Ignition by Mark Hunter & Mike Kraus

Author:Mark Hunter & Mike Kraus [Hunter, Mark & Kraus, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2024-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

FEMA National Emergency Operations Center

The National Emergency Operations Center buzzed with a tense, frantic energy as top scientists and military officials hunched over computer screens, their faces illuminated by the glow of real-time data and satellite imagery. Empty coffee cups and take-out containers littered the desks, and despite the sophisticated HVAC system, a funk of body odor amplified by intense stress pervaded the room. President Stone stood at the center of the action, his sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened. Dark circles hung under his eyes, but his gaze remained sharp and focused as he leaned over Dr. Jackson's shoulder, studying the latest seismic readings.

"What are we looking at here, Sarah?"

Dr. Jackson pointed to a pulsing red line on the screen. "This is the leading edge of an underground coal seam fire, and our readings show it's heading right toward another gas pocket."

Stone straightened, his jaw clenched. "Where?"

"It's under Texas, spreading into parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico."

"But, that's impossible," Stone growled. "There's been oil drilling in that whole region for generations. If the Plutus Layer is there, how have none of those rigs ever ignited it?"

Dr. Ditton, the lead scientist from Patriox Energy, sat back from his computer, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "The gas under Texas is too deep for even our best drills to reach, but not too deep for Mother Nature."

He turned his screen toward the president, showing his data as a three-dimensional point cloud of the Earth's crust beneath the Lone Star State. Hundreds of oil rigs peppered the surface, their boreholes represented by thin vertical lines that plunged into the digital depths. Far below their maximum reach was an enormous cloud of blue, with jagged lines of purple and black plunging toward it.

Jackson pointed to the blue area. "This is the Plutus Layer, and these…" Her finger slid to the purple and black lines. "These are coal seams, plus some other pockets of natural gas and oil. All of it is extremely combustible, given the massive subterranean heat and pressure headed that way from the Southern Abyss."

President Stone ran his hand over days of beard growth, kneading his sagging face as the implications sunk in. "How long until it ignites?"

"Well, that's a good question…" Jackson shook her head. "According to our models, it already has."

"What?"

"Our teams are combing through the data now, looking for an error," Ditton added. "And also doing a deep debug on the analysis software to see if there's some glitch."

Stone waved a hand at the model. "So you're saying it's possible this is all wrong?"

"It is possible, yes. Anything is possible until it isn't. That's the nature of scientific discovery. But…" Jackson's tone turned wary. "We're dealing with readings from thousands of separate, networked sensors. Just a small rounding error multiplied that many times could cause a significant plus/minus deviation in the data."

Understanding turned Stone's blood to ice. "So you're saying the data are correct, but the timing is wrong."

"I cannot say that with scientific certainty. But my gut…" Jackson's lips trembled.

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