2084 The End of Days (24 page)

“Well look what the cat dragged in – if it ain’t ma big bro’!”

“Soderline! God, you don’t know how good it is to see a friendly face.”

Lex hugged Jimmy Soderline and tears welled up in the two men’s eyes. They quickly shared pleasantries but it soon became clear that Jimmy was a messenger.

“Lex, a message from Irene. She needs a quick word before you go on station. Nothing for you to worry about she said, but sounds pretty damn urgent. On you go in then, ah gotta go pee!”

“Uh, Jimmy, you coulda given me better news than that –“

Jimmy shouted back as he sprinted towards the men’s restroom.

“Don’t shoot the messenger!”

Lex left Jimmy and headed straight to Irene’s station overlooking the main Houston Control Room. Irene ushered him to sit down beside her and she gave him the briefest friendly wink. It signalled to Lex that Irene was acknowledging their growing friendship but in here at Houston Control she was still boss and it was business only.

“Lex, you don’t know how good it is to have ma best controller back on the panels.”

“Gee, thanks, Irene, it’s good to be back – I think. Ya wanted to have a word before ah went on shift?”

Irene leaned forward towards Lex and lowered her voice in an almost conspiratorial manner. She was almost whispering.

“Lex, ah need a favour from ya. We’ve been trying to contact Jack Crossan as a matter of national importance but we’ve been unable to reach him. Ah know that you and Jack have been friends for years -”

Lex nodded.

“Pretty good friends, although we don’t see each other much, what with Jack up on Mars most ah the time. However, he did come to visit me down in Robindale about three weeks ago. See how ah was doin’, ya know?”

“Well, Lex, the thing is this, Jack’s not actually due to be back on duty for another two days. He’s due to launch for Alpha in four to take the new Oceanus II on its maiden voyage to the Big Red. But Brass have asked me to get him back right away. Apparently the White House want to see him – Trueman himself!”

Lex’s eyebrows arched up and his face showed surprise, but also that he was impressed.

“Wow, Irene! The President wants to see Jack? Maybe he just wants to pin another medal on the big guy’s chest?”

Irene’s brows furrowed deeply.

“No, it’s not that. There’s something big brewin’ Lex. Ah don’t rightly know what yet, but Brass are running round with real tight asses at the moment. We’ve had Aaron Eckler and Beth O’Donnell crawling all over us for the past two weeks, making sure that Control’s running smoothly, do we need any new investment and all that kinda stuff – “

“Eckler and O’Donnell – ah thought they were involved with the Nimrod SH2 program?”

Irene shrugged her shoulders.

“They are - but at the moment they have been given carte blanche to look across the whole organisation. They’ve also pulled some Israeli astrophysicist over from INSACC and two young hot-shot Scottish kids onto their team. While you have been away the NASA production budget passed through Congress has gone through the roof. The build budget on the Oceanus program makes the old Apollo program look like peanuts in comparison. Contracts have been let out here in the States, but also in Russia, China, Japan, Europe and India. You name it, Lex, everyone is getting’ a slice of the pie. Christ, even the Israelis and Iranians have got involved in a joint construction partnership contract. Ah ain’t never seen anythin’ like it!”

Lex looked at Irene in confusion.

“An’ you think that’s why the President wants to see Jack?”

“Probably. Aw, Christ, ah don’t know. All I know is that Eckler has been crawling up ma ass constantly for the past coupla days askin’ why the hell Jack ain’t in DC yet! Thing is - we just can’t get in touch with him.”

“He’s in England, Irene. Jack told me he was goin’ over to try and patch things up with Peggy Sue. He probably didn’t take his NASA cell with him.”

“Aw, Jeezus, that’s all ah need!”

“He’s probably got his personal cell with him. Ah know he doesn’t give that number out much, but ah’ve got it on mine.”

Irene leaned even closer to Lex and beamed a huge smile with relief written all over her face.

