by Sandi Gamble
“Bloody shame,” he sighed to himself, feeling the same concern that he would feel when watching a trapped animal struggle valiantly – but futilely – to survive. But, as he drove, he could not afford to worry too much about them. He had more pressing concerns, concerns for which he was solely responsible.
When he arrived back at the lab, his presence seemed to create an explosion of activity and noise. However, when he asked if anyone had any additional hard news to report, no one could tell him anything of worth. The only reading that was able to be absolutely confirmed was that the world had returned to pre-purge levels of carbon in the atmosphere.
“Fine and good,” Noel noted, “but it is the level of methane in the atmosphere that I find disturbing – almost as disturbing as not understanding why we are getting these readings! Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, eyeing his team, “the question confronting us is, why is all this happening?”
The danger of the methane was clear to everyone. A natural gas, under normal circumstances. A gas emitted into the atmosphere through a number of natural pathways as well as human activities, and often a by-product of the decaying process of organic matter. However, in even the smallest concentrations it could be lethal to humans.
Noel took a deep breath. He did not like the way events were trending, not at all. He knew that this new information needed to be communicated to the Minister immediately. Even as he picked up the phone, he was rehearsing in his mind the last time the atmosphere had this level of methane. It was pre-purge when the permafrost had melted and the oceans warmed. The melting of the icecaps and permafrost released the methane, triggering rapid climate change and resulted in massive destruction and death.
He felt momentarily lightheaded, realizing that unless something was done, very soon they could all be dead.
Meanwhile, the work in the lab had become even more frantic. Despite the frenetic activity, the mood in the lab was solemn. There was a protocol and the machinery to remove the carbon from the air, but for the effort to be successful, there would have to be a united worldwide effort. Unfortunately, along with the other challenges the day had brought, they had found their means of communication with other countries seemingly compromised. Rather than being able to have a united international response, they found themselves isolated, unable to communicate with any other country.
“What does it mean?” the Minister asked.
Noel thought carefully about how to answer. He wished that the problem was with the mechanics of communication. Sadly, and frighteningly, he knew their communications equipment was fully operationally. Which left the more devastating probability. “I’m afraid, sir,” Noel said, “the most obvious conclusion is that at this time we are the only survivors of whatever it is that has happened. With each passing hour, our hopes of finding anyone else to communicate with diminishes.” Thereby eliminating the help we so badly need.
There is silence on the other end of the line. Then, after what sounded like a long, slow sigh, the Minister said, “I will be in touch with you shortly.” True to his word, only a few moments later, Noel received a page from the Ministry, “Ministry building. Emergency meeting at 1800 hours. All Heads of Departments to attend.”
Noel glanced at his watch. He read the page again. He felt his pulse rate quicken. Scanning the paper again, he then quickly gathered the Heads together. “Come along, everyone now!” he called, moving everyone into the only lab space large enough for them to assemble. As they looked at him anxiously, he considered giving them some background as to what was happening. But he realized he really knew very little so he simply told them, “You must all go over to the Ministry building now.” No one moved. There were only looks of confusion and a long, awkward silence. Knowing that inaction was not an option available to them, he raised his voice. “I mean, right now!”
Then he looked at Jace and me. “You two will come with me,” he said firmly – whether out of protectiveness or the hope of moving forward I couldn’t say.
As I followed along after my father, I realized just how much there was to take in. I had listened closely to everything that had been happening. There was the intimation that we were the sole survivors of some cataclysmic event. That alone was overwhelming. But add to that the remaining question of our own continued survival and the weight of the circumstances were nearly unbearable. But, the antidote to hopelessness is youth and hope. Jace and I had those in abundance. I know that in addition to feeling frightened I was feeling awed and privileged that I’d finished the Academy in time to be witness and participant to this history.
When Jace turned and looked at me, I could see in his eyes that he felt the same way. Two weeks earlier, and we would have still been students, on the outside looking in. Now, we were traveling to the Ministry to try and be part of the solution.
I felt positively electric on the way to the Ministry. I didn’t know what to expect but, with the stakes so high, I was sure that there would be drama. So I was surprised and disturbed to find that the overall energy at the Ministry was subdued. Despite the obvious gathering dangers, it was not apparent to me that anyone truly grasped or fully understood why the meeting had been called, so they simply continued their business while they waited for the Minister and for the meeting to begin.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, it seemed to me!
None of this is to suggest that there wasn’t tension in the air. There was. But it was a controlled tension. Perhaps it would have been no different had they have known what was happening. These were professionals, after all. They’d dealt with many emergencies over the years, though none approaching this level of seriousness. That the danger facing them was profound was not in question. Still, it did not occur to them that they would not be able to find a solution. They were professionals, and they had full confidence in their knowledge and ability. For them, it was just a question of when, and how damaging the destruction that might occur to their world would be until they could come up with some practical way to address it.
