Authors: David Capps
Beijing, China
Guang Xi was awakened by the doctor and a team of nurses.
“Wha – What are you doing?” Guang Xi asked.
“Your bandages have to be changed,” the nurse stated.
For the first time Guang Xi realized that there were bandages on his face, hands and chest. “Why do I have all of these bandages?” he asked.
“You were severely burned,” the doctor replied.
“But there’s no pain,” Guang Xi said. “Burns cause pain, and I don’t have any pain in my face and hands.”
“Severe burns, like you have, kill the nerves, so there is no pain,” the doctor said.
“Severe burns?” Guang Xi said. “How severe?”
The doctor looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m sorry. You have lost the skin on your face, the back of your hands and on your fore arms and chest. The damage has been extensive.”
“But, how?” Guang Xi asked.
“We don’t really know,” the doctor replied. “The army doctor that brought you in said he thought the burns were from very high levels of electromagnetic radiation, but we’ve never seen anything like your burns before. We’re really just guessing at this point.”
Guang Xi looked down at his hands as the nurse removed the last bandage. His hands looked bright red, and somewhat shiny. “I can’t feel my hands,” Guang Xi said. “What have you done to me?”
“During your surgery we replaced your burned skin with an artificial skin product. It will help your body regenerate skin tissue, but for now we have to keep it tight against the underlying tissue so it will bond.”
“And my face?”
The doctor glanced over at a nurse and nodded. She picked up a mirror and held it so Guang Xi could see. He quickly drew in a breath.
This can’t be!
His face was shiny bright red and boney in appearance. The artificial skin extended up over the top of his scalp.
Where are my ears?
His right ear was gone with only a small knobby protrusion remaining of his left ear. He felt nauseated by the sight of his own features.
How is Meili going to react?
He reached up and touched his face. He couldn’t feel the contact of his fingers, nor could he sense anything on his face.
“I can’t feel anything,” Guang Xi stated anxiously.
“I know,” the doctor replied. “You won’t have any nerves in the new skin that grows. Nerves won’t regenerate themselves.”
“How am I going to live like this? This is horrible!”
The doctor paused, breathed out slowly and continued, “We can start to rebuild the outer ears after six months to a year. You’re going to need a lot of medical care over the next two to three years, so we’re going to see a lot of each other. In order for this to work, we must base our communications on truth and trust. Rebuilding the damaged parts of your body is a long, slow ordeal. I’ve taken other severe burn patients through this same process. I will be completely honest with you during every step, but you have to trust me that in the end, you can have a reasonably normal life.”
Guang Xi’s mind was racing; jumping from one thought to another at hyper-speed. He couldn’t focus. His breathing was fast and shallow. A nurse checked his pulse and blood pressure.
She looked at the doctor. “High, but not dangerous.”
The doctor reached over and took ahold of Guang Xi’s shoulder. “Breathe deeply. Slow down. You’re alive, and you’re going to recover.”
Guang Xi took several deep breaths and tried to get his mind to focus. As he did so, his foot started to hurt. He looked down at the thin blanket that covered his body. He could see the pointed rise in the blanket where his left foot was, but on the right, the blanket fell flat to the bed below his knee. “What happened to my foot?”
“Gangrene,” the doctor replied. “There was nothing else we could do.”
Guang Xi fell back on the bed, tears flowing from his eyes, only he couldn’t feel them on his face. He realized he never would. He would never feel Meili’s gentle touch against his cheek, the feel of her against his chest or her stroking his arms. All of that was gone; gone forever.
“Why?” Guang Xi screamed. “Why me?”
The doctor and the nurses remained silent, staring at the floor instead of meeting his gaze. He looked frantically around the room, suddenly feeling as though he had become invisible.
“Why me?” he screamed again, as he fell into uncontrollable weeping.
The doctor immediately left the room, as did all but one nurse, who had to finish re-bandaging his face. Then, just as quietly, she left him as well. She returned within two minutes and injected something into his IV line. A few seconds later he felt warm and relaxed again.
