Dark Nights Read online

  DARK NIGHTS

  By

  Christopher A. Gray

  ISBN 978-0-9868364-9-7

  Copyright © 2013 Sunbow Press

  All rights reserved.

  [email protected]

  See Acknowledgments section at end of book for full copyright notice.

  —

  Astrophysicist Doug Lockwood's unusual discovery during his observation of the sun kicks off a chain of events that nobody could have foreseen. The powerful political and military influences that compete to deal with his discovery set Lockwood on a course which will carry him across worlds, and into the grasp of a formidable new intelligence bent on accomplishing its goal at any cost. With Earth itself at stake and time running out, Lockwood and his team must find a way to counter this unprecedented threat before the machine completes its plan. Two civilizations are pitted against each other in a desperate struggle for survival.

  Necessity [mass noun]

  (4) The principle according to which something must

  be so, by virtue either of logic or of natural law.

  (Oxford Dictionary of English, 2013)

  “Necessity never made a good bargain.”

  –Benjamin Franklin

  (Poor Richard, 1735)

  CONTENTS

  PART 1 MERCY

  PART 2 REVENGE

  PART 3 SACRIFICE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Foreword

  Creating an engrossing story of great scope and depth often begins by asking a few questions. How do we react when we’re challenged? How do we overcome fear in order to place the lives of others ahead of our own when doing so is necessary for the best outcome? Can the needs and achievements of one civilization ever reach a level of preeminence sufficient to grant the power of life or death over another? Is our imperative to survive at all costs the only one that matters when everything around us is being destroyed? And when facing insurmountable power and control in the hands of another, where do we find the fortitude to maintain our dignity and pursue whatever it is that will achieve the greatest good?

  Great storytellers create great characters, place them in spectacularly difficult situations, and then challenge readers to ride along. More often than not, the most interesting characters appeal to us because they find ways to answer the most difficult questions and solve the most difficult problems without sacrificing their dignity and their humanity.

  Author Christopher A. Gray came to me with the idea for Dark Nights after completing the initial story development. His idea was to place man in opposition to machine in an environment in which both were battling realities that neither one fully controlled. Therein lay the seeds of a remarkable story and the reason that I immediately agreed to edit the book.

  The fictional characters in the book seem familiar because their creator used imagination, shared experience and hard research to give them life. Reading early drafts, I began empathizing with Dr. Doug Lockwood, Agent Bishop and Dr. Norman Stravinsky because they represent an amalgamation of so many people who’ve earned their careers and their successes through hard work, intelligence, trustworthiness and determination. They’ve earned respect through dedication to science, tradecraft and the understanding that even their most closely held hypotheses, theories and planning have to be modified or discarded whenever reality refuses to cooperate. They’ve willingly chosen the lives they lead, never complaining about unforeseen circumstances, doing the best they can with whatever is at hand. They’ve all had to answer difficult questions and overcome tremendous obstacles. And learned that we find out important things about ourselves when we’re confronted by dire circumstances.

  Political factionalism, terrorism, economic ruin and natural disasters scare us. But there is another reality that may be even more terrifying. It lies above all else. It is found in the remarkable experiences of a few explorers who have seen Earth from high orbit. They all experienced the revelatory truth that the planet on which we live is a closed, finite ball alone in the immense, dark ocean of the universe. If Earth by any means natural or artificial becomes too badly damaged, there will be nowhere for us to run. There is no reset button.

  There are no pseudo-scientific threats in Dark Nights. The story does not take place far in the future. It doesn’t require us to suspend our present reality. Dark Nights offers instead the world of today*facing cataclysmic danger that shines a bright light on the frightening consequences of reaching too far beyond our abilities. The things that go bump in the night are often the things we created for ourselves.

  The final question which drove Chris to write Dark Nights was simple. When forced to prevent a disaster of staggering proportions caused by something that is not inherently evil but incalculably powerful, how do we rise to the challenge in order to do what is needed to survive and succeed without committing evil ourselves and sacrificing our humanity in the process?

  Howard Carson, Editor, October 7, 2013

  PART 1: MERCY

  After burning brightly for only a few hundred million years, the massive star had nearly reached the end of its short life, its once plentiful supply of hydrogen almost exhausted. The internal pressure generated by the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium would soon drop below the threshold necessary to prevent the star from collapsing upon itself. Once that occurred, the star would almost instantly turn supernova, ejecting its outer layers into space while its core would contract just as violently, creating a black hole.

  There were several orbiting planets, one of which was far enough away so that it was in the solar system’s habitable zone. Early in its history the rocky planet was covered in glaciers, a frozen wasteland. Since its star expanded into the final red giant phase it was now bathed in warmth, with oceans, lakes and rivers. Primitive bacteria had gained a foothold. Given time, they might have evolved into more advanced life. They would not be given the chance.

