Zero 'g' Read Online Free Page B

volcanoes. When
the molten iron from Earth’s core begins to erupt, that’s a big
problem. It’s over. It’s over for everyone.
    Oh , no! Iverson thought. Now what?

Chapter Five
    Earth Loses Its Gravity
    April 3, 20 74
     
    Beatrice and Harold Channing ha d been attempting to lose weight for the past few
months on doctor’s orders. Their health had been deteriorating over
the years, and their family doctor had suggested strongly that they
get their lives in order. The Channings had found that once they
started exercising, they actually enjoyed the newfound energy in
their lives. Their routine usually consisted of going for a light
jog in the early afternoon around New York. It allowed them some
fresh air and gave them the exercise the doctor expected of them.
The Channings lived in an apartment that gave them a gorgeous view
of the Statue of Liberty. Beatrice always loved to look outside
each day and get a sense of peace from the view.
    “ Beatrice , dear, you
need to check your weight, so I can record it for the doctor. We
have that appointment this week.”
    A program within the
house did an exact scan of her weight with a simple command. It
also could track calories for the day. It made calorie counting a
breeze.
    “ Check my weight,” Beatrice called out. A virtual screen popped up and listed Beatrice’s
weight as 120 pounds. She clapped because she had already lost 55
pounds, and she hoped to be back at her proper weight of 110 pounds
in no time. Suddenly, the screen flickered, and the numbers started
to drop drastically: 90…89…88…87…86…
    “ That can’t be right. What’s going on , Harold?”
    “ I’m not sure. There can’t be anything wrong with the
program ; it’s flawless. Ask it
again.”
    “ Check my weight ,”
Beatrice commanded again. But the number on the screen did not
change to her original weight. It just continued to
plummet.
    “ What’s going on ,
Harold?”
    “ I’m not sure.”
    “ Well , I have been
feeling lighter lately. I’ve been doing all my exercises well.
Maybe I have lost a lot of weight.”
    “ I don’t think you lost this much.” He looked her
over , and she scowled at
him.
    “ Maybe it’s just an
indication that my weight has reduced.”
    “ Beatrice …” He stopped,
and they both watched, mouths agape, as the numbers started
decreasing again: 79…78…77…
    Harold shook his head.
“Something’s not right, dear. This should not be
happening.”
    Beatrice was too busy
looking at her waistline to see if the fat was just falling off of
it. She looked up when she heard Harold say, “Dear God.”
    “ What is it?” she sa id
as she looked to the screen. The numbers had plummeted to the
fifties and then the twenties. They both watched in awe as the
numbers counted down: 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1, and then 0 .
    “ Something is definitely wrong here , my dear, and we need to…”
    Beatrice cried out as she suddenly felt weightless. To her
amazement , her feet left the
floor. She watched as her husband’s face went totally pale. Harold
was about to grab hold of his wife when he, too, started lifting
off from the floor. The two began to float up into the
air.
    “ Harold, my God, what
is happening?”
    “ I have no idea ,
Beatrice. Try to grab on to something, or we will hit the
ceiling.”
    Beatrice scrambled around until she
grabbed hold of one of the bookshelves in the living room. She
hoped that Harold would not suffer another heart attack because of
what was happening to them. She couldn’t explain it and knew it had
nothing to do with weight loss or the virtual screen.
    “ Beatrice, look out the
window!”
    She looked at Harold ,
who was dangling from a kitchen chair, just as it began to lift up
from the floor. They weren’t going to be able to hold on to
anything. Just as the bookshelf shifted, Beatrice glanced out the
large picture window to see what Harold was pointing at.
    There was a large group of children outside playing in