The Final Enemy

by Petrosini, Dan

  Looking to save time, Jack had already written an article on the success of the launch. He called the copy desk and went over some pictures that would accompany his triumphant piece. When he hung up, Jack fretted over the strong possibility the launch would fail to change things, forcing him to spout Garland’s spin or face danger outside the base.

  As the crowd of onlookers began to break up, Jack checked his watch. It was a quarter to nine. He figured he’d be able to keep working on an urgent project until around seven that night, when he needed to be ready for any results flowing in. He gathered his things and headed to secretly meet with a pair of high-ranking NASA employees.

  Jack waded through the hordes of visitors and took the seat between two men on a bench inside the Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Hall of Fame.

  Jack said, “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. As Dr. Vincenzo probably told you, you can speak freely with me. If you want to be anonymous, no problem. All I want is to get the facts about why and who killed the idea.”

  Jimmy Johnson, Canaveral’s facilities test manager for experimental projects, said, “Look, neither one of us wants to be quoted. I’ve been here for twenty-seven years, and I’d like to finish my career here.” He looked left and right. “I’m uncomfortable being here. I feel like I’m not being loyal, but I love NASA. The agency is something special. We’re a place where all ideas are explored through an open and shared process. It has to stay that way.”

  “Jimmy’s right,” Oscar Mendes, NASA’s senior aerospace engineer, said. “Decisions are collaborative here. We don’t know any other way.”

  “I get it. Don’t worry, no one will know we spoke. If anyone saw us together, we’ll just say we’ve met a couple of times at the Space Expo and were killing time before the results came in.”

  Heads nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s start with how the idea to catapult Remedy out of its orbit and into space originated.”

  Johnson said, “We’ve got hundreds of astronomers, scientists, engineers, you name it. These are top-flight folks, and they’ve got a stream of ideas they work on. When an idea or project is vetted by their peers it gets brought to me.”

  “So, this entire thing with the solar wind came out of NASA?”

  “First off, we don’t have a monopoly on talent, but we’re fortunate to collaborate with some of the best minds in the private and public sectors. Sometimes they bring an idea or the seed of an idea. Secondly, as I understand it, the thought to expose Remedy to the solar wind evolved as part of the discussion to put Remedy into orbit in the first place.”

  “Jimmy’s right. Most of the engineers in my group never believed that an LEO, a low Earth orbit, or GEO, a geostationary orbit, would be enough to have any impact on Remedy.”

  “And why was that?”

  “Pretty simple, if you think that Remedy is in Washington but its effect is still felt in, say, Sydney, Australia, which is some ten thousand miles away.”

  “Wow. So is that why about half the so-called experts were against it?”

  “They are experts and they were correct in their assumptions.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. I was talking about the other side, who thought . . .”

  Johnson put his hand up. “It’s okay. I just want to emphasize that the talented people who work here are experts in their fields, and when they make a determination, it is based on research and experimentation. Most times they’re dead-on, but sometimes they’re mistaken.”

  “I got it. So what happened next?”

  “There was a belief by some that a much greater distance was necessary to dilute Remedy’s power. And we started modeling it.”

  “But how could you model it if you don’t know the type of power?”

  “It’s true we don’t know the nature of Remedy’s force, but the primary waves of power in the universe are radio, microwave, and magnetic. Therefore, we modelled each of them. When we starting doing the forecasts we naturally adjusted for the solar wind. Tony Barberi, he’s an atmospheric scientist, immediately realized the impact it would have.”

  “That’s how it’s done here.” Johnson flashed a smile.

  “Okay, so what happened next?”

  “Well, we tested the theory to be sure it was a valid supposition.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “That was fairly easy. We have reams of data on how the solar wind affects things, and we consulted with the magnetosphere group. Everyone seemed pretty certain putting Remedy into outer space, on a trajectory away from Earth, would eliminate or substantially dilute its power.”

  “So you did the research and, as you say, vetted it, and everybody agreed, right?”

  “Yes, almost unanimous, in our group anyway.”

  “So how could anyone refute your findings?”

  Johnson said, “Well, to be fair, the only reasonable point of contention was the type of force. Not being certain of the nature of Remedy’s force led some to question the methodology of basing our assumptions on radio, microwave, and magnetic waves.”

  “But still . . . so what happened then?”

  “Well, Jimmy knew of our work in this area, and, when we concluded, we brought it to him, thinking this was it. There were some people opposed. I mean not scientifically, but, you know, nobody wants to give up being immortal.”

  “I know, believe me I do.”

  Johnson said, “We had a presentation meeting, like we always do, and it was rock solid, or so I thought. After it was over I scheduled a meeting the next day with the administrator.”

  “Marc Jeffries?”

  Johnson frowned. “Yeah, Marc Jeffries.”

  “And what happened?”

  “It went well. He’s not an emotional type, but I think he was excited. You know his mother-in-law was euthanized only about a week before, so I thought he’d green-light it.”

  “And what did he say?”

  “Said it was good work and that he was going to bring it to the president.”

  “He went to Rogers?”

  “I know he technically reports directly to the president, but I’m sure he didn’t call President Rogers directly.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Johnson shook his head.

  “Did he mention Pete Garland, the president’s chief of staff?”

  “No.”

  Jack asked, “And then what happened?”

  “I waited two days before following up, and when I did, Mr. Jeffries said he was waiting to hear back. Another couple of days went by and I went to see Mr. Jeffries again. I mean, this could be the solution we’ve been looking for. I just couldn’t believe there was no response.”

  “Just to clarify, this happened when?”

  “It was about two months after the orbital launch. I can get you the exact dates.”

