Frozen World - Short Story Remnant by Edward Owens

Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone - FINISHED - Refreshed

Chapter 1

President Farmer looked at the Secretary of Homeland Defense with a pained look.  It was 5 am. As if am or pm meant anything anymore. One hundred and fifty seven days without sunlight and two thousand feet below the surface of the earth and the concept of daytime and nighttime was the same as what position the light switch was in at that moment.

Arlen Farmer never joined the military. He never spent time in prison. He never was a participant in an experiment where the subject was isolated from the rising and setting of the sun.  After fifty two years of sun rises and sun sets getting used to being without them threw  his timing seriously out of balance.

Secretary Amblin looked at him expectantly.

“Go ahead Ben.  What are the numbers?”  President Farmer said with a grim look on his face.

“Well of course we can’t know what China, Russia,  India, Switzerland, etc, all the governments we would expect to have a doomsday plan in place are doing now since we lost all communication two weeks ago but all the bases here in America and the UK connected via VLF transmission nodes report expected casualties of over ninety nine point nine nine five percent. In other words out of nearly four hundred million people we can only expect roughly twenty thousand to be alive, give or take a few thousand.”  Secretary Amblin said with a tremble in his voice.

“Oh my god.”  Secretary of Treasury Marcus whispered.

“What is the best estimate of the surviving world population, given what we know of the Chinese, Scandinavians, Russians, Indians, and so forth. Based on what we thought their capabilities were before the black out?”  Secretary Janis asked quietly.

The Director of Intelligence looked up.

“The numbers Director…”  He began.

President Farmer waved him off.  “Let’s dispense with this Secretary and President stuff. There are no more governments. We are not leaders anymore than we are survivors.”  He said and paused for a moment.  “I met a man yesterday. Doctor Coltrain. Doctor Coltrain is the guy who runs the nuclear generator that will keep the power on down here for the next five years. I don’t know if we will be alive in five years but that’s how long the power is expected to last.  Right now he and about four hundred other technicians who maintain the hydroponics gardens, clean the water, sanitize the waste, and so forth are the most important people down here.  I asked a technician how something worked and he asked me who I was and what do I do.  I instantly understood who we are. We are baggage. So let’s drop the pretense that we are anything other than a burden to everyone who is actually capable of keeping what remains of the human race alive.  Agreed?”

Secretary  Alden looked at his old friend and smiled. “Isn’t that the way it pretty much has always been?”

Farmer nodded.

“Yup. We however don’t have the luxury of a rich abundant country and planet with excess to take care of the freeloaders. Those people out there aren’t going to let us continue this charade much longer. Not like before. They have always known we were feeding off them but they put up with it.  They don’t have to put up with it anymore. We are at their mercy now. So as I said. Let’s stop pretending we are any more important than Stan Wojokowski who fixed D section air system last week or Barbara Chin and the hundred other people who fixed our dinner yesterday. Okay?”

Everyone at the table nodded and looked around. The room seemed to relax.

“Now give me those numbers Bob.”  President Farmer said looking at the Director of Intelligence.

“Well we lost the connections to the Utah and Kansas server farms where a lot of the data was stored but ironically, given your speech just now, a squint in my department, Jeffrey Barnes had the foresight to send a lot of the pertinent data we might need to the facility buried in Cheyanne Mountain before the surface became unlivable.  I asked him that same question yesterday actually. Something like “Hey Jeff, how many people do you think might still be alive?” and I will be damned if he didn’t have the number.  According to his calculations and some of the other egg heads who apparently sit up at night talking about this stuff, they suppose as many as eighteen thousand in the US alone. That‘s in shelters like this. There are always outliers as he calls them. Resourceful people like preppers and outdoors-men”

“How about worldwide?”  Farmer asked.

“Numbers are shaky as they say but apparently these guys live and breath this stuff. They were naming installations I hadn’t even heard of in Iceland, Russia, and elsewhere that had the capability of holding out for a year or so underground. They say it would not be a surprise to find three hundred and fifty thousand to half a million people alive when this is over. If this is over.  But it will have to be soon.”

Secretary of State Frank Bishop leaned forward.

“This is almost encouraging. What do they base that number on?”

“Oh they have a pretty good handle on it. Convinced me they knew what was a fair estimate. They had the data on the number of nuclear reactors in hardened sites above and below ground. Of course the deeper down you go the warmer it will stay and you won’t have to use a reactor or other fuels as much for heat. They laid out pages and pages of notes they had. They don’t even use the tablets like you would expect. They use big sheets of paper apparently from a roll somewhere. It looks like a mural of equations, numbers, site names, power supplies, life expectancy, fuel consumptions, food consumptions, etc.  There is a catch though.”  The DofI said looking grim again.

“What’s that?” President Farmer asked.

“Well according to their data this better end real soon. They pointed out that even if the cloud dissipates and the sun heats the earth’s surface back up quickly  it will be weeks before the storms that will be spawned by a massive mixing of the hot air and the cold air, the melting of all the bodies of water frozen over, and so forth calm enough to do some work.  After that, and I hadn’t thought about this because I am a politician not a squint scientist, they say the colder it gets up there the more likely the earth worms and insects, and eventually even bacteria, in the soil, will die off and that will make planting a sustaining crop less likely. It will be at the best 6 months, under ideal circumstances, to get a crop of something the survivors can eat. We will have to repair cultivators, and learn how to farm. I am guessing no one put farmers on the “rebuilding the human species” essential person’s list.  We have military, scientists, politicians, and wealthy people, or should I say formerly wealthy people who bought their way down here. Unless some of those people grew up on a farm in Iowa or Kansas we will be lucky to get a crop out in a year.”

“We should probably start making a list of people, their skills and incidental skills in case we do make it out of here.” Secretary of State Bishop spoke up.

“And what about the work on the dish?  Any progress there?“ President Farmer asked.

“We just don’t have the materials. Out of all the stuff that did make it down here the dishes or suitable dish making material wasn’t among them except the receivers and transmitters.  But we have a plan;“  Bishop said.

President Farmer leaned forward. “Let’s hear it.”

“Well it’s risky for whoever we send. The instrument package on the top of the hill we are sitting under registers minus one hundred on average, its something close to night time all the time up there and sustained wind gusts can bring the temperature down cold enough to precipitate out carbon dioxide. In other words it is now snowing dry ice not water.  We have a store of extreme condition suits that can withstand these temperatures. Tanks of  air that can be kept warm, about as much as a small team could pull behind them on a sled, plus a habitat module for sleeping on the surface, and food and water, a team of six might make it to the large antenna over at Piedmont, hook up a signal repeater, and hopefully make it back before they run out of air. We might be able to reach the Solar Observatory or another satellite. They are working on the best place to aim the dish to get the most possibilities. Then they patch in and see if we can tell how big this interstellar cloud is and how long it might last.“

“Okay. Say we did that. What if the data indicates we have another few months or a  year down here. What then?”  President Farmer asked.

“The consensus is that if this persists much longer, as in more than six more months we will probably be in an irreversible ice age even if the black cloud dissipates. We would have to find a way to the equator and hope to restart there and spend the next few thousand years waiting for it to warm back up. The science guys are working on that too.  We aren’t as helpless as our ancestors. There are plans to blast holes in the ice with nukes. Spread carbon on the surface with planes when we get some working. And other things I don’t remember at this moment.  One thing they are pretty clear on. If this lasts for more than another year we are done. Even during the coldest ice ages the earth still received sunlight. We have seeds in the seed vaults around the world and the seeds in numerous agricultural warehouses around the world will probably still be good for awhile. But if the earth remains dark another year the biome will be so damaged and the temperature at the surface might be like that of the moon and will effectively sterilize the soil. That’s not taking into account the insects as pollinators all being dead and many other factors.”

“Is there any idea on how to dissipate the cloud? President Farmer asked.

“Unlikely but we didn’t get much data before the EMP pulse took most all satellites and the grid. Everything else was old fashioned telescopes and cameras.  It is still a puzzle how the dust cloud and EMP pulse occurred at the same time. No theory explains the pulse and the dust cloud except perhaps a fringe theory that had to do with comets and the solar magnetosphere. In short the particles, which are probably composed of carbon, somehow shorted the sun’s electromagnetic field  into our field. Like dropping metallic  or carbon fibers on an enemy’s electrical grid shorts it out. The data that survived supports the theory. The field was able to flow along the particles which extend from the sun side of Mercury all the way to Earth. The jolt into our magnetic field caused the pulse.”

“Why are we just hearing this now?” Secretary Amblin said.

“We aren’t.”  President Farmer said. “I have heard this before.  The theory anyway. Comet Ison back in 2013 stirred up some speculation that comets are like very massive batteries charging up as they moved through the solar wind. In the halo and the tail electrochemical processes were going on. This is why very small amounts of water were found actually on comets that we got close to yet water was found in their spectral signatures. The water and other things like cyanide were being produced by the electro-chemistry. Also comets would fragment and come apart well out past Neptune which could not be caused by heating that far from the sun so therefore another force must be the cause. Earth is a big electrical dynamo with lots of potential energy, so is the sun, it just needs a pathway.”

The other men at the table sat back and stared at their President.

