The End of the Beginning

by Eichholz, Zachary

  “Yes sir,” said Gaspard, gesturing for the vile. Hernandez handed it back over.

  “Get some rest everyone,” called Hernandez. “With the parents out of the house it’s going to be a long week.”

  William knew he was referring to Hammond being away in Alaska. Gaspard put the vile in his jacket pocket and rushed to rejoin the rest of the team walking out of the dining hall. William was also ready to join them when he felt a hand on his chest.

  “Will,” whispered Hernandez. “Seeding others with the idea of suspicions does not make those suspicions anymore true. I know what your doing, Captain. I know where you were last night with Colonel Morrison.”

  William kept his eyes forward, not looking at Hernandez.

  “We are fighting the same war but are mistakenly shooting each other through the smoke. You told me you would drop this.”

  “We can’t be fighting the same war, sir. We aren’t fighting for the same thing. We are fighting to conquer two different truths.”

  Hernandez lowered his hand. “I will say this to you, as a friend, one last time Will. Do not interfere with my investigation. With all due respect, should we have to have this conversation again, it will not be on such cordial terms.”

  William finally glanced over at Hernandez. “With all due respect, sir, the next time we have this conversation I will have been proven right.”

  CHAPTER 57: The Bering Sea Dam

  Over 190 miles south of the narrow separation of water between Russia and Alaska called the Bering Strait, the Ice Curtain by some, was St. Lawrence Island. This was the dam’s backbone. On one side of this small island, the last remaining portion of the land bridge that existed 16,000 years ago that had connected Asia with the America’s just as humans now again had, was the Chukchi Peninsula belonging to Siberia. On the other side of the island was the Norton Sound and the great Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of southwestern Alaska.

  The dam itself, starting in Chukchi, ran southeast thirty-eight miles to connect with the boomtown of Gambell, Alaska, on the northwest cape of St. Lawrence. It then resumed at a cape below Seevookhan Mountain on the eastern side of the island from which it continued running east southeast more than fifty miles to the another boom town called Ice Gate, built up on the southwestern end of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta south of the rivers mouths. Ice Gate was a new city of now over 5,000 workers under the direction of UNIRO Engineering Corps.

  Built from the seafloor up atop the shallow continental shelf with fill taken from the now demolished Diomede Islands, the dam was 700 feet wide at its base, 400 feet wide at its top, and had a height above sea level of eighty-five feet. Five gaps with suspension bridges spanning them, each a mile and a half long, allowed for shipping traffic through the open Northwest Passage and the migration of sea life. On these bridges, and along the entire length of the dam, was a high speed rail line, a four lane highway, wind turbines, an oil and natural gas pipeline per a condition of Russia, maintenance hubs, rest stops, and electrical substations; making this dam a horizontal strip of civilization across the freezing and menacing Bering Sea, waters that saw darkness and temperatures that still reached well below zero for many months out the year. Accropode lined to protect its interior fill, it could even capture the seas underlying currents with tidal turbines and housed research stations to study the effects of the new project on the waters it cut. But what was the intended effect of such a gargantuan project? Why dam two oceans from each other?

  Not only did it connect the two-superpower continents with a means of easy transport and provide megawatts of clean energy to both sides, it now was an anthropogenic air conditioning system for the Arctic Circle. Sea ice was melting at rates that were spiraling out of control and total ice-free summers in the North Pole were close to being a reality. NASA was clocking the rate of melt at just over thirteen percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.

  Ice-free waters and land were only adding to the warming of the planet with a lowering of albedo and releases of methane from melting frozen soil called permafrost. Methane is a volatile greenhouse gas that is much more capable at trapping heat within the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but it only last just over a decade once in the air. This short lifespan did not matter anymore though as so much of it was now present, with more replacing it every day from stores of it that had remained locked away for millennia worth billions of tons.

  With the Pacific waters now blocked from entering the Arctic, warm surface water in the Anadyr Current could no longer travel through the Bering Strait and deeper water with a high salt content was stopped as well. The freshwater outflows of the Yukon and the diverted Kuskokwim River were going to empty to the north of the dam and lower the salinity of the Norton Sound, the Chukchi Sea, and eventually the Arctic Ocean so that seawater could more easily freeze, once again raising the areas albedo, creating a feedback that would cool the region down. Methane releases would be halted and permafrost would refreeze if the idea worked.

  Like the Coastalscraper in Dover though, this project was met with protest and backlash. Fear of biodiversity loss within the sea and a complete disruption of Pacific and Arctic currents was very much made clear by a number of groups as a way to stop the project. Three years of scientific scrutiny and research after the founding of UNIRO though showed the plan was feasible, both economically and structurally. Around the clock construction began in 2024, even working through winters. Other methods to achieve the same feat were deemed too dangerous and irreversible if things got out of control with their effects. At least with a dam it was thought, one could just blow it up for a quick fix.

  Summers within a few years would begin to tell if the dam was working but pictures of the opening ceremony before William on his glass tablet told him that it worked in UNIRO’s favor politically now. Almost every world leader was in attendance of the opening. It seemed as if every news agency was as well. There were speeches about the goodness of UNIRO. There were speeches about the future and there were speeches of hope. UNIRO aircraft did a low flyover, followed by a folly of fireworks. Crowds of thousands, mostly press, dam builders, and workers, cheered their minds out.

