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CHAPTER 6
2040 Vancouver Sun headlines read “EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI - SOUTH VANCOUVER DEVASTATED". On the day of a massive earthquake the tsunami completely submerged four miles of the coast up to Burnaby. It was six months since the tsunami. The water had receded half way back to the ocean. Power-houses depending on emergency shut-off valves as a defense against flooding. The waves now lapping precariously at this stretch of coast.
Oil and gas industries are the first to relocate in the wake of a half a century of tsunamis and record breaking hurricanes. Other businesses gained relief packages to relocate. Funds limited with Pulp mills gone and saw mills low on the list of Federal relief..
“Super Transit doesn’t stop here anymore” mulled Richard Jensen. He didn’t know why he was in such a mood. The traffic was too loud. A blaring fire truck passed. If he had been listening he would have heard his cell phone announce the urgent call “Emergency-Report Security Central-Richard Jensen-Fire Alert“. Two minutes lapsed before the cell phone rang again. He sprang into action reading the location “Boreal Forest Mill flood and fire - join rescue crew - Zone 3”. A taxi took him to his crew waiting against a background of smoke and fire. Four fire trucks were moving into position. Water bombers swooped overhead. It took fourteen hours to quell.
On fire chief Brody’s orders Jensen led his crew through the debris in search of survivors. His second in command Randy Dubois stopped the search, shouting ”Overload beacon”. Prior to that moment no-one hesitated - there was no siren sounding. Fire had destroyed the overload siren. The flashing beacon however, told everyone to evacuate.
The Boreal Forest Mill had been hastily built three miles inland from the Port of Vancouver. Next to the cities only propane plant and one hundred meters from the relocated Port of Vancouver oil terminal. The mill replaced ten mills scattered around the coast, half of which abandoned and partly submerged. The oil terminal was four times its previous size replacing two water-side terminals. The sea had risen twenty meters in fifty years.
Jensen needed Brody’s acknowledgement. “ ‘Overload’, that can only mean stand-by generators. They're flooded”. The crew awaited further instructions. Jensen and Dubois followed the fire chief around the building to find the only structure not affected by fire. The neighboring propane plant. A quick glance at the perimeter told them the harbor waters had entered air ducts leading to cable shafts. “That’s the source”. Brody said pointing to the water's edge. “Do we check it out?” asked Dubois. “We have to clear the tanks”.
Jensen quickly assessed, knowing every emergency protocol for this site. “I’ll go, you stay here”. He glanced at his phone. Missed calls from Jackie and Mike, his wife and son.
That day began as a fire in a saw mill switch room and resulted in a snowballing of disasters. Fuel tanks exploded. The propane plant exploded. Neighboring oil tanks full of gasoline exploded. Thirteen tons of white-hot debris crashed down onto two T-3 class supertankers fully loaded with crude oil.
The blast was heard in Seattle. Mike Jensen survived only because he was out of town. He knew of the emergency due to his phones link to his father's phone. Huddled in ski patrol rescue gear and waiting in line in the lodge he heard a faint explosion. He put it down to an avalanche high on a distant peak. Many were occurring these days. If he had looked to the west he would have seen the black cloud over Vancouver. Others around him heard the blast. There were gasps and screams. The whole restaurant stood up and saw the devastation through the window. Downtown Vancouver was shrouded in smoke.
Mike Jensen grabbed his phone and called his boss. “Assemble at the tilly with the rest”, was the reply. Mountain Rescue Tilly filled with everyone unable to board the pagoda and took them to base car park. Police told everyone “Don't head for Vancouver”. Only the Tilly moved out. Its occupants silent with shock. Mike Jensen looked around at colleagues struggling against tears. He was shaking at the thought of his family caught in the explosion.
2045 was the year of Global Warming Denial. A media name given to countries introducing any means to worsen the situation. In spite of the media backlash world leaders were looking to the west for solutions. US President Helen Truman convened congress June of 2045 to call together legislative bodies to put forward measures to stimulate the economy.
The hope was to encourage other countries to fight against the global depression caused by climate change. Increased hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes and rising sea waters had already devastated economies. Truman asserts “The world will never see another Great Depression”. The President sites the submerge of Asian countries, Pacific islands, and east coast of Australia. Every day coastal towns and cities were being affected by rising seas and melting ice caps. Major media outlets report “There has been extensive research proving the extent to which global warming is causing the present financial crisis”. The bipartisan law FOSSIL FUEL DEAL was proposed and passed by congress the following year. All restrictions on fossil fuel power generation are lifted. Apart from middle-east oil fields, exploration increased tenfold throughout the world
The tilly entered a black cloud at the city outskirts. All traffic out of Vancouver was grid-locked to the mountains. Sirens forced them to the hard shoulder while emergency services raced by.
Destruction of the Vancouver Sun headquarters prevented a close-up report. The world watched website reports of the catastrophe on computers and digital billboards. A three hundred meter crater diverted the Frazer River. The Second Narrows bridge a tangled mass of twisted steel. Hundreds of bodies found under the rubble, a hundred thousand people missing presumed dead. A million people severely injured. Thousands of homes reduced to rubble. Roofs blown off building throughout the Frazer Valley. A million windows shattered as far as Abbotsford. Fires reignite for days in the heart of Vancouver.
Arriving at the temporary police headquarters in North Vancouver, Mike Jensen, having received the news that his whole family was downtown that day, set about helping others to keep from collapsing in despair. Taking particular attention was the Cascades Volcano Observatory and the San Andreas Fault Observatory. The Director grabbed the chair as the monitor displayed seismic activity and said with astonishment, “That’s no glitch” He hit the evacuate siren switch. The whole building, one hundred miles from the epicenter, dashes for exits “EVERYONE EVACUATE!”.
CHAPTER 11
Winds sounding like a train or a low howl
Response to these events is fear and awe
No power for several days
Howling winds and thinking will this ever stop. Many houses lost
A microburst wind came right across the City
like someone’s hand just cut a swath right through the trees
The sound of that wind! It creeps me out
Many main roads washed out
Several roads impassable
We now know to prepare ahead of time.
Buy lots of water
Buy batteries, charcoal to cook food
Sandwiches food like peanut butter and jelly will help
Have paper plates and plastic utensils
Get baby wipes for personal hygiene for everyone including babies
Fill your vehicles up with gas
Get extra pet food, litter, etc
Get your prescription and over the counter medicines ahead of time
And don’t forget you need a National Weather Radio when the power goes out to stay on top of things
Be prepared to be self sustaining for days
You will be without power for days and possibly stranded for days
Do not ever wait til the last minute to gather supplies and if they tell you to evacuate do it
Sitting in front of the TV watching as the hurricane crept closer towards us
It is 600 miles wide and the damage might happen overnight
I was walking around thinking the worse and even taking a long last look at my apartment complex with my neighbor
Winds started around 60 mph
Hardhat on playing with the flashlight as we watched the news
At first trees were bending slightly. I heard them rustle in the wind
More leaves and trash were airborne now
A loud gust blew in and the carports started rumbling
The wind started to make squealing and screeching noises
We saw the outline of the trees whipping in the wind in the street light
We lost power and the winds got louder
It sounded like a train one minute and a wolf howling the next
The wind had reached 80 mph
A peek through the door was terrifying
In the darkness the trees were bending back and forth violently
Water was falling from the roofs like Niagara Falls
Tall trees were bending at 45 degree angles with branches snapping off
We took refuge in the closet
Window shattered and glass and rain came in
The hurricane made landfall
Surrounding areas were battered by high winds and heavy surge flooding
The sky was orange when we opened the closet door to let some cool air in
I heard debris hitting the building and the wind was deafening
The winds were above 90 mph around that time.
