Meteor
(Meteor)
The Story
Full Story
Always, the arrival of comets, these incredible stars witness of the cosmos history, have always foreboded the worse but today, the worse could happen. When a new comet hits the asteroid belt that gravitates in the surroundings of Jupiter and strikes « Orphée », the largest of them, a huge fragment of near eight kilometers large hurtles straight towards the Earth. If it strikes it, this will be an incredible catastrophe that will father probably the extinction of the humanity.
Having only six days before the impact, the NASA has to quickly find the solution. The salvation of mankind could be found in the satellite « Hercules ». In the middle of the cold war, this satellite, holding 14 nuclear missiles directed on antagonistic countries of the United States, such as the Damocles's sword, remains the ultimate weapon preserved in the most precious secret. Originally, Hercules was conceived by the Dr. Paul Bradley to protect the Earth against large asteroids that would threat the Earth. But Bradley was fooled by the government that diverted its use. Since the missiles were pointing to the Earth and not to the sky, Bradley had given resignation.
Today, it is imperative that Bradley, Hercules's « father », participates in the NASA operation. Recalled by his friend and responsible of the space agency Harry Sherwood, the scientist discovers that Hercules is too light. Even by raising the secret on the satellite, and by authorizing the new alignment of its rockets, its fire power remains insufficient. Having no other choice, the President, in a televised speech, announces the imminent arrival of the meteorite, explains his action plan and divulges the existence and the future use of the very secret Hercules. Admitting publicly the insufficiency of its armament, he invites the Soviets to cooperate. They equally possess a satellite of that kind, « Pierre Le Grand », held as secret as thems. By combining their hit power, they could together totality destroy the terrible threat.
After a period of badly hidden hypocrisy, the USSR and the United States finally find a solution and put in common their resources so as to get the danger out. With the assistance of the Dr. Alexei Dubov, a Russian scientist and his beautiful translator Tatiana Nikolaevna Donskaya, the two satellites are newly aligned in direction of space. Soviet missiles will have to be launched 40 minutes before American's so as to converge and to allow two massive and simultaneous attack waves of the objective.
But after Siberia and Japan, New York is now the target of one of the largest piece of meteorite, premise of the total devastation that threatens the planet...
Spoiler ! the end of the story is revealed below…
This one ravages all the city, creating an unprecedented cataclysm. Fortunately, the missiles were launched just in time before the impact on New York that shelters in its basements the center of Hercules's commandment. While the missiles fly to the asteroid, the survivors of the communications center attempt to climb up to the surface by clearing a passage through the remains fathered by the catastrophe. After some minutes of wait, the confirmation is given; despite some rocket defection, all reach their target. The meteor is destroyed and mankind is saved thanks to the agreement between the two super-powers.