Speed the Dawn

by Philip Donlay

  Out her window, Lauren could see only about a hundred yards in the smoke as they rolled out past the main terminal. Parked near a doorway sat a destroyed commuter jet, its right wing collapsed at the root. Smoke billowed from the terminal itself, but the absence of firefighters or ramp workers told her that everyone had evacuated. Through the smoke, Lauren caught sight of the control tower perched on a small hill. At least two of the large glass windows had been shattered, and she saw no evidence of movement inside the cab.

  Michael taxied the Gulfstream to an empty section of ramp at the Monterey Jet Center, swung the jet around, stopped abruptly, and shut down the remaining engine.

  Lauren threw off her seat belt, and with Montero right behind her, ran to open the main cabin door and lowered the steps. As the stairs swung outward, Lauren could see sheets of flame dancing skyward just beyond the airport perimeter. Massive pillars of black smoke boiled up, nearly obscuring the sun. She tried to push aside thoughts of herself, and instead, she focused on what was supposed to unfold after they arrived. The plan was for Donovan, William, and Shannon to be waiting, and then Janie, the Buckley’s helicopter pilot, would shuttle everyone out to the ship for a private Eco-Watch dinner. From what she could see, there was no Janie, no William, and no Donovan.

  “I’m shutting everything down,” Michael called over his shoulder. “Lauren, I need you to help me with Rick. Montero, you make a quick check of the airplane, especially the left engine. Try and see if anything is still burning.”

  Lauren waited as the stairs extended and then slid into place. As the whine of the right engine spooled down, Montero bolted down the steps. A gentle breeze brought in the sound of a civil defense siren in the distance, and Lauren envisioned a new and deadly threat. Lauren turned toward the cockpit. “Michael, how high above sea level are we?”

  Michael had already pulled himself out of his seat and was unbuckling Rick’s harness. “Two hundred feet or so, why?”

  “I hear a tsunami warning.” Lauren’s voice wavered as she said the words aloud, and Michael’s expression told her he was thinking the same thing. Two hundred feet was safe, but the aquarium was at sea level.

  “I can’t see any obvious flames or smoke coming from the engine or the airplane,” Montero called out from the top of the stairs. “There’s burn marks all down the fuselage on the left side. The paint has bubbled, some has even been peeled away. There’s still fuel leaking from the wings, but not like before.”

  “This is one messed-up airplane. I’m just glad we’re on the ground,” Michael said to Lauren, and then shifted his attention toward Montero. “We’re bringing Rick out. Do you see any emergency vehicles at all, anywhere?”

  “No, nothing, it’s like the entire airport has been evacuated,” Montero said.

  “I guess meteors falling from the sky will do that,” Michael mumbled as he flexed his legs and slid his hands under Rick’s arms in preparation to move the unconscious pilot. “Lauren, when I get him to the entryway, I’m going to set him down. Then I want you to check and make sure his tourniquet is still tight.”

  “I’m ready,” Lauren said as the rhythmic sound of thumping rotor blades reached them both. She and Michael looked out the cockpit windows and spotted the low-flying helicopter. Lauren recognized the Eco-Watch Bell 412 as it came in directly overhead, banked sharply, its rotors biting into the air as it swung around in preparation for landing.

  “Our ride just showed up. Let’s go!” Michael shouted to be heard above the noise from the helicopter. He lifted and pulled Rick out of the blood-soaked chair, eased him the short distance to the aisle near the door, and carefully set him down.

  Lauren checked the tourniquet and his pulse, and despite what appeared to be a great deal of blood loss, Rick’s pulse was steady. “Everything’s good,” she told Michael.

  “See if you can take his feet. Once we’re down the airstair, the three of us can carry him to the chopper.”

  Lauren nodded her understanding and hurried down the airstair as the helicopter descended the last few inches and lightly touched its skids to the tarmac. Janie Kincaid was clearly visible behind the controls. Lauren waited, and when the cabin door didn’t slide open, her hopes plummeted. There was no one in the cabin; Donovan hadn’t showed up as planned.

