Survivors
Page 11
We got in the store; there are so many different game types and different games to choose from, then we found out they were out of stock in the popular games. Mandy found a dancing game; we laughed about it but thought all of us could play it together. We bought that game, thinking on a couple of others, then decided we would try this one out first. We looked at the clock; it was lunchtime. We went home, figuring we could set the game up to play, maybe Rose would be settled down.
We got to the house, Rose and Joe were asking where we were, why were are phones off. The girls said they forgot to turn them on; I had left mine in my room. Rose and Joe said we have to get to the lab right now, Simon called about an hour ago. We got in the car with them; Rose was not mad but was concerned about something different. The lab is full of people for a Saturday afternoon; even the General was there with Simon. We heard then talking about the country’s space program that is separate from Simon’s group. There is talk of something they found in space. I asked Joe how Simon found out about it, was anything on the news. Joe said not on the news yet, but the other space program found something on their space telescope. We are trying to get the video feed. I hear one guy on the phone; he is writing things done on a notepad. He hands the note to Joe to take to Simon; it is from the science community; they are also looking at what is going on now. Joe tells me no one is saying what it is yet; Joe looks frustrated as he hands the note to Simon.
Finally, one of the technicians calls out to Simon; he has the feed, which he is going to put on the large screen. I can not see what they are looking at on the video feed. One person gets a pointer out, showing a dark spot. He says we can tell something is moving towards earth slowly, it is blocking out the stars as it gets closer. Simon asks how fast it is moving. Another technician says he is working on it right now. The General gets on the phone, moving away from the crowd. The technician says it is moving slowly; it should be near or at the earth in three months. Simon then asks if he can tell what the object is that is coming our way. The technician says no, it is still too far away to tell right yet. The General gets off the phone, telling Simon that this is the same information that the other groups have that are tracking the object.
Simon says for everyone to quiet down, we have some decisions to make. Simon says no one knows what is coming towards us, but it is moving very slowly. Does anyone have an idea of what it could be that is happening? One person suggests a spaceship; then, another suggests it is an asteroid. I think about it; those are the only two viable reasons. Simon says if it is a spaceship, we can either be in a good or a bad position. If it is an asteroid, depending on how fast it is moving, would it strike the earth or be a near miss. Simon then said we should work that it is an asteroid; if it is a spaceship, we can not do anything. Simon said, for now, we will get the third and fourth PSV’s up and running. Hopefully, we will get more information in the coming days. We have three months until it arrives. We will concentrate on getting our space vehicles first functional. We will also train more people to operate our vehicles. We will set up a class to begin everything. Simon thanked us all for coming into the lab today, we are not to mention anything about this until it is out in the news.
We went with Joe and Rose to help start setting up a class for the other people to begin to learn about the PSV’s. We brought out the extra equipment that we were using to run the programs that we set up for the vehicle. Rose set up a list, then contacted the General. Rose found out the General was getting some of his troops to go on the flights with Kelly and Jason. We finished setting up everything, then called it a day.
On the drive home, Rose turned to the two girls asking them what they drank at the party, Mandy telling them what it was. Rose turned to me; I said I did not drink; I was driving. Rose said that I need to learn; I should not have let the girls get drunk like that. I said yes, ma'am, not wanting to cause any more problems for the three of us now. We stopped getting the alcohol that the girls drank; Joe said he is getting me some beer since that is what I drank at the house.
Back at the house, Rose got us into the kitchen; then, she began to get us to drink. After the second drink, the girls were looking drunk again; Rose could not believe it. I drank my beer a little slower than the other two; it filled me up. After the girl's third drink, the fun began. They were very drunk now, giggling and laughing at anything; then, Ann threw up. Mandy laughing, began to go, throwing up all over the table and herself, just like Ann. I had to get up from the table away from the mess. I belched, making the girls laugh a little more before throwing up again. I finished off my third beer but did not grab another one; I did not want to get like the girls. I helped Rose take the girls to the bathroom to get clean, heading back to the kitchen. Joe was starting to clean up the mess; I gave him a hand. Joe said the girls would not want to try drinking for a while after this. I asked Joe if I am to continue drinking until I get sick. Joe said he would leave that up to Rose.
