2041 Sanctuary (Dark Descent) (2 page)

The two space vehicles came together and Tyler felt a soft but perceptible jolt pass through the orbital vehicle. A clunk of dense metal on metal, and a muffled hiss of hydraulics, indicated the sophisticated dampers, locks and clamps activated flawlessly to secure Orbiter One in place.

‘Welcome home, gentlemen,’ the female flight controller said. ‘Once you have acclimatised from micro gravity to the partial gravity environment here on Archimedes we can proceed with a full mission debrief at zero four hundred hours.’

‘Copy that, Flight,’ Tyler said. ‘We’ll look forward to some hot chocolate and cookies, which I’m sure the captain will have waiting for us when we get there.’

‘I’ll be sure to let him know of the request,’ the woman replied with no hint of humour. ‘Archimedes out.’

Ivan flicked off some switches overhead. ‘She’s a barrel of laughs.’

Tyler shrugged. ‘She must be new.’ He powered down Orbiter One’s systems, putting the ship they’d spent many months aboard into hibernation. ‘All I know is, it’s good to be back.’

♦

A mere three hundred and sixty minutes later, at four hours past midnight, Central Standard Time, Tyler and Ivan found themselves loosely strapped into chairs in front of a large, oblong, transparent table in a circular conference room. Each held an Orbiter One mission folder. Across from them the captain of the Archimedes, Bo Heidfield, sat on a similar seat, flanked by various members of NASA, the U.S. military and the GMRC, the Global Meteor Response Council.

It had always irked Tyler that the GMRC had such control over NASA and the U.S. space programme in general. Well, perhaps
control
wasn’t the right word,
influence
may have been more appropriate. The GMRC would recommend, request and suggest with increasing frequency until the powers that be relinquished or came up with alternatives to satisfy the GMRC bigwigs. Of course, it wasn’t just the U.S. that had to submit to this kind of intervention; the Europeans, Chinese and International space programmes also had to toe the GMRC line. Unilateral cooperation was paramount to the survival of the human race, or that’s what he was told, anyway; what all select NASA employees were told when they were given the real truth.

In order to ensure an efficient and effective planetary response to the asteroid threat the GMRC would lead the way and every nation on the planet had signed up to abide by its guidance. While this sounded fair and just, it was far from democratic, as the world’s entire civilian population had no vote on the issue, or any idea what was to come. As far as Tyler understood it, and gossip was rife within the segregated space station fraternity, over ninety-five per cent of each country’s politicians also had no idea of the scale of the threat to humanity and planet Earth itself.

Everyone, of course, was aware of the first meteorite, 2011 AG5, which had struck in 2040 – over six months ago – off the South African coastline. 2011 AG5’s existence and predicted repercussions had been disclosed to the public in 2022. No, what the rest of the populace was blissfully unaware of was that six more asteroids were on their way and that life on the surface of Earth was nearly at an end. It was a stark and terrifying thought that life as we knew it was to cease in 2045 when the last of the asteroids arrived. Thankfully, for Tyler and his family, his job had ensured their continued survival. They were guaranteed precious harbour in one of the United States’ underground facilities. Even Tyler and his small circle of colleagues in the know were left in the dark as to the location or scale of the base they were destined to live out their days in. He only knew its name, United States Subterranean Base Steadfast, or USSB Steadfast for short.

Tyler glanced up as movement caught his eye through the large transparent ceiling above. A streamlined Sabre space-aircraft had just arrived from Earth and was coming to rest at a refuelling arm. Tentacle-like hoses snaked out from Archimedes to lock onto it, like a giant squid with its prey. Yet this squid was supplying life, not taking it, as the craft’s exhausted tanks were replenished with vital oxygen and fuel.

The NASA captain cleared his throat, bringing Tyler back to the present.

‘Gentlemen,’ Bo Heidfield said, addressing the two Orbiter One astronauts in a formal, business-like tone. ‘First I’d like to congratulate you both on the completion of your mission. You have been in micro gravity for one year, so I hope your transition to life on Archimedes has not been too taxing. As you will have been informed, we are joined by GMRC representatives who are here to ensure all information transfer conforms with their strict protocols.’

‘My apologies for interrupting, Captain,’ said a woman sitting immediately to Bo Heidfield’s left, ‘but we are more than mere observers and administrators. We are here to report directly to the GMRC’s senior Directorate and to advise them on the information gathered here today.’

Tyler noticed Bo’s eyebrow twitch and a clear expression of anger appeared on his face at the woman’s comment, an indicator that he was far from his usual impassive self. Tyler knew Bo well enough to realise tensions were running high between the factions in the room; looking around at the faces assembled he wondered how he’d missed it before. What the GMRC were up to now to cause such feelings he was sure to find out later. Now, though, he was here to report on Orbiter One’s mission.

Ivan began their presentation on the weather patterns of the all-pervasive dust cloud caused by the fallout of the asteroid, 2011 AG5.

‘As you can see,’ Ivan said, while everyone in the room turned to the current page of his report, the paper documents rustling in unison, ‘the dust cloud has reached a stable density in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The Coriolis effect produced by the Earth’s rotation and axial tilt has reasserted its force and the cloud now conforms to a new, but predictable, weather pattern. The circulation cells are now clearly visible due to the cloud’s particulates providing a visual reference of their direction and path.

‘From observations made on Orbiter One, over hundreds of tracks at varying compass points, we were able to extrapolate a lot of useful data on the intense weather currently being experienced on the surface. The unusual and powerful lightning strikes which have caused disruption to the GMRC’s Subterranean Programme across the Americas and Eurasian continent are symptomatic of the negatively charged particulates and the enormous super cells that have been forming on a regular basis over the last few months.

