CHAPTER 2 - SHIVA
THE WHITE HOUSE - 5:00 A.M., THURSDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 2070
"Madam President?" A soft voice cut through the fog of sleep that enshrouded Janice York's brain. Not yet, she thought, just ten - no, five - five more minutes.
A soft glow filled the room as a small light was turned on. "Madam President?" The same voice called out again, a little louder and more insistent this time.
"Hmmphhff," Janice groped blindly for her husband, but Ed, as usual, was already up. Dimly, she becomes aware that the TV in their quarters is turned on - one of the news channels, from the faint sounds coming from it, probably Global News Network, Ed's favorite - but Ed was most likely in the gym, already pounding out miles on the treadmill. He much preferred running outdoors, but the blizzard that hit Washington on New Year's Day dumped over two feet of snow on the ground, and D.C. was still digging itself out.
The TV suddenly got louder, and Janice could hear the rattle of a cup on its saucer, followed by the aroma of Earl Grey tea wafting through the air. With a groan, she rolled over and reluctantly opened her eyes, to find her Deputy Chief of Staff, Amanda Dalton, looking down at her patiently, holding a NEWS-PADD in one hand.
"Good morning, Madam President," Amanda says with a smile.
Janice pushes her comforter down reluctantly, muttering "'Morning, Amanda" as she does so. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbles to the bathroom and shuts the door. Already she could hear the bustle of activity outside her quarters as the White House staff gets ready for another day.
Finishing her business quickly, she washes her hands and steps back into the bedroom. Wordlessly, Amanda Dalton hands her the NEWS-PADD. Janice mutters her thanks along with, "Amanda, I'm awake. Go grab yourself some coffee or something. I'm okay...thanks again."
"Yes, Ma'am. See you at the coffee brief," Amanda says as she leaves the room. Janice turns her attention to the NEWS-PADD and, sipping her tea, begins to scroll through the various news items displayed on the small screen. A few items catch her interest - evacuations of major coastal cities due to rising sea levels, economic impacts from those evacuations, tension between Russia and China over border disputes in Mongolia, and - in spite of the snow on the ground outside her window - predictions that this year would once again break temperature records. She marked a few stories to read more thoroughly later on and scanned the TV news for anything that the NEWS-PADD may have missed.
At 37, Janice York is the youngest person every elected President of the United States. Always outspoken and active in politics, she had been elected to the Huntington, West Virginia, City Council while still in college, followed by her election to Congress at the age of 25, representing the State of West Virginia in the House of Representatives. A political rising star, Janice was elected Governor of West Virginia only four years later, and shocked everyone, herself included, when she defeated the incumbent President in 2068 to become the youngest President in United States history. Often described as a "cross between JFK and Harry Truman," after two years in office Janice still enjoyed a positive approval rating and was respected world wide.
In spite of the crushing workload that comes with holding political office, Janice and Ed still managed to find time to start a family. The twins, Veronica and Ed Jr., were 13 now, enrolled, to everyone's shock, in a public school in Washington. The kids, never knowing a time when their mother wasn't in public office, took everything in stride.
Janice glanced at the bedside clock. 5:30. The kids get another half hour, she says to herself as she hears a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," she calls out, taking another sip of her tea, while half-watching the news program on TV.
A young woman enters the room, carrying a garment bag. "Good morning, Madam President," she says cheerily, opening the closet and hanging the bag inside.
"Good morning, Cecilia," Janice answers with a smile. The perpetually cheerful girl never failed to bring a smile to her face.
"Too chilly today for a skirt, but I think you will like the suit I selected for you today," Cecilia says with a smile.
"I'm sure I will. You've yet to fail me - and thank you," Janice says gratefully.
"My pleasure, Ma'am," Cecilia says as she moves to the door. She opens it to find a large, perspiring man reaching for the handle from the other side.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Colonel York!" Cecilia quickly steps aside, allowing the man to enter the room.
"Pardon me, Cecilia," he says with a smile, slipping by her as Cecilia leaves the room quickly. Ed York shuts the door behind her as she leaves, then turns to his wife and smiles.
