Yes.
“If that’s true, we got a problem. We’re usually at our most purposeful when we’re trying to annihilate each other.”
Purpose is often working together to defeat an enemy, but it can be a common enemy.
He slapped his forehead. “Of course, the comet!” It would give humanity a common goal. “But how do you pull humanity together to fight something they can’t see until it’s too late?”
Good question.
The next day, Elizabeth was halfway through her shift when Lesia said, “Girl, we need to talk.”
Over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria, Lesia said, “He’s living with you. Talk to me.”
Elizabeth shared what had transpired, and Lesia listened quietly, asking for details at several points. Finally, Lesia shook her head. “You know he was suspended from the hospital?”
Elizabeth nodded. “He said he damaged one of the mowers.”
“But did he say how it happened?”
Elizabeth frowned and shook her head.
Lesia glanced around. “Someone saw him attack a man in a parked car. Rumor is it was an undercover cop.”
Elizabeth looked skeptical but before she could object, Lesia continued, “You said he’s spending his time online doing research. What’s he studying?”
“I guess he’s trying to find his identity and figure out what he’s going to do with his life.”
“Have you actually seen where he goes online?”
Elizabeth frowned. “Well, no. It’s really none of my business.”
Lesia gave her the head and finger wag. “Au contraire, girl, it’s very much your business. He’s going to these sites on your computer from your home.” Her face softened as she continued in a gentler voice. “So you got the hots for this guy, who could blame you? But you still don’t know anything about him. Honey, you gotta protect yourself. You’re a computer geek. Find out what he’s doing ... carefully!”
Elizabeth nodded.
On the way home, she called Dr. Lopez. Something she had promised Lesia she’d do, but had never done. They talked for 20 minutes.
As soon as she got home, she saw a note from Josh. He had taken Toto to the park for a walk and would be back in an hour.
Looking around unnecessarily, she sat down in front of the computer he used.
II
CONSPIRACY
“If asteroids were marbles, they’d fill a dump truck,
but if cometary objects were marbles, you’d need a line of dump trucks parked bumper-to-bumper for 200 miles.”
14
CHALLENGE
With cool temperatures and threatening clouds, the park was almost empty. Toto had taken a liking to him, and he really enjoyed going for walks with her. He’d also found a good way to talk to Jesse in public without looking strange. Slipping an unpowered Bluetooth headset in his ear, he said, “Jesse, Josh, can you hear me?”
After sensing his link was live, he said, “I’ve read everything I can find on comets. I’m ready to join the team. What’s the plan? How are we going to stop this thing?”
What would you do if you were in charge?
“I hate it when you answer questions with questions ... especially questions like that.” He took a deep breath. “We need experts and resources.”
How would you get them?
“Well, you could do it politically. A world leader could move national resources. Or, you could get an expert who can influence governments.”
Do you have to influence publically?
“I guess a lot of important decisions are made behind the scenes.”
What’s required?
Laughing, Josh said, “I know, I could write a book about our conversations and start a fake religious cult.”
Although there was no sound, he was certain Jesse was “laughing.” It was just a bright sense of amusement.
While Jesse was amused, he asked, “How about transferring a hundred million dollars into my checking account?”
Silence.
It was worth a try. It also told him that as far as Jesse was concerned, he could probably forget Occam’s Razor. Instead, it was more like Arthur Conan Doyle’s, “Whatever remains, no matter how improbable must be the truth.”
He took a deep breath. “Jesse, you don’t work for a government lab, do you?”
No.
Then who are you? Who do you represent?
All in time.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
Silence.
Sensing the conversation was over, he looked down at the dog. “Toto ... I have a feeling he’s not from Kansas anymore.”
As they got back to the condo, Josh noticed the silence. The music that usually played in the background was missing. Elizabeth was sitting on the couch looking at him intently and biting the side of her lip.
He gave her a questioning look.
She stood up and came toward him. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Look, Josh, you know more about your past than you’re letting on.”
He felt a knot in his stomach. “Why do you say that?”
She looked a little sad. “I’m not a psychiatrist, but I’ve read up on amnesia. It’s usually selective to an event or time. It’s hard to believe you have all this knowledge and don’t remember how you got any of it. Lopez also told me you refused hypnosis.” She paused. “I watched you take down a 300-pound man without working up a sweat, and I’ve seen what you’re researching online — U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense, nuclear weapons, high-energy lasers?” She looked directly into his eyes. “Josh, who are you and what are you doing?” Her voice was a little raspy.
The knot in his stomach became a pit. “You’re right. I haven’t told you everything.” He shook his head. “But you wouldn’t believe me if I did.”
She gave him a steely stare. “You might be surprised. Try me.”
Looking down, he said, “I ... I can’t.”
“Why?” Her voice cracked.
“It’s for your own protection.”
