SEVEN DOORS OF TIME
Karin Ficke Cook
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Karin Ficke Cook
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INDEX
The Fault Lies Beneath
The Forger of Marydale Abbey
The Curiosity of Cyril Wallingford
Seasons of My Life
The Whispering Headstone
19th Floor – Mid-Century Modern
Heron Island
The Fault Lies Beneath
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Mississippi River actually physically divided the United States of America – in half? What would it be like if Lake Superior began to spill down the St. Croix Valley in Wisconsin, down through La Crosse then to Dubuque? And what if it was the result of an enormous tectonic shift in the New Madrid Fault that no one had ever predicted? Could Global Warming actually put enough pressure on the earth’s mantle to force this fault line to fissure, expand to encompass the entire river valley and extend itself to the north?
We’ve seen the new scientific statistics and theories on the rise of the seas along the coastlines of the United States of up to 20 inches, due to the melting of the polar ice cap and specifically the ice in Greenland. Low-lying cities in the North Eastern US, such as New York, Boston, Washington, DC, etc., have the potential to become flooded – literally almost wiped off the map due to the advancing rise from this meltdown. And due to seismic activity in the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain, areas such as Florida and the Georgia coastlines could literally be wiped out by a tsunami of cataclysmic proportion. Seismic activity reports show any area lying below 500 ft. above sea level will be under water – period. And that includes most of Florida. If that size tsunami happened in the Atlantic Ocean, almost every continent with shoreline would be compromised and changed forever. And the loss of life would be devastating. The loss to our economies would be cataclysmic.
Forecasts show what can happen when saline content from the oceans is forced into our main fresh water rivers, streams and lakes. It destroys the Eco balance of plant and wildlife. Storm activity will pick up with greater intensity and volume. Temperature swings and arid conditions will prevail in areas that had never before seen such an immediate change. Fires could rage out of control. And places, which had known hotter than average climate, would be plunged into the cold. We now have empirical scientific proof that Global Warming does exist. It is an immediate cause for world concern and our actions must be reversed if we are to save our planet – and ourselves. This story is total fiction, but could it actually happen?
Our story begins with Sean Delaney, a PhD candidate in Earth Sciences from a local university in La Crosse, Wisconsin who was sitting outside in one of the downtown outdoor cafés enjoying an iced coffee and summer sunshine, when he felt an earth tremor shake under his wrought iron table. He knew it wasn’t a passing truck, as they weren’t allowed in that commercial area. It was a tremor all right and he knew it. But a heavy tremor in La Crosse? Hardly likely that would happen, but it did.
The tremor was significant enough to break a few windows and toss flowerpots over on the ground. It sent customers scurrying out of the restaurants, with people running out of the local banks and office buildings.
One woman was so shocked she screamed, “Did a terrorist set off a bomb down here?”
People began to panic and Delaney simply sat on his chair and finished his coffee. The manager of the café came running out to tell his customers he was closing, but decided to ask Sean his thoughts before he made an announcement.
“Sean, you’re a geologist, right?” he asked. “What was that? Was it an earthquake, was it - a what? I don’t know what to call it.”
Delaney, a tall, handsome man in his mid-thirties with intense green eyes and flaming red hair tied back in a pony tail, looked up from the table and said, “Bob, it was a quake. No doubt about it, but what I can’t figure out is why it should be this strong. I have to go up to the Uni to take a look at the seismic activity reports in the Geology lab, but I suggest you tape up your windows with duck tape, so they don’t break. I have a sneaky suspicion we might get more of these and this could only be a baby shaker.”
Bob’s eyes widened and he stammered, “Ah, okay Sean, I better get on that right away then. And take breakables down, put them in a secure place and close the doors, yes?”
“Yes, that makes sense, Bob,” explained Sean. “I’d rather you keep everything safe, because we don’t know what we’re dealing with right now. I’ll come back down or call and see how you’re doing after I’ve checked the figures.”
“That makes me feel better, Sean,” replied Bob calmly. “I know we get lots of tiny quakes all the time, but this one really scares me, because I don’t know what’s next. Thanks a lot, Sean.”
Sean took a last sip of coffee and jumped on his bike to pedal back to the Uni. He noticed people still in panic mode all over Main Street and as he crossed back over to State Street and into the University, he noticed a little girl standing along the side of the road – crying. Sean stopped to see if he could help. He parked the bike and walked over to her.
The little girl was holding her dolly and stretched her arms out to Sean, who asked, “Why are you out here by the street little one? Where’s your Mommy?”
The child clasped Sean’s hand and tugged him along to the back yard of her home. The mother was trapped under the child’s swing set. Apparently during the quake, the metal and plastic swing set had toppled over and crushed the woman beneath it. Sean quickly checked for a pulse, then grabbed his cell phone and pushed his emergency speed dial to summon the paramedics. He explained what had happened, then tried to get the structure off the poor woman by himself, but couldn't. The little girl simply sat on a plastic bucket chair and whimpered.
Within moments, the ambulance, police and fire engine arrived with the paramedics. They put down their equipment and everyone put their weight under the swing set to relieve the pressure on the child’s mother. Sean walked over to the little girl who was transfixed on the scene. She must have only been three years old, no more.
“They’ll take good care of your Mommy, Honey,” said Sean. “Where’s your Daddy?”
The tiny girl cried through her tears, “He’s a soldier in that hot place. I don’t know where it is. I can show you in the house. Is my Mommy going to be okay?”
The paramedic heard her question and nodded the mother would be fine, but taken to the hospital by the ambulance. Sean explained he would take the little girl inside to get some information and a policeman came along with them.