"Nice run?" Janice asks, returning his smile. Ed steps over to his wife and gives her a quick kiss before answering.
"As good as it gets on a treadmill," he says as he strips off his sweat-soaked clothes in preparation for a shower. He turns back to Janice with a leer on his face. "How about it, Madam President? Care to join me? It's a big shower, after all!"
Janice laughs. "Another time, studmuffin. I have to get the kids up in a few and, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have a staff meeting at the five sided puzzle palace at seven?"
"Dammit. The voice of reason strikes again!" Ed shuts the door to the bathroom and soon Janice could hear the shower running. Sighing, she goes to the closet and examines the suit that Cecilia selected for her today. Nodding in approval, she began laying out the rest of her clothing for the day.
Ed and Janice had been high school sweethearts. But where Janice had gone to the University of West Virginia, Ed had secured an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. They were married the day he graduated from the Academy. In spite of the long separations necessitated by military service, Janice had never once used political influence to keep him posted close to home - and Ed would have been furious if she had. They had always had their separate careers, although now it was somewhat awkward with Ed's dual role as "First Husband." Still, Janice had to smile at the "coincidence" of Ed being posted to the Pentagon, assigned to the staff of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, almost immediately after the election results certifying her election as President were posted.
Still, Ed was careful not to flaunt his unique relationship with the Commander in Chief. He was a well respected member of the military in his own right. And even though he had always thought of himself as a "field" officer rather than as a "staff" officer, he was enjoying his new assignment.
Slipping on a robe and slippers, she opened the door to their quarters to go wake up the kids. Nodding greetings to the various White House staff that she encountered, she quickly went to each child's room. To her surprise, both Veronica and Ed, Jr., were already awake and up. Reflexively telling them to hurry up, she walked back to her own bedroom to find Ed getting dressed.
"All yours," he gestures expansively towards the bathroom. Unlike Ed, who quite often takes forever to shower and get ready in the morning, Janice was all about economy of movement. Quickly showering, brushing her teeth, and applying light make up took far less time than Ed ever did.
After showering and quickly dressing, Janice then leaves the bedroom to join her family for breakfast. Ed was already in the dining room with the kids. Stepping into the hallway, she is immediately greeted by her Chief of Staff, Daniel Crane.
"Good morning, Madam President," he says, falling into step beside her, handing her the PADD he was carrying.
"'Morning, Dan," she replies, while skimming over the PADD screen. Just the usual - her morning schedule. "Anything I should know about?"
"Nothing Earth-shattering, Madam President," he replies. "All in all, a fairly light schedule this morning. After the coffee brief, you have a 9 A.M. with reps from GM, Ford, and AMC, along with the Secretary of Energy, to discuss the initiatives for hydrogen fueled vehicles; then at 10 you have reps from the African Union regarding the spike in piracy along Africa's East Coast, and an 11 A.M. with the Secretary of Defense on re-deployment strategies and force structure re-alignment."
"How about this afternoon?" Janice asks with a sigh.
Daniel Crane glances at his PADD and scrolls down. "We'll hit that at the end of the coffee brief."
"That bad, huh? Did you happen to schedule in any potty breaks?" Janice asks sarcastically.
The Chief of Staff lowers his voice and says softly, "You knew this job was a bitch going in, Jan."
Janice nods and sighs. "Oh yeah, and it's not even a full year since inauguration. Care to join us for breakfast?"
"No, thanks. I still have to finish setting up the coffee brief. See you at seven, Madam President."
Janice nods, turns, and enters the dining room for breakfast with her family before starting yet another day in the life of the President of the United States.
THE ROOSEVELT ROOM - 7:00 A.M., THURSDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 2070
Precisely at 7 A.M., Janice York strides into the Roosevelt Room, located in the West Wing of the White House, for the daily "coffee brief." This was an informal briefing where topics not necessarily on the daily schedule could be addressed, and, if necessary, adjustments to the daily schedule could be made.
"Good morning, everyone," she says cheerily to the assembled staff, taking a seat at the head of the conference table.
A muted chorus of "Good morning, Madam President," greets her in return. Rather than a formal meeting, the coffee brief was opened to any member of the staff that felt the need to present something to the President.
