Rise of the Carnelians (Europa)

by Jason Gehlert

  Nolan changed direction and headed straight for the river. He stripped out of his protective gear to gain extra speed. He noticed his hands were bloody when he threw his helmet to the ground. His suit followed. Keeping only his boots, he took off, continually looking back to gauge how far the lava was behind him. Nolan stared death squarely in the face and gave it his all, but his injuries were slowing him down.

  He could see the blue tint of the river’s surface, and prepared to cross over the small bridge that hovered mere feet above the water. The lava flow whirled around, sending fiery embers hurtling through the summer air, igniting several trees over Nolan’s head. The bridge’s railings were metal, and connected to the wooden floorboards in a chain link pattern. Once on the bridge, Nolan’s weight made some of the splitting boards creak. The lengthy bridge failed to deter him, as Nolan continued along, occasionally turning his head to see where the lava flow was.

  Large sections of tree began to collapse, ablaze from high above, crashing into the river, spraying Nolan in hot water. Once the magma entered the shallow riverbed, Nolan knew it would swallow up the water evaporating it into steam, and continue on its way towards the eastern end of the park.

  The lava entered the river and sent its fiery path to the bridge, igniting the pathway. Nolan kept his hands over his face, trying to shield himself from the scattering debris and hot steam rising from the water. His legs burned from the crash, he had layers of skin scraping against his pants, all the while attempting a run for the other side. Using his last surge of adrenaline, Nolan dove for the end of the bride as tree limbs continued to crack and collapse into the riverbed.

  Making it by the skin of his teeth, Nolan turned and saw the magma pouring into the riverbed, indeed swallowing the water in its wake.

  He was still several yards away from Fishing Bridge, and thoughts of Maureen kept running through his mind. Her courage proved to be Nolan’s outlet for strength. His determination to see her one more time powered his weary legs to reach his planned destination.

  A series of stranded cars were packed tightly together in the camping parking lot. Nolan’s plan was unfinished; he hoped to find some dangling keys left in the ignition, or he could a take a chance at hot wiring the car.

  The magma continued its slow roll through the riverbed, and now headed straight for Nolan.

  Nolan looked up at the darkening skies that were filling with ash and uranium deposits. He knew time was extremely short. Peering into the assortment of vehicles, he couldn’t find one set of keys. “How ironic,” he grumbled. “A volcanologist dies in magma stream.” He heard a roar from the skies, watching, praying, it was a rescue chopper.

  A vintage 1982 Coachmen mobile home was parked quietly off in the corner of the lot. Striped with orange and earth brown, the massive vehicle gave Nolan an idea. The lava churned through the parking lot, eating away the tires and metal frames of the cars, sinking them into its river of death. He stared briefly at the license plate. It read : Rogersville, Tennessee, NYG 128. His fingers grabbed hold of the well maintained ladder on the back of the trailer, and began his ascent to the roof. Slowly, the lava surrounded the trailer, sinking its large tires into its river. Nolan felt a sharp jerk to the left, nearly throwing him off the ladder. The fear of death propelling him up the ladder, Nolan reached the white roof, which was pocked with smashed berries, bird shit, and small broken branches.

  Nolan felt another twist of the motor home, and skidded across the roof. His fingers adroitly grabbed the side railings and prevented him from lurching any further.

  “Shit.”

  He was surrounded; there was no escape. Nolan stood up painfully and stared down the oncoming lava stream, watching it continue to splash around the trailer’s tires, tilting the entire body of the vehicle closer to the ground.

  An orange rescue chopper burst through the smoky cloud and hovered right above Nolan.

  He looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

  He watched the pilot order his crew to lower a hoist with a red harness attached at the end.

  “Hurry,” Nolan whispered, praying the rescue mission would be a success.

  To Nolan’s relief, the hoist spiraled down towards him. The motor spun wildly as the cable fell innocently to the shore below. Nolan, stretched, reaching for the careening harness, clasping it moments before it sailed past the side of the sinking trailer.

