Fuzzy memories and things that never happened

The Darring Plan

The Find


"Haley, this is Walker, you should get over here to the Parsons' farm, you'll want to see this."
Haley had been sitting at his desk going over reports from last year, and the year before, and the year before. The records were thin. Nothing ever happened in Waterford County. He had been considering retirement, it would be more exciting sitting in a boat not catching any fish than it would be sitting in a sheriff's office where the phone doesn't ring. It's not as if he's stuck in the office, it's that there's nothing happening that's compelling enough to get him out the door.

"What do ya got Jimmy, Fred's dog dig another hole?"
"Well no, not exactly sheriff, but it does involve digging."
"Great" Haley sighed as he hung up the phone. Well at least he's got something to occupy a few minutes, maybe even an hour.
"This county doesn't even need a sheriff" he said to the door as he walked through it toward his patrol car. He looked at the car and wondered why he hadn't washed it in eight months, he used to wash it every Saturday whether it needed it or not, which it did. It's dirty out in the country. Not dirty like the city though, the air in the city is full of filth, pollution, the smoke from trash burning in the alley, the smell of urine left behind by the "free ranging" men and full of the dirty motives of the dirty people. Haley did not miss the city, what he missed was having purpose.

The brakes on the patrol car squeaked slightly as he came to a stop in front of the house. Where was Walker now? The sheriff didn't have his radio, neither did Walker anymore, they sat on the charger back at the office, the charger which he unplugged when he needed the outlet for a little TV.

"Sheriff! Over here Will, come around back here, there's something buried in the ground, looks odd, back by the pump house."

"Howdy Fred, how's the well coming?"
"Well sheriff, that's what I need you to see. Look here where I started digging, I got about a six inches down and I struck something hard, I figured it's a boulder so I tried to dig it out, it don't look like a boulder no more. You gotta see it."

Haley walked to the "scene of the incident" expecting to see a boulder or maybe, just maybe, it's a big ol' rock.
The well digging equipment stood by, on a break. The backhoe holding a spoon of earth looking like it's about to eat it, like soup. Dirt soup. Haley didn't chuckle, he remembered the soup his wife made for him last Sunday. She always wanted to try some new recipe and she kept denying that the man she experiments on absolutely hates mushrooms. Maybe she's just bored too, he thought. He didn't tell her it wasn't good, he gently reminded her that he's not fond of mushrooms.

"Look Will, what do you think it is?"
Will saw canvas. "It's a blue tarp"
Fred went into the hole he'd dug and pulled back the canvas where he'd cut it, exposing what looked like a white boulder. Sort of like a white boulder. Kind of like a knee bone actually. This can't be a knee, it's too big. Haley knew human anatomy though and this was too much like a knee.
"Fred, get on that shovel and scoop the dirt back more in that direction." He pointed toward the highway.

Fred dug a trench about a foot toward the road. Haley figured that if this is a knee he'll find a leg in that direction.
"Stop Fred, stop there, I don't want to damage anything." Fred laughed, "Sheriff did you forget I drove a backhoe for 16 years and I can scoop the frosting off a slice of cake?"
"I ain't forgot Fred, come over here and help me move the dirt off by hand, I don't want to hurt whatever this is."

The three men climbed into the hole, Haley cut the canvas down to the end of the hole and pulled it back, exposing a tibia. A leg bone. A real human leg bone.


The university sent a team the next morning, twelve men and women wearing cargo shorts, pith helmets, knee pads and sun goggles. They dug by hand toward the road. They disconnected the pump house and moved it to across the yard and dug where it had been toward the silo. After about a week they had exposed what was obviously a human leg wearing blue denim.

