Free Trajectory Book 1 (New Providence) by Robert M. Campbell

everything was on all the time. Most of these devices were even broadcasting their presence, looking for their neighbors and setting up adhoc wireless networks that covered the planet. Grid networking was fully in place by then.”
    “When the Intelligence took over – we think – every vehicle – cars, aircraft, sea-going vessels – were all under its control. All of the communications infrastructure. Every manufacturing plant on the planet had already been built up to be automated, requiring very little human supervision.”
    Joe Price put up his hand and Professor Simenko pointed at him and nodded. “How come the … Intelligence didn’t get off the planet? Why wasn’t Mars affected?”
    “Yes! Good question. We don’t really know what happened. Not exactly. Communications stopped altogether. All at once. We think something happened to the satellites in Earth orbit. The only signal that got out was the Last Transmission and I think it’s salient that it was transmitted in analog. I’ll finish with the footage from the International Space Station.”
    Simenko killed the lights in the room and played the video. The class went quiet.
    The video faded into the harrowed face and torso of Commander Frank Czerny in his blue ISS jumpsuit aboard the station. His voice frantic. “We have just received a broadcast from Earth on emergency radio frequency. Can we play it back?”
    Off-camera, some controls can be heard as the view drifts down from Czerny through the clear glass cupola in the floor pointing down at Earth. A voice begins playing back as the Earth wheels below, blue oceans, white clouds, greens and browns of southern Europe and northern Africa. The light brown sea of the Sahara rolls into view.
    “ISS, this is Houston. John Perry, mission specialist. Something’s… Something is happening down here. Our computers are all locked up. Won’t let us log in. Power is fluctuating. Nothing’s working. Are you getting this?” Sound of panic in his voice. “Our displays are showing…” Another voice, shouting, “Another launch!” Perry continued, “missile launch sites. I think whatever’s doing this is launching… everything. We’ve lost communications. Even radio is being jammed. If you can hear this…” Something loud and abrupt ended the transmission from the surface. A quick crack over the low-quality signal that ended in static.
    Streaking through the stratosphere, white trails were tracing lines high above the surface of the planet. Off-screen a voice in Russian, “yobany vrot!”
    Orange flashes began blooming all over the planet, turning into white clouds obscuring everything underneath. The voice of Commander Czerny, shaky, “Oh my God. Everything…” More flashes from the surface. Orange flowers lit up all over northern Asia, southern Asia. The Americas rolled into view under bright white plumes, lightning flashing from deep within. Orange bubbles fading to magma red circles glowing through the cloud cover. The camera drifted sideways and turned, bringing some of the station interior back into view, out of focus. Someone grabbed the camera and pointed it back at Czerny, focusing but unsteadily.
    “Mars Colony, this is Commander Frank Czerny aboard the International Space Station, Earth orbit. We have just witnessed… Nuclear strikes covering the surface of the planet. Everything.” He looked down through the inverted dome of the station’s window. Back at the camera. “We will continue to broadcast for as long as we are able. Be safe… You are all of us.”
    He reached for the camera, pointed it back at Andrey Demidov, the Russian mission specialist who’d been operating the video. His face streaked with tears. Video faded out.
    Simenko brought the lights up, looked around the room of quiet students. “You are all of us.” He repeated solemnly.
    He was about to continue when a knock on the classroom door interrupted him. The door swung open and administrator Brennan stuck his