The Pathfinder Initiative, Shadow Apocalypse, Book One

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The Pathfinder Initiative, Shadow Apocalypse, Book One

By PJ White Copyright 2017

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you

This book is dedicated to my family. You are my inspiration and make all things possible.

Contents:

Title

Chapter 1: Sanctuary

Chapter 2: Coffee

Chapter 3: Pathfinder

Chapter 4: Respite

Chapter 5: Reflection

Chapter 6: A Breakdown in Communication

Chapter 7: Action

Chapter 8: Contact

Chapter 9: Fear

Chapter 10: Preparation

Chapter 11: To Arms

Chapter 12: Aftermath

Chapter 13: Losses

Chapter 14: Recovery

Chapter 15: Underground

Chapter 16: Labyrinth

Chapter 17: Beginning of the End

Chapter 18: No Escape

Chapter 19: Premonitions

Chapter 20: Homeward Bound

Chapter 21: Flying the Flag

Chapter 22: The End of the Beginning

Epilogue

End

Chapter 1: Sanctuary

One wrong footfall and Hewson was dead, he knew that. But that didn’t stop him walking several miles each day around the seemingly endless canyons surrounding the Sanctuary. The sheer faces and loose footing made the terrain extremely hazardous, though the views, especially at dawn, were nothing short of breathtaking and in Hewson’s opinion, well worth the risk.

Owed largely to a bad night’s sleep and probably a little too much red wine, Robert Hewson was today feeling all of his thirty-five years. Of average height and build, Hewson didn’t stand out in a crowd, which suited him fine. He had light brown hair and eyes of a colour that seemed to vary between blue and green dependant on the light.

The year was 2103 and terraforming activity on Mars was now well into its third decade, but as yet the planet still couldn’t support life. Hewson however was sure that within another two decades everyone would be breathing an unpolluted atmosphere. He just hoped that lessons had been learnt by all to respect ones environment.

His Father, David Hewson, had known all along what would become of the earth, and the method in which Mother Nature would exact her revenge. And like so many other scientists before him, his warnings had fallen on deaf ears.

In 2050 millions of people had tried in vain to escape the tidal waves that struck the Eastern seaboard of the United States. Even as the first waves descended on New York and Maine, the World’s mind-set was still to recover, rebuild and continue undaunted. Though the severity of the ice storms that hit the world shortly after, negated the possibility for over a decade.

By 2065, following the plethora of natural disasters, the United Nations had rebuilt much of the world’s infrastructure and was at the height of its powers, enjoying the solidarity and friendship of more countries than at any other point in its illustrious history. Together, they had been able to practically stamp out drought, famine and had finally gotten agreement from all of the largest nations on Earth to radically reduce carbon emissions.

However there were still a handful of countries, considered terrorist states that for varying reasons could not, or would not conform to UN regulations.

Their defiance had led to trade embargoes and various other sanctions, but with ever growing populations and nowhere near enough resources to sustain them, in June of 2065 a rash of small, but nevertheless brutal conflicts broke out on every continent.

Hostilities around the world soon escalated to such extreme levels that martial law was imposed in most of Europe, Asia and the United States.

A new age of terrorism had dawned.

It’s true that Industry had played its part in the Earth’s demise, but the sword truly fell when an extreme terrorist organisation known simply as the Coalition, took control of three nuclear missile silos in Northern Russia.

On the 4th of July 2065, it had taken only one synchronised act of fanaticism to ensure that mankind’s only chance for survival was to look upwards and into the heavens.

Long before the onset of war, Hewson’s Father was already in the midst of developing a revolutionary type of atmosphere processor. His goal had always been to try and save the earth and bring her back from the brink of destruction.

News of David Hewson’s work had spread quickly throughout academic circles and just as quickly to the government, so when the war’s initial skirmishes had started, he and his pregnant wife had been picked up by MI5 and taken underground along with two thousand other key personnel.

Just six weeks later, nuclear fire had rained down on the Earth, sealing mankind’s fate.

The U.S. and European councils had already been working toward a joint mission to Mars, so the groundwork had already been laid. The real task had been to obtain all of the raw materials required for such a mammoth undertaking.

