“Together we are strong,” his sign-off read, “and together we are safe.”
D plus 21
McCarthy Residence
Birchwood, Colorado
“This is what we wanted,” Clark said. “Right?”
Dan hesitated. “I think so.”
ONE WEEK LATER
D plus 22
McCarthy Residence
Birchwood, Colorado
By Tuesday of the following week, life felt closer to normal than it had for a long time. As William Godfrey put it, it was as though the whole world had collectively exhaled; though many remained anxious about the future, the fact that something was being done enabled them to at least detach the future from the present and go about their daily lives largely as they had before.
A school shooting in Delaware continued to dominate the news as it had since Friday morning. Dan felt bad for the victims in the same abstract way he usually did, but he was mainly surprised by how easily the news networks slipped back into their regular rhythm.
The Shield — and particularly DS-1’s forthcoming launch — still featured in most bulletins, but it was no longer the automatic go-to top story.
William Godfrey and President Slater, as well as their international colleagues and countless other powerful individuals, took to the airwaves frequently to soothe the latent trepidation that some citizens felt over the prospect of placing any kind of weapons in orbit.
A tiny handful of public figures continued to argue against The Shield. Most notable among them was Billy Kendrick, who reiterated the folly of needlessly raising the Messengers’ ire. The fact that few people other than Billy were still openly fretting about the potentially imminent alien threat vindicated William Godfrey’s stated belief that a construction project would occupy people’s minds. As Godfrey predicted, the Shield project provided something for citizens to rally around and crushed the depressive helplessness that had been circling so many since the Kerguelen plaques were first revealed.
Such was the level of relative serenity, guests on the news networks even began to analyse the secondary benefits of The Shield. Economically, the days following the landmark announcement of the Global Shield Commission’s creation had seen a marked uptick in discretionary spending. Not only had spending on entertainment and other non-essentials recovered to the pre-Disclosure baseline, they had actually surpassed it.
“People feel good,” a smiling Harvard economist told Blitz News. “This project has the potential to galvanise the global economy to an unprecedented extent. As well as the mood factor, we’re also going to benefit from the creation of huge numbers of new jobs to meet The Shield’s ongoing construction needs. We’re all united behind a common goal, which has all kinds of benefits. One of my colleagues put it like this, and I can’t disagree: Disclosure is like a war without the destruction.”
In Birchwood, Dan McCarthy was revelling in the physical energy and mental clarity that came with the kind of all-night sleep he hadn’t enjoyed since stumbling upon the Kerguelen folder. The universal approval of DS-1’s launch from every guest who had been on the news succeeded in abating Dan’s personal misgivings, and he now truly understood William Godfrey’s repeated assertion that the world was safer now than it had been before the truth came out.
Dan had come to think, with little room for doubt, that the second plaque really was an asteroid warning. Nothing else made sense. He still didn’t know why the aliens didn’t destroy the eventually incoming asteroid themselves if they cared enough to warn us about it, and nor did he pretend to understand their logic for scattering the spheres in such remote locations. But however incomplete Dan’s understanding was, it made a hell of a lot more sense in his head than the alternative.
The most recent tangible announcement had been the GSC’s approval of extensive testing of Japan’s laser-based system for impact avoidance. In William Godfrey’s own words, that system would receive “however much funding it takes”. This emphatic comment, which few picked up on, assured Dan that Godfrey and other world leaders shared his personal belief that an asteroid impact was a far more credible threat than a hostile alien return.
The only real dissent to the trajectory of the GSC’s project came from a loose coalition of highly prominent scientists and futurists who insisted that more should be done to prepare for the worst-case contingency: that the dreaded asteroid might prove too large or approach too suddenly for The Shield’s impact avoidance technologies to prevent an extinction-level event. Like Dan, this group took the asteroid hypothesis as a given and didn’t perceive alien hostility as a realistic possibility.
On Tuesday morning, Timo Fiore spoke on behalf of the nameless group. “We’re all glad that something is being done,” he read from a pre-prepared statement, “but the Messengers didn’t go to the trouble of showing us New Kerguelen for no reason. We therefore call for an expansion or offshoot of the GSC to co-fund serious research and development into interstellar travel. We consider it prudent to act as though our planet will be destroyed while simultaneously doing our utmost to ensure that it won’t. These projects don’t have to cannibalise each other; we have the personnel and the resources for both. We therefore propose a firm commitment to the construction of a starship ark in Earth’s orbit and the departure of that ark for New Kerguelen before the end of this century. Gliese 667 Cc, the closest candidate planet, is 24 light years away. We must now act as though we have no choice but to get there. The search to confirm New Kerguelen’s identity must continue while we build, with serious investment in observation and further analysis of already known exoplanets. We cannot afford to let a lack of clarity over our destination delay the construction of the ark which will take us there. We must begin today based on what we know today, for tomorrow might be too late.”
Timo’s comments were headline news from the moment he uttered them. Though no one liked to think about the prospect of The Shield’s defensive measures failing, many shared Timo’s view that humanity ought to prepare for all eventualities. Some social media users even turned Godfrey’s “trust in God but tie up your camels” comment against him and used it to call for investment in a fallback option.
