The silence seemed to last forever, with no one asking any questions or making comments of any kind.
Captain Stewart, realizing the group was having a difficult time with what the General just related, said, “I think you’ll see what the General is talking about if you look at the display screens. All the observatories have equipped their lenses with sun filters and are feeding what is happening up there to us. Again the screens show pictures of different magnifications. The main screen is being displayed using a wide-angle magnification.
“As you can see, the entire surface of what was once Mother is now completely white. The red lava like blast has spread out and touched all the broken off pieces of the ship. They in turn are all white and you can see darker lava flows going out from each white dot. This is in keeping with what the General was describing.
“The original blast has enough fuel to extend the blast out to these pieces. Once the blast reached these new areas, they became fuel to generate another Ion blast from each of them.
“Actually, all this is good news, because we now know all of the alien spaceship and its pieces are being consumed by the Ion detonations. Whether all of Mother was completely destroyed during the middle sequence of the Ion detonations, or whether a shell of the ship still exists, either in part or in similar expanse distance of the initial alien moon, is of little consequence, as for all intents and purposes the Ion surprise and results were devastating to Mother.
“If you’ll look at Screen Two, you’ll see a closer view of Mother. Remember the pieces that the nuclear bombs had blown away came from the top left side of the mother ship. If you look closely at the whole view, the top left side is not white like the rest of the vessel. This means that there is no more fuel to continue the spreading of the blast in that corner. The Ions are doing exactly what we wanted them to do.”
Finally, Woods said, “If I understand you correctly, the Ion blast creates more blasts, depending on the elements in the materials it comes in contact with, that is, regarding the composition of what was destroyed. So it spreads out like a forest fire from one tree or brush to another. As long as there are more trees, high grass and bushes in front of it, it will continue to spread. If it hits an area like a road, then there is no more fuel to sustain the spreading and behind the fire everything is consumed so it dies out. If that’s all true, then just like the water stops the expansion of the Ion blast, then shouldn’t the void of any fuel in space stop it as well?”
The General said, “Yes, but Mother was so huge and not solid like our Earth. The entire spaceship is made up of materials that these Ions must love to feed off of, and plus the fact that the original Ion bombs were designed to detonate in different areas, not all at once. So the bottom line is we can’t tell how big this blast will spread or when the fuel will run out. There’s your bottom line.”
“What you’re really telling us,” Jeff said, “is that the red lava-like blast might reach Earth and fry us to a well done.”
There was no getting around it. Jeff’s comment explained the General’s concern when outside and his remark, “It’s spreading.” The display screens showed the red blast completely covering the view areas. The red tide was headed our way and when it reached the upper atmosphere it would spread like wild fire. Earth would become the Black Planet, not the beacon of blue and pride of our solar system’s unique set of planets. Any returning aliens from Mother’s home sector with revenge on their mind would not recognize the former beauty of our world.
The General said, “Yes, the blast is spreading out and I’m worried that it might reach Earth. But the fuel might run out and that would stop the spread, so we still might have hope. After all, we’re talking about 240,000 miles before it reaches our upper atmosphere. That’s a lot of croquet wickets. The first sign of any change will come from the pieces generating their own fiery red blasts. If they start to die off, so to speak, that will be a good sign.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the screens again. There was no sign of any of the smaller white CDs dimming or showing signs of dying out. The main section was still brighter than ever, and the red lava continued to flow outward across the sky.
Woods asked, “What do you think will happen when the blast reaches our own moon?”
Donemore said, “My God! I forgot about our moon. The blast wave will reach there before it reaches Earth. Does that mean the moon will reproduce the Ion blast and create a whole new blast bigger than the one from Mother?”
The General said, “I don’t think so. The moon doesn’t have any fuel on it to continue the reaction and therefore the expansion of the blast. Yes, it’s solid material, but basically inert, so we think. But, then again, we are dealing with unknowns. I’m not a scientist and don’t know what elements are in abundance on the moon, and I don’t think anyone else does either.
“I said I didn’t have any idea what the outcome of all the Ions being detonated at the same place would be. The way it looks right now, this blast is huge and must be feeding off everything in its path because it shows no signs of letting up. If it hits the moon with that intensity, could it start off a whole new Ion blast? I just don’t know.”
“General, do you mind if I call my friend out at NASA,” Jeff said, “and see what he can find out about the moon’s surface?”
The General said, “Go ahead Jeff, problem is I don’t know what elements will cause the blast to create another reaction to set off another Ion fusion. And NASA doesn’t know what an Ion blast is so they won’t be able to tell you if the moon will go Super Ion. See what I mean?”
Woods asked, “Can’t you call the scientists that made this monster and find out what elements will fuel this thing. They don’t have any idea?”
The General’s patience was on edge. “Look, I don’t mean to sound cold here, but what the hell difference does it make? If the Ion blast hits the moon and starts a whole new Ion reaction, we have no control over that. No one is going to hook up to a fire hydrant and squirt the damned thing out. The same holds true for the blast that is currently racing between the space once occupied by Mother and Earth.
