by Sandi Gamble
“Ideas please?” my father asked in a matter of fact voice that seemed to suggest that his team had already come up with all the answers necessary to address this latest crisis and were just letting the Think Tank weigh in on the situation as a matter of courtesy.
But his question was met with stony silence.
A second passed, then another, and another until finally a thin man softly cleared his throat.
“Yes?” my father asked calmly.
The man, whose sallow complexion gave silent witness to the many hours he spent doing his task, that is, thinking, swallowed hard. I could tell by his posture that he had only defeat to share with us.
“Sir, we have no ideas,” he said softly and quickly, lowering his eyes even as he spoke.
Before my father could answer, his pager sounded. He glanced at it and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I need to attend to this.”
He stood up, turned and walked from the room. No sooner had he left than the room exploded in a cacophony of noise and voices. I caught Jace’s eyes. I could see in them the concern he felt. I nodded. Then I tried to listen to all that was being spoken around me. I could pick out words and sentences, but all I could make out were questions. Not answers.
“Could it be a covert attack?”
“Who though?”
“Have we missed signs?”
Ideas, fears, all expressed in a panicked staccato. Without my father to act as an authority, every voice had equal standing.
The most frightening fear I heard expressed was that all of our systems were failing at once, plunging us back to pre-purge Earth.
Most frightening? As it turned out, the truth would prove to be much, much worse.
Just then, my father returned to the room. As soon as he stepped through the door, there was a sudden silence. Clearly, he was not happy that his presence caused the cessation of conversation. He raised his hand in apology. “I have been called to a meeting with the Ministry,” he said. “I will return as soon as I can. In the meantime, I would like you to continue working on whatever ideas, thoughts, plans you can come up with. However farfetched. We do not yet know what is happening and so we do not yet know what could prove to be successful in addressing it.”
He added that a great many tools were available to us and that science had made incredible progress since the purge.
“We should be able to sort all this out fairly quickly, wouldn’t you think?” he asked by way of farewell. Then he left once again.
CHAPTER NINE
THE MINISTRY MEETING
Noel, come in and sit down,” the Minister began when my father entered the conference room. “I believe you know everyone.”
My father nodded to the various people gathered around the table, then he settled down at a vacant seat. As he did, the Minister began, intoning in his deep, resonate voice, “Based on initial assessment reports, the long and short of the situation is that we have no idea what exactly is happening. As you can imagine, in addition to the threat that might be posed by the events unfolding, we also have the risk of social unrest.
“There is no way to minimize the threat that these events pose to our way of life. Our situation could turn dire. Therefore, I have called you all here today to assist the Ministry to formulate a plan to counteract whatever it is that has happened.
“For those of you with only a partial sense of what has occurred, I need to paint for you a more complete picture. And, to the extent possible, I need to explain everything that we know.
“Does anyone have any questions before I begin?”
Around the table, his question was met with stony silence.
Satisfied that no one had anything to say, he continued, “The Communications Division reported that, at 9.20 a.m. this morning we lost communication with every other country in the world.” If possible, his voice grew even grimmer. “We continue to have full communications within Pulchra. However, all signals outside of Pulchra are silent except for some chatter picked up at approximately 9.40 a.m. across radio and satellite signals, using channels that have not been used in centuries.”
“Did we attempt to communicate using those signals?”
The Director shook his head. “No contact was attempted at that time. We were, and continue to be concerned enough by the situation, to believe that we must learn more before betraying that we are picking up any signals. Our Communications Division continues to monitor the situation and will update me regularly.” With that, he paused and turned to my father. “Noel, what is happening in the Science Council?” the Minister requests to know.
He sighed, understanding the depth of the situation. “I’m afraid that we have no real answers at present. Just questions that still demand answers.
“I have just come from a meeting with the heads of departments. I can inform you as to some objective measures that we have been able to acquire. The ocean is currently measuring a pH balance of 8.7%. In such an alkaline environment – as we would expect – marine life has become non-existent. Carbon levels have doubled, which would correspond to a 3.0c to 4.5c rise in global climate.” He drew a slow, measured breath. “Although I would like nothing more than to be able to explain to you why this is happening, and to help plot a path forward in response to these changes, the fact is that we do not know how this has happened. That said, I would like to get back to my lab as soon as I can so I might be able to sort this matter out.”
The Minister tapped his fingers on the table. Although he maintained his dignified posture, it was clear to everyone there that he was less than pleased. “Does anybody here have anything to add to this enigmatic event?” he asked simply.
Once again, his question was met with silence.
“Noel, if I understand you correctly, we are facing an unprecedented crisis.”
My father nodded.
“To review then, even a 4c increase in temperature will lead to the certain loss of the Greenland ice sheet and bring about a multi-meter rise in sea level.”
“That corresponds with our calculations, yes,” my father said.
“People, we are confronting melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts. The continent will be altered in ways that can only be hinted at.
