Unum Chapter One

E Pluribus Unum
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content

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Year Zero - Day 0 Hour 0 Minute 0 Second 0 - Chapter One

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The impact sent debris thousands of miles across planet Earth's surface. The shockwave destroyed millions of square miles in seconds. The earth was scorched from the intense heat wave generated by the impact. It was a wasteland of burnt organic matter that lay spread across a vast area of devastation. No being mourned the loss of the Dinosaur. That was the first impact that changed Earth. There would be others.

Year Zero
Day 0 Hour 0 Minute 0 Second 0
Chapter One

Linda Cooper walked into the office and headed straight to her desk. She checked her email and was thankful the inbox had 100 messages instead of 200, like yesterday. Most of her time was spent answering questions. “What is your day like?”, “Are there aliens out there?” “Have you seen Martians?”
Click, and another email answered. Linda was on her second cup of coffee when Pauniqua plopped down at her desk. “Girl, traffic sucks.”
Linda looked over to her co-worker and friend. “I got lucky this morning and got in front of traffic. How are the kids?” Pauniqua lifted up her laptop lid and pressed the power button. “Good. Jason didn’t want to get up, and Brat had a fit that she didn’t have the right color red to wear today.”
Both women laughed. Linda liked Pauniqua’s daughter, Sally. She was smart, liked boys, and had fashion sense. She was also very pretty and was a straight ‘A’ student.
Pauniqua got up, walked into the kitchen area, and popped in a Kerique coffee pack into the coffee maker. It was a Dunkin’ Donut special. Linda answered three more emails while Pauniqua waited for the machine to finish gurgling out coffee. She sipped at her own lukewarm coffee when she started reading the next email. It was from a friend who got lucky and landed a government job with lots of perks. Linda considered asking her friend Gale several times to introduce her to the Director of Analysis and Actions but always chickened out. Gale’s friendship was important. The thought of Gale thinking the friendship was less than genuine knotted up her stomach. Linda’s Ph.D., based on the idea that a large number of massive meteors crossed Earth’s orbit every few million years, would be achieved by her hard work. Though, access to one of the world’s best supercomputer would get the diploma in her hand sooner rather than later. The coffee, Linda decided, was not salvageable. She pushed the cup aside and read the email.

Hey Lin,

Quick note. Tomorrow I’m flying in. Let’s do lunch, maybe Dinner. And possibly breakfast. ‘Wink’ LOL. I got something we need to talk about.

Kisses,

Gale

Linda brushed some loose strands of hair behind her ear. Gale really did have an effect on her.
Pauniqua sat down sipping her freshly brewed coffee. “Gale?”
Linda rapidly blinked a few times and looked over to her friend. “Huh?”
“Gale, right?”
“Maybe.” Linda blushed.
“Teasing you again?”
“Maybe.” She twirled some hair around her index finger.
“Just ask her,” Pauniqua said. “It’s not like she’d say no.”
“Suppose she does?”
Pauniqua shrugged. “Then you stay friends. No biggy.”
Linda watched Pauniqua sip her coffee and go through her email. She’s a single parent she thought. She grew up in a poor family, had been harassed by the Police at an early age. It’s a wonder she still had this wonderful outlook on life. Linda sat back and let her mind drift. A moment later her phone buzzed. She pressed the answer button and placed the phone to her ear without looking at the screen. With practiced ease she said, “Hello, Linda, here.”
“Hey, Lin . . .”
“Gale?” Linda looked at the caller id.
“I’m down stairs . . .”
“Wait, What? Downstairs?”
Linda heard Gale’s laughter through the phone’s speakers. It was fresh and lively.
“Surprised?”
Linda stammered, “W-well, yeah, I . . .”
“. . . am hungry, too.”
“Really, where are you?”
“Downstairs . . . seriously. I’m hungry. I want to eat . . . now.”
Linda thought Gale’s weak chuckle was cute. “Okay, okay.” She turned to Pauniqua who had unconvincingly acted like she wasn’t listening.
“Good, girl,” Pauniqua said. “Eat something for me.”
“I’ll be down in a sec.” Linda stared at the phone for a moment before pressing down on the hang-up button. She said to no one in particular, as she got up from her desk, “I wonder why she is here?”
Pauniqua shrugged. “Open mouth, move lips, and ask her.”
Linda nodded, grabbed her keys, and Fossil faded black clutch wallet. She unzipped the top and made sure she had money and the good credit cards. Zipping the wallet back up, she headed out the door. “I’m sure I’ll be back in an hour,” she said as she walked out the door.
Pauniqua yelled, “I’m not the one you’re trying to convince.” She laughed.


