CLOSE PROXIMITY

by Marshall Huffman

  “What would be the effect of it coming so close?”

  “Sir, I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that right now.”

  “Then we had better get some answers and quickly. This isn’t something we can just put on the back burner. We need current data. I want the JPL to jump on this as their top priority. Understand?”

  “Yes sir, I most certainly do.”

  “This isn’t some publicity stunt is it?

  “Absolutely not.”

  “It just seems so…science fiction. Wasn’t there a movie like this?”

  “Deep Impact, sir,” Dan replied.

  “Right. Morgan Freeman isn’t going to come in and take over is he?”

  “Not this time Mr. President.”

  **

  CNN –

  “This is Sally Razo.”

  “And I am James Barrymore and this is a special report on the latest object found in the skies above Earth.”

  “The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in conjunction with the University of Arizona finally announced some of the details about the recent discovery of a large object that has entered into our solar system,” Sally reported.

  “That’s right Sally and Director Lance Weldon from the JPL said that they have investigated the sighting by Doctor Abigail Montgomery’s team from the U of A. Director Weldon said that the JPL was in agreement with the data that they were supplied,” James said, “This is an incredible find and shows how much more of the universe that we need to discover. While funding has been cut over the years, Universities such as the one in Arizona have pushed forward.”

  “When asked the specifics of the object he said that it was a planetoid, meaning larger than a normal asteroid, but smaller than a planet. The diameter was given as in excess of 30,000 miles across and with a velocity approaching 80,000 miles per hour. While it is still over 520 million miles from earth, at its current speed it will approach the Earth in around 270 days,” Jane added, “Director Weldon said that they are using everything at their disposal to track it and keep the public informed of the position and any important data that is discovered. The planetoid is officially called 2015 KA 5. Tonight we have with us Dr. Abagail Montgomery from the University of Arizona. Welcome to the show,” she said and smiled.

  “Thank you for having me.”

  “Tell us a little more about this meteor,” she asked.

  “Actually it is an Planetoid. Larger than an asteroid but not the size of a planet.”

  “I thought a meteor and an asteroid were the same thing.”

  “An asteroid, while they can be quite large, do not become meteors until they enter the earth’s atmosphere. Once they break through our protective layer, they are then meteors,” Abby told her.

  “I can’t really see that much difference,” she shot back.

  “Okay. Think of it like this. If I dropped a bowling ball on your head, it would be a heck of a lot of damage. But if that same bowling ball had to make its way throw the layers of protection, reducing it in size and it became a pea, then you would hardly notice it. That is the difference.”

  It was pretty obvious that national television did not scare Abigale Montgomery one bit.

  CNN NEWS–

  Professor Jules T. Frazer said that his team has done the calculations from the information provided and believes that accurate information is being intentionally withheld from the public.

  “I believe that the JPL and Dr. Montgomery are adding their own interpretations to the data. The JPL said that they had no reason to believe that the Earth was in any danger from 2015 KA5 but in fact our calculations indicate that the asteroid will actually skip off of the earth’s atmosphere creating a huge hole in the upper thermosphere which will in turn create a huge influx of solar activity,” the Professor told FOX NEWS.

  When asked if that will present any danger to the inhabitants he said, “Most certainly. I believe that is exactly why this information is being suppressed.”

  The Professor went on to explain that it is his hypothesis that the asteroid will come closer than a thousand miles from the earth and at one point you will be able to see the details of the asteroid with the naked eye.

  Fox News was unable to discuss the calculations furnished by Professor Frazer. Dr. Montgomery is out of the country according to sources at the University of Arizona.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Lance Weldon threw the newspaper down on his desk and sighed. That certainly didn’t take long. Who was this Professor Frazer? Professor of what exactly? He reached into his desk drawer and took out four antacid tablets and chewed on them. He ate so many of the damn things he should have stock in the company, he thought disgustedly.

  “Mr. Weldon, Doctor Montgomery on the line.”

  “Thank you Laura. I have it.”

  “Lance Weldon.”

  “Hi Lance. Abby here. I assume you saw the paper this morning?”

  “Oh yeah. Who is this guy?”

  “I did some checking and it turns out he is the same guy who projected the end of the earth on three other occasions including the Mayan calendar ending date. It seems he pretty much sees the end of humanity anytime it will get his name in the paper.”

  “Where do these nuts come from?”

  “Anyway, just wanted you to know. Fox did not try to reach me and I certainly am not out of the country.”

  “I figured. Same with reaching me. If they tried, they certainly didn’t try very hard.”

  “I know you have been tracking KA5 like we have but have you noticed the wobble it has started to exhibit?” Abby asked.

  “Yes we have. I was going to ask you the very same thing. Any thoughts on that?”

  “The only thing that I can think of at the moment is the gravitation pull as it approaches the planets. Possibly it isn’t solid rock like we think. Maybe it has a large iron core that is being affected by the planets' magnetic fields.”

