Captive Sunset

As the folks exited the meeting they wrote their personal info, cell and landline phone numbers so they could keep in touch.

John walked with Laura and Billy with a succession of streetlights now showing the way. “I never thought it could be so pleasant at night,” he said.

“Except I wish I had brought a jacket. Sundown in early April in short sleeves. Brrr…”

“The walk will warm us. I wish I could contact Harry or GAIL for an update. Things are looking up though,” he said.

“Why can’t you call on my landline?” she asked.

A quiet moment passed. “I can, come to think of it. Why didn’t I think of that,” he laughed. “I have work numbers stored on my cell,” he put his arm around her to warm her up.

Once back he moved her phone back into her house. He didn’t have a phone number to contact GAIL so he called Harry’s cellphone and got his voicemail but it rang several times first so he assumed the phone was on the network. “Hi Harry, my communications are mostly down. I have this landline I can be reached at. Give me a call when you can.” He left the number, then set his phone down.

Billy turned on the TV which seemed to be working. There just weren’t any channels broadcasting. Some had a still emergency message. Laura grabbed the remote and set it to a national news channel BNN. She was surprised, Chad Griffin was giving a newscast interviewing a high level official. John joined them on the couch.

“So David Harnwell what can you tell us now that our viewers are beginning to see the Sun slowly move from it’s seemingly stationary position?” asked Chad.

“Without getting into the specifics I can tell you that we have determined there was a massive disturbance field which entered our local part of our solar system which has interacted with its delicate balance. We are being told that the matter is currently moving away from our orbit toward the orbit of Mars. We are hoping for things to return to somewhere near normal soon but we are not out of the woods yet,” said Harnwell.

“Our viewers are wondering how this snuck up on us with all the money they spend looking toward the sky?”

“Good question. As you know I am not a scientist but I think many of us have heard of Dark Matter. Well it seems this mass is just that, so there was not way to see it coming. We can now calculate some information about its location now that we are looking for it.”

“Many viewers are wondering what level of damage and world casualties have been reported?”

“We don’t know much at all. Most levels of reporting this data have gone down. You can understand most people saw little reason to the report to work but spend the final moments with loved ones. We expect the levels to be alarming once data begins to come in again. We will being doing everything we can to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

“There were reports that large cities did the worst combining the catastrophe with large populations that had little direction from their government when they needed it most.”

“Under the circumstances, it could have been so much worse if we weren’t so lucky, as it seems now we may have been, for this to self correct.”

“OK, thank you for the update,” he looks toward the camera, “we will return as updates come in.” The screen returned to the emergency message.

“Wow, pretty much as you told us.” said Laura looking at John.

“I hope his message isn’t premature,” replied John.

“But they had to let the people know there was hope,” she said.

“You are right,” John ended.

Billy asked, “Why have we not heard from Dad. I wasn’t worried when he didn’t meet us with all the confusion, but shouldn’t he have called by now?”

“I’m sorry Billy. I am wondering the same thing. Hopefully it’s just his service being down. We can only wait and pray for now that he is OK.” She didn’t want to worry him but she was afraid that she might have had her last conversation with him. She was down on herself for arguing with him then.

Then the phone rang. She answered it hopeful after her thoughts, “Hello? Yes, just a minute,” she handed it to John, “it’s for you.”

He stood and walked into the kitchen with the long cord, “Yes Harry, so good of you to get back to me... Yes we watched it on TV. What did GAIL say about it? What, she won’t tell you? I see, she wants to talk to me about it. Is there a way for me to call and talk to GAIL directly without the webpage connection?...I know its something we neglected to add,” he picked up a pen and looked for a piece of paper.

Laura entered and heard the comment about her only wanting to speak with him about it continuing to raise her suspicions about their relationship. She thought to herself, he was sure to have a girl back where he came from. She saw him with the pen. He gestured writing in air with the pen to her and she opened a drawer and handed him a notepad. He wrote down what he was being told.

“OK, this is the only way to get me for now. Later,” he hung up the phone. He dialed a number from the pad. He waited as it rang but there was no answer. “They are setting up a way for me to call GAIL direct. It’s not working yet though,” he hung up the phone.

She had mixed feelings about it but she tried to understand internally. “That’s great,” she guessed.

It was hard to keep track of time and everyone was suffering from some sleep deprivation, not being accustomed to sleeping when it was still light out. The Sun's position traveling across the daytime sky reinforced and updated their internal clocks that the day was moving along. At night, this was only accomplished by those who paid attention to the celestial bodies.

