by Russ Watts
“Too long,” said Will. “I just got back from the GC.”
“The where now?” said Suzy.
“Grand Canyon. Sorry, I forgot. You New Yorkers don’t go further than the Hudson, do you.”
“Smart ass.” Suzy shook her head and laughed.
“Look I’ve got to get moving. The First Lady will be here any moment. I’d better get out there and put on my best smile. How do I look?” Kelly patted her hair and struck a pose for Will to see her new dress.
“Great,” said Will. “Knock ‘em dead.”
Kelly left and Will took a Snickers bar out of his pocket. He unwrapped it and took a huge bite.
“Holy cow, Will. What are you doing?” said Suzy in a firm but quiet voice. She looked around conspiratorially, but nobody had noticed them.
“Oh sorry,” said Will. He held the bar out to her. “You want some?”
“No, thank you. That’s not what I...never mind.” Suzy stared at him amazed as he shrugged his shoulders and continued eating.
“What? I’m hungry,” he said between mouthfuls as he shoved the empty wrapper back into his pocket.
Suzy wanted him to tell him off, and say he was embarrassing her, but all she could do was think how much she wanted to kiss him.
Will brushed the chocolate crumbs from his lips and took Suzy’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Where?” Suzy felt a flush of excitement and grasped his hand in hers.
“The Yankees, where do you think? The First Lady just arrived, see?”
Will pointed and Suzy saw Kelly walking alongside the First Lady. She wore a sparkling deep blue dress and she was flanked on either side by men wearing dark suits. They were not museum staff or waiters.
Will led Suzy through the throng of people who were all clamouring to see the new arrival. There had been some doubt and gossip as to whether she would show up, but now she was here, the excitement level in the room went up another notch. Will tried gently to push past the A-listers and celebrities toward Kelly, but as he got closer, the crowd became thicker.
“Let’s wait here,” he said stopping by a sarcophagus.
“Why here? Kelly said we’d get to meet her. I’m sure if we explain who we are, we’ll be able to get closer.” Suzy pressed herself back against the display, resting on Will’s arm.
“I’m sure we will, but we’ll also piss off everyone we push past to get there. And they’ve got deep pockets,” he whispered in Suzy’s ear. “Kelly will have to go straight past here to get to the podium, so the President’s wife will be right by her side. In about sixty seconds, she should be right here.”
As they waited to meet the guest of honour, Will turned to Suzy. “I’ve actually been meaning to catch up with you. I’m sorry it’s been a while.”
“What do you mean?” asked Suzy innocently.
Will struggled to find the right words and hesitated before he spoke. “Truthfully, I wanted to call you, I really did. It’s just that I’ve been so busy with work. I had a great time with you and I...um...”
“Will Forrest, lost for words? I don’t believe it,” said Suzy. She could see him labouring to think of the right thing to say and decided to put him out of his misery. She wanted to talk to him too, but he had to be the one to bring it up first. “Look, Will, I had a nice time too. You don’t have to explain anything or apologise. You’re busy, I’m busy, that’s the way it is. You’re an honorary New Yorker now, so suck it up.”
“You can take the boy out of Wisconsin, but...” Will realised he was still holding Suzy’s hand, so he consciously let go. “You look damn good tonight, Suzy.”
“Thanks. Does that mean you’re going to buy me a drink later?”
Will’s face gave away his inner thoughts and Suzy laughed. “Oh come on, I’m not the shy type. I grew up in Brooklyn with two brothers for heaven’s sake. So you wanna get a drink after?”
“You know, I’ve dated a few women in my time, Suzy Q, but none like you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. One day, maybe you’ll tell me why you keep calling me Suzy Q. Now shut up, here’s Kelly.”
They waited as the people in front of them were moved along by the security men. The First Lady was only feet away now and still talking with Kelly. A man wearing mirrored shades and a jet black suit suddenly put a hand on Suzy’s shoulder. He had a gun discreetly holstered inside his jacket and short-cropped blond hair.
“Ma’am, if you’ll just move along please, over there.”
“Oh no, it’s okay. I’m with the museum. Kelly Munroe is...”