Linda saw Gale sitting in one of the four lobby chairs near the front sliding glass doors.
Gale smiled brightly and got up. She was wearing dark blue Promise Lego pumps, faded Levi’s, and a matching blue Crystal blouse.
Linda thought her friend looked cute and lovely. She herself had a Terra Cotta Peasant blouse and wear jeans that were not as faded as Gale’s. With her Vans she was about the same height as Gale, who was actually two inches shorter without the pumps.
Gale met Linda half-way to the lobby and gave her a nice firm hug. She held it for several seconds rubbing her hand along Linda’s shoulder.
She stepped back and said, “Lin, it’s been a while.”
Linda nodded.
Gale grabbed her friend by the arm and led her back to the elevators. “I parked in valet and . . .”
“Valet? We got extra money now?”
“I got some and it’s buying you lunch.”
“I was gonna . . .”
Gale waved it off as the elevator doors opened. “Yeh, yeh. We need to talk.”
Linda hesitated.
Gale pulled Linda into the elevator. “Tick-tock, tick-tock, I’m hungry.”
A moment later the elevator reached the garage floor. Gale stepped out with Linda in tow. She made her way to the opened Plexiglas window and slipped the valet ticket stub through the opening.
The guy behind the glass took the ticket. He checked a clipboard, stepped from behind the window and waved for a co-worker. Gale approved of the dress code: Black pants, white shirt, shiny blue vest.
A minute later the two were cruising down Wilshire Blvd, toward restaurant row. Gale had retracted the hardtop on her Volkswagen Eos. She enjoyed the wind that streamed down around her head and neck. Her hair flowed outward as traffic seemed to bless them by not being heavy. Gale asked, “When was the last time you ate at Fogo de Chão?”
“Never. I’ve heard of it, but never had a chance to go.”
“And there it is,” Gale said as they pulled into the lot. It was about halfway full. We got lucky Gale thought.
Both ladies got out and headed through the doors.
The hostess said, “Bem-vindas! Como esta, Ms. Halloway.”
“Bem obrigada. E você?”
The hostess smiled and answered in English, “Good. Your table is ready.”
Linda said, “Ready? You expected us?”
The hostess’ name tag read, “Livia”. She smiled and walked the two women to a small somewhat private table near the near a back wall. “The Gaucho will be out in a moment. I’ll tell him your usual wine?”
“Obrigada.”
Linda leaned in close, “They expected us?”
Gale nodded. “I’ve been here a . . . few times.”
Linda frowned, “I thought you were still in Lexington?” She sat back.
Gale said, “Are you pouting?”
“No. Yes - - no.”
“I think you are.”
Linda slowly said, “No, I am not pouting. Just - -”
Gale laughed. “Kind of cute when you pout.”
“No.”
“Okay, so you are not pouting.”
A tall gentleman holding a bottle of Concentus Barrique Pinot Noir said, “Good afternoon, Ms. Halloway.” He was slender and stood at 5’ 11”. Gale approved of his close-cut black hair, dark eyebrows, and naturally red thick lips. His eyes were bright green, and she liked his smile. “Concentus.”
Gale nodded. “Excellent, Davi.”
He poured the wine into decent sized glasses and placed two palm sized discs in front of Linda and Gale.
“What’s this for?” Linda asked.
“Green means you are ready to eat. The red means hold.” Davi walked away.
“How long had you been here?” Linda asked.
“About two weeks . . . and before you pout again . . .”
“I wasn’t pouting, I was . . .”
“Pouting!” Gale chuckled. “And, my boss had me running around the city. I knew I’d get a break and I wanted to spend that free time with you. So, there.”
Linda relaxed and slowly smiled. She felt a twinge of guilt for thinking the worst. Gale was her BFF.
“Meat or side dishes first.”
“Pardon,” Linda said blinking rapidly.
“I’m really here for the meat, maybe a salad, but meat definitely. And the wine.”
Linda took a sip. She nodded and drank deeply, finishing off half the glass is seconds. “Meat.”
Both women turned their discs over to the green side.

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