Tsunami

by Benton, W. R.

  The camera moved outside and the long rocket as seen to struggle a bit to get off the ground, but slowly she fought to get higher and higher. Smoke, looking like clouds, surrounded the whole bottom of the rocket and it was now only a few feet high.

  Inside the old modified Space Shuttle the crew felt as if they were being shook to death and more than one considered ejecting from the vehicle. While they'd sat through the simulator, and felt the shaking before, it was frightening once live. Following the Columbia disaster, in February 1, 2003, the shuttles were all modified to allow the crew to eject from vehicle, in the event of catastrophic failure. But, no one pulled the red handle between their legs. But, in the minds of some of the crew they were watching the Columbia blow up as they were knocked around in their seats.

  Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) Turner looked at Major Sanders and gave her a peace sign. He could see her being thrown all around inside her seat, just like he was. She smiled and gave him a thumb up. Turner broke out laughing.

  Lucky Barton heard control say, “Ah, Trail Blazers, you're, uh, passing through 5,000 feet, all systems in the green. Do you read, over?”

  “Roger that Control, uh, all my systems are in the green as well. The cargo area is green and my load is secured. I'm reading 7,000 feet now and the shaking is rough.”

  “Copy, passing through 7,000 feet. In a second or two the shaking you feel now will disappear. Contact me once in space and away from the earth's gravitational pull. Your transmissions are full of static.” The bored technician said.

  “Uh, Roger, will do control, over.” Lucky noticed there was a loud beep as they talked, but he heard no static. Then he remembered the beep mean the conversation was being recorded by the Space Center. The shaking began to lessen.

  “All stations report all post launch malfunctions.” Lucky said to his crew over the intercom.

  “Load secure and no lights in the red,” the load-master, SMSgt Turner said. “Shuttle cargo door still firmly closed and locked. All goes well on my end.”

  Lucky knew the cargo hold held the nuke suitcase bomb and he wasn't really concerned about a detonation as much as he was losing the thing in space. If a cargo door came lose, they could lose the bomb and that worried him, because everyone on earth depended on him and that was a great deal of trust, which meant he and his crew shouldered a lot of stress.

  “Navigation is fine, with nothing negative to report, and all system in the green. ” Lieutenant Newsome said.

  “I read you loud and clear, Lieutenant.” Lucky replied

  Lucky looked at Major Sanders, his co-pilot and she said, “All green on my side. I did have the oxygen system flicker red during all the shaking. It went out almost instantly when the ride smoothed out, so I'll keep an eye on it the rest of the mission.”

  “Newsome, I need you to figure out the shortest way for us to get to the asteroid and slightly above it. Your computers should be able to do a better job of planning a flight path than you can do mentally. Your computer also has the flight path of the rock, so verify it's correct and I'll load your information into my automated system. Remember, we'll only get one shot and if we blow this, well, millions of people will die. I want everyone to know right now, I am here to blow that damned asteroid to pieces, and I'm not concerned how I do it.”

  Turner realized right then, as soon as the colonel spoke their lives were fully expendable and being a practical man, he agreed.

  “How is cabin pressure, Major?”

  “Steady and the same as on earth. We can take the helmets off and in a bit we can get out of these suits and wear out work clothes. Turner was the first to remove his helmet and he grinned when he removed it. Now he stored it on the floor between his legs. One by one the helmets were removed. They were each surprised to find the headgear wet from sweat. Apparently, they'd been more concerned about the shaking than they realized.

  Newsome said, “Check your system navigation now, sir. I have loaded the route, speeds and precautions on your computer.”

  “Wait one.” Luck replied. He then booted his navigation program up and said, “I see it and I'll make the route corrections now, manually, then I'll slip on autopilot.”

  “The warning you see on the boot-up page is for us, if we attempt to land on the asteroid, because of unknown factors. It mentions such things as it's speed, it may be too hot from friction for a person to stand on the surface, and there are many more cautions and warnings.”

  “We'll stand on its surface and we'll place the bomb too.”

  “Roger that, sir.” Turner said.

