by Hylton Smith
Sophie had somehow allowed the impending cataclysm to dominate her life, and her art took on a dark side which caused her reputation to suffer. Changing her appearance to become ‘extreme gothic’ didn’t sit well with those marketing her work or with influential art critics. She was confident they would warm to her new persona and she couldn’t have been more wrong. A subsequent spiral into drug addiction required rehabilitation and enrolment in a therapy programme. This put considerable strain on Elise, and indirectly to Julien. It was absolutely the worst time for him to take a break. He sensed that his relationship with his wife was breaking down. Sophie had never really needed contact with her dad, most of the time he wasn’t there and she’d lived through her teenage years as if she only had one parent and a distant uncle. Her artistic talent had helped her to rationalise this perception.
*
Two of the seven observatories which were willing to pool information reported an alteration in the axial spin and velocity of Chocolate Orange. It was a very recent observation, and it generated pressure to avoid making this public knowledge until it could be confirmed by all tracking locations. Julien became nervous and immediately made Brandt aware of the situation.
“I see, are we sure about this? Couldn’t it be the other way around? That the new data showing this change in behaviour of the rock is actually contrived disinformation? It has come to light at the same time as that prat Waverly has departed. I take it our reading of the asteroid doesn’t agree with this claim.”
“That’s right,” said Julien, “but these two locations reporting the aberration are both in the southern hemisphere, one in Chile, the other in South Africa. It can happen that values differ slightly from one viewpoint to another, but these are minor and can normally be harmonised by applying known algebraic variables. But these new alterations in spin and speed are on the borderline between feasible and preposterous. I’m going to travel to Chile to check this with my own eyes. Here in Guiana, we are in closer longitudinal alignment with the south of this continent. Depending on what I find there, I can move on to South Africa.”
“Fine, but make sure that we don’t allow this to break our stride with either of your projects.”
“I’ve issued orders to that end already. We press on as if this hadn’t come up, until we verify or refute the claim. However, I must personally review the various programmes of preventing the asteroid impact once more. Because, if there is substance to imply a change in spin and velocity, it could rule out some options, primarily that the Earth could be in a different place when the asteroid arrives in the near reaches of the solar system in 2039. We have to think outside of the box on this one, Volker, because very small differences in trajectory can make huge differences in the outcome. From a direct impact to a glancing blow, which would imply different consequences for humans. Another aspect I have to consider is the difference between resource and expertise. In my new remit, being responsible for both missions, I may well have to bring in new people. They could be difficult to persuade, but we have to recruit the best on the planet. I’d like to discuss this when I return.”
*
On board the flight to Chile, free from interruption, Julien began to look through the original feasibility studies of the alternative means to deal with Chocolate Orange.
It was well known that a sufficiently large impact by an asteroid would cause, depending on its impact location, massive tsunamis, widespread firestorms and long term atmospheric winter, caused by the sunlight-blocking effect of spewing large quantities of ‘atomised’ rock into the stratosphere.
A collision between the Earth and an approximately 10-kilometre-wide object 66 million years ago, was thought to have produced such conditions, which were responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. Although this incident actually brought forth the opportunity for mammals to take their place in Earth’s pecking order, many or all of these survivors were thought to be living underground at the time. Today, humans, except for a chosen few, could not use such an escape route. The physiology is different, and even if there was still ten years to impact, it wouldn’t be enough time to house the billions of individuals currently involved in either state-sponsored corruption or epidemic anarchy.
Deflection strategy enjoyed pole position in Julien’s list, not least of all because of the ‘fourth dimension’. If time itself was considered as that variable, then it required only a miniscule change in velocity of the asteroid to ‘allow’ Earth to either escape or not arrive. This then brought up the question of whether it was less complex to slow or accelerate the object. Then there was the subtle definition of trajectory, and confusing it with course. It had to be kept in mind that the term course applied to a ‘plotted path’ through space. Trajectory was to be viewed as being at a specific point at a specific time. The remaining factors Julien had to keep in mind with this review was the point in time of launch of any intercept, and the point in time of its strike. Together with this data, determination of axial spin and straight line speed was key, simply because the wrong interaction could produce the opposite effect to the one desired.
Detection from space was candidate number two. The construction and launch of observational craft to cosmic way points could offer more accurate tracking of the object while it is still far away. Debate raged as to whether such expense should be sanctioned without the capability of nudging the asteroid immediately after sending back data.
Riding the harbinger of death was the third and most controversial proposal. Opinion was seriously divided with respect to attaching ‘steering’ influence to the rock, or to employ a process of degradation. Many felt that even the minimum payload needed for counter-vector trimming was unrealistic, whilst the opposite camp believed that attempts to fragment the asteroid could not offer reliable cleavage results and could actually deliver multiple, smaller sized threats which would produce many more impact targets to track.
All of these options had to consider the sub-categories of the devices of influence to be applied. This inevitably led to a last ditch bailout of nuclear strikes, in case the primary chosen method failed. There simply wasn’t the finance available for progressing multiple, elegant, distant operations. If it came down to taking on the monster with banks of nuclear fission force, it had to be at a distance which sat between the requirements of accuracy and unpredictable fallout damage.
