The Eight Night

Making Plans

Horst shook his head, looking far too serious for Laura's liking, as he put the last specimen in the cage outside the bunker. "Who in their right mind would have thought ARS would be caused by the one thing that keeps this planet warm and sunny," he said darkly.

"I'd say no one until a few weeks ago," she replied dejectedly as she followed his gaze toward the poor rat whom they'd most likely condemned to a horrible death from acute radiation syndrome.

They watched the two rats, one in each cage, in silence for a moment.

"I don't know how much more I can take of this," Laura admitted in a subdued voice.

"I am afraid that the experiments will keep running until someone across the globe has got a solution," Horst replied firmly. He sighed and began to massage his aching temples. He didn't like this anymore than she did – after all – he was a climate scientist, not a rat killer or a DNA expert.

"DNA is complex," Laura finally spoke up again. "To find a way to repair the cluster damage caused by the radiation and for the body to recognize what to do is-. Horst, it might take years."

He met her dark eyes; heartbroken at the defeat and worry in them. "I know that," he whispered sadly. "But we have to try."

She studied him for a moment. "And if we somehow manage that. How long will it take before it happens again?" she asked.

"The reversal of the sun's polarity?" Horst guessed.

She nodded.

"Eleven years, give or take a few months," he replied.

"Great," she muttered sullenly.

Horst shook his head as walked up to stand opposite her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders; looking deep into her eyes. "Look, Laura. This has occurred countless of times before. This is not normal. Hopefully the magnitude of damage caused this time will never be repeated," he reasoned softly.

"Well, it's already too late for the major part of Earth's population," she remarked sarcastically. "All the people we've lost – all the knowledge we've lost with them. How do we even get a new society to function?"

Horst raised his hand to stall her. "Like Mathieu use to say. One problem at a time," he cautioned. "Come on, let get back inside and find something warm to drink before I've turned into ice."

OOOOOO

"Hey," Jakub said as he stepped out of the bunker, spotting the lonely silhouette of Sylvie against the dark sky.

She turned around; her hands stuffed deep into the pockets of her parkas. It was cold outside and the warm air that escaped her mouth turned to vapor against the darkness around her. "Hey," she answered.

"Huh," Jakub rubbed his hands together. "Didn't think it could be so cold in Bulgaria."

Sylvie brightened and smirked. "They call it winter, you know? Apparently, it occurs every sixth month," she teased lightly.

"Very funny," he drawled. "You think Santa will make an appearance this year?"

She smirked as she playfully bumped her shoulder into his, her hands still in her pockets.

"What?" he asked curiously. "You don't believe in Santa Claus?"

"Look at us," she said, her voice subdued as she shook her head. "Standing here, cracking jokes."

Jakub frowned innocently. "Is it not allowed?"

Sylvie bit her lower lip. "It's just that – after the week we've been having – after all the crazy things that has happened in our lives."

He looked at her seriously. "I know what you mean and I know what you planned to do," he pointed out. "And I am glad you didn't go through with it."

Sylvie nodded faintly. "Me too," she whispered.

"We just have to figure out a way to move on – all of us," he added.

"All of us," she echoed as she followed him inside.

OOOOOO

"If this doesn't work," Laura began, meaning the life in the bunker.

"It has to work," Sylvie insisted calmly yet her voice was stern and strained. "Where else can we go?"

"Sylvie is right," Osman reasoned. "We are safe from the sun. We have food, a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in."

"Just thinking about living in a filthy bunker for the rest of my life gives me the creeps," Ines muttered.

"Cleaning toilets for the rest of my life gives me a rash," Rik piped up.

Ayaz had to bite his lip not to appear to amused by the direction of the conversation. Mathieu looked rather dismayed and Jakub rode his chair with one hand on the table, looking like he was miles away. Osman was twiddling his thumbs and Zara was constantly watching her son worriedly. Horst scratched his face and ran a hand over his stubble while Laura studied the other members of the group intently.

"Arguing about it won't get us anywhere," Mathieu said firmly. "Let's say we decide to take our chances and leave – what then? We have got to have a plan."

"We need to find some fuel," Osman volunteered. "I don't know how it is stored back at the airport. There wasn't time to do a walkabout."

"Despite the way we've abused it, the aircraft shouldn't be cause for concern," Jakub added. "Our pilots look quite okay too from here."

Mathieu actually smirked at that.

"You think they'll just let us leave?" Ines asked skeptically.

"Why not? They never wanted us here in the first place," Zara stated. "They whine about how much food we eat and how little we do."

"I am not so sure about that," Sylvie mused thoughtfully as she glanced at Mathieu and Jakub.

"They'd be happy to throw me out," Ines said sarcastically.

"Don't say that," Laura chastised.

"They would want to keep Horst and Jakub," Mathieu reasoned.

Ines arched an eyebrow. "You forgot to add yourself," she pointed out.

"We go together or not at all," Sylvie spoke up resolutely.

"What's our plan then?" Rik pushed.

"We sit tight," Sylvie replied. "At least until we've figured out a safe place to go to."

"How long will that take?" Zara asked bitterly.

"You'll have to remember that taking off is a huge risk," Mathieu tried. "So far we've had quite a bit of luck."

Laura smirked. "I thought it was due to skilled pilots and mechanics," she teased and blinked at him.

"If we could only find ourselves an Irishman," Ayaz deadpanned.

There was a collective chuckle in the group.

"Is there anything promising out there?" Horst asked curiously as he looked from Mathieu to Sylvie.

After a moment of consideration, Mathieu finally nodded. "I would say so."

"The seed vault in Norway?" Sylvie tried, wanting to run the idea through Mathieu.

He grimaced. "That location in Norway is close to the pole so we would have no trouble avoiding the sun for a while but we don't know what awaits us there. No one is answering our hails. We may be out of food and water. Who knows? The facility might not be heated up properly to sustain human life over time."

Horst tiredly massaged his temples while Ines put her elbows on the table and let her chin come to rest in the palms of her hands.

"Not our first alternative then," Sylvie concurred.

"Then there is the problem with icing on the wings," the pilot added seriously. "We would need to de-ice the aircraft before liftoff if we want to leave."

"De-ice?" Ayaz asked quizzically.

Jakub straightened in his chair as he jumped in to explain. Some weather conditions make it necessary to prevent the ice from building up on the wings before takeoff. Ice on the wings can alter the aerodynamics drastically and we might not be able to get enough traction-"

"What happens then?" Ayaz asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"The aircraft will not get enough speed to make it off the ground and we will crash at the end of the runway," Mathieu answered darkly.

"Maybe we should stick around here for a bit," Rik suggested.

"Sounds like the plan," Horst let on as he got out of the chair.

"Are you going to put the rats outside? Can I come?" Dominik asked hopefully.

"I told you to stay away from those filthy animals," Zara protested.

"I'm not going to touch," the little boy insisted.

"Those filthy animals might be the key to our salvation," Horst pointed out to Zara before he offered Dominik an apologetic smile. "Laura and I have already done that."

"What is this now?" Colonel Lom stated as he appeared in the doorway to the mess hall. "A late-night get-together?"

"Just reminiscing our journey," Sylvie replied.

"And I am exhausted so I'll go and turn in for the night," Mathieu added as he stood.

The rest of them stood too.

"You must invite the rest of us sometime," Colonel Lom said.

OOOOOO

The end.

AN: Insert the first episode of season two and Dominik doing a voice-over. Recording a summary for a school project.