  “Well, off the top of my head, wouldn’t that actually cause it to deviate from its path?”

  “Maybe and maybe not. I guess it would depend on how much iron it is composed of and where it is actually located within KA5.”

  “Alright. We will run another analysis on the composition from top to bottom and get the percentages of various metals in KA5. The data that La Palma and Chili presented were pretty concise but maybe now that it is closer we can get a even better reading.”

  “I think it is worth the effort. The wobble could eventually change its direction to some extent. Two or three degrees is a lot of distance when something is traveling close to a million miles per day,” Abby replied.

  “Yes it is. We’ll get to work on it and let you know what we find,” Weldon told her.

  “Alright. I’m going to call my friend in Chili and have her team do the same. That way we will have confirmation of the findings.”

  “Excellent. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  **

  The President was in a sweatshirt and sweat pants. He had just come back from playing tennis. After a quick shower he was back in his office for a quick informal meeting.

  “So this Professor whatever. Is there anything to what he is saying?”

  “Mr. President the guy is a 14 karat blockhead. He is always spouting off about the end of the world. He is like the little boy that cried wolf.”

  “Yes but eventually he was right.”

  “Not this guy.”

  “How many different sources are we putting into to this thing?”

  “Sir, more than you can imagine. Almost every government and their subcontractors are watching this thing and constantly trying to figure out what is happening.”

  “What about the people who discovered it? They have to be the most knowledgeable I would think,” the President asked.

  “I would assume so. Along with the JPL.”

  “Do we know what they are actually thinking? Are they keeping a lid on something we need to know about?”

  “Sir, I really don’t know. T
he Secretary of Navy has spent some time with Dr. Montgomery and he probably could answer that better than anyone.”

  “Alright. I want you to locate Dan and have him fly out to see this lady. Find out what she knows. I want him to be convinced that nothing is being overlooked accidentally or intentionally.”

  “Yes sir. I assume you want him to go as soon as possible?”

  “Before that would be even better,” the President said smiling.

  **

  “I don’t quite understand. I talked to her a few minutes but that’s the extent of my knowledge of Doctor Montgomery. I don’t know her from a hill of beans really,” Dan said.

  “Dan, it doesn’t really matter does it? The President thinks you are the person to probe her…Oops, bad choice of words,” he chuckled, “Anyway, you are the one that she is most likely to talk to candidly.”

  “Where does he come up with these ideas? I attend one meeting and suddenly I know the woman? Look, I know you are just doing as you were instructed. I appreciate that and of course I’ll do as I am told but I’m just telling you right here and now, I have no special connection that is going to make her open up to me,” Dan said.

  Laughter filled his ear from the other end.

  “What?” Dan said.

  “Nothing.”

  “No, what?”

  “Just the phrase, ‘make her open up to me’ cracked me up after my probe comment.”

  “You are a very sick man. You need to go back to church and if you are going, I’ve got to tell you, it isn’t helping. You need serious help my friend.”

  “Have a nice trip,” he said still laughing.

  “You are no longer my friend.”

  “Yeah, I’ll worry about that when you get back,” he replied.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “Hi Amiée, it’s Abby.”

  “Bon jour Abby. How are things with you? We have been following the news. You are getting some much deserved recognition. I appreciate your mentioning us as well.”

  “I’m just grateful for all your help. I know you are busy but I was wondering if I could impose on you one more time.”

  “But of course. All you have to do is ask. Everyone wants to find an excuse to be attached to your discovery. Doctor Fassbinder has given me authority to help in any way we can.”

  “That’s wonderful. Please tell the Director I appreciate the cooperation very much.”

  “I certainly will. Now, how can I help you?”

  “Amiée, have your people noticed any changes in the behavior of KA5?”

  “You are referring to the tilting or what do you call it? Worble?”

  “Wobble. And yes, that is exactly what I am asking about. So you have noticed it as well.”

  “Yes. We noticed it as soon as it passed Saturn. We also detected two new small asteroids that were not visible before. The only way that could happen was if the pole had shifted.”

  “Yes. I totally agree. The real question is why and what does that mean long term. As it gets closer to Jupiter we could see some real deviations starting to develop,” Abby told her.

  “That is true. It has us concerned as well. If it becomes unstable from its flight path there is no way to know precisely where it will eventually end up. It is a disturbing development for sure.”

  “Would you run a full composition analysis again. Total analysis?” Abby asked.

  “Most certainly. We will add in our MID-infrared Interferometric instrument for photometry and spectroscopy as well. We can include our AMBER scopes as well.”

  “Amber?”

  “It is just another form of checking the composition. It’s called AMBER but it is really is a near infrared Astronomical Multi-Beam combineR. It is an instrument for photometric and spectroscopic studies, which combines the light of three telescopes.”

  “CombineR? They certainly had to stretch for that one. Well, anyway, I certainly obviously came to the right place,” Abby said chuckling to herself.

