by Clayborn, JJ
Hutchinson interrupted him, “I’m sorry, the what?”
“The Near Earth Asteroid Tracking program. We look for asteroids within the inner solar system whose size and orbital patterns might pose a threat to us here on Earth and flag them in a global database. We only do this periodically and I happened to be the one assigned to do it that day even though I did last time and it should have been Dr. Robinson’s turn.”
James interrupted again. “I’m sorry, what does this have to do with Tarbell?”
“Oh! Apologies. You see, while I was manning the telescope I inadvertently saw a highly unusual asteroid that was heading right for us.”
“Highly unusual in what way?” James asked.
“Lots of reasons. For one thing it was going way too fast, so fast that the sun’s gravity wouldn’t have held it in the system. It should have been flung out into deep space. It was also light, and it appeared to actually come from deep space which would explain why it’s orbit was highly eccentric, not that you could call it much of an orbit for that matter.”
James pressed on. “So, you saw this meteorite…”
“Asteroid.” Chad corrected.
Hutchinson rolled his eyes. “So, you saw this asteroid heading towards us, and you saw that it was going to impact in HSNF…”
“What?” Chad was stupefied.
“Sorry, Holly Springs National Forrest.” Hutchinson sighed, then continued. “So, you called Edgar because he was the officer on watch that night and asked him to look for this asteroid, right?”
“Meteorite,” Chad corrected with an awkward pause before continuing. “But, yes, that’s the long and the short of it.”
James nodded to himself. “Okay, I’m with you. I’ve seen the impact crater; I’ve been there. Why were you calling him just now?”
Chad elaborated. “Well, he had originally sent me an update the first day that he found it, but I hadn’t heard anything since. He mentioned something about sending a metal fragment sample to his cousin who was a metallurgist for analysis, but I haven’t heard the results.”
“I have a copy of the results in my email; I’ll send them over to you.” James thought for a minute, considering how much to share. “His cousin, Robert, actually called me the other day when he hadn’t heard from Edgar in a while either. I went looking for him and found him in the forest near the crater somewhat delusional.”
“How odd,” Chad said with worry creeping into his voice.
“You’re telling me.” James thought for a minute. “You’re sure about when you talked to Edgar?” He already knew what Chad would say, but he felt compelled to ask anyway.
“That’s a silly question. Of course I am, I’m a scientist; I document everything.” He chuckled and pulled out a log book. He flipped a couple of pages back. “It’s right here, Monday, November 3rd – 01:12 AM PST. Called Edgar Tarbell of US Forest Service (901) 555-3746 to investigate impact site.”
James felt a deep sense of worry coming over him. “But just now he played dumb like he didn’t know what was going on.”
“Yes. It’s concerning. I’m worried that he’s trying to steal the research,” Chad said.
James laughed a little. “I understand that concern, but I don’t think that’s it at all. Edgar isn’t a researcher. He wouldn’t know what to do with research if it fell into his lap.” He paused and grew serious. “No, Ithink that there’s something bigger going on here. I’ll ask around and get to the bottom of this. Thanks for filling me in.” James was about to hang up when he heard Chad yell for him through the phone.
“Wait!”
“I’m here,” James said.
“There’s more. It’s a lot weirder,” Chad said excitedly.
James retorted impatiently. “You know, Chad, for a scientist you’re not very specific.”
Chad laughed heartily at this observation. “Sorry, I can ramble sometimes. I just like to talk a lot and share my knowledge with the world. I feel like I’m improving…”
James shook his head. “Chad, you’re rambling. Cut to the chase.”
Chad explained. “Okay, so two nights ago, almost exactly seven days to the minute from the first impact, there was another impact - this time in North Carolina. I contacted another Forest Ranger to investigate, but I haven’t heard back from him.”
“Okay, so that’s the update, there was another impact?” James inquired.
“No,” Chad responded quickly. “Look, the second impact was only 20 minutes shy of being exactly seven days apart from the first one. And I mean exactly.”
“That’s odd,” James said, not really sure where Chad was going with this.
“No, that’s not odd. It’s very highly unlikely. Few things like that are impossible, but let’s just say that the odds of this happening are so astronomically improbable, no pun intended, that it might as well be impossible for all practical purposes.”
James was perplexed. “So, what are you saying?”
“I’m not sure, but last night there were two more impacts; one in the Rocky Mountains, and another in Mt. Hood National Forest near Portland,” Chad explained.
James sat in silence for a moment. “And these new impacts were the same types of aster...meteor…objects?”
“Yes, they all had the same characteristics; very high speed, same point of origin, a linear approach path, abnormal density, and a strong implication that these objects are extra-solar in nature,” Chad elaborated.
James cocked his head. “Extra-solar?”
“From outside our solar system.” He paused to think his word choice over. “I’m not saying that they are alien in nature, but I am saying that whatever these are I don’t think that they are natural.”
“Why do you think that?” James asked, feeling his pulse quicken slightly.