“This is my friend David, the policeman,” explained Sean. “He’s going to take all the information you can give him, then he will get in touch with your Daddy to get him home to be with you, is that okay? And maybe we can find someone to stay with you while your Mommy is in the hospital. What’s your name?”
“Peanut,” was all she could say. “My Mommy calls me Peanut.”
“Well then Peanut, let’s see what we can find here, shall we?” said the police officer. “Sean would you go next door and see if a neighbor can come over to stay with Peanut until we can get a family member located?”
Mrs. Brice, the neighbor to the east came running over when she saw the emergency vehicles. She indicated Peanut’s name is actually Marissa Gonzales and her dad is a Marine stationed in Iraq. He’d been deployed for almost eighteen months and was due home at any time. She knew all the numbers and was able to give David all the necessary information. She’d stay with Marissa until her grandmother could come down from the north side to take care of the wee one.
“Thank you, Mrs. Brice,” said Sean. “I’m Sean Delaney and I’m a doctoral candidate at the University. Here’s my card if you need anything, just call me. I need to get to my laboratory to find out how big the quake was and if it did more damage than this. Listen, I don’t want to frighten you, but please take anything breakable off your shelves and protect anything you don’t want broken, because I think this was only a pre-shock. I don’t know how much time we have, so please start here and when Marissa’s grandmother gets here, go to your own home. I’ll check in later to see how things are going. It looks like Mrs. Gonzales is going to make it.”
Mrs. Brice hugged Sean and he rode away to his office. It didn’t take long before his assistant, Annie, came running up to him with a huge computer run in her hand.
“6.2 shaker, Sean,” screamed Annie. “6 point damn 2 quake. Just look at the figures here. And that’s only the pre-quake. We’re in for a big one, I tell ya. This ain’t over. Not by a long shot.”
Sean grabbed the paperwork, ran over to his desk and put his glasses on. He studied the graphs and the huge spikes on the grid. Then he threw the papers down on the table and stared at Annie.
“Get on the horn to the USGS and NOAA, Annie,” said Sean. “From what these grids are showing, it looks like the New Madrid Fault line just split again, but this time, it split all the way to Lake Superior. It’s torn all the way up the Mississippi into the St. Croix Valley and beyond. My God in Heaven. This is going to be the biggest disaster this country has ever witnessed.”
As Annie began her calls, Sean turned on the television news and reports were coming in from all areas of the Midwest and beyond. News was flooding in from Missouri, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota and even New Mexico. The shake had been felt in over thirty states and in parts of Canada and Mexico. Annie came back into the room with a sobering look on her face.
“FEMA, USGS and NOAA have called a meeting of the area geological and climatological scientists in the Midwest to determine what, if anything can be done,” explained Annie sternly. “You’ve been authorized to speak with the press if asked and the meeting will be held at the track and field stadium at 2:00 PM this afternoon. The President has been notified and will be on standby to move the government, if, for any reason, it should be necessary. All government buildings have been closed and the military has been placed on standby as well. In fact, the President has issued a bulletin effectively closing down all state and local business, schools and shopping centers in this central region until this crisis is over. And get this Sean there has been an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude in Manchester, England, close to the same time as our quake. And that is unheard of.”
The needle on the seismograph began to wobble then shoot all over the grid. Another quake was happening as Annie and Sean ran over to look at the results as they came in.
“Oh man, this is bigger than the last one, Annie,” grimaced Sean. “I need to call a few people. Look, are you staying here? I need to know, because we are going to be inundated in about three minutes. That phone is going to be ringing off the hook and I’ll need help.”
“Don’t worry, Sean,” replied Annie. “I’ve called in the staff, the professors – everyone and whomever I missed will be here anyway. My cat is in her carrier in my office and so is my backpack. I came in here prepared. And yes, the gas and water are shut off at home.”
“Good, thanks Annie,” wheezed Sean. “I need to make those calls.”
Sean called down to Bob at the café and told him to go home. He contacted the hospital to find out about Mrs. Gonzales, who was in serious, but stable condition. He called his housekeeper to turn off the utilities and lock up the house, then bring over his backpack and extra cell phone batteries on her way home.
“6.8 on the Richter Scale, Sean,” cried Annie. “I told you we’d have more and stronger ones and here’s the proof. It'll only go up from here.”
Soon the air raid sirens were going off. Normally they indicated a severe storm, but this time they indicated problems from the quakes. A local news reporter, Emma Washburn, came on television stating that loose shale and rubble from Grandad’s Bluff rained down on the houses at the bottom of the bluff, damaging several homes and injuring three people. Authorities warned people to stay inside, turn off their gas and water, but keep their electricity on to watch the news casts. She reported long lines at the gas pumps, hysteria at the grocery stores and panic in the streets. Within a few moments, the governor broadcast his message to keep the citizens calm. But that didn’t work very well.
“Annie, here’s the key to the vending machine in the hall,” said Sean coyly. “I know I’m not supposed to have this, but take it and get all the perishable food out of there and put it in the coolers. Then take the candy bars and high calorie foods in a basket for the staff to take. It may be all we have to eat for a while until this shaking is over. Then check the other floors for what they have, especially water and juice. Get one of the other assistants to help you.”
Within a few minutes, everyone was at their desks, preparing for another quake and the onslaught of telephone calls. True to Annie’s prediction, the first call was from Emma Washburn from one of the local national news channels in La Crosse. She wanted to meet with Sean before the big meeting on the campus.
“Sean can we chat off record for a few minutes, say at 12:00 before we have to set up?” she asked. “I’ve been following all the science on Global Warming since the tsunami in Southeast Asia a few years back and I’ve got to admit, this is alarming. My uncle owns the pizza joint across the street and he’s agreed to stay open and make us some pizza if we can chat there.”
