Fowler strikes another key. The glowing red dots flash in unison, then ignite into bright, alabaster circles of energy. Within seconds, the explosions fade into a global fallout of dense yellow-orange debris clouds, which spread quickly over the surrounding areas, encompassing nearly a third of the Earth’s surface.

Mean Global Surface Temperature: 12/20/12 (Detonation plus 10 hours) 132 degrees F. (55.5 degrees C.) CO2 Content: 39.23%

Fowler adjusts his glasses. “The heat from the explosions would immediately vaporize the karst limestone, releasing toxic levels of carbon dioxide into our planet’s atmosphere. The cloud cover you now see expanding across the map is a dense atmospheric layer of CO2, enough to kill every air-breathing organism on this planet.”

A hundred conversations break out at once.

Fowler strikes his keypad again while the UN leader calls for order. The map changes. Swirling yellow-orange clouds now blot out the entire globe.

Mean Global Surface Temperature: 12/20/22 (Detonation plus 10 years) 230 degrees F. (100 degrees C.) CO2 Content: 47.85% SO2 Content: 23.21%

The room quiets.

“Here we see Earth’s environmental progression after ten years. What we’re looking at is the catastrophic reorganization of our planet’s atmosphere, the beginning of a runaway greenhouse effect, similar to one we believe occurred on Venus more than six hundred million years ago. Venus, Earth’s sister planet, once possessed hot oceans and a humid stratosphere. As carbon dioxide built up in its atmosphere, it formed a thick blanket of insulation. This led to the onset of global volcanism, the eruptions serving to compound the greenhouse effect, releasing large quantities of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere while continuing to raise surface temperatures. Eventually, Venus’s oceans vaporized entirely, forming dense clouds of precipitation. Some of this precipitation continues to encircle the planet, while the rest dispersed into space.”

“Professor, have CO2 levels risen noticeably since the explosions of the first seven drones?”

“Yes, Madam President. In fact, carbon dioxide levels have increased by six to seven percent over the—”

“Enough of this!” Viktor Grozny is standing, his gaunt face red. “I came here to negotiate the terms of an armistice, not to listen to nonsense about aliens.”

The UN leader raises her voice above an outburst of protests. “President Grozny, are you questioning whether this extraterrestrial threat exists?”

“We’ve been informed the drone threat has been eliminated, that this—this array prevents their detonation. Is this not so, Mr.Fowler?”

Fowler looks apprehensive. “It would appear that the drones will not detonate as long as the pyramid’s array remains intact. But the threat is still—”