Sedulity (Book One) Impact (7 page)

“I’ve got six men with minor injuries who are still on the
job and five more with broken bones or worse. I’m not sure what happened up
there, but down here it felt like we were sausages being flipped in a pan by a
short order cook. No fatalities in the secured spaces, thank God, but I have at
least twenty engineering crew unaccounted for. Most of them were pollywogs that
went topside for the line crossing ceremony, but a few might be trapped on the
wrong side of watertight doors down here. Over.”

“Understood,” Captain Krystos replied evenly. “We’re still
trying to account for everyone up here, but it sounds like you fared better
below decks. I’ll let you know if we find your pollywogs… Or, I suppose they’re
certified shellbacks now. You’re lucky that you didn’t have to face what we
just went through up here, John. I’ll tell you all about it over a pint
someday. Bridge out.”

Mr. Crawford approached and said, “Captain? We have a problem
down in Medical. All the flooding from the upper decks that fell down the
central atrium drained into the central stairwell to Deck 1 and the crew areas
below. With all the watertight doors closed, well, it filled up that central
section between bulkheads until it flooded the Medical Center. The Chief
Medical Officer is reporting knee high water and rising. He says it will be
impossible to treat the injured unless we can drain it, sir.”

“Thank you, Mr. Crawford,” the Captain replied.
“Recommendations?”

“Pumps are running at 100%, but water is still making its way
down from above and the pumps haven’t made a dent yet in that section,”
Crawford said. The Captain noticed that his First Officer had simply defined
the problem without offering any solution.

“What’s the water level in the sections fore and aft of
Medical?” the Captain inquired.

“Much lower, sir. The central stairwell channeled much of the
flooding right into the Med Center,” Crawford confirmed the Captain’s
assumption.

“Then notify anyone in the adjacent sections to expect
additional flooding and open the watertight doors on the lowest deck below
Medical. That should dissipate the flooding and drain the water out of Medical,
as well as spread the load to two additional sets of bilge pumps,” Captain
Krystos ordered.

“Aye, aye, sir,” Crawford confirmed before turning on his
heel to carry out the order. Captain Krystos was pleased with the technical
performance of his Executive Officer, but less than impressed with his
ingenuity. It was probably just a matter of the shock of events they had just
been through, but a leader had to be able to think on his feet during a crisis.
Crawford was an excellent “by the book” sailor with a spotless record, but this
situation wasn’t close to anything foreseen in The Book. The current crisis
required a leader who could think “outside the box.”  Captain Krystos would
feel much better when Staff Captain Stevens returned to the Bridge for the next
watch.  Returning his attention to the radio he tried once again to locate the
Staff Captain and the people, including Lydia, who had gone below from the Resort
Deck.

****

Chapter 6

The initial impact waves, both blast and
oceanic, would each cause disasters, but the farthest reaching effects would
come from vaporized seawater producing global cloud cover and flooding of
biblical proportions. In the immediate vicinity of the impact zone the rain
began falling quickly and was hot enough to cause scalding burns to exposed
skin. The rain was also mixed with ejecta of vaporized solid matter from the
seafloor and the asteroid itself. At a distance of 100 miles from the point of
impact the
SS Sedulity
would be drenched by up to six inches of hot rain per hour and close to a foot
of ejecta. Most of the solid matter would fall as muddy sludge that the rain
would wash away, but some of it would come down in solid chunks. The average
size of the solid fragments would be less than 2 inches in diameter, but larger
chunks of ejecta were also to be expected. The larger fragments fell like
meteoric fireballs, reminding some of those who saw them of biblical prophesies
predicting fire and brimstone raining from the sky.

Ominous clouds enveloped the
Sedulity
and immediately
unleashed a torrential downpour. Kevin moved out to the starboard Bridge Wing
for a better look and to feel the rain through the missing windows. The large
raindrops actually scalded his hand when he reached out to feel the rain. He
estimated the rain was at least 170F as it splattered on his palm. Shying away
from the hot rain, Kevin instinctively brought his wet hand to his mouth to
nurse the burn. His eyes widened when he detected salt and other strange tastes
in the rainwater. He jerked his hand away from his mouth when he realized that
some things in the rain might not be at all healthy to consume. In fact, he
reasoned, some of the elements might be extraterrestrial in origin and even
radioactive. Kevin spit several times and wiped his hand on his pants as he
backed away from the broken window and downpour beyond.

“Are you alright, Mr. Summers?” inquired Captain Krystos who
had followed him onto the Bridge Wing.

“I hope so,” Kevin replied. “The rain is very hot and it’s
not just water. It contains salt from the ocean and vaporized solids from the
explosive impact. From what I know of prehistoric asteroid impacts, there could
even be radioactive elements raining down on us. I don’t suppose you carry a
Geiger counter aboard?”

“Actually, we do carry radiation detectors in the security
department,” the Captain answered with a note of concern. “We use them to scan
any suspicious luggage or cargo as a precaution against terrorism.”

