Mission Origin View (Final Days Trilogy) (55 page)

“
For what purpose?” Gideon asked.

“
I have no idea, Lieutenant. Maybe he’s trying to take over the ship,” Dr. Harper offered with a shrug.

A second late
r the marines entered the Triple C. “Lieutenant, we couldn’t find any of the missing. They’re not aboard the ship,” Xia reported. “Just what’s going on, sir?”

“
I’m not sure, Gunny. All I know is we have missing people,” Gideon said.

“
What do we do?” Dr. Jones asked.

“
There’s nothing we can do, Doctor,” Mary answered. “We’ll contact Mount Mitchell tomorrow, as scheduled, and see if they have any ideas.”

Gideon was going to share his theory but deci
ded not to. If the rapture had occurred, he and the crew would know for sure tomorrow during the QMAC communication.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

1400
—March 30, 2372

The
Stephen Hawking
dropped out of the time-speed dimension, and Dr. Jones established a QMAC connection to Mount Mitchell. Admiral Frank, Dr. Layton, and Senator Rimms sat at a conference table.

“
Good to hear from you, Captain Bowser,” Senator Rimms began with a somber look on his face. “A lot has happened in the last thirty hours. There are reports from every nation on Earth and colonized planets of people disappearing. All the children are gone, and about a sixteenth of the entire adult population of Earth and colonized planets is missing. No one’s come up with a plausible explanation of what’s happened. As a result, social unrest has increased everywhere, and several nations on Earth and colonized planets have gone to war. Alliances between nations are dynamic since no nation trusts another nation, and I’m sad to report several nuclear exchanges have taken place and a nuclear device has exploded in Washington, DC. The source and delivery of the weapon are currently unknown.”

The news shocked t
he crew and scientists in the MCC.

“
What are our orders, Admiral?” Mary asked, hoping the admiral would read between the lines and send her an encrypted order that would give her more guidance and details.

“
No changes in orders, Captain,” Admiral Frank answered and paused as he looked at Senator Rimms for approval to continue. Rimms gave him a slight nod, and Admiral Frank continued. “The news media releases you are receiving will report that the United States government in Washington, DC, was totally destroyed by the nuclear device. This is not true. The president is safe and is here at Mount Mitchell. Congress, however, was in session. The vice president and ninety present of the House and Senate were killed. Those representatives and senators that were not in Washington at the time, are being located and flown here. The president has declared martial law until we can regain control over the social unrest and assess our situation. Any more questions?”

“
No questions, Admiral, but I have to report that all of the children and old women aboard have disappeared along with several of the crew,” Mary said.

“
When did this happen, Captain?” Dr. Layton asked.

“
Around zero three hundred on the twenty-ninth,” Mary said.

“
That’s the same time the disappearances on Earth and colonized planets occurred,” Dr. Layton said as he looked toward Senator Rimms.

“
Is there anything else?” Admiral Frank asked.

No other questions were asked
, and no other comments were made. Everyone seemed to be confused, lost, and worried because of the current events.

“
If there is nothing else, we will communicate again in two days,” Admiral Frank said, and the connection was terminated.

Mary stood and ordered,
“Carry on with your duties. There’s nothing we can do now. Dismissed!”

“
Lieutenant Klaxton, Commander Steward, remain please,” Mary added as the rest of her officers and scientists left.

Mary sat down and accessed a
n operations console. She secured the MCC and then asked her Anna if she had received an encrypted message from the admiral.

“
Yes, Captain, I did,” Anna said. “Displaying it on the main display now.”

To: Captain Bowser,

 
  Captain, SRS
Stephen Hawking

From: Admiral Frank, USECC Mount Mitchell, United

    
States Navy, Naval Intelligence Command

Subject: Situation Update

1.
       
My previous orders concerning the destruction of the
Stephen Hawking
have not changed.

2.
      
Your previous encrypted orders haven’t changed.

3.
      
The news media information provided to you during today’s QMAC communications is completely accurate.

4.
      
Be advised that the president of the United States has been contacted by the UNP to discuss the “Consolidation of Nations” to prevent the spread of war and stop social unrest.

“Pretty straightforward except for the UPN consolidation-of-nations thing. What do you think that means, Captain?” Commander Steward asked.

“
Not sure, Commander,” Mary said.

“
It looks as if there may be an attempt by the UPN to unite some nations that may be on the verge of collapse into a single nation that’ll be temporally protected and governed by the UPN,” Gideon suggested.

Gideon’s Quarters, SRS
Stephen Hawking
,

1147
—March 30, 2372

Gideon
sat on his bunk, holding the necklace cross with his right hand, looking at it. He had been troubled about what had happened since the disappearances of the people, especially Gault and Joseph. He now believed God had created the heavens and the Earth as he had witnessed and read the event in the Bible. And he also believed the rapture had occurred. More importantly, he believed Jesus wasn’t only the words
Lord
and
Savior
but also his personal
Lord
and
Savior
. He wished Joseph was there to help him with what he wanted to do next.

