2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke Arthur C

Author:Clarke, Arthur C. [Clarke, Arthur C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Sci-fi, Thriller, Modern Classics
ISBN: 9780451166753
Publisher: Roc
Published: 1968-01-14T03:00:00+00:00

PART FOUR

ABYSS

Chapter 21

Birthday Party

The familiar strains of “Happy Birthday,” hurled across seven hundred million miles of space at the velocity of light, died away among the vision screens and instrumentation of the control deck. The Poole family, grouped rather self-consciously round the birthday cake on Earth, lapsed into a sudden silence.

Then Mr. Poole, Senior, said gruffly: “Well, Frank, can’t think of anything else to say at the moment, except that our thoughts are with you, and we’re wishing you the happiest of birthdays.”

“Take care, darling,” Mrs. Poole interjected tearfully. “God bless you.”

There was a chorus of “good-byes,” and the vision screen went blank. How strange to think, Poole told himself, that all this had happened more than an hour ago; by now his family would have dispersed again and its members would be miles from home. But in a way that time lag, though it could be frustrating, was also a blessing in disguise. Like every man of his age, Poole took it for granted that he could talk instantly, to anyone on Earth, whenever he pleased. Now that this was no longer true, the psychological impact was profound. He had moved into a new dimension of remoteness, and almost all emotional links had been stretched beyond the yield point.

“Sorry to interrupt the festivities,” said Hal, “but we have a problem.”

“What is it?” Bowman and Poole asked simultaneously.

“I am having difficulty in maintaining contact with Earth. The trouble is in the AE-35 unit. My Fault Prediction Center reports that it may fail within seventy-two hours.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Bowman replied. “Let’s see the optical alignment.”

“Here it is, Dave. It’s still O.K. at the moment.”

On the display screen appeared a perfect half-moon, very brilliant against a background almost free of stars. It was covered with clouds, and showed not one geographical feature that could be recognized. Indeed, at first glance it could be easily mistaken for Venus.

But not at a second one, for there beside it was the real Moon which Venus did not possess — a quarter the size of Earth, and in exactly the same phase. It was easy to imagine that the two bodies were mother and child, as many astronomers had believed, before the evidence of the lunar rocks had proved beyond doubt that the Moon had never been part of Earth.

Poole and Bowman studied the screen in silence for half a minute. This image was coming to them from the long-focus TV camera mounted on the rim of the big radio dish; the cross-wires at its center showed the exact orientation of the antenna. Unless the narrow pencil beam was pointed precisely at Earth, they could neither receive nor transmit. Messages in both directions would miss their target and would shoot, unheard and unseen, out through the Solar System and into the emptiness beyond. If they were ever received, it would not be for centuries — and not by men.

“Do you know where the trouble is?” asked Bowman.

“It’s intermittent and I can’t localize it. But it appears to be in the AE-35 unit.

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