“Don’t look at me like that. I used to read a lot when I was a junior senator. I also used to watch a lot of you tube videos when I was bored. Loved the conspiracy ones mostly. Especially after the doomsday date would pass and nothing happened like December 21, 2012. It was fun watching them spin that one. Funny enough comet Ison was next in line after that one. Then the large meteor strike in Europe in 2019 and then Apophis did a close pass in 2029. I am sure someone predicted this one. If a million people make a million predictions in two thousand years of  history someone is bound to be right once in awhile. According to the conspiracy people NASA lied and Apophis will be back next year.”

“Do we proceed with the mission to the big dish Mr. President?  We should do this as soon as possible. We have a window of about 2 weeks to contact the most remote satellites and probes on the list if the observatory isn‘t working. In anticipation of a yes I already have the science team assembling the gear and three volunteers capable of making the necessary modifications to the dish when they reach it.  The team figures three military types, mostly for muscle since everything out there is dead, would be useful in hauling the equipment there.”

“Yes.  Send them as soon as it is possible.  We need to get another picture of this thing. Everything we have is hazy Hubble and ground telescope shots. We didn't even know to be looking when we couldn‘t look anymore. Data as you know is next to nothing.”

The meeting adjourned. The Secretary of Intelligence walked out of the room quickly.  The command and control center occupied the central ring of the large underground complex. All key departments had offices and meeting rooms in the center. Secretary Bishop walked into the Operations room. He quickly spotted the representative for the science and technology teams.

“We have a go Jeff. Do you have your guys?”

“Yes. We are running a final check list now. We have three Seals that the guys know who are pretty savvy about this stuff and tough as nails. They are familiar with exotic gear. Quick learners. We already briefed them on the suits and the objective just in case the three of us can’t get the job done for some reason.”

“So they know this mission is possibly life and death for us?”

“Oh yes sir. Of course they do, but like Captain Perez said when I brought the proposal to him last week and I quote -Ain’t got nothing better to do. Bored senseless in this can - end quote.  They would do it just to get out and slap death upside the head.”

“Best of the best.” Secretary said grinning back.

The scientist, not the stereotypical poindexter type, but rather a good sized healthy man of perhaps thirty made a grunting sound as he talked.

“Arrrggghh  end of the world  arrrggghh find big dish  errrgggggh”

The Secretary grabbed the man’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The words of the President still fresh in his mind about the relative importance of the people with titles versus the people who were keeping everyone alive.  He felt useless and small. This man was still ready to fight back and even better capable of doing something. He hoped that before this was over he was half as useful as the men who would be risking their lives in the next forty eight hours.

“Leave as soon as you are ready Jeff.”  The Secretary said.

“Yes sir. About an hour should do it.”  Jeff replied.

The team road up in the elevator. Their suits weren’t big and bulky like astronauts suits. The temperatures above weren’t as low as on the moon or in space and the air pressure was still nearly normal.  These suits were made for work at the poles. Independent oxygen supply with heating units built into the suit and boots.  How they ended up in the inventory was anyone’s guess. The rumor was some geek, as the temperature outside was falling, found these suits in the inventory at NASA and shipped them everywhere to every doomsday shelter. Someone who didn’t waste time talking to a superior about future possibilities. Perhaps the same person who had the case of four thousand movies on terabyte flash drives shipped. They knew it was a geek since half the collection was BBC documentaries and Sci Fi films.

“Okay here is the way it will go. The dish is next to the river eleven kilometers south of our position as we discussed. But we can’t go directly. We have to go east five kilometers then follow the river down. We figure to make it to the river in eight hours and then work our way down the river for another four and find a building hopefully to set up the shelter. It’s a model that has been tested in Antarctica. We will fit but it will be a tight fit. We’ll use the ceramic heaters. Inside a building we won’t have to fight the wind chill and keeping the inside warm enough to survive in our suits shouldn’t be a problem. We can’t lose the shelter or the heaters. We will only remove our face shields to eat and take water. I suggest you keep it to a minimum and try not to have to use the bathroom for the  next two days. We packed a propane torch to start a fire if we have to but it would have to big one in an enclosed space to do much good. Hopefully it won’t come to that.  You have all been briefed on the antenna booster.  The dish, or actually dishes are part of a satellite tv installation for this area. They have a large one about ten feet across but it will probably be pointed in the wrong place and of course frozen.  We will throw a tarp over it and use the torch to heat it up and move it. We are going to have to do this manually. We may have to cut something loose and shove the thing around to get the right angle.  That angle is predetermined based on where the paths of the greatest number of satellites are now or are expected to be in the future. We rest up and then make the final push which should take another 4 hours. It should be wide open going down the river. With any luck we will be able to move it into position quickly.  If the Solar Observatory is dead we will look for other signals. We don’t leave until we know we have a signal from something we can use or we are totally depleted of supplies. In that case we will have to return to restock and come back.  Depending upon how quickly we get there determines how many times we can fail and still make our way back here before the batteries in our suits run out. The faceplates are large because they gather ambient light. It's how we are going to be able to see.”

The speech was perfectly timed. The elevator came to a halt only seconds later. Jeffrey Stanton looked at the team.

“Ready?”

“Aye sir.” came in a chorus from the Seals.

The other two scientists, an electrical engineer and structural engineer,  used to climbing and hiking nodded and gave thumbs up.  The cold air freezing their breath as they put their masks on. They inspected each other’s air tanks patting each other on the back and giving the okay. Microphones in the masks provided communication.

“Here we go.” Jeffrey Stanton said to the group and pulled the handle on the door that led to the outside.

The door didn’t want to move at first. Cold hinges groaned and protested as the men worked together to force it open. They turned on their powerful LED lamps that lit up the blackness in front of them like it was daytime. The first man through the door paused and looked back a pained look on his face.  In the snow could be seen the remnants of a camp. Bodies lay frozen solid. Ragged tents and makeshift shacks dotted the area around the shelter entrance.  It appeared that people had figured out where all the important people had gone and had tried to get in. Others had waited after failing to open the thick blast door hoping the door might open long enough to slip in and fight it out or beg their way to safety. The people in the shelter had never known what was going on above in the months prior to the death of the world.

“Let’s move. Captain you are in command. You know how to get stuff like this done.” Jeffrey said.

“Like  you said. Let’s move.” The Captain ordered.

The going wasn’t as difficult as they thought. The ground beneath them mostly ice and snow was hard and packed. The sled rode easily.  The path they were taking would lead them to within a quarter mile of the river.  A road that had been carved into the terrain years before as the shelter was prepared. It worked out perfectly that the doomsday event had turned the access road into a hard smooth surface. If the disaster had been a meteorite or a giant plume of ash from the collapsing of the Yellowstone caldera or any number of other imagined cataclysms it might have been different.

Instead of eight hours to the river they covered the five kilometers in a little more than six.  The outline of the river was obvious even in the snow with the LED Lamps. Two rows of trees on either side sticking out of the snow marked the direction. They paused to get their bearings. Jeff looked around at the frozen scenery in the light of the LEDs. The trees stripped bare. A landscape that didn’t belong in the upper Midwest. His breath hung in the air.  The very faintest of glows of the sun on the horizon.  The sun?

“Captain what time is it?” Jeff aked.

“You don’t carry a watch?”  The Captain said incredulous.

“What’s the point? It’s always night. What time is it?”

The Captain pulled the cover off his watch. Old habits died hard apparently. No real need to conceal its glowing face.

“I’ve got fourteen hundred and twenty two. Why”

Jeff stopped suddenly.

“Tighten up. Turn off your lights.”  Jeff said quickly..

“What?” Sergeant Flores said.

“Do it. Captain. Do it!”  Jeff said insistently.

“You heard him. Form up. Turn off your lights.”  The Captain barked.

The group formed up and turned off their lights.

“Look to the horizon. It should get clearer as our vision readjusts to the dark. And we should stop talking on our radios.”

The group waited. As their vision returned to night time mode they could see it. Reddish and purple lights moving up and down just at the limits of their vision.  Jeff took a deep breath of the warm air in his tank and pulled his mask up.

“Radios off now. You have a long range scope I assume.”  He said then put his mask back on.

The Captain pulled a cylinder from his backpack and handed it to the doctor.  Jeff look through the scope and almost instantly jerked it away from his eye.  He sucked another deep breath of air and pulled his mask off again.

“You have to see this. I need you to see this.”  Jeff said quietly.

The Captain put the scope up to his eye.

“Oh my god. What is that?”  The Captain said.

“You mean who is that?”  Jeff said.

The group took turns looking through the scope at the saucers with rings of light at the top and bottom ascending and descending into the sky just on the horizon.



Chapter 2


Jeff handed the telescopic sight back to the Captain.

“That’s not our stuff out there. Not Chinese or Russian either unless our intelligence prior to the black out event was seriously off.”  Jeff said.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what those are.” The Captain whispered back.

“The cloud wasn’t a natural event. It was a weapon. They pacified the planet without firing a shot.

“We need to get off this river bed. They certainly could have seen our lights and if they have and sent out someone to check it out we should not be here when they get here. If they haven’t seen us we are certainly a cluster of warm bodies giving off a heat signature in this cold air they can spot.”  Captain said.

“Where do we go?  Do we continue to the TV station?”  Jeff asked.

