Polar Shift (NUMA Files 6)

Trout nodded. "Einstein said that with a controlled chain reaction a reality, an atomic bomb was possible. He suggested that the United State develop such a weapon before the Germans did."

"That's right," Frobisher said. "The president appointed a committee to look into it, and the result was the work here at Los Alamos. Few people know that near the end of the war, Einstein wrote a second letter that has never been published. In it, he warned of the dangers of electromagnetic war, based on the theorems. But unlike Kovacs, who was considered by some to be a bit of a quack, Einstein's op

inion had weight. Truman was president by then. He appointed a committee to look into Einstein's suggestion, and out of that came a research effort similar to the Manhattan Project."

"We've heard that the Russians were pursuing the same line of research," Gamay said.

"That's right. By the mid-sixties, we were neck and neck with the Russians."

"How far did the research go?"

"Far. They concentrated on the land rather than the sky, and created some earthquakes. After the big Alaskan quake, this country retaliated. We caused some nifty floods and droughts in Russia. That was all small potatoes."

"Floods and quakes hardly seem minor occurrences," Gamay said.

"That was only the warm-up. Scientists from both countries discovered about the same time that the combined force from their experiments could cause major changes in the earth's electromagnetic field. A top secret meeting between the two countries was held on a remote island in the Bering Sea. Scientists and government officials attended. Both countries were presented with evidence showing the serious consequences of further experimentation using the Kovacs Theorems."

"How do you know all this if it was so secret?" Gamay said.

"Simple. I was one of the participants. We agreed to end research and get back to lesser evils, such as nuclear warfare."

"It's hard to believe there is something worse than a nuclear holocaust," Gamay said, raising an eyebrow.

"Believe it." Frobisher leaned forward in his chair and lowered his voice from habit, as if he thought that the room was bugged. "Keeping the secret was considered of such consequence that a security apparatus was set up in each country. Anyone who became too inquisitive or knowledgeable about Kovacs and his work was discouraged or, if necessary, eliminated."

"Then the Kovacs Society wasn't formed as a cover for a poker game?" Trout said.

Frobisher smiled. "That story usually turns most people off. No, the Kovacs Society was formed here as part of the setup. The reasoning was that it would be a first stop for someone interested in his work. If you had wandered in here a few years ago asking questions that crossed a certain threshold, I would have made a telephone call and you would have disappeared. You're lucky the unit was disbanded a few years ago."

"What happened?" Trout said.

"Budget cuts," Frobisher said with a smirk. "Loss of institutional memory. The few people who were acquainted with the agreement died, taking the secret to the grave. No one was around to support the budget item, so it was cut. As time went on, Kovacs and his work faded into the woodwork. Like Nikola Tesla, Kovacs has become a cult figure of the conspiracy nuts, only lesser known. Most of the people who stop by here are crazies, like one guy who had a spider tattooed on his scalp. The more serious-minded are put off by my Froby act."

"It's a very good act," Gamay said.

"Thanks. I was beginning to believe it myself. I've been a one-man gatekeeper, fending people off when they get too nosy."

"You talked about worldwide consequences from the electromagnetic manipulation," Trout said.

Frobisher nodded. "What scared everyone was the possibility that the electromagnetic manipulation would cause a shift of the earth's poles."

"Is that possible?" Gamay said.

"Oh yes. Let me explain. The earth's electromagnetic field is created by the spinning of the outer crust around the solid part of the inner core. Scientists at Leipzig University developed a model that showed the earth as a gigantic dynamo. The heavy metals and liquid magma of the inner-core electromagnet are the clutch. The lighter metals at the crust are the windings. The planet's poles are determined by the electromagnetic charge. The magnetic poles are the result of vortices deep in the molten core. The magnetic poles tend to wander. Navigators take this phenomenon into account all the time. If one pole declines in strength, you might see an actual reversal of the magnetic north and south poles."

"What would be the effect of a magnetic pole shift?" Gamay said.

"Disruptive, but short of catastrophic. Power grids would be knocked out. Satellites rendered useless. Compasses confused. Atmospheric holes might be punched in the ozone, causing long-term health problems from solar radiation bursts. You'd see the aurora borealis farther south. Migrating birds and animals would be disoriented."

"You're right about a polar shift being disruptive," Gamay said.

"Yes, but it would be nothing compared to the effects of a geological polar shift."

As a deep-ocean geologist, Trout knew exactly what Frobisher was talking about. "You're talking about actual movement of the crust over the inner core rather than a change in the earth's electromagnetic field."

"Precisely. The solid part of the earth moves over the liquid part.

There's evidence that it has happened before, caused by a natural event like a passing comet."