All night the wind was screaming
We spent 10 to 12 hours in the closet
It was a mess outside
Roof tiles littered the floor and tree branches and twigs were everywhere
My dad’s old pair of shoes were still next to the door
Pine trees were snapped in half and entire trees were down on the ground
We helped our neighbors clean up the debris and clear the pathways
Dad went to get more food and water
We ate what we could and had to walk around to find food and hot water
Mom and dad were upset but glad we made it out unscathed
We walked around the neighborhood seeing the damage
A lot of tree damage and some leaning power lines
We couldn't sleep that Saturday night with all the humidity
My mom and I were listening to updates from the mayor and city officials
We were both scared out of our wits and I cried
By Sunday afternoon the power was restored and we started to learn about the true devastation
Constant category 7 hurricanes with sustained winds of 190 mph
We were thankful that we didn't lost our home or lives
Some were wrecked or wiped out from the storm surge
I remember the reporter on 13 trying to get a grip on his emotions as he went through the damage and ruins
Watching the wreckage, it ran a chill down my spine but it showed us the true power of these cyclones
It would cause me to take preparations more seriously
Now I stock more supplies to prepare for every season
I froze tap water in several 2-liter bottles
I also froze 20 oz size bottled water
I assumed I would lose power
I turned AC down from usual 76 to 71 keeping me cooler longer in an outage
I never opened up any windows to prevent humidity
We had to carry patients down from as high as the 22nd floor
We had city fire, Homeland Security and the US Army helping
I have to say everyone pitched in
There was an unbelievable sense of camaraderie
Everyone was safely evacuated
Thank God we had some friends on higher ground
Thank God we got out of there and moved our vehicle
I believe they said the Hurricane was a Category 7
When we were allowed back in we needed to throw everything out
The river water was very dirty and it came up 4 feet
They brought big dumpsters in and all of us on ground floor filled them
It was the most devastated situation I have ever been in
I thought i was going to have a nervous breakdown
It was horrible! I wasn’t worried about our belongings but we came very close to being homeless
I am 69 years old and I take care of my 82 year old uncle
When we get older we don’t cope with things as well as when we were younger
Most of our family has passed away and the ones who haven’t are old and not able to help us
Most of our friends have passed away
We moved two times and are moving again
It has been a nightmare
Thank god we received some help from FEMA
Truly we appreciate all the prayers, love and concern people have shown us
We have a lot of work that has to be done as soon as we can move back in
We now can see light at the end of the tunnel
CHAPTER 12
2070 Populations living in biodomes. Venturing ‘outside’ in the searing heat impossible. A stroll by the melting plastic mountain beaches called a ‘reality walk’. 2055 biosuits no longer available. Stocks of 20th century breathing respirators, filters, and vitamin D running low. Time ‘outside’ usually resulting in death from heat exhaustion. Life in a biodome is cool and pleasant. Although, there is a increasing problem with toxins entering air ducts and water supply. Nobody has cleaned or maintained ‘outside’ for years.
Biodome central room digital billboard tells of life in the only contact area abroad in Europe. The news is old. Some say they have seen the same reports several times since 2090. “Word is there is no-one alive in America. Still no word from China”. The biodome is larger than needed now. Our last biodome births forty years ago. Life expectancy fifty years. No planes. No railway. No road vehicles. No roads. Distraction found in medical training, meditation gym time, pool time, chapel, library, council meeting debates, card and games room.
Efforts to live an idyllic life within a biodome faded long ago. Focus is on the garden. Monitoring and maintaining water, air, cooling system, solar panels. and wind turbine. All ideas to add pastimes to everyday life welcomed. A thirty foot tower is built out of canteen furniture reaching up through a skylight giving views for miles around. Locals in the biodome can see their family homes. When the smog clears, through binoculars, Mont Kosciuszko radio tower is visible. Without that no bioplanes will arrive. Boat people arrive today. It is assumed from New Zealand, to escape the megatsunamis happening every few weeks. Bondi take them if they find the biodome. Sometimes they bring biosuits.
The view east looks out to sea where Bondi Beach used to be. The sea level has grown two meters in fifty years. They could see the waves one hundred feet beyond the pollution. Other views are shuttered now. No-one wants to see the crumbling buildings along Campbell Parade.
A separate cell of biodome residents is forming. The plan is to leave permanently. For generations people watched biodome residents die more than survive. Our journey is do or die. Three people with one respirator and two pairs of filters each. Supplies for two days. Reach a biodome a day. The Lyne Park biome is the closest. The last contact with Lyne Park two years ago just as the sea reached their door. If the biodome is not there, the next is two miles along the coast. They've had no news from them. It was a gamble. It was May and winter is approaching. Temperatures would be bearable for a month. They had to move.
The biodome is deserted. Lyne Park has its own digital billboard. Still running, there are resent messages flashing across the screen. Myself, Howard Yusef and Lynn Baker are the search party. On arrival Lynn has placed herself in quarantine. Three miles is a long way to travel through contaminated streets. Howard checks life support systems. He needed to see the messages first. They find that all occupants boarded a bioplane bound east. They didn't know that bioplanes landed close-by. Being unmanned and electric powered there have been many losses.
There were hundreds of bioplanes. They saw them pass over the biodome less and less each years. Lyne Park must have seen one land. They would have done the same, whichever direction it was headed. They are programmed to land for an hour where it's safe and take off for the next area. Could be two miles or six thousand miles. Going east, Lyne Park will be crossing the Pacific. A journey that has brought down many bioplanes without trace. They're the same size and appearance of World War Two airships. Equipped for fifty people. Each journey a gamble. They wished they could have spoken to them first.
Taking stock they check supplies and reschedule the journey back to Bondi biodome. Then he see the rest of the messages. On our way here they pass the Blair Street billboard. It is different. Brighter resolution, Up to date news. Lyne Park billboard the same. The screen says why as he waves Howard over. "We're going to be a while catching up with all this". Howard insists that they eat first, that Lynn is at the Cafeteria and that they make the billboard the last stop before heading back with this news.
Entering the cafeteria, Lynn raises her arm in protest. They rush back to quarantine. Sitting under infra-red shower Howard is impatient. "So what's new?" He was staring in deep thought, "I'll tell you both the main messages when we get back to Lynn". Howard steps back to the far wall with the drain between us. "You're bleeding!". "I know. It's a bad one. There's a tooth somewhere". "Ouch" "You found it". The intercom crackles. Lynn is at the window. "You need to see this. Are you done? There's blood under your nails". "I lost a tooth". He leave Howard inspecting his foot for injury. Lynn points at the first aid. "I'll fetch gauze". "Is there penicillin? I'm thirty seven, I don't want gangrene to set in".
Lynn tells us there is enough food in the refrigerator for days but the temperature is failing. "That's one of the messages" He begins, "But there's more". "Bondi will have the same news by now. Bioplanes have been equipped with billboard updates". He tells both to keep an eye on the screen for 'Bondi Online'. They would be able to communicate then. Lynn rushes her meal with purpose, sits round squarely before me. "We have to help Vicky, She's cutting". Howard returns. The screen lights up SYDNEY BIODOME UPDATE. They wait. Following the four Sydney biodome list of members." I didn't know you had a middle name James Robert Middlehurst". "It's adopted". They discuss preparations made for Lyne Park biodomes exit two weeks ago. Lynn is surprised at Lyne Park's ample supplies, "We have to get back to Bondi. We can take supplies back". Hoping to develop this further Howard asks "But then where? We're going to be flooded out any day".