* * *
“What happened at the fault?” Dr. Huang asked.
“The earthquake?” Guang Xi asked.
“Yes,” Dr. Huang replied. “What exactly did you see?”
Guang Xi felt spacey, but his mind seemed to be somewhat lucid. “This curtain of light formed over the fault. It was afternoon and the sun was out, but this curtain of light was brighter than the sunlight.”
“It was right over the fault?” Dr. Huang asked.
“Yes,” Guang Xi confirmed. “It was directly over the fault.”
“And it appeared before the earthquake?”
“Yes, about ten seconds before the quake erupted.”
Dr. Huang leaned back in his chair. “That’s exactly what the instruments showed. I expected something in the electromagnetic spectrum, but this was too high to measure. Every electromagnetic sensor was at maximum intensity. The signals went from zero to maximum, stayed there for exactly ninety seconds, and then dropped suddenly back to zero. The quake started, as you noted, ten seconds after the electromagnetic sensors hit maximum, and continued for eighty seconds, after which the quake began to diminish. By the time the quake had spread out and traveled through the rock strata, the total time of the quake was around two minutes.”
“What magnitude?” Guang Xi asked, the clinical portion of his mind taking over.
“Initial analysis indicates a 7.9, but it looks more like an 8.0 to me.”
Guang Xi breathed out quickly. “That’s massive. How extensive was the damage?”
“Still gathering data, but from the aerial survey, it looks like we’re in the range of 12 million buildings damaged or destroyed. The army has been working to clear landslides from the roads 24 hours a day, but with all of the damage to the roads and infrastructure, we’re two to three weeks from reaching the outer sections of the provinces.”
“How many dead?” Guang Xi asked.
Dr. Huang lowered his head and paused. “We don’t know. Based on what we have found so far, we’re guessing at 50,000 to 100,000 dead, 200,000 to 400,000 injured.”
“I’m lucky to be alive.”
“Yes, you are,” Dr. Huang replied. “And that’s exactly what I want you to concentrate on. You’re lucky to be alive.”
“Meili?”
“I have spoken to her. She was visiting her family in Yantai. She will be here tomorrow.”
Guang Xi stared off into the corner of the room, his mind drifting deeper into the dream state.
“You need to rest,” Dr. Huang said. “I’ll be back to visit later.”
Guang Xi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next day Guang Xi saw Dr. Huang waiting as the nurses removed the bandages from his face and arms. Once all of the bandages were gone the attending doctor bent forward and examined Guang Xi intently.
“So far, so good,” the doctor said. “No sign of infection.”
Guang Xi looked up. Meili stood in the doorway staring at him. Shock and horror firmly etched in her face.
“Meili?” Guang Xi said.
She turned and bolted down the hall.
“Meili,” he shouted. “Meili, come back! Meili!”
Dr. Huang immediately got up and ran after Meili. Ten minutes later he returned – alone. The look on Dr. Huang’s face told Guang Xi everything he needed to know. Meili was gone, and she wouldn’t be coming back. Guang Xi stared down at the bed and his missing right leg.
“Look,” Dr. Huang said quietly. “This was a great shock for her. She’s going to need time to adjust. Right now the artificial skin doesn’t look very good, but in a year, it’ll look just like normal skin. You’ll see. Your life will get better, much better. Then she may reconsider.”
Guang Xi looked at him and shook his head. “No, she won’t. She’s very social. She can’t be seen with someone like I am now. A year or two years will not change what she wants. It’s over. She’s gone, just like the rest of my life.” He returned to staring at his missing right leg.
“You’re a very smart and very valuable person, Guang Xi. Your position at the University is secure. Your life will be good again, I promise.” Guang Xi didn’t look at anything other than his missing leg. After half an hour of Guang Xi’s continued silence and lack of eye contact, Dr. Huang stood up. “Perhaps tomorrow will be better,” he said from the doorway, and then he left.
* * *
The nurse gently shook Guang Xi awake.
“You have visitors,” she said quietly.
