Endworld: Doomsday by David Robbins

Author:David Robbins [Robbins, David]
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Action & Adventure, General & Literary Fiction, Fiction - General, Thrillers, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), American Novel And Short Story
ISBN: 9780843962321
Publisher: Leisure Books
Published: 2010-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

New York City

Patrick Slayne drove with fierce intensity. He needed to put as much distance behind them as he could in as short a time as possible. He pushed the Hunster past ninety when the streets permitted and took curves perilously fast.

Alf Richardson was as pale as snow. "It's like being on a roller coaster, only worse."

"Can't you slow down?" Deepak Kapur complained.

"Of course I can," Slayne responded. "But I won't. Un-like you, I happen to like breathing." Deepak made a prediction of his own. "You'll want to kick yourself for being ridiculous when nothing happens."

"You're in denial, Mr. Kapur."

"Or is it that I have more confidence in the U.S. mili-tary than you do? They have satellites that can shoot mis-siles down. They have land-based defense systems like the Nimrod that was set up last year. They have jet intercep-tors."

"Your point?"

"This isn't Iran. This isn't Israel. It's America. We have the most sophisticated weaponry on the planet. I doubt very much that an enemy missile will get through."

"That's because you're under the delusion that our de-fenses are infallible. Trust me. They're not. Satellites work best against missiles with high trajectories. They don't do as well against missiles that fly at ground or sea level. The Nimrod is effective, yes, but again, it's hard for the system to lock in on a missile that comes in low. As for our jets, by the time they're scrambled to intercept, it will be over."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Like I said, you're in denial."

Alf cleared his throat. "I believe you, Mr. Slayne. You've been right about everything else." Slayne didn't appear to hear him. "Our lives depend on the payload. I'm guessing it will be one kiloton, but it could be more."

"How far do we have to go be to be safe?" Alf asked.

"Completely safe? Thirty miles."

"How far have we come?"

"We're not quite six miles outside the city."

Alf clutched his seat. "Oh, God."

"Stay calm, Mr. Richardson. The Hunster is shielded and reinforced. Essentially, it's a disguised tank. Or a Humvee, if you want. We can handle ten times the radiation of most any transport on the planet." Slayne spun the wheel, taking a corner on two tires. "Our main worry is the blast pressure. Up to five miles out from ground zero, the pressure wave can flatten a building." Deepak interjected, "Did you ever stop to think that Homeland Security might be wrong?"

"Think what you will if it will make you happy."

Sighing in annoyance, Deepak shifted in his seat and looked out the rear window at the New York skyline. It looked so serene; the skyscrapers were silhouetted against the sky in grand majesty. Suddenly there was a flash brighter than the sun, a flash so brilliant, Deepak cried out and looked away. When he glanced back through slitted eyes he beheld a purple glow. His eyes began to hurt and he looked away once more, but only for a few seconds.

A mushroom cloud was taking shape. So was a wall of living flames that leapt outward from the impact point, consuming everything in its path.

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