Wake-up Call: 2035

by Robert J. Traydon

  There was a brief pause before she continued.

  “Terry, you have to stand up and lead this nation. Every American citizen who survives this will be looking to you for guidance, and your government will be counting on you for firm leadership. This is your opportunity to shine and redeem what credibility is left of your presidency. You have failed our citizens once, don’t fail them again … our nation and people deserve better than that.”

  West spoke, “And these supposedly super-intelligent Supreme Beings? What action can we take against them?”

  Jameson responded, “Terry, taking action against them shouldn’t even be contemplated. Not only would it be futile, as you have seen, but it might well instigate further consequence.”

  “But Sally, this is ridiculous. We can’t just sit back and let them get away with it!” said West in an irate tone.

  “We have no other choice but to, Terry. Look at their technology! We’re out of our league here and our nation cannot afford any further consequence. Don’t forget that in the eyes of the Supreme Beings, this remediation has been carried out in humanity’s best long-term interest. Whether we like it or not, this is the reality we have to face.”

  She paused, took a deep breath, then continued, “We also need to understand that these Supreme Beings are not here to rule over us, they just want to stop us from destroying our planet.”

  There were a few seconds of silence before West spoke, “Is there any way that you can ask these Supreme Beings to remove their weapons and possibly even reverse their destruction?”

  Jameson replied, “I can’t just pick up the phone and call them, Terry. It’s not as though I have the Supreme Beings on speed dial, like you seem to think. All I know at this stage, is that there will be a third encounter once the remediation has been concluded – but exactly when that will be, I cannot say.”

  President West was silent on the other end of the line, obviously lost in thought.

  She continued, “Terry, we have known for three whole years what had to be done to avoid this. We chose to ignore it, actually, to be more precise, you chose to ignore it … at your own peril, our citizens’ peril and our nation’s peril. You had the opportunity to lead this nation and the world through this difficult time, throw your weight behind China’s actions and persuade other nations to follow suit, but you didn’t. You missed your golden opportunity to be the iconic leader you’ve always wanted to be, and as a direct result, we have all become victims of this horrific catastrophe.

  “All I know, is that from now on we will have to comply with the Ultimatum, or risk facing a second round of remediation similar to, or even worse than what we’re witnessing now. As the 11 other Principals and I have said ever since the first encounter, these Supreme Beings are serious about restoring our planet’s environmental equilibrium, and they will stop at nothing to achieve that. What today has shown us is that their warnings were legitimate and we now need to take heed of them.”

  President West responded curtly, “I don’t need to be lectured to at this pressing time Sally, but I will take note of your remarks. And please, when you next meet with these extra-terrestrial beings, make an appeal on my behalf for their wanton destruction to be stopped and reversed. Threaten them if you have to!”

  She replied, “I will ask them, Terry. But don’t expect for the Ultimatum to be rescinded, or for this remediation to be magically reversed. You must come to terms with the fact that we are powerless against these Supreme Beings, and it will serve as no benefit to us if we are threatening or defiant. They are in control, and from now on we need to listen to them.”

  She went on, “As a matter of interest Terry, what is the extent of remediation here in the United States?”

  He responded, “So far, we have identified over 850 of these so-called hemispheres within our borders. They have surrounded over 160 cities, an estimated 5 000 towns and heavy industrial centres, 80 fossil fuelled power plants and about 50% of all our agricultural land.”

  “My God, Terry! May mercy be with all those people … and also the rest of us who have survived,” she said despondently.

  Their conversation ended moments later. President West sat at his desk considering the calamitous state of affairs that he was facing. He knew that it was partly his doing and now it was his duty to put things right. Before anything else, he would need to explain to his nation that this attack had been carried out by the extra-terrestrial Supreme Beings in direct response to their nation’s non-compliance with the Ultimatum.

  That was not going to be easy, especially after his continuous and resolute denunciation of the Supreme Beings’ existence. His much-vaunted presidency now felt like fine sand slipping through his open fingers. His days in office were numbered, especially after making such a shocking leadership blunder. His denial had steered the nation toward this grave tragedy. The loss of life and infrastructure was incalculable, and worst of all, it had happened on his watch.

  But Terry West’s mind was already searching for a way to distance himself from being seen as the cause of the situation. He would pin this whole disaster on these non-negotiable, warmongering extra-terrestrial monsters. He would hold them directly responsible, since in his political opinion, they were. They had carried out this unprovoked attack! They had declared war on humankind! So they were the enemy, they were the real perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity: not him … he was a victim like everyone else, and had only been acting in the best interest of the American people all along.

  10:00 a.m. Earth: Transformation

  The beautiful blue planet soared through space, slowly rotating around its axis as it had done so for billions of years. None of the human consequence or grief being experienced on its surface could be heard in the peaceful nothingness of space. The view of the planet was, however, distinctly different: hemispheres could be seen all over, pockmarking its surface like swollen blisters.