Ashley Hoyle saw the sheriff pull up in his cruiser and stood up, she brushed the soil from her hands and waited anxiously as he approached like a Boeing 767 landing. He was a big man and he carried himself like a Diva carries a tune, with confidence. Was she developing a crush? She'd have said no. But she did admire the sheriff, a lot. Every day he brought home cooked meals to the dig and Walker and he served the crew. Turkey sandwiches and lemonade today.
"Howdy sheriff" she grinned big. "We just uncovered a hand, fully intact! This is incredible! Nothing like this has ever been found before, we are witnessing history, we're making history sheriff."
"Yes miss, you certainly are, call me Will though, I'm not really into titles", he grinned like a boy meeting his future for the first time.
"Ok Will", she smiled.
"Miss Ashley, today's special is turkey with mayo, a pickle and lemonade. Why don't you call the crew over and let's do lunch."
"Why do you do this sheriff? I mean Will. Why do you come here with food every day?" Haley looked at the horizon, "Well miss, if you go that way for about 35 minutes you'll come to a restaurant, I would recommend passing it up and drive another 20 minutes into Sheely, foods better there. Or you could just eat what Peggy made for you, she means well
and has nothing better to do." He chuckled and sighed at the same time. Peggy didn't like to leave the house anymore. She complained about the world outside. It's dirty, it smells like cows feet, it makes her sneeze. She just didn't like it. She'd not even come to the dig yet.

"Will, the university has tested all the samples from the canvas to the soft tissues we found. The canvas is the same weave as modern canvas, just bigger, and the DNA is human, this whole thing seems like a Sci fi paperback to me. I just don't see how this is possible."
"Has the university decided to open this up to the news reporters yet? I mean this is kind of a big deal, why keep something like this to ourselves?"
"They say they're not ready to go public yet, but they want you to know how much they appreciate you keeping this under wraps. I do too sheriff,...Will. I know it's not easy to pretend this isn't happening and you've had to explain away all the activity on Mr. Parsons' farm. What did you tell them at the town meeting?"
"Oh I told them it's just another dino fossil like the last four, they were disappointed."
Dinosaur fossils were old hat, nobody cared anymore, but this, this Colossus of a man, this was like nothing before. This would have people from everywhere descending on Fred's farm like piranhas on a bucket of chicken. They'd mess up the site and probably destroy the find, everyone knew the importance of keeping the secret.

"Excuse me Will, I have to take this call, it's the director."

The Director

The sheriff stood there for a second and ambled over to the site of most activity, it was the hand. Carpals being exposed like giant misshapen pearls. He thought it looked like the hand had just let go of something, or was about to grab something. But hands always look that way, he thought.
"Will, the director is coming, she's bringing a crew to deal with the public on the news. I think she's bringing the big guns in, GNN or WIND!" The sheriff looked pleased, "Really?, she said that?" That's how this should go, he thought. The big trusted names in news, Global News Network and World Information News Dispatch. These guys will deliver the story and make such a big deal of it that the Country Guard has to come in and maintain peace. The sheriff knew this was the better way, better than trying to keep a rumor from spreading and having Fred's farm become some kind of Mecca for every sort of kook out there.
Truth be told Haley was enjoying this immensely. He'd been so bored with life, so frustrated by the nothing. He even unplugged his office TV and charged the radios. Walker's voice crackled through.
"Sheriff, there's a caravan coming up route 9, looks like about twelve vehicles, all black but one. I think the white one is a WIND news van." "Ok Jimmy, you escort them to the farm, and you might want to run a comb over that head of yours son, you're about to make the world news. Oh and Jimmy, go fetch Peggy afterward, I think she'd enjoy this, Lord knows she needs to get out."
"Ten-four sheriff."
The Director sat in the back seat of the second van, the windows rolled up tightly like they were sealing in a secret. "No sir, no its just a small town. Same as before, yes. No we're just about to arrive, we have another police escort. Yes, when it's done I'll let you know." She hung up the phone and watched the farm house grow bigger. She wasn't fond of these jobs, it's just something that had to be done.

