Chapter 3: Second Trip

The next morning Robert went for an early morning run and covered about half the perimeter of the island. When he returned his ladies were finishing breakfast, looking sheepish as he approached them. Sarah seemed to take the lead, and asked Robert if the seven of them could spend the day at the beach as they needed to sort some things out. Robert asked if he needed to be there, and was asked not to join them as it was a girl thing. Smiling, Robert told them to have fun, but not too much fun without him.

Robert was in the library when Nancy appeared to sit with him. Robert knew that something must be important as the look she had on her face told a lot. Nancy first told him that she could have the excavation he requested done, however the council felt that it should be a lot larger than he had originally requested. Robert asked her why that would be necessary. Nancy stood, offering her hand to Robert, telling him the council wanted him to look ten years into the future.

As Nancy and Robert traveled into the future they were about three thousand feet above the surface, and what they saw was destruction. The first area was what Robert thought was San Francisco, but there were no people. The city looked as if the people had just disappeared, and the city was returning to the state it was in thousands of years ago. They viewed several other cities in North America and many other world cities. It appeared that the human race had become extinct.

Nancy then took Robert to a room with seven people that appeared to be human but yet not so. The woman in the center asked Robert if the devastation on his home planet was something that was expected by the population. Robert said that he had believed that there were a couple of things that could cause that kind of devastation. The first was a biological or chemical release that would wipe out the population yet not destroy the infrastructure. The second was that the population was unwilling to control the carbon emissions, the ozone layer allowed the harmful rays from the sun to reach the surface of the earth, and people were killed off by radiation poisoning.

The spokeswoman said Robert was right on both counts. As the ozone was depleted, people were beginning to receive a lot more radiation and were becoming increasingly sick. There was a group of terrorists which was made up of several religions that believed that Europe, Russia, China, The United States, and Canada should be purged. They developed a biological substance that they thought they could control. When the substance was released on the west coast of North America and the west coast of Europe the substance became uncontrollable. The scientist had miscalculated the amount that should have been used, and the prevailing winds carried the substance to much of the inhabited world. The one thing that was engineered into the substance was that it would only affect humans, the animal population was unaffected.

Robert was almost comatose with the information he had just received, and then depression set in as he knew he would never live to see his family grow into adulthood. The spokeswoman then sent calming thoughts to Robert telling him they did not want to see the human race become extinct. They had a plan, and Robert was to be the leader for the plan to work. Next week they wanted Robert to have everyone leave the island. There would be a major earthquake and the island would be made much larger, about 10,000,000 acres. There would be a million square feet of underground space created on each level, to be made into habitable living space. The projected time available to complete a safe living space was six years before the radiation would become critical, and one additional year before the biological substance was released. Robert would be allowed to have his extended family, and any of their family members he approved, to join him on the island. He would have to find ways to generate electricity and create non petroleum vehicles to farm with. As far as transportation for the seas, sailboats would be required. They could travel across land with sail vehicles. The scientists aboard this station felt that after carbons emissions were stopped, the ozone would recover much faster than expected. The biological substance would become ineffective within one year. The total recovery of the earth would take many decades. They wanted Robert to rebuild the human civilization as a peaceful civilization. The amount of food and supplies that could be gathered would support a maximum of five hundred people on the island. That would include food grown in the final years of world recovery.

Robert asked who could be informed of the coming catastrophe, and could any governments be informed. The spokesperson looked at the others on the bench then said that the information must be kept within the people selected to live on the island. One other thing was that they would provide instrumentation that would detect the biological substance, so that they would know when it was safe to return to open air on the island. They should gather three Bonobos and keep them in the underground for one month after he got the last active reading on the instruments provided to him. These animals were almost extinct and would not survive if the biological substance reached the area in which they lived. With two females and one male, it may be able to repopulate the world with them.

Robert was to return to the island and think about what he wanted to do with the information he had. Robert was sitting in his office when the women returned, gathering around him. Sarah again took the role as leader, telling Robert that he would have at least seven wives, all equal in his sight but sisters to each other. Sarah said there would be either two or three more ladies that would join their family in the near future. Sarah said she did not know why, but she thought one would be an OB/GYN, one a horticulturist, and the last unknown.

