Alaia Skyhawk: And now for the Nature side of things :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.
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Chapter 81: Rain Check
Sat here in front of them, Jack found himself wondering what it must be like from their perspective. To be here facing five of the most powerful beings on the planet, who literally shaped and shepherded the very weather upon which all life depended. Five individuals who wielded powers beyond mortal comprehension.
It was probably very very daunting.
He watched as they set up their cameras; one facing him and his peers, and the other facing the tables where they sat. Once both were set away, the obvious leader of these representatives rose to his feet and nodded to the immortals before him.
"I'm Dr Glencove, of the Meteorological Society. I speak for us all, when I say this is a great honour for you to agree to this meeting. As men and women who have dedicated our careers to the study of the weather and its causes, it was indeed a matter of great surprise and excitement to learn of your existence and role in that."
Mother Nature nodded once, but remained solemn. By her manner, despite her previous warm greeting of these people, she now might well have been carved from cold stone.
"I would guess that it would be for you, although I must inform you that the majority of the world's weather forms and happens on its own, as per the natural interactions of the tides, moisture, temperature, and air pressure. It is not our job to micro-manage the system. Our job is to ease possible extremes, by facilitating the expenditure of forces elsewhere in the system when possible, in addition to maintaining overall balance. We are not responsible for every individual drop of rain or snow that falls, but rather the overall whole."
Jack allowed himself to give the representatives a reassuring smile, despite taking Mother Nature's cue for a serious manner on this. They needed that, because this was her at her most daunting.
"I'm sure you can appreciate the reasons for that. The Earth is, after all, really big. Mostly we oversee the changeover of the seasons, and monitor them. We each have side-tasks that we perform, but other than that we mainly prevent the weather systems from stalling."
He kept his tone somewhat cheerful as he said it, noting as he did so that some of the tension faded from the group at the tables. But still, Jack and the others saw the hesitation in Dr Glencove. They could 'see' the question he wanted to and yet hesitated to ask.
When the silence dragged out for almost twenty seconds, Achieng let out an exasperated sigh and snapped at him.
"Oh for moon's sake! Just ask it so we can give you the answer and move on to something else!"
Dr Glencove flinched, as did the rest of the guests, before he cleared his throat nervously.
"Over the course of the years that weather has been documented, up to and including the present, there have been numerous storms of considerable severity. Storms that have caused great loss of life, and/or cost a great deal in damages and lost revenue. As meteorologists, we wonder if perhaps it would be possible for you to prevent such storms happening at all?"
There was another pause, another silence, before Mother Nature tilted her head.
"Ariko. Would you and your peers like to explain what would happen if you four were to heed that request?"
The little Japanese woman's eyes narrowed.
"Certainly." She pinned the meteorologist with a steely gaze. "By your request, you would be asking us to ensure that the weather does not cause a 'nuisance' to you mortals and your daily lives. To do as you ask, would require manipulating weather systems so as to make rain fall only at night when the minimum of people are moving about. In addition to preventing large storms."
Achieng took over now.
"But if we did that, and wanted to have the same total rainfall, that would mean making double the rain fall during night-time hours. But that would cause flash flooding, which you clearly wouldn't want, so the only solution would be to halve the total rainfall."
Oisin nodded.
"That would instate drought conditions within a relatively tiny span of time. The passing of a single season. But the weather would not be inconveniencing you with flooding. So if you don't want the risk of such, then you would have to make to with less water."
Jack spoke now, his tone grim.
"But regardless of how much rain we allowed to fall, the light and heat from the sun would continue to cause the usual amount of moisture to evaporate from land and sea. But the balance of evaporation to rainfall would have been disrupted, the ratio would be wrong, and it would be impossible to make all the excess fall as rain over the seas."
It went back to Ariko's turn.
"The world would see the total cloud-cover increase steadily over a period of a few years. It would grow denser and denser, blocking more and more of the sun's light."
"Once sufficient had been blocked, world temperatures would then begin to plummet. It would only take a drop of one or two degrees to tip the scales up in the atmosphere under those conditions."
Oisin's voice became a dread knell.
"The flows of rising warm air would dwindle away due to lack of sun reaching the ground., and the currents that enable the water that is the clouds to remain aloft would drop below the required amount... And it would all come crashing down at once."
Jack's tone was icy, ramming home the severity of the scenario.
"And because most precipitation falls over land... In the areas where temperatures are warm enough, their would be a deluge of rain like something out of the apocalypse. Flooding the likes of which has never been seen by humans, ever. In the places where the temperature is around freezing, it would come down as snow. Homes and businesses, villages, towns, and cities, buried under upwards of fifty, sixty, or even seventy feet of dead-fall snow. Roofs would collapse, and even when they didn't, anyone inside any buried buildings would either be trapped and starve, or suffocate as though under an avalanche... And then you get to the areas where it's below freezing. Where the rain comes down as hailstones the size of boulders. Screaming out of the sky like cannonballs. Punching holes through buildings and crushing everything in their path."