The caravan approached the site and came to a halt. Strangely in unison, like a snake. Like they'd done this before in rehearsal. This made the sheriff uncomfortable. Though unable to explain why, he set it aside and strode to meet the director.
She was tall, taller than most women around here. And she walked like a well dressed lion about to eat. "You must be the local sheriff." That's right ma'am, sheriff Haley." He was uneasy, she didn't put him at ease, she was cold, long black hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her red rimmed glasses hanging on to the tip of her nose and her serious eyes staring at him. Why isn't she excited about this day? Why does she look like a spring about to pop? Will Haley was no expert on personality types, he just knew enough to know this one was out of place.
"What are the towns people saying sheriff? Have they started with the rumors yet?"
Well ma'am, as far as they know this is just another Archaeopteryx fossil. No news at all."
"Very good sheriff, so the only ones who know are the ones here?"
"Yes, these and Deputy Walker and my wife Peggy, they're on their way here now." What does it matter now who knows? He thought. In a little while the whole world will know.
"Director Beatty, would you like to see the dig?" Ashley asked excitedly. "Of course Ash, I came here to see it." The Director said with enough sarcasm in her voice to choke a horse. Ashley wished she'd just stayed in the trench. Ashley hated being called Ash. Ash Hoyle just sounds wrong. But she could never correct the director.
"Sheriff, gather everyone together at the dig, we're going to have a photo."
Well at least this seems normal thought the sheriff. Finally something about this woman made sense, of course we're going to get a photo, this is the biggest deal in history. Haley expected to see a film crew emerge from the white van. Maybe they're preparing their equipment. He expected bodies to exit the other vans. Not yet. Maybe they're all calling world leaders or something. That would make sense, wouldn't it? He didn't know. But somehow it seemed the answer was no, it wouldn't make sense. Nothing was making sense about this.

Jimmy Walker put the sandwich down and finished his lemonade.
"Mrs. Haley, you do make the finest lemonade in the county." "Thank you James." They walked to the group with wonder in their eyes, like children approaching what they believe is an elf in a red suit for the first time. But they wouldn't be asking for anything, just excited to be a part of history.

Sheriff Haley stood on the end next to Ashley, Peggy walked up and stood next to him and Jimmy took the end. Will figured after the photo would be a good time to introduce Ashley and Peggy.

"Alright everyone, smile and look toward the white van over there." The Director pointed to the middle of the caravan.
This is definitely not right, Will felt a panic hit his legs, the vans made a whirring noise, like a motor starting up. From the side of each van there appeared a small straight tube. It didn't look like a camera. The director moved unnoticed to the table where the sandwiches sat. Will felt the force of thousands of years of survival in his gut, he pushed Ashley into the trench and pulled Peggy into his chest, when he hit the bone in the trench he felt it like it was happening in a movie, or something he had read in a book, he was in full survival mode now. He could hear the pops of the automatic weapons fire and he knew exactly what it was, he had no time to wonder why right now, he had to save Peggy and Ashley. He'd become fond of Ashley. He wouldn't have admit to it today because it just didn't matter. But now it mattered.
"Peg, I'll get you out of this, just do what I say and we'll be alright." Wills confidence wavered when Peggy didn't respond. He turned her around and saw the hole just behind her ear. His arm was covered in blood, his and Peggy's all mixed together. He didn't realize he'd been hit, and he knew he couldn't mourn his wife at the moment. He grabbed Ashley by the hand and didn't say a word. They ran to the edge of the dig closest to his patrol car and ran to it. Ashley climbed into the passenger seat as Will turned the key, they sped away through the field.


