space rocks

“Moorland, we got a situation.  Get me the latest satellite images, now!”  Professor Jane doesn’t bother to greet Moorland after he answers the call.

 

“Greetings, brave souls.  What’s the matter?  I’ll get a team working on it.  I’ll call you back when we have it.”  With a big grin on his face he ends the call before Professor Jane has a chance to.

 

The longest three hours of your life begins.  You know that blasting that rock now is impossible.  Preparing and fixing the ship would take at least another three months. 

The computer beeps, Moorland is calling.

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“I’ve been waiting for three hours!” Professor Jane exclaims with a shaking voice as she answers the call.

 

Professor Jane calms down immediately.  A tall serious looking man is on the call too. “Honey, you doing alight? We’ve got a problem.”  The tall man’s voice sounds gentle but firm.

 

“Charlie, this is my husband, Jim.  He is the head astrophysicist at NASA.”  She says dragging you closer so that her husband could see your face.

 

“Glad to make your acquaintance sir.”

 

“Jane, did you check Charlie’s vitals up there?  His head got messed up.  He missed a rock.”  He rubs against his temples and looks to you with a squinted face.

 

“I know, but his head wasn’t messed up.  He did it on purpose.”  She pokes at her head and sighs loudly.

 

Jim’s eyes shot open.  He slapped his hands down on the table. “Moorland!  What type of Idiot did you take on this mission?  You said you did a psyche evaluation!  I hope you haven’t leaked anything to the press yet…”

 

“Uh, oh, no of course not.  I wouldn’t tell Jamie that the mission was successful before Jane told me to.  No, why, I’m much too cautious for that.”

 

Jim didn’t seem to listen to a word Moorland said.  He was typing vigorously on the computer.  “How do you even still have a job, Moorland?  You leaked everything to the press!  The people think they are safe, you fool.”

 

“I uh, actually, Jim, can I see the maps please?” you move closer to the screen so that he can see you better.

 

“Shut it kid, when you get down here I’m locking you up.  Forever!  Genius?  You’re a bloody sociopath! ” He waves his finger angrily at you and keeps typing on the computers.

 

“Love, I think you should hear the kid out.” Professor Jane pushes you away from the camera’s view to calm her husband down.

“Yeah, I trust this kid.”

 

“I don’t care about his opinion.  Jane, tie that kid up somewhere,” he says without looking away from a graph that is displayed behind him. 

 

“Sir, if you would just show me the satellite images and the graphs please.  I can show you how I calculated why the rock would miss earth.”

 

“Listen here kid, I’ve got the smartest people in the world working down here and they couldn’t make the calculations for something so big.  Did you even consider that the blast accelerated its speed and made it tumble?  The impact will wipe us out!”  He waves his hand in a circle and slaps it down on the steel table below him.

 

“Sir, I checked the maps and the graphs.  The rock was heaviest on its south side.  I calculated that the blast would accelerate its rotations.  Causing it to move a few kilometres to the south.  Now, if you take the original graph, it would’ve hit earth.  So I know your calculations says it will.  But I couldn’t let Professor Scot die for nothing.  The calculations I did in my head shows that it will miss earth’s atmosphere by 30 kilometres.  I know that is a close call and that we will lose many satellites, but I also can show you how I calculated why no habited space stations will be hit.  All in all I thought saving Professor Scot was worth the damages to a few satellites.”

 

“In your head?  Jane! Tie this kid down! Throw him out of the ship for all I care!  Moorland, call those news buddies of yours.  We need to warn the people. If you weren’t about to die, I’d kill you myself if you weren’t about to die already."

 

Professor Jane floats closer and takes cable ties to tie your hands and feet together.

She pats you on the shoulder and tries to be gentle. "I'm sorry, kid.”

 

“Don’t tell them!  There will be chaos.  People will lose their minds and get hurt.  All just to wake up the next morning with an earth still intact!” You’re hands hurt and Professor Jane can’t loosen the cable ties.  You call out to Jim with a shaking voice.  Telling them would be a mistake, people should be afraid of something that isn’t going to happen, you think to yourself.

 

“Put some tape on his mouth.  Tell everyone to start doing calculations.  Moorland, shut your mouth until we know for sure!  If any of this leaks to the news, I’ll lock you up in my cellar.” 

 

“Jim, you know I am your boss, right?” you hear Moorland’s voice but you cannot see his face.

 

“Not anymore.  Sit down, someone needs to do this job the right way.  Such a fool, Moorland.

Honey, I love you.  I’m sorry about everything.  You’re the best stubborn strong wife a man could ask for.”  For a moment he stops with everything he is doing and places his hand over his heart.

 

“I love you.” She places her hand over her heart and ends the call.