by Scott Todd
So I was immediately on hyper alert and edgy. I had been dying to talk more to Ben, to see if he had any more ideas about what had happened- or better yet- what might still happen.
"What I'd give for a cup of..." he started to say, emerging from his car with a yawn.
"Coffee?" Terry quickly replied, and came out from behind the car, holding another plastic coke bottle. But it was steaming from the top. She had obviously been up already, and it was then I smelled the fire.
"It's not in a cup, but..." She handed it to Ben, and his eyes beamed wide awake. Overjoyed, he took a sip and passed it to me. "Oh God that's good... Where did you...?"
"Found it in the landslide," Terry interrupted. "I know how much you like coffee, so I got up early, made the fire and..."
"God I love you," he promptly replied with a kiss to her forehead. "Thanks... That's delicious," he said, holding out his hand for the coffee back. I took a sip and passed it back. Jan emerged a minute later and smelled it.
"Coffee?" she asked, dreary-eyed.
"Yeah, found it in the..." Terry began, but Jan already had her hand out, pleading. Ben obliged, while Terry lit a smoke. "Oh God that's good," Jan said with a lip smack.
"Made with filtered water!" Terry chimed triumphantly. "We have enough for another week or two- if we conserve it," she said, holding up a nice sized can. We all thanked her profusely, and terminated that coffee a sip at a time in less than five minutes.
Looking at my watch, it was about 8:30 am. We sat under a tree close to the cars to further plan the day's events, while Ben stayed vigilant with the rifle at the ready.
"So they say that there's nothing new under the sun," he began, as he looked around nervously. "But what just happened, if our theories are correct, may indeed be something new under the sun that has never happened before on planet Earth. At least not on this scale. And if it has, modern science had never found evidence for it that I know of... And you might say I am pretty well read. I kept up with geological finds, read science journals, and all sorts of literature.
"There are still a lot of unknowns, but I've been thinking that if it was either a colossal gas release, or a magmatic release- like the eruption of the Siberian Traps millions of years ago- then at some point the pressure will drop when it is finished. And that's a major unknown. It could be days, weeks or even years before it lets up. But when it does let up and stop, well then there is another major problem.
"The ocean will start to recede back into the massive hole. And judging from the size of it from what I saw in the documents, that must be one hell of a massive gash in the earth now. When that enormous quantity of water finds it way back into the gash, and descends that far into the mantle, it will likely come into contact with molten rock- which of course will produce an incredible amount of steam," he concluded.
"And so what you are saying is we could be facing another explosion?" I interjected.
"Yes, possibly," he replied. "Or... Worse... That amount of steam will combine with other elements such as sulfur, and in addition to what has already been released into the atmosphere, could cause an impending ice age when it totally blocks out the sun."
He looked up at the clear blue sky. "It'd just be a matter of time. How much time, I am not sure. But if I recall correctly, southeast trade winds over that part of the Pacific will tend to carry any airborne particles to the northwest, meaning the whole eastern side of the Asian continent will probably be hit first. And that's due to happen any time now, over whatever's left that the ocean didn't consume. In this spot here, it will be probably several weeks before we see any of it accumulate," he finished somberly.
"So if there was anyone left in the upper northern hemisphere, not only are they dealing with the immediate ocean destruction, but they are about to deal with that too," I interjected. "Jesus... How are they going to have the time to look for survivors?"
"Well we don't know just how far north the ocean reached," Ben replied. "But judging from the 6,000 feet we saw here, it could have made it all the way to Canada. I just don't know."
"You mean to tell me that most of the United States was wiped out?" Terry gasped. Jan looked up in horror.
"There is a strong possibility of that, yes..." he said sadly, lowering his head. "Only people at the highest elevations would have any chance at all. And over near the west coast, keep in mind that the water was probably much higher than here."
"So how did the water even make it over this far with all those high mountains in South America?" I asked, perplexed.
"That's a good question- I have been wondering the same thing- but I think I might have figured out how," he surmised. "And the best guess I have come up with is Panama. The Andes mountains in South America might have been high enough to stop most of it, but that would have just forced the water to find another outlet. And unfortunately, most of Panama and Nicaragua were at a much lower elevation... I mean MUCH lower. They only had occasional highest peaks of around 3,000 to 6,000 feet. Nowhere near enough to contain the raging swell.
"And near the canal zone... Dear God..." he continued, with concern in his voice. "From my geological studies, I know there were hardly any peaks at all above about 2,000 feet, and most were in the 1,000 feet range..."
"So the water then came roaring easily through that whole area, and concentrated, steamrolling everything in it's path, and crossed Panama, into the Atlantic in a massive mega tsunami...?" I asked again, realizing the potential of his theory.
