2084 The End of Days (27 page)

Marcie looked up at the old preacher with moistening eyes.

“Thank you, Rabbi.”

Chapter 20

Earthdate: 10:35 Thursday August 5, 2083 EST

J
ill stood in front of camera on the White House lawn. Although it was just after half ten in the morning it was already shaking up to be a scorching summer’s day and the heat was adding to her feeling weak and shaky. She had just come out of the Press Briefing Room and she could feel her legs wobbling slightly, waiting for the anchorman in London to give her the go-ahead. She could hear him cueing her in on her headset.

“- And it’s straight over to our Houston correspondent Jill Geeson at the White House for important breaking news. Jill?”

Jill sucked in a deep lungful of warm air and looked straight into the camera, knowing many millions would be taking in her every word.

“As some of you may have already watched a few minutes ago, the White House has just issued a press statement regarding the deployment of the interspacial nuclear missiles from platforms on MGals Two and Three orbiting the Red Planet. Ten missiles in total were launched carrying the most powerful warheads ever devised by man. All ten missiles hit the target of the Schenkler HMM2 comet at a range of thirty five million miles out from Mars. Unfortunately, the briefing had to report that the missiles have failed to alter the trajectory of the comet and that it will still impact with planet Earth as predicted on 26 May 2084. The White House statement also reaffirmed that the comet’s collision with Earth will result in a total impact. Our planet and everything and everyone on it will be totally and irrevocably destroyed -”

Jill gulped hard and she could not stop an involuntary tear from running down her flushing cheek.

“- And we now have to prepare ourselves for the worst possible scenario to ever face humankind. US President Josh Trueman will be making a Presidential statement this evening and he is fully expected to urge people around the world to remain calm, to continue to live their lives as normally as possible and that all efforts should be redoubled to ensure the completion of the immigration programme to Mars. This now represents the only certain way to ensure the survival of the human race. With this, the gravest of news for all mankind, this is Jill Geeson at the White House, for Sky News, handing you back to the studio in London.”

*

Earthdate: 07:30 Saturday August 7, 2083 CST

Two days after the apocalyptic announcement from the White House, Lex Kosloff arranged an ‘End of Days’ dinner party at his home in Robindale Drive. He and Irene DuPré had prepared a huge buffet spread, including many exotic foods and delicacies that their guests might never have the chance to eat again. Invited to the party was Lex’s old friend Jack Crossan, on extended space leave after returning from the Oh Two mission. Jack had been working at Houston as part of the team overseeing the build of the huge Oceanus fleet and the training of the new astronaut teams which would be required to begin transporting the selected emigrants to Mars. Truth be told, and unbeknown to the masses, there was already almost five thousand essential men and women working and living on Mars. They were mainly technicians, construction engineers, ice miners and various scientists who were busily employed in ensuring that the expansion of the super-glass pods to house the human, flora and fauna were going to be ready for the mass arrivals. The fast expanding glass covered township being constructed on Mars lying about halfway between Mount Olympus and the Martian North Pole was called Capitol Base. The first Oceanus fleet of 25 spaceships carrying around 10,000 men, women, animals and plant stock would ship out from Earth orbit in little more than five weeks’ time and the second and final fleet of similar size would ship out to Mars scheduled for 28 February 2084. This was deemed to be the ultimate safest date for the emigrant fleet to sail in order to ensure that they were beyond the massive blast zone which would be created by the Earth’s destruction. Jack was scheduled to command one of the Oceanus fleet ships blasting off for Mars on that final date. Lex had also invited his three Scots lodgers, Jill Geeson, Ewan Sinclair and Gary Mackintosh to the party. Also invited along was Ari Schenkler, Ewan’s colleague at NASA HQ, who Lex and Irene had met in passing at Houston Control. Jill had also asked if her friend Dr Marcie Venters could join them and Lex was delighted to have Marcie along. Marcie had been working and attending meetings in New York but she had a couple of free days before flying on the Virgin Galactic service back to London. Marcie
had invited herself down to Houston to catch up with Jill and pass on news and regards from her daughter Ruthie, who was still working at the London Times. Marcie was staying at the nearby Robindale Ramada.