“Right now we need to get into those trees and behind some cover. I remember what the terrain looked like. We will use one small flashlight and make our way quickly. There was a denser stand of trees  to our right and back about one hundred yards. When I say go we move. The light will be facing down. Grab each others jacket and form a snake and we will get there quick. Ready?”  Captain said.

The group murmured its consent.

“Go.”  Captain said.

The line behind the captain formed quickly if not a little clumsily. Jeff grabbed the captain and another grabbed  him and so on. The small light was sufficient. The Captain spoke loud enough for the group to hear warning of obstacles.  They covered the ground in a few minutes.  The stand of trees was denser than the surrounding area. A pile of trees, perhaps a natural fall that proceeded the arrival of the black cloud provided cover. Behind the trees a natural wind break and coverage from the line of sight to the happenings on the  horizon.

“We don’t  know their security abilities or protocols. They may not be listening. They may not be looking around. They may even know we are here but don’t care. Their technology is obviously superior.  But just in case we are going to set up the survival shelter. It is designed to eliminate all heat loss thus making us less conspicuous in infrared.  Let’s just get to setting that up. We have to work this out. But I think before we decide what we are going to do we should talk about it. Maybe even camp for awhile. Agreed?”  Captain said already beginning to break open the foul weather shelter.

In the near total darkness Jeff could just barely make out the silhouettes of the men around him. He knew the question was answered for the other two Seals. He had to answer for the science  team.  He was suddenly tired and hungry.

“I agree. Let’s just do it then we can talk about it.”  Jeff said quietly.

The shelter was designed to go up quickly even in the adverse conditions of a polar storm. Here in the relative calm of the pocket formed by the fallen and standing trees it made assembly easy.

Ten foot in diameter the shelter was large enough for the six men and their equipment, barely.  Double walled and inflated like a bouncy house at a child’s party. It put their bodies a few inches off the ground if they spread their weight out. It popped out of a box with the box in the center that would serve as a table inside the shelter. A marvel of modern technology.  The sleds were left outside. The gear unloaded and put inside around the inside of the shelter walls. They worked without talking except to direct the operation. Once the shelter was erected they all entered. A door, also inflatable was pulled behind them and a flap with a nano fiber form of Velcro sealed the door. The Captain turned on his big light careful to aim it at the floor.

“Let’s get some heat going. I want to pull this suit off for a few hours and let it air out. It’s too good at it’s job. I’ve been sweating like crazy.”  The Captain said.

One of the science team, Jarrod Bernard rummaged through one of the packs and pulled out a case. He pulled what looked like a white waffle the size of a brick and a bottle labeled Alcohol.  The brick had a stand and he set it in the center lying flat. He began assembling the device.

“Isn’t that dangerous in here.”  Sgt Flores asked.

Bernard looked up at Jeffrey. “I think we should not use anything electrical. They might detect that. I packed this as a back up. If we were below ground I could use the electrical stuff but we aren’t. Not yet anyway.”

Jeffrey nodded. “Good point.”

The Captain, familiar with electronic warfare, understood the concern.

“We will have to use it quickly. Heat up some food perhaps. Let in some air if we decide to sleep here but turn it off if we do.”  The Captain said.

“Agreed.”

As the two lower rank Seals broke out the food the scientists found a place to sit and dropped down. Everyone began loosening their clothes. The heat from the alcohol stove already beginning to warm the shelter.  The Captain pulled a map from one of the pockets on his foul weather gear and laid it on a pack he had pulled over. He pointed to the map.

“We are here” He said punching the map with is finger.

Jeffrey looked at the map. The river was clearly marked. An X had been drawn where the TV station was. They were about halfway to their target.  A long stretch of the river and then a slight bend just prior to reaching the TV station.

“I need to toss out some ideas and you tell me what you think. All of you.” The Captain said.

Everyone looked at the Captain but continued to pour water, open packets of freeze dried food, and fidget with their clothing.

“They are obviously extraterrestrial. I think that much is clear. I didn’t see any rocket exhaust and they apparently can move quickly so they have a technology that apparently will move them quickly through the atmosphere and possibly into orbit. Any ideas on what they are doing?”  The Captain asked pulling the top of his suit off and down around his waste.

“My guess would be they are replenishing supplies. Probably not food though since they killed everything living with their opening move. Possibly minerals, metals, maybe water.”  Jarrod Bernard said.

“My thoughts too.”  Jeff replied.

The Captain nodded.  “Seems right.”

“I think the most important question is whether or not they have observed us for a long time or is this just an island in the ocean they spotted and decided to take on some coconuts?”

“Why does that matter?”  Sgt Tores said stirring the packet held in clips over the brick.

“Well if they have been studying our culture for awhile it might explain why they didn’t just come and ask for supplies. We aren’t exactly the most peaceful sort of people. If they haven’t been studying us for awhile they might know our level of technology but not our abilities which means they might know that some of us are probably alive but they aren’t hunting us down.  There are lots of questions really.”  Jeff said.

“I guess there is really only one question we need to answer then. Do we continue on? What if they are ignoring us and will leave and we call attention to ourselves and get what’s left of the human species killed? “  The Captain said.

“What if we go on to the TV station, connect with a satellite, and get images of what they have in space. Would that tell us anything? I mean do we even have a way of fighting back? What if we find out there are millions of them. They apparently control very sophisticated technology. They were able to blot out the sun. If they did that with ships then there must be billions or trillions. What could we do about that? They could just wait us out or exterminate us as we pop out of the ground.”  Jarrod Bernard said.

Everyone paused for a moment. Looks of desperation on their faces. The enormity of the discovery having set in. TV and Movies had prepared them artificially for this day. They all knew since they were children that extraterrestrial life was at the least a possibility even a likelihood. It was also said to be improbable that they were any where near earth or could reach earth. Now an armada of unknown size and obvious technological superiority was moving back and  forth from the surface of the earth into space at will.

“Let’s eat. Let’s think this out with food in our bellies. Don’t make decisions based on low blood sugar.”  First Sergeant Stanger said.

The scientists in the group looked at each other. They had never heard the First Sergeant speak before.  First Sergeant smiled. He knew what people said about  him. Always quiet. Never spoke unless spoken to. Always got the job done.

The men sat around eating the reconstituted food. There was beef stew that tasted like beef stew and macaroni and cheese that was pretty good judging from the faces of the scientists as they ate the field rations.

“Not like the old days. The old timers say the Meals Ready To Eat tasted like day old leftover shoes which I guess if you were slugging it out in the Middle East or Korea for a week or two probably tasted pretty good. Modern Army eats good. Probably too good.”  Captain said smiling.

“Travels on its stomach they say.”  Jarrod Bernard spoke up.

“Yup.”  Came a chorus of replies from the junior enlisted men.

The others finished eating in silence. The Captain and Jeff pouring over the maps. Checking their watches. Occasionally motioning at some point on the map.

The silence was broken by Jeff.

“I see one good option. One good choice rather.”  Jeff said.

“I’m listening.”  Captain said rolling the pouch he had finished and stuffing it in a disposal bag being passed around.

“We  have enough supplies to continue but stay maybe a day assuming we make it. If three of us turn back and move quietly and draw no attention they can warn the others. The other three continue on and gather as much data as possible. With the bulk of the supplies going to the forward party and enough for the return team to make it. This extends the forward party enough time to gather data but we won’t transmit it back. We carry it. I  have enough storage on my portable to store a lot of data. If we aren’t caught we move back to the bunker with the data. If we are caught then we take the consequences ourselves and the bunker remains hidden.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow. This was a good plan. It accomplished many goals.

“So are  you assuming they didn’t see us or they aren’t worried about us?”  The Captain asked.

“Both. They have the technology. They probably know some of us are alive in underground shelters. If they wanted to exterminate us they could have just done so.”

“What if they just happened along at the right time….no scratch that. Dumb question. They caused the blackout that is an almost certainty. They certainty watched us at least as they came close enough for their technology to see us. They must assume some of us are alive. So the question is are they so arrogant we pose absolutely no threat in their minds or if we get their attention by transmitting to the satellites are we placing the remaining human race at risk?”  The Captain said laying back.

“Some satellites have schedules when they call  home. We could listen passively. The Solar Observatory doesn’t wait to be asked to send data it just does. It may have missed a station keeping routine but it should still be at the LaGrange point.”  Jeff Bernard spoke up.

“Good point. Probably safer to see what we can gather without transmitting. Actually I guess that is our biggest question. Do we transmit or just passively gather? We may pick up some of their transmissions. That might be useful.”  Jeff said.

“That’s sounds like the smartest idea. Don’t poke a  hornets nest when doing so won’t give you any advantage. I mean what could really good pictures of them do for us? We can’t launch any kind of defense.”  Sgt  Stanger said.

Everyone sat back taking in the information. Contemplating their next move. No one talked for awhile. The Captain broke the silence first.

“We need to recon the ships. Maybe see what they look like. Get some pics.”

“You mean forget the satellite dish altogether?”  Barnard asked.

Jeff raised his hand cutting off the discussion.

“That was on the horizon about 20 kilometers away. We aren’t equipped for that.”

“We are if we each give up a power cell to two volunteers and the rest head back to the bunker in the morning.”  Sgt Flores said then smiled. “Whatever that means.”

