After 50000 tonnes of ammunition and 3 weeks it was almost clear that it was almost impossible to restart it.

"We could not fix it, Mr. President. So far..."

"What? You know we have no option. Me, you and all us are going to die. I have given you all the resources you wanted. I am not going to listen to this, Mr. Sanders."

President had cut the call as his artificially colored eyebrows were no longer able to hide his age. Maybe it did not matter at all as humanity was doomed when the earth stopped rotating exactly twenty days and twenty minutes ago.

It was not entirely unexpected scientists predicted something similar could happen in the next fifty to seventy years in the last decade of the twenty-first century itself. Religious text contained a prophecy to it but no one read it until it happened one day or one night.

Mr. Sanders called all of his staff for an emergency. Their chests were decorated with medals but the faces were wary.

"Sir, there is a call for you." Sanders' assistant came with a satellite phone. These were one of the few communication tools still working.

Who could call at this time. Maybe someone from the President's staff... or they have replaced me. But even if they did, why the call? They never call before such a move. They are not going to leave me alive.

"Drastivitye" Satellite phone's automatic real time language recognition system identified the caller speaking Russian and translated the incoming voice immediately.

"Hello, Mr. Sanders. How are you doing?"

"I know you are not doing... that well." The voice on the other side did give a chance to reply.

Sanders grinned on the unusual stress on the last two words but decided to listen to the voice as subconsciously he knew who was on the other side.

"Mr. Tchaikovsky, first of all let me convey my official regards to you on your recent promotion as Chief of the Task Force of the Russian Federation dealing with the catastrophe. I don't have time for these pleasantries. Come to the point." Sanders was stern in conveying his message.

"Thank you Mr. Sanders. I appreciate your consideration. Just to cut the discussion short and save the precious energy charging your satellite phone, my only humble message is this- don't do what you are thinking about. I know all your plans. And I know what your ulterior motivation is behind this idea. Don't cross the line. We will not accept it and will reply in kind."

Sander called the assistant and gave her the phone to recharge it from the emergency power supply coming straight from the Southern nuclear grid.

******

"Aa aaaaaa." Your beard is so hard. Amayra almost cried as Manjrekar pushed his lips against soft red cheeks. Next she was being tossed high and low and the sound of her chuckling filled the entire house decorated with traditional South Indian style.

"You will spoil her, don't pamper her so much." Jahnvi tried to catch the hee breath as she saw Amayra being tossed so high.

"Why not? She is my only child."

"And..."

"And what?"

"See, Mama again forgot. Amayra's birthday is coming."

"I have not forgotten Mr. Mahesh Manjrekar... Amayra come here, take this ball and play outside."

Manjrekar understood that there was something serious. He patted Amayra on the back and directed her to move out of the door and close it.

"I have not forgotten my daughter's birthday. There is something I haven't forgotten. I haven't forgotten that this will be her 7th birthday and her daddy will not be there."

"Jahnvi, you know my job is different. I have stayed on ocean rigs for months, and this project just started last month. I need to go down and join the cables otherwise..."

"Otherwise there will be no internet... I heard all this many times. You are not the last person on earth to do this. Does your company not have other qualified people."

"Of course there are but-"

"- but what?"

"I deliver."

There was a thud sound on the door. All the eyes turned towards the door. It was still open.

"Amayra you did not go to play." Jahnvi and Manjrekar shouted together.

"No, and I don't want to." Amayra started rolling on the floor. Manjrekar and Jahnvi ran towards her.

"It's all because of you." Jahnvi carried Amary on her shoulders and moved inside.

"Stop. Let me make a promise today. Amayra what do you want for your birthday?"

"I don't want anything. I want you to be there." Said Amayra with a choking throat.

"And anything else..."

"Nothing dad... you"

"And..."

"You and firecrackers."

"Amayra, don't expect too much. You are crossing the line." Jahnvi turned her face away from Manjrekar.

