2084 The End of Days (25 page)

“Sure, ah’ll take the Big Baby to Mars for ya, sir.”

*

Earthdate: 20:30 Wednesday September 24, 2081 EST

That same evening, following the debriefing meeting with Jack Crossan in the Oval Office, Ewan and Gary caught an air-taxi out to Washington Dulles Airport. As the Scots pair stood in the arrivals lounge for the incoming Virgin Galactic supersonic from London Heathrow, Gary noticed Ewan was on edge.

“Ye look a wee bit nervous, Ewan?”

“I’m just looking forward to seeing her. She’s been through a lot this year and I’m just hoping she’ll be happy to see me – eh, I mean us, Gary –“

Gary slipped his arm around Ewan’s shoulder and hugged him tightly.

“Och, stop worryin’ yerself silly, Sinclair. Tell ye what? If she does na want ye, then ye know ye can always have me – free gratis!”

Ewan laughed half-heartedly.

“Gaz, you know I love you, mate. But just not like that.”

Gary felt a small pang of unrequited love shoot through his heart. Then they spotted that the arrival passengers had started to file out past the US Customs declaration areas and there, looking thoroughly professional and, at least to Ewan, drop-dead gorgeous was Jill Geeson. Ewan blurted out.

“JILL!”

She waved excitedly and the three school friends threw themselves into each other’s arms and hugged and cried. Gary brought them all back down to Earth.

“Right, you two. Stop yer blubberin’ an’ let’s get an air-taxi to the hotel. We’ve booked intae the nearby Candlewood Suites for the night an’ then we fly down to Houston tomorrow afternoon. We’ve got two rooms – an’ dinnae worry Jill – Ewan and me are sleepin’ together tonight!”

Jill pushed Gary teasingly on the chest.

“Och, Gary Mackintosh, you’ve not changed a bit this side of the Pond!”

After settling in to their rooms at the Candlewood Suites Dulles the three Scots all met down in the bar for a quick couple of night caps before retiring for the evening. Jill went into detail on her exciting new post. Her role at the London Times had effectively been scaled back by Bill Buckley. She was now to become their Houston-based correspondent dealing directly with
all the emerging and reportable issues relative to the Schenkler HMM2 comet. This meant that Jill had to provide two columns per week on any new developments to the Times bloid and for that she still reported to Buckley. Jill told Ewan and Gary that Ruthie Venters had been promoted to Jill’s old job as Investigative Reporter. Ruthie was now such a deep friend to her and Jill said how much Ruthie had supported her through and after the abortion. In fact, they had supported each other as Ruthie also needed a shoulder to cry on after witnessing the terrible death of her father Rolf at the Harvard Medical Center bombing. However, the exciting part of Jill’s new role was as the newly created post of Houston Correspondent for Sky News, part of News Corps International, as was the London Times. It had always been Jill’s ambition to become a specialist correspondent on television. Ewan and Gary told Jill about their meeting at the Oval Office, although, of course, they did not divulge any details on the top secret aspects of the meeting. They did give Jill a heads up on Jack Crossan taking the new Oceanus II on its maiden voyage and Jill agreed that she could do an interesting feature on that development. Ewan and Gary also agreed to introduce Jill to their bosses Aaron Eckler and Beth O’Donnell. They assured Jill that if anything on Schenkler was going to be released through official channels then she would hear it first through Eckler or O’Donnell. Jill asked them all about Houston where amazingly the three friends were all now going to be working.

“So, Ewan, you said that you’ve found a place for us all to stay in Houston?”

“We have, Jill. For the first three or four months when Gary and I started on our respective projects we stayed in hotels. By that time we were both bouncing off the walls and Beth O’Donnell suggested one of the Houston Controllers was looking to take in boarders. It’s a great place in the south-west suburb of Robindale with a big room for Gary and me and a separate one for you. And it has a swimming pool too.”

“Wow, sounds great!”

“There is only one small problem, Jill –“

“What’s that?”

“Well, the guy – he’s a nice guy – name’s Lex Kosloff – well, he’s a recovering alcoholic. Lost his wife recently, nearly lost his job too. So that means no drink allowed in his home.”

“Ah think we can all cope with that, eh boys?”

Gary threw in his usual joke.

“Speak for yersel’, Jill. Ah like a wee drink now and then. Ach, it is no’ too
bad. There’s a wee Irish bar just two blocks down. You’ll like it as it’s very apt for you. It’s called the Craic Pot!”

