He waited but William did not answer.
“No matter,” he said, breaking the silence. “We’re not here to dwell on the past but to talk about the future. We work for the…” Roger stopped himself and then said, “We work for the United Nations. We’re here to talk to you about joining a new UN organization where your skills would be especially beneficial.”
“What organization?” William asked.
Roger took off his sunglasses and began to clean them on his jacket. “Captain,” he said, raising his sunglasses towards the light to check them, “things have changed since the war. The world is ready for something great, something that will make a difference.”
He put his sunglasses back on and leaned against the porch. “A mutual friend of ours has spoken very highly of you, both to me and to some people that really matter. Andrew and I have been asked to come here and offer you a position with the organization. For security concerns, I can't discuss the position with you in detail unless you decide to take it. Our plane leaves tomorrow from the airport at Rainbow Lake, o-eight hundred hours sharp. If you decide to come be prepared to never come back here. All of your needs will be taken care of where we're going.”
“And what if I decide not to go? Am I being drafted here? Is this a military operation? Because I vowed to never return to service.”
“No, it is a totally voluntary, civilian-based organization. Captain, trust me, accepting our offer will be worth it. I was told that you joined the Air Force to save people and make a difference. Well, coming with us will be the biggest step toward making a difference you’ve ever made in your life. And remember this, hiding in these woods won't change what happened. The world may still be loud out there, but we now have the chance to make it listen.”
Roger and Andrew turned and started walking back towards their vehicle. “O-eight hundred tomorrow, Captain,” Roger called over his shoulder.
“Wait!” William cried out as they began opening the doors of their vehicle. “Who is the mutual friend of ours you were talking about?”
Roger turned back, leaning slightly against the car door. He fished something out of his pocket, and gave William an inviting smile. “I guess you’ll just have to come and find out,” he said, throwing to William what looked to be a tiny gold wafer. William caught it and turned it over in his palm. It was a pin.
William watched as Roger and Andrew got in the vehicle and drove back down the road, leaving him standing alone in his driveway, with more and more questions forming by the second.
CHAPTER 9: The Long Night
That night, William couldn’t sleep. For the first time in a long time, though, it was not because of his nightmares. He sat by his fireplace and watched the crackling flames until the night became early morning. The orange light of the flames shimmered off the golden pin Roger had given him. The edges of the pin were jagged due to the leaves of two olive branches that surrounded a circular world map with engraved lines of latitude and longitude. A mysterious bird with its wings outstretched high overlaid this globe, clutching a cross in its talons.
Someone had just offered him a chance to find purpose again but the thought of leaving his cabin made him uncomfortable. Leaving would be like venturing out into an alien world. He was terrified, both of the outside world and also of what might become of him if he continued to stay here alone. That word, fear, lingered in William’s mind…
I remember what he said to me, just minutes before it happened. I had been crying for hours in the hot sun amongst thousands of stranded survivors. At that moment, he was all I had left.
“People will always come and go from this world, Will,” he said, kneeling down to look me in the eyes. “We have to accept that. When we lose them, things will be painful and tough, especially when we believe it was too soon. But we must go on. Our minds and hearts will never lose them but we can’t forget what is most precious right now. No matter how bad something may be, as long as you’re alive to keep going, you’ll win. It’s a gift to be alive and healthy, so never waste it. Ever. Wasting it all is worse than being gone itself.”
Poppy was right. What had I been doing? I had been wasting away because I was afraid to live, to risk failing…
Six years of escaping from it was a long time. For as long as he could remember, fear had defined his life and guided him to his present state of isolation. He puffed his E-cigarette again and again until it ran out of nicotine.
“Live your life,” he said to himself. “That's what you would want from me.”
As William rubbed his thumb over the little pin, he realized he wanted something more. He wanted a chance to take a leap of faith and this was his best shot.
A clock on the wood wall showed it was just after 4:00 a.m. His one suitcase was soon filled, his fireplace extinguished, and he buried his hunting rifle, an act of defiance to himself. The sun was just coming up over the freshly fallen snow. With a few tries, he started his pickup truck and looked at his cabin one last time. Inside the locked home was his E-cigarette. He would never see that again either.
The cold Canadian air was brisk and clear. Roger and Andrew waited outside their aircraft for William to arrive. Rainbow Lake Airport was usually empty, with only a few bush pilots and shuttles coming and going each day.
“You think he’ll show up?” Andrew asked, a sour look on his face.
“I think he will,” Roger replied.
“Really?” asked Andrew, eyebrows raised. “The guy's a mess. You read his last psych profile before he left the Air Force, right?”
“Yes, but one piece of paper doesn’t mean he is lost; it just means he needs a little… encouragement. A new path. He will come. Besides, I gave him the pin. The colonel said that would get his interest.”
“It’s almost eight,” Andrew said disapprovingly.
