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Heads turned and mumbling filled the room。 Elizabeth leaned forward and whispered in the President's ear。 He nodded and then spoke。
〃If it was not natural then was it an attack？〃
〃No； sir。 Nor were aliens involved。 Take a look at the screen。 The list you see represents unexplained events that have occurred over the last century。 Most of these are objects falling from the sky； like boulders； ice； huge amounts of water； grain； even unidentified plants。 Sometimes animals have fallen from the sky； like frogs； tadpoles； and rabbits。 There are also mysterious intense fires； floods； and rock falls。 We believe that all of these events were real and that they were caused by the same force that caused our current problem。〃
Gogh cleared his throat for attention and then spoke； looking back and forth from Nick to the President as he did。
〃Ice falling from the sky is hardly the same as a city disappearing。 Frogs from the sky we can handle； but ankylosaurs roaming the countryside suggests a pletely different kind of problem。〃
〃Different problem but the same source；〃 Nick dismissed Gogh curtly。 〃Run the next program； Sergeant。〃 The program with the two circles appeared on the screen。 〃These two Circles represent nuclear explosions… You know when nuclear weapons are detonated several waves of destruction spread out from ground zero。 There is a pressure wave； which does the blast damage。 There is a wave of thermal radiationessentially a ball of hot gas that expands rapidly； that's about a third of the released energy。 There is also an electromagnetic pulse； which induces current in power lines and electrical equipment。 There was an EMP acpanying the time displacement we've experienced。 Then of course there's the ionizing radiation； neutrinos and gamma rays。〃 Nick looked around； making sure everyone was with him。 〃We're proposing that another kind of wave is also created； a time wave； which radiates out not only through three…dimensional space but also across the fourth dimension。〃 Murmuring filled the room。
〃We have no evidence of such a wave； Dr。 Paulson。〃 Gogh said it with an air of dismissal。 〃We would have detected it long before now；〃
〃Detected it with what？ What instrument？ The only evidence is that list I put on the screen。〃
Dr。 Gogh pursed his lips as if he was going to say something but kept silent； his eyes focused intently。
〃We believe that when a nuclear device of sufficient size is detonated； it sends out a time wave in the same fashion that it sends out heat and pressure。〃
〃And how does that drop frogs from the sky？〃 Nick turned at the President's question in time to see Elizabeth lean back。
〃It doesn't； sir。 Not by itself。 Sergeant； run the program。〃 The circles appeared； then expanded until they intersected and froze with the A showing。 〃It appears to take two waves in conjunction。 Where the two waves contact； the time displacement takes place。 Say two bombs were detonated； the first bomb one hundred kilometers east of Washington and the other simultaneous detonation one hundred kilometers west。 If both waves traveled at fifty kilometers per hour they would contact each other over Washington two hours later。〃
〃And drop frogs or something？〃 Gogh suggested derisively。
〃Possibly drop something； but more likely pick up something。 People walking down the street at the contact point might find themselves 。 。 。 displaced。〃 Nick nodded to Yamamoto and the program continued until B and C appeared on the screen。 〃The displaced person would find themselves along the line marked by A； B and C。〃
〃Say； in San Francisco；〃 the President offered。
〃Possibly；〃 Nick conceded； 〃but you can't just speak of where； you also have to ask 'when？' This wave is four…dimensional。 If the waves travel at fifty kilometers per hour and one year per kilometer； then the person would disappear one hundred years from now and reappear someplace along this line in the future。〃
〃So how do we get frogs falling out of the sky？〃
〃If the contact point is a wetland on a summer evening you could pick up a pond full of frogs and drop them fifty years later on tourists at Fisherman's Wharf。〃
〃I assume that you checked the dates of the events on that list against the dates predicted by the model；〃 Gogh said。
〃That was the most difficult part。 We tried using Soviet and American test sites； and Hiroshima and Nagasaki； but the model didn't fit well and it did not account for many of the events。 We tried various starting dates for the model； and different rates of geographic and temporal spread。 Various binations of blasts do seem to predict the events on the list； but the best fit es if you assume a starting date of October 31； 1952。〃
〃Halloween？〃 the President said。 〃You're not suggesting a supernatural source； are you？〃
Defense Secretary Natalie Matsuda lifted her hand to catch the President's eye； and then turned to Nick。 〃It's Mike； isn't it？〃
〃Mike marks the beginning of it。〃 Matsuda turned to the President to explain。 〃Mike was the code name given to the first hydrogen fusion bomb tested。 It was an above…ground test 。 。 。 everything was then 。 。 。 we set it off on Eniwetok Atoll。〃 Then turning to Nick she asked； 〃Is it the fusion or the tonnage that causes the effect？〃
〃We suspect tonnage。 Mike was a ten…megaton device。 The fission tests before that approached a thousand kilotons and maybe exceeded it。 Anyway； the effect seems to be rooted in a series of tests carried out by us and the Soviets； which ranged from fifteen to sixty megatons。 It was the bination of Soviet and U。S。 tests that gives us the best model fits。〃 Gogh tried another tactic。
〃I still say that frogs and wholesale topological change are not the same thing。〃
〃I agree with Arnie；〃 the President said； nodding his head toward Dr。 Gogh。 〃It's a good theory but it seems inadequate。〃
〃Yes； sir； but there's another piece of the puzzle；〃 Nick explained。
Yamamoto pulled up the next program without being asked。 The pulses of circles began and raced toward the edges of the screen； the screen changed and the circles merged into two larger circles and then contacted each qther。
〃One more time； Sergeant；〃 Nick explained。 As the circles expanded he explained。 〃As you can see； the time waves that follow the earlier waves travel at a faster rate。 We think this may be for two reasons。 It might be that the earlier waves somehow alter the time/space relationship。 Each wave would clear the path for the wave following it。 Just like the first snowshoer does most of the work and the tenth snowshoer in line has a well…packed path to follow。 This also might explain why the effect does not begin until the fifties。 The earlier fission explosions might have cleared the way for the effect to occur。
〃The second explanation may actually depend on the first。 The earliest explosions may have been insufficient to cause the effect。 We don't know what the minimum explosive power would be for such an event； but we moved from the fifteen kiloton； warhead used on Hiroshima to sixty megaton devices during that time。 The speed of the wave may be a function of the megatonage of the device。 Larger explosions could send out a faster wave 。 。 。 and by faster I mean in terms of time and space。 The faster later waves from the sixty megaton warheads would eventually catch the waves in front of it。〃
〃And pass it；〃 the President offered。
〃Let's assume for now they merge to form a larger wave。 When the smaller waves contact each other you pick up some frogs here； apples there； chunks of ice in the antarctic； water off of lakes and oceans； possibly the heat of a blast furnace in Pittsburgh。 In the future frogs and ice fall from the sky and people and buildings burst into flame； all events that have been recorded。 Now picture several of these waves merging into two larger waves 。 。 。 two superwaves。 What would happen when two superwaves contact？〃
Nick paused； and let the idea sink in。 There was silence around the table； although Gogh was scribbling furiously on a yellow tablet。 After Elizabeth whispered again； the President had a question。
〃It takes two waves； you said。 The other wave es from Soviet testing？〃
〃Yes； sir。 The model assumes a Soviet wave and a U。S。 wav