The Captain looked at the Sergeant with respect.

“Me and you then?”  The Captain asked.

“Aye sir.”  Sgt said nodding.

Jeff thought about this for a minute.

“Actually we can send three teams. One to recon, one to the dish, and the others report back to the bunker. I have four extra cells. Always be prepared. I like the idea of recon but I still want that satellite data. I’m going to the dish.”

“I’ll go with you”  Barnard spoke up.

“Then you two guys are going back to the bunker which may be the most important job. No one but us knows what is going on out here.”  The Captain said looking at Sgt Flores and Thom Morgensen.  Morgensen spoke up.

“Actually Captain I have a better idea I think.” His slight Scandinavian accent told the Captain he was not a native born American.

“I’m listening.”  The Captain said.

“I was raised here from the time I was about thirteen. Those lights we saw were approximately located near a train yard where the old subway lines used to run. It was shut down after the high speed rail expansion of 2025.  About two kilometers to our east are terminals that serviced freight cars that delivered things into the cities.  Those tunnels run underneath the city and will come out pretty close to where we saw those lights. Maybe right on them. It is perfect for such a long trip. The tunnels will provide shelter and cover from detection and lead us right to them.” Morgensen said smiling.

The Captain looked at the map and then up at Jeff.

“Why aren’t they on the map?”  Captain asked.

“They are out of commission.  I am guessing your map is pretty new.”  Morgensen said shrugging.

“How do you know they are still there?” Jeff spoke up.

Morgensen shrugged looking sheepish.

“Because I was in them about 2 years ago and they were still being used.”

“Used for what?”  The Captain asked squinting at the scientist.

“Homeland Security is what I was told. CIA stuff. Probably espionage, insider trading schemes,  drug running. Who knows?  I worked for a sub contractor wiring equipment for the people who worked down there.”  Morgensen said matter-of-factly.

Barnard laughed. “Can’t say that surprises me. The country is riddled with underground communities. Denver Airport, the Ozark Hills, DC, you name it. After the bombing on Congress in 2019 by the Oathers everybody dug in deeper. Military Industrial Complex wasn’t about to let go of the taxpayer cash cow.”

Sergeant Flores stepped forward glaring at the man.

“That wasn’t Oathers. You remember the name of the guy they found in the truck?”

Barnard pulled his head back.

“Yeah. Some Iraq vet, Jimmy something. Jimmy….” Barnard searched his mind for the name.

“James R Dunn. Captain United States Marine Corps. Silver Star, two purple hearts, bronze star, did three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.”  Sergeant Stanger piped up.

The mood in the shelter had shifted to dark quickly. Jeff looked concerned.

“What’s the problem guys?”  Jeff asked.

Flores and Stanger looked at the Captain.  The Captain let out his breath.

“Captain Dunn wasn’t in that truck when he died.  It is a known fact among special forces and others that Captain James Robert Dunn was killed in Syria a month prior to the bombing of Congress. He was an Oather but no Oather did the bombing. The bombing of congress was done by black ops outside the U.S. government on behalf of what you call The Military Industrial Complex.”  The Captain said.

“You mean like nine eleven and Boston.”  Barnard asked.

“I can’t speak to that. Before my time. But we know Captain Dunn didn’t do Congress. So we would appreciate it if  you didn’t talk about things as if you know what you are talking about. But your point is well taken.  Morgensen’s story is totally believable.  Half of government is a criminal enterprise. He could tell me they are developing weapons using genetically modified viruses underneath the White  House and it wouldn’t surprise me.”  Captain said a slight snarl to his tone.

“Okay okay.  I believe you.  And besides they do the bio-weapons research in Kansas now. ”  Barnard said.

“Makes it easier to spread if you are right in the middle of a country than on an island off the coast of New York I guess.”  Sergeant Stanger said sarcastically.

Jeff looked around concerned.

“I think we are getting way off track here. We all know our country is a fascist piece of crud. I don’t think anyone disagrees with that but right now our concern is those things out there not our own kind for a change.”

“Was a fascist piece of crud.  Now we are like the Palestinians hiding on our own land.”  Sergeant Flores said.

“Enough”  The Captain said raising his hand.

“So about the tunnels.”  Morgensen said grinning.

The Captain looked at him like he was studying him.

“Can you give me good directions?”  The Captain asked.

“I can tell you what to look for but the landscape is considerably different now of course. I will probably have to show you. Morgensen said.

“I say we get some shuteye then head out. Sounds weird but I could sleep.” Jeff said yawning.

The Captain look around at the other five men shaking his head.

"Jesus this is pucker time for sure. Me and Morgensen are doing recon at the shipyard. Jeff and Mr. Barnard will go to the dish. That leaves you Sgt Stanger and Flores to get back to the bunker. We'll get some sleep, divvy up the supplies and head out in six hours."

“Sleep?  How can you sleep?”  Sgt Stanger asked stuffing the remaining food pouches in a bag.

“Well there is nothing I can do at the moment but sleep. We will push on in a few hours but I think we will be our best with a little bit of rest.”  Jeff responded laying back on his personal pack and shutting his eyes.

The Seals looked at each other and shrugged.  The Captain pulled his pack up and sat against it. 

“Go ahead Captain. You got up before I did. I got first watch.“  Sgt Stanger said.

The Captain looked at the Sgt and nodded. “That’s a deal. Wake me in two.“

The Captain slid down laying  his head on his pack. He had been up the longest of the Seals. Insomnia and boredom living in a hole in the ground with nothing to do. Everyone else did the same after awhile. Someone turned the lights out. In a few minutes everyone but Sgt Stanger was asleep.


Chapter 3.

"Captain.  Captain."  Sgt Stanger said shaking the Captain's shoulder.

The Captain opened his eyes but remained motionless. Special Forces training taught you not to jerk awake and flounder around like some people do. Not moving might give you a second or two to assess an enemy or feel the snake that crawled in your sleeping bag while you were sleeping.

"I'm awake."  Captain said sitting up against his pack.

"I don't exactly know if I can sleep sir. I gave you three. There's three left."  Sgt Stanger said shrugging.

"I said two."  Captain said frowning.

"Like I said. I don't think I will be sleeping. But I'm going to close my eyes and see what happens."

"Don't start freelancing on me Sgt."  Captain said grinning.

"No sir."  Stanger said smiling. "And my report is that nothing happened except Barnard snores and I don't think the rations sat well with Jeff's digestive system."

"Report acknowledged. Try to get some shut eye. Up in three."  Captain said while foraging for a pack of  instant coffee in his pack.

Stanger handed him an empty metal cup. Still warm. He sat a bottle of water and placed a pack of coffee next to the little stove brick.

"Thanks."  The Captain said lighting the little stove and pouring some water into the cup.

Stanger nodded and found a spot on the floor of the survival structure. Set up his pack and leaned against it and watched the Captain.

"It works better if you close your eyes. Seals didn't teach you to sleep with your eyes open." The Captain said.

"I just found out we aren't alone in the universe sir. That's quite a bit to process. What's our options you think?"  Stanger said and yawned.

The Captain grinned.

"We can try to wait it out and hope they leave. It would help to know what they are taking. How they are taking it. Now if me and Morgensen get there and they are setting up camp its a whole different calculation entirely."  The Captain stopped and checked his cup by poking a finger in it. He pulled his finger out quickly.

"If they are setting up camp and we can think of something to do we have to do it now."  Jeff's voice said from the other side of the tent.

"Sorry Jeff." Sgt Stanger said.

"I wasn't sleeping much anyway. In and out of dreams. None about aliens oddly enough."  Jeff said sitting up.

"What are the variables as you see them."  The Captain said sitting back with his cup of coffee.

"Odds are they are a space fairing species. I would be very surprised to find they have faster than light capability. With that kind of knowledge you don't need to steal other people's stuff unless your just galactic assholes. If they have spent a long time in space as a species and barring more exotic technologies like gravity plating they have been living and growing in low gravity environments or even zero which would most likely make them frail.  Again I would be surprised to see them set up a camp of any kind. Their bodies probably won't be strong enough to even stand up on Earth."

"They could send machines to do the physical work." Barnard said rolling over.

"That would be my guess. All the sci fi stuff aside they will probably have to do actual labor or have machines do it when they stop at a planet. Even if you had the capability of quote unquote beaming something up it would require a lot of energy probably more than you would get back. Raw labor."  Jeff said pointing to the coffee cup in the Captain's hand.

"Got a cup?"  The Captain asked and started rummaging through his pack for another envelope of freeze dried coffee.

Jeff fumbled around his pack for his cup.

"Raw labor is the currency of life." Jeff said. He found his cup and put it on the makeshift table.

"What?"  The Captain said his brow furrowing.

"I had an economic professor who broke down the economic system of the world.  The fiat currency system. By the end of the semester he convinced most of us how money is just a shared delusion. While some countries still used currency we and others were using cryptos. Some cryptos were pure imagination he said just like currency. Some were backed by gold and silver. They were slightly better he said but in the end they are just metals.  When all is said and done people and the capacity to do work is the only real currency in the world. Without people you have no work or commerce. Nothing flows in either direction.  A currency based on labor is the only real possible currency."

"That never caught on apparently."  The Captain said tossing a packet of coffee to Jeff.

