by P. R. Garcia
Gayle spent each day searching for life, adding several more species to her list. It had grown to a hundred and thirty-three species. Not a huge representation of the almost eight million that once populated the planet, but it was a start. Besides, some life forms were too small to be detected by the satellites. Dr. Q estimated perhaps a million might still exist. What was particularly disturbing was the fact that no living marine life had been observed yet. No sea turtles, no sharks, no whales, no sea stars, no jellyfish, no nothing. Surely some species had survived. Or had the virus destroyed all plankton, putting an end to the ocean’s food chain? In the best of times, life in the oceans was often hard to find. Just because they saw no life did not mean the oceans were barren. No, he had to believe marine life still existed somewhere outside their search areas. Perhaps life existed in the inland salt-water lakes, like the jellyfish lakes of Palau. He had visited the lakes while a college student. He wondered if the golden jellyfish still swam through their waters.
On Tuesday of the second week, Lt. Commander Eckstein shouted as soon as the connection was made, “We found them.”
Dr. Q was in the process of cooking everyone some breakfast, but immediately turned off the stove and set the pan aside. “Found what?”
“Men, women, maybe even children,” The Lt. Commander yelled.
“Where?” Gayle shouted back.
“About twenty miles outside of London,” the Lt. Commander announced. “It was night, pitch dark like it always is now. Suddenly we saw a glow. At first, we thought it was another fire raging across the countryside, but upon careful inspection we realized the light was constant, not growing in size or height. It was artificial light. We were able to adjust the satellite overhead to zoom in on the area and what do you think we found? Tents. Man-made tents. There were about fifteen small tents arranged in a circle. Joining the canvases were strings of iridescent light bulbs.”
“Possibly a form of protection, although I don’t know from what,” Max commented.
“That was our thought too,” the Lt. Commander replied. “Perhaps from predators or scavengers.”
“Or other humans,” Gayle stated. “With no police force or governments down there, who knows what it’s like.”
“Another thought,” Dr. Q said, not wishing to dwell on that possibility. After all that had happened, he prayed that the stories from the movie Mad Max had not become a reality. Surely this tragedy had made mankind rise above violence. “Did you see anything else? Actually signs of humans?”
A broad smile spread across the Lt. Commander’s face. “In the middle of the circle was a small campfire. And sitting there were two humans, probably standing guard. They were too bundled up to tell if they were men or women.”
“And they moved?” Dr. Q asked, wanting to make sure they were actually alive. “They weren’t just sitting still, frozen?”
“No, Doc. Both got up and walked over to a third person who brought them something. It appeared to be something to drink or eat.”
“This is fantastic news,” Dr. Q shouted, a smile on his face too. “From what you have described, they are able to find fresh water and possibly food. I need to see the pictures!”
“Achman’s got them all ready to send you,” he looked at his watch. “He should be sending them in about six minutes.”
At last, proof that some humans had survived. “Please convey, Lt. Commander, our gratitude to your team. You’ve restored our hopes once more. And if there’s one camp, there’s bound to be more. Probably located outside large cities, or up in the mountains where the carnage won’t be as bad.”
The Lt. Commander smiled and nodded as he moved away. Soon, Major Wesley’s face filled the screen. “We found a few more significant discoveries to tell you about. And before you even ask, they will be included in the download.”
“More humans?” Dr. Q asked.
“No, but something almost as important,” the Major gigged. “Or, perhaps, even more important.” He held up a photograph of an aerial shot of a shoreline. Extending outward for miles was a greenish blob possibly fifty-six miles long.
“Tell me that’s what I think it is,” Dr. Q yelled, rising to his feet to get a better look. “A plankton bloom?”
“That it is,” Major Wesley said, lowering the picture. “We’ve discovered more blooms along the shores of South and Central America and along Africa’s east side.”
“This is incredible,” Dr. Q said, falling back into his seat. “That means the plankton wasn’t killed off as we feared. The ocean life can recover. What about Australia? Anything along her coast?” Since Australia had been the first major continent hit by the LO virus, he hypothesized their plankton destruction would have been greater.
“Not to our knowledge,” the Major replied. “It might be too small still for us to notice.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Dr. Q said. “Even if the plankton died around Australia, these new blooms will eventually spread there.” A solemn look covered his face. “You do realize, Major Wesley, that you have just confirmed that planet Earth is going to survive?”
“That we do.”
MAJOR WESLEY SIGNING OFF
Dr. Quartermaine woke. He opened his eyes, trying to get an idea of the time. They were reaching the end of winter in the Antarctica, giving them about four hours of daylight. Each day that amount grew a little more, signaling that spring would soon be upon them. And with spring came their opportunity to leave the continent or face extinction like the astronauts circling so high above them.
He listened intently, trying to determine what woke him. The sound of Max’s soft snoring could be heard. He looked over and saw that Gayle, too, was still asleep. Quietly, he sat up on his cot, surveying the room for some abnormality. It wasn’t like him to wake up half-way through their sleep cycle. Allowing his imagination to awaken also, he listened for the chewing of a mouse or the chirping of a cricket. Even though such things did not exist in Antarctica, his ears still longed to hear the familiar sounds. He could see nothing that would have awakened him. Thinking perhaps he had had a dream, he prepared to lie back down. That’s when he noticed the red light blinking on the NASA box. A message this time of night? Must be important.
