by Hylton Smith
“I asked one of the Soyuz IT guys I brought here with me to check up on the Siberian plant status following the ‘unplanned launch’. There is no sign of any staff, including Kaputin. The place is already crawling with gigantic earth-moving vehicles. I checked this out with Soyuz HQ and they confirmed that this was all part of the plan. The underground factory was always destined to disappear after the launch, and the landscape returned to its natural beauty. I could not get any handle on exactly who was authorised to do what leading up to the order to set these missiles free. Kaputin was not part of the restoration programme, and the official line is that nobody knows where he is. It is my bet that it all goes back to Kolorov. I cannot see us ever finding out more about the chain of command involved with this company. Your plan to close down their entire operation now seems to make good sense.”
“So, are you saying nobody in either the Siberian factory or Soyuz HQ has the remotest idea what the missiles are programmed to do?”
“No, I am saying that some people may know, but nobody is going to tell. My money is still on Kaputin, but unless he is found, we are never going to know for sure. Anyway, at the speed these missiles are travelling, we will know what they are programmed to do soon enough. As annoying as this is, there are more important things to work on. I will make sure Eugene knows everything I know as our fleet progresses. I wish you a speedy recovery from this operation. Am I allowed to visit you next week?”
“Of course, but check it out with Villeneuve and my family. They are all fussing over this and that. I just want the bloody thing to be over.”
Chapter 39
Part Five: Homo Diversitus
Julien was pleased he’d had the foresight of asking Dr Villeneuve to prepare a recuperation room for him at home. The operation had gone well, but the last place he wanted to lay fallow was the medical wing. Every piece of necessary equipment and various creature comforts were set up next to the exercise apparatus. A specialist nurse was seconded to his home but could be excluded from any sensitive discussions he needed to have with his son.
He was experiencing alternating bouts of weakness and vigour. However, he had the voice of Villeneuve perched on whichever shoulder needed an ally. The main benefit of this arrangement to the patient was the closeness of his family, dispensing with visiting hours, duty of asking silly questions, get well soon cards, and grapes.
Eugene already had interesting information from Bondarenko and checked with Dr Villeneuve before disclosing it to his father. As it was potentially good news, or at least could be presented as good news, she agreed.
“Hi Dad, I know it’s my second visit today, but I wanted to ask your advice. It’s not the sort of subject I’d be happy discussing in front of the rest of the family. But first of all, Bondarenko gave me updates on all fronts just over an hour ago. The Soyuz missiles have slowed dramatically as they head toward the asteroid belt. If this continues they will halt before they reach it. The Soyuz IT guys believe this means they will strike the incomer from where they stop. Two of these technicians say they overheard many conversations in which the asteroid belt was mentioned, and this was during the installation of the interface system. At any rate, the missiles are still on rendezvous with our asteroid, except it is now coming to them, relatively speaking.”
“Very interesting, Eugene. But I suppose that could be one of many possible situations. There could be a fault with the propulsion system, remember, it’s never been tested. On the other hand, they haven’t detonated in no man’s land, so we keep our fingers crossed.”
Eugene thought this didn’t sound like the father he knew. Julien seemed relatively unconcerned.
“Hope springs eternal, Dad. As far as our fleet is concerned, everything is on track. Bondarenko said he was quite jittery about this whole new control system, but so far so good. Now, the Chilean probe reports that the gap between the asteroid and the cometary fragment has become constant, even though it currently is quite some distance behind. The cracks in the parent are as before, but they seem to be emitting more matter judging by the size of the tail, which in fact is making it more difficult to observe the individual fissures.”
“Well, on balance, we shouldn’t lose too much sleep over these reports. I need to get Villeneuve to step up my exercise programme. You said you wanted my advice, about what?”
“The research programme has thrown up a dilemma. Briefly, we have hit on what seems a safe way to mimic viral deception of our immune system without actually using a virus. Substantial re-engineering of stem cells is the principle gateway, but it now provokes the question of priorities regarding what we want to enhance and by how much. As this entire approach was your idea when you offered me the job, I’d value your take now that we seem to have swung the pendulum in our favour in dealing with the asteroid. Could you give it some thought? There’s no rush, in fact it could take your mind off the pain if Dr Villeneuve agrees to your request to ramp up your exercise regimen. Don’t try to walk before you can crawl, Dad. I’ll come back to you about my question in a couple of weeks.”
2039
Over the last few years people had come to associate the passage from 2038 to 2039 with some kind of unplugging of the human race. Such an abstract concept quickly dissolved into fear of lingering death, perhaps radiation sickness, toxic inhalation, gruesome but terminal injury, and being swept up by a tsunami were the most common. The absence of hard evidence to the contrary had been the fertile ground for the weeds of despair. Until now.
Despite his recuperation being slower than he was prepared to admit, Julien Delacroix insisted that he should personally deliver the news to the world. A broadcast studio was hurriedly set up in Guiana, and the country was almost overwhelmed by the media invasion. The announcement was short but carefully measured in terms of the expectation it could create.
