Stalder stood. Before he reached the door, Santana was on the COM. “Send in Tanner!”
A large man in a blue suit passed Dr. Stalder on the way out and entered Santana’s office.
~~~
“Yeah boss?” the large man in a blue suit asked as he entered the room.
“The kid died!” Santana said. “Can you believe that, after all that money?”
“Yeah, I heard. What happened?”
“Damned if I know. That college kid, Birdie Hardman, or whatever her name was, just up and croaked on me. I tell ya’, it’s impossible to get good help these days.”
Tanner chuckled.
“What?” Santana croaked, sending him a black look.
“Uh, nothing boss. So what now?”
Santana stared out the window. He stood rolling a bloated hand over his protruding belly for a time. “We go after the primary fetus,” he said evenly.
"Mr. Santana, you gotta’ lot of money and all that but, are you sure you want to take on the Vinces?”
“I ain’t afraid of the Vinces!” Santana snorted.
“But sir, they got half the government.”
Santana didn’t respond.
“Why do you want this thing so bad, Mister Santana? I mean, where’s the money in it?”
Santana grinned and sat on his desk top. “Do you have any idea how much people pay to be inseminated by your common ordinary genius—movie star—president? Can you imagine what we could get for the genes of Jesus Christ himself?”
Tanner snorted. “Wow, I never thought of that. But you can’t do that till he grows up. What if he doesn’t want to?”
“That’s the beauty of cloning,” Santana said. “No birth certificate, no records, no parents…no person….He’ll belong to us. We can do with him as we damn well please.”
“But, the Vinces will have records of the primary fetus, won’t they?”
“I’m sure they will, but they’ll wanna get rid of ‘em right off. Can you imagine the scandal if word of what they were doing got out?”
“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything boss.”
“Of course!” Santana blared. "You think I’m the only one? You think J & H and that…Patch and Rankin are involved with the Vinces because they want peace on earth?”
“But how are we gonna’ get to the primary fetus? The Vinces watch that girl like she’s gold.”
“I thought of that too.” Santana grinned and winked.
“That’s why we have a man on the inside.”
~~~
“Going on six months ago, news of a great killer asteroid bearing down on our planet overshadowed nearly everything else. We learned an asteroid larger than the one that destroyed the dinosaurs, an asteroid that could threaten the very existence of all life on earth was coming directly at us at close to sixteen thousand miles per hour. The world has come to know this planet killer as Dante657.”
Ominous sounding music blared as an animated logo, bearing the name Dante657 appeared to be falling out of the sky in a fiery spectacle.
“This is Hugh Brolley, and I’m your host for this historic television special. The time has come at last. The gallant crew of the space Trawler Douglas has completed her many tasks. All preparations have been made. Soon, the mighty main propulsion assembly…an enormous rocket motor made up of eight individual solid rocket boosters, will fire in unison, exerting an unprecedented twenty five million pounds of thrust.
“When it fires, it is expected to pull Dante657 a full nine hundred thousand miles off its present collision course with earth.
“With us in studio are the heroes: Commander John Lee Gunnarson and the gallant crew of Douglas’s sister ship Edmonton. In approximately fifteen minutes, they, along with the rest of the world, will be witnessing this astonishing event first hand.
“The images we are seeing are being brought to us live from the ever-vigilant spacecraft MESSENGER.”
An animated picture of MESSENGER, floating serenely in space, appeared on the screen.
“A spacecraft, originally designed to study Saturn’s moon Titan, it has been encircling Dante, sending back vital information, from the very beginning.”
The image of MESSENGER disappeared and was quickly replaced by live video. As the cameras aboard MESSENGER panned back, the enormity of the task became apparent. The main propulsion assembly, tiny by comparison, looked like a bird perched on the back of a slowly spinning water buffalo.
Two members of the Edmonton crew jumped to their feet as the tiny specter of the Douglas came into view. It appeared to be tethered to the center of, and about five hundred yards away from the Main propulsion assembly.
“What the—” Commander Gunnarson whispered. He glanced at his fellow crewmates and slowly turned back to the studio monitor.
~~~
Commander Lt. Colonel Andrea Lange jumped slightly as the Trawler Douglas came to a sudden halt. “All stop!” she ordered.
All engines shut down.
“I think we have it,” she said.
Payload Commander Joyce Shipley checked the cameras. “I’m not seeing any problems here Commander.”
“Roger that. Flight, be advised, all systems are go here.”
“Houston, you got a copy?”
“Roger flight, checking visual on cam niner five niner.”
~~~
Assembly and Checkout Officer, Michael Spoor at the Space Trawler Flight Control Room at JSC's Mission Control Center turned his attention to Camera nine five nine aboard MESSENGER. Using extreme close-up capability, he carefully checked each tether at both points of rigging. When he was satisfied all tethers were taut and unobstructed he hit the COM. “All go flight.”
“Roger ACO.”
“Douglas, you got a copy?”
“Affirmative flight.” “All systems…instigating countdown for final ignition…”
T minus one hundred and counting…”
“What the hell is going on?” Elisabeth Jiang whispered. “Why isn’t the Douglas a hundred thousand miles away like she’s supposed to be?”
