Gravity Versus Gravity, page 26
“Amazing,” said one man. “The sack has been ripped off. What would become of a man?”
“Nothing,” replied the man next to him. “The sack is ripped off because it’s a sack. Nothing would happen to a sturdier thing such as a human body.”
“How do you know that?” asked the first man.
“I know the scientists from the Swindon Center. They said something of this sort. I’ve read about it, too.”
“But I’m telling from our experience right now. Did they say that a sack of grass would not get ripped off?”
“Well,” replied the second man. “No one ever thought that a sack of grass would go up.”
“Funny,” the first man said. “You claim to be an expert on this, and yet you don’t know all the answers.”
The second man kept silent. Better not to lose the exciting moment rather than argue with this idiot, he thought.
The screens became active one after another. James counted the objects in the three terminals in front of him, six, seven… thirteen… fifty-three… seventy-eight… And then he could not count any more.
While the commotion increased and decreased in the Main Hall, the adjacent Command Room had an atmosphere of tranquility.
Unlike the Main Hall, the Command Room of the Control Center had one huge semi-circular screen across the wall. It was two meters wide and twenty meters long. There were only three chairs in front of the screen. And at the center, there was a much higher chair. This was the place of Sandra Lawson.
Above the screen, the monitor on the left had a simple counter. Every time an object above fifteen centimeters in length went up, the counter moved ahead. Below the counter was a smaller counter, which showed the numbers punched in manually by the technicians in the Main Hall.
On the right side of the screen, the monitor showed five readings - the average velocity of the uplifted objects, the average distance of the objects above the ground, the exact position of the retreating zero-gravity area, the farthest position of the zero-gravity area and the size and weight of the largest object.
The Command Room received data directly from the sensors and cameras located in zero-gravity area. It also received data from the Main Hall. Every time, an object went up in the air, the technician behind that screen pressed the red buzzer on the panel. The processor then calculated the size, velocity, and mass of the object and fed into the main processor. The technicians were required to manually press in the type of the object. The options were limited - box, electronic item, metallic item, branch, man-made object, natural object and miscellaneous.
Sandra had two screens in front of her in which she could see any data that she wanted to, any screen from the main hall and even a condensed version either in full or in portions of the screen in the Command Room.
Sandra’s expectation was that the number of objects would peak after about half an hour of the start of the event and then come down. She was content that so far her estimates were correct. She was sure that the first objects would go up at about twenty minutes past eleven. The first object had indeed gone up at that time.
The counter showed one for about two minutes. Then in the next two minutes, the counter went up to ten. In the next two minutes, it went up to hundred. By thirty-five minutes past eleven, the upper counter showed seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-three. The lower counter was about a thousand less.
Jeremy Rodgers, who was sitting in the middle of the screen turned around and looked at Sandra. Sandra did not notice. She was seriously looking at her left screen.
“Hey, Sandra,” Jeremy said. “Can I take a few seconds?”
“What?” Sandra asked without lifting his head.
“What is the total mass of the uplifted objects?”
“Eight tons and four hundred kilograms.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I checked three minutes ago.”
“Time to check again,” Jeremy said and turned towards the screen.
Sandra did not pay attention to what Jeremy said. She was tallying the average velocity and matching the withdrawal time of the zero-gravity area with the prepared chart that she had received from Swindon Center.
These scientists are perfect, she thought, looking at the chart and then at her screen several times. Their calculations have hardly shown any deviation from the real-time data. It’s as though they prepared their charts after the event.
Elizabeth, who was manning the left most section said, “Sandra, please check the forward section of the zero-gravity area and the total mass. I’m getting weird figures.”
Sandra got attentive. If two of the three people in front of the screen were panicking, something was not in order. Sandra regulated the screen on her left to check the total mass. The figure was eighty thousand tons and rising rapidly. She regulated the right screen to check the outer edge of the zero-gravity area.
“Holy moley!” she blurted out, getting up from her chair and putting her hands on her head.
“The zero-gravity area is reaching River Thames.”
“We know that,” George, who was on the right most side, said.
“Why did you not let me know about this earlier?”
“We told you,” Elizabeth and Jeremy said together.
“Is the sudden increase in mass due to the water from River Thames?” Jeremy asked.
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied. “I can see clearly see water rising.”
“Where?” Jeremy asked.
“Look at the area between 51.5009° N, 0.1220° W.”
“Got it,” Jeremy replied. “The water is rising from below the Westminster Bridge from both sides.”
Sandra, too, was focusing at the site of impact. This is going to be bad, she thought as she saw the amount of water increase from both sides of the Bridge. She looked at the mass. It had tripled in less than a minute. When she focused above the ground, she could see a long column bent upwards. “The column looks like a water funnel with a large inclination,” she said.
“Exactly,” Jeremy replied.
Sandra was on her wireless talking to the DIMA Emergency Unit at the Parliament Square. “Have you seen the funnel?” she asked.