James jump even further "Get this, there are many more bioplanes now". Lynn jumps in "Why don't we see them?". "They don't land in Sydney anymore". "They abandoned us?" Howard interjects "No it's in the updates, they go straight to the Pacific Garbage Island. It's the size of Tazmania. Pacific gyres have been driven towards the equator by a series of megatsunamis. Namely New Zealand and Alaska. The gyres keep it slowly rotating. Generating enough power for a charging station. Bioplanes need only land on the black bullseye to recharge". Howard and Lynn are speechless. "That's to summarise....". The transmission line activates - Bondi's online. A flicker and the screen resolves from left to right. The first face is Vicky out of admin with an exuberant smile. The rest appear into view cheering as though they had returned from Mars. Then it stopped. "What happened to your face?" Lips red and distorted. "I lost a tooth". Deputy Gary Fripp explained who the new faces are. "The boat that arrived as you were leaving was from Antarctica. They abandoned the last farm project on the Continent".
It has been three years since Bondi received billboard updates. They assume problems with satellite communications. In fact as an irony they think the structure washed up and resting on the biodome might be the satellite. A mast crashed through a window. Beacon barely lit. Carried to shore on a pontoon of garbage. While they pack to leave they take turns at a last look out to sea. Vicky voices our thoughts "You are driving us away". James joins her "Yes but we're going to higher ground. Wait what's that on the satellite?". In high winds an object moves into view. James is astounded "It's a skeleton!". The whole occupants of the biodome are checking it out. "Is that a crab in the skeleton?". Gary asserts "Yes Dungeness" "Where?" "There see the red claw, I'll get it". He dashes to the locker room. They watch him exit the hatch and very gingerly traverse the debris towards the skeleton. He lifts a leg and three Dungeness crabs fall out. "Oh my god fresh protein". James is en route, geiger counters in hand. They can now travel with more than enough food.
CHAPTER 19
Our view of the rugged terrain is unbroken. Now five hundred miles across they marvel at a dusk shaft of sunlight lying across Greenland's flat expanse. Now one thousand miles from north to south its bioplane station their only refuge. A tattered sign facing arrivals explains its history. 'Atlantic circulation through the thermohaline .... this where warm, salty Atlantic water flows north (as part of the Gulf Stream), cools and then sinks (because the salt makes it heavier) as it enters the Arctic. The circulation is partly driven by sea ice formation off the coast of Greenland. The ice formation expels salt and makes the water very dense causing it to sink, which helps “pull” the Atlantic waters from further south. As sea ice decreases the amount and location of ice formation in the North Atlantic region changes and alters the circulation. More melt from Greenland, adding a fresher, less dense surface layer put a cap on the overturning and sinking of the water, which altered the circulation.....'
Squinting, Pete Barlow says "Barely able to read it". His brother Mike is the optimist "Point is this has become the main route for those left in the northern hemisphere to Noblest Nation. It was believed that Watkin's Range could be the location of Noblest Nation but of course 12,000 metres is not high enough. And there's a problem with farming. They have the same problem as Antarctica, shallow top soil".
Walking along Watkin's highway there is a Greenlandic house and nothing else. With fain hope Mike says. “This road will have houses on both sides one day”. A reality walk across Greenland highly sought after and viewed as the closest to a freedom walk with no biosuit if it wasn’t for airborne toxins. A five mile trek to Watkin's Range with as many as ten people on the road. The sky a pale pink. Piles of garbage along the shore hidden behind mounds of rocks laid along the roadside. They are upbeat as they head for the first of ten rest posts. Pete is looking to the distance. "You seen why I brought you here?" asks Mike. "I see someone walking in this direction. Why would anyone walk back in this direction?" "That's the research post Director Sheilagh Hanegan. She's here to greet us. You can also see the roof of the facility coming into view".
'How do you do? It's very good to see you both. Please come in. As you know I work alone. There's one week before my replacement arrives". Half submerged, the reinforced concrete building has four floors sunk in the therma-frost. Two above. "This was the Stratigraphy Center, set up in '90s?" "Yes, your brother Mike tells me you're a Geology Major "Hopefully it will serve me when we arrive in Noblest Nation". "I'll be coming with you and we don't have much time. Let me show you our research". As Sheilagh leads the way Mike tells me Sheilagh is approaching retirement at thirty which means assistance with her journey to Noblest Nation. "Sheilagh turns smiling as she is walking. "I'm looking forward to a few years of relative peace".
She is hunched with age but still energetic. They descend the stairs and enter a lab with oscilloscopes and microscopes mounted on tables. It is cold and silent but for the low hum of a generator. "Here we have samples from the Kangerlussuaq Fjord location hidden by the ice sheet for ten thousand years" .Walking over to a wall switch she watches our reaction as she switches on the hermetical seal. There's a thump and a woosh. They both ask "Is this a biodome?". Removing her helmet, "Yes a single cell biodome. A biocell. You can remove biosuits. There's no way we could work in a biosuit". Pete's not so sure. "Quarantine?" "It's okay, I trust your asepsis. We're a bubble". Along the table are rock samples each under halogen lamps. Pete leans over the samples with scientific scrutiny. "I'll set up a microscope. You'll see fossils in micro-strata". Pete checks scope settings "I'll try 500-kV". Sheilagh lifts up a larger scope. "This goes to 1000-kV". "The fossils are almost life-like. Mike, take a look". Sheilagh is watching the latest report on the billboard. "An alert came in. It will take a couple of minutes. These samples indicate the relative ages of rock layers and the fossils in them. These traces of life mean that life on Earth began several hundred million years earlier than previously assumed”. Sheilagh looks at Pete with a mutual understanding "Our work is essential". The billboard beeps. "We have to leave. A storm is approaching. The bioship sails in one hour. Sorry, doggy bags all round". Before exiting the biodome Sheilagh screws our food tubes onto the side of our helmet and Mike hers. A spike punctures the end, the odour of purée fills the helmet. It slowly enters the water line as they step out onto the road. Pete takes issue “I hope they're working on this. This is not eating. It’s drinking”. Mike asserts, "It's surviving".
With her face glued to the exit door window “We can’t leave”. Stepping back from the window as a missile crashes against the center. “This is bad. We need to check for billboard updates. We might be out of luck. The last one reached 100,000 feet”. Sheilagh turns and walks between us. “Do not open that door”. They see a slowly turning tornado advancing across Greenland. No sky. A grey-green monster heading straight for them. Shutters are closing. Emergency lights on. A shutter fails to close. The window smashes as they reach the stairs. Biosuits are not designed for running. As they reach the stairs Pete falls. He’s on his hands and knees. Helmet rested on the floor. Visor splattered with vomit. Scewed moans emanating. “It’s covid two. Help him to first-aid. I’ll go ahead, fix up resuscitation. He needs oxygen". Pete crawls blindly towards the door guided by her voice ”Over here” She has wound the gurney down to floor level. Hits the biocell button. ‘Thunk-Chrrr’, They rush to remove his suit. He is gasping. “Quickly, we will all have this in minutes". She grabs the mask. He is reaching out, winding arms. Mike wipes the vomit from eyes and mouth. Sheilagh places the mask. He is trying to speak as he breathes - “Get rid of it”. It's a nightmare. "Keep still!" Pete is writhing. "Keep him still". "It's like a hundred snakes...". Mike implores "You have to keep still". Sheolagh "I'll use an auto-disable syringe. This is easily knocked out if caught early".
CHAPTER 20
Kangerlussuaq Cavern is pitch black with cold spray reaching the walls. There are sounds of movement in the water. The bioboats bump the sides. The walkway chain rattles. An occasional splash reaches the ceiling. Emergency lights start to illuminate. All but one bioboat has auto-docked one hundred feet in facing the mouth. No humans needed. Outside an EF6 rages.
