by Boris Licina
The full moon shone on the hotel promenade along the ring. That time of night, or what passed as night, there were very few hikers. A couple sat on the most romantic bench of the ring and enjoyed the view to the Moon when hotel's shuttle suddenly blocked their view. The shuttle was used to inspect the hotel from the outside, when necessary or for regular monthly controls. That was one of those carefully planned, monthly inspections. Although the software should report malfunctions, it was recommended for two people to carefully check everything.
Morris operated the shuttle as always, and Jessica was his second pair of eyes on that day.
Jessica admired Morris. At school she heard about him as a living legend and the man who spent most hours in space. The hotel was not included - only space missions. He lead shuttle missions four times, one of them almost ending fatally. The crew was saved only by his good judgment and quick reactions when a rogue Russian satellite suddenly rushed at them. The media loved him and romanticized the story making him into a national hero who almost saved humanity from extinction! Morris did not hide away from media attention, but disliked exaggerating, too. Still, it was a useful story to popularize space exploration, so his bosses embraced it as well. How much that incident influenced the decision to send him to three hundred eighty three days on the International Space Station as his next mission, Morris did not know. He accepted it with enthusiasm. If he could live in space - he would - he thought as the shuttle's powerful engines carried him towards the ISS. That opportunity was presented to him a few years later, when the Company's people came and offered him technical operations on Rene 9.
He had just ended a long relationship - and not with the International Space Station - and Rene 9 seemed more that acceptable. He needed to escape from reality. He needed a place to collect his thoughts and see what was next. Morris was sure love would beat the three hundred eighty three days in space, but long distance relationships were difficult on Earth as in space.
The public was interested when the most popular astronaut crossed over to the private sector. Morris gave the hotel strong media coverage so that every investment paid off. And investments were many. He fell in love with the hotel on the first day he arrived as a passenger, as would anybody with an ounce of love for space and space exploration. Morris liked the size of the hotel - he used to think it was limited but he was astonished by the complex structure with the interior resembling science fiction films. Although there were traces of different designs, it was obvious that the architects and designers were mostly inspired by Star Trek.
He loved the hotel, adored his control room. Mostly because of the view, then the equipment. Rene 9 was the pinnacle of space engineering. All the years of research, space travel and technological advancement were visible in this magnificent structure. It was a hotel, Morris knew, but it was also a fascinating spacecraft never before seen. Rene 9 was much more than a hotel.
He gave shuttle controls to Jessica and sat back to enjoy the comfortable vibrations of the flight. They were to fly over the northern part of the ring next and they would return to the hotel. Absolutely everything functioned perfectly, neither a slightest error, nor a problem in sight.
22.
It was snowing outside. Large snowflakes were falling onto the ground, not lasting very long. In a few hours the snowfall would become heavier, and the ground much whiter. Rachel was looking at the High Museum of Art, an almost white building that was blending in with the snow in winter time. It was difficult to recognize it under all those snowflakes. Rachel liked watching the snow, being far from the unstoppable flu. It was already dawning, traffic should have been heavy. But there was none. Not any time soon. Wearing a warm cream-colored bathrobe, Rachel took a sip of the tasty rose hip tea.
She liked rose hip tea. It reminded her of home, where it was offered every morning. In Fallbrook, California, where she grew up, rose hip tea would wait for her in the morning, slightly cooled. Although the small town was more famous for avocados, even called the Avocado Capital of the World, Rachel rooted for rose hips. The house was in the hills, not far from the Fallbrook Country Club and its golf courses. Rachel's family were members and she was earning her pocket money there for years, as a waitress, golf caddy or administration assistant. Each summer she spent in the club, she gathered wonderful memories. She also met good people and got her best friends. If she had been a writer, she was sure at least one of her books would be about that club! Rachel even day-dreaded one day she would write, just as soon as she caught all the viruses and eradicated the diseases threatening the world.
Working at the club was good for her. Her family had more than enough money, but Rachel was not spoiled, she did not had everything served to her. She had to fight for it. And that was why Rachel was thankful to her family. She learned to move through life on her own merit and effort.
Although Rachel was growing up in a moderate climate, and often traveled to hot destinations, she liked winter and being bundled up in warm layers of clothes. Perhaps even a shawl over her mouth and nose against the cold air. She used to walk around Boston a lot dressed like that, while she studied at Harvard. Although a fan of winter, she never skied or snowboarded. She simply could not find the time for it. Her path from Harvard was paved with many working days and very little rest. She liked it that way, since she was a workaholic and enjoyed her work. Rachel considered herself to be a virus detective - viruses were thugs to be exposed. She also loved field work and travelling to unknown and different countries, where little was much and where every drop of water and seed was appreciated. Unfortunately, such countries were usually the first stricken by epidemics. With ever similar causes of problems. Corruption first. This frustration with avoiding rules and regulations, as well as the possibility to buy out everybody, forced Rachel to go to Washington. She thought that was the place to fix things on the global level. And her idea was working until they sent her to Atlanta due to the Snow Flu.
