The Box

They planned. They built. They opened the doors to all who believed. It was the largest and most diverse construction project that mankind ever attempted. Now it was nearing completion, just some minor finishing touches left. The systems had all passed inspection, so had the backup systems, and the backups to the backup. They were ready. Fifteen years of sweat and labour, with countless years prior to that planning and developing.

The sheer size necessitated that it be built somewhere remote, somewhere out of the daily prying eyes of non-believers. It covered an amazing 10,000 acres. It stood 7 stories tall. It burrowed another 4 stories below ground. It was built like a hill, with smooth rounded sides, almost like a dome but a more flattened one. It was a massive endeavor. To put it into perspective it was two-thirds the size of all of Manhattan. The project was mocked at every turn by almost everyone. They mocked the money spent, the years it took, and most of all the reason it was built.

The project was never formally named but it always referred to as the Life Boat, which to me made only partial sense. I understood the Life portion because of obvious reasons, but Boat? This boat did not move and certainly wouldn’t float, but I guess Life Building doesn’t flow nearly as well or have the humanity saving connotations. I voted for Noah, for both the biblical reference and for Noah Argemon, the first billionaire to join the project. Noah joined wholeheartedly and threw his plentiful resources into it. Soon three more billionaire friends joined in and things were really humming. All told, the cost of all of this was over a hundred billion, with 85 of those billions coming from those 4 amazing people. So Noah, would have been an appropriate name, but secretly I named it something else. I called it Pandora’s Box, even though I conceded to myself that it was as much a box as a boat. I called it that because of the old Greek myth. According to the myth, Zeus exacted revenge for having fire stolen from Olympus by tempting Pandora to open a box that contained death, sickness, and all the evils that could afflict mankind. They escaped instantly and though she slammed the lid shut all but hope had escaped. Since then, humanity has had plaques of evil to deal with, with some festering and growing, rotting many souls. This “Box” was a second chance for humanity. A chance to start again without the evils released before.

So, to me and to a few of my friends our Life Boat became simply The Box. Either way, word of what was coming our way must have leaked out in the filthy rich community as it split the wealthy into 3 groups. The few who joined us, the richest of the rich who were determined to leave Earth behind, and then the majority of them who sat back on their riches, not convinced any action was required and presumably hugging their money with their last breaths.

We were very fortunate that Noah and friends joined us, as all told, there were tens of thousands working on the project every day. From building the structure, to preparing all of the equipment needed to house, feed, educate, entertain, and to take care of their health needs. It really was a gigantic mission. There would be somewhere around 45, 000 people inside the Life Boat when complete, and my job in all of this was to find qualified people, run background checks (including psychological profiles) and be on the panel that made the decision to ultimately grant refuge to all who would stay within its walls.

We started moving people into the Life Boat months before the day arrived. Settling them into their houses, letting them acclimatize to the new life inside, slowly sealing all the exits except for one. We kept one open to move in the last remaining items, the few stragglers we were waiting on, but ready to seal us in at a moment’s notice. I spent the last week at that doorway almost 24/7, making sure all went smoothly. The last door was a large one, able to accommodate vehicle traffic. Only electric vehicles were allowed inside as we wanted the air as clean as possible, but all vehicle traffic was stopped a week prior to our final closing date.

We chose this location for the sight lines, on a hill, in a wide valley, surrounded by very distant mountains. All of our algorithms picked this spot as the best. Now I stood at the entrance looking out for the last time at the world as we know it. The world woke up to the news, and now all are believers. News that we first predicted 15 years, 4 months and 2 days ago. Those years flew by. The busiest years of my life and it is just beginning.

I took a deep breath, the fresh air sweet and cool this September morning. As I turned to hit the button to close the door to the outside world, a door that like the rest of everything here on the outer wall, a new composite material that is clear and as tough as a diamond, out of the corner of my eye I see movement in the distance. I glance hurriedly at my watch knowing I have less than ten minutes before the door absolutely must be closed, so I take the binoculars I keep on the wall close to the button and look out. Someone is running this way! They are fast but I don’t think anyone can be fast enough to make it. I look at the button and wait. Even if I do not hit it, the door will start to close automatically as the time nears. It is a survival feature coded into the entire complex. Our systems are fully aware of what is coming and no one can put others at risk. Whoever it is has about 8 minutes before the door starts to close.