Janice surveys the room quickly. In addition to herself, the Chief and Deputy Chief of Staff, there was only one additional face at the table - her Science Advisor, Dr. Thomas Jackson. Oh well, she thought, And here I thought I was gonna get a free hour the day after New Year's. Pushing the thought aside, she glued a smile to her face and turned to her Science Advisor. It was then that she noticed that, not only was he not smiling, he looked positively grim
"So, what do you have for me, Tom?" Janice asked.
"Potentially, the end of the world, Madam President," Thomas Jackson replies solemnly.
"I beg your pardon?" Janice says, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She's not in a joking mood.
Jackson takes a deep breath before continuing. "Madam President, last night I came into receipt of some very...disturbing...information from the PAN-STARRS observatory on Maui. This information has been confirmed independently by the Mauna Kea observatory and the International Astronomical Union." He pauses to tap a few commands on the PADD that sat on the table in front of him. "May I get the lights dimmed, please?"
At a nod from Janice York, Amanda Dalton quickly dimmed the lights and activated the view screen on the far wall.
Jackson tapped his PADD screen and suddenly the large view screen comes to life, displaying two pictures of star fields side by side. In each one a red arrow points to a diffuse blob of light.
"This discovery - Comet C/2070-01/MT-PAN-STARRS - was made early yesterday morning and confirmed - first by PAN-STARRS staff, then by Mauna Kea, and finally by the IAU. It shows a new comet, somewhat larger than Comet Halley, a little over five astronomical units, or a little over eight hundred million kilometers, from Earth, at an inclination of about 75 degrees above the plane of the ecliptic. The orbital calculations show that the perigee for this comet will be between six and ten thousand kilometers. As perigee is measured from the Earth's core rather than the surface, this indicates that the best we can hope for at this time is a miss on the order of about three thousand kilometers. However, the astronomers think a strike is much more likely." Thomas pauses for a moment to let President Janice York digest the information that he has just given her.
Janice forced her face to remain impassive during Jackson's recital. My God, the man's serious! Glancing down at the PADD in front of her, Janice keyed in a couple of quick notes before looking up at the grim visage of her Science Advisor.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Tom, but this comet sounds quite far away still. Somewhat farther from us than we are from the planet Jupiter."
"That's correct, Ma'am," Jackson replied. "Early calculations predict it will reach perigee on July 4th of this year."
Janice tapped in a few commands on her PADD, then looked back up. "Then that means it must be traveling over 30 miles a second!"
Jackson nodded. "That would be its average velocity given the distance that it must travel. As it gets closer to the Sun - and us - it's velocity will be significantly greater. Right now it's actually significantly less."
"And what are the actual odds of this thing hitting us?" Janice asks.
"Madam President, I'm not an astronomer by training, and the astronomers that have been keeping this comet under observation haven't issued odds. But, given the preliminary orbital calculations, I would say the odds right now are fifty-fifty. Either it hits us or it doesn't. However, in checking with the IAU this morning, they've assigned a Torino rating of seven to this object."
Janice York frowned in puzzlement. "Torino rating?"
"The Torino scale was developed late in the 20th century to assign a risk factor for Near Earth Objects, or NEO's. A rating of zero indicates that there is no chance of an impact causing significant damage. A rating of ten would rank an object to the equivalent of the Chicxulub impact event over 65 million years ago. Since the Torino scale has been in use, no object - until now - has ever been rated above a four."
"And if this object strikes?" Janice asks quietly.
"It would be a ten, Madam President," Jackson replies grimly.
Nodding, Janice turns to Daniel Crane. "Dan, I want to talk to the astronomers involved in the discovery. Here, in person." She turns back to Thomas Jackson. "Tom, what were their names?"
Jackson keys his PADD. "Dr. Jack Hawthorne at PAN-STARRS and Dr. Elena Roshenko at Mauna Kea. Hawthorne mentioned that the actual discovery was made by a grad student - Melody somebody."
"Got those names, Dan?" Janice asks.
"Yes, Madam President. I'll contact Joint Base Pearl and arrange for immediate transport via hoverplane." Crane says, nodding to Amanda Dalton, who was busy keying in info on her own PADD.
