The Day After Tomorrow
Plans for Search and Rescue
WASHINGTON
"Where did you store the arctic gear, Brian?" Alyssa asked Brian who was in the office with Jack.
"You can't make it to New York Alyssa!" Natalie cried.
"I've walked that far before in the snow!" she snapped and she headed for the door.
Billie joined them without Adie, who was probably calming Jakob at this point.
"What's going on?" he asked. Mike walked over to him.
"She's gonna walk to New York to get the kids!" Mike told him.
"Walk? Is she crazy?" Billie asked.
"Elisa this is not the same, this is NOT the same, Tre, tell her!"
Tre looked at her. "I have to do this," Alyssa said, almost tearing.
Tre nodded, he knew she had to... but not without him, "I'm going with you!"
"Tre, no!" Billie and Mike protested, "You're not a professional, you could die!"
"That's a risk I'm more than fucking willing to take!" Tre snapped.
Roxy grabbed some coats and pants from the rack as Joey stripped down to his sky blue Calvin Klein boxers.
"I'm sha... shaking!" Joey said worriedly.
"That's okay... here!" she said, handing him the clothes and he put them on. She grabbed an extra jacket and put it around him then took of her own and hugged him tight under the coat.
"W... what are you doing?" he wondered, hugging her back anyway.
"I'm using my body heat to warm you up; if we let the blood from your arms and legs rush back to your heart too quickly... your heart could fail!" she told him, tears falling down her face.
"W... where did y... you l... learn that?" he muttered.
"Some of us were actually paying attention in health class! How are you feeling?"
"Much better!" Joey said, smiling at himself.
A few minutes later Joey and Roxy returned to everyone.
"I was speaking to our dads!" Joey announced to the gang. Ramona, Frankito and Stella jumped up.
"What?" Stella snapped.
"I'm sorry but I didn't have time to call you guys down the water was getting deeper!" Joey explained.
"Where are they? Are they okay?" Ramona cried.
"They're fine, they're heading south I think, Roxy's sisters coming here to get us?"
"How's she doing that? Frankito asked.
"She's walking," Roxy told him.
"Okay kids, I'm gonna go fetch some more clothing for these people, can this be any use?" She held up a busted looking radio.
"Hey, I think I might be able to get that working, give it here," Jake demanded and Ramona handed it to him before running off to fetch more clothes.
Roxy went over and sat down next to a shivering Joey and put her hand on his, Joey was shocked at this as he looked down at his hand tightly clasped in hers and he squeezed it back.
"Hey, what's that noise?" someone yelled.
Roxy and Joey stood up, they'd heard it too.
"Sound like... I don't know!" Jensen added, standing up.
Jensen and Frankito looked out of the window and saw what was making the noise. They jumped down from the window and ran down the hall, Roxy and Joey exchanged glances and followed with Cadence in tow.
"What the hell?" Jensen said, gaping as the oil tanker sailed slowly down the street and coming to a stop aside the library.
NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION CENTRE
Alyssa packed up the snow things into plastic boxes, Tom Gomez walked in, "Jack told me about Joey and Roxy, I won't try and talk you out of going but there's something I need for you to do first. You have to explain your results to the administration."
Alyssa looked up, "I already tried that Tom."
"I know you did but it'll be different this time, you're gonna brief the president directly!"
Alyssa nodded and followed Gomez to the conference room where the Vice President and the President where sitting.
Alyssa linked her lap top to the over head screen and pressed play, she explained what they saw.
"The basic rule of storms is they continue until the imbalance that created them is corrected. In this case we are talking about a global realignment. This super storm will last seven to ten days, when it's over ice and snow will cover the entire northern hemisphere. The ice and snow will reflect sunlight; the earth's atmosphere will re-stabilize, but with an average temperature close to that of the last ice age."
"What can we do about this?" the president asked.
"Head as far south as possible!" Alyssa said with a sigh, she wasn't going any where near the direction of south.
"That is not amusing, professor." It was the Vice President. Alyssa swore into herself, Who did this man think he is?
"Where do you suggest they go?" the President's assistant, Lauren, asked.
"The farther south they go the safer they'll be, Texas, parts of Florida that aren't flooded, Mexico would be best," Alyssa advised.
