GOD and the APOCALYPSE

By Hal Mansfield

Introduction: The Apocalyptic Imperative

Judas, the other apostles and a congregation of heavenly hosts labored up the steps to the huge, double doors leading into God’s throne room. The building looked much like the Acropolis, expanded to a scale beyond human imagination. Judas, who was acting as the leader, picked up a large mallet and struck a gong four times. After several minutes the massive doors opened a crack. An ancient-looking dwarf, Drombart, peered out at the congregation.

“We are here to speak with God. The matter, naturally, is most urgent.” As Judas said this, his palm included the twelve disciples, as well as the following congregation.

“Impossible,” Drombart barked. “The Most Holy is in his creation chambers. I have strict orders never to disturb him when he is in there. Strict orders. Such Most Holy orders from the Most High will never be disobeyed by me.” The dwarf started to close the doors.

“Not so fast.” Judas declared. As he said this, Judas took hold of the door and kept the dwarf from closing it.

“Drombart, you know who I am, who these twelve gentlemen are, who some of those in this heavenly host are and what powers we have, individually and collectively. If you force these doors closed, we will exercise our combined powers to see that God becomes aware that you have turned us away. It will go hard with you then, I can assure you.”

The dwarf hesitated as if imagining what might happen if he forced the doors closed.

Judas, taking advantage of Drombart’s uncertainty, pushed the doors wide open. Judas strode into the enormous hall; the twelve cohorts and the congregation streamed in after him.

Drombart slunk away in horror, sputtering and remonstrating but making no other effort to stop Judas, the disciples or any of the horde, as they all streamed into the throne room.

Judas walked across the breadth of the vast room. He was followed by the twelve disciples and as many of the congregation as could get close. He picked up a large scepter and rapped on the door of the creation chambers three times. A hush fell over the entire assemblage.

Minutes passed. The crowd moved back from the creation chambers’ doorway.

Finally, the door opened and a tall, elderly man appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in a long white robe, which was in dishabille. His hair was silvery gray and it hung in long curls down to his waist. His face was regal but extraordinarily wrinkled. He peered around the room and cleared his throat.

“Drombart, come here,” God said. The dwarf approached. “Did I not say no one was to disturb Me? What say thou to that?”

Judas stepped in front of the cowering dwarf.

“I insisted, Most Holy and All-Powerful Father. Drombart tried to do as he was instructed to do by Your Magnificence. The most loyal Drombart made quite clear what Your instructions to him were. But my colleagues and I would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Our reason for disturbing You is most urgent, naturally, or we would not presume . . . “

God waved the dwarf away. As He did so, He hobbled over to the steps leading up to His throne. As He put His foot on the first step, two burlies emerged from the crowd and helped Him up the steps. God sat down on His magnificent throne. The burlies returned to their places in the crowd. As Judas mounted the steps, the disciples and the host came closer.

“Very well, state this most urgent problem. You may have an audience, but not for too long. I have important . . . er, ah . . . things to do. My universes continue to expand. Nearly uncounted worlds are in various stages of the creation process. They require My attention. In fact, I was in the midst of a very important step in one of My vital creation projects.” God paused.

“It’s Earth, Your Stupendous ness, . . .” Judas wiped his brow and hesitated.

“Earth? What in the world are you talking about?” With that, God chuckled. “Heh. Heh. Heh. Just a little earthly joke I thought up.”

“The humans, Omnipotent Father, are multiplying at a fearful rate. They are using up Earth’s non-renewable, God-given, natural resources beyond replacement. They are polluting Earth’s waters, fouling its precious air, destroying its vital forests and ravaging the oceans. They are crowding other species into extinction at an unprecedented rate. Why just the killing of insects on windscreens runs into the trillions on any given day.”

“Unprecedented? I seem to remember the dinosaur die-off was pretty darned rapid, not to mention several other die-offs before that.” God stroked His beard as He said this.

“Well, unsettling, then. Most unsettling,” Judas swept his eyes over the congregation as he temporized. “You instructed me to keep an eye on things and to report problems to You. That is what I am doing . . . er, just doing my duty.”

“What’s this blather about windscreens and insects?” God demanded.

“Windscreens, Holy Omniscience, the Americans call them windshields. They are on automobiles, trucks, trains and buses, on all manner of modern transportation. These conveyances go at such speeds that the insects cannot escape; they strike the windscreens, splatter and die.” Judas responded.

“What? How? I allowed the insects to evolve the power to hop, to fly . . . all manner of ways to survive. What went wrong? Explain yourself.“ God seemed genuinely perplexed.

“It’s even worse than that.” Judas paused before continuing. “The humans have invented something they call a ‘bug zapper.’ It is an electronic devise that attracts bugs. They fly, or otherwise, get into these zappers and are killed. Zap! Just so the humans can be out on patios or similar places for an evening’s entertainment. Atrocities of the worst sort.”

“Hurry on,” God said. “I haven’t got all day, you know. My creation works languish. Besides, my present creation partners get impatient when I am gone too long.”

“So I have heard.” Judas’s rejoinder was almost a groan.

“Don’t be impertinent, Judas. My patience with you is not inexhaustible, as you well know from . . . well, never mind that. On with your explanation.” God raised his left hand.

“The long and short of it is that unless we . . . unless You, Your Mightiness, do something, Earth will soon become uninhabitable for humans and for most other species. Some of the lowliest life forms may be all that survive. That’s the crisis in brief form.” Judas paused, as if out of breath.

“How dare you. Lowliest life forms indeed. All of God’s life forms are equal in My eyes. That holds true for even one-celled organisms. All of my creations, both flora and fauna, come back to live with me when they die. But, wait a minute. I gave you . . . well, I gave Pandora that is . . . the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (famine, pestilence, war and death) expressly for human population control. What about that?” God asked.

“Oh, Mighty One, it worked for several million years. That is, after you created them, they evolved from sub-humans to proto-humans to humans and for a long time after that. They developed agriculture. Fewer died from famine. With more and better food, they lived longer and their brains became more complex and the human culture became more advanced.

“Science developed. Then, they discovered antisepsis and waste control. The scientists found cures faster than the old diseases could evolve or new ones could spread. They even learned how to inoculate against some of the most deadly and debilitating diseases.”

“I’ll be. Clever devils. Who would have thought it? They were such a miserable bunch of miscreants the last time I checked,” God mused.

“They still went to war and killed millions; those dead millions were not enough. More and more were born and lived longer and longer. Ergo, an exponential explosion in their numbers, a tragic and – without Your intervention – an irreversible crisis of great magnitude and consequence.”

“Seems like only a moment ago that I last looked in on them.” God seemed puzzled as he said this. His wrinkled brow became even more wrinkled.

“Sire, a moment for you can be 10,000, sometimes even a 100,000 or a million Earth years. That’s part of the explanation. We . . . You must act now,” Judas replied.

“Sounds like the unmentionable one has been at work, too.” God stroked his beard and seemed deep in thought.

“No doubt of that, Father. My brother, the unmentionable one, can cause great mischief, as we all know only too well,” Judas said.

“First, I will summon the Grand Council.” With that, God raised His right hand and brought it down. A giant flash of lightning arched across the vast room, followed by a mighty crash of thunder. A diverse group of individuals appeared to the left of Judas and the twelve men with him. The newcomers bowed low before God.

“Welcome Zeus and all of you other Grand Council members. It is always a pleasure to see you’all. Thanks for coming. There is a crisis on Earth. We must hold council and deal with it.” God said to the newly arrived.

“Give Me a few minutes to survey the situation. I will emmeld (create My most intimate and Godly mental connection) with everyone here so each of you can come to know exactly what I learn as I survey the situation on Earth.”

With that, God tilted His head back. His eyes disappeared to the uppermost part of His eyelids, leaving only the whites in view. He seemed to be in a trance. Everyone in the giant hall fell silent; some also seemed to be in a trance and some looked as if they might faint. After only a couple of minutes, God roused Himself from the altered state and began to speak.

“Myself! What a sight. Why, they are almost as bad as rabbits. The whole of Earth is as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah ever were. And the greed! Great Myself, the incredible, shortsighted greed. The humans have even invented something they call ‘a corporation.’ It can be a perpetual contrivance. Imagine that. Such temerity. If I had wanted perpetuity in life – or in anything else, except by procreation of various sorts – I would have created it or let it evolve Myself. And the media, especially TV and the movies. What squandered promise. What superficial nonsense and filth. Even education has been perverted and ratcheted down to unconscionably low levels.

“They have even perverted grass by using it in dry areas and on golf courses. Egad, what temerity. How thoughtless. The well being of Earth now and for future generations is seriously compromised.

“They have set aside the evolutionary forces I put in place after My initial and continuing creation efforts. Using science, they have configured medicines and created crop hybrids and are genetically engineering all sorts of mischief. They have intruded into My prerogatives. I never intended for that to happen. It’s an affront to My work. It’s too bad science outstripped their cultural intelligence and knowledge. Among other worthy advances, birth control could have been universal and required.

“What a mess they have made of My belief systems. Can you imagine: the religious conservatives are blind to the fact that there is both creation and evolution? What narrow-mindedness. What ninnies. And the evolutionists. They are the most intelligent and best educated; how could they not see the Grand Design of creation plus evolution? What an affront to My artistry. Arguing, even killing, over the obvious. Nincompoops, one and all!

“You were entirely correct to bring this mess on Earth to My attention, Judas. We must act quickly and decisively with regard to the population overrun, to their meddling with My prerogatives, to the inequities that greed has created, to the constant sinning, to the environmental crises and to the other mis-begotten, be-sodded factors.”

Judas bowed, “Thank you, my Lord and Father. It is always a pleasure to serve.”

“Where’s Jesus? I haven’t seen him since shortly after his return from Earth and that little matter I sent him down there on.” God looked around as He said this, as if expecting to see Jesus amongst the large congregation.

“Ahem, Your Grace, I believe my brother, Jesus, and his bride, Mary Magdalene, are still on their honeymoon.” Judas cast his eyes down offered timidly.

“Honeymoon? They’ve been back for ages. Haven’t they gotten tired of that, yet?” God stroked His beard and frowned as if He could not believe what He was hearing.

“Jesus and Mary Magdalene, attend Me!” As he said this, God raised his right arm and brought it down emphatically.

There was a mighty flash of lightning and an enormous clap of thunder.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene entered the chambers through a side door. They approached God and each bowed low, holding their bows for a few seconds. Then, Jesus turned and waved to the assemblage. He greeted the Grand Council members with a deferential wave of his left hand. Lastly, he turned back to God.

“Father, always a great pleasure to be summoned. I say, it is extraordinarily good to see you.” With that said, Jesus turned and embraced the disciples one by one. As he did so, he whispered something in the ear of each and listened to their brief replies. Judas was the last to get embraced. Judas’s reply was the longest.

“Enough of the schmoozing, politicking and of trying to size up the situation,” God said. “Earth is in a crisis. I may need your counsel or even your indulgence for another mission down there.” God passed a hand over Jesus’ head, emmelding him.

“Here, see for yourself,” God said as His hand passed over Jesus.

Jesus gasped and stepped back. He grasped his garment in both hands and bowed low. “Surely, Father, I have done enough. I did as You instructed. I valiantly tried to carry out Your every wish. I am barely back. The wounds have only just now healed.”

“Nonsense! Utter nonsense, do you hear me, Jesus? That’s pure flummery. You can’t dissimulate with Me. You of all people should know that. Look where it got your twin, the unmentionable one. Your wounds healed as you entered Heaven. You’ve been back quite a long time.”

“I was speaking metaphorically, Father.” Jesus replied.

“ Metaphor, schmetaphore, I know the difference between metaphor and whole clothe.” God thundered.

“Even so. I don’t know why I should go back to that . . . if you will pardon me, Father, that God-forsaken place. What you just showed me is almost beyond belief. How could they muck things up that badly in only about 2,000 Earth years? It’s almost as if I was never there, in some ways. They’ve twisted or forgotten or ignored my teachings. Send someone else.” With that, Jesus swept his left hand towards the vast assembly.