“This is not like Star Trek— No one is going to yell, ‘Shields up.’ The blast is either going to hit us, which means mankind dies, or the blast is going to die out before it gets here and mankind lives. It’s that simple.”
The group knew he was venting his frustration and also knew he was right. There was nothing anyone could do now but pray that the huge CD and its cloned smaller ones would show signs of dying on the vine.
The room became silent again as everyone stared at the incessant glowing white spots hoping to see some signs of weakening, which did not appear to be happening. As they watched, the Ions’ fiery red lava flowed out faster and faster from the center. The display screens kept switching back and forth, showing different angles and magnifications. There was no sign of weakening.
Jeff had made his own decision to call his buddy, Allen, at NASA. The General had expressed his feelings on the subject, but Jeff felt differently. He wanted to know two things even if they were both bad news, as he still had the urge to know. First, he wanted to know if Earth’s atmosphere was still being supercharged or with the destruction of E-1’s Collectors, did it stop and if so would it recover. Second, he wanted to know about the red blast wave heading out from Mother. At the speed it was traveling, how long before it would hit Earth’s upper atmosphere.
When Jeff finally got through to his buddy on the phone and asked his questions, Allen said, “I have no idea what you guys did, but the Earth’s atmosphere has stopped collapsing and I do believe over time it will return to normal. The amount of change never reached the irreversible threshold, and right now we are in no danger of dying. But because the atmosphere has been altered to some extent, we have no protection against meteors, sun flares or whatever that red lava-like mass is that’s heading toward us. We predict that at the current rate of expansion, the red tide will hit us within three hours.”
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��My God! Three hours! Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. About three hours is the maximum window. Do you guys know what that fiery red blast is made of and how it will effect Earth when it hits?”
Jeff didn’t want to panic Allen by telling him the truth, besides in three hours he would know anyway and it probably would be best if he didn’t know what was coming. “No, Allen, we don’t. Thanks for the information and keep your fingers crossed, buddy.”
Jeff hung up the phone and walked back into the control room where everyone was gazing at the display screens. He didn’t know what to do. The General might be pissed if he walked over and told everyone they have three hours to live. Then again, he thought what difference does it make what the General might wish, this all was going to end soon unless the Ion blast showed signs of dissipating.
Jeff walked over to the rest of the group and stood next to Janet and slipped his hand over hers. She acknowledged him with a firm squeeze of the hand. “Anything new?” he asked.
He didn’t need an answer. He had been studying the screens as he approached Janet and saw the same pictures. The small white spots next to the mother of all white spots, all surrounded by the continuing outward flowing deep red lava.
Woods stated the obvious, “No change except that it is a thousand times bigger.”
Jeff made up his mind then and there to announce what Allen had told him. “You guys might not want to hear what I’m about to say but everyone here has a right to know and deal with it in his own way. It’s good news, bad news. The good news is that our atmosphere has stopped collapsing and the human race will continue to breathe, if that were the only issue. The bad news is that red blast that Woods said is a thousand times bigger will hit us in about three hours. If it reaches us, well, we all know what’s going to happen.”
No one said a word, and the control room went into its silent mode all over again. Yes, they knew all too well what would happen the second the blast touched Earth. The Ion bombs they had used as a last ditch effort to save the human race did their job all too well. It had taken out Mother and his Collectors, but the blast from the Ions was being fed too much energy and now it was about to reach Earth. The second the Ions “red lava flow” touched Earth, it would begin the reaction process all over again. A small blast would occur and spread out from the white dot soon after the initial reaction started. Between the incoming Ion blast wave from outer space and the following smaller ones being created wherever it touched, it would not take long before Earth would be covered in a fiery red blast followed by pure whiteness. Life on Earth would be over. Finished. Ironic as it may seem, the very bomb the military had requested our scientists to build to prevent the destruction of mankind from nuclear radiation was now about to kill us by fire.
For the next hour everyone sat watching the screens hoping for a sign that the blast was weakening. The group made occasional comments to each other, but they felt more hopeless as time ticked down. Jeff tried to break the tension by laughing and said, “Wish we could drive over to Rich’s and have one last toast.”
Janet added, “We had some good times over there, if only we could see to drive, it would be a great place to say goodbye.”
Captain Stewart announced to all personnel in the room, “I think you all know we have a chapel on the lower level. If anyone wants to leave and spend their last minutes there, feel relieved to do whatever you want.”
Woods walked over to Donemore and slid his hand around her waist. She turned to him and glanced into his eyes. Small tears appeared and flowed freely. “Well, big guy, you always had a last minute idea, got any now?” she said.