"Done. Your birthday is still 3 weeks away. I can go to the rig, give instructions and come back." Manjrekar gave a hi-five to Amayra.

******

The sky was no longer a vivid blue but a deep, ominous black. The sun had ceased to rise, and the world was plunged into perpetual darkness. The air was still, and the once bustling cities were eerily quiet. The only sounds were the faint hum of generators and the distant screams earth shattering against itself.

Manjrekar stood on the edge of his ocean rig, staring out at the unchanging horizon. The world was frozen in time, and yet, time itself marched on. The planet had stopped rotating, but it continued to orbit the sun. This meant that half the world was trapped in a never-ending night while the other half was bathed in an eternal, scorching sun.

The implications of this catastrophic event were staggering. The oceans had become stagnant, and the lack of movement had caused massive die-offs of marine life. The weather patterns had been disrupted, causing massive storms and flooding in some areas while others suffered from never-ending droughts. The tectonic plates had shifted, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

As he watched, a massive lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating the world for a moment before plunging it back into darkness. I knew that I had to find a way to survive in this new world, a world where the laws of physics had been fundamentally altered. I turned and made my way back to my makeshift shelter cum rig trying to ignore the overwhelming sense of dread that had settled in my chest. I will not be able to keep my promise to Amayra. Or is there any need? Is there any Amayra now, or is there a Jahnvi? No answer came from his gut. But one thing is certain, there is no more Manjrekar now.

Mr. Manjrekar's heart raced as he climbed the towering metal structure, his fear of heights threatening to overwhelm him. But like many of his countrymen, securing a high paying job would justify any modification of resume. The sun beat down on him mercilessly, and the sound of the wind whistling past his ears made him dizzy. But he had a job to do, and he couldn't let his fear get in the way.

He reached the top and took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He looked down and felt his stomach lurch as he saw how far up he was. But he pushed the fear aside and focused on the task at hand.

He reached for his tools and began to work, carefully connecting the high-tension power lines. He was so focused on his work that he didn't notice the dark clouds gathering on the horizon.

And then, it struck. Mr. Manjrekar moved up on the horizontal bar to catch the gauge wire. He accidentally caught hold of the wrong wire, causing a massive power surge that ripped through the transmission line. The transmission line shook violently and came crashing down to the ground, killing three people instantly. The sound of their screams echoed in his ears as he plummeted towards the earth.

He slept on the tower, battered and bruised, staring up at the wreckage he had caused. The guilt washed over him in waves, and he knew that he would never be able to forget the terrible mistake he had made.

"Mr. Manjrekar,earlier too you were found to have floundered safety rules. Now you have crossed the line. You are stripped of his license and banned from ever working in the power industry again."

"Mr. Manjrekar... "

A half frozen sea breeze hit Manjrekar on the face. He shivered as a chill ran through his spine.

"Mr. Manjrekar..."

"Yes Igor."

"Sir, I have been calling you for a long time."

"Oh, I was."

"You are still thinking of that incident. Mr. Manjrekar, that was not your fault. That gauge wire was slippery and anybody could have done that. Please stop blaming yourself. We don't have time for all this now. We have lost our history and the future is gone."

"Soon our supplies will finish. The freezing water of the ocean will break the foundations of the rig. The sharks will come to the surface. No food, no water and no heating. It's just a matter of days. I'll never be able to keep my promise with Amayra." Manjrekar turned his eyes away from Igor. Of course he was a supervisor.

Igor grinned.

"But I will play ice hockey on the ocean. I'll become the first man to play ice hockey in the middle of the Indian ocean with an Indian boss."

"Do you know how to play ice hockey?"

"Of course I do, I am Russkie chelovik. I always keep my tools with me," said Igor pointing to a pair of hockey sticks placed along the railing of the rig, "See, this is my daughter Nastya and I have to fulfill my promise to Nastya. She asked me to play hockey with her when I go back in winter. Now winter has come two months in advance. I shall make a snowman and make our shelters our goalposts." Igor shows the photograph of her daughter in his purse.

