Read Twilight Earth for Free Online

would be nervous as well. However, I can assure all of you is that no harm will come to you and we are indeed attempting to save your lives," Ed replied.
    "Can you tell us from what threat?" Marcy asked.
    "I honestly do not know Miss Carmichael. We are discouraged from speculation and rumor at this point," Ed replied. "Perhaps you will be able to ascertain that information once we arrive at our destination."
    Since the elevator was still going down and was not moving slowly, Ben asked. "Can I ask how deep we are going?"
    "About two thousand feet. The reason for the size of the elevator is because it has multiple uses," Ed explained.
    ––––––––
    Stepping out of the over-sized elevator, the family entered a huge cavern that was hundreds of yards wide. The walls and ceiling were covered in some strange-looking gray stuff that didn't feel like concrete. The floor of the enormous cavern bore a striking resemblance to a building roof, except for its size, this building would have covered several city blocks.
    Looking around, Ben asked. “What is this place?”
    “As it was explained to me it’s kind of like an ark, or a life boat if you will. The Corporation has been working on this project, in secret, for years,” Ed answered.
    “This project? Tom never even hinted at something like this,” Deirdre said looking around her.
    Ed guided the family over to the stairs leading down. “What we are about to enter is called a pod. It’s a self-contained living environment for about three-dozen families. Scattered around all over the world are thousands of these pods, of varying sizes. They've been prepared as insurance against a mass extinction event. These units represent long-term survival and will be completely unknown to anyone that will be remaining on the surface. Not even the governments know of these pods.
    “Further preparations, with the assistance of the countries in which they reside, have also been undertaken. What could only be called huge underground military bases have been built in the event of circumstances requiring military protection,” Ed explained. "There is one being completed that is near here."
    Turning to Jorga, he said, “Your family is being taken to another pod close by.” He turned to Marcy. “I’m afraid your mother was disqualified for pod residency. However, we have insured that she, as well as her life partner, will be taken to our closest base. I’m afraid that the ability to procreate is a requirement for pod residency. Tom bent more than a few rules just to get her a spot in the base.”
    Marcy swallowed hard. “I understand, Ed. But are you certain that we’re facing a Mass Extinction?”
    “The decision isn’t mine of course, but the conditions must now exist for it. I would imagine the probability is still rising or at the least hasn't changed. That’s the reason for our stage one condition; which is getting the selected families into the pods and bases,” Ed answered. He’d led the small family to a door panel without a handle. “Each of you needs to place your hand on the door only once. If you touch it twice, it will exit programming mode and open.”
    “You mentioned ‘stage one condition’ that implies more stages. Can you tell us what they are?” Ben asked.
    Ed nodded, still stone-faced. “Stage two means that the event is in progress. Elevators are sent to the bottom of the shafts and those shafts are sealed. Stage three means that more than forty-five percent of those left on the surface and in the shallower, sub-surface bunkers have died or been killed. Pod inhabitants are ordered to the hyper-sleep chambers and the pods themselves are lowered to the bottoms of their shafts. The pod shaft is sealed two hundred feet above the pod and those shafts are then collapsed.”
    “Okay, now that’s scary sounding. How deeply are you going to bury us? How long until the chambers open and how are we supposed to get out?” Kaitlin asked.
    Ed looked