Darkness on a Pale Blue Stone (4 page)

"Your company has a facility outside of Charleston, correct?" Gresson asked.

Michael nodded and curiously asked, "Why are we going there?"

Gresson said, "We need to pick something up."

"And I suppose we don't have a choice?" Michael asked with a angry tone.

"You do not. Your family, however, can do whatever they want. Considering the conditions outside, my advice would be that they take the opportunity and join us for safe passage."

"Safe passage to where?" Alice asked.

"Somewhere safe, I assure you," Gresson replied. He stood up and left the room.

The Case family looked at each other, no one knowing what to say. The pale man took a seat on the far side of the table. Michael looked over and asked, "So, who are you?"

"My name's Sean. Sean Pallard. I am... or I guess was, the manager of this place. Who are you?"

"I'm Michael. This is my wife, Alice, and our son, Adam, and daughter, Marie." Sean nodded at them.

"Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?" Alice asked.

"Uh not much. Earlier today Mr. Gresson walked into my office. Scared the hell outta me. Unless I missed some really big news, he's supposed to be dead, right?" Sean said.

Michael nodded. "Shot two years ago on the 4th of July. Alice and I saw it on TV when it happened."

"So either Gresson survived and never told anyone, or this guy only looks like him," Alice said.

"And sounds like him. Talks like him, walks like him. I mean, I sure as hell never knew the president, but this guy sure seems like the real deal," Sean said.

Quietly, Adam said, "We saw him gun down some people on the way here. Some looters who threatened us. I don't think I ever heard about the president having that kind of weapons skill."

"Wow," Sean said, shaking his head. "I thought he was some kind of business magnate."

"Something like that," Michael said. "He was on the board for Gimbal at one point, right Alice?" He turned to his wife, and she nodded.

"Gimbal?" Sean asked.

"Gimbal Systems Inc. Alice and I work at the headquarters in New York."

"Ah, they make weapons and stuff, right?"

Michael said, "Yea, that's part of it."

Alice turned to Sean and asked, "So what happened when Gresson, or whoever he is, came to you?"

Sean replied, "Well, he came in the store, like I said. I was freaked out. He said something about how everything electronic was about to go off, right at 8:15..."

Michael interrupted, "He said 8:15?"

Sean nodded. "And sure enough, 8:15 comes around, and bam. Lights out. Stuff was happening before that though. I heard some explosions coming from the city."

"We heard those too," Alice said.

"Wait, so he came in and just told you when this stuff was going to happen?" Adam asked.

Sean said, "Yep. Then he told me to close the store, board up all the windows and doors, and wait for him to return later tonight. Any other person, I would've laughed. But when it's a zombie president telling you what to do, you kinda have to listen. So I closed down the place, saying it was an emergency, and used some shelving and furniture to board up the front of the store. Figured that I had him on security cameras if nothing happened and my regional manager got pissed. Figured I could say I felt threatened. Thought for sure I was crazy until 8:15 arrived and the whole world went to hell. What's it like out there? You said there's looters?"

The family looked at each other. Michael spoke first. "It's like it's the end of the world. No lights. None. No sirens either. Nothing electronic is working, as far as I can tell. People are on their own, and some are making the worst of it." He sighed. "There's only one thing I know that could do something like this."

"An EMP," Adam said.

"A what?" Sean asked.

"Electromagnetic Pulse. Some explosions, like when a nuclear bomb goes off, produce electromagnetic radiation, which, to put it simply, creates surges that destroy electronics," Alice explained.

"A nuclear bomb?" Sean worriedly asked.

"Considering what downtown looked like..." Alice said.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure this is an EMP. Whatever this was absolutely destroyed
everything.
The spare batteries I tried for the flashlight didn't even work. An EMP doesn't affect batteries.
I've never heard of something that can do this, and I work directly with this kind of tech."

"You do? Is that why Gresson's got you along?" Sean asked.

