The Day After Tomorrow
24 Hours
WASHINGTON
Alyssa was in bed when the phone rang loud and shrill. She sighed leaned over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Rawson here I'm sorry to call you so early!" He apologised.
"That's okay Professor, What's up?" Alyssa replied tiredly. She was interested in everything and anything the old man had to say at this point no matter what time it was after all he was a genius.
"Well we've found something extraordinary... extraordinary and disturbing, that is. You recall what you said in New Delhi about how Polar Melting might disrupt the current? Rawson paused and took a breath, "Well I think its happening!"
Alyssa shot up in bed and stared straight ahead shock by what she'd just been told, "What do you mean?"
"Well one of our Nomad buoys registered a thirteen degree drop in surface temperature... I've sent you an email... "
"Hold on a sec!" Alyssa said getting out of bed and rushing to her lap top.
"At first we thought it was a malfunction but there are four more across the North Atlantic showing the same thing!" Rawson informed.
Alyssa stared at the screen in disbelief, "This is unbelievable," she murmured. Rawson continued, "You predicted this would happen... "
Alyssa nodded, "Yes but not in our lifetime, this is too fast!" she gaped leaning back in her chair a million things were now running through her mind.
"There are no forecast models remotely capable of plotting this scenario, except yours!" Rawson said.
"But my model is a reconstruction of a prehistoric climate shift not a forecast model!" Alyssa protested.
"It's the closest thing we have," Rawson announced, "Nothing has ever happened like this before!"
"At least not in the last ten thousand years!" Alyssa remarked and the lighting clashed outside enlightening her terrified face.
LOS ANGELES- 24 HOURS AGO
"Shouldn't you be monitoring the weather or something?" Dina said to her boyfriend Derek who was unbuttoning her shirt.
"This is LA what weather?" he asked and continued to kiss her.
"Wait what's that?" Dina said sitting up.
Derek walked to the door and opened it, Huck the cleaning guy was polishing the floor and listening to music at the same time, Derek nodded, he was about to disappear into the room again when he heard the phone ring from the office.
"Sorry honey I'll be right back!" he told Dina who huffed and buttoned up her shirt again.
"LA weather centre!" Derek answered.
"Derek its Rob,"
"What do you want Rob, I'm in the middle of something!"
"I'm down at the beach, there's hail the size of footballs here!"
Derek wasn't listening he was now looking at the television which was reporting a low pressure system in the Los Angeles atmosphere.
"I gotta go Rob!" he said hanging up the phone then picking it up again to call his boss.
The TV blared out the reports, "The coast guard has closed of the Miami coast line as waves have become too big for surfers."
"Hey boss turn on the weather channel I think we have to issue a tornado warning!" he blurted.
Jeff who had been asleep turned on the TV and gaped in horror, he got up and rushed outside, the clouds were roaring with activity and that's when he saw a tornado touch down on down town Los Angeles.
"Issue it!" he ordered and ran inside to put on his shoes.
PRESENT DAY- NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Alyssa was in her office trying to work out what would be needed for a new forecast model that would accurately predict the coming events in weather. Natalie sat on the sofa opposite coffee in hand.
There was a short knock on the door and Malcolm entered, "Um... Alyssa there is a couple of guys at reception wanting to see you urgently!"
"Okay I'll be there in a minute!" she logged off and smiled at Nat who got up to follow her.
"You do know we're gonna spend more than enough money to build this new model your talking about!"
"Yeah but I don't particularly care, it's what's needed."
When they reached the reception and Alyssa asked at the desk to see her guests, Molly the receptionist pointed to the other side of the room to a three guys by the vending machine.
"For goodness sake I don't have time to entertain a rock band get them out of here!"
"Come on Alyssa they're not a rock band anymore they're worried parents!" Natalie said before she hugged her friend and disappeared into the staff common room.
"Fine, Molly, show them into my office!" Alyssa ordered and walked into the common room to grab another coffee.
Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt were waiting in Alyssa McAllister's office. Tre sat on the sofa his head in his hands, Mike was looking at a photograph of Elisa and Roxy as kids and Billie was reading through a line of certificates.
Alyssa entered with no coffee, perhaps she didn't feel like eating or drinking with the nerves of facing the biggest idiots in her life.
"What the hell is going on here Alyssa?" Mike asked frantically.
"Oh were having a climate shift or hadn't you noticed?" Alyssa snapped sitting at her desk and opening her lap top.
"Oh for Gods sake Alyssa speak English!" Mike snapped back.
Alyssa smiled mockingly, "Oh I'm sorry Mike is my smart talk not good for you?"
Mike looked really angry now, Billie took over the questioning.
"That's not fair Alyssa, look I know you don't like us because you think were a bad influence on your sister or something but... "
"Don't you bring my sister into this you don't know anything!" Alyssa snapped voice raised now and standing up from her seat.
"Oh but you would know being millions of miles away!" Tre snapped.
"Don't you dare dictate to me!"
"Oh no because that would be easier wouldn't it," Tre began, "to shut up and ignore the truth, when the truth matters. Believe it or not Alyssa we play a very important part in your sisters life, while you're of building snow men in the Antarctica or your mothers off gallivanting around Universal Studios, we're the ones the school calls when Roxy gets rushed to hospital after collapsing in gym class, just because they can't get in touch with you!" Tre explained and Billie and Mike explained winning glanced.
"What?" Alyssa breathed.
"Yeah and to enlighten that little meaningful fact we may seem like a bad influence to you but we don't seem to affect Roxy when she gets accepted to Harvard!" Tre added with a raised voice.
"Harvard?" Alyssa breathed and sat back down again.
"Yes Harvard," Mike took over, "and just for your information Professor, we have very exceptional vocabulary were just not all stuck up geeks like you!" and with that Mike took a seat on the sofa beside Tre.
Billie stepped forward in front of the desk and leaned on it staring down at Alyssa. "Look we didn't come here to fight with you Alyssa, we just wanna know what the hell is going on out there," he choked holding back fearful tears.
Roxy finally understood she tapped on her computer.
"Okay I'll tell you!" She took a deep breath and began.
"We receive our warm climate from a thing called the North Atlantic current which picks up heat that arrives at the equator from the sun and carries it north providing us with the heat we need to survive, however it relies on a delicate balance of fresh and salt water to survive and excessive dumping of fresh water from Melting Polar Ice Caps due to global warming has disrupted that flow and there goes our warm climate. I recently received a telephone call from a Professor Terence Rawson who works at the oceanic climate research Hedland centre in Scotland and he says that buoys all over North Atlantic are registering thirteen degree drops in temperature and falling.
All these strange weather occurrences are happening and it's no coincidence at why they're happening all at once, we're heading into something that could be catastrophic."
"Like what?" Mike asked.
"The entire Northern Hemisphere won't be receiving its heat from the flow anymore because it has broken down, these things like typhoons and tsunamis are taking place because of that dramatic climate change they will continue. My studies prove that without the flow and warm climate we could be heading into a new Ice Age."
The three guys glared at her a new kind of fear filling their eyes once more.
"When?" Billie asked.
"I thought it wasn't going to be for another hundred years or so but Mother Nature wants to be a bitch and it could happen soon, as in within this year." Alyssa said tears welling.
"We need to call the kids!" Mike breathed.
The door threw open and Natalie waked in, "Tom is here now would be a good time to ask him!" Elisa nodded, "You guys can stay here if you like or you can come with me if you want updates on what's happening!"
They followed her out the door.
Tom was walking up the corridor with a Palomino guy Alyssa didn't know.
Elisa walked behind with Natalie and approached Tom with her idea.
"Tom we are building a forecast model and were gonna need... "
"What? Tom cut her off.
"Priority access to the mainframe facility for two days maybe three," Natalie requested stealing a hopeful glance at Alyssa.
Tom seemed annoyed and under pressure, "Oh really and is that it anything else?" he said sarcastically.