  It was now 22 hours since the hemisphere had engulfed New York. The thick, churning dust within its interior had slowly begun to dissipate and clear. It became possible to see right across the full extent of the hemisphere. Where, just one day before there had been a huge, bustling and thriving city, the landscape had changed completely. The flagship city of the world’s most powerful nation was, literally, no more.

  The familiar skyline, with its numerous skyscrapers, suburban apartment blocks and houses, commercial and industrial centres, monuments, harbours, bridges, elevated highways, roads, railways and every other type of manmade infrastructure, had vanished from existence. There was no trace of any vehicles, trains, boats, machines or any other type of equipment. All the exotic trees and vegetation had also been removed. Most obvious of all though, was the fact that there were no people.

  The landscape across the hemisphere’s entire enclosed interior had been transformed into what appeared to be its original indigenous state. There was a far reaching vista of rolling grassland interspersed with areas of dense shrubbery and deciduous forest that reflected an exquisite golden light in the late morning sun. The coastline had been redrawn with the removal of all reclaimed land and the re-establishment of marshlands. The rehabilitated area was swathed with an array of endemic plants and trees that had once been prolific throughout the region – long before the city’s four century-long expansion had relentlessly devoured every living thing in its path. Not a single shred of evidence now remained of the megacity that had existed there just a day earlier.

  Around the perimeter of the hemisphere were some incredible sights. Buildings that spanned the hemisphere’s interior/exterior surface had been cut clean in half, as though with a cleaver. The half of the building within the hemisphere had disappeared completely, and the half on the outside appeared intact. Roads and railways that had led directly into the city now ended abruptly where the hemisphere’s exterior surface was. A day ago they had continued straight on towards the city centre with apartment blocks and commercial buildings lining their way on either side, bu
t now, they aimed towards nothing but open wilderness.

  On the ocean side of the hemisphere, the sea within the interior which had been stormy just hours before, was now completely calm and the water lay flat and undisturbed like a sheet of glass. The rough ocean swell on the outside was now contrasted against the dead calm of the ocean inside.

  Two hours later at midday, precisely 24 hours after the extraordinary event had first begun, the hemisphere’s exterior surface started to glisten. Then just as quickly as it had grown, it began to recede towards its centre, until it disappeared from sight. Seconds later, a shining object that reflected in the sunlight, rose up from what must have been the hemisphere’s centre and accelerated in retreat into the atmosphere above. A few moments later it was lost from view leaving nothing behind but another distinctive, inverted vapour trail, which funnelled high into the atmosphere above, marking the path of the object’s vertical ascent back into space.

  People hesitantly stepped forward into the area which moments before had been protected by the impenetrable barrier. The open wilderness was blanketed in wild grasses as high as their waists. They ran their hands and fingers over the soft grass tops, fascinated by the mind boggling transformation. Beautiful patterns emerged as the wind blew through the long grass pushing it down in long, randomly created waves.

  People showed mixed emotions. Many of them now had to face the crushing certainty that their beloved city, and everything in it that had been so precious to them, was lost. They were inconsolable, falling to the ground weeping and sobbing uncontrollably, asking how this could have happened. Others looked on in total astonishment at the natural splendour that now stood before them. They realised that this must have been what New York had looked like for thousands, if not millions of years before humankind had arrived and completely developed it. For many, it felt as if they were stepping back in time.

  As people became confident that there was no further threat, they started to walk freely into the environmentally rehabilitated area. The air was noticeably crisp and fresh without the typical fumes, smells and mustiness that people had become accustomed to while living their daily lives in the city. The sky above them was also a dazzling crystal clear blue, of the likes not seen over New York’s skyline in well over a century. Gone was the usual brownish hue of smog and pollution that had long hung over the city. It felt as though they were somewhere out in the remote countryside, far away from any human development. Most notably, there was an unfamiliar silence and tranquillity in the absence of the usual city noise pollution – like hooting, traffic and aircraft flying overhead.

  Insects of every shape and size began to fly in their droves into the transformed area. As if by some innate instinct, they gravitated towards the new natural wilderness that had suddenly presented itself. People looked up and were amazed by the sight of flocks of birds flying above them exploring their new surroundings. Beautiful butterflies, which had become quite rare in the city, suddenly appeared from nowhere and filled the sky. They landed on the people who walked through the grass, much to the entertainment and delight of many, especially young children who remained blissfully oblivious to the reality of the situation.

  The landscape was now as it had been prior to humankind’s dramatic rise and inexorable 250-year industrial expansion. It had literally been stripped from humankind’s guardianship and returned to nature.