Julien put away his dossier, yawned and fastened his seat belt. He found it difficult to be unbiased in considering the choices he faced. The stark reality was that he needed more incoming information, but this report from Chile and South Africa had certainly muddied the water. Waiting for more observational values was frustrating; looking for close to infinitesimal changes which took an inordinately long time to appear was not what the population at large wanted to hear. More than that, it would most likely help to ferment the ongoing slide into the plurality of mafia-style culture.
He needed to speak to Elise as soon as possible. Her messages in the last couple of weeks were hinting at divorce. She’d stressed that they were already separated. He had to tell Volker Brandt that extinction or no extinction, he needed to take a break in France, as inconvenient as that may be. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a decent night’s sleep. Julien Delacroix wondered what it would be like to have a calling more like those of his kids, passion without the pressure, then he thought of his time with NERO. He’d brought this upon himself.
Chapter 6
After an intensive trawl of the aberrant trajectory data in Chile, the stark conclusion for all mankind was that the calibration software had been hacked. The capability required for this could be divided into two components; expertise in cracking firewalls and multiple-layered password protection, plus the more sinister knowledge of how to embed believable deviation in trajectory shift, as observed from the lower southern hemisphere. Julien called Brandt.
“We have a conspiracy of some kind in our midst. The values indicating a ch
ange in trajectory of Chocolate Orange are false. That’s the end of the good news. The sophistication of embedding such marginal changes can only have been to cause division in our efforts and foster the belief that there would be no impact in 2039. The question is – who would be both capable and evil enough to do this? Anyway, I don’t have to go to South Africa, they have cleaned up their system on my recommendation. I’m going to detour to Lyon, as I have some serious family issues to tackle. I’ll have to leave the detective work to you and the security people, but it did occur to me that you might want to check out our previously employed dissenting personnel, all of whom you fired when you put me in charge of both the Mars mission and the asteroid deflection programme. I should also say that this has created one other spin-off challenge. The bogus trajectory values forced me to focus more intently on the interconnections of the two projects. You decided to stick with the 2033 Mars launch date, and I now suggest that we alter the planned back-up missions from colonisation objectives to survival shuttles. If for some reason we fail to deflect the asteroid, and the new Martians can no longer depend on Earth assistance, we should ensure they have life necessities for years ahead, not merely prescribed scientific objectives. They deserve the opportunity to exercise creativity with regard to what they find on Mars. It could be very different from what we think we know. Also, this would allow me to narrow down the research channels for the deflection programme. The sheer number of permutations we are wrestling with at present cannot be sustained. Perhaps if we hadn’t been confronted with these bogus values, I wouldn’t have had to conduct such a fundamental root and branch analysis so soon. I’ll work on the additional expertise we need to reduce our effort from multiple to dual strategies for deflection while I’m in France. Of course, we still have to build a nuclear arsenal in case it all comes down to an Alamo situation.”
“Good work, Julien. I’ll pull in the head of security immediately. Keep in touch.”
*
Another long flight provided Julien with space to search his heart as well as his head. He even contemplated the possibility that he didn’t actually realise precisely how much stress he was suffering. He seemed incapable of reasoning with his wife, apparently his daughter was on the edge of suicide, and his only ally within the family was Eugene. But his son could offer nothing more than tacit support, because he himself had been accused of being unsympathetic to Sophie’s condition. His sister-in-law, Geraldine, had somehow managed to stay neutral in this domestic disintegration. Julien had religiously reminded himself that he must stay focussed on his remit, whatever else he did. Otherwise, his family would simply be claimed along with the rest of the human race. He’d briefly considered marriage counselling, but at the same time thought it would have all the hallmarks of capitulation. His entire life had been plagued with setbacks; how they were dealt with was the making of a person, so that should be his watchword. His wife really ought to understand this, everyone else did. But then again there was his little girl, she was in serious trouble, and he conceded that such draconian self-analysis had to be guided by compassion as well as logic. Why had he really taken on the role of saving the world? There were other people with pretty much the same expertise. Was there an element of wanting to be needed? Was that what Elise was feeling too? His mental gymnastics had failed, as the plane began its descent into Paris. He had the train journey to Lyon to convince himself that he could turn a problem into an opportunity.
*
The high speed train metronomic acoustics threw out an idea. Having an outpost on the red planet with a surfeit of supplies but nothing to take their mind off sheer survival, planted the seed. With even rudimentary technology, by current standards, the crew could actually track Chocolate Orange from there. With no atmosphere to contend with, and the distance between the two planets, they had two advantages. Less interference from planetary magnetic fields, and hackers who were dependent on the internet. This line of thought led to reinforcement of his preference to concentrate the overwhelming proportion of expertise and resource on option 1 in the deflection strategy. The calculations of time and place would be manifold, leading to even more potential rendezvous coordinates. Narrowing down the candidates to single figures had to begin immediately, because of the implications for design of appropriate projectiles and their delivery time.
