Dateline

New Year's Eve2300 local / T plus 11 hours, 0 minutes

CERN Large Hadron Collider, near Geneva, Switzerland

"As you can see, we have the ATLAS and LHB 'beauty' detectors powered up, but think the chances of us seeing anything on these are slim. They are after all buried nearly sixty meters underground to prevent particles impacting the Earth from space interfering with the experiment. However, given the unprecedented nature of the phenomenon, I agree that any attempt to explore it is necessary, and that a multi-national attempt to analyse it is vital. Even if that only leaves a legacy available to the next intelligent life to evolve on the planet."

Eve Bastille had meant that to sound both hopeful and defiant in the face of adversity, but her voice caught on the words and a small chocked sob had escaped her mouth. To hide her emotion, Eve looked down and ran her hand through her hair.

On the screens in the CERN control centre, four monitors showed the faces of what, quite possibly, was the last cross-national scientific working party she would ever be involved in. Two of the people present were either unknown to her or from organisations she only had the slightest of dealings with before. Only Carlos Herrera from the University of Brazil did she know well, having met him several times at symposiums on particle physics at various places around the world, and a tearful and pale Tricia Smith, at home in Oxford with her young children coming in and out of the bedroom wanting their mother. The others, a General Taylor from some part of the American defence administration she's already forgotten the name of, on a plane heading for NORAD; and Kelly Yang, Chief Science Officer, or something like that, from Stone Industries in Los Angeles, also speaking via skype while on the move, she didn't know.

Eve was sorry she hadn't been able to get NASA on the call too, but, like her organisation, they were short on staff who were willing to come into work until the bitter end. Most had chosen to be with their families and loved ones. Had she made the right decision? She hoped Claire would understand her not coming home and being with her tonight. As soon as this call was done, she would try to call her again...

Mustering her thoughts and concentrating on the task at hand, she said, "I've established open links to each of your universities and institutions. No security or encryption had been applied, we want uninterrupted data pipelines. I don't believe matters of national security really apply now."

On the screen, General Taylor frowned, but didn't say anything. Good. Eve had been concerned that the American military might prove the final stumbling block, but it looked like common sense had prevailed.

"We've set all our systems to fully automatic and have all the back-up generators and UPS systems running to ensure everything continues as long as possible after we are..." Her voice caught again, and she forced herself not to look at Tricia's grief stricken face for fear of not being able to go on herself. "...once the phenomenon has passed."

Now that she'd got to here, she found her words ran out. She couldn't think of what to say next. What of importance was there? Comments on the possibility of discovering Dark Matter? A new theory of relativity in their grasp? Nothing seemed to matter if there wasn't going to be anyone left to discover it.

"We thank you, Eve, for doing this." Carlos was in his office, dressed in shirt and tie like it was a normal work day. The fading light of day could be seen through window behind him, the blind pulled up but left hanging loose one side, no doubt hastily raised to let Carlos see the last light of day before the event occurred. "For what it's worth, I am happy to be doing something, even if it is just a token of hope in these dark hours."

"Eve, it's Kelly." 

Eve looked at Kelly Yang; a similar age to herself, perhaps. Severe but competent in looks, but showing the signs of stress. just like everyone else. Of them all, perhaps Kelly and General Taylor seemed the least compromised by the emotion of the time.

"Yes, Kelly?"

"Just to let you know, we've got a small team working an IBM Sequoia 2 supercomputer right now on everything we can get hold of. Which isn't much, to be honest. We'll feed your data straight in. We are also sharing with the military and I do have a route into NASA."

Eve smiled, a rueful feeling overcoming her - despite the desperate straights - that a commercial company owned by a eccentric magnate like Able Stone could do what her own scientific powerhouse organisation could not do. 

"Okay, Kelly. I appreciate that."

"As do we in the military. I can tell you that we also have dropped protocol already on this and opened our firewalls to the scientific community, such as is left. If there is anything we find out that might help, you can be sure we'll share it immediately."

Eve nodded and smiled. "You okay, Tricia?" In the background, Eve could see Tricia's husband hovering, their two little girls hanging one on each arm. 

"I have a technician in the lab monitoring the data feed, but really all we're doing is acting as a repository. Everything will be backed up real time, but.. its not much, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Tricia. Go. Go to your family, there's no need to stay on the call any longer. My love to Graham and the girls. I hope you ... I hope you find peace."

Tricia nodded, then the screen went blank.

"Kelly, as the most western institution, your team are going to be affected last. I've given Stone Industries full control of the sensor interfaces here."

"I appreciate that, Eve. We'll take care of things from our end."

"I see you are outside. Can I ask where you are headed?"

"To Edwards Air Force base. Able has some kind on plan he wants me to take part in." Kelly frowned into the camera. "I can't say more though without approval."

General Taylor looked interested. "Edwards? When"

"By eight o'clock, Pacific Standard Time. I'm about to board a Lear Jet. I'll still have a link to the labs in LA and with you if you need it."

The General just nodded, but left it at that.

"Alright everyone, if there's nothing else? then I'll let you go." 

Kelly and General Taylor nodded once, then their feeds went blank too. Carlos remained online, watching her with a profound look of compassion and pity.

"If you wish, Eve, I will stay with you till the end."

The view of Carlos blurred as her eyes teared up. "Thank you Carlos. That would be kind."

Then she pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and tried once more to call her wife.