“But… why don’t they destroy it? Wouldn’t it be enough to detonate a bomb?”
“Destroying it isn’t a good option. It could create a shower of asteroids which would be smaller in size, but would be raining down at a much higher speed and without much deviation. From what I’ve read, NASA wants to send a space crew to the asteroid. Once there, they would analyze its composition with the aid of sophisticated equipment and try to ascertain whether it would be possible to destroy it, or if it’s better to redirect it. Meanwhile, a friend told me a few days ago that Spain is planning a mission called ‘Don Quijote’. They will try to send two crafts into space; one called ‘Hidalgo’ which will crash into the surface of the asteroid in an attempt to break it up or redirect it, and a second, ‘Sancho’, will remain in orbit while it observes and sends information back to Earth.”
“And why haven’t they already done it?” asked James startled.
“Firstly, the human race is becoming arrogant and complacent. The people in charge still don’t see it as a serious threat because, in theory, we have more than twenty years until it crashes into Earth. But what would happen if tomorrow it collides with another meteorite, and we end up with an asteroid which is out of control and heading for Earth? What if it was forecast to arrive in three months? Would that give us enough time to prepare ourselves? The truth is that there still isn’t a spacecraft in existence which would be able to take astronauts to the asteroid. Also, the Spanish project has currently yet to get off the ground because there are a number of companies who are competing to be definitively awarded the project.”
Robert was starting to get uncomfortable. It was unusual to see his brother so intrigued by astronomical matters. He hated looking at the stars and had refused his invitations to see aurora borealis from his wonderful state-of-the-art telescope on more than one occasion. He was starting to wonder what the hell those three were hiding. What were they trying to cover up? “But… tell me. Why are you so interested in this subject? What’s happening?”
“It’s best that you don’t know,” said James before anybody could mention anything. “It’s for your own safety.”
“For my own safety? Don’t feed me nonsense. Who’s going to kill me for speaking to you?”
Although the three of them knew the answer to that question, they disguised it with smiles. Clearly James didn’t want to get his brother involved in this adventure and he wanted to keep him safe.
“What would be the scale of the damage if the asteroid collided with the sea?” asked Mary quickly, returning to the conversation they were having before.
“Catastrophic. It would be the end.”
Chapter 41
The aircraft finally touched down without a hitch. The pilot’s skill of the controls was magnificent; nobody was aware that the plane had landed. The weather in Mexico was hot, with summer temperatures which invited tourists to spend long afternoons keeping cool at the beach.
The pilot used the loudspeaker to inform the trio that they had successfully landed in Mexico and that they could disembark whenever they wanted. However, they didn’t hear him. They were absorbed in a much more enthralling conversation.
“What? Catastrophic? To what extent?” asked James somewhat hysterically.
“The asteroid will cross the atmosphere at more than twenty eight thousand miles per hour, which means it will turn into a giant fireball of over one thousand eight hundred degrees Fahrenheit. When it is less than sixty miles from Earth, the oxygen-rich air will start to heat up to exorbitant temperatures, close to that of the Sun. If it followed the forecast route and fell into the sea, it would cause a crack in the Earth’s crust of several miles in length, which would cause a huge tsunami infinitely more powerful than the one which lashed Indonesia in December 2004. It would spread through the Atlantic in less than ten hours, creating waves half a mile high which would sweep up everything in their wake, causing millions of people to die. Devastating earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, the like of which have never been seen before, would batter every continent.
“And what if it landed in the middle of a city?” asked Richard, his eyes on stalks.
“It would be destroyed in less than a second. It would melt steel and stone at blistering speed, leaving behind a giant crater. The eventual consequences would be similar. People within a twelve-mile radius would die so quickly that the nerve impulses caused by pain would never even reach their brains. They wouldn’t feel their own deaths, they would be the fortunate ones. The impact would trigger a vast wave which would move at a speed similar to that of sound, accompanied by winds of over six hundred miles per hour. Eventually a large cloud would form from all the rubble from the destroyed cities and it would fill the atmosphere in a matter of minutes, blocking out sunlight for months. In the following weeks crops would fail, a multitude of species would become extinct and those which didn’t die of hunger would do so due to cold. Approximately fifteen percent of the world’s population would perish.”
“What if the calculations are mistaken and the asteroid lands in Antarctica?” asked Mary apprehensively.
“In that case… we would all die within a few months. There are thousands of asteroids close to us which would devastate the human race if they were to collide with the Earth’s surface. In fact, until recently it was thought that the asteroid ‘2004VD17’ would impact with Earth in the year 2012. Are you familiar with the Mayan theories about the end of the world coming that year?”
“Yes,” replied Mary. The two professors nodded.
“Many scientists tried to find a possible link between both events, but the fact that the asteroid was recently categorized as a Level 0 on the Torino Scale put paid to all those hypotheses. But it comes down to the same thing - what would happen if it impacted with another asteroid which was unknown to us? Would it end up hurtling towards Earth?”
