Angry Moon

Chapter 24a

     “I'm told the mass dampener burned out,” said the voice of Richard Garrison, the Prime Minister from the speaker of the ancient longwave radio.

     Almost all communications with London were down as the floodwaters took mobile phone towers and internet hubs out of service. The government was reduced to using long obsolete technology to communicate with the rest of the world. It was crackly with static, but it worked. “They don't know whether it was the amount of energy they were putting through it or the number of times they turned it on and off, but whatever it was, the device couldn’t handle it.”

     “But it lasted for eight hours,” Ben Wrexham replied. “That's plenty of time to push the moon back into its original orbit. If we can persuade the Americans to hand back the device we gave them, and if the astronauts on the space station can rig up something that'll take one of the shuttles to the moon...”

     “I've already spoken to President Clement about the mass dampener,” the Prime Minister replied. “I told him what you have planned. I've told him that my best people believe it's possible, that the moon's twenty nine day cycle of destruction can be ended. The fact that the United States came off comparatively lightly this time around isn't helping, I’m afraid. Even after seeing what's happening to Europe, it's just too big for them to get their heads around. To them, it's just images on a television screen..."  There was a burst of static from the speaker. "Then there's the military," the Prime Minister continued. "The mass dampener is a colossal military asset. They're not going to want to let it out of American hands."

     "You could mention my name. Remind him that I am an American. That an American is in charge of the research project that is investigating the alien space ship.”

      "I've already done that. I think it's helping. What's helping even more is that there is an American up on Harmony. Susan Kendall. I've suggested that she can be in charge of the device while it's in space. The trouble is that her area of expertise is completely wrong. Something to do with helium crystals, I believe. Could she be coached in the use of the device? I assume she must be quite bright to have gotten a place on the space program.”

     “If there's no other way then I suppose we might have to try it, but I would far prefer someone with actual experience in the use of the device. The trouble is that the original, alien mass dampener isn't enough by itself. We need a second device to cancel out the affect of the first so that the rocket thrust can effectively move the moon, and that second device is home made. Something that we’ve made ourselves. If there’s a problem with it, only one of our people would have a chance of fixing it.”

     “Yes, I remember you saying in your original proposal. You’d want one of your people to go up into space with it, then?”

     “Yes. Preferably Frank Williams. He's the man who reverse engineered the mass dampener and made it possible to create a working, man made version.”

     “Has someone got a rocket on the launch pad, then? It's my understanding that it takes weeks, months even, to plan a launch. We were lucky that the Chinese just happened to have a rocket ready to go. It would be incredible good fortune if there was another.”

     “Yes, Sir. There are no rockets rated to carry humans ready to launch, but it might be possible to...”

     “I'm sorry, I have another call coming in.” Ben waited in growing frustration as nothing but static came from the speaker. He glanced over at Karen, standing nearby, who just shrugged helplessly. Finally, though, the voice of the Prime Minister returned. “I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this discussion at a later date,” he said. “Something's happening.”