The lights dimmed. Our attention was directed to the stage where a single light shone on the podium. A moment later, the Minister strode to the podium. He stood erect and proud. There was a tension in his features that I’d never noted before, but even so, he gave the appearance of one who was prepared to weather any storm.
A consummate professional in a room filled with other professionals.
However, whatever faith I had had in his appearance was quickly damaged by his message. His words, however, quickly betrayed his appearance and undermined the basic confidence of those in the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “We have had a breakthrough of sorts into the mystery of what has happened. Our Communications Division has been able to ascertain from listening to ever more limited communications from around the globe…” He paused as if gathering the strength to utter what he would say next. “…it seems that we have been thrown back in time.”
I turned and looked at my father. He had not moved, but I could see the tension in the muscles of his neck. I reached for his hand. He glanced at me, and there was a real worry in his eyes as he gripped my hand.
With my other hand, I reached for Jace. He held on tightly, to reassure me.
Meanwhile, in the instant after his announcement, there was a discernable hum reverberating around the room.
“Please, please,” the Minister said, raising his hands to calm down the noise. “Please.” When it was quiet, he continued. “At 1800 hours we ceased attempting to make contact with the systems around the world. Since then, we have, however, kept ears on them. We have picked up some desperate requests for help. We have also managed to pick up a previously unknown military channel emanating from and between the ARCs.
“For background, the only time that the ARCs transmitted messages was during the Purge in 2025 and for the 500 years following.” The Minister paused and sighed, an uncharacteristic indication that he felt a bit at a loss. “
At this time, we are still unable to contact any of the other Ministries from around the world. It appears that we are on our own.”
The Minister scanned the audience. “Any questions?”
“Sir,” a man called out as he stood up.
Over the years I had attended many of these sessions with my father. I had watched many more on monitor. I was familiar with just about everyone involved in the Ministry. Some of them felt almost like family. But this man was unknown to me, a fact that was as unnerving as the forcefulness with which he asked his question.
“Sir, the next step seems straightforward enough. Why don’t you just communicate with them and ask who they are?”
The Minister nodded as if to demonstrate that he had heard the question clearly. “Yes, that would seem a fairly obvious path to take. However, we are confronting so many unknowns. We have not attempted communication to this point because we have been unsure of what has actually happened. If, in fact, we have been thrown back in time then any action we take could have profound ramifications on our existence. If we were to attempt contact, we might risk upsetting the timeline which could impact heavily on our futures.” He cleared his throat. “Could affect us now.”
“Then why not send a small group of people to investigate?” he asked, insistent. “Surely that would be a cautious and sensible path.”
The Minister moved about some papers on the podium. “Yes, that is a reasonable thought. I will take that into consideration, thank you.”
The questions and answers were, of course, merely a concession to the sensibilities of those of us in the audience. All of the questions, and many more had already been asked and answered during earlier discussions with Security, a young man known as Ashley.
Ashley knew that sending a small group of people from all ranges of skills to the mainland – if it still existed – would have the best chance of getting the answers that they so desperately needed. He also knew that it was a risky and dangerous enterprise.
The Minister agreed with the assessment but had asked for more time for consideration before giving the go-ahead. Given everything at stake, he didn’t want to make a rash or impudent decision.
Meanwhile, there were many more questions about the climate that needed to be asked and answered. What was being done to counteract the levels of carbon in the atmosphere? What had actually happened? As the meeting evolved, each of the representative heads was given the opportunity to speak on their subject of expertise. By the time the meeting ended, everyone there had a similar sense of what was happening and what could be done. In short, everyone was on the same page.
Before adjourning the meeting, the Minister called Jace and me by name and asked that we remain behind after the meeting was adjourned. Jace and I looked at each other, surprised by the request. Of course we would stay. How could we not? But what was the request about? I looked to my father, but he seemed as surprised by the request as we did. He seemed not to know any more about it than us. He leaned close and whispered to me that he would stay as well, at least until we knew what was going on.
I squeezed his hand. I was grateful for that.
A handful of others were also asked to remain behind. So, when the auditorium emptied, there were only a small number of us remaining.
“Let’s make sure those doors are secured,” the Minister said into the microphone as he stepped out from behind the podium. Behind us, the doors to the auditorium were locked by people I had not previously noticed. A moment later, when the doors were secured, we were all ushered into the Communication Divisions room where we were joined by the Minister and Ashley.
