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It wasn’t the captive audience he wanted. President Wilfred Thomas dreaded standing before the seven people he had only recently come to know in person. On paper, he knew them well, or at least their names.

All but Nora, he didn’t know her and there was a reason for that.

His memory wasn’t spot on. He didn’t have all the logistics. He knew enough that he could at least shed light on why he believed they were all there.

When he was released from the Genesis unit, he had very little memory. They were calling him ‘Mr. President’ but he wasn’t certain of that. As hours passed it felt right. But still no strong memory.

Then as he slept, it all came back. It crushed him emotionally and with a feeling of, “My God what have I done?” he folded. He cried for his family. He cried for humanity.

“It’s called the Genesis Project. Or at least I believe that is what this is,” Will said. “Eight years ago, before I was president, a study was completed that stated the human race, without a doubt was heading for extinction. Not by any outside influence such as bombs or a comet, but by nature. Less disease, better medicine, more people. Population was on a baffling incline and at its current rate, it was predicted that natural resources would be depleted in less than three generations. The consumption, the CO2, emissions, all would contribute to the degradation of the environment. That alone would put at risk our ability to produce food. A starving population, existing merely to try to eat would be a society focused on growing what food they could with the resources they had. Technology eventually would be secondary. It is or was a crisis. Our children, grandchildren would not have any quality of life. Eventually Earth would not be able to sustain life. Something had to be done. Dr. Hassleman is very aware of this.” He looked to Meredith.

“That was a study I worked a decade on. I was working on a solution.”

“And what, doctor, was the only solution you could find?” Will asked.

“There were two. Find another planet to terraform or population control. One child law, but that would be a long process and more than likely wouldn’t work.”

Will nodded. “So another plan was devised. Mother Nature often takes care of these things. She’ll clean house every hundred years or so, but despite her best efforts, man found a way to cut her off at the pass. It was time for mankind to play Mother Nature and clean house.”

Jason held up his hands. “Wait. What does that have to do with us and …” he faced Meredith. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“I’m guessing.” She replied.

“Doctor Hassleman was not part of the plan,” Will said. “Her findings were, she was not included. She is just as much in the dark as all of you. I was onboard at first. But then I made the initiative to try to stop it.” He looked around. “I failed. With only eight of us standing here, I’d go as far as saying, the entire Genesis preservation plan failed. Let’s just hope the rest of it didn’t.”

Jason asked. “Rest of what?”

John replied “Meredith said it earlier. She nailed it. This is a tank. A preservation tank. We … all of us, were to ensure or insure, that a sampling of humanity would still be here. Forty-eight people. Tucked away … why?” He peered at the president. “What was the Genesis plan?”

“To decrease the world’s population by thirty-five percent. To do so by mass distribution of a virus. Some places in the world hit more than others. The idea was to place the human sampling into stasis until the virus has run its course. Preserved in case, by some small chance things went wrong. An insurance that life would go on.”

Malcolm asked, “So the timer on the door, that is our release into the world?”

“Yes,” Will answered.

Amy asked. “How long have we been asleep? Weeks? Days? Months?”

“I don’t know.” Will shook his head.

“So let me get this straight,” Grant held up his hand. “That door opens and everything may be just fine, less a few people.”

“That’s the Genesis Project,” Will answered.

“And if it didn’t quite work out the way it was planned?” Grant asked. “Then what will we see?”

Jason stood, sadly shaking his head. “Our worst nightmare.”

The news seemed surreal at first. Jason took it in as if a story. It didn’t happen, there was a mistake. If some sort of virus had been released then what of his family? How did ‘whoever’ took him explain his disappearance.

That was his first reaction.

Sort of like the stages of grief. Shock and disbelief then anger.

Never one to lose his temper often, Jason was outraged. How dare someone take control of his life like that? How dare someone take it out of God’s hands?

He made the mistake of saying those exact words to John.

John tried to be philosophical. “Maybe it was God’s plan.”

“God’s plan to have someone release a virus and stick me in some sort of vat of fluid to freeze me?”

