The Ripple in Space-Time: Free City Book 1 (The Free City Series) by S F Chapman Page A
Authors: S F Chapman
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Arusha and its nearly nine million residents were utterly wiped out by
the blast.
Several badly injured survivors
have reported seeing an odd shooting star plunging towards the doomed
metropolis seconds before the destruction.
New Roman and Free City
investigators are racing to the scene of the catastrophe. The Warlord Syndicate
has pledged to aid any survivors.
Many in East Africa are already
blaming Dimitri Verhovnyi and Outer Reaches terrorists for the horrific
devastation.
Amidst the chaos of the disaster,
this much is certain: at 9:23 pm local time, a tremendous aerial explosion
destroyed the EurAfrican capital city.
After carefully scrutinizing all
available information, scientists at the University of Nairobi released some
preliminary data about the dreadful event. At about 550 meters above the spires
of the opulent city, a magnetic containment bubble that had apparently
contained slightly more than 500 grams of antimatter ruptured. The almost
instantaneous annihilation of the small mass released nearly 90 petajoules of
energy producing an immense explosion similar in size to a large old-style
nuclear bomb.
The origin of the antimatter that
destroyed the city is uncertain, however Dr. Hekima from the University of
Nairobi noted that the radiation signature emanating from the strange shooting
star that preceded the blast was remarkably similar to a small sample of
anti-tauons that he had recently obtained from the late Dr. Jana Fesai of the
Lunar Ultra Energy Research Laboratory.
Those who wish to contribute to
the relief effort may make donations to the Free City Aid Society.
23. Calamity No one had left the Student Union,
Desiree suddenly realized, even though the meeting had jerked to a halt hours
ago when they had first learned of the calamity.
Her head throbbed with a headache
that felt as if thin, sharp knives were being jammed repeatedly into her skull.
Her eyes were dry and itchy; she and nearly everyone else in the room had run
out of tears long ago.
The video loop of the explosion
began again, she ’ d seen it countless times already but she could not turn away.
The unfathomable disaster in East
Africa had caused her poor little sister, Sabra to curl up on the floor next to
her, shaking and whimpering like so many others in the meeting room.
Hours ago, many had wondered out
loud as to who would have done this horrific deed. Now the weary and dumbstruck
group endlessly endured the traumatic reoccurring communal nightmare that the
video loop had come to signify.
Desiree stared at the video screen
and steeled herself again for the replay of the atrocity that had repeated
every twenty-seven seconds for many hours.
From high above and a bit to the
north, an East African weather satellite had, by chance, recorded the disaster
before the immense flash of the explosion had blinded the indifferent robotic
observer.
A few thin clouds hovered to the
south above the plains when a tiny red dot appeared at the left edge of the
screen. The celestial visitor slowly moved about a quarter of the way across
the screen before suddenly dropping out of orbit and racing downward towards
the doomed city.
Desiree flinched just as the red
speck reached the center of the metropolis. A rapidly spreading circle of white
mercilessly consumed the city almost instantly before the satellite camera
failed.
And it was over.
She had no idea when she would be
able to summon some tiny reserve of inner strength to stagger out of the
meeting room and bring an end to the unremitting ordeal.
The video loop restarted.
• • •
The radiation meter was still off
the scale.
Constable Jones stared grimly out
of the thick bulletproof viewport of the antique Armored Personnel Carrier as
he drove slowly through the carnage. A sullen and moody red sun was just rising
over the scorching dusty gray ruins of the Arushan Outer District neighborhood.
He had been trained to use the
heavy old vehicle years ago should disasters arise in the
the blast.
Several badly injured survivors
have reported seeing an odd shooting star plunging towards the doomed
metropolis seconds before the destruction.
New Roman and Free City
investigators are racing to the scene of the catastrophe. The Warlord Syndicate
has pledged to aid any survivors.
Many in East Africa are already
blaming Dimitri Verhovnyi and Outer Reaches terrorists for the horrific
devastation.
Amidst the chaos of the disaster,
this much is certain: at 9:23 pm local time, a tremendous aerial explosion
destroyed the EurAfrican capital city.
After carefully scrutinizing all
available information, scientists at the University of Nairobi released some
preliminary data about the dreadful event. At about 550 meters above the spires
of the opulent city, a magnetic containment bubble that had apparently
contained slightly more than 500 grams of antimatter ruptured. The almost
instantaneous annihilation of the small mass released nearly 90 petajoules of
energy producing an immense explosion similar in size to a large old-style
nuclear bomb.
The origin of the antimatter that
destroyed the city is uncertain, however Dr. Hekima from the University of
Nairobi noted that the radiation signature emanating from the strange shooting
star that preceded the blast was remarkably similar to a small sample of
anti-tauons that he had recently obtained from the late Dr. Jana Fesai of the
Lunar Ultra Energy Research Laboratory.
Those who wish to contribute to
the relief effort may make donations to the Free City Aid Society.
23. Calamity No one had left the Student Union,
Desiree suddenly realized, even though the meeting had jerked to a halt hours
ago when they had first learned of the calamity.
Her head throbbed with a headache
that felt as if thin, sharp knives were being jammed repeatedly into her skull.
Her eyes were dry and itchy; she and nearly everyone else in the room had run
out of tears long ago.
The video loop of the explosion
began again, she ’ d seen it countless times already but she could not turn away.
The unfathomable disaster in East
Africa had caused her poor little sister, Sabra to curl up on the floor next to
her, shaking and whimpering like so many others in the meeting room.
Hours ago, many had wondered out
loud as to who would have done this horrific deed. Now the weary and dumbstruck
group endlessly endured the traumatic reoccurring communal nightmare that the
video loop had come to signify.
Desiree stared at the video screen
and steeled herself again for the replay of the atrocity that had repeated
every twenty-seven seconds for many hours.
From high above and a bit to the
north, an East African weather satellite had, by chance, recorded the disaster
before the immense flash of the explosion had blinded the indifferent robotic
observer.
A few thin clouds hovered to the
south above the plains when a tiny red dot appeared at the left edge of the
screen. The celestial visitor slowly moved about a quarter of the way across
the screen before suddenly dropping out of orbit and racing downward towards
the doomed city.
Desiree flinched just as the red
speck reached the center of the metropolis. A rapidly spreading circle of white
mercilessly consumed the city almost instantly before the satellite camera
failed.
And it was over.
She had no idea when she would be
able to summon some tiny reserve of inner strength to stagger out of the
meeting room and bring an end to the unremitting ordeal.
The video loop restarted.
• • •
The radiation meter was still off
the scale.
Constable Jones stared grimly out
of the thick bulletproof viewport of the antique Armored Personnel Carrier as
he drove slowly through the carnage. A sullen and moody red sun was just rising
over the scorching dusty gray ruins of the Arushan Outer District neighborhood.
He had been trained to use the
heavy old vehicle years ago should disasters arise in the
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