Asteroid Diversion Page 19

  Solar storms and associated corona mass ejections have been known to alter the dynamic of celestial bodies, including asteroids, comets, and the Moon. Solar storms have sandblasted the lunar surface, removing a surprisingly large amount of dirt and debris as the CMEs pass over the Moon.

  The SWPC had just issued a warning that a strong G3 or severe G4 storm was headed toward the Moon. During a G3 geomagnetic storm, surface charging occurred on satellite components, causing increased drag. A G4 storm was more likely to damage a spacecraft as highly charged, hot electrons associated with the storm pelted the outer shell, causing a negative charge to build on its surface.

  Like walking on a carpet and then touching a doorknob, an electrostatic discharge could occur, knocking out the spacecraft’s communications systems and its ability to map the surface of the asteroid. Without an accurate identification of the weakest geologic points on IM86, Gunner would be firing nuclear missiles on a wish and a prayer.

  “What’s our time frame on this, Houston?” asked Chief Rawlings.

  Gunner could hear the frustration in his mentor’s voice. He also caught a glimpse of something that Chief Rawlings was too preoccupied to see. When the hold was announced by Mission Control, Chernevsky provided a noticeable thumbs-up to Commander Sokolov, who immediately raised his hand as if to block the gesture from view. Gunner, however, saw it and began to process why the Russians would be interested in delaying the launch.

  “Stand by, Chief,” came the response.

  Several minutes passed and then the dreaded words came through the comms. “I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen. We’re gonna call it a day, holding at T minus two hours. We will modify our launch window as soon as possible, but most likely will try again in the morning.”

  Frustrated, the astronauts shuffled in their seats. They slammed their heads against the seatbacks or pounded their fists on the arms holding them snugly in place.

  The cosmonauts’ reaction was quite different. They looked toward one another, and Gunner detected a barely discernible nod of approval from Commander Sokolov.

  Within ten minutes, the entire crew had disembarked and headed toward the housing unit in separate vehicles. Gunner held Chief Rawlings back, as well as the other two American astronauts.

  “Chief, may I make a suggestion?” asked Gunner, who motioned for the group of four to stand in the far corner of the staging area, where they were out of sight of the French astronaut.

  “Sure, Gunner, what is it?”

  “Chief, guys,” he began his reply, looking each one of them in the eyes, “I have a hunch. It may sound conspiratorial, but it may be spot on.”

  “What is it?” Chief Rawlings asked.

  Gunner paused, gathered his thoughts and glanced around one more time before he spoke. “I want the four of us to be careful until we’re in the air. I watched the body language of the Russians when the delay was announced. Instead of being irritated with the delay, they seemed almost, um, pleased.”

  “What are you thinking?” asked Chief Rawlings.

  “While we were waiting on Houston to make a decision, I got to thinking about the timing of the mission and especially our planned missile strikes of the asteroid. The earlier we hit it, the more likely it is that the meteorite debris will hit Asia in the Northern Hemisphere, right?”

  “That’s correct,” responded Chief Rawlings. “That would certainly explain their reaction.”

  “There’s the other issue,” continued Gunner. “They’re hell-bent on planting their flag on the surface of IM86 first. I can’t imagine why they haven’t so far, but we’ve presumed the Russians were arguing for a delay after our guys fell sick to give their mission time to succeed.”

  “So another delay would be to their advantage,” surmised one of the astronauts.

  “Exactly,” said Gunner.

  Chief Rawlings was puzzled. “Gunner, you’re not suggesting that they conjured up the solar storm, are you?”

  “No, Chief, of course not. I am saying that the delay forces us to spend another night here at Artemis. One more night like the last one, and we could easily be down two more astronauts, if not more.”

  “Come on, Major,” began the Starship commander. “Are you implying that Sokolov or someone under his control poisoned our boys?”

  “Commander, Russians love to use chemicals and poisons. They’re experts at it. If they wanted a delay, or even a cancellation, then what better way is there than to take out the only people capable of implementing Project Jackhammer?”