“Ha, ha! Very funny Gary Mackintosh.”

Gary felt it was time to skip out and leave Ewan and Jill and let them have a quiet moment together.

“We-ell, guys, ah’m knackered. If you two guys don’t mind ah think ah’ll call it a day.”

After Gary went upstairs to the room that he and Ewan were sharing, Jill and Ewan nervously sipped their drinks, neither knowing what to say. Ewan broke the ice.

“God, Jill, you don’t know how good it was to see you arrive tonight. You look so beautiful –“

“Ewan, ah was so happy to see you too. Ah really need your friendship –“

“Friendship – and hopefully – something more? Jill, I still have strong feelings for you.”

“Ah know you do, Ewan. Ah don’t think you ever lost them. But ah need to ask you to take it slow. My own feelings about Khan and the baby are still all over the place. Ah’m still carrying a lot of hurt and rejection in my heart and ah need time to heal.”

Ewan took Jill’s hand gently in his. His eyes told Jill that he would give her all the time she needed and that he would be there for her when she felt ready.

Chapter 19

Earthdate: 10:15 Monday November 2, 2082 EST

T
he big yellow New York air-taxi arrived in front of the United Nations HQ building on FDR Drive. Marcie Venters paid the driver and made her way quickly into the main building in good time for her scheduled 10.30am meeting. A good deal of progress had been made on the Super-storage of Human Procreative DNA programme and most of the planned medical centres were now fully operational, including an additional centre in Tehran as agreed and sponsored by Mullah Abdullah Suleiman.

Marcie thought back to the official opening ceremony in Tehran only three months ago, which she had attended as Programme Director of the super-storage roll-out, and Suleiman had been invited along to cut the ceremonial ribbon. Suleiman had also arranged a private meeting at the Presidential Palace between himself and Marcie two hours before the opening ceremony. Marcie was very apprehensive as she was led into the Mullah’s opulently decorated private office. Suleiman was extremely courteous and magnanimous in his reception.

“Doctor Venters, please accept my most humble greetings and to express how gratified that you have been so kind in coming to meet with me. I realise that meeting here must be very difficult for you?”

Marcie swallowed hard, but spoke slowly and with conviction.

“Your Excellency, you of all people will fully appreciate that the long painful history of the Jewish race – and, of course, the Arab race – has taught us that we must face adversity without hatred and that final judgment will be left in the hand of our shared and one true God – Jehovah and Allah. In my heart I grieve daily for my beloved Rolf, but truly I blame no man for his untimely death. I certainly hold no grudge against you personally, Your Excellency.”

“I would be pleased if you would call me Abdullah – at least in private? May I call you Marcie?”

“Of course, Your Ex– I mean, Abdullah.”

“Marcie, please accept my deepest and most humble apologies. If I could turn back time and do more than I did to stop the dreadful and unnecessary bombing in Harvard, which I erroneously sanctioned, I promise you I would do so. I can only hope that Allah will forgive this old Mullah for a sin that deeply burdens my soul.”

“I believe in destiny, Abdullah, and with Rolf dying and me surviving, it was fated to happen. Our true destiny – God has written in the stars for us.”

Marcie was puzzled by Suleiman’s response, which he did not elaborate on as he shook his head slowly and Marcie thought that he looked a little teary-eyed.

“Marcie, more than you know – more than you know.”

Marcie had brought a full and detailed report to the UN HQ for the senior members of the World Health Organisation and she was sure that they would be very impressed with her programme’s progress. Marcie presented herself at reception.

“Dr Marcie Venters to meet the board members of the WHO at 10:30.”

The receptionist searched for the meeting on her computer and looked puzzled. She looked up at Marcie.

“Sorry, Dr Venters, did you say WHO?”

Marcie fumbled with her mobile phone to try and call up her diary.

“Yes, the WHO. Don’t tell me that I’ve got the wrong day?”

“No, it’s not that at all. But I’ve got you down for a 10:30 with the Secretary General.”

“The Secretary General! There must be some mistake?”

The receptionist made an internal call to double check the meeting. As she spoke she waved over a UN security guard.

“No mistake, Dr Venters. Karl could you please take Dr Venters up to the Sec-Gen’s conference room. She is expected. Doctor if you follow Karl he will take you up to your meeting.”