“It would be wise to test a sample of this rain,” Kevin
suggested. “It’s only a possibility and I hope I’m wrong about this, but it’s
better to be safe than sorry.”

“Absolutely,” Captain Krystos agreed. “You’ve been right
about everything else to expect since this started, but I join you in hoping
you’re wrong this time. I’ll instruct the Security Officer to conduct a test
immediately. Is there anything else I should know?”

Kevin paused for only a moment to consider the question.
“Yes, this rain won’t stop, at least not for many days or weeks. It will also
generate storms and swells. I don’t know how many windows on the ship were broken,
but regardless of what contaminants are in the rain, you’ll want to think about
weatherproofing the ship.”

“Good point,” the Captain agreed. “I’ll have the
Quartermaster and Ships Carpenter run inventory on stocks of plastic sheeting,
tarps, plywood and canvas as soon as we get through the immediate crisis.
Anything else?”

“Well, about the immediate crisis, Captain,” Kevin hesitated
to continue, but knew he must. “This won’t be a local or even regional event.
Those waves we just went through are racing out in every direction from the
point of impact. They will hit the entire Pacific Rim. And if you think they were
big here, in the middle of the ocean, just wait until they reach a continental
shelf and pile up on themselves. I’m projecting waves up to a mile high,
especially in bays and gulfs that focus their energy.”

“Dear God,” murmured the Captain. “Are you sure of this?”

“You saw them with your own eyes, sir,” Kevin said sadly.
“That initial wave must have been over a thousand feet high, and that’s out
here at sea. There is no telling exactly how big they will be when they hit
Australia and Hawaii, let alone Japan and California. South America and East
Africa will be hit too. I have no idea how they might propagate into the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but I can assure you that every island and
coastline in the Pacific is in the crosshairs right now, including virtually
all of Indonesia and the Philippines. I suspect that NASA and the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center know what’s happening by now and are getting the word
out, but if you still have any long range communications gear working, I’d
suggest telling anyone you can about what’s heading their way, including other
ships at sea.”

Captain Krystos was momentarily speechless and could only nod
in mute understanding, certain his voice would betray the composure expected
from the master of a ship in crisis. He had no trouble facing threats to his
ship, or his own life, but facing the global impact of this disaster was almost
too much to accept. Mr. Summers was describing events that would kill tens,
possibly hundreds, of millions of human beings and wipe whole towns and cities,
perhaps entire countries, right off the map. He took a moment to collect
himself before turning to address the Bridge crew.

“Give me a full status report on all communications systems;
satellite, HF, VHF, UHF, shortwave, everything. If the ship’s main systems are
down I’ll need one of the hand-held Iridium sat phones from a lifeboat. We must
report this event and the effects we are witnessing. Start transmitting a
warning on the maritime distress frequency to all ships and shore stations
immediately. And make sure the main EPIRB has been activated while you’re at
it. Let’s let everyone know where we are and what’s going on out here.” 

After ensuring that the distress beacon was activated and the
Communications Officer was working on restoring contact with the outside world,
Captain Krystos picked up a hand-held radio to resume his search for Staff
Captain Stevens and the missing passengers, including his wife.

****

“Staff Captain Stevens? Staff Captain Stevens, please report
your status. This is Captain Krystos on the Bridge. If anyone on this channel
knows the whereabouts of Captain Stevens, please respond.”

“This is Lieutenant Reiner, Captain. I’m afraid Staff Captain
Stevens didn’t make it, Sir. He received terrible flash burns at one of the muster
stations. Then a wave swept him overboard, Sir.”

“Are you sure about that, Reiner?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir. I tried to help him, but he
ordered me to assist an injured passenger. I saw him get washed overboard,
Sir.”

“What about the rest of the passengers and crew that Captain
Stevens escorted down from the Resort Deck? Were they with him at the muster
stations?”

“No, Sir. He secured those people in the theater before
coming aft to assist other passengers. Hundreds of them are still safe in the
theater. In fact, I’m here with them now. We’ve had some flooding, but it’s
draining below decks now, Sir. Over.”

“Thank God. We were afraid we had lost them all. And
Lieutenant Reiner? Have you seen my wife down there?”

“Yes – Sir…. She was here in the theater. I saw her, Sir…. I
saw her get caught in a whirlpool and sucked below decks. There was nothing I
could do to save her. I’m sorry, Sir.”

“I see…. Thank you, Lieutenant. Carry on with your duties and
render assistance to the passengers in your charge. I’ll send more crew to
assist you as soon as possible. Bridge, out.”

****

Lydia was drowning. There was no other term to describe the
experience. The flood of water that swept her off the stage and flushed her
below decks seemed endless. She was battered and bruised by repeated collisions
with walls and bulkheads as the irresistible flow of water pulled her further
into the bowls of the ship. Her lungs were screaming for oxygen and, with half
her breath already knocked out by the buffeting she had received, it was only a
matter of seconds before she passed out and her lungs reflexively filled with
water. Lydia’s life was flashing before her eyes.

