Footprints of Thunder

by James F. David

  From all over the country had come reports of huge tracts of land disappearing and being replaced by other terrain, often radically different in climate. Nick new that part of New York had vanished, apparently replaced by grasslands, but other reports confirmed a huge sheet of ice had appeared in Iowa, a tropical jungle in Georgia, and a desert in Ohio. Massive floods were occurring in East St. Louis and other locales. The flooding gave Nick an idea, and he nursed it, temporarily oblivious to the meeting around him.

  “No, Mr. President, we have no estimate of the extent of the loss although we have some reports that part of the system we thought was lost may still be intact but dysfunctional. Although the topography has changed, the ELF lines may remain under the surface. We are organizing teams to check on that now.”

  After Elizabeth leaned forward and whispered in the President’s ear again, he asked, “Colonel, do you have an estimate of when the results of that assessment will be available? When you do, would you see that my chief of staff has that? Thank you.”

  President McIntyre had been twirling a twisted paper clip in his fingers but put it down to run his finger down the agenda. Before he could find his place Elizabeth leaned forward and pointed. The President seemed unconcerned about Elizabeth’s blatant intrusion.

  The head of the CIA gave the next report. Samuel Cannon was another of the President’s old friends. He’d had a rough ride through the confirmation hearings. The Congress was leery of making a former auto executive head of the CIA, but the President had his man in the CIA, qualified or not.

  “As I understand your reports, Sam, the events are random and not targeted at military installations. Both civilian and military targets have been hit?”

  “That’s right, sir,” the CIA director confirmed. “Whatever the weapon is, it missed our strategic capabilities. Although we have lost communication with some facilities.”

  Lost communication or lost facilities? Nick wondered.

  “Could the strategy be to take out civilian targets?” the President asked.

  “If the targets were civilian then the weapon was just as inaccurate. We have unconfirmed reports of even nearly uninhabited areas being affected. Whatever it was, was powerful but not accurate.”

  Cannon said it with satisfaction, as if a weapon that could make a third of New York City disappear, never mind three million people, was no threat if it could not be aimed accurately.

  Elizabeth leaned forward again and whispered in the President’s ear.

  “I know you don’t believe the Russians are technologically capable of such an attack,” McIntyre said, “but it seems even less likely that any other country would have the technology to do this. Is it possible something has escaped our scrutiny? What about the project they have going at the old Chernobyl site in the Ukraine?”

  The CIA director and Elizabeth flinched at the mention of Chernobyl. It was clear the President had committed a breach of security just by saying the name.

  “Sir,” Cannon began cautiously, “I don’t think this is the place to discuss the … ah … other matter.”

  “I’m not asking you to discuss it, I’m asking you to assess the possibility that it has something to do with what has happened to our country.”

  The CIA director looked at his assistant behind him, who leaned forward and whispered a la Elizabeth Hawthorne. While they whispered Nick noticed that Gogh was still engrossed in the reports.

  “Our best information suggests there is no connection between this latest event and the other matter.”

  “Is it possible that one of our own projects could have inadvertently produced this effect? Possibly the fusion project, or maybe that muon particle projector … or what about the antimatter space drive? I always had doubts about that project,” McIntyre said dryly.

  “Mr. President! If you wish to discuss these projects we should dismiss all those with inadequate security clearance.”

  Nick found this discussion particularly interesting. Whatever these black bag projects were, spilling the beans had the CIA director white-faced with rage.

  “Calm down, Sam, I’m more concerned with finding out about what has happened than I am about leaking information on pie-in-the-sky secret weapons. I only want to know whether these projects could in some way have produced the … the … whatever it is that happened today.”

  The President was visibly angry at the CIA director’s resistance to his questions. Elizabeth whispered in the chief executive’s ear again.

  “Sam, we have dozens of highly classified projects going on right this minute. I mentioned only three. I am ordering that all of these projects be shut down immediately. You understand me? No testing, no operation, no experimentation. Until we know what has happened we’re not going to risk having it happen again.”

  “But Mr. President—”

  “No buts, Sam, shut everything down.”

  Samuel Cannon opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. It was clear he was not through arguing, but he knew better then to pursue it in this setting. Then the President stunned the CIA director again.

  “Have you considered any other sources for this effect?”

  “Yes, sir, but the most technologically sophisticated countries are all friendly. We’re less certain about the Russian Federation. We know the Baltic Union wouldn’t have the sophistication, but the Federation retained most of the U-S.S.R.‘s technological capabilities.”

  “I’m not talking about other countries. I’m talking about other species.”

  “Animals … like whales or something?”

  “Sam, I’m talking about the possibility that this is the result of an act by an alien intelligence. Have you considered this? Why not?”

  Gogh had stopped reading and was listening intently to the exchange between the President and the CIA director. From his face Nick couldn’t tell where Gogh stood on the idea.

  “Sir, there is no evidence to support such a theory.” The CIA director looked embarrassed for the President.

  “There is no evidence to reject such a theory either, isn’t that right?”

  Sam was nonplussed and began whispering back and forth with his aide.

