BookRix

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Chapter
1) Going Home
2) Nightmare In Dentdale
3) Call Me George
4) Delayed Report
5) It Happened Tomorrow
6) Moments of Doubt
7) Armageddon Revisited
8) New Moon On Monday
9) Relatively Speaking
10) Ingleborough
11) The Digital Car
12) A New Beginning
13) The Vanishing Moon
14) Four Hours to Neptune
15) In The Air (Tonight?)
16) The Green Revolution Begins
17) New Business
18)The One That Got Away
19) The Warm, The Wet and The Windy
20) I’ll Take The Low Road
21) The Sex-Mad Doctor
22) The Island Fleet
23) The Grand Opening
24) The Final Hurdle
25) This Time Next Year….

Going Home

The Universe… An astronomically-vast emptiness… Where everything seems still and where time and space appear as one, with no end...
Within the universe are galaxies, within which are many different regions. Some contain spectacular and beautiful nebulae, formed from dead stars, and where new stars are born; while elsewhere are deadly Black Holes, where gravity is so strong that anything nearby is swallowed and obliterated into infinite density, never to see light again.
In each galaxy are millions of stars, which are millions of billions of trillions of miles apart. Some may be massive like our sun, surrounded by planetary systems. Others may be many thousands of times larger still. Also lurking within planetary systems are meteors, comets and asteroids, of all shapes and sizes.
Travelling through the universe appeared to be an asteroid, almost 8 miles in length, and about a mile across. But not everything is what it appears to be, and not everything 8 miles long is an asteroid.
The Interstellar Pilgrim was carrying over 250,000 passengers, most of whom were in deep-freeze, or hibernation, during the long, long journeys, until it was their turn to awake.
The person in charge of this current leg of the journey was Major Retono, a tall, broad coloured man, though facially he seemed Neanderthal in appearance.
“Lieutenant Jamess,” he called out on his speaker, “Can you give me the current co-ordinates of the Interstellar Pilgrim?”
“We are within stellar quadrant 1, sir”, said the Lieutenant. “We’re still on course for our intended destination.”
“How far are we from the intended destination?” asked Major Retono.
“Almost half a light year away”, the Lieutenant replied.
“What is our current speed, and how long will it take us to get there?” asked Major Retono.
“We are currently travelling at warp 5,” replied Lieutenant Jamess. “At our current speed, we should be at our destination within four months.”
“Are there many planets or asteroids on our current course?” asked Major Retono.
“We are approaching a comet field, sir,” the Lieutenant replied
“How large is this comet field?” asked the Major. “Is there sufficient space between the comets through which we can manoeuvre?”
“I don’t think so sir,” replied Lieutenant Jamess. “One of our fighters, or even a landing craft might be able to manoeuvre through the comet field, but the Interstellar Pilgrim is too large. We shall have to take a diversionary course. It shouldn’t be too long.”
“Plot the diversionary course, Lieutenant,” Major Retono ordered. “When you’ve finished, send me a report of our intended course, together with data on any planets, satellites or asteroids we may come across.”
“As you request, sir,” said Lieutenant Jamess.
“I’m going to rest for now, but if you need me, I’ll be in my office,” said the Major.

Major Retono went to his office, and when he awoke, the requested report was on his desk. As he read carefully through it, he considered divulging some of the information. On consideration however, Major Retono decided to first discuss this with two leading members of the crew. He then called down to the lab room, and asked the ship’s leading scientists, Professor Schmidt and Professor Wagstaff to come to his office.
A little later, there was a knock on the door. Major Retono went to open it.
“Ah, Professor Schmidt, come in, come in,” said the Major.
“You wanted to see me,” asked Professor Schmidt as he entered the office.
“Yes, sit down a minute”, said the Major. “Do you know if Professor Wagstaff is on his way?”
“Professor Wagstaff hasn’t yet come out of hibernation,” Professor Schmidt informed the Major. “Is there something important you wish to discuss?”
“There are a few things I'd like to query with you,“ said Major Retono. “Do you know where we are heading for?”
“I believe we are heading for Zorontin,” replied the Professor. “As no formal announcement has yet been made, I have decided not to disclose anything.”
“Good, good,” said the Major. “Do you know the significance of Zorontin, and it’s solar system?”
“I believe it is from one of it’s planets where we originated,” said Professor Schmidt.
“That is correct,” replied the Major. “Other than us, only Commander Ondichi is aware of this, and as you know, he is in hibernation at the moment.”
Major Retono then handed a copy of the report to the Professor Schmidt.
“I received this from Lieutenant Jamess a little while ago,” he explained. “I’d like you to have a look at it.”
“Does Lieutenant Jamess know where we are going?” asked Professor Schmidt.
“He may know where we’re going, but I don’t think he realises it’s significance,” said Major Retono.
“Are you sure?” queried Professor Schmidt.
“I’m sure enough that if Lieutenant Jamess had any inkling, he’d have discussed it with me first,” Major Retono commented. “As I was about to say, I’d like you to read the report, and tell me what you know about any of the planets on our course.”
Professor Schmidt had a brief read of the report, before commenting on the planetary system they were now fast-approaching.
“Without checking our galactical database, I can confirm there are a number of planets, with satellites around most of them,” said Professor Schmidt.

