Darkness on a Pale Blue Stone (3 page)

"A bill calling for a full retraction of the controversial Demilitarization Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives. President Reyes has given his support for the bill, though many international leaders have expressed criticism for the move against the Act, which was a hallmark of the late President..."

Michael muted the display. "Same old stuff," he said.

About 30 minutes later, the car pulled into the driveway of the Case family's home in Staten Island. The house was one of the most expensive in their neighborhood. Michael and Alice were both well compensated for their work at Gimbal Systems.

The home featured a post-modern style, including a deeply inset front door, spacious windows, a grey exterior, and an asymmetrical floor-plan. The car pulled into the garage, set below the wide window of the living room, and shut off automatically. A light hum could be heard as a connection was made between the floor and the car, charging its battery.

Michael, Alice, and Adam all stepped out of the car and made their way into the house. The lights turned on and the home's stereo system began to lightly play select pieces of classic jazz.

Adam went upstairs to his room while his parents went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"So, what do you want to make tonight, sweetheart?" Michael said as he put an arm around Alice's waist.

"Hmm... Let's bake some chicken and, uh, maybe put together a salad?" she suggested with a shrug.

"Sounds good to me," Michael said and the couple began to prepare the meal.

Several minutes later the front door opened and Marie, the younger of the two Case children, walked in. She was 16, had short dyed-black hair (which was naturally blonde), and brown eyes. She came into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad."

"Hey, how was your day?" Alice asked.

"Oh, fine," she moaned.

Michael looked over and said, "Doesn't really sound like it. What's up?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she quipped.
Please stop talking to me!
she internally begged.

Michael raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay," he said and looked at his wife. Alice rolled her eyes.

Michael and Alice finished making dinner a half-hour later and called their children to the table. They all made light conversation as they ate their once-a-week family dinner, their tradition on Wednesdays. For most of the dinner, Adam and his parents shared gossip from work while Marie quietly ate her food. Once everyone had finished eating, they gathered the dishes and placed them in the dish washer, where they were cleaned immediately and automatically placed back in the cupboards from the machinery in the wall.

Before any of them could leave the kitchen, there was a loud bang outside, far too deafening to be thunder.

"What the hell!" Michael exclaimed as he covered his ears. The family could hear sirens starting to blare outside. They ran to the front of the house and looked out the window. Nothing seemed out of place, except for their neighbors who were coming outside to investigate.

The Case family stepped out into the rain and onto their front lawn. Michael went over and talked with some of the others who had gathered on the street, all gathering under umbrellas. After getting no useful information, he returned and shrugged.

"The Jackson's said they already called the police, but the lines were busy. I'm thinking it was some kind of industrial accident," he said.

"We should check the TV," Alice said and the family went back inside.

Before they could reach the television, however, a loud shockwave hit the house. The family fell to the ground and Marie let out a shriek. This was followed immediately by small explosions throughout the house as everything went dark. The television gave a loud "
pop!"
as its holographic projector shot sparks. Several light fixtures exploded. The stereo speakers, once hidden in the walls, burnt through the paint to expose themselves as darkened holes.

One moment later, there was complete silence. For the next few seconds, the huddled Case family heard only the rain outside. No sirens or alarms. No beeps, honks, buzzes, or hums.

Those few seconds ended as screams and cries rolled in from outside.

"Is everyone..." Michael said, then looked around the dark room for a moment. "Is everyone alright?"

They all slowly stood up, none of them entirely sure if they were. The only light came from outside. They all cautiously went out the front door. There was light coming from the moon, vaguely visibly among storm clouds. They could only see the vague silhouettes of their neighbors, all making their way indoors.

Alice looked toward the city and gasped. The always brightly-lit skyline had been replaced with towering infernos. The limited viewpoint from their lawn gave her little detail as to what was happening, but it was clear that downtown New York City was the last place anyone wanted to be at the moment.

"Okay. Let's go inside and get some flashlights," Michael said, horrified at the scene. The Cases went inside, all in a state of shock. Michael found a flashlight in a closet, but it failed to turn on. He replaced the batteries and tried again. Still no luck. He checked his mini-comp in his pocket and found it destroyed.

"Flashlight isn't working. Do we have candles somewhere?" Michael asked. Adam and Alice managed to find candles in the dark and lit them on the kitchen counter.

"Whoa! Watch your step," Alice said when she saw the kitchen floor. The dish washing machine had partially exploded and scattered broken dishes across the room.

Michael saw that Marie was close to hyperventilating. He grabbed a cup and tried to get water from the sink, but nothing came out. He opened the now-defunct refrigerator, found a water bottle, and handed to her. He put his arm around her shoulder as she shakily drank.

The family all eventually sat at the table to catch their breath. No one spoke for several minutes. Only the sound of rain and the muffled sounds of those outside could be heard. But the apparent calm was soon interrupted when they heard three loud knocks on the front door.

Chapter 3

Staten Island - August 3, 2072

Before anyone could get up to answer, the front door swung open. In the door way stood a tall man wearing a drenched overcoat and wielding a pistol. With no pause, Gresson walked toward the table.

Michael and Alice leapt up.

"Who the hell are you?" Michael yelled. He was answered with a pistol against his forehead.

"Are you Michael Case?" Gresson asked.

"Oh my god. Please, I..." Michael stammered.

"Answer the question."

"Yes. Please don't hurt us. I beg you."

Gresson lowered his gun.

"Listen Michael, I don't really have the time to explain, but I need you to come with me now."

Michael looked up at Gresson's face. He couldn't make out much in the dark, except for the gleaming wound below his right eye.