“We’ll see. We’ll see. As you have just said, humans did not take well to your message, Jesus. Most are Sunday Christians at best. The rest of the week, some even on Sunday, lie and cheat and steal and fornicate – especially that – at every opportunity. Too many of them are hypocrites of the worst sort. I’d hardly call that a successful outcome. And the Muslims. Myself! Can you believe what they are up to? The only reason I am not shocked is because nothing does . . . shock Me, that is. Even the Buddhists and those of other religious persuasions are not beyond reproach.”

“You can’t blame the Jewish and Muslims’ behaviors on me, or even the Christian mess. Surely, since it is Your plans and messages that have gone awry, it is up to You, not me, to straighten things out, isn’t it? I did my very, level best. That ordeal of the passion and with the cross was not pleasant, not exactly ‘Sunday in the Park,’ as everyone here well knows.”

“Don’t be impertinent. It is up to Me to say what is to be done and up to everyone else, including you, to follow orders. You two may leave, but stay in touch. Maybe I won’t need you after all, since you seem to be reluctant and since you are still on your rather fantastically extended honeymoon. I guess I was wrong. I thought you would jump at a chance to go down and take another whack at the task.”

With that, God cast a glance at Mary Magdalene. “Hummm,” was all he said.

As Jesus and Mary Magdalene approached the exit, Mary whispered something in Jesus’ ear. With that, they turned back and approached the throne.

“Father, we’d like to stay for the rest of these proceedings; that is, if you don’t mind. Mary . . . er, we think it would be a jolly good experience. A valuable lesson, as it were.”

“Of course you may stay. Good idea, actually.” As he said that, God turned to one of the Grand Council members.

“Gaia, what do you have to say for yourself? Why is Earth in such a mess? Why haven’t you apprised me of the situation down there?” God asked.

“Well, Father, as you know, I have no authority or ability to take action. I am without any power to intercede in the affairs of Earth. You, Yourself, decreed that . . . ever so long ago.” Gaia bowed her head. “Besides, you more or less set me aside when You ordered Judas to observe and report.”

“Enough of that. Just weak excuses. I would have acted, had I but been informed by you. What have you been up to? For my part I have been busy with creating new suns and new planets. I’m up to well over 2,000 times 1,000! Even though I can be Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent, technically, My focus has been on some of My other creations.” God waited for a reply, tapping His fingers on the arm of His throne as he did so.

Gaia made no reply.

“Oh Mighty Sire,” Judas finally spoke up. “Gaia has been too busy roistering with Dionysus. I tried to contact her several times. Each time, I was told by her secretary to come back later. Her mental telepathy channel was closed down also.”

“I see. Where’s Pandora? It seems she has fallen down on job, much as you and Gaia have, Judas.” God looked over the multitude as if expecting Pandora to step forward.

“Er, I don’t see how You can blame me, All-Seeing One. Even though I am technically in charge of Earth on a day-to-day basis, as it were, I have no authority to act. I have no budget. No staff support. No way to deal with even minor problems. My charge was merely to observe and to report. I tried reporting to Gaia and to Pandora before bringing the crisis to Your attention, Father. Through You, Pandora is the one with the power to do something. That’s what the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were all about. Pandora is the one who has let things on Earth get out of natural control.”

“Well, where is she?” God demanded.

Judas hesitated.

“Come, come, Judas. Out with it,” God ordered.

“Supreme ness, she is consorting with our brother, Satan, if my information is correct. She has dallied with him whilst I have been constantly on the job.” Judas shrugged his shoulders helplessly, as he said this.

“The devil you say? Consorting with the nameless one? Never would have considered doing it with her. She’s so ugly in the form I imposed on her after her unfortunate transgression. Unpleasant personality, too. Don’t know why I put up with her. Can’t stand the sight or smell of her. How does the nameless one put up with it?”

“It’s the fire and brimstone, Oh Mightiest of the Mighty. The brimstone deadens the sense of smell. Perhaps it affects aesthetic sensibilities, too.”

“Really? Maybe we should have a bit of that brimstone smell here before she arrives. Still and all, I don’t like her insolence. She’s worse than you are.”

“Oh, Greatest of the Gods, You wound me deeply. I am not only Your son, I am Your devoted and obeisant servant. Always. Surely, You know that, Eminence!”

“If you say so. Perhaps it is just your natural character. Maybe it is your speech mechanisms and habits. Still . . . there is something almost furtive about you . . . ” God let his voice trail away.

“I am totally devoted. I proved that when Jesus gave me the worst task any brother was ever asked to do.” Judas turned with an imploring look. “Jesus, back me up on that.”

“Glad to, brother. Your consternation at betraying me to the Jews and Romans was heart-warming, especially since we both knew I would return here with our Father.” Jesus walked over and put an arm around Judas as he said this; then, he stepped back to Mary Magdalene’s side.

“Besides, I am the fruit of Thy loins just as surely as are any and all of Your children. What I am, You have made me . . . ” Judas gestured toward the entire assemblage as he mentioned God’s children. “I did what Jesus asked of me and look what I got for it: Branded a traitor and a snitch for only 30 . . . “

God interrupted. “Yes. Yes. I know all about that. You got a bum rap for doing what Jesus asked of you, that’s for sure. It’s being fixed down on Earth. New evidence is coming forth. Documents are being found. A book has been written. Those sorts of things.

“Let’s move on. We aren’t getting anywhere.” With that God raised his hand and called out: “Pandora. Come to me.” There was another bright flash of lightning and a huge thunderclap.

A small door opened and an incredibly ugly creature entered. The ugly one had a large box strapped to her back. A second creature, even more mis-formed and uglier, scrabbled in on all fours.

“You called, I came. Your daughter, who is also Your servant, attends You, Sire.”

“So I see. Why did you bring the unmentionable one with you?” God asked.

“In a manner of speaking, Sire, we were ‘as one’ when you summoned me. We were only just able to uncouple as we got here.”

“I see. Well, I’ll have to send him back. He’s not welcome, as you know. I have a good notion to smite him. Through the ages he seems to get ever more insolent and independent thinking. Not to mention devious.”

“Father,” the creature implored, “Along with my twin brother, Jesus, I am the fruit of Thy loins as surely as any of Your other children. If I am made wrong it is because of You, not me! Smite me and You smite Yourself!”

God raised his right arm and started to bring it down. His left hand shot up and restrained the right. “You tempt me, but I will not lose My temper. I had My reasons when I made you the way I did, even unto your transgressions and attempted take-over. You serve a number of needed – I might even say – far larger purposes, though I am not altogether sure what each and every one of My reasons were . . . er, or are today. Perhaps I should re-think you and your role in the great scheme of things.

“As long as you are here, you might as well stay. Much of what is discussed and decided here is going to have a great impact on your operations down there,” God said.

Jesus stepped forward. “Father, I ask a favor of you. Satan, in his present form, makes me both ill and ill at ease. I know he well deserves the punishments You meted out to him. Still his appearance has a negative impact on my aesthetic sensibilities.”

“Well, what would you have Me do, Jesus?” God answered sternly.

“Just while he is here, show compassion, Munificent One. Return him to his former self, at least in appearance.”

“Show compassion? After what he attempted to do?” God almost smiled.

“Compassion to us who must view him and Pandora, too, in their present manifestations. Only for the nonce.” Jesus knelt at God’s feet.

“Oh, very well. If you put it that way, I will turn My other cheek for the moment.”

With that, God flicked his left pinkie finger. A handsome man stood where the ugly creature had been. Except for his small horns and cloven hoofs, he was by far the most handsome and well-formed man in the room.

God flicked the pinkie finger on his right hand. A beautiful creature stood where Pandora had been.

“Thank you, Father. I much prefer to look nearly as I did in the long-gone, happier days.” Satan bowed his head and genuflected.

“I will emmeld with you to bring you up to date. Although, I dare say, most of what is wrong with Earth is of your doing. Still, here is what I have just found out.” God passed his right hand in the air over Satan’s head.

“Hummm,” Satan said. “It seems they have been doing quite a lot since I last surveyed the situation on Earth. They are nearly as adept at evil as I am. Who would have thought that there would be so much going on whilst Pandora and I have been trysting?”

“Enough of your self-satisfied musing. Several billion people will be joining you in Hell. Most will require relatively brief periods of fairly mild atonement. When each has served her or his penance down there, you will send them up here. Saint Peter and you can coordinate all of that as usual.

“Some are going to spend near-eons with you. They will be – for all intents and purposes – permanent residences. You will dispense the horrors and tortures to each according to her or his sins and other transgressions. No leniency. I know that you tend to favor certain kinds of sinners and their deviant behaviors over others. You even have tried to send some of those sinners up here sooner than they deserved. I’ve even caught you giving some egregious sinners celebrity status, as it were, down in your realm. Stick to My mandates, both with your current residents and with the newcomers, do you hear?”

“Yes, Father, I hear and will obey. Sounds like a lot of work and expense. I will need dramatic increases in my budget, in my space allotments, in my staff and in facilities, won’t I?”

“Coordinate with My staff members who are in charge of those matters. It will be done. I have decreed it. Now, off with you.” God waved his hand. The ugly creature cowered where the handsome Satan had been. The creature slithered out the door where he and Pandora entered; the door closed with a low rumble.

“Thank you, Father. Like the unmentionable one, I prefer to look as I did before my youthful transgression.” As she said this, Pandora pulled a mirror out of her flowing robes and looked at herself with obvious satisfaction. She adjusted several of her beautiful curls.

“Enough narcissism and primping. As you now know because I emmelded you, too, there is a great deal of disturbing news about Earth. Seems your Four Horseman are no longer working as planned. The humans are breeding themselves into a number of crisis situations, both for themselves and for the rest of Myself’s creatures on Earth. Sin is almost universal. Greed is rampant. Environmental degradation is approaching irreversible levels. What do you have to say about that? Eh?”

“I find that hard to believe. Just the other day, metaphorically speaking of course, humans were dying like flies. Famine, pestilence, war and death were everywhere. Why, one plague – it seems like it happened just the other day – killed off about 30 to 50 percent of the wretches in what they call Europe. That all happened in only a couple of Earth years. I . . . ”

“If I may, Omniscience,” Judas cut in. “That was several hundred Earth years ago. The big increase in population has occurred over the past two hundred years, since just about the time Pandora, here, started consorting with our brother, Satan.”

“Enough! That’s twice you have brought up that unmentionable’s name! I won’t have it, you hear. I am the only one who may refer to him as Satan. For everyone else and for Me most of the time, he is the unmentionable one. Judas, say the unmentionable’s name one more time and you will find yourself stitching running shoes as a slave in a third-world sweatshop. Remember that!”

“But, Mighty ness, he is my brother. Jesus and he and I grew up together. Along with Pandora and several others, we were inseparable when we were children. I cannot forget that or forsake him entirely. Can I, Father?”

“Judas, sometimes you test and tire Me. Let’s get this sorted out.” God turned His face toward Pandora.

Pandora bowed, “Well, we could send another large asteroid. That certainly did a number on the dinosaurs, not to mention many other species. Or, Sire, we could always go back to the flood ploy. That worked pretty well the last time.”

“Worked well!” Judas exploded. “The flood nearly drowned everyone. Just gathering two of each species was an enormous task. Doing it all left me nearly prostrate. Noah, here, will bear me out on that. They went right back to ‘being fruitful and multiplying.’ We need something more focused, more sophisticated, and more permanent. Another plague would do nicely, together with some modern nuances and augmentations, such as eliminating modern culture and its technologies and increasing wisdom.”

Just then, a beautiful woman came out of God’s creation chambers. She had on a diaphanous gown. Beneath the gown was a curvaceous, voluptuous body. All eyes turned toward her.

“God,” she said in a sultry voice, “what’s all the ‘to-do’ about? I’ve been waiting for what seems like forever. So have all of Your other creation partners.”

