“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Anil says before zipping off. He scans a workspace looking for something sturdy and spots the timer.
17:45, 17:44, 17:43…
“Crap,” he mutters to himself. Piles of documents cover a desktop. He flips through drawers and comes up empty.
“What’s the matter?” Kwame asks him.
“I need something to prop up the laser.”
“Follow me.” Kwame races to the crate and grabs pieces of wood and packaging wire. “How about these? Will they work?”
“Maybe. Let’s bundle them together.” They assemble a few rudimentary constructs. “Help me take this to Dr. Sanders.”
They hurry into the accelerator’s core and deliver the supplies. The team builds a makeshift platform and mounts the laser on top. Austin picks up a power cord. “Anil, plug this in!”
Anil rushes out and looks for an electrical outlet. He finds one and rams in the socket. On the way back to the accelerator, he sees the timer.
13:12, 13:11, 13:10…
“Dr. Sanders, turn on the beam!”
Austin curses. “I did. The indicator says standby!”
“It needs to warm up.”
“Just great. How long will that take?”
“I don’t know.”
Beth shouts from across the laboratory. “Diego just messaged me. He’s five minutes away!”
“Crap!” Austin yells. “I don’t think we’ll make it.”
The team crawls out from the Cyclotron’s core. Anil points. “Oh no, we still have to prepare the reactor.” He quickly picks up the zirconium sphere. A rubber cord dangles from its base. “Fei, can you help me connect this to the Tesla batteries?”
“Sure.” She cuts the cord and exposes a copper line, which they attach to a battery. “We need more wire to build a circuit.”
“I brought some,” Anil says. “Let me get it.”
10:54, 10:53, 10:52…
Suddenly Anil hears a loud hissing and smells burnt metal. “The laser must be on. Where is it?” He runs back into the accelerator core and adjusts the stack until the beam shines through the injector port.
A sizzling streak fans across the laboratory.
“We’re cooking,” Beth shouts. “Stand away from the ray!”
Austin scans the timer. “We have to make contact with the zirconium. Hurry and set up the reactor!”
The team grabs the cubes and carries them across the laboratory, assembling them below the laser and warily avoiding the heat.
Beth hands out safety glasses. “Wear these and don’t look directly at the light.”
Anil and Kwame prepare a column and Austin guides them. “Add one more block and let’s see if it’s tall enough.”
They finish the assembly and Anil carefully places the Titan prototype on top of the post. The beam hits the zirconium shell and a crackling sound fills the laboratory. Smoke rises from the contact point.
Tom covers his mouth. “The reactor isn’t anchored down. This is very unprofessional!”
Beth nervously taps her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Tom. We’re normally much more polished than this.” She points to an associate. “Fei, get that unit stabilized. Hurry!”
7:12, 7:11, 7:10...
Anil scans the clock and slumps. “I still haven’t connected the batteries to the reactor.”
“You take care of that,” Austin says. “We’ll do the rest.”
Anil grabs spare wire and connects the nodes to form a circuit. He takes out his laptop and opens a program showing the power flowing from the reactor. The indicator reads “0 Volts” with a flat line at zero. “Dr. Sanders, the batteries are ready. I’m tracking the output now.”
Austin looks over. “On a laptop? Isn’t it easier to use your smartglasses?”
Anil blushes. “I don’t have any. I sold my pair…”
Beth overhears the conversation. “That’s unacceptable. Everyone on the team should have them.” She hands him her glasses. “Take these.”
Anil looks at her offering. “Are you sure, Dr. Andrews? I don’t want to impose.”
“I have four pairs at home. They are yours now.”
Anil bows. “Thank you, Dr. Andrews. I’m deeply appreciative.” He takes the specs from her and places them on his face.
3:43, 3:42, 3:41…
The door barges open and Diego enters, frantic. “Sorry I’m late! I have the titanium.”
Austin points. “Give it to Tom. We only have three minutes!”
