhere! And he soon
started stripping off his clothes to check his whole body for anything like
leaches and such. He took extra measures to check his sensitive areas. Reaching
into his pack he found his first aid kit and the ointments in there. Marcus
then began squeezing out most of the ketchup type tubes of ointment on himself.
He had a change of socks and underwear but the rest of his clothes were going
to have to go on wet… great. Good news; his coat was still dry having snagged
on his pack well before he fell through the wall. Taking inventory of
everything he brought in and a good inventory of what the hell had just happened
to him. He was ready to get the fuck out of there. The bites that he felt
lessened quickly leaving only thousands of small welts in their place, white
welts, I hope that doesn’t mean poison, he queried himself. As he got ready for
the descent he took some time to make a plan from what he remembered from
yesterday. But after all that had happened since, that was a long time ago to
him in a certain sense.
Chapter Fifteen
Lori was sitting petting the cat looking
out the window, Marcus would be home soon she thought. She was thinking about
their life together and all of the bucket list things that she and Marcus had
written down. They had managed to scratch off just a few. Money never being
their forte, most things were still on it. Of course there was Hawaii and
Disneyland, and the Grand Canyon again. There was Washington DC so they could
finally see the nation’s capital, and all of the Dakota’s, so that Lori could
see long forgotten relatives. Marcus had Europe down there, when she asked him
where in Europe he always said Europe, Europe. This to him meant all of it. And
she remembered him saying he wanted to meet the Dalai Lama. Marcus saw him on a
PBS special and thought he was a real cool dude. She and Marcus could not have
kids and without money there was no way to adopt. He often joked with her that
he should knock up one of her friends, but it wasn’t as funny a joke as he
thought it was. Lori held hope still though, something deep down and primal
said that this was not the end. But her educated mind said otherwise. Where was
Marcus?
“ It’s really harder on the way down!” Kept
going through his head as he slowly back tracked his route a bit. It was the
voice of Big Will, Will Harrison. He was the guy that while growing up was
always the guy to point out why something wouldn’t work or how something
should. He was a really nice guy, went to church and all. But when he told you
the truth, his timing really sucked. It was his voice from their Explorer Scout
Jamboree; he was just ahead on a rope and rock climb going down to a stream.
Marcus could still see just that big smile and round face as if disembodied and
laying just on the ground. “It’s really harder on the way down!” Thanks Big
Will, I will remember that! He thought. A few feet farther down and while
moving left to the center pillar he heard the words again… as Marcus’s grip
slipped away and there was nothing else to reach for.
It
looked just like his body just got hit by a defibrillator… he was falling
backwards. He vividly remembers thinking “I’m gonna die! Lori’s gonna kill me!”
But before he could get more than that thought out of his brain cells something
shook him out of it. He was floating down… not like on a cloud or anything, but
just not falling as fast as he should to incur some kind of injury that would
send him to St Peter…Or a surgeon to St. Bart's. He landed with a thud,
bouncing off of the rock face a few times and it still hurt like hell. What the
fuck just happened?
Picking himself up and adjusting his
pack he noticed that his pick had punctured his leg, it was more of a graze but
it stung like hell. He checked his cell phone 9:30 a.m.? “Shit I am going to
get in trouble, I was supposed to leave at six p.m.…Yesterday!” he said out
loud. Still no service but what did he expect he was well out of service areas.
As he began the roughly five mile hike to his car he started to feel different.
Like in a haze he was trying to get his mind focused on what the…just happened
there? Was this some kind of poison he was feeling? He had to get home.
The old saying goes if you
want to hike in Western Washington there are plenty of places to do so, they
are just all uphill.
Marcus was at his car a lot
sooner than he thought he should be. The time didn’t add up, he hadn’t had
enough thoughts to have moved that far. You see Marcus was one of those whom
meditated when he walked and contemplated the world… etcetera. The only
thoughts that had gone on in his head were how the hell he didn’t crash and
burn back there? really nothing more! And that fact alone scared him even more
than his anxiety riddled mind could hold at the moment. He fell to his knees,
eyes wide open, looking for anything to make this last day just be gone. He
began to cry something bad was happening, he could feel it now.
The world was a silent one on that morning,
Three days remaining until impact. Violence was still scattered, but miniscule
in comparison to the compassion that mankind showed in its last hours.
Nations simply asked their citizens to pray
and mourn, families were gathered from all corners, and the word enemy seemed
to slip away from our common language for a while. It was visible to those with
even a modest telescope a quick glance at a dot in the sky. Slowly… it appeared
the world shut down like in a countdown. Man had found its kind.
In Hopi mythology they have the story of a
Blue Star Saquasohuh a kachina or oracle of sorts. It is supposed to mark the
ninth and final sign before the “day of purification”; the destruction of the
Earth itself. It was all too appropriate that the name of the rock was 2012. We
foolishly thought we had escaped that kind of prediction. Nations opened their borders and
those with grieved alongside those without. The Smithsonian sent the entire
digital contents that it had to date into space… aimed at the moon so maybe one
day some random life form could know our story. Our story… it all seems so
trivial now in a way. We struggled so hard to be different when we were all
just kids on a playground. Oh we were a savage species indeed; destroying that
which we did not understand all the while believing in unseen things we didn’t
understand either. Mankind was a chemistry set gone awry with a built in kill
switch… a brain.
Inside his trusty Subaru Outback that had
334,000 miles on it, and it showed. Marcus fumbled through his gear until he
found his keys. He was spent, he just slammed himself into the seatback and
tried to focus… Shit! he couldn’t drive like this. His head started to clear a
bit and he found the right key for the ignition. Yeah it took him a second like
he was a drunk about twenty minutes away from a DUI, a feeling Marcus knew
intimately. It wouldn’t start, what the? He tried again and it was about the
time that he was getting angry that he remembered the coil wire. A trick he
learned a long time ago from a hiking buddy named Frank Sepp. Slamming his head
back again he had to get out and get into his pack all the way in the back. He
was just feeling better and didn’t want to move that far.
Opening the door he found
that he felt better than expected, he retrieved the coil wire and put it back
on. Falling fatigued beyond the norm into the driver’s seat, he pulled his legs
in and tried again, good old Betsy. He let her warm up herself and him. He
wasn’t cold on the outside but it felt like his nerves were causing him the
shivers, he was wondering again about poisons. After about twenty minutes he
took off… noting the time 10:40am. That didn’t add up in his head, but he had
to use all of his abilities to focus on driving at the moment. The thought of
going to the Hospital first for stitches; because it was on his way home. Had
to be quickly squashed to the side, so that he didn’t drive over the edge of a
winding forest road.
Making it to pavement he turned west to
catch I-5. Feeling a bit better it wasn’t soon before he saw signs that things
weren’t right in the world. Twenty miles down the road he saw a fuel tanker
that had crashed into? The woods? Still in flames Marcus rushed over to check
the driver. A .44automag still pointed at what used to be the right side of his
head, Marcus jumped down and puked. He hadn’t eaten much, that made it hurt… he
returned to his car and checked his phone. No service… he should start to get
something soon he thought. A few more miles down the road he found a few shops
and corner stores. He was going to report the tanker but they were all closed,
one of them had its front window broken out. “What the hell?” Marcus said out
loud in his best redneck voice. The coming miles made him speed up. Worried
about Lori what he was seeing around him in small towns and roads along the way
looked like war zone or some kind of invasion. Fires burned in a dozen places
and wherever you looked cars were abandoned where they stood. Marcus noted more
than one that took the trucker’s way out. He sped home “forty-five minutes
honey” he said out loud. He began to feel the destruction and death and he cried.
Driving at nearly 90 in an old Subaru he kept uttering “Have to get to Lori.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lori was fine at home in the burbs with the
cat. She had a full pantry and more than a few survivalist neighbors. They got
the biggest woodies of their lives when they got a chance to set up a pseudo
military compound. She knew most of their wives and being this close to Joint
Base Lewis McChord what do you expect. The guys were mostly paper pushers who
have put in a tour or two a long time ago. They were really big pussycats but
even pussycats know how to use their claws Lori thought. They had four block parameters
set up and are even using old man Bruce’s Ham radio shack as an HQ. Bruce was always
yelling at them about federal laws and bandwidths. Oh Yeah she felt very safe, A
fire burning in the fireplace and a growing angst at Marcus for not being home
yet. Hobbes was in Marcus’s spot on the couch she instructed her furry child “yeah…
don’t let him have it when he gets home! Good boy!” She continued to look out
the window for him as she drank her coffee with hazelnut creamer. “C'mon honey
I am so worried about you” She whispered aloud.
Those very same words were going through
Marcus’s head as he sped dangerously down what was now akin to a demolition
derby. As he took his off ramp it got extremely worse. Blocked in he had to
back up to the main freeway, but was able to get off two exits down after
pushing a few smaller cars out of the way. It was better after he got away from
the arterials, he would take the back roads from there on. There were hundreds
of fires from what he could see. He would turn on the radio but it has not
worked since that road trip of ’04. He checked his phone again and still no
service. Now that was it! He was beyond freaking out he was in the middle of a
semi large city! He would have to come up with a word for this feeling later
on. He had to get to Lori. As he turned a corner near his house he had to slam
on the brakes. A few trucks had been parked to block the road and a few garbage
cans were set up in front of them, a sign reading “road closed” stretched
between them. A few guys with uniforms on and rifles started to approach him,
weapons ready. “Oh! Hi Marcus!” Marcus let out a huge sigh, it was his neighbor
directly across the street from him Mike Turner. He was a flight engineer at
the base but Marcus had never seen him in any kind of uniform before. “What’s
going on here? Have you seen Lori?” “Oh she’s fine at home waiting for you
probably… give me a second to move my truck. It’s been a real war zone since the
news” Mike continued. “What news?” Mike just raised his head and said ”Get home
to Lori, this is time for your loved ones. Take care! Bye!” with that Mike
moved his truck and let Marcus enter his own neighborhood. It looked like the
picture of calm, kids playing, dads grilling up burgers and dogs and the sun a
welcome visitor for this time of year. What the fuck is going on here? He must
have lost his freaking mind somewhere, or that fall was really messing with
him. Lori didn’t see him pull into the driveway, she was feeding Hobbes and
giving him treats. As he stepped through the door she rushed to him and hugged
him, no she was crushing him starting to cry. “Are you ok?” “Would someone tell
me what the fuck is going on!?” he begged. Anne started to take her hands away
from around him, not all the way and rested them on his waist. She was as
dumbstruck as she had ever been. Looking up at him she realized that he must
not know anything that has happened over the last four days or so because of
his hike. But wouldn’t he have found out on the way home? “I got so terrified
when I saw all of the destruction, I gunned it home to you as fast as I could”
he said just then, as if reading her thoughts. “How’s Hobbes? Is he ok?” she
laughed a small belly laugh, yeah this is her husband. “Oh he is fine!” she
replied, I think he is being a lump in the bed right now.” “Honey!” she finally
said to him “Sit down” she gave him an order and he knew that voice. It wasn’t
a mad order just something he had to do. She had no idea what or how she was
going to tell him the news, she didn’t even think it would be her doing it.
Marcus was always the one on top of all of the recent events and news. He knew
the most amazing facts about just about anything. Yet didn’t know when TMI had
set in during conversations with friends. Marcus sat there looking at her for the few
seconds her thoughts were floating around in her head. “Marcus? Do you remember
right before you left? When you made the joke about the asteroid?” “Yeah” he
said ever so slowly. “Well it was no joking matter Marcus… the thing is headed
right for us.” “What?” he said as if there had to be a mistake. He looked at
her and without words she reassured him that it was all true. “When?” “In about
three days or so” Lori replied. “They have it running live on a few channels,
mostly just a loop, everyone else is at their homes with their loved ones.” Lori said this almost as if she was proud that
people would want to do that at the end. The Internet was down as were most of
the cell phone towers. The local TV station was running the National Anthem
from the sixties that you would see at the end of the night before signing off,
they had it looped and playing for a day now. CNN was still live and showing
pictures of 2012da14, Mecca and St Peters Square. He found out all about
2012da14, the missile attempts and the timeline until impact. He found out why
the web was down, too many institutions trying to save their assets and
information all at the same time. Cisco routers were reportedly melting and
starting fires, servers were burning up too. Marcus was catching up with Lori
about everything else while watching the updates. He sat back on the couch and
being more than overwhelmed closed his eyes and instantly slept.
Chapter Seventeen
Anne and the others at NORAD had decided to
go home after all. the base was being mostly evacuated and there was nobody to
do half of the things necessary to run the place… placed on a skeleton crew so
to say. They were taken to their respective homes around the country. Landon
returned to his Mom and Dad in California. Dressed in his military jumpsuit
gear still, he felt like the soldier returning home a hero of sorts but losing
the war. They were proud of their son, surprised at his gumption, but proud.
They could go to church together as a family now and that made his Mother feel
whole and at peace.
Dr. Sandage was dropped off at his Connecticut
home after a flight on a Gulfstream G-5 a nicer one that was taking a few of
the higher ranking officer’s home as well. Not a drinker he was not about to
begin again now, but seeing the Majors and Generals down their whiskey gave him
a craving he hadn’t had this bad in thirty years. He opened the door to his
modest cottage on an acre of land, oh, he lamented for his gardens. There was
nobody home to welcome him except his cat Bastette, Marci his neighbor had kept
her promise to feed and watch after her, oh she and Gary. He was going to miss
them, her southern charm and his endless fishing tales. He sat in his ancient high back chair,
cracked and scratched at by Bastette and petted her going over his life and its
fullness.
After a certain point in life
one loses fear of death, death becomes the trivial. Life itself becomes a point
of stubbornness and not wanting to give up on whatever you are doing at the
time. He lit a fire in the fireplace and sat around and looked at the clutter
of his life. He closed his eyes and thought of the wonderful times he and his
late wife Sally had had. “See you soon Pookie, see you soon…”
As Anne pulled into the driveway of her family
home she had a rush of emotions. She had not been back in almost ten years
since her parent’s funeral. Her older brother still lived there and he was a
real piece of work living off of the system. She didn’t think he was depressed
or nuts like he told the state she just thought he should give up the drugs.
Her sister Jessica lived about a mile away and Anne and she were close. Jessica
took care of their little brother Barney. His real name was Thomas but somehow
over the years he became Barney. His Autism was a full time job for her and her
husband Matt.
The Airman driving the black SUV pulled
up behind Jessica’s minivan. Anne could see everyone about fifty feet ahead hugging
and shaking hands. Jessica must have just arrived as well… Anne looked down at
herself and laughed out loud.”Everything ok Ma’am?” the airman asked. “Oh yeah,
I always like to see family looking like G.I. Jane.” She was referring to the
jumpsuit with a few coffee stains that she was so graciously given by Uncle Sam
or Uncle Nick Dundee. He was in his dress uniform because he too was going home,
about two hours away, but he understood her meaning. She stepped out of the car
on the other side from the family Jessica’s minivan blocked them from seeing
her at first. As she rounded the corner of the minivan a huge scream, something
that sounded more like something was being killed than pure delight lept from
Barneys vocal chords. “Annie!!” Yes he was the only one on Earth allowed to
call her that, she despised the name since grade school. He ran his run over to
her and put out hug arms. Normally having an extreme aversion to being touched
or held, Jessica, Anne and now sometimes Matt were the only exceptions. Anne
knelt down and hugged him because he was terrified of leaving the ground. He
hugged her with almost straight arms but a hug is a hug and his were the best
kind. Jessica and Matt came over to greet her, her older brother Bart stood off
to the side. “Hey Bart” she mustered “Hey” he mustered back. They weren’t real
words, just sounds, but it was the most each has made to each other in years.
Yep bad blood, but that’s another story all together. They spent the evening
catching up and talking about Mom and Dad, Barney glued to Annie’s side. Bart
and Anne were cordial to each other but maybe shared three sentences and one of
those was “please pass the gravy.” Anne was glad she came home now and saw her
family, yes even Bart. There was so much more she wanted to share and let them
know, but the day had been long and the food too good. In these last days sleep
took her too soon.
Chapter Eighteen
Lori had let Marcus sleep. Even in the
weird position he was in she was afraid to wake him. By his snoring he was
really tired and she knew he didn’t think well when he was tired. She laughed
and wondered if tired had anything to do with it. She had made some pasta and
began walking over to him when he woke up; he looked like a train wreck. “Why
don’t you take a shower before dinner and we can see if that gash needs
stitches?” He had all but forgotten the cut on his leg from his climbing axe. He
was glad that he didn’t get any blood on the couch… it all struck him then…
everything…It wasn’t some Hollywood megahit story it was real! He wondered to
himself as he stripped and got into the shower if anyone had called Hollywood
for a solution to this? There had to be at least a dozen movies and books on
this subject over the last few years alone! As he climbed in the shower he
noticed the welts… the bug bites! They were everywhere and still had little
white tops on them. Eww these might kill him, was his first thought as he
directed his attention to the cut on his thigh. As if the cut and bites didn't
sting enough. There were the usual scratches aches and bruises that come with
what he loved to do. Lori had seen him many times come home with his legs and
arms looking like he got into a fight with a gang of blackberry bushes and
lost.
“Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!” Was his mantra as he finished up the
supposedly soothing shower. The cut on his leg didn’t look too bad after it was
cleaned up, he would have Lori look at it. They had some butterfly bandages
here somewhere. Lori had made some goop…
don’t take that wrong it was just a dish they throw together when they really
don’t want to cook. As she came into the bedroom Marcus was grabbing a shirt to
put on when she noticed the welts. “what the hell is that?” she asked
immediately going up to inspect his bare back. “What is that? Poison Ivy?”
“It’s some kind of bite I think?” “You think!?” she asked. “In all of the news
I forgot to tell you about my hike and my news as well. But it doesn’t seem
like a big thing now. Over dinner he told her the whole story…well almost the
whole story, the falling slowly bit he changed into - got down. He didn’t know
if she was aware that her lower jaw had dropped and stayed there for quite some
time. So he made the motion to her, she closed it, but a moment or two later it
went back to its hanging position. “I have a bunch of pictures on my camera!”
he said excitedly and went to get it, already done with his food. Turning on
the camera he was disappointed that he would have to charge it first to
download the pictures from it. He had to start up his computer as well.
Knowing this was going to take a while he told
Lori that he was going to go for a run to clear his head. He had not fully felt
like himself so far today and a run usually did him some good. Running may take
some of these toxins or whatever it was out of his system. Besides… Lori’s goop
was pure carbs.
Bowman was sitting in a small situation room
deep in the bowels of the White House. He was there with the Secretary of
Defense a few aides and his dog Opie. They were watching a few displays of
trajectories, failed nuke orbits and whatnot.”Where’s it going to hit?…Stanton?”
he had to turn to see the aides nameplate. “The latest numbers put it off the
west coast of Africa sir.” “And how long do we have til we’re dead son?” “About
a half hour after impact sir… and hour if we’re lucky” Petty Officer Stanton
replied. “Oh goody! Opie and I can watch an extra episode of the Simpsons! Wouldn’t
you like that boy?” the President rattled off obviously losing a bit of his
faculties in some way. The SecDef looked at him and wondered what took him so
long, good man, good President.
They were just finishing up
another bottle of Johnny Walker Red waiting for the world to end. It seemed sad
to see them this way P.O. Stanton thought. Mankind could have done much better
than they have so far.
Lori applied two medium butterfly bandages
to the cut on his leg, then covered the whole thing with a big adhesive patch.“Are
you sure you want to go for a run with this?” She asked knowing the answer
already. “Yeah! I have to clear my head and get this funk out of my system.”
Lacing up his battered running shoes he started off on his normal route. But
nothing about it felt normal, the neighborhood had been transformed into some
kind of compound and “Oh Shit! Is that a howitzer?” Sure enough someone had
sandbagged a howitzer smack dab into the middle of a traffic circle. It was
twilight and it looked as if there was a old fashioned brown out. Add a few
rolls of razor wire and a Duisenberg or two, and you would have a perfect set
for a scene from any number of WWII era movies. It was eerie to see it all this
way and know that in a few short days it would all be gone… completely wiped
out of the universe. There was also something else going on that was eerie, his
chest, no his face, everything on his body felt, felt… furry? He looked down
and no, there was no hair there. But the contact with the wind he was having
didn’t feel like it was hitting his skin, but rather some kind of….fur. He
started running faster to try to shake it off. But that’s when IT happened. He
started to take longer and longer strides and soon found himself airborne…. Not
flying not running. It completely freaked him out and made him stop any motion
at all. Now, coming down slowly to the ground. He reminded himself again that
he had to come up with a word for this feeling of being beyond freaked out and
overwhelmed. “What just happened?” he said out loud as if someone was right
there and going to tell him, with perfect logic the answer. So he did next what
any guy in America would do he jumped forward like Superman, hands ahead and a
full facial waiting to happen...and it did!
