Читать книгу New Earth: Project O.N.E. - R.D. Ph.D. Pittman - Страница 4

Alex was on his way home to Sacramento after having looked at an investment property in Pasadena. It was in a neighborhood that was already on its way to recovery, but he thought it was still priced low enough to leave room for potential upswing. It wouldn’t make a killing, but at his point in life, he didn’t need to make a killing. A comfortable profit was enough. He tapped the button that woke up the voice-activated phone system in the dash of his rented Smart Car.

“Call Curt” The phone ring seemed odd, like a violin out of tune, and then “That’s right, at Mauna Kea. It was the Keck, last Thursday’s scan.”

That wasn’t his son Curt, unless Curt had picked up the phone without realizing there was an incoming call. But Mauna Kea? The Keck? Why was that familiar?

“Eldon I’m absolutely positive, I got the data yesterday. At least a couple of dozen, maybe more, hitting over six days. They’re coming, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

There was panic in the voice. Whatever he had dropped in on, it was serious.

Then another voice. “Listen, get off this phone, meet me at the office—no meet me at Coco’s at, say, three o’clock.”

“The one in Glendale?”

“Yes.”

“Okay see you at three…This is unbelievable, I just can’t—

“Jeffrey, shut up and get off the phone now.”

The line went dead.

Alex pulled off the highway, turned off the ignition and sat there for a moment. Whatever it was he’d overheard, it had unsettled him so much he couldn’t remember ever feeling this unnerved. Not since Iraq. That was what had gotten him so rattled—he remembered hearing exactly that tone of voice from field commanders who were coming under fire when they didn’t expect it.

After taking several deep breaths he switched his in-dash information center to the Internet and queried Mauna Kea and Keck. The Keck Observatory was part of the Mauna Kea observatories in Hawaii, jointly run by Cal-Tech. He then queried staff at Cal-Tech, the science division, and put in a search for first name Eldon—how many could there be? It came back Eldon Huart, Chair, Astrophysics Department. He then queried Jeffrey, Astrophysics Department and found Jeffrey Macklin, Professor and Director of something called the NEO Project. Alex queried NEO, Astrophysics Department and got NEO or Near Earth Object. The NEO project was a program that scanned for comets and asteroids that crossed the earth’s orbit.

They’re coming, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Now he wasn’t rattled. He was scared.

It was 2:16 p.m. when Alex started his car, pulled back on to the freeway and looked for the nearest exit to take him to Glendale. As he raced down the Pasadena freeway he saw the sign, —Coco’s next exit. As Alex pulled into the restaurant parking lot, he saw a white four-door hybrid with a Cal-Tech logo on the door pulling into a parking spot.

Alex pulled next to it and shut the car off. He had to compose himself. His heart was pounding again he could feel it in his temples, a level of adrenaline he hadn’t experienced in more than ten years. He glanced at the clock. About fifteen minutes to the meeting. Should he approach these two people and tell them he overheard their entire conversation? But why should he get involved? Also, it could have just been some kind of sick fraternity joke, couldn’t it? Alex wasn’t a man to jump to conclusions, his career in the Air Force had taught him to carefully consider a situation, to weigh all the facts and then make an informed decision.

No, if this is for real he had to know, there were too many loved ones at home potentially at risk.

The man who got out of the Cal-Tech car was tall and thin, sparse gray hair, kind of stooped over. He looked like a college professor. Alex got out of his car and followed the man into the restaurant.

When the hostess asked if the two of them were together, Alex almost jumped in and said yes, but thought better of it.

“How many in your party?” she asked the professor.

“I’m supposed to meet another gentleman here at three.”

“Oh, are you Professor Huart?”

“Yes.”

“Your party is already here. He wanted a secluded place to sit, so follow me.”

Alex watched as she walked Professor Huart into a far corner of the restaurant where another man sat alone, then led both of them to a private dining room with double doors. It was secluded, all right. She then seated Alex well away from the private dining room. Alex gathered his thoughts, after a few minutes he got up, and pushed through the double doors.

