Jim said nothing and after a moment, Hugh went on. "Do you know what they do when they execute a man by firing squad?"
"What do they do?"
"After the squad fires its volley, the Captain steps up to the fallen man and puts a bullet through his brain. The man is executed for a reason, but the bullet is an act of mercy—the act of a gentleman.
"We are being executed for a reason we can't understand, and the bullet has already been fired, Jim. Another ten hours—eleven hours."
"What bullet?"
"Look up there. See it? The Moon."
Jim looked dully into the sky. "It's bigger—a way bigger."
"Hurtling in toward us at ever increasing speed. When it hits—"
Jim looked at his brother with complete understanding at last. "When it hits—we won't be here any more."
"That's right. A quick, easy death for the world—from the bullet fired by the Last Gentleman."