Digital Souls (eBook)

Chapter 2

Yellow Stone National Park
June 22, 2042

Standing near a tree line of burnt trunks, Kari Ellsworth took a soil sample and bagged it. These trees had been smoldering for weeks due to the latest forest fire. The blaze had burned hundreds of acres of timberland and the cause was still a mystery. Usually her professor would have accompanied her on these trips, but he had decided to man the station, tracking the fire as it rampaged through other areas of the park. The smoke had been so thick in this area, that Kari had missed her turn off twice before she realized where she was going. It burned her eyes and throat through her protective goggles and face mask. Instinctively the animals would have left this area, but evidence on the side of the road indicated that not every creature made it out safely.

Analyzing her computer tablet, she recorded corrections to readings that days earlier had been within the normal range. But now the ground temperature was steadily rising. Wiping away her light brown hair, a smudge of ash and greasy oil smears across her forehead. She would take a nice cool shower as soon as she returned to the station. She knew from experience that the ash and smoke will fill every cavity and crease on her body. Coughing loudly, she decides to change her respirator again. As she made her way back to her Jeep, she examined her tablet again. Her sensors must be malfunctioning. The ground should not be that hot, even after a forest fire. Tapping one of the instruments in the ground with her toe, her training and her readings continued to be at odds.

“Dr. Martin?”, she said out loud, “Can you please verify these readings? I’m seeing a sharp rise in ground temperature.”

In a nearby station, Dr. Oliver Martin, Volcanologist and Professor at the University of Wyoming receives the call. “I hear you Kari, give me a minute to confirm your readings.” Calling up his research assistants’ soil data, Oliver squinted at the screen. Soil temperature less than 30 feet can be as much as 65 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal, post wildfire. The average temperature of soil in Yellowstone this time of year can be as cool as 52 degrees or as hot as 71 degrees depending on sun exposure. Data gathered the day after the wildfire placed the soil at 62 degrees a mile away from Kari’s location. So an increase in her area wouldn’t be outside of normal parameters, but these readings had to be wrong.

Using his com system, the volcanologist responded, “Did you calibrate the temperature gauges before you inserted them into the soil?”

“Yes,” came the reply.

Placing his forehead on the table in front of him, Oliver tried to run calculations in his head. If the ground was hotter today than it was three days ago then there must be something still fueling the fire. Caves? Maybe the fire had caught an underground den of an animal on fire and it had produced flammable debris? No, that would indicate the heat had to be near the surface, and for these readings, the earth would have a hollow cavity much closer to the ground surface. The geology of that area indicated that bedrock existed less than 6 feet deep. That entire area was essentially solid. “What am I missing?”

A crackled reply spoke through the com device, “Professor, I think something else is going on here. The grass and vegetation is starting to rapidly brown.”

“What? That shouldn’t be happening. Kari, I want you to pull whatever equipment you have and leave that area immediately!”

Static crackled again. “Kari, can you hear me? Please respond!”

More static.

Activating the video feed on Kari’s dash cam, Oliver scanned the area. Thick smoke and haze floated by the lens. Blackened trees framed the scene as, Oliver panned the camera back and forth. No sign of his research student. More static and a loud thump. Oliver jumped at the loud sound and used the dash cam to find the source of the noise. A piece of fabric covered part of the Jeep’s hood. It was difficult to see the color, but Oliver thought it may have been Kari’s jacket. Another loud thump seemed to shake the dashboard camera as movement caught Oliver’s attention.

Kari was laying on the hood of the car, her hands wrapped around some equipment. She raised her face to stare into the camera and Oliver gasped as he saw her face. Swollen and red on one side, Kari seemed to have blister’s and a bad sunburn. Her shoulder was red with what appeared to be blood and she laid her head back on the car hood and held still. Oliver screamed her name. Using his phone, he called the Fire Management Ranger station for assistance.

