Wednesday Morning
The business class seat should have allowed Rick to sleep comfortably, but his excitement kept him awake most of the flight. The plane touched down in Washington, DC, at 6:30 a.m. Eastern time. As he exited the plane, he looked back at the luxurious seat. So much for government cutbacks.
Rick's bag waited for him in baggage claim. Once Rick is in range, the suitcase beeps, and wiggles, scooting ahead, leading Rick to the AutoCar zone.
The AutoCar stops at the front of his hotel. Rick sets his suitcase on the pavement. The hotel is fancy and traditional. A doorman wearing a large jacket and hat holds the hotel's grand door open, greeting Rick. It takes a moment for Rick to realize the doorman is a robot or nom as people call them these days.
Rick's suitcase scurries across the elegant lobby to the front desk as Rick follows. Rick stands in front of a screen at the front desk. The system confirms his reservation via facial recognition and a room code appears on his band whereupon a nom wearing a bellman's uniform appears next to him.
"Please follow me." The bellman nom moves briskly to the elevator. Rick's suitcase speeds along with the bellman, leaving Rick to catch up.
The bellman opens the hotel room and holds the door open for Rick, then sets the suitcase on a charging bench. His initial view of the large suite leaves Rick awestruck. The bellman walks through the large room, signaling lights to illuminate, and triggers the curtains to slide open while giving Rick a quick tour of the suite by pointing and uttering one-word descriptions, bedroom, desk, closet, bathroom.
The room is luxurious, decorated with fine furniture and artwork. A dining table with a flower arrangement sits in the center of the room and a couch and coffee table are arranged in front of a video wall. A desk is next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer a magnificent view of the capital building. Off the main suite is the bedroom and a large bathroom.
When the bellman finishes, he stands at attention and speaks, "Will there be anything else, sir?"
"No. This is amazing. Thank you."
The bellman hesitates. "Very well then," the nom says before leaving the room. Rick wonders if he should have tipped the nom as the door clicks shut.
Rick walks to the large windows and marvels at the brilliant view. The city is coming to life in the early dawn light. The White House, in the distance, looks majestic.
Rick settles in and catches a couple hours of restless sleep dreaming about his grant. He realizes getting funded is a long shot, but he'll be presenting to his peers. He must be on the right track. Times have been tough but are getting better.
The industry and economy of North America changed drastically during the Four Wars. After nuclear attacks destroyed New York and Chicago, everyone suffered. Everyone sacrificed. It wasn't just the bombed cities and the dread of world war. Products once imported from Asia and Europe became scarce. Global commerce all but ceased. Industry focused on developing technology and weapons to fight wars instead of producing products for consumption. Poverty soared. Government-issued apps doled out ration coupons. Life has improved since those darkest days.
After the US signed treaties to cease involvement in the Four Wars, the economy blossomed. Cities affected by the wars worked to recover and rebuild. The government funded the initial stages of the recovery. Entrepreneurs raced to develop innovative technologies and created automated factories to produce food and consumer products.
Companies like Armadyne produce a new generation of home appliances called actualizers. Actualizers are designed for a variety of applications. Many households now have a food actualizer to create quick meals. If you have enough money, you have a product actualizer or an Electro-Weave, a device that makes clothing from designs purchased online.
Auto-noms — autonomous, self-operating systems have replaced the restaurant and service jobs. People initially called them robots or bots, but as they became more intelligent and autonomous, they called them noms.
People of all income levels somehow afford communication devices. They might not spend money on Electro-Weaves, but everyone has a Smart-Band or VUE lens and some use both bands and lenses.
Even though the economy is looking brighter, the government continues to cut budgets. New projects go unfunded. The Four Wars continue in many parts of the world. People think the government spends too much money funding one side or maybe both sides of the conflicts to keep the wars from once again spreading to US soil. Some people claim the government fuels the wars to keep the weapons industry alive. The government denies these accusations, yet while industry and citizens pay their taxes, government coffers bleed dry.
Rick needs his grant funded. If he can achieve this goal, he'll be able to provide a comfortable life for his family. Ethan might even get the Glide Pad he's been begging for.
Rick wakes and goes for a short run. At breakfast, he sends a message to Courtney — "I'm in Washington, DC!"—along with a photo of the White House. He is ready and waiting in the lobby when an executive AutoCar arrives to drive him to the seminar.
Rick settles into the comfortable back seat of the AutoCar. As it drives through downtown DC, he realizes he doesn't know where the seminar is being held. Rick recognizes several landmarks as the car crosses a river, he assumes is the Potomac. The AutoCar enters a major highway and is soon cruising through the countryside.