“My protection! What are you talking about?”
He said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here.” Shaking his head as if clearing cobwebs, he continued, “I’m putting you at risk. It was a terrible mistake. I need to go. ”
With tears in her eyes, she spun around and went to her room.
He put his few possessions in his duffel bag and left the condo. Sad and angry, he walked across the parking lot.
What are you doing?
Startled, he stopped and looked around. Then realized it was Jesse. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m busy pissing off the only human being willing to help me.” He paused. “She knows I’m not being straight with her but I can’t tell her the truth; she’d have me committed. Even if she believed me, I can’t involve her. It could put her in serious danger.”
What happens to her if you fail?
He rarely swore, but let loose a few choice words. Then sighing, he turned around and went back.
Inside the condo, he set his bag near the entrance and went to her closed bedroom door. He knocked gently and quietly asked, “Elizabeth, may I speak to you?”
She opened it tentatively and came out.
“Elizabeth, I care about you and don’t want you hurt.”
With glassy eyes, she gently shook her head frowning. “Don’t you understand? You are hurting me. Stop trying to do my thinking. Let me decide what I do and don’t believe.” She looked both defiant and vulnerable.
He took a deep breath. “I’m going to explain as much as I can. Then you can decide if I’m stark raving mad.”
She just stared at him.
“The world’s facing a cataclysm.”
She cocked her head slightly and said, “Those weren’t just philosophical discussions.” She slowly walked past him toward the living room, then turned and said, “You believe we’re going to get hit by an asteroid, don’t you?”
Stunned at how quickly she had put the puzzle pie
ces together, he said, “A comet.”
Facing him, she said, “A comet? How do you know?”
“That’s the part that’s hard to believe.”
Uneasily, she said, “What, you think you’re ... an alien?”
He smiled. “No, I’m not an alien.”
Her eyebrows went up. “An angel?”
He laughed. “No, I’m not that deluded. Unfortunately, I’m very human.”
Her eyes narrowed as she slowly said, “You believe you’re here to prepare us for the end?”
“No, I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure this isn’t the end.”
She put her finger on her lips and slowly turned away from him. She walked across the living room, stopping in front of the windows overlooking the city. He could see her face reflected in the dark windowpane. She stood there silently, staring into the night.
In the lengthening silence, he said, “As a nurse, you know schizophrenia is often accompanied by delusions of grandeur.”
She said nothing.
The room was painfully quiet. He replayed their conversation in his mind, trying to hear it from her perspective. He realized, at best, he might earn her pity. She hadn’t moved. The only sound in the room was a large, decorative clock, loudly ticking off the seconds.
Finally, he realized he had his answer. He picked up his bag and turned to the door. Over his shoulder, he said softly, “I’m ... I’m sorry.” Turning the door handle, he glanced back. He saw her spin around to face him. She walked toward him purposefully with fire in her eyes. He paused, bracing for the attack.
Stopping directly in front of him, hands on hips, she said loudly, “Josh, I’m attracted to you, but I’m not a child and I’m not stupid!”
There it was. It hurt, but ultimately it was best for her. Trying not to let his emotions show, he repeated softly and genuinely, “I’m so sorry.”
She continued, “What you say is way out there!”
He nodded his head in resignation and opened the door. He would have to start thinking about where to go and what to do if she turned him in.
As he started to leave, she reached in front of him and pushed the door shut. Speaking quickly, she said, “But so is everything else about you. You show up out of nowhere, no fingerprint records, not even dental fillings for heaven’s sake. I’ve seen every square inch of your body. No one can make it to your age without a single scar. Your medical reports say you’re the healthiest human alive. Your numbers are off the charts. That’s not explainable by mental illness.” She edged closer. With the slightest of frowns, her eyes searched his face. Staring directly into his eyes, as if trying to see inside, she delivered the final blow. “Josh, I know who you are and who sent you.”
His jaw dropped. He barely got out a whispered, “You do?”
Instead of answering, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Yes, Josh, I do.”
Dropping his bag, he returned her hug. He had no idea what just happened. Could she really know who sent him? No, that wasn’t possible. He didn’t even know. Yet, she seemed completely confident with her understanding. He needed to know what she believed, and started to open his mouth to ask, but every endorphin in his body said, ‘Shut up.’ He just stood there, frozen in time, gently hugging her.
She finally pulled back, wiping her eyes and said, “OK, what do we need to do?”
Close to tears himself, he said softly, “Thank you.” He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “We’re on a clock. We have less than two years.” Pausing and taking another breath, he added, “I’m trying to figure out the technology required.”
All business, Elizabeth said, “What’s our first objective?”
Speaking more confidently, he said, “I’m trying to identify which programs have the greatest potential to deflect a comet.”
She nodded, “Why can’t we go public?”
He laughed. “Well, I’m sure I could convince the tabloids.”