"If we survive this it will."  Jeff said smiling. "It's funny really.  The old money that hasn't been melted down for scrap will actually still be useful. Crypto currency is already dead. And if and when we reclaim the surface you find a stack of gold or silver it won't mean much either. Now if you no how to grow food or fix a generator you will be the first tycoons in this age.

"It's happened before possibly."  Barnard said rummaging through his pack pulling out his own cup and packs of coffee and water.

"What?"  Sgt Stanger said suddenly awake again.

"The sudden near end of civilization." Barnard said.

"You talking about the super volcano seventy thousand years ago?" The Captain asked.

"That's one example. DNA analysis shows we almost went extinct during that one. That's why our DNA is so similar from one person to the next. Shallow gene pool. But that's not what I am talking about. There is substantial evidence that humans achieved a level of sophistication at least in some areas like math and astronomy that we only recently achieved. How else did they figure out the Precession of the Equinoxes? Something like that takes a lot of time and a steady culture. Like the Chinese."  Barnard said then sipped his instant coffee making a face.

"What?"  Sgt Stanger said again.

The Captain laughed quietly.

"You're supposed to be getting some sleep Sgt."  The Captain said cocking his head.

"Not going to happen sir. What's with the Equinox thing and the Chinese."

Barnard took a longer drink on the coffee and then continued.

"The so called Precession of the Equinoxes is a phenomenon that occurs over a nearly twenty six thousand year period. The Earth spins at an angle on its axis instead of spinning in the same plane as the solar system. The ecliptic plane. With me?"

"I watched Sagan's and Tyson's Cosmos. I know about the ecliptic plane. And your grammar is questionable but go on"

"Good. So there is this story about Plato talking about the Precession of the Equinoxes. It goes like this. If say you were to go outside at night at the same time every night you would eventually notice over time that the stars are moving backward very slowly by one degree every 72 years or so. To even figure out such a thing you need observations for centuries and a system to record and pass on that information. The Chinese have one of the longest continuous histories and it might be argued that the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, etc are the same culture, at least aspects of it. So the point is that mankind has gone through moments of great achievement only to be driven back to the stone age or at least dark ages several times. Most of the culture gets wiped out and restarts with just people telling stories with fragments of truth in them."  Barnard went on.

"Is there a point to this?"  The Captain asked.

"Well a lot of those cultures have stories about sky people. And the ones who don't have contemporary believers professing the existence of God have been interpreted to have been talking about God but that's not necessarily the case. They could just have been aliens and they periodically return like now."

"For what purpose? Why destroy all life which seems to be their intent this time."

"Maybe they are doing what we do with biological cultures. They are sterilizing the petri dish."

"So human civilization has been an experiment all this time?"

"Depending upon where they come from it is possible the human species in total. Maybe all life on earth.

"Including bacteria?  Because that goes back nearly 4 billion years."

"Probably not bacteria. But if these guys are from a different dimension where time passes differently they may have started complex life here six hundred million years ago our time and only a few years their time. Every now and then they come back, rip off our gold and jewels, and go back. Maybe they've gotten all they want from us like bee keepers taking honey and decide to start a new hive because we screwed this one up."

"You're just rambling now Barn."  Sgt Stanger said smiling.

"Or they might just be passing by or maybe Genesis is to be taken literally and man was created as just a laborer and now the boss has come back to bring in the harvest. You know? And there was not a man to till the ground so God created Adam and put him eastward in the garden of Eden to keep and dress it. Maybe the entire Earth is or was Eden and they want to spruce the place back up."

"Interesting idea except this wouldn't be Eden. This would be Nod. If Eden is a planet then Nod is a planet and humans got kicked from Eden to Nod when they messed up."  Sgt Stanger piped up.

"Good point."  Barnard said nodding.

"Not really. It doesn't get us anywhere. We have aliens. We have a hundred different stories and legends about aliens or gods and none of that will tell us what to do here."  The Captain said furrowing his brow.

"Labor is the true currency like I said Captain."  Jeff said from the floor rolling over.

"Sorry Jeff."  Barnard said.

"I wasn't sleeping real deep anyway. But I have a theory based on what we know so far. And what we have to do."  Jeff said rolling to his feet.

"We have a plan."  The Captain said.

"I don't think we should do it. Now hear me out. They have a way to blot out the sun. The amount of ships that would take would be staggering. Its hard to imagine a mass that large moving through our solar system and us not catching it until it was too late.  So they must be using technology.  A light cancelling field or something between ships thousands of miles apart. They therefore are aware of our presence so it isn't like us ignoring ants. They considered us a threat and dealt with us first with the EMP and then by freezing us out. And all while hiding themselves from us.  They are probably loading up on refined metals and minerals like gold, silver, platinum, etc. All of which are important electronically and otherwise. Probably taking water too. If they travel between solar systems all these things might be sparse. The big question is do they plan to move on? Or is our extinction just the first phase of claiming Earth for themselves. Whatever the case we can either way to see if they leave and if we wait too long our ability to use the Earth might pass away or if we wait too long they might establish total dominance, a foothold, that we can never break.  Every option I can think of ends with our extinction which means we have to do something now. Something decisive."

"How do you expect to fight such a superior technology and force?"  Barnard asked incredulous.

"That's just it. I don't think they have a lot of force just technology. That's why they used the tactic they did.  Blot out the sun and freeze us to death because they don't have the forces to take us on head on. And the fact they didn't see us when we saw them tells me they aren't looking because they don't think we are still here.  And that may be our only saving grace. One that we can't squander to get some pictures from a satellite. If we are going to reveal ourselves we need to hurt them when we do."

The Captain looked at him nodding. His appreciation for the man's shrewdness apparent on his face.

"I agree. How are we going to hurt them?"  The Captain asked.

"We go back to the bunker and find out what we have in orbit. Nuclear and otherwise. Nukes give off EMP waves. Maybe we can hurt them enough they stop blocking the sun. We need positions, yields,  and codes and then we come back and use the dish."  Jeff said reaching for his cup and ration of instant coffee.

"You don't think we should wait them out? They might just leave. Confronting them might be a mistake."  Barnard said.

"If we are to have even a slight chance of rebuilding our ecosystem we have to start now. The burn layer, as in killing frost layer has got to be pretty deep by now. In some places that has sterilized the soil. We are going to spend a great deal of time just trying to get stuff to grow and meat isn't on the menu anymore.  The human species as we know it will change. Everything is going to be different. The sooner we get that process started the better. Months from now we will just be living out the final days of our species because the planet will never recover. Time to roll the dice."  Jeff said matter-of-factly.

The Captain nodded. Sgt Stanger nodded. Barnard shrugged and nodded.

"Sounds settled then. So since we are going back to the bunker does anyone have a spare pack of coffee?"  Morgensen said gingerly.

"Sorry Morgensen."  Jeff said grinning.

"Think nothing of it. Wasn't looking forward to those tunnels anyway. Like this idea better. You are right. We may get only one shot. And I think I know what we need to do and who we need to talk to." Morgensen said holding out a hand.

Barnard tossed a pack of coffee.

"That's three packs I count now." Captain said eyeing the man. "How many do you have?"

"None now."  Barnard said with a frown.

"I don't think we should delay any longer. Everyone needs to wake up and gear up and we need to head back. Same routine. One leader, one light, quick as we can."  Jeff said already stowing his gear.

Sgt Flores rolled over.

"Can I get a cup before we go?"  Flores asked rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

The Captain smiled.

"You could sleep through Armageddon I bet." He reached into his pack and tossed the young man a pack of coffee. "Double time soldier we need to move."

"I'm already packed sir. Didn't see the sense in getting comfortable."  Flores said pouring water into his cup on the alcohol stove.

In fifteen minutes the men had suited up, checked their gear, and quickly disassembled the shelter stowing it back in its container the best they could. Captain Perez took lead aiming the light at the ground and they began to move quickly. Every now and then they looked back over their shoulders into the darkness.

Chapter 4

Nearly eight hours later they saw the path that led to the bunker door. Jeff keyed his mic.

"Turn the light off Captain. I want to see something."  He whispered.

"Whispering doesn't matter Jeff. Radio is radio."  The Captain said.

"Gotcha. Look up. Do you see anything?"  Jeff asked.

"I've had that light shining up at me for awhile. I'm still seeing spots."  The Captain said.

"I think I see stars Jeff."  Barnard said.

"Me too."  Sgt Flores and Stanger said in unison.

"That's what I'm seeing. So right now its actual night time here. That means the screen is on the other side of the planet. I just wanted to get an idea of the time."

"I have the time. This watch is accurate to hundreths of a second and has a date function. I'm sure there are bunch of equally good time pieces in the bunker where we can get out of these suits."  The Captain said.

"I have to see things for myself Perez. It's just the way I am. Let's go."  Jeff said.

Jeff looked in the pack for the eleven pound mall they had brought. In case they needed to persuade the telescope to move.  He tapped it against the door.  A few minutes passed.  Jeff tapped again. A few minutes later the door groaned and began moving. It stopped when it was only a few feet open. A ski masked face poked out the side. They motioned the men in.

The men entered the chamber and the door closed behind them. The men began loosening their clothing.  Jeff pulled off his mask. It was bitter cold in the chamber.  He instantly put it back on. He lifted it to speak to the man.

