Wake-up Call: 2035

by Robert J. Traydon

  The entire Oval Office had been duly inspected by the other two agents who confirmed that President Jameson was nowhere to be found. The secretary was standing in the doorway and reaffirmed that the President had entered the office just three minutes before her first attempted call. The two other agents concurred with her statement and looked at one another in total confusion.

  How could she not be in the office that they had personally witnessed her entering earlier? It was impossible that she could have left the office unnoticed, since all of its possible entrances were closely monitored. Walker even looked up at the ceiling to see whether there was any evidence of forced entry or exit … none.

  There was only one other remaining option … the emergency escape trap door below the Resolution Desk. Walker peered under the desk, but the rug which concealed the trap door was completely undisturbed, showing that it hadn’t been used. He moved the rug to one side and lifted the trap door. The lights in the passageway below automatically flickered to life. Within seconds Carter was back on the radio.

  “Carter to Walker. We’ve detected activity on the Oval Office’s trapdoor. Please confirm.”

  Walker replied, “Confirmed, Carter. I’ve just opened it myself. Is this the first time today?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Walker shook his head.

  They knew her exact location with 100% certainty at all times, because she was the President of the United States. This situation was an impossibility.

  Agent Walker muttered, “This just doesn’t make any sense. Where on Earth could she have gone to?”

  The junior agent spoke, “Sir, are you aware of any other access points leading into this room?”

  He thought for a split second, but the answer was clear. “No, because there aren’t any. The armoured glass windows cannot be opened either.”

  He blinked his eyes in momentary disbelief, hoping to wake up from the nightmare that was unfolding before him. He was desperate for the President to magically appear behind her desk and for this whole situation to have been nothing more than a ludicrous fabrication of his mind. But it was not to be. She had well and truly vanished into thin air.

  He was momentarily overwhelmed by the extraordinary circumstances that faced him. The American President was missing, a first in US history and it had happened on his watch.

  9:10 a.m. Observatory: Realisation

  Empress Aeryssia spoke, “As to your current location, if you look directly above …”

  She motioned towards the roof above them and as she did so, everyone’s chairs reclined so that they were all now looking upwards into the dome.

  “…you will see exactly where you are in space and time.”

  The domed roof of the chamber shimmered as it transformed from opaque to transparent. It was similar to the roof of an observatory opening up and revealing the heavens above in all their glory. A glittering array of light from hundreds of millions of stars filled the dome’s field of view and directly above them they saw a blue and white round object drifting slowly across the starlit background.

  “That is your planet …” she said, “…Earth.”

  It was a truly incredible sight to behold and the Principals were all immediately captivated by it. The planet looked lonely and fragile out there in the barren extent of space. Seeing the Earth from this perspective was a unique experience for the Principals. It appeared so much more vulnerable to the hostile environment that surrounded it than any of them had previously envisioned. It was a life-sustaining paradise, a space vessel of incomparable intricacy. The Principals all stared at it in an entranced state … their beautiful home … home to their families and friends, and home to millions of other creatures.

  Edward Payton could not believe his eyes. If they were really looking at the Earth, then that would put them thousands of kilometres away from it – in space – and potentially on some kind of spaceship. The other 11 Principals also began to grapple with the idea that they were potentially not on Earth. But logical thinking countered their wild imaginations and they quickly convinced themselves that it must be a special effect of some kind, similar to that of a planetarium.

  The Empress continued, “There are few views in this galaxy that can compare to the sheer magnificence of the one above us now. Adding to your planet’s beauty is the fact that this is not a projected image, but rather the actual, real-time view of your planet.”

  The Principals were astounded by this revelation and listened on.

  “Right now, you are on board our flagship galactic exploration spacecraft, named the Observatory. It is two kilometres in length, capable of near-light speed travel and is currently in orbit around your planet. You were transported onto this spacecraft from your respective locations on Earth using our short range hyperglide system, which allows us to transport individuals from one point in space to another in a fraction of a second. You will be returned to Earth by the same means once our three hour encounter has been concluded.”

  The Principals looked around the table showing mutual expressions of disbelief and concern. They were slowly coming to the realisation that this whole situation was for real. It also began to dawn on them that these people might not be human beings at all and might well have originated from somewhere other than Earth. This would effectively make them extra-terrestrial beings, the notion of which was just preposterous.

  Just as a wave of scepticism returned to their collective minds, the Moon drifted into view.

  9:12 a.m. Observatory: Motive

  At this point, everyone’s chairs returned to their upright positions. Empress Aeryssia continued, saying that she and the other Chancellors had indeed originated from different parts of the galaxy. This confirmed the Principals’ suspicions – the six ‘people’ facing them were definitely extra-terrestrial beings, in spite of their human-like appearance and attributes.