Guang Xi saw Dr. Huang and two other men standing in his room. The first man wore the typical University attire, matching shirt and slacks. He was short and squat in stature with a bald head and a chubby face. He wore thin wire-rimmed glasses over intense dark eyes.
“Guang Xi,” Dr. Huang said. “This is Dr. Zheng from the University Department of Experimental Physics.
The other man wore an Army uniform with a number of medals on his chest. The applet on his shoulder bore one gold star.
“This is Junior General Fong,” Dr. Huang said. “He is from the CNSA, China’s Space Agency.” Dr. Huang leaned closer to Guang Xi and whispered, “He’s also a member of the Ministry of State Security.”
“How can I help you?” Guang Xi said, looking at Junior General Fong.
“I just need to confirm a few facts,” Fong replied. “The curtain of light was several miles long – over a thousand feet high and bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight?”
“Yes,” Guang Xi answered.
“We have calculated the energy requirements to create a light curtain of that description,” Dr. Zheng said. “We are in the range of two terajoules.”
Guang Xi ran the numbers in his mind. “That’s the equivalent of… 480 metric tons of TNT. No wonder the earthquake was so massive. You’re saying… That’s not natural. That couldn’t happen by itself.”
Dr. Zheng nodded.
“I told you,” Dr. Huang added. “He’s the brightest grad student at the University.”
“Somebody did this,” Guang Xi said firmly. “Somebody did this to me!” Anger exploded from Guang Xi. “This was no accident. This was not fate. This was deliberate!”
“Yes,” Fong replied.
“Who did this to me?” Guang Xi screamed. “Who did this!”
“There is only one facility on the planet that can direct and focus that kind of power,” Fong said. “That facility belongs to the United States of America.”
Dolphin Beach, Oregon
Mayor Willa McBride chaired the committee that judged the sand sculpturing competition which officially launched the summer season in Dolphin Beach. The tide was moving out, so the gray sand was wet and perfect for mounding and shaping into the exotic art forms that were such a favorite with the tourists. Artists came from the entire Pacific Northwest area, and as far south as Northern California. As Willa and the Judging Committee moved from one sculpture to the next Willa’s favorite for first prize kept changing. The pacific dolphin leaping from the water, about to jump over a surfer was her current favorite. Each year there was always a sculpture of Poseidon surrounded by mermaids that took one of the top three medals in the competition. This year there was also a mermaid riding a giant crab in the running for a medal. There was the traditional castle complete with knights standing guard and something quite unusual: a large fat Buddha with his legs crossed in the Lotus position, which appeared to be floating above the surrounding water, with a ring of fish nearly standing on their tails in admiration.
Willa held back on her opinion as the committeemen discussed their choices. With six committee members, Willa would vote only to break a tie, which wasn’t necessary this year. First prize went to the dolphin jumping over the surfer. It was, after all, Dolphin Beach. With the judging done and medals awarded, Willa strolled back to the city offices.
Oceanside Drive bordered the beach near the Village Center, with small B&B’s between the shore and Oceanside Drive both to the north and to the south. Hill Street formed the south end of the Village Center and made its way up hill to the east, connecting with Highway 101. Main Street began just to the north of Village Center and ran parallel to Oceanside Drive, ending in a cul-de-sac at the Ocean Grand Hotel and the base of Promontory Point.
A young man rose from the single visitor’s chair as Willa walked in the door. He was tall and thin, almost too thin. His hair was long, medium brown and not well combed. He also had the scruffy beginnings of a beard. He wore a dark blue sweatshirt bearing the logo of a coffee house she didn’t recognize, and a pair of faded jeans. The only thing that looked decent were the brightly colored cross-trainer shoes he was wearing.
“Ms. McBride, I’m Jason Roberts,” he said holding out his hand.
Willa shook hands with him, wondering what he wanted. “How can I help you, Jason?” she asked. Since becoming mayor, she had realized that everyone who came in to see her wanted something from her.
“Actually, I’m here to help you,” Jason replied. “I’m a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology and my master’s thesis is on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.”