There was far less clamour for this than there had been for DS-1, however, since the abstract notion of species preservation didn’t strike the same chord with most people as their core biological drive for self preservation. And as Godfrey had mentioned in the aftermath of the plaques being revealed, any kind of planetary evacuation would provide scant consolation to the overwhelming majority of humanity who would be left behind.
Domestically, Emma was preparing for her own evacuation in the form of her move to Mrs Naylor’s house next door. Piled-up boxes of Emma’s things filled the McCarthys’ living room having been delivered by XPR from her New York apartment as “a gesture of goodwill”.
Emma’s move was set for the following Tuesday. She had arranged Dan’s ad-shoot, which was funding the purchase with plenty left over, for Friday. While Dan and Emma were in Amarillo making stupid amounts of money for a few hours’ work, Clark and Mr Byrd would visit Henry’s hospital to discuss the prospect of him coming home sooner rather than later. Clark’s last phone conversation hadn’t given him much hope of success, so he hadn’t told Dan about the upcoming visit.
Rarely an hour went by without Dan thinking about Henry and wondering when he would be home and when he would be better, but he didn’t have the words or emotional dexterity to talk about it. No one talked about it. Emma had picked up on this quickly and went out of her way not to intrude. Every now and then she would touch the wrong thing and receive a quiet reminder that it was Henry’s and therefore off-limits; these reminders were usually gentler when they came from Clark. Though Emma appreciated Dan taking her in, it was things like this that made her crave her own space.
Unbeknownst to Emma or Clark, Dan had made a few phone calls of his own over the last few days and had arranged to return to his work at Wolf & Sons Traditional Bookshop on a t
rial basis. Mr Wolf at first reacted with a variation of the “do you realise how famous you are?” line that Emma had spouted when Dan first suggested the idea, but he quickly came around when he considered the priceless PR he would get from having the Dan McCarthy behind his store’s coffee counter.
Dan didn’t know how the trial run would go, but he wanted to give it a shot. His name never seemed to come up on the news anymore, and the sharp downhill graph that appeared on Emma’s SMMA app when Dan entered his name really hit home how quickly most of the world had moved on from caring about who got the ball rolling.
No part of Dan minded this whatsoever.
Every few hours Dan smiled to himself as it dawned on him all over again that aliens were real and that he had been the one to prove it. Godfrey’s whispered words about giving the world a fighting chance echoed in Dan’s mind semi-frequently, but that wasn’t what Dan was proud of and it wasn’t why he’d risked so much to leak the Kerguelen folder in the first place.
To Dan McCarthy, then and now, all that ever mattered was the truth.
FOUR MONTHS LATER
D plus 23
JSLC Launch Area 4
Dongfeng Aerospace City, China
“In a matter of mere hours,” William Godfrey said grandly, addressing the lucky few media personnel who had been granted access to DS-1’s launch site, “we will take our first step towards securing the future of our species and our planet.”
Godfrey stood in front of a huge window with an unobstructed view to the launch pad and DS-1’s core module, known officially as Límíng. President Slater and an orderly line of her international counterparts watched on, facing Godfrey from the other side of the cameras.
“As its name suggests,” Godfrey continued, “the launch of Límíng truly does represent a new dawn for mankind. Never before have so many nations come together with such urgency and commitment, and never before have any succeeded so completely in turning a moment of adversity into a moment of triumph. My job as Chairman of the GSC has been an easy one thanks to the men and women who stand before me today. I feel privileged to be among them — much less above them — and in this new era of unprecedented political cooperation and scientific collaboration, I am confident there is no limit to what we can achieve together.”
Godfrey took a step forward and motioned towards Chinese Premier Ding Ziyang, the first of several national leaders set to say their piece ahead of the historic launch. President Slater was fourth in line, behind not only the Russian President but also Godfrey’s successor as Prime Minister, John Cole.
Cole’s meteoric ascent had necessitated a somewhat awkward defection from his own party to Godfrey’s, but the by-election and leadership election which followed were both as straightforward as could be; with Godfrey’s public backing, Cole was a made man.
Even Cole’s smug face and detestable mannerisms couldn’t dampen Slater’s spirits, though; having recovered incredibly since the distant and turbulent days of the IDA leak, the President was now enjoying the best approval ratings of her entire term. Jack Neal, who had accompanied Slater to China, put her recovery down to the fact that everyone had been duped by Richard Walker. Most respected Slater’s humility in navigating the fallout, as well as her refusal to stoop to Walker’s level of personal attacks.
When it came Slater’s turn to speak, she thanked her gracious hosts and echoed the sentiments of everyone who had already addressed the media.
“It’s often said that you can best judge a person by their actions under pressure,” she said. “And if you can judge a species the same way, then we are hours way from passing our biggest test.”
