it rumbled defiantly. “I will push the ocean itself.”
The ocean behind the barge didn’t ripple. It dent ed. A massive, concave bowl of seawater formed as the pure force of the booster’s exhaust pushed the Atlantic away. The barge shot forward—not like a boat, but like a missile. It planed across the surface, throwing up a wall of water two miles high on either side. Dolphins were launched into the stratosphere. A cruise ship off the coast reported being briefly airborne. big booster
It began to hydroplane. No, it began to aeroplane . The barge lifted out of the water entirely, skimming on a cushion of superheated steam and pure defiance. It crossed from Florida to Portugal in eleven minutes. It circled the Azores just for fun, carving a spiral of vapor into the clouds. it rumbled defiantly