“Do you know of any forms of life on the planets?” asked the Major.
“The planet third from the centre, ZR3, is capable of supporting life, but I am not aware of any life forms on the planet as yet,” replied Professor Schmidt. “We may have a better idea when the closer we approach the planet. As ZR3 is one of the more central planets, we may be able to detect any life in a few months.”
“But life may have developed on ZR3 since our ancestors departed this region?” queried Major Retono.
“Quite probably,” replied Professor Schmidt. “The planet fourth from the centre, ZR4, seemed to be capable of holding some life forms once.”
“Could you elaborate on that?” the Major requested.
“I believe it’s atmosphere contained about one-third as much as ZR3’s,” replied Professor Schmidt. “Any form of life would, however, probably be primitive and restricted.”
“You mentioned some planets are surrounded by satellites?” asked the Major. “Do you know if any of them are capable of supporting life?”
“I cannot say for certain,” said Professor Schmidt. “I’ll confirm as much as I can when I’ve checked our records. I should point out that much of the information may be out-of-date. Precisely how relevant it will be remains to be seen.”
Major Retono pondered to himself for a few moments.
“I doubt anything would have happened since to change the situation, but I can’t be certain until we are a lot closer,” said the Professor.
“Is there a possibility that ZR4 may have gained a thicker atmosphere since, due to comet impacts?” asked Major Retono.
“There may have been liquid at the magnetic poles, or possibly underground, which could have since surfaced due to natural circumstances,” Professor Schmidt commented. ”However, going on what we already know, these things are very unlikely.”
“I’d like to examine any planets we pass, but priority must be given to ZR3,” stipulated the Major.
“I see we’re approaching a comet field, Major,” queried Professor Schmidt. “Do you think we could we dislodge a comet or two?”
“Probably, but would it serve any purpose?” asked Major Retono. “Or do you have anything in mind?”
“I believe it may be possible to create life, or certainly improve conditions for life, on ZR4,” explained Professor Schmidt. “This may be done by sending a comet on a collision course with the planet.”
Major Retono thought about the Professor’s suggestion.
“According to my report, there is another asteroid and comet field closer to Zorontin,” he pointed out. “This one is a lot smaller than the one we are going to by-pass, so I suggest if we try something like that, we do it later.”
“We may have gained some more data on ZR4 by then, too,” Professor Schmidt said nodding in agreement.
“The last time we came this way was a long, long time ago,” Major Retono emphasised. “What is the likelihood of all planets today remaining much as they had done then?”
“I doubt any of the planets will have changed significantly, but I can’t say for certain,” replied the professor. “Anything could have happened in that time. New life could have developed in that time on ZR3.”
“Can you look into the records of any life-forms which we have discovered elsewhere, and send me a report, with the probability of each life form developing on ZR3,” requested the Major.
“It is an awfully long, long time ago when we last came this way,” the Professor re-emphasised. “The same forms of life could still be there. A new species could have developed since, they could have moved on, or even destroyed themselves. Anything could have happened in that timescale.”
“I know, I know,” said the Major. “However, I think it best we have some idea of what we may expect. Besides, I’m going to prepare a full report on our intended destination for the Commander.”
“Very well,” said Professor Schmidt, “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“One final thing, Professor,” Major Retono said to him as he was leaving the office, “Do not discuss this with anyone else.”
“You have my word,” replied the Professor.

Over the next few days, as the Interstellar Pilgrim moved closer to the large asteroid & comet field, it changed course slightly. As they ‘flew’ beneath it, the faint sight of what lay ahead could be seen. It was then agreed to continue the journey beneath the Solar plain for the time being.
As time progressed, the bright specks ahead grew larger and larger. Major Retono went to the observatory, from where he could get a close view of all the planets, which still lay some distance ahead. He decided that now was the right time to awake Commander Ondichi from hibernation.
While Major Retono was in his office the next day, reading Professor Schmidt’s report on the planets and comparing the information to what he had seen of the planets, he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” said the Major.
“I hear the mission is going well,” said the Commander as he entered the office.
“Well, well, Commander, how are you,” said Major Retono. “Ready for the final stage of the journey, I hope?”
“Never felt more like a final stage of a journey than I do now,” replied a jolly Commander Ondichi.
Major Retono and the Commander had a brief chat for old times. The major then showed the Commander the report on what lay ahead.
“I’m currently examining Professor Schmidt's report on the Zorontin system, Sir” said Major Retono. “There are a number of planets, but I've been giving priority to our intended destination”
“ZR3, I presume,” queried the Commander.
“Yes,” replied the Major. “The report is from rather old data, but from what I have observed, ZR3 does not appear to have changed in anyway at all.”
“I didn’t know Professor Schmidt was aware of our current destination,” Commander Ondichi queried.
“I had to speak to somebody with some knowledge on the Zorontin solar system, sir,” replied Major Retono. “The Professor had already worked out that we were heading for the Zorontin system, anyway.”
“I presume we are the only people who, officially, know where Interstellar Pilgrim is heading?” queried the Commander.
“No-one else is aware of our destination, with the probable exception of Lieutenant Jamess, but I don't believe he is aware if the significance of ZR3.”
“Lieutenant Jamess?” queried the Commander. “Last time I was around, he was Captain.”
“Apparently Major Kong appointed him, after Lieutenant Kumarisarov failed to come out of hibernation successfully,” replied Major Retono.
“I wasn't aware of that,” said the Commander. “That was a shame – me and Kumarisarov went back a long way.”
“I know, I know, sir,” said Major Retono. “Unfortunately, these things happen from time to time. I only found out about it second-hand myself, sir.”
“You said you’ve observed other planets,” Commander Ondichi queried, after pondering for a few minutes in silence.
“Yes, but none of them seem capable of holding life,” replied Major Retono. “Professor Schmidt’s report suggested that there was some atmosphere on ZR4, but from what I have seen, most of it may have evaporated as there seems to be hardly any sign of this. It does appear to have two poles, though.”
“Perhaps we may see something more on ZR4 the closer we get,” suggested the Commander.
“Possibly,” said the Major. “Professor suggested that we could deflect some comets towards ZR4. If the comets crashed into ZR4 perhaps the ice and other elements in the comet could eventually settle to leave water and some atmosphere on the planet.”
“Hhmmmm,” mumbled the Commander, in deep thought. “You know we’ll have to put such a suggestion to the Full Council?”
“I realise that,” said Major Retono. “That’s why I brought this to your attention.”
“I’ll have to think carefully about this,” said the Commander.
“We have to notify the Full Council of our destination soon, anyway, Sir,” the Major pointed out.
“Do you think we could deflect a comet onto the right course?” asked Commander Ondichi.
“I think we can, Sir,” replied the Major. “Professor Schmidt certainly thinks we can. “
“I don’t think deflecting comets will be easy,” said the commander. “Ask Professor Schmidt to come to my office in two hours.”
“Yes Sir,” replied Major Retono.
Commander Ondichi then went to the library to read if this had ever been done before. There were several references to comets crashing into planets, and the subsequent development of water, and oxygen, on the planets involved. Then, eventually, there was an item about a comets being deflected by a missile into the course of a planet. As he read on, he found that, dozens of years later, these comets had successfully smashed into the planet and created the necessary ingredients for life. The explosions had also given off carbon dioxide and methane to heat the planet, so the water could remain in it's liquid form. He took the particular book with him to his office.

The commander then had a brief discussion with Professor Schmidt regarding his proposal.
“I note your proposal,” the Commander said to the Professor,” but do you really believe that a missile can be sent to deflect a comet onto a course billions miles away, and still manage to hit it’s intended target?”
“I do believe so,” replied the Professor. “Indeed, it has been done before.”
“Do you not think this may be deflecting from our intended target, ZR3?” said Commander Ondichi.“
“Not really, sir,” replied the Professor. “It may be the best opportunity to help life evolve on ZR4.”
“I accept that, but have you thought about what may happen if the comet careered off course?” asked the Commander. “Perhaps it may head towards ZR3, destroying any life there?”
“I’m certain this will not happen,” said Professor Schmidt. “I will sort the missile projection and timescale, and will monitor the comet daily. Even if the comet is deflected into the wrong path, we will be travelling at a greater speed and can either re-deflect the comet into the right course, or deflect it away altogether.”
“As long as it is not directed towards ZR3,” Commander Ondichi told him
“Besides, we don’t know for sure if there is life on ZR3,” replied Professor Schmidt.
“Possibly not, but we won’t have a better chance to end this never-ending voyage through the cosmos and settle down onto our own world, than we have now,” emphasised the Commander.
“There is a comet field a lot closer to ZR4 than the one we have just passed,” said the Professor.
“It may not be trillions of miles away from ZR4, or ZR3 for that matter, but it’s still billions of miles away,” stressed Commander Ondichi. “Besides, there is also an asteroid belt nearer to ZR4. If a comet hit one of the asteroids it could deflect both onto totally different courses.”
“I’m sorry we disagree, sir, but don’t forget that if we have the technology to deflect a comet towards ZR4, we will also have the technology to deflect a comet away from ZR3, should that ever be the case,” re-emphasised the Professor.
Commander Ondichi then thought to himself for a while.
“An announcement of our intended destination will have to be made to the Full Council soon,” he said. “I’ll invite you to the consultation – if you still wish to put forward your suggestion, you may do so then.”