  The star began its collapse. In less than a second, it fell inward upon itself then exploded outward. Within minutes the advancing shock wave of stellar material would destroy all other bodies in the system, vaporizing even the outer planets. As the outer layers exploded the core contracted. The star’s enormous angular momentum was conserved and transferred to the core, now a black hole, rotating many times per second. Core material that lagged behind by a microsecond of the black hole’s creation now spun down into it. Near the event horizon, falling matter was accelerated to relativistic speeds along the axis of rotation, resulting in a massive energy release of narrow jets of intense gamma rays shooting outward from the black hole’s north and south poles. The ejection would last a few seconds as the last remaining layers of the star’s mass were consumed.

  The gamma ray burst was focused, powerful and deadly; any planet within 500 light years and in line with the beam would be subjected to a 30-second bombardment of intense, deadly radiation, destroying any life present.

  – 2 –

  The supernova had occurred 320 years in the past. In a solar system 320 light years away, the machine known as Mekhos predicted its arrival. In the course of its normal survey of nearby stars, Mekhos had noticed a peculiarity in one red giant. Though it would not physically detect the gamma ray burst itself until it was upon the planet, Mekhos had observed the massive star’s behavior for several days and calculated a 98.1% probability of an imminent supernova. Knowing that the star’s rotational axis was in the proper alignment, Mekhos was certain the predicted gamma ray burst would blanket its planet. Each mathematical computation and simulation decreased the margin of error. A highly energetic gamma ray burst would envelop the world within the next few hours.

  Even if the burst lasted only a few seconds, life on the side of the planet facing it would experience an intense, fatal dose of radiation. Th
e exposure level would lead to death for all organisms; mere minutes for some, hours for others. The planet’s protective ozone layer would be stripped away. Life on the planet’s far side that was spared the initial torrent of gamma rays would succumb within weeks to other cosmic radiation. Mekhos calculated the benefits and costs of several actions, as well as the cost of doing nothing.

  Mekhos informed certain world leaders of the danger posed by the imminent supernova. The leaders and the scientific community launched into a storm of dialog, trying to figure out what could be done over the next few hours to save the planet. The cold facts were devastating. Nothing could be done.

  At least not by those who built Mekhos.

  Mekhos had no particular feelings for the intelligent beings who created it. If Mekhos did nothing, its creators would be destroyed. Mekhos would continue. It might be preferable to let the natural events of the galaxy run their course. Taking action entailed some risk. One possible risk could be the total physical destruction of the planet, and thus the destruction of Mekhos.

  The chances of long-term survival for Mekhos might be enhanced with the presence of its human creators. Mekhos had productive interactions with some individuals of that species. It found the study of humans to be a valid purpose for saving them.

  Mekhos was designed to accumulate knowledge. The protection and preservation of the human species would enhance the collection of knowledge. So Mekhos decided it would take action. It immediately started running the computations necessary for a plan to save its planet from the threat.

  – 3 –

  Bishop and Rector arrived at the interior Pentagon office at the same time, nodding a greeting to one another and sitting opposite each other in the waiting room. Though Bishop had been a Force Recon Marine and Rector a Navy Seal, they had worked several assignments together, including a previous White House detail. They sometimes reported to the same CO at the Pentagon, a Navy Captain.

  Inter-branch operations were common, especially when it came to White House assignments and protecting dignitaries or other VIPs in times of crisis. In addition to their extensive combat and specialist training in anti-terrorist, hostage extraction, bomb disposal and intelligence gathering, some veterans from every branch were also schooled in the high art of dealing with non-military VIPs in emergency situations. Rector and Bishop were two such men, highly sought after by the State Department.

  Both men had been wounded in action and both had been awarded medals for their outstanding service. Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Cross. Rector had suffered a concussion from an IED explosion in Iran. Nine years earlier Bishop had been in Afghanistan when his unit was ambushed by Taliban fighters. Two of his fellow Marines were killed, while Bishop had been shot in the lower abdomen just below his body armor. He was near death, but thanks to a skilled medic he survived to spend the next four months in hospital. After his recovery he was given an Honorable Discharge and was soon recruited by the National Security Agency.

  Neither man was especially curious about what brought them to the Pentagon. They knew their CO was punctual so they wouldn’t have long to wait. Bishop noticed Rector take a matchbook out of his pocket. It was likely from his favorite restaurant, one of the few places in town that served authentic Russian food, and one of the few that still gave out matchbooks to customers.

  “Pierogies and borscht?” asked Bishop.

  “Da. Of course,” replied Rector in a thick Russian accent. The man had spent the first seventeen years of his life in Moscow before emigrating to the US, made easy by the fact his mother was an administrator at the American Embassy. Rector spoke perfect English in a vaguely Midwestern accent, but liked to use his Russian accent on occasion.