Woods gently wiped a tear from her cheek and said, “No, I think the time has come where we all have run out of last minute ideas. No more trump cards. But I did want to finish what I was saying to you a few hours ago when we were outside, before our last minutes are up. During all the time we have worked together, I didn’t realize until you kissed me the other day that I have fallen in love with you.”
Donemore’s eyes began to tear more and she swung both arms around him and said, “I love you, too.”
They embraced each other and kissed tenderly. The kiss was electrifying and seemed to be felt by more than just the two directly involved because Captain Stewart said, “Look!” He wasn’t referring to the two kissing— He was looking at the display screen and noticed a change. “Look! The white dot that was the first piece of Mother to break away and to be cloned by the Ion blast is flickering! It seems to be dying out.”
Everyone ran to the designated display screen. As they all studied the screen, it became apparent that, yes, something was definitely happening to the first piece that had broken away from Mother. It seemed to flicker like a candle in the wind then, as they watched, the wind picked up and the candle went out. Then the second white spot disappeared and the darker fiery red blast leading out from both pieces disappeared.
The General said, “It’s starting to work! The Ion reaction that was using the fragments for fuel must have consumed all that it could sustain. With no more fuel, the reaction could no longer sustain the blast and the whole thing just burned out. Now, is it too little too late? That’s the question.”
The group stood there looking at the screens, searching for any last minute miracle that would save Earth. Woods and Donemore joined in and were studying for signs like everyone else, and they were holding hands. Jeff and Janet had noticed the kiss and walked over to Woods and Donemore. They all looked at each other, smiled and then the four joined hands.
Woods yelled, “Come on Ions! You’ve done your job— Now die out and let us live!”
The General said, “We’re not out of the woods yet, Woods, even if all the pieces burn out. Mother, the pieces thereof, is still fueling the major blast.”
Donemore squeezed Woods’ hand and said, “No, General, we still have to believe. We have to have hope!”
It seemed like the second Donemore’s words echoed across the room, the screens flashed brighter than a thousand light bulbs. The control room always had dim lighting so everyone could see the monitors and display screens. Now the room was white, the same white that they had experienced outside when the Ions went off. It lasted only a few seconds then the display screens returned to normal.
The General said, “Holy shit! What was that?”
Captain Stewart said, “I have no idea, sir, but whatever it was, it was powerful enough to blow right through the sun filters the observatories are using to allow us to see this.”
“That would mean something brighter than the greatest solar flare ever seen on Earth just blasted through space,” Jeff said.
Seconds later, the display screens showed a crystal-like dot in the very center of the Mother ship. The crystal was brighter than the whiteness of the Ion and glimmered like a perfect diamond. It grew at an enormous rate, expanding out a perfect circle from the small dot. In a matter of minutes the perfect diamond was glimmering with such brightness that it had completely over taken the full whiteness of the alien moon space. Everyone stood in awe.
Woods asked, “General, what the hell is going on? Are the Ions supposed to do that?”
The General didn’t answer, instead just starred at the display screens. The perfect diamond was sending different light patterns out from its center, like a disco globe being hit by pure white light, only thousands of times brighter. The expanding crystal was now broadening out from the space formerly occupied by Mother and heading into outer space. Then something weird started happening. Right where the crystal dot had first appeared, a black dot started forming, and within seconds the black dot started expanding outward, just as did the crystal. With tremendous speed the crystals’ gleaming brightness expanded outward beyond where the first piece of E-1’s broken ship had burned up. Within seconds the brightness reached the second piece, then the third, still showing a white dot in the center and a deep red circle extending outward. The wave of brightness blew right over the third piece a
nd rapidly approached the fourth. With no sign of the third piece, the fast wave of brightness expanded outward in a perfect circle from the center of the space once hosting Mother, the black dot in the center growing larger and larger. It seemed to grow at a faster rate than the now glimmering crystal brightness. The outer wave of the crystal reached Mother’s broken pieces and, like the rest, swarmed over until there was only an unbelievable brightness covering everything, so bright that it even penetrated the sun filter on the observatory telescopes, as well causing the dimly lit control room to look like someone had turned on the lights.
The largest display screen had the least amount of magnification, therefore a wider field of view regarding where Mother had been and all the broken pieces. It now gave the best picture of what was happening in outer space, and that was a picture of three perfect different color circles. The center where Mother used to be was black, surrounded by the brilliant crystal whiteness, in turn surrounded by the fiery red blast from the Ions. It was obvious that the black center was expanding faster than any of the outer colored rings. Also apparent was the crystal wave, with its unbelievable brilliance illuminating the control room more and more, catching the red lava wave. It was only a matter of seconds before the glimmering white crystal wave engulfed the Ion’s red blast. Now there were only two colors left, black and white, and the black was eating away at the white so fast that the control room was beginning to get darker. With incredible speed the black wave caught up to and covered the last of the glimmering white crystal wave. The display screen then went completely black and the control room’s lighting returned to normal.
BAD RAIN: A SCI-FICTION THRILLER Page 29