Diego scans the laboratory with a confused look. “Who the hell is Tom?”
Tom runs over and grabs the titanium from him. He rushes to the robotic arm and jumps on a chair, nearly losing his balance and dropping the package. Austin catches him before he falls.
“Ninety seconds left,” Beth screams. “Inject the titanium!”
Tom powers on the Cyclotron and an electrical roar fills the lab. He opens the canister and takes out a pea-sized glass sphere, placing it in the robotic arm. With a few taps on the screen, he loads the titanium into the port.
Austin stomps his foot. “Hurry and anchor down the reactor. We need contact now!”
“We’re almost done!” Fei shouts.
The Cyclotron arm inserts the titanium ions into the steel track. The laser temporarily disappears when the robot covers the injector port, and it reappears as the arm retracts. As it collides with the accelerating titanium ions, a sulfur-like smell emanates through the room.
Fei and the team scurry to mount the reactor. It wobbles as the beam makes contact with its zirconium shell, sending black smoke in the air. Hissing sounds intensify and people cover their ears.
“Is it supposed to be this loud?” Austin shouts over the noise. His heart races as the room shakes with an oscillating thunder. Flashes of light reflect off the melting zirconium and bathe the room red.
34, 33, 32…
Beth holds onto a desk, screaming, “I have a bad feeling about this!”
15, 14, 13…
“Let’s get out here!”
She dashes from the laboratory and sprints down the hallway toward the parking lot, stopping to look back for her team. Seconds later, they emerge from the lab. “Where’s Anil?” she shouts.
Austin looks back. “He’s still in there!”
“Shit,” she whispers as her heart beats through her chest. Suddenly Anil appears. She turns and runs frantically to the loading dock.
3, 2, 1…
A flash of electricity strikes the building and a massive explosion hurls people into the air. Beth jumps and falls headfirst towards the ground, reaching out her hands to break the fall. She lands hard and cringes when her shoulder slams into the concrete.
Flames rip from the ceiling and a wave of heat blasts outward and sets trees ablaze. Debris rains down on Austin. “The building is on fire,” he shouts. “Keep moving!”
Writhing in pain, Beth crawls on her hands and knees and looks back to see the building’s roof collapse as an inferno consumes the facility.
Tom shields his face from the heat. “The Cyclotron’s destroyed! What have you done?”
“Everyone, get away from the laboratory!” Austin shouts. He rubs his forehead and sees blood on his hand, then removes his cracked smartglasses and pulls glass shards from his face. “This is a disaster!”
Beth clutches her shoulder. “Did we all make it out? Where’s Fei?”
She clutches her leg in pain. “I’m here.”
Sirens blare in the distance and helicopters approach the scene. Beth turns to Tom. “I’m sorry about this. We didn’t know this would happen. We’ll pay for the damages.”
Tom turns white. “It’s a disaster! What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you catch the gravity wave?”
Beth turns to Anil, who lies on the ground staring at his laptop screen. “Have you found anything?”
“Yes,” Anil says. “Take a look at this.”
They crawl around
him. Austin bites his lip in pain as he squints at the laptop. “What do you see?”
Anil points to a spike. “My app recorded an energy surge at the moment the gravity wave struck.”
“Did the reactor work?” Beth asks.
“It looks like it. All five Tesla batteries were charged instantaneously at the moment of impact before they exploded.”
“How much power did we create?”
“Six thousand volts in less than 1 nanosecond.”
“A nanosecond?”
“That’s right—10-9 seconds. If the reaction lasted for two full seconds, it would be the largest generator on Earth.”
Austin’s jaw drops. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“Yes,” Anil cries, “we have finally solved nuclear fusion!”
PART 3
19.
ABOARD THE USS Hawkeye space shuttle, Captain Lionel Mercer runs a system update and checks a navigation panel. He looks at Earth fading in the distance, its northern hemisphere illuminated by the Sun.