Chad explained. “You mean, aside from the obvious conclusions about frequency of impacts from objects from the same source of origin, and all of them with these unusual characteristics? Well, if you look at it, these things are essentially the cosmic equivalent of a bullet or a missile.”
James was stupefied. “Someone is shooting at Earth?”
“Or something. Perhaps. I’m not saying its aliens. There could be a natural explanation for this. But, I’ve been searching like crazy since I found the first one. These things are coming into the solar system and so far they are only striking Earth. The odds of that happening…”
“I get it,” James interrupted. “What about this one in North Carolina, you said you lost contact with your guy?”
“Yes, I spoke with a guy named Thomas Lester. That was two days ago, but I haven’t heard from him since.”
James sighed. “Okay, send me the data that you have on the impact site and I’ll send someone to go looking for him. I have an old girlfriend who lives out that way.” After they exchanged some information James hung up the phone.
* * *
James went to his truck and drove away. He didn’t want to have this conversation in the office in case Edgar came back. His mind raced trying to understand everything that Chad had told him. James always thought that he was pretty good with science, but he didn’t understand any of this. It didn’t seem possible. A sense of fear started to brew in the back of his mind. It wasn’t based on anything specific, and he couldn’t explain it. But that fact that this had happened multiple times and couldn’t be explained gnawed at him. He dialed the number that he knew so well and listened to the ring.
“Hello, this is Ranger Blake,” a woman’s familiar voice said.
“Julia, it’s Hutch. I’m sorry to call you like this out of the blue, but I need your help.” He paused. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her right then, but he didn’t know where or how to start. He wanted to talk about what happened between them, how they had left things, his transfer to Mississippi, and his feelings for her, but he didn’t even know where to start. Instead, he kept it simple. “I wouldn’t have called, but it’s very important. I need your hel
p with something.”
“It’s okay, James. It’s nice to hear from you again.” She sounded genuinely happy to hear from him, although she seemed a little sad as well. “What can I help with?”
“I think one of your officers is in trouble.” James explained to her the events of the past week and relayed the details of Chad’s conversation with Ranger Lester to her. “There is something weird going on here, Julia. Be careful.”
“I will, James.”
Wednesday, November 12th
James got back to the office and noticed that Edgar still wasn’t back. A stack of books sat on Edgar’s desk that had escaped his notice before. Curiosity got the better of James and he decided to take a closer look. Examining the stack, James noticed that they were all computer programming books ranging from C++ for Dummies up to programming concepts that were way over his head.
“I didn’t even know that Tarbell was interested in computers, let alone understood this stuff,” he muttered to himself as he flipped through the stack of books. Most people who worked in the forest service as field agents weren’t all that interested in computers. As James was contemplating the strange selection of reading materials, he happened to glance up at the whiteboard.
“Son of a bitch,” he cursed at himself. Tarbell had been back, and then turned around and left again. The whiteboard included a note:
Gone to check on research team, HSNF – E.T.
James raced out the door, slamming it behind him. An inexplicable uneasy feeling washed over James as he threw the truck in gear, racing down the highway with his mind in overdrive. He was thinking back over all of the events of the last week and Edgar’s unusual behavior. His mind wasn’t on the road, but he deftly responded to other cars on the highways as he wove in and out of them instinctually. He didn’t even notice the other worried drivers who periodically honked in protest of his erratic driving. He was worried that something bad would happen to the research team. He couldn’t let that happen. He felt responsible for them since he was the one who called them out. If anything happened to them, he would blame himself.
James made it to the forest in record time. He was glad that the SUV had a beefed up suspension as he flew over the back roads towards the impact site.
Dusk was upon him as he cut through the last few miles of road. James rounded the bend and saw that the barricade that he put up to block traffic was knocked over on the side of the road. He cursed to himself, slamming the truck into park on the side of the road to set it back up before continuing on.
He slowed down and drove apprehensively towards the impact site. He was worried about what he might find. His mind was filled with all sorts of worst-case scenarios. He didn’t want to know, but he had to see. He took a deep breath, and rounded the corner.
There were two white vans and a black SUV parked alongside the road. He sighed in relief. So far, everything seemed normal. He pulled up alongside the vehicles and got out. As he walked across the roadway he noticed tendrils of the fog lapping at the asphalt. The feeling of apprehension came back.
James glanced uneasily down the valley. “The fog has definitely gotten thicker,” James said to himself. He was still nearly a mile from the actual crater. The fact that he could see the fog all the way out here concerned him.
He didn’t want to trip over anything that might be obfuscated by the fog, so he walked up the hillside and walked parallel to the valley floor. Up here he was above the fog and could see more clearly in the quickly-fading sunlight.
As he approached the impact site, which was now almost completely obscured with thick white fog, he could see Tarbell in the valley down below. He was conflicted emotionally. On the one hand he was happy to find Edgar alive, but he was also deeply worried about his friend.
James was about to go down into the valley and confront Edgar about his strange behavior, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay put. He crouched down behind a rock and watched.