“That freakin hurt!” he said
aloud again to his new invisible buddy. Then it came to him, he was brilliant!
He had to take three steps first, like Superman yeah that’s the ticket! Picking
himself off the ground for a second time in five minutes and checking the road
rash on his heels of his palms. He started to return home, he still had that
fuzzy feeling when he ran, but he soon got used to it.
Chapter Nineteen
Marcus was about three blocks from home and
passing his fourth neighborhood guard. This one for the second time, when his
gash started to really hurt. He pictured his front door and thought that he
would like to be able to fly home. And so he did!… he came off the ground with
a step or two and began to rise up over the houses head tilted slightly
forward. He felt a pressure from parts of his body that would be the control
surface if he were a plane. He landed in front of his house in just a few
moments and landed like he was placed down by the Jolly Green Giant, not too
easy… it hurt his knees a bit. He turned to go inside and tell Lori what had
happened but he was afraid it would break whatever spell he was under. He
wanted to do it again! That 12 year old boy never left Marcus, and that’s what
made Lori adore him so much.
He tried to do it again and nothing happened,
noooo! He thought it can’t be over so soon. He took off jogging again, going
over in his mind what he did to trigger it. The Superman approach was
definitely out, Lori is going to think I like hurting myself. It occurred to
him then that he pictured his home and wanted to fly there. In a second he had
sorted through a dozen places he could picture, and none of them were where he
wanted to go. They could be burning, people around, or just about anything. He
decided on his childhood home, his Father long since passed. His Mother living
with his brother in a house his brother built for her. But the old house was
still there and he pictured it and imagined flying there. Within seconds he was
airborne again and moments later his knees once again took the brunt of his
landing. “Ouch” he said again out loud this time in front of his childhood
home. There were a few older folks on the front porch looking down at him when
he landed, they didn’t say a word or even bat an eye. “Time to go in dear!” Was
all that the elderly woman said to her husband as he continued to stare at
Marcus. The old man followed her inside without his eyes ever leaving Marcus’s.
It was getting very dark for there were few if any streetlights working in this
part of town. He “flew” home using the same method as he did the first time and
his knees were screaming for ice by the third landing. Even though he felt a
“furry” feeling he was anything but warm when he hit the winds.
At NORAD Bennett was watching it all as well,
seeing just what the President was seeing. He was disgusted at the whole nuke
mess with the operation he was in charge of organizing. “They didn’t even allow
us time to come up with a viable plan, we may have come up with something!” He
was speaking to one of the Officers still on duty. He was listening but pretty
much ignoring him focusing on his work even in times like these. Bennett didn’t
mind losing, he just hated not being given a fair chance to play. “What was up
with those Chinese?” he asked the Lieutenant who just sat quietly still
shrugging his shoulders. Bennett knew he was just talking to himself but he
didn’t care. “What was their game? If nobody is here then who cares who has the
biggest pile of sticks left over.” He just didn’t get it, any of it. So he
retired himself to this hobbit hole to watch the last greatest show on Earth.
As he rose from grabbing both knees with his
hands Marcus got it. His head started spinning and a million little pieces of
thoughts came to him in one gigantic…What if? Lori did not see him come home
she was using the bathroom. He bounded in the door out of breath and grabbing
his thighs. “Fly!”… gasp “Fly!”… gasp Marcus said to her. She looked at him
with her usual “Are you being funny or really losing it this time?” look.
Stopping just long enough to get enough air to say the three words he was
trying to. He stammered once again “I can fly!” Lori had her answer… he had
actually lost it for real. “Clothes! I need my ski suit! and gloves! Go! Go!” He
ordered her… He ordered her? What the hell was this about? She thought. But
when he talks like that he means it. Not in a menacing way but an important way.
She went to the closet, being a Virgo she knew where everything in the entire
house was and probably had a list of it too.
Marcus ran into the bedroom and put on some heavy socks. It was a chilly
night Marcus was not thinking about the surface temperature but the ones up a
few feet. “Oh, if this works!” he said to nobody; except Hobbes who looked at
him with his ever curious gaze.
“Here it is” she said as she
placed it on the bed next to him. “Marcus I’m worried about you! I know none of
this is easy to accept. But I am afraid your head got broke somehow honey?” She
said in almost like she was talking to a child. As he pulled on the suit and
looked around for his heavy boots he said “c’mon!” and pulled her with him down
the stairs and out the front door. “I don’t know?… so don’t ask just watch!” He
started a slow jog and pictured his neighbor’s house at the end of the block.
Like clockwork he was flying at what seemed to him an easy pace, but to Lori it
was at a different speed altogether. Jaw agape, and trying to actually take
mental snapshots. Marcus landed down the street and ran up to her hugging her
and screaming about how great it was.
Lori didn't know what to think really, she just sat on the wet lawn head
in hands, trying to accept what her eyes just told her. Marcus was right beside
her making sure she was ok “Honey?” he said. “It will all be ok!” in that
reassuring voice she needed to hear.
Chapter Twenty
For the next hour or so Marcus took his plan
into the backyard. Picturing different parts of town at first and different
towns next, his flying worked. But he must have left before they gave him the
magic long johns. He had some on, but he was still too cold. He tried hopping
in his car and trying it, but he got nada. As he was sitting there looking at
his laughing Buddha bobble doll on his dash, the thought came to him.
Returning to the house he found Lori awake. She
was lying down on the sofa with a towel over her forehead like she did when she
had a migraine. He found the roll of commercial size plastic wrap that he got
from the local restaurant supply store. He had no idea why anyone would buy
that home use stuff. Taking it all into the bathroom he stripped down to his
skivvies. Then began wrapping himself up like he was either a very modern
Egyptian, or too cheap to afford a spa treatment. He wrapped it carefully,
wanting to get double layers and cover sensitive areas the most. When he “flew”
he not only felt the fuzzy but he also felt a just a tiny bit of pressure from
the welts. He knew early on they had to be a part of this. “OK!” he said as he
looked at himself in the mirror “plastic man!” He pulled on his remaining
undergarments and ski suit and as he walked outside to try it again, he saw her.
Lori just laying there sleeping… what he wouldn’t do for her… A look of
determination crossed his face and he headed back out to the garage. He grabbed
his helmet and bike gloves and laced on his heavier biker boots. It was hard
for him to move around very easy and some of the wrappings were cutting into
his skin. But something changed in him when he looked down at his wife. Finding
a sharpie he scribbled down a note on a few pieces of paper towels. Honey…I
love you more than you know, I will be back as soon as I can, I have to try.
Bunches and lots - Goofy.
He put it on the counter in
the kitchen and scooped up his boy Hobbes and said “You are the man of the
house for now bud!” Marcus scratched his head gave him a few treats, and closed
the door softly behind him. Outside he scraped up every ounce of guts and
courage he could muster. Checked his zippers and began to run as best as he
could. Closing his eyes he pictured the one place… the first place he had to go…
The White House, Washington D.C…. Lori was gonna be pissed.
Chapter Twenty One
He still felt the fuzziness under the
plastic wrap. The pressure from the welts a little greater, but he was going
there. He had wrapped his hiking compass just under one layer of wrap and
checked his direction. “Yep!” it said he was going right there, East South East.
He also noticed that he could
speed up and slow down a bit if he thought about it. He was freezing still but
was determined to get there hell or frost bite. Noticing it got a bit warmer
when he put his hands out in front of him, creating an air pocket of sorts he
did this off and on, but his arms got tired of it and soon he just gave up. He
started out at ten pm from Western Washington he arrived two hours later at
Three a.m. Eastern.
Marcus had no idea what to expect or who or
what might be there when he landed. He soon found out in his trials that he
could save his knees from being rocked every time. He just thought about going
down a bit more gently.
There were people camped out all over the
place and a barricade keeping people from getting too close to the grounds.
Armed guards were everywhere, great! I get to get shot! Marcus thought. Closer
to the White House itself though he noticed that the guards were in dress
uniforms, and standing right next to the doors. They didn’t have their combat
gear on and were noticeably more relaxed. I guess having the entire Army in
front of you probably did that for them, it would work for me! He thought to
himself. Being in a dark green ski suit with helmet and biker boots he was hard
to see from the ground, even for these trained professionals. He decided to
ditch the helmet on an antenna on the roof. Then he would lower down slowly In
front of the blonde dude, by the glass doors in the back of the White House. He
always dreamed to see D.C. and it was on Lori’s and he’s wish list… scratch one
of us off of that he noted.
Knowing full well what this
was going to look like. Marcus prepared himself to be shot, beaten, tazered and
any other gruesome thing one has done to them… when they violate federal laws
in front of the guys there to enforce them. He also thought that it was going
to look like some scene from an Austin Powers movie. “A guy in a green ski suit
shows up and says take me to your leader!” rimshot… He got above the guy and
lowered himself down. Making just enough noise as not to alarm the guy too much.
“I’m not an enemy” he began saying again and again as Marcus’s blonde buddy and
his friend took him down and hogtied him. Both were looking at each other with
huge ass eyes because they saw the same thing… this dude just flew down here! “I
need to see the President. I think I can help!” Marcus said it twice because he
didn’t remember saying it the first time, he was blacking out. These guys were
good.
“He what!?” President Bowman screamed across
the room at a pitch that sounded a little too high for a world leader. “He flew
down from the sky and said he had to see you!” Said his right hand protector
Agent Witte, assigned to him from the Secret Service when he first began to
campaign. “What do you mean he flew down?” Bowman asked as if this was some
kind of trick question to see if he was capable of performing his duties. He
knew he had snapped somewhere, so he was really just questioning himself at
that point. “He flew down slowly, like drifted down and our men subdued him
immediately.” “He said he needed to see you and that he was not an enemy” Agent
Witte continued. “Then he started muttering something about being a cook or
something before he blacked out.” “He blacked out?” Bowman quizzed. “Yeah… our
guys are on edge as it is and this guy just dropped like a sack when he was
taken down.” “Where is he now?” the President asked. “He’s in a detention room
in the basement sir.” “Oh! Sir? He was wrapped in plastic wrap! Freaking
nutcase if you ask me.” “But he flew down?” the President repeated in somewhat
of a question to Agent Witte as his guard left the room. “President ha!” Bowman said to himself still tipsy from a
long bout of Johnny Walker Red. He felt so defeated at that point, he had for
the last few days. He was crumbling inside and out and couldn’t stop it. “Flew
in?” he said as he laid his head against the back of his chair… “Plastic wrap?”
ha!
Marcus came to a few minutes after being
brought into a small room with a bench in it. It had a shower stall on the
other side of a tile wall, and he was forcibly and carefully stripped down.
“Compass!” one agent said to the other as they removed the piece of plastic
with a pair of scissors. He could see that he was not getting his clothes back.
Scissors were these kids’ favorite toy and everything is being cut away from
him. They jumped back when they saw the welts “possible biologic!” One barked
as they left the room and closed him in. Standing naked it was cold in there
too…
He took the opportunity to
try to yell through the reinforced glass window at them. But they were busy
doing something else; they were running around taking off their clothes. Ah! They
think I am toxic or something. It crossed his mind then that maybe he was… he
didn’t know? He had welts all over his body that he believed to be bites of
some kind, but he didn’t know if he was going to die from them. “It’s just some
bug bites!” he managed to say in a voice loud enough that he thought they could
hear. They didn’t, and he sat on the bench then he decided to take a hot
shower. It was more like a warm one but it would have to do.
Chapter Twenty Two
Lori woke up with a raging headache, something
that was happening all to frequent lately for her liking. She called out for
Marcus then headed to the kitchen to start some coffee and look for some
aspirin. She had started the coffee, first things first she thought. As she
turned to look for the aspirin she noticed the paper towel note. “What the?”
she read it, and again as her head pounded like she had been on a bender last
night. She sat down with the note at the kitchen table. She just stared at it
forgetting the aspirin she needed for the moment.
As she waited for the coffee
to finish she snapped out of it long enough to grab the aspirin and take a few.
Wishing that they would work instantly but knowing they won’t. She poured
herself some coffee and sat down again with her head in her hands… she couldn’t
cry she was all tear’d out. Her head was pounding her husband was gone, and
losing his mind she thought, deserting her at the end of the world. Jumping up
on her lap Hobbes gave her an almost eerie all too knowing a look and a tear
did start to fall from her eye.
She sat there for the longest time petting
Hobbes going over the events of the last day in her mind, it hurt. She
remembered that before he went for his run Marcus was going to show her some
cool pictures from his hike. Checking his gear it was all ready to go. It took
her a minute to find the right place to view the pictures. She looked at the
thumbnails of different video and picture files, there were a hundred of them
at least. She clicked on the first file, a movie, and just like the Virgo she
was. Decided to go through every single one from the beginning, to figure out
what had happened to her husband.
The water didn’t last long and Marcus was now
there wet and cold. Standing naked in front of a fogged up security window. He heard
a click and the sound of a fan coming on, a few seconds later the door opened. Just
enough to toss a towel and a robe onto the bench and the door closed. He took
the hint; he dried himself off and put on the robe a very nice one he noted. He
then proceeded to adeptly draw a happy face on the steam on the window.
The door opened again and he stepped out to
find the two agents or whoever. They were in white jumpsuits with hoods, facial
masks and gloves. They swabbed at his arm with a couple of Q-tip things and put
them in test tubes. Also a couple of pieces what looked like scotch tape, torn
quickly away and placed into a plastic container. They showed him the door back
into the holding cell. He waited only about fifteen minutes when the door
opened again. and he heard “Mr. Downs, this way please.” He was led out of the
booking room? Then led down a long ugly green hall to an open metal door.
“Inside!” Was all that was said and he stepped through… it was an atypical
interrogation room. Table in the middle, two chairs and a large mirrored window
on one side … same ugly green.
Behind the open door but out of sight came an
order “sit down!” Captain Dean Kenny, 25 year veteran of the Capital Police
Force and the current holder of the on-call phone barked at him. Marcus sat down and began to speak; he was
interrupted before he made a sound.
“Don’t say a word, here’s the deal” he said
through his handlebar moustache. “You are going to walk out of here in that
nice white robe they provided. You are then going to go home or wherever you
came from. Ok?” It was not a suggestion. He continued “I don’t know what kind
of whack job you are, or why you are here, but there are just too few hours
left for me to have to deal with a lunatic punk at the end of the world!” “Get
the hell outta here! Now!” He yelled. Marcus just looked at him with a patient
look on his face. Unfazed by being yelled at like that… he was a cook! What
Captain Kenny did was considered casual banter in the restaurant industry. “Are
you done?” Marcus calmly asked him. Captain Kenny was getting even more
frustrated that the guy just didn’t get it. Marcus was taking up more of his
time, swung the chair forcibly up to the table. Its back towards Marcus, he sat
backwards in it, looked at Marcus and said “What?!” Marcus fired back with his
own rambling rant “I’m not nuts! I found out I could fly yesterday! I don’t
want my wife to die! I thought I could help! I NEED a Spacesuit!” Capt. Kenny
sat there for a few seconds and said “Tell that to me again...slowly.” Marcus
spent the next five minutes giving a rundown of what had happened and his idea.
Staccato speech out of nerves … he was just now hearing this out loud not just
in his head. “It’s cold up there! And I don’t know if I have any other
abilities or be able to breathe up there?” “What the FUCK have you got to
lose!?” Marcus pounded the table as hard as he could a few times, then realized
that this is not a good place for that. “You can fly huh?” a disbelieving grin
came over Kenny’s face. Looking up at Marcus from the hunched over position he
was seated in. “O” was about all Kenny got from his lips next before a crackle
and pop of an ancient intercom system overrode everything. They heard “He’s
right, what the fuck do we have to lose! Let him prove it! And if he can give
him everything he needs.” Marcus did not recognize the voice through the radio,
Captain Kenny did, it was President Bowman.
Chapter Twenty Three
Lori at first was looking at the same
pictures Marcus always took. She had finished up her first cup of coffee and
fed the cat, showered and changed. She went back to the laptop with her second
cup. Headache subsiding a bit Lori found the place she left off. Yeah more
streams, bushes crashing into camera (that same exact sequence of the leaves
hitting the camera was in every one of his hiking folders she swore). Climbing
video? Oh she was upset with him because she told him to take it easy. Then
some weird dark pictures; Ok it was a…a cave? “Wow! Look at that!” She said to
herself as the close-ups of the trail markers and pictographs started to be
revealed one after another. She had to look a couple of times at the first
pictures of the dark cavern he fell into. She knew he fell into one… but this! This
was beautiful! She saw the colors in the flash pictures and the blue water. She
saw the whisps of gas and glowing orbs? So much had happened over the last few
days she doesn’t remember him talking about the orbs but he could have? She thought.
When she saw the pictures of the paintings and pictographs she got excited. They
both shared a curiosity with the ancient and one of Marcus’s favorite shows was
Ancient Aliens. A show about mankind’s possibly forgotten or misplaced history.
Some of it was a hoot Marcus thought but it brought up some good points. She remembered he had a few coffee table type
books with some cave paintings in them. But…It was funny? For the life of her
she couldn’t remember where they were? She finished looking at the pictures and
began looking for where she thought the books should be. She wished she could
get a hold of Jonathan, he would know something for sure. But who knew anything
anymore in this dying world, she sighed.
Almost as soon as the intercom crackled off
the door opened. In walked two huge guys. Agents Witte and Sanchez “We got this
from here Dean” Sanchez said; as if it needed to be said at all. As Captain
Kenny left Sanchez made sure to let him know that Deans wife and kids were in
his prayers. Dean nodded “as well my friend.” and he was gone.
Agent Witte grabbed Marcus by the arm and half
pulled him up and said “let’s go!” they only went about thirty feet to a couple
of double doors and they were outside. “Here ya go! Fly away!” The burly agent
said to Marcus dripping with sarcasm and looking like he was gonna get hurt if Marcus
couldn’t produce. Marcus was still cold but pictured the outbuilding… about one
hundred yards away and began to start jogging. ”Hold on there!” Sanchez piped
out. “Fly…?” “This is just the way it works!” Marcus replied in some sorry to
disappoint you tone of voice. It’s Five a.m. and dressed in just a robe he
started it again and off he went… fuzzy feeling at all, to the outbuilding. To
Marcus he felt and thought he just floated over there. But just as Lori
witnessed; Agents Witte and Sanchez with their jaws around their waistline saw
him move much faster.
As
Marcus reversed the process Agent Witte was already on his earpiece. He was
talking to the President affirming the little fuck could fly! President Bowman
then told Witte “That little “Fuck” as you call him may be the biggest “Fuck”
in history!” Witte laughed, it was all meant in good humor and he knew that
somehow some part of his friend the President, had come back. Witte turned to
Marcus with a shit eating grin on his face, Sanchez was smiling as well “What
do you need son? sky’s the limit!” They all laughed at the unintended but
perfectly appropriate pun.
The President was already calling in some
Military advisors and the heads of many of the Nation’s top agencies. Also
quite a number of them which very few knew about as well. “My plan just needs a
spacesuit” Marcus said calmly. Sanchez relayed the message to someone on the
other end of his…hand? “Can I get some clothes?” Marcus then asked the still
mystified and stunned agents.
Why do you have to be so fussy Miss Luci?
Crischill (Crissy) Norton, asked her almost three month old daughter Lucillia.
