Freaks Macintosh Archive/Freaks Macintosh Archive.bin/Freaks Macintosh Archives/Textfiles/zines/Midnight-Raid/midnight raid 8_app_640x480.sit/tmr 8 small.rsrc/TEXT_1500_06 Blackhole Sun.txt

Text File | 2000-01-09 | 16KB | 279 lines

SIX                              6                                SIX
                            Blackhole Sun
s1x                           by Ender                            sICKS



I woke up early that morning, only to feel the blistering heat that was plaguing
our planet. I slowly got to my feet, put on a pair of shoes, and strolled over
to the thermostat. It was set at 20° Celsius, but the temperature indoors was
still 37°. I remembered the promise I made myself a few weeks ago to fix it, but
my studies had taken most of my time.

I walked into the bathroom near my room. I flipped the switch to activate the
water cooler and laid back in bed for about twenty minutes. Afterwards I took a
shower and brushed my teeth. I flipped my personal telepathic unit (PTU) to
*6800, the news station. The middle-aged reporter blurted out something to the
extent of a spur of the moment International Congress meeting. He proceeded to
say that talks on proposed plans for earth's people would be discussed. Who knew
then that one day I would be delivering a speech to the International Congress.

"The sun has grown an additional 1.37% closer to earth today," announced a
clean-scrubbed young female reporter. "As you remember, the sun swallowed
Mercury only two years ago after it began to use its hydrogen supplies at a
vigorous pace. Our sun is now considered a radical K class star. Each day the
sun is expanding in size by an additional .5 - 2%. At the current rate, the sun
will swallow the earth in only a few short years."

What she said was true. Our sun had almost spontaneously become a K class,
expanding supergiant. Almost a year ago the heat from our sun dried up all the
liquid water on earth. Great floods first swept over the earth, then over a six
month period, most of the water on earth dried up. All that was left behind was
sand filled plains and hills of salt. Scientists scrambled to make a device to
combine hydrogen and oxygen chemically, even though a beta version of the device
was already designed for such an emergency. Each community got a water making
machine to combine the hydrogen and oxygen in the air into water that was suited
for human consumption.

I turned off my PTU after getting a sickly feeling in my stomach. Our world was
about to be scorched by the heat of our sun, and we were all here waiting for it
to happen. I thought that it was about time the world met as one to try to find a
way to prevent us all from extinction. I had my own idea of how we should get our
species off this planet, but, then who was I? I was a poor scientist barely making
ends meet on my studies of space-time.

I was working at MIT at the time in the study of the relationship of space-time.
Much was already known about the curvature of space time, and the possibility of
wormholes. I was conducting experiments in which I created a mini-universe inside
a perfect vacuum. The vacuum was only one cubed centimeter, but I learned more from
that centimeter than any books could tell me. I created an additional space-time
inside the vacuum. In effect, it was like a complete separate dimension in a box.
I studied the curvature of space-time, which basically states that the universe has
hills and cliffs like on earth. But, unlike on earth, where the hills are on a flat
plain, the space-time curvature is on a three-dimensional plane.

I was seeking proof for the theory that a person could take shortcuts through
the universe. I was suggesting that the quickest way to go somewhere was not by
going in a straight line there. This was difficult for many people to
comprehend, especially myself. Unlike on earth, where the quickest way to get
from one part of the planet to another is on a great circle connecting the two
places, I was suggesting that we go down.

How would this be done? With the help of space-time, of course. Think of it as
it would apply on earth. You were at the top of a hill. You want to go to the
top of an adjacent hill. It would take you longer to walk down one hill and up
another than it would to fly to the other hill. Because of the hills in
space-time, we can go across or down, rather than around.

I was also theorist in time travel. Although we knew it was possible to travel
in time, we could not create the technology ourselves to do so. I thought that
we could use the energy from a blackhole to propel us fast enough to travel in
time and skip to other side of the universe. The black hole would pull us in at
such as rate that we might be able to repel the other way, while gaining speeds
faster than light, right into the pit of the blackhole, and then out the other
side.

I finished eating my breakfast by about seven o'clock. It was then that I
received the call that I would later find would change my life, and the fate of
the world. It was one of my old friends from college. He had become a
politician, and he was one of the 1000 something people that represented the
world regions in the International Congress. He knew of my studies of space-time
and my proposed theory on how to save the earth. He asked me to join him that
afternoon in London, and I somewhat reluctantly agreed.