Professor Huart looked up and stopped talking to Professor Macklin.

“Yes, can I help you sir?”

“My name is Alex Hanken, Professor Huart, and you must be Professor Macklin,”

Macklin looked nothing like a professor. More like a linebacker.

“Excuse me, uh Mr. Hanken was it? We’re having a very private conversation.”

Alex leaned forward with his hands on their table. “I know, I was driving down the Pasadena Freeway, trying to call my son in Sacramento, and my car phone system inadvertently picked up your conversation.”

“And what conversation was that Mr. Hanken?” Huart asked.

“The one about a near earth object event that was picked up by the Mauna Kea Observatory, and how it’s coming at us. Professor Macklin you seemed extremely confident and also in a complete panic.”

“Are you a reporter Mr. Hanken?”

“No I’m a retired Air Force Major General from Sacramento.”

“Then how did you get our names? We didn’t mention our names?”

“Look, there is not much you can’t find on the internet Professor Huart. Or should I call you Eldon?”

“Give it up Eldon,” Macklin said. “He knows.”

Huart seemed to collapse. “Sit down Mr. Hanken.”

“Please call me Alex.” Alex slid into a seat. “I’m not here as an adversary or to gain an advantage. I’m involved whether any of us likes it or not.”

“Okay,” Huart said. “To start with Jeffrey and I both hold top-secret clearances because of the nature of the work we do, I could call the appropriate authorities and have you detained indefinitely. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course that would take some doing I’m not a former two striper, but I have no plans to run out of this restaurant and start yelling the sky is falling. I’ve flown combat missions during Desert Storm, so I’m not easily scared, but the conversation I overheard between you two gentlemen is more than a little disturbing.”

“Mr. Hanken, I need your full name and address.” Huart pulled out a Blackberry and began entering text. “If someone wishes to give you additional information beyond what you think you know you will be contacted. We are under no circumstances going to discuss this with you. I hope you understand.”

Alex nodded. “I understand. I also hold a top-secret clearance. Here’s my card with my address and phone number, gentleman good day.” Alex turned and walked out of the restaurant to the car, where he sat, trembling slightly, and tried to collect his thoughts.

Then unexpectedly he smiled. Maybe that property in Pasadena didn’t have so much upside potential. What with the world ending and all.

Jeremy turned to Eldon. “What were you thinking? This guy knows what’s going on and he’s a general in the Air Force,” Macklin said, “with a top security clearance…and you know we could use a little help on this one.”

“He says he has a security clearance. Do you have the skills and experience to do a complete background check on him?

Jeremy massaged his forehead, then shrugged his shoulders. This was still all so much

“I didn’t think so,” Eldon said. We’ll let the professionals handle Mr. Hanken. We have a job to do and that is to brief the president and his staff on what is coming and what, if anything, can be done about it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I guess you’re right, Eldon. God, we had such hopes for comet Sedna/Kern. A close pass, a chance to sample the tail. And now…”

“Jeffrey, what’s your analysis of the mechanics of this?”

Macklin wiped his brow. “We knew Sedna/Kern p236 was going to make a near pass at Jupiter that would slow it down and send it into earth-intercept orbit, but we didn’t calculate what would happen when it hit the asteroid belt. It must have hit something dead on, and the resulting debris cloud affected others. Right now we have some forty asteroids of various sizes that have been catapulted directly into earth’s orbital plane. Some, if not all, will impact the earth in August 2017, within a six day period. It’s still too early to predict exact impact points, but there will be massive damage to the affected areas.”

“So….”

“Yeah. It’s the end of the world.”

As Alex vectored his private plane toward Sacramento, he was glad for the computer-assisted avionics, because his mind was still racing. Was this the Extinction Event prophets had foretold for centuries? How did you prepare? Was there any point to preparing? And who would he talk to? Who could he talk to, now that Ellen was gone? Curt?