Interestingly, following the terrible proclamations by the various world leaders, world order had not broken down into a state of anarchy and chaos. In fact, quite the opposite seemed to have taken place. Areas of conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, in particular, had actually found the opposing sides falling into a state of non-negotiated peace. Violence and crime became negligible around the globe and estranged families and friends were making a serious point of getting back together. People continued to get on with their daily lives and they were tending to fall in two main philosophical camps - the Optimists and the Fatalists. The Optimists still stuck to the view that mankind would find a way to divert the catastrophe even though the interspacial nuclear missiles deployed from Mars were wholly unsuccessful. However, the team at NASA including Ari, Ewan and Gary had looked at all sorts of crackpot ideas and they had reported back to the UN and LOIN that computer models showed that they were all futile. This had included trying to fire powerful lasers at Schenkler to shift the axis of the meteor - landing teams of astronauts onto the surface of Schenkler to deploy more nuclear fission and / or fusion bombs - or trying to erect giant solar wind sails to deflect the comet. They had also considered the impossibility of destroying the Moon in order to shift the Earth’s axis around the Sun. The NASA team concluded that wasting precious time and resources on these futile ideas which was better needed for the construction of Capitol Base on Mars and the Oceanus fleet was reluctantly accepted by the UN / LOIN alliance. The Fatalists tended more towards the viewpoint that the future of mankind was now in the hands of a higher authority in the universe, whether it be God or Nature, and that they were prepared to accept their fate. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples were packed out with every passing week. Of course, the eight friends who were sitting around the dinner table that evening were very much more towards the latter camp of Fatalists. They all knew the dreadful truth of Earth’s fate. Everyone had gotten on famously around the dinner table and they all had eaten far too much and probably had drank too much. Even Lex and Irene had allowed themselves one small glass of wine each for the toast at the end of the meal. Lex stood up before his guests and raised his glass.

“Here’s ta sharing good food with good friends and great people. It’s not exactly the Last Supper, but maybe not far off it. So ah give y’all a toast - to
the End of Days!”

The guests all stood and raised their glasses in salutation.

“THE END OF DAYS!”

As they all took their seats there was a momentary pause for reflection which, after a few seconds of silence, Irene broke.

“Well, y’all, have ya all thought about your situations? For instance, will you be applying to get a place on the Mars immigration lottery? Afraid poor ole Lex and me are too old to apply. Ah guess we’ll be too busy shippin’ out the lucky twenty five thou’ anyhow, izzat right Lex, honey?”

“Fraid so, baby. But ah couldn’t pick a better gal to end ma time with.”

“Shucks Lexie sweetie pie - you keep saying those sweet thangs an’ ya ain’t gonna go far wrong with me.”

Everyone laughed loudly and then Marcie spoke out next.

“I’m also afraid Irene that I fail to qualify by being on the wrong side of forty five.”

Irene raised her palms outwards towards Marcie and put on a look of mock incredulity as she compared her own rather bulky frame to Marcie’s slim figure and smooth youthful-like complexion..

“You gotta give me the number of your dietician. Ah need me some of his elixir of youth!”

“Elixir or no elixir, Irene, I am happy to end my time on the same planet as my late dear beloved Rolf. I do hope that my daughter Ruthie might apply, but, of course, as we all know the chances of being selected are many millions to one.”

Jack Crossan spoke up next lowering his voice in a more sombre tone.

“Actually, ah too fail the forty five test, but ah suppose ah win a ‘get outta jail free’ card on the basis of bein’ a Space Commander. We are a scarce commodity at present an’ we gotta do our duty whether we want to or not. Tell the truth, ah would rather stay here on 3R with ma two boys. They are both too young to be selected.”

There was a general shaking of heads and Marcie spoke up for the rest of the group.

“Jack, we all understand what you are saying but these missions to Mars are vital for the survival of mankind. I have wrestled with my own conscience as to whether my work in DNA selection is right or wrong and I have reconciled myself that it is. But, without survivors on Mars to carry on and progress my work, then there is no point to it. You, however, have the task of ensuring those survivors make it for all our sakes.”