“Sure, this has made me really hungry and all I have is a candy bar over here, so I say fine, I will see you there at 12:00, Emma,” replied Sean with a grin. “Just have him make another ten pizzas to go…I’ll pay!”
Sean put down the phone and walked down the hall to the cash machine. He got out his card and proceeded to take out every bit of cash from his checking account and savings. If this was a disaster, the machines wouldn’t be operating and there would be no way to pay for anything. He took the wad of money and met his housekeeper as he was going back to his office.
“Dorothy, thank goodness you got here,” said Sean. “Do you need gas? Did you draw out your money like I told you in the instructions? Is the dog at the vet’s?”
“I’ve taken care of everything on the list, Sean, don’t worry,” explained Dorothy. “Buster is at the clinic, complete with his toys and bedding. I went to the bank and fortunately for me, I was first in line to draw out all the money. You should have seen the people behind me! I have a full tank of gas and I am going home to load up the car. I stopped at the store and have five cases of bottled water in the car, plus fresh fruit for everyone. If one of the boys could come down and unload, I’ll be on my way.”
“Dorothy, you are a jewel,” laughed Sean thankfully. “How would I ever get along without you?”
Dorothy laughed and replied, “Hopefully you won’t have to and this will all be over with soon. I’m driving to my sister’s house by Holy Hill and will be there until this is over. Your numbers are in the backpack. You have two pair of shoes, six pair of socks and undies, all the rest of the usual things and a box of freezer bags, plus two pair of jeans, two pair of cargo pants, four shirts, two sweaters and two extra pair of glasses and sunglasses – and your USGS cap and jacket. There are four, fully charged batteries and an extra com set. Oh, and the photographs of your parents and sister are in the bag as well…just in case.”
Sean kissed Dorothy on the cheek and asked one of the students to unload the car for her. Sean went to the supply closet and got out four notebooks, three thumb drives, the digital camera and 4 GIG flash cards, several pens and the emergency directory of numbers. He took five twenty-dollar bills from the wad then placed the rest in the bottom of the bag. Dorothy had also put in his binoculars and extra laptop battery with its car charger! That bag must have weighed eighty pounds, but that was okay.
Sean could feel more rumblings underfoot, but these were simply insignificant shakes. He put the bag safely under his desk where Annie could watch it and walked over to the Pizza Shack to see Emma. She was waiting for him in a booth. Emma was about twenty-eight, petite and had long blond hair, shimmering violet-blue eyes and the most beautiful smile Sean had ever seen. He’d always wanted to meet her in person and now was his chance. She was so much prettier in person than on television.
“Hi Sean, I’m Emma,” she said glibly. “I ordered pepperoni and mushroom, if that’s okay and some soda. I had my uncle make up what he had left in back. It might not be ten pizzas, but he had some salads and other things left. He explained that probably no one would be around to eat them, so he is donating them to the university staff during the crisis. Of course, if you wanted to pay him a little something, that would be alright, too!”
“How’s $80?” asked Sean. “That’s what I have in my wallet, so I guess that will have to do. Oh good, here’s the food. We can chat while we eat.”
He gave the money to her uncle, thanked him and the uncle and two helpers took everything across the street. Sean and Emma were left to talk about the quakes.
“So, what’s your take on this Sean?” asked Emma quite frankly. “Seems to me we are in for more than just these quakes. I’ve seen some of the USGS data this morning and it’s overwhelming. I’d like to go into this emergency press conference with some backup data. Gosh, this is good pizza!”
“You have some good sources, just like I do Emma and yes this is fantastic pizza,” laughed Sean as his eyes crinkled. “Listen, after the news conference, if you want to tag along with us, you’re welcome. I don’t have my orders yet from USGS or any of the other organizations, but when I do, we have satellite uplink in the vehicle and room for you and your gear. Actually, I'd rather have this all documented on film.”
“Fantastic, I was hoping you would ask me,” laughed Emma. “I have everything ready at home, so if you can swing by, I can pick everything up. The station gave me $1,000 in cash for expenses like gas and food, plus I loaded up on water. I just live down the road near the Village Shopping Center.”
“Okay, that’s fine, but we’d better finish up,” said Sean with a laugh. “And check your teeth. You don’t want pepperoni to show up on camera!”
They finished up and went over to the stadium where her camera crew was setting up. Emma checked her appearance, plugged in a microphone and tested her equipment. She was ready to go, along with all the journalists from the major networks, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox Network, CNN, Reuters, BBC World News America, etc.
The governors flew in, members of FEMA, USGS, NOAA, the American Red Cross, insurance companies, banks, etc., plus members of the White House Cabinet and representatives of the military. The track and field arena was chosen as it was huge and out in the open if another quake should hit. Right at 2:00 PM, the press conference began with a statement by the governor of the State of Wisconsin and another by the governor of Minnesota.
“As you all know, there have been a series of earthquakes here in the Midwest which is serious enough to declare us a natural disaster zone,” explained Governor Miles. “Apparently the epicenter is in the New Madrid Fault Zone and their quake was 7.2 on the Richter scale. It took an already tenuous fault line and split it up the Mississippi River and extended it to the Lake Superior region. Now, we don’t know how extensive this tear is and we will be sending our geologists to the area to make that determination. Until then, all I can say is all businesses in the state are to be closed by 9:00 PM. All flights are canceled, except military. All schools and public venues are canceled. People, please stay in your homes and listen to your television news stations or radio. If you have weather radios, listen to those. I cannot stress enough that your safety is of paramount importance and we don’t want any loss of life. So far, that hasn’t happened here. But unfortunately, it has down south of here. So please, please, stay in your homes and follow instructions. Keep your emergency kits available should you have to leave your residences. Make sure you have all medications with you, identification, etc. And remember, the police and emergency responders are your friends and neighbors. They are not here to harm you, only to help you get to safe ground. Now, if Governor Stohmer would like to say a few words…Governor.”
