The Countdown

They had already decided about it.

Dr. Allen, being scientist for most of his life, did not counter any possible pictures about the world’s end. He always thought of those as somewhat imaginable but with his will to live, those are fearfully unacceptable.

Who would want to be scorched by ten thousand degree Celsius heat radiated by the massive, round sun when its flares whip the Earth’s surface?

Well, certainly, that would happen in just a swift moment. Nobody could feel the pricking soreness of our flesh that had been cooked by the gigantic solar matter because in just nanosecond or even lesser measure of time, everyone would be blistered into ashes.

Or on the other way, the most popular zombie apocalypse?

Imagine that would happen. Would someone like to eat juicy and fatty brain of other uninfected persons to satiate your taste bud?

Yummy! Dr. Allen always commented when he thought about it.

Included in possible world destruction lists was the recurrence of the chilly Ice Age.

According to Allen’s colleagues, the once-again building up of mountainous frosts that would envelope the whole world will be the most realistic doomsday they could validate its certainty.

The Earth is tilted 23.5 degree from its Y-axis, and this is because of its wobbling cycle that is happening slowly that no one notices about it. That wobbling movement causes the climate change that gives rise to many weather fluctuations like La Nina and El Nino. That is why scientists like Allen just laughed when they heard that climate change are totally caused by human’s misbehavior on his environment.

Maybe, they might vote for the politicians who were using climate change as their platform to win their positions during election when they say that it is not absolutely because of man.

For every thirty thousand years, our planet will go back to its original zero degree position, repeating the same natural occurrences transpired along that process which includes the Ice Age in which the society where Allen belonged to, believe that had preserved millions of mammoth-sized reptiles that once flourished in the Earth’s ground.

With that way of end for the presently thriving human civilization, everyone would surely feel the puncturing sensation that will be brought by the slowly wrapping coldness to our chill-sensitive physicality. Then later on, like meat put in the freezer, we would be preserved for later cooking. The next generation would call us fossils. For would-be fossils, oil would be the useful transformation we would turn out to be.

They should refine me for Lamborghinis. Dr. Allen joked to his colleagues when they once talked about it.

To blind the people from witnessing any imaginable doomsday, the World’s Committee in Human Existence, a clandestine governing body that was created by the ayes of all leaders of the countries in the planet to allow the group of selected ethical scientists to decide for the human race when the near unavoidable cataclysm would take place, had now come to a decision. A final resolution for the slight goodness of humanity.

We have now reached this choice. This is necessary. Dr. Kurt Allen, as one of the twelve members of CHE, mulled over on his mind while sitting on his privileged seat.

“We had thought of every upbeat solution for this problem. But everything seems inappropriate.” Kayle, the Chief of Human Existence, told to his companions who are sitting on every honored seat situated on the transparent Round Table.

“We still could try one other than this to see the result.” one of the CHE members suggested.

“And if we fail?” Kayle asked in his nearly shouting- voice, feeling annoyed with the disagreement of his colleague.

“Then, let’s try another one. That’s what we do as a scientist. We experiment until we reach the final desirable result.”

“But we are not just a mere scientist. We are scientists belonged to Commission on Human Existence.”

“Yeah. Kayle was right. We’re not a mere scientist who will conduct trial-and-error when lives of million people are at stake.” Dr. Johnson, the oldest member of the Commission, explained in his clear, solid voice.

“But…” Joey, the member who suggested before, interrupted. However, before finishing his statement, he broke off upon seeing the palm-stopping gesture of Johnson. “…Okay. Your decision fellows.”

“Our plan is to activate the virus within the body of the total population of Earth that means including us.” Dr. Kayle continued explaining the ultimate plan of the Commission.

“What virus?” Dr. Joey asked.

“The dream virus.” Kurt Allen answered.

“Uh-huh. The one you made?”

“Yes Joey. The one that I made.”

Joey pouted his mouth while nodding, showing his doubt and disagreement.

“It’s not important who made it. As long as this is the best, we must trigger it in any moment.” The Chief of CHE interfered. “ Since, you are more knowledgeable about this virus, can you please explain it to us, Allen?”