“Now, now, Ishtar, My dear, it’s only been a few minutes. Surely you don’t call that forever.”

“Wellllll, it’s just that I miss you so, when we aren’t . . . er, creating things together . . . ”

“Never mind, my little chickadee. You go back and pretty yourself up. Tell all of my creation partners that I’ll be right in. In the overall scheme of things, this is a trivial matter, a mere bagatelle. It’s something that I don’t want any of you fretting about. There are far more important things – much more challenging things – to be done across My many Universes. As soon as I get back, we will finish that project that we were working on before Judas rapped on the chambers’ door.”

The woman turned, languorously, and disappeared back into God’s creation chambers. All eyes of the congregation were on her as she did so.

“Pandora, you have neglected your most important duties,” God said with authority.

“Please, Sire,” Pandora pleaded. “If I have been neglectful, it because of the way I was made. I am the fruit of Thy loins, as surely as any and all of Your creations.”

“Don’t remind me. You are the third one to bring up that ‘fruit of thy loins’ excuse. Enough of that prattle. I must have had My reasons when I made you as you turned out. They were probably logical at the time, though what they were then escapes me now. It’s a darned poor argument; it gets us no where.”

“Whatever you say, Sire,” Pandora bowed as she said that.

“Pandora, you and Judas and the other disciples and the Grand Council here, work this out amongst yourselves. Do it as soon as I leave. I may decide to show up at the planning session, if I can finish the creation project . . . or, at least, set it aside for a bit.”

With that, God got up and dismounted the dais with power and quickness. He strode toward the creative room’s doorway. Just before he entered, he turned.

“I want no nittering, nattering or nitpicking. No bickering about trivialities and incidentals. And I will tolerate no backbiting. Step out of character and get along for once. That’s an order from Headquarters and it goes for all of you.” He waved his hand toward Pandora, Judas, the other disciples, the Grand Council and the multitude. Then, He stepped into the creation chambers and closed the door.

CHAPTER 1: The Planning Session

As the door closed, Pandora became her ugly, mis-created self again.

“I can’t think with all this riff-raff. Clear them out” she shouted. With that, she turned toward the multitude and scowled.

As she did so, the hosts bolted for the main entrance. Within a couple of minutes, she and Judas were alone, except for the twelve disciples, the Grand Council and Drombart.

The dwarf waddled up. “Out, all of you! Retire into the conference room. All of you must leave, at once. His Holiness does not like to have people in His throne room when He is in His creation chambers.”

The Grand Council turned immediately and left. Pandora, Judas and the disciples, lingered just long enough to hear sounds of passion coming through the creation chambers’ door. They quickly walked into the conference room. Drombart closed the door to the conference room behind them.

Pandora, Judas, the disciples and the Grand Council arranged themselves around a huge, round table. Before doing so, most of the disciples and several of the Grand Council members went to a sideboard and got coffee, sweet rolls or other ‘goodies.’ There was much conversation amongst the disciples and between the council members.

Zeus rapped on the table. “Okay, we better get this sorted out, and fast. There is great urgency. I might even say a full-blown crisis on Earth. I am sure each of you shares the distinct impression that God will not tolerate any ‘dilly-dally or shilly-shally’ from us.”

Pandora pointed a crooked finger towards Judas and the disciples. “Look you oafs, why did you bring such a trifle before God. You made it look like I have been lying down . . . er, not being fully attentive to what has been happening on Earth. You made me look bad in front of my Sire. Why didn’t you come to me first? I could have handled it all without him. Next time, come to me first, you hear?”

Judas was livid: “Pandora, we tried to get in touch. All we got were messages to the effect that you were busy and did not wish to be disturbed. Don’t blame us. It was you who was, literally, lying down on the job. We had no other choice. It does require immediate attention and results.”

Pandora glared. “I agree with you about the urgency. Don’t let that ‘forgetful old man’ ploy obscure the fact that He is still All-knowing and All-powerful. He just does that shtick to test us. To ‘toy’ with us. That’s what fooled Satan and got him into trouble. He thought God had lost His powers; then, he stupidly tried to take over. Now, let’s get down to specifics.”

Just as Pandora said this, there was a great flash of lightning and huge crash of thunder. God appeared at the head of the table. He was in one of his most impressive manifestations. As Zeus moved to one side, a chair appeared and Zeus sat down. God remained standing.

God began to speak at once. “I said I wanted no arguing or back-biting.” God glared at Pandora.

She bowed her head.

“I want no more than about 70 to 75 percent of the humans weeded out. That will work out to more than 4.5 billion deaths. I’m going to revert to the three score and ten life-span template. I’ll kill off almost of those over that age, though I will select a few especially wise and effective elders to be spared.

“Pandora, you use all of the horsemen: pestilence, famine and war. That will get it done. Fast. I’ll supervise from my creation chambers. That way, I can intervene in such a way that there will be minimum deaths amongst all the other species, both plant and animal.”

“A word, Sir,” a member of the Grand Council rose from his chair as he said this.

“Yes, Saint Francis. What is it?” God asked.

“What about all of the domestic animals and all of the other species in cages, pens, corrals, feedlots and the like? Will all of the dogs, cats, other pets and most domestic animals be included in the die-off? If they are not, they will suffer mightily without their human owners to feed and care for them and there will be no end of trouble for the environment and for the non-domesticated species.”

“Ah, Saint Francis, a good point, God said. “Very well. I will include them, too. In fact, I’ll choose the domestic animals – along with humans – as the agents that spread the plague. Yes, plague will be the primary instrument of death. However, in deference to their innocence in this matter, I will ensure that the animals die quickly and almost without pain.”

“Another word, if I may, Father.” It was St. Francis again.

“Yes?” Was all that God said in answering St. Francis.

“Can you spare the pets for those humans who are not included in the die-off? The surviving humans will be so traumatized by all the death and destruction that their pets could be a source of comfort . . . “

God cut St. Francis short. “Of course. Another good point. It will be done as you ask.”

“My word, Father, can you do that? Kill the most of the humans with pain and suffering and all of their animals without either pain or suffering, and spare the survivor’s pets and other animals, all with the same plague germ?” Jesus asked.

“Of course I can. When I want to, I know the where, the when, the how and the why of each sparrow’s birth, life and death. That’s in the Bible, in case some of you here don’t remember. I’ve been busy with other matters, or I would have known all about this mess as it developed.

“Normally, I run a ‘hands-off’ shop down there and with most of my other creations; but, I’m not above intervention, both down there and up here, as all of you know, including some of you from very personal experience.” God looked around the table as he said this.

Pandora lowered her head again.

“In this crisis, I will help beyond mere intervention, especially with the restoration of species that have gone extinct. Also, I want to see to it that the wealthiest 20% (those are, typically, the greediest) are among the first to die. I’ll make their deaths horrible. I want whole families of them dead: men, women and children. Nits become lice. The greedy parents teach their children greed or maybe it’s in the genes. Early on, I’ll kill off all of the media moguls and their underlings. I’ll kill off all of the arms manufacturers and dealers and others of their ilk.”

God turned toward another of the Grand Council members. “Fortuna, as the goddess of fortune, you have lavished too much on the greedy. You really should have been more selective . . . and far more evenhanded. Giving too much to too few is never a good idea. Surely you know that.”

“Sire, it was not me,” Fortuna remonstrated. “It was the damniable corporations with all of the power of their growing wealth and with their control over Earth’s politicians. It was the economic and political systems. Even the religious leaders got into the act to make things worse. Short of disobeying Your ‘hands off’ order of centuries ago, I was helpless.”

God merely grunted before speaking again.

“Muhammad, what in the world has happened to the Muslim faith? The ayatollahs and imams are teaching unspeakable things. They are advocating suicide no less. They take the young and the gullible and feed them nonsense about dying as martyrs and coming up here and sitting on my right hand with access to numerous virgins. What say you? Are you sure you copied down the messages exactly as I sent them?”

“Exactly, Supreme ness. Apparently the word that You sent through me was subject to many alternative interpretations. I have been totally shocked for a long time, just as You are now. There are many schisms, many sub-sects, many different, diverging and clashing interpretations.” Muhammad bowed as he said this.

“Well, why didn’t you come to Me? I am always available, aren’t I?” God queried.

“No, Sire, not by a long shot. If you will permit me, I tried to gain access several times. Drombart told me You were busy in the creation chambers and that You could not be disturbed. Besides, you have given my followers freewill, too. They are only exercising that freewill which is Your God-given right for them to do. They are no better, or worse, than the Jews, Christians . . . er, whatever!” As Muhammad said this, he genuflected.

“Forsooth! So it’s all My fault? Is that what I am going to hear from every one of you? Enough. The ‘buck stops here.’ I admit and accept the blame. That will not reduce in any way My retributions against the people of Earth. Yes, I gave them freewill. They have not exercised it within My laws, commandments and intentions. That is where the blame truly lies and where the reckoning will fall. Perhaps I should have stopped creating religions with Zoroaster and Loa-Tse. Even many of the Buddhists have strayed from the path, not to mention the egregious deviations of all of the others.

“I want to reduce greed and the attendant inequities down to more realistic levels. This grand die-off should do admirably. Just the ticket, really.

“By the way, I want to get rid of all of those gas-guzzling behemoths, especially those vehicles the humans call Hummers, other SUVs, the enormous pickups and the overly large sedans. They grate on My aesthetic sensibilities even more than the living dinosaurs did. They are abominations. I’ll see to it that they all wind up in junkyards. The only thing worse than those monstrosities are the people who drive them for ostentation and conspicuous display, thus reducing the availability of adequate energy supplies for future generations.

“It’s all unconscionable stupidity and selfishness. Now, look what it’s brought them and the rest of the world to: My wrath! In fact, I’ll get rid of most all of the so-called technological miracles, almost the whole nine yards. Darned near everything that has been invented over the past two hundred Earth-years is going to go the way of the dinosaurs and 99% of my other creations!

“I want humans to go back to sustainable life-styles, using their own muscle power and the renewable energies. To accomplish that, I’ll make sure most of the die-off takes place in the cities, especially the megalopolises. The poor, those in the so-called non-developed countries and others who are living more-or-less self-sustaining lives, will be left pretty much alone. All of those in the agrarian movement will survive and flourish. They will be the foundation of the post-plague replacement cultural developments.

“Judas and Fortuna, when the greedy, the gluttonous, the selfish and other miscreants get up here, congregate the top two percent. I want to have a session with them. After I have a little talk with them, I will require them to carry my message to all of the others. Then, the whole lot of them will go down to spend some time with the unmentionable one. That should teach them a few lessons about ‘love thy neighbor,’ ‘humility’ and some of My other commandments. I won’t have such greed on Earth or anywhere else in My many universes. It’s simply not the way I wanted it to be down there on Earth, or anywhere else for that matter!

“I’ll bring up all of the religious zealots of every stripe: The Christian right, the Islamists, the militant Israelis, whatever. Also, I’ll bring most of the disbelievers up. I’ll show them a thing, or two, that will put the fear of God into the depths of their souls, before I send them down for some non-believer-type retribution, mild but thorough.

“Zoroaster, Loa-Tse, Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad and Myself will teach them God’s word and God’s ways and what they should have been doing down there in My name. By My beard we will. Good Myself, what a travesty of mis-interpretations, deceits and distortions.

“Hephaestus, as My chief architect and building supervisor, you had better start building more mansions. Get Vitruvius, Peter Van Dresser and anyone else that you need to help you. The population up here will just about double . . . well, eventually, after most of them have served penance with the unmentionable one.

“Pluto, you had better work with Satan. He will need your help, especially, now that he knows that a veritable flood of Earthlings is coming his way. I will emmeld more of My instructions to the two of you.

“Kali, Balor and Shiva, as death goddesses, I want you three to monitor Pandora as she does My command, which is that death will reign over the Earth until the number of humans returns to sustainable levels and life-styles.