“Lex Kosloff, ah could jest kiss ya! Can you get down on your station an’ see if ya can get Jack to report directly to the White House Chief of Staff. A-S-A-P!”

A few minutes later Lex had set himself up on his controller’s station and after checking all his systems were operative he took out his cell phone and called Jack Crossan’s personal number. However, it just kept on ringing out and it did not even go to voicemail. Lex swivelled around on his chair and looked up at Irene. He shrugged to let her know that he was getting no joy. Lex saw a look of panic cross Irene’s face. He swivelled back to his panel and just as he was about to hang up the cell clicked.

“H-hello?”

It was Jack. He sounded cautious and his voice sort of echoed tinnily.

“Jack, thank God it’s you. It’s Lex Kosloff here!”

Lex stretched his free arm back towards Irene and signalled a thumbs up. He thought he might actually have heard a muted squeal of delight coming down from Irene’s station.

“Lex? Is everythin’ okay buddy?”

“Everythin’s cool, Jack. Ah’m back at work on station just in the last few minutes and Irene DuPré had me call you ASAP. Brass has been trying to get a hold of you in the last coupla days – apparently the President wants to see you?”

“Trueman? You gotta be kiddin’ Lex? God, ah’m still here in England tryin’ to sort ma life out!”

“Well, you better get your ass on the first flight to Washington or your life won’t be worth livin’ Jack.”

There was a moment’s silence then Lex heard Jack laughing loudly but again with that tinny echoing sound.

“Jack, what in hell’s name’s funny?”

“Irony, Lex, pure irony. Ah’ll maybe tell ya about it one day. Look, email me the details about DC an’ ah’ll get outta here and get back Stateside as
fast as ah can.”

“
Roger that Jack. Mind me askin’ Jack, but ya sound kinda funny. Where in hell exactly are ya?”

Jack laughed again.

“Lex, believe it or not, but ah am in a little ole empty church!”

J
ack flipped his cell off and stuck it back in his pocket. He had literally just entered the church a few seconds before Lex rang. Twenty or so minutes before, as he sat in the stubbled field with the black market gun at his head, something inside screamed at him not to pull that trigger. Somehow he felt that it was just not his time to go. He got up and walked back towards the village and Bainley Lane Farm. Before he reached the farm he noticed the little church up the rise to his right and he felt drawn towards it. He walked up to the large board in front proclaiming that it was Cucklington Parish Church of England and continued up the stone-flagged path. The vicar and his wife were hoeing weeds as Jack walked past and they both looked agog at the uniformed American astronaut as he strolled past, still unconsciously carrying the gun in his hand. Now Jack was standing in the entrance way of the little old and musty smelling church with its rows of cracked wooden pews and ancient Bibles mulling over what Lex had just told him. He happened to cast his eyes up on to the wall of the church facing the doors that he had just entered. Jack looked at a large carved marble plaque on the wall which read:

SAMUEL CROSSAN

2
nd
BATTALION ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND

AGE 26

KILLED IN ACTION

NAD E-ALI, 2
nd
AFGHAN CONFLICT

25 FEBRUARY 2031

DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI

A wry smile cracked Jack’s lips and he thought again, irony, Lex, pure irony. That was one poor Crossan who did not make it through that terrible day, but Jack decided that he was another one who was going to make it through on this particular day. He spun around on his heels and headed out the church doors and down the stone path. Half way down the path the vicar stood motionless leaning on his hoeing tool with his wife half-cowering behind him. Jack stopped at the couple with their jaws dropping. He unclipped the magazine from the gun and handed the gun and clip to the vicar.

“Parson, could you lose that thing for me? Where ah’m goin’ ah won’t be
needing it!”