With the majority of the radiation concentrated around what was left of Earth’s cities, it had still been possible to continue mining in a handful of isolated sites in North America and Spain. In the end it had taken seven years to build the twelve vessels that would carry mankind’s last hope and then another year to prepare for their launch.

On October 11th 2078, all twelve vessels reached their final destination and the United Republic of Mars was born. Soon thereafter, the construction of the Sanctuary began, as did the terraforming.

Since it was uncertain how successful mining operations on Mars would be, most of the materials needed for the construction of the Sanctuary, and what would eventually be the colonies’ fleet of Stargliders, had come from the giant transport vessels. Designed so that they could be easily dismantled, ten of the twelve vessels had been broken up upon arrival to build the main habitat. This had left the colony with only two ships. One of which was left intact for obvious reasons, while the other was used to build the first two prototype Stargliders. From there on in, Mars’ modest mining operations were able to supply the colony with the ores it needed to produce iron and steel.

The only large deposits of water on Mars had been the glaciers in the polar regions, though thanks to two decades of atmosphere processing, where once the biting winds sweeping across the vast crimson plains had brought with them only dust, now they also carried life-nourishing moisture.

Hewson had been ten when the atmosphere processing had started and in his lifetime the temperature had risen by almost ten degrees and he had seen Mars evolve from a cold, dry desert into a blossoming world.

Being somewhat of a romantic, Hewson had always hoped that maybe one day, his generation would be able to return to Earth and rebuild its lost civilization. There had been scientific missions proposed, though none had been sanctioned to date.

With a little under half an hour of oxygen remaining and a 0745hrs appointment to keep, Hewson started to make his way back to the Sanctuary. As the days on Mars were only 2.7% longer than that of Earth, a twenty four hour clock system had been in place since the planet was first settled. Because the change had only been incremental, it had not taken long for the colony’s perception of time to alter, so Hewson’s half an hour of oxygen was in fact based on Martian time.

As was his routine, Hewson only ever listened to music on the return trip, so as he laboured up the final crest, he flicked on his MP6 player and hit random and it wasn’t long before the rich tones of Dean Martin were filling his eardrums.

When Hewson reached the top of the incline, he saw the welcoming sight of the Sanctuary, crowned centrally by its three distinctive spherical habitats.

As he got closer, Hewson could just make out the outline of a three-man repair crew on the left edge of the Western habitat. They were replacing one of the massive plexiglas tiles that made up the outer skin and superstructure of the dome. Hewson often wondered what the future held for the Sanctuary, as there would undoubtedly come a time when the majority of the population would choose to leave and find a place of their own to call home. He just hoped that when that time came, the powers that be would decide to preserve as much of the Sanctuary as possible. He knew though in his heart of hearts that with the severe lack of raw materials, the Sanctuary would share the fate of the transport vessels and be stripped and used in the construction of housing for the masses.

Fifty metres ahead stood the East airlock and the only thing that stood before Hewson and air-conditioned comfort was a thirty metre wide trench, affectionately referred to as the Abyss. Even though the reinforced steel bridge that spanned the trench could support several tonnes, Hewson was always wary when walking across it. The trench’s depth was in excess of two hundred metres, and sometimes in an attempt to cure his fear of heights, he would stare down into its depths.

Taking three steps forwards, Hewson placed his hands on the top rail of the catwalk. He then leaned forwards and stared down, though within a few seconds he felt that all too familiar queasiness hit the pit of his stomach. Admitting defeat, he pulled himself away and walked toward the airlock chamber.

Activating the airlock, Hewson waited for the exterior hatch to open and then stepped into the chamber. Once the outer hatch had closed, he started the recompression cycle, and thirty seconds later the interior hatch opened, allowing him to walk through to the ready room. Stowing the pressure suit in a locker, Hewson straightened his clothes and headed for the botanical gardens. He wasn’t too ripe, so he’d have a shower later.

It was the Facilities Director, Rebecca Harrison that had left the voicemail for him the previous evening, requesting an urgent A.M meeting.

