He looked out over the crowd, aware that all of the lights were on him, but it still felt dim. After what seemed like ten minutes to Robert, he got the courage to speak, and began with something very unimportant.
“Thank you, President Chaplin. First of all, I noticed the press calling this comet a ‘meteor.’ What is traveling toward us is not a meteor, but a comet. Comets are big, frozen rocks that are typically found in the Kuiper belt, which is about two-point-six billion miles away from us. As the comet gets closer to the Sun, its outer edges will start to melt, giving off a tail of material. These melting regions will play a part in moving the comet’s path.
“The comet itself is orbiting the Sun, like everything else in our solar system. It was knocked by another comet some time ago, and this gave it an entirely new orbital path. Within twenty-four months it will come close enough to Earth that we cannot risk doing nothing.”
The fat woman from CNN, who had been jumping on her butt in her chair, jumped in quickly to ask a question when Robert took a breath. “Is there a possibility of the meteor landing in the Pacific Ocean, affecting only coastal areas due to a resulting tsunami?”
“Unfortunately, a comet the size of J312 will penetrate the crust of the Earth, and the debris the comet will release into the atmosphere will increase the temperature of the earth by thousands of degrees centigrade within a few days. If this comet hits, all life on Earth will be destroyed, except perhaps some species of protozoa,” he said to an increasingly quieter audience. Robert stood uncomfortably behind the podium, knowing what he was about to say would change history. “So it doesn’t matter where it will make impact. It will destroy all life on planet Earth if it lands.”
“What, exactly, is our plan of attack?” a man from Al-Jazeera asked.
“Comets like J312 have a lot of frozen material inside them. As they get closer to the Sun, some of that material melts, and the gas that’s under the outer layer can shoot out, kind of like a jet, which can act to propel the comet. We plan to use this phenomenon to push the comet out of Earth’s path.
“We will be using nuclear weapons to force these jets to shoot in strategic locations around the comet, which will slowly move the comet out of its collision course with Earth. We are also using all the technology available to track the comet and model its expected trajectory.”
“How likely is a collision event?” someone asked, while the rest of the room held its breath. To Robert, the air in the room seemed to get even heavier.
“We believe . . . ” He trailed off and looked back to the president, who silently urged him to give the world confidence, but Robert was conflicted. Should I give false hope or tell the truth?
“The comet is very large,” he began, “but we have a lot of weapons on our side. And if the world unites against the comet, we have a good chance of survival.”
“Is there a percentage of likelihood of impact?”
Yes, he thought, ninety-nine percent. “No,” he replied, feeling his gut churn at the lie.
“Your best guess.”
Robert sighed. “Next question, please.”
It seemed that the media was processing the information themselves, and were also unsure what to say or ask. A few reporters even left the room.
A younger reporter stood up then and addressed Robert. “The One Union Anarchist leak used the name ‘Shiva.’ This is the name NASA has made for the comet?”
Robert smiled. “Yes, well, no. It’s not so much NASA as myself and a few other coworkers . . . ”
While Robert responded to the question, Suri imagined the faces of the reporters talking to him. Every one of them probably had that look of dreadful disbelief—the kind of look you only make when you learn that Earth’s expiration date is around five billion years early. She had decided to stay home and be with her family while the announcement was made, and she hugged her little sister as they sat on the couch with their parents, watching as President Chaplin returned to make some closing remarks.
Thousands of miles away, in Torrance, California, Gerald Jan looked over his SpaceX factory, his arms folded, admiring his newest creation. It would be ready for testing soon. Even Mr. Jan was impressed by what the engineers at SpaceX had created to stop Shiva from destroying the world. Dr. Robert Miller and the rest of NASA would need to know about his creation soon.
Jeremy and the crew sat under a tree next to their campsite in the Sam Houston National Forest, drinking water. For a brief second it seemed as though they were just camping, having a break from high school, and enjoying the warm Houston night . . . except that the president had just broken the news about Shiva to the world. They’d watched it on Dustin’s phone.
Without talking, the four friends got ready for bed. They had a long drive to make tomorrow, miles to go before they slept. In fact, it would be a long time to go before any of them would sleep soundly again.
The Sky is Falling Page 10