“Give him a few more minutes, Andrew. Maybe he got stuck in the snow or something,” said Roger, annoyed.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” Andrew said with a derisive snort. “You know, why don’t we just - ”
Roger cut him off. “Look!” he said, pointing to the terminal area.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” said Andrew, crossing his arms.
William waved from afar as he made his way towards the plane.
Roger shouted, “I’m glad you decided to join us.”
“Figured it’d be more interesting than sitting on my porch, so I came.” William said with a hint of eager enthusiasm.
Roger smiled and shook William's hand. He noticed the pin he had given him perched on his jacket.
“Good man,” he said, clapping William on the back. “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes. Take a seat and relax, it’s a long ride south.”
“South?” William asked. “Where are we going?”
“To Florida!” Roger said, his voice laced with anticipation.
“Florida. What’s in Florida?”
“All will be explained on board, captain, don’t worry. Now take your seat, we’ve gotta go.”
William made for the plane with Andrew, but Roger began walking away from the aircraft.
“Where you going?” William asked curiously.
Roger held up a satellite phone. “Quick phone call,” he said before turning away from William once again.
CHAPTER 10: Finally
San Francisco Bay, California
Thursday, March 25, 2027
Gleaming in the pink morning light, the waters off the bay were lined in gold. Fog was covering the Golden Gate as usual, only the tops of it red towers visible. Director-General Ferrer sat meditating in one of UNIRO Command’s many rock gardens, atop the former Naval Air Station Alameda. One would always find the director in one of these havens at this time of morning, as he liked to contemplate his coming day and plans for it.
No one was to ever disturb him. All he wanted to hear was the trickling of water through sculpted waterfalls that emptied into koi ponds, wind through the bamboo reeds, rocks clinking against each other when he
sat down, and the fire that burned for his mission within his heart.
“Excuse me… Director,” said a small voice from a circular opening in the wall.
“What?” the director scowled, his eyes still shut.
“Sir, we just received a message from Roger Wood. He is in Alberta, Canada. He says they’ve found Captain William Emerson. They’re about to take off for Tranquility. He accepted. Forgive me but you said to - ”
Ferrer opened his eyes, “Emerson.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ferrer’s scowl turned to a deep smile.
“Finally.”
CHAPTER 11: UNIRO
The aircraft they were boarding intrigued William. In all his years in the military, he had never seen such a plane. It was all white except for a dark blue seal located just aft of the cockpit windows; the same seal he had seen on the two men’s jackets the day before and on his pin. It had the traditional white world map logo of the UN encircled by two white olive branches in front of a blue circular background. In the center, laid over the map, was some kind of white bird above a white cross. The white cross reminded William of the Red Cross logo. Below the seal was what William assumed was the aircraft's name, Phoenix 1-2. Maybe that was the bird in the symbol. Near the cockpit window was more dark blue lettering that said UNIRO.
Appearing to be a hybrid between a normal plane and a helicopter, the aircraft had two jet engines, one under each of its swept wings. A pill-shaped pod that looked to be holding fuel was located under each wing, as well between each wingtip and engine. Both pods had dark blue lettering, boldly saying, H2. Hydrogen. William was amazed at this prospect. Large winglets were at the end of each wing. It had no tail structure; in its place was what looked to be a thruster and a rear cargo bay door that was closed at the moment.
On top of its fuselage were four telescoping rotors and a large flat disk from which the rotors came out above the main body. To William, the disk resembled a skinny AWAC radar. The two large sliding doors on either side of the craft were open, one having a little hook-on ladder that ran up to the cabin where they would board.
William stepped inside and looked around, inspecting the interior. The cockpit looked slim and was filled with nothing but LED screens and illuminated buttons. Joysticks seemed to govern the plane. The cockpit led directly into the cargo bay, which had uncomfortable looking, temporary seating arranged in four lines, which were separated by a center aisle with two lines on either side of the isle. The plane had a lot of windows, giving the interior an airy feeling. All in all, the entire plane seemed to be about fifty feet long. The bay was about nine feet across and eight high, big enough to hold the vehicle that Roger and Andrew had been driving, which was located at the rear, held in place with thick blue straps. William stowed his suitcase under his seat and buckled in for the flight. Roger and Andrew sat across from him.
The two pilots up front were conducting preflight checks and communicating with the airport’s control tower. They wore deep blue and black flight suits with gray helmets and black visors, adorned with the same seal as the plane. Instead of the cross, however, was the number 1.
“Passengers ready for takeoff,” a staticky voice relayed over the intercom. William looked up from his seat into the cockpit to see the two pilots fist bump. From across the aisle, Roger gave a small chuckle at William’s confused expression. Expecting to taxi towards the runway, William was startled when the craft lurched and took off vertically, its four rotors spinning furiously. Within seconds, the plane was already 150 feet off the ground. Having not flown in almost six years, William felt a little queasy at the quick upward acceleration.
“When was the last time you flew, Captain?” asked Roger, noticing the look on William’s face.
“In something like this… not since Incheon.”