Luci was in her car seat and her Mom was looking for her car keys and
cigarettes. Crissy had just received a call at oh god thirty from her boyfriend’s
brother Jake. His commander had called them all in and she was the only tech
that answered their call. This particular team had communications abilities
that were let’s just say… off the grid. “Baker said now!” Jake yelled into the
phone as he hung it up, saying it loud enough for Colonel Josh Baker to hear
that he got ahold of her. “Jake?” Baker barked, “She’ll be in sir!” he barked
back, thinking that she better. His brother just got in from NORAD and they are
staying at his place for the “End.” The Vice President himself had called
Colonel Baker and gave him the orders. The President had to have deniability about
this group, commonly known as a “Black Op.” The Vice President did not, nor did
he even care at this point. “Give this guy all that ya got! and let’s see if
the bastard can do it?”
“You there, stop! Strip down!” Agent Witte
ordered some poor office type worker or aide or whatever he was. He walked
right up and over the guy and stared at him. The guy was about the same size as
Marcus, with a terrifying and man card shredding shriek he fell to a fetal
position and started removing his clothes. “I think I’ll go commando on this
one guys!” Marcus said feeling horrible for the scared man child giving up
his...Ralph Lauren suit. “Good taste!” Marcus said to him he pulled on the guys
pants and threw him the robe he was wearing. Sanchez said “Benning!” to Agent
Witte as he motioned at Marcus with his head. “We have to get you to Fort
Benning kid!” Witte said as he stood up from kneeling with the guys shoes in
his hands. Marcus just looked at the shoes and shook his head “14 ½!” Daniel
Witte tossed the shoes back down to the guy. “Sorry about all this” he said.
Sanchez; “We have a fast mover ready at Dulles now.” Marcus chimed in and said
“I think I can make it there faster on my own guys.” “I just need to know what
the place looks like that I am going to and the general direction… this flying
thing seems to do most of the work.” Looking down at the poorly fitting
designer suit he added “I’m gonna be cold.”
Sanchez snapped his fingers
and started off towards the nearest office. Finding a computer he entered a
pass code or something and Googled Ft. Benning - Columbus Georgia. Marcus was a
little surprised at how well his large mitts deftly worked the keyboard. He
brought up a few images before he stopped on one and said “Right there kid!”
and pointed to a building that he had zoomed in on. Witte took off his coat and
handing it to Marcus said “It isn't much kid but it may help a bit?” Marcus
grabbed the coat gratefully and started for the exit they just came in from. Almost
running he hit the bar on the door, and before he hit the few steps a mere
three feet away he was in the air...freezing!
Chapter Twenty Four
Colonel Baker was in charge of a small,
elite and very new kind of military unit. Still very much in the experimental
stages but thought about for decades. Technology and engineering had finally
caught up with imagination, and so it would also seem… Hollywood. The United
States spends more on “defense” than all other countries combined. Forever
preparing for some war scenario or another. This is one of their answers.
S.O.A.P. - Solo Orbital Armament Platform. There were only a dozen of them made
and half of them were constantly in the shop. Costing billions to produce each,
they were on the cut side of spending. But since there was a current government
shutdown going on (a huge partisan spat in the capital), they had not yet been
formally re-assigned. They were not a typical unit coming from different
branches and agencies. But that was all in the guise and it made them disappear
on paper. Baker would be home with his wife and kids if he hadn’t heard exactly
what the Vice President said. He wasn’t here out of duty or honor anymore. What
he heard in that call was that there was a chance! Dammit! He did not hold in
his beliefs that whoever was in charge would not give us one last chance! He
was fearful for his children and wife… he wanted to keep fighting. If there was
a chance any kind at all, he would go to any length he could. He had to get it
together… half the team is here and he was waiting on this guy to “Fly” in.
He had briefed the ones that were there and
watched their reaction. Their jaws dropped at the same time when he told them
the story… and the plan. Major Jake Manginelli; Just “Jake” to everyone, was
one of the squad’s lead officers. Bored he glanced out of the glass room
attached to the top of the hangar at the big doors. “What the frack?” What he just saw was a guy in a
business suit with no shoes on, and what appeared like a cape. He landed in
front of the hangar then crumpled to the ground immediately. “Sir? I think he’s
here?” he said in a poltergeist movie tone. A few of the team already on the
hangar deck ran over to the motionless figure. No, he was moving; he was just
shivering in the fetal position not able to move much. “Medic!” one of them
yelled into the medic’s ear who was coming up right behind him. The medic, a Woman
Doctor really looked right at the guy and said “present” in a monotone voice.
Marcus had never been this cold… they rushed him onto a stretcher and into one
of the back rooms of the hangar used for quarters.
Jessica just went right into her sister’s
childhood room, left untouched since she went off to college. She knew Mom and
Dad didn’t touch it out of respect toward her. But she didn’t know if it was
creepy or nice that Bart hadn’t done anything with it. It took Anne a moment to
gather herself, where she was, who was yelling at her, about what. “That air
guy needs you downstairs NOW!” “Wha?” Anne got out. “That guy that dropped you
off is at the front door, he says he needs to see you NOW!” Jessica didn’t talk
to her sister like that. Anne grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her
while she hurried past her sister. At the bottom of the stairs the door was
open. Barney was flying around in his Superman cape in front of the Airman,
standing at parade rest in the doorway. “Ma’am I have orders from Bennett that
you must return to NORAD immediately.” The Airman reported as soon as he caught
sight of her coming down the stairs. “What the hell for?” she quizzed in her
best “I haven’t had my coffee yet!” snarl of womanhood.
“I just know what I just told
you ma’am” the Airman was too polite. “Well you can tell Agent Bennett that I
will be in on Wednesday!” This was Sunday morning… impact was due Monday
evening. “He did say something else I guess?” “What” The Airman looked confused
a bit at the ground by his shoes looking for the words that Bennett used “Oh! That’s
it! He said there was a chance, and a plan.” In that moment Anne had to make
the split second choice of whether she was going to give up or try harder.
“Ma’am?” the Airman was looking for an answer. Anne turned to see her little
sister and little brother there, and their courage, that’s all it took. “Give
me five” Anne replied in an authoritative voice. She ran upstairs to change
into some real clothes this time. When she came down the stairs she stood for a
second looking at them. “I have to go… I have to try!” she said as she hugged
them. Jessica was proud of her sister for not giving up; her sister felt the
same about her. “Bye Barney! Bye Mouse!” and she was off in the Black SUV
speeding away. After she got about a quarter of the way down the road Barney
said “Bye Annie!” As he watched the truck until it was out of sight.
The squad had tossed him into
a hot shower and proceeded to strip him down. He felt very violated in a sense
that twice in the last eight hours a group of men...and a woman! Oh dear! have
stripped him down. The men saw the welts and reflexively backed away from
Marcus. The woman… the Doctor knelt down to look at them. “We just got the labs…
nothing harmful.” The men noticeably relaxed. Holding out her hand in a womanly
fashion, she said”Captain Kyra Ripley, M.D.” Marcus reached for her hand
embarrassed for his nudity. “Nice to meet you Doctor Ripley” and shook it while
still shivering up a storm. A dark red complexion on his face as well. “Don’t
worry… I’ve seen it all!” she said as she took his pulse. She stood up after a
moment saying “He’s all yours! He’ll be fine, just keep him warm” and the Amazonian
beauty was gone. Jake had sized him up when they threw him into the shower. Jake
had already retrieved some BDU’s for him and some clean underwear. As Marcus
was shivering and getting himself dressed Colonel Baker walked in. “What’s in
your head? How is this gonna work?” Baker had to know these things first. He
was a full off plan it out and plan it four times more type of leader, he did
not make mistakes. “I have a plan too” Baker added “If what you say you can do?
you can do, this might just work.” Baker wasn’t one to smile at work but
something inside told him to be optimistic.
Chapter Twenty Five
As Baker was leading him out of the door
Jake showed up and told Marcus to come with him. There was little time and a
lot Jake had to teach him. He was led into an open service elevator on the far
side of the hangar. And down they went, Marcus just rolling with it and waiting
to see the cool stuff. It was just a boiler room! Marcus was more than kind of
disappointed but in the far side of the room. Past the steaming pipes and
sounds of fans was a playground Marcus could really get into. Ha! He thought at
the irony of how he just phrased that.
In the open expanse that must have held a huge old furnace or something
was a lab, and something else… doors? “Ok just get me into a suit and get me up
to the ground!” Marcus said eager to get this over with. His brilliant plan was
scaring him more and more and his fear body putting up a heck of a fight. “Not
so fast!” Jake said. Like Marcus had just insulted his entire family and his dog
as well. “You are going to be in MY suit, it’s the only one tall enough for you.”
“But you are not my size and we have to do some adjusting.” He said those
things very calmly and instructive then burst around and blurted. “You think
this is easy? That all I have to do is shoot bad guys? You have to know a
shitload of things to use this suit!” Marcus felt that Jake was offended that
someone would just step in and try to do his job! Deep down Jake felt sorry for
Marcus and wanted to go himself to save the skinny old man. “What are you
yelling about now?” came a girl’s voice from the end of the boiler entrance.
Crissy Norton was standing there with an
unlit cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a kid in a car carrier kiltered to
one side of her body as she looked in on the two. Dressed in lace up stiletto
heels and pink leggings, a lavender tutu, and a ripped black t-shirt, the girl
with the jet black hair was still in her white bathrobe. “Hey Crissy… glad you
could make it!” was said with enough sarcasm to induce a scowl from her. Holy
crap, cosply anyone? Shot through Marcus’s head.
She set baby Luci in her
carrier beside the couch checked her binky and turned. “You fucker! You
couldn’t get coffee going yet?” “We just got here! I haven't had time yet!”
Jake said knowing that he should get it started so that she could get her work
done. Marcus noting that Jake’s last name was Italian so the yelling wasn’t
misunderstood. The baby far enough away, Crissy bit at the filter of her cigarette,
pulled it out and placed half of it back into the tube before lighting it. Tossing
the other half of the filter onto the floor, with the other dozen or so dust bunnies
of cotton. “Have they met yet?” she asked Jake. “Not yet, we just got here and
haven't had the time.” Clicking on the coffee maker he motioned for Marcus to
come with him.
He walked up to a futuristic
looking doorway of some kind and reached inside his shirt for his tags. Taking
one out and holding against a red pad and using a retina display at the same
time. Marcus heard a tone and a series of clicks and hisses. The door opened
and inside was S.O.A.P. IV; Marcus was going back to that Hollywood connection
thing again because this was out of this world.
“His window is really shrinking fast!”
Bennett said to President Bowman from NORAD. Dr. Kelly was on her way but had
not arrived yet. Bennett was doing some heavy thinking about gravity and pull.
His astrophysics scores in college were less than average at best, because he
never took it.
“He’s at Benning with Baker, check
in with him” Bowman said as he hung up. Bennett was reaching for his cell phone
when Anne showed up. “What’s the plan?” she said as she put down her purse and
coat. “The plan is a flying man” he said flatly. Anne was crushed… what kind of
crap was this! “Watch this!” Bennett said as he watched her face turn red. It
was a few second video from the front of the S.O.A.P. hangar at Benning. It
showed Marcus coming down to the ground and crumpling. Anne looking unfazed
replied “So someone fell out of the sky?” And this! Bennett added sharply as he
clicked the mouse again. It was another short clip of the same guy. Was he
homeless? She was thinking. “This was taken at the White House a half hour
earlier.” It showed the homeless looking guy start to jog and...Fly off? Anne’s
jaw was hanging open it seems to be a human condition, this hanging of jaws.
“He is getting into a spacesuit and going to
fly up there and save us!” Bennett said as if he were reciting a fairy tale to
a small child with that syrupy goo of fake sincerity. “Where did he come from? Why
only now?” The second of Anne’s questions more of a cry. “He is a cook from
Seattle; named Marcus Downs; wife Lori.” He then rattled off Marcus’s rap sheet
going back to when he was five. He was suspected of burning down the garage of
a home across the street from his, up to his DUI just a few years earlier.
“He’s nobody! What the fuck?” Bennett said frustrated. Anne was going back over
the video a few more times thinking it was a trick… nope she thought. Same
homeless dude. “He is going to be “in flight” by 1700 hours. We need to get
some numbers together or this guy might just speed up our demise.” “Let’s get
to work!” It was an order and one that for some reason was more than happy to
comply with. A frozen close up image of Marcus still on the big screen. She
looked up and inside said humbly ‘May the meek inherit the Earth… save us
homeless dude…’
Chapter Twenty Six
“Robert Downey Jr. Much?” Marcus laughed
as he saw the humongous suit. “Really?” he looked at Jake who had heard it all
before and had his reply down. “The Solo Orbital Armament Platform …Mark Four is
based on a design that mankind has been improving on since the Middle Ages.” This
must be in the brochure Marcus thought. Jake continued the tough sell “The
concept of this suit has been in the design mode for over sixty years. Inspired
by warfare operations and previous orbital experience. The S.O.A.P. unit is by
far the most advanced military vehicle in history.” “That only can be used in
orbit! and they scrubbed the shuttles!” Crissy gleefully chimed in, almost
elated at the moronic irony of the military industrial complex. “This unit has
more technology than the space shuttle!” Jake bit back defensively. “So does my
Dell dude!” she piped. Jake knew when to stop turning her up, unless he wanted
to hear it for the rest of the day. He would let his brother deal with that
one. “And it comes with the best panties!” she added as she was opening a
control cover on the right thigh of the suit. “Oh yeah, that may be a problem?”
Jake looked like he had something else to say but didn’t know how. “I’ll make
him a set!” Crissy eagerly said. “You just go ahead and do that.” Jake replied
as he turned to Marcus who was still looking at the suit. Wondering what the
hell they were getting at? “She’s gonna have to take a scan of your junk sir.”
“Huh?” Marcus looked like he didn’t know what junk meant, but he was just kind
of shocked. “She is going” Jake started to repeat himself when Marcus cut him
off “I know what that means! But why?”
“The S.O.A.P. unit is fully recycling sir, able
to operate for up to fourteen days by itself. Your waste is part of that system.”
”Fourteen days but only forty minutes of fuel time!” Crissy added. Then asked
“Are you gay? Or Bi?” “What? No!” Marcus sniped back.”Crissy!” Jake cut her off
forcibly. “I was just gonna say that it makes it a bit easier!” she almost
whimpered. “Enough!” Jake ended it there. He continued to show Marcus the
different tools and their locations Marcus realized then that this really was a
war suit. Weapons and gear was laid out on the table in front of them Jake
removing most of it. He showed Marcus the grappling tether and poppers that he
was going to have available at least.
As she went back to the other side of the
lab to get the 3-D scanner warmed up Marcus turned to Jake and asked him what
the deal is with her? Turns out she was one of those geniuses that was not even
twenty-one yet. Who… as Jake tells it… has repaired or improved and in some
instances, completely redesigned the fancy plans that they sent with the units
that didn't work. “These work because of her and her alone” Jake said with a
sigh, like it was a curse that came with the job. Marcus smiled at him and said
“I just love family” as a jab at Jake who cracked a smile then and continued to
open up the suit cavity. Baker arrived
just about then “We have a deadline. 16:30 airborne. Anything after that and
the Earth’s gravity will have too much pull. How are we doing here?” “On
schedule sir!” Manginelli answered sharply. Colonel Joshua Baker spent the
longest time right then just checking Marcus out without saying a word. Then
cocked his head… smiled and said “Carry on men, carry on” as he turned and left
through a cloud of steam.
Lori
found the books finally underneath a large clipboard that Marcus uses to sketch
on in his den. She looked through them with her third cup of coffee of the day;
she found a few that matched up with his pictures. The petroglyphs, pictographs
and cave paintings in the book were from all over the world and of varying
ages. The Lascaux Cave Paintings from France were the centerpiece of course.
But as she was trying to match up more than just the water glyph and hand glyph
that were common, she couldn’t find much more that matched. Checking Marcus’s
office for anything else on it she found a few more books on Native American
and Indigenous American peoples. The first she picked up was from a Dr.
Victoria Lien PhD in Indigenous Cultures/ Anthropology/Anthrobiology from the
University of Washington - Native American Folk Stories and Legends. It had a
bunch of glossy pages in the middle that could be seen from the side. Pictures!
So Lori opened it up to them first.
She saw the first one she
recognized with a caption underneath of it. Ancient Ruins in West Central Idaho
- along the Snake River. The story of beings that came from the Stars and a
Galactic War was recorded by Native Americans and is over 30,000 years old. The
ones inside the cavern matched them almost perfectly. While the ones in the
rock break cave were much later, and matched up more with the known Pacific
Northwest mythos and symbolism. She really wished she could talk to Marcus or
use the internet. She could get ahold of Jonathan maybe and get some more
answers. But she knew deep down whatever her goofy old husband found was older
than dirt, and it scared the living daylights out of her. Scooping up Hobbes
from the floor she said to the polydactyl cat. “Your daddy wouldn’t go if he
didn’t think he could do something.” She paused on that and gave it some
thought and realized she was right. Why not believe in him even more now, it’s
worked for years. She may die, but at least she could die proud that he at
least tried. “I love you honey” she said aloud as she looked up and closed her
eyes.
Four hangars over in darkened quarters a red
light came on and began flashing. Commander Ron Gronning rolled over in his
bunk and stared at the light unblinking. “What?” was all he said with a curious
and defeated breath. Rolling back over and then back again to see if it was
still on? “Shit!” He knew what that meant, that he had to get his ass in gear
to prepare a flight. But what kind of flight? And why today? Can’t we all just
die in peace? He began to dress and put on his boots. Mumbling under his breath
that he didn’t deserve to be kept prisoner by the government at the end of the
world. He had put in his time and he trained enough guys; wasn’t that enough?
Then he remembered something he always told his trainees… that he would be
doing this for the rest of his life…every day, practicing, learning and growing.
Just so that he can do it all again the next day. “Gron?” he heard the familiar
voice of his old friend Baker. “Yeah!” he answered.
Poking
his head into the room Baker just smiled and said “We got a plan! Get Vinnie
warmed up! 1600!” The Commander just nodded and waited for his head to catch up
with his body. The blackout curtains throwing a bright beam onto the floor in
front of him. He looked up at the door where Baker had been and whispered under
his breath a bit “A plan?” “Vinnie” was
the nickname for VEMAC a Lockheed C-130H – Hercules. With enough wiring and power
plants to be in the same neighborhood as a small city. The guys got tired of
acronyms and decided to just name it… it was the test platform for the suit.
It’s a good thing the Commander could do this in his sleep. He wasn’t quite
sure if he was going to wake up. In no hurry he strolled toward the tarmac with
an easy gait. Baker was soon on the phone with J.B.L.M. “General Moyer please…Now!”
Chapter Twenty Seven
The numbers were coming in from a variety of
sources; a number of satellites were destroyed in the big rush to launch. Some
satellites hit directly, others by the floating dildos the missiles became
after their fuel ran out. Unarmed they were going to be a bit of a problem to
clean up if there is an Earth for them to fall to.
Anne
was doing her best with the incomplete data, trying to find the most probable
success scenario. As in where to push this rock? “We are really going to get
one tiny pin of chance to pop this balloon” she said to Bennett. Bennett was
waiting for a Colonel Baker to link up with him via the Military’s heavily
encrypted version of Skype. “I know! Why do you think I brought you back?” “Because I’m cute and you were lonely” Anne
tried kidding with Agent Bennett. Does he ever smile? She thought to herself as
she got back to work, shrugging off the rejection. They were almost alone in
one of the many command centers the mountain had. It was a medium sized one
used for Ops missions that were sometimes known and sometimes unknown. This
particular one was being used solely for Afghanistan for years. So it was being
emptied out when the news came about 2012da14. There was one other person in
there. A Lieutenant was watching the screens that were on. Silently just going
about his job as if nothing were amiss. “Do you know anything about this
system?” Anne asked him pointing to the one she was working on. After a moment
Lieutenant Finn Saxegaard realized he was being talked to. “Yes ma’am, I know
everything about that system. What would you like it to do? Maybe the
Macarena?” Anne was relieved that not everyone had lost their humor. “I need it
to link up with that satellite sv74 there” she said pointing to a visual
display of the satellites in orbit. “That’s not ours ma’am” he told her in a
matter of fact snip. “Who’s’ is it?” Anne queried. “It’s Russian and it’s one
of their newer ones.” “Does that mean that we can’t get into it?” “Not at all
we can get into it in a heartbeat!” he replied happily. “Do you read Russian?”