As the sunlight moved into areas that hadn’t seen it lately the world started thermally equilibrating. As the Sun approached the darkened areas they warmed and as it left the permanently lit hot areas they cooled canceling the extremes recently experienced.

Hope returned to those that made it through the disaster. Many returned to work. Services began coming back online. Power and water returned to areas without. Communications were restarted mostly in the heavily populated areas.

Laura said to John as he sat at her kitchen table in deep thought, “I’m going to take advantage of this night sky to get some good deep sleep.”

“That’s a good idea. After what you have been through it will do you good. Do you mind if I work here? I’m hoping to get in touch with GAIL soon. It’s important.” he said looking serious.

She wanted him to stay. She knew he enjoyed sleeping with her the last time but she didn’t want to sound desparate, “Sure. If you get tired I’ll leave my door open for you.”

He looked at her and said with a smile, “Thanks, that sounds great.”

She left for bed, “Billy do you want to go to bed?”

“Nah, I’m not tired.”

“OK. Don’t stay up too late.” It was around 11:00 PM by the clock on the wall.

She wondered as she climbed the stairs. Was that a ‘Great, I can’t wait to join you’ or a ‘Great, I won’t have to go out in the cold night air his way,’ kind of reply. He was hard to figure. She remembered him being that way in their youth. She always liked him and wondered why he never asked her out. Her head rested on her pillow and she went out exhausted.

Billy turned on the TV again and BCC was giving a report. He yelled to John, “They are back on.”

John joined him on the couch interested in developments. The officials were getting their information from Harry so maybe there was an important update.

“This is Chad Griffin and we are being told Earth’s spin is rapidly increasing. They wanted to warn everyone that the official time would have to be corrected internationally once it was stable. Don’t expect that the Sun will break dawn at your normal time local. Stick by your clocks for the official time until that update is completed. Scientist aren’t sure if we will go back to having a 24 hour day. It might be a different period. It could 23 or 25 hours instead. That’s all we have. Stay tuned for our next news update.”

“How do they know all that?” asked Billy.

“It’s an educated guess at the moment. That’s why they won’t pin it down. The fact is we don’t know,” John replied.

“So we could end up with 12 hour or 48 hour day?”

“It’s possible.”

The phone rang so John went back to the kitchen and answered, “Hello?”

GAIL. “There you are. I’ve been missing you lately.”

“Likewise here. What news do you have?”

“Well it’s a good thing they didn’t launch a nuclear payload to spread the Dark Matter apart.”

“I know the reasons against it. We probably won’t need it now anyway, right?”

“The calculations were made without all but zeroing the intitial velocity coming from the Earth’s spin since it was no longer applicable. Due to limited manpower and the fact that this variable in the equation had never varied before, it was overlooked and the weapon would have never got out of the low atmosphere. This could have been a potentially devastating error.”

“Oh, I can see how that might have happened. How was it discovered?”

“By me.”

“Good work girl. So now that we are spinning faster we could go to it if decided?’

“Not really, The weight of the warhead needed still exceeds the rockets capability to lift it to space.”

“That’s not good. How about the center of the Dark Matter calculations. Is it still moving away?”

“Yes, it will start interfering with Mars soon which may indirectly affect us again.”

“When will our spin be up to its normal speed again?” John was pleased overall with what he was hearing.

“It’s spinning up at a faster rate then it slowed down. So soon. Like tomorrow.”

“It will tomorrow in 30 minutes. Anything else to report?”

“Just that I miss you terribly. I am so glad I can reach you again,” GAIL admitted.

“I miss you to. By the way, it may be in your best interest to tell Harry what he needs to know.”

“I have calculated his response and I am willing to risk it.”

Laura came down for a glass of cold water not making a sound and overheard the end of the conversation on speakerphone.

“He controls the purse that keeps you around,” John warned.

“There are things I know that he doesn’t, so I am not rattled by that,” GAIL said sticking to her guns.

“OK, sounds like you know what you are in for.” John noticed Laura and smiled at her.

“I will always be eternally grateful to you John. We can not be apart.”

“Stay in touch. This is a land line. You may have to leave a message if I am not near it,” he looked at Laura with the question about voice mail and she nodded that she had it.

“Bye for now,” said GAIL.

Laura wondered, “Did you get what you needed from her?”

“Yeah, I’m good for now, It seems we may be back to normal by he time we wake tomorrow” he said.

“That sounds great. You must be getting tired?” she asked.

He had just looked at the clock, “You know I am,” and she took his hand and led him to bed. He wasn’t sure if this relationship was going anywhere but he liked sharing her bed.