Marcie blindly followed the security guard named Karl and he took her up on the private lift to the top floor of the UN building. As they stepped out into the corridor the glass windows afforded them a great view out over Brooklyn, where Marcie was born. However, Marcie was in too much of a daze to admire the view over the Hudson. Her mind was racing too much trying to think why the meeting plan might have changed. Maybe Gupta-Chaudry was interested in hearing her report and he was chairing the meeting with the WHO Board? Yes, that must be it, she thought.

“Here ya are, Doctor Venters.”

Karl ushered Marcie into the conference room. Marcie looked around the table scanning for any WHO faces that she might recognise. There were none. Some of the faces she did recognise - but mainly from their TV appearances, because she had never met any of them bar one before in a personal or professional capacity. Secretary-General Ravinder Gupta-Chaudry ushered Marcie towards an empty seat.

“Dr Venters. Thank you for joining us today for this meeting. First of all may I apologise most profusely for bringing you to New York on the expectation that you were going to provide your update report to the board of the World Health Organisation.”

“Well, Mr Secretary General, to say that I’m confused would be an understatement.”

“I’m afraid Doctor that you had to be brought here with a measure of subterfuge on the basis that this meeting had to be kept secret. But, please, Dr Venters let me introduce you to the other attendees.”

As Gupta-Chaudry introduced the others around the table Marcie tried desperately to work out why she needed to be at some secret meeting in the UN HQ building. Then the thought occurred to her that maybe the authorities had uncovered some new bombing plot against her super-storage programme by another extremist cell. Quickly she scribbled the names of the attendees as the Secretary-General spoke. The ones she knew from TV were John Ralston and Moshi Shalomon and, of course, Mullah Abdullah Suleiman, who she had met recently. The others all from NASA were introduced as Aaron Eckler, Beth O’Donnell, Ari Schenkler, Ewan Sinclair and Gary Mackintosh, none of whom Marcie knew. She looked down at the word ‘NASA’ that she had written on her notepad and thought, why NASA?

“I also extend apologies from President Josh Trueman who would have been here but he is otherwise engaged in Washington.”

“P-President Trueman is apologising to m-me?”

Gupta-Chaudry smiled at Marcie’s incredulous façade before calling the meeting to order.

“Dr Venters, you have been summoned here today in relation to your innovative work on human DNA and human procreation. However, before we get to that part we need to fill you in on a few blanks and it was for that reason that this meeting was convened in secret. However, very soon the secretive nature of this meeting will be quickly superseded by events.”

“I am sorry, Mr Secretary-General, but I am completely in the dark here.“

“Again I apologise most sincerely, Dr Venters. I am going to hand you
over to the NASA team to give you the background details. Aaron?”

Eckler introduced himself but quickly handed the presentation into Ari and Ewan’s hands. Ari started.

“Dr Venters, have you been watching on the news about the new comet Schenkler HMM2?”

“Hmm, only a little. I have been so tied up with my super-storage programme that I don’t have much time for TV. I believe it is due to come close by Earth in a couple of years’ time. Is that correct?”

“Certainly that is what has been reported, Doctor. The comet was first discovered entering our solar system by my colleague Ewan Sinclair here, however, I was the first person to inadvertently catch it on film, so somehow the name Schenkler got appended, of which I am not that particularly proud of. The HMM2 part came from the fact that the INSACC in Israel and NASA in Houston had separately given it acronyms. Dr Venters, I believe that you are Jewish like myself?”

“Yes, I’m Jewish.”

“Well the HMM2 is a sort of Jewish / Christian conglomeration. HM is Har Meggido and M2 stands for Messiah 2.”

Marcie’s eyes widened based on an unknown fear rising within her.

“A-Armageddon!”

“If I explain further we will get to that. Ewan and I have been monitoring the progress of the comet practically on a minute by minute basis as it orbits around the Sun. A key point in its trajectory took place in the last few days as it passed within a 100 million miles of Jupiter and it was our calculation that it would be influenced by Jupiter’s enormous gravitational pull. The trajectory of the comet would only be altered slightly, but that slight adjustment put it on a direct collision course with Earth. The comet is of a magnitude that when it impacts in about a year and a half, Earth will be totally destroyed. Doctor, after May 2084 there will be no Earth.”

Marcie stared wildly around the table, her hand nervously rubbing at her mouth and chin. She was close to tears as she spoke.

“My God, this is terrible, awful. In God’s name, why were we not told about this?”

Aaron Eckler answered.