  His fingers fumbling he finally slid the harness over his dirty, sweaty body, and clicked the golden clip in place securing him to the hoist.

  The lava was now crumbling the trailer from underneath him, dragging him down. A series of magma bursts lurched into the air, landing on Nolan.

  Screaming, Nolan gave the cable a sharp tug, and watched as the chopper started to bring him up. The harness sizzled underneath the fiery wisps of lava, and began to unravel one strand at a time.

  Something wasn’t right. The cable wasn’t moving fast enough; the harness wasn’t going to hold him any longer.

  Inside the chopper, he could see sparks everywhere. The cable stalled in mid-air.

  Nolan’s body dangled inches from the roof’s decaying surface. The lava began to bear down on his lower body.“Pull him up! His harness is ripping!” the pilot commanded. “I have orders from the president that this man comes back in one piece!”

  “We are trying! The cable’s stuck!”

  The men looked down at Nolan as the lava splashed over his lower extremities.

  “Hold on! We are not losing this man!” The pilot violently pulled up the helicopter with its lone survivor dangling below.

  Nolan Drake closed his eyes and thought of a happy place. Hawaii. Mexico. The South Pole. When that didn’t work, Nolan thought of watching his Denver Broncos winning another Super Bowl with Maureen at his side.

  PART II

  Space Cowboys

  9:30 A.M.

  “Look at that.” Gillian gaped at Earth’s atmosphere. “It looks like Yellowstone has caused quite an apocalyptic reaction.”

  The Earth’s surface roiled in black clouds across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Orange hues of the devastating eruption could be seen smothering the North American landscape. Nuclear winter began to smother the Earth underneath her dark field of chaos.

  “The cloud is surrounding the Earth like a blanket.” Seth looked out Abagail’s front windshield, staring at the gigantic blue and white planet beneath them.

  “It resembles a nuclear winter,” Philene said. “The intense pyroclastic cloud from Yellowstone’s eruption will definitively eradicate all life as we know it. Everything north of the equator will be torched.”

  “Been studying?” Adrian asked the French scientist.

  “My father was into volcanoes, and as an anthropologist, I found many fossils embedded in the surrounding areas of dormant volcanoes.

  “Well, we can be certain that we are the team to continue Earth’s way of life up here in deep space,” Ulysses chimed in.

  “We will survive,” Adrian confidently responded. “I have all the necessary tools in place for this team to succeed.”

  “Really?” Gillian asked suspiciously.

  “Yes, really,” Adrian sharply sniped back at her.

  “Are you sure you just don’t want to see your name on the billboards?” Gillian quipped.

  “That would be nice.” Adrian reflected for a moment on the thought. “But, I’ll settle for the colonization of Europa.”

  “Pig.” Gillian shot Adrian one of her ‘I’m pissed at the male dominated race’ looks.

  “Anyway,” Adrian turned his attention to Earth. “Once we hit hyper drive, it will take us four years to get to Europa, and by that time, Earth will be a fraction of what it used to be.”

  “Peachy.” Gillian rolled her eyes.

  “It will be up to us to colonize Europa, and start a new way of life similar to Earth. The president is counting on us,” Adrian added.

  “Four years?”
Philene asked.

  “Eight with normal engines.” Adrian grinned.

  “But...? Gillian said.

  “But, I have superior equipment aboard the Abagail and was able to cut that travel time in half.” Adrian tapped his fingers on the side of his chair. “Any more questions?”

  The team had stunned looks upon their faces. They witnessed the horrors sweeping over their home planet, wiping out any chance of life surviving from the eruption. Several of the team members had family and friends that wouldn’t survive the volcano’s wrath.

  “Anyone north of the equator will not survive,” Philene said quietly.

  “What about the southern hemisphere?” Seth asked hopefully.

  “When Europe’s volcano blew her top back in 1815, the New England area of the United States felt her effects the following summer Winter arrived in June, killing all their crops and causing widespread famine. A thick cloud hovered over the Earth, lowering temperatures by several degrees,” Philene replied. “If any survivors can make it to Mexico, or even the Antarctic region, they might have a chance at surviving for a while. I doubt if they can weather this storm, since the pyroclastic cloud will block all sunlight for many years.”