*
The family reunion was, as expected quite strained. Geraldine tried her best to at least get the conversation going by giving the two of them privacy; she disappeared to go shopping in the city.
“When can we see Sophie?” asked Julien.
“Whenever it’s convenient for you. Everything revolves around your schedules, Julien. She’s in a bad way, so you had better prepare yourself for a shock. I know you’ve always doubted …even ridiculed the diagnosis of mental illness, as has Eugene. But you may not recognise your daughter.”
“Is Eugene coming?”
“No, he seems to think that Sophie’s problem is of her own making…or merely seeking attention He didn’t at first, but gradually found, as I did, that he couldn’t get through to her. He simply says she’s in the best place for her condition and he never visits her now… she’s his sister and he won’t see…I’m sorry, it’s just so distressing.”
“So, do you think he would come if I ask him to?”
“No, I don’t. None of us are the same people you left behind… that you abandoned, to save the entire human race in that God-forsaken place at the other side of the world. Let’s go to the therapy unit, just talking about Sophie is no substitute for seeing her.”
They took a taxi to the therapy centre, which in times gone by might have been labelled as a Sanatorium. It was a tremendous shock for Julien to see all manner of unfortunate young people wandering around aimlessly, whispering to themselves. Sophie was in her room, not feeling well enough to stand up unaided. Massive black halos circled her eyes and a flimsy nightdress clung to her skeletal frame. He couldn’t even tell if she recognised him, so devoid of expression were her facial features. He broke down emotionally and turned away, thinking he was going to faint. The nurse came to his rescue with a chair.
When he recovered a handhold of composure, he tried to make visual connection once more. A weak smile was her only response. No words could be cajoled from Sophie.
“I think we should go to the cafeteria, Julien,” said Elise, “we can come back when the nurse has helped her…look, she can’t even go to the toilet herself. She vomits after every attempt to eat. They are certain she isn’t bulimic, but I’m not convinced… I don’t believe it. They say it’s normal, part of her reaction to going cold turkey. They expect it to last another three or four weeks.”
They walked solemnly to the coffee machine, but there was a queue so they sat at the nearest empty table. It was an unexpected outburst.
“Elise, don’t accuse me of suggesting another quick fix of convenience, but I can’t go back to work after what I’ve just seen. I want to understand what is really going on here. Will these people allow us to take Sophie and her medication away for a break? This place may have a good reputation but it would depress the hell out of me in less than a day, and you told me she’s depressed.”
“It was recommended by our doctor, whom you’ve always respected. And, you haven’t yet seen her when she’s not in this…debilitating…gut-wrenching vomiting sequence. She goes wild at anything you say which is disagreeable to her. I couldn’t take the risk of having her at home never mind on a vacation. However, if you’re serious about taking time off… and I mean really serious, I could use a break. Go ahead, tell them we’re taking her home for a few days, they can’t stop us, but we will need her medication.”
When they got Sophie back to Geraldine’s place she seemed even more confused. She sat by the window looking at two little birds, pecking away at some crumbs which had been scattered on the lawn. A haunting smile passed over her face, a momentary flicker of awareness.
“Elise, when I said we should tak
e Sophie for a break, I meant away from the city. This is where the problem began, we need to give her something to keep on stimulating a smile, like she’s smiling now. How about going to the Cote D’Azur for the weekend? Geraldine, your company would be most welcome, unless you have other plans.”
“I don’t know,” replied Elise, wearily, “it’s sure to be busy, I don’t like the idea of her being in a crowd…you know, or amongst heavy traffic.”
“Yes, you’re right. How would you feel about me taking her back to Guiana with me?”
“Julien, have you been on drugs too? You’ve never had time for your family - ever, so, just how do you think you could take care of her in a place like that?”
“Well, I have people who could help out, that is if you want to stay here.”
“Back to the old trusted and tried life recipe, you mean? You go to work, I look after the family all of the time, all of the bloody time. I said I’d like a break; that sounds like hell.”
“Fair point, but when I said I have people who can help, I meant medical people. The spaceport is in a remote location and we have to make sure the employees’ wellbeing is a top priority. Listen, the remoteness could be an advantage. It’s a beautiful, peaceful location with very diverse wildlife and flora, an artist’s dream. I’d make sure we got Sophie the best possible care, and we could take her out whenever we want. Maybe we could help her to start painting again. Geraldine, I think you would also like the country, the nearest city isn’t too far away and the coastline is virtually unspoilt. Would you come with us?”
Elise looked at her sister and detected a gleam of excitement.
“Hold on a moment. Can we just sleep on this… and …and decide in the morning? I must have at least a thousand questions flying around in my head. I can see the positives in what you say, I just need to get some sleep… and uh…process everything carefully, including how much of the time you’ll be accessible if we have problems of any kind. I have trouble visualising you changing the habits of a lifetime overnight. Maybe you don’t really know yourself, Julien, even after all these years.”