"Mexico?" the Vice President sniggered, "Maybe you should stick to science and leave policy to us!" he remarked snidely.
"Well we tried that approach," Gomez began, "You didn't want to hear about the science then when it could have made a difference!" he added.
The Vice President looked down at his feet with shame.
"What exactly are you proposing, professor?" the President asked.
Alyssa stood up and crossed the room to a wall map; she pulled out a marker and drew a line across the map, "Evacuate everyone south of that line!"
"What about the people in the north?" the president wondered.
"I'm afraid it's too late for them, if they go outside the storm will kill them. At this point their best chance is to stay inside and try to ride it out and pray!"
Alyssa gathered her things and walked out Tom Gomez following her, "What do you think he'll do?" Alyssa asked.
"I don't know... Alyssa, thanks," he said holding out his hand, she shook it. "And good luck!"
"You too," Alyssa replied with a smile and affectionate squeeze to Tom's hand, he'd done so much for her already,
"We're all gonna need it!" she added, stepping into the elevator.
In the conference room the Vice President was in an uproar, "We can't evacuate half the country because one scientist thinks the climate is shifting!"
"Every minute we delay is costing lives," Lauren applied.
"And what about the other half of the country?" the VP replied.
"If professor McAllister is right about the storm pattern sending troops north will create more victims. We need to save the people we can right now," Lauren calmly put in.
"We take the same approach in Triage on the battle field, sometimes it's necessary to make difficult choices," General Campbell added.
"I don't accept abandoning half the country is necessary..." the VP began.
"Maybe if you'd listened to him sooner it wouldn't be," Gomez said with his voice raised.
"Oh bull, it's easy for him to suggest this plan when he's safely here in Washington!" VP declared.
"His son is in Manhattan! I thought you should know that before you start questioning his motives!" Gomez said.
"We're going to follow McAllister's plan!" the President said
"General?" The President said, "Give the order for the National Guard to evacuate the Southern States."
"Yes Sir!" General Campbell said and got up to leave as the President did. VP Reeves sat in his chair astounded that he'd been overruled.
"Where did you store the arctic gear, Brian?" Alyssa asked Brian who was in the office with Jack.
"You can't make it to New York Alyssa!" Natalie cried.
"I've walked that far before in the snow!" she snapped and she headed for the door.
Billie joined them without Adie, who was probably calming Jakob at this point.
"What's going on?" he asked. Mike walked over to him.
"She's gonna walk to New York to get the kids!" Mike told him.
"Walk? Is she crazy?" Billie asked.
"Elisa this is not the same, this is NOT the same, Tre, tell her!"
Tre looked at her. "I have to do this," Alyssa said, almost tearing.
Tre nodded, he knew she had to... but not without him, "I'm going with you!"
"Tre, no!" Billie and Mike protested, "You're not a professional, you could die!"
"That's a risk I'm more than fucking willing to take!" Tre snapped.
Roxy grabbed some coats and pants from the rack as Joey stripped down to his sky blue Calvin Klein boxers.
"I'm sha... shaking!" Joey said worriedly.
"That's okay... here!" she said, handing him the clothes and he put them on. She grabbed an extra jacket and put it around him then took of her own and hugged him tight under the coat.
"W... what are you doing?" he wondered, hugging her back anyway.
"I'm using my body heat to warm you up; if we let the blood from your arms and legs rush back to your heart too quickly... your heart could fail!" she told him, tears falling down her face.
"W... where did y... you l... learn that?" he muttered.
"Some of us were actually paying attention in health class! How are you feeling?"
"Much better!" Joey said, smiling at himself.
A few minutes later Joey and Roxy returned to everyone.
"I was speaking to our dads!" Joey announced to the gang. Ramona, Frankito and Stella jumped up.
"What?" Stella snapped.
"I'm sorry but I didn't have time to call you guys down the water was getting deeper!" Joey explained.
"Where are they? Are they okay?" Ramona cried.
"They're fine, they're heading south I think, Roxy's sisters coming here to get us?"
"How's she doing that? Frankito asked.
"She's walking," Roxy told him.
