S.O.S by Will James Read Free Book Online Page B

They all missed Chris and showed it in different ways.
    *
    Dev paced up and down his room, excitedly spewing out his theory, whilst Molly lay on his bed, propped up on her elbow watching him. The faster he explained everything, the faster Molly’s head swam with the deluge of sums and possible theories that poured out of his mouth. Desperately trying to keep up, Molly focused hard, but everything that he said was beyond her grasp. It was just too complex.
    â€œDev, please slow down. I think you’ve lost me!” she finally blurted out. “I was only asking what it all meant! I didn’t expect you to go off on one.”
    Dev stopped. He turned to her and finally sat down on the chair opposite the bed so that he faced her.
    â€œOK, OK, I’m sorry.” he sighed. “It’s just that you’re the first person that I’ve been able to tell, apart from my parents, who don’t understand a word I’m saying.” He took a deep breath. “They think I’m mad anyway and this wouldn’t help...”
    Molly sat up on the bed and crossed her legs into the lotus position. She narrowed her eyes and looked again at the wall.
    â€œSo,” she began, “all of this, all this maths...”
    â€œThe theorems, yes....”
    â€œThey are all pointing to a discovery. Right?”
    â€œCorrect.”
    â€œAnd this discovery challenges the current thinking – whatever that is – sorry, but you lost me on that part, it challenges the current thinking on the subject of ‘dark matter’. What do you mean by dark matter? I don’t think I understand.”
    Dev nodded. His face was grave. He took a deep breath. “OK, right, well there is dark energy – it turns out that roughly seventy five per cent of the universe is dark energy and then there is dark matter, which is about twenty per cent and finally there is matter, which is pretty much everything else that we can measure with instruments and that makes about five per cent. Are you with me?”
    â€œYup, with you so far.”
    â€œRight. Dark energy is the stuff that affects the expansion of the universe, but no-one knows exactly what it is made up of. I’m not going to confuse you with particle science but with my calculations, what I think I now know challenges all the thinking on what dark matter is and how it interacts with the universe to date.” He ran his hands through his hair and pushed it back off his face.
    Molly thought for a moment, trying to take it all in. “Blimey. So that’s pretty big then?”
    â€œYup.” Dev smiled, but his face was strained.
    â€œSo why is this a problem? Isn’t it, like, the best thing that ever happened to you? I mean you could change the world, couldn’t you? You’re a genius, aren’t you?”
    Dev shook his head. “No. What I’ve discovered is not some amazing invention. If I’ve got it right, I don’t think anyone is going to thank me for it.”
    Molly stared at him. “OK, so what does this all mean?”
    Dev paused, then said, very seriously, “If dark matter is what I think it is then I believe it means that the Earth is spinning out of control. The energy created by the dark matter - which according to my calculations is increasing - is pulling the Earth out of its orbit around the sun.” He stood up and the enormity of what he was saying began to sink in. Molly felt herself go cold.
    â€œLife on Earth exists because we are in what is called the Goldilocks Zone, which is just right to sustain existence. If the angle of the orbit is even one degree out, then we would either freeze or burn and all life would cease to exist. With an increase in the energy that constitutes dark matter there will be a change in the angle of the orbit. It’s inevitable.”
    Molly listened with dawning horror at this terrifying statement, willing it to be untrue, though the conviction in