The Waterhole

by Warren Chazan

  “And?”

  “And I’m starting to realize that although we’ll never and should never forget the dead, it’s the living that are important, like Steve and that little one of yours, Chloe.”

  The thought of Chloe and the joy that she instilled in Sheri warmed her aching heart. She was truly a gift, and had been since that first day when she’d held her in arms. “Okay, Prof, let’s go get that drink now. By the way, have you spoken to your wife and—” The professor raised his arm to silence her. Susan Moore had appeared on TV, with a breaking news sign flashing on the monitor.

  “… and this is yet just another addition to the ever growing crisis. So to sum up the main points again: Vice President Dempsey’s plane disappeared from radar two hours ago, and the worst is feared. General Denny Smith has taken full control of the White House, until further notice. Tidal surges have continued to worsen, with the entire Pacific coastline now having moved more than seven miles inland. The medical system is failing to keep up with demand, with thousands of tent hospitals having been erected right across the country. The situation in the rest of the world is just as bad, with reports that some entire nations have disappeared under the ocean. And in breaking news, both Russia and China have declared an ultimatum, that unless EMB is shutdown within the next twenty-four hours, missile strikes on the facilities both in Pasadena and Canberra are imminent. We are currently waiting for a response from the White House to this unprecedented new threat.”

  “Jesus Christ. If Mother Nature doesn’t destroy us, World War III will. Now I really need that drink!”

  * * * *

  “Stop where you are. None of you move!” yelled Graham.

  “Who’s that?” asked Janine.

  “You mean to say you don’t recognize my voice, sweet cheeks?”

  Janine peered down the shaft below her. There was a dim glow, and she was barely able to make out a human form, but not much more than that. The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

  “Do you know this guy?” asked Jack.

  “I think so.”

  “Come, come,” said Graham. “You don’t remember the guy whose life you’ve ruined?”

  “No. Who are you?” she asked, starting to lose her patience. There was a job to do, and they were wasting precious time with this ridiculous game.

  “Let me give you a clue. A forgotten bag?”

  “Oh my god, Graham Kennedy?” She shook her head in disbelief.

  “Major to you, Ms. Fuller.”

  “Is this the bloke that’s been following us? Audi Man?” asked Jack.

  “Must be,” said Janine. “What do you want, Graham?” she yelled. A beam of light flashed across her face, blinding her. She screwed her eyes up and turned her face away.

  “I want you to suffer like you’ve made me suffer these last three years. Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through? Constantly worrying that I may wake up tomorrow and be tossed into a high security prison like a common terrorist, not knowing which day it’ll be when you decide it’s time to turn me in. Not to mention the hell you’ve put me through this last week, forcing me to hide from the general what I helped you do at NASA, then spending the rest of that time trying to stop you from screwing us over.”

  “Graham, I told you then and I’m telling you again now, as long as you do what you’re told, that information will never see the light of day.”

  “Shut up! Shut the fuck up!” he shrieked. His voice echoed through the tunnel. It wasn’t the voice of the Graham Kennedy she knew. There was a desperation about it, a madness etched into it, which sent an ice-cold bolt of electricity through her spine.

  A shot went off. The bullet ricocheted off one of the walls of the shaft, before embedding itself in the clay just above Jack’s head.

  Jack jumped. “Mate, take it easy!” he said. “Let’s talk this through. You don’t want to go and end up hurting someone, do you?”

  Janine was holding on so tightly to the ladder that she lost feeling in her hands.

  “I don’t want to hurt Janine, I want to kill her.”

  Janine froze. Something inside Graham’s brain must have short circuited. It was obvious there would be no reasoning with him, no negotiation.

  “Just calm down, fella,” said Jack. “Let’s talk about this. What do you say, mate?”

  “Go to hell!”

  Jack whispered to Janine. “Keep him talking, I’m going to blow the trapdoor. When I do, I want you to lean as far back as you can against the ladder and then get ready to sprint up.”

  Janine felt as if her hands were somehow fused to the metal of the ladder. Yet, despite this, she was terrified that at any moment, she might lose her grip and fall. A faint musty odour filled the tunnel, and a few more rocks tumbled past her down the shaft.

  Janine thought quickly. There was no time to procrastinate. She imagined herself interviewing a ruthless dictator or a terrorist, where she’d be forced to think rapidly on her feet, making sure all the while she did not offend the interviewee. “Graham, look, I never meant to make your life hell,” she said. “I’m a reporter and a reporter needs sources, and needs an ace up her sleeve sometimes. It wasn’t personal. I never had any intention of going to the authorities. You have my word on that. I realize that people make mistakes and I know you didn’t mean to divulge those secrets to al-Qaeda.” She paused, and took in a deep breath as she watched Jack setting up the explosives. “You’re human and you make mistakes, just like the rest of us.”

  His voice took on a more disconsolate note. “I was lonely, Janine. Do you have any idea how lonely I was? I hadn’t seen my wife in over two years. Two years living under cover when I met Anita. She was just so beautiful, and she seemed to care about me. How was I supposed to know she was a double agent? I still don’t know how you ever found out what I divulged to her.”