About thirty minutes went by, then Rose came back down to the kitchen, telling us the girls are in bed asleep. Rose thanked us for cleaning up. I waited to see if she was going to tell me to keep drinking. Rose noticed me hanging around; she turned, telling me she is going to tell my mother what happened with the three of us. I should have kept drinking until I threw up, I know my mother is going to be a lot worse. I excused myself, saying I was going to do some school work. I got my work done; then, I went to watch some television. It was all over the news now; people were speculating what the mysterious object is coming towards the earth. I think I was causing more panic with different scenarios. I went to bed, thinking about what it could be, can anything be done, or will it just go past the earth.
Sunday, we went into the lab to do some work. The two girls were dragging their heels, feeling the effects of the alcohol. Simon was preparing to try and do something if we could. We worked on components for the two new PSV’s; we will upgrade them after the two can fly, giving us four PSV’s to work with instead of the two. The big screen had a continuous feed from the two other groups; they kept updating their information, giving out possible things that may happen. They figure we would be able to know what is coming towards us in about four to six weeks. I did my work, ignoring the television, for now, no need to worry until we knew what we are dealing with from space.
When we got home, the girls were still feeling sick. They did not want to eat; they went straight to bed. Monday, our classes were the same as usual; the students, however, were all talking about the object. Some students wondered if we should still be in class, what if the world was coming to an end. Some students said it might be nothing but an asteroid that will come close to the earth. They are making the people scared for no reason at all. I hoped that is all it is, but I decided to keep my opinions to myself. I got an email from Scott; he asked what I thought about all of this. Scott also said he and his group have an area picked out; they are working on it now. Scott said he would contact me again after the object is known. I emailed him back, saying I hoped it is nothing, but I was waiting to see what the object is that is coming towards the earth.
The rest of the week went by quickly; the television kept updating the mysterious object. Friday afternoon, we were back in the lab. I heard that Kelly and Jason were taking people up this weekend. They picked a flight path that would keep them away from the viewing area of the object; Simon does not want anyone knowing what he has right now. I heard that the two new PSV’s were going to be ready earlier than planned. I guess the computers would fly the first couple of missions, making sure they are safe to use. We checked out the components for them, making sure they were in top form. I think the upgrades are on hold, better to have them running smoothly for whatever Simon needed them for, not trying out new equipment in the middle of any actions.
Saturday morning, we were ready to go into the lab, Rose and Joe told the three of us to stay home today, we needed to have a break from all the work and our classes. We decided to go to the beach in the morning. We had a nice swim; the
day was warm, the beach packed with a lot of people. I think they did not even worry about anything. As it got a lot busier, we decided to go home, picking up a pizza on the way home. We did our classwork, then tried to think about what to do next. I said we could try out the video game. I got it out, setting it up on the large television. We watched how to play the game; then, we decided on who should go first. Mandy is the first to go; we watched and laughed at the mistakes she was making. My turn, I was terrible, the two girls were falling over each other laughing so hard. Suddenly Rose and Joe came into the front room, Rose saying what are we up to in here. I stopped falling over onto the floor. Rose and Joe saw the game, then left the room. Ann jumped up, wanting to take her turn now. The other two came back into to watch as the three of us were laughing our heads off. Soon all five of us were laughing. Ann tried to get her mother to try it, but she said no. Joe got up quickly, going into the kitchen.
Mandy got back up, taking another turn. She was getting better at it; now, we began to settle down. The three of us got to master the game; it became boring. We shut it off, as dinner was ready. We talked about getting some more games tomorrow, after dinner the three of us went on our computers to find some other games. We could not decide on a game for the three of us that is available. I said we could each buy a game to play that we liked, taking turns on the system. I think Rose did not like that idea, Sunday, she came with us, buying two more systems to use for our games. We got back to the house; there were two other televisions we could use.
