by R Davison
“It would be nice to see Australia, but under the circumstances, I would much prefer to be home in Russia as soon as possible,” Alexander retorted.
“I know that, I also. But would it not be nice to go to Sydney, and visit the opera hall?”
“I hate opera!” Alexander snapped, not noticing Nicholas winking at Ivan.
Ivan jumped into the fray. “We do not know if they are going to want to us to set down there or not. Hopefully we will get our answer on the next orbit,” he said.
Susan entered the module. Unaware of what had transpired, she was quickly brought up-to-date on what they had learned. She told them that Jerry had already started to show improvement after the application of the antidote and guessed he would probably be conscious within the next thirty minutes.
Susan asked Paul if he would stay with Jerry until he came around, seeing as Jerry was more comfortable with Paul than anyone else. Paul agreed and left his console to stay with Jerry.
Paul had been with Jerry a short while when he was joined by Susan and Ivan who had come to free Jerry from his cocoon, so that he could move around after he awoke. “You really want to free him?” Paul asked, a bit skeptical.
“Well, he really needs to exercise, move his arms and legs to help promote his circulation,” Susan said. “In that sleeping bag, he can’t very well do that, and I don’t want any more complications, if at all possible. We can’t leave him unattended even after he wakes up, or well have to tie him up again to keep him out of trouble.”
“By all means, do not leave him alone!” Ivan emphasized. “If, for any reason, you have to do so, call on the intercom and wait until some one relieves you before leaving Jerry. Clear?”
Paul seemed a bit taken back by Ivan’s response. “Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?” he asked. “He may be his old self when he comes out of this.”
Susan answered for Ivan. “Paul, I hope that he is the Jerry we used to know,” she said. “Until we are all sure of that, we can’t take any chances that would allow him an opportunity to try something. His record speaks for itself. I don’t think I need to remind you of that.”
Paul shook his head. “No, you don’t need to remind me,” he said. “I agree with you, it makes sense, it just sounds very melodramatic. I hope that Jerry will come out of this with his head screwed on straight.”
“As do we all, Paul,” Ivan added. “Let us know if you see, or suspect anything in his behavior, no matter how small. We need to be a step ahead of him now. Maybe if he understands that we may be deorbiting soon, he will relax and we will not have any problems.”
Paul was quiet as he studied the still sleeping Jerry. He did not like the position of being a policeman, guarding his friend, but he fully understood the reasons for it. Heaving a long sigh, he turned to Ivan and Susan. “I will keep you posted, don’t worry,” he said.
Susan and Ivan left Paul, who was checking Jerry’s pulse and respiration, as instructed by Susan. Outside of the compartment, beyond earshot of Paul, Ivan asked Susan in a low voice, “Do you think Paul is up to this?”
Susan looked back at Ivan, somewhat surprised. “Yes! I don’t think there will be a problem with Paul. Do you?” she asked.
“No. I just sensed more hesitation on Paul’s part than I was expecting. I just wanted to make sure that it felt okay with you.”
“I’m sure that Paul is not crazy about being Jerry’s custodian, but he knows the reasons why, and he understands them. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
Nicholas interrupted their conversation with the announcement that he had picked up what seemed to be the audio of the President of the United States speaking to the UN General Assembly.
“No visual?” Susan asked.
“No, I only have the audio channel,” answered Nicholas.
Susan instructed him to put it over the intercom so Paul would be able to hear it.
“…are urging all countries to maintain open communications at all levels to provide information and assistance to each other,” the President was saying. “We, as a global community, must do what is needed to maintain communications with each other and to maintain our vital lines of transportation. We have lost many communication satellites and, as most of you know, this has complicated what used to be a simple task of making a phone call. If it requires placing more land-based lines to enhance the communication network, then we should begin to do that as soon as possible.
We fear that soon we will lose most of the commercial aviation corridors that we are now using. This will greatly impact our ability to move much-needed supplies and equipment, not to mention people. It also places greater importance on the condition of our surface transportation and infrastructure, which includes sea, as well as land transport. We must coordinate our efforts to ensure that the surface transportation exists to move supplies quickly and efficiently and is not allowed to deteriorate. Considering the damage done to the east coast of the United States, and the western coast of Europe, we will have a lot of work to do before we can easily move supplies across the Atlantic.”
“It all comes back to cooperation, locally, nationally and globally. We will have to begin to implement a lot of this in the United States immediately, but we must think globally. This is not an isolated problem. We can unite in the face of this disaster and maximize the number of survivors, the amount of resources we save, and the technology we carry with us. If we do not unite, and we fight each other for the scraps of bread that remain, or we shun each other, we will all lose! Make no mistake about it. We hold the future of the human race in our very hands at this very dark moment in our stewardship of this planet!”