"We need to see the president now."  Jeff said.

The man lifted his ski mask. "The cabinet is meeting right now. We've been waiting for your signal. I guess you didn't make it or didn't fix it."  The man said quickly and put the ski mask back down.

The man pressed the button for the elevator and the doors slid open. The team stepped inside. Barnard reached for his face plate to remove it.

"Still about minus sixty here Barn. Might want to keep that on until we are deeper."  Jeff said.

"So did you not make it or was the dish broke?  The guy asked again.

"Not exactly."  Jeff said then turned to Morgensen. "Go talk to your guy. Bring him to the conference room quickly."

"He's a she but okay. See you there in a few."  Morgensen said giving the thumbs up.

The ride down to the lower levels was torture for Jeff and the Captain. They had the most important report of their lives to give and the elevator was too slow.  After what seemed an eternity they reached the beginning of the lower levels.  Jeff tapped Barnard and pulled his mask off.  The elevator doors opened and the men poured out pulling their gear off as they went.

"Repack that gear. Charge the batteries and refill the oxygen containers. Always assume your life depends on prepping your gear! Because it usually does!"  Captain Perez ordered the two enlisted men.

"Aye sir." They said in perfect unison.

Everyone stripped down to their undergarments piling the equipment carefully on the sled.

"I'm going to go get dressed. Meet you and your lady friend in the conference room ASAP."  Jeff said looking at Morgensen.

"I'm going to rehash the mission with the sergeants and see if we can improve the load out next time."  The Captain said taking off at a trot.

Jeff headed to his quarters two decks down. He threw on his clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes and trotted back to the conference room.  He stopped when he looked through the windows and saw the room was nearly full. Something was happening.  He went up to the window and knocked. Secretary Bishop motioned to a man standing next to the door and he turned and unlocked it, sticking his head out, looked both ways, and ushered Jeff in.  Jeff stepped inside.

The first thing Jeff noticed was the VLF receiver sitting on the conference table and someone speaking in broken English.  The accent was Russian.

"It....confirmed.....detonation.... successful. Wait...something.....Bo-Zheh Moy!"  The voice said and the transmission went dead.

"Get him back Jones. Get him back."  President Farmer implored the operator.

The operator jacked his headphones back into the receiver and held up his hand for silence. He listened intently.  He pulled one earphone off.

"No signal sir. They stopped transmitting. Can't even hear the hum. They are offline."  Technician Jones said.

Jeff looked around the room. People looked stunned.  Jeff moved closer to Secretary Bishop and gave a palms up gesture of "what's going on".

Bishop held up a finger.

"You sure?"  President Farmer asked.

"Yes sir. With the headphones on I can here the hum in the signal whether they are actively speaking or not. I do not hear the hum. The channel is dead at the moment. They aren't even broadcasting."

President Farmer looked up.

"Did anyone catch that last part?"  President Farmer asked the room.

"Something like Oh my god. Mister President."  A woman's voice said..

Jeff saw Morgensen and a woman standing in the doorway. He waved them in.

"Jeff?"  Morfensen began.

The President noticed for the first time that Jeff was standing in the room. He closed his eyes rubbing them and turned and sat against the conference table. The room was silent for a moment.  The President looked up at Jeff.

"What's it like out there Jeff?"  Farmer asked.

"Cold sir.  We didn't make it to the dishes. We turned around. We ran into something."  Jeff said.

The people in the room all looked at  him.

"Spaceship?"  President Farmer asked casually.

Jeff was stunned.  No one from the expedition had had time to tell the President what they had seen.

"Well. Actually. Yes. How did you know?"  Jeff said puzzled.

"That signal was from a Russian base near the Arctic Circle. A few hours after you left the VLF receiver started picking up a signal.  We got tuned in just in time to talk to a Colonel Kharov babbling about flying saucers.  We thought he was crazy but he seemed pretty convincing. The conversation was fragmented but he said they had a weapon in space they were going to use to try and break what he called a dark matter field or wave.   He asked us for codes to our assets.  I didn't give them."

"You should have. We could have used as much power as we had the first time around. May not get a second chance. From the sound of that transmission they won't get a second chance....." Jeff said.

"Mr. President, Jeff, you guys need to listen to Alina.  She has information."  Morgensen jumped in.

Everyone looked at the women.

"I am Alina Kuznetsov. Physics and Engineering.  I won't waste time because we don't have time perhaps.  The weapon they detonated is an EMP device developed to take out all but the most hardened satellites in orbit. Chiefly those of anyone except Russia. Harder to drop an ICBM on Moscow if your missile can't see it. That is my guess anyway. Henrick, Mr. Morgensen told me about the team finding the saucer in the distance, and putting two and two together I figured they must be using some kind of net to block the sunlight. My countrymen would have figured out the same thing. This is how you would have handled it, yes?"  She finished looking at Jeff.

"That was going to be my suggestion but I don't know what we would have used. That's not my wheelhouse."

"There are satellitest pretending to be GPS satellites that we know are weapons. These were launched by Tavon Leek on behalf of the United States government. His "Image The World" venture. Each is a nuclear warhead. Yes?"

President Farmer looked at Secretary Bishop who looked at Secretary Amblin. Amblin looked at President Farmer with a questioning look.

"Secretary Amblin?"  President Farmer said cocking his head.

"Yes sir. They exist."  Amblin said quietly.

"This was my third year in office Ben is this another one of those things I was only going to find out when you boys in the deep state decided I should know?"  Farmer asked, his voice a little tense.

"Yes sir." Was the only reply.

"Do we have the codes with us?"  Farmer asked.

"Of course sir." Amblin answered.

"Get them!" Farmer hissed. His gentleman facade falling away.

Amblin ran out of the room.

"Alina what else do you know?"  Jeff asked suddenly. "Sorry Mr. President we've got to be quick about this. We may not have a chance to ever do this again and someone has to do this now."

"By all means." Farmer said stepping back.

"There are twenty four in all. They each cover a one hour time zone, they orbit at around twenty kilometers. I assume they have some maneuverability. Useless otherwise.  If we assume it was daytime when Russia fired the EMP..." Alina began.

"It was. It is night time here. I saw the stars before I came in so it is regular night time on this side of the Earth and daytime on your side."  Jeff fired off quickly.

"Not my side.  I left my country. I am citizen." Alina said annoyed.  "How long did it take you to get to the dish the first time?"

"We didn't get to the dish we turned back but I estimate it would have taken ten. But they may have just ignored us before. If they see us again they probably won't let us move around out there. I just don't know."

"Damn it. We have to go now. If we get there in eight hours, take an hour or less to establish uplink, the web or whatever they are using will be over head for a few hours.  We can make it. We have a window of perhaps fifteen hours total."  Alina said.

"We?"  Jeff said looking down at her.

"Unless you know someone more qualified." Alina said cocking her head.

"These are American systems."  Jeff countered.

Alina scoffed. "Puhleez." She said with an exaggerated accent.

Jeff furrowed his brow. "Why do I get the feeling you aren't just a physicist and engineer?"

"I am now. Nothing before now matters does it?"  Alina said very seriously.

Jeff looked at the floor. A vacant stare. His head bobbing in agreement.

"We would have to send the codes to arm and detonate quickly. They may be advanced enough to counter our arming a satellite if they have enough time."  He said looking up.

"Agreed. We need to go over the codes with Secretary Amblin. All of us together just in case."  Alina said staring into Jeff's eyes.

"Right."  Jeff said as Amblin trotted up with a briefcase.

The two scientists followed the Secretary back into the briefing room. Amblin sat the case on the conference table and opened it. Inside was a small screen and to its right a keypad.

"This is a football. Codes are numeric and stored on this booklet." Amblin said picking up a booklet tucked into a space inside the box.  "This is an advanced package."  He closed the lid and turned the box around to show the back.  A compartment in the back opened revealing an array of cords and jacks. If the ports on the satellite dish control box aren't custom you should find a way to jack in as the source. After that you punch in the codes for each function and the box will transmit the necessary protocols."

"We need to know how to immediately arm and detonate the satellites directly over head."  Jeff said reaching for the book.

"If you transmit long enough odds are a satellite will pass overhead. There is a mode of operation that causes one satellite to broadcast to another. It will set them all off."  Amblin said looking at Alina.

Alina eyed him with a sneer on her lips.

"You people are insane."  Alina said with a depressed tone.

Jeff looked up puzzled by this renewed sense of animosity from Alina.

"What?" Jeff said exasperated.

Alina reached for the book. Jeff withdrew then realizing she probably had a better chance than he did of understanding it handed it to her. A look of puzzlement still on his face.

"It is what you would call a doomsday option. Sort of.  Funny thing is it would have been your own not Russia. We have the most hardened sites you can imagine. We would have been able to retaliate." Alina said with a half grin.

"An EMP surge." Jeff said matter-of-factly. "Good that's what we need. It's not like it's going to do much harm to us now. Get over it."

Alina shrugged looking at the booklet.

"I can do this. Short and sweet as you say. No wasted time between first strike and counter strike. We should go."  Alina said. Her demeanor back to business.