D plus 24
McCarthy Residence
Birchwood, Colorado
“You can watch that at the drive-in,” Emma said, encouraging Dan to take his eyes away from his brand new TV, get off his brand new couch, and get into his same old car. She was dressed for the cameras and had already ensured that Dan was, too.
“One minute,” Dan said. “I just want to hear France.”
“It’ll be on the radio.”
“We need to wait for Clark, anyway.”
Clark emerged from the bathroom on cue, revealing a surprisingly presentable outfit. “How many times do I need to remind you that it’s not called the drive-in anymore?” he asked Emma in a deliberately annoying know-it-all tone.
“You know,” she said, “it’s weird. Whenever I don’t see you two for a few days I start to think, “I kinda miss those guys.” But then I see you, and that thought goes away.”
“Obviously,” Clark said.
Dan turned round to agree. “Yeah. That’s like saying if you’re thirsty and you drink some water, you won’t still be thirsty.”
Emma groaned and lifted Clark’s keys. “Whoever doesn’t want to walk to the drive-in better get in the car.”
Dan stood up.
“I don’t know any drive-in around here,” Clark said.
“Bye then.”
Clark laughed and turned off the TV. “Let’s go.”
* * *
To Dan’s annoyance, the live interviews from the spaceport in China weren’t on the radio. In their place, the station was replaying headline-making moments from the five months since Dan first leaked the contents of the Kerguelen folder. Hearing it all in such quick bursts made the road to Disclosure and DS-1’s launch seem a lot smoother than it had been in reality.
Though the months since the Global Shield Commission’s creation in New York had been far less eventful than the roller-coaster weeks beforehand, there were still plenty of talking points.
The imminent launch of DS-1’s core module and the broader focus on The Shield’s future components had made water cooler talk out of previously uninspiring topics like different types of orbits and propulsion systems.
One thing that wasn’t widely discussed was the issue of the GSC’s funding. Dan couldn’t imagine that China had shared the Límíng module with everyone else for free — they didn’t build it for free, after all — but he understood why most considered it uncouth to talk about money. He also recognised the likelihood that people weren’t biting their tongue on this issue, they just didn’t care.
Happily, no fear-worthy asteroids had been detected in the last four months and no hostile visitors had returned. In these respects and most others, the world was largely the same place it had been before the New York agreement. There had been no “hot” conflicts between major nations before the agreement and there were none now; many expected the GSC’s existence to ensure that this remained the case, eradicating the risk of war between member states in the same way the EU had in Europe.
Timo Fiore’s campaign for investment in a starship ark gained momentum for several weeks after the agreement until William Godfrey felt compelled to comment. “I’m not going to forbid anyone from participating in side projects that make them feel warm and fuzzy,” Godfrey said, “but the GSC has an unwavering responsibility to protect this planet, not abandon it.” To say this took the wind out of Timo’s proposals would be something of an understatement.
Outside of the news, Dan greatly enjoyed a high-budget series of British documentaries named The Great Nazi Treasure Hunt. The series took a detailed look at the expeditions to New Swabia, Kerguelen, Bouvet Island and Lake Namtso, and also covered the meta-conspiracy surrounding the dumping of fake currency in Lake Toplitz and the deliberately spread stories of secret gold. Kloster’s letter had touched on this idea of using lies to protect secrets, but the documentaries explored it on a much deeper level.
Demographers, meanwhile, noted some statistically significant but unspectacular trends such as a slight fall in the birth rate and a more noticeable decline in marriages relative to the same four-month period in previous years. “People just aren’t thinking as long-term as they used to,” one expert told ACN.
Economists made similar comments about mortgages and insurance policies, the uptakes of which had fallen while overall spending remaine
d constant.
A political scientist Dan heard on Blitz News one afternoon tried to delve into “the national psyche,” as he kept calling it. The professor said the American people had no opportunity for the kind of truth and reconciliation type hearing that typically followed a major lie being exposed or a major injustice being ended. The reason for this, quite simply, was that there weren’t really two sides.
“Richard Walker was one man,” the professor said, “like Hans Kloster before him. So what we have now is an atmosphere not unlike the kind a nation might experience when a dictator falls: people don’t want to talk, they want to topple the dictator’s statue and kick it until their toes bleed.”
But fallen statues usually marked the end of fighting, and people knew that the real battle — the battle for survival — was just beginning.
In simple terms, the world had bigger things to worry about than Richard Walker. As William Godfrey put it, there was no sense in flogging a dead horse. This attitude marked an about turn from Godfrey’s previous “one way or another, he will pay for this” comment; as inaugural Chairman of the Global Shield Commission, such tact and restraint was necessary.
Richard Walker soon faded from the front pages like Dan McCarthy had before him and continued to lie low in his undocumented second home in Eastview, Colorado. Through some combination of fear and respect, Joe Crabbe agreed to covertly provide Richard with large deliveries of food and other essential items every time he visited his family in Denver. Richard had paid Joe handsomely for his assistance and secrecy on each of his two visits so far. Joe continued to broadcast his anti-globalism message four times per week, but his listenership figures were in terminal decline.
Not Alone Page 57