“Such as?”
“Well, with the Earth spinning faster, days are actually shorter. We need to see how we are going to account for that. Our gravity has increased so weight has been affected and that could become a major problem. We need to figure out a monetary system. What we have now will not be sufficient in the long run. How best to prepare for that is important, but the most important thing of all is trying to work together. Putting aside suspicions, past differences, and jointly and openly working on rebuilding the human race.”
“You honestly think that can be done? With Russia and China? They have never had any love for us,” the DJ said.
“It’s not the same world. What differences do we have now? We all need to survive. Fighting each other won’t accomplish a thing. The entire world population is someplace around 400,000 people in the northern hemisphere. We still don’t know about the southern hemisphere. We are working on that but so far no information.”
“Still, getting countries to agree on anything is a mind boggling task.”
“True, but you have to remember, we are all trying to survive. Every nation can contribute positive insights to help make all of our lives better. You know, this is the longest the world has ever gone without one nation at war with another. Think about that for a minute. Wouldn’t it be great if we could go ten years or twenty without out resorting to killing each other over petty differences?”
“My goodness. Talk about optimistic. I will say, that is a good point about nations being at war. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“We have a chance to start with a clean slate, to work together as one world, rather than bickering nations. We are sincerely hoping that the meeting with the other nations will produce an atmosphere of cooperation and friendship,” Randy said.
“Well, there you have it. Randy Boling on what the committee is working on. An ambitious undertaking but I have to say, it would be hard to fault the logic behind their thinking. Thank you, Randy, for being here tonight.”
“Thank you for having me. Keep the faith everyone. We will persevere together,” Randy said.
Once the microphones were switched off Stan said, “Pretty impressive. You came across as sincere and not overbearing. Nice job.”
“Thank you. I’m never sure what is going to roll out of my mouth. You did a great job of leading me along.”
“My pleasure. I would like to have you back on the show whenever you have updates that could be shared with the community.”
“Be more than happy to.”
CHAPTER THREE
FRANCE
“Bonjour, monsieur.”
“Bonjour, Adolph.”
“Comment êtes-vous aujourd’hui, monsieur Bédard?”
“Très boenne, merci.”
“What do you think about America's proposal?”
“Frankly I don’t see how they can get here. Trying to resurrect an old ship like that is an immense undertaking.”
“Oui, but aside from that. Getting us all together to try to solve the problems of the world. Do you think Russia or Germany will be cooperative? And what about Italy? They can’t decide what day it is let alone solve world problems,” Bédard said.
“Is Spain any better? The Americans are always so naïve. They think they know what is best. They need to keep their noses out of everyone else's business. I frankly do not care much for them. I find them boring,” Adolph replied.
“I certainly hope they can accomplish some of the items on the agenda. It is an immense undertaking. I admire what they are trying to achieve,” Bédard told him.
“Why do they want to hold it in Lisbon? What is there? I’ll tell you what, nothing.
“Docking for the ship.”
“Qu’est-ce? We don’t have a place for the ship in France? What about Saint-Milo? What about La Harve. They found plenty of places during the war didn’t they?” Adolph ranted.
“It is their meeting. I suspect they wanted to have a place that had no historical attachments to it. Let’s be honest, if they would have suggested, say, Berlin. How that would have been very poor indeed.”
“Still, it’s damn inconvenient.”
“A lot more for the Russians and Americans.”
“Still,” Adolph insisted.
“So what have you added to the agenda?”
“Food. How are we all going to get food? Our production is not going to feed the people very long. Once we run out of canned goods and dry goods, then what? Where will we get food?
“Yes, but don’t you think we need to put more effort into it here in France?” Bédard ask.
“How many farmers survived? Miners are what we have. If I hadn’t been on an inspection of the Pique Mine in Dijon, I would not be here. What do I know about farming? Nothing. Less than nothing.”
“Then we need to learn. We need the help of others that do farm. The Americans are pretty good at it.”
“The Americans. They always think that they are the best at everything,” Adolph replied.
“Not think, Adolph, they usually are. It is a fact.”
“Bah.”
“What else?”
“The monetary system.”
“They already have that on the list,” Bédard said.
“So? It is still important. We should all use the Franc. You know, they are the only ones that do not use the correct measurement system. They need to conform to the rest of us.”
“I do agree on the measurement system. No matter which system is chosen it needs to be the same worldwide.”
“As long as it is metric,” Adolph insisted.
“Adolph, I think you are being too pessimistic. We are all in the same situation. I think for the Americans to travel to Europe in an old ship shows remarkable fortitude. If your attitude is going to be so negative then perhaps you should not go with me to the conference,” Bédard said.
“De quoi parlez-vous?”
“What I am saying is that all you have done is complain about the Americans, Russians, Germans, and Spaniards. As senior surviving member of the French Government it is my duty to choose who will attend the conference. I will not appoint someone who is going with a closed mind.”