"Why are they low?". "They sit on the bottom. It's five feet deep. As they leave they will be ten feet above water". Sheilagh looks them over “I haven’t seen these. They’re 2500 GT biocatamarans. Now they wait for crew to arrive. We need to return to the biocell. As it is we need to return with Pete”. Sheilagh takes the lead as they climb the steep narrow steps leading from the cavern to the biocell. Helmet flashlights no longer needed they climb slowly. Mike is eager to return now knowing if our departure is imminent and at his unease at Pete's situation. Closing the hatch behind him he see Pete lying on the gurney looking our way. "How you feeling buddy?". "Very weak". Pete has saline and dopamine IVs attached. Sheilagh removes them. "All you need is rest. It looks like there will be time. We're waiting for bioboat crew. They'll be here tomorrow at the earliest". "How is it looking down there?". "Pretty bad right now. If this thing blows away we'll get out of here. I take it the boats go straight to Russia". Sheilagh brings up the chart on the billboard. "It's not straight. See this feature where the arctic ice-cap used to be? That's a thousand mile wide stationary garbage island called the Garctic. We need to skirt the plastic smog. More importantly the Garctic is highly radioactive due to high level waste uranium leakage from containers at sub-seabed disposal sites. The containers did not survive the pressure and physically decayed over time. We will be at a safe distance. We won't see the Garctic from where we sail".
Mike would help if he could. Sheilagh is medically trained. Back and forth logging Pete's vital signs and gravitating towards the billboard. "I saw a signal coming in. They take so long to arrive these days. Finally downloaded she points at the lab ID. "That's us. It must be important". '12/04/2121 BIOBOAT CREW ARRIVE STRATIGRAPHY CTR. WATKIN'S RANGE GREENLAND. TWO MISSION OBJECTIVES. ONE: TRANSPORT THREE PASSENGERS TO COASTAL NOVOSIBIRSK WHARF. TWO: RESCUE STRANDED 2500 GT SUPPLIES BIOCATAMARAN. CREW MEMBERS BRIEFED'. Sheilagh looks down "I know all this". Cups her chin "There's more to it".
Not knowing the time-scale she issues preparation steps. A wheelchair is brought to Pete's side. "I'm taking you both on a quick tour. It is further with the wheelchair but is wheelchair accessible. These caves were to be Noblest Nation at one time". Pete is alert. "We heard that but I wish I had the energy". Sheilagh explains her dual purpose. "We will try you on your feet when we return".
Lighting comes on as they approach. They proceed along a wide corridor. They hear the sound of water behind us recede to silence. Ten minutes slowly descending, lighting is greater. A rock wall in the distance is before us. Pete and Mike stop. “Is that it?”. Sheilagh returns to us. “We’re going a little further then we must turn back. We must be ready to receive the crew”. Mike “We thought this place was enormous”. Sheilagh urges us on. “We have passed fifteen lateral passages leading to living quarters. It covers many miles in total”. As they approach the wall the sound of water returns. “Ahead is a deep water port. Wait there’s a bioboat at the dockside”. Sheilagh is puzzled. In the darkness a voice calls out, “Ahoy Doctor Hanegan”. “Yes. Why such a big boat?”. “We don’t have much time. A wheelchair?”. “I will be outof this back at the centre”. Sheilagh steps closer, She sees the red hull. “You’re military?”. “Captain Martin James and First Mate Paul Jacobs. Coastguard. Sorry for the secrecy. I will tell you our briefing at the Center. Are you conditioned?" A massive wave entered the cavern. We rushed on board. The question was forgotten.
Billboard sleep music greets us as they enter. Captain James finds the signal downloads. He opens the chart at the stranded bioboat coordinates. “It will take four hours to reach the radioactive boundary. We will proceed through radioactive waters for twenty minutes at slow speed”. Sheilagh is still puzzled. “What radioactivity? Won’t we be well away from danger?”. “I’ll explain that on the way. Please get ready to travel”. Jacobs is helping Pete to walk. They're heavy, red. military grade biosuits, so big they sit facing each other as though filled but headless. Sheilagh, Captain James and Mike watch the billboard for signals. Jacobs and Pete stand at the biosuits. The Captain calls over "We have biosuits for you. You'll need energy to walk in one". Sheilagh "Somewhat more than transportation Captain?". "For your safety. I can tell you all we see in these signals. There is a live aerial view of the bioboat. As of now it hasn't sunk. You can see its blue hull bogged down with garbage". Jacobs is assigned to Pete for the first day of the journey. He holds Pete’s feet as they walk the gangway, Mike holds his shoulders. This crew is not hanging about. On board, the biocell is sealed. Pete catches his breath. Jacobs works on him giving him isometric presses, pulls, and holds. It seems the more painful the better. They have the floor. Jacobs allows him to flop on his back, quickly dons biosuit, runs to the pressurized crew compartment, leaves for the deck, casts off, returns. Pete groans. Jacobs “I’ll be back”. Steps out of biosuit, heads for the bridge. It seems this crew know much more about the rescue of this supplies bioboat.
They feel the boat move slowly towards the sea. The intercom crackles to life. Captain Martin keeps us appraised. “We are four hours since the tornado dispersed. There is a four day window until the next tornado crosses Greenland. We're short of time". The intercom is simplex. They do not want our questions. Coming out of the cavern they accelerate to high speed. There are still high waves. They are tossed to alarming heights until the boat simultaneously speeds up with a sharp screech and outriggers extend. Now four feet higher the boat rides smoothly across the waves at top speed. Straight for one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the World.
A two hour white knuckle race across choppy waters. Mike and Sheilagh watch the turbulent sea. Pete stands hunch backed grasping the hand rail. In calmer waters outriggers retract. Still at high speed the Captain comes on. "You must put biosuits on as we enter radioactive waters. You have ten minutes". Mike brings two red biosuits over to Pete. Helps Pete into it. Tells Pete he should sit on the floor. Pete is jubilant. He can stand by himself. His covid two might be gone but so is his energy.
Mike is tired of all this for a supplies bioboat. "We could have been at Novosibirsk by now". Sheilagh looks at the camera that has been watching them. "Why biosuits? We aren't leaving the biocell". The Captain perceives the question. "You won't be leaving the biocell. You need extra protection down there”. The Captain and First Mate put biosuits on. Check radioactive monitors. Check our status. "Get his suit on, you have two minutes". "Keep still. Your boots aren't secure yet". Pete is sweating profusely. The moment Pete is safe the boat moves adjacent to the blue bioboat. Twenty feet apart the boats will interact in tandem. The Captain orders "Sit portside, use seat belts". Mike beckons Sheilagh over "This side". She looks to the camera for answers. "We're deploying hiab". Mike is astounded "There's a hiab? How will they manouvre something so heavy?". Our boat tilts. They can see the sky at this angle. The hiab moves into view with First Mate in the basket. As the hiab reaches forward they tilt more. First Mate reaches for debris draped across the blue boat with a hook. Attaches a tether. The boat is now freed. Now we tilt to a greater angle. The hiab brings back the basket and the whole supplies compartment from the blue boat. The freed boat is now untethered.
The operation is a success. Captain and First Mate join us below decks. The Captain is resolute, less distant. "We can relax now. Bear with me while we return on our way to Russia". First Mate James comments "It went well. We didn't know the problems we might have had". They watch him speak. He never speaks. They look to the bioboat they have freed. The blue bioboat shunts erratically, reverses in a semi-circle, makes a few loud engine sounds. Floats motionless but for buffeting waves. Captain James lifts his hand out to the side "Wait". Mate Jacobs "It's moving". Both returned to the bridge without a word. The bioboat picks up speed in the opposite direction. They stand watching through port holes as the bioboat disappears into the distance, on its way to Kangerlussuaq Fjord. With head bowed, facing away from the camera Mike asks "Why did we take that boats supplies?".