William looked out his seat’s window and saw the spinning rotors begin to slow down and retract into the disk they were attached to. As they did so, the plane began to vibrate and a smooth revving noise could be heard from the plane’s wing mounted engines. Sure enough, the aircraft moved forward and the airport below fell away from sight.
Once the queasiness passed, William felt right at home again, in the air. He missed this. Flying had always been one thing William thought people got right in perfecting. A magic once restricted to birds and insects, through human engineering and craftsmanship, flying had become the right of all.
Once the plane reached its desired altitude, Roger unbuckled his seatbelt and sat beside William.
“Ready to find out what you just signed up for, Captain?” he asked eagerly.
“Yes, sir, I am. You must be pretty desperate if you want someone like me on your team.”
Roger laughed. “No, not desperation, admiration, Captain. Your reputation speaks for itself.”
William looked at Roger with clouded eyes. “Enough with the crap,” he snapped. “What’s this all about?”
“Captain, why do you think the Second Korean War happened?” Roger asked, reaching for a slim briefcase. He took out his glass tablet and handed it to William.
“Same reason all wars are started, I suppose. Power. Greed.”
“Partially,” Roger nodded in agreement. “But there was a root cause for it, which can no longer be ignored. Climate change.”
William raised his eyebrows quizzically.
“It’s an issue that shouldn’t even exist anymore, quite frankly,” Roger said with a sigh. “But the war made countries look twice at the state of the planet, and our role on it. An entire region of the globe and its people were decimated overnight. It shook things up and showed the international community some things that needed immediate fixing.”
Roger turned on the tablet in William’s hands.
“Five months after the war,” he explained, “the UN held a conference in New York to address the growing number of both natural and manmade disasters that were starting to undermine our civilization and establish a plan to counteract them. With overwhelming scientific backing, the conference concluded that climate change was becoming the leading cause of most global issues, with conflicts such as the Korean War and the Syrian Civil War having their origins rooted directly in climate change; in their cases, it was extreme drought. With resources becoming increasingly scarce and disasters increasingly common, governments were beginning to become overwhelmed. You name it, we’ve done it: deforestation, ocean acidification, groundwater pumping, excess greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear exchanges. All of it is our fault. But,” smiled Roger, raising a finger to the air, “it is here, in fact, where our hope lies.”
He tapped several icons on the glowing tablet screen, opening up a document.
“What is this?” William asked.
“Our rescue,” Roger said, scrolling through the document’s text. “The Auxilium Protocol. Because our problems are manmade, they can be remedied by man. Developed, signed, and ratified by 191 countries just four months after the conclusion of the conference, this binding document put forth the foundation for a new organization under the United Nations Security Council that would address our problems and take immediate action upon them. It would come to be called the United Nations International Rescue Organization, or UNIRO for short.”
“Wow…” William breathed. “Four months…”
“The director had a major hand in it. But I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet,” Roger chuckled. “You see, the world’s problems were seen as encompassing two key areas: disaster relief and climate change. Natural disasters relating to climate change are costing nations millions of refugees and hundreds of billions of dollars. The 2015 Paris Agreement finally saw us begin to limit and decrease our greenhouse gas emissions, but it did nothing in terms of direct response and restoration. It’s software; UNIRO is the hardware. Steps need to be taken to address species extinction, habitat loss, smog, glacial melt, rising global temperatures, and environmental degradation. The link between economics and the environment is becoming painfully evide
nt as global fisheries are nearing collapse and oil spills are polluting our farmlands and seas. This new UN organization is designed to tackle these two problems in a very proactive way. An international fund was created to raise billions of dollars to get the organization off the ground. Money was contributed to this fund through the newly instituted one percent rule, meaning that every nation had to contribute one percent of its annual GDP to the fund every year. Donations also came from hundreds of corporations and private donors. Together they raised the necessary funds in just under eight months.”
Roger touched the tablet again for another new page.
“The layout of the organization involves the construction of nine massive bases that are to be the staging and distribution points for all of the organization’s rescue operations and climate mitigation missions. Extensive international R&D programs in both the private and public sectors, akin to the efforts of the Manhattan Project, helped to develop all of the equipment and supplies UNIRO would need, including this aircraft. Everything you could imagine, Captain, from ships to flashlights, was put together through the cooperation of the international community under the new agreement. This aircraft is one of thirty-two specialized vehicles that make up the rescue fleet used by UNIRO. Now, these nine bases are present on every continent except Antarctica. Each one is like a city unto itself and is built on what is considered extraterritorial so no nation can legally claim them, but they must abide by local laws. They can hold thousands of refugees and personnel sustainably for months, grow and harvest all of their own food and water, and make all of their own power through renewable methods. They are the largest peacetime international construction projects in history. If a disaster occurs anywhere, at any time, we’ll be there to help. To become operational and go into a disaster area, it requires an appeal to the UN Security Council by a nation in distress, the situation is assessed, and then, like all Security Council dealings, there must be a vote among the fifteen members before we can get going.”
The End of the Beginning Page 6