"You will be the last person to play ice hockey on the surface."

"I would still do it."

"But you should not cross the line in life."

"For me, there are no lines."

******

The heating system has stopped working on the rig. A faint twilight in the west divided the otherwise black and eerie sky into two parts as if a dagger had drawn a line on the sky. Manjrekar and Igor finished their last bottle of Vodka and slipped along the side of the rig's platform.

The lack of rotation had caused catastrophic changes to the climate and tectonic plates, leaving the Earth almost unrecognizable. Tremors moved the rig to destruction almost any second.

As the sound of the approaching helicopter grew louder, Manjrekar felt a sense of suspicion. But this was no ordinary landing. Without the rotation of the Earth, the winds were unpredictable, making landing on the small, metal platform a daunting challenge.

The pilot of the helicopter, a grizzled veteran with nerves of steel, expertly maneuvered the aircraft through the turbulent air, dodging gusts and eddies with precision. The protagonist watched in awe as the helicopter dipped and weaved, its rotors thrumming loudly in the stillness of the world.

Just as it seemed the helicopter was about to crash into the sea, the pilot made a daring move, a uniformed man jumped out with a rope and landed on the rig's platform. The man greeted Igor who had his last sip of vodka. The uniformed man asked where Manjrekar was. Manjrekar stood up. The uniformed man took Igor to the other corner and spoke to him in Russian.

As the uniformed man unloaded a bag of supplies and a fully charged satellite phone to Igor, Manjrekar had a last look out over the endless expanse of ocean, wondering what other challenges lay ahead. But for now, he allowed herself a moment of gratitude for the helicopter pilot's incredible skills and the spirit of Igor.

******

White House

President came to the meeting room.

"General Sanders, I hope everything is ready."

"Yes, Mr. President. The nuclear bombs have been fitted in three places. The first one in the deepest oil well in Saudi Arabia. The second one in the Mariana trench and the third off the coast of Japan. We will activate them in a synchronized manner with a phase difference so that the torque generation is maximized. In the end we hope that the earth will get enough momentum to start rotating again."

"Secretary of State, have you discussed with Saudis and Japanese and of course in the US."

"Mr. President, we have informed them. There is no response. I wonder if they don't even have any means of responding back to us. This explosion will totally obliterate the island of Japan and the adjoining Chinese coast."

"For the Saudi?"

"All their oil reserves will evaporate."

"Hmm."

"Mariana trench is under UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea. But the existence of the UN and its protocols are a much lesser question than the question of the survival of human species as we know it."

"I agree with the Secretary of State."

"So can we go ahead?" Sanders wanted a final go ahead from the President.

"Yes-"

President was interrupted by a staffer.

"Sir. There is an emergency hotline call. It is the Russian President, Mr. Tupin."

The President prepares to reach out to the hotline in the next room. Oh, this shit hotline of 1982 still bothers an American President.

"My apologies for calling you at this odd hour. But we would call your attention to the experiment planned by your agencies to reignite rotation of the Earth by exploding nuclear bombs."

"Please be brief. Mr. Tupin."

"The experiment planned by you is very dangerous. The oil reserves of the Middle East are our last hope. We can supply our drilling technology to Saudi Arabia free of cost to bring the remaining oil reserves up. It is tailor made to work in sub-zero temperatures which Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East is now experiencing. This will help us survive for at least 4.5 years."

"Mr. President, I understand your concerns but this experiment is our national priority. It is a question of our survival. I will discuss with our experts to address your questions but be assured that we are a sovereign democratic country and we are not guided or influenced by any foreign force in this regard."

"Try to understand. This is not the time to play politics over petty issues. We have already conveyed the perils of your experiments to your General Sanders. This is not going to work. If you want, I can offer you to join our Thermocouple Union."

"Mr. Tupin, do you mean that weird plan to join the Murmansk deep hole with the Trans-Himalayan Transmission line or The Line in short."

