by Mark Wandrey
“What are you doing up this late, boss?” asked his new Chief Assistant. The promotion had been approved with startling speed.
“Working; the same as you. Now listen up, I have a couple things I want you to do. Start with a search of the Manhattan area for warehouses recently leased. I’m also looking for heavy equipment companies who have new, possibly very lucrative government contracts. None of this will be in the federal registry so you’re going to have to look the hard way.”
“What are you on to, boss?”
“
Something unpleasant, I’m sure.”
May 6
The planet Earth held its breath and watched its television screens. Pictures beamed from millions of miles away in space streamed through every set in the world. Live or die, it was a pivotal moment in human history.
“The outgassings became increasingly worse as we closed within two hundred thousand miles,” explained the Aries commander, Major Paul McDaniel. “Damage to the ship is becoming worse by the moment.” Mindy was in the Portal Project’s small lunch room, now crammed with just about everyone in the building as they watched the drama unfold.
Throughout the city, other people of note were watching as well. Billy was in a coffee shop with other cops while Volant was in his private room at the rehab center. Osgood and his closest scientific associates observed from his private trailer while Leo Skinner was only a few stories above Mindy in his office. None of them knew it, but they were all linked at that moment.
“We haven’t been-
“I feel kinda like a voyeur,” giggled one office worker not far from Mindy. The woman earned a shush from Harold and a reproachful look from others. The live feed did have the quality of spying on a private event.
“We’re just going ta’ have to shoot from the hip.” Volant liked this Billy Bob Hicks, the weapons expert; he was a stand-up guy from East Texas that he would love to share a beer with.
“
“Aries, Houston, we have your firing solution on the high gain.”
“Roger that, Houston, and-
The signal stayed static for long seconds, bringing several billion people to the edge of their seats. When the image came back it was a view of a nearly microscopic Aries space ship, nothing more than a tiny white arrow, flying toward a huge rocky bowling pin. “This view is from the Barnard space telescope,” informed a faceless announcer, “NASA informs us they have lost direct feed from the Aries, possibly due to damage from debris. They are still receiving telemetry and we will switch to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“-LPT sequence is nine-by-nine,” said a ground controller.
“Roger that LPT, data shows firing solutions have been input and targets acquired. Aries is entering her firing configuration.”
The unknown announcer returned and a tiny inset image appeared. It was a computer generated mockup of the Aries as it appeared at that moment. The four long modules carried along its sides were opening and deadly nuclear missiles were being raised out on robotic arms. The actual view of the Aries from Barnard appeared unchanged, the distance just too far.
“We have clear door lights.”
“Affirmative, bays one through four show good gimbal.”
“Roger that ECOM, we are configured to fire.”
“The Aries is preparing to fire,” the announcer picked up. “At this moment all four of its nuclear missiles are being armed.”
“Green light on CPG alpha, red light on DLR four.”
“Roger that red light, override in place, we will go with backup to DLR four. Fuel cells are stable, telemetry is picking up glitches.”
“Got that, flight, we are T-minus ten and counting to fire. Five, four, three, two, one, the weapons are firing.” Mindy shook her head at how calm they were, like playing a video game.
“The Aries is now launching her missiles,” the announcer said for anyone on the planet who didn’t understand the flight controller. “It will only take a minute for them to reach their target. And now Aries must run for its life.”
“Showing max burn on all outboard engines, max burn on one, three and four inboard. Inboard two is a red light.”
“Affirmative, flight, max burn, event horizon in fifty seconds.”
“Even though we know Aries is critically low on fuel, they have no choice. They must outrace the rockets so that Lebowski will shield them from the blast. The asteroid’s unpredictable course has made this point blank firing necessary. The incredibly dense cloud of rock debris created by outgassings is also partly to blame.”
“God, I wish that idiot would shut up,” someone near Osgood said. All the heads in the room went up and down.
“Look, there are the rockets!” a cop near Billy said. On the screen, four tiny white dots could be seen moving away from the white arrow of Aries and were moving toward the asteroid. At the same time, the Aries had become considerably brighter itself and could be seen moving at an angle from the missiles.
“Come on man, blow it to hell!” Harold urged. Mindy didn’t say anything about how he had been the one saying Aries didn’t stand a chance; no one would want to hear it just then.
“Houston,
“Roger that, Aries, we have your feedback.”
“We’re on the far side of the debris field now, there’s
“Copy that Aries, we’re working those numbers now.” Few around the planet understood the term ‘bingo fuel’. Those who did now knew their hopeless plight. Bingo fuel, past the point of no return.
“Detonation in ten, nine, eight-” the image of the Aries from so far away suddenly went black, to the howls of outrage from everyone watching.
“The Barnard Space Telescope has been shuttered to avoid damage from the nuclear flash,” NASA explained. There was silence for a long moment before the voice returned. “We have detonation,” that voice reported in deadpan. “Clear detonation of all four weapons.”