  “Uh, when we get closer, the computer will be able to tell us the surface temperature if you capture it in your computer site camera.”

  “I've been on a number of flights and all this time I thought the site camera was a joke. Now it seems the camera may save mankind. Rather ironic in some ways.”

  “Once you capture the asteroid, the computer will down load all kinds neat stuff.” Newsome said and then grinned.

  “Oh,” said Major Sanders. “Like what?”

  “Measurements of the whole rock, temperature of the asteroid, speed it's moving, it's weight, and a good best guess of what the thing is made of. I suspect this will contain the normal make up of meteorite. See, stony-iron meteors are made up of 50 percent iron and 50 percent silicates. Then again, this may have been formed by the impact of two giant Meteors or even planets in another galaxy for all we know. We have no idea how or when it originally formed. It could have formed thousands of years ago too.”

  “From what I read as a kid, doesn't the heat from entering the earths gravitational pull cause the asteroid to disintegrate? If so, why are we up here then.” the Major asked and it was plain to see she was fascinated with this mission.

  “Major, this rock is so big and lets say it is as big as Texas, as some suggest, by the time it passes through the earths atmosphere, and starts to crumble from the heat as part of it burns, it'll hit the Pacific ocean about the size of Missouri or Mississippi. Still capable of causing the end the of mankind as we know it. Ideally no part of the rock should be larger than a VW bug once clear of the atmosphere.”

  “How do we know our bomb will blow this thing up small enough that everyone will be safe on earth?” Turner suddenly asked.

  “We really don't know, but in theory it should work.” Newsome replied and gave a goofy looking grin. See, the earth is struck everyday by various objects from space, from old satellites to rocks, and clumps of ice, iron and other minerals. That's mostly what we see when we see falling stars, it's trash or meteors entering the earths atmosphere. My mother used to say, “Every time you see a falling star someone you know has died. Well, my brother spent three tours in the Middle East as a Marine, and he claims if what momma said was true, them stars would be falling by the thousands. He claimed there were a lot of civilian casualties, then the terrorists, and finally the American soldiers and Marines. He was a smart man before the war and now he works when he wants, but mostly tinkers with a couple of old classic cars he picked up in California. He rebuilt a 1966 Ford Mustang and it was one sharp car, but he sold it for $30,000. He usually sells two of the old classics a year, so he makes all the money he needs. He claims he has no ambition to do anything else.”

  The Major said, “Maybe he learned in combat it doesn't take money to make a person happy, but doing what they like sure brings a smile. I glad for him and hope he has a wonderful future.”

  “My dad served in Vietnam and he never comments about the war. He came back home and started selling cars at a car lot for Ford Motor Company. Now, he owns four dealerships and hauls the money in, but each year he gives a car to a person who really needs one. Last year he gave a job and car to a homeless Navy guy and I thought that was good of him.”

  Turner said, “We need more men like you and your brother. I mean, being accepted into the space program and being an astronaut is an accomplishment to be proud of, don't you think?”

  “I guess so, b
ut I had the dream to be what I am today as a very young kid. I just happen to get lucky.” Newsome said.

  “Newsome, do you see the coordinates on your computer screen? I want you to take the information from the automated navigational program and check it manually, because we only get one shot at this thing.”

  “I'm working on it, sir, as quickly as I can. The biggest problem will be landing on the thing and it's forward speed.” Newsome replied.

  “Turner, once we are moving for the asteroid, I want the bomb activated and ready to use.”

  “I don't recommend we arm the bomb until we are able to see the rock. Once we have it in view, I'll arm it. Then, hopefully, we can place the bomb in the center of the asteroid.”

  “I copy and we'll do it your way then, because I think it is safer. Silence filled the small chamber and not a word was spoken as the pilot and navigator worked on a course and the other two wondered if they'd survive the mission. They were volunteers and as such, knew their mission was more important than their lives. The Major sat thinking of her husband, also in the space program, but he'd never been on a mission yet. Sergeant Turner gave thought to his family, especially his three daughters and one son. All but the youngest daughter were grown and gone from home. He rarely saw them now they had families and it bothered him. Two of them lived just a few blocks from him and the only time they saw each other was when one of them needed something, usually a babysitter or money.