  Michael, with Rick cradled in his arms, negotiated the stairs while Lauren protected the tourniquet. Once on the ramp, and with Montero’s help, the three of them carried Rick to the idling helicopter. Janie had unfastened her harness, moved to the cabin, and slid the door open from the inside.

  “I’m going to close up the Gulfstream, then we’re leaving,” Michael called out once they laid Rick down on the floor. “Try and secure him as best you can.”

  “Have you heard anything from Donovan, William, and Shannon?” Lauren asked Janie above the noise of the helicopter.

  “Nothing. I tried to call both him and William, but the phones are out. All I get is a busy signal,” Janie said as she shook her head. “We’ll get Rick to a hospital and then I’ll come back for them. This place is absolute chaos. They could be anywhere, but he knows to come here.”

  After Michael tossed chocks under the nose tires and closed the Gulfstream’s door, he ran toward the helicopter. Lauren climbed into the cabin and sat on the floor near Rick. Montero was next, and Michael jumped in behind them.

  “Janie! Get us out of here,” Michael said as he sat heavily.

  “The area hospitals are out of the question. The last thing we want to do is land in the middle of some triage situation at an overrun local hospital,” Janie said over her shoulder as she began the quick process of spooling up the turbine engines to flight speed. “I think we should fly straight to a hospital in the Bay Area. Everything I’ve heard from air traffic control indicates the worst of the destruction is south of San Jose.”

  “Do it!” Michael said and slid the door shut as Janie lifted the 412 off the ground, pivoted hard, and accelerated northward. “Janie, I can’t tell you how happy I am you stuck around. All the radios aboard the Gulfstream were damaged. Did you hear me calling?”

  “No,” Janie replied. “The tower knew you were inbound. They relayed the information to me just before they lost power. When the airliner at the gate caught fire, the entire terminal was evacuated. I diverted north and waited, not knowing if you were going to land or not. I finally swung south for a look, just as you were touching down.”

  “Do you have any idea where the big meteor came down?” Lauren asked Janie.

  “From what I could tell, it hit out to sea, well beyond the coast. You’re the scientist, what’s happened? How can we have a meteor shower like this and no one know about it in advance?”

  “It’s not just a meteor shower, though you’re right, it did sneak up on us, just like the meteors that struck Russia in 2013, and again in 2016. In my estimation, this meteor was bigger than those two put together. I also saw objects falling at different angles and speeds. That’s not typical behavior for a meteor. There’s something more going on here besides a rogue meteor shower.”

  “Before I lost communication, several airliners reported being hit,” Michael said. “Could those aircraft have been the other burning debris you saw?”

  “I don’t think so. The random objects I spotted were high up in the atmosphere, well above any commercial aircraft,” Lauren said.

  “Do we know if the Buckley suffered any damage?” Montero asked Janie.

  “Yes, but Captain Pittman said it seemed minor. At the first sign of the meteor, he wisely headed the Buckley out toward the open ocean at flank speed,” Janie said as she pursed her lips. “Everything happened so fast.”

  Michael gestured out the left side of the helicopter. “Look.”

  Lauren straightened so she could see where Michael pointed. Janie was flying over the community of Seaside, just inland of the shoreline. Out to sea, Lauren spotted a ship she recognized as the Buckley. Beyond, a column of dark smoke rose from something too far away to
identify.

  “Here it comes,” Michael said. “The tsunami.”

  Lauren shifted her gaze to Highway 1, clearly visible from the helicopter, and then to the shoreline and the receding water level. Lauren watched as the initial pulse from the meteor’s impact raced inland. The energy powered in from the open ocean at nearly five hundred miles per hour and slowed as it met resistance near shore. Friction with the sea floor began slowing the wave, and as a result, the faster water began to build up and rise, creating a larger wave, that when it finally broke, surged inland with unstoppable force.