The uproar was so loud in her office that Mindy was surprised the building didn’t collapse. The screen lit up again to show a glowing ball of iridescent light in the sky, aftereffects of the multiple nuclear blasts.
“Damage assessments are underway,” NASA continue to report, and then Aries came back on.
“-orry Houston, so sorry.
“We’re not sure what Major McDaniel is talking about, ladies and gentlemen, communications from Aries are understandably broken up. Hold on, I understand they have found the ship with the Barnard Space Telescope once more.”
The image shifted to one side of the gas cloud and sharpened to show the white arrow of Aries gliding away from the blast. To one side it also showed the unmistakable outline of a huge shining shape in the debris. Debris from the blast almost filled the view, so much of it that the view resembled a tornado. Some fluke of the gas and energy allowed the view of Aries to get even clearer, bringing out sharp details on the distant ship.
“
“We’re still trying to get a clarification from NASA on what the Aries commander was saying.” It was obvious that the announcer hadn’t been watching the feed or he would have know
n. Aries was gone, and the Earth was naked before Lebowski. The view from Barnard shifted out and back to show the shiny object they had glimpsed moments before. Lebowski was still there. The nuclear bombs hadn’t destroyed it, but merely given it a good cleaning. What once was a rocky, pitted asteroid was now a shiny polished thing of iron. Smaller, and infinitely more deadly.
“Bummer,” Harold said as the TV screen went into a test pattern.
“What did we just see?” Billy asked through the stunned silence. The streets were quiet, likely because even the crooks were watching the show. The two plasma screens had showed the live feed from space on two different networks. The whole place had erupted in excitement as it was announced that the missiles exploded. The cheers were deafening as the cameras from Barnard came back on showing the huge glowing debris cloud.
The place buzzed with jubilant conversation as the talking heads explained how the radiation from the blast had overwhelmed the high gain radio, but they were still receiving telemetry from the craft via the low gain radio.
As Billy was patted on the back by other cops he kept his eyes firmly on the screens. He had to hear from the astronomers to know the danger was past.
The rest of the events unwound in stark details. Images of the now shiny Lebowski came through clearly. They could also see large pieces of it hurtling toward the Aries. A tiny flash of light and they were all dead. It was a quiet, senseless death by an emotionless killer. The screens were now blank and even the NASA commentator was at a loss for words. Those were only the first of billions to die.
“What did we just see?” Billy asked again.
The commentator’s voice finally returned. “We’re trying to analyze the failure,” it reportedly dumbly. “We have zero telemetry.”
“Oh fucking shit,” someone said. The atmosphere of celebration only moments before quickly began to sour. One of the TV screens cut from the empty NASA view to a news anchor sitting in a chair. He looked visibly shaken and was trying to compose his thoughts.
“I-I believe there is little doubt we just witnessed the horrible end of the space ship Aries, and all five souls aboard.” The image showed an inset with press photographs of the astronauts and their names below them. Some forward thinking person at the network had prepared graphics in advance and surrounded the astronauts with flowers and doves. “The Crew of the Aries, Heroes One and All!” Billy was shook by the scene, amazed that someone had actually taken the time to have the eulogy ready.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of squealing tires and tearing metal. Outside the coffee shop, an overloaded U-Haul truck had just raced around the corner too quickly and flipped into oncoming traffic. All the cops in the bar realized that the city was no longer quiet. Mayhem was breaking out. Without another thought, Billy grabbed his jacket and ran for the door. The looting would start soon.
“We have some information coming in from the European Space Agency,” said an announcer, making Leo put down his phone. He wasn’t getting an answer at Houston anyway. “Their space telescope, Polaris, has been tracking the asteroid LM-245, nicknamed Lebowski by the Aries crew members, since before the attack. They have just released this footage.” The screen switched to a distant view of a slightly elongated object centered in the view. A white spark was passing over the object and you could see flashes coming from it. “This is believed to be the nuclear missile launches from Aries,” supplied the anchor. As the footage played out suddenly there were a series of blinding strobes so intense the image was washed out. “Here the nuclear bombs have exploded.” The image was sped up for a second to where it cleared. “However it was possible, the asteroid had a thin shell of rock and the nuclear weapons just blew this shell to pieces. The ESA have provided this graphic overlay.” The scene replayed faster this time, Lebowski was highlighted with blue lines showing its shape. The bombs went off and the tape jumped forward to show Lebowski sans its rocky skin. “It has been confirmed, the Aries failed to destroy LM-245 and it is still headed directly for the Earth. This is truly tragic news.”
Leo reclined in his chair and rubbed his temples. He could hear the sounds of crashing cars and gunshots on the streets far below. He knew what was going to happen next and picked up the phone to make sure it happened right.
A few floors below Leo, Harold look at Mindy and swallowed. “What do we do now?” he asked.
