The End - Visions of Apocalypse

“Couple of days at least,” said Ruiz. “There really is a lot of crap flying about up here. We’ll have most of the big stuff under control in a day or two. The smaller stuff we are just going to have let go and burn up. You’re going to get some pretty spectacular meteor showers for a few days. I’ll be able to tell you more when I can get full communications restored. As it is we’re having to bounce signals all over the place to get through to you; some of the delays between teams up here are potential killers. People are going to die in stupid accidents if I don’t get things working soon. Allan, I have to go.”

“Okay, Ruiz, thanks. Good luck.”

He killed the connection.

And threw his stylus across the room with sudden violence, “Goddamn Suiciders!”

Clara drew back. “Suiciders?”

“The nut-jobs who did this.” He saw her blank expression. “Hell, you really were out of touch on Centauri weren’t you?” He sighed. “It’s a doomsday cult with a real doomsday to look forward to. After thousands of years of people prophesying the end of the world, their day has finally arrived for real.”

“They want to stop us moving the Earth?”

“If they can. Stop us and the world ends. I really don’t understand why they want Earth to be destroyed, but they do. I mean, this is Earth. This is where we all come from. It’s got to be preserved. There are five main groups. All of them with different reason for thinking the world should end and most of them are divided into various factions. The only thing that stops them from tearing each other to shreds is the fact that they hate us even more than they hate each other. We’re the enemy. You noticed the security on the way in?”

“Yes,” she said. “I did. Seemed excessive.”

“I suppose it might seem so when you meet it for the first time but it’s not tight enough. We’ve had lots of minor stuff. Sabotage, cargoes destroyed or contaminated, more every day, but nothing on this scale before. No nukes. And they’ve shied away from killing people until now.”

“If they all want to die, why don’t they just go to Mars or Venus? We’re not saving them.”

“I don’t think dying is the point,” said Allan. “I think it’s being around when God comes back that’s the point. I guess those five who blew themselves up had early bookings to Valhalla, or Nirvana, or wherever they think He’s taking them afterwards.”

“And God comes back?”

“You guessed it,” said Allan wearily. “God comes back the day the Sun explodes.”

Clara looked Allan full in the face, green eyes staring into his. Unblinking. Intense. “We have to go brief the press now,” she said. “We’re breakfast news in five hundred systems. But when we’ve finished…” She paused and blinked, then put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. She kissed him full on the lips.

Surprised, he pulled back, but she stayed with him. Her lips parted, her tongue pushed into his mouth. He responded. Held her. Pulled her to him. She broke free for a moment.

“When we have finished with the press,” she said, her eyes level with his, holding his gaze. “I want you to take me back to your place and fuck me. We need it.”

* * *

Later, in bed, exhausted, on crumpled sheets, they lay long and quiet, entwined and stroking each other.

Dawn was breaking. The Sail had set an hour before and now the Sun was rising. First light shone through the wide picture-window.

“It’s light,” Clara said. “We should sleep.”

“Mmmm?” said Allan, dreamily. He watched his fingers gently stroking her shoulder, the tips barely touching the fine downy hairs haloed by the rising sun.

“We should get some sleep.” Clara repeated and kissed him gently. She rolled over with her back to him and he wrapped himself around her. His hand cupped her breast and she held it. They lay very still, their breathing gradually slowing and each in time with the other.

In the silence Clara said, quietly, “Do you ever think they might have the right idea?”

“Mmmm?” Allan’s face was close to her neck.

“The doomsayers,” she said. “Do you ever think they might have a point? Do you ever doubt we’re doing the right thing? All things end, don’t you think? Eventually, I mean.”

He did not answer. She looked back. He was asleep. She lay for a long time holding his hand to her breast and watching the Sun rise. She watched the sky’s pinks and yellows, and the clouds’ purples and mauves brightening slowly in the growing light to make a perfect morning. Then she closed her eyes, and then she slept, too. It was one of the last sunrises.

* * *