Under Rachel's window, the traffic got a bit heavy. She drank some more tea and then she felt the arms around her hips.
"Good morning", Amanda said. "Any tea for me?"
"Sure", Rachel smiled, kissed her on the lips and went to prepare more tea.
Amanda remained at the window watching the snow.
23.
Josh leaned his head onto his arms and watched the screen in the TV room. The reporter was talking about hundreds of millions deaths in the world, but the information was lost on Josh. He remembered a survey, done a long time ago by idle students, that proved that nobody would survive a zombie apocalypse. According to their calculations, a long time favorite for horror fans, it would take only a hundred days for the zombies to infect the entire planet. The researches mercifully also gave humans a chance. If the average life-span of a zombie was a year, the survivors would need three years to exterminate them all, that is twenty seven years for humanity to start growing again significantly. Or something like that.
With this number of casualties, as the reporter said "in hundreds of millions", nothing would ever be the same. Interestingly enough, although the total quarantine began some ten days ago, nobody in the hotel looked overly upset. People just extended their vacation, not thinking about the situation on Earth. He was worried though, probably because he did not belong among the richest people like the majority of guests. Some of them probably had a nuclear shelter, he thought, ready to sustain them for ten and more years!
The situation had run out of control a long time ago, he realized and decided to make a Snow Outbreak scenario with potential outcomes. Nothing better to do anyway. He left the TV room's noise behind him and went to the promenade. He needed that magnificent view to Earth and a conversation with his old man. Josh's father, the old mountain climber, was still fit and in shape - the flu did not touch him. And he never left the house or went to a shelter. He said: "If the time has come, let it."
Josh grew up in Gig Harbor, some forty minutes from Seattle. His childhood was marked by frequent illnesses - when he was not i
n school, he was in bed at home. He tired easily and could not receive many visitors, so he was spending time watching catastrophe movies. And if they were about viruses causing havoc, all the better. Kids his age usually feared such films, but not him. He was brave! And amused by the topic. When he was not resting and watching movies, he was learning code when he felt rested enough. There were so many educational opportunities online, free of charge or otherwise, enabling everyone to learn whatever they wanted. In a few years Josh was in love with software and was writing code all the time. In the meantime he grew to be a healthy young man that started his education and further his skills. For a long time, he thought about whether he needed this at all, since he was already good at programming. But the wish to meet new people prevailed. So, he did, but the most important was Eva, who would marry him a few years later and raise a curious girl, named Eli.
There were only several people on the promenade, and all the benches with the view were free. How long does it take to get bored by the view to Earth, he wanted to know, but the answer presented itself. He flipped his mobile open and started to enter data on the outbreak. He wanted to know where it would end if it kept spreading that fast. But, that was only one factor in his equation. What would happen to nuclear plants? Other power plants, gasworks, wind plants and other energy producing plants? How fast would other diseases leak into the world from hospitals? How would military installations function? Who would control aircraft carriers, submarines? How long would it take some lunatic to activate nuclear weapons wishing upon a clean start? Josh definitely would not get all the answers, but would come closer to potential scenarios watching his huge ball in front of him.
Three hours later Josh was still standing next to the promenade window, arms crossed, watching Earth. He repeated the calculation and the same simulation several times and the result was the same every time. So horrible that it was sending chills down his spine when he even thought about it. And every time he shook, as if trying to chase away an ugly, winter day.
24.
More than ten people was unusually crowded for the hotel's pool. Situated not far from the zero-gravity chamber, the pool offered another typical hotel entertainment. A bit of wellness, some swimming, exclusively to justify the high cost of accommodation. The guests were used to that service. The pool was large enough for seven to ten strokes. On the wall, the most beautiful beach landscapes from Earth were ever changing on the screen. This was another way to relax the guests in this actually horrifying structure. Realistically speaking, there was no need for a pool or wellness. Neither was this the hotel's focus. The Company knew the pool would be remodeled in two years, and the new hotels had no plans for pools.
Eli was swimming front crawl across the pool, Oliver followed her. They had decided on the swimming pool only recently and it felt really good, refreshing. After their first kiss on the Death Star's bridge, their days changed completely. They were spending all the time together! From dawn to dusk, they were roaming the hotel. Sometimes they would plan their day carefully, sometimes had no plans whatsoever. But the day would always start with a breakfast that was just too good to pass up. When they felt like it, they resembled an old married couple and spoke with a funny English accent. "My dear, would you like some tea", Oliver would ask her. Sometimes they stopped by the kitchen and watched the hectic, but careful food preparation. They became friends with the master chef Cody who liked their youth and affection.
Eli and Oliver were still spending a lot of time in the zero-gravity chamber, mostly choosing game simulations. SWC 141 Retribution from Call of Duty was Oliver's favorite ship, but they shied away from no SF shows or movies. Eli did not know many of them. Between video games and frequent nature trips, she simply did not have the time. But now, with Oliver, she was learning even the least significant details from his favorite shows and movies. Sometimes she found it boring, so she told him so. She often mixed characters on purpose because she knew he would get upset with her ignorance. "When Ray was the captain of the Voyager", she began, "and attacked Luke Skywalker …", then Oliver would roll his eyes, knowing she was just teasing him. "I have to", she would tell him, and he did not complain.