"Okay kids, I'm gonna go fetch some more clothing for these people, can this be any use?" She held up a busted looking radio.
"Hey, I think I might be able to get that working, give it here," Jake demanded and Ramona handed it to him before running off to fetch more clothes.
Roxy went over and sat down next to a shivering Joey and put her hand on his, Joey was shocked at this as he looked down at his hand tightly clasped in hers and he squeezed it back.
"Hey, what's that noise?" someone yelled.
Roxy and Joey stood up, they'd heard it too.
"Sound like... I don't know!" Jensen added, standing up.
Jensen and Frankito looked out of the window and saw what was making the noise. They jumped down from the window and ran down the hall, Roxy and Joey exchanged glances and followed with Cadence in tow.
"What the hell?" Jensen said, gaping as the oil tanker sailed slowly down the street and coming to a stop aside the library.
NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION CENTRE
Alyssa packed up the snow things into plastic boxes, Tom Gomez walked in, "Jack told me about Joey and Roxy, I won't try and talk you out of going but there's something I need for you to do first. You have to explain your results to the administration."
Alyssa looked up, "I already tried that Tom."
"I know you did but it'll be different this time, you're gonna brief the president directly!"
Alyssa nodded and followed Gomez to the conference room where the Vice President and the President where sitting.
Alyssa linked her lap top to the over head screen and pressed play, she explained what they saw.
"The basic rule of storms is they continue until the imbalance that created them is corrected. In this case we are talking about a global realignment. This super storm will last seven to ten days, when it's over ice and snow will cover the entire northern hemisphere. The ice and snow will reflect sunlight; the earth's atmosphere will re-stabilize, but with an average temperature close to that of the last ice age."
"What can we do about this?" the president asked.
"Head as far south as possible!" Alyssa said with a sigh, she wasn't going any where near the direction of south.
"That is not amusing, professor." It was the Vice President. Alyssa swore into herself, Who did this man think he is?
"Where do you suggest they go?" the President's assistant, Lauren, asked.
"The farther south they go the safer they'll be, Texas, parts of Florida that aren't flooded, Mexico would be best," Alyssa advised.
"Mexico?" the Vice President sniggered, "Maybe you should stick to science and leave policy to us!" he remarked snidely.
"Well we tried that approach," Gomez began, "You didn't want to hear about the science then when it could have made a difference!" he added.
The Vice President looked down at his feet with shame.
"What exactly are you proposing, professor?" the President asked.
Alyssa stood up and crossed the room to a wall map; she pulled out a marker and drew a line across the map, "Evacuate everyone south of that line!"
"What about the people in the north?" the president wondered.
"I'm afraid it's too late for them, if they go outside the storm will kill them. At this point their best chance is to stay inside and try to ride it out and pray!"
Alyssa gathered her things and walked out Tom Gomez following her, "What do you think he'll do?" Alyssa asked.
"I don't know... Alyssa, thanks," he said holding out his hand, she shook it. "And good luck!"
"You too," Alyssa replied with a smile and affectionate squeeze to Tom's hand, he'd done so much for her already,
"We're all gonna need it!" she added, stepping into the elevator.
In the conference room the Vice President was in an uproar, "We can't evacuate half the country because one scientist thinks the climate is shifting!"
"Every minute we delay is costing lives," Lauren applied.
"And what about the other half of the country?" the VP replied.
"If professor McAllister is right about the storm pattern sending troops north will create more victims. We need to save the people we can right now," Lauren calmly put in.
"We take the same approach in Triage on the battle field, sometimes it's necessary to make difficult choices," General Campbell added.
"I don't accept abandoning half the country is necessary..." the VP began.
"Maybe if you'd listened to him sooner it wouldn't be," Gomez said with his voice raised.
"Oh bull, it's easy for him to suggest this plan when he's safely here in Washington!" VP declared.
"His son is in Manhattan! I thought you should know that before you start questioning his motives!" Gomez said.
"We're going to follow McAllister's plan!" the President said
"General?" The President said, "Give the order for the National Guard to evacuate the Southern States."
"Yes Sir!" General Campbell said and got up to leave as the President did. VP Reeves sat in his chair astounded that he'd been overruled.