The Day the Earth Caught Fire Page #3

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What's the difference in time factor

between the Antarctic base and Siberia?

- That'd be New Zealand time.

- I pass.

If California's eight

hours behind us,

they must be more

than that down there.

Eighteen, twenty-four...

So evening in Siberia can't

be far off the same time

as early next afternoon

in the Antarctic.

Which makes one hell of a story.

- Now what?

- Better read that.

Yeah, I know. The kid told me...

We'll have a slip edition.

Get Jeff, he's at the Savoy.

Head printer, fast.

Give me a quick 50 words

across three columns.

You got five minutes.

I'll write the headline.

Now, let's have something

for the leader page.

Possible effects, comparative figures.

Check actual times of explosions.

Five minutes.

- We'll put you in the next edition.

- Thank you very much.

Where the hell's that printer?

Well, get him back from tea.

You, Jock, find me the biggest

mushroom picture in the files.

See if there are any stock blocks.

Smudge? Slip edition coming

down in five minutes.

Get a bloody move on.

Don't we always? Yes. All right.

Slip edition in five minutes.

Front page needs reset.

What's the betting some

princess is pregnant again?

There's a change-up coming down.

Okay, George. Know what it is?

Well, as long as they

haven't made beer illegal.

One. Lift.

Slip edition in 10 minutes.

We'll be putting it on four machines.

There's bound to be a big

re-plate on the second edition.

Someone up there hates me.

I should've stayed with Woman's Own.

I'll warn them.

Yep, in 10 minutes. Okay.

Henry. Down the chute, quick.

Make sure they've got

the mushroom block.

My watch stopped.

Oh, for heaven's sake, Bill,

drink or no drink, have I ever

missed an edition before?

You missed more than one this time,

you missed the slip as well.

What happened?

Where were you last

Tuesday morning at 8:00?

Asleep, if I had any sense.

Then there's something

else you missed.

Mankind let off two

for the price of one.

That accounts for all that

rattling in the Spitsbergen attic.

What's all this amount to?

It amounts to the biggest jolt the

Earth's taken since the ice age started.

Now, if you'd like to swim across

to Harry's, I'll buy you a last supper.

- It's stopped raining.

- Has it?

Well, don't tell Jacko,

he's liable to stop the presses.

All right. Here you are, 800 words,

"How to be happy, though radiated."

- I suppose thrombosis comes out.

- Sorry we kept you up, Bill.

Oh, it's an honour and a pleasure.

I've always wanted to work an eight-day week.

- And you're listening to a dedicated man.

- Got to lose your sunspots too, Pete.

Come on, Pete, we'll...

- Before we get involved in another flash...

- Jacko.

I had trouble with sunspots, Jacko.

Yeah, I bet you did,

but it read fine.

John, where's that bomb data?

Let's have it back a minute.

Thank you.

You coming or not?

You shouldn't have done this, Bill.

I know it. I should've gone home.

I wouldn't have got involved in this.

I need my bloody head examined.

So do you.

I did go to the Met Centre, Bill.

And my watch did stop.

Maybe they'll give you a

presentation one when you leave.

I leave tomorrow, you know that.

I don't give a flop what you do, but relieve

me of the tension, if you don't mind.

Yes, I know.

What the hell's the

matter with you anyway?

Forget it.

No woman's irreplaceable,

no matter how much you love her.

I told you, forget it.

There'll be somebody

else sooner or later.

London's full of somebody elses.

And that cures everything, doctor?

Does alcohol?

Find yourself a girl, Pete.

Find yourself a dozen.

I've got your permission,

have I, Dad?

Permission?

My thoughts will be with you.

Well, well.

The opposition's late tonight.

We don't admit any opposition, son.

Mr Maguire. What will it be?

- Two large lean steaks.

- Not for me. I'll have a Scotch.

You'll have a steak, too. It's good

for you to eat at least once a week.

Anything worth reading in

tomorrow's paper, Mr Maguire?

It's all agency stuff tonight,

so you can have a look for a change.

There is also a well written

article on thrombosis.

One cause, eating too much fat.

Oh, I'll tell you this,

there's no fat in any of mine.

- Sandy know I wasn't there?

- Just get us a couple of drinks.

- Get on with your orders.

- Oh, May, give it to him.

Don't you take it, Harry.

Who's boss here, you or her?

Knock it off, Mr Cardiff.

I know all about you.

You want jackets with 'em?

No. No potatoes, May.

I've read my article.

What about you, Mr Stenning?

Bill, what did you tell Sandy?

I told him you'd phoned it in.

- Hello, Peter. Still with the Express?

- For the moment.

It's murder up at our place tonight.

They don't know what to

make of this Russian bomb.

Your lot never knew what

to make of anything.

All right. Nice to have seen you.

Maybe we don't spend

enough time in the bars.

Would you like a nice salad?

Salad's very healthy.

Is it? Just some bread, thanks, May.

Fresh for a change.

- Like you?

- Yeah. Sometimes I think I could.

In fact, I'm sure I could.

It's the kid, isn't it?

You want to see the way

they're bringing him up, Bill.

It'll be the right the

right prep school next.

And then the right boarding school.

And by the time they've finished with

him he'll be a right bowler-hatted,

"Who's for tennis", toffee-nosed gent.

But he won't be my son.

Oh, I don't know. That bad blood

of yours is bound to come out.

- How old is he now?

- Seven.

That's a nice age. I suppose

you're still shelling out for things.

If I wasn't, I wouldn't even try,

not that I'm trying too hard.

- Was she there with the kid?

- Oh, no. The nanny brings him.

Yes, they've got a nanny as well.

Nothing but the best is good

enough for her husband's wife.

- Well, If they're so well off, why should...

- Because he's my kid, that's why.

Well, here's to him.

May he turn out to be a hard-drinking,

hard-fighting son of a b*tch.

Yeah, well, that part of

his parentage is for sure.

I'll see you tomorrow, Bill.

Oh, don't be long, ducks.

They're ready.

Like a bit of butter, they'll be.

We won't be needing

the other steak, May.

Oh, shame.

Shall I wrap it up for your

big collie dog, Mr Maguire?

- How's Mrs Maguire?

- Oh, fine, fine. Just fine.

I wouldn't like to be a newspaperman's

wife, coming home all hours of the night.

And day. We sometimes come

home in the middle of the day.

I bet that could be embarrassing.

Yeah, it has been, for some.

We are not a political party,

and we have no intention

of becoming one.

We derive our support from

individuals of all walks.

The campaign for nuclear disarmament

opposes all tests,

manufacture, stockpiling,

possession or intended

use of nuclear weapons.

The world today is imperilled

by nuclear anarchy.

Nuclear weapons no longer

threaten the enemy,

but the whole of mankind.

The fact that we are

living in a nuclear age

should be a challenge, not a threat.

Instead of building bigger,

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