  “Holy crap. Look at the size of that thing.” Lucky said and it brought all the eyes in the shuttle top the front window. They saw what appeared to be a moving huge wall of iron.

  “According to what I read just before lift off, the state of Texas is 268,581 square miles. That means the width of the state is 773 miles and 790 miles long. I hope y'all realize this asteroid is the size of some small planets and will be the biggest object to hit the world since recorded history.” Turner said.

  “You're a Texan, aren't you Sergeant?” The Major asked.

  “Yes ma'am and proud of the fact.”

  “According to your computer, how long will it take for us to move to the center of the meteorite?” Lucky asked Newsome.

  “If you put it on autopilot, the program will move us there within 20 minutes. Then, depending on what happens as we move, we'll deal with various issues before we can land. I know there is a magnetic field around the rock, plus we have to adjust to the forward speed of the asteroid in order to land.”

  “Query your computer about the size and power of the magnetic field. I don't want to land and then discover we can't leave. I do have additional takeoff rockets on us, but I'm not sure how much force they put out. Once we determine the magnetic pull, we'll work out something.”

  Minutes later, Newsome said, “Sir, look at your screen now. I have the information about the magnetic pull and forward speed. Be advised, both are estimates, but good ones.”

  “I want everyone to remain in their seats and to tighten their restrain harnesses, because I'm moving over the asteroid right . . . now. We should be in place in less than five minutes. I want all helmets back on and all of the crew to prepare for an emergency. I have concerns about the gravitational pull of the asteroid. I am switching your computer screens so you too can see what I see.”

  In just seconds all the downward camera picked up was brown from the asteroid.

  “Is the system still on autopilot, sir” Lieutenant Newsome asked.

  “Yes and so far, I'm not experiencing any pull at all.”

  A minute later, Lucky said, “Okay, I have some severe pull now and am taking the bird off autopilot. I'll do this manually now. Newsome, will the pull be stronger at the center of the mass or less?”

  Chapter 3

  Somewhere near McComb, Mississippi

  0933 Hours 11 June 2020

  As Sergeant Wolf drove on the interstate highway toward Jackson, Mississippi, he wondered exactly what the impact of the gigantic asteroid would have on the world. He knew of the forecast for a Tsunami, that was on everyone's tongue today. Once in Missouri he suspected a huge cloud of dust to form that might be so dense, it would block out the sun for an indefinite length of time, which could be disastrous for all living life forms. Then, there would be earthquakes as the force of impact would cause the tables deep in the earth to drop or move up onto another table. No matter of the direction the slabs went, it would result in destruction, death, and panic as they people attempted to find safety. He figured the earthquakes could last for a week or maybe much longer.

  He turned on the radio and a fast talking D.J. was speaking of home loans the interest rate. He tuned in another station and heard, “. . . and in national news, the President today tried to alleviate the fears of our nation by explaining how he had astronauts in space to destroy the asteroid. According to him, the men in space were to use an atomic bomb on the mass of rock. President King, went on saying 'there was absolutely nothing to worry about,' but our camera man discovered a fact that most Americans will dislike. If you tune in to our TV station, WCCK in Jackson, you'll see what I our camera man caught live. It is the President and his family leaving the White House in a helicopter for an unknown destination. It make me wonder if he is leave for safety reasons and have we been lied to all this time. The Vice-President, who was in Europe, has been ordered to remain in the air for the next 48 hours. At the end of 48 hours he's to land at Cheyenne Mountain and remain there until the state of emergency has been terminated.

  Air Force One is to be refueled by Air Force aircraft and protected by a group of our latest fighters. This way, at least one of the two men will survive the impact of the asteroid if it is not destroyed in space. Before he boarded Air Force One, the President mentioned that a State of Emergency now exists for the entire United States. In other news tod —”

  Wolf turned the radio to a station playing elevator music.

