Amassing Winds: Part 1

Prologue1

Looking up from his console in the rear of the weather station, junior meteorologist Skyler Adams stared out into the expanding darkness of the control room.  He had been on duty only twenty minutes and yet it already felt like he had worked a complete shift.  Dressed in his khaki slacks and blue button-up shirt, the twenty-two year old Skyler groaned with the anticipation of working for the next six hours.  If only he had a social life that provided a much better alternative to work, then maybe he would actually have something else to do besides sit around the office at nine o’clock in the evening. 2

“I wonder what Mariah is doing right now,” Skyler thought as he pictured the effervescent news anchor who always seemed to smile when he was around.  She was the only one who actually made him smile, even when she was not present.  He longed to hold her in his arms and kiss her the way he had seen guys do in the movies, but he knew that she was way out of his league.3

Suddenly, Skyler was jolted from his daydream of Mariah by the sounds of the alarm bell peeling through the once silent control room. He frantically searched for the cause of the shrill noise, and froze when he saw the monitor to his left.  On the $20,000 LCD screen of the station‘s tracking monitor, Skyler witnessed the churning mass of a most horrific storm brewing in the south Atlantic, just off the coast of the British Virgin Islands.  It massed in size of nearly 30 kilometers with winds up to the speed of 250 miles per hour, and it was heading straight for the islands.4

Slowly, as if in a dream, Skyler turned away from the tracking monitor and picked up the emergency phone that connected him directly to the director of the weather station.  He waited as the phone rang once, twice, and then three times before the director picked up.5

“Hello,” said Director Dover, a man whose knowledge of weather rivaled any meteorology professor or expert storm tracker.6

“Sir, this is junior meteorologist Skyler Adams. We have a situation here at the station that needs your immediate attention, sir,” replied Skyler.7

“Well, Adams,” asked Dover, recognizing the voice and curious to know why his weekly poker game needed to be interrupted, “what is the problem?” 8

“Sir, there is a class ten storm brewing just off the coast of the British Virgin Islands, and it is headed straight for them,” responded Skyler.9

“Holy shit!” exclaimed the director, who knew the actual dangers were far worse than what Adams thought.  Not only did the British Virgin Islands house an army training camp for government agencies, but it also held much more.  For deep beneath the surface of the main island lay the world’s biggest nuclear facility.10

Chapter 111

The Journey Begins12

“Come on you guys,” Talic Stone yelled as he threw his bags into the back of his mom’s 4-runner.  “If you don’t hurry, then we’ll be late!”13

Exiting the house behind Talic was his two best friends Angela and Jasmine Trudeau, twin girls of both astonishing beauty and brains.  Jasmine, who was about 5’ 6” and had long, light brown hair radiated intelligence as she placed her bag into the car beside Talic’s.14

“We aren’t going to be late Talic, so chill out,” Jasmine’s sister replied as she put her bags next to theirs.  Just like her sister, Angela was also 5” 6” but had dyed her hair blonde so that she and her sister could be told apart.  Angela was also the younger of the two sisters.15

“I’m sorry you guys, but it is just so exciting.  I mean, the British Virgin Islands for a whole week! Without any parents. How cool is that!”16

“Well, if your mom gets out here soon, then we can get out of here, but until she does, then you are just going to have to settle down, dude,” replied Jasmine in her sarcastic yet logical way.17

At just that moment, Mrs. Stone, an average working class woman in her late forties, exited the house. She was engrossed in her cell phone conversation, which must have been important because she was walking quite slowly and gesturing sporadically every time she said something.  Talic looked at his mother and then glanced at his watch.  It read 3:05 p.m., which meant that they had to be at the airport in twenty-five minutes if they were to make their flight and meet up with their classmates.18

“Come on Mom! We only have twenty-five minutes before our plane takes off, with or without us,” Talic said exasperatedly as his mother continued her slow approach to the car, now digging into her purse for her car keys, which she was constantly losing.19

“I’m coming, Talic. Hold your horses; I’ll get you to the airport on time. You’ve never been late by me, and that isn’t going to change today. Now get in the car and we can get going,” Mrs. Stone replied as she fished out her keys and unlocked the car doors.20

As Mrs. Stone unlocked the car doors of her 4-Runner, Talic and the twins eagerly got inside the plush vehicle. Equip with all the standard features of CD player, stereo system, automatic windows and doors, the car also had a built in television set in the headrest of each seat. In addition to these features, the vehicle provided the teens with a luxurious amount of leg space and stowing capacity. The trip was on the way and nothing could have been more exciting for the three.21

*******************22

Director Dover, dressed in his best Armani suit and black silk tie, paced his office as he waited for word from the President concerning the impeding crisis now being known as Operation Breakaway. The leather soles of his loafers squeaked on the tile floor as his turned around again and again, dry-washing his hands in expectation. If the hurricane heading for the British Virgin Islands was allowed to hit without the attempt at diversion or evacuation, then the entire USA and half of South America would perish in the aftermath of the nuclear fallout. Nothing would be left of the islands, and only a bare handful of survivors would exist following the destruction. Even then, the survivors wouldn’t be able to hold on long enough for any real help to arrive, so in all likelihood, the entire continent of North America would likely perish.23

Suddenly, as Director Dover spun around in angst, pondering the results of such a disaster, the shrill, piercing ring of the telephone broke the silence. Running to his desk and picking up the phone, Director Dover sighed with relief to hear the President’s voice.24

“Dover, my team of advisors and I have come to a decision concerning the outcome of Operation Breakaway. We want you and your men to stay put as you are and monitor the storm’s progress,” declared the President. “We are sending in an evacuation team to the British Virgin Islands so that we may be able to say as many survivors as possible. You are to monitor the storm and report anything that is found immediately to me. Is that understood?”25

“Y…Y…Yes sir, Mr. President. My team and I will get right on it,” Dover stammered into the receiver as the President waited for a response.26

Hanging up the phone with a soft click, Dover turned around and met the face of the skittish Skyler Adams. Skyler approached the Director and handed him a piece of paper marked with the official insignia of the National Weather Service.27

“What’s this?” asked the Director as he scanned the paper quickly. However, before Skyler even had a chance to answer, the Director rushed out of the office and headed straight to the tracking monitor. There he noticed he’s worst fears coming to fruition. The storm, which had earlier been at already record mass and power, had just again increased in size by another 10 meters.28