I look out again, focusing a little better. The binoculars are good ones and the runner is moving fast, getting closer every second, but still about a mile and a half away. Uphill all the way on a dirt road. There is no chance. I should look away and close the door, so it doesn’t get too personal and I end up cheering for them in vain, but I don’t do that. I can’t. I am transfixed by this race for survival. A minute later and I curse under my breath. The runner is a woman, and she is running like the wind. She is doing this while somehow carrying something in her arms. Another minute and I groan loudly as I realize she is carrying a child. I mutter more curse words. Words I seldom use are now tumbling out non-stop. The minutes fly by in seconds and she still runs at full speed, somehow drawing power from being so close to safety.

Then I feel a slight rumble under my feet as the door mechanism is initiated. The door is a large vehicle one, designed as a drawbridge and it starts to slowly pull itself up. She is still a hundred yards away when she sees the door move. Instead of giving up and crying like most would, she reaches deep inside and doubles her speed. The strain on her face is evident and she is completely winded but still she runs. I see now that the child is a girl. About a year old. Facing outward and looking towards me. Even in this crazy moment, when I am frozen in a mixture of awe and fear, I smile at the little girl. I get a big smile in return.

The entryway is about 12 feet high and now that the door is in motion it is moving steadily up. The runner is about 20 feet away when she realizes it is too high. She can’t reach the top anymore. I see her lean her head down, whispering her last desperate thoughts, kissing the top of her head, running close, then heaving the child over the door. I saw her intent and gathered myself to catch this precious bundle. I am too close and she is stronger than I thought so that I have to jump to catch the girl. I barely do. I gather her gently in my arms and watch as the woman outside looks on through the clear door desperately. She looks up and there is still about two feet of open space at the top, and looking over her shoulder can see the darkness boiling over the distant mountains. She rips off her necklace and looks into my eyes quickly before throwing it up over the wall. It bounces off the door and falls back on the ground on her side. She scrambles to pick up the heart shaped locket and somehow in all of this madness remains calm, the door a foot from being sealed as she jumps up as high as she can and lobs it inside. I move to catch it but both hands are holding the little one, the locket hits my shoulder and then as if this wasn’t a miracle enough already, gets wrapped up in the hands of the girl.

The mom outside cries out when she sees her daughter catch it and then just before the door locks and seals off everything, I can hear the most painful words I have ever heard.

“I love you Al…….” The rest is cut off. No idea what the full name was going to be, and it is something I have thought about a lot since.

I bring her baby close and they look at each other through the clear door. She breaks eye contact with her daughter and looks up at me, her eyes questioning, and whatever she sees in mine reassure her and she smiles in relief. She looks over her shoulder again and my eyes look out too. The scene out there is indescribable; the world out there really is coming to an end. She turns back and quickly blows her daughter a kiss and then motions for us to go. I understand and run to get inside the main structure and the protection of the interior blast doors. They close with a swoosh and the running mom is lost from sight forever. I stand there shaking. My head is spinning with adrenalin from the last few moments, and I look down at the locket to calm myself. I open it and see two pictures, the mom and the dad, inscribed inside are their initials A R, with a heart symbol between. I hold the baby out in my arms looking at her and make a decision. I will raise her but will tell her the story of her incredible mom many, many times.

……………………...

The years pass by, life in the box is busy but entertaining and now 20 years later we have increased our numbers by over 2,000. None of whom have been outside at any point in their lives, but that is about to change. We gather at the same door, a few dozen to test the world, and I look over to watch my now grown girl nervously playing with the locket around her neck. She is taking over the security from me soon, as she has proven to be a lot like her mom; amazing.

I look over and repeat the words I have told her a hundred times. Last into The Box, first one out. As she was the last to breathe fresh air she would be the first to do so again.

I push the button and the door descends, and I say “C’mon Hope, lead the way ….”