Over the next few weeks, as the Interstellar Pilgrim was progressing closer and closer to the centre of the Zorontin solar system, Professor Schmidt visited the observatory regularly. He paid careful attention to ZR4, assessing what little atmosphere it had, and how it could be developed and expanded. He also paid close attention to ZR3, but being further away, images were rather unclear, and were often obscured by another object revolving around the planet.
It was not long after that the Full Council consultation was held. It was agreed that priority would be given to exploration of ZR3, to seek out any life forms, with a view to colonizing the planet.
It was also explained that ZR3 was from where they had originated a long, long, long time ago. Many of the councillors were excited with the opportunity to return to the planet from which they came, particularly after all the hazards and obstacles they had come across.
Professor Schmidt gave recommendations that ZR4 be explored at some point, saying that it had some atmosphere and required a new catalyst to increase this to suitable levels. Many on the ‘Council were opposed to the proposal, including Commander Ondichi and Major Retono. The support for Professor Schmidt’s proposal was greater than first thought though. The idea for creating new life, and the promise to watch any comets closely, and ensure the protection of ZR3, helped convince the ‘Council to support his proposal.
It was also decided to wake many of the people on the Interstellar Pilgrim, from hibernation. This included Dr Stardust, who would monitor ZR3, and Major Kong, who would assist in leading the mission.
There were pictures all around the Interstellar Pilgrim of it's people on various planets, some of which they had colonized over the millenia, and some they remained in contact with. It was decided that, some people would remain on the Interstellar Pilgrim.
As they journeyed ever-closer to the centre of the Zorontin solar system, it was ordered that Interstellar Pilgrim should slow down. Views of ZR3, ZR4 and the other planets became clearer and clearer. As they approached the inner comet & asteroid field, careful planning went into the proposal of deflecting comets with accurate precision, each to hit ZR4 on different points of it’s orbit.
As each day passed, the view of the planets became slightly clearer. Dr Stardust monitored ZR3, while Professor Schmidt monitored the comets and their courses.
Major Retono monitored the course of the Interstellar Pilgrim. This included other, much larger planets, passed on the way. None of these were of any interest as they seemed to hold no hope of life. Indeed, some of the planets’ satellites seemed to be of more interest.
Priority, however, was the journey to ZR3, signs of life it may hold, and whether the crew of the Interstellar Pilgrim could eventually settle there, which was the plan of Commander Ondichi.
Nightmare In Dentdale

One quiet, cold and clear November afternoon in the Dentdale valley, Cumbria, England, a young lad, darker, more and more stars appeared, with a full moon becoming brighter by the minute.
“Come in Daniel, or you’ll catch a cold,” his father, Peter, said to him.
“Dad, what are all those stars in the sky?” Daniel asked.
“Come in and I’ll tell you,” said Peter. “And close that door behind you.”
As Daniel closed the door, he kept asking his father about the stars.
“They’re all like our sun,” Peter told him.
“Are they little suns?” asked Daniel.
“No, no, no,” said Peter. “They just look that tiny because they are a lot, lot further away.”
Daniel sat and thought to himself for a moment.
“Many stars are bigger than our sun,” Peter told him. “Some of the stars are not stars at all.”
“Are some of them like the moon,” Daniel queried, trying to ascertain what his father had just said.
“I suppose a few of them are,” Peter replied. “Some of them are planets, like Venus and Jupiter.”
“Are they like our world?” asked Daniel.
“They orbit the sun, just like our Earth, but otherwise they are very different from Earth,” Peter told his son. “If you want to know more about the stars and planets, there are a few books on the shelf in your brother, Richard’s bedroom.”
Just as they were talking, Richard walked into the room.
“Could you show Daniel some of your books on stars,” Peter said to him as he put his coat on. “I’ve got to get to work now, so I’ll see you both tomorrow. Say goodbye to mum for me too.”

Peter worked at the military radar station high on Great Dun Fell, thirty miles away. Amongst other things he checked weather and radar reports, to see any odd ‘objects’ in the sky. Anything odd had to be reported, as it could be a ‘Star Wars’ project by China, Russia or Iran, and may pose a threat to the United Kingdom later.
That evening, Peter noticed one small speck on this evening’s sky which was not at the same point in the constellation of Cepheus the previous evening. But what could it be, he thought? Was it a spy satellite? Or could it be just a faint variable star? Could it be a new and distant nova? Or could it be something hurtling towards Earth?
“Is something the matter?” asked his colleague, Jack.
“I’m not sure,” said Peter. “Take a look at these pictures.”
Jack looked closely at yesterday’s picture of the same area of sky around Cepheus, and compared it to this evening’s image.
“I can’t see much,” said Jack. “Certainly nothing that’s obvious.”
Peter then pointed to the small speck on the current skyline. Jack looked at the image several times over, but was unsure as to what it may be.
“It’s probably nothing, but I think you should report it to the Duty Manager,” Jack suggested.
“That’s what I thought,” said Peter. “I could give her a call, I suppose, though perhaps I should go and see her directly.”
“I’m not sure if she’s in at the moment,” said Jack. “Why don’t you send a message, for now. You can go and see her when she gets back.”
Peter duly sent an email, before printing the two images. About an hour later, he received a reply from the Duty Manager, asking him to go to her office. He toook the images with him and showed them to the duty manager, Joanna. She said she would look at them and refer them on if necessary. Peter never heard anymore about the images for the rest of his shift, but on his way home early the next morning, he began to think about them to himself.
What if it was an asteroid, or a comet? What if no-one thought anymore of it? Was if it was heading for Earth? Would it lead to an almighty catastrophe? Could it affect Peter and his family? No, surely not, he then thought.
The same thoughts kept coming in his head, however. He couldn’t shake them off. What if it was something heading for Earth? Could it lead to the end of mankind?