"Good. I'll also need a meeting of the full cabinet, to include the Vice President, Senate and House Majority and Minority Leaders, Joint Chiefs, CIA, FBI, NSA, FEMA, and you, Tom. I want this to happen when we get our astronomers here, so time it accordingly."
"Yes, Madam President. Do you want me to clear today's schedule as well?"
"No. It'll take time to get everyone here. Until we meet, there's really nothing we can do. So, business as usual." Janice says lightly.
"What about the press?" Crane asks. "Word of this discovery is bound to leak out soon."
"Confirm the discovery - nothing more. Tom, can we count on everyone involved with this outside of this room to be discreet?"
"I'm sure of it, Madam President - at least for the time being." Jackson replies.
"Okay, then," Janice York says, standing up. "We all have work to do. Tom, stay on top of the IAU. We need as much data as we can get. Dan - I know you've got a handle on pulling everyone together - keep me updated as to the earliest we can hold that meeting. Amanda - you have everything on my 9 A.M. regarding the hydrogen engines initiatives?"
There was a chorus of "Yes, Madam President," from everyone else in the room. Thomas Jackson and Daniel Crane hurry off to work on their new tasks as Amanda Dalton falls in step with Janice York as they walk from the Roosevelt Room.
I just hope that my face doesn't give away the fact that my mind is about five hundred million miles away, Janice York says to herself as Amanda quickly briefs her on her next meeting.
GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK NOON NEWS UPDATE - THURSDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 2070
*UNITED NATIONS COASTAL FLOODING COMMISSION ANNOUNCES NEW EVACUATIONS FOR URBAN CENTERS AFFECTED BY RISING SEA LEVELS - Kolkata and Mumbai in India, Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh, Guangzhou and Shanghai in China, Bangkok in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Rangoon in Myanmar, Miami, New York City, and Newark in United States, Alexandria in Egypt, Lagos in Nigeria, Tokyo in Japan, Jakarta in Indonesia. Each affected country has or is in the process of establishing refugee camps and relocation centers for the estimated 150 million persons directly affected by coastal flooding due to rising sea levels.
*WORLD BECOMES CARBON NEUTRAL FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE START OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - Hydrogen has effectively replaced fossil fuels for most surface and air transportation. Clean burning hydrogen engines produce water as their exhaust. Solar farms, wind turbines, hydroelectric and nuclear power plants replacing coal power plants worldwide.
*CLARKE STATION CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY - Clarke Station celebrated its 20th anniversary in orbit quietly, its current crew of 96 busy with the ongoing construction of the Outer Planets Exploration Vehicle "Shoemaker." This vehicle, tentatively scheduled for launch next year, will conduct the first detailed crewed exploration of the Outer Planets.
*RUSSIAN AND CHINESE FORCES CLASH IN MONGOLIA - China filed a formal grievance with the United Nations Security Council today, claiming unprovoked acts of aggression by Russian forces along the disputed border areas between Russia and Mongolia. An estimated 180 to 200 Chinese troops were killed and over 500 wounded in an intense 30 minute artillery barrage by Russian forces. The Russian government filed a counter claim that the artillery strike was a "preventive measure" designed to disrupt an "obvious offensive build up" at the border, and that the Chinese government was warned a day in advance that the barrage would take place unless their troops were pulled back behind the five kilometer buffer zone.
*SHACKLETON BASE COMPLETES SURVEY - Astronauts at Shackleton Base, located at the Lunar South Pole, report the completion of the first comprehensive survey of Tsiolkovskiy Crater located on the moon's Far Side. Data collected from this survey is said to solidify the Giant Impact hypothesis regarding the formation of the moon and the theory that the present moon was formed by the low speed impact and merger of two smaller bodies then in orbit around the infant Earth.
*COMET DISCOVERED - Announcement was made today on the discovery of a new comet that was given the designation of C/2070-01/MT-PAN-STARRS. Astronomers so far have given very little information regarding this discovery, but some have been quoted off the record as saying this could very well be the Great Comet of 2070, and could even dwarf the fantastic display put on by Comet Halley nine years ago.