Alex didn’t remember pulling into the garage at his home in suburban Granite Bay. He immediately went to his bathroom medicine cabinet and pulled out the sleeping pills his doctor had prescribed for him after Ellen’s death. He had used them once and hated the wooly- headed feeling they left him with, and didn’t like the idea of using a crutch, so he’d never taken another. But now things were different. He knew damn well he wouldn’t sleep without them, and he needed to be alert for …whatever. So he downed two with a shot of scotch and was deeply asleep within minutes.

Alex began to stir around 10:20 the next morning. Which was strange, since he normally never slept past six a.m. And why was his head so fuzzy?

Then it all came back to him—the overheard conversation, the meeting at the restaurant, everything. But it was just a dream, it must have been. But it was so vivid!

Alex stumbled into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and noticed his message light blinking. The first message was from Curt, asking him to call when he got home, then a Democratic fundraiser asking for more donations, and then reality hit.

“Alex, this is Professor Huart. Things are moving faster than I thought. Jeffrey and I are leaving this afternoon for D.C. You might expect a visit sooner than expected. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Hope your trip went well. Goodbye for now.”

Alex felt faint. And just then, Curt walked in.

“Dad, what the hell happened, are you okay?

“Yeah…..I…..I’m just a little tired, you know that trip to Pasadena really got to me,”

Alex sat down and asked Curt to pour him some coffee. His first, almost automatic, instinct was to tell him everything. They’d never kept secrets from one another. But no, not yet. When the time was right. What could he tell him anyway, that he overheard two eccentric professors discussing the end of all mankind? Alex needed more concrete proof. He’d call Roger in Admiral Torrance’s office and make his own inquiries.

“So Dad, did you look at that piece of property?” Curt asked. “What did you think?”

“It looks better in pictures than in person. There’s a lot of restoration work to be done, and the immediate area is in fairly run down condition. I’m going to pass on that property.” None of this was true, but there was no need to make any investments now. If anything did survive who would care? “I got your message. Was there anything in particular you needed?”

“Nah. Just to talk. You know.”

Alex did know. Since Ellen’s death, he and Curt had developed a strong bond.

Alex managed to hold it together through two cups of coffee and some small talk. But he was relieved when Curt finally said he had some errands to run and left.

Six days. Professor Macklin had told Professor Huart on the phone. The asteroids would be striking the earth over a period of six days. That’s how long it took God to make Earth! How ironic. Alex went outside on the back patio and pulled a chair out toward the pool, so he could see the sky. Where would they come from? What would it look like? What was it like to be incinerated?

He wouldn’t let it get to that point. If there were no other choice, he would take himself out of the picture.

He tried not to think about it anymore, Alex went to his favorite restaurant, a small place that specialized in Italian cooking. Maybe he would make it his last meal if it came to that.

He returned home, read the newspaper, and went to bed with only one sleeping pill and no Scotch chaser this time. He would call Roger at the Pentagon in the morning. If there was something going on or on the radar screen this man would know it.

His sleep was filled with horrific imagery that he could not erase as he tossed fitfully throughout the night.

“Alex Hanken how the hell are you, this can’t be you, I have you third on my list to call today, you’re not only the best damn logistics mind I ever met, but now you are some kind of psychic.”

“I’m on your call list? Roger, what’s going on?”

“I’m not the one you want to talk to. Please hold for the Chairman.”

“Roger, wait—“

But Roger was already gone. A few moments later, Alex heard the familiar voice of Admiral Evan Torrance, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“Alex,” he said, “What a hell of coincidence. We’ve got something important to ask of you.”

“Is it about incoming asteroids?”

“How the hell—“

Alex relayed the conversation between the two professors. There was silence for a moment, then…“Goddamn scientists. Alex get your butt on a plane to Andrews AFB pronto, leave right now, drop whatever you’re doing, talk to no one about this. You are hereby put on notice that this is covered by the US Secrets Act. You’re in Sacramento right?”