Richard, who until now had been listening open-mouthed to the explanations given by James’ brother, frowned and addressed Robert in a friendly voice. “From you’re telling us, there is a high chance that an asteroid will collide with Earth sooner or later, causing very serious damage.”
“Precisely!” exclaimed Robert. “But that is to be expected if you take into account that there are thousands of asteroids which are bigger than two thousand feet, and we only know about a few of them. We might discover one which is heading for Earth at great speed at any moment, and it will destroy us if we aren’t prepared.”
“Why don’t they do anything to avoid this from happening?”
“For the last twenty years, the United States has tried to explore space in search of asteroids or meteorites which have a high risk of impacting with the Earth. They have already discovered around four thousand seven hundred objects, seven hundred of which could trigger an apocalyptic end to our planet. It is currently very difficult to get politicians to open their eyes to this, even more so when their salary depends on them remaining closed. They argue over futile wars, destroying each other and causing thousands of deaths. That is how the world works and it is a real shame. We should concern ourselves with looking after it and protecting it from anything that could destroy it. Instead, we waste our time and money creating weapons of mass destruction. Why? To protect us from ourselves?”
Robert’s words made a deep impression on the trio. They looked at him in astonishment, waiting on tenterhooks for what he was going to say next.
“The most important thing of all is to ask ourselves whether we are ready to protect the planet and ourselves from all those threats which surround it. Wouldn’t it more useful to spend money on preparing ourselves rather than on weapons of mass destruction? Throughout history, great civilizations have died through arrogance. Doesn’t their destruction teach us anything?”
Mary and Richard glanced sideways at each other. They both knew very well what lost civilization the other had in mind.
“Past events and the privilege of being able to live on this planet should make man reconside
r the need to reshuffle their priorities when it comes to problems which affect society. In recent years, we have become more concerned about some of them, such as environmental damage, lack of clean drinking water and climate change. However, we still don’t talk enough about the impact of extraterrestrial bodies and it’s actually a very important subject, given that the chance of a meteorite falling to Earth in the next two decades is extremely high.”
Chapter 42
It was a sunny day in Mexico. Only a couple of clouds on the horizon cooled the land as their shadows passed over it. James Oldrich was in his room lying in bed, watching spellbound as the ceiling fan went round and round without stopping. Over two hours had gone by since the videoconference with his brother and it was still playing in his mind. His two friends believed that it was premature to think about asteroids, but it was important to bear that option in mind.
He turned to his right and looked at the front page of the American newspaper he had bought in a shop near the hotel. At first, the headline didn’t seem to be about anything interesting. As is the tradition after a new U.S. president has been elected, the image of Barack Obama appeared plastered on the front of most American newspapers. But something caught his attention. Accompanying the picture of the U.S. president on the cover was a familiar photo, around one square inch, which sat below a spine-chilling headline. It read: IDENTIFIED: U.S. PASSENGER FOUND DEAD IN CAIRO AIRPORT. PAGE 45.
James opened the newspaper in the middle. His eyes scanned the foot of the page with uncharacteristic speed in search of the number mentioned on the front… page 61, 59, 47, 45. When he saw the full-size picture his heart stopped, the hair on his body stood on end and a deep shiver ran through his body. It was Anthony. According to the article, an autopsy had been carried out on the body which confirmed that he had died from a heart attack just as the aircraft was preparing to take off. When it landed, one of the air stewardesses thought he was asleep and tried to wake him up. When she touched his arm however, she noticed that his body was considerably colder than expected so she called a doctor, who pronounced him dead.
Before his mind was clouded with guilt and made him unable to think clearly, he picked up the telephone in his room and dialed Richard’s number. After a few seconds’ wait which seemed like a lifetime, he was put through. Richard was talking to somebody.
The slamming of the door as it shut startled the few tourists who were making their way to their rooms. Some even stood to one side to make way for the young man who was running through the second floor corridor with a shaken expression. He intended to get in the elevator but anxiety got the better of him and he instead ran up the stairs which lead to the next floor up where his friend was staying.
They’ve killed him, I’m sure, he thought as he took a big leap and cleared the last three steps. They must know where we are. They’re using us!
The layout of both the corridor and the rooms was exactly the same as on the floor James had been assigned. When he finally reached Room 306, he banged noisily on the door but nobody opened it.
He was just about to give in when he remembered that although the hotel was relatively new, the security system for the rooms was old-fashioned; the doors were opened with metal keys and there wasn’t any safety mechanism on the outside handle. In other words, the door could be opened from the corridor if it hadn’t been locked.
Maybe he didn’t lock it from inside, he thought as he turned the handle.
No sooner had he opened it than a breeze of fresh air hit him sharply in the face, causing the thick curtains inside to inflate as if a huge balloon had taken up the whole room. The door to the terrace would most likely have been left open and the draught generated would have pushed them outside. The bathroom was empty, so he knew Richard wasn’t having a shower. His suitcase lay on top of the bed, yet to be unpacked. Richard’s laptop sat on the desk with the operating system loaded, but without the password having been entered. It gave the impression that something had interrupted him before he even had a chance to log in.