Rick touches his band to give Courtney a morning call. The band flashes No Service. "That's strange." He cycles the receiver module. It still flashes No Service. It seems unusual to not have a signal in Washington, DC. Rick resolves to call his wife as soon as he finishes his presentation. He hopes to have good news. Thirty minutes later, the car pulls off the highway.
The car moves down a wooded road then turns into a wide entry drive. A solid-looking gate opens, allowing the AutoCar to enter. Rick is excited as he looks out the car's window, but he thinks it strange there are no signs marking the fenced-in campus.
The AutoCar slows but does not stop at the sentry station and proceeds into the complex driving past several large buildings, most of which look unoccupied. Rick notices the parking lots are empty except for a few scattered cars. The AutoCar comes to a stop along the side of a large gray building.
This building has no windows or markings. A double door with an entry pad, an overhead light, and a domed camera are its only features . The odd location confuses Rick.
The AutoCar's door opens. Rick doesn't get out. He sits looking at the gray doors talking to himself. "I'm… ah… I was invited to a government seminar. I'm supposed to give my presentation to…" Rick's voice trails off as he hesitates. "To an audience of my peers," he whispers. He realizes he doesn't know who else is attending this seminar or to whom he is presenting. He feels foolish.
The gray doors open and out steps a well-dressed young man who walks with a quick stride, a big smile, and thick, well-groomed hair. He carries a small tablet under his arm. Two men looking like FBI agents, dressed in dark suits, also exit the building, and stand by the double doors.
The young man walks briskly to the AutoCar, extending his hand in greeting. "Dr. Munday, I presume," he says with a southern accent. "I've always wanted to say that." He smiles, laughing at himself. He tries to explain his humor. "It's as if we're in an African jungle. I've found y'all, Dr. Munday." He cackles.
Rick stares at the young man. "Yes, you found me sitting in an AutoCar, in an empty parking lot, somewhere in Maryland. Very exotic." Rick pauses. He doesn't lose it often, but he is unsure of what's happening. "I'm supposed to be attending an astrophysics seminar. What is this place? I'm here to give my presentation to an audience of my peers, not meeting somebody, you, in a parking lot at the back of some dreary building."
Unfazed, with twinkling eyes and wearing a broad smile, the young man bends down and reaches to lift his charge out of the car. "Don't you fret, Dr. Munday. That is precisely why I'm here. I will escort you to the presentation room. Now come this way. You silly." The young man's smile widens as he pulls Rick from the car.
Rick grudgingly walks with the young man through the gray doors. The two FBI-types follow a few paces behind Rick and the young man as they walk down a nondescript institutional corridor. As they walk, the young man explains what is to take place.
"You must realize, security is so important these days, you know, with the Four Wars and all that trouble in New Korea, not to mention the Cyber-wars. Me oh my! You'll be giving your presentation to some very important people. But they don't want you to know who they are unless you move forward. I'm sure you understand."
The young man speaks quickly as they continue along the dull corridor past intersecting hallways and locked doors. He stops at a black door and applies his palm to a soft gel filled square next to the heavy-looking door. The gel forms around and accepts his hand. The door clicks open.
"In you go," says the young man with another broad smile. He then gives Rick a good ole boy slap on the back and a firm push into the room.
Rick staggers into a dark room, then turns back to look at the young man and the two FBI guys. The young man smiles once more. "Just give your presentation as if you were standing in front of a packed lecture hall." The man gestures with big arms. "You'll be fine, honey," he says with a wink.
Rick stares at the young man. As the door is closing, he asks, "What do you mean, if I move forward?" The door closes with the whisper of vacuum. A series of clicks secures the door.
Rick looks around the room. In front is a floor-to-ceiling glass wall twenty feet high. The wall stretches across the length of the room, which was about thirty feet wide, but the room is only fifteen feet deep. The glass is dark and doesn't reflect his image. It isn't a mirror. Rick is glad for that. The floor is black except for a single gray line on the floor, like an actor's mark on a stage, showing where the performer is to stand.
Lights hang from above, angled toward the mark on the floor providing shadowy illumination. Rick scans the empty room and then tries to look through the glass wall. Is he a caged animal on display? "Who is out there? What's going on? Am I supposed to just start?" Rick looks back at the door. There is no doorknob, just a gel pad on the wall. "Shit," Rick says, louder than expected.
The glass wall explodes with color and sound startling Rick. Clouds stream across a blue sky, then a rocket launches with a thunderous sound, making the glass wall vibrate. Words appear in reverse: "Welcome to the Astrophysics Science Center." A voice accompanies the video, introducing the science center and its goals. Rick stares at the video. He assumes this is an introduction for the audience sitting in front of the glass. As the voice over drones on about the science center, Rick feels a tickle in his ear, then hears a voice speaking to him as if he were wearing an earpiece.
