It had been a long night at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Rupert and Liz were exhausted. The frenetic activity of the past few months was taking its toll. The constant stress had made people tired and edgy, ready to explode at any moment. Nerves were frayed. As they joined the dots on the screen predicting the asteroid’s path, it was Liz who broke the uneasy silence. ‘Rupert. Can you predict where the asteroid will strike the Earth?’ she asked, adding quickly, ‘if we fail to deflect it.’
‘Pretty much,’ replied Rupert. ‘It’s heading for England. London actually.’
‘Well,’ said Liz after a brief pause, ‘at least we won’t suffer. Death will be instantaneous.’
Rupert said nothing, just continued plotting the asteroid’s path.
‘Rupert?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Do you really think the nuclear explosions will knock the asteroid off course? Deflect it sufficiently to miss the Earth?’
‘Do you want my honest opinion, Liz?’
‘Of course I do,’ she retorted. ‘I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.’
‘Then no, I don’t think they will. I think they’ll deflect it a little, but not enough to miss the Earth. I think the best we can hope for is a glancing blow.’
Noticing the consternation on Liz’s face, he added, ‘But look on the bright side. It’s depleted the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, making…’ He was about to say, ‘making the world a safer place,’ but stopped when he realised the irony of his intended pronouncement.
As Liz took over plotting the asteroid’s path, Rupert watched her in silent admiration. Watched the young woman he’d come to like. Like a lot. Sat at the computer screen, she looked so lovely, so beautiful, so desirable. At that moment, in the peace and tranquillity of the observatory’s control room, he wanted her more than anything. Wanted her with every atom of his body. Wanted to kiss her and make love to her. Before he knew it, he’d grabbed her shoulders, spun her round and was kissing her passionately.
Liz was startled. Taken aback. She resisted, struggling to free herself from his strong grip, eventually managing to push him away. She slapped his face. Hard.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ she spat.
‘I… I couldn’t stop myself,’ said Rupert, rubbing his red, smarting cheek ruefully. ‘I don’t know what came over me. You looked so lovely. So desirable. I just had to. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.’
He felt ashamed at what he’d done but he’d had to do it. It was now or never. At the very least, he had to kiss the woman he loved before the world came to an end.
Liz felt ashamed too. Ashamed that she’d slapped his face. Slapped it hard. But ashamed because she’d enjoyed it. Enjoyed his spontaneous moment of passion. Secretly, it was something she’d longed for too. Deep down, she wanted more than a kiss. She wanted mad, passionate sex.
‘I’m sorry for slapping you,’ she said apologetically. ‘It’s just that you… startled me. Took me by surprise.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ said Rupert. ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’
At that instant, Liz surprised herself. She flung her arms around him, kissing him passionately on the mouth. Really passionately. A surprised Rupert responded in kind, returning the passionate kiss and hugging her tightly.
‘Oh, Rupert,’ she said. ‘I’ve wanted to do that for ages.’
‘So have I, Liz,’ said Rupert, unable to stop the throbbing erection developing in his groin. ‘So have I.’
What she did next both surprised and delighted him. She slid her hand down his torso and placed it on the growing bulge in his trousers. ‘I want more than a kiss, Rupert,’ she whispered hoarsely in his ear. ‘I want to make love to you,’ she said, unzipping his flies. Moments later, she was straddling him on the floor and making the movements of love. Forceful, rhythmic, deep movements. Rupert groaned with delight, his hands digging into her buttocks. It felt so good. Although she was betraying Gregg, at that moment she didn’t care. She was consumed by passion. The guilt could wait.
As they were getting dressed, the guilt arrived. Swept over her. What had she done? For a few moments of instant sexual gratification, she’d jeopardised her five year relationship with Gregg. Put at risk everything they’d built together. All for a few moments of passionate sex with a man who, until a few months ago, she’d loathed. But it was done now. Done and dusted. She’d acted on impulse. On an urge to satisfy a deep longing. But it hadn’t worked. Rather than resolve the situation, it had made it worse. But it presented her with an opportunity to ask a question that had been gnawing at her. ‘Rupert, why have you behaved so horribly towards me?’
‘I could ask you the same question,’ thought Rupert, but he didn’t say it. He didn’t want to spoil the moment.
‘Resentment really,’ he replied. ‘I’ve always liked you, liked you a lot, but I felt I couldn’t have you. That you were out of reach. You already had a boyfriend so I teased you, tried to upset you. To hurt you. I’m sorry.’
Although they didn’t make love again, the feeling of guilt persisted. The atmosphere between her and Rupert became awkward. Uncomfortable. He’d started it by his unexpected kiss but she’d undoubtedly finished it by fucking him. No, not fucking him, by making love to him. She’d done it with feeling. With love.
As the asteroid got closer – it was now less than four months away – Liz was torn between Gregg and Rupert. She agonised over what to do. The nuclear bombs had exploded near the asteroid several weeks ago and they were tracking its trajectory carefully to see if it had been deflected. Deflected enough for it to miss the Earth. In a few days time they’d know the answer. Know for sure. She had to make a decision. To choose who to spend her last few months with. Should it be steady, reliable Gregg, her long time boyfriend, or unpredictable Rupert? And which was the real Rupert anyway? Was it the arrogant, condescending, superior Rupert she’d loathed for so long, or the emotional, passionate Rupert she’d come to love? She didn’t know, but she had to decide. They could all be dead in a few months.