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR - HICKAM - NOON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2ND, 2070
Hurry up and wait. The thought ran through Jack Hawthorne's mind again as he sat in the VIP Lounge with Elena Roshenko and Melody Temple. Roused from a not-so-sound sleep by Tom Jackson, who advised him to pack for a trip to Washington, D.C., picked up by hoverplane from an elementary school playground two blocks from his home 45 minutes later, and whisked to the Joint Base flight line, after stops to pick up Melody and Elena - only to sit and cool their heels for hours while someone, somewhere, untangled some bureaucratic red tape.
In all fairness, they had been treated like VIP's from the start. Fed a wonderful breakfast, soon to be followed by an equally wonderful lunch, and provided with everything they asked for - except communication with their families and the fact that they were restricted to the lounge. Initially, both Jack and Elena were gratified that someone, at least, had taken their warnings seriously - but that was hours ago. Repeated inquiries as to what was going on were met with polite, nebulous answers.
In the meantime, Jack and Elena busied themselves with consolidating their data. Soon, Jack brought Melody into the mix - seeing how miserable she looked sitting there, apart from the two astronomers. Jack knew that the discovery of the threat that Melody's Comet posed to Earth had really shaken her, so, as he brought her over, he took the opportunity to have a few words with her.
"Melody - I know the last day has been pretty rough on you. But I - we - need your help. You want to be a scientist - an astronomer. Well, as far as I'm concerned, you became one the second you found that comet. Now, you can continue to sit there and feel sorry for yourself - or you can start acting like the professional astronomer that I know you are, and come help Elena and I."
Melody looked up into Jack's intense, silvery gray eyes, takes a deep breath, and nods. "Okay, Dr. Hawthorne. You're right. How can I help?"
Jack smiles down at her. "You brought your laptop and PADD?" Melody nods. "Good. You'll need both. We have a lot of data to cover. And it's Jack. Let's drop all the "doctor" nonsense."
Melody stands up, grabbing her laptop case and PADD. "Okay - Jack," she says with a small smile.
"That's better," Jack says. "Come on." Together they walk back to the table where Elena Roshenko was working. "Have you met Elena?" Melody shakes her head.
Elena Roshenko stands up, smiling. "Hello, Melody. Jack's told me nothing but good things about you. And what he said goes for me too. I'm Elena."
Melody blushes slightly as she says, "My pleasure, Elena. It's an honor. I've always admired your work."
The three sit down at the table. "Why, thank you, Melody," Elena says. "I have to admit, I'm more than a bit envious. I've never discovered a comet!" At this, Melody blushes even more, as Jack catches Elena's eye and mouths "Thank you."
"Okay," Jack says briskly, "Now where were we?" Soon, the three are deep in conversation, continually referring to the data on their laptops.
Now, as the wait stretches on, all three look up hopefully as the door to the lounge opens, and Melody gasps in surprise as Lieutenant Charles Smith strides into the room carrying a flight bag and garment bag, a Rear Admiral in step with him.
All three stand up as the two officers approach. Melody feels her breath catch in her throat a little at the unexpected sight of Charles. She looks at him quizzically and he gives her an "I'll explain everything" look in return.
The Admiral, a slim man of medium build with close cropped black hair, extended his hand to Jack Hawthorne.
"Dr. Hawthorne? Admiral Quentin Mason, Joint Base Operations. I believe we've met before."
"Of course, Admiral. Nice to see you again, sir." Jack replied, shaking the offered hand. Maybe now we'll get the show on the road, he thinks.
"The boss extends his apologies for the delay. We've decided to send Lieutenant Smith along as liaison. He'll be there to help in any way needed. Your hoverplane should be ready for boarding any time."
"His help will certainly be appreciated," Jack says with a smile, shaking Charles Smith's hand. "And these are my associates, Dr. Elena Roshenko and Melody Temple."
"My pleasure, Doctor," Admiral Mason says, shaking Elena's hand. "And to you as well, Dr. Temple."
Melody blushes as she takes Mason's hand. "Actually, I'm in my doctorate program now, Admiral," she says. And it's doubtful I'll finish, she adds to herself bitterly.
