Chaos, Technology, and a Dying Sun

“Civilization disappeared the day the sun started to fail. Should I have gone with my family on the last ship to the space station? No, it’s better that I gave my ticket to that kid. At least his family is together now.”

As a retired police chief, Jack had nothing better to do than patrol the city. Ever since the news reported that the sun was dying the world has gone into disarray.

“Riots, looting, and murder were common now as everyone knew that the world would end any minute now. But I can still do some good here.”

Jack rolled out of bed and turned off his alarm. Cell towers were no longer reliable with people not working anymore but some still worked. He tries to video chat with his family every morning, sometimes with no luck. Today was one of those days.

“I just need to know their safe and happy. Kelly turns thirteen today, I should try calling them again later. Marie must be going crazy putting together a party for her. I was lucky to land a wife like her. Mat had better be helping her set up. I know he’s only ten, but he can help out.”

He sat up and reached for a framed picture on his nightstand. Jacked stared at it and sighed knowing that was the last time the four of them were truly happy together, on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon. He put the photo back, got up and took a shower. The whole time thinking about how he was going to help the scientists today.

Last week, the rebel group Anti.-Bio attacked the laboratories with pipe bombs trying to stop their research on implanting biotechnology in humans. Jack didn’t know why, he wanted order and believed it would help everyone. After getting dressed, Jack grabbed his phone and walked out of his apartment.

Walking up to the laboratory he ran into a delivery man. The man dropped his package when he bumped into Jack.

“Sorry sir let me get that for you.”

As Jack came up with the package, he noticed that the delivery man had started running away from the building. Looking curiously at the man, Jack was about to run after him until he noticed that the package was smoking in his hands. Panicked, Jack through the package in the nearest trash can.

He yelled “get down” to the people around him and as he turned to run away it exploded, heaving him into the building. He tried to get back to his feet. His vision was blurry and after three or four attempts he was unconscious. He awoke with two men carrying him from each arm down a hallway. Jack could make out a some of what they were saying.

“Can we use him?”

“I don’t see why not. If he survived the explosion, he will be a great test subject.”

Jack lost consciousness again and did not wake up until three days later.

Now, groggy from the drugs, jack wakes up strapped to a table. He looks around seeing two men in white coats, one on each side of him. They are both fiddling with a different machine.

“Where am I? Why am I strapped to this table?”

The man on his left turns around.

“So, you are awake. Interesting. You should be asleep for another hour or two.”

The second man turns around.

“We are ready doctor.”

Jack looks confused. “Ready for what?”

The man on his left creeps in closer. “You may be the one that we have been looking for all this time. Humanities salvation.”

Jack chuckles. “Yea, some forty-year-old guy is your life saver. Get real.”

Jack began to get nervous as the two men turn back to their machines and continued their work.

“Experiment 3257 will begin in 5…4…”

Jack began shaking the table. Trying to break loose from the shackles.

“3…”

Each number counted made him feel more and more helpless, while the two men’ smiles grew larger with the passing of each number.

“2”

“This is it” Jack thought. “This is how I die. Funny. I thought it would be more poetic.”

“1…”

BANG!

A thunderous explosion shook the building and left a ten-foot hole in the wall behind the three of them. Men started filing through it before the smoke cleared. Six, dressed head to toe in black, attacked the men in white and tied them up. A seventh member walked through the hole right up to one of the men in white.

“Nice to see you again doctor. I think you know why we are here.”

The woman began walking towards the machinery in the lab.

“How many times are you people going to do this! You lost; the government is on our side not yours!”

The woman turned “which is why we keep stealing your materials. It the government won’t fund our research, then we'll just take what we need from you.”

One of the invaders walked up to the women. “They have most of what we need. Its already being moved to the trucks.”

“Good. We will ask our scientists what they need after this shipment arrives.”

The man in white starts laughing. “How much longer do you think you can keep this up? It must be hard staying hidden when the enemy know who you are Jasmine.”

She bent down to meet his eyes. “Don’t you worry, we won’t need to hide much longer.”

She turned and began walking out of the hole in the wall. One of her men shouts to her.

“What do we do about this guy.” Pointing to Jack.

“Take him with us. There's plenty of room on the truck.”

Jack looked puzzled. He didn’t like the idea of complying with people he just met, but if he stays here who knows what these men will do to him. The invader freed him from the table, swung Jacks’ arm around his shoulders and helped him out of the lab. Jack did not resist.