“Maybe. If God indeed gave man freewill, and if God indeed created man, then didn’t somehow by proxy, God did all this?”

John wasn’t the best person for Jason to talk to.

In fact, after a few days to stew about it and Jason was no better than when he initially heard the news. He just started at the clock on the door as it dwindled down.

Grant, like Jason felt betrayed. How dare they take him without his permission? He had no idea how long he was in that blue coffin of fluid. It could be years, decades, it was conceivable that even if the virus didn’t go awry, enough time could have passed and everyone he knew and loved was gone.

His room had a backpack, at first he thought it was for the items in the locker, until he opened the locker and found another backpack. No, the one in his room was for him to carry supplies.

In the locker were his clothes, wallet, money, identification and other items. Grant changed from the pajama clothes into his jeans and sat by that countdown door. The second it opened he was leaving.

He didn’t know if he was still in New York or not, but New York was his destination. That was where his family was, his girlfriend.

It was possible that the world outside was fine, normal and a team would be waiting for them the door opened. Just to be on the safe side, he made the second backpack a bug out bag. In case all was not glowing and good. If it was bad, then at least Grant would cross the barren world with supplies.

“I think everything is fine,” Amy stood, arms crossed in the storage room with Meredith and Nora. “Whoever did this was prepared. We are an assurance. That’s all. A plan B.”

Nora asked. “Is that why you aren’t packing a supply bag.”

“Yes, I am that certain. We’ve been frozen for about six months, that’s what I think. I think that door will open and a team of scientists will be there to debrief us back into the world. And if it isn’t, it’s not like this place will self-destruct and I can’t turn around and come back in.”

“You demeanor is commendable,” Nora said. “Wish I could have a better demeanor.”

“Don’t confuse my confidence with content,” Amy said. “I’m mad as hell. My poor children. What did they think? My God, I missed six months of their lives.”

“Me, too,” Nora said. “My youngest is three. Come on, you know how much they grow and change. Plus, it all better be good. The only items I have belong to Summer Rosewood.”

“You crashed the event,” Amy stated.

“Sounded like a brilliant prank at the time.”

“Nora?” Meredith called her name, “Was there anything in Summer’s belongings that could give us a clue?”

“She has a journal in there.”

“Did you read it?”

Nora shook her head. “No, just in case Summer is out there, arms folded with attitude waiting for me. I don’t want to emerge to confrontation. What about you, Meredith? What do you think?”

“I think we’ll know in about twenty minutes, now won’t we? No use guessing, right?”

“Guess,” Nora said. “That was your forte. You dealt with theories. I know you have one. I know you have thought it out.”

Meredith exhaled and paused in packing her supply bag. “I don’t think we’re in New York. Where would they build the facility? They wouldn’t take a chance on placing it anywhere that could be a ground zero. Ravishing diseases bring panic. Panic breeds war. We are somewhere close to an intellectual center point. MIT, NASA. And this place more than likely …” she shifted her eyes to Amy, “will seal up once we walk out. They’ll want this buried. This place is proof that the population control method was intentional. So pack your survival bag. And I think at the very least we’ve been in stasis long enough to be forgotten. My hair is white. I didn’t have gray hair. It didn’t grow, but it lost all color.”

Nora asked. “So you think we’ve been in stasis for a while and everything is fine.”

“Depends on fine. I’m going to be the pessimist here. The virus failed. Knowing the state of the world, I’m willing to bet war broke out as well.  We need a plan for when we leave here and one that doesn’t involve heading home to our families and returning to normal. Because that’s not going to happen.”

“Ladies,” Malcolm spoke rushed as he stepped into storage. “I cracked the code. I found the rest of the video.”

With no more being said, they hurriedly followed Malcolm.

Malcolm excitedly, positioned himself in front of the computer while the others circled around. “We all got to see the whole wake up video. The one that said that after forty-eight hours we’d get more info? Right? Well, the forty-eight hour mark came and went, no video. The reason was, the first video was timed with the wake up setting for each unit.” Malcolm looked at Jason. “Your unit and Nora’s were first, then after a half hour, the others were timed to play every five minutes to coincide with the units. Understand?”

