There have also been numerous reports of looting, and police are receiving a steady stream of reported shooting incidents.
On The Way
“What about going and getting the truck gate?” Erin asked.
“In the van?” Richard replied. “It’ll take forever to go there and back in that thing. You remember the drive out here, right?”
Kevin walked up to the two, waving the walkie-talkie. “I think we have a way to save the livestock. I talked it over with the guys at the warehouse. They’ve about finished moving stuff across, so Matt has suggested driving the big gate over here in his pickup.”
“Well, hell,” Richard replied, “that thing can scale a vertical cliff in four-low. And he’s got the clearance to get over most of the crap I had to dodge. It’ll take him maybe twenty minutes to get here.”
“Matt said ten,” Kevin interjected.
“He may not know how rough it’ll be. Tell him to take it easy, and aim for twenty. What about Bill and Monica?”
“They’ll go through to Outland first, to guard the stuff and keep working on the sheds. Monica says we’d better all get there with the gates, or she’ll be right pissed.”
Erin smiled. “I’d be pretty pissed to be marooned on the other side too. Kevin, please tell Matt it’s a go. I’ll get things organized at this end.”
Erin went off to talk to the students who had originally brought up the issue of the livestock.
***
About twenty minutes, later Matt drove up to the group around the van. He turned off the engine and got out. “Hey guys. What’s the sit?”
“Matt, this is Dick. He’s the guy who brought up the whole thing. Dick, you’re up.”
Dick looked a little hesitant at first but got into it once he started talking. “Okay, I’ve sent a bunch of aggie students ahead to prep things. We’ll ride the horses, herd the cattle and sheep, we’ll put the birds in cages in the back of the pickup. We’ll have to release the pigs on the other side— they’re too much trouble to herd, and too much trouble to keep unless you already have a good, fenced-off area. We’re hoping they’ll go feral before they all get eaten. We might be able to trap some of them eventually and build up an inventory again. Otherwise they’ll revert to wild type in a couple of generations. Not that that’s terrible, it’s just that they’re meaner.”
Richard stepped in. “We’ll give you an extra portal generator and six-foot gate so you can bring both gates through when you’re done. We can’t give you the generator, or we’ll have nothing, so you’ll have to hope the power is still on or there’s a generator at the complex.”
“They have several portables there, including a big trailer-mounted generator,” Dick said.
“Well, good. Let’s bring them over. Even if you don’t have room for them on this trip, leave them on the Outland side and tie a tarp around them or something. Erin’s pretty sure that the roof will come down before we can get back, so anything we want to save has to go Overside today.”
“One other thing,” Richard said. Handing Dick a stack of boxes, he continued, “Bill will be insufferable if anyone tells him, but these should be handy.”
Dick looked at the boxes labeled Night Vision Goggles and asked, “Who’s Bill?”
Richard shook his head. “Just go.”
Dick gave Richard a thumbs-up and looked to Matt. Matt gestured to the passenger side, then got into his pickup. A few seconds later, they were on their way.
As they watched the pickup drive off, Richard turned to Erin. “What’s that saying about the best laid plans?”
“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley,” Erin replied in perfect Gaelic brogue.
Richard raised his eyebrows in appreciation at the performance and sighed. “I think I’m going to have that tattooed on my forehead. I suck at this.”
Setting Up
Matt had just driven off with the truck gate, on Earthside, heading for the university. That meant that all three portal generators were on Earthside, with the others. Bill and Monica were now alone, the only human beings on an entire planet. If something were to go wrong, they would be stuck here.
The new Adam and Eve, Bill mused. It does have its upside… He shook his head. Nice movie script, but I’m not a teenager any more.
Bill looked over at Monica, who was glaring at the piles and pallets of supplies as if she could intimidate them into order.
Bill sighed. It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.
They had sacrificed neatness in favor of speed when bringing everything over. Now they were faced with a disaster of disorganization. Somehow, they were going to have to get all this stuff under cover as soon as possible.
Bill looked at the second shed, which was still only half-finished. “Monica, I think we’re going to have to concentrate on supplies that will attract predators first.”
Monica turned to him, her glare softening to a friendly smile, and replied, “That, and items that wouldn’t react well to being left outside in the rain. Just in case.” She looked up at the almost cloudless blue sky.
They spent some time identifying the highest priority items and arranging them on pallets for easy transport.
Once that was done, Bill turned to the bobcat, only to find Monica sitting in it.
“Something you wanted?” she said, glaring at him.
Bill laughed and waved his hand in concession. “Fair’s fair, I guess. And I don’t know why I should be surprised. Have at it, Tank Girl.”
Monica grinned back at him, and started up the bobcat.
While Monica moved items into the shed, Bill set up a fence line around the front of the sheds. He had bought several stacks of modular construction fence panels. He dragged the panels into position and linked them up. When he was done, they had a fenced-off area that would keep most of the Pleistocene fauna out. The few species that could potentially jump the fence would be very visible when doing so, and could be taken care of with the shotguns.
