A small robin flew gracefully through the dry trees of the forest, the cold temperatures that were beginning to plague the lands of London causing him to make a short journey to find shelter. The open window of an old wooden hut gave him passage to find a giant, warm nest in which to reside during the autumn and winter months. But the place seemed to have already been occupied by other creatures.

  At least a dozen men were seated around a round table, each of them almost plunged in gloom, where the light of the lamp could not reach, and from all of them emanated a tension and worry never before seen.

  Only one man seemed to deign to speak, he rose from his seat and leaned over the table with his hands.

  — Gentlemen. First of all, I would like to apologice for all the secrecy. — said the man with a small bow. — But the matter at hand must not reach the masses by any means or panic could spread.

  — Hasn't it already? — asked one of the men in a contemptuous tone.

  — Panic has already spread. — corroborated another member. — People are restless, spending every penny on food and firewood. Farmers are abandoning the fields when they can't harvest, and city dwellers are moving to the countryside in the hope of making a living from poaching. Can it get any worse?

  — It can and will get worse. — said the first man to speak, taking a chart from his coat and spreading it out on the table. — If I may continue. As you all know, the autumn has been going on for almost two years now. Not only here, our contacts in the southern hemisphere inform us that even in tropical places like the Caribbean the vegetation is withering and the temperature is gradually dropping.

  — Are you saying, then, that the whole world entered a single season regardless of the climates of each country? — asked one man incredulously. — I may be a military man, but even I know that's impossible.

  — For a season to last more than six months answers your question. — replied the man, somewhat annoyed. — We have studied the case for months, relentlessly, with the brightest minds and even turning to every branch of science, but we cannot determine the station's stagnation.

  — Enough of this chatter! — a man bellowed, pounding his fist on the table. — I have duties to perform and a people to soothe. Professor, straight to the point.

  — Yes, my lord. — said the scientist with humility and some fear. — The matter is simple, yet complex. According to our calculations, within a year or two we will slowly enter a harsh winter of unknown duration, a global glaciation so to speak. A few months, a few years, maybe even decades. With temperatures down to minus forty Fahrenheit.

  — I imagine your scientists will have a solution. — the lord said, turning his attention to the plummeting graph. — I can't let my people just freeze to death.

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  — We have a chance to save ourselves, it all depends on two factors. — said the scientist, pulling out a map from his coat. — If you pay attention, this world map is a little different from what we are used to.

  — The continents are a little further south and some of them are smaller. — pointed out a member of the table. — Greenland looks almost like a small island and Russia has less coastline.

  — Exactly, you see; according to a discovery by sailors almost two years ago, there is apparently a small continent in the north inside the Arctic Circle. With a little exploration by scientists, we managed to discover that this continent has fruitful amounts of coal. — explained the scientist enthusiastically. — This continent will provide the ideal backdrop for creating the UK's new stronghold.

  —And what good will it do us to move our people from one frozen land to another? Will we just go there and spend the rest of our lives collecting black stones to throw into the cooker? — asked a man at the table with annoyance.

  — If you'll just let me finish. —grunted the scientist, his patience flagging. — Our plan is to have a constant supply of coal to fuel the machinery that will ensure our survival. — The man spread some plans on the table.

  — This... ‘pillar’ — a man pointed out, looking intrigued at the plans. — Will it ensure our survival?

  — This, ‘pillar’, is one of our most recent inventions. — explained the scientist. — Thanks to Charles Babbage, the pioneer of the new steam technology, we managed to find a way to heat and power an entire city. Not only that, we have developed the technology for automated mines, drills that will drill into the ground and provide timber, large foundries that will give us metals and greenhouses that will provide us with food.

  — A project like this... Can we even carry it out? — asked one man, sceptical of the plan. — We will need a lot of manpower, resources and supplies.

  — We belong to the most powerful kingdom in the world, of course we can carry out a project like this! — one lord exclaimed, almost as if he was offended.

  —I assume we'll test the waters first,’ proposed one of the members. — I don't intend to send my people into an unknown continent blindly, without a fixed objective.

  — We already have a Norwegian explorer looking into the matter. — said the scientist.

  — As for food, will we live on crops and fish? — asked another member. — The animals not only provide meat, but also skins to wear and other by—products for daily life.

  — We managed to transport a large number of herbivorous animals accustomed to cold and extreme climates to make sure we had more than one source of food. — replied the scientist. — There will also be natural predators from the Arctic itself to avoid an imbalance.

  — When can we start this project? — asked a lord.

  —First, we must make preparations in terms of steam technology, then build our power sources at strategic points and finally we can send the citizens and nobles of each nation. — explained the scientist.

  — Will we make it before winter? — asked one of the members, drawing everyone's attention with the question. — The idea may be promising, but if we don't complete it in time, it will be difficult to transport people for so long without them suffering from disease or dying along the way.

  — If we commit all our resources and manpower to this project right now, we will be able to finish a few weeks before the first snowfall. — said the scientist with all the confidence in the world. — Have faith in science, gentlemen.

  — I propose to put it to a vote. — announced one of the members, rising from his seat. — All those in favor of participating in this new project to save humanity, raise your hand.

  One by one, all the members of the meeting raised their hands, some hesitantly and others under peer pressure, but finally the decision was completely unanimous.

  — It is decided, we will save our people and ensure the prosperity of our queen's reign. — announced one of the members. — For the United Kingdom and for Queen Victoria!

  —For the United Kingdom and for Queen Victoria! — they exclaimed in unison.

  With the fate of their people decided, the men left the old wooden hut to wander off into the distance.

  Hard times lay ahead for mankind, only the bravest, most able and stubborn will have any chance of overcoming the adversities of ice and snow to see the warm dawn for another day.

  The world will enter an eternal winter from which it may never emerge.