2021 (15 page)

NASA wanted
all the experts and scientists to be moved to their own facilities.

The Pentagon however, refused, but agreed they would offer all NASA scientists working on the problem anything they needed.

They were true to their word too, as experts from all over the world were now brought in to pour over the problem
, with brilliant minds old and young alike working closely together, along with every piece of equipment they could possibly request to aid them.

Day Four:

10
^th
January 2021

Eugene,

Oregon, U.S.A.

T
he Pentagon ordered in scores of engineers, mechanics, equipment and supplies to Professor Edward’s workshop in Eugene now and their men worked around the clock to build the pedal powered propulsion system jointly designed by Professor Keys, Professor Mellows, and many of the expert team now assembled back at the Pentagon.

The simple mechanical cycle
system was based loosely on the same principles as the clockwork radio, also oddly enough invented by an Englishman. Although based upon quite simple mechanical principles, it was none the less, also quite a powerful engine. It was in fact quite ingenious in its design.

Professor Keys also requested an old fashioned film camera, that he similarly adapted to be used manually, also using his clockwork engine idea. After being converted, the camera only needed an occasional wind up to keep it working properly. Of course, it would have to use old fashioned colour film as no electrically operated digital system would be likely to work in the dead zone area anyway. They were not even sure film itself would still work.

They had early warning gas systems based o
n rather low tech devices on the airship’s nose cone and would be required to wear gas masks around their necks to facilitate instant usage as and when it became necessary.

In the end
, Professor Edward’s large, but normally quite empty workshop became a hive of activity as literally hundreds of engineers and skilled mechanics were brought in to work there.

‘This must be what Santa’s workshop looks like’ joked Professor Keys
as he stared at all the engineers and skilled mechanics working frantically away.

‘I don’t know
, I’ve never even been to Santa’s workshop myself’ smiled Professor Edwards.

‘Oh?
I’m surprised to hear you saying that, seeing as you’re always flying over the North Pole?’ Professor Mellows joked.

‘He’s probably dropped in on Santa and drank tea with him
loads of times really’ suggested Professor Keys with a smile.

‘No, of course not’ replied Professor Ed
wards ‘Santa’s American, so he only drinks coffee’ he laughed.

‘And I thought it w
as only milk and cookies’ smiled Professor Keys.

A
fter a great deal of hard work by the now well over two hundred and fifty engineers, scientists and mechanics all working hard around the clock, they were finally ready to leave.

It was a remarkable achievement to have invented a new propulsion system and then had it built and ready to leave in such a very short period of time.

All their back up systems relied not upon electricity or flame, but old fashioned elbow grease and clever mechanical and basically modern clockwork design.

In short, it was quite ingenious.

Professor Keys had
just been re-united with his seventeen year old daughter, who he’d been forced to abandon back at their hotel whilst on their holiday in America, in order for him to report to the Pentagon as he had been ordered. Only
he
had the necessary security clearance to attend the initial emergency meeting there, so his daughter had to remain behind in their hotel instead.

His daughter
was now able to join him though and she flew into his arms and gave him a big hug before he introduced her to all the other main members of their onsite design team.

‘Professor Mellows, th
is is my daughter Jenny’ he informed her.

‘Pleased to me you
, Jenny’ smiled Professor Mellows ‘why don’t you call me Joan’ she suggested.

‘Joan?
Professor Keys queried as he only half paid attention as he was still supervising some of the airship’s mechanics.

‘Yes, that’s my name,
I was named after my grandmother’ she explained.

‘Never mind
him
, he only half listens to
me
half the time as well’ giggled Jenny. ‘His name’s Stuart by the way’ she informed Joan.

‘As we’re all on first name terms
, my name’s Jack’ smiled Professor Edwards ‘and these are my two children, Bill’s aged five and Charlotte is aged seven, and this is my better half Abigail’ he smiled as he held onto her.

‘Yes, Jack
doesn’t listen to me half the time either’ his wife chuckled away ‘I think all scientists are the same’ she smiled.

After the introductions
, Stuart asked Jack how he thought things were going.

‘Really well
!’ he replied ‘remarkably well in fact, I think the guys have done a great job. All being well we should be able to test her out soon and then we should be ready to leave. In a couple of hours probably, but maybe even sooner’ he smiled cheerfully. ‘I hope you’ve got your sea legs on though’ he laughed.

‘Why’s that?’ asked Stuart curiously.

‘Because the motion of
an airship on a windy day like today can be very similar to being in a small boat in rough seas’ he suggested.

‘I’ll be all right
, I go sailing back home in England around the Isle of Wight’ Stuart nodded ‘you’ve heard of the Needles?’

‘No, can’t say I have’ Jack shook his head.

‘Well the sea
is always really rough off them’ Stuart smiled.

‘How many crew can we take, Jack?’ asked Joan curiously.

‘We usually carry ten people
, but we have to make allowances for the extra weight of added equipment now’ he explained. ‘Also we don’t want to fly too low, as if as we suspect the engines do cut out when we enter the dead zone, we might not be able to gain much height if we’re on the edge of our limits, well, without throwing something or someone overboard that is’ laughed Jack.

Then he turned to Stuart.