Anne saw his point immediately. Bennett still waiting with a land line stuck to
his ear spoke up “I do...fluently.”
At the uppermost tip of a trail near Mt.
Baker, Washington. An old and weathered gentleman with long gray hair sat by a
small fire. The rain was steady and he sat cross legged on a few boughs of
cedar. Around him sat objects from his past and the past’s past.
An arrowhead, a few stones
with various symbologies, feathers; and an opened calfskin pouch containing
various stones and crystals. Metal objects, beads and wampum were there as
well. The old man had set them around him before he began his meditation and
prayers. Deep into meditation and chanting words of a language all but lost to
the winds. He was unfazed by the rain and the wind and the cold of the
afternoon. He came to pray until the event occurred. His way of being with his
Mother and Father and all those who ever were… while the world was dying. In
his meditation he saw the ending in great detail and it troubled him heavily. He
also saw a current friend and an Ancient One standing side by side in the Sun.
His meditation was broken at that time and he opened his eyes slowly. The rain
was stopping and the Sun was coming out in all of its warmth. These were good
signs Jonathan thought to himself as he looked into the sky and to the Sun.
“Yei one… You have given me honor” he said to the sky using the name he gave
Marcus so many years ago. A smile cracked across his wrinkled mouth, but you
would have to look very hard to see it.
Chapter Twenty Eight
“I’m going to need to get you naked!” Crissy
said to Marcus as Jake was briefing him on the suit. Marcus just made some kind
of sound, not even a word really. Jake said “She just says stuff like that for
the shock value.” “I have to make your panties!” she said in a voice that was
just this side of a whine. “She does.” Jake told him. She had use the 3-D scanner
to make a CAD of his “junk” as they were calling it.
Technically it was from L-3 to mid-thigh but
his genital areas had to be included for the catheters. As Crissy was sharing
this valuable information Marcus just heard the word catheters. “Catheters? as
in more than one!?” “They didn’t tell you?” Crissy said almost too pleased to
be the one to get to do so. “Yeah! After I make your underwear (she had noticed
his dislike of her using the word panties) there will be one going in both
ends! Along with the two in your arms!” she WAS happy to be the one telling him.
Her grin made her look strikingly too much like the Joker in Batman. Jake then
slapped Marcus on the shoulder and said “Welcome to black ops! Gonna have to
give you a call!” Jake didn’t mean a phone call but rather a call sign. Marcus
knew that and was afraid to say anything else at the moment, in fear of being
called Fruit Loops or T-Bone. She had him step inside the four foot high
cubicle for a Keeblers Elf. It just looked like a laminated wooden box with no
top and a entrance door. He stood on the glass plate that was the base. It had
positions for his feet and he stepped into them knowingly. “You’re gonna have
to take the ring off!” Crissy said as she stepped a few feet to the right in front
of a control panel. “Nope. I can’t do it!” Marcus said intoning there was no
option no matter what.
This was his basic white gold wedding band. What
it meant to him encompassed way more than a piece of circular metal. Lori was
his everything, really everything to him. This was the piece of her that he
could actually hold onto in times of trouble, or thoughts of her. “Nope” he
said again as the thoughts ran through his mind. “Well then hold it way above
your head, ok?” “I can do that” Marcus replied flatly. “Now drop your boxers
and toss them outside the box. Don’t worry! I can’t see anything from here
cause I am too short.” Marcus took off his boxers and tossed them close to the
unit. “This is going to take a minute or two.” The unit clicked on and Marcus
saw green and red lines criss-cross his lower torso and legs. “Don’t move a
muscle!” She said over the hum of the machine She left and went to tend to her
little girl. With no day care and this being then end of the world and all she
just brought her in with her. The machine stopped and a few beeps came from the
control panel. Crissy yelled at him that he could get dressed now. As he was
buttoning his shirt she walked up to the control panel and hit a few buttons. Then
looked at Marcus like she was putting the two images together in her head, eww
he shuddered. He then asked her for something to write with and a few envelopes
if she could find any.
Baker was at the communications desk in the
glass room atop the hangar. He was being linked in with a guy named Agent
Bennett from an agency that Baker had already forgotten the acronym of. It was
coming from NORAD and both sides have been briefed up to a certain point. Jon
was at the computer trying to find a solid link. Technically Jon worked for the
FCC, another invisible paper man that was on the squad from the get go. A Pro communications
specialist and radio guy. His last name still unknown to everyone including
Baker.
“I think I have it sir?” he said as he moved
away from the computer to let the Colonel sit down. It was Bennett and the link
would be solid for another eight hours Jon informed him. And like always he
disappeared without notice. Baker and
Bennett traded gratuities and information for the next twenty minutes. Bennett
introduced Anne to the Colonel and informing him on her role as a defacto Mission
Control. Baker liked to plan everything and these two just put a few wrenches
into his plans. But they were right he thought and his gut and heart told him
that this was part of the big deal too. He would go along. “Jon!” he cried and
Jon was already right beside him “Yeah?” “Keep this open and get me if
something comes up.” Nothing more was said the men were professionals.
Chapter Twenty Nine
“What it basically is, is a jumpsuit that
fills up…””I got this!” Jake started before Crissy jumped in. “It’s a graphene
suit etched with seamless integrated circuits, micro mass spectrometers, and
nano cone structures” she spouted. Marcus was seeing why she was here a lot
more now. “It uses interfacial materials met at the atomic scale, in this case
nano diamonds in the exoskeleton that act as optical switches connecting the
two. All encased in a CarbyneG armored shell” “That’s enough!” Dr. Ripley shut
her down as she walked into the lab. The tall woman didn’t need to say it
twice. “Do you realize how much protocol you have just breached with that
little pitch?”
Crissy cowered a bit into the corner and
addressed the Doctor in her childlike voice that irritated the crap out of
Marcus. “I have his underwear here for you. Captain.” “Good! Baker sent me down
here to hurry you all along. You know how he is on plans.” That meant now to
Jake and Crissy and they went into full speed. Doing system checks and
adjustments as the Doc attached the all too intrusive undergarment. In doing so
she accidently punctured one of his welts a bit and some fluid came out. She
swabbed it up without thinking about it and placed the swab on the examination
tray. “What is it made of?” Marcus asked her before she went into the worst
part of the procedure. “Mostly riboflavin really” She said looking up at him.
“Vitamin B-2?” she added seeing the searching look on his face. She gave her
lab coat to him before he stepped out from behind the screen. He handed her two
envelopes and told her what to do… she understood.
He then walked embarrassingly over to Jake
who was standing by what looked like a short trash can. “Step in here” he was
instructed. He put one foot into the leg of a rolled down wet suit kind of
thing, then the next foot. Over the
next ten minutes they stretched and pulled the suit over every crevice of
Marcus’s body. There was no way that Jake could fit into this was there? Marcus
then had the various catheters and tubes checked. Two were in the crotch region
for the obvious reasons. Also one in each arm which would be hooked up as well.
Left arm; outgoing: blood chemistry, cell count, stress levels, adrenaline
levels. Right arm; incoming: a series of nutrients and drug delivery venues.
They were in the bottom center of each forearm and Marcus winced only a bit
now. He was “walked” over to the huge nine foot alter ego. That was sitting
there looking like some kind of futuristic iron maiden.
As he
stood there and looked at it, it hit him he was wrong. It was no Downey Jr., it
looked to him then like the predator sans dreadlocks -with full body armor!
Jake had gone over all of the gear that he had on him and it was impressive. Most
would be turned off as not to kill someone, most likely himself. Marcus took a
deep breath and stepped into the suit… stepped into the suit…. was helped into
the suit. It rolled a bit and Marcus just shot Jake a look of fear. “It’s got
wheels! Cool huh?” like it was something he just ‘forgot’ to tell him. Marcus
looked at him again and gulped.
Lori had just made a snack for herself,
lunch wasn’t quite going to cut it when she heard the sirens. It was two M.P.
Humvees from the base. She had seen them a million times before but they were pulling
up to her house. One on her lawn! Oh! One M.P. got out from each passenger seat
and jogged toward the door. She was already on the way there to yell at them
about her yard! “Mrs. Lori Downs? Wife of a Marcus Downs?” They blurted before
she could get one angry word out. That took her off her heels for a moment, and
with a blank look on her face “Yes!?” she answered. “We have orders to take you
to the base; It’s about your husband.” “He’s fine ma’am” the other one said
before she could ask. “Come with us immediately ma’am there’s no time now for
talkin!” he said again obviously a southern kid. She turned and grabbed her
coat from the hook by the door. Looking
for Hobbes she found him out by the Humvees with a quick glance. “Doors open
bud… Mom will be home as soon as she can.” She said to the cat as he was by
then busy licking himself and running away as the M.P. ran towards the
vehicle’s door. Lori just sat in the backseat staring at the rear of the front
one trying to figure out what this was all about. Marcus had nothing to do with
the military… he was just a cook! Off they sped through wreckage and other
debris once they left the neighborhood. The M.P.’s admiring the Howitzer on the
way out.
CNN had never stopped doing something. Whatever
they could squish onto the air about the asteroid, the violence, the fires,
they would put it up. The problem was connectivity and that was sparse at best.
Outside the gates of Ft. Benning was a small
crew covering some church protesting in front of a chain link fence. They
blamed the military for everything and even picketed funerals of soldiers. They
were not live but they were close enough to Atlanta, CNN’s headquarters that
they were being uploaded straight from the truck to the tower. In the far
background three figures crossed the runway very slowly. Noticing the size of
one the ever diligent cameraman quickly zoomed in on them then back out and
onto the protest once more. The cameraman took note of it but quickly filed it
away. They had an American flag and were about ready to light it, a staple at
protests right? The cameraman continued filming the desecration.
Commander Gronning was in ‘Vinnie’ or
V.E.M.A.C, Vehicular Electronic Monitoring Advanced Control, or a lab that
flew. The ‘Pilots’ as they were called dropped out of a dough hook looking
thingy. It was built into special bomb bay doors. They use their jets for a few
minutes and then punched the glide button. A wing suit and specially designed
high altitude chutes were designed for the possibility of an orbital entrance.
This made it handy for testing the suits in
atmosphere, but never tested from space. For the fact that they haven't gone up
into orbit yet; and that the Government does not want to test a few billion
dollar suits ‘testing’ a theory. That being that the pilots could even survive
reentry, let alone their precious and now defunct suits. Not his gig but it was
a good way to make some cash at the end of a great career. He had been looking
forward to his retirement. All he had to do was to fly this rig a few times a
month, if that. He had trained countless men to follow the instrument panel and
check their gauges often, fly right was his motto. Going over the planes big book
checklist and warming up the beast for his final flight. He was bummed…he loved
to fly.
Coming up onto the planes rear cargo doors
were three figures. He recognized Jake at once with his freakish red hair
holding a ‘lid’ with Baker and someone in a ‘can’ his lingo for the suit. “Get
him hooked up!” Baker snapped at Jake as soon as they hit the planes deck. Jake
knew Baker was more bark than bite but he never wanted to see it challenged. He
was a good leader and an honest one, a combination Jake found little of so far
in his career. Jake led Marcus up to some kind of docking station and rolled him
into it then locked him down; connecting up a lead. Looking at Marcus in his
suit made him feel small. Not on the outside but on the inside, just for a
moment. Baker and Gronning were in the cockpit going over the plans as the
cargo doors closed on Vinnie. Marcus was not cold but he was not warm either,
it was his nerves. In the last twenty or so hours he had become and done things
he never thought possible for him. Not the flying part; that was really one of
the easiest things to accept.
But the doing part of what he
just pulled had hit him. The look must have been plain as day on his face Jake
looked up at him from a tablet hooked up to the suit. “You don’t look so good”
he said plainly. “We haven’t even tested this idea yet!” Marcus’s nerves were
getting to him “What’s that?” he questioned right after that feeling something
weird in the suit. “It’s the suit inflating. It will take about three minutes
and let me know if it binds or feels folded somewhere?” “Ok?” he responded as
he felt this suit fill up around him. It felt like he was being submersed in
gel. A very comfortable and somewhat erotic feeling gel.”What is it filling up
with?” Marcus asked Jake as if it were some kind of secret. “Nothing!” Jake
looked for the surprised look. Wait for it….there! He saw Marcus trying to
figure it out. “That’s the interfacial material! Feels cool huh?” “Yeah” Marcus
said with a sound that was lecherous even for his taste. “You know what you are
feeling?” “Unuh?” he drooled out. “That’s the inside of your body! That is one
side of the suit interfacing with your skin. Making your skin not skin anymore,
sort of.” Marcus looked horrified, but realized Jake was fine so he should be...right?
“At least you didn't have to get one of these!” Jake turned and lifted up the
back of his non-regulation length Viking fire red hair exposing the back of his
neck. “Whoa?” Marcus muttered while still feeling the strangeness of the suit
filling. “This isn’t my first rodeo… you’ll be ok Chef… you’ll be ok…” Jake
said as he turned to tend to the ‘lid.’
Chapter Thirty
“They didn’t build these for comfort did
they?” Lori finally broke her silence. They were coming into the base and had
just run over, into and around a few car lots worth of debris. Rough ride would
be an understatement. Now inside the gates the M.P.s drove faster on the
cleared roads. But it was right up to a large black three story glass building
only a few hundred yards into the base. “This way ma’am” they ordered. Damn she
hated to be called that. She wasn’t that old, was she? And what was with the
parking on the lawn business? Did they train that? She was escorted inside and
immediately up some stairs to the third floor. Inside a computer room that
looked like those fancy ones on TV shows like NCIS and such was a short white
haired woman
“Mrs.
Downs?” she inquired as she turned. “I’m General Moyer…Just call me Darla.”
Lori was motioned to sit at the chair the General was standing by. Not in
uniform at the time it was hard for Lori to take in at first. Here is this
little old lady in her early sixties Lori thought, and she’s a General? Wasn’t
there a height requirement? “It appears your husband is up to something” she
said in a manner that a principle would talk to a parent about their child.
Lori was hearing and seeing a little General clearer now. She motioned for
someone to flip a switch and the monitors came on in front of her. One was that
damn feed from a satellite following the infernal rock. One was a map of the
world but just outlines like those in airports that track flights. The big one
in front of her was of an airport runway looking out of a cockpit. Lori looked
at the little woman and asked “What has this got to do with my husband?” “That
airplane picture is from Ft Benning Georgia. Your husband is going to be on
that plane!” Darla could tell by the scared woman’s reaction she had no clue. She
grabbed Lori’s hand and sat down next to her and said “Here’s what I know dear.”
Over the next half hour both were crying over lousy husbands and good men; and
a half box of tissue for them each. Darla just looked at her and finished with.
“At least someone isn't willing to give up! you should be proud. I am not one
to have faith in men. But something tells me I may just be wrong this time.”
They waited forever for the Captain to remember they were there and turn around
the camera. Giggling a bit at themselves staring at a blank runway on TV. Darla
brought Lori some coffee and she had hot chocolate with little marshmallows.
“Best thing on TV in years!” the General filled in. They laughed.
The old white haired man had gathered his
things and come down from the hills. Jumping into a brand new beautiful Forest
Green Jaguar; and tossing his belongings on the passenger seat. He had a long
drive ahead of him but he had to do it, the visions were strong. Finding the
key at last, he started the engine and proceeded to do his best Jeff Gordon
impression. Down gravel roads and through war zone like conditions the old man
raced. The rain had not begun again, another good sign thought Jonathan as he
tapped the display. After a few pecks it blasted some Journey into the speakers.
It seemed all to appropriate to him...Don’t Stop Believing! This was good as
well. On the display a red light came on… he laughed “120 is not too fast!” he instructed
the car over the music.
On the back of Jakes neck was a disc
about two inches around implanted just underneath the skin. It was connected to
his spinal cord and had a tiny blinking red light. “This is my plug” Jake said
in a voice that was as depressing as he had heard him so far. Sounding like it
was a bane from the Scarlet Letter he went on “It hooks up my eyes and ears and
head even to S.O.A.P.” “It looks cool as hell but painful” Marcus said sympathetically.
“Oh it doesn't hurt…But it’s messing with my head I think?” Jake continued not
wanting to sound like he had too big of a weakness. “Can they take it out?”
“Not without the chance of damage” he replied defeated; “That’s why the video
won’t work when you are up there.” He continued “It goes through my eyes and
records what I am seeing. When you are up we will be eyes blind on you.” “Does
that hurt us much?” Marcus asked and then saw the eye roll Jake was giving him.
Colonel Baker and Commander Gronning came
back at that time to check on Marcus’s status. Jake reported him to be ready
and excused himself. “How do you feel sir?” Baker asked Marcus. Marcus a good
ten years older than Baker didn't like to be called sir, especially from
someone in a uniform. “I’m getting used to the feeling of the thing still but I’m
ok! ….. But hey! We haven't even tested this thing out?” “This is the test!”
Baker said checking his watch “What the fuck do we have to lose? …Oh I’ll be
back in a minute! I have someone that needs to talk to you.” He jogged off
towards the cockpit. “What do ya think?” it was Commander Gronning looking up
at him. “I’m fine” Marcus lied to him; “Sure you are! Fucked up, insecure,
neurotic and emotional. Yeah! You’re FINE alright.” Gronning continued “You
won’t have the neural interface that they do, so I will be in charge of your
HUD display.” Marcus nodded understanding everything so far surprised him a
bit. “I will be putting up all of the basics on the bottom. Keep checking them
to make sure you are on course. The waypoint will be marked with a triangle. Make
sure to keep the triangle together ok? Ya know what I’m sayin?” Gronning
finished. Marcus nodded and sucked up some more of that courage thing that he
kept on hearing about.
“I have trained a lot of guys.
I know if they can fly or not. I believe that you can do this if you don’t give
up!”
Commander Gronning was being personal there
with him and that made Marcus feel a little better inside. The plan was to take
Marcus up to high ceiling; open the cargo doors; point him in the right
direction; and let him fly to the uninvited guest. Use the suits thrusters to
move the rock and fly home. Easy
thought Colonel Baker… What was I thinking? His next thought. 1600 hours
perfect! He grabbed the camera that was pointing out the window on a holder. He
looked at it and checked that they had a connection using the plane’s
communication hub. Checking in with NORAD and JBLM to make sure everyone was
ready. He got the Roger from all of the teams then he started to bring it back
into the cargo bay. “You can always call me!” Gronning said to Marcus as he
headed back to the cockpit.
Chapter Thirty One
In Atlanta one of the few remaining workers
at CNN was Director of the News Department Gene McCarl. His family was out of
the state visiting relatives; he was simply caught as one of the last guys on
duty. He being a vet he was not about giving up his post. Gene was scanning the
uploads from the last few hours. Trying to put something on the Network that
was different. Most of the content was simply silent video clips or all too
repeated stories. There were few if any real reporters out there; and they were
covering stories that were in areas hardest to connect to. It was in a loop of
some nuts at a base somewhere when a huge close up. A Giant zipped past his
eyes and back so fast he had to roll it back. That was different… after
watching film and video for years; he seldom if ever questioned what he saw
while reviewing footage. He looked at it about four times before trying to
clean it up a bit and to clip it out completely.
“What
do we have here?” he said aloud to himself. He cleaned it up and zoomed in on
the head of the giant robot. Not caring a bit, and losing his marbles to the
reality of the day. He threw a headline under it and put it in the Counter. When
it came up a few minutes later on the Cable News Network; all that was there
was a really good picture of Marcus’s head coming out of a robot. The headline
read – Is there Hope? As the only positive thing on air it spread throughout the
scattered connections and different areas over the bits of internet still
available. Within the next few hours it was appearing on every screen and radio
story around the globe. – Is there Hope?
At Joint Base Lewis McChord Lori and Darla saw a freeze frame of Marcus on
one of the monitors. Millisecond later the camera started shaking on the larger
one in the middle. Lori recognized him immediately and General Moyer recognized
the base. Her having been stationed there for over twenty years, long ago, “Oh
God! They have eyes there!” the General piped out as she stood up and had to
walk over and press a button. “Baker? They got a peek at your costume!” she
said over a mic that was nowhere to be seen. “Baker’s face was immediately on
the big screen and he looked at the lens kind of giggling and said “Who cares?”
He was right she thought. All those years of training really didn’t mean that
much now. The jiggling image reminded Lori of Marcus’s little videos.