"We need it immediately!" Alyssa yelled.
Tom smirked, "You know I'd say you've lost your mind but you've been this way for the last ten years."
"Tom this is important!" Alyssa demanded. The Chinese man turned around, "What is this forecast model your building, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Clarke Tokada, this is Alyssa McAllister, Clark's a hurricane specialist with NASA, Elisa's a Paleo Climatologist and I have no idea what she's up too."
"Hey Gerry what's going on here?" Tom asked Gerry who was at the front of a crowd of weather officials crowded around the TV.
"They've just issued a tornado warning in Los Angeles Sir!"
"Breaking news as we prepare to go live at Los Angeles, Reports are coming of extreme weather in this area. Okay we are now going live to or Fox affiliate in LA." The Fox news reporter explained.
"Yes I'm here in LA and these Tornado's are forming so fast. And oh... oh my god... no, Lisa are you getting this, this tornado just erased the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood sign is gone, it's just shredded! And I see people down there taking pictures... .."
Jeff had shoved his flats on and drove toward work, he was passing down town when he saw tourists taking pictures. "People what are you doing, run for cover get out of here!" he ordered. Jeff heard his cell ringing.
"Hello?"
"Jeff where are you?" Derek asked.
"I'm on Yucca and Vine; I'm on my way to you!"
"JEFF YOUR ON TV YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!"
Jeff realised and jumped into his car, "Oh... no!!!!"
A huge bus fell on Jeff's car.
"Oh my goodness I do hope no one was in that Porsche!" The Fox affiliate observed from his helicopter. Derek gaped as the phone line went dead. He dropped the phone as he felt the building shake and ran into where Dina was he closed the door behind him ran toward the window and opened the blinds. He walked back slowly as he saw the tornado come toward the building and Dina fainted in his arms.
In the corridor Huck the cleaning guy turned of his machine as he felt the building shake violently.
When the building stopped shaking he saw there was a new light from under the door that Derek and his girl were in.
He stepped toward it and opened the door and nearly fell as he saw the destroyed city before him and half the building gone.
Alyssa was in bed when the phone rang loud and shrill. She sighed leaned over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Rawson here I'm sorry to call you so early!" He apologised.
"That's okay Professor, What's up?" Alyssa replied tiredly. She was interested in everything and anything the old man had to say at this point no matter what time it was after all he was a genius.
"Well we've found something extraordinary... extraordinary and disturbing, that is. You recall what you said in New Delhi about how Polar Melting might disrupt the current? Rawson paused and took a breath, "Well I think its happening!"
Alyssa shot up in bed and stared straight ahead shock by what she'd just been told, "What do you mean?"
"Well one of our Nomad buoys registered a thirteen degree drop in surface temperature... I've sent you an email... "
"Hold on a sec!" Alyssa said getting out of bed and rushing to her lap top.
"At first we thought it was a malfunction but there are four more across the North Atlantic showing the same thing!" Rawson informed.
Alyssa stared at the screen in disbelief, "This is unbelievable," she murmured. Rawson continued, "You predicted this would happen... "
Alyssa nodded, "Yes but not in our lifetime, this is too fast!" she gaped leaning back in her chair a million things were now running through her mind.
"There are no forecast models remotely capable of plotting this scenario, except yours!" Rawson said.
"But my model is a reconstruction of a prehistoric climate shift not a forecast model!" Alyssa protested.
"It's the closest thing we have," Rawson announced, "Nothing has ever happened like this before!"
"At least not in the last ten thousand years!" Alyssa remarked and the lighting clashed outside enlightening her terrified face.
LOS ANGELES- 24 HOURS AGO
"Shouldn't you be monitoring the weather or something?" Dina said to her boyfriend Derek who was unbuttoning her shirt.
"This is LA what weather?" he asked and continued to kiss her.
"Wait what's that?" Dina said sitting up.
Derek walked to the door and opened it, Huck the cleaning guy was polishing the floor and listening to music at the same time, Derek nodded, he was about to disappear into the room again when he heard the phone ring from the office.
