“They tried agitation, heating, different catalysts, and pressure, but nothing has worked. They worked out the chemical structure of both liquids, and can tell where on the two molecules they should join together, but they just won’t join.”
Tony started to get excited. “I think I know the answer! Look at my hands.” He held them out for Jeff to see.
“Red,” Jeff replied. “They look like you spent too much time in the tanning booth.”
“Yes! Exactly! Yesterday afternoon, trying to get the LED strip to work. It worked! It burned my hands. Quick, call the electronics guys. We need to find out the wavelength of the LED light. It has to be ultraviolet light for it to give me the sunburn. That’s why we couldn’t see any light. Maybe that’s what joined the chemicals together.”
Jeff called their electronics chief at home, explained the situation, then added, “We also need to find out what power these LEDs require. When you come, bring some gear so they can plug it in when we give it to Tom.”
He called Tom in the clean room and told them to take a break for a while. “Come on out and we can compare notes.”
While they were waiting for the electronics crew, Jeff showed Tony and Tom his calculations on the volume of the tanks. “A rough estimate of the total volume is a little over two hundred cubic feet, or a little less than sixteen hundred gallons, divided by the partition into one hundred and twenty-three cubic feet and seventy-seven cubic feet.”
Tom was looking over Jeff’s notes, and now it was his turn to get excited as he completed a quick mental calculation. “That’s precisely the same ratio of the volumes of the two liquids we’ve been analyzing!”
Jeff looked at the other two, then at the tank. He shuddered and said, “Sixteen hundred gallons of nerve agent. Times two tanks. Times two MiGs. We don’t know how many tanks and how many MiGs they might have. We don’t even know who ‘they’ are!”
“Time is not working in our favor,” Tom said, “so our first step is to provide a basis to extend electrical power to the LEDs. The exact wavelength is quite irrelevant if it successfully excites the two chemicals to coalesce. They can make an exact determination of the wavelength later. Tony, see if there’s another undamaged and fully functional LED strip for your testing.”
Jeff said, “At the same time, we need to query every chemical manufacturer worldwide, to find out who is making these chemicals and who’s buying them. I’d better call Bob.”
Jeff hung up from his phone call to Bob McGee about the same time as the electronics experts arrived, Ken Stokley and his assistant. While they were setting up their equipment, Jeff told Tom and Tony, “Bob said he would start working on the chemical producers, because it’s obvious someone is making the nerve agent. However, at this point, there is no concrete evidence linking the tanks to the liquids. They just happened to be on the island at the same time. This is important because if they want just a small amount of the liquids, we may never find the manufacturer, and they may be making it themselves.”
“True,” Tom said, “and as soon as we are provided an LED array giving the appropriate output, we would be able to verify the efficacy of the protocols we have developed. If utilization of the LEDs results in the conjoining of the two liquids, that would be presumptive evidence of the link between the tanks and the liquids.”
“What I can’t understand,” Tony said, “if this tank would be used to disperse the agent, I assume as an aerosol or a gas, how would they use a MiG to do it? They might have to be too high over their target for it to be effective, and the exhaust from the MiG might burn up all of the nerve agent as it flies through it.”
Ken Stokley brought over one of the LED tubes with a cord attached. “There are one hundred LEDs per strip, and each one takes one watt of electric power. That’s pretty strong for as small as they are. They should get that much out of the MiG electrical system, though. It will take us a little while to get the wavelengths. The tube surrounding the LED strip is plastic. When you set it up in the clean room, bear in mind that ultraviolet light gets blocked by glass, rather than passing through it.”
After Tom took the tube into the clean room, Jeff asked Ken, “Did you find any markings that might show where it came from?”
“No, the only things on there were the plus and minus signs for the connectors and a number printed with a white paint pen. We think it’s a serial number because the two we’ve seen so far are different, ‘016’ and ‘039’. We’ll check the other two tubes, also.”
The other tubes were ‘006’ and ‘018’.
105
Classification: SECRET
From:Robert R. McGee
To:VTC Task Force
DTG:7:00 AM 2 July 2019 (02JUL19 1100Z)
Subject:Preliminary Report of Island Objects Investigation
1. CIA Lab received two metal tanks and one packaged baggage from unnamed North Atlantic island ‘35.2N 52.2W’ at 1 p.m. 1 July 2019.
2. Metal tanks.
a. Tanks were aerodynamically-shaped, with fittings to attach to MiG-27 wing stores. Volume approximately two hundred cubic feet. Internal dividing wall separated front thirty-eight percent from rear sixty-two percent, with flaps to allow transit of liquids between front and rear. LED arrays illuminated both sections. Complete physical description is available upon request.
b. One identical tank was left on the island.
c. Of the three tanks, two appear to have been torn loose from the MiGs, perhaps during the firing of the machine guns.
d. Initial indications are that the tanks most recently contained jet fuel.
3. Baggage.
a. Suitcase contained device to function upon opening. Suitcase was crushed by water pressure. Device was also crushed but did not leak.
b. Device contained two chemicals identified as binary nerve agent constituents. These chemicals are different than any known binary pairs. Analysis is continuing to determine method of joining.
c. We have initiated worldwide search for possible constituent manufacturers.
