13th September – Judgement Day
Jenny turned to Bishop Summerland. ‘Can we open the main entrance to the control room for when the others arrive?’
‘Of course,’ Bishop Summerland replied, ‘follow me.’
Jenny and Duck followed the bishop through a door on the far side of his office and down some steps. At the bottom of the steps there were two doors that were facing each other.
‘This door leads into the cathedral,’ said the bishop, pointing to his right, ‘and this one enters the control room,’ he continued, indicating the partially open door on his left.
They walked into the control room just as Jenny’s phone beeped to indicate a text message. The door clicked shut behind them.
Jenny checked the text message. It was from Joan. ‘Oh no,’ she screamed, ‘WAR have just taken control of cruise missiles based at Moleworth and launched them at the cathedral. We’ve got to get out.’
They all rushed back to the door.
‘What’s the number for the keypad?’ said Duck urgently.
‘Sorry,’ said the bishop, ‘I’ve got it written down in my office somewhere.’
At the moment the bishop finished speaking, there was the sound of an explosion above their heads. Dust and small pieces of masonry fell into the basement room.
‘The trap door!’ shouted Duck.
Jenny and Duck ran towards the staircase that ascended to Bishop Summerland’s office. The bishop followed. They climbed the steps.
Duck leaned against the hatch and was grateful that the bishop had not chosen to place any of his office furniture over their escape route.
They emerged into Bishop Summerland’s office and rushed for the outside door.
As they entered the street, Jenny looked in both directions. Dawn was just beginning to light the sky. She suddenly noted a rapidly enlarging dot above the rooftops to her right.
‘It’s another fucking cruise missile,’ she shouted. ‘Run!’
Opposite the cathedral was a park. They ran across the grass, trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the building.
Duck looked back as they ran. He saw the missile change direction, as if coming towards them. It then turned back towards the cathedral – clearly lining itself up with the door of the bishop’s office.
It was possible that the cathedral and the bunker beneath could have survived a second impact but not the six others that followed.
Duck, Jenny and Bishop Summerland took shelter behind an earth bank and peered over it at the conflagration that had engulfed the area where the cathedral had one stood.
‘That’s HMS Resolution and Northchester cathedral gone,’ said Duck. ‘We’ve got no bases left from which to launch the missiles.’
‘Unless we can somehow locate the Waterford base before the asteroid arrives,’ said Jenny.
‘Even if you could,’ said the bishop, ‘how would you get there in time?’
As he finished speaking, a shadow passed over them. They looked up to see the outline of a starcruiser obscuring the early morning sun.