"Sorry honey I'll be right back!" he told Dina who huffed and buttoned up her shirt again.
"LA weather centre!" Derek answered.
"Derek its Rob,"
"What do you want Rob, I'm in the middle of something!"
"I'm down at the beach, there's hail the size of footballs here!"
Derek wasn't listening he was now looking at the television which was reporting a low pressure system in the Los Angeles atmosphere.
"I gotta go Rob!" he said hanging up the phone then picking it up again to call his boss.
The TV blared out the reports, "The coast guard has closed of the Miami coast line as waves have become too big for surfers."
"Hey boss turn on the weather channel I think we have to issue a tornado warning!" he blurted.
Jeff who had been asleep turned on the TV and gaped in horror, he got up and rushed outside, the clouds were roaring with activity and that's when he saw a tornado touch down on down town Los Angeles.
"Issue it!" he ordered and ran inside to put on his shoes.
PRESENT DAY- NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Alyssa was in her office trying to work out what would be needed for a new forecast model that would accurately predict the coming events in weather. Natalie sat on the sofa opposite coffee in hand.
There was a short knock on the door and Malcolm entered, "Um... Alyssa there is a couple of guys at reception wanting to see you urgently!"
"Okay I'll be there in a minute!" she logged off and smiled at Nat who got up to follow her.
"You do know we're gonna spend more than enough money to build this new model your talking about!"
"Yeah but I don't particularly care, it's what's needed."
When they reached the reception and Alyssa asked at the desk to see her guests, Molly the receptionist pointed to the other side of the room to a three guys by the vending machine.
"For goodness sake I don't have time to entertain a rock band get them out of here!"
"Come on Alyssa they're not a rock band anymore they're worried parents!" Natalie said before she hugged her friend and disappeared into the staff common room.
"Fine, Molly, show them into my office!" Alyssa ordered and walked into the common room to grab another coffee.
Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt were waiting in Alyssa McAllister's office. Tre sat on the sofa his head in his hands, Mike was looking at a photograph of Elisa and Roxy as kids and Billie was reading through a line of certificates.
Alyssa entered with no coffee, perhaps she didn't feel like eating or drinking with the nerves of facing the biggest idiots in her life.
"What the hell is going on here Alyssa?" Mike asked frantically.
"Oh were having a climate shift or hadn't you noticed?" Alyssa snapped sitting at her desk and opening her lap top.
"Oh for Gods sake Alyssa speak English!" Mike snapped back.
Alyssa smiled mockingly, "Oh I'm sorry Mike is my smart talk not good for you?"
Mike looked really angry now, Billie took over the questioning.
"That's not fair Alyssa, look I know you don't like us because you think were a bad influence on your sister or something but... "
"Don't you bring my sister into this you don't know anything!" Alyssa snapped voice raised now and standing up from her seat.
"Oh but you would know being millions of miles away!" Tre snapped.
"Don't you dare dictate to me!"
"Oh no because that would be easier wouldn't it," Tre began, "to shut up and ignore the truth, when the truth matters. Believe it or not Alyssa we play a very important part in your sisters life, while you're of building snow men in the Antarctica or your mothers off gallivanting around Universal Studios, we're the ones the school calls when Roxy gets rushed to hospital after collapsing in gym class, just because they can't get in touch with you!" Tre explained and Billie and Mike explained winning glanced.
"What?" Alyssa breathed.
"Yeah and to enlighten that little meaningful fact we may seem like a bad influence to you but we don't seem to affect Roxy when she gets accepted to Harvard!" Tre added with a raised voice.
"Harvard?" Alyssa breathed and sat back down again.
"Yes Harvard," Mike took over, "and just for your information Professor, we have very exceptional vocabulary were just not all stuck up geeks like you!" and with that Mike took a seat on the sofa beside Tre.
Billie stepped forward in front of the desk and leaned on it staring down at Alyssa. "Look we didn't come here to fight with you Alyssa, we just wanna know what the hell is going on out there," he choked holding back fearful tears.
