“I’ve got things to do son,” he said gathering his composure, “We will talk again, but by now the complex is locked down. No one is entering or leaving. You will have a role here, just like everyone else. I’ll call for you in the next few days. It’ll be up to you to explain this to, and deal with, Terri. I don’t envy you that, but it’s your responsibility now.”
Keith looked at his father, still trying to process the many and varied thoughts racing through his mind, when the words dawned on him that he would be the one to break the news to his wife. She had a family too, and they were very close. It was not turning out to be the day he hoped it would be.
TWO
The mass and speed of Ignatio-17 was greater than estimated. It was even larger than the impressive comet McNaught. This was of little interest though, once its true course had been calculated. There was not enough time to determine where Ignatio-17 had originated from, nor how long it had been in existence. That was of little consequence now.
This particular comet was composed of more rock than ice, and was highly irregular in shape. Coursing its way through the Milky Way Galaxy at speeds in excess of 25,000 miles per hour, there was no stopping what was to come. There was no ill intent on its part, as it had nothing to do with its own destiny. It was such a small thing in relation to the universe around it, yet it would affect so much.
Ignatio-17 exploded as it survived to reach the plasma and magnetically charged fields of the sun. This collision, occurring during the time of a Solar Maxima, set off a series of events that would forever change this part of the solar system. Sympathetic coronal mass ejections in alarming scale displaced massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation. One of the greatest of these was directly in line with the earth. It took less than two days for the full force of the solar charged particles to set off a geomagnetic storm of unprecedented size and scope. The first indication that something significant was taking place was the sight of the Aurora Borealis being visible throughout the world. What followed that picturesque scene was devastating. The massive amounts of solar and cosmic radiation that passed through the magnetosphere caused an almost instant change in the earth’s axis. With this shift came the expected tectonic plate disturbances.
Earthquakes of a magnitude that ripped continents in half took place one after another. Once dormant volcanoes mimicked their active brothers, filling the sky with volcanic ash and the land and seas with molten fluid, rising up from the depths of the earth. The polar caps were no longer such, and began melting as the increasing temperature of the planet and the rising seas claimed their share. Electrical storms crossed the landmasses as they ruptured and broke apart scattering the last vestiges of civil development.
In collusion with the earth changing events, were the byproducts of civilization itself. Adding to the already elevated radiation levels was the destruction of the many nuclear reactors throughout the world. Some were swallowed up by the ground itself, others were ejected into the rising water, and some were simply ripped apart as their radioactive materials were released without restraint. Their ensuing meltdowns formed ‘hotspots,’ void of life, and added to the already rising planetary radiation levels. Refineries were ignited as they expelled their seemingly endless supply of natural fuels. There was no corner of the earth that remained untouched from the calamity.
Solar flares continued their assault for the next forty-eight hours as the earth convulsed and moaned through its forced readjustments. Eventually, volcanoes subsided, tidal waves receded, and electrical storms lost much of their tenacity. The tectonic shifts that occurred were such that after years of agitation, they had finally separated to a degree that would inhibit any further significant activity.
The earth was calm once again, but it bore no resemblance to its former self. The skies were a gray and violet hue resulting from the accumulated amount of volcanic ash in the atmosphere combined with the ionized particulates remaining in the clouds.
The seas were now all a deep blue losing their once pristine beaches, white sands, and clear waters. Debris was everywhere. Wind and waves were the only sounds dominating a once vibrant landscape. The birds were gone, the mechanical noise of the cities no longer generated their unnatural sounds, and the sky was hidden. The sun was trying to pierce through the cloud-covered skies but with little effect. Life did still exist on this planet once threatened with overpopulation. Whether or not that life could continue, was yet to be seen.
On what is now known as Day One, the records indicate that global military and civilian systems warned of the impending solar event several hours before impact. Some observers believed the levels of charged particles recorded were the result of malfunctioning equipment, while others turned their attention to the end result. Because of this, the warning had little effect. Those secure facilities that remained opened, allowed some others to enter their protection, while the greater number paid scant attention to the conflicting and fragmented reports. The storm penetrated earth’s atmosphere in the early afternoon. By nightfall, mass panic was worldwide. The entrances were made secure before the day’s end.
Those who made it to the DUMB’s felt the upheaval around them. Some facilities were torn apart from the separation caused by massive tectonic shifts, making their efforts to reach safety in vain. What no one could know at the time, aside from those in the international space station, was that where there were once seven continents, there were now eleven. The world was transformed to the point of being unrecognizable to any of its remaining inhabitants.
Hours after the first, and final, transmission from earth in relation to the massive solar storm, the six members of the international space station looked down on the planet in utter astonishment. No matter what other thoughts tried to break through their concentration, nothing could counteract the mesmerizing effect of the scene unfolding so many miles below. The landmasses were literally separating into smaller segments with some areas seeming to disappear under a rising sea. Smoke from active volcanoes covered much of the sky. The progression was as if it was in slow motion, yet the onlookers knew it was anything but. The earth appeared to have changed its rotation from the dramatic convulsions it had experienced. After an indeterminate amount of time, one crewmember finally spoke the words they were all thinking;
“It’s over. It’s all gone, they‘re all gone,” he said in a hushed voice.
No one could utter a word in reply. A few remained uncontrollably locked in concentration; others could not watch for one more moment. Sometime later, they discovered the body of the only crewman who dared speak hanging from the ceiling, in his quarters. While they all understood, and some even considered it themselves, they could not talk about it. They sent the body into space.
Their attempts to make contact were in vain, as they knew they would be. They rationed their food and drink to make them last as long as possible even though they knew the inevitable. Not one of them had the courage to talk about that. The one wish they all had was to return yet again to the beautiful planet they once knew; not to be with family and friends, all of whom they believed to be gone, but to experience and see first-hand the evolution of this new earth.
11.37 degrees latitude, 88.70 degrees longitude (near the southern end of the Middle America Trench, Eastern side of the pacific ring of fire)
Twenty-one days prior, satellite images reported the departure of the Borei class submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, from its homeport in Vladivostok, Russia. Five hours ago, SSN-775, the USS Texas, a Virginia class submarine, identified the noise signature of the Nevsky just before it came to a complete stop near the ocean’s floor. The Nevsky knew something else was out there, but its crew had yet to identify what and who it was. It was a game of ‘cat and mouse’ regularly played by the two Super Powers.