“I don’t know,” Gunnarson said, “but I have my suspicions.”
T minus eighty-six and counting…
Maria pulled her feet onto the bed, her knuckles turning white as she stared into the television. She wanted to be with Todd. She wondered where he was…if he was watching…if he was thinking of her.
T minus sixty-seven and counting…
At the Space Trawler Flight Control room in JSC's Mission Control Center, Assembly and Checkout Officer Michael Spor continued to scan the tethers for signs of trouble. He noticed something strange at the base of T4. He commanded CAM niner five niner to close in.
T minus twenty and counting…
As the camera zoomed in, he noticed something strange at the point of rigging he hadn’t seen before. He needed to close in further.
T minus fifteen…
T minus ten…
T minus nine…
The camera zoomed in further. “Oh my God almighty!”
T minus eight and counting…
“Stop!” he squawked. He realized he hadn’t hit the COM button.
T minus seven…
T minus six…
He mashed the COM button. “Stop, stop!”
T minus five…
T minus four…
He jumped from his monitor and blasted down the hall. “For God’s sake, stop the countdown!”
T minus three…
“What is it?” Nyal Stai yelled, jumping to his feet.
“The tether!” Michael Spor cried “It’s slipped! It’s pulling out! We have to stop the countdown!”
T minus two…
T minus one…
Ignition…
At T minus one, the Douglas fired all engines just ahead of the main propulsion assembly.
Payload Commander Joyce Shipley grabbed at the sides of her console as the main propulsion assembly roared to life.
The crew quart
ers began shaking violently as the Trawler engines pulled against the undulating rocket. Tony Higbee grabbed at his ears in response to the deafening noise.
At mission control, operators stood and cheered as the long white plume appeared from the Main propulsion assembly. The rigging at T4 held for a brief moment but the herculean eyebolt continued pulling loose. When it finally gave way completely, the main propulsion assembly, along with the Trawler, lurched forward. It reached the limits of the remaining three tethers and crashed to a halt. The crew of the Douglas was killed instantly.
Operators dropped their hands and stared intently as the enormous rocket surrealistically rolled onto its side. Within moments another tether broke free. The violent shaking brought about by the sudden unbalance severed the connectors on one of the SRBs and it broke free of the group. The hot plume of the solid rocket booster turned in on itself and the entire main propulsion assembly ignited in one horrific blast. It took only microseconds for shrapnel to reach MESSENGER.
The video feed went dead.
Chapter six
~~~
Maria stared into the TV screen listening to the soft whirring white noise. “What—what just happened?” She rolled her pregnant body to the side and rifled through the loose blankets for the remote. She found it and quickly pointed it at the TV. Her panic mounted as she clicked through one channel after another. Every channel was offline.
After some effort, she was able to roll off the bed and shuffle awkwardly to the hospital room door.
It was locked.
She pounded.
“What’s going on?” she screamed. No one answered.
She turned, stumbled back to her bed, and pushed the nurse call button. She waited but no one came. She was on her way back towards the door when the TV sprang back to life. The face of the president of the United States appeared. Maria gasped, and threw her hand over her mouth. Tears filled her eyes as she slowly sat on the bed.
~~~
“What happened?” Pete said, looking around the room.
No one answered.
“Did they move it?” he asked, looking down at Sarah.
“Is it gone then?” he asked, looking at Barney.
“Shut up Pete!” Barney bellowed. “How we supposed to know?”
Pete glanced around nervously. “Where’s Brother Michael?”
Sarah looked up at him. “He should be home anytime. Maybe he’ll know what’s going on.”
The president’s face appeared on the TV.
“Oh no,” Sarah droned. She turned and stared at Mallory, who was sitting on the floor at Barney’s feet.
~~~
“Hold up,” Leland said. “How long has the TV been dead?”
Todd looked at the TV mounted high in the corner of the small rec. room.
“Weren’t they just getting ready to move the asteroid?” Leland’s friend Tyrone asked, looking at Leland.
“Yeah, I think so. I wonder what’s going on.”
“Try turning the station,” Leland’s friend Anthony said.
The guard reached for the remote and began switching channels. All channels were offline. The guard stood and moved towards the TV. It flickered back on. The president’s face filled the screen.
Leland glanced at Anthony and looked at Todd. “What just happened?” he asked.
“My fellow Americans,” the president began. “I can’t begin to describe the depth of my sorrow at having to announce to the world that the heroic crew of space Trawler Douglas has been lost. All efforts to deflect the asteroid have been defeated and the perilous outcome has become real and imminent.”
The constant racket permeating the prison went silent.
The President looked at his notes for a long moment before returning his gaze to the camera. “Thirty-two days from today, Dante657 will impact the earth. Efforts to evacuate the North American continent will begin immediately.”
A collective groan rolled through the room and quickly hushed.
“The point of impact will be in the close vicinity of Omaha, Nebraska at approximately eleven pm on the twentieth of October.”
