The End
"Hello Captain, I'm glad you took us up on our offer." Special Agent Ciara stood at the entrance to the caves, her dark clothes and harsh angles meshing perfectly with the environment of the mountains of Tibet. Her long dark hair pulled back into a low, tight ponytail, eyes of honey brown outlined by her professional style glasses. Dressed in a black business suit with a crimson blouse she defined utilitarian from physical appearance to personality, and she was on a mission.
"I've only agreed to be given a tour, after that I will make a decision." Captain Withiger, a career navy officer, who has captained air craft carriers to deep sea submarines. He's stayed in shape even into his nearly retired years, with his hair mostly intact he gives a commanding presence to those under his command. He is one of a few qualified to take up Special Agent Ciara's mission.
"Of course Captain. If you will follow me I'll show you around and give you the schematics of our project."
Through the long cold tunnel they marched down into the center of the mountain where it started to warm up from the machineries and earth's core. Finally the tunnel open up to a sight: six ship/submarine hybrids were in the end of construction. Thousands of Chinese workers move about like bacteria over the area: building parts, connecting electrical, using cranes to lift parts into position, they were working like ants.
The Captain took this all in in astonished silence. Never has he seen such monstrous vessels, bigger than anything he could even imagine, it put the cargo ships to shame.
"What are these for?" he breathed to Ciara. She didn't acknowledge that he had spoken. With no warning she turned to continue down the ramp to the first—and most completed—ship and started the tour.
"This is the first vessel produced of the six. Through the loading dock leads to the different sections of the ship: passengers to the far left lead up to the living quarters, far right goes to the animal storage, mid left is for cultural and historical preservation, mid right is for military components, and the middle has the maintenance for the vessel—engines, turbines, air, water, ect. Come, I will show you up to the control center." And with a precise left face she marched down the middle with Captain Withiger following behind.
The Captain was working on autopilot. His mind couldn't get around just how big and all encompassing this project was. It seemed to be a miniature country contained in steel. As the wheels started to move one thing came to mind, what was this all for?
Eventually the Special Agent came to an elevator which opened to a silver interior. Once both were standing inside she pushed the highest numbered button. The ride up was silent. Captain Withiger couldn't help the frown that came to his face or the occasional glances at his guide. For her part she stood like a statue. Her hands clasped behind her back, feet braced apart, face blank of any emotion. Not even her hair moved in the slight breeze from the air vent above her.
As the elevator came to a stop she came back to life, striding from the box out onto the ship's bridge that was a flurry with activity. There were personnel in military colors checking systems and operations (which was expected) but here was also a large group of scientists grouped around a large B.A.T* (computer as a table) with multiple computer terminals set up behind it. They seemed to be studying a map on the B.A.T. and monitoring readings on the terminals. The Captain was not able to get close enough to determine what had them so flustered.
"Here is our control center. You can monitor any part of the ship from here. There are cameras set up in each part of the ship that can be tapped into from this space." Special Agent Ciara walked toward the military men, "Here are the ships main controls. They monitor direction of the ship and using GPS can anticipate any obstacles that could be potential problems no matter if the ship is on top of the water or diving down under it."
She walked the Captain over to the ship readouts, "These are the fastest most powerful set of ships ever made, using new technology that was not scheduled for release for another 20 years. We have had the most brilliant minds working on the development of these ships. The designs had efficiency and safety in mind when they were built; every eventuality has been taken into account. Nothing is safer."
Without further comment she guided the Captain back towards the elevator. Once boarded she hit a button and turned to the astonished man. "Is there anywhere else you wished to see?" Blinking a few times he came back to himself, "No not really, I imagine everything else is state of the art as well," a nod as she waited for him to continue, "but I have to ask, what is this for?"
She stood in silence for a moment, contemplating him, before she spoke, "For several years now the elite of the scientific community have been monitoring earth's activity. The temperature of the earth has risen to a hazardous level which in turn has started to effect the crust, the part we live on Captain." She turned back to the doors, hands back behind her, staying completely professional still relaying the information to him. "The earth has continued to be monitored without any change except that it keeps rising and danger more imminent. It was predicted, using the information that had been collected for five years, that this will not end until the earth can cool itself down. The way to do that is through tectonic movement and volcanic activity. Unfortunately with the levels that are starting to show this will all happen within a few years of constant earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. To say the least, life as we know it will cease. The world will be thrown back to the beginning and life will have to start over from bacteria."