Chapter 5

The trip back to the elevator was made in quick succession. Suits, packs, a sled with a single tent, a battery pack, and the suitcase. Time moved quickly and both knew there was little of it. The doors creaked open again and the two stepped out into the night.  But it was night. It was night punctuated by shafts of light in the far distance.  The wind was more noticeable than before mostly because there was no wind before.

"That's new." Jeff said loudly. "It was dead calm before."

"That is hopeful. My former colleagues may have punch a hole or two in the barrier. See the light just on the horizon?"

"Of course." Jeff said moving.

The two moved quickly. Jeff spurred on by adrenaline even though he hadn't had time to rest. Alina kept pace with him easily. Jeff didn't miss this fact. She had skills and she hadn't let those skills deteriorate with her time in America.  She was probably still active up to the moment the darkness came.

"You were always on duty weren't you?" Jeff said beginning to puff a little as they moved quickly.

"Quiet. They are on alert. They will be watching for other survivors now. We have become a threat now. Stay low, keep quiet, keep moving." Alina hissed.

Jeff nodded.  They kept moving.

They covered the first leg of the mission in an hour less time than Jeff had with the first team.  They moved beyond that point and continued. An hour later he could feel the trek taking its toll. He was exhausted and hot.  The suit working too well he thought.  He had always been active and fit but this was pushing it for him.  He eyed Alina who had taken the lead. She never slowed except to avoid obstacles.  He was going to have to rest soon.  He used some of his energy reserves to catch her. He grabbed her arm and motioned her down.

"What?" She whispered.

He could hear her breathing hard. She wasn't super human after all.

"About two hours left to go. We can break for a few minutes."  Jeff said. His eyes wide.

Alina tilted her head back. She looked off in the distance. The shafts of light much thinner than before.

"I don't think we can friend. Look far off. Those shafts never closed which means there is permanent damage. I think you may be perceiving this wrong. The barrier does not move. We are moving. We are moving toward sundown to our west."  Alina said pointing the opposite direction of the now faint light shaft.

Jeff thought for a minute then a smile crossed his face.

"Good. We can take a little longer break then. Not only can, but should."  He said a sound of excitement in his voice.

Alina tilted her head back again eyeing the American with skepticism through her face shield. Her eyes roamed around then came back to rest on him.

"Ah. We will be out from under the barrier."  She smiled then too.

Jeff nodded.

Alina looked at the treeline they had been following. She saw an opening in the trees. She put a finger to her face mask to indicate no more talking then pointed to the opening and grabbed the sled.

The two moved quickly into the opening.

Alina once again put a finger to her face mask to indicate silence. She pointed to the tent on the sled and then a spot next to one of the dead trees.  The tent was a pop up type. It set up in a couple minutes. They crawled inside.  Jeff reached in his pack for a ceramic heater.  Alina put her hand on his. "No." She mouthed.

She motioned Jeff forward. They huddled together. She motioned to the armpad on her suit showing Jeff how to shut off the radio link. Jeff did it. Alina drew him to her and touched face plates.

"Can you hear me."  She said.

She appeared to be yelling by the look on her face. It came through as a low whisper said in a closet.

"Yes."  Jeff yelled back.

"No more coms. Period." She yelled.

"Got it." Jeff yelled back.

"We will rest a few minutes then push hard. I'm going to be moving fast as this suit will let me. I will take the suitcase. Catch up when you can.  If I fail you will have to enter the sequence. Do you remember it?"  She said.

"Some. I brought the book."  Jeff said.

"Memorize it now. A-7-5-4-2-8-8-1-7-Pound Sign.  Protocol Delta. Arm. No Count."  She said.

Jeff gave a sideways smile.

"Photographic memory?"  He said.

"Yes.  Repeate it."  She said dead serious.

"A-7-7..." Jeff began.

"No!" She screamed. "Listen!"

Jeff nodded taken aback.

"Repeat. A-7-5-4-2-8-8-7-Pound Sign."

"A-7-5-4-2-8-87-Pound Sign."

"Protocol Delta."

"Protocol Delta. Arm. No Count."

"Numbers again."

"A-7-5-4-2-8-8-1-7-Pound Sign. Protocol Delta. Arm. No Count."

"Good. You learn better when I scream at you.  Again."

Jeff repeated the sequence again. Each time quicker than the last. After a few more times Alina put up her hand.

"Now don't think of it for a few moments. If you dwell on a new memory it gets mixed up. I can see the page in my head so I don't need tricks.  Protocol Delta is chain reaction command. Device will prompt you after you enter the pound sign.  Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy."  She said forcing a smile.

"Hungry?"  Jeff said trying not to think about the sequence which of course made him think about it more.

"Yes but it will make us slow. Eat later after we finish.  Are you ready? I'm moving now. Better not to get comfortable. We will stop here on the way back."  Alina said and pulled away moving to the front of the tent.

Jeff started to speak then realized it was pointless. He was ready. He turned to grab his pack and Alina and the front of the tent disappeared in a noiseless burst.

Jeff instinctively fell back into the tent. He saw a faint flailing of legs and feet.  Alina was somehow in the air. The tent, caught by the wind, peeled back and over him. He lay on his back stunned.  Looking up he saw Alina suspended in the air.  He fumbled in his pack for a light. He found the powerful military Torch and aimed it at Alina and pressed the switch. What he saw made his heart stop.

Chapter 6

Alina beat at the shadow that was holding her. About ten feet tall, the vague outline of a human like form with long arms. It was pitch black.  The light seemed to disappear into it. Suddenly Alina fell. She landed in a crouch pulling a knife she had strapped to her leg and drove it into what might be a leg. A spark flew from the tip of the knife as it slid off the attacker.

Jeff could make out what looked like a hand facing his direction. The knife attack ignored. Alina slashed at the figure a few times. Sparks flying. She realized quickly her attack was pointless. She paused as the figure staggered back.  She dropped and rolled to Jeff grabbing the light. She turned and pointed it up at the figure. What might be the face.  It back peddled quicker.  Alina was relentless. She moved forward quickly bringing the strong light closer. The figure moved back quicker.

Alina switched the light to her left hand and fumbled in her pack with her right. She pulled a pistol and aimed it into the spot where the beam of light was soaking into the figure and fired repeatedly.  The figure doubled over and fell to the ground.  Alina shoved the light toward what appeared to be the silhouette of a head and finished the clip in that direction. The figure fell backward and lay still.

Alina kept shining the light on the figure. A black crumpled emptiness against the bright white ice. Fluid spurted up from what Jeff assumed was the face in gushes. Where the light touched the fluid it steamed and popped.  Alina handed the light to Jeff and held his arm to keep it pointed where the fluid was coming out. She touched his arm pad turning his coms on and then hers. She held her hand up to keep him silent.

" They can't take light. At least not multi-spectrum like the very very bright Torch. That's why they wanted it dark. We are going straight back to the west camp. Don't ask questions. Just move. Coms off!"  Alina pushed her arm pad and motioned for Jeff to do the same.

Alina pulled Jeff's face up to hers. Faceplate to faceplate.

"We are going to go together. Fast. In an arcing movement to the east and then back to the dishes. They may know our language so I used the coms to send them west of us. We will stay behind cover and bring only the suitcase, Torch,  and the power pack. Let's go."  Alina said pulling back.

Alina grabbed the suitcase and put it in her pack pulling out all the other gear and throwing it on the destroyed tent.  Jeff fumbled with the straps on the sled that held the power pack.  It was heavy but with the adrenaline pumping in his veins he could have lifted ten. Alina grabbed his arm and pulled him with her deeper into the woods.

Alina moved quickly occasionally looking back to make sure Jeff was still with her. For an hour she moved deftly through the trees. Jeff could sense the movement was further away from their objective at first until Alina began moving back the other way again. At the pace they were going what would have taken two hours was cut by half an hour. Jeff felt the change in terrain. The light was very very dim. Jeff hadn't really noticed it before. Not even with the Seals. There was a dull blue light everywhere. It should have been pitch black.  Some light must be coming through the barrier. He felt stupid for not having wondered about this before. Being able to see even on a moonless night, even if very little, had conditioned him not to question at least some light. The barrier must not be completely solid and the faceplate material was doing its job. These were the thoughts that went through his head as he followed Alina. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off. The pack getting heavier.

Jeff saw the outline of the dishes against the light in the distance. Snatches of half circles and cones sticking out of them. The change in terrain he had felt was the entrance to the complex. Alina had led them perfectly and efficiently to their target.

Alina suddenly stopped and backed up dropping low. She saw Jeff stop and she shuffled back to him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him next to a small outbuilding. She stuck her faceplate to his again.

"You figure out we are here."  Alina said.

"You're diversion probably worked."  Jeff said catching his breath.

"Maybe. Never assume anything. This building is small. Looks like one door. Probably outside maintenance. We want in the larger building up ahead. The front is glass. With luck it isn't locked. Who locks up during the end of the world?" We will have to use the control board and power hook up inside. That is the only place that might have the right connections. The dishes themselves won't help. Ready?"  Alina asked her voice shaking.

Jeff realized she was terrified like he was. She was probably feeling the effects of the adrenaline crash like he was too.

"Let's do it."  Jeff said.

Alina slid along the small building and moved to the corner of the larger one. Jeff followed. He felt a new rush of adrenaline. The pack was lighter again. His step more sure.  Alina tried the front door. It opened stiffly but opened. Jeff was grateful for that. He didn't want to have to break glass and possibly alert any patrols that might be around. They both moved in side quickly.