Classification: SECRET
Classification exempt from Standard Declassification Schedule
106
Maggie and Jenny joined Matt in the rooftop restaurant for breakfast. “Wow!” Matt said. “I didn’t realize what a good-looking daughter I was getting.”
Maggie blushed and giggled. “I give all the credit to Macy’s.”
During breakfast they discussed the island’s name again. “I went downstairs to the business center this morning, Maggie, and pulled up a map of the world on the Internet. A lot of larger islands don’t have the word ‘island’ in their name.”
“Like Australia?”
“Haha! So I was thinking, how about ‘Emergent’? It refers to you, of course, and to the plane, but also to the island itself.”
On the brief trip to the State Department, Maggie related the conversation she had just had with her mum. “She has a key to my flat, and she said she would get my mail and check the due dates of any bills that might come in. There shouldn’t be many. I told her it might be a week before I get back and she was okay with that. I think we should call John Henderson and tell him not to book us on tomorrow’s flight. I told her I missed her. She wants to meet you.”
“Maggie, are you trying to, uh…”
“Well, I have thought how nice it would be for my father to be married to my mother, but no, absolutely not. It was all her idea.”
Mr. David Clark met them at the main entrance to the Truman Building, and led them to a small meeting room next to the Benjamin Franklin Room. He introduced them to his counterpart, Mr. Nigel Barnett, representing the British Foreign Secretary. Matt and Maggie also met representatives of the British Ambassador to the US, the American Ambassador to the UK, British and American militaries, several lawyers representing both countries, and finally Captain Louis Palova of the US Navy.
“We talked to you on the radio,” Matt said to him.
“Yes, I’m not here in an offi
cial capacity, but I wanted to meet you both. I’d like to speak with you after the meeting. I have something for you that I think you’ll find useful this afternoon.”
Mr. Clark ushered them all to a large U-shaped table filling the other end of the room. It was set with name plates, and at each name plate was a microphone, napkins, note pad with State Department pens, and a glass of ice water. The Americans were on one side of the U and the Brits were on the other. Matt and Maggie found their names at the head of the table, with Mr. Clark and Mr. Barnett to their sides. Maggie parked the stroller between her and Matt so she could keep an eye on Jenny. Everyone sat except Mr. Clark, who presided over the meeting from the open end of the U.
“Welcome, Mr. Carven and Ms. Trillbey. This has been quite a sensational and traumatic five days for the world, since last Friday. We mourn the 291 people who lost their lives, but we rejoice that you were spared. We have set aside some time at the beginning of this meeting, for you to tell us what you want to about your part in all this. Before you do, though, I want to explain that the main purpose of this get-together is to figure out what to do with this island that popped up in the middle of the North Atlantic. Most of us have heard your interview at the airport yesterday, but we are willing to hear those things again as well as everything else that has happened to you both since you left Chicago.”
Matt and Maggie had the audience captivated for the next twenty minutes as they recounted the wonderful things God did for them, starting even before the plane trip. It was a very condensed version, and concentrated mostly on how they escaped the plane and how they called the island into existence, starting with the dreams Matt had, the specific things they called for, and ending with them waking up with the island underneath them. They answered several questions, some about Jenny’s drowning and coming alive again, as well as about the dirt. The dirt always seemed to generate questions, so they had developed a stock answer, marvelous in its simplicity: “We don’t know when the dirt is coming.”
Mr. Barnett, on Maggie’s right, brandished a remote control. “I can help with that.”
He pressed a few buttons, and soon a projector somewhere above him lit up a screen which was descending from the ceiling behind Mr. Clark. “The BBC World Weather Service is reporting a massive sand and dust storm,” he said, “heading west from Africa on a track normally followed by hurricanes.”
He switched from television to Internet, and found the weather service. “It evidently originated in the Sahara Desert sometime last Friday evening.”
They watched the display for several minutes, and learned that a high-pressure system west of the Canary Islands would probably force the storm to the north where it would not threaten the east coast of America. Viewers were advised to check back from time to time for the latest updates.
“Of course, this doesn’t prove anything yet, but it certainly gives credence to your story,” Mr. Barnett concluded.
Mr. Clark resumed control of the meeting. “Okay, everyone, let’s get down to business. Mr. Carven and Ms. Trillbey, the US State Department and the UK Foreign Secretary’s Office, together with the military departments of both countries, have been in heavy discussions yesterday and this morning about this island. We need to act quickly before another country beats us to it. We, that is, our two countries, have a proposal which will meet our needs and we feel will be attractive to you. Before we tell you what it is, we have to ask, which of you actually reached the island first?”
Matt responded for them both. “We anticipated this. We were asleep when the Good Ship Myrtlewood, as we called our little vessel, was lifted up by the island. So after we woke up, we stepped off the pallet together, touched the surface together, and fell into the mud together.”