"Yes. Listen, the Murmansk deep hole has become a live volcano. We will connect the deep hole with the glaciers in Himalayan region. This way we can use the Line to power large areas of Russia and China and India as well. Later we will replicate this to Europe and maybe to the US as well."

"See Mr. Tupin, we are already aware of your plans but we don't find it technically feasible. The Earth, after it stopped rotating, has put us on the day side. Our houses are burning, tar on roads is sweltering. We need to restore the rotation immediately. We are worried that Europe will not survive unless the rotation is restored in the next 26 hours. Our scientists are the best in the world and they have worked out the simulation. We will be able to restore the rotation within probability of 96.2%. Above all, don't forget it is all happening because you have crossed the line exploiting the mineral resources in the Arctic."

"No, Mr. President, it is not us but you who crossed the line. You started exploiting the Antarctic deep oil reserves without knowing that earth's magnetic pole can get directly affected by your action."

"Ok, I think we had a long talk Mr. Tupin, I don't make any commitment as of now." President cut the call and turned to Mr. Sanders.

"What if we fail?" said the President with grim eyes.

"Even if we fail, we will be able to move the line of illumination so that the American content neither smelters under the Sun or freezes in sub-zero temperatures."

******

Ladakh Section of the International Trans Himalayan Transmission line- The Line

I don't know why Mr. Tchaikovsky chose me but this is the Mission I have to complete. Whole life I have done nothing but mistakes. But not anymore.

Manjrekar stood on the edge of the same tower he stood ten years ago, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked down at the jagged rocks far below. His fear of heights threatened to paralyze him, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and steady his nerves. The snowline was growing every hour. The snow was slippery and unpredictable, he needed to do the job as early as possible. Manjarekar's mind was wavering as well as his feet touching the metal bars of the transmission tower braving the winds at 90 km per hour at the heights of 120 meters above the snow.

The mission was clear: connect the high tension transmission line that would bring power parts of Russia, China and India. If successful, the thermocouple formed with the Murmansk hole at one end and the Great Glaicar of Himalayas at another would supply enough power to allow at least 200 million people to survive. Maybe other countries will emulate the same and save the lives of their people.

With trembling hands, John began to climb on the mounted edge of the steel structure of the transmission tower, his muscles straining as he pulled himself higher and higher. The wind howled around him, threatening to knock him off balance, but he pressed on, his eyes fixed on the task ahead. His nose became numb and his lips frozen. He looked back at the ominous snow down.

Who is there, is it a girl... Amayra. No, how can she be here? She would be in New Delhi. Will she still be there? What's the point of connecting these lines if my wife and daughter are already dead.

Manjarekar watched as the helicopter rose into the air, its rotors whirring loudly in the eerie silence of the snow-covered world. He felt a pang of sadness as he realized he was truly alone now, stranded on the Transmission Tower with no means of escape. But his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, ear-splitting sound - a mechanical scream that echoed across the frozen landscape. He looked up to see the helicopter spinning out of control, smoke billowing from its engine as it plummeted back towards the ground. Manjarekar's heart leapt into his throat as he scrambled to get out of the way. He stumbled across the metal platform, his boots slipping on the icy surface as he searched frantically for a place to hide. But it was too late. The helicopter crashed down with a deafening boom, sending a shockwave through the tower that made Manjarekar stagger. He fell to his knees holding the metal bar of the transmission tower, his ears ringing and his heart racing as he watched the wreckage smoldering below.

For a moment, he simply sat there, stunned and disbelieving. But then he heard the sound of cracking ice. Who is there, is it a girl... Amayra. No, she looks Caucacian. Is it Nastya? But why is she here? Does she want to play ice hockey? Maybe she is dead and Igor too. Or maybe not. I have to do this before I run out of time and out of mind.

