Orbital Disruption Page 21

  When the helicopter had gained sufficient altitude, it turned north-west and flew across Manhattan and then crossed the Hudson River and the steep cliffs of the Palisades. A few minutes later it descended on a small airport in suburban New Jersey.

  Immediately after landing, the young man herded them across the tarmac and up the steps of a sleek Gulfstream corporate jet waiting nearby with its engines already turning. Dennis barely had time to sit down in one of the large leather seats and fasten his seatbelt before the jet took off. There was no pre-flight safety demonstration and as far as Dennis could tell, no flight attendant. The agent had taken one of the first seats and was busily typing on his smartphone. Molly was looking out the window. Esteban was asleep already and snoring loudly enough to be heard over the engines. Tabitha was sitting next to him and somehow didn’t seem to mind it. Dennis tried to get some sleep as well but failed and decided to just look out the window.

  It seemed like they’d barely taken off before they landed again, this time at Reagan National Airport. Instead of approaching one of the passenger terminals, the Gulfstream simply taxied to a stop in front of a large unmarked hangar. A black SUV pulled up alongside and the young FBI agent whose name Dennis had already forgotten politely asked Dennis, Tabitha, Molly and Esteban to get in. The agent sat in the front passenger seat and didn’t exchange a single word with the driver. The SUV moved quickly through the morning traffic, aided by flashing red and blue lights that the driver turned on at several points.

  They arrived at the entrance of the Department of the Interior on C Street a little over two hours after they’d left their hotel in New York. Dennis had assumed, given the expedited transportation, that there would be someone important waiting for them. A committee of stern-looking government officials, perhaps. Instead, the FBI agent had escorted them through security in the building’s lobby and then up to a small office. The tag outside the door read “Rural Technology Initiative”. The agent left before Dennis could ask if they were in the wrong place.

  There were four metal folding chairs arranged in front of the room’s sole desk so Esteban, Molly, Tabitha and Dennis sat down and waited. Dennis’s arm still hurt, perhaps worse than the night before. He was about to ask Molly if she had brought any aspirin when the door opened.

  Tony strode into the room with a huge smile on his face. Dennis barely managed to stand before Tony had wrapped him in a bear hug.

  “Dennis! Aw, man, it’s good to see you alive!”

  Dennis mumbled a response and tried not to grimace when Tony squeezed his arm. Tony turned to hug Molly and Tabitha next. Then Tabitha introduced Tony and Esteban who shook hands.

  “I’m so glad you guys are here,” Tony said. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting but Jessica will be here in just a moment.”

  “What exactly, does Jessica do?” Molly asked.

  “Um, probably best if I let her explain,” Tony replied. “I’m only just figuring it out myself, to be honest.”

  Dennis heard Jessica’s voice even before the door opened again. As she stepped in to the small room she was almost shouting into her phone.

  “I don’t give a shit how many billionaires or Russian generals you have to call. If they have a big fucking rocket then we need to talk to them right now!”

  Dennis couldn’t make out the words of the other side of the conversation. Jessica made eye contact with him briefly and nodded. She then walked around her desk and opened a laptop that was sitting on it. She sat down in the chair behind the desk, her phone still held to her ear.

  “I already sent a message to our friend in Hong Kong but if you have direct contacts in the PLA, now is the time to use them.”

  Another brief pause.

  “Yes, I’ll get clearance from General Meyers. Just do it.”

  Jessica pressed a button and set her phone down. She took a deep breath and then looked at Dennis, Molly, Tabitha and Esteban. They had all retaken their seats. Tony remained standing near the door.

  “I’m glad to see you’re all ok. Tony told me what happened last night. I spoke with the Fairfield Police Department’s marine unit. They told me they had reports of gunshots from the marina just after dark. When they got there, they found a man on a burning sailboat. He claimed to have been alone and that the fire was an accident but couldn’t explain the sounds or his injuries so they took him into custody. His fingerprints match Sergey Ivanov, Anna’s brother. He already has a criminal record so they’re holding him, pending charges.”