Wrapping his blanket around him for some added warmth, the doctor silently made his way over to the computer. They had been corresponding with the Space Station for so long now that he too was an expert on contacting them. Reaching up, he switched on the link, then turned on the monitor. He clicked on the NASA thumbnail, waited for the screen to appear and entered the appropriate password. Before long the screen filled in to show the face of Major Wesley. It wasn’t a message he was receiving, but an actual face-to-face communication.
“Good morning, Major,” Dr. Q said, covering up a yawn with his hand. “Do you have some exciting, can’t wait news to tell me?”
The Major paused for a moment, a strange look on his face. “I’m sorry to wake you Dr. Q. I, I, well, I guess I just needed someone to talk to.”
Dr. Q gave the major an encouraging smile. He knew that as the days passed towards their freedom, they shortened the astronauts’ lives. Already the crew members were thin and gaunt, the result of eating only every two or three days. Try as they had to extend their lives to help Dr. Q and his team, they had maybe another three or four weeks of life left.
“I’m always available for that, Paul,” Dr. Q said.
“Do you have any family?”
“My parents live, or should I say lived, in southeastern Australia in a small town. Last I heard, my brother-in-law was taking them into the Outback in an attempt to survive the devastation. But I don’t know if they made it, or what became of my brother and his family. They lived in southeastern Michigan in the U. S., just south of Detroit. My baby sister was Australia's liaison on the U.S.S. Barack Obama. Since we’ve heard nothing from the ship in months, I can only assume she perished with the others aboard.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Lachlan. No wife or children?”
Dr. Q smiled as he looked over at Gayle peacefully sleeping. “Never had children, although I hope to one day if we survive this. As for a wife, I never actually found the time to court and woo a girl. That is, not until I met Professor Dilbert. We got engaged about three years ago and were supposed to be wed as soon as she returned from this trip to Antarctica. What about you, Paul?”
“A wife and five kids,” the Major replied. “Maureena and I were high school sweethearts. We got married straight out of high school before I enlisted in the Air Force. This was supposed to be my last mission. The kids are getting older, and we decided it was time for them to have a real home, not travel all over the countryside with their crazy dad. We just bought a home near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. A hundred acres with lots of room for the kids to run and play.”
“How old are they?”
“Meghan’s ten, John’s nine, Christopher’s eight, Samuel is six, and little Lilly is two. She was our surprise. Maureena had a bout with cancer a few years back, and the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to have any more kids, which was fine with us. Four was a good number, although I personally would have liked another two girls. Make it even: three boys and three girls.” A look of remembrance spread across the Major’s face. “When Lilly was born, she was so small, so fragile. We weren’t sure she’d survive. But she was a fighter, just like her mom.” The Major stopped for a moment, tears filling his eyes. “How do you manage not to think about their deaths all the time?”
“I force myself to see them alive somewhere,” the doctor confessed. “After what I’ve seen, the thought of them dying such a horrible death is more than I can bear. It’s not very scientific, but it gets me through the day. Plus, it gives me a personal reason to find the cure and save them.”
“I’ll have to try that,” the Major said. He shook his head, returning to the trained, disciplined soldier he was. “The men were wondering if they recorded messages for their families would you deliver them for us? That is if any are still alive.”
“It would be my honor,” Lachlan replied. “You do realize that there might not be a way for us to return to civilization.”
“Don’t worry about that,” the Major said, finally smiling. “Achman and John have been working on that problem. They found several seaworthy ships floating in the South Atlantic. With some luck, once the ice retreats, they may come ashore. And Maria found a forty-footer already captured in ice north of your present location. I don’t suppose anyone in your party flies?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Lachlan laughed.
“Too bad. An LC-130 Hercules is sitting on ice a few miles inland. Depending on the amount of fuel in its tank, you might be able to reach the United States in it. We can always give you a crash course on how to fly it!”
“I think we’ll pass on that,” Lachlan chuckled. “Once we leave here I don’t want to crash back into the ocean.” Both men laughed. A serious look filled the doctor’s face. “If that forty-footer stays seaworthy, it is bound to come free once the ice begins to melt. Our biggest challenge will be how to reach it. The water is way too cold for us to swim out to it.”
“Achman may have solved that problem also. The LC-130 should have an inflatable raft aboard you can use. And, if for some reason it doesn’t, there should be one either inside the Station or on the chopper outside. The timing will have to be exact. Those waters can get pretty choppy in the spring. We’d have to pick the perfect day to set sail.”
“It sounds like your team has the start of a good plan for our retreat,” Lachlan said, grateful for their help. With them overhead they would be able to see any oncoming storms and give them the exact day on when to leave, thus increasing their chances of success.
Success. Was there such a thing? Could they actually reach the research facility in Tennessee where Walter Fitzpatrick still waited with his vultures? Thanks to the crew of the Space Station, they had so much data to deliver.