The Rangers assured Oliver that they would find Kari and bring her back. The professor warned the rangers about the heat and to take precautions. Hanging up and staring at the monitor, Oliver did the only thing he could. He prayed for Kari’s safety and he called the one person who listen to him about this emergency.

“Hello, Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, how can I help you?”

Oliver tried to keep his voice steady as he replied, “This is Dr. Oliver Martin. I need Jimmy Reece.”

James Reece sat in his office and contemplated his life. He had worked hard the past ten years to become the Assistant Director of Park Use and Operations. He knew another 10 years would provide a suitable retirement and pension from the government that would allow him to live a comfortable life into his golden years. But the day in and day out life of an administrator was boring. Budget meetings and dealing with complaints by big corporations who use his parks as retreats was as exciting as it ever got—-which wasn’t exciting at all. Why didn’t he choose a different path? He could have done anything he wanted as a Park Ranger. A naturalist, a law enforcement Ranger, or even a researcher. But no…he had to wind up in administration. What a waste of his creative talents.

Perusing articles on his tablet, a headline for a Science Article caught his eye—Scientist Can Now Download Rodent Brain! Wow, he thought, isn’t that something? That is historical! To impact science like that would be quite a career. Wonder if he’ll get the Nobel Prize for that? Lost in sarcastic thought, James didn’t realize he had been ignoring his secretary’s voice on the intercom.

“I’m sorry to bother you Mr. Reece, but you have a call on line three from a Dr. Oliver Martin?”

Oliver Martin? He hadn’t heard from him in years. This would be a nice change in what was doomed to be another boring afternoon of paper pushing.

“Thank you, Sophie.”

Picking up the phone, James was excited to talk to his old school mate. They had attended Wyoming College together after high school, both entering the life sciences. Becoming Naturalists, those first years of working in the Yellowstone National Park was a dream. But later they would decide on different career paths. James often thought Oliver made the better decision. Picking up the receiver and pushing the line 3 button, he used his most official sounding voice.

“This is James Reece; how can I help you?”

“Jimmy…it’s Oliver…I need your help. I think the day we dreaded is here.”

James swallowed hard. He turned in his office and looked at his map of Yellowstone National Park. He thought about his days working there, all the tours he had given, telling folks that we had at least another 10,000 years. Now his oldest friend was telling him that the anticipated date was now. Why weren’t there more warnings? The U.S. Geological Survey should have been tracking every square inch of that magma chamber. But Oliver wouldn’t be concerned if there wasn’t a threat assessment. The Yellowstone Caldera was about to become a killer Super Volcano and extinction was knocking at the door.

***

Yellowstone Park August 15, 2042

For weeks, a fire had raged out of control in Yellowstone National Park. Firefighters from states all over the United States had volunteered to fight one of nature’s toughest battles. In the sixth week of the fire fight, twenty-two men and women had lost their lives. Hundreds more had been injured and over a dozen volunteers were missing. The national guard had been called in by Wyoming’s Governor and federal troops were assigned to evacuate homes and towns in the area. In the end, a weather front of rain had quenched most of the blaze, but not before millions of dollars in property had been destroyed and hundreds of people’s lives had been changed forever. In the after math, black smoke and fog formed from rain soaked hot pavement. No one expected anything worse. A silence fell over the valley about 2am. Fire crews had stopped cleanup for the evening and many were too exhausted to even change out of their filthy clothes. Bedrolls and small tents had been erected to make camp for the night.

As midnight approached, chirping crickets ceased their songs. Not even a breeze blew in between the charred trees. The ground started a low rumble, like a speeding subway, deep underground. Birds escaped their perches and leapt into the sky. Even the deepest sleeper woke as the ground shook and a noise grew out of the silence. A thunderous shock wave knocked down dead trees like toothpicks, uprooting boulders, tents, and every living thing above ground. A plume of red cloud sprayed into the sky as the people still conscious watched in horror. Another blast on the horizon shook the ground. Fireballs shot across the sky, landing in valley’s and...