  Jessica looked at Dennis.

  “Based on what you told Tony last night, Dennis, I suspect that Anna did indeed drown. But I asked the local police to search for the body so we can be sure. I’ll let you know if they find anything.”

  Dennis nodded but said nothing. Jessica looked at the four newcomers.

  “You’re probably wondering what’s going on and what my role is. As you probably guessed, my job as an aerospace analyst is a cover story. Sort of. I am an aerospace analyst but I work as part of a group called STETSON - the Strategic Emerging Technology Surveillance and Oversight Network. We’re a team with members in many different government agencies that watches out for new dangers posed by advancing technology. Ruben St. James’s plot to use his company’s resources to slam an asteroid into the Atlantic is, unfortunately, a perfect example. Most government agencies are too slow and bureaucratic to keep pace with with the private sector. Our group was formed to be agile and catch risks like this - and we just about blew it.”

  Jessica paused and took a breath.

  “We had hints that something big was coming when one of our analysts uncovered the financial scheme that Mr. St. James had set up to profit from the destruction. But we didn’t know what exactly he had planned until Jovian stole one of Excelsior’s asteroids…”

  “Salvaged,” Dennis interrupted.

  “Sure. Salvaged.” Jessica smiled sardonically. “In any case, you kicked over some kind of hornet’s nest at Excelsior. They panicked. Edward Morton figured out what was going on and tried to warn you. They killed him for it but not before he delivered the information you needed to break their communications and discover asteroid X.”

  “Asteroid X?” Dennis asked.

  “That’s what we’re calling the second asteroid,” Jessica explained. “Unlike the first one, 207302, we don’t think second one was ever given an official designation. So we’ve given it a temporary designation of ‘X’. You guys found out about asteroid X just before Anna broke into your office. You got away from her then but she found you later on the water near Fairfield. Not long after you figured out that asteroid X was on a collision course with Earth. Did I get that right?”

  “More or less,” Dennis replied, “But there have been complications.”

  “Ruben locked down comms on the second asteroid before we could contact it,” Tabitha added.

  “Yes, that’s what I was afraid of,” Jessica nodded. “That’s going to make remote control difficult or impossible. And as you know, we have very little time to attempt a physical intercept.”

  “What about the military? Don’t tell me there aren’t already weapons systems in orbit,” Dennis asked.

  “I can’t talk about details but yes, they exist and no, they don’t help here. They’re designed for things like shooting down enemy satellites. They wouldn’t have much effect on an asteroid hundreds of meters in diameter.”

  “Can you just nuke it?” Esteban asked.

  “Maybe,” Jessica replied. “But it’s not as easy as you might think. ICBM’s are designed to travel from one point on the Earth’s surface to another. They’re sub-orbital. They can’t make it to orbital speeds while carrying a payload much less achieve the velocity needed to hit something well beyond Earth orbit. So we can’t hit it with a nuclear missile until it’s very close to the surface. At that point even if we hit it, unless the warhead is huge - megaton range - we might not vaporize very much of it. The remainder would still hit Earth and still cause tidal waves
throughout the Atlantic. Plus we’d have a fair amount of radioactive fallout and a massive EMP to deal with.”

  “What about larger rockets?” Molly asked.

  “We’re working that angle right now,” Jessica answered. “It normally takes months to prepare for the launch of a really big rocket. NASA has nothing that’s even remotely ready. We’re trying to figure out if anyone - the private sector, the Russians, the Chinese, the Europeans, anyone - has a mission that’s close to being launch-ready which we could repurpose for lifting a large nuclear warhead.”

  Molly nodded while Jessica continued. “We have a few leads. We think the Chinese were preparing to test launch a new booster as part of their moon program. And one of the commercial aerospace firms here in the US has a launch coming up that we might be able to use. I’m not very optimistic about either of those, though. We’re rushing but there just isn’t enough time.”

  Jessica looked at Dennis again.

