CATACLYSMAL

by Adrian Glass

  “It's emitting above the Glashow resonance...We know the Neutrino detectors here on Earth caught this unusual spike...at...” Haelis pauses as Jansky closes her laptop, she coughs, then sits back down onto her lounge chair. Picking up a hard-copy of Professor Tori's paper on the Alien-Artifact. “... 6.3 petaelectron-volts, yet Professor Tori states that it has been received as a steady directorial pulse.”

  “I believe the military detector in Italy is vastly more sensitive to the civilian ones.”

  “Elly, there is more to this paper than just the specifications on the object and it's trajectory.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “High energy Neutrons and Antineutrons...Ivane listed the Neutrino detection as a W particle.”

  “Adds to the case that this is an Alien-Artifact...Creating it's own energy. ”

  “A physicist I know who studies electron Antineutrino interactions that lead to high energy Neutrinos. He's a lot more knowledgeable than I...especially when it comes to research on using high energy particles as communication.”

  Jansky looks down at Tori's paper, the three dimensional diagram and the equations that explain it's embedded shape within Space and time. “Is it trying to communicate?”

  “I don't know. But, these are uninterrupted pulse rates for a possible Neutrino based message. Ok, first thing first, we do need immediate action in curbing this damn Cold War redux. Like I said earlier we are already working on it...I'll talk to my colleague, show him the paper on the high energy Neutrino spikes. See what he thinks...We will get moving quickly on this Elly.”

  “Good idea, I'll talk to Jensen. If it is structural, we may need to model it, at least for purposes for media representation. He is good. Helped me conceptualized The Beacon hypothesis a few year back.”

  “We'll meet up in few days. You keep well.”

  “Fight the good fight...”

  “That's all we can do...Talk to you soon.”

  “Ok, bye.” Jansky ends the call, lifting the paper up again, she then looks at her cellphone looking for Jensen Denlas's number.

  III.Xeno-Structuralism

  Is the alien the design or the design the alien? In a Xeo- Structured world, from simulated realities in games, to the virtual reality and it's augmented conceptualization. It is us, the human, that is the creation of worlds. That we developed the construct, the mastery of imagination to harness the possibilities of life that is beyond comprehension, yet divisible in it's possibilities. This is, unprecedented in our history, the realization that our biogenics within the it's current limitations - may never advance beyond what we know as the physics of Space travel and more importantly the search for extraterrestrial contact. Rather it becomes a tantalizing burden on our psyche, this is not a critique of the drive for answers, more so it's definition as an absolute averment to imprint that desire of what we may not ever know, as it will be the imagination, which will then create a relevance to our existence. To simulate the countless futures and to live in that future within the contemporary. As the past no longer exists and our future may never transpire. The Xeno-Structuralism therefor materializes, from redesigning the aesthetics of what we already perceive, to change reality, make it more so, from architecture through to fashion. As mentioned, we now have the visual technology that resides in the virtual world to achieve this, but also in a tangible construct within the non-virtual world. We are not confined to the Euclidean geometry, which could be argued has stifled our world. It is the non-Euclidean and parallel worlds that will give us the beginnings of a structuralist purpose and create the Xeno.

  Manifesto of Xeno-Structuralism

  ***

  One year ago, Roswell

  New Mexico desert.

  “So what was it like? You know in combination with one of those flotation tanks.” Elly Jansky says to a slightly older man.

  “Not as good, experience wise, better taken out here...looking at the horizon...” The man replies as he turns right onto a dirt road from the main highway.

  “...or the sky while the sunset's. Particularly the experience at night, by a fire, looking up at the stars, the blueish, yellow hues...It's an incredible sight, all the while they swirl. Moving in a directional sequence, like the Universe. Taken in a ceremony with the Indians, it is always done with drum beats...” He turns and looks at Jansky.

  “...the heartbeat of the Earth.”

  “Lophophora williamsii...Peytoe.”