Michael paused. It seemed obvious, but he hadn't had a moment to think until now.
Why the hell would he need me?
he thought, then said aloud, "I guess. But why? The damage has been done. If he was trying to prevent anything, he's a bit too late."

No one had an answer. "Should we leave?" Marie asked. "We might be able to get out of here now without him realizing."

Alice asked Michael, "What do you think?"

Michael shook his head. "As much as I don't like it, sticking with him is probably the best chance we have at the moment. I don't know where we'd go. There's no way we'd make it back home tonight, even if we could find our way there in the dark."

The family sat silently around the table. About a minute later, Gresson returned with several sleeping bags and hiking backpacks.

"Okay, I'll be back with some pillows, then we can all get some sleep. But first, I need the four of you to go around the store and pack a bag with enough things to last at least a few days of travel. Get clothes, food, toothbrush, whatever you might need."

The Cases slowly got up and each took a backpack and a lantern. They first went to the grocery section of the store and packed food. Adam suggested putting water bottles in his bag and spreading food among the other three.

After the food and water were packed, Alice and Marie headed for the women's clothing section and Michael and Adam went to the men's.

After they walked a ways, Marie turned to her mother and asked, "Mom, are we ever going to go home?"

Alice put an arm around her daughter. "I don't know, Marie. I don't know. But I do know that your father and I will keep you safe, alright? We won't let anything happen to you."

Marie gave half of a smile and said, "Okay."

Across the store, Adam and his father were picking out shirts. Michael put a hand on his son's shoulder and asked him how he was doing.

"Alright, I think. I'm alive. That's more than I'm guessing a lot of people can say right now."

Michael solemnly nodded. Adam looked over at him and said, "Dad, we need to survive this. And not just for us. One of the biggest cities in the world was just... destroyed. A lot of people are going to need our help."

Michael looked into his son's eyes and said, "We'll get through this. For now we have to play this out with Gresson... or whoever he is. Let's just take it one step at a time." His son nodded and both of them returned to packing clothes.

When the Cases had collected everything they needed, they returned to the room. Sean and Gresson had removed the table and laid out the sleeping bags. Everyone found one and prepared for sleep. Before Gresson put out the lanterns, Michael asked, "So how much did this EMP, bomb, or whatever it was actually hit? How extensive is the damage?"

Gresson said, "Michael, I'm not going to answer..."

"For god's sake. We've come this far with you, haven't given you any trouble, and your expecting us to keep it up tomorrow. You can at least answer one question."

"One question," Gresson begrudgingly agreed.

"Okay, so... where all did the blackout occur?" Michael asked.

Gresson paused for a moment, contemplating the answer to this question. It was this moment when the reality of what was happening around him truly began to set in. He had seen many horrors in his life and, in many ways, had become callous. But denial was not in his nature. Outside, there were millions suffering, and he was partly responsible. He would have to deal with it. He turned to Michael and replied, "Everywhere."

Chapter 5

International Space Station - August 3, 2072

Andre had spent the last four years of his life aboard the International Space Station. Today was just another ordinary day. He floated above an exposed panel, attempting to wire in an addition to the circuitry innards that ran throughout the station. He had almost finished when he heard a beep from a nearby computer.

He sighed, let go of what he was working on, and pushed himself along the wall. The beep repeated. Arriving at the computer, he saw that the beeps originated from a communications error. After a few presses on the display, he discovered that the station had lost connection with its Earth-side contacts.

He sighed and thought,
Always another problem, never a break.
Truthfully, however, the constant excitement was precisely why he loved his job. Aside from being in space, of course.

Andre turned around to make his way to where one of his partners, Vadim, was working. Before he could move, he heard Vadim growl "
What the hell?"
in his native Russian.

Andre went into the room and was about to ask what caused the reaction, but the answer came when he looked out the window Vadim was staring through.

The window faced Earth, and at the moment they were high above the Mediterranean. But what Andre saw was hardly the scene he was used to seeing countless times before. Europe, and the rest of the world he could see, was dark. Dark except for small bright spots scattered across the continent. Andre was certain they were fireballs.

