Earth's Last Breath - Craig Smith (good book club books .txt) 📗

Earth’s Last Breath
 

Brian woke up hungover and confused, and began to read international news headlines going off on his mobile. “Meteor strike imminent,” read the Toronto Star. The New York Times warned “Meteor Lucifer strikes within a day,” while in Rome the Il Messagero preached “Only God can save us.”
According to the world’s top astrologists, mathematicians and meteorologists, Meteor Lucifer would strike the Earth’s surface between 0600hrs EST and noon tomorrow, June 6th. Scientists had predicted the impact to be anywhere from Eastern China to Western Canada.
His email was swamped with unread messages. Brian opened one sent from his brother from the Boston Globe, which read “…the likelihood of Meteor Lucifer impacting closer to 0600hrs could result in the loss of hundreds of millions of human lives across Eastern Asia. If contact were to occur in Eastern China,” he read on, “… it would result in the complete disappearance of Shanghai and Hong Kong… as well as North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, most of the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia being completely submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean.”
His mouth dropped, this had to have been a joke. “A meteor the size of Mexico about to hit our planet?” he laughed aloud.
He reached for his pants, and his glasses then walked over to the television. He flicked through the stations, until he found the local news. News anchors reported that Taiwanese and Malaysian authorities had already begun evacuating hundreds of thousands of civilians by boat across the South China Sea. Civilians queued in chaotic and overcrowded lines while awaiting further instructions on where they would be transported. Airports all across Asia had already released statements of airplanes departing at ‘over capacity’, and air traffic control had been in a frenzy since the news broke. African, European and many South American countries opted to send any available military supplies to specified countries in the East to help with the ongoing evacuation process. China would require some nine-hundred million to one billion civilians evacuated from the eastern regions of the country. Nearly one-quarter of the world’s population may be displaced from their homes.
Wall Street predicted a complete market crash unable to recuperate for decades. The Chinese economy would be stifled, impacting the world economy drastically! Food prices would surely skyrocket. Exxon Mobil broadcasted a public statement that oil prices would be directly affected if the East China Sea were disrupted, due to the potentially abundant supplies of oil in that region.
The United States announced an international gathering of the world’s super and nuclear powers which would include China, the US, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Russia, and Israel as well as Iran, India, Pakistan, North and South Korea and Japan. For the first time in recent history, hostility between some countries would have to be put aside.
He urgently searched for more information about the meeting, and came across the German Die Ziet newspaper online: “…the meeting would focus on the combination of nuclear force… and the extremely delicate and precise astrophysics that must be used to alter the flight path of Meteor Lucifer.”
Below, he clicked a web link to The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which had released a statement from its Chairman, Dr. T. Alan Lee cautioning: “There is no possible way to alter the direction of a meteor of this magnitude without the complete cooperation between countries that have never cooperated with one another before. Within such a small frame of time and so many variables changing, all military resources must be focused on Meteor Lucifer. Other resources must be directed towards minimizing the potential destruction that Meteor Lucifer may incur, and ensuring that we protect the historical and cultural artifacts of countries within the HRI zone.”
Brian turned his attention to the television once more as Spokeswoman, Elaine Darcott of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), now reported: an estimated “seven thousand different species of animal could vanish from our planet forever, including the Giant Panda, the Snow Monkey, the Snow Leopard and the Chinese Tiger.” He found it nauseating to think that zoos may be home to the last of such exotic animals.
He switched the channel to BBC news. They had coverage of thousands of people marching the streets of downtown London. Men and women held signs that read “Judgment day has come” and “May God have mercy on our souls”. It seemed as though millions of people around the world believed this to be a sign from God – we were finally to be judged for our sins. Brian picked up his mobile and tried to call his mother, but it was busy; then his father – busy; as was every other number he tried. He needed to know more information – was he going to die?
Breaking news soon reached the airwaves – a nuclear strike would be launched on Meteor Lucifer that afternoon, at approximately 1800hrs EST. Nuclear missiles would be released by spaceships taking off from both Russia and the United States. Russia would be supplied with eighteen nukes, and the United States would have thirteen, attaching six to one shuttle and seven to the other. According to the CNN news station, the spaceships were scheduled to leave at identical times, and would require approximately ten hours to reach their destinations. At roughly 0400hrs EST spaceships under the name Adam and Eve from the United States, and spaceship Svarog from Russia would make impact with Meteor Lucifer, attempting to splice the meteor into two distinct halves and change the trajectory of the now split meteor away from Earth.
Brian poured himself a cup of coffee and sat by the window. Cars passed steadily by down the street and a school bus filled with students made its way to the school down the road. “There was nothing I could do, right?” he thought.
He Finished up his coffee and quickly jumped into the shower, then got dressed and made his way to work.
“There’s nothing I can do” he reassured himself, and climbed into his car.

Text: Craig Smith
Publication Date: 12-08-2012

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