The Day the Earth Caught Fire Page #5

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nuclear test explosion,

"Siberia, last Monday, 8:00 p.m.

"Force of bomb stated exceeds

American by 20%." End flash.

Anything you can do, I can do better.

All right. This is a change-up, next edition.

Monday last, when was that? 23rd?

- Monday. When was the American blast?

- Tuesday.

- What time?

- Late afternoon, wasn't it? I don't know.

- I can check. Messenger!

- Coming.

- Library, clips on test bombs.

- Right.

- No, I want you. Get Mr Maguire back.

- Yes, sir.

What's the difference in time factor

between the Antarctic base and Siberia?

- That'd be New Zealand time.

- I pass.

If California's eight

hours behind us,

they must be more

than that down there.

Eighteen, twenty-four...

So evening in Siberia can't

be far off the same time

as early next afternoon

in the Antarctic.

Which makes one hell of a story.

- Now what?

- Better read that.

Yeah, I know. The kid told me...

We'll have a slip edition.

Get Jeff, he's at the Savoy.

Head printer, fast.

Give me a quick 50 words

across three columns.

You got five minutes.

I'll write the headline.

Now, let's have something

for the leader page.

Possible effects, comparative figures.

Check actual times of explosions.

Five minutes.

- We'll put you in the next edition.

- Thank you very much.

Where the hell's that printer?

Well, get him back from tea.

You, Jock, find me the biggest

mushroom picture in the files.

See if there are any stock blocks.

Smudge? Slip edition coming

down in five minutes.

Get a bloody move on.

Don't we always? Yes. All right.

Slip edition in five minutes.

Front page needs reset.

What's the betting some

princess is pregnant again?

There's a change-up coming down.

Okay, George. Know what it is?

Well, as long as they

haven't made beer illegal.

One. Lift.

Slip edition in 10 minutes.

We'll be putting it on four machines.

There's bound to be a big

re-plate on the second edition.

Someone up there hates me.

I should've stayed with Woman's Own.

I'll warn them.

Yep, in 10 minutes. Okay.

Henry. Down the chute, quick.

Make sure they've got

the mushroom block.

My watch stopped.

Oh, for heaven's sake, Bill,

drink or no drink, have I ever

missed an edition before?

You missed more than one this time,

you missed the slip as well.

What happened?

Where were you last

Tuesday morning at 8:00?

Asleep, if I had any sense.

Then there's something

else you missed.

Mankind let off two

for the price of one.

That accounts for all that

rattling in the Spitsbergen attic.

What's all this amount to?

It amounts to the biggest jolt the

Earth's taken since the ice age started.

Now, if you'd like to swim across

to Harry's, I'll buy you a last supper.

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