  “We will explore this possibility, sir, perhaps through the SETI people, or Bluebook.”

  Nick’s eyes again went wide. He hadn’t heard project Blue-book mentioned for more than a decade. Was it possible that the air force was still exploring UFO sightings? Nick began wishing he always had access to Security Council meetings, they were so full of juicy bits of information.

  “Please do, Sam. I know this sounds crazy but I’m serious. I’ve always believed that somewhere in the universe there has to be another form of intelligent life. This may be the prelude to an invasion, or it could be some kind of friendly gesture. I know what you’re thinking, Sam, but check it out anyway. All right, let’s continue,” the President said, running his finger back down the agenda. This time he found his place without Elizabeth’s help.

  The next report focused on the civilian situation and contained more reports of terrain changes. The biggest confirmed loss was part of New York City, but there were other losses in Florida, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina. Most of these were known because of military base losses in the same area. Nick mentally added what he heard on the radio to the list. Civilian losses hadn’t been estimated, but Nick guessed they were already in the tens of millions.

  The last part of the civilian assessment dealt with communication problems. The country still had a communication network but now it resembled a piece of swiss cheese. Radio and television facilities had disappeared in some regions, while still others had been affected by an electromagnetic pulse. The EMP was weaker than that which accompanies a nuclear blast but was strong enough to damage some remaining facilities. Other holes in the communication network were caused by loss of satellites. What the country was left with was a shattered network where some cities still had local TV, radio, and phone service, while others had long-distance servi
ce, but no local.

  Nick tried to picture morning in America. Some would be getting up to find their favorite network morning program absent from the airwaves but local news filling in. Others would be waking in the dark, using a portable radio trying to find someone still broadcasting. Everywhere people would be jamming the remaining phone systems to reach loved ones or to request emergency services—services that would be slow in coming.

  The report ended with a promise to keep Elizabeth updated. This time when Elizabeth pointed to the President’s agenda he looked up at Nick.

  “Dr. Paulson, you seem to be next. Would you please give us your report.” The President glanced at Gogh briefly before he turned to Nick, who felt like a second-string quarterback thrown into the big game.

  “Thank you, Mr. President. First, this is not an attack on the United States.” Then he added, as an afterthought, “Not an attack from another country anyway, I will have to consider the possibility of an extraterrestrial source.” The President looked pleased that Nick had not thought of his theory, but the corners of Gogh’s mouth turned up slightly.

  “Nick,” the President asked, “how do you know this isn’t an attack?”

  “This phenomenon has crossed borders,” Nick said simply, “and I have seen reports that it may be a worldwide phenomenon. It seems illogical that someone with hostile intent would release a weapon that seems to act indiscriminately.”

  The President turned and gave the CIA director an icy stare. “That right, Sam? I didn’t hear anything about this happening in other countries in your report.”

  “I dealt with only confirmed reports. We have only unconfirmed reports from overseas … there was some speculation that the overseas phenomena might have been a smoke screen—”

  “That’s enough,” McIntyre said sternly, cutting the CIA director off. The President’s jaw was set and his eyes were cold. “Go on, Dr. Paulson.”

  “Second, there is no technological or theoretical basis for producing such phenomena.”

  “Dr. Paulson … Nick … saying that what has happened couldn’t happen isn’t particularly useful”

  “That’s not what I am saying, sir. I am suggesting that this may be a natural phenomenon.”

  The President was about to speak again when Gogh interrupted. “Natural? There is nothing natural about disappearing cities, and topographical disruption. There is no record of any similar events ever recorded.”

  “I know it hasn’t happened in the modern era, but there are ancient records that suggest something similar. Floods, lost continents, missing peoples, a number of events that are not dissimilar.”

  Gogh was giving Nick a hard stare, but the President seemed genuinely interested in Nick’s theory, so Nick switched into his “explain it to the public” mode. “We’ve been on this planet for only a tiny slice of geological time. If you think of the life of this planet in terms of a twenty-four-hour clock, then the dinosaurs appeared about an hour ago and people have been here for only the last few seconds. There is over twenty-three hours of clock we are still trying to understand. This could have happened many, times before, but we would be unaware of it.”

  “There would be geologic, or fossil records, of such an event,” Gogh insisted.

  “There might be such evidence, but without a disciplinary matrix that includes time displacement as part of the theoretical basis such evidence would be explained in terms of existing theory, or dismissed as a theoretical anomaly. One example that comes to mind is the finding of human footprints in the same rock that carries dinosaur footprints. We have assumed that the footprints could not be human because humans and dinosaurs did not exist in the same era. Instead of trying to understand how humans and dinosaurs might have ended up together, we hypothesize an unknown dinosaur that makes a human-looking footprint.”

  “There was such a dinosaur,” Gogh interrupted.

  “There was a dinosaur that made a footprint that did resemble a human’s, yes. But to explain the human-looking footprint found in the riverbed rock, you have to add erosion. Enough erosion to remove the foreclaws.”

  “It is a reasonable hypothesis,” Gogh persisted.

  “Reasonable, yes, but Occam’s razor tells us to take the simplest explanation, and “that is that those are human footprints.”