  “We are clear, sir,” Commander Kaspar informed Adrian.

  “Excellent.” Adrian unlatched himself from his seat and rose. He welcomed the freedom to move around a bit easier without the hindrance of gravity. “May I invite everyone into the mess hall before we take a nice deep freeze for the next four years?”

  “Deep freeze?” Angela asked with a raised eyebrow. She felt her stomach brewing, ready to explode.

  “I will explain everything over a nice hot cooked meal,” Adrian replied. He waved the group to follow him into the next corridor.

  “Meal?” Angela asked, as her attempts to fight off throwing up became evident to the rest of the group.

  Seth attempted to quell Angie’s space sickness, but it was too late. He backed away moments before Angela coughed up vomit. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a handful of tissues and gently helped her clean up, helping her avoidi further embarrassment.

  The group followed Adrian’s lead and headed into the long corridor. Angela and Seth stayed close together.

  Commander Kaspar pressed the automatic pilot button and caught up with his old friend Ulysses.

  “Some ride eh?” Kaspar asked his comrade in Russian.

  “Yeah. Nice job.” Ulysses slapped Kaspar’s shoulder.

  “Wouldn’t have made it without my top engineer.”

  “Of course,” Ulysses replied with a cocky grin. “I’m the straw that stirs the drink. Without my talents, this bucket of the government’s hard earned money, would plummet back to Earth and drown in the lava.”

  Commander Kaspar took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m hungry. I hope this place serves roast beef.”

  Adrian led his team into the sprawling mess hall.

  “Wow,.” Angela searched the spacious room.

  “What a lobby,” Seth said, chortling.

  “This hall seats 100 people,” Adrian told the team as they surrounded the lavish buffet.

  “Well, we aren’t quite that many,” Gillian said acidly.

  “Observant,” Adrian said, pushing down the irritation.

  A tall lanky young man entered the room laden with two silver trays of food. He gingerly set them on the table and winked at Gillian.

  “Ah,” said Adrian. “May I introduce you to my chef, Randolph.” The young man bowed and came up with a contagious grin. The grin and the delicious smell coming from the new trays left them all smiling.

  “He has taken into consideration each of your tastes,” Adrian continued. “I had him prepare everything, including apple pie, chocolate mousse cake, prime rib, chicken Marsala, cheeseburgers, pasta, and...” Adrian stopped himself and glanced across the room. The team seemed to drool at the mention of the tasty menu.

  “Please say roast beef and mashed potatoes,” Kaspar whispered to Ulysses.

  “And roast beef and garlic mashed potatoes,” Adrian finished.

  “Yes!” Kaspar shouted.

  The rest of the crew gapped at their commander.

  “I like roast beef,” Kaspar said with a sheepish grin. “It is a true American feast.” Kaspar found his way to the plates and silverware, and then sniffed out the monstrous serving of roast beef.

  “Thank you, Randolph. I will call if we require anything else.” Adrian fanned his hand without looking at the chef. The young man gave them another bow, turned on his heel, and left the room whistling an off-tune melody.

  Angela and Seth paired off and raided the chicken pasta, while Gillian went for salad, pasta and chocolate cake.

  Ulysses and Kaspar piled up on the roast beef, potatoes, bread, and apple pie, leaving Philene and Adrian standing in line waiting their turn.

  “This ship is very impressive.” Philene said, leaning over to speak softly into Adrian’s left ear.

  Adrian steadied himself on his arm brace and offered a confident grin to his guest.

  “Thank you. It is my pride and joy.”

  “Yes, as it should be.” Philene leaned over Adrian and he breathed in her aroma. “You smell very nice.” Adrian felt like a courting high school senior.

  “Thank you for noticing.”

  “Any time.”

  “What do you recommend?” Philene scanned the table. She eventually found the Tirimisu and scones on the far side of the dessert section of the table.

