Philip Wylie & Edwin Balmer - When Worlds Collide Read online

  Tony's eyes flashed to the column which carried the list of distinguished names, English, German, French, Italian, Swiss, American, South African, Australian and Japanese.

  "Similar statements are being given to the press of all peoples at this same time.

  " 'In order to allay alarms likely to rise from the increase of rumors based upon incorrect or misunderstood reports of the discovery made by Professor Bronson, of Capetown, South Africa, and in order to acquaint all people with the actual situation, as it is now viewed, we offer these facts.

  " 'Eleven months ago, when examining a photographic plate of the region 15 (Eridanus) in the southern skies, Professor Bronson noticed the presence of two bodies then near the star Achernar, which had not been observed before.

  " 'Both were exceedingly faint, and lying in the constellation Eridanus, which is one of the largest constellations in the sky, they were at first put down as probably long-period variable stars which had recently increased in brightness after having been too faint to affect the photographic plate.

  "'A month later, after photographing again the same locality, Professor Bronson looked for the two new stars and found that they had moved. No object of stellar distance could show displacement in so short a space of time. It was certain, therefore, that the newly observed bodies were not stars. They must be previously unobserved and unsuspected members of our solar system, or else objects, from outside our system, now approaching us.

  "They must be new planets or comets-or strangers from space.

  " 'All planets known to be associated with our sun move approximately in the plane described by the earth's orbit. This is true, whatever the size or distance of the planets, from Mercury to Pluto. The two Bronson bodies were moving almost at right angles to the plane of the planetary orbits.

  " 'Comets appear from all directions; but these two bodies did not resemble comets when viewed through the greater telescope. One of them, at the time of the second observation, showed a small but perceptible disk. Its spectrum exhibited the characteristic lines of reflected sunlight. Meanwhile, several observations of position and movement were made which made it plain that the two Bronson bodies were objects of planetary dimensions and characteristics, approaching us from out of stellar distances-that is, from space.

  " The two bodies have remained associated, approaching us together and at the same speed. Both now show disks which can be measured. It can now be estimated that, when first observed, they had approached within the distance from the sun of the planet Neptune. It must be remembered, however, that they lie in an entirely different direction.

  " 'Since coming under observation, they have moved within the distance of the orbit of our planet Uranus, and are approaching the distance of Saturn.

  " 'Bronson Alpha-which is the name temporarily assigned to the larger of the two new bodies-appears in the telescope similar in size to Uranus. That is, its estimated diameter is something over forty thousand miles. Bronson Beta, which is the smaller of the two bodies, has an estimated diameter of eight thousand miles. It is similar in size, therefore, to the earth.

  " 'Bronson Beta at present is in advance of Alpha in their approach toward the solar system; but they do not move in parallel lines; Beta, which is the smaller, revolves about Alpha so that their positions constantly change.

  " 'They have both come definitely within the sphere of gravitational influence of the sun; but having arrived from interstellar space, their speeds of approach greatly exceed the velocities of our familiar planets in their orbits around the sun.

  "'Such are the observed phenomena. The following is necessarily highly speculative, but it is offered as a possible explanation of the origin of the two Bronson bodies.

  " 'It has long been supposed that about other stars than ours-for of course our sun is only a star-are other planets like the earth and Mars and Jupiter. It is not presumed that all stars are surrounded by planets; but it has been estimated that probably at least one star in one hundred thousand has developed a planetary system. Among the many billions of stars, there are probably millions of suns with planets. It is always possible that some catastrophe would tear the planets away. It would require nothing more than the approach of another star toward the sun to destroy the gravitational control of the sun over the earth and Venus and Mars and Jupiter and other planets, and to send them all spinning into space on cold and dark careers of their own.

  " This world of ours, and Venus and Mars and Jupiter and Saturn, would then wander throughout indefinite ages-some of them perhaps eternally doomed to cold and darkness; others might, after incalculable ages, find another sun.

  " 'It might be assumed, for purposes of explanation of the Bronson Bodies, that they once were planets like our earth and Uranus, circling about some life-giving sun. A catastrophe tore them away, together with whatever other of her planets there might have been, and sent them into the darkness of interstellar space. These two-Bronson Alpha and Bronson Beta-either were associated originally, or else established a gravitational influence upon each other in the journey through space, and probably have traveled together through an incalculable time until they arrived in a region of the heavens which brought them at last under the attraction of the sun. Their previous course, consequently, has been greatly modified by the sun, and as a result, they are now approaching us.'"

  At this point, the prepared statement of Cole Hendron terminated.

  Tony Drake was sitting up straight in bed, holding the paper before him and trying, with his left hand and without looking away, to strike a match for the cigarette between his lips. He did not succeed, but he kept on trying while his eyes searched down the column of questions put by the reporters to Dr. Hendron-and his answers.