Finally, as the sun was getting low in the western sky, Bill pegged the end panel down against the shed wall with a couple of pieces of rebar.
He waved to Monica. She turned off the bobcat as he walked towards her.
“Dinnertime?” he said.
“Cold pizza. Woo hoo!”
They grabbed a couple of beers and the box of leftover pizza. Although the fridge hadn’t been plugged in for most of the afternoon, the contents were still cold.
“We’re going to have to get a generator going soon,” Bill said, motioning to the beer still in the fridge.
“One thing at a time,” Monica replied. “First the pizza, then reality.”
They unfolded a couple of aluminum lawn chairs and settled back with paper plates, pizza, and bottles of Corona. The tension drained away as they as enjoyed their meal and the view.
“Not much of a sunset,” Monica commented. The sun was going down, and although the western sky had a bit of red and orange to it, the colors were very subdued.
“Not much dust in the air, I guess.” Bill motioned to the sun with his half-empty bottle. “Modern civilization has contributed a lot to the sunsets we’ve gotten used to. Here, all you have are buffalo farts.”
Monica grinned at him. “Bison farts. Geez.”
By the end of the second beer, the sun had set, and night was falling.
“Hmm, looks like we’d better find the flashlights while we can still see the shed,” Bill said.
They got up and dug out flashlights. They bagged their dinner garbage to avoid attracting predators, then set up sleeping bags inside the shed.
Finally, exhausted from a hard day’s labor, they closed the shed doors and climbed into their sleeping bags. They were asleep within seconds.
In The News
Officials have confirmed earlier reports of several terrorist bombings in Washington DC. They also acknowledge a number of bombings of government buildings in other states, which they characterize as domestic terrorists attempt
ing to take advantage of the situation.
---
The president has announced that he is recalling all military personnel and equipment back to the U.S. “Right now we need to protect our home soil and our citizenry.”
---
Air travel has been suspended indefinitely worldwide, citing the danger of damage to aircraft engines from volcanic ash. Some countries have also suspended rail service, fearing damage to locomotive engines, moving parts of rolling stock, and even the actual rails.
---
Dr. Andrew Kensington of the USGS has issued a statement concerning the Yellowstone eruption. “This is far more powerful than our models predicted,” he said. “We are estimating well over 3000 cubic kilometers of ejecta in total. This would make it the largest eruption from the Yellowstone hotspot in its existence.”
When asked how this would affect the country, Dr. Kensington replied, “This is going to affect the planet! There has already been plenty of coverage in the news of the possible effects of a supervolcano eruption… Just triple that.”
Getting There
They were finally done at the university. Everyone who had shown up had been moved through to Outland. When the ash started to fall, and they hadn’t had a new refugee in a half hour, Erin decided to call it. They moved through the last of the supplies and kindling, then shut down the portal.
There had been much discussion of strategies and plans while preparing and waiting for the final move. Erin was impressed at how quickly people had accepted and adjusted to the reality of an alternate universe. But she admitted to herself that having it right in front of them helped a lot.
Everyone agreed loudly that they should continue to re-open the gate and try to find more survivors, but the words were said with haunted eyes. People were beginning to realize that once the ash started to fall, the death sentence had been pronounced. No one was willing to volunteer to trudge through ash-covered streets looking for survivors, and they had no other way to locate refugees. They had to hope that most people had done the smart thing and hit the road as soon as possible. And that the roads had been passable, because they wouldn’t be by morning.
In all, they’d managed to bring across a little over two hundred and fifty people, mostly students, and a smattering of faculty and two security guards who’d been on campus.
The two security guards, Fred Mack and Anson Rutherford, were both retired cops who, according to them, had taken the security jobs to stave off terminal boredom. “You spend your entire career in the thick of things, then you retire and bam! Eight hours a day in front of the TV,” Anson explained. “Couldn’t take it. The security job is an easy gig, good for extra pocket money, and generally the most critical issue we face is timing our breaks so we get the fresh pot of coffee.”
Fred smiled in agreement.
Getting organized had taken a lot longer than expected, and it was getting dark before they were anywhere near ready to move. The idea of trying to shepherd this many people through the wilderness in pitch-black night was ludicrous. And those who might have suggested it would change their mind once darkness fell. Modern urban humans don’t have a real appreciation of how dark night is without artificial illumination and skyglow.
The situation was made worse by the simple fact that it was summer, and people had been wearing summer clothes. These were grossly inadequate for the cooler Outland night air.
Erin suggested to Fred Mack that perhaps he and Anson should be in charge, but Fred shook his head. “No way, darlin’. You’re doing fine. The kids listen to you. They’d just tune out a couple of old farts. But we’ll help anywhere you need it.”
Erin immediately deputized the two to organize security for the night. Fred and Anson discussed it for perhaps thirty seconds, then set to work. They organized eight fires into a ring and split up the scavenged fuel between them. A few people were assigned to each fire to make sure the wood didn’t get burned too quickly, as a larger fire would burn through their supply much faster without providing any extra benefit.