Mother Nature narrowed her eyes at their horrified audience.
"Well? Go on... Ask us again to make the weather more 'convenient' for you." When there was no answer, she continued. "Do you see now, the folly of what you asked? The Human Race's greatest flaw, is your desire to manipulate things you don't understand because you don't like the way they work. Because they're 'inconvenient'. But the weather is something that can never be toyed with. To do so would lead only to disaster, and the uncountable deaths of people. Because areas that would see the worst flooding, are among the most-populated in the entire world. Bangladesh, India, China, all the countries in that region. Billions would be swept to their deaths as the cost of your presumptuous arrogance."
All of the representatives were now staring at the tables, unable to meet her gaze. They stewed for several seconds, before Dr Glencove mustered up the courage to raise his head again.
"Then... Then perhaps you could suggest ways we could work together? If storms cannot be prevented, then perhaps you could give us advice and advance warning of them?"
Mother Nature glanced at Jack.
"I'll leave discussing that to the Spirit of Winter, if you would like to arrange a future meeting with him once this one is over. He already runs a winter warning system of sorts for the town of Burgess, in Pennsylvania, and is well-versed in the use of quite a few current technologies. He has kept himself surprisingly up-to-date, considering he was born to the family of a poor shepherd in 1693. I know of no other immortal who has bothered to do so, other than Bunnymund."
Jack nodded, and looked over to Dr Glencove.
"If you tell me where you'd like to meet, I'll be available for the next week. I've got the start of Southern Winter to begin tending to for a month after that. Post the message on that wall in the Temple of Athena, and she'll get it to me. She's a friend of mine."
As one of the representatives quickly jotted that down, Mother Nature resumed her talk.
"Getting back to the matter at hand. I'd like to move on to something I can help you with, under certain conditions... Global Warming."
Several of the guests blinked, one of them spluttering.
"You could reverse Global Warming?"
There was a bemused pause, before Mother Nature let out the tiniest of sighs and made the smallest shake of her head.
"The Earth was already heading into a warmer stage of the climate cycle, but it cannot be denied that humanity has contributed due to burning so much fossil fuels. The Etheric Turbines that Bunnymund is teaching you to make, should solve that for the most part within ten to fifteen years. At the very least it will drastically cut the amount of 'greenhouse gases' pumped into the atmosphere. But as for the carbon dioxide already built up in it, it's possible for me to, as you would say, 'carbon sink' it and remove the excess from the air entirely."
Excited chatter broke out, forcing Dr Glencove to raise his voice a bit to be heard.
"And how would you do that?"
It wasn't Mother Nature who answered, but rather Ariko.
"Lady Jane and I can both accelerate the growth of plants. If sufficient areas of former forest land were to be handed over to our management, both in equatorial rainforest belts and also places such as the heavily de-forested slopes in the Himalayas, we could re-grow the forests there. It would have to be done in stages, to allow wildlife and insects to spread into the restored areas. But despite the complicated process involved, it's possible. What we'd need from you mortals, is a supply of certain trace minerals in powdered form, to be scattered through the soil so the trees get what they need for the rapid growth. The other thing is the guarantee that the new forests will not be touched at all. We would respond to attempts at logging, by 'relocating' the trespassers to any number of random locations across the globe."
Several sets of eyes widened at that, and one woman gasped.
"You'd strand them in the middle of nowhere?"
Ariko was bland.
"Not where that they couldn't find other people within a day or two, but they'd certainly have a hard time getting back to their logging equipment. We'd probably ask Jack to arrange for it to be dismantled and reduced to scrap. He has a couple of friends I can think of, who have extensive workshops and plenty of helping hands to reduce machines to parts."
Oisin cleared his throat.
"As you can see, we do have the means to put the climate back on track. So long as you mortals cooperate once we become public knowledge."
Mother Nature smiled at them, knowingly.
"Just because I've been handicapped by obscurity all this time, does not mean I did not make plans to fix things if given the chance." She got up. "Follow me, and let's take a little walk. You're not the specialists who will most appreciate what I'm about to show you, but I'm sure you can tell them about it."
She conjured a new vine gate, pausing long enough for two of the representatives to shoulder the camcorders and for the whole group to follow. She and the Spirits of the Seasons led them through it, emerging atop a high vantage point.
From there, it was possible to see an immense low-ceilinged cavern, stretching off as far as could be seen in every direction. Its roof held up by massive stone pillars. It was partitioned by steep stone walls, and walls of disturbed air that prevented anything with wings from leaving their zone. For each partitioned section was a habitat and climate in compact form. Above each section, the cavern roof looked like sky, complete with clouds and appropriate matching sunlight. Mother Nature gazed out across it with pride.