‘Has the film camera got a zoom lens fitted?’

‘Yes’ replied Stuart.

‘That’s good, as obviously we’ll be quite high up’ Jack nodded ‘so you always need one.’

‘So how many people can we take then?’ asked Joan again.

‘Oh, sorry, Joan, I didn’t answer you did I
’ apologised Jack. ‘We’ll let’s see, we’ll need two people to work the manual system if the main engines do cut out, I’ll steer, and then we’ll need a fourth person to operate the camera if there’s anything there to film’ he explained.

‘I’ll do that!’ instantly volunteered Jenny.

‘Oh no, this is far too dangerous, Jenny, we don’t even
know what we’re flying into yet’ objected her father.

‘But I’m the only one he
re who has experience of operating an old fashioned film camera. I operated the large 35mm cine camera at school when we made a Mocumentary and then I made a further three documentaries in college’ she insisted.

‘W
hat’s a Mocumentary?’ queried Joan.

‘It’s like a
‘pretend’ one, made just like a serious documentary only poking fun usually at someone instead’ explained Stuart.

‘Oh right, sounds like fun’ Joan replied smiling at Jenny.

‘She’s got a point, Stuart, we’re gonna need someone used to operating a camera if we’re not going to return with something all shaky and unwatchable
that is’ argued Jack in her support.

‘I can do it, Dad, no problem!’ insisted Jenny enthusiastically.

‘It’s not a question of whether you can do it
or not, Jenny, it’s a question of the danger that might be involved’ he insisted.

Then he looked towards Jack.

‘How safe are these things anyway
, Jack?’

‘Well
, we live in it for weeks over the North Pole’ he smiled ‘is that safe enough?’

‘Pretty safe then I’d say’ smiled Joan nodding to
wards Jenny.

‘Oh, all right then, you can go’
Stuart finally conceded as Jenny went and hugged him, ‘but you have to keep a gas mask with you at all times and do
exactly
as you’re told!’ he insisted.

‘Thanks Dad
’ she smiled.

After their un-powered test flight proved successful, they were then all set to go.

The rest of the world
’s press meanwhile only had one headline now:

‘What’s going on i
n California?’

The newspapers
consisted of nothing else as various technical experts they spoke to all argued amongst themselves as to what was really going on and all sorts of ‘conspiracy theories’ began to circulate around.

Several newspapers claimed there had been a terrorist attack and so the President had ordered a complete news blackout until it was resolved, whilst others claimed it had been a natural disaster
of some sort.

People who had relatives in the dead
zone area were meanwhile asking why they couldn’t contact their relatives and large protests had begun in various cities all around America.

The President, realising he couldn’t just stay silent
for long went on national television going with the large ground fissure opening up theory, caused by the recent earth tremor in the area. He then went on to explain how their scientists were now working around the clock to resolve the situation, but that everyone was to stay away from the area until the as a yet unexplained problem altering the magnetic poles had been fully investigated.

He explained how it had presented them with a problem they were still trying to fully understand, but it basically meant electricity no longer worked and the depth of the fissure itself had temporarily trapped people inside the area.

The President
looked strained as he read out his own statement, but it did calm some people down, but unfortunately not others, as many of the protests continued all around the country just the same.

Meanwhile
, the National Guard and soldiers from the American Navy, Army and Air Force were all called in to both maintain public order, but also set up road blocks, blockades and regular armed patrols to prevent people trying to enter the dead zone area themselves.

Regular air craft patrols also deterred anyone entering the area by plane or helicopter.

Professor Keys, his da
ughter Jenny, Professor Mellows and pilot Professor Jack Edwards meanwhile began to leave Eugene in the newly modified airship.

‘What do you think we’ll find
there, Joan?’ puzzled Stuart.

But s
he just shook her head.

‘Do you know, for once in my life I’ve absolutely no idea’ she smiled.

‘Exciting though
, isn’t it?’ Stuart smiled back.

‘Well that and a little bit scary’ she admitted.

‘What I can’t understand is why we haven’t heard from anyone who went into the area to investigate’ puzzled Jack as he manned the controls.

‘Well if their electricity has been neutralised its no wonder at it’ replied Stuart.

‘But why don’t they just walk out
again?’ questioned Jack.

‘We
ll we have to presume that for some reason they just can’t’ concluded Joan.

‘Maybe the theory of a fissure exposing a gas into the atmosphere is quite sound?’ questioned Stuart.

‘With that in mind
, has everyone got their gas mask ready, just in case?’ questioned Joan.

‘Jenny have you yours?’
her dad asked urgently.

‘Da
d, it’s around my neck!’ she replied sarcastically as Joan and Jack both looked at each other and laughed quietly.

Just over an hour into their flight they
then began to see some quite remarkable and very unusual sights.

Below them were literally thousand
s and thousands of animals and birds, all drinking from a lake and even Jack took time out from the controls to stare down over the side and just marvel at them all.

‘What a sight!
’ he commented ‘why, I’ve never seen anything quite like it’ he laughed.

‘It’s an odd collection of animals though
, don’t you think?’ commented Joan as she studied them more closely.

‘It’s fantastic!’ smiled Jenny as she gazed down at them all.