  “It’s not simpler at all. Putting humans and dinosaurs together violates a century of research supporting the theory of evolution.”

  “Not if time displacement had occurred. Some dinosaurs could have been displaced and for a short time coexisted with humans.”

  While Nick was talking, Elizabeth whispered in the President’s ear. This time he waved his hand at her in dismissal.

  “Dr. Paulson, you mentioned time displacement,” the President said. “What is it you are talking about?”

  Nick was surprised by the question. It was clear to him what had happened because he had a theory that allowed him to organize the bits and pieces of evidence. But the meeting’s various reports dealt with the impact, not the event.

  “Yes, sir. I believe that the best way to describe the situation is time displacement. Sections of our present have been replaced by sections of the past. Think about the reports: sections of land suddenly snow covered, deserts, lava flows, tundra, jungle—all could be from our past.”

  “But snow is certainly common enough even in this age, and lava, and desert. I see nothing that requires us to assume any kind of time disruption. Why not topographical displacement?”

  “There are also reports of dinosaurs.”

  Everyone at the table straightened up and began murmuring. Nick looked around the table. All the officials were talking to their aides, or one another about the dinosaurs.

  The President spoke first. “I’ve seen no reports of dinosaurs. Where are there reports of dinosaurs, Elizabeth? Sam? What’s this about dinosaurs?”

  “I don’t know where Dr. Paulson got that, Mr. President,” Cannon said. Then he resumed whispering with his aide.

  Everyone turned to Nick. Nick decided not to mention the radio talk show.

  “It is an unconfirmed report, sir, but it would be consistent with time displacement. I would like to pursue it further.”

  “Dinosaurs,” the President mused, “imagine that. Dinosaurs.” Elizabeth whispered in his ear again and he roused himself from his reverie.

  “Dr. Paulson, please pursue your theory, and somebody find out about those dinosaurs! Sam, I want to see even the unconfirmed reports. Elizabeth will arrange the next meeting. In the meantime I would like all of you to continue to gather as much information as possible and begin to formulate a plan to deal with what has happened.”

  “Deal with it, sir?” Nick asked in surprise.

  “Yes. I want a plan to reverse what has happened.”

  The President tossed his twisted paper clip onto the table and it skittered toward Nick, who collapsed back into his seat, expelling his breath. The President had seen too many bad science-fiction movies. This wasn’t some invasion from outer space where some generic “scientist” would create a deus ex machina to make everything right again. This was the real world, even with time, space, and the entire universe altered.

  Nick sat at the table long after the others had left, thinking about his own theory. If he was right, it was a new world now. Would the old rules of civilization apply in a crazy quilt world of the ancient and the modem? The dinosaurs had ruled their world as surely as humans did theirs. What would happen when they met? What was happening?

  20. Into The Forest

  I found my sister, Wilhemina, burned to death in her bed in our home in Whitley Bay. The bedclothes were unscorched and there were no signs of fire anywhere else in the house. The police suspect me, hut only the devil himself could burn a person to charcoal and not set the bed on fire.

  —Margaret Dewar, March 22,1908

  The Newtonian, Einsteinian, and quantum views each approached the universe in a unique way, but all agree that human needs, and w
ants, are not considered as the laws of physics are played out. So it was that as the effect wrought havoc across the planet, it did so remorselessly. Some children staying with grandparents or friends were whisked away, leaving parents with no clue where to look, and with no hope. Fathers and mothers away on business trips never returned, or had nothing to return to. Parents separated because of strife, could never reconcile—too much time and space between them. People out late found no home to return to, and those at home waited in vain for loved ones to return.

  But as ruthless as the effect was with human feelings, it was almost gentle in its dealings with the physical. No person or animal was halved or quartered by the effect, nor was a single finger or limb lost. Time, space, and matter, three forms of the same force, interact, so that the effect wrapped around each cell of each organism. Plants were removed in their entirety, taking even capillary roots. People and animals were taken whole too, existing from then on only in the memories of the survivors.

  Inorganic matter was treated as gently, the effect respecting continuity and wholeness. Cars along the effect lines were taken, but towed trailers or boats were left. Streets ended in neat lines, as if the road had been broken off, but at the break the gravel making up the asphalt was still whole. Brick and wooden structures fared as well, with whole bricks, and whole boards gone, but no severed boards or smashed blocks. Most structures disappeared intact, roof to subbasements , but in some coses huge segments were taken from walls or foundation, and the remaining building collapsed.

  As amazing as the effect was, it was not all powerful. The effect could not penetrate deep into the earth, and vessels or structures deep under water escaped. Instead the replacing land was stitched together with the new topography according to some unfathomable physical laws. Grasslands layered over flat surfaces evenly, but on hilly or rocky terrain, it tore or fit loosely, like a rumpled throw rug. Forests that appeared fared the worst, with many trees poorly rooted. Forests deposited on steep surfaces often collapsed like dominoes, the trees bringing one another down. Perhaps the shallow-rooted sequoias fared best, settling into their new home with dignity and majesty.