“The fires are more for protection than for heat,” Erin said to people in general. “We want to keep the night life away from us. So don’t get the bright idea of going around to the outside of the fire ring to get close to one of the fires, unless you want to be a midnight snack. Take a page from emperor penguins— form a nice tight group and keep each other warm. This is no time for bashfulness.
“We’ll also need to organize guard duty,” Erin continued. “Anyone who has ever handled a weapon should speak up. We’ll need eight people for each two-hour shift. Fred and Anson will take care of the details.” She gestured to the two, who gave her a couple of sloppy salutes and got to work.
It took another hour before they had everything set up to everyone’s satisfaction. By this time, full night was settling in. The first guard shift stepped up, weapons in hand, and the rest settled onto the hard ground, on blankets and tarps wherever possible, and tried to get some sleep.
***
The night-life of Outland was in its own way as loud as the day shift. The biomass of an untouched wild planet is orders of magnitude greater than what humans had left standing on Earthside. On one occasion during the night some tortured soul stood up and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Will you shut the fuck up!” That produced a lot of laughs from the other campers, but no more than a few seconds relief.
There were shots fired a number of times, but there were no major incidents and no loss of human life. There was one close call when a large cat almost managed to sneak past a dozing guard. A scream from an insomniac camper brought the guard back to full wakefulness. And a near miss from a full load of buckshot sent the cat scrambling for the darkness, lighter by about two lives and one dump.
After a few more encounters, the local predators decided that easier meals could be had elsewhere, and the attempted incursions trailed off. The noise level however didn’t abate all night. As some of the less rested would later report, the night calls segued smoothly into the morning cacophony of birdcalls without a break.
Going Over
Suzie was getting very frightened. First the eruption on TV, then the earthquake, the sound of the eruption, and now this! These people, who claimed to be other UNL students, were telling the crowd that staying in Lincoln could be fatal. To be fair, their explanation made a lot of sense. And most people seemed to be taking them seriously. She looked at Joy and Maddie, and she could see that they were just as scared. There had been a lot of activity over the last couple of hours: people looked for other students and brought injured people here to the University Health Center. Students ransacked buildings looking for burnable furniture. Students even made plans to move the animals out of the livestock buildings!
Now the ash had started to fall. Suzie knew enough about this stuff to realize that the people with the gate were right. She discussed it with her friends, and they decided that they would take the offer.
Suzie took a few minutes to look through the crowd. She spotted Frankie and Stephanie a short distance away and waved frantically at them. After a few seconds, Stephanie saw her and waved back. The two pushed their way through the crowd towards Suzie.
“Frankie and Steph are coming. As soon as they get here, we should go through,” Suzie said to Maddie and Joy.
By the time Frankie and Steph got to them, the ash was falling in earnest. They got into the line that had formed and stepped through the gate when their turn came.
By now, the light was fading. Students had been bringing burnable items for the last little while and carrying them through the gate. Now that they were on the other side, she could see several large piles of wood, mostly furniture but also some less recognizable objects. A couple of security guards were organizing people and directing the creation of eight different fires in a ring.
Suzie watched all this and was amazed at how organized they seemed to be. One of the people who owned the gate—she’d learned his name was Richard, and he was très hot—w
as handing out weapons from a crate. Suzie had no experience with firearms and had no desire to change that, but she still found herself hanging out in the immediate area.
With only backpacks for pillows, the five friends settled down to try to get some sleep inside the ring of fires. They were surprised at how cold it was getting for summer, so they huddled together for warmth.
“Are we going to be all right?” Stephanie asked.
“We’ll live,” Suzie answered. “They’ve got lots of weapons. They seem to have been prepared for this, though. I don’t understand how they could have done that.”
“Maybe they have a time machine too. Or maybe the gate actually is a time machine, and they’re shitting us about the parallel Earth story,” Frankie mused. “Or maybe they were just more realistic about Yellowstone.”
He thought for a moment, then continued, “I’ve been watching the news, and for weeks we’ve been hearing reassurance after reassurance from government. I’m wondering if maybe they were just trying to keep everyone calm. Maybe they knew more than they were letting on.”
“Another government conspiracy? Give me a break,” Maddie responded. “You’re always saying those morons couldn’t find their own assholes with both hands and a flashlight, and now you’re suggesting they’ve engineered a whole conspiracy thing.”
Frankie got up on one elbow. “It doesn’t have to be a conspiracy, Maddie. Corporations everywhere work to keep corporate taxes low. They don’t have to get together and plan it— each corporation is just doing what it can to that end. But they’re all pulling in the same direction, so it ends up looking like a conspiracy.”
He continued, “Each government department, the cops, FBI, Department of Sanitation, whatever, just wants to minimize trouble in their area. And the way to do that is the same for them all—keep the public calm at all costs.”
Outland (World-Lines Book 1) Page 17