Here she paused and looked over at the Captain, "Frankly no one is happy with that outcome and so this project was started. We will be able to save a sample of animals, plants, artifacts, and human culture and knowledge. Hopefully we will be able to keep the species of the earth alive until everything has settled and we can begin again.
"I'm sure you've noticed the many natural disasters that have started to happen. This has been seen lately in the large earthquakes that have happened around the globe. Unfortunately this is just the beginning. Within a year or less the volcanoes will start and then the end. That is why we have started to pushup our dates. We brought you here because we want you to be one of the Captains of the ships. You and your immediate family will be brought on board. You will have a capable crew and be briefed on the complete plan after you agree to our proposal."
The silence was deafening. It rang out like a shot in a building, with the same force and devastating quality. Captain Withiger's knees shook. He felt ready to collapse but he had to ask a few questions. He needed to know a few things to make the right choice.
"How are you paying for this? It's a huge project."
"The self-serving elite have been made known of the situation. They have been offered the chance to buy tickets for the ships." Special Agent Ciara wiped at a fleck of dust on her suit, "for one million pounds they can have a spot on the ship, family are separate and each cost the same."
"One million each?! And you are just letting them buy their way on the ships!" The Captain shouted in outrage, red blossoming on his cheeks, eyes bright.
"Of course not Captain, they just think they are getting on the ships. By the time they realize that they were tricked it won't make a difference. They can't sue us if they are dead."
The next question, the important one, was whispered into the silence of the elevator, "Who is going to be on the ships; who's going to be saved?"
Special Agent Ciara gave a small sigh before explaining, "We will be bringing people who can contribute: professors at the top of their subjects, various religious authorities, successful businessmen, and those that know how to do different useful trades. Essentially anyone with something useful to teach humanity."
The Captain's eyes got wide with shock and disbelief but she wasn't done yet.
"Of course we will take into account their age and any problems they might have—diseases, illnesses, disorders, handicaps—the people we take must be able to procreate and have the best chance at continuing the human race, physical or mental problems will just slow everyone down."
The Captain grabbed the rail in the elevator. He looked into the reflective door, trying to grasp the enormity of the situation—his and humanity's. Taking large breathes he tried to compose himself before turning back to Special Agent Ciara. With a large swallow he let go of the railing and turned back to her, as the sweat ran down his back he attempted to look collected and cool.
Her hawk eyes latched onto his face, seeing through his façade and to the truth of his decision.
"What you are doing here—it's wrong, inhumane. You're rendering everything human into a scientific equation that factors out all the humanity. We aren't animals!" Captain Withiger shouted his outrage to her, breathing heavily.
Special Agent Ciara's face doesn't change, but her murmured voice has bite to it, "And yet we're still listed as being a part of the animal kingdom."
The Captain jerks sharply at that and she returns to facing the doors, hands behind her once again, "If that is the way you feel Captain then I suppose you are declining our offer."
"Yes." He answers but they both know it wasn't a question.
"Very well." With a ding the elevator doors open to the loading floor, where he started from, "Then I guess this is the end Captain."
He nods as he exits the box, "Good day Special Agent Ciara. I'll see myself out of this nut bin." The last is muttered beneath his breath as he starts for the ramp.
Four steps and a bang rings out, echoing through the empty corridors of the ship. The Captain stops, gives a gurgles breath and falls to the floor. Special Agent Ciara steps out of the elevator and replaces her gun in its holster as she walks around to the Captain's face.
"You just don't see," she stops near his right shoulder, heeled boots clicking on the hard metal floor, "we humans are being put through the largest test of survival of the fittest. I have been given a mission and I intend to give humanity the best chance of surviving," her back straightens even more, face becomes a glacier of determination, "even if I have to be inhumane to do that."
She glanced at her feet; her left foot was encased in an ever growing pool of blood. Without a thought she shifted her weight and lifted her left foot. "We have Darwin's theory at its best in play," she took her time wiping the blood off her boot on the Captain's shoulder. As she put her foot down, at a safe distance from his body, she finished, "the least we could do is give our best in return."
Turning from the Captain she marched back to the elevator, pulling out a phone as she went, "That one didn't work out either, call the next one on the list."
As the doors closed she called out, "Goodbye Captain Withiger."
And he released his last breath.
End
*B.A.T—Big Ass Table, my dad ships for Microsoft and BAT is what is on the side of the box when the table computers are being shipped
Ciara—Dark (KEER-ah) Gaelic
I finally got the guts to post a fiction! And what do I do but put up a dark little fic from my head. Drop a Review if you've got the time =)
4/29/10 Spaz666