"I harness some of the sunlight from that which passes by the Earth, and shape it to replicate the correct intensities for each climate zone. A very important thing, for this entire complex is home to breeding populations of many of the most endangered species on the planet... And a similar number of species that you mortals have presumed to be extinct. I could not save every species that your carelessness has wiped out over the centuries, but I have succeeded in preserving many of the more unique ones. Although admittedly, I have played favourites with a number of more mundane ones as well... While not endangered as a whole, being only threatened in Great Britain, Ireland, and Italy, I have a population of Red Squirrels living in my personal gardens. I find their antics to be quite entertaining."
Throughout her remarks the representatives were both awed and interested by what she'd done. Even if they also all winced at her comment about humanity's carelessness. That wasn't helped when she mentioned she also provided safe sanctuary for three Tribes of Myth; the Fairies, the Unicorns, and the Pegasi... And that she'd only had to step in and save them, because humanity had pushed them to the brink of extinction too.
Jack, along with the other Spirits of the Seasons, eased themselves off to the side after a few more minutes. Mother Nature had proverbially stomped out any further thoughts about asking for 'weather favours', and was now thoroughly distracting her guests by telling them about many of the species she had preserved and where they had come from. It was fairly obvious that the 'stomping' part was the only reason she'd needed him and the others to be there. It saved time for all five of them to be asked that question, and step on it, at the same meeting.
He sighed quietly to himself, idly curious enough about this part of her sanctuary to only be mildly bored by the wait. He'd have left, but it would have looked bad in front of the guests. A similar conclusion that his peers had also clearly come to, as Ariko entertained herself by making some nearby flowers bloom, Achieng had her gaze fixed on a habitat that was obviously African Savannah, and Oisin had pulled a piece of stick from one of his pockets and was using a penknife to whittle it.
But when Dr Glencove asked if dragons were real as well, all three Spirits of the Seasons turned their heads to look and listen to Mother Nature's reply. It was a subject that had been up for debate among the Immortals for a very long time.
Mother Nature directed a small wry smile in their direction, when she noticed their sudden interest, before she faced Dr Glencove and answered.
"Dragons are real, and their varied species are as a whole counted as one Tribe of Myth. Most of my fellow immortals assume that, because I look after the Unicorns, Pegasi, and Fairies, I must also look after the Dragons. But, I do not. It is actually Odin who gave them a safe home, with some minor help from me to create a climate-accurate breeding ground for them. They live where he once made just his home base, right at the edge of his old territory, in the Odin Archipelago. However, Odin is extremely territorial, and is loath to allow even me to wander around those islands. So while I know he also has a second Tribe under his protection, I've never pressed the matter to find out exactly who. It is, after all, not really my business so long as the Man in the Moon is happy with how he's caring for them."
Over with his fellow Spirits of the Seasons, Jack whistled quietly.
"Well, that explains a few things. Odin chased me half-way across the Atlantic once, just because I flew below the cloud-line over a tiny stump of an island that could barely be called an island. I've wondered about sneaking in and exploring his archipelago since then, but never got around to it."
Achieng snorted.
"Save yourself the trouble, and don't bother. He still has enough 'pagan' believers in his old main range, to be powerful enough to be a nuisance. Despite the fact Christianity cost him most of his believers by the time the 1300s rolled around. If you annoy him, he'll probably set his 'son' Thor on you. 'Storm God' versus 'Spirit of Winter', is the sort of spat that will make Lady Jane scold you for a decade."
Jack let out a resigned sigh.
"I guess you're right. Still, it might have been fun." He tilted his head as a sliver of breeze brushed by his ear, and then started to grin. "Aha, perfect timing. If you will excuse me." He leapt lightly into the air, and flew over the heads of the representatives before hovering near Mother Nature. "The Winds have just informed me, that the thaw has created a dangerous area of melting snow-pack in the Himalayas. It's close to a village, and needs to be dealt with immediately."
Mother Nature nodded, although there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Then you must certainly see to it. I can manage the rest of this meeting on my own." She glanced over to the other three Seasonals. "You may go as well. I've kept you from your duties for long enough. Go tend to them."
All four replied in almost perfect unison.
"At once, My Lady."
Jack conjured a mirror, all four flew out via it, and the group emerged into open skies near the equator. None of them needed to say a thing, to express their relief at 'escaping' before each streaked away in a different direction. Jack had already been to far too many meetings recently, and for Ariko, Achieng, and Oisin it wasn't their favoured thing either. Yet all four had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last one they'd attend together.
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Alaia Skyhawk: Hehehe, the Spirits of the Seasons all HATE meetings. Not surprising really, given what their 'day job' is. Being stuck in a room, when you're used to open air and sky? Yeah, I'd want out too :)