Gideon
closed his eyes and mentally scanned the Bible, looking for what he should do to be saved. He recalled several passages such as, “‘
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that ask shall receive; and he that seek shall find; and to him that knock the door shall be opened.” “What should we do, brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
”’”

Finally, Gideon looked
up and prayed, “I’m not sure what to do, but I know I’m a sinner. I want your forgiveness, and I know you can and will forgive me because I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. Please wash my sin, shame, and guilt away and come into my life, Jesus, to be my Lord and Savior. I ask this in your name, Jesus, amen!”

Gideon suddenly felt warmth within him
, and everything that had happen to him since his assignment to the mission began fitting into place. He now understood. He felt joy, tears streamed down his face. He had also finally found what he had been looking for all his life-a family’s love. And now he wanted to share it with everyone.

Captain’s Quarters, SRS
Stephen Hawking

0110
—March 31, 2372

Mary sat at her desk
, still in her jumpsuit. She had been reading the Bible, trying to understand things: creation, the rapture, Jesus, eternal life, sin, salvation…It all seemed impossible to understand, especially since she had never been taught anything about God and the Bible. Something was compelling her to read, to learn more.

As she flipped through the page
s, she saw some verses and read, “
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son
.”

Mary began to cry
, and as she was crying, she heard a knock on her door. She wiped her eyes, and straightened her jumpsuit in an attempt to compose herself.

“
Enter,” she said.

Gideon entered
and stood just inside the door.

As the door closed behind him, Mary stood
. After a few seconds she began to tremble. No longer able to control herself, she ran and embraced Gideon. She sobbed, “Help me, Gideon. I don’t know what to do.”

“
Do you believe in Jesus?” Gideon asked.

“
I do,” she replied through her tears.

“
Pray with me,” Gideon said as he recalled his earlier prayer. “I’m a sinner. I want your forgiveness, and I know you can and will forgive me because I believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. Please wash my sin, shame, and guilt away. Come into my life, Jesus, to be my Lord and Savior. I ask this in your name, Jesus, amen!”

A
s Gideon recited his prayer, he stopped after each sentence to allow Mary to repeat what he’d said. When the prayer was finished, Mary’s tears changed from tears of anguish to tears of joy.

“I found what I was looking for,” Gideon said.

“What did you find?” Mary said as she smiled, resting her head against his shoulder.

“A family, and the love that comes with it,” Gideon said.

They remained embraced, standing there, now brother and sister in Christ.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

1417
—April 1, 2372

“
Several mainland and foreign deployed US military bases and facilities were totally destroyed in a coordinated nuclear attack during the early evening hours of March thirtieth,”
an exhausted-looking Admiral Frank reported via QMAC.
“Our current military readiness was reduced to twenty-five percent, barely enough to protect the continental United States. Intelligence reports that the attacks originated from the Leonis
Council of Czars. How the nuclear devices were deployed and detonated without detection is still unknown.”

The crew and
scientists aboard the
Stephen Hawking
listened in disbelief.

Senator Rimms then spok
e. “As of zero one hundred hours, March thirty-first, 2372, by executive order of President Clayton, the United States of America has been dissolved and has joined all of the North American nations to create the nation of the Republic of North America. The Republic of North America is one of ten nations created by the United Nations and Planets on Earth in an attempt to prevent further attacks among nations and planets.

“
This action was proposed by the new UNP secretary, Lucius Russo, and was unanimously approved by all members of the UNP. The Republic of North America, along with the nine other global nations, is currently under the direct control of the UPN, and all remaining military forces of these nations are assigned to and controlled by the UPN.

“
As such, Secretary Russo has ordered the halt of all military offensive actions and ordered the new UNP military to extinguish all social unrest among the ten nations. So far, no further attacks against any nations or planets have occurred, and social riots are diminishing.”

“
Admiral, where does that leave us? Officially we have been branded terrorists,” Mary said.

“
Captain Bowser, you will continue to Phobos. President Clayton has spoken to Secretary Russo and explained what happened aboard the ship and how its AI transmitted the creation data without authorization. The secretary has agreed that the ship and crew should secretly return to Phobos as planned. As of this moment, the SRS
Stephen Hawking
is recommissioned as the UNPS
Stephen Hawking
, and all navy crew members have been transferred to the UNP Navy, and marines have been transferred to the UNP Marine Corps. Official orders are being transmitted to you now,” Admiral Frank said.

“
What about the scientists aboard who are not from Earth?” Dr. Qasim asked.