Edgar did not activate his flashlight, despite the darkness of night that blanketed the valley. He moved slowly along the forest floor, meandering this way and that, as though avoiding hidden pitfalls.
Three people that James did not recognize walked slowly towards Tarbell. The group formed a small circle and talked in hushed tones. After a moment, Edgar moved off, further into the forest while the civilians moved closer to James.
Standing up, James slowly made his way down the hill to intercept them. “Hey! You there!” He called out to the nearest of the civilians.
All three strangers stopped abruptly and turned to face James in unison. He quickly closed the distance and the three men formed a line. “What are you doing out here?”
The man in the middle spoke. “Walking,” he stated simply, as if it should be obvious.
The others nodded and repeated his answer.
James eyed the group suspiciously. “Walking? In the middle of the woods? At night…without a flashlight?”
The men all exchanged glances with each other and then looked back at James. “Yes?” The nearest one said, hoping to convince James.
James shook his head. “No.” He gestured to the crater. “This place is dangerous. It’s not someplace to be taking a nature hike at after dark.” He straightened his posture and changed his demeanor. “This area is hereby off limits until further notice. You must disperse back to your homes.”
The men stood still, looking at each other again, then back at James. The one on the left replied. “Dangerous?” Disbelief rang through his voice.
“We don’t like danger, we want to live,” said the one on the right, shaking his head.
The middle one concurred with a nod. “Yes, we want to live. We will leave immediately.” The men turned sharply in unison and walked in a straight line away from James, back toward the road.
James watched the group depart in bewilderment for a moment. There was definitely something strange about them. He thought about questioning them further when a more serious thought occurred to him. “Where the hell is that research team?” He looked around and clicked on his flashlight, shining the beam frantically all over the hills and the valley floor, looking for any trace of the researchers. “Professor Jackson!” He shouted.
He searched and shouted repeatedly in regular intervals as he moved closer to the impact site, his fear and worry growing with each passing minute. “Professor Jackson, can you hear me!” They should have heard me by now. Why did I leave? Why didn’t I just stay up here with them?
James turned around to make another sweep with the flashlight and was startled by a sudden noise right behind him. He jumped and dropped the flashlight. It fell to the ground and illuminated Edgar Tarbell, who was standing right behind him, silent. “Jesus, Edgar, you scared me,” James yelled at him.
“Sorry,” Edgar offered somewhat disingenuously. Edgar just stood there, somewhat rigid, not his normal, jovial self. “I meant no offense,” he stated.
James’ face scrunched in confusion and concern. “Are you alright, Tarbell? You seem a bit off.”
Edgar nodded, but otherwise did not move. “I am fine, thank you.”
James stared for a moment and shook his head. “Ok…” He glanced around the area again. “Have you seen Professor Jackson and the research team?”
Edgar shook his head. “No.”
“Could you be any less helpful?” James teased.
Edgar cocked his head to the side. “Possibly. I can attempt to do so, if you wish.”
James put his hand over his face and took a deep breath. “You drive me crazy, Tarbell, did you know that?”
Edgar frowned and cocked his head the other way. “I am not driving anywhere. We are standing in the woods.”
James stared at Edgar for a moment, trying to decide if Edgar was just teasing him. He produced a roll of caution tape from his bag and handed the end to Tarbell. “Let me borrow your knife?”
“What knife?” Edgar asked.
An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of
James’ stomach. “Your pocket knife. The one with the wooden handle.”
“I do not have it. I must have left it at home,” Edgar said.
“In all of the time I’ve known you, you never go anywhere without the knife that your grandfather gave you. Are you sure that you’re really alright?” James inquired.
“Yes,” Edgar nodded. “I am fine.”
James pulled at the caution tape and handed an end to Edgar. “Here, make yourself useful. Tie this around the tree behind you there,” James instructed, nodding behind Edgar’s shoulder.
Edgar stared at the tape in his hands for a moment and then looked at James. “Why?”
James grew tired of the game. “Just tie it, will you?”
Edgar turned and tied the tape around the tree, then faced James. Walking a few steps away, James looped the other end around a different tree, making sure that the line was taut.
“What are you doing?” Edgar asked, his head cocked to the side.
James shot Edgar a confused look. “Taping off this crater.”
Edgar’s posture changed. He straightened up and stood tall. “Why are you doing that?”
James talked as he walked, moving perpendicular to the last tree. “Because it’s dangerous. I don’t want people falling in by accident, or going anywhere near it until we can figure out what it is.”
Edgar squinted at James. “You want people to stay away?”
James shot him a confused look as he reached the next tree and started to loop the caution tape around it. “Haven’t you been paying attention?”
“I can’t let you do that,” Edgar said.
James turned around to face Tarbell and discovered that Edgar was already standing just inches away. “You can’t let me…?” Anxiety and nervous energy washed over him. He felt queasy. Something stirred in the pit of his stomach.
Edgar shook his head. “No. I cannot let you impede access.”
“What the devil are you talking about? You and I still have access, this is just for the others. For the civilians like the group I saw earlier,” James shouted, gesturing vaguely at the clearing.