His boss, Colonel Abe McNair, sits next to him in the cockpit. “Why are you so busy, private?”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“You’re always working. Why?”
“Just making sure we’re on track for Mars.”
Abe laughs. “The ship’s A.I. is smarter than you, so relax.” He unbuckles his seat belt and drifts, weightless. “Seeing this is your first time in space, I need to give you some pointers.”
Lionel stares at a display analyzing data. “Yes, sir, I’m listening.”
“First off, you need to chill. This is a marathon, not a sprint.” He takes out a packet and squeezes an espresso droplet, aiming it towards the younger captain. “You take things too seriously, Lionel. Do you want to burn out in two weeks?”
“No, sir.”
“Then relax and have some fun.”
Lionel turns to find a brown liquid morphing in front of his face. “What is this, Colonel?”
“Drink it.”
He opens his mouth and swallows the droplet, signaling with his thumbs up. “Tastes great, sir.”
Abe bursts into laughter. “Are you kidding me, private? That’s the worst brew I’ve ever had.”
“In Denver, people will wait in line for this. It tastes pretty good to me.”
“You’ve never had Philz?”
“What’s that?”
“How old are you, Lionel?”
“I’m twenty-three, sir.”
Abe slaps his forehead. “Twenty-three? I’m forty years older than you!” He wags his finger. “You see, that’s your problem right there, private. Your generation missed out. Philz was the last great coffee franchise. It’s a shame they’re no longer around.”
Lionel unbuckles his belt and floats upward. “What was it like?”
Abe lifts a dumbbell and exercises. “Magical. You would walk into a shop and the whole place smelled like roast. It was heaven.”
“Wow…where did all the coffee come from?”
“Things were different back then. When I was your age, it grew on trees. There were plantations with miles of beans as far as you can see.”
“You mean it grew naturally?”
“Yes! It wasn’t like today where it’s farmed under lamps. We had unique blends and varieties. You’d walk into a Starbucks and a barista would make your cappuccino exactly the way you wanted—double shot Arabica with frothy milk on top. And not some artificial powder. I’m talking about real cow’s milk.”
Lionel’s eyes widen. “Cow’s milk? I heard about that.”
Abe points. “You see, there it is again. Your generation is lost.”
“Well, we learned about that in school—”
“There’s no substitute for the real thing, private. You can’t experience life from a book. Back in the old days, cows roamed free on pastures and you’d eat your morning cereal with a splash of milk and some strawberries. It got your brain working for the day.”
“That sounds great,” Lionel says. “I wish I could have some.”
Abe puts away his dumbbells. “All this food talk is making me hungry. Let’s fire up some Ration 2.”
“Yes, sir.” Lionel floats to the console and taps a monitor. A sucking noise fills the cabin and two plastic packages drop from a vacuum tube. He grabs one and hurls it in the direction of his boss.
“What’s on the menu?” Abe asks.
“Mashed potatoes, sir.”
Abe reaches for the packet and unplugs its cap. “You know there aren’t real potatoes in here?”
Lionel frowns and grows silent.
Abe raises a finger. “Private, don’t tell me you’ve never had a real potato? What about hash browns or French fries with ketchup? Back in the day—”
Lionel fumes. “Sir, with all respect, you don’t have to mock everything. Times have changed. We enjoy our food differently now. It doesn’t make it any better or worse than how it was before.”
Abe gives a cold stare. “It’s definitely worse now. You’re telling me food today tastes good? All that Midwest farmland has turned to desert and nothing grows in the soil anymore. You see, it’s the sun and dirt that give flavor. That is what’s missing in these laboratory crops. One day you’ll understand, private.”
Lionel bites his lip and drifts back to his seat, buckling himself in. He checks his status update and opens a mission log. As he gets back to work, a female voice fills the cockpit. “Attention, all units!”
Abe swims back to his chair. “It’s from Central Command...”