“Okay,” Willa replied. “This sounds like something we’d be better off sitting down to discuss.” She led him into her office and closed the door. “Run this by me again, please.” He carried his backpack in with him and plopped it down on the floor next to the chair.
“Sure,” Jason said as he sat down. “I work in the Earth Sciences Department at Caltech. Only the brightest and the best get to go there.”
“Right,” Willa replied as she sat in her chair, wondering what was coming next.
“As I said, my master’s thesis is on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.”
“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t understand your concern. So why are you here?”
“Most everyone’s familiar with the San Andreas fault that runs through California. What most people don’t know is that it connects with two other fault lines after it leaves the coast of northern California at the Mendocino Triple Junction. The Cascadia Subduction Zone starts there and runs north to Vancouver Island.”
“Okay, so why are you here?” Willa asked again.
Why can’t he just get to the point?
“I’m actually spending my summer as a CREW volunteer. That’s the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup. I’m reviewing tsunami evacuation plans for all of the coastal towns and providing updated information where those plans need to be revised.”
“Well, our plan has been in place for years now; there are signs directing people where to go during an alert.”
“Yes, well, I accessed the plan for Dolphin Beach through the Internet, and from what we learned from the earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra, your plan needs to be revised. I’m here to help you do that.”
“It sounds like there’s some sort of a catch coming,” she said.
“Of course there is,” he replied. “But not much of one.” He reached into his pants pocket and produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. He also took out his wallet, removed his California Driver’s license and his Caltech ID card and placed them on her desk, as well.
The letter was from the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup introducing Jason Roberts. It authorized him to work as a volunteer and asked only that he be allowed to use local camping facilities along the Pacific Northwest Coast as he performed his review of evacuation plans during the summer break. There was a phone number if she had any questions. Willa reached for the phone and was about to dial the number when she had another idea. Instead of the number on the piece of paper, she called information and gave them the name of the organization. Jason smiled and looked around the office. Once Willa verified the phone number she asked to be directly connected. A one-minute conversation verified who Jason was and what he was doing. The lady from CREW asked if Jason had brought his backpack into the office. Willa glanced down next to the chair where Jason was sitting. There was the large dirty backpack.
“Yes,” Willa replied.
“Tell him to keep it off the furniture and the carpeting,” she said. “He treats every place as if it were a dorm room.”
“Okay, thanks,” Willa replied.
“At least you called to verify,” Jason said. “A lot of people don’t even bother doing that.”
This is annoying,
she thought.
The last thing I need today is some intellectual trying to show me how bright he is.
“So what exactly will you be doing here?” she asked patiently.
“My dad owns the largest architectural firm in L.A. He wants me to be his legacy. I got my B.S. in architecture but really liked geology. Growing up in L.A., I became fascinated by earthquakes, so I picked Earth Sciences for my Master’s degree program. I will be looking at the topography of your town, the building structures, the infrastructure and laying out what the people of Dolphin Beach can expect during and immediately following a major earthquake and tsunami. The extent of detail will be up to you. I’d prefer a detailed plan down to the household level, but like I said, that’s up to you and your town council. I don’t want to be invasive to the point where I’m making people uncomfortable, but the more detailed information people have, the higher the survival rate is going to be.”
Survival rate? What is he trying to do, scare everybody?
“It sounds like you expect something to happen sooner rather than later. What do you know that we don’t?” Willa asked.
Jason glanced down at the floor and then around the room and through the glass window into the main reception area before returning his gaze to her. “Scientists will tell you there is no scientific method to predict an earthquake, and to a point, that is true. But there are patterns and cycles of activity and non-activity. Those patterns and cycles have been generally reliable until about a dozen years ago. What I am going to tell you isn’t a prediction, nor is it scientifically based, and it isn’t meant for public consumption. Can we agree on that?”
“Okay,” Willa said, wondering what was coming next. “What’s happening?”
“Major earthquakes are essentially random events, so sometimes they happen close in time to one another, and sometimes they don’t. We have had an unusual number of major earthquakes in the world that don’t fit the randomness associated with normal earthquakes. There’s a disturbing pattern emerging. Now the people at Cal Tech don’t agree with me, but I see a very un-natural pattern over the last twelve years, especially with subduction zones like Cascadia off the Northwest Coast.”