We all waited, anxious to know what was next, but also demonstrating the discipline that had allowed each of us to succeed in our particular endeavors. Without a word to us, the Minister motioned to one of the communicators. A moment later, one of the speakers came to life.
“Please… please… help me… you must help me…”
It was the voice of a girl, a young girl it seemed to me. As she pleaded, she told the story of her family’s demise, how one after the other of her family members had died and now she was the only one left.
“I have a fever… I am sick too… I don’t know how much longer I can last… Please come and get me. Please… please…”
Silence.
This was followed by another communication. This one sounded more official and formal. It was a report on numbers of people, food allocations and general conditions within the ARC.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, unable to silence myself as I realized what we were hearing. We were listening to the past.
“Yes, Ari,” Ashley said, nodding toward me. “It is the past. But not exactly the past. It seems that we are hearing – or experiencing – a distortion of the past. We cannot know unless we respond.”
“Then we must respond!”
“Always the impetuous one, ready to rush headlong in,” father sighed under his breath.
Ashley, despite the tension of the situation, smiled. “Actually, Ari, we have already made an initial step.” Then he frowned. “Unfortunately, it did not go as well as we might have hoped.” With that, he nodded toward the communications specialists. A new transmission came over the speakers.
I immediately recognized the voice of our Minister. “Hello. This is Minister Lincoln of Pulchra. I am attempting to make contact with Sergeant Major O’Riley.”
No response.
“This is Minister Lincoln of Pulchra, I am attempting to make contact with Sergeant Major O’Riley.”
There was crackling over the speaker. “Sir, you are using a military channel, please terminate your transmission immediately.”
“Sir, I am the Minister and leader of our country Pulchra, and I would like to speak to someone in charge.”
“We have never heard of a country named Pulchra or of a Minister Lincoln. Clear this channel now. You are not to use it.”
Silence.
“So, as you can tell, that did not go well,” Ashley observed. “It seems that the only option available to us is our second option and that is to actually have eyes out there.” He drew a deep breath and raked his fingers through his thinning, gray hair. “The Minister agrees that we simply must know what is happening.
“We cannot do that without placing boots on the ground. We need to send out a team of dedicated professionals…”
His words hung in the air as we each suddenly and fully understood why we’d been asked to remain behind.
“After careful consideration, we believe that those of you in this room are uniquely suited to the task. You have the aptitude, training and dedication to make a field trip into the unknown.
“As a team, as a unit, we feel you are capable of accomplishing the mission.”
“Minister!” my father cried out.
The Minister raised his hand, silencing him and turning his attention back to us. “You are the best and brightest.”
Hazarding a closer glance around at those in the room, I see the fresh faces of recent Academy graduates. During my studies, I had read that in the days before the Purge there had been a politician named George McGovern who proclaimed, “I’m fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”
Why did that come to mind now? Maybe because we are young, we are expendable. I needed to rid myself of such thoughts.
I knew that we had to find out what was happening. But I could not keep from feeling that somehow there was a lesson already “learned” and that it was about to be learned again – with me as one of the unwitting participants.
We were told only that we were to be ready at 0800 hours the following morning. We were to pack minimal supplies, for we would be gone “for only a few days.”
More foolish words had rarely been spoken.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE MISSION
Already heady from the events of the day before and feeling slightly ill from the poor air quality and lack of sleep, Jace and I arrived at the
flight port earlier than the assigned time. Each of us carried our travel kit, filled with devices to measure and bring back information for the Ministry to examine. I could see in Jace’s eyes the same excitement, trepidation and exhaustion that I felt. It was harder to read my father’s expression.
He had come to wait with us. I like to think his expression held more pride than fear, but I knew his heart, and I knew that he was worried about what might be out there awaiting us.
Fortunately, I did not have long to ponder my father’s fears or feelings. Jace and I were not alone in finding ourselves arriving early. Our small group of eight found itself gathered.
We were familiar with one another, even if we were not close friends or intimates. What we did know was that we were each chosen because the Ministry believed we were capable of expertly accomplishing our part of the mission. We each would have a very specific job to do once we were on the ground in Colorado. Exactly what that job was remained to be defined.
Ashley, our Security Advisor, had chosen Cate as his advocate. No one, certainly not I, would have challenged the choice. Cate was always the top of the class in our combat year at the Academy. In fact, we had a nickname for her, calling her ‘Cate the Savage’. Some of us showed our talents early; some late. It was obvious from the beginning that Cate would end up in Security, from demonstrations of her outstanding prowess. Her abilities were always highly valued. Even though we had no need for Armies to protect us, the Security Council had always kept a watchful eye over our country and community.