"Dr. Munday, your presentation will begin once the introduction has finished." It's a woman's soft voice, but it sounds strange. The voice seems far off, yet it's inside his ear, or maybe inside his head. Rick rubs his ear, but the sound is undisturbed.
"Please move to your mark on the floor." Rick steps to the mark, then touches his band. Its projected screen does not appear. Rick tries to activate his band and load his presentation, but nothing works.
The voice comes back. "We have loaded your presentation to the projection system, Dr. Munday."
"My band isn't working. How did you get my presentation?"
The voice speaks again with no emotion. "I accessed your presentation from your cloud files. The slides will appear in speaker mode. They will appear in front of you in case you wish to refer to your notes. The presentation is motion controlled."
"You don't have access to my cloud files. How could you? You don't have my permission."
The opening slide of Rick's presentation appears in midair a few feet in front of him. The slide hovers just below Rick's eye level. There is no screen or display. The slide floats in space before him.
The introduction video continues to play. Rick is angry but doesn't have much time. He motions with his right hand. The slides slip by as if he were flipping pages of a book. Rick notices some mistakes. He made changes during his flight.
"This the wrong version," he says to himself. Then he speaks loudly, hoping the voice is monitoring. "I can't use this version. I made several changes. How can I load the final version?"
His ear tickles. "Cloud access in this facility is restricted."
Rick thinks for a second. "I have it stored on my band, but it isn't working here. If I could load from—" The display on his band glows.
"Latest version loaded," the voice announces.
Rick looks at his band and then looks up to the ceiling. "My band is password protected. You can't just take my files. And the file is eight hundred gigs. It can't load that fast."
The voice interrupts Rick. "Presentation loaded. You begin in nine seconds. Move to your mark."
Rick is confused, and upset, but convinced his future depends on this presentation. He will find out what's happening later. As he looks down and steps to his mark, the voice comes back in his head. "Take a deep breath. Relax, Dr. Munday. You are in a large lecture hall. Teach."
The video ends. The glass wall goes black. A new voice. "Today it is our pleasure to introduce Dr. Richard Munday and his presentation entitled, Disturbance beyond the Kuiper Belt - Potential risks to Planet Earth. Dr. Munday comes to us from Cal Tech. We learned of his unique theory and felt compelled to bring him to the committee's attention for consideration. I present, Dr. Richard Munday."
Lights in the floor ignite, bathing Rick in the new light. The black glass becomes semitransparent. As the introduction ends, the opening slide of Rick's presentation appears high on the glass above. Whoever is in the audience can see Rick, but Rick can't see beyond the glass. Rick expects applause, but there is silence.
Rick tries to imagine a filled lecture hall before him, but it isn't working. Standing alone illuminated by bright lights, he peers into the glass wall then plows forward.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It… ah, it's a pleasure to be here. Today I would like to share my work regarding the potential dangers facing our solar system and potentially to Earth. There have been significant increases in the number of comets and asteroids in the inner solar system. This phenomenon has been difficult to study. Budget cuts have shuttered most terrestrial and space-based telescopes, but I believe something significant is happening. Before I present my theory of what could cause this increased activity, let's review some astronomy basics and past theories to set the background." Rick moves his hand and the slide changes to a video.
"As you all know it takes about two hundred thirty million years for our solar system to complete an orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. Think of the Milky Way as a large plate lying flat. It is round and wide but not very thick. The thickness of the plate is the galactic plane. As our solar system rotates around the Milky Way, it rises above and dips below the galactic plane many times. This up and down cycle occurs every thirty to thirty-five million years. The movement looks like a looping wave as we orbit the galaxy. Many scientists have theorized that our solar systems movement through the galactic cycle matches historic periods of asteroid bombardment. The asteroid activity we see might have proved these galactic plane theories correct except, our solar system is moving away from the galactic plane and won't likely cross it again for another ten million years. The exact date is up for debate, but we aren't even close."
Rick lets the audience read the slide. When enough time elapses, he speaks again. "So, what is causing today's increased activity and is Earth at risk? We are not crossing the galactic plane, so it must be something else, something different." Rick pauses again for effect.
"So, I went looking for something different, and I believe I have found it."
Rick moves through several slides and animations, building a foundation, as he prepares to get to the heart of his theory.