Jack nodded sullenly and looked around the group of friends and answered with little conviction in his voice.

“Ah guess you’re right, Marcie.”

Ari spoke next.

“Well, the Americans have had their say, so as the one Israeli here, I shall state my piece and leave it to our Scottish friends to wind it up. My position is slightly different from Jack’s. Ewan and I also receive that ‘get out of jail’ card on the basis that astrophysicists will be needed on Mars, but in our case it is not compulsory to go. I fully intend to return to Tel Aviv ASAP and to be with my beautiful wife and daughter so that we can all be together at the end.”

The mood was getting more sombre by the minute and Gary butted in on a lighter note.

“Well guys, ah’m definitely no goin’ tae apply for Mars. Ma sexual proclivity is no very conducive to the survival of the species!”

Marcie tut-tutted in a maternalistic manner.

“Now Gary, the selection process does not exclude applicants on the basis of race, creed, colour, gender or sexual orientation. So long as your sexual production, so to speak, passes the test, then there’s nothing to stop you applying.”

“Ah suppose so, Marcie, but ma jokes are so bad that they’ll probably exclude me from Mars on that basis alone. Seriously though, ah’ve made up ma mind not to apply.”

Ewan looked around the table a little sheepishly and then took his turn.

“I know that Ari let you all know that we both get the option to take a place as astrophysicists on the trip to Mars. But I too will not be going. Jill - I’m not leaving Earth without you! I want to be with you until the end.”

Irene threw up her hands in exasperation and laughed loudly.

“Lord Almighty! Ain’t nobody on this God-forsaken planet want to go to Mars? Way things is goin’ we’ll be putting people onto those Oceanus spaceships at gunpoint! Jill, please tell me you want to go to Mars, honey, please cheer me up?”

Jill looked around the table then her eyes fixed on Ewan’s before she spoke her piece.

“Ah guess ah am the odd one out here tonight, Irene. Ah will certainly be applying for the immigration programme. My job as a journalist means recording human history on a day to day basis and my belief is that mankind will still have a future – maybe not here - but certainly on Mars. Ah still hope to be there recording that future. On a more personal level and as Marcie also knows - ah unfortunately had to abort my precious wee - b-baby. But ma hope is that in time ah can have another baby and a healthy baby. An’ if you want to be a part of that - Ewan Sinclair - then indeed you will take your place on that flight to Mars!”

They all laughed and Gary threw in one last quip on the discussion.

“Well, Ewan, ah guess ah’m no longer sharing the bedroom wi’ you from now on!”

*

Earthdate: 19:30 Friday August 13, 2083 EST

Jill listened on her cell phone as it rang Ewan’s number. Jill had just arrived back at her hot-desk in the Sky News office in downtown Washington on Philadelphia Avenue. She knew Ewan would still be in the office at NASA in Houston and he would probably be up to his eyeballs in work, but she needed to call him. She now knew her feelings for Ewan. They had both made passionate and sensual love the night of the dinner party at Lex’s home and they both knew they were deeply in love with each other. Reuniting with Ewan after all these years that had passed, had a cathartic effect on Jill. The hurt she had carried inside her over Khan al Ahmed’s deception and the loss of her aborted baby now felt as though it had been thoroughly cleansed from her soul. Even though she might only have nine months left she had been feeling happier now than she had been in years. Well, until today and that is why she was desperate to hear Ewan’s voice. However, lately she seemed to be spending more time up in Washington than down in the Sky office in Houston. The political ramifications of the impending Armageddon always seemed to be currently outweighing the scientific and cosmic ramifications. She was feeling a bit down on her luck because she had not seen Ewan for nearly two weeks and Jill longed to hear his soft Islay intonations as she mused aloud to herself through the eternally continuous ringing on her cell.

“God, it sure is appropriate that it’s a Black Friday!”

Then he answered.

“Hello? Jill?”

“Ewan, thank God. Ah was hoping that ah would catch you.”

“No probs. But I’ve got to go into a meeting to give my latest progress report on the Schenkler comet, Jill, so is it a fast one?”