estimated that the asteroid was approximately two and a half kilometers across—large enough, according to most experts, to create an extinction event. The last one of these occurred roughly 65 million years ago.”
“That’s what wiped out the dinosaurs, right?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, that’s correct. Extensis Vitae— the corporation that built these facilities that they called the ‘Colonies’—had already planned for some type of cataclysmic event, be it global war, extreme natural disasters, nuclear terrorism, etc. The ‘Extended Life Solution,’ they called it. At the time, nobody paid any attention to them but a few survivalists and some of the ultra-rich who didn’t have anything better to spend their money on. People had better things to worry about. After the alarm was sounded about the impending impact event, however, that all changed. Panic broke out and everyone was desperate to have a place in one of the thirteen Colonies. There were thirteen new Colonies to start a new society, representative of the thirteen original colonies of the U.S.A. The rich and powerful controlled the most powerful corporations, which, in turn, controlled the weak central governments of the world’s nation states. The board members of Extensis Vitae conveniently were chosen as the administrators who would govern the Colonies. It was all about political connections. So the rich and powerful literally had the power to choose who would live and who would die by selective admission to these great Colonies. They strategically chose some of the brightest minds of the time along with their families, so that they would be able to establish a new society one day. Many other corporations, governments, and private individuals tried to set up their own survival shelters, of course, but most started late with their preparations. These other shelters were likely incapable of withstanding the sheer destructive power of the impact; also, they would have been unsuitable for the long duration of quarantine necessary after they buttoned-up. Extensis Vitae, on the other hand, had planned and built the Colonies to withstand the worst-case scenario. It is unknown how effective these other efforts were. Nobody knows how many people outside of the Extensis Vitae Colonies were able to survive the Cataclysm and, if they did survive, for how long.”
Reznik was in shock. He couldn’t even think of where to begin asking questions. “How long have you been down here?” he finally asked her.
“It’s been twenty years now. I remember just a little bit of the surface world when I was a little girl. In the final months, it was not a pretty sight. Anarchy reigned, the few surviving governments collapsed, the military was called in to put down the anarchy, and a lot of blood was shed. It got so bad that the Colonies secretly summoned everyone who had been chosen. They brought all of us inside a month earlier than the publicized date and sealed the vault doors. By the time anyone realized what the Colonies were doing, it was too late. The asteroid was projected to strike in the Atlantic Ocean, creating a mega tsunami estimated to be nearly 250 meters high that would wipe out the east coast of the United States, as well as Western Europe. An estimated one to two billion people died from the effects of the initial strike and the resulting earthquake and tsunami. The power grid collapsed, and nuclear reactors went into meltdown. The survivors of the impact fought and killed each other over the scarce resources as society totally crumbled. The rest eventually died of sickness, starvation, exposure, radiation poisoning, et cetera.”
“Unbelievable,” Reznik breathed. He was still struggling to get his mind around the catastrophe and trying to imagine what a post-apocalyptic Earth would be like. “So what’s it like up there on the surface now?”
“Nobody knows for sure. The aftermath that I just mentioned is all based on our best estimates.
“That’s what wiped out the dinosaurs, right?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, that’s correct. Extensis Vitae— the corporation that built these facilities that they called the ‘Colonies’—had already planned for some type of cataclysmic event, be it global war, extreme natural disasters, nuclear terrorism, etc. The ‘Extended Life Solution,’ they called it. At the time, nobody paid any attention to them but a few survivalists and some of the ultra-rich who didn’t have anything better to spend their money on. People had better things to worry about. After the alarm was sounded about the impending impact event, however, that all changed. Panic broke out and everyone was desperate to have a place in one of the thirteen Colonies. There were thirteen new Colonies to start a new society, representative of the thirteen original colonies of the U.S.A. The rich and powerful controlled the most powerful corporations, which, in turn, controlled the weak central governments of the world’s nation states. The board members of Extensis Vitae conveniently were chosen as the administrators who would govern the Colonies. It was all about political connections. So the rich and powerful literally had the power to choose who would live and who would die by selective admission to these great Colonies. They strategically chose some of the brightest minds of the time along with their families, so that they would be able to establish a new society one day. Many other corporations, governments, and private individuals tried to set up their own survival shelters, of course, but most started late with their preparations. These other shelters were likely incapable of withstanding the sheer destructive power of the impact; also, they would have been unsuitable for the long duration of quarantine necessary after they buttoned-up. Extensis Vitae, on the other hand, had planned and built the Colonies to withstand the worst-case scenario. It is unknown how effective these other efforts were. Nobody knows how many people outside of the Extensis Vitae Colonies were able to survive the Cataclysm and, if they did survive, for how long.”
Reznik was in shock. He couldn’t even think of where to begin asking questions. “How long have you been down here?” he finally asked her.
“It’s been twenty years now. I remember just a little bit of the surface world when I was a little girl. In the final months, it was not a pretty sight. Anarchy reigned, the few surviving governments collapsed, the military was called in to put down the anarchy, and a lot of blood was shed. It got so bad that the Colonies secretly summoned everyone who had been chosen. They brought all of us inside a month earlier than the publicized date and sealed the vault doors. By the time anyone realized what the Colonies were doing, it was too late. The asteroid was projected to strike in the Atlantic Ocean, creating a mega tsunami estimated to be nearly 250 meters high that would wipe out the east coast of the United States, as well as Western Europe. An estimated one to two billion people died from the effects of the initial strike and the resulting earthquake and tsunami. The power grid collapsed, and nuclear reactors went into meltdown. The survivors of the impact fought and killed each other over the scarce resources as society totally crumbled. The rest eventually died of sickness, starvation, exposure, radiation poisoning, et cetera.”
“Unbelievable,” Reznik breathed. He was still struggling to get his mind around the catastrophe and trying to imagine what a post-apocalyptic Earth would be like. “So what’s it like up there on the surface now?”
“Nobody knows for sure. The aftermath that I just mentioned is all based on our best estimates.
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