“I speak to all inhabitants of this planet. It is often said that patience is a virtue, but sometimes it becomes a heavy burden. Today, I can tell you that the burden has become a little more bearable. We have irrefutable confirmation that the Soyuz missiles, which are part of VB Aerospace, have intercepted the threat which was on collision course with Earth. This strike force detonated just inside the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. The result of such a strike could never have been predicted with any certainty. However, I can tell you that the target already had several fissures, which could have then caused its breakup by natural cosmic forces. This could have occurred close to Earth, and that could have been disastrous. The Soyuz fleet has achieved this breakup well beyond Mars. We have determined that there are now five objects heading toward our planet. Four fragments of the original asteroid and one cometary fragment are now coming our way. Each one of these bodies poses a lesser threat than the main asteroid from which they splintered. The cometary fragment with these remnants is not a major concern. It is small and could possibly be burned by our atmosphere before it can reach the surface of Earth. There is another such fragment which detached itself from the parent asteroid some time ago, and is still on course to impact our planet, but like its sibling, is not a serious extinction threat. Our main concern now is to confront the four components of the original asteroid as soon as possible. Two of them appear to be on a trajectory which would not collide with our planet, but there is a remote chance that they could suffer collision with another small cosmic body which could deflect them back towards Earth. The good news is that we have the VB Aerospace fleet approaching Mars space and it is primed to deal with all four large asteroid fragments. Further bulletins will be broadcast as events develop, but we are now looking at a promising scenario, one in which a major extinction threat is neutralised. I urge caution in thinking the battle is over, but the odds of victory have moved in our favour. I hope this news can at least get every inhabitant to concentrate on the healing process we need to embrace on our precious planet, if indeed we avert the potential disaster we have lived with for more than a decade. Thank you.”
This was recei
ved with a kind of welcome numbness, similar to a local anaesthetic, which may well wear off and allow the pain to flourish again. The healing process to which Julien referred could not begin in earnest until there were no caveats to the apparent success of the first step to a stay of execution. In such a vacuum, it would be reasonable to expect a heightened jockeying for position and power. The anarchists quickly distanced themselves from the ‘half-truths’ of the announcement. After all, Julien Delacroix was an extension of the establishment. Rekindling hope brought religious tension back to the fray, the various deities hadn’t let the human race down, despite the atheist messages of doom, and they could now re-engage with sectarian friction. Creaking government institutions viewed the gap as a signal to restore their grip on recently conceded influence. From their retention of monetary access, they banded together, beating the drum of unprecedented federalism as the only answer to correcting the economic tilt of the global axis. It was not so much trust which aided their cause, but the sheer chaos generated by the anarchist barons. Despite all of this uncertainty, and realisation that the word ‘future’ was no longer an unwritten taboo, it could at least become semi-unspecific once more.
*
As the VB Aerospace fleet mission control began to deploy the micro manoeuvres of individual missiles to attack the four major fragments, the Chilean probe moved away to a safe distance. This effectively meant that their stakeout was at an end. Bondarenko knew this was going to be the most demanding phase of the hurriedly installed interface controls. He and Eugene agreed to strike one of the two fragments which was no longer on collision course. It was considered to be better to observe the outcome of this before taking on the two which were still heading for Earth. The planet held its new-found breath once more. Images of the interception would not be displayed to the general public until the tedious post-strike calculations had been regurgitated.
*
Julien asked Eugene to bring Bondarenko to the house. When they arrived he thanked them both profusely for the way they has handled things in his absence.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to thank you properly when I’m back to normal. I have one more request for you, Alexei. Please speak with your Russian contacts on my behalf. This pinpoint accuracy of the Soyuz fleet is both gratifying and disturbing. It seems that our old fox, Kolorov, wanted to be the one who should be remembered as the man behind the first Mars landing, and the saviour of the species by taking down the asteroid. Whether it was Kaputin or the ghost of Kolorov who pushed the buttons, the brains behind both operations was surely Ivan. So, just in case there is some other snare out there waiting for us to step into, I want to send congratulations to your country and make the gesture of handing back ownership of Soyuz to the Russian state, to its people. I know they didn’t want to touch it when I decided to take it over, but the anarchists are in the twilight of their campaign. The pride that comes with the Soyuz name now is a force for coming together. I’d like you to make this gesture before we hit the first fragment with our missiles. We’re so close, and I don’t want to screw up so close to checkmate.”
“Are you serious, Julien? I cannot see how my homeland can influence any control of our fleet. And it is still dangerous for me to speak with these people. ”
“Look, I paid peanuts for a prestigious company and as I said in my address to the world, we need to start the healing process within our species. I want to transfer that burden to the people. The establishment will follow. This is a new beginning and I don’t want to be stung yet again by that bastard Kolorov, this time from his grave! I realise I sound more than a little paranoid, but we don’t know where Kaputin is or what he was primed to do other than launch Kolorov’s fleet. Just indulge me in this, Alexei. All you have to do is make the call. You’ve already been back to Siberia, so what’s the problem?”
“Siberia is not Moscow. If you insist on this I will only speak with that lawyer, the one who transferred Soyuz stock to you from Malenkov’s kid. He can call you and take your instructions. That is all I am prepared to do.”