  At the literal center of it all was Director-General Roque Ferrer, shaking hands with the Russian and American presidents on St. Lawrence Island. His power was once more showing over the global theater, bridging both geographical and geopolitical barriers between two nations that very much needed a friendly handshake after too many years of Cold War style relations in the modern century. Hammond was behind him, Colonel Morrison not visible, lost somewhere in a crowd of dignitaries at the new St. Lawrence Transportation Hub: an airport, harbor, and train station to ferry dam employees and supplies to and from the mainland’s.

  William could not help but squirm like a child at the awesome sight of it. Many on base were watching like him. The event seemed to finally get the base off its down swing left over from Samir’s death. It helped to remind everyone of their purpose here.

  William felt his earpiece begin to vibrate.

  “Incoming call from Rescue Officer Gaspard Fortin,” informed a computerized voice.

  William tapped the earpiece. “Hello.”

  “Yes, hello, Captain Emerson. I’ve analyzed the white liquid you gave me yesterday. I believe I know what it is. I used a chem lab in the training center.”

  William checked his surroundings quickly and sunk a little lower into the bench he was sitting on. He was in one of the BLOC Sections many open parks. “What did you find?”

  “It is tattoo ink.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but it is unique in the fact that it can only be seen under ultraviolet light. The same will apply when it is on an individual. Rather strange don’t you think, sir? Why would someone want a tattoo they couldn’t even see?”

  “That might be exactly why someone would want it,” cringed William. “Thank you, Fortin. And remember, not a word.”

  “Yes, Captain. My pleasure, sir. If you need anything e
lse analyzed let me know. I forgot how much fun chemistry was.”

  William smiled. “Will do.”

  Almost immediately after hanging up the call he started a new one. As he did he grabbed his tablet and took off to the nearest bicycle renting station.

  “Call Rescue Officer Nancy Lewis,” he instructed his earpiece.

  Within seconds, “Hello Captain Emerson. How may I be of assistance?”

  “Rescue Officer Lewis, you have a boyfriend right?”

  “Excuse me sir?”

  CHAPTER 58: Making Friends On The Inside

  “Why are we back on the seawall, Captain?” asked Nancy.

  “Is your boyfriend coming?”

  “Yes, he is. Why do we need him? And, how do you know I have a boyfriend?”

  “Long story,” said William. “He works at ISAF, correct?”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “Good. I need him to do something for us.”

  “Need me to do what?” asked a powerful voice. William turned around to a huge man standing behind him. The man must have been almost seven feet tall. William didn’t even make it to his shoulders.

  “There he is,” adored Nancy.

  “Jake Sheroff?” squeaked William.

  “How do you know my name?” asked the giant.

  “You’re a friend of Colonel John Morrison, right?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, I am to. I need your help but you may not like what I’m going to ask you.”

  Jake looked at Nancy over William. He appeared very uncertain. “What?”

  “Your familiar with Samir Mamedov’s investigation, right?”

  “I am,” huffed Jake. “I helped conduct some of it.”

  “I need access to his body.”

  “What?” Jake cried with disbelief. “Why?”

  William looked over his shoulder at Nancy. “Have you told him anything?”

  “Not… Not really,” said Nancy, looking out to sea.

  “Great,” muttered William. “Look, Jake. I now have some evidence to believe Samir was involved with something very bad, something that could threaten UNIRO. I need access to his body to check for something.”

  Jake shook his head. “No. Chief Hernandez warned us about you.”

  William raised his eyebrows. He took that almost as a compliment. “Oh, really. He did?”

  “Yeah,” Jake growled with distrust. “He says your assumptions are as grand as your famed past.”

  “Ha,” smirked William. “Sounds like something Hernandez would say.”

  “Jake,” said Nancy, stepping in front of William, “please, he is only trying to help his fallen officer.”

  “Nancy there is nothing to help with! Our investigation findings are the truth. I don’t like the idea of this man going around flaunting falsities about ISAF’s competence. ISAF is a world-class organization, not some mystic agency that clouds truth for hidden agendas.” Jake stuck a finger in William’s chest. “This man is feeding you lies and I want you to stay away from him.”

  Nancy backed away from her boyfriend, slowly shaking her head. “No. I won’t.”

  Confusion cut across Jake’s face. “What? How can you say that? I helped run it along with Chief of Security Hernandez! Chief of Security! Does that title not make you stop and think for a moment about who you are accusing of conspiracy. You trust this, this stranger over me?”

  William suddenly held up the glass vile he had snatched from Samir’s room. He had taken it back from Gaspard before coming to the seawall.

  “What is that?” asked Jake.

  “This is fluorescent tattoo ink,” explained William. “It was found in Samir Mamedov’s quarters hidden inside his bedframe. I want to know why. Awfully weird isn’t it, to have ink invisible to the naked eye? Not as weird however if one was trying to conceal something, a secret affiliation perhaps? Were any tattoos of any kind found on Samir’s body?”