I was not a politician, nor did I have any connection with the North American
Federation (formerly the U.S., Canada, and Mexico/Central America). I could not
understand why he had wanted me to come along with him. Still pondering the
issue, I jumped into my StarKar and took off for Jonathan's house in New York. I
flipped my PTU to *6800 once again to listen to the air traffic reports.

The same middle aged reporter that I had heard earlier that day was reporting
again. The biggest news of the hour was that space-time specialist Clayton
Berlin was to be present at the Congress this afternoon to propose a plan to
save the earth from the ever expanding sun. "A source has confirmed that Clayton
Berlin, a world renowned space time specialist will be present at the
International Congress today. As you will recall, one of his greatest
achievements is the 'mini-universe' that he created."

Just great, I thought to myself. The media knew I was going to be speaking on
saving the earth before I did. I felt like killing my friend for a slight
moment, but then, I thought that maybe now I would be recognized to the world as
a brilliant individual. I pretended that he merely forgot to tell me that I was
to speak, so I flipped my PTU to an alternative music frequency.

I arrived in New York just a little after nine o'clock in the morning. I met
Jonathan at his house, and I asked him about the news report I heard. He said
that he had forgotten to mention it earlier. "I thought you would know exactly
why we needed you, Clayton. The whole world knows your views about saving the
earth with the help of space-time."

I was so flattered for a moment that I almost forgot that I was still
disgruntled with him. "No matter," I replied, "I should have known that I would
get my chance one day to show the world." He sort of chuckled at this, and
motioned toward his kar. "We have to go immediately," he announced
authoritatively.

Only a few short hours later I found myself seated in a large room filled with
people of various nationalities. I found it quite strange that everyone was
speaking different languages, growing up in America makes you think that English
ought to be spoken everywhere. A large man of about 50 stood up to the
microphone and motioned for every one to sit.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the impending danger on our world from
the sun. As you all know, the sun is growing in capacity by about one percent
each day. Several people from various countries are here to discuss courses of
action that we could take to save the earth. Mr. Edward's, would you please step up?"

"Thank you, Mr. Wellbanks. I have a proposed theory that could help stop the
expansion of our sun. According to my studies, if a series of nuclear bombs were
launched at the sun, the explosion would cause a delay in the usage of hydrogen.
The sun would shrink down to a smaller size and prevent earth from being destroyed."

"We could have the nuclear arsenal ready at 1.75 galactic time tomorrow," the
prime minister of Greater Japan explained. "Exactly how many bombs are we
looking at, Mr. Edwards?"

"Approximately 10 bombs that will be launched in 30 minute intervals."

"Very good," the prime minister replied.

"Very good indeed, Mr. Edwards," stated Mr. Wellbanks. "Could I ask for Steven
Thompson to come up please."

"Thank you," said Dr. Thompson. "You all remember the alien attack of 2047,
correct? In that war we produced a magnetic force field around the earth by
using a specialized magneto-electricity unit. The force field was designed to
repel alien fire power and any other objects entering the atmosphere. I propose
that we make a temporary magnetic field around earth until we can stop the
expansion of the sun."

"Very interesting, indeed Dr. Thompson," noted a minister from a middle eastern
region. "Have you actually tested this device on heat exposure, much less on the
plasma from the sun. How do we know this will do any good? It could waste
billions of currency units and not do a thing."

"I believe that it will but the earth enough time to make a plan to escape or
something. May I remind you that I am the expert in this field."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," complained Mr. Wellbanks. "I think we have heard enough
from both of you. We do not have time to argue. Your suggestion will be noted,
Dr. Thompson. Now, if I may, will Yamuri Hamashito please come up to propose his
plan?"

"Thank ya very much, Mr. uh... Wellbanks. I think that the people of earth
should get into space craft and fly to a near by station for the time being. We
have cargo ships that we can easily turn into passenger uh... freighters. We can
send off about 5 ships at a time that carry two uh... thousand people each. The
return trip would be about uh... 5 months to take a ship to nearby start Alpha
Centuri."

I almost jumped out of my seat in protest. "Are you insane!" I screamed. "There
is no possible way that we could get every person off this planet with your
method. There are over 5 billion people on the earth. Each five months we maybe
be able to ship one hundred-thousand people. But our sun is going to fry us all
in just over a year!"

"How will you decide who gets to live?" I complained. "And you, Mr. Edwards,
don't you think that when you drop those bombs on the sun that it may shrink,
yes, but that it might collapse onto itself! Don't you even understand the basic
concepts of science? This is totally crazy....all of you!"

