Licking his lips, Jeffrey could not meet the steel-blue eyes of Daniel Bishop, the war hero, the statesman, and the leader of the free world. His words were mumbled.
“Speak up, lad. I won’t bite your head off. I just want your honest opinion. Why do you think I asked Tom to assign you to this task?”
Shocked at this revelation, Jeffrey could not speak.
“Breathe, Mr. Hessmire.”
Jeffrey took the President’s recommendation. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat and tried to organize his thoughts. He spoke slowly. “I…I think Secretary Elliot makes a good point about the mainland’s desire to economically integrate Taiwan.” He glanced up, pausing to take another breath. “I studied the takeovers of Hong Kong and Macau. It seems that the Chinese are using these regions as test cases for the integration of democratic economies within a Communist structure. Some suggest these experiments are in preparation for China’s attempt to negotiate Taiwan’s reintegration, to demonstrate how such a union could benefit all.”
“And what of the growing nuclear arsenal in China?”
Jeffrey spoke more rapidly, warming to the discussion. “Their nuclear and missile technologies were stolen from us. But China’s current manufacturing infrastructure is well behind their ability to utilize these newest technologies. In many ways, they are still an agrarian state, ill-suited for rapid nuclear proliferation.”
“And your assessment?”
“The Chinese have witnessed how such proliferation bankrupted the Soviet Union. They would not want to repeat the same mistake. In the next decade, China needs to bolster its own technological infrastructure if it hopes to maintain its global position. It can’t afford a pissing contest with the United States over a nuclear arsenal.”
“A pissing contest?”
Jeffrey’s eyes grew wide. He turned crimson. “I’m sorry—”
The President held up a hand. “No, I appreciate the analogy.”
Jeffrey suddenly felt like a fool. What nonsense had he been spouting? How dare he think his views warranted President Bishop’s time?
The President straightened from the desk and slipped into his jacket. “I think you’re right, Mr. Hessmire. Neither country wants to finance a new Cold War.”
“No, sir,” Jeffrey mumbled softly.
“There may be hope to settle this matter before our relations sour further, but it’ll take a deft hand.” The President strode toward the door. “Finish your work here, Mr. Hessmire, and join us for the festivities in the atrium. You shouldn’t miss the first solar eclipse of this new millennium.”
Jeffrey found his tongue too thick to reply as the President exited the room. He fumbled for his chair and sank into it. President Bishop had listened to him…had agreed with him!
Thanking the stars for such good fortune, Jeffrey sat up straighter and returned to his work with renewed vigor.
This day promised to be one to remember.
ii
During
4:44 P.M. Pacific Standard Time
San Francisco, California
From the balcony of her office building, Doreen McCloud stared out over San Francisco Bay. The view extended all the way to the piers. She could even see the crowds gathered at Ghirardelli Square, where a party was under way. But the crowds below failed to hold her attention. Instead she gazed above the bay at a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
A black sun hung over the blue waters—the corona flaming bright around the eclipsing moon.
Wearing a sleek set of eclipse goggles purchased from Sharper Image, Doreen watched as jets of fire burst in long streams from the sun’s edge. Solar flares. The astronomy experts on CNN had predicted a spectacular eclipse due to the unusual sunspot activity coinciding with the lunar event. Their predictions had proven true.
On either side of her gasps of delight and awe rose from the other lawyers and secretarial staff.
Along flare blew forth from the sun’s surface. A radio playing in the background burst with a stream of static, proving true another of the astronomers’ predictions. CNN had warned that the sunspot activity would cause brief interference as the solar winds bombarded the upper atmosphere.
Doreen marveled at the black sun and its reflection in the bay. What a wonderful time to be alive!
“Did anyone feel that?” one of the secretaries asked with mild concern.
Then Doreen sensed it—a trembling underfoot. Everyone grew deathly quiet. The radio squelched sharply with static. Clay flower pots began to rattle.
“Earthquake!” someone yelled needlessly.
After living for so many years in San Francisco, temblors were not a reason for panic. Still, at the back of all minds was the fear of “the Big One.”
“Everyone inside,” the head of the firm ordered.
In a mass, the crowd surged toward the open doorway. Doreen held back. She searched the skies above the bay. The black sun hung over the waters like some hole in the sky.
She remembered, then, the one other prediction for this day. She pictured the old homeless woman dressed in rags—and her dog.
We’re all going to die today.
Doreen backed from the balcony rail toward the open door. Under her heels the balcony began to rock and buck violently. This was no minor quake.
“Hurry!” their boss commanded, taking charge. “Everyone get to safety!”
Doreen fled toward the interior offices, but in her heart she knew no safety would be found there. They were all going to die.
4:44 P.M. PST (2:44 P.M. Local Time)
Aleutian Islands, Alaska
From the cliffs of Glacial Point, Jimmy Pomautuk stared at the eclipsing sun. Nanook, paced restlessly at his side. Off to the left the trio from England shouted to one another in awe, the cold long forgotten in the excitement. The flash and whir of cameras peppered their exuberant outcries.
“Did you see that flare!”
“Bloody Christ! These pictures are going to be fantastic!”
Sighing, Jimmy sank to his seat on the cold stone. He leaned back against the wooden totem as he stared out at the black sun above the Pacific. The quality of the light was strange, casting the islands in a starkness that seemed unreal. Even the sea itself had turned glassy with a bluish-silver sheen.
At his side, Nanook again began a soft growl. The dog had been spooky all morning. He must not understand what had happened to the sunlight. “It’s just the hungry whale spirit eating the sun,” he consoled the dog in a low whisper. He reached for Nanook but found the dog gone.
Frowning, Jimmy glanced over his shoulder. The large malamute stood trembling a few paces away. The dog did not stare at the sun above the Pacific, but off to the north.