Zero 'g' Read online

  “The reason we are all gathered here today is due to a discovery made several months ago. As you know, the space program is designed for us to go out into that vast universe and see if there is anything that can be used to benefit our way of life on Earth. That and to search for aliens, but you know how that’s been going.”

  There were a few chuckles around the room, but for the most part the international panel was waiting for him to get on with the news. They hung on his every word.

  “We have spent a lot of time and money exploring space, hoping to one day come across an advancement that would make a difference in our way of life. Well, I believe we have found such a thing. One of our rovers was put on Kepler-62e to explore the planet, and during its investigation, it discovered a new particle. Our research team has code-named it Particle B, as it will be known from now on.”

  Italy’s head of state piped up. “What does this mean, Jim? What is Particle B?”

  Iverson looked up at the monitor. “The full name of this particle is 47 Brahma Particle, in which 47 is the name of the Rover that discovered this and Brahma means unlimited energy. The particle is very special indeed. We have reason to believe that this particular particle is capable of generating long-term sustainable energy. Because of this incredible discovery, we have the opportunity to solve the gravity issues that have been plaguing our world. We have to get the particle here before Earth’s gravity disintegrates completely.”

  There was a shocked silence around the room, which then turned into a round of applause. Iverson breathed a sigh of relief that the reaction was good; he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have to appear before the heads of state with bad news. A grin crossed Gates’s face. He knew that the news would be worthwhile in the end, and they would all forgive him for not briefing them ahead of time. They all had something to be proud of that day. The good news would spread like wildfire, and they would have a new goal for which to strive.

  Cameron spoke up. “Can you tell us a little more about this amazing new particle? What can we expect from it?”

  Iverson nodded before speaking. “What makes this material special is that it can mix with any energy-producing device such as batteries or fuel. We can use this particle to generate unlimited energy to artificial gravity generators.

  So, why don’t we already have this particle here? Why aren’t we using it already?”

  “Well, that’s where we have a problem, I’m afraid. It’s also why you are all here. It’s my job as project lead for Operation 47B to bring back to Earth large amounts of the precious particle so that we can use it. But I can’t do it alone. I am working with Bill Norcross, who is my assistant project manager and second-in-command, to find a solution to bringing the particle here. There is one drawback to the particle. It’s very heavy. It’s not going to be easy to get it home, I’m afraid.”

  Gates believed in Particle B more than any other discoveries of the past several years. This wasn’t just about technology; this was the discovery of a particle that, once extracted and shipped, would allow them to generate artificial gravity. It was the perfect tool to bring a better life to the people of the world.

  Getting the particle back to earth appeared to be no easy task. The particle was on the planet Kepler-62e and weighed a lot. The rockets they originally had planned on using to bring back the particle would not suffice; they weren’t strong enough to carry the particle back. That was the issue that he had before him, and it would be the panel’s job to figure out a way to get it back to Earth, to even figure out if there was a way to get it back. They had the best possible energy source at the tips of their fingers, and yet they had no idea how to get it back to Earth. It meant saving the world, after all. Gates had assembled the group in hopes of working out just such an answer. He figured they could all put their heads together and come up with a solution to their problem.

  Gates stood up once again, and Iverson took a bow and returned to his seat. He looked relieved to be sitting back in his seat and letting someone else rally the group, especially since he knew that this time the news was not going to be good.

  Gates cleared his throat, but it took a couple of times before the group started calming down.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please, if we could calm down, we aren’t quite done here.” He stood there and waited patiently until the room became silent.

  “Thank you.”

  The French president sighed. “What exactly is the problem? We have a very sophisticated space program. Just load up the particle and bring it back; it should be as easy as that.”

  “You’re right; we have the best space program we could possibly ask for right now. But the problem is a little more sophisticated than that. What we didn’t expect when it came to transporting the particle is that it’s heavy. Really heavy—too heavy to transport currently.”

  “Are you saying that we can’t get the particle back to Earth?” Cameron asked.

  “Well, that’s hard to say. We are determining that as we speak. Right now the particle is so heavy to transport back to Earth. We need to find another plan. In fact, we have to find another plan because Particle B is the answer to Earth’s gravity problem, the savior, so to speak. Without it, we are doomed. Does the panel understand what I’m saying here?”

  There were nods around the room. “So, what do you suggest, Iverson? How can we get Particle B here to save the world?”

  Iverson waited a beat before speaking. “In order for us to get Particle B back to Earth and in essence save it, the entire world must pitch in and contribute resources to the project. That, respected panel, is why we have asked you all here today.”

  Chapter Three

  The room was filled with nervous energy, and Iverson wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. People were definitely excited but were probably wondering the same thing that he had been wondering for some time now. It would be a laborious task, not to mention the huge cost involved in making sure Particle B made it to Earth.