“Zephyr, as god of the air, you and I are going to have a lot of work on our hands. The humans have fouled Earth’s air almost beyond imagination. Also, they have caused a monumental hole to appear in the ozone layer. As soon as the die-off is complete, I want you to go down there with the power that I will impart to you and clean up the whole mess.”

Zephyr bowed low. “Thank you, Father. It will be a pleasure to restore Earth’s atmosphere to the purity it had in the beginning.”

“Thor,” God said. No one answered. “Where’s Thor? He should be here with the rest of the Grand Council.” Still silence. Finally, Pandora spoke.

“He’s been in speech therapy with this famous speech therapist for quite some time. I believe they have made great progress. It’s about his lisp.”

“Why didn’t he come to Me? I could have fixed the problem. I assumed he wanted to remain the way he was, since he never asked Me for help.”

God waved his left index finger. There was a might flash of lightening and deafening crash of thunder. Thor appeared. He took a place at the council table and said, “You called, Father?”

God started to say something. He paused and composed himself. “Thor, Earth’s climate has been thrown out of kilter by human folly. Here, see for yourself.” God passed his hand over Thor’s head and emmelded him.

“Looks pretty mild compared to some of the past phases such as the ice ages and the periods of extreme warming. What’s the flap?” Thor seemed uninterested and unimpressed.

“I want you to stabilize Earth’s climate for at least seven Earth years. I want the human that are trying to be self-sustaining, especially those in the agrarian movement in the United States, to have the benefit of an ideal climate for the early years of their efforts. Reverse desertification. Give agriculture all over the world a ‘best chance.’ Will you see to it?”

“Yeah, sure, if you say so, Boss,” Thor answered.

“Father, will do nicely. Boss, as a name for Me, is out. Understand? Satan is going to need a substantial augmentation in his staff to handle a huge influx of sinners. I could always send you down there to help him out and get someone else to handle Earth’s climate adjustments.” God waited.

After a pause, Thor said, “Yes, Father, I understand and will obey. Thank you for putting your faith in me.”

God nodded and said, “Thanks a bunch.”

He turned to a large man with a flowing beard and a trident.

“Poseidon, god of the oceans, you and I will have to restore the oceans’ balances, as well as those of the largest lakes and rivers. We must start at once to revitalize the barrier reefs. Many sea-life species are in collapse. Many already are extinct or virtually so. We must act fast.”

“With pleasure, Pre-Imminent One,” Poseidon boomed.

“Vidar, god the forests, you and I will restore the forests when the die-off is over. Just stopping the savagery that humans are waging on the forests will be a start. Still, there is much to be done in terms of full restoration once the human die-off winds down. I want the cedars of Lebanon, the English oak forests and all of the great jungles back.”

“Oh, Almighty, I was so hoping to hear those words. It will be done according to Your will.” Vidar grinned from ear to ear.

“Atlas and Athena, as god and goddess of knowledge, I want you two to raise the level of wisdom down there. Knowledge without wisdom is rampant. It’s also dangerous. It boggles My mind to think that humans can be so Devilishly clever in some ways and so incredibly obtuse in other ways. Such an imbalance between ignorance stupidity, mendacity and knowledge, just goes to show how wrong most of the actions of vested interests are.

“In fact, I may ease Homo Sap, as I call them, out of existence. I think I will create a new breed of humans. Perhaps Homo Responsibilis will do as a name for this new breed. I’ll give the matter some thought later.

“Eros, ease up. You have overdone it. Myself, what a den of iniquity. Love and sex are okay, but only within the framework of marriage and responsibility. Egad, the abortion rate almost staggers My mind, even with the pill and other contraceptive devices. It’s intolerable, I tell you. Intolerable.”

“I hear and will obey, Greatest of the Gods,” Eros blushed.

“It may be time to do away with organized religion, its trappings and its advocates. There is almost no resemblance to religion as I conceived of it and the travesty that it has become. Myself, just look at all the human conflict that has come about because of clashes in religious beliefs. I’ll devise something far better for Homo Responsibilus. This mess requires that I do better than I have, especially with regard to monitoring and intercession.

“All of you other Grand Council members mark what I have said . . . and to whom. That does not mean that I absolve you of responsibility both for what has happened down there and for what I want done about it. Hear Me well!

“Pandora you are the only one who will actually go to Earth. The Over-arching God has spoken!

“Oh,” God said as if in afterthought. “I’ll be sure that little snit who thinks he is in charge of the United States and who keeps saying that he is serving by My will is one of those who dies in the most horrible way; his death should be slow and degrading, a death he justly deserves.

“How dare he say that I chose him when it was that horrible woman in Florida who purged the voter rolls, that ninny that devised the butterfly ballot and those five Republican sycophants on the Supreme Court that subverted My design, all whilst I was engaged in critical creation matters. He got in behind My back, as it were.

“When he gets up here, I will teach him and all the rest of those self-satisfied hypocrites that speaking for Me is a form of blasphemy. Then, I’ll make sure the unmentionable one gives them one and all plenty of ‘hell’ while they are serving out their retribution sentences down there.

“I’ll make sure that the entire Congress of the United States comes up, en masse. I’ll give them a few lessons in democracy before I send them down below. While they are down there, the Reichstag and Duma members will be in charge of administering their individual and collective punishments. That should be a bit of ironic justice, shouldn’t it?

“Ninety percent of what the Congress has done over the past several decades has primarily been for the benefit of corporations and the wealthiest ten percent of the population. That’s intolerable. It’s shortsighted in the extreme. I’ll show them what democracy should be like. Of course there are a few good ones. I may even send a few of them back after they have benefited from watching what I do to the really bad apples.

“I’ll make the plague so that all of the illegal drug users are especially vulnerable. They will die like flies. Governments that used interdiction instead of rounding up the users and helping them to kick their habits did not really want the drug traffic to end. Too many of the elitists and other movers and shakers benefited directly or indirectly from drug trafficking. That’s why their efforts were such miserable failures. Also, of course, I will kill off all of the drug lords and their minions.

“Come to think of it, I’ll terminate all of the so-called ‘gliterati’ and their groupies and other hanger-on. What a perfidious excess of vanity, narcissism and wasted talent . . . well, a few of them actually do have talent; but not that many.

“Pandora, provide everyone here with a summary of what I instructed you to do in my emmeld to you before I got here, just to be sure we are all on the same page.”

Pandora rose from her chair. She stood quietly for a few seconds.

“First, I’ll release a great little plague germ that I have been saving for just such an emergency. It will be airborne and it will affect humans, dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, hogs, goats and certain other species. Most of the human deaths will be in cities and towns, especially in the huge cities. All humans and animals that God selects will get become sick; selected ones will survive. The plague will kill virtually all domestic animals and about 50 to 60 percent of the humans. All animals that would suffer due to the loss of their human caretakers will die, but their deaths will be virtually painless.

“God is going to provide immunity from the plague for some farmers, especially in the third world and those in the agrarian movements elsewhere, and for others who can foster His plan for a sustainable-yield world.

“Eventually, it’s going to be back to natural farming and some hunting and gathering for the humans. All of the hybrid crops and genetically altered strains will become ‘history.’ Human muscle power is going to be the norm, along with some animal power and a small amount of mechanical power. Most of the mechanical power that relies on petroleum and electricity will phase out due to energy shortages, lack of replacement parts and the shortage of mechanics and other key personnel.

“After the plague has done its work for about a month, I’ll cut off the world’s non-renewable energies. Father has given me the perfect plan for disrupting the electric grid and for stopping the transport of oil from the producing companies to the major markets in the importing countries. I’ll even have all of the nuclear generating plants shut down. It’s back to renewable energy sources for what will be left of the human race. Almost all transportation will come to a halt, including personal vehicles. There will be some important, but very few, exceptions to all of this.

“Father’s plan calls for the disruption of their broadcast and communication networks, radio, TV, radar, the whole agglomeration. God is going to have every man-made thing in space crash back to Earth. I’m going to release a dandy bundle of computer viruses and other things that will, for all intents and purposes, destroy most computers. In addition, almost all computers in vehicles and other transportation devices will cease to function. Humans will be doing virtually all of their communication on a face-to-face basis, just like they did before the industrial revolution. In the end, travel will be mostly on foot.

“Our Father has instructed me to destroy all of the fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide research facilities and manufacturing plants and to kill the scientists, staffs and support people. Also, all of the pharmaceutical research facilities and the scientists, staffs and support people will die. The use of natural fertilizers is part of the natural order of things. Likewise, the development of natural immunity to disease is part of the evolutionary scheme. It is unseemly that so much of the natural order has been superceded by so-called human ingenuity. That will stop for the time being and maybe for a very long time, if not forever.

“Water, food and energy shortages will lead to heightened levels of human conflict, perhaps including conventional warfare and nuclear exchanges. Massive famines, except among those who can provide for themselves, will follow. When it’s all said and done, about 70 to 75 percent of the human race, probably over 4.5 billion humans, will be dead. It all should take about a year at the most.

“Is that about it, Sire?” Pandora asked.

God seemed pleased. “Very well done, Daughter.”

Pandora sat down, opened her box and pulled out an ugly little creature. She began to pet and fondle it and to coo at it. It caressed her check and snuggled in her grasp.

“Father, communications won’t be totally interrupted unless you do something about cell phones, will it?” It was Simon Peter who spoke up.

God said nothing. He knitted his brow in thought. “I’ll let you’all discuss that and come up with something. My presence is needed back in the creation chambers. Something is amiss there, very much amiss, I fear. Would it were that my creation partners could get along. Would it were. I may have to exert some rather stern authority.”

God disappeared.

Pandora turned and stared at the disciple. “So, what’s your solution? I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t bring it up unless you had something up your sleeve.”

“Simple. Cause a huge solar flare. That would destroy cell phone communication and virtually every other aspect of their communication systems, if the flare is powerful enough.” Simon Peter replied.

“Solar flare? Yeah, I guess that could be done; but, by whom?” Pandora questioned.

“Thor could do it.” Paul chimed in. He turned toward where Thor had been sitting. The chair was empty. Thor was gone.

“Hmmm. I can’t ask him,” Pandora countered. “He and I are on the outs right now.”

“How’s that?” Judas asked. “As I remember, you and Thor were pretty cozy at one time.”

“Jealousy. He’s been in a snit ever since I dumped him for . . . “ Pandora stopped in mid-sentence. She had said far more than she intended.

“So, Thor’s thore at you, eh, Pandora?” Mars almost sniggered.

“Very funny,” Pandora said. She possessed very little in the way of sense of humor.

“Well,” Judas continued. “That is some lisp he has . . . well, had . . . before he took up with that speech therapist. I’ll talk to him.”

“If he demurs,” Zeus said. “I’ll have a talk with him. He’ll have to do what I tell him.”

“Huh! Since when? He’s always done pretty much what he wants to.” Pandora’s voice seethed with sarcasm.

“Pandora!” All of the disciples and the council members said her name in concert.

“God said no ‘backbiting,’ Pandora. You better watch what you say,” Zeus admonished.

“Yeah. Yeah. I remember. Let’s get on with it. You take care of it. Unless God decides otherwise, have the solar flare happen one Earth month from today. That’s just about the time phase two, the ‘fireworks,’ will happen.” Pandora looked around the table. “Anything else?”

“I think the solar flare is a bad idea.” It was Mercury who spoke up.

“Why?” Zeus asked.

“It’s too general. Too all-encompassing. There are more specific ways to accomplish all of the disruptions. You’ve already mentioned some dandies. I think you have covered all the bases with the instructions and means God has given you,” Mercury responded.

“We’ll talk to Thor about it. See what he says. We have a month to work it all out. Anything else?” Zeus looked around the room as he said this.

Zeus rapped his gavel on the table. “That ends the council meeting. Since God has set forth the plan, there is no more for us to do. Some Great Council meeting. I don’t know why He bothers with us. He summons us as if we are part of the deliberation process and then does it all Himself.”

Without another word, Pandora got up, put the tiny creature back in the box, put the box on her back and left the room.