By the time Hewson had picked up the message, it had been far too late to call Harrison and re-schedule for a more sensible hour. How very typical of his old friend.

With the time now 0735hrs, the main habitat was just starting to really come alive. There were people out running, others having an early morning breakfast and a few individuals sitting down on benches with their laptops, preparing work for the coming day.

Hewson left the main habitat by the East exit and walked down a series of corridors that took him past the docking ring, which currently was eerily quiet, though in an hour it would be a hive of activity, and one of his least favourite places to be.

He knew that an unscheduled meeting with Harrison could only mean that something needed fixing, researched or in some way explained. Oh to be in demand.

Out of hours access to the botanical gardens was restricted to high-ranking personnel, so when Hewson reached the double doors he had to stop and enter his social ID. Meetings at this hour in the gardens weren’t uncommon, but Hewson could see on the data log that the only person to have entered the gardens in the last nine hours was Harrison.

In preparation, Hewson took a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket then engaged the door mechanism. Instantly the corridor was flooded by blinding sunlight.

As much as was possible the conditions in the gardens mirrored the Earth of old, giving the colonists seasonal changes that could be directly experienced, rather than the harrowing and less hospitable variety that the planet’s surface offered. Currently the gardens were providing a fairly good simulation of a summer’s day, which for the majority of the older colonists, re-kindled bitter sweet memories.

It never ceased to amaze Hewson the effect that this artificial paradise had on him and anyone else that had the full use of their five senses. The common consensus was that Humans weren’t supposed to live in sterile, purely synthetic surroundings, so soon after the first three bio-domes had been constructed, it was decided that a more organic and verdant addition to the Sanctuary was required. A mammoth fifteen month excavation had been required to provide the Sanctuary with space for a suitable leisure facility and sufficient room for farming. However that had been the easy part. Choosing a theme for the gardens had proved far more problematic, though after democracy had worked its magic, the end result had been an idyllic three tiered parkland environment. A quarter of the lower level had been left as playing fields for recreational sports, and the rest was used to grow wheat, barley, corn and a diverse array of vegetables.

The middle level comprised mainly of trees, saplings and shade loving plants, whilst the third tier was a plateau full of stunning flowers and shrubs from every corner of the world that was. And it was in amongst this beautiful setting, where the cemetery was located.

It still upset Hewson to think that yesterday’s Earth only existed as a memory, but then that was precisely why the gardens had been commissioned, to commemorate that bygone age and to remind everyone that in some small measure that world still lived on.

As Hewson walked up to the plateau, either side of him was dotted with Oak and Ash trees. They cast intricate shadows over the wild flowers and ferns that grew below them, and within their midst came the exquisite song of several blackbirds.

All of the birds were cloned from the Sanctuary’s extensive collection of DNA and six months ago five pairs had been released into the gardens. Some had already produced young of their own, though next time round, Hewson hoped the council would be a little more adventurous as to which species to resurrect.

Further on up the hill Hewson saw the familiar sight of the monument that had been built to mark the completion of the gardens. The bronze sculpture was supposed to represent a fusion between man and nature, but to Hewson it looked more like a cross between an insect and an explosion. It did at least serve some purpose by marking a fork in the path. The path to the right led to the cemetery, while the trail to its left led to the flower gardens. Knowing Harrison’s habits quite well, Hewson headed for the latter.

As he walked past the highly scented flower borders, Hewson saw Harrison sitting on a bench looking up at the red dawn through the fifty metre wide skylight, enjoying the Sanctuary’s premier sun-trap. Harrison was so absorbed that she didn’t notice Hewson approaching at all.

How’s the tan? Hewson asked.

Harrison stood up and turned round, fixing Hewson with one of her trademark smiles. She was fifty two years of age, but due to the white colouration of her shoulder length hair, she looked older. Never married, Harrison had always claimed never to have found the time, but the truth was she had always put her career ahead of everything, including her relationships.

Rob. How’s things? Harrison asked as Hewson approached.