  It was essential that they get the particle, but it was still possible that they could fail.

  Still, it was something that Iverson believed in, and he had to have faith that the people around him would see that and have some belief in the system, too. The world needed to band together if it had a hope of surviving what was coming. This was their one shot to turn things around, to have unlimited energy, to never have to worry about Earth’s destabilizing again. The expedition would not be easy, and it would certainly be expensive, but it had to be done. There was just no other way. The NASA team had exhausted every other avenue and had come up with nothing.

  “Excuse me?”

  Lost in thought, Iverson was startled to hear someone addressing him. He looked up to see the president of the People’s Republic of China addressing him from a monitor. His stomach started churning, and he immediately regretted the tacos he had for lunch. He faced the monitor and took a deep breath.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I feel as if I’m following along rather well here, but with this new discovery, I’m in awe that we have come so far and have the capabilities to save our own planet from extinction. It’s quite a marvel,” he said with a smile.

  Iverson nodded and waited for him to go on. He hoped that the president of China stayed in good spirits.

  “Aside from how impressed I am about what is going on here, I am also very curious. This is clearly no easy feat. Saving the world never is, I imagine,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Yes, sir, and no, sir.” Iverson smiled back at him.

  “How much is it going to cost to transport Particle B to Earth? Is it even possible to do so? I mean, that’s one heck of a project. Can we even generate the kind of funding you would need to do such a thing?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and wondered if it was getting hotter in the room or if he was just experiencing hot flashes. He cleared his voice once again and said, it will take approximately ten trillion dollars to complete the operation and
to make a new type of rocket called the antigravity rocket, according to our best scientists working on the situation

  “What exactly is an antigravity rocket?” asked Cameron.

  “These rockets are a new innovation, specially designed to transport Particle B Well, one of the main problems we have been having, obviously, is getting the particle back to Earth. The rockets we have just don’t have the capabilities we need to transport the particle. So our scientists have designed a new rocket that can do the job.”

  “Tell us about it,” implored Cameron.

  “I won’t get into the science behind it all; it’s classified at this point. It is, however, going to cost a lot of money to get these rockets built.”

  “Without this particle, Cameron, we will have only fourteen months left before the gravity disappears from the entire planet. Now, I don’t know about you all, but that scares me to death, because I don’t want to be here when that happens.”

  I’m sorry; that is all I have at this time, until we can look into things further. I thank all of you for your time, and I will be in touch in short order.”

  Iverson quickly sat down before the firing squad could get to him again. He was relieved to be out of the limelight or the interrogation room, however he wanted to look at it. The world’s council was relentless, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to do any more public speaking. He just wasn’t very good at it. He preferred to stay back in the lab and work on things with his fellow scientists. He knew it wasn’t over yet, however; the panel would be demanding more information sooner rather than later, and it was up to him to provide that information. He just hoped that he could do that efficiently before someone decided that he was too incompetent for the job.

  He looked over at President Gates, who was grinning ear to ear. Iverson wasn’t sure what the president felt so confident about, but he nodded at him nonetheless. Things were going to get ugly with the council; he could just feel it. Even without doing the numbers, he knew that the expedition was going to cost a fortune and no small one at that.

  The president winked at him, and Iverson suddenly felt like he was part of something he didn’t really understand. Iverson suspected that Gates was just pleased because he felt like he was involved in something that would save the world, which was a pretty big deal for someone looking to be reelected. But Iverson wasn’t sure it was all going to work out in the end; it was too early to tell. There was still so much unknown at this point. He would feel much better about things once the data was fully analyzed. Until then, he was just happy he had a few months before he would have to face them all again.

  Chapter Four

  After Nine Months

  Jim Iverson stared at the latest report in his hand and felt sick to his stomach. He scanned it briefly before going in for a final read. It was terrible news, the whole thing from top to bottom. He could barely believe what he was reading. The whole team had been working tirelessly for months, and things were still looking pretty dire for the world. A lot of time had been spent on the rocket alone, and then it needed to be launched. The process took forever, and it was not without its problems. But they had gotten through it only to discover that bringing back Particle B was not only a difficult task but one that could be very dangerous to the Earth.

  It had taken them nine months to build the impressive antigravity rocket, the very rocket that was currently bringing back the particle they had discovered. But when it came time to launch the rocket into the atmosphere, they had learned that it wasn’t as easy as they’d all believed it would be. Sure, the building process was a success, but launching it and bringing back the particle had led to one problem after another. The rocket’s launch had attracted quite the crowd. People from all over the world had traveled to see it go off. Rockets were launched regularly on Earth, but this one had a specific purpose. The launch went off after solving a lot of hitches, and it was considered another one of NASA’s legendary achievements.