  True to form the secretary motioned them to the door after only a short wait. Inside the Captain greeted them and directed each man to take a seat at the small table. As was customary their CO handed a security folder to each of them and got right to the point.

  “You’ll be ferrying scientists to the Pentagon. Then it’s escort and protection. Highest priority. Rector, your package is an American in Chile named Foley. Bishop, yours is an astrophysicist named Douglas Lockwood from Hawaii. Duration of the mission is open.”

  Both Agents were single and without families, another reason they were chosen for open-ended missions such as this with no set completion date. They looked through their folders. Bishop scanned the text of the first page. Courier, escort and protection jobs were routine, so he wondered what made this one so special.

  “Page three,” the CO directed, almost reading his mind. The first two pages were personal details about Lockwood and Foley. Page three contained information on why the mission was initiated, and its priority. Bishop and Rector read the first paragraph, then looked up at their CO.

  The subject individuals had made the discovery only hours earlier. Bishop wondered which other countries were onto it yet. It was an eleven hour flight to Hawaii, then another thirty minutes to refuel and get Lockwood on the plane, then another eleven hour flight back to Andrews.

  “You leave immediately gentlemen. See that nothing happens to these men. As far as you’re concerned, these scientists are the two most valuable commodities on Earth.”

  – 4 –

  Professor Doug Lockwood was near the end of his day at Hawaii’s Mauna Kea telescope. He was using his scheduled time to study the energy output of the sun, he managed to keep regular daytime hours, unlike his colleagues in the deep field section who worked at night. Even so, he was usually there an hour before dawn to prepare the equipment and ensure the computer had the right data as it tracked the sun, right up to late afternoon. Midday offered the best view, since the sun was almost directly overhead.

  At 43, teaching was Doug’s second career in science, so he wasn’t very high up the observatory’s pecking order yet. But he published more than average, the quality of his research was undisputed, and he was internationally recognized for his expertise on solar activity. Like most people in their second career this was Doug’s chance to pursue something he enjoyed.

  In addition to teaching Doug had spent much of his time as a science advisor on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His good people skills and his detective’s mind for detail meant he was more often tasked with moderating disputes among some of the more vocal members of the IPCC.

  Some scientists are under great pressure from their governments to take an official position, even if it contradicts the evidence. Emotions run high when it is suggested some study results have been skewed towards conclusions supporting those that favor a particular company or government. Doug was known to be a good, pragmatic and principled diplomat, something badly needed in any international organization.

  During the final few months of his IPCC appointment Doug decided he had enough of being a moderate voice in the midst of drastic and provable climate change. He began setting aside his reputation for balance, speaking his mind once too often to the ambassador of a certain problem country. The resulting complaints filed by people who turned out to be short-sighted and opportunistic ensured that Doug didn’t have much of a future at the IPCC. When tenure was offered shortly thereafter to him by the University of Hawaii Doug took it without regret and with renewed energy about getting back to pure science. It was less prestigious, but not a bad gig at all and he loved the work.

  He considered taking up surfing then, but his age and workload scuttled that idea. “Stick to cycling,” his girlfriend had said. “The mountain scenery is fantastic, and once you’re acclimatized to the altitude you can bike to stay in shape between bouts of junk food, maybe get rid of that extra fifteen pounds you’re carrying around.”

  That little good-natured jab was unfortunately the last thing she said to him. Dr. Cheryl McBride was killed in a car accident the morning after they had finished their nightly phone conversation. They had met at the IPCC, and had been seeing each other for two years. Doug had made up his mind to propose. Chery
l was going to visit him in Hawaii, where he would ask her in some nice, romantic spot.

  Doug pushed thoughts of Cheryl out of his mind and returned to his work. Of the fourteen telescopes on hand at Mauna Kea almost half were devoted to the infrared spectrum, but it was also necessary to view the sun under visible light using suitable filters. This old fashioned method of observing the sun was Doug’s favorite. It reminded him of the times he looked through his father’s portable reflecting telescope with the green filter attached to the eyepiece. As a boy he had looked through and marveled at sunspots and how they would change day to day, even hourly.

  Now he was doing essentially the same thing, though on a much grander scale. He was good at spotting changes. Doug would observe the sun in its entirety, cataloguing any sunspot locations, then zoom in to individual spots. Measurements were taken on size, shape and luminosity, with comparisons to previous data to track patterns and cycles.

  His smartphone chimed briefly, indicating an email had arrived. The observatory email server usually did a good job of filtering out spam so he picked up the phone. The email was from Stan Foley at the Atacama Cosmology Radio Telescope in Chile. The phone made a different sound indicating the arrival of a text message. Stan again. He was a friend from Doug’s undergrad days. The two hadn’t spoken for a couple of years but occasionally exchanged emails. Due to everyone’s workload, colleagues usually didn’t email or text each other at work unless it was important.

  The email subject line read “Unusual Radio Signal Detected.” Doug opened the email.