jdavid.footprintsofthunder-第45章

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　The　President　would　be　open　to　Nick's　new　theory…but　perhaps　too　open。　The　President　spoke　calmly　and　in　a　controlled　manner；　but　his　fingers　told　another　story　as　he　reflexively　twirled　a　twisted　paper　clip。　Nick　looked　up　to　catch　Elizabeth　Hawthorne's　eye。　Normally　inscrutable；　now　she　looked　wor…ried…about　what　had　happened；　or　about　the　President？　Nick　wondered。
　The　order　of　reports　on　the　agenda　was　the　same；　and　Nick　had　to　wait　through　the　military　assessments　again。　There　was　still　no　identified　strategic　threat；　so　the　reports　focused　on　losses。　In　addition　to　the　loss　of　the　ELF　system；　contact　had　been　lost　with　seven　military　bases　in　the　United　States；　including　one　SAC　bomber　base；　several　bases　on　foreign　soil；　an　aircraft　carrier　group；　and　several　other　individual　ships。　There　were　also　munication　problems　with　some　Landsat　and　civilian　weather　satellites　and　loss　of　contact　with　some　military　KH　13　satellites。　Until　contact　could　be　reestablished；　the　military　was　substituting　aerial　reconnaissance　of　the　affected　areas。
　Samuel　Cannon's　report　included　a　confirmation　that　all　of　the　black　bag　projects　were　suspended；　as　the　President　had　ordered。　The　CIA's　report　also　included　a　surprise：　no　confirmation　of　the　dinosaurs　in　Oregon；　but　a　confirmed　report　of　dinosaurs　in　Quebec；　with　photos。　The　CIA　director's　aide　passed　around　copies。　Nick　had　trouble　believing　what　he　was　seeing。　The　heavily　armored　animal　walking　past　a　barn　was　five　feet　at　the　shoulders　and　fifteen　feet　in　length。　Its　body　was　bulky；　but　the　head　was　small　for　an　animal　this　size；　and　its　tail　was　as　armored　as　the　rest　of　the　body　and　tipped　with　two　spikes。　It　looked　like　an　overgrown　armadillo。　Cannon　reported　their　experts　identified　it　as　a　living　ankylosaur…an　animal　extinct　since　the　end　of　the　Cretaceous　period。
　Everyone　at　the　table　turned　to　look　at　Nick　with　new　respect…except　Gogh；　who　kept　his　eyes　on　the　photograph。
　The　report　on　the　civilian　situation　had　new　dimensions　of　horror。　Part　of　Mobile；　Alabama；　was　a　lava　field　now；　and　the　rest　a　firestorm。　An　avalanche　of　steaming　mud　had　buried　Aspen；　Colorado。　Omaha　was　inundated　by　a　wall　of　water　roaring　across　the　wheatfields。　Lake　Tahoe　had　overflowed　its　banks；　drowning　the　cities　of　South　Tahoe　and　Stateline。
　U。S。　military　bases　also　were　reporting　on　overseas　effects。　Part　of　Paris　was　forest；　and　most　of　Rome；　including　the　Vatican；　was　missing。　London　was　untouched；　but　there　were　severe　tidal　wave　losses　along　most　of　the　English　coast。　Scotland　was　gone。　Russia　and　the　Ukraine　were　the　only　East　European　countries　still　municating；　and　their　reports　had　a　familiar　ring。　Countries　all　over　South　America　and　Africa　were　pleading　for　help。　From　Central　America　came　reports　of　missing　cities　and　villages　and　strange　animals　roaming　the　countryside。　The　Panama　Canal　would　have　to　be　redug。
　The　reports　were　bleak；　endless；　and　repetitive；　and　soon；　under　Elizabeth's　urging；　the　President　cut　it　off　with　a　curt　〃thank　you〃　and　then　moved　down　the　agenda。
　When　Nick's　turn　came　he　asked　that　Colonel　Conrad；　Dr。　Roberts；　and　Sergeant　Yamamoto　be　admitted。　The　first　two　took　seats　against　the　wall　while　Yamamoto　went　immediately　to　the　puter。　Colonel　Conrad　looked　fortable；　every　inch　the　confident　professional。　Dr。　Roberts　looked　ill　at　ease　but　Yamamoto　appeared　almost　gleeful。　The　chance　to　sit　with　the　Security　Council　and　hear　the　secrets　of　the　secret　was　his　fantasy　bee　reality。
　Yamamoto's　puter　was　linked　to　a　special　overhead　projector；　which　enlarged　the　puter　images　and　projected　them　on　a　wall　screen。　Now　he　called　up　the　list　of　events　and　dates。