In a
moment it began to stabilize on the curious face of her husband. He was in what
looked like a scuba suit and inside something else. She could only see the top
of the S.O.A.P. unit on the screen. She heard him ask. “What’s this?” to
someone. Lori then said “Hi Honey!” to the invisible microphone in the room.
Marcus’s face lit up in surprise and then tears of joy; and a smile that looked
like it hurt in that get up. “Hi Honey” he said almost like a child in trouble.
He looked at Jake who was now holding a tablet with a live feed of Lori. Then
to Baker saying Thank You without words. “I have to try this honey. You know
how I love to surprise you!” he said lovingly. “Why did you just leave?” she
asked, tears starting to well up. “I didn’t want to wake you!” “I’m scared
honey” she said. “I am too, but I have to try” Marcus and Lori felt that they
would not see each other again in those moments. There was nothing but an
ominous gut feeling that told them that. Call it love, call it intuition, something
inside of them both just didn’t feel right. “I love you Bunches! Give Hobbes
rubs for me…and tell him I’ll be home soon.” That last line was for her and she
knew he was being strong for her… and for everyone else. “Ditto” she said and
blew a kiss at the camera before the other end started shaking again and the
screen went wider. Leaving her to hear and see the whole picture of what her
husband had gotten himself into. “Holy crap!” Were the words that escaped her
lips just then. The General just said “You got that right sister!” as she
sipped on her cocoa.
About that time a scraped and dented brand
new green Jaguar; pulled up to one of the streets blocked off by the
neighborhood watch. Taking the old guy driving up fast as some sort of threat,
Jim Wilson. Major-General Retired, held up his old M-1 carbine. “Halt! Who goes there?” the old soldier
requested. He saw an old guy in the car
then and wasn’t as scared. But the guy was pounding on his door which didn’t
make him feel any easier. The dented door of the Jaguar burst open just then to
allow someone four inches wide to escape. Looking up at the grizzled vet Jonathan
just said “I need to get to the Downs’!” Jim didn’t quite hear him “huh?” he
muttered. “The Downs’!” Jonathan tried to yell again.
Old Jim’s ears were playing tricks with him
and he thought about what the guy said for a good solid minute. He swore the
guy said he wanted to get down? There were no dances tonight! Jonathan waiting
for a response was thinking he may have broken the old guy. “Marcus and Lori Down’s! I know where they
live! You are just blocking the road!” Jonathan’s patience had worn half thin
his voice louder. Well poor old Jim didn’t know who he was talking about; but
the guy didn’t look like too much trouble. “I don’t know em. Let me move Jeff’s
truck!”
It
took the old vet a good five minutes to back the truck up about ten feet.
Jonathan was waving at him as he sped through the opening. “Whoa! Howitzer!”
escaped his lips as he took the first turn past the road block. He pulled up to
the familiar little house; he could tell nobody was home as soon as he crawled
through to the passenger side and got out.
Hobbes was right there at his
feet like always. Jonathan reaching down and patting his head asked the cat
with the seven toed paws where his Mom and Dad were? “Excuse me? came a woman’s
voice over Jonathans shoulder. It was Lori’s next door neighbor Laura. “Are you
looking for Marcus?” she asked recognizing him a little before walking over
closer. “Jonathan, Right?” He was a Dinner guest at least once a month at their
house.
“Yes, and you are?” he said with a silkiness
that only age and experience could give. “Laura, Laura Ridderbusch” she said as
she stuck out her hand. Jonathan took it ever so daintily in his hand, “The
pleasure is mine Miss Laura.” “They took Lori away about two hours ago” she
continued. “She was upset about Marcus leaving Saturday night.”
They were neighbors and
friends and Laura was one of those people Lori could talk about anything under
the Sun with. When Marcus disappeared Laura saw her friend the next day taking
out the recycling, asking her what was wrong. “Who are they? Laura?” he quizzed
her wondering why she would think he knew. “Oh! The M.P.s from the base; they
must have taken her to the base?!” she said embarrassed that she forgot to
mention that part. “Thank You!” smiled the old man, then grabbing his driver’s
side door and spending a minute pulling it all the way open. Taking a minute to
get it closed as well before he sped off. He was glad to see that Wilson guy
hadn’t moved the truck back by the time he got back to the checkpoint. Off he sped,
a bigger smile crept onto his lips. But you would still have to look pretty
hard to see it.
Chapter Thirty Two
The giant Hercules aircraft began to roll
down the runway. Lori was looking on as some big redheaded guy was holding up a
helmet and talking to her husband. There was sound but all you could hear were
the plane’s engines. General Moyer and Lori were having a very civilian ladies
afternoon, Lori felt like she had known this woman for years. While waiting for
Baker to get his shit together they chit chatted about life, the end, and
Lori’s husband. Moyer liked him from what she heard but not exactly tough
enough for this old bird she thought.
Jake was explaining to Marcus what he would
see and what it meant. Since he couldn’t tie into the suit through the neural
interface; they were going to have to use remote command to operate a lot of
the displays. He then slid on a headset and began talking to Marcus. “Check,
check?” the speakers and mic apparently built into the condom suit. “I still
need to know where I am going?” Marcus informed him again. “They have a lady at
NORAD that is going to provide waypoints to operations command.” Jake was
trying to go through a daylong checklist in just a few hours. Crissy has made
all of the adjustments for size and compatibility at the main lab. But that
still didn’t take away a huge job from the “Pilot.” “Sorry Chef… just got a lot
to do still” Jake said as he stopped and looked up at the skinny old guy in his
suit again.
“I
don’t get much feelings anymore, but I’ve felt all day. In a part of me
something I haven’t ever felt before I don’t think?”Jake opened up to Chef’
surprising himself. “Fear maybe?”Marcus questioned.
“No, I know fear real well Chef, this is just
the opposite…but I don’t know which opposite?” Marcus was just about to say
something when Baker broke in on the com from the cockpit. “Check, check?”
Baker knew they could hear him and he just continued “fifteen boys.” Marcus and
Jake just nodded at each other knowing they had to get busy with the lid. As
Jake climbed up the stepladder to hook it up Marcus kept the previous
conversation going. “Maybe its faith?” he said face to face with the red haired
warrior, “Maybe its faith?” he said again as the helmet came over his head and
hissed closed. Jake was mulling this over in his head when Baker broke in
again. “Jake? Gron and I are going to head straight to Bermuda after this
either way it goes, are you in?” “Hell yeah!” Jake said excitedly. “Chef! I
hope to have a few days leave there! We believe this is gonna work. But if it
doesn’t let me say thank you for giving us a fighting chance!”
“I didn’t do anything when you think about it
really?” Marcus chimed in plainly. Thinking about something he wrote down
recently he continued. “I am not here to save the world; I am here to save
something else.” “I don’t know if I am just the messenger or what. But I couldn’t
fly three days ago of that I am sure. So I think you owe your thanks to
something or someone else. Whoever or whatever that may be.”
Baker was in the cockpit agreeing with the
guy, Gronning nodding his head as well. Everyone on the linkups from JBLM to
NORAD and Vinnie was surprised and jolted a bit. The next voice to come on the
com was a familiar one. “Your leave is approved gentlemen; let’s hope its long
like the Colonel asked.” It was President Bowman.
In a sub surface level of the White House
President Bowman was watching everything as well. Agents Witte and Sanchez were
there too. In the corner sat a technician wearing beautiful Gucci shoes with no
socks and a nice bathrobe.
Sanchez had brought in an early dinner for
them all from the only place to get Thai food in town, Thai Tom’s. The owner
Jackris always charging Sanchez extra tax! Because he knew the big man was with
the Government. They had seen and heard everything since Lori and Marcus did
their couple thing. Agent Witte hiding a few wet ducts from the others when
they did.
In the other Washington the guard at the gate
looked really horrified to see such a nice car in this condition pull up. The
old man asked about the M.P.s and assuming Jonathan was some kind of Lawyer;
pointed him at the building a few hundred yards into the base. Jonathan was
wondering why so many people were acting normal as if they had a more than a
day to live. So many things were still working right.
The
guard called ahead and a uniformed girl was at the door when he pulled up.
Jonathan inquired to… Specialist Valentine about Lori. Who, after turning
around to a duty desk and asking another uniform took Jonathan upstairs. Three
flights? The old man thought to himself. He could hike uphill and down no problem
but his knees hated stairs with a passion. “Wait here” she said as they went
through the third floor doors. She disappeared into a room, then back out and
into another and another. The third door must have been the prize winner. She
motioned for him to come from a hundred feet down the hall.
As he popped into the room Lori cried
“Jonathan!” and jumped up to hug her old friend. General Moyer must have
approved because she straightened herself up and patted her hair. Introductions
were made, and flirtations begun. Lori was filling him in that he was right on
time. “On time for what?” Jonathan asked more than curious. She didn’t have
time to explain at the moment, she just pointed at the large screen and said
“Well for starters that’s Marcus.” Yei one and the Water Bearers” Jonathan said
as he looked over to his left at the two women. Getting the double take from
both of them at the same time as he expected.
Chapter Thirty Three
“I can’t see anything Jake!” he said after a
few minutes in the lid. Jake tapped his pockets and found what he was looking
for. “Sorry Chef forgot the contacts.” “Contacts?” Marcus replied like what was
next? Body paint and a beer helmet?
Grabbing
one of the tablets he was working with Jake made a few swipes on the screen;
and the triple visor moved up layer by layer. Marcus could see now, Jake was on
the step stool again opening up a small contact case. “Crissy made these for
you at the last second. We almost forgot” he said as if he knew he just averted
a fatal mistake. “Since you don’t have the neural you will have to use these.”
He said as he popped one onto the end of his finger. “They are made with nano
prisms that are aligned to a certain wavelength.” He said like everything about
all of this was perfectly clear to Marcus by now.”Huh?” Marcus muttered.
“People with different sets or pairs could see different things on the same
display.” It still didn’t make sense to Marcus but he wouldn’t be able to see
without them he was told. It must have looked pretty funny on the screen, this
big guy trying to poke at the eyes of a giant robot. Having never worn contacts Marcus complained
for more than the standard amount of time that he couldn’t see. Jake grabbed a
few tissues and patted his eyes for him. “Thanks…Hey! What is your call sign?
If you are going to call me Chef then I need to know what to call you?” Marcus
looked at him curiously. “They call me Thor” Jake said flatly… continuing “He
had an anger issue also.” Jake swiped at the screen again and down came the
visors; colorful full lit displays were everywhere. “Check check?” “Got it!”
Marcus piped back.
Jake
had done too many tours too few years and he was one of; if not the best war
machine Uncle Sam had ever built. But his humanity was the stronger of his
wolves, and his past…and present haunted him.
“Marcus? Marcus? Can you hear me?” it was a
strange woman’s voice, “My name is Anne… Anne Kelly.” “Give us a minute Miss
Kelly, yeah we can hear you.” Baker interrupted. They were running behind
schedule by three minutes and he couldn’t have that. He looked over to the
Commander, who had taken a pair of ten-speed handlebars and zip tied them onto
the yoke when he first taken over the plane. Baker gave him the sign to speed
this thing up and then the sign for what the hell is that? As he pointed to the
handlebars? “Old Friend!” Gronning just said…. “Old friend.” Baker took it at face value and contacted
NORAD and Miss Kelly again to start this final launch up.
The redheaded guy was moving the camera again
to show the back of the plane. Lori’s heart was pounding out of her chest. Too
many emotions all at once and she started to cry again. Jonathan just wrapped
an old but comforting arm around her. The General looking on, holding back her
own tears.
“There there Mama Bear” he said to her in his
pet name for her. She has heard him call other women that so she knew some of
his tricks. “I think he is with old friends” he continued still trying to
recall one of the oldest legends. “How does it go?” asked Darla curious about
the story. “It is hard to remember legends after one has become one himself” he
said. General Darla Moyer looked at him and countered “You just forgot and you
are too embarrassed to admit it huh?” Gray Feather just looked over his
shoulder at her “Yup!” Lori laughed at that and they went back to looking at
the display.
At the
White House the three men had moved to a different room, to accommodate the
larger audience that was growing every few minutes at that time. The President
drank Johnny Walker Red and Agents Witte and Sanchez coffee, there were beers
and even popcorn at one time. The President was noting the ones that were going
too far. Then it dawned on him that if this works he too may be out of a job. He
did order a massive nuclear launch after all, didn’t he.
“You ready to walk?” Jake asked him as he
grabbed a lever. He couldn’t see Marcus’s face through the shielding but heard
him through the headset. “Ready!” Marcus said wondering if he should have taken
a little more time. Jake put on a large coat and then a backpack with a mask
attached to it. He then grabbed a belt with a carbiner attached. He threw the
lever and the platform it was on lowered the three inches it was above the
deck. Feeling and hearing clicks in the suit stop after a moment.
“Wheels are up! You are Go for walk!” ‘Thor’
said. Marcus tried to take a step and the suit moved amazingly easy. It was the
balancing in the gel feeling that he had to watch. He walked in a little circle
with four steps; that’s about all that the deck would allow anyways. “This is
so cool!” Marcus said in his suit. “Gentlemen! We have a mission?” It was the Colonel, ever watching the time.
Marcus tried to point himself at Jake so it
would look like he was talking to him. “Jake! Have you got that feeling inside
figured out?” “Nope” came a downer response. “Well since your call is the name
of a Norse God maybe that’s what you are feeling?”A somewhat confused Jake
replied “Thor?” “I dunno? I’m just saying that may be where you should look for
the answer to your question?” Marcus said. “I’ll have to think on that!” Jake
responded. “You just do that” Marcus finished. By that time they were at the
rear cargo doors of the aircraft. Jake tapped the lid and motioned to Marcus
that he was going to go to the front of the aircraft. He latched up his belt to
a long cable going down the cargo bay and walked away. Jake just said “Thank
You Chef” under his breath but audible to Marcus.
In Atlanta Gene McCarl was almost busy. The
questions coming in about the mystery robot man were getting through. He just
didn’t have any answers to give to anyone except location. He was using the
news service’s brand new facial recognition software. But it was taking forever
to find a head in a robot stack, so to speak. The strange thing to him was that
there were three figures and faces. None of them turned up on anything! and
that was odd. McCarl was still trying to get a response from anyone he could
get in contact with in the Government. While he was on a land line to Benning
for the hundredth time he noticed something that made him hang up and look. The
military feed that someone had hacked into days ago before up and leaving… was
moving! It had been following the asteroid from the same angle and position for
the days now. Why was it changing now? Gene was getting excited to watch the
camera on the satellite move ever so slowly to a new position, he was such a
videofile.
Anne had to make sure that she and
Lieutenant Saxegaard got this right. They were moving the satellite very slowly
through almost undetectable thruster firings. She didn’t know what to do but
she knew where she needed it. “Saxegaard was good” she was thinking to herself
while the Lieutenant was thinking more along the line of “what the hell does
this do again?” Anne shot out “Right there Lieutenant!” He gave her a look of
pure relief and removed his now shaking hands from the controls.
Chapter Thirty Four
The huge rear cargo door began to move. Marcus
was about two feet from the sloping metal slab and he began to feel fuzzy
again. He could feel pressure beneath his skin that wasn’t skin anymore. The
President’s voice began coming over the speakers in his helmet. “Marcus Downs
you are embarking on…” Marcus broke in interrupting the President of the United
States. “Mr. President. I am sure that you have some nice things to say, and
they are all important and stuff.” “But we are just Men and if you want to
continue just go ahead. But I would rather talk to my wife right now because I
have to get going.” Marcus finished in a matter of fact manner.
Bowman
was struck at first because he was interrupted but soon realized this was his
second term and Marcus was right. Who was he kidding? Witte and Sanchez just
started cracking up laughing at the situation as was half the staff that had
found the room. “I’m here honey.” Lori’s voice came through a little weakly.
She could still see him standing by the now fully opened doors of the aircraft
on the monitor. “Honey?” he said “what is it dear?” Lori responded. “I’m going
to miss you more.” He said “You don’t get that one Goofy” “Ok, but I wanted you
to know that I didn’t mean to run away at a time like this.” “You didn’t” said
Lori “I don’t know why all of this is happening honey?” Marcus replied in a
scared voice. “Maybe it’s so everything else can still happen?” Lori said.
Gronning quietly interrupted “Sorry you two,
but it’s time.” He said solemnly. “I love you bunches and lots!” Marcus said
trying to emotionally snap back. “Ditto honey… I love you lots and bunches.”
Lori’s face fell into her hands and she lost it. Jonathan and Darla knew they
could do nothing but let her.
“Mr. Downs? This is Anne Kelly again at
NORAD.” “Hello Miss Kelly” “Anne”- “Marcus.” Now that they had been introduced
it was time to go. “Ok Marcus I am going to be sending coordinates to the
plane. Commander Gronning is going to be relaying them to you ok?”
He
already knew that but he didn’t know their methods. She continued “The suit has
a display that you will follow. It has a direction to fly to and distance; I am
going to be sending those.” “I will be pointing a laser at the places you will
have to go to” Gronning broke in. “You will be able to see the laser and a few
images that we have picked out!” Marcus
was thinking he was slow or something for not figuring out something that
simple. But he was in a complicated suit and never thought the Government would
ever do something lacking in a certain level of complication. “You have your
first waypoint loaded Marcus.” “Got it” affirmed Marcus .
“Jake?” Marcus yelled like he
was calling for someone in a room. “Yeah?” Jakes voice crackled more than the
rest. “Will it work?” Jake shot back immediately “Sure it will Chef!” Baker
broke in with a countdown from. Seven - Six. “How do you know it will work
Jake?”- One. “I think it’s faith!” Jake said to him right before he stepped.
Marcus didn’t think twice, he knew he
couldn’t. He stepped a few steps and there he went…upwards ! Commander Gronning
and Colonel Baker decided to stay up then and watch the show for the time
being. Bermuda could wait for now.
Chapter Thirty Five
He felt as different as he had ever felt
before. He was warm for one, but the fuzziness and pressure were at levels that
made him worry. His suit was working as far as he knew and before he realized
it he was breaking through the Earth’s atmosphere. He didn’t actually know
that, the suit was telling him that and the fuzzies were as well. It almost
felt like the “fur” was continuing to grow around him. How could he have gotten
so far so fast? He was thinking when the suit started talking again “Marcus!
You are arriving already! Slow down!” It was Anne’s frantic voice. He was
trying to believe her when he slowed around the target that was on the display.
Looking at the image and the object he said “Step one complete!” At NORAD Anne
was looking around in disbelief. Lieutenant Saxegaard handed her a piece of
paper with some numbers on it. She looked down at it and gasped…A lot of
numbers on it. “Do you have the number two location on board Commander?”
“Just getting it to the suit
now ma’am” He replied. Snickering about the number two reference a bit.
He was awe struck at the Universe in front
of him. He was able to see the Milky Way and the giant gas clouds that he could
never see while at home. It made him feel like their entire expanse was in his
grasp.
He came to understand so much about his place
in it all while floating there for those moments. The picture changed in his
display just then and brought him back to his task. “Got it there pilot?” it
was Gronning again. “Yes sir, but I don’t know a direction yet?”
Gronning checked and everything was good on
his side. “You’re sure you don’t see it?” Marcus was going through everything
he was taught in the few hours before suiting up. All of it in his mind, and he
was coming up blank. “I don’t have it yet sir.” Marcus started checking all of
the displays and panicking a bit, his breathing getting noticeably faster over
the mic. Nobody could figure it out and that was a problem.
“Stand by pilot.” Gronning
came back a second later. Like he was going anywhere Marcus thought. Five
minutes had gone by and Marcus observed he wasn’t really moving. Everything
around him was moving a bit here and there and he could see that. But he stayed
in one place like he was stuck there almost. He expected to be floating around
at least and seeing more sights; but that was not the case. He was just getting
ready to ask for Lori again to say sorry about it not working. A voice then came
back over the suit’s speakers.
“Hey Chef!” It was Crissy, with her
irritating voice toned down into something he could bear. “What number do you
see on the very bottom on the left side?” “There are no numbers down there!”
Marcus said like she should know. “Ok I think I know what it is, just a
second.” “Do you?” asked Bennett right after that.
