Seeds for Time
A Crack In the Hourglass (the very near future)

Raj’s physical report has been received and read. The Director calls for a meeting. A decision must be made regarding their mission, as they are now experiencing alarming developments on several fronts. Ultimately, it is in Director Chiang’s authority to continue or terminate their operation. And though he has already made his decision, he fully understands the gravity of their predicament. He respects the sacrificial work of the entire team. He feels that everyone should be present, and be allowed to share their opinions.

A list of their entire inventory of recovered items is projected on the large screen in the front area of the cafeteria. The list is impressive given that the team has had such a short amount of time to perform. “Break-neck speed” has always been the Project’s theme. Everyone feels pride for their collective accomplishments, thus far.

Items recovered from each time trip are stored in the base’s small seed vault. The vault is located three kilometers south of the base. Because of the melting ice, the terrain one must travel to reach the vault has become treacherous, with large ponds of slushy water, and hard and jagged ice. A trip on a power-sled must be slow and calculated to reach the vault without damage.

Director Chiang stands to the side of the stage, waiting for the incoming team members to settle and replace their seats. Some are getting coffee and juice. Ted wouldn’t mind if they grabbed a beer or something stronger, considering the news they are about to hear.

“Team, let me jump right into our current situation. I have alarming reports that we are receiving from several areas. The radiation clouds are growing and moving. New Zealand and our base will encounter the clouds in the next four to six weeks, or possibly sooner. Though we have some radiation protection here at the base, none of our equipment was made to withstand the amounts of radiation that we will encounter. We expect a total power blackout from this event.”

Ted pauses and lets the information sink in among the team members. Everyone has become accustomed to processing bad news, these last few years. The director continues, “Based on the health report of our Traveler, I am prepared to sign the order to terminate the Project! We shall discuss this decision openly, now. But first I must inform you all of yet another immediate threat.”

“The last transmission that we received from the New Zealand base was of radar data. There is a ship traveling towards us. We believe this to be the ship of the raiders who assaulted their base. We expect them to arrive at our shore in approximately seven days.”

A silence fills the room. Everyone is doing the math on their situation. The time has come. The reckoning is being fulfilled. The human experiment is nigh to its ending. The room grows quiet as each person looks into their own heart. Each has always known that this time would come in their life.

The team has been processing their extinction predicament for several years. Being of the last class of scientific “doomers,” they have become somewhat hardened and accepting of their own ending. The immediate vibrations of the Director’s report though, are beginning to crack through their hard shells. A few team members begin to weep. This leads to embraces, soft words and more tears.

Raj interrupts the mourning, “So we have at least a week, right? Raiders, radiation, and a sick Raj! So, is this how we quit?”

The Director points to the screen filled with the evidence of their great work. “But Raj, look at what we’ve done. We have accomplished much more than we had originally planned. It is now time to make arrangements for the incoming events.”

“But we still have the resources for one last trip. Considering the highly probable outcome of the ‘incoming events’ shouldn’t we make one more trip? Shouldn’t we keep the Project going to the very last minute? I’m still healthy enough for one more trip! Isn’t this what we all dedicated our lives too?”

The Assistant Director speaks, “I agree with Raj. Throughout our time working on this project we have faced every challenge that fate delivered to us. But we kept pushing, pushing to do the impossible. We still have the opportunity to push one last time.”

A passionate and emotional discussion breaks out among the crew. All want to perform another mission. After several minutes the Director takes charge. He appoints half of the team to start preparing their defensive response and securing resources in the lower rooms of the base. All others are instructed to fulfill their roles in executing one last time trip.

Raj eats his evening meal in the cafeteria. He engages in conversation with other team members. The somber cloud of emotion is evident to all, but there is a new and fresh tenderness among the crew. In the face of their eminent extinction, some of the last humans on the Earth are exchanging respect and appreciation to each other.

Raj returns to his room and prepares his equipment for tomorrow’s last time trip. He begins to undress but there is a knock on the door. He opens the door and replaces Samantha standing there, “I was hoping you were still awake.”

Raj motions for her to take a seat in the desk chair but she stretches out on his cot. The look in her eyes he has not seen for years. It is a look of desire and longing. “Tonight, I am not your superior, tonight we are old lovers remembering the light that we’ve shared.”

No other words are spoken. The passion of their love making is urgent and heated as if the world was ending. They stay together for hours enjoying the comforts of each other’s presence.