  This cell rang, “Hello, Sergeant Wolf.”

  “Dan, where are you? We just parked at Fishing Pro Shop and it was an easy trip. This place is full and a mad house. I was able to purchase four rifles and they are semiautomatic rifles chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. That was all the store had left. I got a four crates of ammo to go with them. I got 129 grain Hornady SST bullets and I was lucky to get that. I actually wanted a more powerful loads, but it was that or nothing. Any idea how far you are behind us?”

  “I just passed McComb, so I'd guess the distance is around 90 miles, which usually means about an hour and a half driving time. I'm driving at 85 miles an hour, so I'll be there in just a little over an hour. I want you to move north and don't wait on me. Keep your speed normal for the RV, around 50-55 miles per hour, just as we usually drive, because now of all times, we don't want or need an accident. You can wait for me in Hardy, Arkansas. Camp in the rest area they have in town. Every mile you cover, the safer you and the kids are. Do you understand?”

  “Dan, I'm scared.”

  Dan gave a light chuckle and replied, “Baby only a fool would not be frightened by what we face. I'm scared too, but we have to fight to stay alive. But do what I asked of you, please. If the asteroid strikes before I meet you, I think if I'm past Jackson the danger will be passed for the Tsunami. I think Jackson is close to 180 miles from the Louisiana Coast. They are estimating the waves to move inland a good 200 miles or slightly more. Right now, they are expecting impact in less than two hours. The last time I heard was we had an hour and a half before impact, so things are confused at NASA. I should be at least 220 miles from the coast by the time the rock hits.”

  “Just hurry Dan. If something were to happen to you, well, I love you and don't want to think about losing you.”

  “I'm driving 80 sweetheart, so I'll be past Jackson before long. You get to Hardy Arkansas and wait for me. We'll eat a late supper together, okay?”

  “I'm getting a lot of static. Yes, we can eat together tonight. I love you Dan. Goodbye!”

  “I love you too, sweetheart, so stay safe and take care of our kids.�
�

  The phone line went dead.

  ****

  Space Shuttle Trail Blazer in space near the Asteroid

  0941 Hours, 11 June 2020

  “Uh, Houston, this is Trail Blazer.”

  “Go, Trail Blazer.”

  “We are having issues with the magnetic field around the asteroid. I tried to get close, about ten minutes ago, and almost got pulled to the surface of the rock. At the speed I was traveling it would have torn us to pieces to strike the surface.”

  “Is it possible for you to drop the bomb on the asteroid?”

  “Roger that, but I'll have to have the delay set on the bomb and my load master can do the job. Without a delay, we'll go up when the asteroid goes up. I'd like to return home if it's possible.”

  Giving a dry chuckle, the man in Houston gave a dry chuckle and then said, “Enter the information into your computer system and determine how long of a delay you will need to safely be out of danger from the explosion. Be sure to put the meteors speed into you calculations.”

  “Roger that, Houston. This is Trail Blazer Actual out.”

  They were still flying about 500 meters over the asteroid. Newsome calculated the distance and it showed twenty miles as a safe distance when the nuke went off. He conveyed the information to Lucky.

  “Sergeant Turner, I need for you to enter the cargo hold and change the time delay to 3 minutes. Once you are done, we'll drop the nuke. Then, if all works well, we'll be far enough away to watch the explosion but not be destroyed by the bomb. Go now, because the sooner we drop the bomb the sooner we can go home.”

  “Roger that,sir. I'll be in the cargo hold if anyone wants me and place all my calls on hold.”

  There was some laughter and then Lucky said, “Good luck, Sergeant.”

  Turner found the hold a dark place but the light from his helmet was lighting the area enough to see the bomb clearly. He moved toward his payload, by a series of hand holds built into the cargo area. Once at the bomb, he moved to the timer, which was set for ten minutes, and changed the timer to three minutes. He then entered a password twice and confirmed the timer read his desired time. Smiling he hoped they'd be far enough away from the explosion to survive, but with it set on three minutes, he suspected they'd not get far.