The human race was about to reap the harvest of its incredible shortsightedness and prove once more that the name ‘Homo Sap’ is a more apt name than Homo Sapien.

Chapter 2: Pandora’s Work

Pandora was in her element. She was going to do what she was created to do. She would unleash a fulsome measure of pestilence, famine, war and death upon the human race. She was acting under God’s explicit orders and with the full power He had invested in her.

It was not her plan but His that she was fulfilling. It was diabolically clever. It was devised to take full advantage of all of the ignorance and cupidity of the vast percentage of humans. It was a plan that would wreak havoc on mankind within parameters that mankind, in its shortsighted arrogance and hubris, had created and therefore that could be fully exploited in what would – to most human observers – seem like natural, rather than through God-incited means.

Pandora marveled at the beauty, symmetry and simplicity of the plan. Only the Immortal and Eternal could have evolved it, Pandora mused. In spite of the irascible personality she exhibited in public, Pandora admired her Sire immeasurably. She was His devoted child and, when God wished it, she was the instrument of His every wish.

She hummed a folk ditty as she whizzed toward Earth. This would be one of the great events in human history. It would be talked about and written about for as long as the human race continued to be a part of God’s grand scheme. She must not fail. She would not fail.

And, yes, the human race was a part, but only a microscopic part, of God’s grand scheme. The grand scheme was a plan that only He knew. Pandora was privy to occasional glimpses, tiny peeps, really, of segments that never gave her an inkling of the total picture. Try as she might – and she did try mightily at times – God kept full knowledge from her and, incidentally, from all of the heavenly hosts.

“Oh,” Pandora paused from humming a ditty to the muses. “I might overshoot the 70 to 75 percent die-off guideline that God has given me. But, what the heck? It’s His plan and what are a few percentage points in the big picture? God can always stop the dying in midstream, as it were, and truncate or even reverse everything that I am triggering.”

Her new little ‘dear,’ as she liked to refer to the microbe, incorporated the worst symptoms of the White Plague and the Black Plague. It would be transmitted from domestic animals to humans and from human to human by way of the air, as those already infected sneezed and coughed, and also when humans shook hands or grasped doorknobs. Also infections would occur when the humans interacted with dogs, cats and other domesticated animals. The die-off for the domesticated species would be nearly 100%. The germ was ideally suited for rapid, worldwide transmission and dissemination.

It took about 24 hours for the plague symptoms to appear once a microbe entered the victim’s body. After that, the course of the disease – for those most vulnerable – was swift and sure: Headache, high fever, great pain throughout the body but especially in the muscles and joints, vomiting, severe stomach and bowel cramps, plentiful and non-reversible diarrhea, painful swellings in the arm pits and in the groin, deterioration of body functions such as those of the liver and kidneys, a dramatic buildup of fluid in the lungs and, often, the onset of opportunistic diseases such a pneumonia, total system failure and death, sometimes within three to four days; sometimes much sooner than that. In a few cases – those chosen by God – much longer.

But that was the picture for only those most susceptible. For some, there were few, if any symptoms, other than those that typically accompany a bad case of the flu. Almost no humans were totally immune. That, and the fact that those living in the cities and towns of the world would be the main focus, would guarantee that only about 25 to 30 percent of the human race survived.

At least half of those infected, especially women, children, the elderly and the already infirm would die from the disease or opportunistic diseases. Others would die from famine and, possibly, wars. By infecting animals in feedlots, hog and chicken factories, for example, and humans at major airports around the world, first, Pandora assured that the spread of the disease would be rapid and that it would reach into to every urban corner of the globe. At first, humans would infect their pets and other domesticated animals; then, those animals would infect other humans.

Pandora arrived at Earth. While on Earth, Pandora was nearly omniscient in the sense that she could be thousands of places nearly simultaneously. She could move at God’s Speed,” which was near infinitely fast. First, she took her nasty little microbe to seven of the world’s busiest airports. She spread a generous ‘application’ of the microbe on the hands of the unsuspecting victims or blew her little ‘dears’ into their nostrils. The humans could not see her. However, one woman did turn up her nose as Pandora stood invisible before her.

“Harold,” the woman demanded. “Was that you? I told you to not eat those beans! Then what did you do? You took a second helping. Aghh!” The woman took out a perfumed hanky and put it up to her nose as she turned and moved away from her husband.

Harold tried to proclaim his innocence. It was no use. He had been the offender far too many times in the past.

Pandora hurried away. “I’ll have to choose my initiating victims more carefully. Perhaps I was down in the unmentionable one’s realm a bit too long,” she whispered. “That brimstone’s odor is pretty powerful and pervasive. It has almost become ‘me,’ my defining ‘trademark,’ as it were.”

Pandora spent the Earthly equivalent of a few seconds at each of the seven airports. At each, she infected several hundred humans. She made sure that the infected ones were bound for diverse destinations. That way, she reasoned, the plague would not only spread rapidly, outbreaks would occur in all parts of the world at about the same time. It was foolproof. The lethal outcome was inevitable.

She visited the major sporting venues all over the world for the weekend in question. She spread the microbes generously through the crowds. She visited thousands of hospitals, graduated care facilities, senior centers and other facilities for the aged and the infirm.

Infecting the animals in feedlots and in hog farms and chicken factories was – if anything – even easier. Pandora merely swept down, infected a few of the animals and let the deadly microbe with its spreading capability do the rest.

Pandora made a special trip to the Congressional chambers in the United States and to the offices, haunts, enclaves, venues, playgrounds and residences of the very rich throughout the world as God had instructed her to do. With her access to God’s near-instant speed, she was able to accomplish even that extensive chore in virtually no time at all by Earthly time standards. She returned to Heaven.

The energy disruption part of the plan was quite a bit more complicated. Near the end of an Earth month, with nearly one half of the world’s population dead and the plague winding down, Pandora returned to Earth and planted explosives inside several of the sulfur removing towers at key petroleum refineries around the world, at the one at Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia, for example, but also at refineries in Russia, Iran, Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina and the United States.

The explosives were timed so that all would go off nearly simultaneously. She placed more explosive charges – timed to go off in consort with those in the refinery towers – at key petroleum loading and unloading ports. The loading platforms at Ras Tanura on Sea Island, off the Saudi coast, were especially chosen because of the huge volumes of petroleum that were on-loaded from there.

In addition, she hid explosive charges in three nuclear electric power generation plants in France and two each in Germany, Japan and China. She did this so that all nuclear plants around the world would be shut down. The explosions would be thought to be the work of insurrectionists. The easy access by apparent saboteurs to three of the most closely guarded plants and to the six others guaranteed that nuclear electric generating plants around the world would be deemed vulnerable by those in charge of security at all plants. The governments and the operators would have no choice but to shut them all down until the mystery of how plant security was compromised was solved.

She set powerful charges in most of the key drug manufacturing plants in the developed countries. That way, the manufacture of drugs to fight the secondary and opportunistic diseases would not be available. There was no drug or combination of drugs (drug cocktails) that could deal with the plague microbe.

Finally, she planted explosive charges in a number of the world’s major cities. She set them to go off almost simultaneously, but not quite. The bombs contained no nuclear material or other contaminants. She did put a 100-pound sack of ordinary flour with each bomb. At the bomb detonated and wafted the flour over large areas, it would be assumed that they were ‘dirty bombs,’ (perhaps containing anthrax). That fear would incite further chaos and rash actions and reactions by some political leaders. She reasoned that, perhaps, even nuclear exchanges would occur.

Getting all of the needed explosive material was no problem. With her God-given powers, Pandora merely extracted the explosives that she needed from war material stockpiles without the possibility of detection while leaving behind the appearance that all of the material was still in place.

The shutting down of the nuclear plants at the same time that a worldwide shortage of petroleum occurred caused disruption of the electric grids for many countries, especially for the unified electric grid system in the United States of America. Wasn’t energy the fulcrum of the modern state? Wasn’t petroleum the lynchpin of modern states’ dependence on energy? Wasn’t nuclear plant safety – generally and from terrorist vulnerability – in the ‘public mind’? Wasn’t the prospect of so-called dirty bomb attacks being featured in the world media?

The problems associated with petroleum and electric energy shortfalls were inestimably magnified by the spread of the plague. With both energy shortages and widespread death, social and economic chaos developed in most of the major metropolitan areas around the world. Health services came to a virtual standstill. Police forces became impotent. Armies, decimated by disease and death, became seriously emasculated, generally, and in most cases because of wide spread desertion by those who survived the plague, almost nonexistent.

Potable water supply systems and human waste removal and treatment systems ceased to function, either regularly or at all. Widespread water shortages developed. Sewers backed up and contaminated drinking water sources. The backups, overflows and contaminations fostered the spread of a myriad of diseases such as cholera, dysentery and e-coli infections.

Drastic energy shortages, especially of gasoline, disrupted food distribution. That led to food shortages in most of the hamlets, towns, cities and megalopolis boundaries of the developed world and in all of the metropolitan areas of the under-developed world as well. The massive, daily delivery of food supplies of every description to food retailers of every sort gives the impression that the modern food distribution system is a cornucopia – an endless source – of food staples and all other products and supplies.

Nothing could be more wrong or more deceptive. A few days’ supply of most of the key, basic food supplies is all that almost all stores have. Daily deliveries create and maintain the appearance of an endless supply. Without gasoline and diesel fuel supplies, the daily deliveries of food drastically slowed, quickly, and finally stopped almost entirely. Those who loaded the trucks and sent them out and those who drove the trucks died in great numbers. Thieves and insurrectionists seized some of the available food stores and took control of some of the food warehouses.

With either no electricity or – in other cases, rolling brown and blackouts – food in refrigerators and freezers spoiled. Most households, at best, did not have food for more than a few meals on hand. Those with electric stoves could not cook what little food they had. Those with gas stoves found the pressure drop and then cease. Widespread hunger began a few days after the petroleum stockpiles were depleted.

Looting occurred. However, since the food stocks in most stores were depleted almost at once by panic buying, the looters – on the whole – found only non-food items in many stores. This led to frustration and to widespread destruction, some of which was directed toward the stores without food stocks. The violence then spilled out into the streets. Soon, much of the violence was vented against government officials and government buildings, especially those where government officials were most likely to be found.

God nixed the idea of the solar flare before it happened. He felt that mass communication was disrupted in enough other ways, what with computer viruses and worms, the plague, energy shortages and general chaos. Newspapers could neither print issues nor deliver them. Radio and TV fared a little better in the early going but near-total disruption eventually became the norm. Essentially all satellites failed and transmission towers ceased to operate. In fact, on His own, God caused every man-made thing circling the globe – including the smallest pieces of trash – to crash back to Earth.

Stock markets around the world closed their doors, suspending all business in the process, as economic panic spread and before the value of all stocks sank to unacceptable lows. Panic buying of gold and silver occurred early on, creating minor riots. But even those ceased in the chaos, in part because of the absence of the communication network and the closing of venues for trading.

The government of the United States seemed to suffer more than most other governments. Both houses of the Congress were devastated by the plague. Government officials, with the failure of the electric energy grid, were evacuated from Washington – where possible – to emergency bunkers. But, even there, emergency communication systems were vestigial, at best, or non-existent. The best-laid evacuation and communication plans did not work out. The plague spread through the bunkers, too.

Pandora’s work was done; really, dramatically ‘overdone.’ The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were once again in full ascendancy; they ravaged the human race. That human culture related to the industrial age, the nuclear age and the computer age was going through the throes of destruction. A near stone-age existence loomed for those humans who survived. Self-sufficient agriculture – based primarily on human muscle power – would once again become the primary human endeavor. Some hunting and gathering – but not much – would augment the agrarian’s diet.

Pandora made one final survey before she headed back to heaven.

As she approached heaven a great feeling of sadness came upon her. She was, for the first time in her long career, feeling empathy for all of those who had died or would die because of her actions.