“Monsieur Bédard I am not being negative, only realistic. It is a known fact that the French people are more worldly that those other backward countries. We should have a leadership role in this conference.”
“Dear Adolph, don't you see? We are not the leaders of the world. We have no military to speak of, little in the way of food, no real organization and are most likely behind Russia, America, Germany, and even China. No Adolph, we are not in a position of power. We must go to the conference with an open mind and learn everything we can.”
“Monsieur Bédard it is always good to have opposing opinions. It helps balance out the thinking process. I know you have the highest position and that Monsieur Broussard is second in rank but I seriously believe that if I am not to attend the conference it will place France at a disadvantage.”
“Ah, so you lack confidence in Monsieur Broussard and myself?”
“Non, non. I don’t mean it like that. I am saying that I feel my contributions will be valuable by offering a different line of thinking. I realize that both of you have the best interest of France in mind,” Adolph said trying to backpedal.
Bédard walked over to the window and looked out. The day was bright and clear. He could see the temperature display and it read a pleasant 26 degrees Celsius.
What he hadn’t gotten used to was looking down on the Champs-Élyéese and seeing hardly any people. The street leading to the Arc De Triomphe was void of traffic. It saddened him to think that this great city would be seen by so few for many years to come.
Finally he looked at Adolph and said, “I know you love our country. You have always served the government with distinction. I am not suggesting that your opinions would not be valuable but it will be necessary to be diplomatic. Russia and the Americans already have a fairly low opinion of us. Ali
enating them further would serve no useful purpose. I admire your fortitude, but I will need to think carefully before I decide who will attend this conference. The Americans have said they will send four representatives. Russia is following their lead. That in itself is somewhat unique. So far, with the exception of the Italians, no one has objected to the location of the conference. But that is to be expected. They want to change everything. I certainly do not object to the location for the conference and neither does Monsieur Broussard.”
“Then I will await your decision. Bon après-midi, Monsieur Bédard.
Bédard watched as the tall lanky Adolph went out the door with his hat in his hand. He was a good man but still lived in the past. He would have to change or else he was in for a bitter time for the rest of his life.
France was not the center of the universe and Bédard was well aware of that. One of the largest sources of income was from tourism and now that was gone. Difficult years lay ahead and he knew that they would have to tread lightly to get help from the other countries. Especially with food.
CHAPTER FOUR
GERMANY
“Who do we intend to send to the conference, Herr Ramsden?”
“I honestly don’t know. I know you would like to attend but sending too many military personnel may send the wrong signal.”
“How can positioning ourselves as a strong country be a disadvantage?” General Schenck asked.
“Surely you know that both the Americans and the Russians will be watching us very closely. I would imagine the French will be as well.”
“Does it matter?”
“I think it does. Things are different. At one time our country was in need of land. We were outgrowing our borders. Now? Well, it doesn’t seem to be very pressing does it?”
“Herr Ramsden, we must look beyond today. Yes, we have plenty of land now but what about in fifty or a hundred years? We may be right back where we started. Now is the time to reclaim Austria and Luxemburg. They have very few people to speak of and no military. We could just walk in and take over both countries.”
“What? And risk having the rest of the world come down on us? General Schenck we do not have an army that can go out and take another country's land and people.”
“Our military is still strong. The Americans won’t be able to interfere this time. Neither will Russia.”
“You are making the classic mistake our previous leaders made. You are underestimating both of those countries in their resolve. We thought the Americans were too soft to come to the aid of Britain and the rest of Europe, but they did. I will simply not risk giving them a reason to place sanctions on us.”
“You are being shortsighted. Now is the time to act before anyone can do anything about it. If they were already in our possession before the conference it would just be accepted.”
“Have you forgotten Austria is attending the conference?”
“It would not matter. We would control the country. We could send our own delegation. In fact, it would be to our advantage.”
“General, I appreciate your views but I just cannot let Germany go down that path again. If we were to take over other countries, I fear we wouldn’t survive this time. We would be disbanded as a country.”
“I hardly think anyone is in a position to disband Germany,” the General said stubbornly.
“You are certainly entitled to your opinion but nonetheless, Germany will not be the aggressor. Do you understand General Schenck?”
“Jawohl Herr Ramsden.”
“Good. Is there anything else on your mind General?”
“Nein Herr Ramsden.”
“Very will General. If you will excuse me, I have another appointment waiting to see me.”
The General saluted and stomped out of the room closing the door with more force than necessary.
What was it about the German military mind? Ramsden thought. Our military always wants to conquer other nations. It was like an obsession.
Ramsden, although not impressive in height, had a look about him that made most people want to avoid crossing him. Something in his bearing sent out a signal that this could be a dangerous person if you incensed him. He knew he would have to keep a close watch on General Schenck. It would be just like him to try to pull a military action without warning.