“Thank you Governor Miles. The message you have just been given by your governor goes equally for our State of Minnesota. Those of you living along the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers must heed all warnings to evacuate should the necessity arise. Plan ahead. Be sure you have enough gasoline in your vehicles, all medications and food supplies necessary for your families. Do NOT stampede the gas stations or grocery stores. The National Guard has been called out in ten states to protect our citizens and they will not tolerate looting or rioting. And when you pack your cars, do not over pack. Take only what you will need. This is summer. If you have camping equipment, pack that. Take water, first aid supplies and battery-operated radios and portable televisions if you have them. We'll broadcast in analog and digital until the crisis is over. Turn off utilities at your homes and businesses. This is only if there is an evacuation. Otherwise, simply stay at home with your families. Now, we will turn this press conference over to the USGS representatives.”
“Thank you Governor,” responded Peter Thorpe, Midwest Regional Director of the USGS. “We have been given irrefutable evidence the New Madrid Fault Line has split all the way up and down the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers from top to bottom. I’m not going to sugar coat this. If Global Warming continues at the pace it’s on, the disaster we will face will make Hurricane Katrina look like a summer shower. The pressure from the melting ice is pushing on the shores of our continents. As a result, it's also pushing against the tectonic plates and creating the fault lines to shift. We are seeing the beginnings of global problems and since we aren’t the only ones facing these disasters, we are working with the governments of all countries whose shorelines are on a major body of water. By working together, we can help each other solve these problems. Never in our history as a nation is the need to co-operate with one another greater. For those who wish it, our houses of worship will remain open around the clock, mindful of conditions. If the quakes stop, then we can cautiously go back to our daily routines and we can reopen the states for business. The American Red Cross will be set up in major and regional cities to assist should a disaster hit and as the Governor said the National Guard is out in force to maintain the peace and help if needed. Now, if you have questions, please ask in an orderly fashion and do not shout out over one another.”
All the journalists clamored for their questions to be answered, but Emma raised her hand and waited to be called upon. That’s what Mr. Thorpe was looking for. He called on her first.
“Yes, Miss, whose hand is raised, please ask your questions,” said Mr. Thorpe. “What can we tell you?”
Emma knew how to ask the right questions and asked, “Will you have geologists out in the field monitoring all locations along the fault line? And if so, what will they be looking for?”
“Yes, this is exactly what we will be doing,” explained Thorpe. “Our resident geologists who are experts in their particular areas will monitor the strata and any minute differentials they see on their equipment, while we will be monitoring the epicenter of the fault line from a command central location in St. Louis. The entire Midwest region will be monitored, including the Gulf Coast and the Lake Superior region. Our northern offices will be responsible for the area from Lake Superior to Dubuque - Mid-region will go down to Hannibal and so on. Our counterparts in Canada will monitor on their end. And of course, our department heads will be working with this on a global scale. Does this answer the questions?”
“Thank you Sir,” replied Emma. “That’s what I needed to know. You have been most gracious.”
Other journalists simply stood in awe, but their questions had also been answered. This petite young woman asked the right questions, in the right way and got the right answers. Astounding! It just goes to show that when you are polite, you get what you’re after!
Sean came up to Emma and extended his hand to her saying, “Wow that was fast. I’ve never seen such high-powered journalists with their mouths shut like that! And it was so simple. You’re amazing!”
“No, simply polite,” replied Emma. “I know how to get what I need without a lot of fuss or making a lot of noise. It’s counterproductive when people keep waving their arms about, shouting or shoving others. I did my homework and knew how to address the people. That’s all. That kind of nonsense may work at the White House Press Briefing Room, but it won’t fly in La Crosse!”
Sean felt the ground shake and told Emma, “I think we’d better get a move on and pick up your things at your place. It’s going to be a very long day and the sooner we begin to monitor, the better. I’ve been given the area from Superior to Stillwater and down to La Crosse, with twenty miles on either side of the River. If this fault spreads to the Twin Cities, this will be massive.”
“Okay, the camera equipment isn’t huge, so that will help in loading your vehicle,” explained Emma. “I don’t need much to take along and I’m ready to go. Is anyone else going with us?”
“Yes, my assistant Annie and Tony, one of the grad students,” said Sean. “They are already and waiting for us down at the end of the stadium. Oh, do you like cats?”
“Fine, I’m ready, but cats?” laughed Emma. “Guy is taking everything else back to the station and we can always come back here if we get a break to change out equipment or add something. I’ll be able to link into your satellite feed and broadcast from your truck, which is - an old armored personnel carrier (she was pointing to) if I’m not mistaken. How on earth did you snag that?”
Sean laughed and replied, “Well, I was able to contact an old buddy of mine from Desert Storm who had purchased several of these old units from the Army. I bought this one from him and modified it for all the gear we carry and for four people. It’s huge inside and hauls some serious butt! And you’ll meet Annie’s cat, Skoodle. She knows when the shake will happen before the equipment does. So you like the truck?”
“I can see that,” laughed Emma hysterically. “Oh man, this is some kind of monster! Yes, I like it, but it will do what we need and protect us along the way? Okay then, drive down Losey Blvd. and turn left on State Road 33. My house is near the top of the hill after you pass the Quik Mart.”
“Hi Emma, I’m Annie McGovern, Sean’s assistant,” giggled Annie as she climbed in. “And this is Tony Butler one of our grad students. It’s nice to finally meet you, since we see you on the news every night. We’re probably going to become really good friends over this assignment.”