"Exactly. Exactly," he said again somberly, with his head lowered. "The wave would have had so much power, being so concentrated, that it literally would have steamrolled over most of Panama and Nicaragua, made it into the Atlantic, then spread out in all directions from there. Even the other side of the Andes- like Columbia, Venezuela, and northern Brazil would have been totally wiped out. Some of Mexico might have survived at the highest elevations, but their coasts... No chance. Anywhere even in the highest mountains, like in the Cascades, there were still low spots. And if the water found them... Anywhere like that it would have concentrated in a raging torrent and pushed through... The destruction would have been immediate and total..."
His voice went silent, as he contemplated the situation further.
"But what about China and Russia?" Jan asked quietly.
"They wouldn't have fared much better," Ben replied. "Their eastern coasts would have been hit with minimum 3,000 foot waves. Hong Kong had no chance, being right there on the eastern seaboard. And places like India, Japan, and Australia- Jesus, Australia..." He paused. "Australia was so close to that... I doubt anyone survived unless they were in an airplane... Or maybe on top of... Their highest peak was only about ten to eleven thousand feet. "
"So then where WOULD there be people left?" Terry interjected, caught up in the moment.
"My best guess would be maybe central Europe, Northern China, or maybe central Russia," Ben replied. "Maybe some of the middle eastern countries. And maybe, just maybe, some northern central parts of the US- like perhaps the Dakotas. And there's probably other isolated pockets everywhere that for one reason or another escaped the mayhem. Parts of Canada probably survived, and maybe Northern Greenland.
"But regardless, everywhere in the world they are dealing with the aftermath of the huge earthquakes too. And I have no doubt that those huge quakes, being off the scale, probably triggered other faults and quakes too. In addition, they are still going to have to deal with all that particle fallout. And that's going to hit China and Russia hard, and soon because of the southeast trade winds. It's probably already started," he concluded.
But then another thought occurred to me. "What about a place... A place like Yellowstone? ... Or even Toba?" I asked.
Ben looked confused for minute, and a long silence ensued as he contemplated the importance of the question. Yellowstone and Toba, being the world's largest super volcanoes, presented another possible threat- if they were inundated by a large body of water.
Finally he look
ed up. "You know, I hadn't even thought of that yet. I'll need some time to think of the likely effects a thousand feet of water would have on a place like Yellowstone," he said.
After another pause, he looked up again. "My first thoughts are that gas and steam from the geysers and the park could probably escape through the water. But my second thoughts are what all that pressure from the water could do to the caldera. It's possible it could collapse it further. Or destabilize it. I'm not sure. Certainly an interesting question though," he surmised.
"Well I've got more pressing matters at the moment," I said, grabbing my crotch to indicate my need to go to the bathroom- or rather, to find a tree.
"Is that number one... Or...?" Ben started to say.
"That'd be number two," I said in earnest. "I think I'll head down the hill a bit and find a tree.
"Well don't stray too far," he responded. "And... Uh... Oh... You might want to dig a hole and recover it when you're done..." he finished saying.
My need to go was stronger than the need to ask why, and Terry promptly handed me about three sheets of toilet paper. Looking up at her in disbelief, she finally said "Well, that's all we can afford."
"Right," I said, a bit disgruntled. So I headed down the hill. For some reason I was hell bent on staying out of sight. Some things are just private... You know? So quite aways downhill I finally found a suitable tree and began digging on the other side of it. As I settled to do my business, I looked straight ahead and saw the water line down below me, another 400 yards or so away, with the tree- and them- to my back.
Mission completed, I got up to put my pants back on, and while I was doing that I peeked around the tree up the hill. I am not sure why I did- perhaps just to get a glimpse of them- but what I saw scared the living crap out of me- even though I was- well- recently crapless. For there in the distance I saw them- except they all had their hands up in the air, and were surrounded by what looked like four military men, dressed in blue uniforms- and pointing what appeared to be large military type rifles straight at them.
I froze, completely stunned. I didn't know what to do, but instinctively I hid right back behind the tree. I had never come out from behind it- I had just peeked. While my mind raced for plans of action, and their possible consequences, Ben's words of caution about "never give up the advantageous position of stealth," came barreling back into my mind.
I decided I better heed those words profusely. I did not know their intentions, how they got here, or anything. I could barely make out a conversation, but I was too far to understand any of it. I peeked out again ever so slightly, and now saw that one of them had grabbed Jan by the back of the hair and was eying her body up and down, obviously enthralled with his new, pretty captive.
I hid again completely and saw red. My first reaction was to come out firing. I drew the Glock, and my hand trembled in rage... But that move would be stupid. I would risk all our lives if I did that. Even if I hit one or two of them, which was unlikely at that distance anyway, the other two had the advantage of military grade rifles and would likely take me out.
No. Rethink. Need another plan. Maintain stealth. Maintain stealth. At all costs. I would have the advantage of surprise when the time was right. Surely the others wouldn't tell them of my presence, knowing I was probably their only hope.
Peeking slightly again, now two of them had their backs to me, guarding the prisoners, while the other two had moved towards the cars and started searching them. Perfect chance for a stealthy getaway. I had to act fast. I looked back down the hill, and spotted a possible route to the water line, while still maintaining cover from the trees. Peeking around the tree one last time, I noticed the two closest to me were wearing bandages, obviously hurt from something. But I confirmed the situation was still the same. It was. So I made my move.