19
A Surprise
It would miss! The asteroid would miss the Earth! The nuclear explosions had done the trick. Deflected it sufficiently to knock it off its collision course with Earth. Scientists the world over hugged and congratulated themselves on a job well done. Politicians were relieved. People rejoiced, singing and dancing in the streets. A common threat had been averted. The world celebrated. Some semblance of normality returned as people gradually resumed their daily lives.
The NEO teams celebrated too. Carl, Simon and Lucy in America and Viv, Liz and Zak, together with Rupert and Frank, in England. Everyone was relieved. And delighted. Delighted their lives wouldn’t be cut short. Some had questioned the wisdom of spending millions on such nefarious ventures, but not now. The NEO teams worldwide had played a major role in ensuring a positive outcome. Their existence had been vindicated. Fully.
The positive outcome gave Liz more breathing space. More time to make her crucial decision. Would it be Gregg? Or would it be Rupert? Gregg knew nothing about her one night stand with Rupert. No one did, except Rupert, and he wouldn’t tell. But was it a one night stand or was it something far more serious? On that point, she was still undecided.
Those of a religious disposition flocked to their places of worship to thank their Gods for sparing the world. For sparing them. For giving them a second chance. But it wasn’t over yet. A flyby of a 400 mile wide asteroid at 55,000 miles would still cause extensive flooding and devastation, but the evacuation of vulnerable areas should ensure that any loss of life would be minimal.
As the asteroid approached, people watched in fascination as its size grew bigger and bigger in the night sky. Initially, it seemed like a dim ‘star’, a dim fast moving ‘star’ that grew bigger every night until finally, on its closest approach to Earth, it was bigger than a full moon.
Despite the devastation caused by the tidal surges, people throughout the world rejoiced, grateful for a new beginning. Street parties, carnivals, parades, even mardi gras, were the order of the day.
Suddenly, everything changed. Instead of careening off into space, the asteroid changed trajectory to take up orbit around the Earth.
Part 4
Dark Days
To a primitive society, any
form of advanced technology
seems like magic
Arthur C Clark
20
Earth Orbit
The scientists were puzzled. The public were puzzled. The whole world was puzzled. And afraid. Very afraid. They thought they’d seen the last of the asteroid. Seen the back of it. But they were wrong. For it to swing into orbit around the Earth was the last thing that anyone expected.
‘What the hell’s going on?’ asked Rupert, staring in disbelief at the asteroid’s dramatic change of direction on the computer screen. ‘How on earth has that happened?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Frank, looking as bemused as the rest of them. ‘I just don’t know.’
Neither did scientists at observatories around the world. Everyone was baffled and bewildered. It shouldn’t have happened. It was very strange and very frightening.
Scientists scratched their heads. Could such an occurrence be natural? A 400 mile wide asteroid taking up orbit around the Earth. They knew that objects travelling through space could be attracted by the gravity of a massive object, such as planet or especially a star. Captured by their gravitational pull and then held in orbit. But was the Earth’s gravitational pull strong enough to capture a 400 mile wide asteroid and hold it in orbit?
‘I don’t think it is,’ said Frank. ‘It’s strong enough to have an effect, that’s for sure, to alter it’s trajectory ever so slightly into a large elliptical orbit which could bring it back to the vicinity of Earth in tens of years, a bit like what will happen with Apophis, but it’s not strong enough to pull it into a direct orbit around the Earth. I’ve never seen such a dramatic change in trajectory.’
‘Could it be caused by an unusual alignment of the inner planets?’ asked Liz. ‘Are Mercury, Venus and Earth all in alignment, creating a uniquely strong gravitational field?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Frank.
‘No, they’re not,’ said Rupert, turning around from punching keys on the computer. ‘That’s not the explanation.’
As the discussion continued, the ideas became more bizarre, more extreme.
‘What about a black hole?’ said Rupert. ‘Could there be a small black hole lurking nearby? The gravitational pull would be enormous.’
‘I certainly hope not!’ exclaimed Frank. ‘And anyway, wouldn’t we have detected its effects?’
‘I suppose so,’ said Rupert dejectedly. ‘But a small black hole is most certainly one object which could have produced such a dramatic change in the asteroid’s trajectory.’
‘And on the Earth’s and the moon’s too, if it existed,’ said Frank. ‘No, that’s not the answer either.’
Could there be any natural explanation? They racked their brains searching for one, but nothing emerged. Try as they might, they couldn’t think of any natural explanation for the asteroid’s bizarre behaviour. And neither could anyone else.
‘Well,’ said Liz, ‘if it’s not natural, then it has to be… unnatural. Alien. An alien asteroid. An alien starship in disguise.’
‘It must be,’ said Frank. ‘Strange as it may seem, it must be some sort of alien spacecraft. I can’t think of any other explanation.’