He was placed in a van outside of the building. Security began shooting at them as they drove away. After the first turn it stopped, and they did not follow.

Jack looked around the van.

“So you guys are Anti-Bio?”

Jasmine spoke up without turning to face him “It will all be explained to you. You may be helping us soon.”

“Why would I help you?”

She turned towards him “Because of your sense of justice.”

The van pulls up to another building, five minutes from the labs. Jack is carried from the van into the building. He sees people inside, men, women, children, some wounded some not. A tent city for those believing in their cause. A paramedic comes up to Jack and starts tending to him.

“Where are you hurt?”

Jack looks at him “I’m not, just need to get my feet underneath me.”

The medic looks him up and down “OK. If you need me, I'm never far.”

He turns and starts helping the men walking in behind Jack. Jasmine walked past the medic and up to Jack.

“Come with me, there's much you need to know.”

Jasmine led Jack to the back of the building. There was a small office, barely enough room for a desk, a chair and a small two-person couch. Jasmine placed her gun on the desk and sat down on the chair. Jack looked around and slowly fell into the couch.

“You want to know why you should help us?” she asked.

“It would be nice” Jack replied.

Jasmine sat back in her chair and put her feet on the desk.

“Those people out there, will be experimented on, like you were before we showed up.”

Jack looked shocked.

“I was experimented on?”

“Yes, you were an easy find for them. Normally, they send a squad out to kidnap people off the street. That’s how they find their test subjects. I don't know what they did to you but it’s the truth.”

Jack looked down, thinking about how the new information changes his outlook on what happened.

“So that’s why you saved me? You didn’t want me to become another casualty?”

Jack looked up at Jasmine.

“That's one reason.” Jasmine pulled a heart shaped locket out from beneath her shirt and opened it. “Five years ago, my son got on one of the last ships destined for the space station and you didn’t.”

Jack smiled when he saw the picture in the locket.

“I thought he was with his family?”

“He is. My husband and daughter are all together thanks to you. We are alike you and I. We both knew there was work we could still do on earth.”

Jack sat back into the couch.

“So, what is your work?”

Jasmine smiled. "When the Sun started dying out, the government came up with two plans. The winner was to enhance the human body through biotechnology. That’s why you were kidnapped. The losing plan was an artificial Sun. After the government put all their efforts into biotechnology, some scientists decided to build the artificial Sun anyway, but they need the materials to do so."

Jack smiled. “That’s why you keep hitting the labs.”

“Exactly!” Jasmine jumped out of her chair and sat next to Jack on the couch.

“Now that you know everything, will you help us?”

Jack sat up in his seat. “When do we start?”

Jasmine got up and opened a drawer from her desk. “Right now.” She said.

Taking some blue rolled up paper with her, she walked out of the room.

Jack followed.

There was a new group of men waiting for her near the entrance to the building. They were next to a table where Jasmine threw down the blueprints to the labs.

“The scientists need one more piece to complete their work. The hole we put in the building is on the eastern side. This works in our favor because the part we need is in the Western part of the building. Same plan as before, blow a hole in the wall, secure the room, take the part. They should not be prepared for us, this quickly after an assault. Any questions?”

No one said a word.

“Let’s move out.”

Jasmine filled in Jack on his role on their way back to the lab. They took a different van than before to help them get close without being spotted.

Jasmine hands Jack her sidearm.

“I hope this is the last time we have to do this.”

Jack took the gun, and checked to make sure it's loaded. “If it stops the kidnappings, so do I.”

The van parks outside the western wall of the lab. Two men begin setting charges to the building. Jack went to go over the plan again with Jasmine when he saw his breath. It had gotten rather cold since they were at the hide out. He looks at the sky and notices the sun getting dimmer and dimmer.

“We’re too late.” Jack sighed.

Everyone turned and watched the Sun burnout. Seconds later, Ice blanketed the planet. Everyone frozen in their tracks. Jack started thinking again.

“So this is it. This is how I die. At least this is more poetic than the last time.”

Minutes went by, then hours. He noticed the ice melting around his hands.

“Why am I not dead yet?”

Then it dawned on him. “The experiment worked!?!?!”

He waited for the ice to melt a little more and then broke free. Looking around at the team he realized something.

“There’s still some good I can do.”