Chapter 18

Earthdate: 14:10 Wednesday September 24, 2081 EST

S
pace Commander Jack Crossan was shown into the Oval Office and after being personally greeted and introduced by President Josh
Trueman, a select band of attendees all introduced themselves too. To Jack’s amazement the meeting comprised of various world leaders, including some of whom Jack could never have envisaged in the same room together. In the centre at the Oval Office desk sat President Josh Trueman flanked by British Prime Minister John Ralston representing the European Union, UN Secretary-General Ravinder Gupta-Chaudry, Israeli Prime Minister Moshi Shalomon and sitting next to Shalomon was the Secretary-General of the LOIN, Mullah Abdullah Suleiman. Facing the President on the other side of the desk in a semi-circle sat Aaron Eckler, Beth O’Donnell, Ari Schenkler, Ewan Sinclair, Gary Mackintosh and lastly Jack too. Trueman quickly called the meeting to order.

“Okay, guys, apart from Commander Crossan here, ya all know why this top secret meeting has been called - right?”

Everyone apart from Jack nodded assent. Jack quickly realised that this meeting was more than just a commendation and bon voyage from the President on the upcoming maiden voyage of the Oceanus II in a few days’ time and there was more to this meeting than he had envisaged. Trueman continued.

“Jack, in two days you’re a passenger on the Jupiter Galaxy V shuttle up to Alpha Base, is that correct?”

“Yes sir, Mister President.”

Trueman hated the formality of being called Mister President but with all the great and the good surrounding him he could not tell Jack just to call him Josh.

“And, uh, a week later you launch the new Oceanus II on its maiden voyage to Mars?”

“Yes sir, she’ll be carrying the regular supplies and the changeover team
s for the MGals, Mars bases, ice miners, that kinda thing –“

President Trueman cut in.

“Ah here those ice miners can be a real handful, Jack?”

“They can be, sir, what with a 15 week trip in a tin can with nothing much to do. Ice miners tend to drink a lot on these voyages. To dull the senses, so to speak. Although, one thing they never put in their drinks is ice – just waters down their booze an’ they don’t like that!”

Everyone had a good laugh at Jack’s reply, which lightened the heavy atmosphere in the room. Jack thought, maybe you could call that an ice-breaker. Trueman started to get down to the nitty-gritty.

“Well, Jack, the thing is this - the ice-miners and regular stuff won’t be going with you on the Oceanus II. They have been shifted back and will be going out three weeks later on the Oceanus I.”

Forgetting where he was, Jack interrupted the President.

“Oceanus I? Ah thought she was at Delta Base for a refit -?”

Trueman wagged a finger at Aaron Eckler to explain, who promptly obliged.

“Commander Crossan, you probably are aware that a lot of new projects have been progressing even before you arrived back from your last Mars trip. As part of the new-build budget approved jointly by Congress / UN / LOIN for a fleet of new Oceanus space-liners, we were able to set aside some money to fast track the refit on Oceanus I. We need her back operational ASAP to do the regular Mars run. Admittedly, a three week delay on the schedule is going to piss off a lot of staff – and ice-miners – on Mars waiting to get home.”

Jack looked puzzled.

“So am ah taking the Oceanus II out empty? Ah thought she had done all her proving trials?”

Eckler got Trueman’s nod to continue.

“That is correct. Oh Two has passed all her space trials and she is the most advanced spacecraft ever built by humankind. On top of that Ari and Ewan’s calculations show that the solar winds, plus the 3R / Mars alignment, projects a less than 14 week trip for you and your special cargo, Jack. That’s why the regular shipment has been put back by three weeks.”

“Ah’m takin’ some sorta special cargo?”

Trueman indicated to Eckler that he would take over the explanation.

“Jack, before we detail what you are carrying to Mars, which is of the utmost importance, ah need to tell ya somethin’ truly awful, which only the people sittin’ in this room are privileged to. Oh and just a handful of others
around the world who are sworn to absolute secrecy. At some point we are going to have to divulge this info, but now is not yet the right time as we are still at the forward plannin’ stage. Therefore, we need to know that you can keep this knowledge under your hat until such time when we can reasonably announce this to the world at large. Can you, Jack?”

“Ah guess so. Yes sir!”