The boat, still out to sea, slows. On the bridge the crew are looking to the west through binoculars. The boat stops. The boat stands motionless for minutes. They see nothing out there. Then Pete points to the distant sky. “It’s a bioplane about twenty miles away. They are thrown to the ground as the boat swerves around at full speed. They are in pursuit. Pete is baffled “Who's flying a biplane. It’s twenty years since they were abandoned. What do they hope to do by chasing after it?”. Pete, used to being the most active in any group, lifts himself up to the window overlooking the deck. Falls to the ground. Mike is still angry “Look at this. You can barely walk. What are you doing?” Pete stares up at him “Take a look out there”. Sheilagh drags across a table. They see First Mate in the basket with a bazooka on his shoulder. They return back to port holes facing west. The bioplane is flying in our direction again. Mike sees it "They're scanning the ocean". When flying away from us there’s the order “Wear seat belts”. The boat roars to full speed. With the plane above us there’s a boom on deck. The sound of a rocket firing into the sky. With a change in direction another boom. The boat stops abruptly. They cannot observe the sea while strapped to seats. Can only look to the camera. “I owe you a full briefing. I will be with you with this before we get back on track. You can move around the cabin now”. Immediately they look to the west, the basket. First Mate is back on the bridge."You will see debris port side" Sheilagh "Debris!" .Mike "What's going on?"
Pete is delirious with exhaustion.
thoughts -
Jakobshavn Sound
"There is no garbage in Hiawatha Lagoon"
Flight paths weather conducive to bioplane flight.
TransCanada water pipeline terminal at Greenland Basin dock. Pipeline submerged and visible across the Jakobshavn lagoon off Greenland’s coast.
Bioboats arrive at Greenland dock. Hooks up to Tans-Canada water pipeline. Sailors welcoming demeanour reminiscent of cruise ship staff. Boarder comment “They’re happy. They love to be on the sea”.
Apes alive today are not the same as the apes that evolved into homo sapiens. It is not known if present day apes will evolve.
CHAPTER 24
Tira de las persianas, ella vuelve. "These are Australian". "What do we have?". The men wheel the dead to the door. "Fourteen Australian. Twenty three Mexican. Thirteen dead". They crouch down to observe Vicky's face. She is skeletal, sitting in a bariatric chair. Head down, eyes flickering, murmuring "Beautiful". "Fetch two of the men". The rest shuffle out smiling down at Vicky. Vicky notices the activity and the brightness outside guides her gaze. She is wide-eyed, smiling an involuntary smile when a figure appears in the door. Three feet in front of Vicky. In the bright daylight, standing in the door, he is big.
The silhouette looks down at Vicky "Jeez, have you tried sedation?". "Not yet. It's her first trip. We've been talking her down for half an hour". Another man arrives. "Good, now you two lift her chair. We've removed straps, tray, LSD, head restraint. So regardless of possible flailing arms and legs we need to move her now. Cockpit lights are on. This bioplane will start to taxi in five minutes". Vicky is coming round, still smiling but talking lucidly. She leans forward, griping the chair. "DON'T TRY TO GET UP! we're carrying you in the chair".A replacement chair is rushed in. "Vicky smells the stench and a realization comes over her. Her smile is gone. She is finally down. She sits right back in the chair. "I'll die!". "You don't need a biosuit out there". Just before exiting the plane, she turns her head away from the light. Looks at the faces intently and with a voluntary smile, relaxes. "No biosuit". "We're going to carry you to the sheep dip". "Will you help me? I can't walk too well." "Yes, of course." As they strip her and sit her back in the chair.
They reach the edge unbeknown to Vicky. Lower her, tip her until she falls into the dip. She screams. They grap her arms and guide her to the end. "Back again." Spin her around. At which, she loses her balance, submerges again. Vicky surfaces gasping and crying. She is helped out and lies on the tiled floor. She is left to catch her breath and is hosed down. As she watches the next bather pass she notices that all her friends from Australia and New Zealand are lined up to be dipped. Yet, there is another line heading straight past to Reception. She realizes the sheep-dip is for the unconditioned. She asks the women pulling one of the men through quickly. "My clothes?". The woman calls back "You wear a dashiki. Deep breath". Vicky sees the pile of grey dashikis at her feet and pulls one on and pulls sandals on. "My chair?". "It needs to be dipped", she calls back as she attempts to steady the man. Vicky explores her senses. Head receptionist Amanda helps. "Don't keep looking at the sun". Vicky lies with her head on the cool tiles and cries for joy. Sounds are loud. Oxygen invades her lungs. Smells...
"What is that delicious smell?". Seeing the wheel-chair at her side, she looks up grinning broadly. Sitting there looking at the grey mountains. Smiling and crying she realizes she is smelling food. Real food. “Can I eat now?”. “We’ll give you something but you need a physical”. It was fine by Vicky. "Is this a monastery?" "Was". Vicky looks up impishly "There's a swastika".
As they watch the wall Vicky turns to check something on Amanda and notices a number peaking out from under her sleeve. “You’re conditioned”. “It’s fake. They’re going to remove it”. Deciding that the wall is more important, Vicky looks back and notices drone activity is constant. “Is there ever a problem?” “The only problem would be if we lose power. The only working tokamak has to keep running. For us and for them. You can see the roof top.” “I can’t see it”. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn about it in orientation”. They didn't want to be late. Vicky asks "What's Noblest Nation like?". "I never went". "You said you did". "I got as far as the conveyor belt. They can tell the fakers. They stand there petrified as they watch the people disappear through the rubber flaps". Vicky asks while there's still time "Conveyor belt?". "Don't worry about it". They rush up the handicap ramp towards Reception Hall. As they wind into the last straight a lightning bolt flashes across the sky. Vicky lifts her legs. They crash through the door as a thunder clap announces them to a shocked crowd. Now Vicky is thoroughly confused.
"You do not become hardwired"
CHAPTER 25
These trails are the only defined and least overgrown route. Along the power line trail there has been a constant prevailing wind for many years. We walk stooped against the wind as we travel south. Transmission wires lie on the ground, cut through and left lying in the grass. Trees, undergrowth, grass blown and brushed in the same direction. Natures way of fighting back. Respite found on the south side of transmission tower concrete base. Towers four hundred feet apart we progress between them slowly. We can’t hear the roaring wind. Another hour to the next rest point buried under a tower. An hour of oxygen left. This is living on the edge. Reaching fourteen tower base they see six entry shoots in the concrete.
All are used. Six helmet tops. Sitting on the grass they look at the row of helmets and decide their next move. "These two are old. Seals are broken. They must be dead. If we remove the bodies we can enter". They undue cleats on two helmets and pull at each body. Finally, they begin to rise out of shoots. They leave the bodies lying on the grass where body fluids collect at the helmet end and leak out of seals. Looking down into shoots they see an alarm beacon flashing. "It's orange, that's methane. It will be down in the rest point now. We might have killed them". In their biosuits they are safe. They lower themselves into shoots head first, low enough to check the other four shoots. To their surprise they're wearing pale blue suits. All suits are full. They pull themselves out quickly. "They're all dead".
"We can't enter. We must keep our suits on". Removing the two helmet tops and fixing them back on the open shoots the methane is contained. "The source of the methane must be Kinef refinery. Abandoned in 2100 with gas seeping from earthen pits and through the ground". This was the problem with rest points this close to an abandoned refinery. "There's food down there, possibly uncontaminated". They had to eat. They had to enter but how to and keep biosuits on? "We'll blow our way in". Using a flare they place a rod on a broken seal. Light the flare, push the helmet top up. Throw in the flare. Dive for cover. Boom! "Let's hope that didn't destroy life support". "Let's hope methane hasn't got to the food". The smoke settled. They scramble through the gaping hole. Sit on the rubble and see the canteen door blown off it's hinges. There is little damage inside. The billboard is black. One seeks out food the other checks for life on the billboard. It slowly wakes. "Any food?". The other drags a sheep carcass back to the entrance. "All there was hanging in a room temperature freezer. Still thawing out". "Leave it to thaw. We can light a fire. Water would be good but we won't starve".