She felt depressed. She felt that it was time to ask God for a different assignment, one where she could use His and her creative rather than His destructive powers. She would ask God for a leave of absence and then a new assignment when she rendered her report to God. Even with her newly found feelings, Pandora was too much of a showoff to hold back from reporting back to God. She was, in fact, proud of her work on Earth.

However, in her report, she gave God full credit for the plan that she executed. As she started to reveal her feelings and make her request, God, of course, already knew how she felt. He broached the subject, saying that He felt it was time for a change for her, following a period of rest and reflection.

Chapter 3: Gary’s Escape

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Amalgamated TV Network brings you a Breaking News Special. In just a couple of minutes, the President of the United States will address the nation on the rolling brownouts and intermittent blackouts that have been occurring across the Nation as the National Energy Grid has experienced energy shortages and other problems.

Also, as each and every American citizen knows, a deadly plague has been sweeping across the United States – across the world, in fact – for about a month. Up to 50% of those who come down with this plague, die rather rapid and horrible deaths.

“The President addressed the Nation on this crisis just last week.

“Some sections of the electric grid have been failing nearly every day for the past week. In part, these failures are due to acute coal and natural gas shortages at electric generating plants throughout the country. In addition, the threat of nuclear terrorism caused the shutdown of all electric generating plants using nuclear fuels in the United States following the destruction by terrorists of three electric generating plants in France and two each in Germany, Japan and China that ran on nuclear fuel. It is believed that vast amounts of highly toxic nuclear materials were released when these plants in were destroyed.

“While no reliable estimate of the number of immediate deaths from the nuclear terrorism is available, the death toll – especially as the years go by – will almost certainly be in the thousands, if not much higher. Clearly, the Departments of Energy and of Defense in the United States had no choice except to carefully, completely and safely shut down the nuclear electric generating plants and to place heavy military and civilian guard units at those plants and at all other nuclear facilities. The shutdown of the nuclear plants, coupled with the coal and natural gas shortages were key factors in the brownouts and blackouts.

“We have just been notified that the President is almost ready to address the Nation. We are told that he will be speaking from an unnamed National Security site, somewhere in the United States. Here is the President.”

“My fellow Americans, it is with great sadness that I come before you. When I scheduled this time with each of you, my intention was to address the recent problems with the National Electric Energy Grid, the gasoline shortages, the plague, the food riots, the die-off of millions of animals around the world, the rampant inflation and the general chaos. However, events of the last few minutes set that talk aside. Armageddon may be here at last.

“Nuclear devices – so-called dirty bombs – were detonated in New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver and Los Angeles a few minutes ago and in as yet uncounted other cities around the globe. These despicable acts of terrorism were set off almost simultaneously, pointing to a carefully planned and coordinated operation by international terrorists of the most dreadful and uncaring sort . . .”

Gary’s TV screen turned to snow as the President’s image faded. A few seconds later, the TV screen went totally blank, just as the lights in his house went out.

Gary grabbed the flashlight on the table next to his easy chair and flicked it on.

“Time to head for the sanctum,” he said aloud, even though he was alone in the room.

Quickly, he went into the garage and activated his in-home emergency electric generating system. The lights in the house came back on as Gary strode from the garage into the kitchen. There, he picked up several carefully packed boxes, took them into the garage and packed them into his suburban. From the visor over the driver’s seat, he grabbed a well-worn sheet of paper, folded it open, took a pen from his shirt pocket and began double-checking all of the items on the paper.

As soon as he was satisfied that everything in the way of supplies that was supposed to be in the suburban was there, he hurried back in the house, went upstairs two-at-a-time and into his four- year-old son’s bedroom. He picked up the boy, sleeping bag and all, and returned to the vehicle.

The suburban was so heavily loaded that there was barely room to tuck the still-sleeping boy into a special, soundproofed compartment where the back seat would have been. Gary strapped his son into a special safety harness, covered him with a special Kevlar blanket and closed the small compartment’s door. The compartment was air-conditioned; in fact, there were both monitors and a supply to insure that there was adequate oxygen in the compartment.

At first glance, the suburban looked like any other vintage vehicle. Looks can be deceiving; it was actually powerful, sophisticated, and fitted with hidden body armor. The windows were the best and latest bulletproof glass. The vehicle was armor-plated; it had steel, double back doors. The wiring throughout the vehicle was heavy-duty, and covered with special insulation and protective covering. There were no computers or other modern devices in the vehicle.

Rocket launchers that could be fired, manually or electronically, from inside the vehicle were built into the body and concealed. Two launchers pointed forward and two towards the rear. All four could be swiveled across a broad field of fire and could be aimed and fired through the driver’s helmet. The launchers were loaded and ready to fire. Several spare rockets were carefully and safely packed and aboard.

Gary went back in the house and checked the front and rear door locks. He systematically turned off all of the lights and appliances in the house, including the blackened TV, as he headed back to the garage. There, he donned a Kevlar vest, night vision goggles, and a military-type helmet (complete with built-in light). From a case next to the suburban, he removed a heavy belt from which hung a holster sheathing a Glock pistol. Several fully loaded ammunition clips for the pistol were attached to the belt. He checked to make sure the pistol was loaded, but that the safety was on.

Next, he took a rifle out of the case. He checked to make sure that the ammunition clip was correctly inserted into the weapon. He clicked a live round into the firing chamber, put the gun on safety and slide it into a special holder between the left and the right front seats.

He walked over and turned off the emergency generator, opened the garage door manually, got in and drove the suburban out of the garage. He got out of the vehicle and closed and double locked the garage door.

As he got back in the driver’s seat, he adjusted the night vision goggles, put the suburban in gear and drove out of his driveway. He did not look back. He realized that he might never again see the house that had been a happy home for him, his late wife, his dead daughter and his sleeping son.

The past month was more like a nightmare than reality. First, Gary tried to help his friends as – one-by-one – they first caught and then succumbed to the plague. Among the last to come down was Gary and his family. He and his son survived; his wife and daughter died, the latter just two days before.

Gary drove without lights and relatively slowly. He did not want to attract attention to the vehicle. Also, he took the least traveled streets that he could. He knew the way by heart. It was a carefully considered route.

He passed several homes of friends and acquaintances that he had tried to enlist in survivalist preparations. All of the houses were dark except one. In that one, a couple of candles flickered in the living room window. “Maybe they took some of my advice,” he said aloud. “More likely, they are recovering from or dying from the plague.”

Gary did not stop. He could not do so without endangering his own and his son’s safety and without jeopardizing his plans for escape and survival.

It was not that he did not try to mobilize interest in and preparation for exactly the present happenings. For two years, he wrote letters, contacted friends and neighbors repeatedly – until asked to ‘butt out’ by some. He gave talks to local service clubs, religious groups, book clubs and the like. He appeared on local TV and radio shows. Some of his population, energy and survivalist articles were published in various newspapers, both local and regional.

Most of his efforts went for naught. People were too locked into their lives to change. Most did not believe his message of impending energy shortfalls, untreatable plagues or terrorist acts. He never gave up trying. Now it was too late. Part of his resolve included ‘steeling himself’ from the suffering of those whom he could not help or those who refused to heed his messages and help themselves.

Gary began making plans for this escape to the sanctum three years before. His first step was to enroll in a weight and strength management course at a gym near his house. In the first year, he lost 45 pounds of fat, gained 30 back in muscle and doubled his strength. In addition, he pursued an aerobic routine that he increased across the first year until he was able to work out on the elliptical machines or the stepper machines for up to an hour at the most challenging levels.

In short, he went from an over-weight, almost middle-age slob to a muscular man with high levels of strength and aerobic endurance. For the second year, he continued his strength and aerobic conditioning and, in addition, he took both personal defense and rifle and pistol marksman classes. He excelled in those classes. He also took classes in electronics, small engine repair and a variety of other self-sustaining skill areas.

The freedom of being a successful real estate broker in a booming market allowed him time for each pursuit. His certain belief that he would need the physical and multi-survival skills gave him the motivation he needed.

In addition, he converted his home from a typical energy dependent house into a energy independent, stand-alone home. He increased the home’s energy efficiency by installing additional insulation and low-emissivity windows. He had the house remodeled so that it became a passive solar home. He had a domestic solar hot water system installed. He had a photovoltaic system installed. Over a period of one year, the electric utility company actually owed him money instead of the other way around. The house was a model of energy efficiency and self-sufficiency.

Although he encouraged his wife, Sherrie, to do some physical conditioning and personal defense and marksman training, she refused to do so. “Who wants to live in the kind of world you are training to live in?” was what she said.

She got her wish. She and their daughter, Sarah, were among the last to catch the plague strain that began about a month before and quickly spread around the world before a vaccine could be developed. None of the typical treatment drugs worked. Almost 50% percent of those who came down with the new strain died. Gary and his son, Gordon, both survived. Among those who survived, symptoms ranged from mild to severe. Gary and Gordon were among the lucky ones; their symptoms were more like a bad case of the flu than the oft-fatal plague.

Finding the “right sanctum” turned out to be a stroke of good fortune. One of his college roommates was from a remote area of the state. The roommate’s family owned a large and especially remote ranch, complete with water rights and several homes. In spite of physical (Roger was 6’ 9” and weighed a muscular 280 pounds; Gary was 5’ 8” and weighed an out-of-shape 155 pounds) and personality (Gary was extraverted and socially adept; Roger, at first, was a shy country boy) differences, Gary and Roger studied together some and partied together frequently during the entire four years they were in college. Gary helped Roger become more outgoing and socially adept. Both spent times at the other’s home. And, a-typically, in spite of dramatic career differences, they stayed in touch after college.

It was Roger who first alerted Gary to the possibility of social and economic chaos due to energy shortages, plague and/or world terrorism. Roger majored in physical chemistry, Gary in business administration. Even though they were at the same university, the two received radically different educations and ‘world-views’ from their courses and professors.

Immediately after college, Gary went to work for a large real estate company; Roger worked for a huge, multinational oil, coal and gas conglomerate for several years before returning to the family ranch. During his years with the conglomerate, Roger traveled extensively. His job took him to the far corners of the globe. He climbed the corporate ladder quickly. His career provided him with an excellent, high-level overview of world energy resources and with a firm foundation of understanding regarding the extent of those resources, particularly with regard to when those resources would likely start to become scarce and, therefore, expensive.

Gary scoffed at the idea of energy shortages and social and economic chaos from such shortages, from plague and from international terrorism at first. Then, as the evidence that Roger, over a period of several years, provided for the coming problems mounted, Gary became a reluctant ‘believer,’ then an ardent advocate. That was when he began his personal transformation and when he and Roger began a coordinated, ‘sanctum-sanctorum’ planning effort.

For his part, Roger converted the family ranch from an energy dependent hay and cattle operation into an alternate-technology training center. He charged people of all ages, on a sliding scale based on ‘ability to pay,’ to come to the ranch for classes in various fields related to several alternate technologies and sustainable yield living. In addition, he hired a staff with all of the wide-ranging skills necessary to both convert the ranch operation and to teach the classes. Most of the teachers lived on or near the ranch. All were dedicated to the objectives set forth by Roger in the Mission Statement for the ranch.

In addition to learning alternate technology and sustainable living skills, each teacher and every student had to enroll in physical conditioning programs, personal defense skill classes and weapons’ training classes. Those students who were financially able and willing to do so paid high tuitions.

The ranch soon became totally energy independent and almost totally self-sustaining. It became a model of what ranches were like in earlier times, but with many modern differences. It was not back to the “goat and the loom” (to use B. F. Skinner’s intriguing phrase from his novel, “Walden Two.”) It was more like the fictional Walden Two, but even more sophisticated, energy efficient and self-sustaining. And, of course, the ranch maintained a much smaller population than the fictional Walden Two utopia.

By choosing back roads, Gary hoped to avoid the panic and traffic tie-ups that he was certain the President’s speech – before the screen went black – might initiate. He was only partially successful. On several occasions, he had to shift into 4-wheel drive and veer off the road to get through congestion due to minor accidents. Twice, he had to nose the suburban up to and push abandoned vehicles out of his way. The special grill guard permitted him to do that without damage to his vehicle. In those instances, the suburban proved equal to the task, even loaded as heavily as it was.