Carefully and quietly I got down prone and crawled my way down the hill from tree to tree, descending further, checking with each tree that I had not been seen. I finally arrived at the edge, which was a cliff on that side, and I surmised that I was on the southeastern edge of the mountain at that point. Thank God Ben had returned my compass watch, so I had bearings and position, which I noted carefully.
Reasoning that they must have arrived in something, be it by plane or boat, or chopper, I was determined to at least find that out. Were there more? Or was it just those four? What exactly was I dealing with here? I had to know these things before formulating a plan. So I turned to the left and headed north along the cliff above the water line, taking care to stay hidden. I couldn't see anything up the hill anymore, as I steadily made my way forward. So far, so good. But I was desperately worried for my dear friends.
Since I had not heard any chopper, especially a military chopper- or any plane- I reasoned that they had probably arrived by boat. And if by boat, then they probably made landfall on the north side of the mountain- at or near the spot I almost succumbed to the mini tsunami when the fire rocks were falling. Because there was a place they could indeed land, and there was a clean water-land interface. So I made that my objective. Find the boat. It was now about 10 am, and on the fourth day.
After an hour or so around 11 am, I rounded one last bend and recognized the terrain. I even spotted the place where all of us had endured the fireworks. So then I knew I had about another twenty minutes and I would make it to that spot on the north side. I proceeded cautiously, looking as far ahead as I could to avoid being seen first. About 11:15 am, I came upon a tree I remembered as having been hit by a fire rock. I knew I was close. I got extra careful, and moved slowly, hiding behind as many trees as I could.
And then I saw it in the distance. My God, that was no boat. What I was looking at appeared to be a surfaced submarine, parked just offshore, about 100 meters out from the newly formed shoreline. It was black and ghostly in appearance, and it froze me in my tracks. Advancing a bit more to take a closer look, then I did see a small craft of some kind parked on the shoreline. Must have been some kind of landing party I surmised.
But then something else caught my attention, which was not immediately apparent. The shoreline appeared different than I last remembered it. I couldn't put my finger on it at first.
I hid behind another tree to think for a minute. What should I do? Steal the boat and head to the sub? What for? What would I do then? I knew nothing about subs. But maybe there was still someone or many more in the sub? Jesus. I froze again, stalled by my own confusion. I waited. And waited. Nothing happened, and there was no sign at all of the landing party or my friends.
11:45 am. I had to do something. There was no telling what they'd do to my friends. It obviously wasn't a friendly meeting I saw back there. No. These were enemies. These were intruders upon our efforts to survive. I knew not where they came from, but best I could tell, they were American from the outfits, even though I couldn't be sure. It seems somewhere I had seen in a movie or something that submarine guys wore blue uniforms- and they were more like coveralls than uniforms.
I had to rely upon Ben, his knowledge, and what we had just discussed. Chances are these military had arrived here and commandeered the new island, taking any prisoners they could. We were probably the only people they had encountered so far, judging from the likely destruction the USA had endured. I just didn't know. But I couldn't take any chances.
So lacking any other better plan, I decided I better head for the sub in search of more powerful weapons. I figured the chances I got caught would be worth it. I knew there were probably more onboard, but I still had to risk it. Looking around one last time for any signs of activity, I saw none, and headed quickly for the landing craft. It appeared to be an inflatable, six man boat with a small outboard motor. They had roped it to a tree, and it appeared no keys were needed.
I looked around again up the hill, and glanced again at the sub, expecting any moment to hear or see someone. But I didn't. I looked up the hill again cautiously. "What was it that was so different from the last time I was here, just a couple days ago?
" I kept asking myself. And that's when I spotted the fresh water line marks on the trees. They were much higher than I remember them. Whoa. That could only mean that the water was indeed receding at an increasing pace, and that I was now standing where ocean had been. No wonder the ground felt so mushy.
But I needed to move. Fast. So I undid the rope, climbed in, shoved off from shore, and looked at the motor. I saw the master switch on the motor, turned it on, and pulled the rope. It started right up, and I wasted no time and headed directly for the sub at a snail's pace to keep that motor quiet. As I got closer, this didn't appear to be any ordinary sub- it looked particularly menacing. It was black and long and sleek, with just the upper part and observation deck protruding from the water. Right under the deck there were two large stabilizer fins. The left one looked like it had been damaged, and there were indentions in the hull further past the deck. It looked like it had a run-in with something.
Fortunately, the slanted nose went smoothly down into the water, presenting a suitable landing spot where I could get on board. It was totally silent, and appeared turned off. But I knew nothing. I just wanted to get my friends back. I needed weapons. I parked the nose of the craft slowly on top of the emerging slant of the sub until it stopped, and at a 90 degree angle to keep the propeller from hitting the side of the sub. I turned off the motor and climbed onto the beast silently. I felt a slight hum and vibration in the hull. Maybe it wasn't off.