“I want to emphasize to all that we have time to think before we react to this event. If we panic, and run for the hills, trampling each other in the process, we will find that we have lost any opportunity that we may have had to enhance our chances for survival. I believe that the worst is over, the damage is done, and we can do nothing about that. We have a good idea of what we may be up against in the next stage of this battle. We must pick ourselves up and try to do our best to think clearly about what we have, and what we must do to survive together. It is not going to be easy, make no mistake about it.”
“I would like to propose that we form several international committees. Each will be given a task and they will come up with a plan of action to present to the Assembly in forty-eight hours. I see five major areas that need to be considered.”
“First, we have agriculture. How do we maximize our yields, our inventories, and distribution efficiencies? I feel we must harvest all available food crops as soon as possible. This must be processed in the most efficient manner that will provide the longest shelf life of the products. We must turn to those locations that may have the opportunity to place another food crop in the ground, and relocate resources there to ensure that we harvest those crops at the earliest sign of maturity. My advisors tell me that we may soon be in total darkness. They also tell me that they are not really sure how long it will take to happen, and how long it will take to end. The reality is that we don’t really know the full extent of suffering that this disaster will inflict upon us. But, we must not stop trying, because of what we fear will happen. We have to push ahead until we can push no more, and make every attempt to have plans of action ready to implement at the first sign of a problem. We need to cooperate: share the labor, share the bounty, and survive together!”
“Secondly, we must consider energy. If the darkness sets in as some predict, and for the longest time predicted, we must be able to provide energy for those people in areas that will be worst affected, probably those in the northern- and southern-most latitudes. If it means relocation for survival, then this must be considered and discussed now. We have to have contingency plans ready to be implemented as soon as the need arises. The energy distribution problem also must be considered for industry. We must try to keep whatever infrastructure functioning that is necessary for our survival. These industries need to
be noted and prioritized.”
“Thirdly, we must be very careful in the production, storage, and distribution of essential medicines and medical supplies. We have to prevent the spread and hopefully even the start, of the epidemic diseases that inevitably follow disasters, when many people are placed in close quarters. We also need to be prepared for anything new that we might have to deal with.”
There was a pause as the President caught his breath. He continued after a moment in a softer tone.
“It has been brought to my attention, by my science advisors, that there is a remote possibility that the asteroid that hit us could have harbored bacteriological organisms that might have survived the impact, and these may have been released into our environment.”
There was much murmuring inside the general assembly chamber at this last statement. Susan glanced at Ivan, who had the same surprised look on his face that she had. This was not something that she had thought of; although, now she did remember reading several articles talking about the possibility that Earth was populated by microbes from Mars that caught rides on chunks of the red planet expelled from large meteor impacts.
The President continued, his voice a little louder to speak above the din. “Please, I know this sounds like science fiction. I only present it to you because there is enough evidence available to give credence to this idea. Under the right circumstances this could happen. We do not have the luxury to discount anything at this time, but I also must add that I do not believe we should divert valuable resources to look for an alien bug now.”
“Back to the immediate problem of medicine and medical aid; I must point out that we have many injured people in and around the impact zones. Numbers that I don’t even want to try to guess at. Numbers that may be incomprehensibly high. I must humbly ask that any country that can spare people and essential supplies, please do what you can to help us at this time.”
“Fourth, we will, more than likely, have to implement some kind of rationing system. This is probably best done internally within each country. On a global basis, though, there still will be goods and resources bought and sold. These must not go to the highest bidder, or the richest countries, nor can they be allowed to be taken by force. We owe it to everyone on this planet to have a fair chance to survive, in the best of possible conditions. This leads me to my fifth and final point.”
“We need to establish a rule of law that we can all agree to. No one of us has any more reason, or privilege, to survive than any other person on this planet. We must make sure that no one is left behind in our journey toward tomorrow. If anyone is abused, or taken advantage of in these dire times, the perpetrators of these crimes must be dealt with severely and promptly. If we all see to it that the goal is for all of us to live to see a new day, then we will not need a stated rule of law, or indeed, need to enforce the penalties if they are violated. We must hope for the best, but plan for the worst.”
“Ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly, I present these suggestions to you, not as a complete solution to our problem, but as a basis from which we can start to work to optimize our chances for survival. Many of these ideas are already being implemented in some fashion throughout the United States, because we, unfortunately, do not have any choice at this time but to come to immediate terms with what Mother Nature has dealt us. Globally, we have limited time before things get too critical to come up with a set of workable solutions. Please, let us discuss these and any other ideas that you may have, but we must exercise the utmost restraint and compassion and compromise, for we do not have the luxury of time to come up with solutions that will please everyone.”
“We now have a common enemy that is bigger than any of the prejudice, territorial disputes, or religious and political differences that we may have. Compromise and cooperation will have to be foremost on everyone’s mind, for the good of everyone. Thank you for your undivided attention in this matter of what must be the worst disaster we, as the human race, have ever had to contend with.”
The intercom burst forth with such applause that Susan first thought they had lost the signal and were picking up static. She rolled the President’s ideas and words over in her head trying to glean more from his address than he may have wanted to reveal to the average citizen. She could see the positive spin he was trying to present; he did make it sound like survival was possible. But from what she knew, and what they could see from their vantage point on the station, she was not so sure. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ivan asked her what she thought about the speech.