  “Would you ever try it?”

  Jansky looks at Jensen Denlas. “We scientists don't veer to dramatically away from the standards of alcohol.”

  “The colors, vivid, even with the reflection of a wood fire at night, when you see the rings of the Milky Way...it's an incredible display. Not for everyone though. It has a disgusting taste. A bonus for a good trip, foul flavor plus you gotta spew up prior to the experience.”

  “Thanks, but I'll pass...” Jansky replies smiling looking out at the mountain ranges of Roswell. “...So where did the Roswell incident occur?”

  “The 'UFO' crashed over there.” He points to a small mountain range north west.

  “And the aliens?”

  Denlas chuckles while looking at Jansky. “Frozen in a top secret fridge inside Area Fifty One.”

  “Apparently they taste like chicken,” Jansky replies

  Both of them laugh.

  “You're going to love this Elly, disused missile silo...turned into a studio.” Denlas moves the jeep onto a narrower dirt road, in the distance a small rectangular fence surrounds what appears to be a single concrete door - which juts out of the arid New Mexico desert. He pulls up along the wire fence entrance.

  “Ok, here we are, middle of nowhere...Actually Roswell, the town is about twenty miles that way...” Denlas points North. “...Anyway, lets go inside.”

  Both he and Jansky step out of the small jeep, closing the doors. She pulls up the collar of her jacket, feeling the cool dry desert air of late November. Denlas opens up the back of the jeep lifting out a small bag.

  “Drinks! But no peyote...” he says.

  Jansky smiles.

  He then walks towards the gate, taking out his car keys, he auto-locks the jeep, then picks the single key that opens the padlock. Sliding the key into it's slot, he turns clockwise as releasing the padlock from the entrance. Taking off the padlock he opens the wire-gate.

  “After you,” he says as Jansky walks forward. Denlas then attaches the padlock back onto the entrance of the gate. Pushing down the pivoted hook he re-locks the gate.

  “We got one of these unique security keys for this door, check out the key...” He holds up a unusual looking key. “...We had too, vandals broke the lock, but they didn’t get pass the blast doors. They were jammed shut before we renovated.” He opens the door, reaching across to the right side of the entrance and turns on the lights. In-front of Denlas is a set of stairs that lead downward within an ascending square spiral.

  “Wow...this is great!”

  “You haven't seen anything yet,” he replies excitingly stepping down the reinforced concrete interior, with it's brutalist facade. “We decided not to paint this section, with the reinforced concrete we just cleaned and polished it. Came up really good. Lets continue on...” Denlas turns right heading down another set of stairs with Jansky following.

  “How do you power this facility?” She asks holding onto the railing as both of them walk down the concrete staircase, turning right they both head lower.

  “Electrical Generator, we have it set on cycles, it actually sits below where the missile silo is, from the sub-level, about two sections up. Alright..Here is the Blast door, have a look at this...” In-front of Denlas and Jansky is a large white colored reinforced steel door. “...four tons of steel.” He spins the mid-size wheel that will open the large metal door, the door lock cogs slide back into the reinforced steel. Denlas, with both hands pulls the large metal door open. “Welcome to my studio, well actually a shared workspace for my company.”
<
br />   Jansky enters a very well lit area, with various art pieces, small sculptures and conceptualized prints of buildings and structures placed on the surrounding walls within this circular room. “Jensen, what a great work space. Feels very secure...understandingly I guess...”

  Denlas looks around at the compressed, fortified concrete interior of the main-section that was once an underground thermonuclear missile silo. “They say it could take the hit of a twenty megaton air-burst.” He then walks back to where the reinforced blast door is, with both hands he pulls it back into place. Denlas then winds the locking mechanism anticlockwise as the cogs all slide back into place, he then pulls down two levers from the top and bottom. He turns facing Jansky.

  “Locks from the inside.”

  “We’re safe now,” she replies with a smile.