They drove out along the highway and noticed the long lines at the gas pumps. No one was pushing or shoving, but they were surprised at the sadness on the faces of the people.
“This was never expected here in La Crosse,” said Tony. “I think some of these folks can identify with the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. I think they’re kind of shell-shocked. And we’ve just begun with this. I really hope we can get some answers without a lot of damage.”
They drove along for another five minutes, when Emma spotted the house and told them where to turn.
“Here we are Sean, on the left,” said Emma. “My sister will meet us at the door. She lives here with me and also works from home so the place will be protected while I’m gone. Ah, there she is on the porch. Hey Sis.”
Sean drove up the driveway and opened the back of the truck. The bags and equipment were ready and Emma’s sister, Jenni, helped Tony load it up. When Tony jumped out of the truck to help, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Jenni, as she was a younger version of her sister and just as pretty. Their hands met as they were placing the medical supplies and it was as if sparks were flying everywhere. Tony’s stomach was turning flips.
“You okay back there you two?” asked Emma. “We need to get hauling to Superior. I’ll keep in touch on the cell for as long as it will work or via e-mail. And I might be able to slip in a coded message on the news broadcast.”
Jenni embraced her sister through the vehicle window and wished her well. She waved goodbye and as they drove away, Tony asked some questions.
“Emma, is Jenni seeing anyone?” he stammered. “Does she have a boyfriend or someone in her life? What kind of work does she do and does she like cats? How old is she?”
“Hey slow down Lothario,” laughed Emma. “Jenni is twenty-four, no one in her life, she’s an author with five books to her credit and she’s a Eucharistic Minister in our church. She has two cats and she adores animals. Now there, does that answer all of your questions?”
Tony clammed up and said nothing for about an hour, but you could still hear his stomach. Driving was slow going and it took them over three hours getting to Eau Claire. People were polite and orderly. This is Wisconsin where people are like that.
Some of the restaurants were still open, but with notices saying they were closing at the end of business. The ‘tank’ pulled into a family restaurant, parked in the lot and Sean locked the truck. The windows were bullet proof and no one could break into it without setting off the alarms. The team went inside and found it only half full. The host came up and showed them to a table.
“Hi folks, I’m Tom and we will be closing in two hours until we can reopen,” he sad sadly. “I never thought we’d see this kind of pandemonium up here. Floods we can handle. Forest fires we can handle, but earthquakes like this? We can’t handle these quite so much. Order whatever you want. It’s on the house tonight. I saw you on the television this afternoon, Miss Washburn and you made all those hype-types look like idiots. It made me feel good that La Crosse made such a good showing, because that’s what we do up here in the North Woods.”
“Well Tom, in that case, I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger, medium; fries and a small salad with ranch dressing,” replied Emma. “Okay you guys, what are you going to order?”
“I’d like a large Cobb salad, please Tom also with ranch dressing and some toast,” said Annie. “Oh, and just some water to drink.”
And you gentlemen, what will you have?” asked Tom.
“Chicken sandwich, fries and a bowl of fruit,” said Sean and I think my friend here will have what Emma is having, right Tony?”
Tony shook his head and Tom took the order back to the kitchen. There were only a few small shakes, which made the chandelier swing a bit, but no one noticed. Once they had consumed their meals, the new friends thanked Tom, said they would be back through when this was over and had a bit of advice for him.
Annie said, “Thanks a lot, Tom. Listen, you might want to load your remaining foodstuffs, water, juice, coffee, etc., and divide it up among your staff, so they can take it home. And take all your ice, too. Stores have been going insane with everyone trying to stock up, so that will help everyone and besides, it will spoil if the power goes out.”
“Thanks a lot, we all appreciate it,” sighed Tom. “I’m really hoping this won’t last very long, but you just never know. Here's a bit of extra food for your journey. God speed.”
Annie was laughing as she said, “Look, Tom must have overheard me talking about Skoodle and even gave me some cans of tuna fish for her! Granted, I brought enough stuff for six weeks, but this is great. If nothing else, we can eat it.”
Tony looked over at Annie and replied, “Not on your life, babe. You won’t see me eating that crap. No way, Jose.”
“Annie, how did you name your cat Skoodle?” asked Emma. “That’s an odd name.”
“The dog is named Skipper Doodle, so we just shortened it to Skoodle for the cat,” giggled Annie. “I know, it’s kind of a dumb name, but she knows it and she thinks its special, which it is.”
The cat let out a little grunt and Sean drove away from the restaurant. He wasn’t sure about something so he asked the crew a pressing question.
“Before we leave town, did anyone remember to pack the toilet paper?” he queried. “That should be a number one priority with four of us in here!”
Annie slapped her knee and screamed, “You dummy of course it’s in here. If you think I’d forget that, I’d japslap your feeble brain all the way to Duluth and it would be zinging out of your head right now. Of course it’s in here. I packed two twenty-four packs of triple sized rolls. We’ve even got a camper-style port-a-potty, so don’t go off your nut about it! And yes, it's biodegradable, earthman.”
Everyone laughed as Sean negotiated the roads on the way up toward Duluth, Minnesota. They would take base readings there and meet with several geologists from Canada to compare research. Another three hours and they would meet at the Emergency Disaster office.
“The land is certainly more stark up here,” said Emma. “It’s really beautiful. The lodge pole pines seem to have been trimmed up along the road and the medians have been groomed recently. The State keeps things up here. I’m really proud to live in Wisconsin.”
But soon they came upon a crash scene with emergency vehicles parked alongside the road. From what Sean could tell, there were two pick-up trucks and a semi all mangled together. As they got closer, they saw why the accident happened.