“Then here is what we propose,” Mr. Clark said. “Mr. Barnett, please correct me if need be. Both the US and the UK would claim the island as a joint sovereign territory, with a line between the two sectors to be decided later. Both countries recognize your right to ownership, with the stipulation that if either of you ceases to be the owner, either through death or sale or gift or abandonment, then ownership reverts to the other and it would be the sole sovereign territory of that owner’s country.
“Further, both countries recognize the military importance of the island, and would desire to purchase or rent areas of the island for this purpose. They initially propose to build an airfield, a small seaport, and radio transmission relay towers on the tall peak, with a fuel farm and other structures.”
Matt asked, “What do you need from us right now?”
“Just your general agreement, then our legal teams will prepare the documents. We expect you will want your own lawyers to review them before you or we sign anything. We also need to name the island. Without your input, it will simply become Sohm Island, since it is in the middle of the Sohm Abyssal Plain. But we would like to give you the opportunity to name it.”
“Could you excuse us for a few minutes? Maggie and I would like to discuss this in private before we give you an answer.”
Mr. Clark called a brief recess and Matt and Maggie strolled Jenny out into the main hallway.
After a quick prayer, Matt said, “What do you think, Maggie?”
“Sounds good to me. We need to find out if they expect us to live there to maintain ownership. I didn’t like the sound of that word ‘abandonment’. I like that they are willing to let your lawyer look at it, and I like ‘Emergent’ as the name.”
“I agree with you completely. Especially about letting our lawyers look at it first, before we sign anything. It takes the pressure off. I’d like to stipulate that commercial flights and boats be able to use their facilities. Even though the island might be a three-mile column of basalt, we should demand mineral rights and full access to the underwater caverns when they’re found. I’d rather do a rental than purchase. I don’t expect we’d get rich, but it would make it easier for all if they ever decide to abandon it themselves. Oh, and it would be fun to have our own zip code.”
“And postal code. Maybe part of the rent could be the permission to use their facilities, and cell tower if they have one.”
They were about to go back into the meeting, when a thin, rather short man approached. He looked to Matt like he needed some quantity time in the sun and fresh air, and he walked with a slight limp. “Hello,” he said, “Matt Carven and Maggie Trillbey? I’m Bob McGee. I’m one of the ones who watched you wave to our satellite. Do you have a few minutes?”
“We’re about to go back into a meeting right now,” Matt answered. “Do you know Captain Palova?”
“Yes, we watched you two together.”
“Come on in,” Matt said. “He’s sitting in the back. He said he wanted to have a word with us after the meeting. Won’t you join us then?”
“That will work out great.”
They rejoined the group inside and explained their desires and thoughts. They got clarification on abandonment; they would not have to live on the island to maintain ownership.
“What you’ve said all sounds doable,” Mr. Clark said. “We will have our team check into the legality of what you’ve asked for, and we can negotiate the rent later. You said ‘Emergent’, did you mean ‘Emergent Island’ or simply ‘Emergent’?”
Maggie spoke up, “We meant simply ‘Emergent’. Would that be a problem for navigation or maps?”
“I don’t think so. I just wanted to clarify. Do you have anything else, or does anyone else here have anything else?”
No one did. Mr. Clark said, “I have one more photo I’d like to show you as we close.”
He clicked the remote. The island appeared, showing the American and British flags hoisted side-by-side, with Matt and Maggie in front, facing the flags of their respective countries. The US Marine Corps members were saluting the American flag, and the rest of the people were standing at attention facing both flags.
After a brief round of applause, Mr. Clark adjourned the meeting with the request that Matt an
d Maggie would provide him with their lawyers’ names and email addresses. He told them that by the end of the day, the two countries would issue a statement to the world that Emergent was now a joint territory of the US and UK.
After the meeting was over, Captain Palova and Bob McGee approached Matt and Maggie. Captain Palova gave a manila envelope to Maggie, saying, “You probably thought I was being nosy asking where your daughter was born. I’m sure some of the rest thought I might want to discredit your story by making her records disappear, but to tell you the truth, your story made me start to question the things I believe, and I wanted to see for myself what Matt had said.”
Maggie opened the envelope to find x-rays and photos of Jenny, taken after she was born with a foot missing. She was not sure how to feel about this apparent invasion of privacy. “Thank you. How did you get these?” was all she could muster.
Matt quietly took a step backwards. Maggie looked up and saw him mouthing, “Ask first!”
She got it, the admonishment to be the new Maggie and let God’s love shine through. She brightened and looked to Captain Palova with a smile.
He responded, “They borrowed the medical records and scanned these at high resolution, then emailed them to me. They are just copies. I see they spelled Jennimore’s name wrong.”
“Yes, the ‘they’ is the passport office and not the hospital. It’s really Jennimoore. The passport is missing the second O. If it had been spelled correctly on the passport, I never would have believed that Matt’s message for me really came from God. That misspelling is what gave me hope after Jenny drowned.”
“You’re giving me a lot to think about. If there’s anything I can do for you while you both are in town, please let me know. Good luck with your interviews later! Now let me introduce you to Bob McGee.”
“We’ve already met,” Bob said. “I’ll be just a few minutes, and you can stick around if you want to, Louis.”
The Wreck Emerged Page 31