Robert asked them to get a drink and sit down, as there needed to be a discussion that needed some short term decisions made that would affect the rest of their lives. By his tone, all of his wives knew that something major was coming. Robert then proceeded to explain what he had just been told, and the decisions they would be required to make as to the future population of the world. Vickie asked if Nancy and her people could not stop the terrorist from developing the biological substance. Robert said that they had to live under the same rules as he did, in that things in the future could not be changed. Robert asked them to make a list of their families that they thought would be contributors to their survival and the future generations of humans on earth. Robert then asked Carolyn to have Rodney start his employment in Palo Alto, as there were expected to be major earthquakes that will change the island. He then said everyone must leave the island for at least a week.

Returning to Palo Alto, Robert asked Brad, Amy, Alice and Clem to come for dinner that night. There were fourteen at dinner, including Benson and Sofia. Robert had Nancy teach him how to transfer things from his mind to that of others. Through mental telepathy, Robert then showed them what he saw when he was taken on his trip in the future. Amy broke down crying, as she said she was pregnant with their first children, twins.

The look on Brad's face was priceless, as Amy had not had a chance to tell him the news yet. Brad assured her that Robert would not have shown her those images if he did not have a plan to get them out of this mess.

Smiling, Robert said that was exactly why they were here tonight. He had already asked his wives to make a list of their families that would contribute to their survival and the future generations of humans on earth. He also told them that Nancy's people said that the island would only support five hundred people for the period they would be required to stay on the island. Robert said he felt there would be pockets of people that survived the biological substance attack. Then another smaller group would survive the sun's radiation until the ozone repaired itself. Robert emphasized he did not want anyone that would be perceived to be a troublemaker or rebellious towards authority, as he would be the authority for a long while. Robert then asked them to keep the information he had imparted to themselves, as sharing it could put all their lives in jeopardy. A quiet group had another drink, and then departed for their homes or rooms.

Robert was listening to the morning news when he heard a story of multiple earthquakes that occurred overnight in the Pacific Ocean, about 325 miles west of San Francisco. While no casualties had been reported, an island recognized by the UN as an independent nation seemed to have grown to four or five times its original size. The US government was sending ships to assist any survivors on the island.

Robert ran to the bedroom waking his wives. Telling Injerd to get the G650 ready to fly ASAP, Sarah and Carolyn to get ready for a fight with the US government, and everyone else just to get ready for whatever. He then went to Benson's door, telling him they had to get to the island fast. As they were loading the aircraft, Carolyn's cell phone rang. Answering, she found Rodney was calling to say he had just landed on the island and no one was there. Carolyn turned the phone over to Benson to tell Rodney where the radio room was, and to monitor all emergency channels for calls. If anyone wanted to land on the island to have them call this number.

Robert was standing behind Injerd and Elisa as they were rolling to the active runway. He told them to shove the throttles to maximum all the way to the island. He watched the turn onto the active runway as they were given clearance to take off. Elisa was handling the throttles, and advanced them to the forward stops. Robert was surprised at the power of two Rolls Royce BR725 engines, as the wheels were of the ground before half the runway was used. The climb out was steep and fast, and Robert told the pilots to use the fast cruise of 595 MPH. Also he asked Elise to watch the radar for other planes that would be heading for the island.

Robert was returning to his seat when Sarah handed him her cell phone. Answering, he found the Admiral on the line asking if the US Navy could be of assistance. Robert asked for a number where he could call back, as they were going to drop this call soon. The number was received and Robert hung up. Robert dialed the number on the satellite phone and the Admiral immediately answered. Robert told him his man on the island said that there did not appear to be any damage to the house, outbuildings, or runway. He was on his way to the island and would land in about thirty minutes, and to please have his ships stand about fifty miles off shore in case there were other earthquakes. The Admiral agreed, and said that satellite images indicated that the land mass had increased to the West, and the area was now approximately fifteen hundred square miles. Robert was surprised at the size, and told the Admiral he would keep in touch, thanking him for his concern.

As the island came into view, Robert asked Injerd to do a flyby around the island to view the island to see if there was any damage or destruction. Everyone was amazed at the size and the beauty of the island. Elisa's radio came alive questioning the purpose of their flight. Elise responded that Robert Callahan was returning to the island. She was asked for her identification given by the BRM. Elisa looked stunned, not knowing what to say, and looked to Robert for an answer. Robert looked at Benson, and asked if there was such a thing as a BRM identification. Benson said use Julia 09131992. When Elisa provided the ID she was told she was cleared to land. Robert looked to Benson, and was told that it was his granddaughter's birthday. Everyone started to laugh as the tension broke. The descent to the runway was again steep and short. Injerd noticed that the runway had been extended, and now was twice as long as it had been.