“The scientists needed to be 100 per cent sure about this, Dr Venters. If we had told the world this awful thing and chaos and anarchy ensued. Had we found out we were wrong the consequences would have been unimaginable. Unfortunately Ari and Ewan confirmed their findings in the last two days and we are now 100 per cent sure of a total impact. Is that correct guys?”

“100 per cent.”

“Totally.”

Marcie remained perplexed and rubbed her head agitatedly in her hand.

“But why bring me here to tell me this? I thought that I was coming to report my work to the WHO. But now it appears that all my work will be destroyed in what – Ari said a year and a half?”

John Ralston, the British Prime Minister, spoke for the first time.

“Dr Venters, unbeknown to you I have been to see some of your ground-breaking work at St Bart’s and also at Harvard. I have been extremely impressed by what I saw. The point of you being here is that our hope is that not all of your work
will
be destroyed. Please allow Beth O’Donnell to explain.”

Beth looked down at her notes and then addressed Marcie.

“Dr Venters, since NASA first became aware of the Schenkler comet we have been planning for all contingencies concerning the survival of the human race –“

Marcie blurted out in confusion.

“Survival! But I thought we were talking about the total destruction of Earth -?”

Gupta-Chaudry raised his hand gently.

“We are indeed, Dr Venters. But please allow Beth to explain our plans in some detail.”

Beth carried on speaking.

“As I stated, Doctor, NASA has been planning for all contingencies regarding the survival of the human race. The key plank of our plan is the mass transportation of as many humans, livestock and food crops as humanly possible to new bases being constructed on Mars as we speak. However, as you are probably aware, Doctor, Mars is an extremely hostile environment and our best outside estimate is for the emigration of only twenty five thousand men and women at best to Mars. We don’t even know for sure what the long-term survivability probability of those twenty five thousand souls on Mars will be. History tells us that human colonisation in hostile environments even here on Earth have ended disastrously –“

Gary Mackintosh interjected light-heartedly.

“We Scots’ll vouch for that! The Darien Project was a tragedy for Scotland. Worst of all - we ended up having to join with England!“

Beth smiled politely and continued.

“Indeed, Gary, therefore, we need a supplementary plan to back up the colonisation of Mars. Simply put, we need you to come up with a plan for the transportation of as much human DNA, in terms of, male sperm, female eggs and human embryos as we can possibly ship to Mars to a single super-storage fertility unit to be constructed there. Obviously, the hope is that the twenty five thousand will procreate and increase in population naturally on Mars, but if there is a catastrophic failure then we need the backup of the fertility unit to increase the chances of survival.”

Beth paused to let this sink in with Marcie. During the impasse Gupta-Chaudry took the lead.

“Doctor Venters, I realise that this is terribly difficult for you to comprehend. I can assure you that each and every one of us around this table finds that trying to make sense of all this is mind-boggling and
we
have been working on this for many months now. Knowledge over time does not make it any easier to deal with it. However, for the survival of our species, deal with it we must. Doctor, on that basis, are you willing to head up the planning side for the selection and transportation of fertile human DNA components to be shipped to Mars.”

Marcie wrestled with her conscience and her gaze rested with Suleiman, who proffered her a kindly nod. Her thoughts returned to her recent meeting with the Mullah, where she had told him: Our true Destiny – God has written in the stars for us. She remembered Suleiman’s reply, ‘more than you know – more than you know’. She now knew that he had known at that time what Marcie and the world’s destiny was to be.

“Mister Secretary-General, it is indeed mind-boggling. However, I have to believe that God spared my life at Harvard in order to take on this onerous task. I can say nothing else, but that I will do what is asked of me.”

Beth O’Donnell spoke next.

“Doctor, we thank you for your co-operation with this awful mission. There are two further components to the planning process that we would require you to lead –“

“Two more components?”

“Yes, Doctor. Firstly, and on a much smaller scale and where scientifically viable, we also want to collect, select and transport as much frozen non-human DNA from flora and fauna to Mars in order that they may be procreated at some point in the future –“

“But, Miss O’Donnell, my specialisation is in human DNA, this is not my
field of science?”

“We realise that, Doctor Venters, however, you are the recognised world expert in super-storage techniques and processes. We will put you in touch with all the leading genetic experts in the field of flora and fauna and all we ask is that you lead this team from the point of view that you are the lead expert and also that human DNA takes precedent when it comes down to limited resources as it is bound to do.”