A red light flashes. “Attention all military personnel, you’re advised to be on high alert. Repeat, this is a warning for all soldiers in space.”
Lionel trembles. “What do we do, Colonel?”
“Relax, private, just listen to the instructions.”
“This is an urgent message from Central Command. All troops in New China, prepare for armed conflict. Repeat, be ready to defend against an imminent attack.”
Abe buckles in. “This sounds serious.”
“Attention all forces en route to Mars, you are advised to abort your missions and return to Earth. Repeat, all outbound spacecraft must turn back.”
“What the hell is going on?” Abe shouts as he scans the mission log. “Why would we turn back if there’s an attack on Mars?”
The transmission goes silent and Abe picks up an emergency phone. “Come in, Centcom.”
Seconds pass and the cockpit stays quiet. Lionel types on a navigation window. “I’m turning the ship around, Colonel.”
“Don’t do that yet.” Abe holds the phone to his ear. “Central Command, are you there?”
A female voice streams through the intercom. “USS Hawkeye, this is Centcom.”
“We received your message,” Abe says. “To clarify, you want us to return home?”
She answers after a two-second lag. “Yes, Hawkeye, come back.”
“You don’t want us to engage the enemy?”
“Obey your orders! The Chinese have blockaded the ports on Mars and American ships are not able to land. You must turn around immediately.”
Lionel leans forward in his chair. “Yes, Houston, we hear you loud and clear. I’m programming us to head back.”
“What a waste of time,” Abe mutters. “We flew to space for nothing.”
Lionel stares into space. “It’s a good thing we left this morning. We’ll be home in no time.”
Thrusters kick in and the shuttle reorients its trajectory. Soon Earth and the moon come into view as sunlight brightens the cockpit.
Abe clenches his fist. “Rats! I was looking forward to destroying the enemy. We’ve got some new weapons in our arsenal.”
“We do?” Lionel asks. “I wasn’t told about that.”
“I guess they didn’t brief the junior staff.”
“Thanks for the confidence boost,” Lionel scowls. “What’s on board?”
“Nukes and long-range EMP guns fresh from the factory.”
/> “EMP?”
“Electromagnetic pulse. You haven’t heard? It’s a blast that destroys all infrastructure in an instant.”
“Sounds powerful.”
“It is. We can instantly disable cities without killing anyone, even cripple entire countries with no bloodshed.”
“Guess we won’t be using it this time.”
Abe shakes his head. “That’s a shame. You know when American was really great?”
“Sir?”
“When we had a penis.”
Lionel rolls his eyes. “Don’t say that, Colonel. We’re still a powerful country—”
Abe points at Earth. “I’m talking about Florida, private. The Sunshine State used to look like a penis. Now it’s shaped like the stump of a tree trunk.”
Lionel spots North America and follows the Atlantic Ocean to the square-shaped tip of Florida jutting a few hundred miles from the mainland. “What do you mean, sir?”
“Did you not take geography in high school? What are they teaching you these days? Go back and look at pictures of Florida from 50 years ago.”
“It was different back then?”
“Yes! We used to have great cities like Miami and Key West. Now they’re all sitting underwater.”
Lionel squints. “What were they like?”
“Paradise! I had the best Cuban sandwich in Miami one summer. I remember it like it was yesterday—sitting near the ocean in South Beach with a margarita. That sandwich was divine, young man. Fresh pork and cheese.”
“Yes, sir, I’ve had pork myself.”
“Fresh from a pig? Or grown in a laboratory?”
Lionel squints. “I’m not sure.”
“This is what I’m talking about, private. Your generation is clueless. You need to go out and experience the world.”
Lionel looks away in frustration. The pockmarked moon grows larger from the cockpit window as they approach Earth. Its ozone layer is stripped bare and the northern ice cap is nearly gone. Sparse glaciers line the Arctic Circle, and most of Greenland and Canada are dry. Once connected, North and South America lie separated by miles of ocean.
Extinction 6 Page 15