Zero Limit

by Jeremy K. Brown

  After they had come close to filling the first crater, they stepped back and admired the results of their efforts. Caitlin, Shaw, and Vee looked over the edge of the crater at the lagoon of rock, sediment, and dirty ice they had created. It glowed silver and gray in the light of the stars, like moonlight falling on a frozen lake. Caitlin gave Shaw a complimentary nod.

  “Not bad for a day’s work,” she said.

  Shaw’s face wore a worried expression, and he shook his head in reply. “It’s not good either,” he said. “At least, not good enough. I’ve been running through this plan over and over in my head as we’ve been working.”

  “It’s never a good outcome when you run things over in your head,” Caitlin said.

  “Here’s the thing,” Shaw said. “The way this asteroid is going, we’ve got to move it about a hundred kilometers for it to miss Earth, right? That means, at our current rate of speed, we should hit the planet in approximately ten days.”

  Shaw turned his wrist and began punching numbers into the touch pad on his sleeve. “All of this means that we’ve got to divert it by a velocity of about 11.6 centimeters per second,” he said.

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Vee.

  “Not when you look at it just in terms of the number itself,” said Shaw. “But the big picture is far more troubling. This asteroid has a mass of twelve million metric tons, OK? The volume of water ice in this crater, combined with all that we’ve been able to fill it with, is thousands of times less. When the bugs hit it with the lasers, it’s going to shift the asteroid, but not by nearly enough.”

  “Which means . . . ?” asked Vee.

  “Which means in order to reach 11.6 centimeters per second,” said Shaw, “we’ve got to fill seven craters of equal size or greater. So, basically, we’ve got to do this six more times.”

  Caitlin looked at the crater, thinking of everything they’d just completed and would now have to do all over again. She cursed under her breath.

  “Let’s get Sara on the line,” she said. “They’re not going to like this.”

  “Are you serious?” said Sara.

  “This isn’t really the best time for jokes,” Caitlin replied. “Shaw’s been crunching the numbers all day, and according to his calculations, this is what we’re looking at. But I think we’ve got a plan.”

  “This I’ve got to hear,” Sara replied.

  “We’ve already got one crater filled,” Caitlin said. “We’re going to work in shifts, two miners out, one back at the Alley Oop for rest and replenishment of oxygen and supplies. Every crater we fill, you hit with the bugs. One, maybe two craterfuls a day. So, instead of diverting the whole thing at once, we slowly nudge it out of the way over time.”

  “OK, that’s a decent plan, even if I still think it’s nuts,” said Sara. “But the more time you take up there, the closer to Earth this thing is getting. And when that happens, sooner or later the president is going to be forced to use the Thunderclap.”

  “Copy that,” said Caitlin. “I wish there was a better way, God knows, but I don’t see it from here. Not right now at least. This is all we’ve got to work with here.”

  “All right then,” said Sara. “Do what you have to do. I’m going to let the team know that they’re going to be working overtime for the next few days. In the meantime, you’d better get to digging.”

  “Way ahead of you, partner,” said Caitlin. “Shaw and Vee are out there now. We’re going to rotate out in an hour.”

  “Got it,” said Sara. “You know, with the time frame we’re looking at, and the amount of work you have to do, there’s a good chance you’re going to be out there when the lightning bugs start firing.”

  Caitlin paused briefly, her stomach flipping over as she tried to assess this rather troubling piece of information.

  “Just tell whoever it is manning the trigger that they’d better not miss,” she said.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The news that the asteroid ablation mission would take days instead of hours was not well received by the world. The further revelation that the asteroid’s present trajectory would place it somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert, thereby leveling both Las Vegas and Los Angeles as well as their surrounding environs, was met with even less enthusiasm. This was further compounded by the implementation of Operation Ark. As some people received their text messages while close friends and family members did not, the bad blood continued to boil. Some elected to give up their space in Ark City in favor of a friend or relative. Others chose to stay behind and face whatever came their way. Weddings sprang up overnight as the chosen hoped to be able to bring their new husband or wife in tow. Within twelve hours of the initial messages going out, the streets and highways were choked with traffic as the selected people made their way to Ark City entrances around the country, all of which were being guarded and patrolled by armed troops.

  For those left behind, it was as bad as if the asteroid had already struck. The rioting that had been consuming many of the major cities grew worse. Although the president had enforced a strict mandatory curfew in the wake of the fires that had broken out around the country, he had not yet fully authorized the deployment of military personnel into American neighborhoods. That changed when homemade bombs began going off in Detroit, destroying buildings and killing innocent civilians. The day after, the president invoked the Insurrection Act, and tanks began rolling down the avenues of every city and suburb in America. While the initial response to the incursion was even more hostility, the sheer force of the enterprise was enough to quiet down the rioters. Within a few days, the fires died down, the bombs stopped detonating, and everyone looked up from the wreckage to nervously watch the skies.

