Chapter 6: Testing the Obvious

“The core makes sense,” Alex said thinking the idea over in his head,”But what could cause the core to change?”

“I have no idea.” Jacob replied, “I do know that in 1973, we took three core readings. Each one showed a drop in temperature pressure and… uh.” Jacob stuttered over this last part.

Alex glanced at the page, “Speed of rotation” He finished Jacobs stuttered sentence.

There was a long moment of silence before anyone spoke. Finally Alex broke the silence with a question. “Jacob, do you still have the computer that took these readings?”

“Yes… Yes I do.” He replied, “Follow me.”

He led Alex and Aurora down the hallway to lab room seven. The door opened and revealed an ancient room-wide computer. The metal casing rusting over and some of the lights missing or broken.

Jacob typed in a command on a number pad and waited for a three-count beep for code confirmation. It sounded a two-beep incorrect audio code. Jacob retyped the code and was rewarded with the confirmation code.

Aurora had never seen a computer this size in her life. “Can this computer do anything!” she said more in exclamation than wanting an answer.

“Not even close. The cell phone in your pocket can do more than this… and faster too.” Alex said with a smile touching his lips. He smiled now every time he looked at Aurora and she always returned his in the same way. “We only need this thing to give us three numbers. The three numbers it was made to give.”

The more mechanical than electronic computer beeped again. Only once this time confirming that it had the numbers ready to print. Jacob pressed another code into the pad and a printer began to give out the results.

Alex ripped the paper away from the printer and compared them to their 1973 counterparts. “The temperature alone dropped 216 degrees! The pressure and speed are also down!” How long ago did you do this test?”

Jacob thought for a minute and then answered “Four hundred thirty-two months ago.”

Alex began his own mental math reciting it aloud as he obtained his figures. “It’s dropped 216 degrees in 36 years. That would be about six degrees per year and about half a degree per month.” He pauses then added “Jacob, Aurora, we have to tell someone!”

Aurora was confused “What does the core have to do with the weather anyway?” she asked.