“So what exactly are you saying?” Willa asked, the feeling of alarm rising in her chest.
“I think the Cascadia Subduction Zone will experience a catastrophic event within the next two years, probably sooner rather than later.”
“How do you know that?” Willa demanded, her alarm turning to panic.
“Look,” Jason said quietly. “Something is wrong. I don’t know why it’s happening, but I see the pattern. It’s un-natural, and frankly, it terrifies me. Something has changed in the world and it involves geologic events, like the 8.4 Magnitude subduction zone quake in Peru, 2001, and the 9.2 Magnitude Sumatran quake in 2006 where 230,000 people perished. Add in the 7.0 Haiti quake in 2010, the recent 8.0 quake in China, and the whole thing is just spooking me out. My greatest fear is that it will happen here next. That’s really why I’m doing this. I have to do something. Warning people and helping them to be prepared is what I can do. Will you help me do that?”
Willa was having trouble focusing her thoughts. The threat of an impending major earthquake had her rattled. Trying hard to calm herself, Willa asked, “How many mayors of towns along the coast have you told about this?”
Jason lowered his head. “You’re the third one. Most of the town mayors won’t even give me a chance to talk to them. They’re too busy. They think I’m some kind of kook.”
Yeah, I can see how they might come to that conclusion.
“How sure are you that this is going to happen?”
Jason looked her straight in the eyes. “I could have spent the summer surfing. Instead I’m embarrassing myself in front of every mayor along the Pacific Northwest Coast I can get in to see. If I’m wrong, my career in Earth Sciences is over before it begins. I’m not wrong.”
“Why not just alert people through the media?”
“That was my first choice,” Jason replied. “No one would believe me. No scientific proof. Even my teachers at Cal Tech don’t see the pattern, but I do. It’s there. It’s going to happen.”
Willa drummed her fingers on the desk as she thought about what Jason had said.
What if he’s right and Dolphin Beach is in danger? What if he’s wrong? What if he really is just a kook? What does he have to gain from this? Money? Notoriety?
He hadn’t asked for any money, and the notoriety is all bad if he’s wrong. He doesn’t gain anything unless he’s right. The fact that the lady from CREW referred to him as a super genius and said he was honest was an important factor.
“Are you on any meds?” she asked, wondering if he might be mentally ill.
Jason laughed out loud. “No,” he said. “You’re actually the first one to ask.”
“What if I tell people what’s going to happen?”
“Then you join me in kooksville. It’s political suicide, but that is entirely up to you.”
Willa carefully considered the potential consequences. Keeping quiet but prepared seemed like the most reasonable choice. Everything else involved unacceptable levels of risk. Friends would be running for city council positions in November and they were counting on her as mayor to give them a foot-hold in the election. Too much was at stake. “You said you don’t want to be invasive. Exactly what did you have in mind?”
“I like your style,” Jason said. “You obviously care about your town and the people that live here. For the most part, people won’t even know I’m here. I’ll be taking measurements of the roads and buildings. I’ve got a laser device for that, so it won’t be too obvious. I’ll create a computer model of Dolphin Beach and a model of what would happen during a major earthquake and tsunami. I’d like to present it to you and then to the town, so everyone understands exactly what could happen. The invasive part would be briefly looking at each home and business and creating a personal evacuation plan for those people. I’ll need your permission and the authorization of the town council for that phase. Most towns stop with the public presentation, but I’d really like to do more.”
“Okay,” Willa said tentatively. “Let’s take it to the presentation and then we can see what the mood of the town is after that.”
“Great,” Jason said. “It’ll take me three to four days to get the presentation ready, which looks like Saturday. Would that work for you?”
“I’ll make that happen,” Willa replied. “The city campground is free and there is electricity provided. Just pick your spot and you’re good to go.”
“Perfect,” Jason replied. “Thank you. I’ll see you on Saturday.”