Todd turned to look at Leland. “Did he say Omaha, Nebraska?”
The president looked at his desk, pulled his glasses off, and looked back at the camera. “Anyone within a radius of two hundred miles from the impact site will be killed instantly. Anyone left within the continental United States can expect devastating molten debris to fall from the sky as far away as both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Our sources indicate that the impact will immediately precede a global winter that will significantly block out the sun’s light and darken the skies for up to five years.”
The president paused and continued. “I’m not gonna play with words, ladies and gentlemen. We may not survive this impact as a species. If we have any chance at survival it will be because we, as a species, take care of one another, work towards the common good. Watch over the small and the weak, the young and the old.”
He paused, becoming emotional. “Do the right thing,” he said finally, his voice faltering. “In all we do from this day forward, Let’s do the right thing.”
Again, the President paused to collect himself. He sat up straight, and looked back at the camera. “As of this moment, I am placing the United States of America under martial law. The military will be placed on full alert under the authority of the office of Homeland Security. All National Guard and Reserve units will be activated. During the evacuation, lawbreakers will be subject to swift and just punishment and any and all looters will be shot on sight.
Any threatening behavior, by any sovereign power or group; any attempt at taking advantage of our calamity; any moves to undermine our efforts, whether on the mainland or abroad will be regarded as an act of war.”
He paused a moment. “Within an hour, instructions pertaining to your local evacuation efforts will begin broadcasting in your area. It is imperative that everyone remain calm. Goodbye for now my fellow Americans, and may God bless the United States of America.”
The TV fell blank again.
Todd looked around the rec. room. Everyone sat motionless, staring at the television. “I’ve got to get to Maria,” he said, slowly rising to his feet.
Leland reached for his arm. “Slow your roll, cowboy—”
Todd pulled away, and began sprinting out of the rec. room. He made a quick right and pushed his way through several convicts as he rushed the guard stationed at the front.
The guard immediately pulled his baton and pointed it at Todd. “Back up!”
“I got to get out of here!” Todd groaned, pulling to a stop. “I’ve got to get to Maria!”
Leland, Anthony and Tyrone moved up behind Todd.
Leland took hold of Todd’s arm and began pulling him away from the panicked guard. “It’s ok, hack. He’s with us.”
A convict moved forward. “Let us out of here man! We have family too, we gotta’ gettem out of here too!”
“Come’ on, hack!” another convict yelled stepped up. “The world’s coming to an end, dude! Let us out of here…now!”
The guard glanced wildly around the mob of convicts, now ominously pushing its way towards him. “S-stop, hold it! Hold it right there!”
One of the convicts snatched the baton out of the guard’s hand. Another went low, grabbing the guard’s legs and wrestling him to the floor. The guard screamed as the convicts advanced towards him.
The guard in the Plexiglas cage on the other side of the door stood up from his desk and watched timorously as his comrade began to be buffeted by the rampaging inmates. Leland used his considerable bulk to push forward into the fracas. He began pulling convicts away from the guard and flinging them off to the side. Anthony and Tyrone immediately took up position and prepared to run interference.
Leland managed to take hold of the screaming guard’s collar and jerk him to his feet. Anthony and Tyrone set up a formidable human shield, as Leland pushed the bloody guard towards
the closed Plexiglas door leading out of the cell. He pushed him against the glass and hollered at the ashen-faced guard on the other side. “Open the door!”
The guard didn’t move.
“Bill, for God’s sake, open the door!” the bloody guard wailed.
“I-I can’t. They’ll get out!”
Leland crashed his huge shoulder against the glass causing the entire wall to shudder. “Open the door! I won’t let anyone out!”
“Please, Bill,” the bloody guard cried, open the door…please!”
“Rev!” one of the inmates spoke in Leland’s ear, “We can use him as a hostage! We can get out of here!”
Leland glared at the guard on the other side. “Open the door now!”
“I can’t!” Bill hollered from behind the Plexiglas. “He knows I can’t!” Bill pointed at the bloody guard.
“I swear to you," Leland hollered over the clamor, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, nobody but the hack is goin’ out this door!”
Bill shook his head and slowly shrunk away.
“Open it," the bloody guard pleaded, sobbing.
Bill stepped forward, reached under the desk and hit the button. The door opened. Inmates pressed against Anthony, Tyrone and Leland, but the sobbing guard was the only one who popped through the door. The door quickly closed behind him.
The bloody guard staggered to his feet and disappeared down the corridor. The other guard nodded at Leland, turned and moved away down the same hall.
Leland stared through the glass for a time before turning to face the row of angry faces. Slowly, the crowd began to dissipate.
Hector, Tacoma and Madrid loitered for a time. “I used to look up to you,” Hector said softly, looking at Leland. “That Jesus stuff made you crazy, man.”
Anthony leaned forward forcing Madrid to pull back. “You should thank God,” he said, glaring back at Hector. “If it weren’t for the Lord Jesus, Leland would’ve just now killed you where you stand, and you know that.”
Hector shook his head in disgust and slowly turned away. Tacoma and Madrid followed.