Read Online The World Game by Allen Charles - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Allen Charles
Ads: Link
tectonic plate to set off a domino effect against the Pacific plate subduction. As the Northth American plate slid beneath the Pacific plate, the formerly balanced forces were now in turmoil, like flicking one end of a large rug and smashing up into the Pacific plate edge. Earthquakes unknown in magnitude were firing off around the Pacific Rim of Fire and immense tsunamis were racing towards the shores of every continent. Islands vanished with cities and populations, in a blink. They just were not there any more. The Yellowstone eruption was like a growing, suppurating, flesh eating bacterial infection on the Earth’s face.
The anti-matter front was expanding outwards at the speed of a jet liner, to devour Russia, Europe and Africa while the super volcano and its earthquake support cast demolished the Americas and the Eastern Pacific. Two cataclysmic forces, each in itself capable of total planetary destruction, inexorably racing towards each other. Mutually assured destruction.
CHAPTER 19
Aboard Carver’s Transport. 25th June, 8.55 am
Janine Carver had cut the news feed from earth, or whatever remained of it among the static screens and whistling speakers, as stations shut down, or were simply abandoned in the haste of flight from danger.
The cadets were strapped in and with no windows in the transport hull, unable to see the fireworks on the surface that were clearly visible. The cadets were totally stunned by the limited information they had been exposed to, sombre and silent. Fuller was observing them constantly on the cabin camera to make sure no one freaked out and headed for an air lock. He periodically took a look at earth at a sharp angle behind the ship from the co-pilot position. Janine had been pushing the ship to its speed limits on the magnetic rail. It was capable of double the regular acceleration, but she had to consider the novice passengers. At one and a half G’s, they were well into the deceleration phase and the transport was two thirds the way up the Skyhook, about eighteen thousand miles from earth, their acceleration couches turned about to keep them sitting comfortably. They were well into zero gravity space.
“What happens if this anti-matter stuff hits the Skyhook?” he asked Janine.
“We become a real space ship. No drama in that because we can release at any time. The question is, where do we go? Back down to earth or head for Space City?”
“I think we need to wait and see what is really going on. We need information and options if we are going to survive. This is so far beyond war as we understand it. No one really knows what an Anti Matter Device event will cause.” Janine stopped for a moment as she adjusted a communication channel, then continued, “It was postulated that an AMD event would initiate a self sustaining energy wave that would destroy everything on the surface of the earth. Our guys put their money on energy dissipation and damping by large bodies of water and atmosphere, so they went for it. I guess we are going to find out if we move off to Space City.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve answered your own question. We go on. That is in our emergency protocol directive anyway. Complete the mission.” Fuller scratched his head. “Although protocol be damned. We save our skins first.”
He looked out at earth again and shook his head in despair. “What have we done to ourselves? Is this the end of humanity? Look at our home. By God, look there... New Zealand is half gone. How can it be possible? The tsunami’s can’t possibly have reached there yet. Oh! Look! Hawaii has vanished. Oh Lord! Millions of people, just gone. Look at California. The West coast is missing. This can’t be. Look, Alaska is drowning in front of our eyes. Oh God! What have we done?”
“John?” Janine looked at him, tears in her eyes, “we have to carry on. Think about it. We may have the most precious cargo of any ship in the history of humanity. We have the survivors and the means
The anti-matter front was expanding outwards at the speed of a jet liner, to devour Russia, Europe and Africa while the super volcano and its earthquake support cast demolished the Americas and the Eastern Pacific. Two cataclysmic forces, each in itself capable of total planetary destruction, inexorably racing towards each other. Mutually assured destruction.
CHAPTER 19
Aboard Carver’s Transport. 25th June, 8.55 am
Janine Carver had cut the news feed from earth, or whatever remained of it among the static screens and whistling speakers, as stations shut down, or were simply abandoned in the haste of flight from danger.
The cadets were strapped in and with no windows in the transport hull, unable to see the fireworks on the surface that were clearly visible. The cadets were totally stunned by the limited information they had been exposed to, sombre and silent. Fuller was observing them constantly on the cabin camera to make sure no one freaked out and headed for an air lock. He periodically took a look at earth at a sharp angle behind the ship from the co-pilot position. Janine had been pushing the ship to its speed limits on the magnetic rail. It was capable of double the regular acceleration, but she had to consider the novice passengers. At one and a half G’s, they were well into the deceleration phase and the transport was two thirds the way up the Skyhook, about eighteen thousand miles from earth, their acceleration couches turned about to keep them sitting comfortably. They were well into zero gravity space.
“What happens if this anti-matter stuff hits the Skyhook?” he asked Janine.
“We become a real space ship. No drama in that because we can release at any time. The question is, where do we go? Back down to earth or head for Space City?”
“I think we need to wait and see what is really going on. We need information and options if we are going to survive. This is so far beyond war as we understand it. No one really knows what an Anti Matter Device event will cause.” Janine stopped for a moment as she adjusted a communication channel, then continued, “It was postulated that an AMD event would initiate a self sustaining energy wave that would destroy everything on the surface of the earth. Our guys put their money on energy dissipation and damping by large bodies of water and atmosphere, so they went for it. I guess we are going to find out if we move off to Space City.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve answered your own question. We go on. That is in our emergency protocol directive anyway. Complete the mission.” Fuller scratched his head. “Although protocol be damned. We save our skins first.”
He looked out at earth again and shook his head in despair. “What have we done to ourselves? Is this the end of humanity? Look at our home. By God, look there... New Zealand is half gone. How can it be possible? The tsunami’s can’t possibly have reached there yet. Oh! Look! Hawaii has vanished. Oh Lord! Millions of people, just gone. Look at California. The West coast is missing. This can’t be. Look, Alaska is drowning in front of our eyes. Oh God! What have we done?”
“John?” Janine looked at him, tears in her eyes, “we have to carry on. Think about it. We may have the most precious cargo of any ship in the history of humanity. We have the survivors and the means
Similar Books