Jason nodded.

“Well, the second video wasn’t on automatic. It was in there, but my guess … someone from outside the doors was supposed to play it.  No one pressed play so the video didn’t roll.”

Nora gasped. “No one is out there.”

Malcolm held up a hand in defense. “I’m not saying that. I’m just saying someone didn’t press play. There are cameras. Four of them.” From the far side of the computer he pulled forward a small ball shaped object. “This is my invention. My cam. They were here. I actually found the uplink to these first. The signal for the camera was sent when the units released us all.”

Nora asked. “We don’t know if anyone saw the images the camera sent.”

Malcolm shook his head. “No.”

“Have you watched the video?” Jason asked.

“Some.” Malcolm answered.

“Play it,” urged John. “What are you waiting for?”

Malcolm turned toward the computer. He clicked the video.

The same man from the previous videos appeared.

“Good morning. My name is Dr. Raymond Harrison. By now, you are oriented and remember who you are and where you were. If by chance, you are having problems, I am sure Dr. Rosewood has talked to you about the side effects.”

Everyone looked at Nora.

She cringed with an apologetic look.

Dr. Harrison’s video continued. “
On September 17, all of you were in New York City and in the same hotel. This is not by coincidence. Each of you were carefully selected because of your skills and knowledge. Each of you represents many aspects of humanity. Law, music, mechanical, agriculture and so forth. I could go on, however I am sure you know by now what each other represents. You were chosen because in the event that the human race or civilization needs to be rebuilt, each of you possess a part of a whole system that would work together to do such a task.”

John turned to Grant. “Considering there are only eight of us, there goes that theory.”

“This is a plan that has been in motion for many years. At the hotel a diversion was set so that each of you could be retrieved. You were placed in what is called the Genesis unit, they were designed by Rosewood Institute for cryogenic studies. Not even Dr. Rosewood knew the date that the project would be implemented. She was released from the unit at the same time as Reverend Rudolph. She was to explain and he was to be the spiritual guidance.”

Again, all eyes shifted for a moment to Nora.

“On September 24, in an extreme attempt to save humanity from extinction by way of mass culling, a virus was released. A hybrid measles based virus that would infect fifty percent of the population and kill seventy five percent of those infected. Overall the effect would be a 35% decrease in population worldwide. You have been in stasis for seven months in a special facility under Marshal Space Flight Center outside of Huntsville Alabama. This is a time frame we determined safe. Three months for the virus to take hold globally, three months for distribution of the cure, and one month added insurance. You are here in case things go or have gone badly and the plan did not go as projected. Rest assured, your families were notified and given the cure. You also have been given the cure. We are confident that when the door opens, you will be greeted by our prepared staff who will brief you and update you on all events. Your family members will also be present. Please note that as we have protected you to ensure humanity continues, we have provided you with supplies in the event things did not go as planned. This facility will go through an equipment decontamination process fifteen minutes post your release. Take precautions and supplies. You will be well compensated for this inconvenience. Thank you for your service. God Speed.”

The video ended.

Jason laughed maniacally. “Inconvenience? Compensated for our inconvenience. They took seven months of my life. Seven months of my family’s lives.”

Nora stepped to him. ‘But our families are alive. They’re out there waiting on us.”

“Maybe,” John said. “We don’t know.”

Meredith added. “It’s longer than seven months. I feel it.”

“No,” Amy gasped out. “You heard the video. Everything is going to be fine.”

“If everything is fine,” Grant said. “Why didn’t the video play?”

President Thomas stepped forward. “We can argue and guess all we want. But that door is opening soon. We’ll find out everything then.”

“Six minutes,” John said. “So I suggest, since there are extra backpacks due to our losses, that each of us packs up. Just … in case.”

“Go on,” Jason said. “I’ll grab things in a minute. I want to watch the video again.”

“Why?” Malcolm asked.

“To take notes this time,” Jason replied. “To listen again with an attentive ear. Just like food and water are vital to survival, so is knowledge. This video has information I want to remember …” his eyes shifted around. “Just in case.”