Polar Storm Page #5

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to the church?

Didn't Dad say

it's dangerous

to stay in town?

Oh, what's this?

The road's closed.

You're supposed to take

shelter in the parish.

We're going

to Little Brook.

Ma'am, we have orders

to divert everyone to

the Lindenville parish.

That's ridiculous.

It's not even

safe there.

Ma'am, please,

just back it up.

Alright? Let's go.

[radio wallah

with interference]

Come on!

[piercing sound]

[distant roar]

(male voice over radio

with shrill noise)

--ordered to evacuate

their homes

and take shelter--

[shrill noise]

[click]

Turn the car off!

[growing thunder]

[sizzling]

[sizzling and humming]

[silence]

I think it's gone.

Start the car.

Damn it!

We'll have

to go back.

[loud growing rumble]

[loud cracking]

Get out of

the car now!

Come on! Jump!

[scream]

No!

[distant rumble dies away]

[birds chirping]

[motor starts smoothly]

[gasping]

[scream]

I can't hold on!

Yes, you can!!

Don't let go!!

Help!

Anybody, help!

Grab it!

Come on!!

[groaning]

(James)

We need to

evacuate everyone

from the mini

pole sites.

We just started

rounding up people

for the shelters.

No, you can't

do that.

The plasma charges

building up from

the pole reversal

are escaping

through the

mini poles.

This whole area

is gonna get hit

worse and worse,

as the field fails.

Alright. I'll notify

the soldiers

but communications

have been spotty.

What about

the President?

Will you be able

to contact him?

Yeah, the emergency

hotline is holding up.

Good. I've got

a crazy idea.

I need to

access Storm

Hazard's mainframe.

Oh, follow me.

[phone rings]

Storm Hazards.

Pam, talk to me.

I'm briefing

the President

in a few minutes.

James, the

computer projection--

it's not good.

I need to see

whoever's in charge.

Get that.

Take them in.

Inside this circle

is the most dangerous

place in the west coast.

We're here,

at the epicenter

of the mini pole

creating the

electromagnetic and

seismic disturbances.

We need to move

all of these people

outside the

circle to here.

Where did you get

this information?

My husband,

Dr. James Mayfield.

He's a government

astrophysicist.

He's briefing the

President right now.

I--l--I haven't heard

anything about this.

My orders are to keep

everybody here.

I know, but

I'm telling you

it's not safe here.

Lindenville has become

the magnetic center

of a mini pole.

What is that?

Mini pole?

[motor starts]

No, no, no.

Turn the

power off.

The electricity will

attract the next

EM pulse.

You have to shut

the generator down.

Shut it down?

I don't think so.

You're not

listening to me!

We're in danger here!

Ma'am, federal martial

law has been declared.

I can't just move

hundreds of people

because you show me

some map with a circle

drawn on it.

You know what?

Call General Mayfield.

He'll vouch

for everything

I just said.

(James)

Storm Hazard's lab

just ran this projection.

This is what the magnetic

field normally looks like.

This is what it

looks like now.

Punctured by

mini poles.

This is 12 hours out.

Magnetic field

at zero Gauss.

Gentlemen, we

have two days

before our planet loses

its protective shield.

and solar radiation

burns us all to

a crisp.

Anyone here

take issue with Dr.

Mayfield's projections?

No, sir.

No, sir.

Alright, then,

so who's got a

game plan to stop

this pole reversal?

Alright, this is

the way I see it.

What if we detonate

a nuclear explosion

of a magnitude equal

to that with which

the comet

fragment hit Earth

in the

opposing hemisphere

so that it

pushes back

with equal force?

Are you crazy?

How do we know

it wouldn't make

things worse?

What about fallout?

Fallout?

The pole reversal

completes in

and then it is

bye-bye planet.

Does anybody else

have a better idea?

That's what

I thought.

That comet

fragment hit us

with the force of

a 100-megaton bomb.

We don't

have a warhead

that powerful.

What's the most

powerful nuke in

the U.S. arsenal?

We have a new 50-megaton

prototype that's at the

nuclear test site.

We can do a

double detonation

to equal a hundred.

[noises over radio]

And?

We can't get through

to the general.

Our communications

are down.

We can't just leave

these people here.

This place is a

ticking time bomb.

I suggest

you find a cot

and you chill.

And?

(soldier)

Not yet, sir.

Zoe!

Hey, when did

you get here?

Just a few

minutes ago.

Excuse me, everybody.

Can I have your

attention please?

Hi, I'm

Cynthia Mayfield,

I'm a science teacher

at Lindenville High.

Many of you know that

my husband, Dr.

James Mayfield

is a

respected astrophysicist.

He's told me

that our town

is the epicenter

of the

electromagnetic and

seismic disturbances

that is

happening on

the west coast

and that it's very

dangerous to stay here.

So we need to move

outside the circle.

The nearest

safe town is

Little Brook.

(soldier)

You want to step

down from there, ma'am?

How come the

soldiers don't

know this?

Because their

communications are down.

They're completely

in the dark.

I'm not gonna ask

you again, ma'am.

Please, listen to me.

We could all die here!

Get her off

of there.

Is it true?

If you open your

mouth about this

to anyone again,

you will

be arrested.

Is that clear?

Yes.

And I don't want

to see that

map again.

Release her.

(general)

James, you'll

be happy to know

that the

bomber is

on its way.

And 250-megaton

warheads will launch

at 16:
00 hours.

[phone rings]

Yes?

What do you mean

we lost the plane?

Yes.

Thank you.

An EM pulse took

out the bomber.

The warheads

exploded in midair.

They have to try again.

Send another plane.

James, the skies are

unflyable. We'll

lose them all.

They have to try.

Send 20 planes.

One might get through.

James. James.

You have to think

of something

else. Fast.

There's got to

be another way.

(Cyn)

We've got to

get out of here.

Why would the soldiers

keep us here if it

isn't safe?

Because they

don't know anything.

They're just

following their

last orders.

Communications have

gotten so bad

they can't

even contact

their superiors.

What do you

want to do?

Dr. Mayfield was right

when he said the comet

might hit Earth.

I think we

should go.

We're in.

Come on.

It's right over here.

This one here.

Those poor people,

I feel so bad

leaving them.

You did everything

you could, Cyn.

(James)

Gentlemen, I have a

new plan that might just work.

We're gonna detonate

at the bottom of

the ocean,

the Mariana Trench, the

deepest point in

the Earth's crust.

Dr. Elman?

Yes, the

ocean crust

is thin enough

that the blast

could go right through

to the lithosphere

yes, it could conceivably

push the planet back

into alignment.

The Mariana Trench

is over 36,000 feet,

deep, doctor.

How do you plan

on getting there?

A submarine.

Unfortunately, doctor,

we don't have any

that are operational.

What do you mean?

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