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Chapter Nine
Superstorm
~
'Twenty million dollars has been spent developing this system!' Braz snapped at Zimsky as the crew walked along a landing strip near a desert military base. Serge and Josh were deep in conversation about food as the two older scientists argued. Iverson and Beck inserted their own opinions about dining during the mission.
"Steaks, an inch thick!" Josh said to Serge who was smiling.
"It's about nutrition!" Beck stated.
"Oh, come on, guys, the chefs at NASA-" Iverson interjected.
"I wouldn't call them chefs." Zimsky argued.
"It's about nutrition!" Beck repeated for the third time. "I think in five days I think-"
"I want wine! I need wine!" Zimsky whined.
"I'll cook for you, no worries-" Serge laughed, patting Josh's shoulder.
They continued their bickering and complaining until Josh ceased his walking. "Whoa!" he stated, eyeing the horizon line to the west. Serge stopped beside him as the others congregated nearby. A high powered electrical storm was forming just a few dozen miles away. "That's high level static discharge." Josh informed them as they each eyed the imminent storm with trepidation.
"I think we should check this out." Beck stated, turning to the others with a furrowed brow. "This doesn't look so good."
Josh nodded his head in agreement. He continued to watch it until the others were well ahead of him, then started out at a brisk pace back toward the hanger.
~
The station was humming with whispering voices. Fear was in everyone's eyes. The crew piled into Rat's cubicle like area in the hanger. Serge, Josh, Beck, Iverson, Zimsky and Braz gathered around the small collection of computers where Purcell was already standing with Stickley.
"It's a lightening superstorm." Josh explained as everyone found a place to view the show.
"Popping up all over the world." Purcell informed them.
"Got 'em. Tracking." Rat stated, pressing one button. The computers went into a frenzy until at last a map lined with red came up over Rome, Italy. Serge's eyes lit up as he saw the nearness of the more powerful superstorm near France. He didn't say anything. There was no need. "Uh-oh. Rome does not look good."
~
Rome, Italy...
A group of tourists turned their heads as the skies dramatically darkened overheard. Heat lightening formed rapidly in the clouds, more so than any of them had ever seen before. Some stood, some remained seated, not sure if this was typical weather for the time of year.
A small group of men were watching a football game in a nearby cafe, shouting angrily at the losing team or cheering wildly for the winning team. No one noticed the phenomenon outside. They continued on in their blissful ignorance, completely wrapped up in their sports station. Antonio served out lattes and watched with enthusiasm as the star player went to make a goal.
Suddenly, the television turned to static. A gigantic uproar went through the tiny store as to what happened. Antonio raised a hand telling everyone to calm down. It was probably just a problem with the satellite. He went to toggle with the settings a bit when an electric shock ran through his finger. Claudia, the woman behind the counter shrieked as she was electrocuted by the latte machine.
The lights dimmed. People outside everywhere were running, seemingly for their lives, screaming and yelling. Lightening bolts struck the Coliseum where a large number of people were visiting. Continuously striking again and again as those outside watched with mystified horror. More bolts came down, here and there, everywhere! It was madness!
One bolt drove straight through the street, loosening concrete and stone. Inside, the Coliseum glowed as though a star had suddenly gone super nova within. Lightening struck other stone features and buildings, causing their pillars to collapse and the entire building to eventually fall in ruin. Statues imploded as the force of energy was sent vibrating through their motionless molecules, sending shards of stone and rock everywhere with the other collapsing architectural strongholds near and around the vicinity.
Suddenly the Coliseum glowed almost as bright as the noon day sun. Pillars and columns and floors gave way, and the magnificent structure collapsed upon itself. Screams were heard throughout the streets. Terror was everywhere. No one understood why or how this was happening.
Within minutes, the storm passed, thousands were missing, hundreds dead, and all of Rome burned.
~
The crew sat and watched in fear as the rest of the world started to turn out the same way. China, Russia, Japan, Canada were all having electric superstorms. It was unimaginable!
"This planet is decaying faster than we thought." Josh whispered, and he began to search through some of Rat's papers, though for what no one knew.
"It's just the start." came Zimsky, shaking his head, frowning curiously at the screens before them. The others were silent, too shocked to say anything. "Soon they'll be EM spikes and microwaves will break through the weak spots and-"
"All right." Came Purcell, already having heard enough. "Let's get this ship in the ground. Now."
