PROLOGUE

January 5, 10:04 PM PST

KRVR Broadcasting, Portland, Oregon: “This just in from NASA. Astronomers have identified a previously unknown asteroid that appears to be on a direct course with Earth. Currently the rock, the size of a football field squared is 350 million miles and several months away. The Hubble telescope has been repositioned to confirm.”

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January 8, 7:51 AM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: ALERT! “The Hubble telescope has confirmed that asteroid Kali—named for the Hindu goddess of death and destruction—is on a direct trajectory to impact Earth in June of this year. These calculations have a 0.2-degree margin of error. At the extreme, either side of that margin, Kali will miss Earth but possibly cause extreme tides and tectonic plate action. A multinational team of experts will launch from China for the International Space Station within 48 hours. They will get a closer look at Kali and develop a plan of action.”

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February 20, 2:35 PM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “Doomsday Preppers are buying cases of canned goods, dried foods, and paper products to the point of depleting local stocks. Even naysayers who dismissed the impending collision with the asteroid Kali are hoarding durable goods and converting bank deposits to gold, propane, and livestock. The stock market plunged more than 4000 points today as people sold off stock in favor of food and fuel. Trading has been suspended until further notice.”

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February 25, 12:00 PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “The stock market reopened this morning with significant sell-off attempts with no buyers. The market closed again after only one hour of no trading. Today’s update from NASA confirms that the multinational team of astronauts on the International Space Station have begun the final stages of construction on the deep space vessel originally intended for human travel to Mars. They are sidestepping facilities for safe and comfortable long-term travel in favor of speed and converting the cargo hold to carry eight long-range missiles. They plan to approach the asteroid Kali and launch those missiles. Scientists project that direct hits in strategic positions will break the asteroid into smaller pieces and change the trajectory enough so that the destructive mass will miss Earth. There is hope for humanity. I repeat there is hope. You can stop hoarding and start buying stock again.”

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March 17, 9:15 AM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “The Earth Rescue mission has launched from the International Space Station. Captained by Chinese astronaut Chou Lin Hee, the deep space rover expects to rendezvous with asteroid Kali in approximately one hundred twenty hours. They will take up a position twenty thousand kilometers from their target and fire long-range missiles with the explosive power of seventy kilotons at the space equivalent of point-blank range. Without gravity or atmosphere to interfere with the missiles, scientists claim they cannot miss. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day. Reports of dancing in the streets in Dublin, New York, and Boston appear to be exaggerated. The stock market remains closed.”

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March 22, 1:12 PM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “The missiles have been deployed. We will stay on the air until we have confirmation of a hit. The stock market has reopened with virtually no change on the DOW, or NASDAQ.”

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March 22, 2:18 PM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “We have contact! Six of the eight missiles deployed have hit their targets. U.S. Astronaut Colonel Mathew Smith reports that dust clouds from the impact and dispersing fragments have obscured sensors and visual examination of the results. Stay tuned for updates as they happen. We have cause to celebrate and cease hoarding. The stock market reports an uptick in buying driving the DOW up 150 points. The NASDAQ is down 323.”

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March 24, 5:30 PM PST

KRVR Broadcasting: “Reports from the International Space Station confirm that asteroid Kali has fragmented. Three large chunks remain with innumerable smaller pieces spinning off in multiple directions. The center mass of the asteroid has been reduced by 65%. We do not know yet if the trajectory has been affected.”

“In other news, the DOW rose 120 points today, but the NASDAQ plummeted another 650 points.”