  Jack whispered, “Keep him talking.”

  “Graham, I suspected her from the beginning. She was just too good to be true. No one is that good, so I followed her and realized what she was up to. Then I planted a bug on her, and the rest as they say is history.”

  “I … I just don’t understand. Why didn’t you inform the authorities there and then?”

  Janine thought that she heard sobbing. It gave her hope that she was winning him over. “Because, Graham,” she explained, “I knew what would happen to you, and I didn’t believe you deserved it. Men are weak, and she played you like any old instrument. No good would’ve come from exposing the truth, and since she was captured later by us anyhow, there was no need to divulge anything. In fact, I destroyed all that evidence years ago.” The sobbing grew louder.

  “I didn’t mean for those children to die,” he said, his voice wavering. “She seemed so nice, so caring, so decent. How could I have not known?”

  “Because you’re human, Graham. And because like many humans, you want so badly to see the good in people that you refuse to open up your eyes to see the bad. I’ve always been able to see the darker side.” This was a lie. Adam immediately came to mind. He had fooled her even more than Anita had fooled Graham.

  Silence.

  “Graham?” she called out into the darkness.

  The sobbing continued and was growing stronger.

  She allowed herself to relax a little, though her hands still fused to the metal on the ladder. She felt more confident now that she had accomplished what she needed to. “Graham … are you okay?” she repeated.

  * * * *

  Graham pulled at his hair. This is not how things were supposed to turn out. Janine was supposed to be cruel, uncaring and selfish. It was easy to justify her death then, but now, how could he take this woman’s life? She wasn’t evil. She had been kind and had considered the consequences for him, and therefore hadn’t informed the authorities. But what about Claire, and especially Michelle? If he didn’t kill Janine, then he would never see Michelle grow up. There was still so much of her life to experience, her first day at school, her first date,
even her wedding someday. He would have to forego all of that.

  “I’m sorry, Janine, it’s not just about that, there’s more at stake. Nothing personal, but I’m afraid I can’t allow you to live. I have strict orders from the general, it’s either you or me … I’m so sorry … I …”

  In the dim light, he aimed the gun squarely at Janine’s chest. His hand trembling, he began to squeeze the trigger.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

  Jack pushed the remote button and there was a loud explosion, followed by the roaring sound of rocks and debris plummeting down past them. Jack was perched on the small landing, his body tightly squeezed up against the wall, while Janine had her back firmly pressed up against the ladder. Apart from a few small rocks that brushed past them, the rubble mostly tumbled down the shaft and landed on the floor of the tunnel. After a few deafening seconds, the roar subsided, leaving a thick cloud of choking dust and the sound of rocks settling below them.

  “Now, go!” screamed Jack.

  They furiously clambered up the ladder toward the top of the shaft. A crack in the concrete above them flooded the shaft with brilliant light, illuminating the thick dust cloud. Coughing uncontrollably, Janine managed a quick glance down below, half expecting to see the major scrambling up the ladder toward them with a gun. But the explosion had knocked the major to the ground, and he was pinned down by an enormous rock. Further pieces of wood and rock had rained down on top of him and he was covered up to his shoulders with rubble.

  “Help me, Janine, help me,” he screamed. “I can’t move.”

  “Jack, he’s trapped. We have to go back and get him out of there.”

  There was another tremor. The walls of the shaft were shaking. More rocks and mortar were sent tumbling down.

  “There’s no time,” Jack said with urgency. “This whole bloody tunnel system is about to collapse in on itself. We can’t go back down there.”

  “Jack, we can’t just leave the man there to be buried alive.”

  “Excuse me, but didn’t he just fire a gun at you and threaten to kill you? And now you want to risk your life, and possibly the entire planet’s, by going down to save him?”

  “Please, Janine, help me. I’m sorry … please.” Graham’s voice was weaker, more distant.

  There was another rumble. This time, it seemed to be emanating from all around them. It grew quickly in amplitude as the shaft began to shake. Jack scrambled out of the trapdoor and leaned down toward Janine. “Give me your hand,” he said. She froze, hearing the tunnel imploding below her. “Give me your bloody hand!”

  Without waiting for her cooperation, Jack grabbed her arm and wrenched her up the last couple of feet and through what was left of the trapdoor. No more than a second later, there was a thunderous roar and the entire shaft imploded, sending tons of rubble hurtling down the shaft, completely burying the major.

  Safely in the room, Janine turned around to find the underground tunnel system sealed over with rocks. She furiously started digging.

  “Quick, Jack, help me. There might still be time.”

  Jack didn’t reply.

  “Don’t just stand there. For god’s sake,” she yelled. “Help me here.”

  Jack wrapped his arms around her and tried to pull her away.

  “What are you doing?” she screeched, kicking and resisting him, but she was no match for his solid strength.

  “It’s over, Janine. He’s gone. We have to go now.”

  She gave up her struggling and went limp in his arms. “Oh my god, Jack, I killed him.”

  “No you didn’t. He did that to himself. It’s not your fault. Now pull yourself together and remember why we’re here.”