He heard a familiar murmuring behind the curtains, on the terrace. When he pulled them apart slightly, James wasn’t surprised to see Richard talking on the telephone. He was leaning on the railings with his back to the door. Judging by his tone of voice, he was having a heated conversation with somebody, and although his voice sounded sad and desperate, he didn’t look nervous.
He knew full well that it was rude to eavesdrop on a private conversation, so he was about to close the curtains again when he heard something that made him spin around.
“How did Anthony die?”
James’ body was literally paralyzed behind the window. Richard knew about Anthony’s death and he didn’t tell me anything? But… who the hell is he talking to? He looked him up and down and continued to listen to the conversation.
“We’re going to visit the two Pyramids of Teotihuacan in an hour. I want a group to constantly monitor James and Mary’s movements. We mustn’t let them out of our sight, is that clear?”
Those words hurt him like a sharp dagger being plunged deep into his heart. He could barely suppress his nausea and nearly vomited on the carpet. This was his best friend, they had known each other since they were children. Maybe he was responsible for everything that was going on? How could he do something so reprehensible?
His words were giving him away, without a shadow of a doubt. He was the one behind the assassins, responsible for almost getting them killed twice… the one to blame for Anthony’s death. Rage began to cloud his mind. For a moment he wanted to open the door, go out to the terrace, confront him and throw him over the railings, but he felt unable to do so.
“James trusts me completely,” he went on, smiling. “Pay close attention to Mary, I think she’s starting to get suspicious. I don’t want any trouble, so from now on all our contact will be via e-mail. And have you found out the meaning behind the drawing? The one with the twelve signs of the zodiac in runic symbols? I still haven’t told James. He doesn’t know that I know what they are.”
James grinded his teeth as he clenched his fist against his thigh. He’s despicable, he thought, his face pained with great disappointment. I have to warn Mary.
“Okay, keep on investigating.”
Seeing as Richard was about to end the conversation, James had to hurry up and get out of the room before he found him or they would be done for. He drew the curtains again and ran to the door. He was distracted by the sound of the doorknob to the terrace and bumped into the desk. Luckily, his quick reflexes prevented the laptop from falling to the floor. When James opened the door, Richard was still looking between the curtains for a way in. When he finally found it, James had already escaped into the corridors of the third floor.
Chapter 43
“Just a minute!” shouted Mary as she took a pair of jeans out of her suitcase and threw them on the bed. “I’m getting dressed!”
The woman’s words didn’t seem to placate him. Her visitor kept hammering on her door, this time with much more force.
“Open up quick!”
Mary pulled on her sky blue T-shirt and she ran to the door after tying back her hair.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, James. I’m by myself. Open the door!”
Still stressed by the need to hurry, the woman opened the door to her room. She was clad only in white panties and the blue T-shirt, leaving James speechless. “What’s the matter?” asked Mary as she sat down on the bed.
Her long, tanned legs, together with the sheen of her moisturized skin made her even more desirable. James looked around in distress, without opening his mouth. His head was somewhere else, recalling their first encounter, the first time he caressed her skin with his hands, their first embrace, their first kiss. What he had discovered just a few minutes before had left him frozen to the core. Never in this world would he want anybody to lay a finger on her, even less so now that he was in love with her.
“James, are you listening to me?”
“Yes,” he replied, coming back down to earth. “We have to escape.”
“What?!”
James tossed the newspaper onto the bed. Mary stood up when she saw the headline.
“They killed Anthony! They drugged him on the plane!” he cried in a voice which was higher than normal as he paced around the room. “They know our movements. They’ve been using us!”
“That’s impossible - we’ve always used Albert’s private jet. How could they know where we are now? Besides, we always use false names when we book hotel rooms.”
“It’s all down to Richard. That bastard is helping them.”
“What! Are you sure?!”
“When I read the article, I called him to talk about it. I didn’t get an answer so I thought he must have been having a shower and I went into his room. He was on the balcony talking on the phone - I guess it was with his boss. He was selling us out. Today they’re going to watch our movements, yours in particular.”
“Mine?! Why mine?!”
“Richard thinks that you’re suspicious of him. Have you noticed anything odd about his behavior in the last few days?”
“No. But now I come to think of it… I saw him talking on the phone a few days ago and he looked nervous. When he’d hung up, I went over to see what was happening but he batted away all my questions. I decided to shut up and not interfere. Who do you think he’s working for?”
A knot in throat prevented him from speaking. He was completely heartbroken. “I don’t know. I’ve known him for so many years, I never thought he’d be capable of selling our lives in such a despicable way. I’m really disappointed.” A tear fell from his eyes. “We have to escape.”
Mary took his hand and led him to the bed. Once there, she kissed him tenderly on the cheek, looked him deep in his bloodshot eyes and tried to console him with a tight hug. “If that’s what you want, we’ll abandon the search and run away. But… do you think they’ll let us escape with our lives? Don’t you think we should keep looking for the second fragment until we hatch an escape plan?”
Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012) Page 26