“Now, please, ma’am,” said the man trying to shove Suzy behind the display case.
“Hey, pal, you heard her, there’s no need for that,” said Will, putting his hand on the security guard. The blond haired man removed his shades and looked at Will with a fierce gaze. “Sir, this is not the time. Move or be moved.”
Will was not for backing down and the men locked eyes. Just when Suzy thought Will was about to throw a punch, Kelly caught her eye.
“Suzy, Will, this is Mrs Richard, the First Lady.”
“An honour to meet you,” said Suzy, beaming.
Will nodded. “A pleasure.”
“Mr White, get out of the way. These people are here for a good time and they’re not doing any harm,” said the President’s wife sternly.
The blond haired man let go of Will and shuffled backward allowing a clear path for the First Lady. As he did so, his eyes never left Will.
“Kelly was telling me that you are her top man, Mr Forrest. You’re leading a team on this expedition tomorrow, I believe?”
Now it was Will’s turn to blush and Suzy enjoyed seeing him squirm. “Yes, yes, well not leading, really. I guess I’m doing my part for the...well, you know, there are a few of us going. It’s going to be...fun.”
“Fun? I hope you get a lot more out of it than that, Mr Forrest,” said the First Lady, “Kelly was telling me that you have a lot of work to do. For what I’m contributing, I hope we’re going to get a lot more out of this little trip south than fun?”
“Absolutely,” said Suzy, unable to watch Will flounder any longer. The First Lady was clearly teasing him. When it came to research or finding new exhibits for the museum, Will was second to none. When it came to formal situations, expressing emotions or public speaking, he needed a lot of work. “We’re hoping that the newly discovered plant life and nematodes within the Antarctic ice shelf could lead to numerous scientific advances. There’s a lot of research we need to do to develop some of the ideas we have. Seeing it first hand is invaluable. Lake Vostok has been relatively untouched since it was mapped, but we’ve drilled down and already found an abundance of bacteria that we haven’t even been able to chart yet. There are species of algae that...”
“Thank you, Suzy,” said Kelly interjecting before the President’s wife died of boredom. “I can fill you in with some of the more specific details later, if you wish, Mrs Richard. Right now, I’ll take you to your table. I believe dinner is about to be served.”
“Excellent. Oh, and Kelly, call me Sophie, please.”
Kelly led the First Lady away and Will let out a sigh of relief. “Shall we get that drink now?”
“Oh, Will, you are hopeless.”
“I don’t know how you do it. I just felt so...nervous. Put me in an underground excavation or throw me out of a plane and I’m fine. Make me do a presentation in front of a room full of people and I crumble.”
“I told you, I grew up in Brooklyn with two brothers.”
Will grinned. “Kinda explains a lot.”
“Don’t get smart again, Mr Forrest. Or should I just call you the ‘top man.’ Are you sure you even want to be seen with me? I mean, am I worthy of hanging out with the ‘top man?’” asked Suzy mockingly.
“Ah, Will, you made it, excellent.” Rasmus appeared from behind the sarcophagus with a glass of red wine in hand.
“Rasmus, you old dog, how’re you keeping?” Will
shook Rasmus’ hand vigorously.
“When you get to my age, dear boy, you’ll know not to ask those sorts of questions anymore. So how did you get on with Mrs Richard?”
“Well, we had to get past her guard dogs first. One of them was getting a bit too heavy with Suzy. However, once we got past him, she seemed quite nice. I mean, I died a death, but Suzy here made a good impression. Well, actually, I don’t know about good, but she certainly won’t be forgotten.”
Suzy hit Will on the arm and he pretended to be hurt. “She was fine, Rasmus. She’s a nice lady and she looked so cute in that dress.”
“I don’t know how he managed to snare her, I really don’t,” said Rasmus. “Richard Agnew is a mean son of a bitch.”
Suzy and Will were taken aback. Rasmus was always the gentlemen, even under pressure. They had never heard him swear or say a bad word about anyone before.
“The President? You probably shouldn’t be saying stuff like that out loud here. The walls have ears,” said Will.
“And guns,” said Suzy remembering Mr White, the blond haired man from earlier.