Bennett being the communications guy on this
looked down at the monitor in front of him. Crissy had texted that for the second laser
director and also the waypoint marker; were from an obscure wavelength file.
One that she did not have time to program into the display for the contacts he
had on. She simply converted the files
to one of the wavelengths he could see, and promptly sent them up to Vinnie.
Baker was wondering what the hell she was doing on the com but already really
knew. Damn he disliked and loved that little Imp at the same time. Gronning
switched to the new file and sent it along. “Got it now pilot?” the Commander queried but
got no response for too long. “I got it now” Marcus said not wanting them to
know he was getting pretty severely ill.
It took him a second to do his thing because
he felt like his stomach was kicking him. He defied physics once more and was
soon at his second waypoint. “Step two complete!” It was an old Soviet Union
rocket piece of unknown function that had been floating up there for almost
fifty years. The display was working as it should and he went through another
location of unknown space junk. “Step three complete!” It was time for his big
waypoint where he got to meet the destroyer of Man.
Lori had been watching all of this along with
Jonathan and Darla. She could speak to him if she liked but was too emotional
to do any good to him. He was her everything too, and she was watching him slip
away from her little by little. Jonathan saw and felt this too, but he did not
share her dark feelings and hopelessness. “Lori, he is with friends remember?”
“I don’t know that! I don’t know” she almost
angrily screamed at her dear friend. “I know you don’t dear. But if there is
anything in your heart that still feels like there is light shining in it, you
will know.” She tried to remember the way that Marcus would tell her not to
make her Universe a Uniworse. To never give up, even though you don’t think you
couldn’t go further. She tried and tried in those few moments but nothing broke
through. She looked back at the screens in front of her and felt un-whole for
the first time since they met.
McCarl in Atlanta had stopped watching the
asteroid feed since it stopped moving. He was too preoccupied with the other
news that just came over via his fancy software. It seemed that robot had a
name and that it was married too. McCarl started reading the fact sheet from
the service they used to scrub everyone, it wasn’t pretty. So McCarl just typed
the guys name on the most commonly used picture going around… his cleaned up
one. He then… for the first time in his career made a small recording and
tossed it on an empty track. Five words was all he said. Marcus Downs cook from
Seattle. Tossing the piece on the counter he was curious if anyone was going to
see this crap.
Chapter
Thirty Six
Marcus could see why they were doing this.
2012da14 was on the other side of the planet. With the information he had given
them; they must have assumed it worked off of a line of sight principle.
Instead of possibly sending him through the Earth to get there, he was just
going around. He may have been able to fly anywhere and have powers too. But
that would take too much time to figure out.
He was
thinking that Lori laying there asleep sparked this mission, so it was all
because of her that he was here. Anne had told him to hold on again while she
got some numbers. He was good with that because this time he had a view of the
Earth and even the Moon in the same field of vision. How cool is that he
thought like a kid.
He was
so small out there without the bonds of Earth but he did not feel small inside.
It was not because he was doing some great feat or work of wonder. It was not
because his ego had now exploded with self centeredness. He searched his mind
for a word he could not find at the time. But no, he was not small inside. As
he looked around as much as he could he thought “All of this could fit into a
corner of my insides with room to grow.”
Anne
was worried about the temperature of the rock since its materials were
triggered by the warheads. “What is that suit made of?” she asked Bennett, who
looked at her like how the hell was he supposed to know. “Well the telescope I
was using for spectrographic purposes went down about five p.m. yesterday. So I
have no idea if I am just sending someone into a furnace!” She snipped. She was
frustrated, tired and emotional. Feeling all the work being done, all of it…
was coming from her.
It was
just not reality and she soon came back to common sense. “I need to know what
that suit can withstand! And I need a way to take the temp of that flying
bitch!” She rattled off to anyone that would listen, mean mugging everyone in
the room.
Marcus didn’t know what was taking so long so
he said “Lori?” Lori heard him clearly and she had to swallow hard just to
answer, “I’m here honey.” “It’s so beautiful up here!” “I bet it is” she said
softly. “I wish I could have hugged you one more time.” “I know me too.” “You
tell Hobbes to be good ok.” “Ok I will.”
As
they were speaking there was not a sound coming from anyone. Not at the White
House or JBLM or NORAD silence was the rule. As a group of people around the
country wiped their eyes a bit and understood the sacrifice being made by these
two. “I’m sorry I should have tried harder to make you happy” Marcus said. “Oh
honey!” She broke down over the connection a bit “I have not been unhappy since
you came into my life!” Lori was able to get out through the tears. “I didn’t
mean to get the last job out there” He said.
Lori realized the conversation was almost
over, he was trying to make her laugh she thought. “Ok lady I love you bubye!”
He then said to her, with a pet term he pulled from a cartoon year ago. “Bubye!”
Lori replied in a false happy voice. “Hey guys! We have work to do! I have a
wife to get home to!” Marcus said louder than normal to get their attention.
Lieutenant Saxegaard and Dr. Kelly were deep
in the bowels of NORAD trying to garner any bit of information they could.
Anne’s nerves were unraveling quickly under the pressures and she was just
about to go snap nuts. Baker had informed them of what the S.O.A.P. IV was made
of. But neither Baker nor anyone else on the team knew what the high
temperature maximums were for CarbyneG. Crissy
was frantically searching through her assortment of secret Government databases.
They were usually concerned with low end maximums she thought.
President Bowman was pretty sloshed by this
time; he kept droning on with the old “we’ll never make it!” attitude. Agents
Witte and Sanchez were then wondering if they should just slip the Prez a Mickey.
To put him down for the time being…Seriously pondering this for a few moments
both busted out laughing again.
NORAD had been able to contact the ESA-
European Space Agency; and get the codes to one of their orbiting telescopes.
They needed the thermal spectrographs that most these days carried. Having no
problem communicating with the telescope the team in the mountain quickly
punched in the coordinates.
It was
just going to take forever to get it moved. The thrusters were almost out of
fuel and this thing was made to move one way only…slow. The last temperature
they had was in the twelve hundred degrees Fahrenheit range. A Linear acetylenic carbon
metamaterial CarbyneG was five times as strong as diamond. But they did not
have any available temperature scale to work with. It may be great in the icy
coldness of space; but could turn around and melt at warmer ones. Anne was just
standing there with her arms crossed. In the middle of a mountain and standing
around some of the world’s highest technology. If she could not get what she
needed here then they had no choice.
“Marcus?” Dr. Kelly said into the com. “Yes?”
he answered having just waited four minutes. To him it seemed like five hours. “We
don’t have anything that can help us here. “She said with a solemn voice. “Well
ma’am I didn’t come up here to not finish this gig! Have you got the coordinates?”
he came back.
“We
have had them the whole time…but we didn’t want to send you into a nuclear
inferno.” Dr. Kelly told him. “I really don’t think that matters now Anne.
Listen… I’m a chef and I am used to working with hot things. Just get me close
enough for me to get to it and we will see what happens from there ok?”
Baker hearing this squirmed in his seat on
the plane a bit. Commander Gronning knowing his friends weaknesses started
laughing at his old friend. “Sending now” said Anne as she pushed a computer
key; feeling like she was the one who was ending the world with her keystroke.
Gronning looked at Baker with a hopeful look
and one of terror all in the same. When he pressed his button he felt very much
the same way Dr. Kelly did. A moment later over the link up around the country
they heard. “Got it!”
Chapter Thirty Seven
Marcus looked at the image they sent up, but
it wasn’t an image. It was the live feed of the asteroid, the demon.
In his
display a red line extended in front of him. He was still feeling sick to his
stomach. He tasted the iron in his blood, because he had been clenching his
teeth too hard and bit his cheek. He was warm though he thought and after a
moment his nerves were done doing their dance. It was too quiet in his head at
that time. For a second he thought he was dying and racing through a tunnel. The
furry feeling was almost receding into him this time when the motion of movement
began. The pressure under his skin was more than he ever felt before. The welts
were hurting again almost as painfully as when he was bitten. Then a kind of
blackness came over his vision and the light began to fade into a gray. All of this
lasted only moments. But in that time, that big space inside seemed to get much
smaller.
They had heard “Got it!” from him almost ten
minutes earlier. All of his previous waypoints took a mere minute or less to
get to. Yes those numbers on the pieces of paper were that fast if they were
accurate at all; with his flight time they had to be. They all waited, nobody
chimed in not even the President none wanted to be the one to call this. They
also didn’t want to spook him…
In
Atlanta a bedraggled McCarl was waking up from one of his two hundred naps that
week. Still sitting with feet up on an editing console, he was sore and tired.
As he took his feet off of the table his eye caught something. Not remembering
which monitor his eye was going by at the time. Sleepily he checked them again.
He had been seeing things for days now on
the monitors. Some were real, some were not, so he wasn’t really excited when
he saw the robot dude on hacked military feed. “Oh look at the little… man!” he
said out loud and then “Little man!” and then with a shout “Little Man!!!” as
he jumped up and down repeating himself again and again. Pointing at the
picture to absolutely nobody like his team had just won the Super Bowl. He
franticly switched the military feed onto the network live.
The teams saw it too at the same time… a
little man. Lieutenant Saxegaard at NORAD was struggling to remember how to
zoom in the satellite, once he got into that system again. For the longest time
all you could hear in the room were the people breathing, Anne noticed. Every
team was able to see him now; as well as a good number of people on the ground
that still had connectivity.
From
Brazil to Finland and South Africa to Detroit, a very large number of people on
the planet saw this… little man. There was a calm inside they came to find. A
reason to believe again, of a future now not wasted, but gained.
Marcus, believing that he was dying at that
time had no idea he had stopped. “Marcus?! Marcus?!” he heard the voice faintly;
becoming stronger as it repeating itself. It was Anne’s and she had a pretty
voice Marcus thought just then. His consciousness was crawling out of a long
hole, twisting and turning and trying to come fully to. The hole began to be a
little brighter up ahead, and then a little more. “Marcus!? Marcus!? Dr. Kelly
was just about to give up for a minute, When a cough came across the speakers
in each teams location.
Lori
breathing for the first time in minutes launched back in her chair and almost
tipped backwards. As his vision came back to him he was still hearing the
Doctors voice and wanted to reply but temporarily could not.
Ahead
of him the only thing he saw was a burning landscape a few miles ahead moving
towards him. It wasn’t moving fast but the human body has a reaction to falling
that will make most people panic. Marcus was most people because it took him
about two whole seconds. He was flailing and screaming in his head before he
realized where he was and began… just began, to calm down. On the feed sent out
now through CNN around the world Marcus would be seen, zoomed in on finally; at
just the very end of this. It appeared to all like he was just getting his balance…something
perfectly normal on Earth.
On speakers in each team’s respective
locations, they all heard it. They had heard it a hundred times in movies and
cartoons and for some others in real life. It was the scream of someone falling
to their death for a few seconds laced with profanity and screaming and
panting. Cringing at it all it lasted but a few seconds and was over.
Heavily breathing Marcus came over the speakers
“Hey! I am falling here!” A chorus of cheers was heard through the speakers in
his suit. “I’m falling here!” he repeated again.
From both Washington’s to a Mountainside in
Colorado to a Plane in the air over Jacksonville FL and a hangar in Georgia
people cheered. They got there at least…there was still one, last, best hope. We
would not go silently into that good night…
Marcus was not so hopeful because what he
saw was a mountain range ahead of him. It was his now not so proverbial job to
move them. He just saw the end of his life coming without accomplishing a thing.
He repeated “Guy’s! I’m Falling!” Anne snapped out of it first and pressed a
key. “Marcus we hear you! Congratulations!” she said. “I am coming up on this
thing kinda fast doc!” Ahead of him was eerie, he was slowly falling but he wasn’t.
He was stable and IT was moving, but his mind was still having a hard time with
it. The brain has 100 billion neurons and it was taking time for his to calm
down. “It’s burning…” Marcus said seeing a white lava looking type of glow
ahead of him, in spots on the asteroids surface.
Through the now zoomed in views that the now
skilled enough Lieutenant had provided, Anne could see the glow. But much to
her delight it was not a nuclear reaction. It appeared to her that the
magnesium deposits had ignited and began to eat up the rock. There were some
apparent pieces that had come loose from the normally solid body. “Marcus, that
looks like the magnesium burning there?” Anne called back to him. “So!… It’s
burning! Are we still a go?” He was getting close enough to feel the temperature
change in the suit a bit; it was getting a little warmer. Anne looked around the room and addressed
them “Anything on this CarbyneG?” Blank and silent faces looked up at her.
Chapter Thirty Nine
Gronning was in the cockpit with his feet up
on the handlebars, the plane was on autopilot. Baker was going through the
flying lab’s data. To try to find out more on this stuff he was in charge of.
Gronning was waiting for the final waypoint coordinate for the laser. The
direction in which Marcus would have to try to push it. But it would come when
it came and he was still tired.
Jake came into the cockpit “What’s taking so
long?” He had been in the cargo hold and was not linked up since midway through
the third waypoint. Baker barked “What’s it made of!?” Not to Jake but to the
universe really. Jake just asked “What is what made of? Sir? “The S.O.A.P unit!” “CarbyneG sir…you
know that?…” Baker realized what was happening and looked at Jake at that point
and said very calmly and slowly “What is its high temp range?” Jake thought
about that for a second and answered him in the same calm and slow voice “Fifteen
hundred degrees have been tested, they did it on me. Upper end unknown they are
still testing it?” “Thank You” Baker responded in the same calm demeanor.
Gronning hearing all of this asked
“If you Dr. Phil’s are done, then can we get
on with this?” adjusting himself in his seat a bit. Baker relayed the message
to Cheyenne Mountain.
Dr. Kelly didn’t know if the white lava
looking spots were magnesium. She just remembered back a few days to when
Sandage was going off on a tirade about what the thing was made of. She had no
idea what temperature magnesium burned at. She just remembered the stories of
her brother throwing fireworks into the pond. And that he could do it because
magnesium burns underwater. That and it’s an important supplement in diets was
all she knew about it. She had plenty of reference material on that end of
things on her computer, but it wasn’t here.
Not seeing Dr. Bennett move after getting the
information from Colonel Baker, Bennett asked her if everything was Ok. “Doctor?”
he said “What is…” was all that she could get out of her mouth before Bennett
answered her question for her. “450 to 5600 degrees fahrenheit Doctor.” Anne
felt better but not great, there was just too much fluctuation in ranges for
her. Looking at the data again she had to pick out a cold spot quickly.
Marcus didn’t know if they were cut off or if
they were just waiting, but something had to happen fast. His body was doing
some weird things in the suit and the temperature was higher still. “Chef?
Chef? Copy Chef?”
It was the voice the Norse deity and made
Marcus miss him already. “I hear ya Thor!” Marcus said excitedly. Those who had
not heard Jake on the com were wondering who this guy was. “We gotta get you
moving bud!” he said with a controlled rush to the words. “I am good with that
copy!” Jake was muttering under his breath that this was no time for Chef to
try to use the lingo. “This is going to be like calling a dance Chef! Ok?” They
both knew what that meant because that was one area they trained in a few
minutes back at Benning. Others on different teams were looking around their
rooms looking for someone who looked like they knew what that meant. Marcus
would call a number one through four correlating to the four thrusters on the
back of the suit. One for upper left, through four for lower right, plus the
word fire for stop using a front thruster. Jake – Thor’ would then use the
X-Box controller that Crissy had rigged up long ago to scoot him through space.
The Government’s designed control interface was antiquated before it was drawn
up she said, citing that gamers know. “You have the lead sir!” Jake said in his
best southern drawl, which was syrupy and just… bad.
Anne was horrified… She had no answers, and
no place to put him safe that she knew of. She knew the direction in which to
push the asteroid, she had that since the beginning. But she didn’t know if it
was a burning lake of magnesium or a colder piece of the radioactive stuff. She
remembered the first time she saw him she thought he was homeless guy. Now that
thought seemed incredibly ridiculous to her…To her now, he was not the homeless
one she thought in that second…we were. The voices starting the “dance” brought
her back to her work.
“One-one-one-two-two-three-three-four” Marcus
was saying to the red headed pilot. He was moving for the first time and the
sensation was wonderful. The gel that he felt like he was floating in moved
around him and that felt better than not moving. “Now this is space!” he said
to the curious ears of those that were listening.
Dr. Kelly had made up her mind that the only
thing to do was to send up the waypoint, and see what happened. Every bit of
information had been gone over. There was simply no more time to think about
the humanity of sending someone to their death; while said person was trying to
save humanity. She sent the coordinates and the previous feeling she had was
this time different. Anne wasn’t pressing the key on mankind this time… just a
little man.
Commander Gronning looked at the new
coordinates that just came in. He was punching them up into the into the
S.O.A.P unit. Jake was in the back seeing the numbers coming and going from a
readout in the lab. It was just a bunch of numbers to him, but he could see the
red line forming in the display in his mind’s eye. He was waiting for his new
friend to start the dance again. Marcus got the coordinates in his display and
taking his time to get his bearings now that he was moving replied “Got it!”
Chapter Forty
The
hacked feed still entrancing people around the world was still showing the
little man; but he was moving out of the frame! Anne shot back at Saxegaard “Follow
him follow him!” The Lieutenant did his best but Marcus was soon out of the
frame. “Two-two-fire!” Marcus said to Jake and then “I’m going to change that
word to stop!” Jake replied “I don’t blame you! I think I am killing you every
time I hit the button.” Marcus chuckled at that a bit and continued the dance “one-two-four-three.”
“Can’t we get him back?” Anne asked the
Lieutenant that was finding it harder this time around. “Trying Doc!” Saxegaard
said as he was trying to catch sight of Marcus.
McCarl
in Atlanta screamed at the screen in front of him “You’re fired!” Then they all
caught sight of him, the Lieutenant had done it.
But he was going to the other side of the
asteroid and there was no way he was going to be in the picture long. Anne
seeing this just sat immediately, she wouldn’t ever know where she sent him. So
the world once again was looking just at the bringer of death. But now they had
a close up of the burning celestial demon.
Over the next ten minutes or so Marcus and
Jake performed this routine. Jake was watching the fuel readout as not to burn
up too much of the fuel before getting there. Marcus was looking out to the
place where the waypoint marker was hitting the asteroid “Stop-Stop.” Down
below was a spotty landscape with dots of the different metals. The reddish
spots were the cold ones and the whitish ones the hot, it looked like a huge
Lite Bright set to him. “You ok Chef?” came Jake after a few moments. “Yeah” I’m
great” Marcus lied to him “It looks like I am going in on a cold spot!” he said
in false enthusiasm. It really wasn’t a lie, it was a cold spot but it was very
near a hot one by no more than ten feet. Hearing this Anne felt relieved and
Lori felt a little better if you can call it that. “How much room we got?” Jake
asked, “Well…a couple hundred feet… let’s dance!” Marcus said knowing if he
stopped just doing it he would think about it too much and not get it
done.
It was
amazing if you were anywhere around a TV or monitor or any other type of screen
around the world. Billions of people were staring at a live picture of their
doom, and were seemingly completely content in doing so.
“Four-two-two-one-stop-stop…I think I got it
from here Thor!” Marcus replied as he floated closer. Feeling the heat build
once more in the suit but able to bear it. The suit was working overtime to
keep him cool but it was working well because he felt it getting cooler. A bit
like the AC was kicking on a touch. Remembering his training from a few hours
earlier he readied the grappling round, one of the sharp things Jake couldn’t
take off. It was a tether that shot out of his chest, he just had to make sure
it was targeted correctly… especially now. “Chef can you hook up?” “Getting
ready here” Marcus came back not wanting to make it sound like he was having
doubts about all of this. He checked his display “Here I go!” a few moments
later they all heard “tether!”
To Marcus it felt like he was the shootee not
the shooter. The small chamber on his chest opened up; out shot a large,
wickedly pointed piece of metal with a ribbon attached to it. Marcus watched
the thing scoot across the expanse between him and the rock.
He wasn’t
aware that it had hit and made contact until the tether started getting taut.
It was reeling him in slowly and he could see that he had hit the target area. The
white of the tether a bright contrast to the asteroid. “Hooked up, being
brought in” he then reported.
