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air by the window。 He collapsed and rocked gently。 When his head stopped throbbing he opened his eyes and looked out the window into the meadow。 The last thing Luis saw before sleep took him was the iguanodon walking slowly into the meadow followed by a small figure。
39。 BLACK RIPPLE
The weakest force in nature is gravity。 It takes the entire mass of the earth just to make a leaf fall to the ground。 But condense the mass of the earth to the size of a marble； and you have a black hole； where the laws of time and space； as we know them； cease to exist。
…Merlin Constantine； Of Time and Space
Washington； D。C。
POSTQUILT： TUESDAY； 8：00 A。M。 EST
The President was more than tired。 He was afraid； and he was desperate。
Nick had taken the President's alien theory as a naive attempt to cover all possibilities； but Nick wasn't as sure now。 He saw the President as a drowning man； grasping at straws。
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