“I have one more piece of news to tell you,” the Major added. “I had planned on telling you in the morning report, but since I already have you up, I might as well as give it to you now. Uli has spent the last few days searching the African savannah for any signs of the wildebeest migration, as you suggested. On our last flyby, before night descended yesterday, she caught sight of a herd that appears to be following the traditional route. It’s tiny, only about a hundred wildebeests. Perhaps seven or eight younglings amongst them.”
“You should have saved this news for later,” Lachlan laughed. “With such exciting news, I’ll never get back to sleep. Even six in the herd would have been extraordinary, but a hundred? And young ones included? This is far greater than I dared hope for. Once more you have confirmed our belief that life still exists. No signs of predators?”
“Not yet, but Uli is continuing to search. I’ll have Achman send you the recording of the herd. Your team seems to be better at spotting invisible creatures than mine.”
“If you have nothing further, I’ll say goodnight for now. I’m sure we could both use some more sleep.”
“True. Good night, Lachlan.”
“Good night, Paul.”
“And Lachlan?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks for listening.”
“As I said earlier, anytime.” The screen went blank.
___________
When Gayle and Max surveyed the video of the wildebeests, they too did not find any signs of predators such as lions, cheetahs, leopards or hyenas. They did, however, spot three vultures sitting in a tree watching the small herd pass. There was also another small animal, possibly a jackal, serval or another small cat in several of the frames. But the image was too small to identify it. Zooming in caused the normal problem -- the pixels became too obscure, making identification impossible. Regardless of what it was, it was another indication that life still existed. They recorded the animal as a questionable scavenger. The first on their list.
The three wondered what would happen if no large predators survived. There would be nothing to keep grazers like wildebeests and deer in check, thus allowing them to devastate the grasslands. Not only did predators keep herbivore populations down, they also kept herds moving so they didn’t strip the earth of vegetation. It was the herds’ constant motion that ensured the growth of saplings, prevented soil erosion and helped disperse seeds. Without movement, the grasslands would die, thus resulting in the herbivores starving to death.
On the last day of winter, the Space Station called with news Dr. Q and his team had been praying for - confirmation of large marine life. They had already seen plankton blooms along with several huge schools of mackerel or sardines, but nothing larger. Lt. Commander Eckstein reported that sixteen gray whales were seen swimming inside San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico, the grays’ traditional mating grounds. Included in the group were two newborn calves. Although the news of whales was exhilarating, it was also bittersweet. The Eastern Pacific gray whale population consisted of approximately twenty-two thousand individuals before the disease. The lagoons should have been filled with thousands of mating adults and newborns. If only a handful remained to make the migration south, their survival was in jeopardy. If their natural predators, great whites and orcas, had also survived, any newborn had little chance of surviving the trip back to Alaska. And without surviving newborns to carry on the species, they would die out within fifty years. As with all species, the only way to ensure the species continued was for newborns to make it past their first year of life. But then, nature had a way of surviving. Perhaps if the grays learned to find food in Baja, thus bypassing the trip to Alaska and the sharks and orcas, the newborns could reach maturity and have their own young. But that was a big “if”.
As the days grew longer, the Space Station crew became thinner. They now spent all of their time developing the plan for Dr. Q, Max and Gayle to get off the continent and make their way to the United States. It was their number one priority, fueled by their recordings to their loved ones th
e Antarctica team would take with them. Each knew that the possibility of their family surviving the LO virus was close to impossible, but there was just enough hope to keep them going.
Two weeks before the proposed departure date, Major Wesley reported that Captain Uli Swensson had passed in her sleep. She was followed later that day by Lt. Commander John Eckstein. Their bodies were placed in the now empty cargo bay, where they would remain unchanged for eternity.
Trying not to think about the imminent death of the other three astronauts, the two teams concentrated on the upcoming departure, fine-tuning the plan. It consumed every second of the astronauts’ day. On Earth, Dr. Q and his team feared none of the Space Station members would survive long enough to help them with their escape. With that thought came the realization that, without the astronauts, their plan was probably doomed to failure.
The departure date was set for November 20th. They would have preferred to wait an additional two weeks to allow for warmer weather and calmer seas, but the health of the Space Station three demanded an early departure. All prayed the crew could live until then.
On November 18th, a late winter storm hit the area with decreased temperatures and blowing winds. If the storm did not dissipate soon, they would miss their November 20th date. That day and the next, no word was heard from the Space Station. Dr. Q, Gayle and Max all feared the last three astronauts had succumbed to their malnourishment. They tried every ninety minutes, even through the night, to reach someone. But the line remained silent.
When the three woke on November 20th, the storm was gone. The sun was shining brightly, and it was a warm 20F. They debated if they should leave and hope for the best, or remain in hopes someone from the Space Station would finally contact them and advise them if the weather was clear. The thought of getting caught out on the ocean in a major storm was frightening, but so was the idea that the forty-footer would drift too far out to sea for them to reach. After an hour of discussion, they decided they would leave after the next flyby of the Space Station.