“Okay…” Allen obeyed. “As CHE members, you are aware that we had spread numerous kinds of minute organisms that will enter the human body not to infect them with diseases but for their benefits in the future.”

“Don’t tell what we already know.” Joey butted in.

“Will you stop that, Joey!” Kayle shouted to his interfering companion. “Okay, Allen continue.”

The dream virus’s creator cleared his throat. “Once we activate the dream virus, as the name suggest, everyone will be put into sleep and will enter on the REM stage. The stage when dream occurs. It’s not the usual two to eight hours of being on that period of sleep but this virus will enable dreaming stage to last a decade.”

“But why do we have to put people on that point?” Salina asked with her melodious tone. She was the only woman CHE member. In her forty years of age, she was also the youngest member. Most folks in the Human Existence were on their retirement time of sixty’s but their age intensified their wisdom in making decisions, except, a little, for Dr. Joey.

“Our planet,” Dr. Kayle said “As we all witnessed, had escaped several cosmic tragedy. One of that was the 2014 incident in which a meteoroid as huge as half-size of the sun had nearly bumped with the Earth. That was just lucky that our planet missed that. Or else, considering the size of that meteor thing, our beloved Earth would shatter into pieces. ”

All of Kayle’s associates were silent and nodded in unison when he said something that they were aware of.

“And as the prevalent coming of several space disasters that might greatly devastate our planet, we are here to propose that we should blind the people in any unwanted scenarios. To do that, we must put them to sleep and create a projection that shows utopia, and that the dream virus would do.”

“How can we wake up again?” Salina asked.

“The virus I made has time limit. Once it reaches that span, then we would back again into a reality. Let’s just hope we would still see that.”

“Why are you saying that?” the woman CHE member asked.

“Well, who knows if we are not lucky anymore to escape from… uhm…” Allen shrugged.

“Let’s just be hopeful and think for the best folks.” Dr. Kayle advised.

“Okay. When we will activate it?” Dr. Johnson asked.

“Now.” the Chief announced.

Everyone in the round table, except Allen, inhaled heavily. It was like someone punched their diaphragm.

“What’s the rush?” Joey probed.

“The sooner we do this, the sooner we prevent people from panicking.”

“It’s this what the Rilevare tells us to do, Kayle?” Johnson asked the Chief.

Rilevare is one of the most advanced machines in CHE that detects any prevailing unwelcome catastrophes, and only the Chief had access on it.

“Yes, that’s what it implies us to do.” Kayle said.

The deafening silence inside the gray, titanium-walled Conference Room of the Commission in Human Existence troubled the people sitting in their seats. Everyone was thinking of other alternative ways to save humanity, but as they thought deeply about it, the dream virus was the only ethical way.

“Okay. Let’s do it now!” Joey initiated. “For humanity.”

Everyone looked at him. No one expected him to say that first.

“For humanity.” The CHE members said in chorus.

Dr. Kayle, then, as the Commission reached their final decision, showed a silver plated brief case, and opened it, revealing a slightly big, red push button that looked like the one used in the Deal or No Deal gameshow.

“To activate the dream virus, this button must be pressed by all of us. This must recognize our individual thumb prints before it moves down, sending signal to the dream virus that will put everyone into sleep.” Kayle explained. “So, is everyone in?”

Kayle’s companions had reached finality for their decision. Seeing their approving smiles, the Chief knew they are in.

“Okay, let’s press it.” Joey ordered.

Everyone put their thumbs on the button. Allen was the last one to lay his thumb.

“Still having doubt with your virus Allen?” Joey kidded.

Allen just smiled then put his thumb to the activating button.

As soon as Allen press the push button with his thumb, a voice inside the brief case talked.

“Thumb prints recognized. Activating dream virus in five… four…”

“See you in dreamland fellows.” Kayle said, and everyone laughed.

“Three…”

“Two…”

“I was wondering what dreamland looks like.” Joey uttered. “Did you make sure it is really a utopian type, Allen?”

“Yes, I did Joey. Because I knew you would ask that.”

“So, we don’t have to worry about it.”

Yeah, it is a world no one ever seen before. Allen assured to himself.

“One…”
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