When Peter arrived home, instead of going to bed, he got his book on the universe and read it carefully. He remembered where in the sky he saw the new speck of light, and saw that there was nothing about any stars in the particular area of Cepheus in which he saw the speck. Peter wore himself out reading his book and eventually went to bed. He soon went to sleep.
The next thing he knew was when there seemed to be something bright outside. It was getting brighter all the time, even with the curtains drawn. Then he heard an almighty loud bang, as the windows were shattered with glass flying all over the room. It must have been an explosion? What caused the explosion?
“Oh my God,” he cried. “Was this a nuclear bomb? Who would do such a thing?”
Peter heard some screams outside, so he ran to the window, treading on broken glass, and cutting his toes in the process. He could see houses had been destroyed, whilst disfigured bodies lay all over the place. Those that appeared to be alive were choking and suffocating. No-one was screaming. He was getting more and more worried.
“What’s happened to everyone?” he asked himself. “Where are the Police, the Fire Brigade and ambulances? How long will they take to get there”
Peter began to remember about the odd speck in the sky. Could the explosion have been a massive asteroid, he asked himself. He’d only seen it eight hours ago. It couldn’t be that, could it? He began to sweat as he became hotter and hotter.
“It can’t be, it can’t be,” he cried over and over again. “What on Earth is going to happen to me? What will happen to my family?”
Peter began to tremble and cough, and was now struggling to talk. Then he thought he heard a familiar voice.
“Peter, Peter, are you alright, Peter?” he could hear his wife Kirsty call. “Are you alright? Are you okay?”
Kirsty shook him.
“We’re….. doomed for!” he panted, “we’re… doomed!”
“What’s the matter?” she asked as she switched the bedside lamp on.
“We’re all going to die,” he managed to cry.
“Are you alright, Peter?” Kirsty asked again, as she shook him once more.”
Peter looked up at Kirsty, half-coughing, half-panting. As he looked around in a daze, he noticed one of the curtains were not fully drawn. There didn’t seem to be any explosion, or even of smoke or fire outside. The windows were in their pains. Then he looked at Kirsty.
“Have you had a nightmare?” she asked him.
Peter didn’t say anything. He just looked around, as Richard came into the bedroom, followed by Daniel.
“Is dad alright?” they asked their mother, Kirsty.
“I think he’s had a nightmare,” she told the children. “Stay with your dad for now. I’m going downstairs to make us a cup of tea. I think dad needs a warm drink, and some sleeping tablets.”
“Are you alright dad?” Daniel asked.
“You wouldn’t….” Peter said trying to get his breath back, “want to know.”
As Peter placed his hands over his head, he noticed that there wasn’t any blood hid hands from broken glass.
“It’s not like you to have nightmares very often, dad,” Richard commented. “Are you alright now?”
Peter just nodded his head. He then looked at his feet to check if there was any blood on them. Once again, he noticed there was nothing, not even a bruise or a scratch.
“Did I hear you say we’re doomed?” queried Daniel.
“He’s probably been watching too much Armageddon,” commented Richard. “Or perhaps he’s seen flying saucers.”
“Can I go back to sleep now?” asked Daniel.
“Go on, go on,” Peter told him, before looking at Richard. ”You may as well go back to bed too.”
“Are you sure, dad?” Richard queried. “Will you be okay for work tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I think I’m alright now,” said Peter mumbled.
As Richard went back to his bedroom, Peter relaxed for a little while, until Kirsty came upstairs with some tea. She brought a couple of paracetamols along, too.
“I think you’d better have these,” she told Peter. “They should help you sleep. You’re not due back to work for another fourteen hours, so you may as well get some kip for now.”
Peter took his time and just sipped his tea for a while. Kirsty made sure he took the paracetamols. Peter still wouldn’t lay down, and was reluctant to switch off the light at first. Eventually Peter fell asleep.
The next day, Peter was rather more eager to get to work, a little too eager some motorists might say. He got to the radar station okay however. The first thing he did was check the satellite picture of the same area of the current night sky. The small speck that he had noticed 24 hours earlier, was still there. The next thing he did was to see his duty manager, Joanna.
“Did you look at that speck in Cepheus that I showed you in last night’s picture?” Peter asked her.
“Yes,” she replied. “I’ve referred it further.”
“Look at this,” Peter said, showing Joanna the current picture of the same patch of sky. “The speck is still there.”
“Hhmmm,” she mumbled, thinking what to say next. “Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I’ll refer it again.”
“Have you had any reply about last night’s picture?” Peter asked.
“No, not yet,” said Joanna.
“Can you chase the matter, please,” Peter requested.
“I can’t really chase this,” she told Peter, getting a little fed up. “What is the point of all this?”
“It could be an asteroid, or a comet,” Peter replied. “It could smash into the Earth.”
“Peter, we’re not here to oversee asteroids,” she told him. “I know you like your astronomy, but don’t you think this is taking things a little too far?”
“It could kill us all, wipe us all out,” Peter emphasised.
“How do you know it’s an asteroid, anyway?” said Joanna. “I don’t claim to be an astronomer, but I know there are such things as variable stars. If it was an ‘enemy’ spy-satellite I could put some emphasis on it.”
“Okay, do that then,” Peter proposed.
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but the cold war is over,” Joanna told him. “The only other power that might do something like this may be China, and they’re not the old communist state they were, are they?”
“I’ve just got a feeling that this is something big,” Peter re-emphasised.
“Look I’m sorry, but until I have proof that it is what you claim, that’s the end of the matter,” Joanna told him. “Besides, if it is an asteroid heading for Earth, NASA or the European Space Agency may be looking at this right now, in which case we’ll hear about it soon enough.”
“I haven’t heard anything,” commented Peter.
“For heaven’s sake, what’s got into you?” Joanna asked Peter.
“Can I send these to NASA or the European Space Agency?” Peter asked.
“Not from here, you can’t,” Joanna told him in no uncertain terms.
“Can I take the images home, then?” asked Peter. “I can send them from home.”
“You know no-one here is allowed to take any data outside these premises,” Joanna told him.
“I’m not going to send these to some terrorist organisation,” moaned Peter.
“I wouldn’t have thought terrorists would be interested in a speck in the sky,” said Joanna.
“Exactly,” exclaimed Peter. “Please?”
Joanna thought for a moment.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Peter said to her.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “I don’t know anything about this though, do you understand?”
“I understand,” said Peter, who had now cooled down a little. “As far as I’m concerned, I took a picture with my digital camera through my telescope at home. No-one will know any different.”
“Do what you want as long as it doesn’t involve me, or this place,” Joanna told him. “Now get back to work.”
As Peter walked off, Joanna sent an e-mail to his colleagues. Peter’s name wasn’t on the list of addressees, so all the recipients worked out who it was referring to. It read:

When Peter arrived home early next morning, he went straight to his PC again. First he scanned the three pictures onto his PC, and then attached them to an email he sent to NASA, the European Space Agency and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. He thought about searching for the site of the Russian Space Federation, but thought it would take too long. Besides, he didn’t know Russian so couldn’t be certain of the address even if he found it. It may not be worth it as wouldn’t be in their native language, anyway.
Peter was tired, but pleased that he had done his bit for mankind. He was relieved and felt confident that he wouldn’t have the same nightmare as he had 24 hours earlier. Then he heard some footsteps.
“Are you still up?” Kirsty asked him.
“I’m coming to bed now, love,” Peter said to her, as he crept into their bedroom looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
Call Me George

The following morning, at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, one of the astronomers read Peter’s e-mail, and then went to the telescope to closely study the sky around Cepheus. He found the speck Peter had referred to, and checked the records. There was nothing to indicate what this may be, so after noting the data, sent a copy to NASA.
At the same time, a professor at the Guildford offices of the European Space Agency also read the e-mail and double-checked the images sent. He too could not be sure what the small speck could be, and after passing the details to colleagues, also sent a copy to NASA.
Six hours later, at the NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas, Dr Steve de Pierri picked up one of the e-mails. As he read it, he became ever-more curious. Then along came his secretary, who passed the other two e-mails to Steve. He read these too, and passed them to his team to assess.
Later that afternoon, one of his team, Robert Langman, came to his office.
“It’s about those images of a faint object in Cepheus,” Robert said to Steve. “We’ve looked at this, and all the possibilities it could be.”
“Do you have any idea what it may be?” asked Steve.
“It could be a new erupting nova from a distant part of the galaxy, in which case it will diminish in time,” said Robert. “I’m not sure about this though.”
“It can’t be a British aircraft, as it wouldn’t have appeared in the same area two successive nights,” said Steve. “Make sure it’s checked out again this evening.”
“I’ve already asked Mount Wilson observatory to do that,” replied Robert. “Do you think we should send this to the Space Station, and ask them to monitor it?”
“I think we'd better,” agreed Steve. “We can’t be sure what this is, and we can’t rule out an asteroid heading this way. It’s worth a serious look at.”
“Okay, I'll notify the Space Station right away,” replied Robert. “They’ll be in a better position to monitor this from the Space Station. Let’s hope it is a distant nova, or something like that.”
Robert looked at the stars through his telescope that night from his Texas country home, particularly in the region of Cepheus. He noticed the same speck again. Steve also observed the same speck, which had now appeared for the third night in succession. They were both rather curious about this, and next morning, the first thing Robert did when he arrived at NASA HQ was to check for messages from the Space Station. Sure enough, there was one waiting, which read:

Robert showed this to Steve. They now knew what the speck was. When they compared the images of the last three nights, the speck seemed to be a tiny bit brighter. At least they needn’t worry about the asteroid hitting the Earth, and wiping out humanity. Or so they thought.

The next morning, when Robert went to check for any messages from the Space Station, he found the following message:

“Oh my God,” Robert shouted, and quickly contacted Steve, on his mobile while he was driving to work. “I’ve got some very bad news,” he told him.
“Can it wait,” Steve asked.
“Not really - it’s that asteroid,” Robert told him. “It’s heading this way.”
“What?” shrieked Steve. “The crew of the space station said yesterday it was travelling too fast to hit Earth.”
“I know, I know,” replied Robert. “They’ve now refined yesterday’s report.”
Just as Steve was about to reply to Robert, he just noticed he was approaching a red traffic light rather too quickly. He slammed on the brakes. His Chevrolet hit the car in front, as the car behind narrowly avoided smashing into the Chevrolet. Several other vehicles around Steve sounded their horns, and arguments and accusations were being made, mainly against Steve.
“Do we have much time?” Steve asked Robert in all the rumpus.
“They reckon it may hit Earth in January,” warned Robert. “They haven’t given us a specific date yet.”
“Tell Professor Marshall and all the other Team Leaders,” Steve said. “I’ll be there as quick as I can. We may have to hold a meeting.”
As soon as the lights went green, Steve moved quickly into the next lane, overtaking the car in front and then pulling away. Fortunately there was little damage to Steve’s Chevrolet, or the other vehicles. He wasn’t too far from NASA HQ at the time, so did not take long to get there. When he arrived for work, he read the message from the space station.
By now, Robert had notified colleagues and other departments about the message. Professor Frank Marshall contacted the space station, where it was confirmed that the asteroid was heading for Earth’s orbit. January 21st seemed the most likely date. Professor Marshall and Steve discussed what to do next.
“Do we tell the President just yet?” asked Steve.
“I think we’re going to have to,” replied Professor Marshall. “Don’t forget, the space station is manned by Russians as well, and if they know about this, which I should think they do, President Boritzov will be aware.”
“We don’t want to alarm anybody though,” said Steve. “The message only says that the asteroid may be heading this way.”
“I’ve instructed everyone here strictly not to divulge this information,” said Professor Marshall. “The Space Station will continue to monitor the situation and will update us further. If the asteroid does not hit Earth, no-one will be the wiser and we can forget the matter, for now.”
“If this asteroid is bound for Earth, we still have two or three months to prepare for the event,” said Steve. “What do you think would be our best option for such an event?”
“I’m not sure about this one,” said Professor Marshall. “We’ve been preparing Big Bessy, but I don’t think she was designed for such a large asteroid.”
“Do you think the shuttle could blow it up, perhaps from inside, like they did on that film,” suggested Steve.
“That’s something we’re going to have to consider,” said Professor Marshall. “We’ll have to make sure the asteroid is far enough away from Earth so that any fragments don’t end up smashing into us.”
“What is the furthest distance the shuttle can go to?” asked Steve. “It was never designed to go the moon or beyond.”
“I know, and we haven't enough time to build a new rocket,” said Professor Marshall.
“At least we have some time,” said Steve.
“I don’t know if it’s enough to train would-be astronauts for such a mission,” commented Professor Marshall. “If this asteroid is surrounded by as much debris as the one in Armageddon, I’d prefer to consider other options.”
“Such as Big Bessy?” asked Steve.
“Amongst other things, yes,” replied Professor Marshall. “I do have another suggestion, but someone along the line will probably say it’s not an option.”
“Like what?” asked Steve.
“We can’t blow a nuclear bomb in space as it would require oxygen to help fan the explosion,” said Professor Marshall. “We could however, send a space craft, with a nuclear missile inside, and blow it up from within the craft as the asteroid approaches,” said Professor Marshall.
“Sounds good to me,” commented Steve.
“We haven’t tried this with a remote-controlled craft yet, though,” said Professor Marshall.
“No, but we have sent remote-controlled crafts to Mars, Jupiter and beyond,” Steve pointed out. “We detached a smaller craft from Galileo around Saturn and sent it to Titan.”
“I know what you’re saying, but this is no exploration,” said the Professor. “We cannot allow for any small malfunction in this case. Besides, we don’t have a remote-control system for the ‘shuttle. ”
“We can build one into the ‘shuttle,” argued Steve.
“And how long will that take?” queried Professor Marshall. “For something as important as this someone has got to be inside the craft. Do you want to be the one to ask some astronaut to effectively commit suicide?”
“It’s not just for our sakes, though, is it,” said Steve. “It’s for the sake of all mankind.”
“I know, I know,” replied Professor Marshall. “But that’s a decision for someone like the President.”
“I’ll get onto him right away,” said Steve.