Sheriff Ed Little Fox walked back to the vehicle and Sean rolled down the window so the Sheriff could to talk with the occupants. He looked worn out. His hat was on crooked and his uniform was covered with oil and blood.
“We’ve had a bad accident up ahead folks, so you’ll either have to turn around or go off road to get around the site,” said Little Fox. “Hey, you’re the folks with the USGS aren’t you? Maybe you should come with me and see why the accident happened. The bodies are gone, but the rest is pretty horrific.”
“May I take my camera, Sheriff, I’m Emma Washburn from the national affiliate station in La Crosse,” asked Emma respectfully. “I’d like the folks to know what’s happening up here, especially your neighbors in this area. I’m sure they are all pretty scared. May I broadcast and interview you?”
“Sure, come on, just hope you aren’t squeamish with all the blood and stuff,” grimaced the Sheriff. “I’ve never seen anything like this up here – never thought I would either.”
The ground trembled as Emma lighted from the vehicle with her camera and microphone. She had her battery pack hooked in and she was ready to broadcast live from the scene, with Tony handling the camera.
“You’ll see where the earth split open along the highway and just sucked these vehicles in,” explained the Sheriff. “There was no time to react, no time to slow down and pull over. The road just split open and the three vehicles slammed into each other. All the drivers were dead at the scene.”
Emma began to question the Sheriff on camera by explaining; “This is Emma Washburn from Channel 2 La Crosse coming to you live from Northern Wisconsin on Highway 53 near Rice Lake at the scene of a multiple-fatality accident. We are speaking with the county sheriff, Sheriff Edward Little Fox. Sir, how many people were killed and were there any injured? Have the families been notified yet?”
“We’ve got three dead, the drivers and one injured, who was a passenger in the truck,” replied the Sheriff sadly. “The injured man is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He told us what happened and how fast it did. These are local folks and we all know each other. I had to make the calls myself. It was really a horrible thing to have to do.”
“Thank you, Sheriff Little Fox,” said Emma. “This is Emma Washburn on Highway 53 near Rice Lake, live from the scene of a three vehicle fatality crash. Please, drivers, get off the roads. Find the nearest truck stop, lay-by or café and pull your rigs and vehicles off road. The roadways are splitting due to the quakes. Residents, leave your homes only in an emergency or call for assistance. Listen to your local radio station or television for emergency numbers to call. This is not a drill. This is a real disaster emergency situation. Again, this is Emma Washburn coming to you live from Highway 53 just south of Rice Lake.”
There was a pause and Emma said, ‘cut.’ Tony stopped the camera and Emma thanked the Sheriff. The scene was certainly a twisted mess and you could see where the highway had split lengthwise. It wasn’t the usual way of horizontally, but this was vertical. It was also an indication the fault was deeper than anyone imagined.
“Better get back into the truck, Emma,” said Sean with concern. “We need to hurry to Duluth. With what I’ve just seen, we have big trouble on our hands. This is not a good sign.”
“Hey, you can go around on the access road, Sean,” explained Little Fox. “The road is clear and your vehicle will make it just fine. Say, that is quite the armored assault vehicle you got there. Army surplus?”
“Yes, Ed, something like that and modified for this purpose,” laughed Sean. “Well, gotta go and see what we’re up against. Thanks for all the information. Hope we’ll see you on the way back down. Oh, do you have a business card? I’ll keep it with me so we can contact you with any important information about the quakes.”
Sheriff Little Fox reached in his wallet and handed Sean an old battered card, saying, “It’s a bit grubby, but all the numbers are correct. Good luck everyone.”
As they went off road, Emma remarked, “I know this will be fairly bumpy and you need to concentrate, but I need to ask this. Why would that road split so much? Aren’t fissures small cracks? Certainly they don’t open up a split like this?”
“They’ve never been known to,” explained Sean. “But you must remember, we are dealing with anomalies we’ve never seen before, Global Warming increasing at an alarming rate and the pressure against the crustal plates is far greater than anyone could predict. There is no way to forecast or even predict if something like this could happen. There’s no scientific data to back it up. I’m just not sure what to think anymore.”
Night was beginning to fall and they still had two counties to go before they arrived in Duluth. At least there would be a cot to sleep on and a hot shower. An old armored personnel carrier wasn’t the most comfortable ride in the world and everyone wanted to stretch their legs. And Sean wanted to get to know Emma a little better. Smitten? Oh yes, definitely!
Chapter Two
Two hours later they arrived in Superior. Emma seemed taken by all the tankers tied up in port. Some of the ships had seen better days, as their hulls were rusted and damaged from one too many incursions with debris or a submerged sandbar. Their behemoth profiles loomed eerily against the sky, as the street lamps cast their bluish-white light against the sides of the ships and the starry night skies added to the backdrop.
Sean continued driving until he crossed the expansive bridge over to Duluth and exited the highway to find the high school. Several teams were already on site and Sean’s appointment is within the hour. He’d meet with Mark Adams, senior co-coordinator for FEMA in the north woods. Within minutes, Sean’s GPS located his rendezvous, where Mark stood with a cup of coffee in his hand. The team got out of their cramped quarters, stretched and looked around. Then Sean saw Mark on his way over.
“Hey Sean, lad, great to see you tonight,” yelled Mark. “I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances, but you know. So, this is your team?”
Sean escorted Emma and Annie to meet Mark with Annie practically dropping her can of soft drink on the ground. You see Mark Adams is an especially handsome man. He’s tall and well-built, a former combat Marine, about forty-two, with enormous brown eyes and short, sandy-colored hair, which was graying at the temples. He could be considered a “man’s man” and to Annie, he’s ALL man! She shyly walked up to meet him as Sean introduced the team.