  “Hey, we have the equipment and this is a good way to show the world what it can do.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” Abby replied.

  “Speaking of which. I see you managed to get the University of Arizona full credit for the discovery. I had to laugh when I read the story. Nice job Abby. I will get back to you just as quickly as I can. This wobble thing is very disconcerting to say the least.”

  “Yes. It truly is. I am very concerned about what this may mean,” Abby replied.

  **

  “That’s all we know at this point Mr. President."

  “That the thing is wobbling. What does that mean exactly? Dose that change things? Make it more dangerous?”

  “Tilting in one direction then the other. Unstable may be a better word,” Lance Weldon replied.

  “Does that mean that nutty professor could be right?”

  “Well sir, the short answer is no.”

  “And the long answer Mr. Weldon?” the President asked.

  “We don’t know exactly what it means. We won’t have adequate data until it gets to Jupiter. Once it passes there, we will have a better idea of its final trajectory.”

  “Mr. Weldon, let me ask you in plain English. Is the Earth in any peril?”

  The question was met with silence.

  “Mr. Weldon?”

  “Sir. I don’t want to be impertinent but we just don’t know at this time. It will pass Jupiter around 1:10 a.m. next Friday, and we will have a better idea then,” Weldon replied.

  “Alright Mr. Weldon. I would like to be updated every day. I will make arrangements for you to reach me immediately in the event of some development that is of importance.”

  “Sir, in the meantime, you are going to hear a lot of wild theories on this subject on television. They are all nothing more than someone’s opinion and carry no valid conclusions. We have the right people in place. We just need to let them do their job.

  “Very well but let me know if you find out something valid sooner.

  “Yes sir. Thank you sir.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Abby sat in deep thought pouring over the latest calculations that Brian had come up with. She placed them next to the ones from the JPL and they were significantly different. Enough that it would have an overall impact on the end results that took place on Earth. She shook her head and followed along with Brian’s calculations with her finger.

  “How sure are you Brian?” Abby asked.

  “Abby, I’ve done the math ten times. Lewis has checked and double checked it. I know what the JPL and the others are saying but they are not taking into account all of the variables.”

  “Brian. They have some of the world’s leading astrophysicists working on these calculations. I’m pretty darn good at math myself but this is even above my head. You’re saying they are all wrong and you are right? Even accounting for the differences in the variables?”

  “All I know is that I am confident that when you look at every facet of the possible influences, the facts speak for themselves. I have checked them over and over and each time this is what I come up with,” Brian told her.

  “You know they are going to rip into this. I mean, it will get personal at some point. A graduate student telling the world’s most preeminent mathematicians they are wrong is bound to cause a great deal of stress for you. Can you handle it?”

  “Do you believe in me?” Brian asked bluntly.

  “Yes,” Abby said without hesitation, “I have seen what you are capable of and I certainly don’t doubt your abilities for one second. What you have to decide is if you can take the heat once you tell them they are wrong.”

  “Aren’t you going to do that?” Brian asked, suddenly realizing that he was going to have to be the one to present the material.

  “Brian, you understand it a lot better than I ever will. You are going to have to be the one who speaks up. This is one thing I cannot do for you. This is all your show. I will be there to support you but you have to m
ake the presentation. I can’t do that for you,” she told him.

  “As long as you back me up, I can handle it.”

  “Surely you know I will. Brian. If I wasn’t willing to stand behind your calculations we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I would just tell you to drop it,” Abby said.

  Brian looked down at his feet, “Yeah I know. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, be right,” she said, patting him on the shoulder.

  Brian was in a class all his own. He saw mathematical equations the way musicians see music in their heads. In every class since middle school, he could do math at a level above the instructor’s level. He was tall and gangly in appearance. Basically he looked like a nerd. His persona gave no indication of his intellectual ability when it came to math. He may forget to eat or tie his shoes and wear his tee-shirt inside out but no one could equal his deductive reasoning.

  **

  Abby was working at her desk, going over Brian’s calculations, looking for any error, no matter how small. She had to agree that it certainly appeared to be correct. It made sense both mathematically and logically which to her was just as important.

  “Doctor Montgomery,” a voice said behind her.

  She jumped and a small yelp escaped from her lips before she could get her hand up.

  “Oh my. You scared the hell out of me,” she said turning in her chair.

  “I am so sorry. I tried to make noise walking over here but I guess I didn’t do a very good job of it.”

  She was holding both of her hands over her heart with a wide eyed expression.

  “I was just so focused on this that I guess I was lost in my own little world. I certainly wasn’t expecting the Secretary of the Navy to drop in on me like this,” Abby said, starting to calm down after taking a few deep breaths and regrouping.

  “I realize it is a little unorthodox but I was sent here by the President and someone should have informed you that I was coming.”

  “I sent my secretary home so I could work undisturbed. I guess I just didn’t consider someone from Washington trying to contact me,” Abby said, her composure regained for the most part.