In Situ

by Frazier, David Samuel

  She stood up when she saw him, shocked by his appearance. “Jesus, Tom, what the hell happened to you?” His face was almost black from oil, with the exception of where his goggles had been, and there was a cut on his forehead that was bleeding slightly. He looked like a raccoon that just had the shit kicked out of him.

  “Well, I don’t suppose that’s the very nicest way you could

  greet me after all I have been through to get here,” he said.

  There was some humor left in him, Alex noted, which meant he was probably OK.

  Tom didn’t care about the comment, he was so happy to see Alex alive he hugged her and kissed her profusely.

  To her surprise, Alex kissed him back just as passionately, then gently pushed him away, holding him by the arms. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  She spent the next half an hour recounting the entire series of events since Tom left her in the caves, including Batter’s recent revelation about the asteroids and the two Arzats. The story was so unbelievable that Alex had to repeat parts of it patiently, some several times, until Tom fully understood her—particularly the news about the asteroids. He sat across from her amazed.

  “Sounds like we need to go find Mot and Ara,” he said when she was finally finished.

  Chapter 29

  Arzat Aware

  Pete had gone back to Ara’s compound after leaving Batter and the stunning Dr. Moss. After meeting Alex, he no longer had any doubts why Batter had taken such an interest in her. The discovery that she was alive, and the even bigger discovery about the male Arzat she had found were simply incredible. Asked even a few days before, he might have even said, “impossible.” No more. Pete still wondered how his team could have missed Mot’s sarcophagus. Under normal circumstances, there would have been some unpleasant meetings with them regarding the oversight, and someone would have been reprimanded, or worse. Given the present situation, there was no point. Pete was well aware of the fact that most of his staff would not be invited into the ARC, which was very disturbing.

  While the discovery of a second Arzat had been surprising, the fact that a team had been sent out to capture it was not. Batter had correctly guessed that Alex had been assisted out of the caves. How he had figured that out was a mystery to Pete, although the resurrection of Ara might have tipped Batter to the possibility. The man was that intelligent. And of course, even though there was only a short time left before the first impact, it was no surprise to him that Batter would have followed protocol and ordered both the Arzat and Dr. Moss brought in. The situation in the world was tenuous enough without taking the chance that a creature such as Mot would become public. Perhaps, Pete thought, without much hope, the asteroid will miss altogether, and Batter’s decision will prove to be monumentally correct. As it stood now, it didn’t seem to matter much.

  So, on what should have been yet another of the most amazing days in his scientific career, Pete found himself hopelessly depressed. The condition was made worse by the fact that he could never remember being in such a state in his entire life. He knew that he needed to go in and see Ara, but he was worried that he would be unable to hide the truth from her about their fate. He did his best to shake off his concern as he prepared to face her.

  Pete’s staff had alerted him that Ara had been sleeping and then suddenly awoke. The timing had coincided exactly with the other Arzat’s arrival in the complex. She had been pacing her compound since. Ara had not chosen to attempt to communicate directly with anyone other than Pete, so they were left to guess about what was obviously bothering her until Pete returned.

  “Be careful, Doctor,” Paula cautioned him as she opened the door for him. “She seems to be very upset.”

  “Well, at least I have some semi-good news for her,” he replied as he walked in.

  Ara stopped pacing and faced Pete, her reptilian eyes narrowing. “There is another,” she said, with a note of accusation, the skin on the back of her neck flaring.

  “That is what I have come here to tell you.” Pete said, as calmly as possible. He was not worried-even Ara knew that there was no way he could lie to her without being detected. “He just arrived here, Ara, and I only learned of his existence since we last spoke.”

  “He?” she asked, with a tinge of hope that Pete could not help but notice.

  “Yes, according to the female that found him, it is Mot. Did you know?”

  Ara did not answer immediately. She stood staring at Pete, thinking. It is true! Mot son of Url! Oh Great Creator! “I can feel his presence. I can sense him. He is close by. I should be able to speak to him but for some reason I cannot. He must be asleep the same way I was put to sleep. This would prevent me from being able to reach his mind,” she said. “Therefore, I could not be certain.”

  “Well, Mot is close by and you will see him soon,” Pete said calmly, trying to reassure her. “I understand he was sedated for his own protection, Ara, but we will be reviving him shortly. When we do, I am sure he will be as happy to see you as you will be to see him.”

  Ara sat down on the floor. She suddenly had become quite calm, her stunning mantle folded neatly back into place. Pete had noticed that when Ara was agitated in any way, she would squat on her haunches like a Sumo wrestler; when calm, she would completely sit down on the floor and cross her legs. She beckoned Pete to sit with her.

  Pete was hesitant, but he joined her and sat down close, crossing his own legs in the same fashion.

  The Arzat looked deeply into Pete’s eyes, her pupils dilating. “It is good to tell the truth, isn’t it Pete son of Robert?”

  “Yes,” Pete replied, curious about the question, worried about where the conversation would go.

  “In my culture, telling an untruth is referred to as an atrocity. Our word for atrocity is mata. Do you have such a term, Pete?”

  Pete thought for a moment. “I suppose we would call it a sin.”

  “I have committed such a thing, Pete, this sin, as you would call it.”

  Pete’s heart began to beat harder. What was she getting at?