Anne was listening with her heart a bit
lighter, because so far so good. She was busy checking the most recent data
making sure there was still time. Before Earth and her mighty gravity, began to
speed this up too much.
Lori at JBLM could not listen any longer, in
her heart she felt like he already was too far gone. Too far from this world
was hers; the expanse tearing their
tether to a single thread. She was inconsolable and Darla led her from the communication
room to her office. “If you need to… you can listen here. Just press this and
we will connect you” she said to Lori as she instructed her on the Cisco phone.
Getting her a blanket and some aspirin the General hurriedly walked back to the
com room. Lori just sat in the darkened room wailing off and on and wondering
why her end of the world was so much harder to take.
Chapter Forty One
As Marcus was slowly approaching the rock the
suit kicked in again and the AC feeling came back. I have to thank that little
girl he was thinking. In his counter on the tether readout was -25-20-15… He was
holding out his arms and stuck his feet out too the best that he could.
Contact! “Houston we now have contact!” he said after checking that he could
touch the rock without melting. “Now let’s get this moved!” Chef rattled off to
Thor who was smiling from ear to ear. Every team linked up to the audio was
smiling and cheering a bit, but still anxious to see if they could do this now.
The President could not believe that he got there, his mood brightened noticeably.
“How
much fuel do we got Thor?” Marcus questioned, “11.6 pounds” Jake came back.
Anne was waiting for that number and started
doing the math. She knew they were in the right place and the right angle… but
would there be enough thrust to move it? Having had all the specs for the suit
sent from Vinnie, she knew that they had a chance. In space it does not take as
much to move a mountain but it is still no easy task.
Anne came on the com “Marcus how are you
doing?” “I’d rather not talk about it now Doc no time for therapy!” He replied,
afraid to go that deep in his head since this started. “We should have had
twelve pounds left?” she informed both Jake and Marcus. “Are we a Go ma’am?” questioned
Jakes voice.
Anne
looked around the room again at the men in the room both looking at her with
the same question on their faces. “Yes
we are a go” she said and her stomach jumped up did the back flip and came to
rest somewhere in her throat.
“Did ya get that Jake?” Marcus called out to
him wanting to get this done and over with. Marcus knew that this was do or die
time. If he didn’t do it he would die, if he did do it he would probably die as
well. This was the first time that death had really come into his head. “Yeah
Chef! Just give the word and I’ll punch it!”
Marcus
was warming up again and there were parts of his suit that were not getting the
AC now as much as before. He was still going over that whole death thing in his
head when the motion of the asteroid gave him a view of the Earth. That was all
he needed, because in that great big beach ball ahead of him all he could see
was Lori’s face.
Jake was feeling the nerves, he’d just found
a friend and that didn’t come easy for him.
With
twelve pounds of fuel they could push the asteroid for almost twenty minutes. With
11.6 they could only produce thrust for about 16.5 minutes. Anne was doing the
math again and again trying to come up with the answer. The math didn’t work
Marcus would just be pushing it to another impact area, but she fell silent.
She had
been working with a certain amount of preciseness that she was familiar with.
Now it was all shoot from the hip and for once in her life Anne felt ok with
not knowing. She let it all go, and to Anne that feeling was amazing.
Not knowing was what was going through Marcus’s
mind in those few seconds; but he too felt ok with it. Bracing himself against
the mountain he was able to get into a good position. “Ok Jake…Punch it!” With
that Jake pressed the controller button that Crissy had assigned to all rear
thrusters. Thud! Marcus was slapped flat against the asteroid his legs and arms
shooting spread eagle almost immediately. The thrusters were going full blast
and Marcus’s face was a few inches away from it. Great! He thought just then,
he is now a Garfield window plush in space… On the military feed hacked by CNN
everyone saw the screen light up a bit behind the asteroid.
“Chef? How ya doin?” Jake asked after about
ten seconds. Marcus really didn’t know and had a hard time hearing him. The
thrusters never having being tested in space were a lot louder at full thrust,
and he was trying to bear the sound… and heat. “I am still here!” he said
loudly into the mic, the booming sound of Marcus and the thrusters making every
group jump. “Ok Chef we have 15 minutes left ok?” “OK!” Marcus came back to
him, his head pounding at the noise.
Dr. Kelly was monitoring the asteroid’s
position with the only piece of equipment she had at her disposal. A newer
Soviet satellite sv74, that they had taken control of just hours earlier. She couldn’t
tell yet if it was making a difference it had only been a few minutes so far.
Lori had come back to the communications room
at that time. She looked like hell from the crying and head holding but she had
to come back. Jonathan told her “He’s doing it Mama Bear” he said it matter of
factly while never taking his eyes off of the screen. She just sat next to him
and put her head on his shoulder, not looking at the monitor or even that
direction. “I can’t watch” she said burying her head a little deeper.
“It’s moving!” Anne said after ten long
minutes of holding breaths. On the satellite readouts though, she was having a
hard time figuring out just how much. The numbers were readable but the Cyrillic
script was making it difficult to decipher. “Bennett? I am going to need you
here.” Bennett, who had been sitting
like the boss of a car lot most of the time, began helping like he was bored of
the show. “What does it say here?”Anne pointed, “And here?” Bennett quickly
relayed the information, smiling.
Marcus didn’t know if he was going to make it
at that point, permanent hearing loss was going to happen he knew. But would he
be completely deaf? He scoffed a bit after looking at the rock again that his
face was only a few inches away from. His hands were on the asteroid but the
torso of the suit was really pushing it. Marcus just had to keep from rolling,
it was not difficult but his hands were getting hot. He had a lot of experience
with hot items; lifting one away when it was not needed to cool. “How ya
holding up! Chef?” Jake checked in with Marcus but did not get a response.
Remembering the noise level he said it again in practically a scream. “How ya
doin Chef?” Marcus heard him that time; he was just changing hands to cool the
other when he came back on “I’m!”
Chapter Forty Two
Bang!... is all everyone on each team heard. Marcus had started to say
something and was instantly cut off. The teams could not dissect what had
happened. “Chef! Chef! Chef!” Jake was screaming into the mic milliseconds
after the noise. Chef! Chef! Chef! Rang over the com for the next thirty
seconds. Looking down at his uplink display Commander Gronning saw that the
suit had gone offline, and showing it immediately to Colonel Baker. “Offline!
Offline Thor!” Baker squawked into the com.
Gronning worked franticly to get it back.
Jake stopped screaming knowing Chef couldn’t hear him offline. Not knowing what
had happened but fearing the worse Baker pinged “Contact lost, I repeat contact
lost.”
Nobody
knew what happened and they were waiting for Marcus to reply. The teams around
the country started to panic checking everything they could, software, hardware
it was all coming up fine. Then Jonathan of all people saw it first “Hey! Hey!”
he said pointing to the screen with a wagging finger, Even Lori looking up at
that time.
Lori and everyone on Earth watching saw was
spectacular. The colors on the Asteroid began to change. a gossamer strand of a
bright green began encircling the mountain in space. Before it was lost behind
a gray haze, the entire rock was wrapped in bright green. “Chef! Chef!” Jake
said into the com if only for his own reasons. The entire asteroid disappearing
in just moments. A gray dust cloud expanding in space exponentially.
“Get me a bigger picture! Lieutenant!” Anne
was screaming at him, not knowing she was doing so. Saxegaard zoomed out to a gigantic
dust cloud that was getting bigger quick. The asteroid could not be seen. After
a few more minutes of zooming out repeatedly, the feed satellite was lost to
the cloud as well. Dr. Kelly was just as perplexed as anyone else, did it go
nuclear? Was it still coming? Is Marcus alive?
Lori was on the floor in the fetal position
repeating the word “no” over and over. “Why God why?” escaping her lips every
few seconds too. Every team was devastated; the shock on their faces evident.
Anne tried to get more information from any satellite
out there. But knowing the answer already… That the cloud would not let her.
President Bowman came on the com then, almost
sober. “This is Bowman! Everyone that can hear my voice is now under government
orders of silence… don’t make us hurt you!” the still slurring Bowman spat out.
Agents Witte and Sanchez were fast at cutting him off at the plug. Gronning was
punching in the coordinates to Bermuda. He
turned to Baker and kicked his feet up again “I guess we will just have to wait
huh?”
Baker was white faced and silent he looked at
his watch… one a.m. seventeen hours… Jake was busying himself with billions of
dollars worth of damage to the plane and equipment. Mankind would have to wait
for the answer to the question of its fate.
Chapter Forty Three
Mankind waited impatiently for its demise
those last hours. Fear had found its home in many. Humanity waited until it
could not wait any longer…but then it did. The minutes and then hours crawled
past the time of impact. The impatient wait turned to hope; the angst to elation.
The Sun shone brightly upon the blue marble by
the Moon that Tuesday. Mankind uncommonly aware of its profound blessings. By
that afternoon it was confirmed there was no sign of it in the nearer satellites
or telescopes. With their manifest destiny in hand, mankind tread lightly into
the undiscovered country that is the future.
The President had pronounced a time of
celebration and gratitude that evening as well as a time of reflection and
rebuilding. The wounds to civilization repairable, it was with great but
troubling ease that it resumed normal activities. The world had managed to
survive because of mankind… now that was a first. The breaking of a thousand
walls had occurred and few dared begin repeating their design.
Citing National Security all of the teams
that were on the com were sworn to secrecy, reminded by the Presidents rant to
hurt them. They were scheduled for their debriefings and given subpoenas.
Three G.I.s that already knew that they would be
the last to get their subpoenas. They were happily enjoying some leave in the
Bermudian sun. One was having a bit less.
Dr. Anne Kelly went back to her brothers for
some amends and some more family time. She found out people change, her Brother
among them long ago. Maybe she has as well, she was in no hurry to try to
figure it out.
Jonathan never left Lori’s side, scooping
her up and taking her home. Then setting her on the couch; she did not speak or
move much. He fed Hobbes who was curiously looking for something.
A dear friend and a good man he waited there
with her for the end. When it did not come he returned to his car and retrieved
the items from the campfire.
Lori
found the strength to get up at one time and could not find him in the house.
She found him in the backyard that evening. He had lit a small fire in the fire
pit and the items set on the ground around him. He had been there for hours meditating with
chants and silence. She did not disturb him for she knew his ways. She went
back to the couch and found more tears for her husband. Hobbes had curled up on
the couch with her before she moved and returned as soon as she did.
Captain Ripley arrived in D.C. early on
Wednesday morning. She was dressed in civilian clothing and had done her makeup.
But she was showing a slightly worried look. Using as much of her security
clearance that she could, she got close.
She was
stopped by two large men in suits and earpieces as she tried to skirt a
security checkpoint. “Badge!?” the
larger man asked, more a command than a question. She just held up her hands
like saying I don’t know? Trying to use her charm a bit, but it didn’t work.
Agent Witte questioned “What’s your business here?” also not really a question.
“I have a message I have to deliver to the President personally, National
Security!” Agent Sanchez almost laughed at that thinking she could try to be a
little more original.
Agent Witte swiped her I.D. card into the
system on a tablet thinking this Captain is about to be a private. A window on
the computer came up to indicate she needed to perform a palm scan. That was
when Agent Witte looked down in the corner of the window below it that he could
still see.
“C’mon!” he said to Kyra and Sanchez at the
same time leading them down a hallway. “Hey! genius the brigs the other way!”
said Sanchez. Agent Witte just stopped and spun on his heel and handed Sanchez
the tablet. “Corner… Genius” he replied face blank. Captain Ripley stopped more
the curious and a bit worried saying “If the President does not get this guys
he’s going to be really pissed! He already said he would hurt me!”
Those words snapped both their necks and she
could have sworn she heard a pop. Looking up from the tablet Sanchez smiled at
Kyra and lead off down the hallway with the words “And Heerree we go!” Witte
followed behind, almost as happy.
“What is it?” Bowman asked the agents as they
both came in with smiles on their faces and a tall woman in tow. “Captain
Ripley here to see you sir” agent Witte reported. The Presidents face was white
in an instant remembering the names on the subpoenas he had just signed
yesterday. Before he could get out a word of argument as to why she shouldn’t be
there Ripley piped in. “I have a message from Chef” she said as she held out
the envelope. Agents Witte and Sanchez were immediately feeling like they were
kicked in their guts, recognizing the name and now positive of her involvement.
She moved forward and handed it to the even whiter faced man.
Bowman cautiously took it and looked at the
writing on the gray envelope, ‘If I don’t make it back-Prez.’
It read in a hasty printed script. “He gave
them to me when he was suiting up” she informed him.
Opening
up the envelope he saw some very colorful Hello Kitty paper that apparently was
bubble gum scented as well. On it Read.
Mr. President
If you are reading this then something must
have worked right but I didn’t make it back. I just wanted to thank you for
letting me go, it was a crazy idea. I have a wife and cat at home near Seattle
and if I could ask something, could I ask that they be taken care of. I couldn’t
always make the rent and she is going to need some help making it for a while.
That would be appreciated.
Oh and by the way I didn’t do this to save THE
world. I did it to save MY world. Love really does keep the universe going now doesn’t
it?
Marcus
Downs
The man was weeping by the time he was done,
stabbing at some tissues and blowing his nose. Dr. Ripley was saddened by the
look alone. He placed it out for them all to read “Nothing classified” he said
as he slumped back in his chair. “You said them?” Bowman questioned her and
continued “You said he gave them to you?” Kyra was a few sentences into it she
stopped and said “Yes, one for his wife too.”
“Where
is it?” “Sir, you can’t she…” Bowman cut her off “I don’t want to read it silly
girl I want to deliver it!” sitting up in his chair. “I gave it to my brother
Jack yesterday morning” she said adding “It’s on a Harley going like a bat
outta hell across country to her!” “Get out a national APB” Bowman barked at
Agent Sanchez. “To all law enforcement personnel from the President of the
United States” Bowman continued “Get the Fuck out of this guys way!” he
finished.
Ripley
was glad he didn’t want to deliver it now, this wasn’t politics. Agents Witte
and Sanchez eagerly got busy taking down the Captains information on her
brother “Happy Jack” and his Harley.
Lori was still in the throes of grief that
week, but beginning to function. Jonathan was still a guest and consoler; he
cooked for her and tried to get her to eat. He was as much a Father figure as
anyone in her life, but he wasn’t Marcus. They dined when she could eat and he
meditated for hours each morning and evening. The General came over a few times to check on
her and that was genuine. But so was her interest in Jonathan which was
obvious. Hobbes never left her side which was nice because he was such a Daddy’s
boy most of the time.
It was
during one of the visits by the General, while the older couple was enjoying a
conversation in the back yard. That Lori remembered Marcus’s pictures of his
hike and the cave. “Jonathan? Marcus had a bunch of pictures and video he took
on his last hike.” Gray Feather knew that Marcus had left him to go hiking just
before he left. “Yei one and the Water Bearers” he said motioning for her to
lead him to them. “How does it go? Have you remembered yet ya old coot?”
General Moyer said to him, with a little rub because she could. “I have been
trying to meditate and remember the story but it has not come” he answered and
continued into the house. “Maybe the pictures will help you remember Jonathan?”
Lori said sounding the best she had since Sunday.
When the Marcus’s computer warmed up and
she once again remembered how to get to them she brought them up in a slide
show. Gray Feather was not impressed until the shots of the cave and cavern lit
up the display. He was stunned that Marcus had found anything like this. There
before him were pictographs and paintings that were, like Lori had found out.
Both believed newer in the cave, and ancient in the cavern. Nudging Lori to get
out of the seat he sat down and began to pause each one. Just saying “Yei one”
every so often.
Chapter Forty Four
There was a knock on the door and Lori went
to answer it. She saw the same M.P. that picked her up the other night. “Yes?” “Mrs.
Marcus Downs?” That shook her and made her mad because he knew who she was, and
it hurt to hear his whole name right now. “You know who I am!” she spat a bit
at him “Sorry Ma’am” the southern boy said as he looked down. Looking up he
said “I have a message for the General?” “Come in please?” she said as he just
stood there. Clearing his throat, Lori took that as he can’t come in. So she
said “I’ll get the General” “Thank You Ma’am.” Lori scooted back to Marcus’s
den and a moment later Darla stepped out, a little miffed to be bugged on her
off time. Returning the salute to the M.P. she said “What!?” “General Ma’am I
have a message from the President for your ears only.” “Ok, you got me, spit it
out soldier” looking up at him like this better be good. “Message is; there is
a message from Chef en route! Ma’am” Darla’s face could not have grown
brighter, downright giddy even, as she dismissed the M.P.
On a beach somewhere in the Bahamas Jake
kicked at the hot sand as he was walking down a beautiful beach. The Colonel
was flying home on an airline flight as soon as they heard the news about it
succeeding; needing to get back to his wife and children. Jake was thinking about
the week he just had and he and Marcus’s conversation. his part of the big picture. He saw a
reflection ahead of him and almost laughed. It was the Commanders bald head
shining, as he played volleyball with some Bahamian girls.
Anne had made good with her brother and they
were making gains on repairing their family. Jessica and Barney spent a lot of
time there. Anne wished she could talk she was not good at secrets. Have they
not found that out about her yet? They shared the time together with dinners
and rest, lots of rest. It seemed the repairs going on around the world
included people too and not just stuff.
A
Harley screamed past the troopers, they clocked it at a little over a hundred.
Looking at each other the Colorado State Troopers just continued drinking their
coffee. Harleys were off limits nationwide.
Looking over the pictures Jonathan was
entranced, he ‘felt’ the pictures it seemed to Lori. Great emotional swings in
his eyes and his body. Which she had never seen him do before. General Moyer
walked in with a beaming look on her face and said “Lori dear I have something
to tell you.” “Yes” Lori replied happy to have remembered the pictures still. “I
will just tell you what I just heard ok?” “Ok?” Lori now replied worried.
“There is a message from Marcus en route.”
Lori stood there shocked… Jonathan hearing that stopped what he was doing even.
“Where is it?” “That is all I know” Darla said sadly. Lori was numb:”When will
it get here?” “That’s all I know now honey I’m sorry” she said again deflating.
That Thursday night the General cooked for
them all. Jonathan told some of the ancient stories he could remember. Lori ate
and went to sleep, still numb.
Agent Bennett had long since left Cheyenne
Mountain and NORAD behind him. Leaving everyone there alone to do their jobs.
Lieutenant Saxegaard just returned to duty after being questioned for activity
on a Soviet System. Laughing he simply held up his subpoena and cited National
Security.
He was
sitting at his normal station monitoring high altitude flights, both Military
and Civilian for most of the Pacific Ocean and West Coast of the U.S... The
dust cloud had started to enter orbit near the Earth and the particles were
beginning to interfere with his station. He did notice that there were two HF
(high flyers) near American Samoa something that was out of place. He dutifully
noted in his log as an anomaly.
Near
the village of Fagaitua on American Samoa villagers were going down to the shores
in droves. Between their village and the Village of Faleasao on Ta’u Island
something was seen in the night sky. Most were just looking at the shooting
stars, their bright green streaks filling the sky at times.
Professional Photographer Brandi Lynn was
there on a photo shoot for a high end fashion magazine. Not wanting to miss
this she set up her cameras and began taking video and stills. Catching a large
meteor in her frames decided to follow it… to… right where she was! Taking her
camera away from her eyes, she saw that it was not coming at her. But near to
her and followed it to an almost atomic splashdown in the waters between the
two islands. Within minutes it was on Instagram and Facebook or would be when
the fluctuating internet signals returned.
The
next morning there was a knock on her door, answering she saw a man in a suit. “Agent
Bennett ma’am.”
Chapter Forty Five
Friday
morning Lori slept in again, not wanting to get out of bed. She knew there was
something else that Marcus had to say to her but she would have to wait. It was
being delivered through bike messenger? Gray Feather was still staying in the
guest room not wanting to leave Lori. But since he heard the General bring up
Yei one, he was curious too.
He
cooked breakfast for the two of them and sat her down in front of it,
aromatherapy if anything. She picked at the toast and drank her hazelnut
creamed coffee. Jonathan retreating to the backyard for another round of
meditation, it was his saving grace as well.
Outside of Spokane Washington a Shovelhead
Harley was gassing up at a local shell station. Two local police officers were
checking out the long haired biker, this simply wasn’t his kind of town. Keying
in his license plate number into their computers they soon turned ghost white
and continued to drink their coffee.