“You have no proof?”
“And won’t until it’s too late.”
“Why can’t the astronomers find it?”
“We haven’t even been able to find all the threatening asteroids, much less comets.”
“What’s the difference?”
“There are about two million asteroids orbiting in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.”
She nodded.
“But there are hundreds of billions of cometary objects, and they live out beyond Neptune. The volume of space they can hide in is a trillion times bigger than the Asteroid Belt.”
She frowned, clearly trying to grasp the scale.
He thought for a moment. “If asteroids were marbles, they’d fill a dump truck, but if cometary objects were marbles, you’d need a line of dump trucks parked bumper-to-bumper for 200 miles. And if the Asteroid Belt were the size of a donut, it would take a sphere one mile-wide to hold all the comets.”
She whistled softly.
He sighed. “Because comets orbit so far out, they reflect almost no sunlight. That means, unlike asteroids, they’re pretty much invisible.”
“So it takes longer to find them?”
“With current technology, it’s not possible.”
She nodded. “So we’re not going to see it until it’s too late, but how dangerous is it? I mean is it really like in the movies?”
“Worse.”
“But isn’t a comet made of ice? Won’t it melt in the atmosphere?”
“At 30 miles per second, it’ll cross the earth’s atmosphere in three seconds.”
She said softly, “No time to melt.” Frowning, she asked, “So what happens if it hits?”
“Depends on how big it is.”
She gave him a small smile, “So size does matter.”
He smiled back. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“What if it was like Halley’s Comet?”
Staring off into space with no expression, he said, “Halley’s Comet is about 11-kilometers across. An impact that size would create a two-hundred-million-megaton explosion.”
She gave him a questioning frown.
“That’d be the same destructive power as a global nuclear war ... if it occurred every day for 50 years.” Eyes unfocused, he continued, “The firestorm would incinerate the continents on one side of the planet. The shockwave would race through the earth’s crust, causing massive earthquakes. Cities not incinerated or blown away would turn to rubble. Tsunamis a half mile high would sweep the globe. The fires would poison the atmosphere, turning day into night for months. What wasn’t vaporized, crushed or suffocated, would freeze and starve as the world entered an ice age.” He finished, “We’re not just talking about the end of humanity; we’re talking about the end of almost all life on Earth.”
Nodding, she said seriously, “Well that kinda sucks.”
15
CONSPIRACY
After Elizabeth went to sleep, it was very quiet in the condo. With his exceptional hearing, he could hear her rhythmic breathing down the hall. She always slept with her door open. He preferred to sleep with his closed. It was indicative of their personalities. He was private, skeptical and analytical. She was open, trusting and giving. That probably explained why he found her irritatingly attractive. To add insult to injury, she kicked her covers off as she slept. With her “mostly air” nightgowns and his exceptional night vision, he had to keep his eyes forward when passing her door ... most of the time.
Focusing back on the problem at hand, he scribbled some notes on the tablet Elizabeth loaned him, but finally dropped it on the couch in frustration.
Very quietly, he asked, “Jesse, you there?” He sensed the link was open. “Jesse, I’ve looked at every possible technology for deflecting comets and asteroids. All of them require 10 to 20 years to implement.”
And?
“There are things that might work from a physics standpoint, but they’re not possible from an engineering perspective and there’s no time to develop t
hem.” He shook his head. “Even if we could, I don’t have the knowledge or experience to put together a project big enough to do it.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. You made a mistake choosing me. You need to give this to someone else.”
You have the single most important qualification.
“A minor in Astronomy?”
You were willing to give up your life for others.
That caught him by surprise. He shook his head. “Hate to tell you this, but I didn’t intend to die.”
You could have ejected sooner.
“No, I couldn’t. I had to stay with the jet. I had to....”
Yes?
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m not capable of doing this.”
You don’t have the knowledge or experience.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”
Enlist those who do.
“I can’t. Those from my past life, who could’ve helped, think I’m dead.”
You and they have a common friend.
“Common friend? I don’t understand.” He felt like a slow child. Then it dawned on him. “Wait, you mean ... me. I’m the common friend.” He paused. “I could introduce myself as a friend of my past self. I know things about them that only my former self would know.” He shook his head with a slight smile. “That sounded seriously schizophrenic.” With a deep breath, he said, “OK, but even if that works, I still need experts beyond my few past friends.”
You need leaders. They will multiply you and do what you can’t.
“How would I get them? I don’t have anything to offer.”
They don’t need reward. They require purpose. Capture their minds and hearts.
As the conversation ended, the weight of the world settled on his shoulders. He carefully reviewed everything Jesse had imparted. Blowing out a lungful of air, he said quietly to Toto, “It looks like I may be in charge of protecting humanity.”
Impact (Fuzed Trilogy Book 1) Page 8