As they landed, Robert hardly noticed the transition from flying to taxi, as the runway was very smooth. As they taxied up to the hanger, Injerd spun around with the tail to the hangar. As the engines spun down and the door was opened, Benson led the way down. As he stepped on the ground he was attacked by two young children screaming grandpa. Benson picked up both, giving them bear hugs as a teenage girl came to give her grandmother a big hug. An older version of the teen girl walked up to the group, hugging Benson and Sofia. Turning, Sofia introduced her daughter-in-law Anna and her three grandchildren. Anna said Rodney was in the control center, as there was some strange activity going on with no explanation.

Benson, Robert, Carolyn and Gayle headed for the house when Alan the nine year old boy said the control center was in the hangar. He took off for a door that had not been in the hanger when they left. When the four entered the door, they were in a room that appeared to be five by five foot. Alan pressed the only button by the door and the room started to descend. The whole back opened into a large room with screens and video displays. Benson was amazed that such a center was available, and then he noticed a fire control board. As everyone was looking at the activity in the air it appeared that approaching aircraft were some type of fighter bombers.

Robert picked up his satellite phone and dialed the Admiral. The phone was answered; Robert asked for the Admiral and was told he was busy. Robert told the person he was going to shoot down a squadron of US planes that were approaching his island. There was silence, and then the Admiral came on and asked what squadron of aircraft. The US military had no aircraft in the area. Robert said thank you and hung up. Benson was on the radio telling the inbound aircraft to identify themselves or be shot down. A female voice came on and said something in a Nordic language. Benson told Alan to go get Injerd and Elisa. A few minutes later the two pilots were in the control center. Once again Benson asked for identification. The female voice came back with something that sounded the same as last time. Elisa leaned over and started talking in Finnish. In a few minutes she said that the squadron had been ordered to his island in a defense role to the monarch. She said that the Squadron Commander was her sister, and the wingman was Injerd's sister. The rest of the Squadron was made up of five other female pilots and one male. Elise was smiling as she said if she were betting that she would bet that the male was the husband of those seven pilots.

Elisa was back on the radio telling them to land and park near the hangar. As for fueling for the plane, they would figure that out when everything was down. As everyone was standing by the hangar, Nancy was standing next to Robert, and told him to have the fighter's line up on the side of the runway away from the house. As the planes landed, Elisa took a couple of wands and started parking fighters. When the tanker landed, Elisa parked it at the end of the row. As everyone climbed down, two crewmen came from the tanker which appeared to be blond twins. When everyone was clear of the parking area a klaxon sounded, and the planes began to lower into underground hangars. The look on the people's faces was one of amazement, as no one knew the hangar was there.

The pilot of the tanker stepped forward, introducing himself as a Lt. Colonel and the senior officer of the group. The planes that were sent here today were to be scrapped, but the Minister said that if you would send him the scrap price Robert could have them. There was one more plane coming, which was a cargo plane with five maintenance people and loaded mostly with ammunition for the bomber fighters. Robert asked where he should have the funds transferred to, and he would take care of it today. As the group moved to the house, Sofia said she needed to start a late lunch and think about dinner.

After dinner, Robert was thinking about all the things that would need to be done, and the help he would need to accomplish it. He was thinking about the Admiral when he noticed Nancy was sitting with him. Nancy said that it would be good to have the Admiral on his team, as he would have the experience to obtain all the supplies needed for their survival. Robert called Sarah into the study, asking her to research the Admiral and tell him all about Tom Fitzgerald.

Next he asked Maddy to join him, asking her to put an organization together for a complete hospital to serve five hundred adults and however to estimate how many children may come with them. Finally, Carolyn came in to see about security. Robert said that she needed to hire all the security people available, and secure both this island and the penthouse in Palo Alto. In fact, have Sarah buy the whole building and secure it.

Sarah had returned with the first information on the Admiral. He was the Naval representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his office was in the Pentagon. He was becoming more disenchanted with the US military on a daily basis, and was seriously considering retirement. He had a daughter and two grandchildren whom he idolized. His wife died last year of cervical cancer, and his daughter had retired from the Navy to be with her father. The Admiral's strength was logistics, even though he was a decorated Phantom pilot and Captain of a naval cruiser. His cruiser, a nuclear powered ship the USS Mississippi, was due for salvage next year and he was depressed about that.

Robert asked Sarah to see if she could get the Admiral at home, as he wanted to talk with him. When Sarah had the Admiral on line she handed the telephone to Robert. The two men had a lengthy conversation, and when completed, Robert said that the Admiral would be joining them for the weekend. He was bringing his daughter and granddaughters with him. Robert wanted the vial of what Robert called loyalty juice, as he really wanted the Admiral on his team, and Nancy was pushing him to get the daughter as she would be valuable in some capacity.