A floor map lights up on the screen. "Oxygen tanks right there". Through the door are six oxygen bottles chained to the wall. Without a second to spare suits are hooked up and oxygen replenished. "We'll need to boil the meat into a soup to eat it with suits on. We need water and food tubes". Food tubes are taken off six biosuits and water fountain bottles found in cupboards with fire fighting axes and cooking utensils. Cooking the sheep near the entrance fumes are sucked out. Leaving pans of meat and water to simmer they fight to stay awake.
Winds die down to hurricane category 4. Setting sun reaches through. Yellow reflections off oil tanks. Gradually creeping down ladder rungs. Gold splash. Rust brown Kinef logo. The whole plant moving in light. "Are you seeing this?". "Yes we could go down to the plant. We must eat and rest. Maybe in the morning. If the rain builds up a deluge could enter this rest point. There are steps to the oxygen compound. That’s some protection against flooding. No beds but as for me I could sleep on a rope. Don’t know about you” as he drifts off to sleep still gazing at the shimmering ladder. For a second, before sleep takes him, he thinks he sees someone climbing the ladder. Shaking his head he looks again. Decides there can't be anyone there. "Lets get inside. We'll never sleep out here with the sound of the wind". Settling down, in their last waking moments, they discuss how to proceed from this destroyed rest point. They had left the bodies in a nearby gully. Had secured suits so that they won’t blow away and rain will wash them. In the morning will choose the best two. Cut the others into strips to use to stuff around the oxygen compound door. Oxygen tanks are full. All must go to plan. They cannot risk breathing the air. That night I watch the fluorescent green barium sunset. Pete joins me. “Not good”. “Yes acid rain on its way”. I see him rocking on his heels. He is mesmerized and tired. I knock on his helmet "We should get inside".
It is morning. Maybe three hours sleep. Pete is still sleeping. The wind a low howl. We planned to leave the rest spot at first light. I let him sleep and crack the door open an inch. Sure enough there’s a pool of water up to the bottom step. Slipping out I close the door and wade ankle-deep to the entrance. Miraculously, the billboard screensaver is rolling. Rain is a steady pour. Biosuits will be clean. Before checking if they’re still there I sit at the billboard. How recent are these alerts. One’s a warning “Leningrad Zoo...". Can’t read the rest. Who knows how old. I may as well throw all the breakers. No point in running solar panel gens. The billboard shuts down with a taper. As I sit back I hear a loose brick fall down the rubble behind me making me spin around in the chair. In the dim light, at the top is the shape of a big cat four metres away. Towering above me. Head bowed, a constant growl. I can make out its stripes. It’s pinned back ears. Curling lips. Ready to pounce. Sat in the chair I am a sitting duck. I am about to be devoured by this continents biggest predator. Pete spooked it by opening the compound door. The door jams. He forces it making a crunching grating noise. The cat turns and disappears from view. I scramble up the bricks to see its back legs and tail jump down the gully. “What is it. Are the biosuits gone?” Asks Phil. “A tiger!”. As he dons a suit. “Yes, we need to follow it.” “Follow it, why?”. “It must live in a cave. It can’t survive more than a few minutes outside. There’s more over there than an abandoned refinery. Bring the billboard back up. There must be a plan of the refinery roads".
Scrambling down a mud path Mike and Pete pause to gain bearings. Pete sees the dilapidated buildings “How long has this been abandoned?” Mike sees signs of life “Not so abandoned". He sees a line of blue bioplanes. “The plane they shot down was blue”. “We might be undetected wearing these suits” The first plane has no chocks, still warm, still has mud from footwear. Still has the key.
Inside we open the cache. The contents spill out. “No firearms. Only weapons and a geiger-counter: ” “Turn it on. How many Sieverts right now?” “It’s working but it’s old. 200, can’t tell if micro or milli” “If it’s milli we’d better get out of here. “Wait. I saw jerry cans in the back. Stay here, find seat belts. I’ll be back”.
What’s he doing? Twisting around Mike sees Pete throw an empty Jerry can in back. He also saw movement out of the corner of his eye. They were being watched. “Biofuel. Smells fresh. Tank’s full”. ” Neither of us can fly. We’ll have to taxi. Let’s hope the roads through here lead to the M11 and I don’t mean to cause alarm but if you can get it going make it quick. We have attracted attention. We might be detained regardless of our suits”.
“There’s no reverse. This must be accelerator”. Propeller is rotating. We steer out. Knock the next biplane over. Straighten up to 5 mph. Mike looks behind. “That must have been noisy. Step on it”. Pete adjusts the rear-view and jumps on the accelerator”. “LOOK AGAIN. LOOK WHAT’S CHASING US”. At this speed, pinned to their seats there was no turning around. Trying to keep on the road Pete looked in the mirror. “It’s gaining”. “What’s gaining?”. “An ape”. Bounding from side to side. Reaching out trying to grab the plane. Just before it reached them, Pete swerves. Heads for a ridge. In desperation Pete pulls a lever labelled Throttle. Climbing the ridge at 50 miles per hour Mike shouts “We’ll crash”. Pete said “Or fly”. With the lever at its furthest out wings protrude with propellers. Three propellers speed up from 20 revolutions per minute to 2000 as the biplane takes to the air over a valley 100 feet below.
Thinking aloud Pete talks himself into control as he grasps the yoke. All we see is sky. "It's like a game controller". Unbuckling my belt I attempt to stand. Gravity pulls me back. "Find auto, Pete find auto-pilot". He glances back and forth. "It's got to be this". Pete lifts his arm poised to smash down on a red button. He's exhausted to the point of passing out. Then falls back to the floor. Can't move. He's out. Then the forest come into view. I stand, grab the yoke, hit the button. We tilt back up just feet above the trees. The motor roars up and down and stabilizes as we climb for minutes and level out. Pete is asleep.
We are flying somewhere. Only the auto-pilot knows where. We have one bottle of food. We are heading away from the refinery. We need to land. We need to find highway M11. Auto-pilot won't take us south. Looking at the yolk controls I realize as soon as I turn auto off I need to turn the plane around. I look at my brother. I can't hesitate. Twisting the button it springs up. "Like a game controller, like a game controller" and we loose altitude. Pulling the yoke back takes us up again. The props roar louder. Pulling the left hand control tilts the plane into a right turn and back towards the refinery. I can maintain this height. This direction. We head straight back over the ridge where we took off. There's a lion pulling the dead ape out of the scree.
Skirting the edge of the refinery I retrace our steps. I find the fuel gauge, half empty. I see the transmission towers. Some are left standing. Way markers taking us south. I need Pete to look around. Looking down I see him shuffling across to compartments. He reaches inside. Still can't stand. Reaches round with sticks of food in his hand. "Food - find it". He wanes again. Real food. This must be a biocell. Out loud I ask "Where's the switch?". Climbing over a tower takes me closer to the yoke. I see the bio button. Pete yells "Don't press it yet". "I'm going to refuel. I need to check undercarriage. I'm going to tie my foot to the table leg". I can't stop him. He barely has the strength to squeeze through a small hole at the back but he does it. Hopefully he returns because we might have a billboard in this thing. I keep hearing a beep which might be one. "How you doing?". "OK". A thin nylon twine holding him from flying through the air is pulled tight. "HOW'S THE GAUGE". "FULL GET BACK IN HERE". "Undercarriage is fine. I won't be long". He lies down again. "Before you rest I'll turn the biocell on. I saw biosuits with the food. Thirty seconds after pressing the button plexiglass walls lower down and join - thunk-chrrr. Pete removes his suit and lies down. We get biocell comforts. Warms up, lights illuminate and the door covering the small billboard opens. It boots. Before he sleeps Pete asks "When you find M11..." He's too weak to speak. When he's awake I'll explain why we're not following the M11. To be inconspicuous.