"Yes, sir. All except two sir, they won't get far, the vans are looking for them now."
Director Beatty put her phone down and picked up a sandwich. It was a corner, a neatly cut triangle of turkey, white bread and mayo. She tore off a bite as if the sandwich wasn't there and she dropped it. The turkey gave its life for the greater good, just like these people. She smiled a sardonic twisted smile. Beatty was good at her job, to the public she was the director, to her boss she was the cleaner. She was the only cleaner. These events were rare enough, one in every decade. This one was the second in two years but hardly a trend. The dig site was easy, just take the backhoe and push the bodies in and toss dirt over it. The real clean up was dealing with the public, that's where she had to be creative. Last time across the ocean she made it a nuclear disaster. Area closed indefinitely. This time maybe it'll be a sink hole. The area is small, no need to close off more than ten square miles.
Beatty smiled as she climbed from the backhoe and strolled casually toward the only vehicle remaining, the WIND van.

The Past / The Plan

"We simply cannot do this and I won't be a part of it." Doctor Wayne spoke sternly and loudly so as to make himself clear. "We cannot go through with this ill conceived plot of yours. Millions will die!"
"Calm yourself Wayne, and don't forget, millions will die unless we do something. We tried your plan for 20 years and it has failed, and now is the time for action."
David Wayne looked painfully injured. "Why don't you go ask miss Turza to bring us a fresh pot of coffee David, and we'll discuss how to proceed from here."
David stood reluctantly, wanting to run but wanting to stay and fight. He walked toward the door and stopped half way, "my plan?" "Yes David, we will discuss your plan." David started for the door again and fell to the Berber carpet, a bullet had pierced his heart. He choked on the blood as it bubbled in his lungs, he tried to squeeze out one last word. He couldn't.

David's plan had been to shrink the population. He never would have gone for this new plan though, David was a true humanitarian, he would not harm one person to save 1000. His plan may have worked if it was executed properly. But who could say what that is? They tried chemtrails, spraying the cocktail over the population hoping that it would work. It was worth a shot. The problem may have been that the chemical didn't reach the ground at a high enough level to affect anyone. Maybe it broke up in the suns radiation. It didn't matter now. What matters is plan B.

John's Plan

John Darring returned the Glock to its holster. "Well ladies and gentlemen, it is time." They all knew what to do now.
Because the chemical hadn't affected the population the way it was meant to they'd have to wipe it clean. Do a hard reboot on the world. They all agreed this was their best option. The world had become too crowded. There wasn't enough food to feed them. Something had to be done. Had David's plan worked the population would have begun growing smaller. It would have hardly been noticed. Over generations the people had grown taller unnoticed and if it happened in reverse, nobody would notice. But David's plan failed. The new plan is to start from scratch with hand selected members. The best of the best. There would be enough food for thousands of people for 200 years. The food and fresh water was stored in bunkers in Iowa, Siberia and The remotest part of Africa.

The Ark

"John, what about him?" Fyoder asked pointing to what had been David. "Leave him, it doesn't matter now, just send the message. Ark doors close in 18 hours whether all are in or not, I've no time to waste."

Inside the ark it was sterile. That's the best way to describe it, sterile.
Cold lighting, functional furnishings, class rooms and laboratories. All function and no form.
Darring gave the order to release the wormwood virus exactly 18 hours after he'd shot David between the shoulders. He was a cold rigid man, just the kind of man it takes to lead a mission like this. This was an expedition into the future.
All 265 were inside the three arks when the doors locked. Time locked for 200 years.
The Plan went as designed, the bombs all flew to their destinies, the earthquakes took out the major cities, John was a good planner. As the wormwood virus ate up the world wide Web it left instructions. Everything pointed to the nukes. The nukes underground, the nukes in the exosphere, all the nukes. Everything at once, total devastation. The Russians didn't retaliate, their arsenal was airborne before they realized they were under attack. Everything according to plan.
People will remember John Darring for eternity he figured. John Darring, the wise man who saved humanity from obliteration. John Darring, the kind soul who gave everything to bring a new peaceful world. John Darring, the savior of man.
For ten generations they lived in the bunker, there was room for a lot of people in there, it was an underground city, complete with food production waste disposal and water purification systems.
They of course brought certain useful animals onto the ark. Livestock, cattle, chickens, turkeys etc. all useful for food or at least doing hard labor. These would need to be treated as well.