  The two astronauts started peppering Gunner with questions and counterarguments, and Chief Rawlings held up his hands to calm everyone down.

  “Gunner has a point, one that we should at least consider. Until the mission prelaunch briefing early in the morning, let’s stay confined to quarters. I will speak with the Artemis security team and the outpost’s administrator. I want our meals prepared by Americans and under the supervision of security.”

  Gunner set his jaw. He had a number of options swirling around in his head. “Or let me deal with them. We don’t need them on board anyway, right?”

  Chief Rawlings smiled and patted Gunner on the shoulder. He’d read every aspect of Gunner’s dossier and knew exactly what this young Air Force Major was capable of. He fully understood why Ghost considered him to be one of the most valuable assets in the American military.

  “Gunner, without proof, let’s not create a diplomatic incident that will bring the heat down on Artemis. Watch each other’s backs, and tomorrow, we’ll go after the real enemy.”

  Chapter 40

  Monday, April 23

  Gunner’s Residence

  Dog Island

  Florida Panhandle

  “I can’t believe this has happened again.” Pop lamented the postponing of the Starhopper’s liftoff. “First, a weather delay for strong winds kept them in Texas an extra day. Now a weather delay for solar winds? This is ridiculous.”

  Pop had a tendency to get excited about important events, and when they were delayed, it threw him off-kilter, putting him in an ornery mood.

  “This really adds a lot of pressure on Gunner,” said Cam. “Based upon what we’ve seen on the news over the weekend, it’s gonna be difficult to hit his targets with a whole day to map the surface and establish a game plan. Now he has to attack IM86 with no practice runs and limited analysis.”

  Bear tried to reassure his partner. “Get in, get out, Cam. We’ve done it before.”

  “I understand that. I don’t doubt Gunner’s ability to get the job done. It’s just that there are so many variables and unknowns here. Seriously, the so-called experts aren’t one hundred percent certain how the first nuke will alter the asteroid. Gunner may not get another shot. Or worse, the debris from the nuclear detonation may throw up all over the place, damaging the spacecraft.”

  “What? What do you mean by that?” Pop was unaware of this risk and began peppering Cam with questions.

  Bear shot Cam a disapproving glance and then responded, “Nothing, Pop. It’s not gonna happen that way. Let’s sit down for a moment because we have something to talk with you about.”

  “Okay. What’s on your minds?”

  Cam, who inwardly chastised herself for allowing her emotions and concern to show, helped Bear change the subject. “Here’s the thing, Pop. Even if Gunner is successful—”

  Pop interrupted her. “When my son is successful.”

  “Yes, of course. When Gunner is successful in breaking up this thing, all the analysts say that we’ll be in the line of fire of the remains of IM86. As we’ve seen discussed this weekend, the timing of the destruction is important, especially as it relates to what part of the Northern Hemisphere takes the brunt of the asteroid residue. This delay makes it more likely that the debris field could hit our neck of the woods.”

  Pop shrugged. “It is what it is. We can’t exactly hide under the bed, right?”

  “True,” began Bear in response. “But we can minimize
the threat. The Gulf of Mexico is a great big target for the remains of IM86. A tsunami is a very real possibility. We have an idea for moving to higher ground, you know, until it’s over.”

  Pop wasn’t so sure. “Gunner built this house on steel-reinforced concrete pilings that are sixteen feet above sea level. It’s withstood two major hurricanes. I think we’ll be fine.”

  Cam scooted up on the sofa and looked Pop in the eye. “If a large chunk hits the Gulf, sixteen feet won’t be high enough. Dog Island will be underwater, and the surge will likely knock all of these houses down.”

  “But where will we go?” he asked.

  “Do you remember my folks’ place in Alabama? We called it Fort Mills. Gunner came and stayed with us that one summer when you and Mom went to Europe.”

  “Sure, I remember. I thought, um, sorry, after both of your folks passed that it was sold or something.”