  At the offices of the PDCO, everyone worked tirelessly to adjust the Firelight plan to accommodate the changes outlined by Caitlin and her team on the asteroid. On the American side, Ned and Patricia would alternate in shifts operating the lightning bugs, assisted over in Moscow by Drs. Kuznetsov and Lebedev.

  Finally, after long, tedious hours of preparation, they were ready.

  “I’ve gotten word from Caitlin that they’ve got two craters already filled,” said Sara to the team gathered around the control room. “So that’s enough to get us going. They’re back in the lander now and will head out in a few hours to begin on the third. But in the meantime, it’s up to us.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility,” said Ned.

  “Tell me about it,” said Patricia, who, having gotten her degree in robotics, had been selected as the first to fly the lightning bugs.

  On one of the massive screens in front of them, the Russian scientists were live via videoconference.

  “Good morning,” Alex said to them. “Or, afternoon, in your case.”

  “We are pleased to be working with you,” said Dr. Kuznetsov in clipped, cordial tones. “Now, if you are ready, we are bringing the Firelight platform online now. Are you reading us?”

  “We’ve got her,” said Ned. “We have control of the platform and the drones.”

  “OK,” said Patricia. “Detaching bugs now.”

  Although it had been in orbit around Earth for generations, in preparation for this crucial mission, the Firelight platform had been relocated to a lunar orbit along Lagrange point L2. This point was one of five discovered by mathematicians Leonhard Euler and Joseph-Louis Lagrange where gravitational equilibrium between Earth, the Sun, and the Moon could be maintained. It was not the most stable of the Lagrange points, but it was a useful spot to keep a spacecraft parked temporarily and, as such, made for a good staging area for Firelight. Now suspended in a halo orbit above the lunar surface, the long-dormant platform slowly stirred back to life, releasing its tiny offspring like spores from a dying flower. They rose gently, emitting slight clouds of vapor for thrust as they made their way toward the approaching hulk of the Thresher.

  “Bugs are online and looking good,” Patricia said. “They should reach the asteroid in approximately two
days.”

  Sara leaned in and watched the video feed from the bugs. There was nothing visible yet on the monitors, but she knew the asteroid was out there.

  “Patricia,” she said, “there’s one other thing. Now, I don’t want to rattle you, sweetheart, but there’s a chance that the crew up there will be filling the craters with water ice when you get there.”

  Patricia looked over her shoulder at Sara. “What does that mean?”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem,” Sara promised. “We’ve marked the craters that are already filled, and we’ll hit them first. But, if we find ourselves in a position where we’re aiming close to where they are, then we’ll have to give them a little more time before we can fire the lasers. There’s a delay for the video feed, and that means there’s no guarantee that they won’t get hit.”

  “And what happens if we have no choice?”

  “Then hold your breath and pray you shoot better than you play volleyball,” said Ned, referencing a former company event.

  “Thank you, Ned,” said Patricia, fixing her gaze on the video monitor and her attention on flying the bugs to their destination. “I feel so much better now.”

  “Shaw!”

  Caitlin’s voice snapped him out of his daze, the end result of ceaseless hours of laborious work in a harsh environment. He blinked his eyes a few times and stretched his neck.

  “Sorry, Boss,” he said. “I’m getting a little punchy, I guess.”

  “It’s all right,” Caitlin said. “I know you’re pulling a double out here, and we’ll get you back in the rack soon. But for now, I need you on point. Just a little bit longer.”

  “You got it,” he said, tossing her a small salute. Trudging his way back across the asteroid, Shaw returned to working the Noser’s backhoe to break up more water ice.

  “So did you like it?” Caitlin asked.

  Shaw looked up at her. “What?” he replied.

  “Being a teacher,” she said. “Did you like it?”

  “It had its upside,” he said. “For every kid who wrote ‘Shaw is a douche’ on a desk, there’d occasionally be one who you could see was listening a little more intently. Taking notes instead of crumpling up the paper and throwing it when my back was turned. Coming up to me after class. After a while, I learned to try and speak to that one kid. The one light in the darkness.”

  “Caitlin, Shaw!” Vee’s voice popped in their headsets.

  “What is it?” answered Caitlin.

  “You all better find a place to lie low,” she said. “I’m getting word that they’re about ready to fire down there. I’m pretty sure you’ll want to be on the road before that happens.”

  “Probably right,” said Caitlin. “We’re just about finished here, then we’ll stay put until the first round is done. Let’s just hope that these little buggers make some kind of a difference.”

  “Difference or not,” said Vee. “This is our last shot. If this plan doesn’t work, then . . .”

  “We’re not there yet, Vee,” Caitlin said.

  “Fair enough,” she said. “I’ll let you know when the PDCO’s ready to fire.”

  “Copy,” Caitlin said before getting back to work. She looked up into the darkness of space and at Earth standing helplessly in their path.

  We’re not there yet, she thought. But we’re cutting it pretty damn close.

  Patricia Delgado’s palms were sweating, and she felt as though the only sound she could hear was her own breathing. But she stayed focused and alert as she guided the lightning bugs to their destination. In Moscow, her partner, Dr. Kuznetsov, was also studying the path of the bugs intently, but he seemed much more relaxed and unconcerned. Even his delivery was laconic, making Patricia think of a recorded voice played back in slow motion.