  Edward Payton was the first to fully absorb the shocking disclosure. He had always believed in the high probability that extra-terrestrial life existed in the Universe, but to be suddenly confronted with it first-hand was an out-of-body experience for him. He knew better than most how unlikely it was that humankind would ever discover or encounter other life in the Universe, let alone intelligent life that shared human appearance. But right now, that infinitesimal possibility had occurred and it was the unexpected case of humankind being discovered by extra-terrestrial life, rather than the other way around.

  Science fiction nightmares flashed through most of the other Principals’ minds. They envisioned this extra-terrestrial race in huge spaceships, hurtling through space towards Earth, preparing for imminent attack. Upon arrival they would exterminate humanity and all other life on the planet, so that it could either be colonised for themselves, or be comprehensively stripped of all its resources and left behind in their wake of destruction.

  The US President could not take the suspense any longer. She raised her hand politely, making known her desire to speak. The Empress was disappointed that her original request for non-interruption had been disregarded, but nevertheless, motioned for the President to speak. The other Chancellors were surprised that the Empress had tolerated it.

  Jameson spoke respectfully, “Empress Aeryssia, Your Majesty. I do apologise for interrupting you, but I believe that I speak on behalf of every Principal here when I say that I am finding it difficult to concentrate with so much uncertainty surrounding this situation. I need one key question answered before I can assume the correct frame of mind to continue. My question is a simple one: have you come to Earth with hostile intent?”

  The Empress responded, “Please, Madam President, can you elaborate on what you consider to be ‘hostile intent’?”

  President Jameson answered, “By hostile intent, I mean, is your intention to attack us and then either colonise or destroy our planet?”

  The seated Chancellors exchanged glances with one another and shook their heads in humorous acknowledgement of the question.

  The Empress
remained composed and spoke, “No, Madam President. I can assure you that we are not here to colonise or destroy your planet. In fact, our intentions are precisely the opposite. We’re here to save your planet.”

  The Principals looked around at each other, confused by her statement.

  She elaborated, “To be more specific, we are here to save your planet and all the species that live on it … from you … humankind.”

  She continued after a brief pause, “We will also attempt to save your own species in the process.”

  The expressions of the 12 Principals shifted immediately from confusion to comprehension. It was a significant statement, one which would have enormous ramifications for the whole of humanity.

  9:10 a.m. Earth: White House

  Agent Walker shook his head and pulled himself together from his paralysing state of astonishment. His instincts and lifetime of tactical training suddenly shifted into gear. It was time to take action.

  He spoke into his internal Secret Service communications radio, “Calling all agents and security personnel, this is Agent Walker initiating a Code Orange, I repeat, Code Orange. Immediate lock down of the White House, I repeat, immediate lock down of the White House! No vehicles or persons in or out. We are currently unable to locate the President and need to establish her whereabouts immediately. Ensure that she cannot leave the premises by any means. Last known location, the Oval Office.”

  He continued after a short pause, “All agents to be on the lookout for any suspicious persons or activity. Report any irregularities to me directly and ensure due discretion is exercised during this operation. Should anyone ask about the lock down, inform them that this is a routine security drill, otherwise, maintain strict media silence.”

  He then shifted his comms radio to the dedicated Security Office channel.

  “Walker to Carter. Come in,” said Walker.

  Carter responded, “Yes, Sir.”

  “Any progress on the President’s tracking device,” Walker requested.

  “None so far, Sir. We need another minute here to run through our software checks,” said Carter.

  “We don’t have a minute to spare, Carter – but while you’re busy, get your team to review all the CCTV footage immediately. We need to confirm the President’s exact last known location and movements up to that point. Look for anything suspicious.”

  He released the comms radio button and spoke directly to the two agents who were with him, “Agent Davis, get Congressman Greenfield and escort him to the waiting room. Agent Farlow, secure this office, no one in or out.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Walker left the office and hurried down the passage towards the lobby.

  He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket while he walked, swiped the screen and tapped his topmost speed dial number – the President’s private mobile. It immediately tried to connect, but after a few seconds, the attempt registered the same ‘subscriber not available’ computer generated message that the secretary had obviously heard earlier.

  Besides the President’s mobile phone being recharged every evening and having a seven day battery life, it was configured with the multiple ‘call waiting’ function. This meant that it would definitely ring, even if in use and receiving multiple calls concurrently. This suggested that the phone had either been purposefully switched off, or was not in a reception area. Both impossible … the presidential phone was always on, in line with policy, and to be out of a reception area anywhere near the White House, even underground, was just not possible. He tried once more in vain, but again it failed to connect.

  9:14 a.m. Observatory: Mandate

  Empress Aeryssia spoke as the Moon drifted from view behind the Earth.

  “To continue. The six of us are here representing the Galacian Senate, which presides over a governing entity known as the Galactic Federation. The Senate’s mandate is to govern, serve and protect all life that exists within the confines of our galaxy, known to you as the Milky Way. This mandate ensures that peace and goodwill prevail throughout the galaxy and its inhabited planets, at all times.