  " 'What will be the effect of this approach upon the earth?'

  " 'It is impossible yet to tell.'

  "'But there will be effects?'

  " 'Certainly there will be effects.'

  " 'How serious?'

  Again Cole Hendron refused to answer.

  " 'It is impossible yet to say.'

  " "Will the earth be endangered?'

  "Answer: 'There will undoubtedly be considerable alterations of conditions of life here.'

  " What sort of alterations?'

  " 'That will be the subject of a later statement,' Dr. Hendron replied. 'The character and degree of the disturbance which we are to undergo is now the subject of study by a responsible group. We will attempt to describe the conditions likely to confront all of us on the world as soon as they clearly define themselves.'

  " 'When will this supplementary statement be made?'

  " 'As soon as possible.'

  " 'To-morrow?'

  " 'No; by no means as soon as to-morrow.'

  " Within a week? Within a month?'

  " `I would say that it might be made within a month.'

  Tony was on his feet, and in spite of himself, trembling. There was no possible mistaking of the undertone of this astonishing announcement. It spelled doom, or some enormous alteration of all conditions of life on the world equivalent to complete disaster.

  The League of the Last Days! There was some reference to it in another column, but Tony scarcely caught its coherence.

  Where was Eve; and what, upon this morning, was she doing? How was she feeling? What was she thinking? Might she, at last, be sleeping?

  She had been up all night, and at work assisting her father. The statement had been released at one o'clock in the morning. There was no mention in the paper of her presence with her father; Cole Hendron apparently had received the reporters alone.

  How much more than this which had been told, did Eve now know? Plainly, manifestly the scientists knew more- much, much more, which they dared not yet tell the public. Dared not! That was the fact. They dared, to-day, only to issue the preliminary announcement.

  Chapter 4-Dawn After Doomsday?

  KYTO, who usually effaced himself, did not do so this morning. Kyto, having the untasted coffee for
an excuse, called attention to himself and ventured:

  "Mister, of course, comprehends the news?"

  "Yes, Kyto; I understand it-partly, at any rate."

  "I may inquire, please, perhaps the significance?"

  Tony stared at the little Jap. He had always liked him; but suddenly he was assailed with a surge of fellow-feeling for this small brown man trapped like himself on the rim of the world.

  Trapped! That was it. Trapped was the word for this strange feeling.

  "Kyto, we're in for something."

  "What?"

  "Something rather-extensive, Kyto. One thing is sure, we're all in for it together."

  "General-destruction?" Kyto asked.

  Tony shook his head, and his reply surprised himself. "No; if it were just that, they'd say it. It would be easy to say- general destruction, the end of everything. People after all in a way are prepared for that, Kyto." Tony was reasoning to himself as much as talking to Kyto. "No; this can't be just--destruction. It doesn't feel like it, Kyto."

  "What else could it be?" questioned the Jap practically.

  Tony, having no answer, gulped his coffee; and Kyto had to attend to the telephone, which was ringing.

  It was Balcom.

  "Hey! Tony! Tony, have you seen the paper? I told you Hendron had something, but I admit this runs considerably beyond expectations.... Staggers one, doesn't it, Tony?... Now, see here, it's perfectly plain that Hendron knows much more than he's giving out.... Tony, he probably knows it all now!... I want you to get to him as soon as you can."

  As soon as possible, Tony got rid of Balcom-another rider on the rim of the world, trapped with Tony and Kyto and all the rest of these people who could be heard, if you went to the open window, ringing one another to talk over this consternation.

  Tony commanded, from before the bathroom mirror, where he was hastily shaving: "Kyto, make sure that anybody else that calls up isn't Miss Hendron, and then say I'm out."

  Within five minutes Kyto was telling the truth. Tony, in less than five more, was at the Hendrons'. The place was policed. Men, women and children from Park Avenue, from Third and Second avenues crowded the sidewalks; sound-film trucks and photographers obstructed the street. Radio people and reporters, refused admittance, picked up what they could from the throng. Tony, at last, made contact with a police officer, and he did not make the mistake of asserting his right to pass the police-lines or of claiming, too publicly, that he was a personal friend of the family.

  "There is a possibility that Dr. Hendron or perhaps Miss Hendron might have left word that I might see them," Tony said. "My name is Tony Drake."

  The officer escorted him in. The elevator lifted him high to the penthouse on the roof, where the street noises were vague and far away, where the sun was shining, and blossoms, in their boxes, were red and yellow and blue.

  No one was about but the servants. Impassive people! Did they know and understand? Or were they dulled to it?

  Miss Eve, they said, was in the breakfast-room; Dr. Hendron still was asleep.

  "Hello, Tony! Come in!"

  Eve rose from the pretty little green table in the gay chintz-curtained nook which they called the breakfast-room.