“These are frightening times,” he intoned as if he was already practicing the address he would give to the people.
CHAPTER TEN
WHAT ABOUT THEM?
Come on,” Ari said, taking Jace’s hand. “No use just sitting around letting ourselves go crazy.” She pulled him up and gave him an informal tour of the Science Division, a place she had been visiting since she’d been a little girl. Without a formal responsibility, they had nothing better to do.
As they walked around, there was a kinetic movement all around them. Researchers were peering at computer monitors, doing calculations, receiving various readings from sensors placed throughout the land. Ari tried not to read too much into their worried expressions as they did their work.
“The first time I came here, I was fascinated,” Ari said, showing Jace the lab. “I knew right away I wanted to be a scientist.”
Jace, as determined as Ari to avoid being drawn into a panic, laughed. “Are you sure that’s what did it?” he asked. He knew, as well as she did, that the narratives that we tell one another are not always exactly what happened in our lives. However, there was, in Ari’s case, plenty of room to wonder. Ari’s mind was very capable of such a thought and such a memory.
For her part, Ari didn’t answer Jace directly. Instead, she continued the tour of the lab as she noted all the places she’d seen on that first visit.
“My father brought me in here,” she said, noting the crowded ocean monitoring lab. “He explained to me the importance of the tides, the saline content of the ocean, and the ability of the seas to sustain life… but only so long as they were respected. Which, of course, they had not been.”
“How old were you during that visit?” Jace asked, leaning forward to gaze at the va
rious monitors showing the quickly changing readings of the seas and oceans.
She shrugged. “Seven. Maybe eight.”
He nodded. His own interest in science and the oceans was taking form at the same age. Only his experience was very different than hers. Not coming from a family in the Science caste, his interest was both interesting and frightening to his parents. However, they recognized that in Jace they had given birth to a prodigy whose interests were worth supporting.
Jace’s background and experience made his interest and perspective on Science slightly different than Ari’s. He did not, for example, have the degree of faith in Science that Ari had. Her belief in Science was intertwined with her faith in her Father. Jace knew that Science had too often fallen short in its ability to change the course of events in the past, and so, could do so again in the future.
He had learned early of the history of the world told in a way without the certainty of science. He knew how the history of people going back millennia was a series of poor, short-sighted and greed-motivated decisions that resulted in mistakes upon mistakes that essentially degraded the planet until it could no longer sustain life as it had since time immemorial.
The elite locked themselves in bunkers to protect themselves from the damages of the planet and the threats posed by overpopulation.
The place where they lived, Pulchra, had risen up from the seabed in a dramatic and devastating earthquake which occurred shortly after the bunkers had become fully functional. Pulchra had remained pristine and ecologically balanced for nearly a thousand years. But now, the events they were seeing called that balance into question.
The same short-sightedness that had been so damaging to the world at large in the past was proving to be a threat to their world. The scientific community, having learned so much from the experiences of the generations, was not being heeded.
To Ari’s father and to her and the other scientists, science was the objective and benign force that could allow them to survive and then thrive. But to the political leaders, the advice of the scientists too often conflicted with their other aims.
When the scientific community saw problems, the political elite did not want to spend the money to address the issues when they could be addressed easily. Then, as the problems grew, they began to appear insurmountable. And, of course, the elite’s decisions had only their interests in mind. They left the rest of mankind to fend for itself in the hope that it would purge the population of the world and leave them fresh to start again in a powerful and, according to the elite, “natural” and necessary way.
Pulchra had remained a sanctuary, an island continent in the middle of the Pacific Rim. For five centuries it had been a safe haven. On this island continent, the Ministry established its own systems, a self-contained ecology. The Ministry allied itself with other world authorities to form a One World Government.
The Head of the Ministry sat on the OWG – a political organization that the elite had been trying to establish since before the Purge. While the Ministry concerned itself with the day to day process of life – population control, health, housing, science and the Arts – the OWG focused on the more comprehensive rule of the earth.
Although Jace was aware of the systems, he had remained silent about his awareness that the population was taught to believe they enjoyed individual liberty, only to be controlled in virtually every aspect of life and experience.
Only Ari knew of his awareness and to his eternal relief, shared the understanding, as well as the need to never speak of it to another soul.
As a consequence, both Ari and Jace have lived and learned the same as the others, as if they were flesh and blood robots to be controlled by the OWG, but they, alone in their social strata, did understand the truth of individual liberty. As well as its risks.
As they went through the labs, both Ari and Jace understood that they needed to familiarize themselves with their work area and to do so fast. Whatever else the expectations of them had been prior to their graduation, something new and unexpected had happened to their world, and neither of them could know what would be required of them in the coming days.
In addition to being acclimated to the labs and research areas, Ari introduced Jace to those people working there. Over the years, she had become well-known and trusted. At first, as a courtesy to her father but then, as her own brilliance and ability became obvious, for her own ability.