‘Utilising large data groups,’ Ivan continued, ‘we have been able to accurately predict the occasional breaks in the global cloud cover. This will obviously be useful in scheduling Sabre flights to and from the surface, and to position and launch rockets into orbit for various purposes.’

Ivan went into further detail about forecast weather patterns and areas of specific scientific interest, and then Tyler took over the report.

‘If you turn to the next section,’ Tyler told them, flipping over a couple of pages from his own folder. ‘You will note the thermal images we have taken over the last six months. Underneath each image are corresponding charts and tables outlining temperature drops in comparison to the previous month and to the location’s normal rolling ten year average temperature, prior to the asteroid AG5’s strike.

‘Figure five point three dash A is an enhanced image taken of the Sahara Desert two weeks after Impact Day—’

The GMRC observer who had irritated Bo Heidfield, interrupted Tyler’s flow. ‘Pilot Commander Magnusson,’ the woman said, addressing Tyler by his formal title and with a supercilious air. ‘Can you tell me why there appear to be no images here for the two weeks after Impact Day? Surely this was the most important time to collect such information?’

Bo looked like he was about to intervene, but Tyler was prepared for the question. ‘Due to the unforeseen speed of the dust cloud kicked up by the primary strike we were unable to record said data as scheduled. As I’m sure you are aware the cloud was meant to take six to twelve months to cover the entire planet and yet in actuality this event took only days to unfold. Orbiter One operates on a strict prearranged course to maximise fuel and operational efficiency. We were unable to react to the cloud’s speed at such short notice without significantly compromising future mission parameters. Two weeks was the time it took to reposition.’

Tyler waited for a response, but the woman merely nodded and motioned for him to continue.

‘As I was saying,’ he said, ‘figure five point three dash A is a thermal image of the Sahara Desert two weeks after Impact Day. It clearly shows a dramatic temperature drop compared to the previous month and to previously observed averages. The following images for this particular location show further temperature drops over the next three months, not of the same magnitude as the initial fall, but significant nonetheless. After this the figures become steadier and in line with averages, albeit at a much colder level. Across the surface of the planet we have witnessed a drop in temperature equivalent to eight degrees Celsius or fourteen point four Fahrenheit. Africa has experienced a higher than average fall of ten degrees Celsius or eighteen degrees Fahrenheit; this is mainly due to the thicker cloud cover over the region due to the extensive wildfires instigated by the initial strike. Impact winter is very much upon us, although it is not as severe as some models predicted.’

Tyler carried out the remainder of his report in greater detail before closing the Orbiter One report folder. He then pulled a secure case onto his lap, the exertion required to lift it a tenth that of normal due to the partial gravity experienced on Archimedes. He activated the security locks using a combination of biometrics and codes, a process Ivan had to repeat before handing it back to him. Tyler opened the case and withdrew a bundle of reports, each wrapped within bright red film. Tyler passed one to Ivan, took one for himself and handed the rest to Bo, who distributed them to those sitting either side of him.

Once everyone had a copy, Tyler took his file and tore away the top edge using the supplied metal strip manufactured into the film. Everyone else followed suit, the tearing noises briefly filling the room. Removing the red sheath revealed the black folder inside. On the front of this a white panel had been placed containing the following bold, red text:

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

GMRC Clearance Level: 10 Alpha

Special Access Personnel Only

NASA Clearance Level: AMBER 1

SEGREGATED PERSONNEL

EYES ONLY

Inside the front cover the NASA insignia was printed on white paper, its familiar blue disc and white lettered logo standing out against the background. Below this a heading read:

D.S.D.A.

Deep Space Detection Array

& PROJECT ARES

Collated Report

February, 2041

Tyler began detailing the information to the room. He noted the main attributes of each of the six approaching asteroids, including the latest composition, spectral light and deviation analysis. Potential fracturing events had also been assessed and predicted and proffered up graphically for the various scenarios. Everyone in the room knew that any splitting of the asteroids prior to impact would result in vastly different outcomes and subsequent fallout. This collective foresight was due in the main to one such occurrence having already happened when 2011 AG5 had gravitational forces exerted on it as it passed the Moon. A smaller chunk had broken free and ended up wiping out a large city in northern India. Nothing could alter the final outcome, of course, but there would be some form of human activity on the surface of Earth until 2045, and the GMRC wanted to avoid any hindrance to its subterranean programme prior to its final protocols reaching fruition.

Finally Tyler reached the most anticipated part of the report, the plain white page he’d turned to displaying an elegant silver logo in its centre:

While on their analytical, fact-finding mission aboard Orbiter One, the two astronauts had also been tasked with testing a new piece of technology devised by the U.S. military and the highly secretive GMRC R&D Division. Strangely, the substantial piece of equipment in question was missing a large, critical component. Ivan had pointed out as much when the two astronauts had first been prepped for the operational procedures prior to their deployment. They had been told they were to test the system’s functionality in the rigours of space. They were not there to test its full capability or to even understand what it was they were actually testing. This was perhaps the strangest part of the whole operation. The ambiguity and secrecy of what it was they had on board and were tasked to carry out a multitude of diagnostics on, was more than a little disturbing especially considering the military’s involvement.

As Tyler went through the results from Project Ares, which encompassed an assortment of observational data, computer read-out analysis, error codes and system parameters during partial operation, he was asked the occasional question by a couple of the GMRC personnel who were lead scientists on the programme. As he completed the debrief the questions increased.