  “After my dad died in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan, my mother, you know, well, she didn’t deal with it very well.” Cam began to well up in tears, causing Pop to reach out and squeeze her hand. “Anyway, as you know, my mom couldn’t deal with the grief, and then there was the car wreck and she ended it.”

  “We don’t know that for sure, dear.” Pop knew her parents, and Cam had always been a member of the Fox family, just as Gunner had been close to her parents growing up.

  “Anyway, my sister and I inherited it, but I only go up there once in a while. She moved out to Colorado, so it stays vacant most of the time.”

  Pop leaned back on the sofa. “You two think we should go there?”

  “We do, Pop,” replied Bear. “It’s only three hundred miles from here straight up past Tallahassee. The elevation is around two thousand feet, so tsunamis won’t be an issue, and it’s sparsely populated.”

  “There are a lot of pluses,” said Cam. “It’s on the lake created by damming up the Ketchepedrakee Creek. Our property fronts the creek and the lake. It’s perfect for hunting and fishing. It’s remote and completely off the grid. We’ve got solar power, a well, and a root cellar to store food.”

  Pop thought for a moment. “We could come back when the coast is clear, right?”

  Bear reassured him. “We sure can, Pop. I’ll drive down and make sure everything is cool; then we’ll come back.”

  Pop was warming up to the idea. “How big is the lake? Maybe I can bring my plane?”

  Cam shrugged and looked to Bear before responding, “You know, that might be a pretty good idea. We’ve got a boat dock and fuel stored underground. I’m sure we could tie off the seaplane as well.”

  “I say yes,” added Bear. “We can cram the H1 and one of our cars with supplies. Pop can also bring some things. It’s a win-win.”

  Pop stood and walked toward the open doors overlooking the beach. It was deserted. He turned around and addressed the power issue. “I like the fact that it has solar power. The news people seem to think that the electricity transformers will be damaged, meaning it could take weeks to fix.”

  Pop had barely finished his sentence when the skies became eerily dark despite the fact it was a cloudless day.

  “What the hell?” bellowed Bear as he shot off the couch and ran onto the deck.

  “Don’t look up!” warned Cam. “If it’s a solar eclipse, you could damage your eyes.”

  “I can’t believe we haven’t heard about this coming today,” said Pop. “I mean, we’ve been watching the news nonstop for days.”

  Cam was recording the shadow with her iPhone as it passed over the sun and then darkened parts of the Gulf of Mexico. As the sunshine returned, she slowly walked toward the deck railing.

  “Guys, that wasn’t an eclipse. Something blacked out the sun. Something really big.”

  Pop had retreated to the living room and turned up the volume on the television. He shouted for them. “Cam! Bear! Quick!”

  Howard responded with a bark-howl and excitedly ran into the room. Cam was the first to arrive and read the chyron aloud. “Shadow of occultation blots out Sun.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Bear.

  Pop turned up the volume again as a scientist on the panel of CNN explained.

  “To our viewers, what we’ve just experienced across the eastern half of the United States is known as asteroid occultation. Basically, when an asteroid occults a star, cuts it off from view, it has the same effect as an eclipse. Many of you may have witnessed a shadow that passed nearby, even after the Sun reappeared. That is known as a shadow path.”

  The CNN host frantically fired off several panic-stricken questions. “What does that mean? Was this IM86 passing us by? Were the calculations incorrect, which means we’re in the clear?”

  The expert responded, “No, Alisyn, none of the above. Certainly, the length of time that the Sun was obscured combined with the size of the shadow we just viewed through the windows here in the studio is indicative of the close proximity of the asteroid. Our viewers have to remember, IM86, a very large asteroid, is on a pace and trajectory to hit Earth on Friday. The shadow of occultation we just experienced is a grim reminder of that.”

  “Well, that’s gonna send the crazies to the top of the mountain and off the edge of the cliff,” said Bear with a chuckle. He turned toward Cam and noticed Pop was hustling toward the elevator.

  “Hey, Pop, where are you going?”

  “Home, to pack. We need to get to Fort Mills.”