A side wind buffets us away from the towers. I fight to keep us on track. Rain has turned into downpour. Low visibility outside makes it easier to read the billboard. The left margin is a GPS tracking our course. A tower passes beneath us. With one eye on the way ahead and the other on the GPS. I recognize a place name "Tocho, that is near the M11". Pete isn't listening. He's so far out he's rolling across the floor. I grab him when he rolls near. "Pete, wake up. We need to figure out how to land". His muttering stops and he rolls away. He grabs the window sill and is transfixed. "How can there be birds?". "What! Get over here. There's no birds. We're three thousand miles from Noblest Nation". "In the distance coming this way. Above us". I take a glance and sure enough through the rain I see a line of "Their bioplanes!". Pete has returned to his seat. "Yes land. We might be landing sooner than we think. They might bring us down in flames". Looking again I see the line of planes are flying in a dead straight line. "How are they flying so straight?". Pete checks the GPS. "They're heading back to the refinery. They might not see us". They fly above. We consider our options. "We can't reverse what we did to take off. We'll drop out of the sky. Perhaps returning the throttle by degrees. Even so where to land? We know all roads will be full of debris. Taking off was easy, we glided off a cliff".
The yoke is yanked out of my hand as two bioplanes fly along side of us. We fly in a dead straight line with a bioplane now twenty feet from each side. We see the blue biosuits looking at us trying to communicate. I see the comms panel flashing. "They can't hear us. They think we're in distress". There is a loud buzzer. Seat belt signs flash. Pete closes his visor and turns off his suit oxygen pump. "Tank's full". I follow. We sit and wait and watch the GPS. Above the billboard is the alert CHUTE DEPLOYED. The biocell releases us. The bioplane ascends. We fall out of the sky. A parachute opens and we descend with the GPS still displaying the ground. Our bioplane crash lands with the two bioplanes landing by it. Pete squints to see a name on the GPS. "Is that королевский дом?" I was more worried about our landing. "What if we tip over? Land in a tree? And why have the bioplanes gone after our bioplane?". Pete offers "Maybe to retrieve the cryogenic distillater. Hey, ролевский дом. Isn't that...?". "Where do you see королевский дом?”. All I see are contour lines. Then...
CHAPTER 26 is the escape to the only habitable area on the planet by the few thousand people left. Many Americans are seen on the way. Americans are helping people more than anyone. The second half of the book covers the time up to the extinction of human beings and restoration of the planet.
CHAPTER 26
NOBLEST NATION
королевский дом "That's it! kingshouse rest point". Hanging upside-down in a tree, a force ten is blowing us against the branches. The door is flapping open. We scramble out. Check no ankles twisted. Shielding the rain from our faces. Pete is stamping his feet like a horse before a race. He's in his element. "The sun was behind us. This way". I take a step in the direction he points but he's still standing. Shaking, he lifts his hand to his visor. Rain has made it slippery. I knock his hand away. "What are you doing! This way". Running on we see the first hill between us and the biodome. "We'll need to dig in up these". Checking on him and hoping for a response. "I'm okay bro". "I was worried".
Half an hour later we look back to see the faint outline of the bioplanes a mile behind us. One hour later we see the hill ahead. A harder climb. To our left Tocho Lake. The far shore over the horizon. To our right visibility is obscured. Two hours later we are looking down on the roof of королевский дом submerged in mist. We have one hour of oxygen. Ascending down to the biodome the fog is lifting. The building runs 400 feet along the edge of the lake. "This place is huge". Pete is quiet. There is another wing beyond what we see, half submerged. Then we see dozens of bioboats. Half of them military. "My God, we've arrived in a war zone". Pete states the obvious. "We've got to get in there but how will these blue biosuits go down?". He looks through windows. "There's no sign of life. Doors are open. How is this place designed? It's a biodome". Pete turns into the first door. “I will pass out if I don’t get oxygen”.
We see the design Inside. There is a corridor with several biocell doors. In the distance is a sign pointing to a door. 'BLUE WALL PLAN'. There are sounds of movement in the room. With seconds to spare we hit the button to open the door leading into decompression. Pete is barely holding up. The door closes. Green light. Mike hits the button to let us into the oxygen filled room. A hundred people turn and see our suits. There's panic. People are falling back over the seats. We collapse gasping for air. I am flailing around trying to stand. There are screams. They think they are being attacked. Pete is lying still on the floor. "We were being pursued...had to wear the suits...we're not armed...". Mike tries to explain to whomever was carrying him. "Put him here". He is left sitting against the wall. A gurney is pushed passed to bring Pete but he stands with help. He is taken to first-aid. Mike is taken to a wash-bay, stripped, hosed down, and allowed to dress and eat. He is observed closely while he explains their position.
“I am Commander Edwards. You will be detained while we confirm your intentions”. Kept separate and not knowing what has become of Pete, Mike is questioned. Military police need the truth. They believe his story. They knew Sheilagh Hanegan. This seems to clinch it. “Your friend is fine. Your detention will last for the duration of the meeting.” He is escorted to a third floor room. The door is locked and his captors leave.
Windows are covered with metal grates. The same grate is beneath the plaster on room walls and ceiling. Cement floor. A steel rope roof anchor runs diagonally through the room, through the ceiling. The rope shakes each time debris lands. It is a sparsely furnished prison cell. The only comforts - a small bathroom, food in the fridge. No drapes. Light constantly on. Apart from a ten minute warm shower that turns off abruptly, bed clothes are his only insulation. The storm is raging outside. The window reinforcements prevent debris from smashing them. Around midnight Mike sees Pete from the door window. He is three rooms down, looking in the opposite direction down the hall. Mike frantically knocks on the window but it's too late. Pete steps back and does not hear. Mike worries "How will he sleep? How will I sleep?". Mike tries to make sense of the situation. A wall? There was a wall twenty years ago. White bioboats and land army. It was a disaster and that in better times. What do they hope to achieve this time?. I keep warm in bed and drift off. Outside security is heightened. The biodome is guarded at each entrance by military with composite bows.
It is a warm sunny day. Waves lap at the dockside. “Mike”. Someone calls out. Instinctively I look at my palms as I rise up from the path expecting to be in water. “Mike did you fall?” It’s his wife Julie and daughter Jenny. He hugs them. “I must have tripped. Why is the water so low?”. Jenny is concerned. "There's a wall". Wham. A direct hit. Debris hits the window. I lie awake the rest of the night to the sound of the metal grate tapping the wall.
In the morning the Commander informs us that we will be shown the wall. The journey is scheduled for dusk. We head out with Leutenant Stanislav Volodya one mile east, back along the route from the bioplane crash. We wear white biosuits. Stanislav is helpful but stand-offish. Scrambling to the top of a hill, a silver airglow lights the sky. Mike needs answers. “It’s bright tonight”. Checking the horizon, Stanislav responds “Keep your head down and voice low” .“What’s the danger?”. "Wait a minute. Take a look at the horizon”. “Is that smoke?” .“Wait a minute". From the ground up a shape appears. The outline of a giant opaque column slowly grows out of the mist. Stanislav raises a Hand . “Wait”. Columns have tops. They are box shaped. Higher boxes with tops. Stanislav anticipates. “It is a wall”. From this distance all are the size of bioplanes but stationary. On their side, hovering in the air.