"Well -" Mason says, awkwardly, then "But I believe you're acquainted with Lieutenant Smith?"
"I am, sir," Melody says quietly, smiling at Charles.
Mason quickly introduces Charles to Jack and Elena. Then, a young officer enters the lounge.
"Excuse me, Admiral. The aircraft is ready, sir." he says.
"Well, that's it. Ladies and gentlemen, have a safe and productive trip," Mason says, then draws Charles Smith off to one side. "Take care of her, Smith," he says.
"Thank you, sir - for sending me along," Charles replies.
"Who am I to stand in the way of young love?" Admiral Mason says with a smile. "Besides, us Montana boys have to watch out for each other!" With that, Charles and Mason exchange salutes and handshakes, and then the group is led out of the lounge and onto the flight line, where a sleek hoverplane sits, waiting for them.
"You're from Montana?" Melody asks Charles as they walk to the waiting hoverplane.
"Yep. Whitefish. Admiral's from Missoula. His family is in logging. You'd never know it to look at him, but he used to be a competitive ax thrower when he was younger." Charles says.
Melody laughs and together she and Charles follow Jack and Elena into the hoverplane.
THE CABINET ROOM - WEST WING, THE WHITE HOUSE - 8:00 A.M., FRIDAY, JANUARY 3RD, 2070
"Dim the lights, please," Jack Hawthorne says, and pauses as the lights dim. Turning, he surveys the room. At the antique mahogany table sits the most influential, powerful group of people in the world. Seated in chairs lining the walls were more "power players." Jack, always perfectly at home in the world of academia, felt slightly light headed as he prepared to present the end of the world to the assembled group.
Relax, he says to himself. You're just teaching an astronomy class - to the friggin' President of the United States!
"Dr. Hawthorne?" President Janice York's voice cuts through his reverie. "We're ready."
"Of course, Madam President," Jack says firmly. He taps his PADD and the large view screen on the wall comes to life. A surprisingly sharp image appears on the screen, showing a battered, oblong object against a black background.
"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Comet C/2070-01/MT-PAN-STARRS," Jack says, indicating the object with a laser pointer. "These images were captured by the Tyson Orbiting Observatory less than four hours ago. We had to get creative and use some pretty unusual light wavelengths to penetrate the coma."
"It looks like a potato," says a voice from the table that Jack couldn't identify. The room ripples with nervous laughter.
"This is a very unusual potato," Jack says, relaxing a bit. "Its long axis is seventeen kilometers in length. At its widest, here," Jack indicates with the pointer, "it measures ten kilometers. It's made mostly of rock, bound together by ordinary water ice, frozen carbon dioxide - dry ice - ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, methanol, and trace metals like iron and iridium. Spectral analysis indicates that this is an Oort cloud body," he taps his PADD and the image changes, showing the Oort cloud, "on a hyperbolic orbit, and by the amount of volatile elements sublimating off its surface already, making its first trip to the inner solar system. But, analysis of the Tyson images show something totally unexpected." He taps his PADD again and the image shifts, showing the comet, accompanied by another body.
"At first glance we thought that this was a piece of the comet, 'calved' from the original. Then we thought that maybe this was a dual comet pair - something that we've never seen. But, after spectral analysis, we've determined that this other body is, in fact, an asteroid - and a fairly dense one at that. The comet and the asteroid appear to be orbiting each other around a common center of gravity. This asteroid, as yet unnamed, measures about four kilometers in length by about two and a half kilometers wide."
Jack pauses again and drank some water. As he set the glass down, Janice York asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Dr. Hawthorne, in your opinion, will this thing hit us?"
"Yes," Jack answers firmly, ignoring the shocked gasps and murmurs from the assembled group. "No doubt in my mind."
"But - but - how can you be so sure? I mean, it's just your opinion. You could be wrong..." a voice from the table says. Jack identifies the owner as the Secretary of the Homeland Security Department.
