Laser Light

Chapter 6

9th September 7.16pm

"I'm initiating the countdown sequence for the TP beam in two minutes," Rozman announced.

"But Dr Hammond isn't here yet," protested James.

"We can't wait," replied Rozman, "It has to be now. Check the power cable is securely connected to the outlet."

James was worried. Dr Rozman wasn't acting like himself. He had moved the test forward twenty four hours, and now he wasn't even going to wait for Dr Hammond. He walked back to the power outlet box next to the lift. Just as he got there the lift doors opened and a girl with long blonde hair dashed out. He recognised her as Dr Hammond's granddaughter. "Miss Hammond, is your grandfather with you?" he asked.

"No," Grace replied in a low voice, "James, you need to disconnect that power cable right now. We can't allow the TPG to be fired."

"Why," James asked.

"Rozman has turned the power up to a dangerous level. The projector may explode. Disconnect it now."

James felt confused. Dr Rozman was his boss and he always had great respect for him. He must know what he was doing. But now a teenage girl who didn't even work at the complex was giving him orders. He hesitated.

"James, you must do it now," Grace urged, "The projector will explode if you don't."

He made a decision, quickly dashing over to the power outlet. But it wasn't just a matter of pulling the plug. It was connected firmly with four wingnuts. As he tried to unscrew them he found they had been wound so tightly he would need a tool to release them. He frantically searched in the toolbox which had been left near the lift doors.

Grace slowly approached Rozman who was busy concentrating on the computer screen and hadn't noticed her arrival. She stopped about three metres from the scientist. 

"Dr Rozman," she called.

He looked up. "Grace?" he said, sounding puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

"Doctor, have you increased the intensity of the stream?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes of course," the scientist answered almost casually, "It has to stream at maximum intensity for at least ten seconds or the carrier will be ineffective."

"Carrier?" James said, pausing from his efforts with the power cable, "Dr Rozman, what carrier? It's a tachyon particle beam. It can't carry anything."

But Grace knew exactly what Rozman meant. She had already seen it. "Doctor, you can't fire the projector. It will overload and explode within seconds."

"It's too late," he replied, "I've already started the sequence. It will fire in ten seconds." He turned back and put both his hands on the projector's console.

Grace turned and ran back to James who was wrestling with a spanner, trying to unscrew the second of four wingnuts holding the power plug into the outlet, but it was too late. They just didn't have enough time to cut the power.

"Dr Rozman, get away from the projector!" Grace screamed as the countdown reached three seconds, but Rozman either didn't hear her or ignored her. He just stood there with his hands on the console, and for just a moment Grace saw it. Between the scientist's hands a glowing cluster of clear crystals.

The countdown reached zero.

9th September 7.20pm

Bennett and his two companions ran for their lives, although running was not quite the right term. In their bulky spacesuits and in the light gravity of Mars, it was more like a clumsy bounding motion. Bennett had received Tracy's warning and they wasted no time evacuating. Each time his feet pushed into the sandy ground he could swear he felt a vibration coming up though his boots. The SOEV beckoned them from over a hundred metres away. He glanced over his shoulder and gasped in shock. The mysterious dish had a blue glow around it, and its shape was starting to waver like a mirage.

"Come on guys," he urged the other two, "Move faster. That dish is doing something."

9th September 7.20pm

The lift doors opened and Tracy burst out onto the roof. She took one look at the TPG with its overload warning alarm sounding, glanced at James and Grace wrestling with the power cable and she knew it was too late. "Get in the lift," she shouted.

Grace and James needed no further prompting. They dashed into the lift, but Rozman stayed where he was frozen in front of the generator which was now developing a blue glow as it fired its particle beam at Mars.

"Rozman!" Tracy screamed over the din coming from the projector, "It's going to explode! Get in the lift!"

Finally he turned at looked at Tracy. Then slowly he started walking towards her.

"Hurry!" she screamed, but it was too late.

There was a bright flash and the projector disintegrated.

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