"What the hell?" he said in English with his light Spanish accent. He looked over at Vadim, whose eyes were wide and mouth open.

With a thick Russian accent, Vadim said, "I... I don't know. I just looked outside. There are... no lights."

"
My god
," Andre whispered in his native tongue.

Over the intercom, Jackie, a Chinese-American who led the station's crew, said softly, "Hey Vadim, Andre. Are you seeing what's going on outside?"

Vadim pulled himself over to the intercom and replied, "Yes, we just noticed. Any contact planet-side?"

Andre went beside Vadim and hit the intercom so everyone could hear his response. "I just noticed an error on the system saying we lost all Earth contact."

Jackie replied, "Yea, we're getting that here too. Look, maybe you two should come down to Clarity bay. The rest of us are all here. Apparently all the lights went out in one big wave. We're watching camera footage of it that was taken about an hour ago."

Vadim and Andre looked at each other and Andre told Jackie that they would be there shortly. The pair began to pull themselves through the station. The ISS had dramatically retrofitted over the past twenty years after calls for a new station only resulted in limited funding. The "Clarity" bay module was one of the many new additions.

Once the pair arrived, they nodded at the rest of their partners aboard the station. They discussed attempts to communicate with the surface, but nothing anyone had sent seemed to go through and there were no incoming messages. The only communication they managed to have was with the small group of engineers currently living at a mining base on the moon, and they were just as oblivious to the nature of the events on Earth.

The scientists spent the next few hours sending more desperate communications and gathering whatever information they could about what was happening on the surface. Their equipment revealed a virtual lack of communication across the planet. They also discovered that the bright spots they saw on the planet were indeed giant fireballs, many centered in populated areas.

Without warning, the station went dark. The already anxious scientists were now in a full-blown panic. The fear and darkness on the space station now matched the planet below.

Chapter 6

Staten Island - August 4, 2072

None of the Cases slept well that night. Despite their exhaustion and the relative silence in the room, their minds were far too busy contemplating the state of the world outside to fall asleep. Sleeping on the floor didn't help much either.
I'm sure they have air mattresses here,
Marie thought, but she had no desire to go searching around the massive, pitch black building.

The next morning Gresson was the first to rise. Seeing no one else awake, he took the opportunity to sit down in one of the chairs, massage his temples, and mentally prepare for the day's journey. While traveling with others had never been a part of his plan, the new world he was going to face outside had long been expected.

Twenty minutes later, Gresson realized he had fallen asleep again. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and stood up. He walked to the back door of the store and opened it. It was still early in the morning, but the sun was up and the rain had stopped, which was enough for him to start the day.

"Alright everyone, it's time to head out," he said loudly enough to wake everyone up, except Sean. Gresson nudged his shoulder and Sean groggily opened his eyes. "We're heading out then, Sean. Thanks for your help," Gresson said, and he meant it. While the stop at the store had not been necessary, it had been very convenient.

Sean sleepily nodded and rolled over. Everyone else picked up their backpacks, attached their sleeping bags to them, and checked to make sure they had what they could only assume they needed for the trip. The Cases were saddened to realize that the events of last night had not been a dream. They exchanged glances and a few weak smiles, but their collective despair was obvious.

Gresson and the Case family headed outside. The morning sun made their surroundings far less menacing, but things were undoubtedly different. The group stood outside the door for a moment and observed the landscape. Abandoned cars were scattered along the roads, many crumpled from earlier impacts. The few people around outside either wandered mindlessly or were sleeping on makeshift beds in loosely formed groups, most lost or far from home. There was a faint burning smell in the air. In the distance, the city skyline was shrouded in a giant cloud of smoke and ash. Fires could still be seen burning. But most ominous of all was the silence. Neither the chaotic sounds of the city-life or the peaceful sounds of nature filled the air. It was as if the world was suffering from a hangover, and nothing dared make any loud noise.