"Allow me, Jack," Elena Roshenko says, standing up. "Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I can answer Secretary Miller's question. I'm Dr. Elena Roshenko, Director of the Mauna Kea Observatory. No, Mr. Secretary, it's not an opinion. Dr. Hawthorne prudently asked for my analysis when the comet was discovered. My conclusions matched his. Still, both of us asked colleagues at our respective observatories to cross check our work and they came to the same conclusion as we did. Finally, we requested independent analysis from the IAU - and their calculations matched ours. It's a fact. We will be hit. In fact, further analysis has been able to determine that the strike - or strikes - will occur in the Northern Hemisphere."
"Strikes? As in more than one?" Janice York asks, alarmed.
"There are two bodies that we're dealing with now, Madam President. Plus, comets are unstable. There's a very good chance that this one will calve - or even break up entirely - as it gets closer to Earth. Anyone ever hear of Shoemaker-Levy 9?" Jack asks the assembled group. There were a few murmurs of assent. Jack taps a few keys on his PADD and an animated simulation appears on the screen.
"In 1993, astronomers Eugene and Carole Shoemaker, along with astronomer David Levy, discovered a comet in orbit around the planet Jupiter. Jupiter's gravity broke this comet apart into twenty-two separate pieces. From July 16th thru July 22nd, 1994, twenty two separate impacts were recorded on Jupiter's Southern hemisphere." The simulation shows each impact as it occurred with resulting fireballs and dark atmospheric scarring. "The dark spots were visible in the atmosphere for months afterwards. The largest impact was estimated to release energy equivalent to six million megatons of TNT. All this from a comet whose original nucleus was less than one third the size of our comet."
The room was totally silent for long seconds, then the President asked, "What can we expect in the way of damage if this hits us?"
Jack takes a deep breath before continuing. "If the comet remains intact, and strikes the ocean, it will create a crater almost 200 kilometers across. No matter what ocean it comes down in, it will generate a mega-tsunami that will affect virtually every coastline in the world. Total destruction within 1000 kilometers of impact. Incalculable amounts of sea water would be vaporized, resulting in world wide torrential rains for weeks or even months after impact. Vast quantities of dust will be thrown up high in the atmosphere, causing a "nuclear winter" effect that will most likely last for years afterwards."
"If the comet breaks up into smaller fragments, expect tsunamis somewhat larger than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed a quarter of a million people. Land strikes forming craters 14 to 16 kilometers in diameter. Massive disruption of global weather patterns." Jack paused again before continuing.
"As far as the asteroid is concerned, a land impact asteroid will create a crater 80 to 90 kilometers across and will cause almost total destruction in a 160 kilometer radius and significant destruction in a 650 kilometer radius. Shallow water tsunami 650 kilometers away will create waves 12 to 25 meters high. 160 kilometers from impact tsunamis will be 150 to 300 meters high. Deep water tsunamis could be as high as 100 meters 5000 kilometers from impact."
The Secretary of Defense finally speaks. "What can we do to stop it?" he asks.
"Mr. Secretary, absolutely nothing. Every contingency we have in place for deflecting a Near Earth Object assumes that we have one item in abundance - time. We have six months. We can't blow it up, contrary to what some popular movies from the last century would have you believe, and there's not enough time to deflect it. The only measures we can take are passive - evacuating coastal regions for at least 200 kilometers inland, for example."
More silence, then another voice says two words. "Holy shit."
"My sentiments exactly," Janice York says. "Dr. Hawthorne, Dr. Roshenko, Ms. Temple, Lieutenant Smith - thank you for your time. I'm sure this won't be the only time we meet. Ladies and gentlemen, let's get to work with the knowledge that we have. We need to bring the U.N. in on this as well. We have a world to save."
"What the hell is this thing called again?" The Secretary of Defense asks.
Before Jack or Elena could answer, another voice - this one from Tom Jackson, who had been silent during the presentation, spoke up.
"The IAU designation doesn't matter. This comet had a name the second it started to fall towards the inner solar system." He pauses for a moment and clears his throat.
"Shiva. The Destroyer."
A/N - I borrowed a bit of technology from the "Star Trek" universe, in giving my characters the PADD (Personal Access Display Device), basically a souped up version of a modern day IPAD. Hopefully as I progress in the story I'll be able to leave science jargon behind and concentrate more on the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