“Ah,” Susan wavered, trying to decide whether to be honest, and more likely, negative, or to go with the President’s spin and be positive. Which way should a good commander go? Middle of the road, she thought, it’s a compromise. “He presents a very convincing argument for pulling together to combat this disaster. Everything he brought up would definitely be needed if we are to maximize the chances of survival for the most people.”
“Yes, but do you think that this cooperation will be enough?” Alexander asked. “Even the strongest man can not stop a raging bull. All of these things may not make a difference if we find ourselves in total darkness for twelve months. Would society continue under such a burden?”
Susan considered Alexander’s question. He’s asking the same question that I’m asking, probably the same question everyone is asking at this time. Is it enough in the face of this catastrophe? Middle of the road, she reminded herself. “Well, a man may not stop the bull, but he can at least change the bull’s direction,” she said. “I don’t think the President, or anyone else at the UN for that matter, have any illusions that this is going to save everyone. At best it will minimize the loss of life, and at this time, that is about all we can do. I think what he is trying to prevent is the mad hysteria that could follow once people realize the full implications of what has happened. I’m sure that this will occur on a local scale to some degree, but he wants to stop it on a global scale.” Susan cautioned herself not to get too carried away, or she might begin to believe what she is saying.
“I think you are right, Susan,” Ivan said. “I do think that the President is trying to do major damage control, but he is working with a very big unknown in what is going to come from this disaster.”
“Yes, and the only option he has left is to prepare for the worst, and to get as many other countries to join up with him in the process,” Susan added.
“He has a monumental task to accomplish in such a short period of time,” Paul said, as he listened to the discussion from the hatchway to Jerry’s temporary quarters. “You think all of these countries are going to just drop all of their petty little arguments and battles, and join up with the United States? I’m sorry, but I really don’t think that they are going to be all that cooperative. I think that it will be more like everyone for himself.”
“I am afraid that Paul may be more correct than he wants to be,” Nicholas said. “It will be very interesting to see what will develop from this meeting at the UN. It is difficult enough in good times to get all these countries to agree on something. At this point and time, self preservation is probably foremost on everyone’s mind!”
A loud moan emanating from the compartment housing Jerry derailed their discussion. Paul turned to see what was happening with Jerry and was quickly followed by Susan. Jerry was in the nether world walking along the edge of consciousness, where one is aware of what is going on around them, but unable to interact with their environment.
Jerry was able to discern one thing in his semi-conscious state: he was feeling extremely nauseous. He did not really know where he was, or who was around him at this time, but he knew someone was there, which brought him some comfort. Paul was asking Jerry what was bothering him when Jerry began to retch.
“Susan, quick! Get a motion sickness bag out of the first-aid kit on the wall!” Paul shouted to Susan as he saw her coming into the compartment. He was holding onto Jerry so that he had some control over where Jerry was pointing should
he bring something up.
Susan fumbled through the supplies in the kit until she found the motion sickness bag, opened it and passed it to Paul. She then supported Jerry to allow Paul to get better hold on the bag and Jerry. Jerry was mumbling all the while, not really forming intelligible words, but enough to know that he was not comfortable at that moment. His face was pale and sweaty. He kept trying to move his head away from the bag Paul was trying to hold over his mouth.
Paul was getting frustrated with trying to cover a moving target and finally shouted at Jerry in a very firm voice. “Jerry! Calm down, I’m here to help!” Jerry didn’t respond to Paul’s command and continued to struggle.
Although she had planned to keep a low profile, Susan decided that they had nothing to lose if she talked to Jerry now. “Jerry! Hold still! We are trying to help you, just relax.”
Jerry froze at the sound of Susan’s voice. His eyes slowly opened as he tried to focus on the source of the voice. Paul seized the opportunity to clamp the bag tightly over Jerry’s mouth. As Jerry’s eyes locked onto Susan’s, Paul could feel Jerry’s body tense as his stomach contracted expelling its contents into the bag! Instinctively, Susan pushed back and released her grip on Jerry in the process, making Paul’s job of containing the vomit even more difficult.
“Susan! Hold onto him or this stuff is going to go everywhere!” Paul shouted while struggling to keep in control of Jerry. Susan secured her foot in a foot restraint that she noticed on the wall and grabbed at Jerry’s closest arm as it swung by. Seizing his arm, she then pulled Jerry closer, allowing Paul to regain his hold on him.
Jerry had begun to settle down by this time, his nausea had passed, and he gave into the fatigue that overwhelmed his body. Paul carefully removed and sealed the bag, while Susan maintained her grasp on Jerry.
As Paul floated over to the first-aid kit to retrieve some disinfectant wipes to clean up Jerry, he wryly asked Susan, “Well, should we tie him up, or do you think he still needs more exercise?”