The evening. sky is purple contrasting the pale blue wall. Pete and Mike raise their heads to see its length. "Heads down". Pete counts the bricks."It's ten bioplanes high. It stretches to the horizon". South horizon is obscured by an incoming storm. Stanislav moves down from the ridge. "You have seen the wall. I will tell you all we know". We hear him but are transfixed. There is the sound of an incoming plane growing louder over the hum of bioplanes. Stanislav moves up to view. "It is a fighter plane equipped with heat-seeking missiles. They patrol the wall. They will bomb anyone approaching. We think they have intensified because of your presence". Hoping to illicit more information Mike asks "Why is there a wall?". "We do not know". We gaze a little longer. Pete asks “And if we approach". "There would be a volley of fire from the wall. They shoot to kill and a fighter plane arrives at one hundred knots". "How do they have so much fire power?". "We don't know". Pete and I look at each other. We are incredulous. He should know. They're still suspicious. Mike asks "Are the fighter planes manned?". "No, it is all drones". "Fibonacci". We look at Pete. "He's asleep". "How long since he had covid two?". "Two months". "Wake him. We need to go. We might be being watched". Stanislav moves down, turns, stands, looks back. We had to follow.
Back at the biodome Mike is fired up. “You haven’t told us much about the wall since there’s a plan. You haven’t told us the plan”. Stanislav opens up. “It reaches the horizon and further. We know by it’s replaceability. There are reports, we have yet to confirm, that it spans the Himalayas” Pete “Is it continuous?”. “We really don’t know. We do know it is moving east from here. It passed over королевский дом one week ago. We heard the hum for ten minutes”. In fact it’s due to move again today.
"We could not travel North"
"We could not travel South"
"We could not travel West"
"We could not travel East"
"If the monks don't find you first"
तपाईं noblest राष्ट्रमा गइरहनु भएको छ
monks = Asians = monks
gray dashiki multi-color dashiki
"they found the Madonna and child"
Croeso i Snowdonia. "How do you say that?" "Underneath in English". Welcome to Snowdonia. "You know, this place used to have a little ol' railway...is this graffiti?". "Yes, they preserved it". "It's a fist with the word CYMRU". "Listen Jeff they're not American, they're Welsh. Don't try to speak Welsh. This graffiti gives us a clue. They are proud". Jeff looks around in wonder. Sally beckons him. "I'll show you what's left of the railway. Pointing to the base of the bioplane pad they see a shallow trough leading from the summit below the pad and trailing off down the mountain into the water. A military bioboat is moored at the dock.
"Don't they dump bodies here?" Jeff asks, hoping to avoid such a scene. "Yes but the tide carries them to Penygader eighty miles away". "They have fish here?". "Yes it's a kingshouse rest point. I'll take you to the biodome. They still call it the Summit Visitor Centre". Before we ascend the steps we look to the east to see The New British Isles coastline. The ground is parched. It used to be green. The sky is acid red. It used to be blue. We dare not breath the air. We turn away from the down-draft of an incoming bioplane, turn mics down and start to climb. Once inside Sally speaks but I need to reset the suit " ", " ", "Jeff. quarantine straight ahead". He heads for it before the rush devours the fish. Jeff is tired and hungry since the flight from Carrauntoohil. He is distracted as he removes the biosuit. Why is this biosphere anchored down so securely? Huge tungten steel ropes connected to massive concrete slabs. What are the ventilation pipes poking up twenty feet above the ground? One pipe has a flame at the top. He would ask his Welsh hosts about this if they were more forthcoming.
There are sounds of excitement outside the locker room. A Welshman rushes in. "Put biosuit back on now". Jeff takes the order seriously and forgets his hunger. He steps outside the locker room and is shocked at the sight through the windows. If it wasn't for the commotion he would have thought it a flashback. A grey green fog, swirling winds, debris crashing against the one inch thick hurricane strength glass. There's an eerie whirring sound. The biodome is lifted a few inches and crashes down. All doors in the biodome wedged opened to increase ventilation. Alarm bells ringing. People rushing to the canteen. There they see why. On the kitchen side ovens are rolled forward. A trapdoor is open. Steps lead below the floor. Wendy is at the top. "It's the catacomb". Descending underground she guides Jeffs hand. "The last category seven sent the biodome down the mountain. Killed everyone. This is an absolute last resort. The methane down here is lethal". Ducting above carries air to cryogenic distillation deep in the cavern. Oxygen is made a mile ahead. The distant rumbling of the machine could be heard as soon as the trap door is closed. They wait while hermetically sealed freezer cabinets are lowered. It is cold down here.
Wendy is aware of our surroundings. "It will take a few minutes for lights and heating to reach full power". They stand on level ground, everyone is here. Festoon lights flicker bright. Looking ahead Jeff see a line of biosuits facing forward. "Where did these people come from?". "It's infra-sound, you're hallucinating. Turn on noise reduction". "How do I do that?" "It's on your helmet". She shows him the button and the line of biosuits disappear.
There's a small gauge central rail track reminiscent of an early twentieth century coal mine. The freezers full of food and water roll past and lead the procession. Jeff asks "How long do we stay down here?" "They monitor conditions on the surface-It depends". Jeff reaches the bottom. In the scant light, knees bend, a slight stumble. The path descends. Another command "Keep moving". Wendy reaches back to steady me. "We have caught up to bioplane passengers. Keep in single file". The lights flicker and buzz into full illumination. The machine sound dips and rises. Jeff sees the line of biosuits ahead. He is shocked to see so many people in one place. Wendy says "They just got the passengers from both bioplanes down here in time".
One hundred shuffling subterraneans, quietly heading for the staging area. Wide eyed, watching this hoard of people, he has so many questions. Wendy updates "We'll reach an area where we can remove biosuits. There is no quarantine, LSD only as volumetrical microdoses". Jeff is intrigued. "How close are we to the dead?" "They dug this in the opposite direction. It was tricky, methane permeates the rock but stays high. Oxygen lies lower". Excited at the thought of eating real food, untethered, breathing. "Infra-red showers?". "A two minute cold water shower". "Can I eat first?" "You won't have a choice. Biosuits go back on when low oxygen alarms sound. We will clean and replenished our suits with oxygen and water". They stop, Jeff grabs the hand-rail and droop. Wendy speaks "We're all hungry". There's a flurry of activity. They could hear rushed motions and voices ahead. "Lift, close lid". A cabinet rolls past towards the surface.
Sitting in the staging area, there are benches around the cavern with cabinets parked before us. Wendy updates "Someone collapsed. They couldn't remove his biosuit. He was returned to the surface for examination. They can provide intravenous psilocybin back there if not too serious". The Welsh return with an empty cabinet and biosuit. "They must have detoured to the catacomb", They clean his suit while others eat like ravenous dogs. Opening his visor Jeff leans forward. Looking ahead he see gaps in the row. Focusing he notices the nearest is a pair of biosuit soles. The cabinet is emptied. In it goes and away. This time his skin crawls. Jeff recalls the mans face staring straight ahead.
Everyone is quiet, a body is removed every five minutes. Jeff slowly sits holding a turkey drumstick to his forehead. He has an overwhelming sense of helplessness. ""How can we return to the surface?" "Eat". Wendy is a rock. "All bioplanes go to Noblest Nation". Jeff adds "At least if we go down we'll be high". "Will you need LSD?" "I'd rather".
King Arthur's Labyrinth
It is far safer than sailing across Offa's Dyke to New Britain.
Battle between monks and Noblest Nation resembles medieval war.
Their population had become so small that they reached a point of no return.
CHAPTER 30
Flames licking the eye of God.
CHAPTER 40
ǝ Last scenes to resemble dying Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
1970 Jeremy oh! Jeremy