‘Neither can I,’ said Viv. ‘It must be a starship under alien control.’
Rupert and Zak were of the same opinion.
‘Do you think the asteroid, er, starship, actually has a crew of aliens onboard, or is it uninhabited and controlled remotely?’ asked Liz.
‘If I had to make a guess,’ replied Frank, ‘I’d say it’s controlled by aliens actually on the asteroid. Why would they send such a massive object if it wasn’t inhabited? No, I think it’s a large object because there are thousands, possibly even millions, of aliens on that asteroid. It’s like a mini world.’
Frank had voiced what most of them were thinking, that a mini world of technically advanced, intelligent, alien beings was circling the Earth. Circling their prey. Waiting for the right moment to strike. It scared the living daylights out of them.
The asteroid settled into a steady orbit about 100,000 miles from Earth. Not just any random orbit, but an orbit which positioned it precisely between the sun and the Earth, an orbit designed to block out some of the sunlight, like a partial eclipse of the sun when the moon’s orbit crosses between the sun and the Earth.
During the next few weeks, nothing changed. The asteroid remained in the same geostationary position, blocking out some of the sun’s life-giving heat and light. Some, but not enough to cause alarm. The initial public consternation had subsided, replaced by a curious fascination. It was like the Earth had two moons, one of which was in a constant state of partial eclipse.
The extra moon proved a source of fascination. The romantics loved it. Two moons adorning the night sky. It was like a scene from a science fiction movie, as if they’d been beamed to another world. But it wasn’t a movie, it was happening right here. Right here on Earth.
Around the world discussions raged as to what the asteroid really was. Where was it from? What was its purpose? Was it connected to the meteorites? Was it controlled by aliens? Was it inhabited by aliens? So many questions and so few answers.
‘I’ve no idea where it’s from,’ said Liz, ‘but I think it’s definitely connected to the meteorites. I think the meteorites were probes to gather information about the Earth and relay it back to the asteroid. And,’ she continued, ‘I think they found the data to their liking and have come to, er, investigate further.’
‘You mean come to invade and conquer us if the planet meets their requirements,’ said Rupert.
‘Quite possibly,’ replied Liz.
‘This is all pure conjecture,’ said Viv, getting a little irritated with all the speculation about doom and gloom. ‘I agree the asteroid is probably controlled by intelligent, alien life, but we don’t know what they want. It might be nothing more than a fact-finding mission. A tour of the galaxy to find and map other planets with intelligent life.’
‘Maybe,’ said Frank, ‘but the way they’ve acted so far doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. But it does explain a few things. For example, the surface of the asteroid, er, starship, is obviously an advanced form of camouflage to make detection difficult.’
‘Like the cloaking device of the Klingon starships in Star Trek?’ said Liz lightheartedly. Frank shot her a withering look before carrying on. The time for frivolity had long since passed.
‘It could also explain the asteroid’s wobble. It’s obviously deliberate, either to keep us guessing whether or not it would hit the Earth or, more likely, because it’s related to the asteroid’s method of propulsion, like alternating bursts of energy from two very powerful engines.’
‘And it could account for its sudden appearance out of nowhere,’ said Viv. ‘If the aliens really are a technically advanced civilisation, then maybe it did appear from some kind of wormhole, or hyperspace,’ he said, winking at Liz who was still a little upset at Frank’s response to her playful query. ‘Or it could even have been travelling close to the speed of light. Such ideas are not so fanciful now.’
‘But still highly improbable,’ said L
iz, returning to the fray.
‘To us, yes. But remember Arthur C Clark’s famous quotation: To a primitive society, any form of advanced technology looks like magic. To our early ancestors, today’s technology would seem like magic beyond their wildest dreams. So, if we’re a primitive civilisation compared to the aliens, it’s no surprise that their technology seems highly improbable to us. And,’ continued Viv, ‘now we know why the asteroid didn’t smash into the Earth. It wasn’t the nuclear bombs – they had some effect, yes, but it was too little, too late – it was the aliens who steered it away from Earth.’
‘And it was probably the aliens who engineered the collision between the asteroid and the comet,’ said Frank, ‘to provide cover for their meteorite probes. Although such an event isn’t impossible, it’s very, very rare.’
‘I think you’re right,’ said Viv. ‘It’s all beginning to come together now.’
Similar discussions took place around the world, but nobody came up with any convincing answers regarding the origin and purpose of the asteroid. Or the aliens. However, fear was growing that their coming wasn’t in peace. The concealment of the meteorites, the type of information sent back, and the disguise and behaviour of the asteroid, weren’t acts associated with a peaceful encounter. Far from it. They were acts associated with war.
As the weeks went by, rather than view it as a benign, friendly, second moon, people began to view the asteroid as a giant version of the Death Star from the Star Wars films. A giant Death Star about to inflict untold devastation and misery on the human race. On planet Earth.
In top level meetings around the globe, politicians, scientists and military leaders debated what to do. It was agreed, although not unanimously, that the first course of action should be communication. To try and make contact with the aliens. To find out why they were here. What they wanted. Had they come in peace? How had yet to be decided.
The Dark Freeze Page 13