Roxy finally understood she tapped on her computer.
"Okay I'll tell you!" She took a deep breath and began.
"We receive our warm climate from a thing called the North Atlantic current which picks up heat that arrives at the equator from the sun and carries it north providing us with the heat we need to survive, however it relies on a delicate balance of fresh and salt water to survive and excessive dumping of fresh water from Melting Polar Ice Caps due to global warming has disrupted that flow and there goes our warm climate. I recently received a telephone call from a Professor Terence Rawson who works at the oceanic climate research Hedland centre in Scotland and he says that buoys all over North Atlantic are registering thirteen degree drops in temperature and falling.
All these strange weather occurrences are happening and it's no coincidence at why they're happening all at once, we're heading into something that could be catastrophic."
"Like what?" Mike asked.
"The entire Northern Hemisphere won't be receiving its heat from the flow anymore because it has broken down, these things like typhoons and tsunamis are taking place because of that dramatic climate change they will continue. My studies prove that without the flow and warm climate we could be heading into a new Ice Age."
The three guys glared at her a new kind of fear filling their eyes once more.
"When?" Billie asked.
"I thought it wasn't going to be for another hundred years or so but Mother Nature wants to be a bitch and it could happen soon, as in within this year." Alyssa said tears welling.
"We need to call the kids!" Mike breathed.
The door threw open and Natalie waked in, "Tom is here now would be a good time to ask him!" Elisa nodded, "You guys can stay here if you like or you can come with me if you want updates on what's happening!"
They followed her out the door.
Tom was walking up the corridor with a Palomino guy Alyssa didn't know.
Elisa walked behind with Natalie and approached Tom with her idea.
"Tom we are building a forecast model and were gonna need... "
"What? Tom cut her off.
"Priority access to the mainframe facility for two days maybe three," Natalie requested stealing a hopeful glance at Alyssa.
Tom seemed annoyed and under pressure, "Oh really and is that it anything else?" he said sarcastically.
"We need it immediately!" Alyssa yelled.
Tom smirked, "You know I'd say you've lost your mind but you've been this way for the last ten years."
"Tom this is important!" Alyssa demanded. The Chinese man turned around, "What is this forecast model your building, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Clarke Tokada, this is Alyssa McAllister, Clark's a hurricane specialist with NASA, Elisa's a Paleo Climatologist and I have no idea what she's up too."
"Hey Gerry what's going on here?" Tom asked Gerry who was at the front of a crowd of weather officials crowded around the TV.
"They've just issued a tornado warning in Los Angeles Sir!"
"Breaking news as we prepare to go live at Los Angeles, Reports are coming of extreme weather in this area. Okay we are now going live to or Fox affiliate in LA." The Fox news reporter explained.
"Yes I'm here in LA and these Tornado's are forming so fast. And oh... oh my god... no, Lisa are you getting this, this tornado just erased the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood sign is gone, it's just shredded! And I see people down there taking pictures... .."
Jeff had shoved his flats on and drove toward work, he was passing down town when he saw tourists taking pictures. "People what are you doing, run for cover get out of here!" he ordered. Jeff heard his cell ringing.
"Hello?"
"Jeff where are you?" Derek asked.
"I'm on Yucca and Vine; I'm on my way to you!"
"JEFF YOUR ON TV YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!"
Jeff realised and jumped into his car, "Oh... no!!!!"
A huge bus fell on Jeff's car.
"Oh my goodness I do hope no one was in that Porsche!" The Fox affiliate observed from his helicopter. Derek gaped as the phone line went dead. He dropped the phone as he felt the building shake and ran into where Dina was he closed the door behind him ran toward the window and opened the blinds. He walked back slowly as he saw the tornado come toward the building and Dina fainted in his arms.
In the corridor Huck the cleaning guy turned of his machine as he felt the building shake violently.
When the building stopped shaking he saw there was a new light from under the door that Derek and his girl were in.
He stepped toward it and opened the door and nearly fell as he saw the destroyed city before him and half the building gone.