“I heard of that a bunch of times at work.”
“Says here that this burst of electricity could disrupt or permanently damage electronics and our electricity infrastructure. It’s like what happens when lightning strikes, only much more powerful.”
“Just great, now we’ll be freezing as we starve in the dark.”
“It says an EMP can either come from the sun’s corona, where a pulse is released into the solar wind, or be man-made by detonating a nuclear bomb high in the sky. Solar wind, you know Professor Stringer told me about that a while ago.”
“Who you calling?”
“Stringer.”
“Jack, it’s after one!”
“He’ll want to know, and besides, he’s two hours behind.”
“Professor, it’s Jack. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Nah, I was reading.”
“Looks like there’s a threat the Chinese are going to launch an EMP against us.”
“Oh no, that’d be a disaster. Nothing would work. We wouldn’t even be able to talk on the phone.”
“I’m trying to understand exactly what this is. I looked it up and saw it can come from the sun and remembered you telling me about the solar wind.”
“It’s nice that someone pays attention to me.”
“No kidding, I’ve learned a ton from you.”
“Anyway, an electromagnetic pulse is a very disruptive force. The sun’s corona at times releases a massive burst of gas containing highly charged electrical and magnetic particles. This coronal mass ejection is known as a Solar EMP.”
“So why doesn’t a Solar EMP screw things up down here?”
“Earth’s magnetic field protects us. It redirects the electrical charge around Earth. You know, a massive Solar EMP has actually caused Earth’s magnetic fields to reverse.”
“Like one day the North Pole is the South Pole?”
“Indeed. These are very rare occurrences, but without the magnetic field protecting us life wouldn’t be the same. The solar wind’s highly charged particles would affect every device with a power source. It bombards things with an overwhelming force, rendering them unable to do what they were designed to do.”
“Really? Do you think this solar wind EMP would affect Remedy?”
“Not sure I understand the question, Jack.”
“Could this electromagnetic force thing affect Remedy’s power?”
“The short answer is, I’m not sure, and it’s not because I haven’t given it thought. We don’t understand Remedy’s source of energy.”
“But it disrupts everything, right? You said it can even reverse Earth’s magnetic field, so why not?”
“It’s certainly possible and maybe even likely.”
“Can’t we test it somehow? If they can make these EMPs into a weapon, we should be able to recreate it and see what it does, right?”
“Yes, but the problem is we’ve never been able to measure Remedy’s force, so we couldn’t measure what happens.”
“It’s worth a try, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely. The worst thing that could happen is we learn something.”
“Would you be willing to help convince the powers that be on this?”
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll get back to you.”
***
Jack tried to reach Garland to plead for a chance to try shutting down Remedy’s power, but the chief of staff was consumed with the EMP threat and wouldn’t get on the phone. Jack couldn’t keep his thoughts straight, and though it was past eleven in Chicago, he dialed Adler Planetarium. When he got the answering machine, Jack called information for Dr. Ricci’s phone number.
“Dr. Ricci, it’s Jack Amato.”
“Hi, Jack. You still on that military base?”
“Yeah. Look, I know it’s late, but this is important.
Let me ask you, do you think that the solar wind would affect Remedy’s power?”
“What? Remedy is in low altitude orbit and, as such, is protected by Earth’s magnetic field.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, but let’s say we launch it out into space where the solar wind would hit it. Do you think that would mess with its power?”
“It’s possible it could have some effect, but it’s impossible to be definitive since we don’t know how its force operates.”
“I understand, but it makes sense to me and Professor Stringer—he thinks so as well.”
“Well, he may have more experience with these corona expulsions. But you know, one thing I really think would work, but they’re so far off, are black holes. If we could get Remedy near a black hole I don’t think its force would be able to escape the black hole’s gravitational force.”
“Wow, that’s right. I remember you saying black holes had so much gravity that nothing, not even light, could escape from them.”
“I’ve done a lot of research with radio waves, and there’s no doubt that these electromagnetic waves disappear into black holes. We’ve never been able to identify any radio waves emanating from areas where we believe these black holes exist. We believe it’s due to the gravitational pull of black holes.”
“So if Remedy’s force was like radio waves . . .”
“But it’s not.”
“Okay, okay, but say it’s something similar, then it couldn’t escape from a black hole, right?”
“I believe so.”
“Holy shit, that’s—”
“Hold on, Jack, let’s not forget the nearest black hole is sixteen hundred light-years away.”
“How far is that?”
“Each light-year is about six trillion miles.”
“Oh, I was hoping . . .” Jack’s voice trailed off.
“If it’s any consolation, besides looking for the existence of closer black holes, there’s some work being done on harnessing some of their gravitational forces, which we believe extend for scores of light-years even outside the event horizon.”
“Event horizon?”
“The place where it becomes impossible to escape a black hole’s gravitational pull.”
“But still too far away, right?”
“I’m afraid so, but we’re hunting for closer black holes.”