“Mark, this is Emma Washburn, a reporter for one of our local national networks in La Crosse,” said Sean. “She’s here to do first-hand reporting of the events we are about to witness, so be prepared to be on camera. Then we have Tony Fischer, who is one of our graduate earth science students at the University and then Annie McGovern, my assistant who I can’t live without, especially now. Team this is Mark Adams.”
Emma reached her hand out to shake his and exclaimed, “You’ve got your work cut out for you this time. I’ll be putting you on camera a few times if you don’t mind. It’s nice to meet you.”
Annie was standing, staring at Mark, then came over and extended her hand and said, “Hi Mark, I’m Annie. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we’ll enjoy working on this together.”
You could just sense her stomach churning inside. She’d never seen such a tall drink of water. And you could visibly see Mark Adams feeling the spark – his expressions changed when he looked at Annie.
Annie McGovern is a tiny lass, about 34, only 4’9” and 95 pounds soaking wet, with strawberry blonde hair piled up on her head, making it look like a fuzzy Mohawk. Annie’s just a huge stick of dynamite in a tiny little package! And right now, she’s about to explode! Sean picked up on that and decided to segue into another topic.
“Hey guys, let’s get an assignment so we know where we’re sleeping tonight,” laughed Sean. “I want to get a good meal then some sleep because tomorrow morning will be early and we’ll be meeting with our Canadian counterparts, plus setting up equipment all day.”
Mark came over and took Annie’s hand saying, “Come on with me Miss Annie. There is a beautiful view of the harbor from this vantage point. Here, let me show you.”
Tony looked over at Annie and howled, “Would you look at her? She looks like a five-story brick wall slammed into her. I’ve never seen her like this. Damn, looks like we might have to work extra hard, ‘cause I think her concentration is just GONE.”
Annie and Mark walked to the bluff above the harbor and looked out over the water. To Annie, her world had just been shaken harder than the earthquake. She’d never been one to be frivolous or flighty, but this man sent her over the moon in less than ten minutes. She’s got to come back down to earth if she wants to make a contribution to the team.
“Sean, we’re going to have to set the meters in the morning,” explained Tony. “I think we’d better eat something then get some shut-eye.”
“Right, come on all of you, let’s eat, chat with the other teams, then get some sleep,” said Sean. “Emma, you have a cot next to Annie, so lights out in thirty.”
The night turned out to be quite turbulent and Annie had difficulty sleeping. Emma wasn’t to keen on it either but knew if she didn’t rest, she couldn’t perform whatever duties would be assigned. Morning blew in with strong, dusty winds. The women got up, found the showers and changed into their gear. Emma checked the batteries on her camera pack then sat at the mess tent table for some breakfast.
“Eat hearty, my friends, you’ll need it,” shouted Mark. “Latest Intel on the quakes is they are getting stronger all over the Midwest, not just up here. Our Canadian friends are bringing their research over in thirty minutes and this seismic activity is being felt all the way up through their provinces. Saskatchewan has been the most affected so far and things are escalating.”
You could feel the rumblings under foot as they all drifted in to eat breakfast. Sean and Emma were looking at interview locations, while Tony and Annie were talking with several geologists from Minnesota. Andy Red Hawk and his associate, Stacey Tollifson checked the status from overnight on their charts and walked over to Mark and Sean to confer.
“Hey guys, take a peek at what we’ve got,” said Andy. “Looks like the area from Moose Jaw down to Superior had only minor quakes of around 2.0, but they are increasing in frequency. It’s kind of that ‘shake, rattle and roll’ stuff you’d see in a movie. Overhead lights swing, dishes rattle - you know that kind of movement. But these statistics show the shakes are only a precursor to several bigger quakes.”
Sean looked over the computer runs of statistics Andy handed to him and sat at the table, as several of his counterparts from Montreal and Quebec came over to speak with the teams.
Mark shouted over his loud speaker, “Gather around everyone, we’re ready to begin the meeting. This is Pierre LaShelle, Sam Kinsington and Charmaine DeBattie. Pierre, take it away.”
“Bonjour, mes amis,” said Pierre. “Thank you all for being here on such an incredibly short notice. I’ve prepared information packs for all of you with our latest findings and to be succinct, we are startled by the data. You will see that Lake Superior has been falling and decreasing in volume for the past fifteen years, with the shorelines drying up in some areas. Docks and marinas are gone. There is no water for them. Of course, shipping and tourism have been hit hard, not only because of this but also because of the economy on both sides of the border. So imagine an enormous body of water, even now somewhat decimated, swelling to five times its size when a monstrous tsunami hits the eastern seaboard of North America, shoving sea water into the main rivers feeding the lakes, coupled with these quakes and what do you have? A recipe for the biggest disaster the known world has ever seen.”
“Now wait a second Pierre,” said Sean sternly. “What are you taking about with a tsunami? Why are you telling us about something we haven’t heard about yet?”
“That my friend is what we have just learned from our colleagues at NOAA in Boston,” explained Pierre. “Apparently there is a large island in the Canary Islands near La Palma, which has had increased volcanic activity in the past two years on a supposedly dormant volcano. The island is populated unfortunately and it’s also a tourist spot for European holiday-makers, plus there have recently been massive fires on its slopes. The land itself is quite unstable and if there is a volcanic eruption as this data suggests, the land will come crashing down into the sea and create a cataclysmic tsunami, devastating any part of the world with Atlantic Ocean coastlines. We’re talking Europe, Africa, North America, South America, the UK – all of it will be affected by a wall of water over three hundred feet high increasing in speed as it slams into the coastlines. These things can move at 600 miles per hour!”
“But that’s insane, Pierre,” growled Mark. “There’s no way that can happen. We would have known about it before now, wouldn’t we?”
