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." Roger tapped the touchpad.The image stream stopped."Flight, we had multiple Watchdog resets then no telemetry at all.""Roger that, no telemetry.Continue the reconnect protocols, but I think wecan assume the probe was destroyed," John said with a sigh."Well, at least weknow what we're up against."* * *"The best we can tell is that it appears they're made of metal.A compositematerial most likely wouldn't be this shiny," Ronny explained to the Presidentover the phone."So, what does that mean?""Well, sir, we haven't really had time to analyze the data completely, butwe're certain that they're using in-situ materials from the lunar surface toreplicate themselves.That means this thing is most likely made of titaniumand aluminum.""Then that means they won't be impervious to our weapons," the President said."Possibly.It might be some sort of super-alloy.But more likely they'resimply making themselves from whatever's available.They undoubtedly need sometrace metals for their internals, although we have no idea what they are atthis point.But, yes, Mr.President, they might be individually vulnerable.However, there are a bunch of them.Mr.President, the U.S.needs to go on afull war footing right now."Despite the official declaration of war all that had really happened was anincrease in funding and the call-up of the National Guard and Reserves.To thegreatest extent possible, it had been business as usual."We need a much larger Army, more redoubts, we need to throw anything we canat the problem and open it up fully so anyone can get in on the research.""That's going to need some discussion, Ronny," the President said."Amongother things, you're not the person who should be advising on that."Page 90ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Sorry, Mr.President," Ronny said, gritting his teeth but biting back thereply."You need to be in the meeting, though," the President said, sighing."Get uphere and bring Dr.What's his name? The redneck?""Dr.Roger Reynolds," Ronny replied."He's right here, sir.""Both of you get up here," the President said."I'll schedule a full Cabinetmeeting this evening with the heads of the Senate and the House."* * *The meeting was in the cabinet room with every cabinet member present as wellas the majority andminority leaders of the House and Senate.Everyone except Roger had brought anaide.He supposed he'd be counted as Ronny's aide, or even his second aide,since Ronny had one sitting in a chair behind him, but he was planning onsaying his piece."We've refined the data a bit since I spoke to the President," Ronny said,concluding his fifteen minute presentation."We now have a clearerunderstanding of the threat.They're definitely VonNeumann machines and they're definitely consuming the surface of the rockybodies in the solar system one by one.There is no indication that they willignore the Earth.At present, no model that we have shows survival of thehuman race, or at least civilization, in the face of this threat.We'relooking at end game for the ten-thousand year history of post-hunter-gatherersociety, ladies and gentlemen.""It can't be that bad," the secretary for Health and Human Services said,shaking his head."You can't say that just because they ate the Moon and Marsthat they're coming here! And even if they do, we've called up National Guardand the Reserves.What more do you want?""We need to rationalize production," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said."We need a national industrial board.""We've got one," the chairman of the Office of Management and Budget snapped."And they're already screwing up the economy ""Economy be damned," Roger said, trying to bite back the comment as he made it."Dr.Reynolds," the President said angrily."If we don't have an economy, wedon't have the money to pay for your pet projects.""Mr.President " Ronny started to say placatingly."No, let me," Roger said, looking the President in the eye."Mr.President,there was a book a while back, written by some yuppy economist.""Yes?" the President said, raising an eyebrow.He very well could be called a"yuppy economist.""It was a pretty selfish book," the scientist said, shrugging."Basically, itwas about how to plan to manage your money so there wasn't any left over foryour kids.'Die with your last dollar' or something like that.But it'simportant here, Mr.President.""Why?" the national security advisor asked."Every other time we had a national emergency, we had to keep one eye on whatthe future might hold," Roger said, looking her in the eye."If we lose thisone, there no future.isNo econony beyond glass beads," he said, looking at the chairman of OMB."No agriculture," he said, looking at the secretary of Agriculture."Not beyonddigging small gardens with sticks.No housing," he continued, looking at theHHS secretary."Not beyond caves and stick houses.And not much of that,looking at the Moon andMars.A few humans scrabbling for survival in the metal monster of a city themachines will create, living hand to mouth, eating each other to survive.Mr.Page 91ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]