  “I’m hoping you guys have a plan B.”

  Dennis nodded.

  “We do, but it’s a long shot too. We released one of our salvage craft from the asteroid we, um, recovered. We sent it chasing asteroid X yesterday.”

  “Do you think you can catch it in time?” Jessica’s eyebrows moved upward.

  “Well, yes, but that’s not the problem,” Dennis explained. “To catch up soon enough to make a difference, we’re going to accelerate almost all of the way there. We won’t flip around to decelerate until we’re well past the halfway point between the two asteroids.”

  “And?” Jessica asked.

  “We’ll be going too fast,” Molly interjected. “We’re likely to either crash into the asteroid or fly past it too quickly to capture it.”

  “Unless we get lucky,” Dennis completed.

  “Lucky?” Jessica asked, her eyebrows arching higher.

  “We’re going to try to decelerate while passing through the ionized exhaust plume coming out of the ships that are pushing the asteroid.”

  Dennis demonstrated the maneuver with his hands.

  “Won’t that damage your salvage ship?” Jessica asked.

  “Yes, quite possibly,” Dennis admitted. “We’re hoping that the drive cone and some of the heavier stuff like the RTG core, the reaction mass tank and the acceleration coils will shield the more delicate electronics which are toward the nose of the ship. But it’s risky as hell.”

  “Assuming you manage to slow down enough to rendezvous with the asteroid, do you think you can take control of the drive ships quickly enough to redirect the asteroid away from Earth?”

  “Maybe. Hopefully.” Dennis gave a weak smile. “It’s the best option we’ve thought of so far but it’s not great.”

  “Well, until we think of anything better, we just need to keep at it,” Jessica stated emphatically. “We’ll try to get a some more options on the table but time is not on our side.”

  Jessica looked down at her hands and then back at her guests.

  “The president has already declared a national security emergency so we have pretty much any resources we need. FEMA is trying to adapt their evacuation protocols to handle the entire East Coast. We’re warning emergency management agencies in other countries that have coastlines at risk as well. We’re going to try not to start a panic - not yet, at least - so we’ve kept it quiet. But I’m sure that won’t last much longer. Shit’s about to hit the fan and I need your help.”

  Jessica paused for a moment and looked at each face in the room.

  “I think this is the part where you tell us we’re being drafted, right?” Tabitha asked.

  “Yes, technically I could compel you to assist in this effort,” Jessica nodded, “but I trust that won’t be necessary and in any case I prefer not to lead conscripts.”

  “I appreciate that,” Tabitha replied. “In any case, I’m in.”

  “Me too,” Esteban added.

  “And me,” Molly chimed in.

  “Yep,” was all Dennis said.

  “Thank you,” Jessica replied. She looked at her laptop screen and then back at the others.

  “Molly and I need access to our comms systems so that we can manage the intercept,” Dennis said. “And we could use the help of our engineer, Mike, who is still recovering from his gunshot wound at a hospital in Brooklyn.”

  “I have a contact at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,” Jessica replied. “He already has a team working on the orbital mechanics and telemetry and can set you up with anything you two or Mike need.”

  Dennis nodded and turned in his chair. “Tab, do you think there’s a chance you can hack your way into those drive ships remotely?”

  “It’s not likely but it’s worth a shot,” Tabitha responded.

  “I’m heading up to Fort Meade in a couple hours,” Jessica said. “I’ll take you with me and get you hooked up with the team that’s working that angle.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll be able to get a clearance, Jessica,” Tabitha noted. “My previous service record had some ... issues.”

  “I’m aware of your record, Tabitha,” Jessica reassured. “We’re in a crisis and those events simply aren’t relevant. I’ll arrange emergency temporary clearance when we get there.”

  Tabitha nodded.

  “What about Ruben,” Dennis asked Jessica. “Tony said you arrested him yesterday. Is he cooperating?”

  “Not yet,” Jessica said. “But I think he will soon.”