  “Dr. Delgado,” he said, “I am reading the bugs in position above craters number one and two. Do you confirm?”

  “Yes,” she said, trying to shake the nerves from her voice. “Yes, I confirm.”

  “Very good, then,” he said, and Patricia found herself thinking that, if she ever had trouble sleeping, this guy’s voice would do the trick just fine. “When you are ready, we can begin firing the laser.”

  “Ready when you are, Doctor.”

  “On my mark,” said Kuznetsov. “Three . . . two . . . one . . . fire . . .”

  Patricia and Kuznetsov activated the laser weapons on their respective bugs, each one blasting the asteroid with 130 watts of intense heat. Rather than firing in a continuous stream of photons, the bugs’ laser weapons were designed to pulse in sync with each other, delivering concentrated blasts.

  On the asteroid, as the lasers pounded the surface, the water ice inside the craters filled by Caitlin, Shaw, and Vee exploded, sending steam up into space with locomotive force. Although they were already a safe distance away, Caitlin and Shaw could see the craters’ eruption and flinched. Although it made no sound in the vacuum of space, the geyser of steam funneling up from deep within the asteroid was nevertheless awe-inspiring. As it shot forth, the steam, ice, and rock particles caught the Sun’s light, creating a shimmering display that reminded Caitlin of the massive fireworks her father would bring home during summers in Oregon, lighting them off and standing back as showers of white sparks burst into the hazy night sky. She wondered if, to the people of Earth, the Thresher now looked less like an asteroid and more like a comet. Caitlin looked over at Shaw and grabbed his shoulder.

  “And you were just a substitute teacher?” she said.

  “True greatness is never recognized in its time,” he said.

  Back on Earth, Patricia and Kuznetsov continued hammering the asteroid with the beams from the lightning bugs. Finally, after several more sustained bursts, they eased off the trigger and sat back, hoping that the bugs had done what they were supposed to do. A few tense seconds passed as Alex and Ned read the data that was coming through. Finally, Alex stood up.

  “Thresher has been diverted by 1.6 centimeters per second!” he shouted triumphantly. “We moved it!”

  On both sides of the screen, the two rooms erupted in cheers as hands were shaken, coworkers were hugged, and fists were pumped high into the air. Patricia sat back in her chair and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Even though this was only the beginning, the fact that it had worked once was enough for now. She looked at Kuznetsov over in Moscow, who was also sitting back in his chair. The formerly placid man looked exhausted and similarly relieved. She gave him a friendly smile.

  “Was it good for you?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  For the next several days, things went smoothly, for the most part. The team on the asteroid worked around the clock, filling the craters with as much water ice as they could, while the two teams on Earth, Russian and American, continued beating the Thresher with lasers, forcing jets of steam upward and incrementally moving the asteroid. Technical glitches appeared from time to time, disruptions in communication between Russia and America, between Earth and the asteroid, even between Caitlin and her team. And the lightning bugs were stubborn and not always responsive. They were old, with a tendency to be ornery and uncooperative at times. Eventually, Patricia, Ned, Lebedev, and Kuznetsov learned to predict their movements and correct or compensate for their shortcomings. The four drone pilots began to feel as though they were strangely connected, not only with each other but with the bugs themselves. Whenever Patricia was relieved of her shift for some much-needed sleep, she found her dreams were in drone-vision, muddled and green, filled with jagged rocks and yawning craters.

  Outside the world of the PDCO, the chaos had largely subsided, but there were new concerns to address. The news that the initial efforts had diverted the asteroid away from California was initially met with jubilation. However, the Thresher was still on course for Earth and likely to hit somewhere in the Pacific. Already, both Hawaii and Mexico were planning evacuation procedures as talks of tsunamis dominated the twenty-four-hour news cycle. Ecologists were also speaking up, asking the wo
rld to not just consider the human cost of an asteroid strike, but the countless plant, insect, and animal species that would become extinct if any of the islands in the Pacific were washed away. The island of Tonga, deemed by some to be far enough away from the potential impact zone to suffer the least amount of damage, briefly became a haven for residents of the South Pacific looking to escape disaster, its main port of Nuku’alofa soon bursting with ships large and small as everyone swarmed there to take refuge.

  In addition to seeking safe haven on Earth, many people were trying to get off-world in search of asylum on the Moon. However, the available launch facilities were simply unable to meet the sheer volume of passengers seeking a way off the planet. Translunar docks across the world were choked with people demanding to be taken on board any ship, no matter how small. The fact that the majority of craft capable of making the trip had already left was immaterial. They believed that money would talk, even if no one was there to listen.

  While some were interested in saving their own skins, there were others who were willing to volunteer their time and their crafts to travel to the asteroid and mount a rescue mission. Unfortunately, for those would-be Samaritans, the velocity at which the Thresher asteroid was traveling made such a mission a practical impossibility.