Sofia came in to tell them dinner would be ready in about half an hour, and if they wanted a before dinner drink they should have it now. She also told them that everyone had been assigned a room and were settled in. Robert asked Sofia if it ever got cold on the island, Sofia blushed when she told Robert that she usually ran around nude when the owner was not on the island, and she could do that all year around.

As Sarah and Robert entered the great room, several people were having cocktails relaxing from a stressful day. Carolyn, Benson and Rodney were all wearing what looked like pagers, but were enjoying themselves. Robert looked at the pager when Benson said that they would be paged if anything came within a hundred miles of the island. If it were a missile of some type, the system was set to shoot it down and asked questions later. Rodney said that he was going to order a device that would be like a thick umbrella that would incinerate anything trying to land on the island. With that system, the island would be almost impenetrable.

Dinner that night was very good, and dessert was an Irish Whiskey Cake. Sofia warned that there was enough Irish whiskey to make a lad or lassie very drunk if too much was eaten. Robert could tell why after his first bite. As everyone was around the table drinking coffee or tea, the stories about their lives were told. Indeed, the eight pilots had formed a family, and two of the pilots were pregnant but they had not told their superiors in the Finnish Air Force yet. They were glad for this mission, because if they liked the situation here they would resign their commissions and raise their families here.

The week seemed to fly by as Robert and his wives explored the underground areas. Robert thought there was going to be only one level, but there were four, which meant there were four million square feet of space. That meant that they would require shelves for three levels. The lighting and air conditioning would have to be evaluated and installed. Vicky called the group over to feel a door which was very cold. Robert opened the door and a blast of cold air hit him. As he descended the stairs he noticed it got colder. He opened another door and was in a huge freezer. There was a temperature gauge which read -30 degrees Celsius. Robert turned and left the area, as he did not want frost bite. Returning to the level above he said that there was a freezer down there, where meat and vegetables could be stored.

As Friday evening approached, Robert knew that the Admiral and his family would be arriving soon. Robert had warned everyone not to talk about the fighters and tanker until they were sure that the Admiral and his daughter would be joining them. What Robert did not say was that he would be giving them Robert's loyalty juice to help them decide.

Carolyn said two planes were approaching, one was Injerd, Elisa and the rest of the family, and the other was the Admiral. Robert said to tell Injerd to land first, and then the Admiral. Ten minutes later both planes were on the tarmac, and the Admiral was shutting down. As the Admiral stepped out he was met by Robert and Sarah with a large golf cart. The Admiral introduced his daughter as Malissa, and his two granddaughters as Ann and Jan. Robert said that they would go to the library and have something cold to drink. The view from there was one of the best on the island, as there was a large expanse of lawn and garden. Beyond that was both an East and West view of the ocean. The Admiral could not get over the view. Robert said if he was successful, the Admiral's office would have near the same view but one floor up.

Benson appeared then to request their desire for drinks. Benson asked the girls if they would like to go play with his grandchildren. The girls looked at their mother and she nodded OK. They left with Benson. As everyone was relaxing, Robert told them that there was a plan to build this island as a haven to assist people to survive terrorist attacks. Robert said that he felt that within the next six years, that AL-Qaeda would release a biological substance that would kill greater than 98 percent of the population. The reason for that was that the scientists would miscalculate the amount to be released, and the direction of the wind currents.

The Admiral said that he would prefer Tom to Admiral. One of the reasons he was becoming so disenchanted with the military and intelligence communities, was that the evidence was present to substantiate what Robert had just stated. The Joint Chiefs had discussed the possibility of a biological or chemical attack for years, but the politicians said there was no way that Osama bin Laden would do that. Tom then asked how Robert planned to save a group of people here on the island that was open to sea breezes. Robert said that the plan had already started, and that the interior would need to be started within six months. Robert felt that the interior work and stocking would take about four years.

If Tom and his family were interested in joining his family, he would extend an invitation to do so. Malissa spoke for the first time, asking if a structural engineer would be required. Robert said that was one of the reasons he was interested in her joining them. Robert asked if her husband would be retiring from the military soon. A tear formed in Malissa's eye as she said that her husband was flying a medevac plane when landing in Kabul and the Taliban used a SAM to bring the plane down. All on board were killed. When the worldwide press and all NATO nations wanted the Taliban leaders tried for war crimes, the Taliban leaders said that the allied forces shot the plane down and blamed them. The investigation proved that the SAM missile was of Russian origin, and was the type used when the Russians were in Afghanistan in the late 70's and 80's. Those SAMs had not been manufactured since that time.