When they wanted some alone time, they would go to the gaming room together and played different games. They would be alone, but close. That was a good solution since they did not like to separate. Oliver and Eli talked a lot, usually on the promenade. And they kissed, usually sitting on a bench with the view to Earth. Sometimes also in the pool, when it was not crowded. Sometimes they would brush against the other's naked skin. Not on that day. That was planned to be a sports day! A lot of swimming and some rest. At least that was what Eli had planned. Oliver followed her for a while, and then decided to relax in the beach chair and watch the wall with world's beaches.
"Hey", Eli shouted from the pool, "that was not the plan."
"I know", he sat up in the chair, "but I'm done. Too much water for today."
"It's never too much water!", she yelled and started to spatter him with pool water.
Oliver jumped back into the pool and swam up to Eli who was trying to out swim him. When he finally caught up with her, she turned and kissed him.
"When I just remember the first time we met", Oliver smiled. "You almost beat me up."
"I did not, don't tease me. You know I'm …", she was looking for the right word, "… reserved with new people. And you're no extrovert ace, either!"
"Hah, hah, I'm not, that's right", he admitted. "What now? What's the plan?"
"The plan is", she revealed to him, "to go to the farm. I'm missing something green. Let me just take a few more laps and we'll go."
She kissed him and continued swimming. Oliver, happy as never before, returned to his chair, put his hands behind his head and smiled contentedly.
25.
Ava was still lying in her bed. If it had been a normal hotel work day, she would already have been in her office. But, nothing was normal anymore and the atmosphere in the hotel reflected this. The guests wanted to go home, to their jobs, routines. Nobody said anything out loud, but it was obvious, whispers in the corridors. Or she just thought so, but went on as usual, anyway. She knew that the only solution for her was to bury herself in work and resolve current problems, when they appeared. Thinking of breakfast gave her strength to jump out of bed, get ready in ten minutes and reach the restaurant, still smiling as ever.
As soon as she came in, Josh approached her.
"May we talk?", he asked. "It's important."
"Sure …
"… Josh, my name is Josh. I'm a software engineer. My wife and I won this hotel stay from the Company."
They sat down at her favorite table, a bit away from everything else, with most privacy.
"Tell me, Josh. How may I help you?", she asked with her first morning coffee. "I hope you don't mind my breakfast."
"No, it's fine. Just listen."
"I'm listening."
"My favorite entertainment are movies and shows about catastrophes, but mostly inventing 'what if' scenarios. Those are potential catastrophes. I like to be ready and know how to react. Perhaps I sound like a doomsday prepper, but I'm not. I don't have a shelter and I'm not prepared for any situation. I just like inventing them."
"I understand, go on", she said thinking about some documentary about people who were ready for anything.
"So I did one for this Snow Flu. Not only with the disease, but also a number of other parameters."
"Such as?", Ava wanted to know.
"Nuclear power plants, submarines, electrical works, hospitals, dams, chemical plants. What people manage and operate. But, before that, let's go back to the flu. According to the current number of casualties and infections, that is, the speed the flu is spreading, in the next two months there will be less than a billion people on Earth left! In six months, half a million people", he was now whispering not to raise panic.
"Fine", Ava said unusually calmly", but those are the worst projections. The w
orst of the worst case scenarios. I'm sure many people are safely sheltered, away from the disease. We don't know how many of them and where. So this is just a projection, however grim."
"It is true that there are unknown factors, and we don't have enough information because nobody updates anything anymore", Josh agreed. "And it is true this is the worst projection. But, listen. Should this really happen and in six months there are not more that half a million people left - who's going to operate the plants, take care of the biochemical weapons? I'll tell you, 'nobody'."
"As far as I know, all those plants have fail safe models to power down and hibernate in case of trouble", Ava said making herself a small sandwich to fit right into her mouth.
"They do, I know", Josh confirmed, "but the fail safe mode does not last forever. It would be enough that only one chemical plant breaks down and everything goes down like dominoes. Nuclear plants would probably last, but the rest is a problem. And then the nature factor. Who will put out large forest fires? Manage floods? Nobody …"
"Josh, you are very pessimistic", she smiled, "I'm sure the best people in the world are working on the solution."
"I wouldn't bet on that. My pessimism is based on the computer model that I checked and tested many times. Talk to your engineers, I'm sure they'll conform what I'm saying."
"Josh, I don't doubt your calculations. I just think that the worst scenario will not happen and that the planet will resume normal life in six months."
"Ava, in six months there will be no life as we know it on Earth. I know this sounds crazy right now, but chances are that Rene 9 is now our new home."
Ava choked. As if that thought had been on her mind somewhere all the time, but somebody brought it to light with the softest touch.