  “That’d be helpful. What did Jeffries say?”

  “He said the White House didn’t like the idea and that it was to be dropped.”

  “Who at the White House?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Was it Pete Garland?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Garland’s the chief of staff. He carries a lot of weight and speaks for Rogers. Are you really certain it wasn’t him?”

  “I really don’t remember Jeffries stating a name.”

  “But it could have been Garland?”

  “I guess so.”

  ***

  There were eight hours left until the world found out if the plan to save humanity was going to succeed. Digging like a miner, Jack used the time to try and tag Garland as the one who blocked Remedy from being catapulted earlier. Jack felt he was in a perfect spot, if launching Remedy was successful, he could take the chance and release what he’d found on Garland. If the launch was a failure, Jack would sit on the information to avoid the risk of being thrown off the base.

  Two hours of prying
White House contacts for a morsel of information to incriminate the chief of staff yielded nothing but frustration. He’d collected a few more innuendos, but there was nothing powerful enough about the launch delay to bring Garland down.

  There wasn’t much time left if the launch didn’t work. Jack knew Garland would implement Rightsizing with or without him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his digital recorder. Jack stared at it for a full five minutes before pulling his cell phone out.

  “Manny, I’ve got the goods on Garland.”

  “Whoa. What do you have?”

  “A recording that is impossible to describe, but he’s going down, and probably Rogers as well. You got to hear it yourself. I’ll cue it up.”

  Jack played it for Manny, who was now a multi-media director for the Associated Press.

  “Oh my God. That’s horrid. I can’t believe my ears.”

  “You’ve got to get this out now. I don’t want a minute wasted, or we’ll get washed away by the launch.”

  “It’ll be on radio and TV in an hour.”

  “Great. I’ll upload it to you.”

  Jack sent the explosive recording on its way and called Laura and told her what he had done. He said, “No matter how the launch turns out, things won’t be same for us.”

  “It’s okay. You did what you had to do, Jack. What’s going to be is going to be.”

  “I guess so, but why don’t we meet up at St. Patrick’s? We need all the help we can get.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Jack’s two articles occupied most of the real estate on March 2nd’s front pages. While the lead story was eye-catching, the story below the fold was what people were talking about as the euphoria faded.

  Successful Launch!

  Remedy Rendered Powerless

  By Jack Amato

  The death of John Milner, a sixty-five-year-old resident of Portland, Maine, at 7:01 p.m. EST, confirmed the success of catapulting Remedy into outer space. The historic natural death, quickly followed up by scores of others across the country, confirmed the end of Remedy’s ability to keep death at bay.

  As reports of confirmed deaths began to roll in, citizens, who’d heretofore been wary of their neighbors, began to flood into streets around the world. In festive scenes reminiscent of the end of World War II, streets were jammed with people rejoicing over the news. It appeared none of the partiers realized how ironic it was to celebrate the return of death.

  In a Rose Garden ceremony, President Rogers thanked those responsible for the launch and urged Americans to be patient as things return to normal. While cautioning Americans that it would take years to reverse the effects of Remedy, the president said his administration was working hard to ease the suffering as quickly as possible. Rogers said that an increase in rations was under consideration but needed further study to ensure no shortfalls would crop up.

  The president’s comments were short of specifics. However, he did state that he and his staff would return to the White House on a full-time basis on the first of April. Rogers also said he had signed an executive order rescinding the Right Ageing Program while promising to review all programs enacted in response to the population explosion. Interestingly, the president closed his remarks by invoking a long absent phrase, May God Bless the United States of America, which was not in the transcript released to the press.

  Though the launch did not deliver any immediate relief, the successful mission brings much-needed hope to a weary nation. That hope will be a resource to draw upon as we attempt our rejuvenation as a nation and a culture.

  ***

  What’s the New Normal?

  Opinion and Analysis

  By Jack Amato

  With Remedy’s death-defying power rendered ineffective, Americans eagerly anticipate a return to normal. President Rogers referenced a return to normal six times during his Rose Garden comments, drawing loud applause each time.

  It’s a nice concept, but exactly what is normal at this point in history? It’s important to realize that this tragedy is unusual in a fundamental way. Tragedy like a tornado or a terrorist attack normally strikes an individual or group of individuals. With Remedy, everyone has been traumatized. It’s never happened before. Even during world wars, large swaths of the population were insulated from the horror.

  Given the events, experience, and hardships Remedy brought with it, can society reclaim the cadence it had prior to Remedy?

  I, for one, don’t believe it’s possible. Once you’ve gotten sunburned, you can’t undo it. Sure, the repercussions will fade, but beneath the surface the scars of the burn will always be there. To me, it’s how we all deal with the wounds that determines what the new normal will be.

  In spite of the shadow that hangs over mankind, I’m hopeful we can learn to trust and truly laugh again. As the euphoria of the launch fades and reality creeps back, we must be prepared to adjust, to find a place to put the horrors aside, and to go forward. It will not be easy, and some, whose experiences were rawer than most, will find it hard, if not impossible. But try and succeed we must, as today and possibly tomorrow are all we have.

  We cannot reverse what we were forced to do to survive, but we can make adjustments and acceptances as we prepare for a new normal.

  Forecasts of the future naturally vary, but I daresay, who would have predicted there would be dancing in the streets celebrating the return of death?

  THE END

  I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, I would greatly appreciate a short review on Amazon or your favorite book website. Reviews are crucial for any author, and even just a line or two can make a huge difference. Thank you, Dan

  Other Books by Dan

  Am I the Killer?

  Complicit Witness

  Push Back

  Ambition Cliff