“Darling, you know honesty is the best policy. Haven’t I always said that?”

Carl knew better than to ask any more questions. He wanted to get out of Los Angeles just as badly as Lori did, and suddenly here was the perfect opportunity. So the matter was settled. They were going to Colorado Springs.

AFTER A HASTY BREAKFAST the next morning, Carl and Lori eased their Mercedes diesel wagon onto the I-5 Freeway, which led, in turn, to the 405 Freeway and northward through Los Angeles. Most days, the Angelinos referred to the 405 as the largest moving parking lot in the world, and that day was no exception. Traffic was heavy, moving slowly without stopping. A light cloud of auto exhaust and pollution hung in the air around them.

Lori punched the radio dial to News Talk KABC. After a hardware commercial and traffic report was the weather forecast: “There will be no break in the heat wave,” the announcer said. “The National Weather Service is warning California residents to prepare for more record-high temperatures—perhaps as high as one hundred twenty-four degrees in some places. No precipitation is predicted.”

Carl reached over and gently squeezed Lori’s hand. “We’re getting out of this oven just in time,” he said, smiling. “Only three hours to cool breezes and mountain streams!”

As he was speaking, a news bulletin interrupted the weather report. He reached over and turned up the volume on the radio. The reporter was saying, “Observatories in Australia, California, Canada, and the United Kingdom have been tracking a large meteor in space. According to Dr. Mack Collier, chief scientist at the Mount Wilson Observatory, the meteor is now on a path that could intersect with Earth’s orbit in a matter of hours.”

Carl and Lori looked at each other in shock. “That’s what we were just talking about last night!” he exclaimed. “I can’t believe this is happening!”

“Oh, no,” Lori whispered and put her hand over her mouth.

The radio report continued, “Moments ago we spoke with Dr. Collier, who tells KABC News: ‘The best we can determine at this point, an extremely large foreign body, perhaps as much as a kilometer in diameter, is on a path to enter the earth’s atmosphere within the next several hours. There is a chance it will simply pass outside the gravitational field. But we must also consider the possibility that it may be drawn by the earth’s magnetic field.’” There was a long pause. “‘And, in that case, it would likely impact somewhere off the coast of California . . . between seven and eight o’clock this evening.’”

Carl and Lori looked at each other, wide-eyed. Simultaneously they said, “Seven o’clock.”

The radio announcer continued, “This interview with Dr. Mack Collier was taped just moments ago. The Center for Emergency Relief requests that all southern California residents remain calm, and please stay tuned to this station for updates throughout the day as we track these developing events. In the meantime, residents of low-lying coastal regions are being asked to evacuate immediately and move to the east toward higher ground. We want to stress, however, that you should stay calm and move with extreme caution. There is no cause for panic at this point. We will keep you informed as events unfold. ”