“Yes sir.”

“All right get to Beale AFB, I’ll have a staff Lear waiting for you.”

“Yes sir, I’ll leave immediately.”

Okay, obviously Admiral Torrance knew what was going on. And he had some role for Alex to play. Alex found himself relieved for the first time in the last two days. Actually having something to do meant that, at least he wasn’t going to be helpless.

After a little thought, Alex packed his uniform which still fit him like a glove, a few days’ necessaries, and headed out the door for Beale AFB. Roger had mentioned logistics. When Alex had been assigned to Southern Command in 1992, he’d headed up logistics for the upcoming Iraq war. The air and ground war was short-lived, but Alex had proved invaluable to the upper brass, and Admiral Torrance had noticed. Now the Admiral was the man in charge, with the entire military at his disposal. It was flattering that he would come to Alex with this.

Of course, with something like this, you’d want to go with someone you could trust. This all had to be need-to-know.

Alex rolled up to the front gate at Beale AFB and an airman with an M-16 assault rifle stepped toward his car. Alex showed him his identification card.

“Yes sir, General Hanken, we‘ve been expecting you. If you’ll follow that air police car, he’ll escort you to the flight line where base Commander Campbell is waiting.”

“Thank you airman.”

The air police car sped off with his light bar flashing with Alex following closely behind. They traversed the expansive base in minutes winding between hangars until finally stopping by an awaiting C-21 Lear. An airman came forward, threw a salute, and grabbed Alex’s bags. Then the base commander introduced himself shouting over the Lear’s engines that were in warm up stage.

“General Hanken, when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff calls and says do something, you don’t question it, you just do it. I took the liberty of having my pilot and co-pilot available to fly you there is that okay?”

“I appreciate your help General Campbell, I have a lot on my mind right now and I could use the time to relax a little, thank you.”

With that Alex boarded the plane and after a short preflight check the sleek jet lifted off for the six hour flight to Andrews AFB. It was 10:30 a.m. there on the west coast, it would be dark by the time he landed and walked into the Pentagon.

Alex tried his best to clear his mind, but there were too many things coming at him. He thought of the tough times the country had been through these last few years. For the seventh year in a row the United States congress promised to tackle the energy crisis facing the nation, and it looked like they weren’t getting any further than they ever had. While most of the industrialized nations had already put in place new and innovative approaches to curb their nation’s dependence on imported oil, the US was still embroiled in special interest infighting over environmental issues versus costs. Crude oil traded at three-hundred dollars a barrel and gasoline prices at the pump reached eleven dollars a gallon. Still, the oil companies insisted the rise in prices was a supply and demand issue, never mind the fact that the five largest domestic oil companies made a combined $185 billion dollars in profits the previous year. The US economy had slipped into a deep recession in early 2007, in late 2008 the entire world’s financial system seized, drastic moves by central banks across the globe averted the potential calamity, but the die was cast. Millions had lost their jobs, the US automobile industry had to be bailed out along with nearly all of the large banks, and the national debt soared undermining the dollar.

Austerity measures had only prolonged the problem, cutting social services without creating jobs. Talk of more government intervention and nationalizing of certain industries sparked sharp debates among those moneyed interests that would be affected. The US was on the brink of financial collapse until the Saudi’s and the Chinese recognized that a healthy US economy was in their best interest, and pumped six trillion dollars into the US in 2013. It staved off the worst of the disaster but didn’t solve the underlying problem. The airlines, crippled by rising fuel costs and the prolonged recession, were nationalized in 2014.

And this steaming mass of conflicting interests, dwindling resources and unparalleled greed competed against a healthy world economy that was needed to stave off the disaster. But now that was assuming a disaster of another kind could be staved off, a disaster that would make all others pale by comparison.