“I wouldn’t trust that man if my life depended on it,” said Rasmus. His face was set in a frown and he looked angry. “Sophie Agnew is the nicest woman you could hope to meet, I agree with you there, but her husband? Don’t get me started on him.”
Suzy was eager to change the topic. “Let’s go eat. Will, can you find our table please? Rasmus, come on, let’s just enjoy tonight. We’re up early tomorrow so you might want to ease off on the red wine.”
“You’re right, of course.” Rasmus handed his glass to Will. “Lead on, dear boy. Tomorrow is the start of an adventure. It’s not without danger, so forgive me if I indulge in a glass or two of Shiraz. It seems the budget has well and truly been blown. We must be in prestigious company tonight.”
As they walked toward the dining area where the tables had been laid out, Suzy quietly asked Will, “What does he mean danger? He’s not going to pop a hip, is he?”
“Ha, no,” said Will. “It’s quite safe. This is your first trip, isn’t it?”
“My first with the museum, yes. I had a few field trips back when I was at University. Spring break doesn’t really count, does it?”
Will smirked at her joke. “He’s talking about getting there. Once we reach base camp, we’ll be fine. Cold, but fine. The most dangerous part of the expedition is getting there, but you needn’t worry about that. We’ll be fine. Kelly has sourced the best pilots for us. Just stick by me, you’ll be okay.”
They reached their table and sat down just as applause broke out. President Agnew’s wife watched on as Kelly stepped up to begin her welcoming speech and the lights dimmed. It would be the last time Kelly gave a speech at the museum.
TWO
Dr Kelly Munroe swallowed the last of the mints Rasmus had given her and felt her ears ‘pop’ as they adjusted to the pressure. No matter how often she flew, she still could not get used to it. Taking off wasn’t so bad. The landing is what aggravated her sinuses more. It was going to be a long flight and she settled in. She had brought some old copies of the museum’s regular monthly journal with her to kill the time and settled on one from October 2154, twenty years before Kelly had started working for the museum herself.
She opened the journal and flicked through the pages, glancing at the headlines until she found something she wanted to read. It was a piece written by her father, Cedric Munroe, who had worked at the museum until his heart attack when she was twelve. She had fought hard all her life to be able to live up to her father and she had recently been awarded the post of Associate Director, the same title her father had carried before his death. He had articles in every journal, but the one she happened upon now seemed most apt.
They were en route from New York to LA where they were going to pick up Dr Josef Jahn, a freelancer who specialised in biogenetics, and Wilfred Kravern, an expert in Antarctic geology, who was cutting short his vacation to join them. Kelly had booked business class seats months ago to ensure they all got there as rested as possible. Last night had been a tumultuous affair and she had ended up not getting to bed until well after midnight. She stretched out and reclined her seat as the lights dimmed. Looking around, she could see Will, Suzy and Rasmus already asleep. Tricia and Claire were behind her, lost in a movie, whilst Mark in front was deeply involved in a thick paperback. Tug was staring out the window, holding a glass of water and swirling the ice around. The flight was due into LA late in the evening and they were then due to catch a connecting flight to Jakarta before onto American Samoa. From there she had organised a small charter to their final destination, Scott Base in Antarctica.
Kelly was tired. She yawned, but refused to sleep yet. She wanted to read this article first. Rasmus and Tug had mentioned something about the route they were taking and she wanted to know more. She had heard of The Grave and she was keen to learn more about the history of the island. She had a scattered knowledge of it, but it was a secret the world tried to keep quiet about. History lessons were brief. Quietly, she was equally eager to see how her father had reported on it.
‘THE CULTURE OF DEATH’
A report by Cedric Munroe, Ph.D.
‘We live in a time of fear. When they grew in number, they were given many names: The Broken Ones, The Perished, The Chosen, God’s People; even The Devil’s People. The name that stuck was the one simply that summed them up most accurately: The Deathless.