The next couple of weeks went by quickly; the news still focusing on the object that was getting larger as it approached. The two new PSV’s were ready to use. The last-minute checks were beginning; Simon would like them in the air soon. We checked over everything twice before their maiden voyages.
Now it was the fourth week since the discovery of the object. Everyone came to the lab to see the new videos coming in from the other group. The commentators were trying to figure out what the object is that is coming towards the earth. Simon, along with some of our group, is looking at the videos, trying to decide what the object is. I see the General standing listening to them, holding his cell phone. The rest of the people in the lab are patiently waiting to hear something about this object. I see Simon turn to the General after they stop talking, maybe they have an idea what the object is now. The General gets on the phone; I wonder if he is calling the other scientists to see what they know.
We all watch the General talking on his phone. After a couple of minutes, he turns towards Simon, shaking his head in agreement. Do they know what the object is now? Do they both agree about what is going to happen? The General hangs up his phone, writing down on a piece of paper the information for Simon. Simon now looks at the piece of paper, reading it, taking it all in, maybe deciding what to tell the rest of our group. A hush comes over the room as Simon stands to look towards us all. Ann and Mandy each grab my hand, holding on tight. We wait to hear what Simon has to say.
Chapter 5: Asteroid
As Simon begins to talk to all of us, Ann and Mandy, get closer to me. We are scared as the rest of the people in the room. The unknown is scary. Simon tells us that the other group thinks that it is a giant asteroid, confirming what we believe. It is on a collision course with earth. The size and the speed, even though it is moving slow, confirms it can destroy the planet when it enters our atmosphere.
A silence goes over the whole room. Simon continues to talk, saying that the other scientists will be trying to figure out a way to destroy or to divert the asteroid. I hear one person ask if we can change the course of the asteroid. Simon says anything is possible. Both groups will be working on figuring out the mass of the asteroid. Simon pauses, then asks what the group thinks about letting the others know of our PSV’s and the possibility to use them to either destroy or divert the asteroid. Joe asks are we going to send one of the PSV’s to find out the mass of the asteroid, if it is truly an asteroid. Simon thinks for a second; then, he says yes, we should send a robot-controlled PSV to make sure it is an asteroid, maybe landing on it to get samples to see if it can be destroyed or diverted.
Joe tells Simon we should say we have one experimental PSV that is robot-controlled, asking them not to mention anything about the PSV for now. Simon looks around the room, seeing people shaking their heads in agreement. Simon tells us, that is what he will tell them now. He turns to the General to get one of the PSV’s ready to go, adding in more fuel storage and the equipment to get samples from the asteroid. The General and Simon both get on their phones. Simon hangs up his phone, saying the one group knows; they are letting us link up with their computers to make sure of the distance. Simon then told us they are also asking all types of questions about the PSV. He asks Joe to make up an information package to send to them. Joe agrees; he then gets the three of us to come with him to another office. We get the computer connection; Joe has put it on a separate computer that has none of our information on it, or any connection to our other computers.
The three of us begin to look at their information; they can get the distance to the asteroid using all their systems and map coordinates. We transfer the information; then, begin to calculate when we can send the PSV safely to the asteroid and bring it back to us. We try to calculate how much fuel would be needed to take off after landing on the asteroid, figuring it might have some gravitation field on it because of its mass. We show Joe our work; then, we suggest that another PSV top up the fuel on the first vehicle before sending it on its way to the asteroid. Joe looks it over; then, he calls Simon about the information we have. Now the four of us go to see Simon and the General with our calculations.