  “Since your Solar System exists in the confines of this galaxy, your planet falls within our jurisdiction. Thus it is our obligation to carry out our mandate here on planet Earth, which in effect, applies to all life that resides thereon.

  “The Senate is made up of 42 members including myself, the five Chancellors here, and 36 Senators. I am the reigning Empress of the Galactic Federation and together with my five Chancellors, we constitute the Federal Alliance … the highest level of leadership and governing authority in our galaxy. Five of us govern independent sectors of the galaxy, which include the galactic central core and the four galactic spiral wings that merge with the central core; while our sixth is in command of the Federation’s exploration of the galaxy. Each of us will now formally introduce ourselves and give background as to our designations.”

  The Principals, although shaken, managed to remain focused on the spellbinding details being described to them. They were fascinated to learn more about the six ‘Supreme Beings’ that faced them.

  9:12 a.m. Earth: White House

  Agent Walker’s comms radio crackled and then sprang to life. “Carter to Walker. Please respond.”

  “Go ahead, Carter,” said Walker hoping for good news.

  “Sir, we’ve just finished running every diagnostic available to us and we still cannot pick up the President’s tracking device. Last movement of the President was entering the Oval Office and sitting behind her desk at 8:57 a.m. Thereafter she remained stationary at her desk until the time we lost signal – at 9:00 a.m. exactly.”

  He continued, “It simply vanished off both the satellite and radar feeds exactly 12 minutes ago. It could be a hardware problem, but it’s unlikely.”

  Agent Walker gathered his thoughts and responded, “Agent Carter, run those checks again, we need the President’s location ASAP. How reliable is the tracking device and system that you have in place?”

  Agent Carter replied, “Top notch, Sir. State-of-the-art technology and impossible to hide from, unless you’re behind a couple of metres of dense medium material like lead. We can track the President’s location to within a metre anywhere in the world, via satellite, mobile phone and broadband infrastructure, even power lines, telephone lines, gas and water mains … you name it, we can use it. Reliability wise, the tracking devices and system are unrivalled. We have never, in the 10-year history of this programme, experienced a technical difficulty like this before, hence the gravity of our concern.”

  Agent Walker responded, “Understood, Carter. Sort the problem out and get back to me with a location.”

  “Will do so, Sir,” said Carter and the ear piece went dead.

  Agent Walker knew exactly what needed to be done next. He was reluctant to do it, but had no choice.

  He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket and tapped the second number on his speed dial list. He lifted the phone to his ear and listened for a ring tone. It rang once, twice … 10 times …

  Uncharacteristically, Walker began to panic.

  9:15 a.m. Observatory: Empress Aeryssia (Galactic Central Core)

  Empress Aeryssia stepped back and the chamber’s lighting dimmed slightly. The view of Earth then drifted into obscurity as the dome’s transparency turned black. The conference table then began to alter its orientation, increasing in diameter and creating a large, open circular void in its centre. Everyone’s chairs moved outwards to accommodate the table’s widening circumference.

  The Empress then cast a splayed hand gesture towards the translucent sphere – now suspended in the centre of the void. As it was activated it began to rotate with rapid acceleration, then levitated upwards until it was two metres above the table. The Principals watched the object in wonder, not knowing what to expect from it.

  The spinning sphere began to increase in size until it filled half the void in the centre of the table and the dome above. Its swirling translucency then t
urned a sparkling white and an instant later, the sphere shattered and dispersed billions of tiny light shards outwards in every direction.

  The Principals flinched as if the shards were going to hit them, but instead, they swiftly began to re-organise themselves. Within seconds the shards of light had collated into a perfect holographic representation of the galaxy. It rotated slowly so that its extraordinary composition and intricacy could be fully appreciated. The visual display amazed the Principals. Its vivid detail and depth perspective were staggering. They could do nothing but stare at it in a transfixed daze.

  The galaxy was then coloured in five different ‘Galactic Sector’ hues, clearly defining the central core and four spiral wings from one another.

  She looked up at the hologram and spoke, “Our galaxy’s central core falls under my jurisdiction as Empress. It is unique in that it contains close to half of all the stars that exist in our galaxy. They number 251 billion and are densely packed when compared to the relative sparsity of stars in the galaxy’s spiral wings. Planets number just under 448 billion, of which 12 547 support life. Only 24 of these are home to intelligent life.

  As the Principles watched, a reference table containing information relating to the galactic hologram was shown on the glide surface in front of them. They scanned through its contents:

  (Note: *b – Billion: 1 000 000 000; *m – Million: 1 000 000)

  The Empress continued, “I am Auroran by descent and my people originated on a planet called Auroria, which was home to them for 800 000 years. The planet was named as such because of the abundance of magnificent auroras that constantly lit up the polar skies throughout our days and nights. Unfortunately Auroria is no longer in existence due to circumstances that were beyond our control, but residing in the galaxy’s central core has its benefits, one of which is being in close proximity to other potentially habitable planets.”