In Washington, the president was in the garden of the White House, chewing a few pretzels, when one of his secretaries came along.
“I have a call for you Mr President,” she informed him. “It’s from NASA.”
“Put the line through to my office,” the President told her. “I’d like to speak to NASA in private.”
It didn’t take long for the President to get to his office. As he walked in, he saw Steve on his screen.
“What can I do for you,” the president asked.
“I’m afraid we have a very big problem, sir,” Steve replied.
“I know you’ve had problems with the space shuttle, and I would like to help if I could,” said the president, “but if it’s anything to do with the shuttle, you’ll have to speak to my Chief of Finance.”
“It’s nothing to do with space shuttle, well not directly anyway, sir,” replied Steve, “I’m afraid we’ve had a message from the Space Station which indicates that an asteroid is heading this way.”
“Geeeeee,” gasped the president. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m afraid so, sir,” said Steve. “The Space Shuttle’ are monitoring the asteroids movements. If there is any further news we’ll let you know.”
“How much time do we have?” asked the president.
“Ten weeks, sir,” said Steve.
“Well at least we have a little time,” commented the President. “Do we have the resources to destroy or deflect the asteroid?”
“We have been preparing for something like this for a while, sir,” Steve informed the President. “We do have some resources in place for such an event, but we haven’t had the opportunity to test them yet, sir.”
“Well, it sounds like you’ve got a perfect opportunity to try them out now,” commented the President.
“The other problem is that this asteroid is larger than what we may have been preparing for, sir,” said Steve.
“How large is this asteroid, exactly?” asked the President. “Have you any idea what damage any impact may have?”
“We believe it to be about eight miles in length. If this thing impacts Earth, we'll all go the way of the dinosaurs, sir,” Steve informed the President.
“Geeee...,” said the President. “I’ll speak to my Secretary for Defence. I'll arrange for him to meet you at NASA HQ as soon as possible. You can all get together to discuss our resources and what to do next.”
“My colleagues are trying to contact the Secretary for Defence and the VP at the moment, sir” said Steve.
“VP?” queried the President.
“Vice President, sir,” explained Steve.
“Oh right, right,” mumbled the President. ”Do you know if Russia or Europe are aware of this?”
“I can't say for certain, sir, but as this was discovered on the International Space Station, I'd guess the Russian President is probably being informed of this right now,” replied Steve. “Do you know if the Russians, Chinese or Europeans have any resources for such an event, sir?”
“I doubt it,” the President replied. “Have you spoken to anyone about this?”
“No, not yet, sir,” replied Steve. “Only a few of us here at NASA are aware of this. We’ve all agreed not to divulge any information relating to this.”
“Good, we don’t want the natives to get excited, do we?” said the President.
Just then, a tune could be heard on the President’s mobile. It was a text message indicating that the Russian President was on another line.
“I've had a call from Moscow, so I'm going to have to go now,” said the President. “I’m going to contact President Borisov, and I’ll let you know if they have any resources to deal with this. In the meantime, keep me informed of any developments.”
The President put one phone down and closed the video-link screen, as he picked up another phone.
“Hi Mr Borisov,” said the President.
“Boritzov, my name is Boritzov,” replied the Russian President, in broken English.
“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry about that,” the President said apologetically.
“I hear an asteroid coming for Earth,” Mr Boritzov told the President.
“I’ve just been speaking to my Astronomical team at NASA about this,” replied the President.
“What they say?” asked Mr Boritzov.
“They informed me that this asteroid may hit Earth,” replied the President. “I understand that we have about ten weeks to prepare ourselves for this.”
“Have you informed your people of this?” asked Mr Boritzov.
“Not yet,” replied the President. “This has only recently come to light, and we don’t want to cause any panic, not until we have more information on the asteroid.”
“I agree,” replied Mr Boritzov. “I tell my men not to say anything. You speak to UK Prime Minister, Mr Bear?”
“No not yet,” replied the President. “I’d rather keep Mr Bear out of this for the time being. It’s the European Space Agency’s responsibility to inform him of this. Besides, I don’t want to spread panic.”
“I’m sure Mr Bear say nothing,” said Mr Boritzov.
“It’s not Mr Bear who worries me,” replied the President. “If the European Space Agency inform Mr Bear, there’ll also have to speak to Jacques Challotte. That’s when all hell will break loose.”
“I see what you mean,” said Mr Boritzov. “Do you have ammunition to destroy asteroid if it comes to Earth?”
“I’m going to send my Secretary for Defence, Fred Luddolmans, to NASA,” the President told Mr Boritzov. “He’ll probably take some Generals along to assess our resources.”
“You not have resource to destroy asteroid?” queried Mr Boritzov.
“No, I didn’t say that,” replied the President. “They do have resources at NASA but we have to assess what are the best resources to use in this instance, and to plan how best to use those resources. Can you help us in any way?”
“We have rockets. We may find undiscovered nuclear bombs,” hinted Mr Boritzov.
“I don’t know if nuclear missiles will be of any use on this occasion,” said the President. “Do you have anything else which may be of use?”
“I speak to Russian Space Federation,” replied Mr Boritzov.
“You’ll have to excuse me as I must go now, but please keep me informed, Mr Borisov,” the President requested.
“Boritzov,” said the Russian President. “Call me Boritzov.”
“Oh yeah, yeah, sorry about that, Mr Botritzov,” said the President. “You can call me George. It's been nice talking to you but I must go now. Good day.”
The president then went to his secretaries.
“Get me the Vice President and my Secretary for Defence,” he ordered.
“Mr Bilton was trying to call you, sir,” replied one of his secretaries. “He's on his way here now, sir.”
“I'm afraid we haven't been able to get Mr Luddolmans as yet,” said another secretary. “He's in Florida at the moment, sir, and his mobile's engaged.”
“Well keep trying,” the President told her. “When you get him put his call through to my office. And if anyone else asks for me, tell them I'm otherwise unobtained.”
“You mean otherwise engaged, sir?” queried one secretary.
“Or should that be unobtainable, sir? queried another secretary.
“Yeah whatever,” replied the President. “Just tell them I'm busy.”