　Nick　began；　〃Mr。　President；　we　have　a　theory　that　may　help　us　explain　what　has　happened。　If　you　remember　my　earlier　report　I　said　that　what　appears　to　have　happened　could　best　be　described　as　time　displacement。　1　still　believe　that　to　be　true；　and　the　photo　of　the　ankylosaur　and　other　evidence　support　the　theory。　I　also　said　that　it　might　be　a　natural　phenomenon。　I　was　wrong　about　that。〃
　Heads　turned　and　mumbling　filled　the　room。　Elizabeth　leaned　forward　and　whispered　in　the　President's　ear。　He　nodded　and　then　spoke。
　〃If　it　was　not　natural　then　was　it　an　attack？〃
　〃No；　sir。　Nor　were　aliens　involved。　Take　a　look　at　the　screen。　The　list　you　see　represents　unexplained　events　that　have　occurred　over　the　last　century。　Most　of　these　are　objects　falling　from　the　sky；　like　boulders；　ice；　huge　amounts　of　water；　grain；　even　unidentified　plants。　Sometimes　animals　have　fallen　from　the　sky；　like　frogs；　tadpoles；　and　rabbits。　There　are　also　mysterious　intense　fires；　floods；　and　rock　falls。　We　believe　that　all　of　these　events　were　real　and　that　they　were　caused　by　the　same　force　that　caused　our　current　problem。〃
　Gogh　cleared　his　throat　for　attention　and　then　spoke；　looking　back　and　forth　from　Nick　to　the　President　as　he　did。
　〃Ice　falling　from　the　sky　is　hardly　the　same　as　a　city　disappearing。　Frogs　from　the　sky　we　can　handle；　but　ankylosaurs　roaming　the　countryside　suggests　a　pletely　different　kind　of　problem。〃
　〃Different　problem　but　the　same　source；〃　Nick　dismissed　Gogh　curtly。　〃Run　the　next　program；　Sergeant。〃　The　program　with　the　two　circles　appeared　on　the　screen。　〃These　two　Circles　represent　nuclear　explosions…　You　know　when　nuclear　weapons　are　detonated　several　waves　of　destruction　spread　out　from　ground　zero。　There　is　a　pressure　wave；　which　does　the　blast　damage。　There　is　a　wave　of　thermal　radiationessentially　a　ball　of　hot　gas　that　expands　rapidly；　that's　about　a　third　of　the　released　energy。　There　is　also　an　electromagnetic　pulse；　which　induces　current　in　power　lines　and　electrical　equipment。　There　was　an　EMP　acpanying　the　time　displacement　we've　experienced。　Then　of　course　there's　the　ionizing　radiation；　neutrinos　and　gamma　rays。〃　Nick　looked　around；　making　sure　everyone　was　with　him。　〃We're　proposing　that　another　kind　of　wave　is　also　created；　a　time　wave；　which　radiates　out　not　only　through　three…dimensional　space　but　also　across　the　fourth　dimension。〃　Murmuring　filled　the　room。
　〃We　have　no　evidence　of　such　a　wave；　Dr。　Paulson。〃　Gogh　said　it　with　an　air　of　dismissal。　〃We　would　have　detected　it　long　before　now；〃
　〃Detected　it　with　what？　What　instrument？　The　only　evidence　is　that　list　I　put　on　the　screen。〃
　Dr。　Gogh　pursed　his　lips　as　if　he　was　going　to　say　something　but　kept　silent；　his　eyes　focused　intently。
　〃We　believe　that　when　a　nuclear　device　of　sufficient　size　is　detonated；　it　sends　out　a　time　wave　in　the　same　fashion　that　it　sends　out　heat　and　pressure。〃
　〃And　how　does　that　drop　frogs　from　the　sky？〃　Nick　turned　at　the　President's　question　in　time　to　see　Elizabeth　lean　back。
　〃It　doesn't；　sir。　Not　by　itself。　Sergeant；　run　the　program。〃　The　circles　appeared；　then　expanded　until　they　intersected　and　froze　with　the　A　showing。　〃It　appears　to　take　two　waves　in　conjunction。　Where　the　two　waves　contact；　the　time　displacement　takes　place。　Say　two　bombs　were　detonated；　the　first　bomb　one　hundred　kilometers　east　of　Washington　and　the　other　simultaneous　detonation　one　hundred　kilometers　west。　If　both　waves　traveled　at　fifty　kilometers　per　hour　they　would　contact　each　other　over　Washington　two　hours　later。〃
　〃And　drop　frogs　or　something？〃　Gogh　suggested　derisively。
　〃Possibly　drop　something；　but　more　likely　pick　up　something。　People　walking　down　the　street　at　the　contact　point　might　find　themselves　。　。　。　displaced。〃　Nick　nodded　to　Yamamoto　and　the　program　continued　until　B　and　C　appeared　on　the　screen。　〃The　displaced　person　would　find　themselves　along　the　line　marked　by　A；　B　and　C。〃