  Lauren wanted to turn away but couldn’t. Safely removed from the violence below, she watched the certain destruction of everything the wave touched. Hundreds of vehicles on Highway 1 were swept away in an instant, tumbling helplessly in the turbulent water. Other cars on higher stretches of road survived the onslaught and then set off a cascade effect of collisions as drivers panicked. The tsunami caved in the walls of a shopping center, pushing cars, trucks, and large debris through the walls of a Walmart, and picked up even more wreckage in the process. Lauren looked northward up the beach. The wave went as far as she could see, and obliterated nearly everything for hundreds of yards inland. Below them, cars, buses, and tons of wreckage swirled in eddies created between buildings. The seawater was dirty brown, a muddy froth created by the tremendous forces at play. Lauren knew that inside the tsunami’s footprint, there would be very few survivors, and when the water finally receded, many would never be found. Lauren glanced at her watch and noted the time. A second wave could arrive in as little as five minutes, and it could easily be even bigger.

  With the sun dropping lower toward the horizon, they continued flying toward San Jose, leaving Monterey behind to burn. Lauren closed her eyes at the enormity of everything she’d just witnessed. She sent up a silent prayer that her daughter, Abigail, was safe in Virginia with Lauren’s mother, and that her husband, Donovan, was hopefully safe somewhere in Monterey. Her eyes clouded with tears at the thought of Donovan and William, and the possibility of never seeing them again. Overwhelmed, and feeling helpless at all the death and destruction she’d just witnessed, Lauren looked at her hands, still covered in Rick’s blood. She closed her eyes, fought the tears, and summoned all of the strength she had to maintain control.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  DONOVAN, WITH SHANNON right behind him, raced down the stairs, running as fast as they could to the exit level. They encountered aquarium employees shouting back and forth about a tsunami and what needed to be done to secure the building. Two people ran to release the otters and seals, while another bolted to set the birds free from their exhibit.

  The fire alarm sprang to life and its blaring warning echoed through the cavernous main hall. As Donovan and Shannon rounded the last corner, he had his first unobstructed view outside. Through the massive glass entrance was Cannery Row and the town of Pacific Grove. All he could see were panicked people, and just beyond, smoke and fire. He came to a stop and put out his arm to slow Shannon.

  “Oh, dear God,” Shannon said as her hand shot to her mouth.

  The entire roadway was jammed with vehicles and pedestrians. Across the street, dozens of cars were burning, as were two wooden buildings. Drivers did whatever they could to push past vehicles that had been abandoned, ignoring any sense of order as they honked and lurched forward in what Donovan could only describe as blind panic. Through the black smoke, he glanced up the street that led up the hill away from the beach. The chaos looked to be even worse as frantic people jumped the curbs with their cars, pedestrians scattered, or were hit, and a bicyclist was tossed helplessly into the air. The instant a car made any progress, more cars would try to funnel into the perceived opening. Terrorized people were doing whatever they could to escape the area. In the distance, Donovan heard the first warble of a civil defense siren warning of the impending tsunami. He and Shannon both watched as people on foot stopped, listened, and then began to run with renewed abandon.

  “Our chances are better if we try to ride it out here,” Donovan said as he pictured all the different places he’d toured throughout the day. “This way.”

  As they ran, Donovan pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialed William, only to get a busy signal. He thumbed through his directory, found Janie’s number, and waited anxiously until it, too, went to a busy tone. They pounded up the first flight of stairs to the second floor, which looked vacant, the fire alarm louder.

  “Where are we going?” Shannon said as Donovan led the way.

  “Up one more flight. We have to get to the kelp forest overlook. I was there earlier—it’s at least three floors up.”

  “There!” Shannon pointed to a marked stairwell.

  Donovan, breathing hard, reached the last step and pushed out into the evening air, ran to the railing, and looked to find that they now had a partial view of Pacific Grove gently rising from behind the aquarium. The chaos they’d seen from ground level was amplified by their new vantage point. Through the billowing smoke from multiple nearby fires, Donovan could see traffic mired in gridlock. People were abandoning vehicles, yelling, running wildly, adding to the confusion. There were bodies lying in the street, and he turned away, sickened by the blind fear of the mindless stampede.

  “Donovan, you’d better come see this,” Shannon called over her shoulder.

