The Comet Changed Everything Ch. 01

---This is my first attempt at having a work of fiction read by others. Constructive criticism is encouraged, or you can tell me it sucks. So long as it is done in a cordial manner, all comments are welcome.---

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Before it happened, I could have been labeled as "average." However, more specifically; I was a dreamer, a video game aficionado, and a kid who wished his life was more than it was. By the time I was 16, this disdain for the normalcy of my life led me to kendo, karate, studies of ancient military tactics, and ancient writings (ex. Sun Tzu). This unfortunately made me a bit of a pariah; I actually overheard one of my teachers saying, "That Ben Andrews belongs a few centuries in the past. He should have been directing a siege on some ancient castle." It didn't end with the teachers, I was on the very shallow end of the popularity pool, but I was by no means a target for the school bullies. Martial arts, a daily jogging regimen, and a few high school sports per year kept me in a good physical condition. The slightest hint of a physical confrontation was easily thwarted by my truthful assertion to my would-be attacker that I knew more ways to kill him than he knew how to die.

I graduated with honors from my suburban high school, but it left me feeling emptier than ever. My girlfriend left me to pursue a career in the arts, but that didn't faze me one bit. She acted like being with me was holding her back from something; when, in truth, it was she that ignored, and even tried to shatter, my hopes, dreams, and wants. Truth be told, I was happy to be out and deathly sick of her drama.

In my search to fill the void in my life, I turned to work. I got a promotion to shift manager at the local burger joint, and quickly became a hardcore workaholic. After a nearly three years of that, it dawned on me that I was on track to be that loser fast food manager everyone seems to know. I applied at the local community college and got a full-ride scholarship from my academic credentials. I told my manager at the burger joint to piss off; I don't think I'd ever seen him so mad before. For a minute, I thought the fat bastard was going to have a coronary. My leaving completely destabilized the staffing situation in the place; everyone who was there when I quit lost all respect for the boss, and I was the only thing that made the night shift workable. The amount of money I'd saved from work and my scholarships meant that I wouldn't have to work a day until I graduated.

I decided to attempt a double major in physics and education, mostly because it was on the college's dime. Which brings me to an astronomy lecture, a bit of a boring one. The professor, a man by the name of Angelo Gast, was an old friend of my grandfather, and I was acing his class easily. I sat there, watching the clock, waiting for the end of the class and the beginning of a weekend that promised free beer and liquor, courtesy of my friend Joe's parents being on a three-week cruise. Before he let us leave, he made sure to remind us that the sun was showing the largest cluster of sunspots ever recorded.

After snagging a much-needed nap at my apartment, I awoke to find an e-mail from Cara, my ex. She said that she'd failed out of her arts school and wanted me back, claiming that I was the best thing that she'd had in her life. In Cara-speak, that translates to: "No one here will pay attention to me...will you?" All the frustration and aggravation I felt during our relationship boiled out of me and into a scathing reply, telling her that I didn't believe that she held me in such a high regard, and that she was one of the worst things I had ever suffered. Having said my peace to the presumptuous brat, I felt very good and very ready to party.

I hopped on my ancient Honda motorcycle and made haste to Joe's parents' house. Joe greeted me at the front door with a double-shot of Jack Daniels and it all went downhill from there. After we were all thoroughly trashed and some of the lightweight drinkers had passed out, I went outside for a little quiet and some fresh air. I lay down in the soft grass and looked up at the starry night sky. I was staring at it, trying to identify some of the major constellations, when Joe, Stacey, Katie, and a few of the other girls from the party came out, looking for me.

"What the hell are you doing out here, Ben? The party's inside," said Joe.

"True, but the fresh air and the night sky are out here," I replied, still staring straight up.

"What do you see up there?" asked Stacey.

"Whatever I want to, really; I see a lot of the constellations, but there are so many stars that you can pretty much imagine whatever you want."

"Really," said Katie, sounding somewhat interested, "then what is that?"

"That," Joe slurred, "is the constellation Leo."

"No, Joe. That!"

In the far western sky, a large yellow-green streak was just barely visible. "That, drunk-ass-Joe, is a comet; but there aren't supposed to be any for at least a year and a half. I'll have to ask Prof. Gast on Monday." I said, moderately intrigued.

"So we might have just made a discovery tonight?" asked Katie

"I know one discovery I'd like to make," I said, pulling Katie down on top of me.

"Now that's research I'd like to perform," she cooed, kissing me lightly. Katie and I had been close for many months at that point, having both left bad relationships after high school. We first met in the food court of our community college, under amusing circumstances. She was walking past the table where I was eating, carrying a full tray of food. Her foot got caught in the strap of my backpack, and she spilled her tray onto mine. I pushed my chair back to avoid being hit by flying food, but unexpectedly put myself in perfect position to catch her. She landed squarely in my lap. I might have been angry, had I not seen just how beautiful she was: 5'9", slim without being anorexic, chestnut hair, green eyes, a light dusting of freckles, a soothing smile, and a voice that could make any man's heart melt. With a suaveness I didn't even know I had, I said, "So nice of you to drop in." Everyone within earshot laughed themselves breathless, and so did we.