“Where?” Henry, who was heading the Unit, replied.
“Really? You cannot see from where you are?”
“Where is the funnel?”
“It’s rising from under the Thames.”
“The Thames? You mean to say that the area has reached the River Thames.”
Sandra heard a shriek from another person. “Heavens! I cannot believe this. Seems like doomsday.”
“Jesus!” Henry said. “I can see the funnel now. I’ve not seen anything a fraction frightening than this.”
“This may be just the beginning.”
“Don’t scare me.”
“Are all of you in your anti-gravity suits?”
“Yes,” Henry replied. “Else all twelve of us would have been up in the air. And don’t forget that our unit, too, is zero-gravity proof.”
“Do you have the cranes ready?”
“Yes, we have five of them.”
“Are the drivers in there?”
“Yes, they have been in their positions since the morning.”
“In anti-gravity suits?”
“Yes. They have been additionally secured in their positions.”
“During the briefing, I remember being told that they could travel to any part of the zero-gravity area,” Sandra said, with her voice quivering.
“Yes,” Henry replied, a bit irritated. “Sorry, Sandra. You are the boss. But I think you are wasting valuable time asking all these questions. If something needs to be done, tell right now.”
“Don’t we have to take the approval of Mr. Thomson?”
“Leave all that to me. I can see the funnel getting bigger.”
“Okay. Tell the men in the crane to move to the Westminster Bridge and plant their cranes with the buckets on the ground. The water is going up from both sides of the Bridge at the Big Ben end of the Bridge. The Bridge may break if more water moves upwards.”
“Got it,” Henry said and got on to the wireless immediately with the crane operators.
“Boys,” he said coolly. “All five of you hit the Westminster Bridge and put your cranes at the Big Ben end of the Bridge. We have to stop the Bridge from rupturing.”
Hardly had Henry given the command when all five cranes were on their way. The cranes were hit from water spray when they were about fifty meters from the Bridge. The water spray got stronger as they approached the Bridge.
“Can’t see much,” the first crane operator said.
“Rely on the video screen and position coordinator more,” the second crane operator said.
“I’ll try to,” the first crane operator said.
All five cranes switched on their headlights in full beam and the additional overhead lights. Crane number five reached the right side of the Bridge. When it put down the bucket on the ground, the crane shuddered. The crane operator spoke on his wireless, “There is a lot of shuddering under the Bridge.”
“It will decrease when other cranes join you.”
The fourth and the third cranes reached the Bridge at the same time and put down their buckets. The crane operator of the fourth crane said, “Yes, this is a strange kind of shuddering. Doesn’t seem to have decreased after the three of us have put our buckets on the ground.”
The second crane was the next to join, and finally, after thirty more seconds, the first crane operator found his spot.
“There is nothing visible in the video screen, too,” the first crane operator said.
“The volume of water is still going up. It seems like being under a waterfall,” the second crane operator said.
The shuddering did not decrease after the five cranes were on their spots.
“I don’t think this is going to help. The rush of water is just too huge. We may need twenty more cranes to stop this end of the Bridge from blowing up,” the third crane operator said in a loud voice.
“Shall we retreat then?” the first crane operator asked.
“No, we should not retreat. The shuddering may be bad, but we would be decrease the chances of the Bridge getting torn apart,” the second crane operator replied.
More and more water kept splashing onto the cranes. Now and then a large amount of water would land on one of the cranes giving a jolt to the crane. After about five minutes, the vibrations started to decrease.
“The shuddering is decreasing,” the first crane operator said jubilantly. “We have done it.”
“Don’t get too excited. For all, you know this might be temporary.”
“I don’t think so,” the first crane operator said confidently. “Don’t you see that the shuddering has gone down significantly? I’m able to see more clearly on the video screen.”
“Yes,” the third crane operator said. “Things seem to be settling down finally. I can see the funnel moving away from us.”
“But water from both sides of the Bridge is still going up.”
“The volume may still be the same. We are able to see well because the funnel is moving away from this end.”
“Should we get into the Bridge to prevent the Bridge from ripping up in the middle?”
“Standing at one end with half the crane on firm ground and a half on the Bridge is a different case. If we go into the Bridge, we may be putting ourselves at risk.”
“But we have anti-gravity suits. And we are properly secured. I’m sure the cranes would not go up in the air.”
“No, not that. If the Bridge gets torn apart by any chance, all of us would go down instead of going up.”
“Get drowned in the Thames, you mean?”
“Yes, my friend. That is what I mean, and you’ll go down faster than you could imagine.”
“Too much of diverse opinions. Let us call Henry.” The first operator was the first to call Henry. “Did you hear our conversation, Henry?” he asked.
“Yes, all of it,” Henry replied.
“Then why don’t you reply?”
“Not sure if I’ve a perfect solution.”
“We are not looking for perfect solutions. Just tell us what the best option now is. Should we stay put, return or move ahead into the Bridge?”