  Dennis resisted the urge to shiver as he noted that Jessica had just a hint of a grin on her face.

  “He’s being charged with several crimes in different jurisdictions,” Jessica continued. “But based on the financial ones we were able to get him transferred to New York.”

  Dennis tipped his head to one side.

  “He’s being held in a ground-floor cell. In lower Manhattan. Just barely above sea level.” Jessica added, her grin showing more teeth. “And we’ve told him we’re keeping him there indefinitely.”

  “Oh.” Dennis nodded and shivered.

  There was a moment of silence in the room.

  “What can I do to help?” Esteban asked.

  “How’s your Russian?” Jessica asked back.

  “Tak sebe,” Esteban replied and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m out of practice.”

  “Good enough,” Jessica replied. “The diplomats are trying their best but given the timeframes, we need to get the ball rolling through back channels. I have a few friends in the aerospace industry there but my Russian is crap and I can use any help I can get.”

  “Sure,” Esteban said. He exchanged a glance with Tabitha who also nodded slightly.

  Jessica’s phone buzzed and she picked it up.

  “Yeah?” she answered sharply. “Good, bring them in now.”

  Jessica set her phone down.

  “Your new ID cards are ready. My assistant Albert is bringing them over now. As soon as he gets here, we head out. Dennis and Molly to Goddard, Tabitha to Ft Meade and Tony, Esteban and I will be working our contacts, trying to find ourselves a big fucking rocket or two. Any questions?”

  Everyone shook their heads no. Looks of grim determination were on every face.

  “Let’s do this!” Tony shouted.

  For once, Dennis didn’t roll his eyes.

  Thirty-One

  Twenty-eight rocket engine nozzles roared to fiery life. Seven sprouted from the base of a cylindrical core rocket body at the center and seven each from three identical boosters strapped to its sides. Eighty meters above the low sand dunes and salt marshes of Wallops Island the payload bay of the center rocket began to vibrate. Each of the six W88 thermonuclear warheads bolted to the titanium payload mount in the center of the bay weighed almost three hundred kilograms. This was despite being free of the thick, conical casing that would have been needed to protect them from the intense heat of atmospheric reentry if they’d been intended to return to Earth. These warheads were not aimed at any target on Earth and the reentry shields were s
uperfluous.

  The vibration increased and slowly the heavy lift vehicle began to rise above the launchpad. The roar of the engines was now at full intensity and could be heard for many kilometers across the low Virginia oceanfront.

  The warheads showed signs of rapid adaptation to their new mission. Exposed bolts and raggedly cut metal edges attested to the need to reduce launch weight. Lower weight meant faster acceleration and faster acceleration meant that the warheads would reach their target sooner - a factor that was considered crucial in the design of the mission.

  The deadly heart of the warhead remained, of course. The so-called “physics package” consisted of the high explosive lenses that would compress the beryllium-clad, tritium and deuterium-boosted plutonium primary core along with the uranium and lithium secondary fusion core. They were enclosed in a peanut-shaped uranium radiation case that would help focus the energy of the primary fission reaction onto the secondary fusion charge, compressing and igniting it. Designed for use on ballistic missiles, the components of the W88 warhead easily tolerated the vibration and g-forces as the rocket that carried them accelerated skyward. Six nuclear warheads, each capable of yielding explosive force equivalent to almost five hundred kilotons of TNT, rose on an a high eastward arc over the Atlantic ocean.

  Rocket launches were normally meticulously planned over months or years but this one had been rushed into readiness in under two weeks in a feat of herculean effort by the US Air Force and a commercial launch vendor who, until very recently, had been planning to place a fleet of communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit. In a matter of days the rocket had been taken down from the launch pad, the satellites replaced by nuclear bombs and the rocket returned to its upright position. There simply hadn’t been time to fully model the mass distribution of the payload and it was not perfectly symmetrical.

  In the large operations room of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, bright yellow text blinked in a customized telemetry interface on one of the flat-panel displays on the desk of the Flight Controller.