Jack tried to sound confident but he shifted nervously in his seat. Trueman looked around at Ralston, Gupta-Chaudry, Shalomon and Suleiman and they all nodded for the President to continue.

“Jack, you already know that we have announced that this Schenkler HMM2 comet thing – incidentally named after Ari here – is on a near-miss collision with Earth an’ that the tail of this thing is going to cause quite a bit of collateral damage?”

“Ah did hear, sir, that we might be shiftin’ some vital equipment to Mars to avoid possible damage –“

“Yes, Jack, we did sorta put out that story. But that is not it. You see, Jack, the comet is not goin’ to be a near-miss after all. It is goin’ to hit Earth!”

“Jee - zus – sorry, Mister President! It’s goin’ to hit 3R – what sort of damage are we talkin’ about?”

“Mr Sinclair – can you explain please?”

Ewan gulped nervously. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever envisage that he would have to explain his theories in front of the most powerful men in the world.

“W-well, Jack, ah, Commander Crossan, you see at this very moment the Schenkler comet is not actually on a direct collision course with Earth and if it remained on its current trajectory through the solar system it would indeed fly by and miss us by a whisker and we would only suffer collateral damage from tail debris. However, when the comet passes Jupiter in almost exactly a year from now, our predictions show the pull of the gas giant’s gravitational force will ever so slightly adjust the comet’s path and put it on a direct collision course with our planet. Would you concur, Ari?”

“Absolutely, we have gone over these calculations a million times and we are 99.9 per cent certain – we will be 100 per cent certain after the Jupiter pass.”

There was a slight impasse in the meeting as all this started to sink into Jack’s brain. It was Crossan who spoke first.

“So, what kinda damage are we lookin’ at? Billions dead, nuclear winter,
what?”

It was Aaron Eckler who replied.

“Jack, have you ever seen a dum-dum bullet hit a watermelon?”

Jack gulped visibly and his mouth went dry. All he could think of at that moment was Peggy Sue, his boys Milner and Jack Junior and his dad Andy. He did not even nod or reply. Trueman came in with almost a soft whisper.

“It is total, Jack – oblivion! After May 2084 there will be no Earth. But that has to stay between us all until the Jupiter pass to give us time to plan an evacuation to Mars. By that time even amateur astronomers will have worked out we are going to be totalled!”

Jack nodded dumbly and he tried to suppress the rising bile in his throat. He wanted to run out of the Oval Office, run to his family, but he knew that he was called here to carry out a mission for his country, for his world and he shook himself back into the here and now.

“S-so where do ah come in, Mister President?”

Trueman indicated to Beth O’Donnell to carry on with the details.

“Your cargo on the Oh Two will be made up of three main component projects, Jack, with the variously trained specialist staff for each individual project. The first project involves the installation and eventual deployment of newly designed interspacial ballistic missiles with the most powerful nuclear warheads ever devised –“

Mullah Abdullah Suleiman interjected with a pleased smile on his face.

“We came up with that – or should I say it was a joint Iranian / Israeli venture. Apologies for my intrusion, Mister President, please carry on Miss O’Donnell.”

“The plan is to deploy the nukes from the Martian space stations when Schenkler – sorry Ari – when the Schenkler comet comes at its closest point to Mars.”

Jack look puzzled.

“So we can destroy this thing – or shift its trajectory?”

Ewan Sinclair answered.

“This astral body is just over one and a half times the size of Pluto, Jack. It will be like hitting it with a peashooter!”

“Jeezus – sorry again Mister President – but what the hell is the point?”

Trueman indicated for Beth O’Donnel to continue with the explanation.

“Carry on, Beth.”

“The point is that we need to give the world some sort of hope, Jack. After the Jupiter pass we have to announce to the world that we are facing oblivion. We have to announce that we are trying the nuclear strike from Mars to give us breathing space, to, uh, to –“

Trueman finished Beth’s trailing sentence.