  “Well, I can see from your enlarged pupils, that the Tirimisu is high on the list.” Adrian leaned over, balancing himself, and gathered the precious dessert for his guest. In the process, his fingers lost their grip on his own plate, sending the delicious contents hurdling towards the floor.

  “Shit,” Adrian muttered.

  “Let me help you with that.” Philene placed her plate on the table and leaned over to clean up Adrian’s mess.

  In his usual chauvinistic manifesto, Adrian stared longingly at Philene’s well developed breasts and wondered how they would feel in his mouth.

  Philene glanced at him sideways and pursed her lovely lips. “Did you drop your dish on purpose just to stare at my chest?”

  “No. I lost my grip on the plate when I was getting your dessert.”

  “Listen...we live in the 2040’s and if you want to stare at my chest, I can’t stop you. I find you attractive in an odd way, and wouldn’t mind if you did stare.” Color rose in her high cheekbones.

  Adrian smiled. “Care to sit next to me?”

  “I’d like that.” Philene followed him.

  The rest of the crew eventually made their way to their own seats.

  Seth and his new friend Angela had paired off, as did Kaspar and Ulysses. Philene and Adrian followed suit. Gillian sat by herself just to the commander’s immediate right.

  The hushed silence was welcomed as the team hungrily delved into their respective plates.

  “This beats Russian food by a long shot,” Kaspar said, poking Ulysses in the ribs.

  “Yeah, you can say that again.” Ulysses stuffed another heap of roast beef into his mouth.

  Gillian kept to herself and quietly ate her salad and pasta. She kept her head down and avoided eye contact with Adrian. That suited him just fine.

  Adrian rose his glass and clanged it with his fork, shaking off the Tirimisu’s crumbs in the process. “Attention, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “I’d like to take this opportunity for everyone to introduce themselves. We will be on this long journey together and I feel it necessary that we learn as much as we can about our fellow crew members. I see you have paired off for the most part, and that is important as the person sitting next to you will be your partner for this entire mission. So, if you have any concerns, please voice them now.” Adrian gazed across the table.

  Gillian raised her hand.

  “Yes, Miss Shea?” Adrian asked.

  “And with whom do I pair off?”


  Adrian raised his brow and mustered a half smile. “I always thought you’d work best alone.”

  “Funny. You should do stand-up.”

  He wiped his lips and glanced at his command crew. “I recommend you pair up with the commander and Ulysses. Fair?”

  Gillian tossed them a look and folded her hands.. “I guess so. Yeah, that’s fair.”

  “I think since Gillian’s so outspoken she should start by introducing herself.” Adrian let off a wry grin.

  Gillian was in the process of shuffling her plate and seat down closer to the commander, who held her seat with his large hand while she adjusted herself to her new party.

  “Thank you.”

  “You are most welcome, Miss.” Kaspar flashed a goofy grin in her directions and it seemed to strike a chord with Gillian. She softened noticeably. The burly commander was perhaps a softie inside.

  Gillian rose. “Okay.” She shifted her frame inside the space suit they had put on before they embarked on the trip. She let her long red hair dangle inches below the collar. “My name is Gillian Shea.”

  “Welcome, Gillian!” Adrian said and the rest of the crew echoed the the sentiment.

  “I am thirty-five and my family comes from Ireland. I am one of the leading geologist’s in the country, ” she said with a glow to her freckled face.

  “If not the world, in my own humble opinion,” Adrian said, showering her with praise. “The president adores you.”

  “He loves my green eyes,” she said with a flutter of her eyelashes. “Seriously, it has been my honor to work on several assignments for the president.”Gillian reached down and picked up her glass of water.

  “I’m impressed,” Kaspar said, chugging down his glass of Russian vodka,” he said and raised his glass to Gillian. “To you, Miss Shea.”

  “Thank you.” For a fleeting moment their eyes met and something sparked between them.

  “Geologist?” Angela asked.

  “Yes, one of the best in my field.”

  “That’s being a bit cocky, isn’t it?” Adrian said, again stimulating Gillian’s argumentative side.