by Chris Keith
Chapter 42
The four-hundred-and-ninety-foot submarine was a Vanguard-class SSBN and notorious for its American-made Trident II submarine- launched ballistic missiles, shared by both the United States and Great Britain. Weighing approximately sixteen thousand tons, the Vanguard-class SSBN was one of the most advanced submarines in the world, specialising in strikes against surface and underwater targets. Hennessey and Sutcliffe were given a tour of the submarine. The messes in the Vanguard submarine were well-appointed and boasted a comfortable lounge, dining room, lecture hall, games area, library for seamen to study for a degree and even a venue for church services. Able to accommodate over two hundred people, a search party of forty five officers had been despatched from the north coast of Greenland.
The submarine lurched forward and smoothly dipped into the Atlantic waters. With fuel so scarce and being strictly conserved, the submarine ran at a lethargic five knots per hour on battery-operated electric motors. Sutcliffe and Hennessey were taken to the Mission Control Centre where they met more naval officers and they were both treated with the greatest respect. The officers had hundreds of questions for the balloonists, many on their daring flight into space, most about their survival and how they had coped. In fragments, they shared their stories, telling their side, fitting the pieces together. Hearing their own words, they struggled to comprehend how they had come through it alive. Being around people, seeing a multitude of faces and personalities, hearing more than one conversation at a time, overwhelmed them.
Half an hour later, the Chaplain brought them to a room where Terry McPherson and Annabel Davis took samples of their blood and urine, checked their temperatures and blood pressure. The results would be given to them later before they reached Greenland, though their initial conclusion was narrowed down to extreme fatigue and malnutrition. Following the examination, the Chaplain led them to the lounge area and presented them with comfortable sofas arranged in front of a television screen. Food and water would be brought out to them, they were told. On the table were some board games and a few word puzzles. Games and puzzles would have helped pass the time in the White Room, Sutcliffe thought. As they waited, the muffled voices of the officers communicating, the patter of busy feet running around the narrow corridors and the clunking of metal on metal resonated through the submarine. One of the stewards brought them out on a tray a jug of fresh water with two glasses and a small platter of seafood and boiled potatoes. Having managed to exist on very little food and fluid, the sight of fresh fish, potatoes and water caught them by surprise. Manners and gracefulness aside, they stuffed the food into their hungry mouths.
The steward lingered by the door. “I watched your flight into space. Can I just say, it’s an absolute honour to meet you both and if there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.”
“Actually,” Sutcliffe coughed to clear his throat. “Do you think you might be able to find some batteries for this video camera?” he said, pulling out the JVC from his inside jacket pocket. “And a lead that will plug from the camera into the television?”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes later, the steward returned with both batteries and a lead. Sutcliffe fitted the batteries and the steward connected the lead from the camera to the plugs at the back of the television. They thanked the young man for his help and when he left the room, Sutcliffe rewound the tape and pressed play. They proudly watched five balloonists in immaculate spacesuits preparing for their launch into space like international heroes. Many people in the world had been able to witness it and for many of them it would have been the last thing they saw. The moment before the launch, Sutcliffe put it on freeze-frame and they studied the balloon before selecting the slow-motion function, watching the remarkable moment unfold in brief bursts. Although he couldn’t see it through their helmets, he knew each of his crew had a look on their faces that spoke of fear and of excitement. His son had done him proud with the quality of the recording and when the space flight ended he stopped the video, having seen enough.
“And six hours later, there was a nuclear war,” Sutcliffe said, speculatively.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Hennessey. “I have to admit, I had almost lost hope altogether.”
He nodded. “Just imagine if we hadn’t left the White Room when we did…”
The Commanding Officer entered the lounge and introduced himself. He was a large man with a bushy silver moustache and he told Sutcliffe and Hennessey just how impressed he was with their mission into space and how it was such evolutionary people that changed the way the world worked. He also apologised for the way military forces around the world had handled the nuclear crisis.
“Where exactly are we heading?” Sutcliffe asked.
“Greenland, as you may know, is eighty percent ice. Before the nuclear war, fifty seven thousand people lived in Greenland. We estimate that a third of the population living in the south died from the radiation. Other Arctic countries such as Siberia and some of the upper-most northern regions of Canada and Alaska also harbour survivors.”
He took a deep breath. “Anyway, to answer your question, we are heading to a town called Qasigiannguit in the southeast part of Disko Bay. It has a very small population of about three thousand inhabitants. It’s a very beautiful place, I’m sure you’ll agree. In 1984, the town celebrated their two hundred and fifty years anniversary. And there’ll be many more to come.”
“Have you picked up many survivors since the war?”
“Yes. And other submarines from other countries have too. It’s been a major rescue operation, the biggest the world has ever seen. The European survivors have been brought to various locations in northern Greenland. There’s a constant supply of food there. It’s hard to grow fruit and vegetables in extreme cold conditions. So I hope you like fish because it’s the main source of diet. Around fifty tons of Greenland halibut is caught every week. There are also fields of prawns in the waters as well as potato farms. And the hospitable people of Qasigiannguit have recently mastered the art of catching seagulls. They don’t taste great but we are hardly in a position to complain.”
Hennessey had an important question she needed answering. “What happened to America?”
The Commanding Officer looked at her sympathetically. “I’m afraid most major cities were hit with the bombs. We heard reports that the country suffered many losses long after that, you know, with starvation, crime, sickness. Submarines were operating coastal searches, but they just didn’t have the resources to head inland. Any survivors who were found were either taken to Alaska or Baffin Island in the northeast of Canada.”
He paused momentarily and his voice intensified. “There has always been war. War on this, war on that, but I get the feeling that this one has put an end to all war for a very long time. You’ll like it in Greenland, I’m sure of that. You’ll find that everyone is your friend. With such a declined population across the planet, any issues that once belonged in the world are now gone. There is a newfound respect between people and just a strong desire for peace. There’s no trouble, only a strong will to survive.”
“After the way we’ve been living, anywhere else in the world seems like a good place to go,” Sutcliffe commented.
“I appreciate that. Now, let me show you to your beds. I’m sure you’re both exhausted.”
The Commanding Officer led them to the sleeping quarters and assigned two single beds to them. He gave them a change of clothes, pointed out where the showers were and left them to get settled. As the engines purred silently through the cold North Atlantic waters, Sutcliffe placed the JVC camera, his trophy and his souvenir, on a shelf and got undressed. He hung his filthy suit inside a narrow cupboard. After a long, hot shower they dressed themselves in clean shorts and vests. Then they tucked themselves into warm, clean beds and within seconds of their heads hitting the pillows they were both sleeping.
Table of Contents
Pr
ologue
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Part 2
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Part 3
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Part 4
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Part 5
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42