“Oh, but getting back to the solar wind we were talking about, would you be willing to help explain the way it could impact Remedy?”
“To the politicians?”
“Yeah, that’s our only chance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re gonna have to trust me on this, Doc.”
Chapter Forty-Six
The president addressed the nation concerning his unprecedented step to authorize a nuclear attack on China. The shocking revelation that the first set of sealed authenticators had been unlocked accomplished the president’s goal as the Chinese backed off immediately.
Garland arrived back in his office after the president’s press conference. The victory provided a rare moment of pleasure, and Garland avoided the stack of documents on his desk as he took his jacket off. He fell onto the sofa and closed his eyes as his phone rang. Garland saw it was Jack and smiled at the thought of another win coming.
“You’ve made up your mind?”
“Uh, hi Pete. That was a heck of a maneuver. I didn’t think Rogers had it in him.”
“He didn’t, but he listened to me. I’m busy. I trust you didn’t call to congratulate us.”
“Look, I just want you to listen for a minute, okay?”
“Make it quick.”
“This EMP scare is actually a godsend . . .”
“Yeah, a nice bump in Rogers’ poll numbers.”
“It’s much more than that; it’s a way out of this mess.”
“Get to it, Jack!”
“This EMP episode got me thinking, so I dug into this with my astronomer friends, and they all believe that exposing Remedy to the solar wind would compromise its power.”
“Solar wind? What are you talking about?”
“I
t’s just a name for a magnetic and electrical force that comes from the sun, and it’s very destructive. There’s something in Earth’s atmosphere that protects us from it. Otherwise, nothing on Earth would work, just like if we were attacked with an EMP.”
“But Remedy’s already in space.”
“It’s a fairly low orbit, under the shield, so it’s not affected by it. So that’s the thing—if we launch it out of its current orbit it will get bombarded by the charged particles and it won’t be able to affect anything.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s not me saying it, Pete, there’s a bunch of astronomers, and a couple of them said they’ve been saying this from day one, but nobody wanted to hear it.”
“Well we were told putting it in orbit would do the trick, remember?”
“I know, but this is the real thing. It’s worth a shot.”
“We’re just about to get moving on Rightsizing.”
“Pete, you gotta try this. It could be the solution we’ve been looking for.”
“I don’t know, if it works, and that’s a big if, it’ll still be years and years before there’s a significant reduction in the population.”
“Look, try it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll do whatever you need.”
“What hard data do you have on this wind thing?”
“A couple of highly regarded scientists, like Dr. Ricci of Adler, and Professor Stringer, and others have agreed to explain the science about it whenever you want.”
“I’m gonna need at least that if we’re going to give this any consideration.”
“Of course, no problem, tell me when.”
“Let me have NASA check into this. If they think it’ll work, I’ll get back to you.”
***
The scientists emerged from the black Humvee. Dr. Ricci tucked his valise under an arm and shook Jack’s hand as he said, “I gotta tell you, this is really something to see.”
Professor Stringer frowned as he set his briefcase down. “Fort Knox for the political class, if you ask me.”
“I know it was a pain to get here, but this is as important as it gets.”
“It feels good to be out of the jungle.”
“After the presentation, I’ll take you down to the mess hall for a feeding. Let’s get going.”
The scientists swallowed their saliva and followed Jack into a building with a windowless conference room. Crammed with chairs and a table too large for the room, the trio took chairs opposite the wall monitor, making small talk until Garland entered.
Jack made the introductions and Garland said, “What do you have for me, gentlemen?”
Professor Stringer said, “Along with many of our colleagues, Dr. Ricci and I believe that Remedy’s exposure to the highly charged solar winds will compromise whatever power it has. The solar wind’s magnetic and electrical particles wreak havoc on anything they encounter. The reaction is similar to what happens with an EMP.”
“What exactly happens?”
“Essentially the particles overwhelm functionality by disrupting the power source and instruction flow. The confusion causes an immediate malfunction.”
“How do you know it will have the same effect on Remedy?”
Dr. Ricci said, “If I may?”
Garland nodded.
Ricci said, “While we are unable to ascertain the exact nature of Remedy’s force, we’re confident the solar wind will impact it. It’s that powerful of a force.”
Jack said, “Plus, Remedy will be moving farther and farther from Earth. It didn’t have any impact until it landed, so if the solar wind doesn’t do the trick, the distance probably will.”
Garland said, “But we don’t know if it was activated somehow, like from a higher power.”
Stringer said, “True, but if God or whoever is out there wants us to self-destruct, we’re certainly not going to stop it.”
A blanket of silence fell over the room until Dr. Ricci pierced it.
“I thought the idea originally had merit, but after Jack contacted me I really dove into it. Let me offer a point regarding whether the solar wind will compromise Remedy. There are many astronomical objects that emit waves of one sort or another. These emanate from deep in the galaxy, thousands and thousands of light-years away. The interesting thing is there are fluctuations in these celestial waves due to the solar wind. This interference is called interplanetary scintillation.”