Even Jace, capable of learning so much so effectively, knew he would never remember the names of all the people he met that morning but he knew he would remember what they did, and that would be enough.
Meanwhile, as Noel prepared to leave the Ministry building an extremely large and unsettled crowd began to form. Although they were reasonably orderly, there was a current running through the gathering that was unnerving. They were nervous and skittish. They were scared and wanted news to help them understand the strange and frightening events occurring around them.
To add to the unease, it was clear that the quality of the air was already degrading rapidly. Many in the crowd were coughing and breathing with increasing difficulty.
As he looked through the doors of the Ministry, Noel was grateful to be a Scientist and not responsible for directly addressing the crowd. He made his way to his vehicle. As he opened his door, he heard the voice of the Minister coming through the loudspeakers set up on the steps.
“My friends, let us all calm down,” the Minister began, his sonorous voice, serene and in control. “I have just met with all the heads of state and, although we do not yet have anything specific to advise, let me assure you that our best minds are focused on the cause of these recent events.
“We will keep you informed as we find out what is happening. If any of you are suffering any breathing difficulties, eyesight problems, cognitive disturbances, or decreased motor control or if you notice a bluish tinge to your skin, please report to the Medical care unit immediately where you will be taken care of, if they have not already asked you to do so. We all have to work through this together. Meanwhile, if you could stay in your homes, you should be able to remain safe for the foreseeable future. We will issue alerts as information comes to hand. That is all for now.”
As Noel started his vehicle, he considered that the advice was well-placed. Most homes were fitted with carbon filters to keep the interior air pure. They were similar to those used in the ARCs but even more efficient.
The Minister’s words or perhaps more correctly, his voice, seemed to have assuaged the crowd. At first, one by one and then in larger numbers they turned from the steps of the ministry and began to walk away. Their departure was orderly and quiet. All to the good, Noel thought. But he knew that if the event, whatever it was, continued, the first casualty would be order and quiet. Researchers and statisticians had calculated that it required three days, or nine meals, for anarchy to descend on a society.
A harsh deadline, but one supported by science.
Noel sighed. He hoped the people – the Ministry and the Scientists – were up for the challenge.
* * *
Meanwhile, in another part of Pulchra, a counter culture society had grown into existence. Although the Pulchran Ministry knew of its existence, it could not accurately monitor its actual size or resources. It was, without question, the greatest threat to the Ministry, the OWG and society as it has been conceived and structured to serve the Government.
Entire Ministry committees had been secretly formed, sometimes at cross purposes, with the sole intent of infiltrating and undermining this counterculture. However, they had always come to a dead end. Editorials, articles, broadcasts had been generated, damning the counterculture; making clear the threat that such a culture posed to the dominant culture.
“We must, and we will crush this counter-culture!”
The Ministry was of a single mind when it came to this counterculture. The threat was clear. Even though the counterculture posed no material threat to the Ministry and the Pulchran government, i
ts very existence called into question everything about how the Ministry had structured the OWG.
The counterculture lived outside the reach and the rules laid down by the OWG. Their existence spoke to their refusal to be governed, or even the need for the government! They would not allow themselves to be dictated to. Their lives, how and where they lived, what jobs they did and how many children they were “allowed” to have were all decisions that they insisted belonged to them, not the State.
Infuriating to the OWG, the counterculture managed to create a society that was fully self-sufficient and existed beyond its reach. They grew and raised their own food sources. They took care of their own.
It was true, they were not diverted by the many pleasures and enjoyments that the government provided those of us who lived within its parameters. They lived simply. But the simplicity of their lives seemed to enable them and increase their satisfaction rather than the other way around – quite opposed to the expectations of the government.
Paradoxically, their existence was treated both as a fundamental threat and a non-entity so that whenever we heard about them, it was either with an “end of the world” shrillness or a dismissiveness that bordered on the exasperating. As a result, we became numb to messages and reports about them and, by and large, society tended to ignore them.
So, even though the Ministry viewed the counterculture as a “fundamental threat” the truth was, as they well knew, they did not pose a true threat. As a result, other than rhetorical attacks, the Ministry left them alone.
Of course, if the counterculture were to have grown in numbers or influence or to conduct the kinds of raids that could materially undermine the Ministry’s authority, or the power of the OWG, then the response would be immediate and ruthless.
Curiously, despite the fact that Noel was completely ingrained in the government and Ministry, he could not help but have some admiration for the counterculture. Their determination and resourcefulness impressed him, as well as the creativity with which they solved many of the challenges that they faced. As such, as he drove back to the Science Division, he found himself feeling troubled for the counterculture. With these strange events degrading the environment at such a rapid rate, he could not imagine how they would survive. Even in the best of times, they lived a most basic existence, depending only on what the land could offer. Scorned by society and shunned, they would never presume to enter the city limits, knowing that if they did, they would be immediately arrested and locked away in punishment.