On the Island of Ta’u they were picking up
from the large waves created by the now meteorite. The waves were all over
American Samoa and the impact recorded on seismographs, this was not the only
one. The uneventful meteorite strikes have been recorded en masse all over the
globe. And the eventful, Rio almost being hit directly, to suburban homes
across the Midwest. But not all were filmed and uploaded to You Tube that was
41,000 gigapixels.
The U.S. Government‘s computers are that good
and this one stood out for some very secretive reason. It was known that the Chinese
were pursuing the meteorites for their possible nuclear materials.
President Bowman thrilled that their wish was
granted. Large pieces of the mountain had come to rest amidst some of their top
missile sites and their industrial military complexes. The island was soon the port of call for
ships of all shapes and sizes from at least four Government’s Navies and Coast
Guards. Their arrival overwhelmed the locals by their speed and numbers.
General Moyer was in her office when the call
came in that afternoon… it was Bennett. She scooted out the door with her purse
in her hand. The other Officers in her office were not surprised at her speed,
but the smiles she had been wearing these last few days. She jumped in her
private car and sped off the base, a few M.P.s in tow for a moment before
realizing the car’s owner.
Jonathan had brought Lori outside to the
surprisingly warm fall day. Thinking the Sun would do her good, and it would
get her out of the house at least. Sitting at a small bench with a colorful
large umbrella they talked. Lori was opening up just a bit and Jonathan did not
want to pry too soon. To Jonathan pain was fine, as long as you don’t make
yourself suffer. Talking a bit about Marcus until the tears came then changing
subjects and bringing up the Seahawks. Their year was good this one.
Up the street they heard a roar of a motor
that shook the ground a little bit. Whoever it was; wasn’t in a hurry and the
bikes motor steadily got closer. Jonathan and Lori stopped talking because they
couldn’t really hear themselves at that time. A blue Harley Shovelhead chopper
pulled up at the little white gate that was always open. A road dirty leathered
guy swings off slowly and strides up to the door. Seeing Lori and Jonathan
sitting there a moment later he changes direction and takes off his helmet.
“Lori
Downs?” he asked her in a dusty voice. Lori standing up and walking towards him
answered in a hopeful voice “Yes… That’s me.”
The man reached into his jacket at that time and pulled out a Ziploc bag
and opened it, inside was a letter. Holding out the letter to Lori she took it
with shaking hands and tearing up eyes. Then the man with the dusty voice
looked at her with all too knowing eyes said “Thank You.” Then gave her a hug
and rode away. Jonathan came up to her and took her back into the house; her
crying continuing.
Sitting there in her living room and looking
at Hobbes in Marcus’s spot licking himself. She opened up the Letter marked
with her name and address in Marcus’s hand. She began to laugh at first because
of the paper and how it fit his humor so well. It simply read.
Honey
I’ll
be back!!
If there is any way I can come back I will. I
know that I can see your love wherever you are, I will find you.
Love
Forever
Goofy
Lori
began to cry and to laugh and she knew that he would try like Houdini to scare
the crap out of her and come back. “Oh” she let out after a laugh and it was
just like Marcus to make a joke out of something. But that’s what she loved
about him and she would never lose that, she was sure. Jonathan taking the
letter from her hands after being offered. “Ah…He’s a nutbag.” He said straight
faced and dry. Lori then turned to Jonathan and hugged him, and began crying
again.
General Moyer was speeding down the street by
the traffic circle where a Howitzer stood earlier in the week. She had to slow
down a bit as to not hit a motorcycle. She pulled up to the little house with
the always open gate and rushed inside not bothering to knock. She turned into
the living room and saw the two laughing a little and hugging. “I got news!”
she said and just continued “You young lady better get your act together!
Because we gotta get you on a plane to Hawaii. They found him and they are
flying you there now! There’s a chopper on the way here now!” Jonathan caught
Lori as she fainted… Handing the letter to the General.
Chapter Forty Six
On an Australian military C130 a badly burned
and partially exposed body of Marcus Downs stuck out of the S.O.A.P. IV.
Meteors don’t have two burning wings on them, Bennett thought.
The suit had deployed the wings but the
parachute must have burned up sometime on re-entry. Half the ‘lid’ and his
whole left arm armor were missing a chunk and the suit was shredded beneath
that. Agent Bennett stood by and watched as the medics were trying to open it
up and get to the patient, he had very faint signs. How the hell could he have
survived? going through his head. Commander Gronning, Colonel Baker, Crissy and
Jake were already in the air en-route to Hawaii to assist with the suit that wasn’t
supposed to be.
Jake was smiling from ear to ear and in a
great mood which irritated the hell out of Crissy. But she was happy to know
the reason, Chef came home…
Lori was resting comfortably on board the
plane having come to and told to rest. It was a very nice jet that the
helicopter had placed them by. Jonathan noticed that they all wore an
Australian military type of outfit. General Moyer and He chatting away the time
realizing they were at the same protest in the sixties. He as a protester and
she as a soldier, but they were at the age where that didn’t matter. Time had
healed old wounds; friends shared a lifetime about a lifetime ago.
The C130
was arriving in Pearl Harbor. Major Lynne Bray M.D. had just come on duty. She got the call and
hurried to the tarmac only to be stopped by two men in dark suits and
sunglasses. Agents Witte and Sanchez were given time to assist on this at The
President’s request. They were not going to let just anyone get close to Marcus
without screening them. Understanding that she just got a bump in pay; and
security clearance as soon as they stopped her, she was happy to comply. She
checked out and was waiting for the giant aircraft to finish taxiing to a stop.
Knowing there was already a team on board
she took point as soon as she could. Witte and Sanchez looked on at Marcus in
the huge suit still and turned away. His burned and damaged condition a little
more than they could take. Using a forklift and service elevator they were able
to bring him onto the first floor, he wouldn’t fit in any room or anywhere
else. Using a service area as a makeshift triage center the area confined and
equipment brought in. Dr. Bray went to work trying to save this blown up… robot
man?
Lori’s plane was brought into the base
itself which was not unusual for jets of this designation, just rare. She and
the two lovebirds arrived at the hospital and were told that he was in surgery.
Lori screaming to suit her up, she just about took out two male nurses that
were in her way.
The radiation unit came in and found a
nominal reading as Dr. Bray attended to parts of the patient that they could
get to. Once the radiation check was completed and they got an intravenous drip
going. His signs were checked constantly, very faint, in and out. But being as
stable as she could make him, she walked into the waiting area. “Mrs. Downs?”
she said looking at the civilian woman in the room. “I’m Dr. Bray…Marcus’s
doctor.” Lori’s stomach fell and kept falling until she heard the words “He’s
as stable as I can make him.” Lori’s beaming face rose up to the doctors and
she started crying and hugging the startled Major. “He’s alive!!?” Dr. Bray not
knowing the whole story just stood there and smiled for her. “But…” Lori’s
heart sank with that three letter destroyer of aspirations. “We have to talk.” With
that she and Lori spoke for the next thirty minutes about what she was going to
see. Lori didn’t care about the burns or looks; she just wanted her husband
back in her arms. She wanted her world…
Before Lori
could get in to see Marcus the team from Ft. Benning arrived. Dr. Bray told her
that this had to be done immediately. She understood completely and shooed the
doctor away to work just happy with the news still. Jonathan and the General
were almost as happy as she was about Marcus’s condition…Alive.
Jake and Crissy having just arrived were
ungraciously scrubbed and gloved by four of Dr. Bray’s nurses. Looking at the
equipment they brought in Lynn could do nothing but sigh, it was needed.
Jake
was nervous and Crissy was eager, a little too much for Jake. They were hurried
down a corridor into a service area that looked at the moment a lot like the
lab. Their equipment had been wrapped the best that the team could do with
plastic. At that Agents Witte and Sanchez welled up as they saw it being rolled
past them. Stopping Jake for a moment before he went in Witte said “Take care
of Chef for us will ya!?” in his whiskey voice. Jake just nodded, noting the
guy was his size too.
It was almost too much for Jake to stomach
when he walked in. The smells and the sounds, and the sight of Marcus were
overwhelming. Even though he had witnessed the ravages of war many times, this
was different, this was Chef.
Walking
up to the suit that Crissy was already at, he looked down and was afraid for
the first time in a long time. Like being shocked his face changed and he got
to work. Crissy looking up and saying “This isn’t gonna be easy!” Jake just
nodded and went to the toolbox wrapped in plastic.
Chapter Forty Seven
Lori
was elated and they talked about the mission and wondered at Marcus’s letter
and his chutzpah. She wondered aloud “Maybe Marcus was too busy looking for
something outside of himself that he forgot what he already had inside?”
Jonathan replied “Many the man gets lost in that land.”
Dr. Bray’s nurse came in and filled them in. That
it appeared to her that the cutting of the suit is going to take some time.
Nurse Knouse hurried back to assist the doctor wondering if the cutting out
would do more harm to the patient.
Jake
and Crissy had been cutting away at the suit for the last two hours…they had
gotten eight inches cut. They determined that they needed to cut away sixteen,
for a chance to pull off the chest cover. Once that was removed he could be
slid out of the top of it. There was no suit in too many places, Jake paying
close attention to his work as not to look up at Marcus’s head and face. Crissy
was unusually silent during this, maybe finding it more than she thought it
would be. Dr. Bray looked on at the plasma torch that they were using and
cringed at the thought. But apparently the suit under the ‘suit’ would protect
him quite a bit…at least they thought it would. A few hours later as the doctor
was looking on Jake called out to her “Doc! We are almost there gonna pop this
can in a minute or two get ready.” She got her team together and prepared to go
in.
“Ok
Chef, gonna get you out of here in three, two, one” he said as he could hear
the suit crack. With a few more minutes of cutting he heard the entire unit
lose structure and break under the stress “Crack!” He reached for the cooler
side of the piece and lifted, it was stuck but it moved a bit. Jake wedged his
fingers under the armor and curled them around an edge. Pulling it up it did
not come, so he climbed on the table and stood over the chest piece legs wide.
He reached in and curled his fingers once again and began to pull up face
contorting into that of a power lifter. Now Crissy has seen Jake lift a lot of
things over the years and this was by far his hardest challenge. With another
crack and a few pulled ligaments Jake was holding the chest piece in front of
himself.
Rushing in and rushing them out right then
was Dr. Bray and her team, they got busy extracting the patient. Asking if the
material could be cut she was informed to use tin snips. Jake was rushed from
the room and as they did so he turned and looked again at his friend, burns and
all. Nurse Knouse saw that his glove had been torn and he was bleeding pretty
good and bandaged him up. The extraction took forty-five minutes and then he was
rushed into surgery. Lori was told the news and she remained hopeful in the
waiting room, patiently waiting for updates.
Twelve hours later an exhausted and frayed
woman came in, they almost didn’t recognize Dr. Bray. “Mrs. Downs…He is out of
surgery and stable…but he is in a coma.” “When can I see him?” Lori asked
eagerly. “In a few hours, but remember what I told you about his condition. I
have to get a nap in.” The Doctor said sleepily walking out of the room and
down the hall.
A few
hours later Lori was led to a scrubbing station and instructed what to do, she
had to be sterile as possible.
She
finished and was escorted by Nurse Knouse to the room reminding. “Remember not
to touch anything but his right hand. I am sorry about the facial bandages.”
Lori walked into the room and headed to Marcus like she was floating, looking
down at his right hand she took his lightly in hers. “I love you goofy” she
said softly in his ear and remained by his side holding onto what she could.
His coma remaining for five months and she by his side the whole time. Jonathan
returned home with the General to look after Hobbes and the house.
Chapter Forty Eight
The
doctors and nurses that cared for Marcus were afraid to discuss his recovery in
front of Lori. It was not for the fear of being the bearer of bad news but just
the opposite. Marcus was healing at a rate they could not measure. Still in a
coma but receiving treatment for his wounds, the doctors and nurses knew
something else had to be happening. Lori saw Nurse Knouse one time and asked
her what was going on. The attention Marcus got and the looks towards her were
easy tells in Lori’s eyes. Heather, as Lori would learn to call her told her of
Marcus’s dramatic and astounding recovery and the reason for concern by some.
Heather asked her if it would be ok for her to try a light Reiki session with
her husband, just to touch base with what is happening. She informed her of the
practice and use of the hands. “The word is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “God's
Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy.” Nurse Knouse
knowing that by doing this she is accepting some of Marcus’s pain if he is
suffering. But being a Reiki Master she was comfortable enough to try. Lori
seeing no harm but all good in this agreed to it. It would be a few hours
before her work was done, and that she needed time to ready herself.
That
evening in April Nurse Knouse performed the session with Lori watching from a
nearby chair. She had brought in a few candles and dimmed the room and began at
his feet. As she was doing this Lori just watched amazed more like it that a
modern medical professional would know how and use homeopathic medicine.
Heather slightly winced and then more pain in her face was showing, not
stopping she continued. Lori swore she could see gossamer strands of neon green
flowing between them, but shook her head and cited fatigue.
After about a half an hour Heather stopped and
opened her eyes slowly. She looked over at Lori with the most amazing
expression on her face “He is not in pain. He is in perfect harmony inside.
Thank you so much!” with the amazing expression on her face still. “Why thank
me?” Lori asked, Heather looked at her took her hands in hers and answered
“There has been no time in my life that I have been so moved. Your husband’s Ki
is the strongest by thousands that I have ever felt, it is a lifetime blessing
for me.” They hugged and Heather left the dimmed room. Lori looked down at
Marcus and taking his hand again and asked “When will you come back all the
way?”
Chapter Forty Nine
Four days later Dr. Bray came into Marcus’s
room, Lori was asleep on the couch they brought in for her. Checking his vitals
and the usual routine she looked at the EEG readout and stopped. She looked
again and began pressing call over and over. The nurses started coming in and
checking everything out as well, Mr. Marcus was out of his coma and coming to.
Waking Lori up in the process Heather just said” I think someone in here is
gonna want to see you?” Lori looked around confused? She was helped up and
brought to Marcus’s side “He should be waking up soon she added softly.” Lori
held his hand and began to tear up looking at him lying there, still scarred
from the burns but healing. Marcus’s hand squeezed hers then again, she looked
down at him. His eyes opened…
“Hi honey?” He said extremely hoarsely and
then “I love you bunches...where is Hobbes? I had a heck of a dream last
night.” She looked down at him with big saucers for eyes and replied “I love
you too honey, Hobbes is fine…You said dreams?” “Not really dreams, I’ve been
awake for a few minutes… I was just trying to find something funny to say!”
Lori burst out crying not laughing because her world was home.
After a few more weeks she got to take him
home to Hobbes and Jonathan. He would still be healing for quite some time Dr.
Bray told them.
In the coming months he met General Moyer as
she and Jonathan continued their relationship. Promising a job for Marcus as
soon as he was well enough to work. Agents Witte and Sanchez stopped by with
his helmet and the President when he campaigned for the next guy. Marcus was
really glad to see them all foregoing the bear hugs to a later date. And
thanking the President again for letting him go. The President inviting him
over to his Personal home any time he chose and said “Nonsense Marcus…I
couldn’t have stopped you anyways.”
He would often catch people staring just a
little too long at him. His looks changed enough by the ordeal, that they soon
lost interest. McCarl and CNN got a visit from an IT guy one day. With help
from the U.S. Government and a few others, it was all greatly disavowed.
One day Lori noticed an SUV pull up to their
little house and out stepped a Mother and Child. As they walked up to the gate
that was never shut Lori started to the front door. Not afraid but curious that
they had the wrong house she leaned out the door “can I help you?” “Yes, I’m
looking for Marcus Downs?” “And what business do you have with him?” Lori was
now piqued “I’d rather not say” replied the woman. That snapped her a bit and
she retorted “Well if his WIFE can’t hear it” “Lori!?” “Are you Lori!?” she was
cut off which would have made it worse.
But Lori remembers faces and she had never
met this woman whoever she was. “Yes that’s my name?” “I’m Anne, Dr. Anne Kelly!” Lori remembered
the name well “Oh I’m so sorry come in, come in, you are more than welcome in
our home!” Once inside “Marcus is out back in his chair writing. This way
please” “Oh?” Anne sounded curious. “Oh it’s not what you think…How old is your
boy?” Anne “He isn’t mine this is my brother Barney.” Hi Barney!” Lori said to
him and looked knowingly into Anne’s eyes.
They went out back and Marcus was there
standing by the firepit looking a million miles away. “Marcus there is someone
here I think you should meet?” Lori told her husband. Turning around he looked
at her and said “Annie! Good to finally meet you!” Marcus said to the puzzled
doctor who was trying to figure out how he, “The Feds” Marcus spared her the
task, they had all been debriefed and inquisited. Marcus citing no memory
except that a piece of the asteroid blew up striking him. “I am sorry to come
by. I know we shouldn’t be having contact like they said.” Anne then continued
“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my little brother to meet the real
Superman!” Marcus would never accept being called Superman, but looking down
into Barney’s eyes a knowing and humble Marcus played the part for a short
time. No he couldn’t fly or anything like that anymore. But being a hero to a
little kid like this didn’t take too much did it, he thought. They played and
ran around the yard the best they could, both of them. They all had dinner
together and shared stories of many things Anne and Australia, Marcus at the
White House. As they were leaving that night Barney held up his hug arms to
Marcus, unable to lift him still because of his wounds Marcus just bent down
and did his best. Barney handed him his cape and told Annie, “I have to leave
it here, he lost his!” they all laughed that laugh that’s right before a cry,
and parted ways.
Chapter Fifty
Marcus to this day has not seen Jake or
anyone from Ft. Benning. The word he could get where they were stationed
overseas somewhere on a mission that’s all he could be told.
One night a shortly before Jonathan went home the
three of them were out back talking about all that had happened. Bringing up
the story of the cave again, Jonathan said “Yei one and the Water Bears.”
“Yeah, I haven’t heard that from you again until just now” Lori said adding
“Have you come up with the story in your meditation yet?” “It has not come to
me in my meditation” Jonathan said deflated “It came to me in a book of yours,
but I was waiting to see if Yei one was ready to hear it?” “I’m all better now”
Marcus lied, but he did feel much stronger. “Well I better get the book because
my memory is shot, but I think this was our friends work here.” He returned and
brought a book with him by Dr.
Victoria Lien PhD in Anthropology/Anthrobiology from the University of
Washington - Native American Folk Stories and Legends. He sat and chanted for a
few moments, and in a voice that Marcus remembered from his childhood he read.
The Skin of the Earth
Before the time of living
things, the Earth was ruled by the Horned Fire Demons. They were the darkness
and fire and they allowed no living thing on Earth.
The
Water Bearers were to bring light to Earth and the two sides battled for
Billions of years.
The Horned Fire Demons were
losing, so they brought in all of the darkness they could. To destroy the Water
Bearers but they could not be destroyed. The Horned Fire Demons concocted a
plan to trap the Water Bearers. They told the Water Bearers that they could
have half of the Earth.
Being pleased with that the Water Bearers came
down to the fire and brimstone and lava. It was an ambush! The Water Bearers
were trapped by the Horned Fire Demons below their flames and brimstone. There
the Water Bearers ceased fighting and grew. Making water beneath the Horned
Water Demons. For Billions of years more they grew underneath the surface.
Until a drop of water made
its way to the surface amid the Horned Fire Demons. The drop reflected the Sun Creator
and brought light to the Earth. More growth and water were made. For millions
of years they continued to make the water, letting it flow from their imprisoned
hold. Slowly the Water Bearers continued… creating the land and the lakes and
the rivers and the oceans the land and it’s peoples.
The water bringing the light
and warmth from the Sun Creator. Life was in its waters and the wind was born. The
Water Bearers still grow even today keeping the Horned Fire Demons far from the
light. The Horned Fire Demons succumbing to their unintended share beneath –
The skin of the Earth
It is here that I
would say THE END…But is it ever… really?
This Book is dedicated to my late Father
Thomas B. Douge and my mother Virginia E. Douge
M.
E. Douge
Message
from the Author:
This book is my fist work. It was started and
completed in the last two weeks of October of 2013.
If
you missed the story it was trying to tell that’s fine. It tells more than one
story to me and that’s all that really matters. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
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