“To try and stop the breakdown of world order, Jack. By the time the nuclear strike fails and the comet passes Mars then anybody who ain’t on the Big Red or well on his way there won’t be going anywhere but to meet his Maker!”

Beth got the okay to continue her presentation.

“The second project is the first delivery of materiel and construction workers to begin the expansion of the super-glass pods which will hold all the new immigrants, livestock and crop production plants. Based on the small-scale tests of cattle and crops already on Mars we believe that we can successfully expand on those tests to provide a reasonably reliable food source to meet the needs of the immigration program. Pod materiel will continue to be transported from 3R for as long as deemed possible – probably until late into 2083.”

Jack was trying to do impossible sums in his head. All he could think of was that Oceanus I could only carry a maximum of 350 passengers per trip and he tried to fit seven and a half billion humans into his computations. His head was spinning.

“How many immigrants are we talking about?”

“Realistically, twenty five thousand tops.”

Trueman interrupted, raising his voice somewhat and making all heads turn towards him.

“Whoa there just a minute! Twenty five thousand? Eckler – when you briefed us before you estimated we were talkin’ between forty five an’ fifty thousand?”

Eckler and O’Donnell looked at each other, then down at their notes and Eckler spoke.

“S-sorry, Mister President, but once we reviewed all the factors, the timescales, the construction project and the limitations put on us by the amount of livestock and crop seed that we could realistically shift, w-we had to review the numbers down. We are not even a 100 per cent sure we can even hit twenty five –“

Trueman thumped the Oval Office desk hard.

“Aw, Jesus Christ, this whole fuckin’ thing just gets worse every time ah hear about it!”

The meeting collapsed in on itself as each started murmuring with their neighbour about the implications of the drop in numbers and how it might affect their own backyard. Trueman thumped the desk again to bring
everyone back to order.

“Okay! Okay, let’s say twenty five thou tops. We might have to live with that. But Eckler – I want you and O’Donnell to look again at those numbers and if there is any way of getting them up – then find it! Right, Beth, let’s start wrappin’ this up for Jack – and no more surprises –“

“Yes, Mister President. Okay Jack, the third and final project to be delivered by Oh Two relates to the E2MSN. This is where Gary Mackintosh comes in and I’ll let Gary explain. Gary?”

Gary thought along similar lines to Ewan’s nervous thoughts earlier in the meeting but he swallowed hard and threw himself into his spiel.

“The problem we face Commander Crossan is that if and when our wee planet is destroyed we effectively lose overall control of the Earth to Mars Satellite Network. Ah have been workin’ with the team in Houston to develop new supercomputer equipment to transfer the control of the E2MSN from Earth over to Martian control. If we lost computer control on Mars after Earth is destroyed then mankind would be thrown back into the dark ages. You will be transporting the equipment and computer boffins who are goin’ to set up the transitional transfer of the network over to Big Red control. The NASA guys have given it just the worst possible acronym – NOAHSARK!”

Someone mumbled Noah’s Ark as a question and Gary continued with an explanation.

“NOAHSARK – Network of all Human Specific Archives Records and Knowledge. Basically, once the network is fully functional on Mars we intend to digitally transfer just about anything that we humans have learned, written down or spoken about in the last one million years. The feelin’ is that our continued survival depends on retaining all our combined knowledge. The bottom line is that we are the only living organism on this planet that knows we are getting’ blown to Kingdom Come. Using all that knowledge might teach our Martian survivors that one day they will also have to move on out of the solar system to ensure the survival of the human race.”

That sobering thought made everyone pause for horrified reflection. Beth broke the silence.

“That’s it in a nutshell, Jack – Mister President?”

Trueman began winding up the meeting.

“Well, Jack, you look as terrified as the rest of us feel. Are you prepared to take the Oceanus II on its maiden voyage now knowin’ what we all know an’ keep it under wraps?”

“You gonna shoot me if ah don’t, Mister President?”

Everyone in the room burst out laughing with relief from the tension. Jack nodded his assent.