  “No,” Jake said reluctantly, starring at the vile.

  “Exactly,” grinned William. “I need to see Samir’s body under a backlight.”

  Jake sighed heavily as he walked over to the access roads hand railing.

  “Jake, you are apart of a security agency meant to protect UNIRO and everyone in it from threats, both foreign and domestic. I was in the US Air Force before coming here and if there was ever even the slightest possibility of a threat, even if ninety-nine percent said that that threat was negligible, that one percent was still taken as an absolute certainty. I’m not questing the competence of ISAF. I’m questioning whether or not someone is taking advantage of that competence. You said you were a friend of Colonel Morrison, right?”

  “Yes,” said Jake, not looking away from the ocean.

  “Do you trust him?”

  “I do.”

  “Well you should know he is also helping me, as well as Rescue Officer Lewis. Call him if you want. Find out for yourself.”

  Jake continued his ocean gaze.

  “Hernandez is not going deep enough,” asserted William, walking right up next to Jake. “I don’t know why. Whether it’s political or stubbornness, it is our duty to see this through and address all possible scenarios. It is your duty!” William shouted.

  This made Jake finally look at him.

  “It is your duty,” said William, softening his tone, “to protect this base from Terra Nova.”

  “Terra Nova?” Jake questioned with surprise.

  “Yes, Terra Nova,” said William worryingly. “That is who I think is involved. That is who I think Samir was trying to escape when he took his life. That is why time is of the essence to figure this thing out. I’ll explain more later but I need to get into that mortuary as soon as possible. Colonel Morrison is analyzing a blood sample we found at the incident scene, to confirm whether or not drugs were really in his system. He should be calling with his results at anytime.”

  “Jesus,” snickered Jake at William’s resourcefulness.

  “All I need is five minutes with his body. Five minutes. Please.”

  “The chief was right about you Emerson.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Your goddamn persistent.”

  Jake turned back to the ocean.

  “Will you help me or not?” he asked sternly.

  Jake looked at William but didn’t say anything.

  “Please,” pleaded William.

  “Please Jake,” implored Nancy.

  Jake looked at his girlfriend, then back to William. “Five minutes,” he ordered. “No more, no less. We get caught; I’m throwing you under the bus and taking you in. That’s my offer.”

  “Deal,” said William, reaching out for a handshake. Jake didn’t accept it. Instead, he began walking back to his Blazer.

  “Meet me at ISAF Headquarters tonight at nineteen hundred hours sharp. I’ll be waiting. Your late, the whole things off.”

  “You got it.”

  “Your crazy Emerson. You know that?” shouted Jake, jumping into his vehicle.

  “Yeah I know,” William shouted back. “I’m starting to finally like it.”

  CHAPTER 59: Taking Back What Death Took

  I’ve never been able to amend a death in my life. I’ve never been able to give one meaning or attach a reason to it. Now, with Samir, I will. I’ve always been fighting death. It’s always been my life’s thief. It feels great to finally be in a position to steel something back…

  “Where is the morgue?” asked William.

  “Only in the center of the entire building,” grunted Jake.

  The two men were walking as inconspicuously as they could through the white corridors of the domed headquarters building. So far, no one had even given them a second look. At every turn William expected to run into Hernandez, an act that would surely see him finished.

  “Do you know where the chief is?” asked William.

  “Last I checked he was in his office.”

  “When did you last check?”

  “Two hours ag
o.”

  “Two hours ago,” William squeezed out in an exacerbated whisper. “Do you want me to get caught or something?”

  “A little,” smirked Jake.

  William felt as if he were stepping through a field of landmines. He didn’t show it though. His focus on the truth was getting him through with a straight face. His senses were hyperaware. Every person he passed, every sound he heard, was scrutinized to the point of almost giving himself a headache.

  “Have you gotten word from Colonel Morrison yet?”

  “No,” said William. “I’ve tried calling him twice now, nothing has gone through. The call drops every time.”

  “Must be to busy with the ceremonies.”

  After a few more corridors and turns they arrived at the morgue. But, to get inside they had to go through a security checkpoint. William did not have security clearance. Jake stepped up ahead of William and began addressing the guardsman at the checkpoint.

  “Hello. I’m here with a trainee from UNIRO Medical. I’ve agreed to allow them access into the morgue to see its basic functions for an academic project.”

  The guardsman, who was sitting at a small workstation with a built in desktop computer, looked William up and down.

  “Very well,” said the tentative guardsman. “I’ll just need his glass tag scanned.”

  William did not like that idea but he had to follow the protocol. Once scanned everyone in ISAF would be able to see he was in the building. Also, if the guardsman read over his identification information with any sort of detail he would see William was not in UNIRO Medical.

  “Of course,” smiled Jake. “Captain, your tag please.”

  William removed his glass tag from around his neck and gave it to the guardsman to scan. He tried to look as calm as possible, but on the inside he was screaming. The guardsman scanned the glass tag and handed it back to William.

  “Okay,” said the guardsman. “Make it quick.”

  William nodded and began to step through the body scanner directly before the morgues double glass doors. Jake did the same.