The President then went back to his office. He was rather anxious and deep in thought when his phone rang.
“Mr Luddolmans is on the line, sir,” said a secretary. “’Putting him through now, sir.”
“Hi, Fred,” said the president as he picked up his phone. “I need you to go to Houston, Texas, tomorrow.”
“I presume it's about this asteroid,” asked Mr Luddolmans. “I've just had some man from Houston on to me about an asteroid. Is it true?”
“I'm afraid it looks like it,” said the President. ”What's the earliest you can get there?”
“I can get there this evening, but I would prefer to take a military leader,” replied Mr Luddolmans.
“That's fine by me,” said the President. “Just be there by tomorrow morning.”
“Is this asteroid public knowledge?” asked Mr Luddolmans.
“Not yet,” replied the President. “As far as I'm concerned, I'd like it to stay that way.”
“I think the Russian President may already know about this,” said Mr Luddolmans.
“I know, I know,” replied the President. “I spoke to him earlier, and asked this to be kept secret.”
“Is Gordon Bear aware of this?” asked Mr Luddolmans.
“No,” replied the President. “I don't think we should involve Mr Bear just at the moment. If word gets out about this in the UK, it will spread to France, and all over Europe, and all panic will break loose. Besides, this ain't something we need any public relations exercise for.”
“What should I say to my Generals, then,” queried Mr Luddolmans.
“Tell them what you have to, but don't say too much,” ordered the President. “They'll find out from NASA what's going on. I've ordered NASA to maintain silence over this.”
“Okay George, I'll get on to my Generals right away,” said Mr Luddolmans.
The President had just put the phone down when there was then a knock on the door of his office door. It was the Vice President, Ray Bilton.
“Hi Ray, I presume you've heard about the asteroid,” the President asked to him.
“Yeah, NASA contacted me earlier,” replied Mr Bilton. “I tried to contact you but you were engaged, so I decided to come here straight away. I've not mentioned this to anyone.”
“Good, Ray,” replied the President. “I've ordered NASA to keep me informed of any developments,” the President told Mr Bilton.
“I think we should order NASA to contact you each morning as soon as they receive any update on the matter,” suggested Mr Bilton. “And they should then update me each evening on the day's events, too.”
“That's fine,” agreed the President. “I've ordered complete secrecy regarding this. Only a few people are aware, including Mr Boritzov. I've asked he maintain silence too.”
“Does Grizzly know about this?” asked Mr Bilton.
“No,” replied the President. “I don't want Gordon Bear or any other European leaders to know about this.”
“How about the European Space Agency?” asked Mr Bilton.
“If the European Space Agency find out they can inform Gordon Bear and the others,” said the President.
“Have you put together a strategy yet?” Mr Bilton then asked the President.
“No not yet,” he replied. “That's why I'm glad you've come here, so we can discuss how to proceed and put some sort of a plan together.”
“I think we should continue our current schedules, as it may seem odd if we both pull out of arrangements,” suggested Mr Bilton.
“Agreed,” replied the President.
“Can Russia help in any way?” asked Mr Bilton.
“I doubt it,” muttered the President. “Mr Boritzov isn't too sure either, though I've asked him to check on what the Russian Space Federation can muster.”
“How do you think we should react, if and when this does get out?” asked Mr Bilton.
“I think we should remain quiet about this until it's all over,” said the President. “That way no-one will blame us if we fail.”
“I shouldn't think there'd be anyone left to blame us if we fail to destroy the asteroid,” replied Mr Bilton.
“What bothers me is that the only publicity we seem to get is bad publicity,” said the President
“I don't think we should worry about publicity, George,” replied Mr Bilton. “It might even do our reputation some good.”
“Oh yeah, I can see them in Damascus and Tehran cheering the US and waving the stars & stripes,” the President said sarcastically.
“I don't think we should worry about how the Middle-East reacts to this,” suggested Mr Bilton. “Tehran would probably claim the asteroid was a missile from Mohammed, and was meant to destroy the US.”
“Yeah, and wouldn't it be good if we could destroy Mohammed's missile,” the President sniggered.
“Let's forget the Middle-East for a moment, George,” said Mr Bilton. “If this does get out perhaps we'd better just say we're looking into the matter. Perhaps we'd better bring Grizzly' in on this, see what he suggests.”
“If this gets out Gordon Bear will know anyway,” said the President. “I don’t think we should worry about Europe.”
“I think we should maintain good communications with the media, and with the embassy in London,” suggested Mr Bilton. “We can then get an early warning if London, or the Europeans, get to find out about this.”
“Agreed,” said the President.
“Do you think we could cope with any after-effects from the asteroid?” asked Mr Bilton.
“What sort of after-effects do you mean, Ray?” queried the President.
“This asteroid's huge, George. Even if we destroy it, there's always the possibility that some scattered fragments will hit the Earth at some later date,” said Mr Bilton.
“Hhmmmm,” muttered the President as he thought for a moment.
“This sound as large as the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs,” said Mr Bilton. “A 100 foot boulder smashing on the planet would probably be enough to wipe us all out.”
“We're going to have to divert the asteroid, and hope it doesn't break up as a result,” said the President. “I think we still have some underground bunkers from World War 2 scattered about the US. Some people could go into caves, and we can then seal them off before any fragments smash into the planet.”
“We could, but the people would then need cat's eyes to see in the darkness of the caves, as no light would be able to get in,” replied Mr Bilton.
“Perhaps we should forget that option for now,” agreed the President. “Let's just hope our boys can divert the asteroid onto another course.”
“Do you know how many underground bunkers we have throughout the US?” asked Mr Bilton. ”I know I've got a special bunker.”
“No idea, George,” replied the President. “Fred Luddolmans may have a better idea of that.”
“What’s Fred up to at the moment?” asked Mr Bilton.
“Fred Luddolmans is going to be busy over the next week,” said the President. “I'll ask all district authorities about any underground bunkers and where they're located. I'll arrange to send a copy to Fred's department.”
“Is Fred going to Houston?” queried Mr Bilton.
“I've sent him to meet NASA scientists about this tomorrow to discuss our resources and what would be the best course of action,” replied the President. “I believe he's taking some generals with him, too.”