"The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It's a wide band of rocky objects thought to be the leftovers of early planet formation. The asteroid belt has billions and billions of space rocks in stable orbits. We have identified and explored the largest ones, and we track the orbits of thousands of these asteroids. Researchers have attributed ancient bombardments to objects from the asteroid belt; However, I do not suspect them as the cause for the recent activity. The Kuiper belt is larger and more distant—fifty times the distance Earth is from the sun, home to a trillion icy comets, millions of rocky bodies, and dwarf planets such as Pluto, Sedna, and Haumea to name a few. The Kuiper belt moves with the solar system in a pro-grade, or counterclockwise orbit and lies within the heliosphere, so while very distant, the Kuiper belt is part of our solar system."
Rick's loads a slide titled: "Effects of a black hole transiting the outer solar system."
"A black hole is a place in space with mass packed so densely and its gravitational pull is so strong that nothing can escape. They are the universe's vacuum cleaners, sucking up everything in their grasp. Since they pull all matter into their mass, even light, they are nearly invisible. Black holes typically stay in one place, usually residing at the center of large galaxies, like the super-massive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way. But not all black holes are stationary. Some move through space. They can move at incredible speeds, up to five million miles per hour. Can you imagine the mayhem a fast-moving black hole might cause as it jets through space sucking up all matter in its path? I believe a black hole passed through the outer solar system moving in a retrograde, or a clockwise, orbit—which is the opposite direction of our solar system. The gravitational attraction of the black hole caused the typical pro-grade orbital velocities of comets, and other Kuiper belt objects, to slow causing them to lose orbit and drop into the inner solar system."
Rick pulls something out of his pocket. "In my hand is a steel washer; a flat, round piece of metal with a hole in the center. It's hefty. It has some mass. I've tied a string to the washer." Rick holds the end of the string and twirls his hand.
"As I turn the string, the washer spins in a circle, an orbit." The metal washer spins at the end of the string over Rick's head.
"As long as there is enough orbital velocity, the washer remains in its orbit, but if the orbit slows, the washer will drop out of orbit. I believe this happened to a multitude of objects in the Kuiper belt," Rick says as he slows the spin of the washer, allowing it to fall to the floor.
A video of the solar system plays. The camera's view is far above the known planets and the Kuiper belt all spinning in a counterclockwise motion. A transparent disk moves through space, transiting high above the solar system. The stronger gravity of the transparent disk spinning in the opposite direction slows the rotational speed of the orbiting comets. Gravity pulls tens of thousands of objects up toward the invisible disk. The orbital rotation of another million objects slows, causing them to hang frozen in place as the disk passes above. As the invisible force moves past our solar system, objects that have lost their orbital momentum drop, falling into the inner solar system.
Some objects crash into planets. Many asteroids and comets collide during their descent toward the sun. Rick moves his arms in sync with the video raising them as the objects rise, lifted by the incredible invisible force, then drops his hands as they fall.
"A fast-moving stellar black hole could pass beyond the Kuiper belt, unseen. A black hole doesn't give off any light. We'd never see it coming!" Rick says as he motions to load the next slide. There is no feedback, no gasps, no terrified students running out of the auditorium, just the black glass wall.
Rick tries to look through the glass for a moment before continuing. "When you hear the words black hole, most people jump to the conclusion that black holes are always massive monsters chewing up planets, solar systems, and galaxies with all matter being dragged into its super-dense gravitational jaws. Surely, if a black hole passed near Earth, we'd be sucked into oblivion. Not necessarily. It depends on many factors; black holes come in all sizes and densities. The purpose of my grant is to conduct the research, to gather data, and to prove a black hole caused the increase in activity being observed. I hope to determine its size, density, and track the orbit of the black hole to determine the potential danger to our solar system and Earth."
Rick motions to move to the next slide. This is the crux of his theory. He hopes he has not lost his audience getting to this key point. Rick displays an image of an X-ray emitting object. It's a small blue blur in the middle of the blackness of space.
"This x-ray image, taken by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer known as IPXE, is faint, but I believe it represents the black hole. Unfortunately, I haven't accessed IXPE for several months. If the black hole collects material as it continues to move through space, an accretion disk may form making the black hole easier to detect. I also need to verify that objects are moving into the inner solar system and confirm that they are the source of the increased activity we have observed. We must determine the number, size, speed, and trajectory of the objects. I got some time on the European Extremely Large Telescope Array or EELT. I detected and began to track several new comets. But I need more time on the IXPE and EELT to confirm the data—"
Rick's ear tickles then he hears a gruff sounding voice. "You mean to tell us you gained access to both the IXPE and EELT?"
The question startles Rick, but he answers the question. "Why, yes? I examined—" The tickle interrupts Rick again, causing him to touch his ear.
"You don't have clearance for those systems. How did you gain access?" asks the voice.
