When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Kevin Olsen informs President Brett Boone that the explosion that killed Jody Bannon has launched a massive fragment of the moon toward Earth. This chunk, twice the size of Mount Everest and composed not of rock but of the moon’s new material, surpasses the size of the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs. It moves too quickly to burn in the atmosphere and has too much mass to shatter effectively.

Boone, Olsen, and Chief of Staff Pat Heffernan meet to discuss response options. Their resources cannot stop the fragment, dubbed “Lunar One,” even with global collaboration. Due to the moon’s ongoing compression, Olsen warns that more fragments of similar or larger size will likely follow. The officials acknowledge that the world faces near-certain destruction but agree that they must prevent widespread panic and preserve order as long as possible.

That evening, Boone discusses the crisis with his wife, Angie. She observes that although Boone claims to believe Olsen’s prediction, he does not act like someone who accepts the end of the world. Angie insists that Boone must continue projecting optimism. People will follow suit if the president behaves like the world is ending.