Bondarenko looked at Eugene, who shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, definitely no. I trust my father’s word on this. I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but I’m not getting involved. As soon as you deal with these asteroid fragments, I’m heading back to my research. It’s a full time job and I’m going to have to shape it to fit with whatever you achieve with these missiles. In fact, I don’t even know why I’m here. You two could have had this chat without me.”
*
Later that evening, Eugene returned from the research wing and found his father on the phone. Julien motioned him to sit. The call was obviously from Russia, but didn’t take long to conclude.
“That wasn’t too difficult, I don’t know why Alexei was so jittery.”
“Dad, I don’t think you realise just how much this bypass op has affected you. I’ve done my best to keep the wheels turning during your recovery, but you have to let Bondarenko get on with the task you delegated to him. He’s worked his nuts off and a little appreciation wouldn’t go amiss, especially as we’re at the trickiest part of the mission. Throwing this Russian crap at him could have taken his eye off the ball.”
“I realise that, Eugene. I used to be a very trusting person, just like you, before I joined VB Aerospace. Kolorov changed all that. He took advantage of my trust and outmanoeuvred me time after time. It’s quite ironic in a way that he was taken out of the picture by a pure accident. A master poker player eliminated by the perennial patsy. I only pushed him to get out of my way, I never thought he would get out of my way permanently. Anyway, all I asked Alexei to do was set up this deal with the Russian administration, and it’s done. You see, I wanted some insurance in the event of our good fortune running out. By acknowledging that the first strike against the asteroid was of Russian origin, they take their rightful place in history. But it has created at least two harbingers of doom from one. Our task is a little more complex now, and I wanted the world to know that if anything other than miscalculation by VB Aerospace causes our failure to neutralise these fragments, they know where to look. I’m sincerely hoping that this gesture of gifting Soyuz back to the Russian state will avoid any preconceived attempt to sabotage our programme, if one exists. I’m sure Kaputin holds the key, but he could be connected to others through his former mentor, Ivan Kolorov. It’s just belt and braces, Eugene. In any case, Soyuz ownership doesn’t belong here, I was going to run it into the ground, but this gives us more leverage. I haven’t lost my marbles just yet. Now, I’ve given a lot of thought to your question – how to proceed with your research breakthrough.”
*
There were beads of sweat trickling down the temples of Alexei Bondarenko. Two missiles had been selected to make consecutive rather than concurrent strikes at the chosen fragment. The logic was that sacrificing a double detonation would be more than compensated by the opportunity for the second missile to home in on derived points of weakness from the first strike. That was the theory. In fact, it turned out to be a wise decision. The second missile was not required to rupture the fragment. The splintering was immediate and the resultant components were of a mass which was felt wouldn’t be a major threat to Earth. It would take some time for the precise patterns of trajectory for these ‘marbles’ to be established, but many were already heading on non-impact paths. Bondarenko was overjoyed with the degree of control he’d achieved, especially as it had produced the bonus of having an extra missile in hand for the next fragment.
Julien had been advised by Dr Villeneuve that he should stay away from mission control during this nerve-jangling exercise. She’d insisted that building stress without having any control of events could cause a major setback in his recuperation. Any lingering desire had been extinguished by him being trapped at home by the family. Elise had threatened to drug him with sleeping tablets. Sophie declared she would lose motivation for the aftercare unit if he suffered a serious problem by ignoring Villeneuve’s advi
ce. Eugene echoed this sentiment by telling him he needn’t bother answering his question on future research unless he spent a quiet afternoon with the family. Geraldine declined to say anything other than she’d made Julien’s favourite Lyonnaise dish for dinner.
Eugene took the call from Bondarenko and asked him to come to the house and deliver the news, asking him to keep a lid on the euphoria until it had sunk in with Julien that they were one step away from success.
“That’s wonderful news, Alexei! You beauty! Words cannot describe how I feel about this. I hope you can summon your devil’s advocate persona when you tell my father. He’s been told by the good doctor to avoid too much adrenalin production for a few more weeks. This news could send it through the roof, I know it has with me. Well done, my friend.”
*
Despite the matter-of-fact presentation of the accomplishment from Bondarenko, Julien found it difficult to sleep. Were they really just one strike away from giving the human race another chance at looking after their planet? Eugene arrived earlier than expected.
“Ok, Dad. Let me have it, what difference does this make to our research programme?”
“I’ve agonised over this bloody asteroid so much in the last few years that I seem to have got everything else out of proportion, including the needs of my family. Now that we seem so close, it’s tempting to think the job is done, but it isn’t. When I first asked you to set up this research team, my judgements were driven by uncertainty, and this gave me a thorny problem to tackle. The best way I can put it is to weigh up the short and long term benefits and disadvantages. It would be a real shame if we killed off the asteroid threat and in our efforts to enable physiological and mental improvement of our weaker characteristics, we engineered an unnecessary problem. What I mean is probably best exemplified by a scenario in which we’d already introduced changes in the human genome which went wrong, and we had already neutralised the asteroid. Nobody would thank us for that. On the other hand, if we do no more research and somehow snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with the asteroid, we will have abrogated our duty. It’s a very difficult one, Eugene, not least of all because in scenario one, the ethics brigade will be back.”