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Authors: Allen Charles
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to survive - for a while anyway.”
He shook his head in despair. “We can’t help them down there, that’s for sure.” He looked up at Janine. “I need to go and talk to the cadets. My gut tells me we should disengage from the Skyhook sooner than later. We have enough reaction mass to get to Space City. If a shock-wave hits the Skyhook it could flick us off like a swatter whacking a fly. I’ll leave the final decision to you.”
“OK go talk to them. I’m watching the comms from earth base. The moment I see anything change I will release. The longer we can hold on to the hook the more margin for error later.”
Fuller looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have an idea.”
“OK, what?”
“Stop the deceleration and reverse it. We are not in a standard situation so our detachment vector and release can be brought forward.”
“You’re right John! I’ll do the calculations now. An early hook detatchment at higher velocity uses Skyhook magnetic energy and reduces reaction mass use which is one of our biggest concerns under the circumstances. I’m on it!” Janine’s eyes sparkled with intelligence and excitement.
Fuller paused and looked back at the cadets. They were all preoccupied with their own thoughts. None looked his way. He leaned over and planted his lips on Janine’s. She responded with warmth. And then got down to the math.
CHAPTER 20
Aboard Air Force One. 25th June, 9.00 am
“Mr. President.” Chuck Hanes touched the slumbering President’s arm to gently rouse him. He gave him a short moment to shake away the cobwebs of much needed sleep and handed him a steaming mug of coffee. The President rubbed his eyes with his free hand while he took a sip of the reviving brew.
“What have you got for me Chuck?” he yawned, the last tendrils of sleep dissolving away into heightened alertness. “You’re not looking happy!”
“We may have a problem Mr. President.”
“Oh, cut the Mr. President crap again. Tom. Here I am Tom, OK?”
“Aw. OK. Tom.” He stopped to gather his breath and thoughts. “We have a potential problem about to arise that has never been seen on this planet and you are going to have to deal with it.”
“What could be worse than what has happened so far Chuck?” Tom looked Chuck in the eyes.
“How about the end of the world? That is the problem.”
Tom raised an eyebrow. “End of the world huh? I make the right decision, whatever it is, and the world goes on. I make the wrong one and no one knows about it anyway. So hit me with it.”
“Our science advisory board at NASA has been monitoring the progress of the anti-matter wave front. It is not dissipating at all and it appears that it will totally engulf the globe. That’s the good news.”
“What! That’s good news. I don’t want to hear...”
“So while we have been watching the wave front from satellite live cameras the analysts noticed that whenever the wave front reached areas of caverns or active volcanic fissures it actually penetrated into the earth’s crust and created voids that could not hold the energy charge. They witnessed huge explosions, greater than any seismic activity ever recorded and then the wave front kept penetrating into the newly exposed regions. Where this activity is most advanced the mantle of the earth is being undermined and detached. The wave eats away underneath but does not move back up. We are getting country sized segments crashing in on the voids and feeding the trapped wave. They don’t know when, or even if, this process will stop.”
“So what can we do about it? I don’t see any decision here.”
“That is not all.” Hanes looked grim. “The scientists are trying to predict what will happen when the wave hits the Yellowstone magma plume discontinuity. It is so deep and wide now that they fear the wave will penetrate to the core of the planet.”
“Now you are going to tell me the planet will explode?”
“Something like that Tom.”
“So what can I
He shook his head in despair. “We can’t help them down there, that’s for sure.” He looked up at Janine. “I need to go and talk to the cadets. My gut tells me we should disengage from the Skyhook sooner than later. We have enough reaction mass to get to Space City. If a shock-wave hits the Skyhook it could flick us off like a swatter whacking a fly. I’ll leave the final decision to you.”
“OK go talk to them. I’m watching the comms from earth base. The moment I see anything change I will release. The longer we can hold on to the hook the more margin for error later.”
Fuller looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have an idea.”
“OK, what?”
“Stop the deceleration and reverse it. We are not in a standard situation so our detachment vector and release can be brought forward.”
“You’re right John! I’ll do the calculations now. An early hook detatchment at higher velocity uses Skyhook magnetic energy and reduces reaction mass use which is one of our biggest concerns under the circumstances. I’m on it!” Janine’s eyes sparkled with intelligence and excitement.
Fuller paused and looked back at the cadets. They were all preoccupied with their own thoughts. None looked his way. He leaned over and planted his lips on Janine’s. She responded with warmth. And then got down to the math.
CHAPTER 20
Aboard Air Force One. 25th June, 9.00 am
“Mr. President.” Chuck Hanes touched the slumbering President’s arm to gently rouse him. He gave him a short moment to shake away the cobwebs of much needed sleep and handed him a steaming mug of coffee. The President rubbed his eyes with his free hand while he took a sip of the reviving brew.
“What have you got for me Chuck?” he yawned, the last tendrils of sleep dissolving away into heightened alertness. “You’re not looking happy!”
“We may have a problem Mr. President.”
“Oh, cut the Mr. President crap again. Tom. Here I am Tom, OK?”
“Aw. OK. Tom.” He stopped to gather his breath and thoughts. “We have a potential problem about to arise that has never been seen on this planet and you are going to have to deal with it.”
“What could be worse than what has happened so far Chuck?” Tom looked Chuck in the eyes.
“How about the end of the world? That is the problem.”
Tom raised an eyebrow. “End of the world huh? I make the right decision, whatever it is, and the world goes on. I make the wrong one and no one knows about it anyway. So hit me with it.”
“Our science advisory board at NASA has been monitoring the progress of the anti-matter wave front. It is not dissipating at all and it appears that it will totally engulf the globe. That’s the good news.”
“What! That’s good news. I don’t want to hear...”
“So while we have been watching the wave front from satellite live cameras the analysts noticed that whenever the wave front reached areas of caverns or active volcanic fissures it actually penetrated into the earth’s crust and created voids that could not hold the energy charge. They witnessed huge explosions, greater than any seismic activity ever recorded and then the wave front kept penetrating into the newly exposed regions. Where this activity is most advanced the mantle of the earth is being undermined and detached. The wave eats away underneath but does not move back up. We are getting country sized segments crashing in on the voids and feeding the trapped wave. They don’t know when, or even if, this process will stop.”
“So what can we do about it? I don’t see any decision here.”
“That is not all.” Hanes looked grim. “The scientists are trying to predict what will happen when the wave hits the Yellowstone magma plume discontinuity. It is so deep and wide now that they fear the wave will penetrate to the core of the planet.”
“Now you are going to tell me the planet will explode?”
“Something like that Tom.”
“So what can I
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