  He went to the seaward railing where Shannon was standing and looked out over the water. In the distance, the Buckley rose out of a trough, bow high, the hull pointed skyward against a massive wave. The ship seemed to hover momentarily at the crest, as if faltering, and then eased over and crashed down the backside creating an explosion of white spray that covered the entire superstructure.

  “The tsunami is almost here,” Shannon said as she gripped the iron railing with both hands.

  Donovan watched as the Buckley came back into view, sloughing off the sea in huge sheets as it continued its charge toward the deep ocean. Three stories below where they stood, the water in the tidal pool began to draw back, exposing natural rocks as well as the concrete footings of the aquarium. With alarming quickness, the ocean raced away from the shore and exposed a vast stretch of the seafloor. Donovan watched as a wave formed, gathering momentum as it powered toward the shore.

  “We need to get away from the edge and hold on!” Donovan shouted above the growing roar of the tsunami. Donovan anchored himself where the railing bolted into the concrete, and motioned for Shannon to do the same. He saw the fear and determination in Shannon’s face as together they clutched the railing.

  Shannon turned away as the tsunami seemed to slow and then begin to climb. With no idea how high the water was going to reach, Donovan linked a protective arm around her waist just as the wave broke. The intense crack as tons of seawater slammed into the aquarium was deafening. The wave shot upward and powerful geysers of frigid seawater exploded skyward. Donovan kept his grip on both Shannon and the railing as heavy sheets of cold seawater cascaded down from above, threatening to sweep them both from their perch. The concrete beneath his feet shuddered and vibrated, driving them both to their knees. Donovan tried to open his eyes against the water, but was helpless to see anything as the spray from the tsunami obscured the world in every direction.

  “We can’t stay here. We might not have much time before the next wave,” Donovan said above the roar of the wave and its destruction. Adding to the apocalyptic feel of the scene, the tsunami siren warbled in the distance. As the mist from the initial impact settled, Donovan looked down the shoreline and watched a tall red and white antenna snap free of its guy wires and topple out of sight. Half a dozen buildings crumbled and began to collapse. Structures he knew had stood for decades surrendered, tilted, and failed before the onslaught from the ocean. Donovan looked at Shannon, and from her horrified expression, he guessed she’d seen what he’d seen, all of it, including the doomed people on the rooftops of the failed structures. The aquarium had shuddered and shook during the worst of the pounding, bu
t was still standing.

  Donovan looked over the railing and studied the rush of water still pouring in from the sea.

  “We can’t go down,” Shannon said as she took in the scene. “There’s no way; that’s just crazy.”

  Donovan turned and surveyed the roofline behind them. “What about up?” He used both hands to test the railing and make sure it was still secured, and then turned toward Shannon who was also looking upward, studying their options.

  “Climb up on the top rail. I’ll give you a boost the rest of the way,” Shannon said. “Once you’re in place, I’ll climb the railing, and you can help pull me up.”

  “Really?” Donavan eyed the roof suspiciously. “Are you sure?”

  “Gymnastics as a kid,” Shannon said. “It’s all about leverage and momentum.”

  Donovan nodded and climbed the railing, then put one foot into Shannon’s hands and felt her provide a surprisingly effective springboard to reach upward and grip the edge of the eave. He used his motion to swing a leg on top of the sloped roof and he pulled himself up to a point where he could roll his entire body on top of the metal roof. Seconds later, using an air vent to anchor his leg, he reached out to Shannon.

  She climbed until she was standing on the top of the railing, using one hand to steady herself. She reached up, and she and Donovan were able to brush fingertips.

  “Hang on!” Donovan yelled as he inched toward the edge into a better position. When he reached again, they were able to lock themselves hand to wrist.

  “Perfect. On three!” Shannon called upward. “I’m going to push outward, and you swing me up and over the roofline.”

  Donovan looked down at her and their eyes met. She nodded with a mixture of determination and trust. As the countdown hit three, she launched herself off the railing and Donovan felt her weight. He lifted and swung her along her upward trajectory. He exhaled in relief as she rolled onto the roof, and he pulled her toward him until they were both lying firmly in place.