Al Augustus was born in Columbus, Ohio. He was the oldest son of a privileged family and a high achiever in school and in varsity athletics. After high school, he had gone to Yale, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science, then went on to Harvard Business School. From childhood, his mother and father had instilled in him a sense of his patriotic duty. So when the president of the United States called, he knew immediately that fishing would have to wait.

He had said yes to the president. Then, Al and his wife, Barbara, bought a spacious Colonial townhouse in upper Georgetown and became part of the Washington scene. Now he was acting director of the entire U.S. government during its most severe domestic crisis in history.

As he stood looking around the room at the other cabinet members, he was aware that the information he was about to divulge was even darker than that shared by Jerome Eisenblatt. “Best estimates from the secretary of the navy,” he said, “indicate that we are going to lose three-fourths of our Pacific Fleet. After we gave up the Subic Bay facility in the Philippines, we pulled all our forward-based ships back to Pearl. There’s a carrier task force in the Indian Ocean that we are hoping will be able to ride this thing out. But I’d like to hear what the scientists have to say. Dr. Eisenblatt, what is your estimate of the damage to Hawaii?”

The science adviser remained seated as well, but opened a folder of confidential information. “We have never dealt with anything of this magnitude, Mr. Secretary, so my projections are mostly theoretical. But, depending on precisely where this object strikes the Pacific—and I’m certain now that it will be somewhere west of Catalina Island—I believe the most dangerous effect,” he said, “will be a tidal wave that will likely be traveling in excess of five hundred miles per hour. At about a thousand miles from impact, it will slow perceptibly, but we need to understand that the frontal wave height of this type of wave, or tsunami, will be in excess of five thousand feet at impact. Ladies and gentlemen, I am not exaggerating when I tell you that we may see a tidal wave anywhere from one to three miles in height moving across the Pacific in all directions from the point of the meteor’s impact.”

“My God,” said the secretary of transportation. “Jerry, do you know what that means? It means that all of the low-lying areas of Hawaii, including our entire naval facility, will be swamped! There will be nothing left.”

“I’m sorry to say that you’re exactly correct.”

“Jerry,” the speaker added, “I—I’ve got family there!”

“Yes, I know,” Dr. Eisenblatt replied. “I’m sorry. We will all be impacted by this, but we have to do the best we can in this situation. And, please understand, ladies and gentlemen, that we have just hours—a very few hours—to do everything we can to prepare for disaster.”