The chemistry between us was immediate, though we were both a little apprehensive; as we'd both had our hearts broken in our last relationships. However, we quickly saw that that wasn't necessary, and that we'd found something in each other that we'd both wanted for a long time: an attentive partner who was willing to listen and understand what the other wanted. I think that one of the major successes of our relationship was that we lived for the now, and forwent any long term plans.

That night at Joe's, no one was in any condition to drive home, so we all slept there. Just like so many times, after so many parties that semester, Katie and I took refuge in Joe's guest room. I'll not get into any sordid details here, but I will say that we were very comfortable there. We awoke late in the morning to help Joe clean up before heading back to my apartment for the remainder of the weekend. I took measurements for the comet on Saturday and Sunday, so I would have some data for a course and speed plot for Prof. Gast on Monday. I met with him in his office, several hours before our lecture. "Prof. Gast, sir? I have something I think you need to see."

"What is it Ben, an extra-credit essay?" he said, looking up from the quizzes he was grading.

"No, sir. I caught sight of a comet in the western sky the weekend. There wasn't supposed to be anything coming into sight range for the next 18 months."

"You sure it wasn't just a meteor? The big ones that skirt the atmosphere for a long time resemble comets."

I shook my head even before he finished, "Nope, I caught it three nights in a row, once with the naked eye and twice by telescope. I had a hard time tracking it, the damn thing was moving so fast." I handed him the calculations I had made.

"The figures seem to be in order, and the reference points look right. Let's see if the computer can project a flight path for us. He put my measurements into the computer and it plotted a path directly into the sun. "Well, if your numbers are correct, you've spotted a rogue comet, headed at break-neck speed for the sun. I'll call my friends at NASA Glenn; see what they've got to say about it. It's a nice find, though; I'll check your plot against theirs, see how close you are."

"Thanks Prof. Gast. I'll see you later."

The rest of my classes that day were uneventful and dull; at least, until I got to my astronomy lecture. After class, Prof. Gast pulled me aside, "Your plot matches NASA's; it's headed into the sun. That said, they're not sure if it's a rogue one picked up by the sun's gravitational field or one that's simply lost its orbit and is crashing on this run. I'll keep you posted."

He did keep me posted. When NASA couldn't determine the composition of the comet, he told me; same for when they calculated that the comet would strike the sunspot cluster. The top minds for the government were beginning to get worried, because they were unsure as to what would happen to the comet. One said that it would just burn up in the corona, another that it would punch into the sun through the sunspot and be dispersed throughout the solar system, which prompted others still to worry about contamination by alien or radioactive matter.

I don't think that any one of them had the slightest idea what was really going to happen. Nearest that I could tell, that "comet" was an alien terra-forming device that used the sun as a delivery system. The particles released from it passed by Mercury and Venus with no effect; but when they were exposed to the organic compounds in our atmosphere, they started a planet-wide reaction. Violent earthquakes all over the planet destroyed the major cities, leaving billions dead. Next, the ecology of the planet fundamentally changed. Dense foliage grew rapidly over the ruins, but the worst was still yet to come. With the changes in flora, came a frightening change in fauna: vicious, predatory creatures began popping up everywhere. The one that I came to hate the most we dubbed the "skitter," something of a cross between a very large lizard and an insect. They were particularly fast and aggressive, but also somewhat cunning. The only way to keep safe from them was to stick together at all times and have round-the-clock armed sentries.

Katie, a few members of my family, and I had managed to make a camp in the ruins of my parent's home. With a few ex-military members and sportsmen in the family, the possession and knowledge of using firearms was a given for all of us, and there were plenty of guns to go around. We were scraping along, but ammo and supplies were beginning to run low. Katie and I volunteered to head into town to look for food and munitions. Despite the obvious risk, it needed to be done. We went heavily armed: me with my Ruger Mini-14 and Kay with my Remington 870 shotgun. It took a little while to get there on foot, but we managed to get a massive haul of rounds and canned goods from the ruins of the local Wal-Mart and a nearby sporting goods store. We packed up as much as we could carry and headed home.

We were within a half-mile of our camp when I heard a blood-curdling scream, suddenly cut short. Kay and I sprinted the rest of the way, only to find a half-dozen skitters trying to drag away the bodies of my family. In a murderous, vengeful rage, I shot down every last one, draining an entire 30-round clip in the process. I fell to my knees and yelled as loud as I could, but no amount of hate, vengeance, or bullets could bring any of them back to life.

After I let it all out, Kay and I buried my family members and burned the skitter corpses, trying to keep them away for a while. Kay and I holed up in what was left of the basement. Sleep did not come easily to me that night, but Kay did her best to try to comfort me. I must have finally fallen asleep; because, suddenly, it was morning and Kay was laying on top of me, staring into my eyes.