They divided opinion starkly and still do. It is only four years since our world changed forever with the advent of this new race. The fact they are a man-made race is either a cause for celebration or a curse. The only agreement the governments of the world have managed to reach is that these people were dangerous; are still dangerous. These men and women (or perhaps ‘creatures,’ depending on your point of view) are now protected and in the last few years have all been transported to a remote island where they are safely monitored and contained. We are told we are completely safe. Animals and birds can carry the disease, however, that infects these people, so the island has been cut off from the outside world by land, air and ocean equally.
Originally, the ruling party of this island attempted to slow the progress of this deadly infection. At first, they killed them. Towns were bombed and destroyed. When that failed, they isolated them. Small towns were covered by glass domes that spanned dozens of kilometres, huge bubbles over the land that wrapped the towns in a kind of protective bubble-wrap. The domes failed though and the outbreak continued. The domes were doomed to failure from the start; the materials and resources available meant isolation was impossible. The cost was too great and the Deathless were far enough spread that closing off one town was pointless. Rats and mice easily found their way out under the domes. It was decided to stop and simply build huge barricaded fences around the island instead.
Huge fences have now been erected all along the island’s coastline and there is a strong military presence surveying and monitoring the country. It is an isolated country, one naturally protected by its mountains and oceans. Any birds flying in, out or through airspace close to The Grave would be shot down by the ever-watching military around the coastline. That was another reason New Zealand was chosen as the new land for the Deathless; most of its birds were flightless and the country did not have the mass migrations and flocks so prone to warmer countries. Te Ika-a-Maui was closed down and shut off. Te Waipounamu was abandoned. It was too close to be safe enough to inhabit and so it too was protected like Te Ika-a-Maui with its huge fences and UN ships guarding the waters.
For years, the country was known as Aotearoa. Then white men settled it and renamed it New Zealand. The country had to be given a new name, one more appropriate to its new standing in the world and one that would serve as a warning to anyone crazy enough to try to go there. So it was chosen as the place for the new race, the Deathless, to live. It is called The Grave.
There was worldwide condemnation and approval in equal measur
e, of course, but ultimately someone had to pay the price, and unfortunately, it was the Kiwis. The Deathless were to be put on that island and kept quarantined from the rest of the world. It had abundant life, both vegetable and animal, and it was easy to protect from terrorists. Around five million New Zealanders were forcibly relocated; some to Asia, some to Europe and many to the US. Remember, Australia had been destroyed by this point, so there was no close brother to take them in. Australia - a dead land, devoid of life, and contaminated by the disease - was almost chosen as the new home for the Deathless, but its barren, dry land and powerful heat was deemed cruel and inappropriate by the liberals. If we weren’t going to kill the new race, then we had to put them on a land that would at least give them a chance to ‘live.’ This was spoken of without any irony.
Any inhabitants of the infected countries were deemed infected and killed. There was mass genocide, civil war, and rioting. Europe and parts of Asia escaped unscathed, as did North America. The sub-equatorial regions suffered the worst. Australia was decimated and genocide took place on a scale unheard of before. The Caribbean islands were wiped off the map with a tactical nuclear strike by the US who had been taking in countless boatloads of thousands of refugees. That was when, finally, the UN stepped in. Genocide could not be tolerated any longer, they said. Some observers raised a good question: why was it tolerated at all?
So where did the Deathless come from? Were they clones, aliens, some wicked little present from Mother Nature, or a scientific quirk from some previously undiscovered creature that had hitherto remained dormant at the bottom of the Mariana Trench? No, unwittingly it was human intervention. With the best of intentions, man has nearly obliterated himself. Again. The Enola Gay still flies around the globe, dropping these little gifts from time to time.
There was a massive drought problem in many parts of the world and it was only increasing as the years went by. Between 2130 and 2150, it was conservatively estimated that as many as ten million people died due to a lack of access to clean water: too many. A solution to this water famine was to create artificial water using the new genetic science that was shaping medical advances at that time. Electrolyte particles were allied to a new chemical substance created in 2149, commonly referred to as ‘Aqua-Gene 119.’ The resulting fusion led to a substance that had 99% of the properties of water. It looked like water, tasted like water, and yes, it even felt like water. It was far cheaper than desalinisation or mass migration. The only issue was that it wasn’t actual water. Pumping the human body full of chemicals has never been a good idea.