Ark-13: An Odyssey by B.B. Gallagher Read Free Book Online Page B

mind.
    “Mr. Holder, a pleasure.” I shook his hand and dropped my bag near my desk.
    “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Hansen.” I motioned a hand for him to sit in an armchair by a nearby coffee table. I grabbed the other chair.
    “Would you like some coffee? I can call Doris…” I dropped my hand to the intercom, but Cyrus’s hand waved it off. He adjusted himself nervously.
    “No, no coffee and in fact…” he gritted his teeth for a moment. “I’m going to need you to dismiss her right now.”
    “What?”
    “She is your only employee?” he asked. I nodded my head, affirming his assumption.
    “I need you to send her home.” Oddly, he seemed serious, deadpan and direct.
    “Okay…” I kept my eye on Cyrus to ensure he remained as forthright as he was. I pressed the intercom button.
    “Doris?”
    “Yes sir!” she responded, eager to help in any way possible.
    “Why don’t you take the day off…” At first there was an odd silence.
    “Are… are… are ya sure?”
    “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow—” Cyrus shook his head disapprovingly at these words.
    “I’ll see you when I see you, I’m not sure if I’m coming in tomorrow.” I tried to make it sound like less of a question, but I’m sure my confusion came through the intercom.
    “Well…well… okay then! Have a good day.”
    I looked up at one of the world’s most powerful and influential people.
    “Can I call you Cyrus?” I asked trying to get comfortable with his presence.
    “Mr. Holder will be fine.” I remember thinking, ‘what the hell is up with this guy?’ I took a moment to adjust myself amidst the awkwardness building in the room.
    “What can I do you for?”
    “You have been selected for Ark-13…” A wild smile came over Cyrus’s face. I remained nonplussed to say the least.
    “Ark-13?”
    “Yes, Ark-13. The last voyage of humanity’s life boats,” he spoke as if I was supposed to know what was going on.
    “I am not following…”
    “Jake, GENESIS discovered three years ago that an asteroid would be hitting our planet. It will destroy everything and it is scheduled to strike in seven days…” I sat still and looked him over. Again, he was the same contortion of awkward seriousness.
    I had heard what he had said, but it didn’t register. It just bounced off as ridiculous.
    I laughed out loud – I wasn’t even polite about it.
    “This is some messed up prank my dad is pulling…” but then I realized my dad does not joke, especially in the mist of our current relationship.
    But Cyrus’s cemented expression did not crack.
    “Wait, wait, wait… you are telling me the world is going to end?” I tried to figure out the meaning written on his face.
    Cyrus offered one small and steady nod, not taking his eyes off mine.
    “Get outta here…” My laughter had mutated into anger and I stood in an attempt to usher him out of my office. But the man before me did not flinch. He only looked up, disarming me with heavy eyes as I processed the information.
    Cyrus did not stand to leave, rather he pulled out a file. The file had a telescoped photograph of a jagged rock. He handed me the file as he prepped his laptop.
    “The Pale Horse, that’s what we are calling it, is 32 miles wide. The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was only 8 miles wide. The Earth will be engulfed in flames, everything will die. Everyone you know, your mother, father, sister and Doris will die. There is no escaping it.” The words finally began to settle as I flipped through the stack of photographs showing the measurements of the asteroid.
    Cyrus flipped his laptop around to show me an illustration of the asteroid’s trajectory. The muscles in my face slowly began to loosen as the information seeped in. Cyrus continued as if there was nothing wrong. He was very matter-of-fact about it. And he laid it on thick.
    And then tunnel vision settled in.
    “You have more satellites in the sky than anyone...” I realized aloud. Cyrus