"Please settle down sir! What would you do instead, may I inquire?" sneered Mr.
Wellbanks. I never did care for that man. Neither did I care for anyone in that
room for a moment. They were all crazy.

"I propose that we change the earth's orbit."

"Uh huh...and this will do what for us?"

"Well, if we set of a series of explosive outside the earth, we could push it
out of it's current orbit. We would push it back to intersect with Jupiter's
orbit. From there, we could use Jupiter's gravity to sling us out toward the
Oort Cloud."

"You must be bloody insane! We all know that there is a small blackhole found
beyond the Oort Cloud!"

"That is exactly what I am aiming for. We can use the blackhole's own gravity to
repel us around and through it at speed faster that those of light. With the
help of space-time curvature, we should be able to speed across to the other
side of the universe. Another dimension, if you will."

"That's impossible!" someone shouted. "We know that the ides of time travel and
dimensional travel are preposterous!"

"That, is where you are wrong. Back in the late twentieth century, the ideas of
space-time curvature were first brought up. They did much research and found
that it is very possible. Then in 2032, a professor by the name of Edward Clantz
issued a report saying that time travel was impossible. He said that space-time was
nothing, and that it could not possibly exist. In studying his data, I have learned
that he made many faults in the data."

"Are you trying to say that Clantz was a phony?" cried out another voice from
the crowd. "He was one of the most respected scientists of his time!"

"Yes, damn well I believe that Professor Clantz was a fraudulent, cheating,
S.O.B." I had just about enough of this man.

"Uhmm Hmmgh. What is your name sir?" asked Mr. Wellbanks somewhat impatiently.

"My name is Clayton Berlin."

"Thank you Mr. Berlin. Guards, will you please help Mr. Berlin to his kar?" I
saw some guys with big guns give Wellbanks a nod. Oh, I wanted them to see that
they were going to screw up our only chance of living. Damn him!

"Now, gentlemen, I say that we vote on this matter." sad Mr. Wellbanks. He was
so good at looking polite and being so nice to everyone. "You all have a voting
computer on the seat in front of you. Please select your plan; 1 being to drop
bombs on the sun; 2 being to make an electromagnetic force field around earth;
and 3 being taking space ships to shuttle people to near by stations. You will
have about 5 minutes until we tally the results."

"All right, gentlemen, popular vote tells us that we are going to nuke the sun.
Prime Minister Yiltamito, you have permission to strike the sun at 'o eight
hundred hours. Meeting adjourned."

At eight o'clock the next morning, Japan launched a full scale nuclear attack on
the sun. I had a gut feeling that something would go incredibly wrong. I watched
out through the window of my house to see if I could see the bombs explode. I saw
about 3 large inflammations of the sun in about an hour. I assumed that the bombs
were doing their job.

The next morning the sun's size had lost about 20% capacity. It was almost the
size that it was before its radical change. I knew it was all too good to be
true, and in a week I was proved right.

What happened from the time of the launch to a week after can only be described
as disastrous. The sun continued to shrink throughout the week. When it was
about the size of a white dwarf star, it had a mini supernova. Although the
remnants of the star never touched the surface of the earth, the heat did. The
heat was worse than anything imaginable. And, worst of all, we were moving
closer toward the black hole created by the sun.

As could be expected, the International Congress held another meeting. This time
I decided to stay in my home and wait for the earth to come to an end. I got a
somewhat expected, unexpected phone call again. But this time it was Mr.
Wellbanks of the International Congress.

He apologized for his temper and that he now recognized that I was a man of
great brilliance. He never would have thought that I would be right, but I was.
He begged for me to come to the meeting again. This time the world would take me
seriously.

The vote was 647 to 498 in my favor. Only two methods were actually treated as
good plans that time. Mine, and the shuttling people off the earth. I vigorously
argued, and I apparently convinced enough people.

At 'o nine hundred hours the next day, the first of several strategically placed
bombs went off. The earth was pushed further and further away from our blackhole
sun, but ever closer to another.

I do not need to describe in detail what happened after that. My plan worked as
a I expected it to. Of course, if it didn't I wouldn't be writing this part of
my autobiography. I figure that any person who goes down in history as the
person who served the earth should have his own autobiography. We eventually
found a perfect sun to use. With the help of our explosives, we blasted toward
the sun we wanted. It's nice to be able to pick any solar system in the
universe. With the help of our oxygen-hydrogen combining devices we eventually
rebuilt the earth and filled the oceans with water once again.