  The sheer scale of the remediation was unfathomable to almost everyone who had survived. The world had been changed forever and the event marked the beginning of a new, never before considered chapter in human existence. For the first time in centuries, humanity’s assumed invincibility had been reduced to nothing more than simple vulnerability. It was back to lifestyle simplicity for everyone, especially for those people who suddenly found themselves without water, food, shelter, communication, basic possessions, and many of the other things that had for so long been taken for granted.

  Personal tragedy was overwhelming. The loss had been unprecedented, and humankind’s journey into the future was now more uncertain and scary than it had ever been throughout its modern history.

  12:00 p.m. Observatory: Council Chamber – Terraspheres

  On board the Observatory in the Council Chamber, Empress Aeryssia watched the live holographic feed of the terraspheres reassuming their original size and then commencing their return to the spacecraft.

  Terraforming Spheres were the most advanced ‘terrain and atmosphere transforming’ instruments within the Galactic Federation’s extensive technological inventory. They had been developed by the Exploration Division’s long established Technology Innovation Department for the primary purpose of terraforming uninhabited planets that had the potential to support life, and then if necessary, translocating life there. The intention of creating customised habitable planets was to allow for population groups to be relocated where circumstances beyond their control were slowly rendering their home planets uninhabitable. The terraformed planets would serve as the relocated populations’ new home, and would give them the opportunity to re-establish themselves and continue living into the future*.

  [* Terrasphere technology had only been tested once before by the Exploration Division. A small planet supporting a diverse yet simple spectrum of life was identified as being under threat from its white dwarf star. The star had absorbed the stellar system’s innermost planet, which had precipitated a major destabilisation phase.

  Dangerous gamma-ray solar flare activity increased a hundred fold and the remaining planetary system around the star was heavily bombarded by strong solar winds and ultra-violet radiation. The living planet’s magnetic field was unable to withstand it, and its atmosphere was progressively eroded away. Eventually, the intense ultraviolet radiation began to strip the planet of all its water and also sterilise its surface.

  The decision was taken by the Galacian Senate to translocate sustainable sample groups, representing the full array of life residing on the planet, to an experimental planet that had been terraformed during the Terraforming Sphere Experimental Programme. A special concession had been made to the prevailing Non-interference Policy in effect at the time, in the interest of furthering important research.

  The initial translocation exercise was successful, and as a result most of the remaining life forms were also relocated to the terraformed planet. Just two years later the planet of origin had been stripped entirely of both its atmosphere and water, and all life that remained on the planet perished.

  Even though life would never be exactly as it had been for the relocated species, their survival into the future had been given a second chance. Millennia would be required before their new planet was to become a fully independent, self-functioning biosphere, but the achievement was hailed as a success and marked the next generation of potential life translocation in the future. It was regarded as one of the Galactic Federation’s most historic feats.]

  The Technology Innovation Department had subsequently proposed a secondary purpose for the terraspheres – to carry out remediation in the event of it ever being required. This would be achieved by converting the standard terraspheres into ‘instruments of mass transformation’. The Department’s proposal had been examined by the Exploration Council, and was given the green light to proceed. The terrasphere programming modifications and testing began immediately thereafter to suit any potential remediation scenario.

  It was an ambitious project but the developers had been confident in their ability to create the exact instrument that was required to transform a developed area back into its natural state. The modified terraspheres were classified as ‘Remediation Class Terraforming Spheres’ and were essentially particle dissociation and reorganisation modules. Their function was to disassemble all the molecular structures present within their spherical interiors down to particle level, and then reorganise them into the desired simple organisms and landscape, to re-create an original natural architecture.

  On the recommendation of the Exploration Divi
sion, the Galacian Senate had approved the use of the modified terraspheres on Andorayan Sanctuarium. The pivotal factor had been that it would be the least invasive method of carrying out the required scale of remediation. It would be painless for all life that was to be removed from within the terraspheres, while their interior landscapes were being transformed back into their original states.

  The Empress walked over to the observation window where she could get a direct view of Earth. She knew that its peaceful beauty from where she was standing, belied the widespread trauma that the remaining human population must be experiencing.

  12:00 p.m. Earth: A Changed World

  The enigmatic ‘environmental transformations’ had occurred wherever the hemispheres had appeared. They had consumed everything within their interiors and created natural landscapes of indigenous vegetation that had existed long before the land was appropriated and developed by humans.

  The landscapes varied depending on their location around the world. Their respective vegetation types ranged across all the classifications including: tropical rainforest, tropical and sub-tropical dry forest, taiga coniferous forest, montane forest, tree savannah, grass savannah, mangrove swamp, and many more. Each transformed area now possessed the complement plant species that had been endemic to these areas thousands of years before – except for those that were extinct.

  The news channels that were still able to broadcast showed hundreds of startling vistas from around the globe. Instead of the normal sights of urban and agricultural development carving out vast swathes of indigenous vegetation, it was now huge circles of indigenous vegetation that had been carved into developed land.