　〃Say；　in　San　Francisco；〃　the　President　offered。
　〃Possibly；〃　Nick　conceded；　〃but　you　can't　just　speak　of　where；　you　also　have　to　ask　'when？'　This　wave　is　four…dimensional。　If　the　waves　travel　at　fifty　kilometers　per　hour　and　one　year　per　kilometer；　then　the　person　would　disappear　one　hundred　years　from　now　and　reappear　someplace　along　this　line　in　the　future。〃
　〃So　how　do　we　get　frogs　falling　out　of　the　sky？〃
　〃If　the　contact　point　is　a　wetland　on　a　summer　evening　you　could　pick　up　a　pond　full　of　frogs　and　drop　them　fifty　years　later　on　tourists　at　Fisherman's　Wharf。〃
　〃I　assume　that　you　checked　the　dates　of　the　events　on　that　list　against　the　dates　predicted　by　the　model；〃　Gogh　said。
　〃That　was　the　most　difficult　part。　We　tried　using　Soviet　and　American　test　sites；　and　Hiroshima　and　Nagasaki；　but　the　model　didn't　fit　well　and　it　did　not　account　for　many　of　the　events。　We　tried　various　starting　dates　for　the　model；　and　different　rates　of　geographic　and　temporal　spread。　Various　binations　of　blasts　do　seem　to　predict　the　events　on　the　list；　but　the　best　fit　es　if　you　assume　a　starting　date　of　October　31；　1952。〃
　〃Halloween？〃　the　President　said。　〃You're　not　suggesting　a　supernatural　source；　are　you？〃
　Defense　Secretary　Natalie　Matsuda　lifted　her　hand　to　catch　the　President's　eye；　and　then　turned　to　Nick。　〃It's　Mike；　isn't　it？〃
　〃Mike　marks　the　beginning　of　it。〃　Matsuda　turned　to　the　President　to　explain。　〃Mike　was　the　code　name　given　to　the　first　hydrogen　fusion　bomb　tested。　It　was　an　above…ground　test　。　。　。　everything　was　then　。　。　。　we　set　it　off　on　Eniwetok　Atoll。〃　Then　turning　to　Nick　she　asked；　〃Is　it　the　fusion　or　the　tonnage　that　causes　the　effect？〃
　〃We　suspect　tonnage。　Mike　was　a　ten…megaton　device。　The　fission　tests　before　that　approached　a　thousand　kilotons　and　maybe　exceeded　it。　Anyway；　the　effect　seems　to　be　rooted　in　a　series　of　tests　carried　out　by　us　and　the　Soviets；　which　ranged　from　fifteen　to　sixty　megatons。　It　was　the　bination　of　Soviet　and　U。S。　tests　that　gives　us　the　best　model　fits。〃　Gogh　tried　another　tactic。
　〃I　still　say　that　frogs　and　wholesale　topological　change　are　not　the　same　thing。〃
　〃I　agree　with　Arnie；〃　the　President　said；　nodding　his　head　toward　Dr。　Gogh。　〃It's　a　good　theory　but　it　seems　inadequate。〃
　〃Yes；　sir；　but　there's　another　piece　of　the　puzzle；〃　Nick　explained。
　Yamamoto　pulled　up　the　next　program　without　being　asked。　The　pulses　of　circles　began　and　raced　toward　the　edges　of　the　screen；　the　screen　changed　and　the　circles　merged　into　two　larger　circles　and　then　contacted　each　qther。
　〃One　more　time；　Sergeant；〃　Nick　explained。　As　the　circles　expanded　he　explained。　〃As　you　can　see；　the　time　waves　that　follow　the　earlier　waves　travel　at　a　faster　rate。　We　think　this　may　be　for　two　reasons。　It　might　be　that　the　earlier　waves　somehow　alter　the　time/space　relationship。　Each　wave　would　clear　the　path　for　the　wave　following　it。　Just　like　the　first　snowshoer　does　most　of　the　work　and　the　tenth　snowshoer　in　line　has　a　well…packed　path　to　follow。　This　also　might　explain　why　the　effect　does　not　begin　until　the　fifties。　The　earlier　fission　explosions　might　have　cleared　the　way　for　the　effect　to　occur。
　〃The　second　explanation　may　actually　depend　on　the　first。　The　earliest　explosions　may　have　been　insufficient　to　cause　the　effect。　We　don't　know　what　the　minimum　explosive　power　would　be　for　such　an　event；　but　we　moved　from　the　fifteen　kiloton；　warhead　used　on　Hiroshima　to　sixty　megaton　devices　during　that　time。　The　speed　of　the　wave　may　be　a　function　of　the　megatonage　of　the　device。　Larger　explosions　could　send　out　a　faster　wave　。　。　。　and　by　faster　I　mea