As he left the town behind and started up a canyon leading into the foothills, the obstacles raised by abandoned vehicles thinned, until he soon found no more vehicles in his way. Most of those who tried to flee headed for the plains, not the mountains. It was almost wintertime. Already there had been several early-season snows in the high mountains – not exactly an environment the unprepared would head for.

At the end of two hours, Gary pulled off the road and stopped his vehicle on a parking apron. The night vision goggles gave him a good view of the meadows on both sides of the road. It was a pre-determined stop. He got out and relieved himself. Then, he roused Gordon. With encouragement, Gordon relieved himself. Gary gave him a child’s dose of a sleeping pill, rocked him back to sleep and put him back in the special compartment. Just as Gary was starting to pull back on the road, two cars passed by. They were headed in the same direction. Gary took note of them, but could not tell how many people were in each. They seemed to be traveling together and going too fast.

As the hours crept by, Gary guided the suburban up winding mountain roads and over several mountain passes. Since none of the roads he chose was a major highway, he encountered no traffic in either direction or any problems. That is, not until he came to the longest and highest bridge on the route. That’s when he came up on what appeared to be a hastily put together barricade. Two cars were parked, nose-to-nose and across the roadway, shutting off any possibility of driving through.

Gary slowed the suburban well back from the barricade and finally stopped. With his night vision goggles on, he could see that several men were standing behind the cars. The men were armed. Some had rifles, some shotguns. He counted seven figures. Gary kept the suburban running at an idle. He waited.

Finally, a man stepped from behind one of the vehicles. The man raised his right arm. He had a large white item in his hand. It looked like a tee shirt. He waved it like a white flag. The man slowly walked towards the suburban.

When the man was about 20 feet away, Gary activated an electronic bullhorn and spoke: “That’s far enough. Keep your hands up and where I can see them. Any quick movement or other funny stuff and I fire.”

“We mean you no harm. We are peaceable people. We are good Christian men. We need food and money. Give us some food, or money, or both and you can pass unharmed.” The man smiled and offered a peace sign with his left hand.

“I am peaceable, too. I have no extra money or food. Move the cars out of the way. Then, all of you line up, lay your weapons down and put your hands in the air until I have passed by.”

The man smiled again. “No deal, friend. We are desperate. We aim to get what we want, peaceably if possible; otherwise, . . . ” With that, a shot rang out from behind one of the cars. The bullet pinged harmlessly off the front of the suburban.

“That’s not my idea of peaceable ness.” Gary’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. Move the cars now, or I will fire a powerful rocket and, afterwards, bulldoze the cars out of the way.”

The man waved his white flag vigorously. “That shot was just a friendly little warning to show you that we are desperate and that we mean business. No harm meant, no harm done. As I said, we are good Christian men. Besides, that ain’t no bulldozer you got there, mister.”

“It’ll do the job of a bulldozer, if you don’t do as I said. I’ll give you to the count of three.” Gary started to count, “One, Two . . . ” Two shots and a shotgun blast hit the front of the suburban.

The man pulled a revolver out of the tee shirt and fired, point-blank at Gary’s head. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly off the bulletproof glass.

Gary shifted the suburban into low four-wheel drive. He drove toward the man with the pistol. The man fled behind the barricade. Gary stopped, took aim and fired a rocket into the rear of one of the cars. There was a huge explosion and fire.

There was screaming and pandemonium behind the cars. One man, his entire body engulfed in flames, ran away from the cars toward the other end of the bridge. By the time he was half way across the bridge, he was a human torch. He finally jumped off the bridge into the stream. Two other men, each with his clothes on fire, jumped over the side of the bridge and into the stream below.

Gary waited a couple of minutes to allow the worst of the fire to die down. As he did so, four figures scampered from behind the car that was not on fire and jumped off the bridge into the stream. As the fire died down, Gary pushed the gas pedal down. The suburban inched forward.

Gary aimed the suburban toward the small gap between the two cars. He accelerated just as he hit the gap. The cars swung violently away and the suburban passed through with loud grating noises. Sparks flew.

As the suburban broke through, Gary shifted into a higher gear and drove across the bridge. He heard a couple of shotgun blasts, but no pellets hit his vehicle. “Now, they are without food, money and serviceable cars,” he thought. “Serves them right for attempting armed robbery.”

Then, he saw two cars parked off the road at the end of the bridge. He recognized them as the two cars that had passed him earlier. Something did not look right. He stopped beside the first one. The car was parked on a slope. It was a four-door sedan. The nearside back door was open.

Gary could see a person sprawled on the back seat. He looked closer. It was a woman. She was naked. There were dark stains. Gary realized that she was probably dead. In spite of the risk, Gary turned on a spotlight and swept it over the woman’s body. A large, bloody hole gaped in the center of her chest.

“Not peaceable at all,” he muttered. “Can’t leave those guys now. They will be even more dangerous since our encounter.” Gary turned off the spotlight just as another bullet glanced off his side of the vehicle. He roared away from the grizzly sight.

About one quarter of a mile down the road, he spied a small trail on the left side of the main road. He slowed and turned onto the trail. “Probably an abandoned logging road,” he said aloud. Several were marked on his map, but he did not check to see if this was one of them. He drove about 100 yards down the trail. When he stopped, he scanned as much of the surrounding forest as he could. Most of the trees were pine trees; some were aspen. There was also some heavy underbrush that Gary could not identify with his night vision goggles on.

When he was satisfied that no one else was around, he put the vehicle keys in a vest pocket, grabbed his rifle, quickly opened the door, pushed the lock button down and quietly shut the door. He dove down and rolled into a bush.

He crawled away from the suburban as quickly and as quietly as he could. All the while, he was scanning the area with his night vision goggles. He stopped, waited and then jumped up beside a large pine tree. With his back to the tree, he again scanned his entire field of vision. He took some quick compass bearings. Satisfied that he was alone, he walked back to the suburban and unlocked it. He checked to make sure that Gordon was still asleep. Gordon was.

Gary took four motion sensors from the vehicle and set them, at intervals, around the vehicle. If anyone or a large animal came close to the vehicle, their motion would activate a small receiver built into the helmet Gary had on. When the sensors were in place, he reoriented himself relative to the road and the bridge and set off at a brisk walk. “Time to deal with the murderers,” he whispered.

As he neared the bridge, he heard voices. They seemed to be coming from his side of the bridge, but he could not tell exactly where, or how many there were and he could not make out what was being said. He moved from tree to tree until he could see a small clearing. Four men were standing beside a small fire. Two more were lying close-by in what appeared to be sleeping bags. Both were groaning.

“Two of the three that jumped into the stream to put out their flaming clothes,” Gary thought. “I wonder how badly burned they are. The first one probably died from his burns.”

Gary almost gasped. A young woman was tied to tree. She slumped as if she was asleep or unconscious. Gary looked at her chest until he was fairly sure that he saw breathing. “Probably from one of the cars,” he thought. He moved closer.

The men were arguing. The man who had approached the suburban with the tee shirt was talking and gesturing. He pointed to the two of the other men. “You two go down there” – he pointed towards the bridge – “and clean out the cars. We gotta use them now that ours are destroyed. Now git.”

“We ain’t goin’. They’s dead people down there.” One of the two whined. “We ain’t goin’ near no dead-uns. You killed ‘em, you go.”

The leader stepped forward and slapped the man who spoke. He pulled out a gun and pointed it. “Git down there before I use this on you. I’m in charge here. Only one can be in charge. What I say goes. Understand?”

The two cringed and started toward the cars.

The leader turned to the remaining man. “You take care of that woman over there. I’ll do in Jed and Cloyd.” With that said, the leader walked over and stood between the two men in the sleeping bags. He pointed his pistol and one of them and fired twice. Without hesitating, he turned his pistol on the other man and fired two more shots.

Gary did not hesitate. He aimed his rifle at the leader and gently squeezed the trigger. The force of the bullet’s striking toppled the man backward. Gary turned his rifle toward the second man. Just as he did so, a shot rang out. “Too late,” he said aloud. He sighted his rifle on the man. Gary squeezed the trigger; the man staggered backward, dropped his pistol and fell. The man tried to get up. Gary shot him again.

Gary went to the woman. There was a bullet hole in her forehead. Blood was streaming down her face. Gary cut her down. He could not find a pulse. The woman was dead. He found a sleeping bag nearby and covered her as best he could. Then, he started for the two men down by the bridge.

The two were standing about half way between the clearing and the bridge, clearly confused. “Jerry? John? What’s goin’ on up there? What were all those shots?” One of the men hollered.

Gary didn’t answer. The two carried on a whispered conversation. Suddenly, they turned and started running towards the bridge. Gary followed them. They crossed the bridge and continued running in the middle of the road.

Gary sighted his rifle and squeezed off a round. The bullet kicked up dust just behind and to the left of the running men. They ran faster. He sighted again and shot. This time, the bullet kicked up dust to the right of the men.

“I think that will take care of those two. They will run until they drop or until someone runs over them in the dark,” Gary whispered.

He hiked back to the suburban. After checking the area carefully and gathering up the sensors, he unlocked the vehicle and again checked Gordon. “Still sleeping soundly?” he whispered. No answer. Gordon was fast asleep in his safety compartment. Gary closed the compartment door and the suburban door quietly and got in the driver’s seat.

Gary found a small clearing, turned the suburban around and drove it back to the main road. He turned right and went back to the two cars and the bridge. He drove across the bridge and, using the suburban’s heavy grill, pushed what was left of the burned out car back away from the bridge so traffic could get through. Then, he drove back to the other two cars. A dead man was slumped over the steering wheel of each car. Both had been shot in the face at close range. He closed the rear car door where the dead woman lay, after covering her naked body with a blanket.

He was faced with a quandary: If he took the time to bury the dead, or even only the murder victims, he would be delayed by hours. Too much of the night was already gone. Any further delay decreased his chances of getting to Roger’s ranch. Also, if any law enforcement or military units came upon him, Gary was sure that he would be taken into custody. And, technically, he had murdered two men. He preferred to think that he had executed them for murder and other crimes.

After a few minutes, he wrote out an explanation and slipped it under the sun visor of the car with the dead woman in it. He did not sign the explanation. He got in the suburban and continued toward the ranch.

A second decision loomed large: Should he find a sheltered spot, park for the day and sleep, or go on. All of the dangers of the trip would be magnified during daytime travel. After driving for several miles, he stopped and checked his map. A logging road was not far ahead. He would lie up for the day.

He drove off the main road and onto the logging road. After about a mile, he found a particularly sheltered spot and pulled the suburban into it. He shut off the motor and looked around for several minutes. He realized that his night vision goggles were no longer needed. It was getting light, fast. It was going to be a clear, bright day. He took off the night vision goggles.

Once again, he put the wagon’s keys in a vest pocket, grabbed the rifle, jumped out of the vehicle, closing and locking the wagon’s door as he did so. He rolled into a bush. Still on his belly, he scrambled through the bush and looked around. He crawled over to a large tree and stood with the tree to his back. He studied his field of vision carefully until he was sure that no one else was around.

Using a small mirror, he scanned as much of the field of vision on the other side of the tree as he could. Then, he slid around to the other side of the tree.

“Lay your gun down and put your hands up.” The voice seemed to come from nowhere. It was an unsteady voice. The speaker did not sound American.

Gary dove down, rolled twice and scrambled behind a second tree. He was confident that the Kevlar vest and the combat helmet provided good protection. No shots. No sounds.

He heard a scrambling noise. Then, he heard someone moving away from him. He jumped behind another, larger tree and looked around it.

What appeared to be an old man was hobbling down the road. The man was dressed in military-type camouflage clothing. That was one reason Gary had not seen him.

“Stop or I will shoot,” Gary demanded.

The man stopped and turned.