Can’t complain, and I could certainly get used to these early morning meetings. Hewson replied, kissing Harrison lightly on the cheek before lifting his face skyward to feel the heat of the sun.

I do seem to be having more of my meetings in here these days. Slight abuse of power I suppose? But with all the hours the council’s got me working I think I’ve earned an extra bit of R+R. How’s our Katie? Harrison asked.

She’s good thanks, though probably annoyed about me skipping breakfast again.

Harrison motioned towards the bench she’d been sitting on and they both sat down.

Well I haven’t seen you both for a while now, so what do you say we all get together tonight? The only condition being that you come over to me, and if you’re very lucky, I may even cook for you.

Done. Hewson replied.

Harrison paused and stared at Hewson for a few long seconds, almost as if she was attempting to extract or decipher some fragmented thought buried deep inside his mind.

What are you looking at? Hewson said still laughing.

You. Harrison answered, her face now a little more serious.

Me what?

Well let’s just say that I’m a little perplexed as to why you and Kate are still with us.

Hewson stared at Harrison, still with a slight grin on his face, but he knew that he was in for a lecture about something, though his instincts told him there was more to it than that.

Why haven’t you taken a deep space assignment yet?

Hewson was a little surprised by the random direction of the conversation, so he thought about the question for a moment before answering. But when he spoke he couldn’t help but have a slightly defensive tone, one that would have been reserved for his Father whilst having one of their legendary ‘debates’.

I guess because things aren’t finished here, and we’ve been thinking about having kids. Does that sound about right?

"Sorry I didn’t mean that to sound like an accusation, I know how much you want to see things come to fruition around here, but I also know how much you want to get out there." Harrison gestured towards the skylight and beyond.

I look at you sometimes Rob and you have the look of a man who wants more from life, more than this place can offer you. You’re both still young and you’ve got many years to decide about children, but once they’re here, then you’re options will become more limited. Mark my words, now is the time to get out there and experience as much as you can.

Kate and I have thought about going off-world but….

But you’ve felt obligated to stick around here and see things through for your Mother and Father?

I guess.

But they would have wanted you to have something for yourself as well, wouldn’t they?

Hewson nodded.

Just think about it, that’s all I ask.

Just for a second Harrison’s eyes became melancholy, a hidden sadness there. Perhaps it was regret at never having had her own children, though in the past when the subject had come up, it had never received more than a few moments of polite conversation and then dismissal, so this unexpected change in Harrison made Hewson feel uneasy.

Anyway. Harrison continued. Back to the reason you’re actually here this morning. I have some interesting news to share with you.

Still baffled by Harrison’s erratic behaviour, Hewson listened with a quizzical look on his face.

I received a message from Joanna Davies last night. Harrison said, waiting for a reaction.

Pathfinder? Hewson said, now wide eyed. Don’t tell me she’s managed to get the damn thing working?

She didn’t go into any detail, it was only a voicemail, but she sounded like an overexcited schoolgirl and asked if she could address the entire council this morning.

Interesting indeed. Hewson said, his eyebrows raised.

Well yes, that’s one way of putting it. But if it’s the news we’ve been waiting for, then I think today’s session may prove to be somewhat historic.

So you mean when I tell everyone that the oxygen content is up by another 0.6% they may not be all that impressed? Hewson said.

Well I’m impressed. Harrison proclaimed with a smile.

Madam is too generous with her praise. Can’t say I’m too surprised though. Joanna always was brilliant.

Well we’d better make a swift retreat, as you need to go home and prepare. Harrison said as a matter of fact.

Prepare? Prepare for what? Hewson said, already knowing what Harrison was going to say.

Well someone’s got to brief the council on Pathfinder and you’re the most qualified. And I know how passionate you are about the project. Harrison said positively.

Hewson wasn’t a big fan of the council, or public speaking for that matter, so did his best to hide his irritation. The briefing would take him about half an hour to prepare for, which left hardly any time for a shower, a shave or anything else, especially breakfast.

As they left the tranquil surroundings, Hewson and Harrison breathed a small sigh before joining the real world again.

Right, so I’ll see you at 0830hrs? Harrison said and then walked away