Author : Henry Peter Gribbin

As a national security advisor to top level government officials for the past decade, I have been privy to information which would have scared the daylights out of any ordinary person. The way I coped with all the near disasters, political assassinations, and war was to shut it out of my mind when my workday was over. If I didn’t I couldn’t live a normal life. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, or eat or have any kind of relationships with family or friends. That all changed 313 days ago when I learned that an asteroid the size of Pittsburgh was going to hit the earth.

NASA first learned of this menace 15 years ago. For the past 14 years they believed that this menace would pass close to earth but pass harmlessly by. That all changed 313 days ago when by some fluke a comet hit it thus changing its course. It would hit in Central Mexico, and to be blunt it would destroy all life on our planet. Even the mighty cockroach would meet its end.

When I advised congressional leaders and the president about what was coming the consensus was to shield the public of this information. What good would it do to share this information with them. Mass panic and chaos for 313 days would be the result.

Now, the military did not give up hope. They had a plan which on paper sounded like it might work. Basically it was to blast Asteroid 313 out of space with as many rockets it could muster. They would wait till the last minute before they launched their arsenal. So for almost a year life went on. Terrorists terrorized, assassins assassinated, and armies fought each other. Each day I gave my daily briefings. Asteroid 313 was never mentioned.

On day 312 the rockets were launched. The mission failed. All they did was veer Asteroid 313’s path to a different impact point. Central Pennsylvania was the new target area. There was no evacuation ordered. What was the point?

My last day. Correction, our last day was upon us. The weather in the area was beautiful. I went to work as usual. The last briefing was short. The impact would occur our time around three in the afternoon. I left my office an hour early. People were still at their jobs unaware that it was all coming to an end. Secretaries answered phones, clerks did their filing, and analysts did their thing. There was an outdoor cafe near my office which I always wanted to try. It had opened a couple years ago, but with my hectic schedule I never had the chance to eat there. That is where I went. I ordered the most expensive item on the menu. I ate my meal and sat back and waited. The clock on the wall said it was three o’clock. I started to count down from ten. Still no impact. Nine, eight, seven passed. We were still alive. Six, five, four and people were still dining. Three…