Gary approached the man cautiously. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

The old man shrugged. “I thought you were one of them,” he said. “You are not or you would have shot and missed. Sorry about the trick, I thought it might work so I would have a weapon to use against them.”

“Who are you?” Gary asked,

“I am Florian Blackbear. My people are White River Utes. This used to be our land. And you?”

“Florian?” Gary asked. “I used to buy my clothes from a man whose first name was Florian. He was not an Indian,” he continued.

“Yes, Florian. One of my ancestors was a Jew. What is your name?”

“My name is Gary. I am on my way to a ranch to meet a friend. I am not your enemy. I am no threat to you or to your people. Who are the ‘they’ that you referred to?”

“Three very bad men are camped in this area. They are trying to kill elk and deer. They are not experienced hunters. It takes them many shots just to wound one animal. They drink liquor and play loud music. We have remained hidden from them, but I fear that they will find us. It is only a matter of time. We are afraid because we have no defense against them.”

“Umm. How many are you? Where is your camp?” Gary asked.

“I will not answer those questions. I must protect my people as best I can. Do you have an extra rifle and some ammunition?”

“Whoa. Not so fast. As you saw when you took me by surprise, I am somewhat capable of taking care of myself. Maybe I can help you and your people as well. But first, I must see to my son. Come back with me. You first.”

As the Indian moved past him toward the suburban, it became evident that he was an old man. He drug one foot slightly. And, though he tried to walk ‘tall and proud,’ Gary could see signs of age, infirmity and weariness.

When they arrived at the suburban, Gary opened the back door and looked in on Gordon. Gordon was stirring. Gary lifted him out. He let Gordon relieve himself, stripped off the boy’s pajamas and quickly dressed him. Gordon eyed the Indian the whole time, but said nothing, uncharacteristically.

Gary turned the boy to the Indian. “Gordon, this is Mr. Blackbear. He is a member of the White River Ute Indian tribe.” Gary took Gordon’s hand and placed it in Florian Blackbear’s hand. Gordon looked away.

“It’s nice to meet you, Gordon.” Florian said as he smiled down at the boy. “I am many times a grandfather. Yes, and a great grandfather, too.”

“I’ll bet you’re hungry, Gordon, aren’t you?” Gary asked.

Gordon merely nodded and started to suck his thumb. Gary took the thumb out of Gordon’s mouth. “We can give you something even tastier than that. Mr. Blackbear, will you have breakfast with us?”

“No, I’d better be getting back to my family. They will wonder. They worry if I am gone more than a few minutes. It has been at least an hour. Just follow this old timber road. It will lead you to us. Come see us after you have had breakfast. I’d like to talk to you about that problem we have; and, about a . . . about something we can use to protect ourselves.”

With that the Indian turned and started down the path.

Gary let him go without saying anything. He turned to Gordon, took him by the hand and opened the back doors of the suburban. Breakfast consisted of cold cereal and milk, bananas and a sweet roll, which they divided. Gordon ate without saying anything. “Not the best, partner, but it will have to do for now. We need to go see Mr. Blackbear and his family.”

With breakfast finished and everything packed back in place, Gary got ready to find the Blackbear camp.

“I gotta go #2,” Gordon said.

Gary sighed, opened the back of the vehicle and took out a small stool and shovel. He walked over to the edge of the clearing and set the stool down. He dug a small hole and set the stool over it. Gordon took down his pants and shorts as he watched.

“Come on, partner. This is the grunt place this morning.” Gary reached out, picked Gordon up and sat him on the stool. “I’ll get some toilet paper for you.” Gary walked back to the truck and got a roll of toilet paper.

By the time he got back to Gordon, Gordon was already off the stool. Gary wiped the boy thoroughly. “Good job, Gordon,” Gary said as he moved the stool aside, looked in the hole, threw the toilet paper in the hole and quickly shoveled dirt in the hole.

“Good job, partner. I’ll bet you’re as glad as I am that we’re back to normal. That diarrhea we had with the plague was a bit too much.”

Gordon began to cry.

“What’s with this?” Gary wasn’t surprised. Gordon had gone from an active, voluble child into a quiet, tearful one since losing his mother and sister.

“I want Mommy,” Gordon sobbed.

Gary took the boy in his arms and rocked him gently. “Mommy’s not coming back, Gordon. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. I miss her and your sister, too. We have to be brave and accept the fact that they are gone. Sometime life’s like that.” He rocked the boy gently back and forth.

Gordon fell asleep, which surprised Gary. “Hum, maybe that sleeping pill was a little stronger than it was supposed to be,” he whispered in Gordon’s ear. He took Gordon to the suburban and placed him back in the special compartment.

“I’ll go talk to Mr. Blackbear and be back soon,” Gary said quietly before he closed the doors and locked the vehicle. Gary checked his pistol and his rifle before he started down the old road – really little more than a trail – toward the Blackbears’ camp.

Chapter 4: In the President’s Bunker

The President didn't know that the world was no longer listening to or watching his speech. He continued to look at the camera and to speak in his most sincere and forceful manner.

The chief TV producer walked into the broadcast room and interrupted the President. "Mr. President, I am sorry to tell you that we have lost all transmissions. You may stop speaking now. Technically, for all intents and purposes, your speech is not going much beyond this room."

The President looked at the producer with a blank stare for several seconds. As he did so, his Chief of Staff and several of the President's advisors, including he Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the military, walked into the room.

"What? How can that be? I mean . . . what about all of the military hookups? What about the CIA, the FBI, the Emergency Broadcast System and all of that?"

"The entire commercial system is down, Mr. President. The National Electric Grid is totally down. We can’t transmit via satellite. We have lost contact with everything in space. There may be some emergency backup systems working, but the public – essentially all of TV viewing and the radio listening audiences – and most all other receivers that get their signals via the Electric Grid are off the air. As near as we can tell, the entire cell phone system was knocked out. Most communications are finished."

"Finished?" With that, the President roused himself from the chair he was sitting in and began pacing the room. "What does this mean . . . I mean, how will we get information out to the people? How will we find out what is going on out there? What about those dirty bombs?" The President swept his arms in a broad circle.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs cleared his throat. "Mr. President, because of the plague, about 50% of our military capability was compromised. Now, almost all units are experiencing extraordinary levels of desertion. Our commanders tell us — that is they did until the Grid went down — that men and women in uniform were leaving their duty posts and going to their families."

"Can't they be stopped? Can't they be shot as they are deserting?" The President's voice took on a strident air of panic. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. "If one or two are shot as they try to leave, that should keep the others at their posts. Isn't that the way it's done?"

"Sir, normally, that would be so, if the units were at or near full strength and if only a few tried to desert. However, with the number of plague casualties and the disruption in the chain of command from the loss of the Grid and from the fear of the effects of those five blasts, all semblance of military discipline – and civilian, too, if what I heard before the channels of communication were interrupted – is gone."

"Fine thing." The President’s face turned livid. "We spend all those billions – trillions, really, over the years – on the military for what? When the critical need is there, the military fails just like everything else has. What are we to do?”

"If I may, Sir," the President's Chief of Staff (a man only recently elevated to that post when the President's long-time friend who had served in that capacity succumbed to the plague) chimed in, "it will just take some time to assess the situation. Parts of the Grid should come back on, may be coming on as we speak. Emergency communication systems will kick in. Leadership will assert itself, eventually. It will take some time."

"He's right, Sir," the Head of Homeland Security spoke up. "There is always some chaos to begin with. That’s why we had riots and gas stations and looting at grocery stores. Then, it's like a giant airplane in a spin. Built in systems set things right. Things begin to sort themselves out. Discipline is restored. The chaos settles down to a new level of . . . of, well, normalcy."

"Normalcy!" The President turned toward the man and shouted in his face. "You call this normalcy? I haven't had my run, or my nap or a decent sit down meal. I want my routine back. That's normalcy."

"Yes, Sir. I'll see what I can do, Sir." With that the Head of Homeland Security turned and left the room.

"Where's he going? Why did he leave? What's he think he can do about this chaos, this mess?"

The Chief of Staff spoke up. "To the toilet. He's probably going back to the toilet. That's where we found him. He only came along because I ordered him to. I believe he is having diarrhea . . . well, you know, plague-like symptoms."

"Good, God!" The President thundered. "Plague? You brought him in here . . . in my presence? With plague-like symptoms? Are you out of your mind?"

"With all due respect, Mr. President, you ordered me to have everyone ready for a top-level meeting – ‘no exceptions for any reasons’ were your very words – as soon as you finished your address to the Nation . . . er, to the World. I was merely following . . . "

"Now what? What if I come down with the plague? Who takes over? Is the Vice-President still on that hunting trip to Wyoming? Why hasn't he checked in?"

"Sir," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs responded, "we believe that the Vice-President is sequestered in a bunker in Wyoming. That is where he was supposed to have been taken."

"Supposed? Believe? Doesn't anyone know anything for sure?" the President’s eyes surveyed the room as he asked the question. “What happened to the back-up systems? Why didn’t they kick in? We spent millions on them.”

“Sir,” it was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, “the back-up systems were undergoing scheduled PM. Brown and Root did not get the back-up back up on schedule.”

“PM? What is that? Why do you people use terms I don’t understand?”

“Sir,” the Chairman said, “PM means preventive maintenance. It’s SOP . . . ah, that is, standard operating procedure to do maintenance on all military equipment and systems before they fail.”

“So, they were preventing failure of the back-up system when the primary system failed, thus making sure that we are out of touch . . . in a communication blackout.”

The Chairman sighed. “That’s about it, Mr. President. The Brown and Root corporation was notorious for not getting things done on time and for cost overruns; however, the Vice-President insisted that we use them. Part of his old company, Halliburton, you know.”

“I know that only too well. Now what?”

"We know one thing for sure, Mr. President," the Presidential Press Secretary spoke for the first time, "we have clean air, fresh water and plenty of food. Enough of everything we need for months, if necessary. We have a well-staffed dispensary . . . well, it will be when the medical staff gets here. And a terrific library. Movies, too. We're safe in here. Out of harm's way. I released a formal, diplomatically phrased press release to that effect just before . . . er, just before the systems failed."

"Ha! Safe? Out of harm’s way? What if the plague wipes us out? What good will your air and water and food do then? Eh? Answer me that. Throw that man with the plague out of the bunker before we all come down with whatever he has; maybe we’ll all die in here." The President shook a finger under the nose of his Press Secretary.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs stepped forward. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Sir. We can’t throw the man out of the bunker."

"What? What if I give you a direct order to do it? I’m your Commander in Chief, aren’t I?"

"Fact is, Mr. President, none of us can leave or get thrown out. We are locked in here. 'Til the man with the second part of the exit code gets here, we're stuck." The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs looked at everyone in the room and sighed. "We're all in the same fix."

The President walked up to within a couple of inches of the Chairman. "Now just a minute, Mr. Chairman; what's this nonsense about the man with the second part of the exit code?"

“If I may, Mr President,” it was the new Chief of Staff again. “The man with the code is the one you sent back to get your dog. I advised against it. Then, in the chaos, we took off before he got back to the chopper with your dog and the codes.”

The President frowned. “Dog didn’t make it? Damn. I’m gonna miss that critter. Go on, Mr. Chairman.”

"Well, Mr. President, a separate entrance and exit code was the Secretary of Defense's idea. Sort of a double security measure. We could get in fine, no matter how many – or how few – made it here. Getting out's another matter all together. It's so none of the terrorists could get in here, murder us and get out without being caught. The Secretary was proud that he thought it up. I . . . several of the Joint Chiefs questioned the wisdom . . . "

"Proud? He was proud of a cockamamie idea like that? Sounds like something he'd think up. Makin’ it so’s anyone could get in but us not get out. He was always better at gettin' in than at gettin' out. Didn't have an exit strategy for any of the messes he got me into. Git that Head of Home Security to the dispensary. Somebody find that second man, the one with my dog and the codes. I hate bein' shut in like this. I do