Rick is busted. He planned to cover up his previous unauthorized use once his grant was approved. He's said too much, now he's caught. The scientific world is small. Scientists often exchange favors and information between friends and colleagues. His college friend Karl gave him an access code to IXPE.
Rick recalls the conversation.
"If I give you the code numb nuts, you've got to promise you'll cut your tongue out before revealing who gave you access. Remember, you owe me. I saw Courtney first. She's your wife only because I held back to give you a chance." Rick got the code but lost access to IXPE two weeks later when Karl died in an auto accident. Dead people don't need access to secure x-ray imaging systems.
Accessing EELT was not as easy. For that, Rick used the old-fashioned tactic of breaking and entering. One of his students was a talented computer programmer but was failing astronomy. Rick offered the student an extra credit project. All he needed to do was hack into EELT, allowing Rick complete access while leaving no trace of his activities. The student might have been horrible at astronomy, but he was great at hacking. Two days later Rick had access to the EELT, and the student remarkably got an A in astronomy. That was before they shut down EELT.
Rick stands looking dumbfounded, his hopes of a grant crumbling. His ear tickles. "Your response is required Dr. Munday."
Rick tries to laugh it off. He shrugs his shoulders and says, "Sometimes a scientist has to do whatever it takes to get data. The Europeans weren't using the EELT. They're still fighting the Four Wars. I didn't think they would mind." A painful shock in his ear causes Rick to lurch over in pain.
"Do not be flippant with me, Munday. Answer."
Rick draws himself up and looks through the dark glass wall at whoever is the voice in his head. His jaw set, his lips tight. "I must get grants to support my department and put food on my family's table. I must publish to attain tenure. I've spent years running into barriers and roadblocks trying to gain access to systems and information. When there is no other way, you find a way. I found ways. I don't care if I broke a few rules because the system is not fair. These days, the only way to make the system work is to break rules." Rick fears his career is now over. "I know I cheated. I'll go now." He turns to walk to the door, then remembers he's trapped in the room.
He hears a whispered conversation for several seconds, then the voice says, "Continue."
The response shocks Rick. He isn't sure he understands. "What?"
"Continue your presentation."
Rick moves to his mark on the floor and starts again. "One might wonder what happens when a black hold disrupts the orbits of comets." Rick's ear vibrates. "Yes, one might wonder such a thing. Get on with it, Munday."
"As I noted earlier, the Kuiper belt lies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It includes forty thousand objects larger than sixty miles in diameter, not to mention dwarf planets and a trillion other objects. As the black hole passed beyond the Kuiper belt, it would have disrupted and slowed the orbit of the belt's objects, causing them to drop into the inner solar system. Millions of objects could have suffered this gravitational misfortune, sending a vast cascade of comets and rocky bodies to the inner solar system. As comets and Kuiper belt objects pass through the asteroid belt, they may cause a secondary wave of disruption, bringing asteroids and broken fragments along with them. Objects would impact the inner planets, and could cause a severe asteroid bombardment on Earth, lasting months or years with devastating results to the planet's inhabitants—meaning us." Rick pauses, looking at his dim reflection in the glass wall.
"Imagine if a million objects fell out of orbit. It would be a very destructive force. Only a small percentage of them need to strike Earth to create an end of the world scenario. As I stated earlier in my presentation, there have been an unusual number of new comets over the past few years, resulting in new meteor showers. We have also logged an increase in the number of asteroid flybys, near misses, and collisions with Earth." Rick takes a breath. He hopes he is getting his point across to the invisible audience beyond the glass.
Rick moves his hand, advancing to the next slide. "My research shows the potential for a storm of comets and asteroids moving through the inner solar system toward Earth. I don't know when it's coming; it may be close already. I haven't been able to gather new data for months, but I believe Earth is at great risk of multiple, catastrophic collisions. We must warn people of the danger." Rick's ear then stings with enough pain to make him stop talking.
The gravelly voice is back. "You are saying Earth could experience more events like the meteor explosion that destroyed much of Perth, Australia, yesterday?"
"Perth? I didn't know."
Images of destruction appear on the glass wall. The once-beautiful seaside skyline of Perth is in ruins.
Rick stutters and steps back. "I've been traveling. I-I didn't know," Rick says.
The voice of a different man speaks. "We believe a meteor, eighty meters in diameter, exploded over the city center, destroying most of the buildings downtown causing fires citywide. Thousands are dead. Billions in damage." Rick watches the video footage in stunned amazement. The destruction is widespread.
The gruff voice returns. "That will be all, Dr. Munday." The stage lights dim, and the glass wall goes black. Rick stands alone in the silent empty room.