  “Ok, this way I'll show you the kitchen and other parts of the workplace...” He leads Jansky to a first level of the former missile command center. “...Here is the kitchen, storage area and of course the fridge...” Pointing to the metallic retro designed style refrigerator. “...Over there is the new gas cooker. We had to strip out all the old cupboard space and install a new stove, the other one worked, just old and grimy. Missile guys liked their steaks...The fat buildup. Horrible. Anyway, this way...” Denlas then walks, with Jansky following behind, across the first level to another doorway. Opening the door, revealing to her a similar concrete stairwell which will take them further down into the lower levels. He reaches around and turns on the lights. “The second level...” He leads Jansky down to the next level of this now defunct intercontinental nuclear missile base, again they turn right into the rectangular spiral which then ends at another blast door. “...This is really cool,” Denlas says as he spins the locking mechanism wheel, with his right hand he pulls the door open. The lights of the room automatically turn on, Jansky peers into the area in-front of her, to what appears to be a control desk with two plush style office reclining chairs that sit facing a desk, which is set up with what looks like a monitoring array, an older style spread of dials and switches. She walks into the area, Denlas closes the door behind them both, once again he turns the locking mechanism wheel counter-clockwise locking in the blast-door cogs, he then pushes down two levers that lock the door from the inside.

  “What do you think?”

  Jansky walks over looking at the equipment. “The Missile launch command center I presume.”

  Denlas places the small bag he is carrying down onto an adjacent table that sits opposite the missile command desk. “Yes, that's correct, well of course it's not the real deal...I have a friend who works with props in Hollywood. He helped me recreate a version of what would have been here...The official missile command desk and instruments were all removed before we purchased this facility. This space...” He looks around the room. “...was just bare, nothing. Through that door...” He points toward another door that is positioned on the other side of the room. “...you go down this tubular walkway to another larger blast door which is the missile silo.”

  Jansky sits down in one of the reclining chairs that face the console. “Comfy...and seat belts!” She remarks noting the straps that sit behind the chair.

  “Designed to keep the Missileers in place in case there is a counter strike, I guess if the Russians at that time knew this silo existed and they probably did, it would be a nuke target...” Denlas sits at the other reclining chair leaning back into the head rest. “...I suppose it would be like an earthquake if this place did take a nearby hit.” He straps the belts across his chest, securing himself into the chair. “How is the new book sales going?”

  “They're going well, sales are up, which would make sense, I've done a lot of promotion, University campus speeches, discussions, even a debate about the Fermi Paradox. Thank you again for your assistance in conceptualizing The Beacon Hypothesis, the art that you submitted, it looked amazing.”

  “Well, you allowed me to utilized the artistic concepts, which I have done, my publishing company is about to release a hardcover book that will be the descriptive manifesto of Xeno-Structuralism. We're having it bound into an impressive presentation, it's going to be a piece of art in itself.”

  She looks at Denlas, her expression is one of an assumptive demure. “I'll have my attorney contact you.”

  Denlas chuckles, acknowledging Jansky's wry sense of humor. “Of course...In the meantime...” He tries to swivel the recliner chair around, but it seems affixed in place. “...I have something to show you later. I think you'll be very impressed.”

  Jansky leans forward looking at the various buttons she sees a row of buttons that sit below a title that reads Launch Control and Monitor, she focuses on what looks like a key slot.

  “A little bit over the lawyer thing at the moment,”

  “That's understandable,” Denlas replies in a respectful manner noting Jansky's divorce of her former husband. He then looks up at the wall clock that sits over the missile command desk, Denlas quickly checks his wristwatch at the same time unfastening the chair straps.

  “We're about to receive a message...”

  “From who?” Jansky asks.

  “...A code from the President,” Denlas replies as suddenly from the overhead speakers above the control console an alarm rings out followed by the a voice that verbalizes a launch code. “JPP2NKF7”

  “Buckle up Elly...We have the order. Write it down.”