Then, when there was no hope of survival, Lydia’s head broke
out of the water into an air pocket. About six inches of air was trapped along
the ceiling of the corridor she was being carried down and she desperately
sucked in the life giving gases. Only the emergency lighting was active in this
steel lined corridor, but it was enough to give her some sense of her surroundings.
One thing stood out in sharp relief – a ceiling mounted light fixture enclosed
in a protective wire cage – and she was floating straight towards it. Lydia
reached out and grabbed the light fixture, clinging on for dear life as the
water swirled around her and tried to carry her along. Other objects bumped
against her, trying to dislodge and take her with them. Lydia almost lost her
grip when she realized that one of the things bumping into her was a body. She
didn’t see the face, but it was clearly a woman in a yellow dress who had been
less fortunate than Lydia. The sight brought tears to her eyes, shocking her
almost enough to lose her handhold, but she refocused her determination and
vowed not to suffer the same fate. A few endless minutes later the water level
in the corridor began to fall, signifying that the worst of the flooding had
now descended to lower decks. Another minute and she would be able to let go of
the ceiling fixture and stand in the receding water.

****

Amanda Summers grasped her daughter’s hand firmly when she
rose to climb the stairs. Shouts and sounds of turmoil still echoed up the
stairwell from below, but her husband was up above, last seen headed for the
bridge with the Captain. She had decided it was time to find him. The fires and
flooding had ceased. Water still trickled down from higher decks, but not in
the torrent that had made her fear the ship was sinking, and the only smoke was
rising up the stairwell from below. Several types of alarms still echoed
through the ship, but not as many or as insistent as before. If the ship were
sinking, the sea hadn’t reached the deck she was on and Amanda felt that it was
better to climb up to find Kevin and possible answers to what was going on than
to descend towards the cries of anguish and pain below.

It was only three decks up to the Spa on the Resort Deck.
Amanda and Emily made the climb without incident, although the smoke got
noticeably thicker the higher they went. It smelled like burned hair. Amanda
hoped that came from carpet, curtains and upholstery, not human hair. There was
also a strong scent of burning plastic, which she assumed came from melted
pieces of the ship. She expected to see damage, but was unprepared for the
scene that awaited them on the Resort Deck.

They emerged from the stairs into the lobby of the Spa where
the smoke seemed thickest, but there was a strong breeze blowing it out towards
the open deck. Amanda soon realized that the wind was coming from the Spa and
Fitness Center above the bow of the ship.  She took a moment to peek around the
corner in that direction and was surprised to see that all the windows in the
Fitness Center were shattered, allowing wind and rain in from outside. All the
exercise equipment had been transformed into smoldering wreckage.  She didn’t
pause to see if anyone was in there, afraid of what they would look like if
they were. She also wanted to protect Emily from any more traumatic
experiences. Of course that was easier said than done. 

Amanda wasn’t sure exactly how to get to the Bridge, but had
seen the Captain and Kevin go through a door marked “Crew Only” at the forward
end of the Resort Deck, so that was where she was heading. She led Emily away
from the Spa and out towards the swimming pools. When she reached the shattered
plate glass doors to the poolside bar she froze in her tracks. The
transformation of the pool area where she had recently sat with Kevin was
almost unimaginable. Everything was charred and broken. A heavy rain was
pouring down and steam rose from everywhere it fell. She drew her daughter back
from the doorway, afraid to take Emily out into that! Her instinct was swiftly
vindicated when a flaming chunk of rock fell out of the sky not fifty feet from
where she stood and pulverized most of the outdoor portion of the bar.

The crushing impact of the flaming rock had more shock than
physical effect on Amanda and Emily. It wasn’t a true explosion and none of the
flaming fragments hit the mother or her child, but it sparked a panic that
caused Amanda to drag Emily back to the stairwell and rethink her plan. Emily
wasn’t crying but her voice was full of wonder and fear as she repeatedly told
her mother, “The sky is falling, Mommy. The sky is
falling
.” Amanda
couldn’t argue with that.

**** 

After leaving his refuge in the elevator, Armando stood at
the threshold of shattered glass doors overlooking the Resort Deck and made the
sign of the cross. The
SS Sedulity
, this beautiful white ship that was
the envy of many other cruise lines, no longer had the pristine and majestic
appearance that graced postcards and travel websites. Her hull and
superstructure were scorched by flash burns. Most of her windows were
shattered. Smoldering debris littered her decks. The smell of death and
destruction, and now what he could only describe as brimstone wafted by him
into her public spaces. Armando soaked it all in with feelings that mixed
desperation with redemption and fear. He was alive! The mighty ship had
weathered the worst that had been thrown at her, but much had been lost and
what would the next seconds, minutes, hours, and days hold in store? Armando
fell to his knees in prayer and shed tears as he watched the world itself weep
and rage in response to the violation inflicted by whatever had been thrown
down from the heavens.