  The rocket was launched at one end of the world while on the other end of Earth, there occurred one monumental natural disaster after another. It appeared as if the damage done to Earth through all their explorations was starting to come back to haunt them.

  They had known right from the beginning that any explorations that were conducted could cause damage to Earth, almost undoing their efforts. Iverson groaned just thinking about it. Winning the battle wasn’t the way Iverson thought it would be. He was trying desperately to not cause further damage, but what else could be done? It was essential to Earth’s survival that they keep looking for other means of making the world more energy-efficient. They were using up their natural resources quicker than they expected, as well as digging in the mines and making the antigravity rocket; yet these things were causing more damage to Earth. Not exactly good news. The opportunities that would be brought about because of the amazing Particle B would astound the world. It all made it worth it in the end—at least Iverson hoped so. They were risking a lot, and that was terrifying to Iverson as one of the lead scientists on the team. It had to work out in the end, because if it didn’t, he didn’t even want to think about it. So many jobs and lives were at stake, and their future—everyone’s future—was depending on what happened with the rocket. If they failed, then they would have to start back at square one, and he wasn’t sure if they had that kind of time.

  They had been trying other means of fixing the damage already done to Earth in the hopes that they could reverse or slow down its effects. Every night, NASA turned on its satellite vacuums, which sucked out polluted air from Earth’s atmosphere. Every day, the world woke up to fresh, clean air. The bad air was sent into space near Venus. It was surprising to Iverson, however, just how quickly the air became polluted in just one day. There was no break; the vacuums always went back on at the same time every night to clean the atmosphere of the damage we continually did to it.

  Scientists also used various reusable rockets all over the world, across many different countries. These rockets collected trash, hauled it off Earth, and dumped the useless material into space. NASA had been able to clear off most of the world’s waste in a very short amount of time. It had been one of the agency’s most successful innovations. Again, though, the continuous launching of the rockets caused damage to the atmosphere. They needed Particle B to reverse all that.

  The scientific team was still determining all the benefits of Particle B. As it traveled to Earth, they waited to hear more. It would take some time to get it all there, but in the meantime, while the antigravity rocket was being launched on one side of Earth, the other side was experiencing issues with the ice in Antarctica.

  Iverson had just received a report that said the Antarctic Ocean was experiencing continuous melting of the polar ice caps. The whole continent of Antarctica seemed to be falling apart, and they were powerless to stop.

  Iverson shook his head as he finished reading the reports coming in. Fear struck him once again as he wondered if he would ever be able to pull off what was required of him. He took a seat and put his head in his hands as he thought about all the melting ice in the Antarctic. When the ice melted in the Antarctic, it changed Earth’s gravitational field. The more melting that occurred, the more Earth’s gravity would shift. It would be disastrous if the ice continued to melt. It had to be stopped as soon as possible. He wondered if they could do anything to slow things down until they got the particle back. Time was running out, and he hoped they would get Particle B to Earth before everything fell apart around them.

  Everything was connected on Earth, and most people didn’t even blink an eye when they heard the ice caps were melting. But so many things came into play when events such as that started to happen. It set off a domino effect of events that could affect the whole world. When the ice sheets melted, the land that was underneath the ice would slowly start to rise. As the ground rebounded in that fashion, the gravity field would begin to change. That was the last thing they wanted to happen right now. If that wasn’t bad enough
, closer to the equator, they were having problems with volcanoes.

  The scientists were guessing at this point, but they believed that the volcanoes were starting to erupt with molten iron. The team believed that the molten iron was coming up from Earth’s core. It’s pretty common to have volcanoes erupt, and it’s not normally a catastrophic event, but lately things were changing, and the team was paying a lot closer attention to the erupting volcanoes. When the molten iron from Earth’s core begins to erupt, that’s a big problem. It’s over. It’s over for everyone.

  Oh, no! Iverson thought. Now what?

  Chapter Five

  Earth Loses Its Gravity

  April 3, 2074

  Beatrice and Harold Channing had been attempting to lose weight for the past few months on doctor’s orders. Their health had been deteriorating over the years, and their family doctor had suggested strongly that they get their lives in order. The Channings had found that once they started exercising, they actually enjoyed the newfound energy in their lives. Their routine usually consisted of going for a light jog in the early afternoon around New York. It allowed them some fresh air and gave them the exercise the doctor expected of them. The Channings lived in an apartment that gave them a gorgeous view of the Statue of Liberty. Beatrice always loved to look outside each day and get a sense of peace from the view.

  “Beatrice, dear, you need to check your weight, so I can record it for the doctor. We have that appointment this week.”

  A program within the house did an exact scan of her weight with a simple command. It also could track calories for the day. It made calorie counting a breeze.