Alice stood behind Michael, holding onto her son's arm.
God, please help us,
she thought, though more as a simple reflex of fear rather than a request of any deity.

Adam grabbed his mother's hand to comfort her. He was more focused on Gresson, however, and determined to make sure this man did not hurt his family.

"Take whatever you want, just please leave us alone," Michael said.

Gresson grabbed Michael's arm. "I need you to come with me. Now."

"I... I... I can't leave my family."

Gresson began to pull Michael toward the door. Michael struggled to get out of his grip, but failed. In desperation, he punched Gresson in the face.

Gresson's only reaction was to stop moving. After a moment, he let go of Michael and looked back at his family, who watched in horror.
Great. Just what I needed
, Gresson complained to himself.

"Okay. Let's go." He motioned for the family to follow him.

Michael protested, "Wait, no!"

"Michael, I am the best chance your family has right now of getting out of here alive. Things will be going sour real fast around here. We need to move."

Shaking his head, Michael said, "Please just let us go."

Gresson groaned and aimed his gun at Marie. "I really don't have time for this Michael. Either they all come, or just you. I do not care, but I am running out of patience."

Marie froze and stared at the silenced barrel. Not a single thought was on her mind. Her brain was struggling to process her own fear at this moment.

"Okay! Okay! We'll come with you," Alice said, moving in front of Marie.

Michael looked at Alice, then nodded at Gresson.

Gresson put his gun in his coat. "Let's move."

As they stepped outside, the Cases saw how quickly the situation had disintegrated. Fires were scattered around nearby, some only a few houses away. Screams and shouts echoed from all directions.

Gresson led the family down the street. They walked slowly in the rain and dark. The fires had brightened their surroundings, but not by much.

They soon made it out to the main road. The wider space had more light. There were also more people here, all gathered in groups, moving in random directions at various speeds. Few noticed the Cases and Gresson as they walked along the road.

Scattered on the road and the sidewalk were many cars, most abandoned. A few were smashed from collisions with other cars or objects along the sides of the road. At one point, the group passed the grotesque scene of an apparent pedestrian accident. The body of a young women lay crushed, half under the runaway car that had killed her. Marie began to softly sob as the group passed by.

After walking for nearly an hour along the same road, the group heard gunshots ring out ahead. Gresson pulled out his gun and led the Cases to the opposite side of the road. They walked cautiously forward.

The origin of the gunshots was soon clear. A group of hooded figures were standing in front of an apartment building, next to a dead body. They seemed to be keeping watch for others looting inside.

Upon seeing the group walking up the street, one of them raised a handgun.

"Hey! Get the..." he began to say. Within one second, Gresson had dropped him with a headshot. Before the others could react, Gresson shot them as well.

"Keep moving," he said to the shocked Cases. They eagerly obliged, though now kept as much distance as possible from the tall man leading them that they had just witnessed kill with almost inhuman ability.

The group continued their trek across the horrifying hellscape that was now Staten Island. The Cases all witnessed more dead bodies than they had seen within their combined lifetimes. The occasional plane fell from the sky and exploded on impact. The screams around them had become a constant white noise. They were drained of all emotion, meekly stumbling behind their solemn leader. They saw mothers screaming for their children, children screaming for their mothers, pets roaming the roads, more fires, and no lights.

Another half-hour passed. An elderly man lay ahead of them in the middle of the road. Gresson led them to the sidewalk as the man cried out for help.

Michael began to walk toward the man. Gresson grabbed him.

"We don't have time," he said.

Michael, though mentally exhausted, gave Gresson a bewildered look. "What is wrong with you?" he asked, angrily. His frustration over his family being in a place like this, beyond his ability to protect, had reached its limit. He wanted to do something. He didn't care what, just
something.

"I'm taking a big risk just to bring along your family. The last thing we need is anything to slow us down," Gresson argued. Michael shook his head. "Listen Michael, it's possible that if we don't get to our destination in time, it won't matter how many people we stop and help today. They could all die."

Michael paused, believing he recognized Gresson's voice. Before he could say anything in response, Adam ran over to the elderly man. Though tired, Adam still held on to his compassion, somewhere among the trances of feeling he still had left.

Gresson sighed and watched as Adam helped the man to his feet and aided him into a nearby house. When Adam returned, he said, "The guy just wanted help into his home."

Uninterested, Gresson curtly replied, "Keep moving."

The group continued to walk for another hour. They were soaked from the rain, which showed no sign of stopping. Marie began to complain about her hurting feet. Gresson assured her they were close to their destination.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived. Before them was a large department store. The building was boarded up and no one seemed to be around.

The group made their way to the back of the building. Gresson knocked on a door. Within seconds, the door was opened by a pale man wearing a button-down shirt and dark pants.

"Hey," he said softly.

They all went inside. The pale man directed them to a nearby room where there were a few chairs around a table. Lanterns lit up the room.

Michael took the opportunity to examine his family's ominous leader. For the first time, he could clearly see the tall man's face. His eyes widened and mouth gaped when he recognized him.

"President Gresson?"

Chapter 4

Staten Island - August 3, 2072

The Case family looked in shock at the former President of the United States. For a few moments, no one said anything.

The pale man, now standing against the corner of the room, broke the silence. "Yeah, it freaked me out too. Don't bother asking him anything, though. Doesn't like to say much." The man turned to Gresson. "For example, you never told me you were bringing company."

Gresson took a seat at the table and replied, "Wasn't exactly part of the plan."

The pale man scoffed and asked, "What exactly is the plan?"

Gresson folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "We stay here for the night. Tomorrow morning the Cases and I will head out for our next destination."

"Which is?" Michael asked. Considering his current state of shock, he would have been unfazed if Gresson said a different planet.