Delayed Report

It was 9.45 am at Houston Lakeside Airport. Fred Luddolmans had just arrived and was walking through the Arrivals lounge when he saw Air Commander Clint Williams, whom he had instructed to meet, ahead. The Air Commander noticed Fred Luddolmans too, and walked over to greet to him.
“Hi Clint, glad you could make it,” said Fred.
“Hello Mr Luddolmans, pleased to meet you once again,” replied the Air Commander. “Is anybody else coming to meet us here today?”
“Yes, I've also ordered Major General Cornelius Smith to meet us here,” said Mr Luddolmans. “He won't be here for a while, as he's flying from New York.”
“There's an arrival due from JFK soon,” said Clint Wiliams.
“Oh he shouldn't be on that plane,” said Fred. “General Smith is flying from New York State, Buffalo, to be precise.”
“I see there's a plane' due in from Buffalo at 10.15,” Clint Williams stated as he looked up at the arrivals board.
“He should be on that flight,” Fred replied.
“Shall we go somewhere quiet for the moment?“ suggested Clint.
“Do you know where we can find a quiet room around here?” asked Fred.
“I'm not sure myself, but there's an airport police office around the corner,” Clint pointed out.
“Good, good, we'll see if they know somewhere we can wait,” replied Fred. “If we can't find anything else at least we can get an interview room to ourselves.”
Fred Luddolmans and Clint Williams went to the police office. As Fred was asking about a quiet room, his mobile rang.
“Hi Mr Luddolmans, it's Professor Marshall here,” he heard on the other end of the line, before asking him to hold for a few seconds.
Mr Luddolmans then asked Clint Williams to consult the police while he spoke to the Professor.
“Thanks for calling Professor,” said Fred. “I'm at Lakeside airport at the moment with one of my military staff. Is someone from NASA coming to meet us here?”
“I'm about to come there myself,” replied the Professor. “Are you expecting any more personnel?”
“I'm expecting one of my Generals on the next flight from Buffalo,” replied Fred. “It's not due in until 10.15, though.”
“Okay, Mr Luddolmans, I'll be there at about 10.30,” said Professor Marshall.
“Before you go, Professor, have there been any further developments with the asteroid overnight?” asked Fred.
“There are no significant developments yet,” replied the Professor. “I'm waiting for the latest report from the space station. I hope to receive it in the next 30 minutes, so I'll tell you more when I see you.”
Mr Luddolmans then went back to the police office to meet Air Commander Williams. They then went into an interview room, where Fred explained why he had called him and Major General Smith to NASA HQ.
“I'm sorry sir, but I’m not sure I'm really the person you're looking for,” said Clint.
“You've flown many fighters, and various wars and battles,” Fred queried with the Air Commander, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. “We need someone who can direct missiles in flight, not just at a target, but at a precise point in order to get maximum delivery and effect.”
“I fought in many battles, sir, but they've all been on Earth,” emphasised Clint.
“I know, I know, but this is a battle which none of us have fought before and for which no-one has the necessary experience,” Fred told him. “You're probably the best-placed person to help in our new battle.”
Air Commander Williams thought carefully to himself for a few moments.
“You've read all about bouncing bombs and diversionary explosions, I suppose? Fred asked.
“I’ll need to gain experience of whatever craft NASA are to launch,” he replied.
“That's fine,” said Fred.
“I'm going to have to liaise with NASA designers and engineers, too,” added Clint.
“That's what you're here for,” replied Mr Luddolmans. “That's what we're all here for.”
“Okay, sir,” Clint agreed. “I'll do whatever I can.”
“You don't know if they have any hearing devices attached to this room?” Fred then queried with the Air Commander.
“I don't know, sir,” replied Clint.
“Did you ask if they had one when you inquired about this room?” Fred asked Clint.
“No, sorry sir,“ replied Clint. “I didn't know what this was all about when I asked for the room.”
“I'll go and speak to the chief myself,” said Fred. ”If there is any hearing device in the room, I'll order it to be destroyed.”
Mr Luddolmans went back out of the interview room to look for the local sergeant.
“I'm afraid he's holding an interview at the moment, sir,” explained the young officer at the front desk. “I believe he's with some of the anti-terror squad interviewing a suspected terrorist, sir.”
“Do you know if there are any tapes in my interview room?” Fred asked the young officer.
“There will be one in the room, but I doubt it's running, sir,” the young officer replied.
“Well can you make sure that the tape wasn't running, otherwise I want that particular tape destroyed,” Fred instructed.
“Will do, sir,” replied the young officer.
Before Mr Luddolmans went back to his room, he went to look at the arrivals board, where he noticed that the 10.15 due in from Buffalo was on schedule. He then went back to see Air Commander Williams.
“I suppose you have a mobile on you, Clint,” he queried.
“Yes, sir,” replied the Air Commander. “Do you want me to contact anyone?”
“Not just yet,” replied Fred. “I may expect a call in the next 15 minutes from Major General Smith. Can you go and meet him. If I hear anything from him, I'll give him your mobile number and ask him to contact you.”
“Do you have a picture of the General at all, sir,” queried the Air Commander. “What does he look like?”
Fred Luddolmans handed Clint a picture of the General, before they exchanged mobile numbers. Mr Luddolmans also gave him Professor Marshall's mobile number.
“When you go out, ask the man on the police desk if the sergeant has finished his interview,” Fred instructed Clint. “Tell him I do not want to be disturbed, unless there's a real emergency. I'm going to contact the President now, so I'll see you in a short while.”
“Sir, why don't we just exchange mobiles,” suggested Clint. “That way I'll pick up any message from Professor Marshall or Major General Smith. You can call the President on mine, there's about $50 worth of call still outstanding so you'll have plenty of time available.”
“That's fine by me,” said Fred.
Clint went to the front desk to check that there was no tape recording in Fred's room, and after confirming this to him, Clint went to the Arrival lounge to wait for Major General Smith. There didn't seem to be any delay as the 10.15 from Buffalo arrived on time. While he was waiting, he heard a brief jingle of Thriller. It was Fred's mobile.
“Hello Mr Luddolmans,” he heard.
“This is Air Commander Clint Williams,” Clint replied.
“I do apologise,” said a voice, “I must have the wrong number.”
“I'm at Lakeside Airport with Mr Luddolmans,” replied Clint. “Mr Luddolmans is talking to the President and doesn't wish to be disturbed just now. Can I help at all?”
“Oh yeah, I'm sure you can,” came the reply. “This is Professor Marshall here. I'm just letting you know that I'm on my way to the airport.”
“How long will you be?” asked Clint.
“Probably about 30 minutes,” said the Professor. “Where precisely in the airport are you all?”
“I'm in Arrivals',” replied Clint. “I'm waiting for Major General Smith. Mr Luddolmans will be with me by the time you arrive. Is there anything you'd like me to tell Mr Luddolmans?”
“Not at the moment,” replied Professor Marshall. “We're still awaiting today's report from the space shuttle, but Steve should let us know when it arrives.”
“I'll look forward to seeing you in half hour, then,” Clint said to the Professor before terminating the call.
Clint then went to buy an astronomy magazine, to read about the latest news on space, while he sat around Arrivals'. He looked around regularly, but with no sign of any of the others, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Hi Mr Luddolmans,” he said as he turned his head. “Professor Marshall is on his way, he should be here any minute in fact.”
“Where's he meeting us?” asked Fred.
“I asked him to meet us here in Arrivals',” Clint replied.
“Good,” said Fred. “Has he received today's report from the space shuttle yet?”
“No not yet, sir,” replied Clint. “He did say he was expecting some report later today, though.”
Fred began to wonder if anything had happened to the space shuttle, as it was now over tw