  PART FOUR

  ASTROMETRY

  Identification Number: 2029 IM86

  Right Ascension: 14 hours 29 minutes 52 seconds

  Declination: -15 degrees 24 minutes 58 seconds

  Greatest Elongation: 58.02 degrees

  Nominal Distance from Earth: 0.11 astronomical units

  Relative Velocity: 33,338 meters per second

  Chapter 41

  Tuesday, April 24

  Gunner’s Residence

  Dog Island

  Florida Panhandle

  Bear was out of breath as he reached the top of the stairs. He’d been tasked with loading the final boxes of provisions into Pop’s seaplane. After the seventh trip on the unusually warm spring day, he was beginning to complain. “I don’t know why we couldn’t have locked off the elevator after I was finished loading the plane.”

  “I’m sorry, Bear,” replied Pop. “I have this checklist, you know, for when hurricanes are due to hit. We always have to park the elevator cab on the highest possible floor so that the walls can break away during a storm surge.”

  One of the requirements of coastal construction was to avoid building solid wall construction at sea level. When a major storm came onshore, it often brought high waves crashing over the protective dunes that lined the beach. This storm surge could easily knock over a house that was built at sea level, or even one on pilings if the ground-level walls were solid and attached permanently.

  Breakaway construction allowed the surge to tear through the lower structure without knocking out the support pilings. An elevator cab would be bashed against the pilings, causing the supports to lose their structural integrity.

  “What about the hurricane shutters, Pop?” asked Cam.

  “We don’t usually bother with those, dear. The windows and doors are impact-resistant to meet a sustained wind with debris of one hundred seventy miles per hour.”

  Cam thought for a moment and then said, “Let’s lower them all anyway. It’s not the water that concerns me. It’s looters. I know Dog Island is not accessible by car, but that won’t stop people coming onto the island by boat and breaking into homes. The steel roll-down windows will at least act as a deterrent.”

  “Not a problem,” said Pop. “They operate at the push of a button, or a hand crank when the power goes out.”

  Bear guzzled down a Red Bull and crushed the can. He’d recovered from his frequent loading trips and was now ready to relax before the newly scheduled launch of the Starhopper.

  “Let me tell you,” he began. “Gunner’s Hummer is loa
ded down, as is the U-Haul trailer I rented yesterday. My SUV is stacked so full of canned goods that I can’t see out the windows.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” said Pop. He hustled into the kitchen and grabbed two portable, handheld can openers. He tossed them into a beach tote full of kitchen utensils. “You know, just in case the power goes out. They’re old school, but we’ll be glad we’ve got ’em.”

  Pop had warmed up to the idea of bugging out to Fort Mills. Gunner had raved about Cam’s family vacation spot, and the thought of riding out the aftermath of the asteroid threat there was comforting.

  “I don’t believe that we’ve forgotten anything,” said Bear. “I packed every tool I could find and all of Howard’s stuff.”

  “Wait! I almost forgot something.” Pop rushed into the kitchen and ducked into the pantry. He emerged with a yellow metal box that looked like it had been dropped off the back of a semi and kicked down the interstate during rush hour.

  Bear laughed. “What the hell is that?”

  “This is my baking toolbox,” Pop replied. “It’s got all the essentials for cooking and baking. I put this together for when I went into Apalach for bake-offs.”

  Bear took the handle to the metal case and muttered, “It’s heavy.” He lifted up the battered case to study it and paused to read the inscription marked on the top. “Wait, are you kidding me?”

  Pop laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You read correctly, Sergeant. This once held a guided missile launcher test set. It was used to check the firing sequence of the LAU-7 guided missile launcher. They’re used for the Sidewinder and Sidearm missiles.”

  “Where did you get this?” asked Bear, setting the heavy box containing kitchen utensils on the wood floor.

  “I found it at a yard sale in Fort Walton Beach. Crazy, right?”

  Cam flopped on the sofa next to the snoring basset hound. “What about Howard? Who’s he riding with?”