  Her eyes were bright, her face flushed the slightest bit with her excitement. Her hands grasped his tightly.

  Lovely hands, she had, slender and soft and strong. How gentle she was to hold, but also how strong! Longing for her leaped in Tony. Damn everything else!

  He pulled her within his arms and kissed her; and her lips, as they had last night, clung to his. They both drew breath, deeply, as they parted-stared into each other's eyes. Their hands held to each other a moment more; then Tony stepped back.

  She had dressed but for her frock itself; she was in neglig‚e, with her slim lovely arms in loose lace-decked silk, her white neck and bosom half exposed.

  He bent and kissed her neck.

  "You've breakfasted, Tony?"

  "Yes-no. Can I sit with you here? I scarcely dreamed you'd be up, Eve, after your night."

  "You've seen the papers? We were through with them before three. That is, Father then absolutely refused to say any more or see any one else. He went to sleep."

  "You didn't."

  "No; I kept thinking-thinking-"

  "Of the end of everything, Eve?"

  "Part of the time, I did; of course I did; but more of the time of you."

  "Of me-last night?"

  "I hoped you'd come first thing to-day. I thought you would.... It's funny what difference the formal announcement of it makes. I knew it all last night, Tony. I've known the general truth of it for weeks. But when it was a secret thing-something shared just with my father and his friends -it wasn't the same as now. One knew it but still didn't admit it, even to one's self. It was theoretical-in one's head, like a dream, not reality. We didn't really do much, Father and I, last night. I mean do much in proving up the facts and figures. Father had them all before from other men. Professor Bronson's plates and calculations simply confirmed what really was certain; Father checked them over. Then we gave it out.

  "That's what's made everything so changed."

  "Yet you didn't give out everything you know, Eve."

  "No, not everything, Tony."

  "You know exactly what's going to happen, don't you, Eve?"

  "Yes. We know-we think we know, that is, exactly what's going to happen."

  "It's going to be doomsday, isn't it?"

  "No, Tony-more than doomsday."

  "What can be more than that?"

  "Dawn after doomsday, Tony. The world is going to be destroyed. Tony, oh, Tony, the world is going to be most thoroughly destroyed; yet some of us here on this world, which most surely will come to an end, some of us will not die! Or we need not die-if we accept the strange challenge that God is casting at us from the skies!"

  "The challenge that God casts at us-what challenge? What do you mean? Exactly what is it that is going to happen, Eve-and how?"

  "I'll try to tell you, Tony: There are two worlds coming toward us-two worlds torn, millions of years ago perhaps, from another star. For millions of years, probably, they've been wandering, utterly dark and utterly frozen, through space; and now they've found our sun; and they're going to attach themselves to it-at our expense. For they are coming into the solar system on a course which will carry them close-oh, very close indeed, Tony, to the orbit of the earth.

  They're not cutting in out on the edge where Neptune and Uranus are, or inside near Venus and Mercury. No; they're going to join up at the same distance from the sun as we are. Do you understand?"

  In spite of himself, Tony blanched. "They're going to hit the earth, you mean? I thought so."

  "They're not going to hit the earth, Tony, the first time around. The first time they circle the sun, they're going to pass us close, to be sure; but they're going to pass us-both of them. But the second time they pass us-well, one of them is going to pass us a second time too, but the other one isn't, Tony. The smaller one-Bronson Beta, the one about the same size as the earth and, so far as we can tell, very much like the earth-is going to pass us safely; but the big one, Bronson Alpha, is going to take out the world!"

  "You know that, Eve?"

  "We know it! There must be a margin of error, we know. There may not be a direct head-on collision, Tony; but any sort of encounter-even a glancing blow-would be enough and much more than enough to finish this globe. And an encounter is certain. Every single calculation that has been made shows it.

  "You know what an exact thing astronomy is to-day, Tony. If we have three different observations of a moving body, we can plot its path; and we've hundreds of determinations of these bodies. More than a thousand altogether! We know now what they are; we know their dimensions and the speed with which they are traveling. We know, of course, almost precisely the forces and attractions which will influence them -the gravitational power of the sun. Tony, you remember how precise the forecast was in the last eclipse
that darkened New England. The astronomers not only foretold to a second when it would begin and end, but they described the blocks and even the sides of the streets in towns that would be in shadow. And their error was less than twenty feet.

  "It's the same with these Bronson bodies, Tony. They're falling toward the sun, and their path can be plotted like the path of Newton's apple dropping from the bough. Gravity is the surest and most constant force in all creation. One of those worlds, which is seeking our sun, is going to wipe us out, Tony-all of us, every soul of us that remains on the world when it collides. But the other world-the world so much like this-will pass us close and go on, safe and sound, around the sun again....

  "Tony do you believe in God?"