The light was dimmer almost pitch black. Whatever the source of light the faceplates were using outside was not making its way into the lobby.  The glass was probably tinted. Alina grabbed his hand and pulled him along the wall with her. She let go and he watched her silhouette disappear. He was suddenly frightened. Where had she gone? He was alone in the near pitch black!  Then he felt a tugging.  A hand fumbled to his head and she touched faceplates again.

"I am going to flash the light on quickly then off at the ground. Look around for windows to your right. I will look to the left. Ready?"  Alina yelled.

"Ready!" Jeff yelled.

The light flashed on for a split second. Jeff briefly saw a row of flat screen tvs and a hallway. He felt her grab his head again.

"We are in the office hallway. I didn't see anything. I am going to use the pack as a light shield and turn the light on. Don't look directly at it." Alina yelled.

Jeff turned his head to the direction they had come. He sense her moving around. He felt her crouched near his legs. Then he saw the light. She had put the Torch in the back pack she carried the transmitter and was shining it on the floor. He slowly turned in that direction.

Rows of blank TV screens lined the wall. The hall was fairly long. Alina moved down the hall shining the muted light on doors. She wagged the light at Jeff he moved up quickly. She pointed to the door. BROADCASTING was all it said.

Alina opened the door and pulled Jeff to stand in it. She trotted back down the hallway and retrieved the suitcase and hurried back. She shined the light around the room. It was not what Jeff expected. He expected large control boards and banks of lighted panels. What he saw was a few chairs, a single platform with three chair stations, and a bank of more dark TV screen.

Alina motioned to Jeff to pull off his faceplate.  He set the pack down and did it. She pulled hers off too.

"Don't breath deep. Can't do this long. We are looking for a breaker panel to hook in power. Find a breaker marked uplink or something and I will find the Emergency Broadcast Terminal."  She said the put her faceplate back on.

The air felt good but was bitter cold. Jeff had never been anywhere like the Arctic or Antarctic but he would guess the temperature was negative seventy or more. He had almost inhaled deeply. Alina probably saved him from frozen lungs. He began moving around looking for a power panel. He spotted a panel in the wall with a lightning bolt on it. He twisted the handle on the panel opened. Staring at him was a row of breakers. 110 volts from the size.  Transmitters themselves didn't need a lot of power. The Voyager space craft used a little over 20 watts. Most of the power was used to move the dishes. The dishes would track the satellites and the satellites would beam whatever instructions or data they had to a network. It was fairly precise but also fairly indiscriminate. Signals were sent wide but encryption made looking at any particular broadcast pointless. It would be meaningless.

Jeff found a second panel to the right marked BUNDLE. He opened this. Inside were a bundle of coaxial and data cables. They were plugged into a marked board. One jack socket read Uplink EB.  The plug was an AV. Not power. This was the signal interface. He moved back to the power panel and checked the breakers. He saw the one marked EB DEDICATED. To its left was a smaller cable jacked into a socket. This said BACKUP.  This must be a DC line for emergency power. He turned to Alina who looking through the manuals in the back of the work stations. He pulled his faceplate up.

"I think I found both." He said quickly then put the faceplate back in place.

Alina moved over to where he was and shined the light on both panels. She gave a thumbs up.  She moved first to the BUNDLE panel and inspected the wiring. She set the suit case down and opened it. She pulled up a bundle of cable and picked through the ends. She found the one she needed and pulled the one in the Uplink EB socket and replaced it. While she did this Jeff opened the power pack case. He pulled out two leads. Each with a clip on the end.

He looked at Alina and held up his hands. She pulled her faceplate up.

"Pull the breaker and clip to the ground and the hot. The higher voltage system will handle the current. The smaller one is probably very low power. I will begin the procedure with the suitcase." She said handing him  her knife.

He thought about this a moment and realized she was right. He took the knife and wedged it between the breaker and the hard plastic standoff between the two sides and pried the breaker out. He clipped the red lead to the wire that dangled from the breaker and the other to the bar the breaker clipped into. He knelt down to the power pack controls and pushed button marked 110-120V and waited a second. The light on the pack glowed green and nothing burnt out. He pushed it off.

"Ready" He said flipping up his mask.

Alina pushed the button on the suitcase interface. A screen like a cellphone flickered in an out. The cold had affected its function. Streaks across the screen obscured some of the words. She waited. Perhaps the power would warm the machine up and clear up the screen. They both heard the crash at the same time.  Both knew what it was. Alina tapped her armband. Jeff saw this and turned his coms on too.

"No sense not using them now." Alina said.

"There is enough power in this pack at this voltage for a half hour and low amps. Give me the light. You send that signal." Jeff said switching the pack on again.

Alina looked at the floor her jaw muscles twitching.

"Take the gun. You have one clip. Shoot at the point where the light hits. The screen on the transmitter is messed up. I will try." Alina said pulling the gun from the pack she carried the suitcase in.

"Good luck." Jeff said.

"Give me as much time as you can and God be with you."  Alina said tears welling up in her eyes.

Jeff smiled and touched her head. Another crash closer broke off the moment. Jeff rushed down the hall and braced himself against the door.

Alina looked at the screen. It was a little clearer now. She saw the word code and a question marked. She tapped in the sequence from memory saying it outloud.

"A-7-5-4-2-8-8..." She said and heard Jeff chime in as the door bucked against him.

"....1-7-Pound Sign. Protocol Delta. Arm. No Count"  Jeff said grunting.

The door burst open and Jeff was flung back. He aimed the light through the opening. He could hear the scream come through as electronic noise on his com.

Alina punched the sequence. The screen asked PROTOCOL and gave a list. Fortunately the working part of the screen was at the bottom. DELTA was spelled out in a block. It was a touch screen. Alina punched it. Nothing happened. She tapped it. Nothing happened. She hit the tab key on the small keyboard but she went too fast and the DELTA lighted for a second and then went back to solid color. She tabbed again slowly and the DELTA lit up green. She hit ENTER.  ARM? could be seen at the top of the screen but the choices were in the damaged zone of the screen. She guessed that every fail-safe imaginable had been taken and pressed the Y.  The screen flickered. Count?  She pressed N and ENTER.

The screen blanked to a pale green. She looked down the hallway. Jeff shining the light through the open door. Long black arms reaching through. In the light of the TORCH they resembled pitch black oil and seemed impossibly long.  Alina spotted the knife on the floor and grabbed it and ran down the hallway. She leaped at the last second and slammed into the open door with both feet. Jeff slammed hard into the door with his shoulder. The arm that happened to be reaching through the door at the time bent at an odd angle. Jeff pulled back for another hit and the arm withdrew.  Jeff sat down quickly and put his feet against the door. Alina rolled over and put her back to Jeff her feet braced against the wall.

The door bulged at the top. Jeff felt the force nearly buckle his knees. The pushed against each other hard.

"Did it transmit?" Jeff asked grunting.

"I don't know. I think so."

The light in Jeff's hand flickered. His head set crackled.

"Damn!" He shouted.

He heard a muffled sound from Alina but heard nothing.

"Alina?  Alina?"  He said louder.

He felt her speaking against his back but he couldn't hear her. He pulled his faceplate up.

"Alina!"  He shouted.

Alina pulled her faceplate up.

"Coms are dead."  Alina said straining against his back.

Jeff looked down the hall where the equipment was. He saw nothing. No glow from the suitcase. If the power pack was still operating he couldn't tell.

"EMP?"  He said quickly then put his faceplate back on.

"God I hope so." Alina said back.

The pounding stopped. Jeff and Alina sat there for a few minutes but it didn't return. Jeff pulled his legs up and stood. He turned and helped Alina to her feet.  The looked at each other and held each other their backs against the door.  After what seemed like hours they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"I think they are gone."  Jeff said pulling his faceplate sideways.

"One way to find out." Alina said.

Cautiously Jeff pulled the door open. The sight that greeted them was mesmerizing. Light flickered and danced around the glass fronted room.  Light with the occasional punctuated shaft of dark bathed the landscape. For the first time in nearly six months they saw the light. It was dim and reddish but it was there.

"It's nearly sundown." Alina said. "Remember?"

And they began to cry.  Jeff turned and put his hands on her faceplate.

"May I?"  He said. His eyes welling with tears.

"Please." She said beginning to lift his.

They kissed briefly. They pulled away at the same time. Returned their faceplates to their positions and cautiously moved through the lobby.

"We don't have much suit power left. Think we can charge it from the pack?"  Jeff asked.

"We just saved Earth my friend. I think we can do anything."  Alina said laughing.

They turned and went back into the offices and retrieved the power pack.




                                                             THE END

Author's Note.

Thank you readers. I'm a sucker for a happy ending but the sequel is already buzzing around in my head. If you find continuity errors or mistakes feel free to let me know. I was asked to finish this one. I rarely do. WONDER PRESS DOWN is more or less finished. The first part anyway and some of the shorter stories. I have a part 2 of WONDER PRESS DOWN already 2/3rds written but I have been busy. My problem is I finish the story a hundred different ways in my head and find it such a chore to actually put one of them into type.


I hope you enjoy.





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