Simon and the General look over our calculations; then, Simon suggests that the second PSV can go up to meet the returning vehicle, making sure it has enough fuel to finish its voyage. Simon looks at Joe, saying the calculations are great; if this works, we will be able to send a PSV farther into space in the future. Simon suggests that the four of us work on computer programs to use the four PSV’s to divert the asteroid if we cannot destroy the asteroid. The General then informs us all that the PSV would be ready to go in two days. Now we need to know the date to send it towards the asteroid. Joe asks how much fuel will the PSV carry will let us know when to send it out to the asteroid. The General calls to get this information; then, Simon tells us we will not tell the other group until it is on its way; that way, the second PSV will be out of their sight.
We go back to the office to begin to work on a program to figure out how to divert the asteroid. It is not hard to figure out; we know the power of the PSV’s. We need the mass of the asteroid, along with the direction it is moving so we can keep it away from the earth’s gravity. I get Joe aside, asking if we have to divert the asteroid, will we be in the PSV’s at the time, working on what we need to do to the asteroid. Joe whispers back to me, yes, but please do not mention it to anyone else, especially Rose. I go back to look at our work on the program; I decide to work on it by myself, asking Joe for help if I need his help. This way, Joe’s secret will remain a secret between the two of us for the time being.
Our program is ready to divert the asteroid; we need the figures from the asteroid. Joe has the date that we can safely send the PSV to the asteroid, allowing it to return to us here on earth safely. Joe goes to meet Simon, bringing me with him to discuss the program for diverting the asteroid. Joe closes the door to Simon’s office, leaving the three of us alone to discuss everything. Joe begins by telling Simon the safe date to send the PSV. Simons says great, then wonders why Joe closed the door. Joe says we have figured out a program to divert the asteroid, but we need it to be kept secret for now. Simon asked why looking at me. Joe tells Simon that the best way to divert the asteroid is to have one person in each of the PSV’s doing quick computer changes. Joe says he does not want to cause any unwanted commotion about the four people going up. Simon looks at me; Joe continues, saying that he, along with Alex, Ann, and Mandy, have to go on the PSV’s to do
the computer changes as they need to happen. Simon asks why I know this; Joe taking a deep breath, tells Simon that I figured out asking him aside from everyone. Joe then tells Simon he did not even think about it until after I mentioned it to him. Simon looks at the two of us, saying I hope you two can keep it a secret. I look at Joe, telling him I will work on the program on my own away from the other two, making sure it works, especially after we get the information from the returning PSV about the asteroid, if we cannot destroy it first.
Simon thanks us, then gets on the phone with the General. We leave the room, walking back to Joe’s office, he asked me how I would work on the program without the two girls knowing. I tell Joe that I will work on the program on Thursday afternoon, when the two girls are in their extra course, before our training in the afternoon with Mandy. Joe stops me, asking how Ann is doing in the training course. I tell Joe she is enjoying it like I am. It takes us away from everything each day.
We get back to the office; Rose is with the two girls waiting for us. Rose asks if we are done our work for today. Joe says yes, Simon has all the information for sending the PSV to the asteroid. There is nothing else for us to do today; we now have to wait, like everyone else. Rose says great, telling us to get ready; we are all going out to dinner. The dinner is quiet; we cannot talk about what we are doing out in public. As we get back to the house, Rose stops me, thanking me for being there for the two girls this morning. I look at Rose; she tells me she saw the three of us holding hands as everything unfolded.
We go into the living room; Rose suggests that we play that dancing game, she wants to see why the three of us were laughing so much about it. Ann tells her mother we will show her how to play, then she can see why we were laughing so much. We get the game set up, Joe comes out of the kitchen, handing me a beer. Rose asks Joe to go and get the three of them each a glass of wine. Ann looks at her mother, Rose saying wine is not as bad as the stuff you were drinking the other times. I smile and drink my beer as Rose sees how the game works. Rose now begins to play, as the girls take a sip of their wine. Soon, the four us are laughing at Rose, trying to play the game. Rose is all over the place. We have a good time playing before going to bed. I can see why Rose wanted to play; it took our minds off the asteroid.