Robert said that the US military men and women served proudly and with honor, and he wished he could save all of them. However, because of the size of his island only five hundred adults plus children under the age of eighteen could be saved. Those eighteen and over would have to be considered on a case by case basis.

There was a knock on the door, with Maddy approaching telling them that dinner will be ready as soon as they freshened up. Robert showed Tom and Malissa to their room, and went to the master suite to wash his face. As the group met for dinner there were thirty-one at the table. As Robert had decided for as long as possible everyone would eat together, they were nearing the point that they would have to add another table or have two sittings. The other thing was housing. How long before additional homes would have to be built, because the main house would not support five to six hundred people.

The loyalty juice was added to all the people's wine that were new. Robert had asked Nancy to add the juice, as he did not want Benson or Sofia to have that responsibility and later feel guilty about doing it. The dinner was a comfort food meal of Southern Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, deep fried okra, and iced tea. For dessert there was apple pie with either cheese, ice cream or both. This would be followed up with cheese and port. Tom looked at Robert and said that this meal alone was a great incentive to get him to join this group. Laughing, Malissa said if her Dad had a choice he would have eggs, grits, and bacon or sausage for breakfast. Then have fried chicken for dinner. Turning a noticeable shade of pink, Tom said that his daughter knew him well.

As the group was retiring to the great room, Tom and Malissa pulled Sarah aside asking her what was required to join this family. Smiling, Sarah said they had just met all the requirements and welcome to the family. Malissa asked how to become one of Robert's wives, as she had been alone too long, and the girls needed a father. Sarah said that she should join her tomorrow for coffee and to watch the sun rise.

Robert started his morning run just as dawn was breaking. He enjoyed the morning solitude and the challenge to his muscles, and with the one hour swim next he ready to start his day. As he completed his run, Robert went to the pool area and was taking off his shoes when Brad and Roberto showed up in swim trunks. The three started with slow laps, and then built up speed until they reached their max. Robert and Brad maintained the pace for thirty minutes, however Roberto only lasted about twenty minutes. When Robert and Brad finished their cool down laps, there was a crowd watching. Malissa asked how often they swam like that, Amy said they had been swimming like that since their freshman year in university and did it three times a week.

Carolyn said she had started to swim with Robert when they were in Palo Alto, but could only stay with him for twenty-five minutes. She pledged that some day she was going to out swim him and make him cry uncle. Everybody headed for breakfast as the three swimmers showered off by the pool, putting on sweat suits and headed for breakfast.

After breakfast, Robert met with Maddy and Brad, wanting to know if they had an inventory outline for what the hospital would require. Brad showed Robert the layout for a ten bed recovery ward, seven examination rooms, three radiology rooms, and three lab rooms. To go with that there were a couple of storage rooms. Brad then gave Robert a 'to be purchased' list. Brad said that if they waited until after the biological event, that they could go to the hospital at Stanford University Medical Center (SUMC) and obtain all these items at no cost.

Robert called Nancy, asking her if they could provide some type of biological safe suits so medical equipment could be relocated to the island after the biological event. Nancy said she would move the equipment, as they would have to sanitize the equipment before it could be brought to the island. Brad quickly wrote out a list of equipment and the locations at SUMC that they would like to have if possible. Nancy questioned how they would know how to make it operational after they received the equipment. Brad said that his sister and her husband were medical equipment engineers that designed, installed, and maintained the very equipment he was requesting.

Next, Carolyn, Benson and Rodney showed up asking for time with Robert. Sarah was in the process of purchasing the entire building where Robert's condo was located. The securing of the building would be easy, since the majority of the condos had never been sold or completed. At this point in time only three condos were occupied. Sarah was negotiating with the developer to offer the three occupants an upgraded condo in a higher priced development, and free moving. The three would be given a choice of any floor below the penthouse levels. The security of Robert's building would be by eye scan, hand scan, and voice print matching. As for the pool on the roof, there would be guards on the roof 24-7 in armor protected shelters. The second floor would be turned into a parking garage; the next floor would be a vacant security floor, with electronics that would eliminate anything that entered the area. The third floor would be the lowest floor for condos. There would be armed guards in the lobby 24-7 with vital sign monitoring. As the time of the biological event nears, all guards would be moved to the island. Robert had a number of guards who were single or terminally ill. Those that were terminally ill would not be moved to the island. They would be given all the pain killers they would want, but have no knowledge of the upcoming event.