The first thing he did was to roll a giant five-foot shop fan across the room to blow directly on the crucial mini-transmitters called exciters. Next, he disabled the fail-safe mechanisms designed to automatically shut down parts of the transmitter in the event something went wrong.

Manuel had orders to keep the facility up and running, and that’s just what he planned to do. Both he and Mike knew that, despite his best efforts, the tubes, circuits, and power supplies would all fail sooner or later. The rig would probably shut down for good within an hour or so. At that point, KTTV would be off the air until the crisis was over. But this was truly a matter of life and death, and they were prepared to lose everything to keep the station on the air until the last minute.

Just as he finished disabling the fail-safe devices, Manuel heard a car horn outside. He dropped what he was doing and bolted out the door. Cathy and the boys were just getting out of the car. He stretched out his arms and encompassed them in one big hug. “Thank God, you’re all safe!” he cried. “Thank God you got out of there in time.”

“Oh, Manolo, it was horrible down there!” Cathy exclaimed. “You can’t imagine what’s happening to those poor people.”

“I know, Cathy,” he said. “I just talked to Mike, and he said it was going to be real bad. Come on inside where we’ll be safer. Come on, boys.”

THE TRANSMITTER FACILITY was equipped with a two-way microwave relay, a satellite receiver dish pointed at the Galaxy satellite, and a propane-fired auxiliary generator. In the days when FCC regulations required on-site transmitter engineers, the KTTV crew had set up a spartan living area with a bed, bathroom, and a utility kitchen. They had a small stove, a microwave, and a refrigerator, which could run on auxiliary power. To help the fellows fight boredom, there was also a moderate-sized telescope, which Manuel had learned to use reasonably well.

After they had transported all the groceries and supplies from the car, Manuel explained what was going on to Cathy and the boys. He told them about the meteor and the possibility that it would hit sometime that evening. The boys were all surprised and incredulous.

“A meteor—wow!” Ricardo exclaimed.

“Cool!” said his older brother, Miguel. “Just like in the cartoons.”

Manuel realized that reality would hit all too soon. He decided to say nothing more.

After a few minutes, and discussion of sleeping arrangements, Cathy and Manuel went back outside carrying the telescope and tripod. They went up the stairs onto a tiny observation platform overlooking the city. Manuel adjusted the eyepiece and scanned the sky without the scope to find the target. The bright ball in the sky wasn’t hard to find. Manuel turned the barrel of the telescope toward the onrushing meteor, then carefully adjusted the focus.

“Good Lord, Cathy,” he whispered. “It’s huge and it’s blazing hot! Take a look.”