“Stay put,” Henry replied. “I’ll get back to you within minutes.
Henry got his team together and explained the scenario to them.
Harley Quinn said, “I’ve seen how the funnel has been moving towards the middle of the Bridge. The interesting thing is that the volume of water going up has not decreased. This means that zero-gravity effect is still quite strong. But the closer the funnel gets to the center of the Bridge, more are the chances that the Bridge might rip off.”
“What do you suggest?”
“The Bridge can rip off only due to two reasons. One - the volume of water under the Bridge is so huge that it applies enough pressure on the Bridge that the Bridge gives way. Or - there is resonance effect, the Bridge starts to sway and rips off. We cannot do anything about the first. The situation could have been controlled to some extent at the ends of the Bridge but nowhere in the middle. But we can stop the resonance effect from taking place.”
“And can the cranes stop the resonance effect?”
“Yes, they can dampen the effect. They would have to enter the Bridge. That is taking a bit of risk. But not a total risk. If the first situation happens, they should immediately retreat. If the resonance effect starts, the Bridge starts swaying, and the swaying gets bigger after each sway, they should again quit.”
“Got it,” Henry said.
Right then he got a call on his wireless from the first crane operator. “Henry,” he said. “We cannot wait forever. The funnel is getting farther and farther.”
“I’ve the way out for you,” Henry said.
“Do we have to leave the place?” the first crane operator asked.
“No, no. You must move into the Bridge about ten meters inside. If the Bridge starts getting ripped off towards the center, retreat immediately. If there is too much shaking, retreat immediately.”
“Okay,” the first crane operator replied.
Three cranes moved into the Bridge followed by the next two. They could sense the shuddering. The water splash started to increase after a minute.
The third crane operator said on the wireless, “I can see with my naked eyes that the water mass is getting bigger.”
“Oh, oh!” the second crane operator exclaimed.
“I just saw a block of concrete getting ripped from the side of the Bridge,” the fourth one said.
“And I see two railings getting rippled,” the second operator added.
The wheeze of water going up changed. Chunks of concrete blocks had started getting ripped from the Bridge one after another.
“Can the whole Bridge collapse suddenly if the middle portion is gone?” the first operator asked.
“That is possible,” Henry replied on the wireless. “But the chances of that are very small.
Concrete blocks and railings were now getting ripped off from both sides of the Bridge. The water mass, too, was getting wider on both sides of the Bridge.
“This is going to happen,” the third crane operator said. “I bet that the Bridge will get separated into two parts.”
“The effect seems to be decreasing. To me, it seems that the quantity of water going up is lessening.”
“I don’t think so,” the fourth operator said.
Just as he had uttered these words, the Bridge jolted severely. A thunderous explosion followed it. The Bridge rose at the center. Only a small strip connecting the two parts remained. Other parts of the Bridge at the center had been ripped off.
“Time to retreat,” Henry shouted on his wireless.
All five cranes moved back and were out of the Bridge within seconds. The Bridge moved up again and a second large explosion followed. The Bridge was completely ripped off at the center. Both sides rose in the middle and moved down in slow motion. The Bridge started going down into the river from the center. It was like a pack of domino cards. The collapsing effect moved from the center outwards. Every two seconds a large splash would occur in river sending giant waves on both sides. This would be followed by a deafening explosive sound.
The cranes turned and started retreating towards the Parliament Square. The splashing of water on the roads started to increase as the collapse moved towards the end of the Bridge.
“Move faster,” Henry shouted on the wireless. “If the entire Bridge collapses, water may flood towards you.”
“We have almost reached the turn towards the Parliament Square,” the first crane operator said.
“Keep going fast and don’t look back.”
All five cranes turned the corner safely. The collapse reached almost the end of the Bridge. As warned by Henry, a large mass of water fell on the road and moved in a huge wave downwards along the road. The effect receded when the wave hit the buildings at the two ends. A large quantity of water went down the steps of the Westminster Underground Station.
Several smaller waves followed the huge wave. Most of the water went straight down Great George Street and flowed into Birdcage Walk Road. Then some of it meandered into St. James’s Park ending in the Lake. Water reached the DIMA Emergency Unit but started to recede after it reached a few inches above the ground.
“What do we do now?” the first crane operator asked when he reached the Unit.
“Stay put where you are. Your work seems to be over for the day,” Henry replied.
“If our work is over, allow us to leave.”
“I said your work seems to be over and not that it is over. It’s unlikely that your services would be needed today.”
“Has our area been over with the zero-gravity event?” the second operator asked.
“Not just our area. The zero-gravity event itself is over.”
“You mean to say that the last part was the Bridge getting ripped off.”
“Yes,” Henry replied.
“What a climax!” the third crane operator said.
“The climax is yet to come. We have seen just half the event. When the effect of gravity is over, whatever has gone up in the air would come down.”