His secretary entered with a silver tray laden with coffee service.
“Did the General leave?”
“Yes, he just walked out a few seconds ago.”
“I’m sorry Herr Ramsden. I must have been making the coffee. I thought you might like some.”
“No problem. The General was in a bit of a hurry. I would certainly welcome a cup.”
“Would you like me to pour or leave the tray?”
“Leave it. I need you to get Colonel Rinested to come to my office. It is urgent that I speak with him.”
“I’ll go right now and ask him to come immediately.”
“Vielen Dank, Fräulein Anneke.”
“No problem, I will return as soon as I can.”
He watched her as she walked out of the room. He knew she was in love with him. She had said so many times but he wasn’t sure he felt the same. He certainly enjoyed being with her but he missed his wife and three girls terribly. He wasn’t ready for a real commitment yet. He knew it wasn’t fair to Anneke but it was the way it had to be for now. He had enough to worry about without the additional pressure of a permanent relationship.
* * * *
Anneke had been traveling with him as his personal assistant on official government business as a delegate to discuss the Greek financial meltdown. The conference happened to be in England and he had decided to take the Le tunnel sous la Manche this time.
They were lucky. He, Anneke and several other companions were under the English Channel when The Event changed the world. It took them almost a day to slowly make their way out of the tunnel with only the emergency lights. Of course the trains had stopped immediately when the computers shut down. Being closer to the French side they finally emerged at Pas-de-Calais, France.
Like all other survivors, they had no idea what was in store for them. They finally emerged to a world with no noise, traffic, or people. No one could comprehend what had happened.
“What has happened?” Anneke asked when they finally stepped into the dim light, with the swirling mass of dark clouds overhead.
“I don’t know. Something has gone terribly wrong. What has happened to all the people? Where are the birds and animals?” he said.
Stunned did not adequately describe how he had felt. It was beyond anything he had ever experienced before. Nothing was moving except for the fellow passengers from the Eurostar train. Everyone had the same dazed expression, trying to make some sense of what they were seeing.
“Is everyone dead?” Anneke asked.
“I don’t know. The only people I see are the ones from the Eurostar. Everyone else seems to be gone. Where, I do not know,” Ramsden said.
“How do we get home?”
“Anneke, I don’t know. I don’t understand anything. All I know is what I see. I have no answers. We will just have to do what we can. There are cars everywhere but no one around. I suppose we will have to borrow a car and try to get home. How far does this go? I haven’t a clue. Maybe all of Europe or even beyond. I simply have no answers for you right now.”
“I know. I know. I’m just scared,” she said pulling herself closer to him.
“I know. I don’t mean to be harsh Anneke. I’m just as scared as you.”
“You? You are never afraid of anything,” she said.
“This is one time that I am,” Ramsden told her.
Once they had left the Le tunnel sous la Manche there was little else around. The nearest house was almost a kilometer from Route D’Easaclles.
They hiked across the field and through the vineyard to get to the house. They passed more of the greenish blobs along the way.
“Is that all that’s left of the people?”
Anneke asked.
“It would appear so. I don’t know what else it could be.”
When they reached the house, Ramsden went in first and looked around. Only one person must have been in the house. He found the remains in the kitchen.
“You can come in. Everyone is gone,” he told Anneke.
“This seems so wrong, coming into another person’s home.”
“I doubt they care any longer. We need a place to stay. It is getting dark and I am getting very hungry.”
“Hungry? How could you even think about food at a time like this?”
“My dear Anneke, hunger never takes a holiday. There is food here and hopefully they made a palatable wine. You see what you can whip up and I will take a look in the barns.”
“I don’t want you to leave me alone.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right outside. I won’t go far I promise.”
* * * *
It took them five more days to make it back to Paris. Edwald Ramsden finally found an old Citröen 2CV and after tinkering with it, finally got it to start. The little air cooled twin cylinder engine was woefully underpowered and they were only able to travel at 64Kph, approximately 40 miles per hour. That, along with dodging abandoned cars, made it a tedious trip.
Paris was beyond their wildest imagination. The total lack of people and streets clogged with wrecked automobiles made it unnerving. It was hard to comprehend. By the time they arrived at the ministry they had not seen a single soul.
It wasn’t until the next morning that the first of the survivors started to arrive. They came individually and in small groups.
Edwald and Anneke were anxious to get back to Germany so once he had siphoned gas into the Citröen they started out for Berlin. Ramsden had made the trip many times in less than ten hours. This time it took three days to reach the Richstag complex off of Wimsstra ße. As he suspected, Berlin was just as decimated as Paris.
* * * *
As in France, people started slowly finding their way to Berlin. Occasionally a group of military personnel would show up from some secret location.
THE REVELATION - Book 3 (THE EVENT) Page 2