Garland asked, “Why would the effect fluctuate? You said it would disrupt the power.”
“The density of the protons and electrons that constitute the wind vary. I’ve brought along a rendering.” He dug into his valise and handed a sheet to Garland. “As you can see, it’s a gaseous type mix, not a solid. So the effect can be likened to the twinkling a star seems to do.”
“But the star stays lit, it only blinks. Are you saying that Remedy’s power would be pulse-like from the solar effect?”
Ricci said, “No, no. It may not have been the best example to use. First off, the stars are thousands of light-years away. Secondly and most importantly, while the solar wind does, shall I say, thin out the farther away from the sun it is, its presence around Earth would never change. It would be shielding the planet from Remedy’s force.”
Professor Stringer fished in his briefcase as he said, “These are all very complex effects. Another way to understand the effect is how Northwestern documented the effect on distant stars known as quasars.” Stringer slid a document across the table. “Take a look at this illustration. When the wave is heading toward Earth, it’s like a straight, laser-like line. However, when it runs into the particles that make up the solar wind, it transforms or breaks down the singular, straight line into hundreds of smaller, multidirectional lines.”
Jack said, “That alone seems enough to reduce its power.”
Garland’s head bobbed. “These are helpful for a lay person like me.”
“You’re probably wondering how a rocket or spacecraft is able to function when hit by the solar wind.”
“The day Jack brought all this up, it sounded promising until I realized how spacecraft were able to function. I immediately checked with NASA on that, and they told me about the special counteracting systems they had.”
“Exactly. So NASA’s on board then?”
“They think it has merit. To be honest, there were rumors that they brought this up before, but I heard the, uh, the old administrator killed it. I didn’t ask anyone to investigate it, but if it does prove successful you can be sure questions are gonna fly.”
“I assume they know, but Remedy has to be released from its fixed orbit before we attempt the jettison. Then the launch has to be timed when Remedy is facing the sun.”
Garland tilted his head.
Stringer said, “The magnetosphere is actually a lot thinner on the sun side. It’s about ten earth radii, which is about forty thousand miles, while the dark side can be twenty times thicker.”
Garland said, “Is that because of the solar wind?”
“Indeed, another example of just how transformative it is.”
“So how does this affect what you’re proposing?”
“It’s a matter of time. It would take longer for Remedy to get out from the protective cover of the magnetosphere if we didn’t aim for the daytime side.”
Garland asked, “How much time are we talking?”
“About an hour for each earth radius. So approximately ten hours on the sun side till she’s clear.”
***
“Something’s come up.”
Rogers flipped his reading glasses onto the desk. “That’s the only salutation I’ve been hearing for five years.”
“I understand, sir, but this is huge.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“There’s a possibility that launching Remedy into outer space would curtail or eliminate its power.”
“Is this related to distance?”
“No, there’s something called a solar wind. It’s not reall
y a wind but a magnetically and electrically charged force that comes from the sun. This force is essentially an EMP, and it disrupts the ability of things to work as they are intended.”
“Why the hell didn’t anyone bring this up before?”
“I hate to tell you, but there were several scientists, both in the National Foundation and NASA, who all agreed this was a plausible avenue to pursue, but I believe it was Jeffries who killed it.”
“He was nothing but a pain in the ass. I should’ve sacked him long ago, like you said.”
“Let’s not dwell . . .”
“How do we know it’s going to work on Remedy?”
“That’s the sixty-billion-dollar question. We don’t know.”
“How quickly can we get this together?”
“Bradley’s telling me they need sixty to ninety days to retrofit a rocket.”
“But isn’t Rightsize to begin before that?”
Garland shrugged. “Here’s the thing, even if jettisoning Remedy works, it’s gonna take a long time for any meaningful impact to be felt.”
“But the emotional lift would be like winning World War II.”
“Facts on the ground will change slowly, though, and the high will fade.”
“We’ll get through it.”
“What if we, say, do phase one of Rightsize as a hedge, with the benefit that it takes a little pressure off?”
“I can’t go along with that. I’ve been waiting years for something to end this crisis, and now we have it.”
“Please keep in mind there’s no guarantee, sir. Remember, sending Remedy into orbit raised hopes that quickly crashed to the ground.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
A hundred miles of newsprint ensured that there wasn’t a soul on Earth who didn’t know the first of March was launch day. Billions of eyes watched as the stanchions crawled away from a rocket whose size belied its importance.
Jack watched President Rogers receive clearance before stepping in front of dozens of cameras to begin the countdown at Cape Canaveral.
Exactly two minutes later, balls of fire poured onto the launch pad as a booming roar sounded. Jack watched the rocket shudder as it inched upward. The stream of exhaust was so bright Jack blinked as the projectile gained speed and altitude. He bent his neck back and followed the rocket until it shrunk to a speck. Gazing at the pad, Jack noticed the heavy smoke had begun to dissipate and couldn’t help thinking if his hope would do likewise.
The Final Enemy Page 27