“Well, when does the countdown stop?” Henry asked.

Everyone in the room locked their eyes on Lena. She looked as if she wasn’t sure whether she should answer.

Finally, she said, “To be honest, we don’t know.”

*****

David woke up to the green-glowing beep of his watch alarm. He had collapsed on his bed at 5:30 p.m., intending on just to shut his eyes for thirty minutes. But the fatigue of his jet lag and the all-day sessions had drained him. While just about everyone else had filed into the cafeteria as soon as the afternoon team meetings ended, David took a nap. It was now 7:15 p.m. and David would have to hightail it to make it to dinner before they closed.

He threw on a tee shirt, khaki shorts, and a pair of reebok sneakers, and then rushed over to the cafeteria. He walked into the meal hall to the clatter of metal dishware being cleaned in the back. Bill was the lone diner. David walked through the buffet line, scooping heaping piles of mashed potatoes, green beans, and what looked like a pot roast onto his plate. He grabbed a few bottles of water and a banana and walked over to the table where the other man sat.

“Mind if I join you?” David asked.

“Sure, sure.” Bill was in mid chew. He took a gulp from his cup and said, “Helluva day, huh?”

Bill ran his hair through his thick, fluorescent white hair. He dressed in a collared shirt that was tucked in to a pair of light blue jeans. Black sneakers completed the outfit. David thought that he looked like he could have been a grandpa.

“Where are you from again, Bill?” David asked.

“West Texas. But I’ve lived in Nevada for the past few years. And honestly, before that I was Air Force so I’ve lived all over. Yourself?”

“Virginia. Right outside D.C. I’m a Navy BRAT myself.”

“I’ve been there. Nice area. Lousy traffic.”

David nodded as he finished a bite of the overcooked roast. “Yup.”

A few moments passed. Small talk didn’t seem to be either man’s forte.

Finally Bill spoke, “This all just makes you re-evaluate your life, you know?”

David spoke through chews. “Yeah. The end of the world will do that.”

“I’m not saying I regret anything. My wife always says to our kids that regrets ain’t worth fussing over. Because there’s better things ahead than behind.”

“Sounds like a smart lady. Wonder how she ended up with you?”

“Hah. Yeah.” Bill looked sad at her mention.

David said, “I hope my family is alright. My dad, sister, and brother are all active duty Navy. I would imagine their jobs just got a lot more dangerous.”

Bill raised his eyebrows and took a drink. “I’m sure they’ll be okay. With any luck, we’ll come out of this all right. I remember the Bay of Pigs when I was a little kid. It seemed like the world was about to end then, too. We used to practice getting under our desks at school in case the Russians nuked us. Imagine that. And that all blew over. Hopefully this will too.” While his words were meant to comfort, he didn’t sound like he believed them.