There's evidence that it has happened before, caused by a natural event like a passing comet."

“I'm a deep-ocean geologist,” Trout said. “A comet is one thing. I find it hard to envision that man-made machinations could cause major physical changes.”

“This is why the work of Kovacs was so important.”

“In what way?”

Frobisher rose and paced back and forth a couple of times in the small room to gather his thoughts, then stopped and made a rotating motion with his forefinger.

“This is different. Electromagnetism runs the whole universe. The earth is charged up like a huge electromagnet. Changes in the field can cause a shift in polarity, as we discussed a few minutes ago. But there's another effect, which Kovacs homed in on in his research. Matter oscillates between the stages of matter and energy.”

Trout nodded in understanding. “What you're saying is that by changing the electromagnetic field of the planet, it is possible to change the location of matter on the earth's surface.”

“That might explain the ocean disturbances,” Gamay added.

Frobisher snapped his fingers and smiled in triumph. “Give that man and woman each a cigar.”

“What would happen with a land shift?” Gamay said.

Frobisher's smile vanished. “The forces of inertia would react to the shift of matter. The waters in the world's oceans and lakes would be jerked in a different direction, pounding the coastline, causing massive floods. All electrical devices would fail. We'd have hurricanes and tornadoes of unheard-of force. The earth's crust would break open, causing huge earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and massive lava flows. Climate changes would be drastic and long-lived. Radiation sickness from solar rays penetrating the earth's magnetic field would kill millions.”

“You're talking a catastrophe of major proportions,” Gamay said.

“No,” Frobisher said, his voice almost a whisper. “I'm talking about nothing less than the end of all living matter. The end of the world.”

ON THE drive back to Albuquerque to catch their flight home, it was Trout's turn to be silent.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Gamay said. “Adjusted for inflation, of course.”

Trout came out of his trance. “I was just thinking about Roswell, New Mexico, where the UFO supposedly crashed.”

“Maybe we can go there another time. My head is still spinning with conspiracy theories after listening to our friend Froby.”

“What was your take on him?”

“He was either entertainingly eccentric or frighteningly sane.”

“That was my opinion as well, which was what got me thinking about Roswell. Some of the UFO enthusiasts say that after the incident, the president appointed a high-ranking board of scientists and government officials to look into the matter and cover it up. The group was called MJ12.”

“Sounds familiar. Are you thinking that the parallels with what we heard might be too close?”

“Maybe, but there's one way to confirm what he said one way or the other.”

“How is that?”