“Data has been pouring in Mark and the outlook is becoming quite dim,” explained Pierre. “What will also happen is when combined with all the ice melt from Greenland, the rising waters will also shove into rivers and streams, raising water temperatures and saline content, which in turn will pollute and destroy the Eco system. Add the quakes and voila, you have a natural disaster that will rip our world, as we know it, apart. You can say goodbye to much of South Florida. Your major coastline cities will be mostly under water. Unless you live high enough above 3-400 feet above sea level along the coasts, you will be gone. It will go 18-20 miles inland and spread rapidly.”
Emma became confused and asked, “So, if this does happen, what’s going to happen with Lake Superior? Will it swell up and force itself down these expanded faults? Will the shock to the earth’s crustal plates hit so severely that it will literally split the country in half, wiping out a good chunk of the middle section of the country?”
Sam Kinsington stood with his hands clasped behind his back and declared, “Yep, that’s about it. I wish I had better news folks, but it’s all there in the report. Please study it. Charmaine has been on the phone with the NOAA offices in Boston, Washington, D.C. and Miami. They in turn have been consulting with their counterparts in Europe, Britain and Africa. People, unless we come up with a solution and do it immediately, our planet will force itself into an entirely new set of continents. We aren’t dealing with magma or the earth’s core erupting, we’re dealing with heat plus water pressure and what it’s doing to our sea.”
Sean’s phone rang to break up the deafening silence of the group. St. Louis had begun setting up their monitoring stations and needs the northern report. Sean explained what had taken place in the meeting and St. Louis confirmed it. Sean now knew it was vital the monitoring begin as soon as possible.
Mark looked over at Sean who nodded to him then Mark shouted, “Okay people, start setting out your stations. Good luck everyone.”
Annie was devastated she would have to leave now and dug into her bag for her business card. She wrote her home number on the back it, just in case they came out of this alive, she wasn’t about to give up on a potential relationship with Mark. She walked up quietly to him and explained her feelings.
“I want to give you my card just in case we all get out of this in one piece,” said Annie. “I’d like to see you again and maybe we can have a laugh over saving the world! Do you like Italian? Maybe we could have dinner or something.”
Mark took the card, gave his to Annie, grabbing her close and planting a huge kiss on her lips, saying, “Had to make this fast, because we don’t have much time. This will have to hold us until the next time. Please stay safe, Annie.”
Annie nearly fell over. She and Mark walked away from one another and got into their trucks, driving off to set their stations. Emma smiled and Sean just howled. Tony was bemused and so was the cat!
“Well, hot damn,” laughed Annie. “I’ve just been kissed by a seismologist.”
Sean’s team piled into their truck and drove down the Minnesota side of the territory close to the Iron Range. They planted a number of meters in secure locations, which would broadcast the data directly through satellite uplink to St. Louis. This equipment is sensitive enough to pick up the lightest of tremors, their frequency, depth and strength, with the battery life being approximately two years. They stopped in Sandstone, Minnesota to work with local authorities to monitor the meters, while the team moved on. Once the monitoring stations were in place down to within fifteen miles north of Stillwater, the team could relax for the evening. Sean saw an open field near a stream and decided to camp out for the evening. Skoodle was anxious to get out of the truck!
“Okay folks, we can camp here for the night,” said Sean. “We have running water, a nice, open area to put a fire and I think we should have a clear night. Forecasts are hot and humid.”
Emma and Annie got out of the truck and looked over at the stream. It was a picture postcard rivulet with water splashing over the small rocks, making foam as the water ran downward. The late afternoon sun dappled against the sparkling water and there was just enough foliage to balance out the colors. Annie dipped the coffeepot in the water and took it back to Tony, who was building the fire.
“Here, let this water cook for a bit, then we can make some fresh coffee,” laughed Emma. “We know what bears do out here, but I keep thinking it’s in the woods, not in the stream!”
“Oh very funny ha ha,” wheezed Tony. “You really don’t think there are bears out here, do you?”
Sean had to be tactful with Tony and said succinctly, “Why yes Tony, there are black bear out here, but with it being summer, they probably have enough to eat. They aren’t going after your sorry butt. But that does bring up a point, people. We need to police our food, wrappers or anything else a bear might want to scavenge if he or she thinks there is something in it for them to eat. I suggest we either put every bit of litter in the garbage bag, put that in the truck or we need to bury it. Since I really don’t want to do any more digging, I suggest the garbage bag idea. Agreed?”
Emma was laughing so hard she was almost coughing, but managed to say, “Good idea Sean. I really wouldn’t like to have a 400-pound bear trashing the tent tonight, especially with me inside. You don’t by any chance happen to have a tranquilizer gun handy, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, Emma, I do,” replied Sean. “I’ve been up in these woods before during summer and I know the mentality of these animals, so it might be wise to have it handy – just in case.”
“Oh that’s just wonderful,” growled Annie. “We’ve got Grizzly Adams up here.”
Emma walked down closer to the river and sat down on a flat rock overlooking the water. Sean took the opportunity to chat. He sat down next to her and gazed into the flowing stream.
“This is so simple and beautiful,” sighed Emma. “Why can’t life be this simplistic?”
Sean was being sentimental and replied, “When I was a kid, I used to come up to this area with my family. We have a cabin not too far from here and every night we would sit on the porch and listen to the loons on the lake. If you listen very carefully, you can hear them, because there is a lake close by. It’s a soothing sound and one, which brings back so many great memories from my childhood. That’s the north woods to me. And yes, those were simpler times with no cell phones, televisions, I-Pods or Wii. Kids today have no concept of the simple pleasures of life. If it doesn’t have batteries or a joy stick, it’s an antique!”