  Smiling, with what appears to be a mock war-game, she leans forward with a pen and pad that sit on the desk in-front of her. Jansky begins to write down the code. “War-games huh?”

  “This is no game...quickly we need to verify and confirm the code, it reads Juliette, Pappa, Pappa, Two, November, Kilo, Foxtrot, Seven,” he replies in a serious manner.

  Jansky raises her eyebrows and chuckles. “Yes sir we have confirmation of code.”

  “Ok, unlock of launch keys,” He says promptly, at the same time quickly getting up from the missile command desk chair. Jansky playing along with this mock launch, does the same, standing next to Denlas. Staying in-character as the base's missile Commander, without looking at Jansky he holds out a key, in which she takes with her right hand.

  “Proceed to unlock authenticator card safe.” He steps back in a military pose, as Jansky still smiling unlocks the combination lock.

  Moving forward Denlas then turns the combination lock of the numbers required to open the small safe that holds the authenticator cards. The padlock opens, he then opens up the small safe door taking out several red cards, handing them to Jansky. He promptly sits back down, strapping himself into his command chair, Jansky does the same. This time she also straps herself securely into the command console chair.

  “Confirm code with the cards,” he orders, placing his key into the slot of his command console. She picks out a single red card that has the correct confirmation numbers of the code that was verbally received.

  “Confirmed with the card,” Jansky replies holding up the red authenticator card.

  “Place key into your slot and hold...turn key on my count.”

  Jansky pushes the key into the designated slot.

  “Three, two, one...Turn keys and hold in position for five seconds...” Both Denlas and Jansky turn their keys clockwise at the same time holding for the designated five second requirement to prime the missile systems.

  “...and release.” Denlas looks over at where Jansky is sitting, on the console in-front of her a button lights up.

  “Launch Enable,” she says looking at the green lit button with the command written in black against the clear plastic.

  “Verify and confirm following prompts,” Denlas asks still in character as the missile Commander.

  “Batteries Activating...” Jansky reads as the buttons move horizontally from left to right across her console, each one begins to light up as the command prompts for the missile launch. “...next button says APS.” She looks at Denlas

  “Auto Power Supply. The missile
is now full charged. Look up at the monitor above the console,” he says as Jansky looks up at a flat scree display which shows footage of a Titan II missile silo door sliding open.

  She then looks at the next button which has just lit up. “Silo soft,” she continues reading out the illuminated command prompts at the same time an alarm is sounded. Now in quick succession another button lights up it reads Guidance Go, which indicates the missile guidance systems are now ready to take control of the Titan II, Jansky looks down as her console as each button begins to illuminate. The computer system has now fully automated it's self from the first human command prompt, in all it's simplicity, to initiate World War Three. Main Engine Start button lights up at the same time on the monitor above, footage shows an underground missile silo exhaust vents billow out the thrust from the rocket engines. Another alarm sounds. Denlas sits back into his chair looking at the screens.

  “Fire warning in the silo, it's the engines. There it goes...” The footage then shows the sleek long missile moving out of it's underground protective sheath on it's way to Russia.

  Jansky looks at the footage of the missile as it builds thrust moving further up into the cloud cover.

  “In thirty five minutes, a nine megaton thermonuclear war head would have detonated on an designated target somewhere over Russia. Most likely a nonmilitary target. Six hundred times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A deliberate and intended purpose to destroy a whole country, it's civilians and everything else within an hour.”

  Jansky, her expression serious, looks at the footage of the the missile continuing it's flight into the upper atmospheres.

  “That wasn't much fun...” She says looking at Denlas while unfastening the securing straps of the console chair she is sitting in.

  He turns to her smiling. “Sorry...The Prop guy, who installed this, well, we thought why not recreate what could have occurred...” Denlas looks around the missile command room. “...here within this missile base, but didn't...thankfully...occur with the last Cold War.”