She shrugged and laid her head on his shoulder, crying. Harold went rigid for a moment, then reached up and tenderly stroked her hair. “I don’t know,” she said as she cried. The doors were flung open and a squad of soldiers marched in. At their head was a three star general that looked like he had been carved from solid granite. He moved to stand next to the TV which, as if on cue, suddenly went from its test pattern to the President of the United States.
“My fellow Americans,” he said and cleared his throat before continuing. “I fear this is our darkest hour. We sent five of our bravest into the dark night of space to save us and they themselves have been lost. Worse, we are now in mortal peril. All is not yet lost. While we have dedicated much of our resources toward the Aries mission, we have also been preparing for potential disaster.”
“He’s not talking about us, is he?” Mindy said aloud.
“That would be insane,” Harold said and drew a dangerous look from a nearby soldier. He returned the glare and they continued listening to the president.
“-thousands of people have been working for weeks now to prepare the way. In nine top-secret locations around the nation we have been constructing bunkers deep underground. In one week we will choose the names of those who will take refuge in these bunkers. Each can hold one hundred thousand people, and is capable of being self-sufficient for twenty years. We are making use of the newest in sustainable life support technology so that minimal stores are needed. Life will be hard, many will not make it, but our nation, our species, will go on.
“I am given to understand that other nations are proceeding along similar lines. This asteroid is capable of incredible damage to our planet, but we will not go gently into that good night. Not being chosen to enter the bunkers is by no means a death sentence. The damage may be relatively minor and localized. It is too soon to know for certain.” The President’s ever present smile faded and he leaned closer to the camera before continuing.
“I’ve already signed a nationwide declaration of martial law. Over the last five days, a precautionary mobilization of the National Guard has been underway. They are, at this moment, moving into key positions throughout the country. Our troops are being recalled from overseas, with the exception of a small number to keep installations from being vandalized during the crisis. This is not going to be an opportunity for the lawless element in our society to run wild; order will be maintained. If you work, you will be expected to show up at your job tomorrow. Civil defense leaders have been issued instructions on the construction of bomb shelters to aid those who will not be chosen for the bunkers.
“Know this, those picked for the bunkers will be common people. Only a few of our leaders will be allowed to enter the bunkers. This will not be a means of escape for the elite, the rich, and the powerful. Those few, those Chosen, will be amongst the finest of our citizens. Artists, constructions workers, schoolteachers, doctors, scientists, cab drivers, there will be no prejudice because of who you are, or what you do. The criterion is being a resident of the US and between the ages of sixteen and sixty. If you are one of these Chosen and are married with children they may be considered, but there is no guarantee. If you give up your position for this reason it will be given to someone else. The only other thing that will determine admission to the bunkers is your performance as a citizen. Partake of lawlessness, abandon your work, become a thug or work against order and you will not be Chosen.
“In eight days a national lottery will take place using social security numbers and criminal background checks. If you have committed a crime between now and then you will not be Chosen. If you have b
roken the law any time in your life, you may not be picked; it will depend on the crime and the circumstances. On May 14th a special courier will inform you if you are one of the Chosen. Be sure you are home that day. I have declared that Wednesday to be a national holiday effectively immediately.
“There it is, my fellow Americans. We need to stand fast in the face of this bleak future. We have the moral fiber to stand up to the challenge and emerge even stronger. That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Good day and God bless.” The screen went blank and the room stayed quiet.
“That was a stirring speech,” the general said and stepped in front of the television. “I am Lt. General Hipstitch and I am in charge of the New York sector. I also know what you are really doing here. What you all are now going to know is that there are no bunkers. That Portal through which a team of one hundred will pass in a couple weeks is the only way off the planet. Unlike the average citizens, you also have a shot at being one of those hundred. We’re not taking Joe Six-pack; we’re looking for educated professionals of child bearing age, not sterilized, with a diverse set of skills, who are not afraid to work. Keep the secret, work your ass off, and you just might get to live. If not, Lebowski will be here in a few weeks to settle all accounts.”
Hipstitch started to turn and the room began to erupt in loud conversation. He stopped and cleared his throat. “Oh, I almost forgot. If any of you just want to quit and blab, I’d think twice about that. You’re all under quarantine from this moment on. You can quit if you want, but you can’t leave. You’ll be permanent residents of the Portal Arms Motel until Lebowski gets here. So you might as well work.”
“Fucking fascist!” Harold yelled. Luckily for him, the room instantly exploded into protests, though most were less inflammatory than his. Hipstitch just waved to the crowd and left. A pair of armed soldiers stayed behind. Mindy had no words to offer, she was too stunned. All she could think about was how Billy was coming later to pick her up so she could move into his apartment. “You bastard,” she hissed at Hipstitch’s back. She noticed that Harold was trying to incite civil unrest amongst their coworkers so she grabbed him and suggested they get back to their office. When the elevator opened on their floor more soldiers waited. Each one checked their ID against a list before letting them past.