Title: The Permanent Implosion

Author: Dean McLaughlin

Published in: Analog – The Best of Science Fiction (ed. Anon, Galahad Books, undated)

One of my favorites of all time, this gem was written for Analog in 1964.

Mick Candido is a rough and hard-working Texan. Earning a living by setting dynamite charges to snuff out oil well fires had a tenancy to do toughen you up. In this character, McLaughlin brings out a character we can all sympathize with – the working man who puts in his 12 hours every day, doing dangerous work, but doing it well.

As he finishes a job, Candido is approached by a business man who flies in by chopper, in an attempt to recruit Candido to save the world. On the trip, the new comes out; a group of scientists was working on methods to open a wormhole to another part of the universe, or possibly to another universe alltogether. Something goes horribly wrong, however, and a wormhole to a vacuum opens up, obliterating the lab, the scientists, and starting an intense whirlwind which threatens to suck all of the air out of the atmosphere.

The job is assigned to Candido; because of the delicate nature of the science involved, they scientific community believes that a good blast of explosives can unbalance the system which created the black hole, and close it, saving the world.

It doesn't work.

Candido, with great ingenuity attempts multiple solutions to the problem, until in the end, in a fit of extreme cleverness, he manages to close the wormhole. But no one would ever expect the way he does it.

This is a very tense story, which you just can't put down. I highly recommend this to anyone.