Manjarekar scrambled to his feet and began to run, his heart pounding in his chest as he lifted his hands to move forward and catch the connector. He could hear the roar of the snow behind him, the sound growing louder and closer with every passing second. He didn't stop until he reached the connector and took it into his firm grip. But even as he caught his breath, he knew that he was still alone, trapped in this frozen world without any hope for himself but for the world, for Amayra and for Nastya.

******

Amayra lay in her mother's lap, her eyes wide open and her mind racing. She was counting stars from the torn makeshift tent provided by the Government. The stars were clearer than ever. Amayra's mother patted her and looked out of the tent for shadowy characters. Cold air sept through the tent.

"Can I walk outside, Mom for a minute."

"No, don't cross the line. Not until morning." Jahnvi knew there would be no more mornings on earth, hereafter. For her safety was more of a concern than childish whims.

Amayra lay still in her mother's lap, staring up at the sky. She couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Jahnvi knew it was Amayra's birthday and she should be excited.

"Mom, when will dad come? He lied to us again. He didn't bring me fireworks either."

"Yes, he is very bad." Sometimes lies help us bear the pain of truth.

Amayra left to wonder what was happening to the world around her, looked up at the electric pole above her head, watching as the sparks danced and flickered in the night. For a moment, she thought she saw the bright colors of fireworks, and her heart leapt with joy.

"Look, Mama!" she cried out, pointing up at the sky. "Fireworks! It's like my birthday wish came true!"

But her mother only looked up at the pole and sighed. "Those aren't fireworks, my love. It's just the electricity. Nothing to celebrate."

What Electricity? Is the thermocouple thing true? I thought it was just a rumor propagated by the Government to keep people from rioting.

Amayra's heart sank as she realized her mistake. She knew her mother was right, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed. She wanted something to celebrate, something to distract her from the darkness and the stillness of the world around her. She changed her mind.

"Come on mom, let's live tonight, even if there is no tomorrow." Amayra listened to the hum of the electric pole above her head, wondering when the world would start turning again, and if things would ever be the same.

******

Igor laced up his skates and stepped out of the rig to the sea surface. The freezing sea has come to the rig's railing in the past few days. The air was crisp and cold, the only warmth he could feel was of his own breath which turned to mist as soon as it touched the air. He grinned as he picked his pair of hockey sticks buried beneath the empty supply sacks, ready to face off an unlikely opponent.

Igor's boots pressed the loose ice hard on the ocean surface as he patted on the snowman.

"Let me give you a name, for today you are not a snowman you are Nastya, my Nastya." Igor brought out the photograph of his daughter from his purse and pasted it on the snowman's face.

"You are as sweet as you were when I left home five months ago. See, you have grown up since I met you last time." Falling added to the weight of the snowman every second.

"Ready to play?" Igor asked the snowman, twirling his stick on his hand.

Igor took his first shot, and the puck sailed across the ice bouncing off the snowman's makeshift stick. They played back and forth, skating and sliding and laughing as the snowman wobbled around on his stick legs. It was a silly game, but it was also a way for Igor to stay connected to his family, even when he was far away from them.

The wind moved the stick in the hands of the snowman, the puck moved away a bit.

"Oh, you are clever, you want to play a slow game. Good."

Igor lifted his stick and hit the puck again, it went ahead and crossed a load of snow behind the snowman.

"That's my first hit, Nastya always remembers what I told you last spring. Your first hit should be hard." Igor adjusted the photograph on the snowman's face.

"Let me teach you." Igor caught hold of the stick in the snowman into his hands and hit the puck straight into his own side.

"You did better this time.Good game."

There was a notification on the satellite phone in the lower pocket. The message said-

The Line has been activated. Moscow, New Delhi and Western China are receiving power. The US went ahead with their experiment. We have sabotaged two of their nuclear devices. The third of the devices in Mariana Trench exploded. Be ready for direct radiation fallout.

Satellite phone went blank with a beep sound. Igor picked up the photo from the snowman's face and slipped it inside the pocket at his chest, caressing it mildly. The faint twilight in the western sky disappeared.

_________