  Janine was sobbing. “Okay, just give me a minute.” She took in a deep breath, wiped her eyes and tried to focus on why they were there. A few moments later she nodded her head and said, “Okay, what now?”

  They glanced around the room they found themselves in. It was pokey and from what was left of it looked to be extremely old. There was some antiquated cleaning equipment in the corner, which suggests it was a basement at some time. The dust was thick and unbearable.

  Jack went to work clearing away rubble, looking for an exit. Janine didn’t help, she was paralysed by the thought of the major being buried alive. Had she really caused that man to suffer so much anguish over the last three years? She thought about his wife and child and what kind of person she had become. Was it all worth it in the end? There were so many people she had threatened or blackmailed over the years, always justifying it to herself with statements like, He deserves it, or He’s cheating on his wife anyhow, or simply, Well I’ll never follow through with my threat no matter what. And for what? To get that elusive story, to get that rating.

  Shame and guilt quickly overwhelmed her.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  NASA HQ, Pasadena, California

  Sergeant Brown, a young freckle-faced marine, returned from his coffee break to his computer console. He looked at his watch and was glad that his shift was coming to an end. He was looking forward to seeing his wife and two small children, who had been forced to move in with his brother’s family when the tide had threatened to inundate their double-story townhouse.

  It was almost midnight. He was alone, most of the civilian staff had retired for the night, and the only other personnel around on this graveyard shift were his boss, Lieutenant Wesley Miles, and a few grunts.

  He sat down at his console, rubbed his tired eyes and was ready to get back to the task at hand, which for him involved downloading as much “alien internet” information as possible. As he began, he noticed something unusual. He blinked then opened his eyes again to make sure he wasn’t daydreaming.

  “Shutdown sequence commenced, you have twenty minutes to abort,” appeared highlighted and flashing on the screen. He wondered why there was no verbal warning, and then he noticed that his monitor had been muted.

  He rose and checked the other unmanned consoles, thinking it could just be an aberration on his monitor, but he saw that all the other screens had an identical message flashing across them, and like his, all had been placed on silent mode.

  “Shit! What the hell is going on?” he said, switching the sound on.

  The computer responded in a loud, affirmative voice.

  “Shutdown sequence commenced, you have eighteen minutes to abort.”

  The young marine was overwhelmed by a sense of urgency. He reached for his phone, calling his superior for advice.

  “Sir, you’d better get over here fast, something really strange is going on.”

  “What do you mean, Sergeant?” asked the lieutenant.

  “Sir, my computer is telling me that EMB is in a shutdown sequence.”

  * * * *

  Wesley Miles hung up and made his way out of his office. He could see the flashing message even before he reached the sergeant’s work station. It was time to begin his acting debut.

  “Jesus Christ, who’s doing this?” he asked, sweeping through screens with his hand, appearing to be desperately searching for a clue somewhere.

  “Sir, it just happened. I went for a coffee break and when I got back, the message was there.”

  “Let’s ask Stromlo if they know anything about this.”

  Wesley opened up the secure link to Australia. “This is Lieutenant Wesley Miles, we have a problem here in Pasadena. EMB has gone into a shutdown sequence. Do any of you guys over there have any idea what the hell might be going on?”

  The control room at Stromlo appeared to be unmanned. There was no response.

  “Shit, they’re not answering,” said the sergeant. “What do we do, Lieutenant?” he asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

  “I’m not sure. Give me a minute to think.”

  “Shutdown sequence commenced, you have fifteen minutes to abort.”

  Wesley sat down at the console, his hand massaging the flesh of his forehead. He had to delay at all costs. “Sergeant, see if you can locate the
protocol manual. I think I recall seeing it in my office.”

  “Sir, with all due respect, shouldn’t we be contacting the general immediately?” said the sergeant sharply.

  “No, definitely not. Do you have any idea how angry the general would be if we woke him at this time of night and then found out that all this was a simple computer glitch? I don’t know about you, Sergeant, but I value my job.”

  The lieutenant looked the sergeant directly in the eye, and made sure that he held his gaze for as long as possible without flinching. He had to make himself believable. Any slight falter would be disastrous.

  A moment of awkward silence passed. It had worked. The sergeant, apparently convinced, disappeared from the room. Wesley stayed seated, mesmerized by the warning on the screen.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  “Shutdown sequence commenced, you have thirteen minutes to abort.”

  Wesley sat at his console tapping his index finger on the glass desk. He ran his tongue over his thin dry lips and felt like his head might burst. The pain was back. It seemed to catch him the most when he was under stress. Ten minutes, he thought, just ten damn minutes to go and they might just stand a chance at beating this thing.

  The young sergeant came bursting back into the room, breathless and sweaty. “Here, I have it, and I’ve found the appropriate section. Sir, the first thing it says is to call the general immediately.”

  “I told you, soldier, the general will have us both for breakfast if we bother him with some minor computer glitch. What else does it say?”

  “With all due respect, sir, this is no computer glitch. Have you looked around the room?” The sergeant’s voice had taken on a more forceful, indignant tone. “Every single monitor and screen is in agreement. There’s no way there could be a fault with every one of them. Did you try contacting Canberra again?”