"Good, you're awake. I know it hurts, but we have to keep on moving, Ben. If you won't give up on me, I'll never give up on you. I want to leave this place and find somewhere safe." I recognized this immediately, it was something I said to her right after the quakes. After we found the bodies of her family in the ruins of their house, she didn't want to go on. I held her in my arms, looked her in her eyes, and told her that I was not going to let her give up, and that I didn't want her to ever let me give up. She, now, was looking at me in the very same way. "But, before we do, I want to have a look around in the mall. I saw it on our trip to Wal-Mart, it's tough to get to, but it looks largely intact."

"Sure, Kay. Just give me a little while to get our things together."

"Thank you, Ben. You are all that I have left in the world." She kissed me, tenderly, "Come on, I want to get there as soon as we can."

"Ok, I'll have us there before noon."

We made good time there, and Kay had been right: the building was mostly intact; it had just slid down about twenty feet from its normal position. The sheer cliffs on every side, created by the parking lot, made it a veritable island. I was a little worried about getting over there, until I saw a huge sycamore tree. With the help of an ax, courtesy of a hardware store, the tree became our bridge down to the building.

We found plenty of camping gear, clothes, and emergency rations. While looking for a good place to set up camp, I saw something that gave me one hell of an idea. I'd passed by the store many times before, but never went in. Until that point, I had no practical use for a sword. I found 2 that seemed worthwhile, a matched pair of $500 katanas. I grabbed those as well as a set of leather armlets and a pair of leather vests.

"What are we going to do with those, have a renaissance fair?" Kay asked.

"Not unless there's a corset for you to wear," I chided.

"Hey, Fredrick's isn't too far away. I bet there's one in my size, but I'd want the velvet dress to," she said, sarcastically.

I chuckled at that, "Ok. But, seriously, we both know that the .223 and 12-gauge ammo won't last forever, and I don't want either of us going down because of an empty clip. As for the leather, you can never have enough protection." I pulled a pair of kendo sticks out of a bin in the back and handed one to her.

"How long did you take kendo classes for?"

"Four years," I said, warming up.

"Were you any good?"

"The only one who ever really presented a problem was Grand Master Osei. Other than him, there wasn't a single student or teacher there who could best me."

"Good, the last thing I want is to be taught by someone who is just as likely to cut himself as anyone else." Kay and I spent all of that day and half of the next training. Kay was an amazing student, she learned more in those several hours than most do in months.

She and I were both tired and sweating profusely. "Ben, I need to go clean myself up, and so do you. Meet me in the main foyer in about an hour and try to look debonair."

I raided the Ralph Lauren store after cleaning up and waited for Kay in the foyer, wondering just what the hell she had up her sleeve. I was beginning to get worried until I suddenly heard the familiar click of heels behind be. Turning around, I found myself standing before beauty, incarnate. Kay had dressed in a green formal gown, one that matched her eyes, and braided her hair. She had cleaned her face, but she didn't use any make-up. I always told her that she looked so much better without it, it seemed she finally listened.

"Do you like it?" she asked, twirling herself around. "I couldn't find a white one I liked, they all looked hideous."

"It looks stunning, the green matches your eyes," I said, walking toward the heavenly angel in front of me.

She took my hand in hers, and leaned in closely to me. "Come on," she breathed into my ear, "it's this way." She led me into a jewelry store, over to the platinum case. "I only found one matched set." Dead-center in the case was a set of wedding bands.

"Kay, is this what you want?"

"More than anything, the whole world is going to hell; but I can be happy in the fact that I married the man I love when I had the chance."

"Kay, I love you more than life, itself. I would gladly lay my life down, if only to keep you safe." I picked up her ring and held her hand in mine. "With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect you until my dying day." The ring fit perfectly.

She took my hand in hers. "Ben, ever since the quakes, you've been my guardian and my comfort, just as I have been yours. I want to be yours, and have you as mine, for the rest of my life. With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect you until my dying day." As she placed the ring on my finger, again a perfect fit, I saw the shimmering of tears in her eyes. After a brief, but noticeable, silence, she looked up at me with a tear rolling down her cheek and said, "You may kiss the bride." She wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me in, not that she had to.

In the nearly eight months we had dated, we had kissed an innumerable amount of times, but that one will forever be etched into my memory. In that moment, standing in the remains of a jewelry store, I felt a deeper emotional connection than I had ever felt. An eternity passed in a moment, and we broke the kiss. I took my bride into my arms and carried her back to our camp.

That night, the whole world seemed to dissolve away, until nothing was left but the two of us. There were no cares, no worries, and no thoughts about the future. There were no words, they weren't necessary, and they couldn't even come close to conveying the message. The feelings shared that night: feelings of completion, connection, passion, and wholly unbridled love, took us to a place that neither of us had ever dreamed of. As the moon shone down on us through the skylight, I, a 23 year old groom, looked down on my 22 year old bride and found true contentment. I knew, in that moment, that I could die as the happiest man ever.

---To Be Continued...---