  “You could not have known. Arzats communicate very carefully and are skilled at blocking out any thought they do not wish to reveal. Unfortunately, you do not yet possess these abilities and my curiosity overcame me the last time we met.” Ara paused, ashamed, and took a deep breath. “I have looked deeply inside your mind, Pete. I have seen you as a child and as a young male. I have seen your family and even the small animal you care for. It is not right that I did this, but I now know almost everything that you do Pete. At least, most everything that is on the surface of your consciousness. I am sorry, but I felt the need to fully understand the situation.”

  Pete was awestruck. How was one to reply? Anything he might say now she was probably already aware of. It suddenly occurred to him that Ara must know about the asteroid.

  “Yes, Pete, I also know about the great rock.”

  Pete looked into her eyes as if he were seeing the magnificence of them for the first time. They were golden, with flecks of blue and yellow like shining jewels. They actually sparkled. He knew that she was a very young female, but, as with some humans, she was very mature despite her age. Ara blinked, and Pete was almost certain he could detect a tear. “So you know about everything?” he asked.

  “I know that our prospects for survival in here are small and outside they are nonexistent. At least, that is what you believe. I even contemplated trying to escape before I sensed Mot’s presence here in this place. But what purpose would it serve? I am afraid that all of our fates look sadly alike, Pete son of Robert. It is an unfortunate turn of events that I should be reawakened to a second chance at life only to have it stolen away. Especially,” she said wistfully, “now that Mot is known to be alive, as well.”

  “Ara, I will do everything I can for you… and for Mot,” Pete said, knowing that Ara would fully appreciate the sincerity with which he was saying it.

  “I am sure you will, Pete son of Robert, but in this matter—how i
s it you would say—the handwriting is on the wall, and I find myself, once again, helplessly in the hands of the Great Creator.”

  Pete lowered his head. Yes, Ara the Wise, he thought, you are quite correct. We are, all of us, helplessly in the hands of the Great Creator. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “You can. I wish to see Mot.”

  Chapter 30

  No One Ever Uses It

  Batter had left Alex and Tom to themselves in the conference room. He had not wished to experience their reunion. It had been completely obvious to him when they had all met in Utah, if not to Tom and Alex themselves, that the two of them were still very much in love. Batter had so much personal relationship wreckage that he often wondered whether he was even capable of really loving anyone. His entire adult life had always been completely focused on his job-his true mistress. Seeing Alex and Tom together was just another reminder of what a failure he was at genuine human relationships. Most of the time it didn’t bother him—he just accepted it as a fact of his existence—but Alex had changed all of that in a way that even he couldn’t quite figure out. No woman had ever affected him the way Dr. Alexandra Moss had.

  *

  Batter was standing at the train platform with a large number of the ARC personnel, waiting for the Vice President to arrive. The platform might have been any subway station in New York, except that there was no graffiti on its pristine walls. The place looked brand new because it was, recently built to replace the antiquated rail system that was originally installed in the early 60s.

  Batter checked his watch and looked up to a screen on the wall that tracked the train’s progress from Washington to 51. It would arrive right on schedule. There were several other trains en route for the Kansas and Colorado ARCs as well—different colored smaller dots moving slowly towards two other larger white squares. Many of the people who would be occupying those sites would be arriving by plane as well, depending on their rank or level of importance. He was mildly irritated with himself when he noted that there were no lines headed for the fourth white square, Utah. It was his fault, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

  Batter summoned one of his aides who stood close by. “Is everything ready, Roberts?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Now just for your information, the President is not on this train, but the Vice President is. Please shift your priorities accordingly, and treat him as if he were the Commander and Chief. We will regard the President’s absence as highly confidential. Got it?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Roberts replied without hesitation.

  That’s what I like to see, Batter thought, noting Robert’s nonplussed reaction. The aide had not flinched at the new information.

  *

  The train arrived on schedule at 1811 hours, and Batter worked through the evening with all of the ARC staff to get the Vice President and all of the congressional and judicial members settled into quarters.

  The attitude of most of the new arrivals was nonchalant and curious. Some laughed and joked as if they were on a paid holiday, inquiring about such things as where to get the best cocktail. Most had never imagined that such a place could exist, and spent a good deal of time pointing their fingers in multiple directions.

  As they were led through the long corridors of the various areas within the ARC, they were not only amazed by its scope, but the scope of the mock drill. Many of them quietly complained that they would have been content just to have had the information, saying it was hardly necessary to show off a facility that had such a very low probability of ever being needed. They were, after all, very important to the Washington community with a lot going on. This trip, while interesting, was killing three days that they could have used elsewhere.

  Batter had followed along, watching each of them, coldly sizing up various individuals in the group as they toured. Soon, he thought grimly, they will all wish they had provided better funding to NASA for NEO intervention.

  *

  After everyone had been fed and assigned quarters, Batter conferred with the President and the Vice President by secure video conference link in the very room where Batter had earlier interviewed Alex. There was to be a meeting of all of the delegates at 1200 hours Nevada time-noon the next day. That was when the other shoe would drop. The President would address the nation at that time from the Oval Office, and everyone in the world would suddenly know exactly what was going on. It would give everyone on the “outside” only a few hours to say their goodbyes. 24 hours was too much in a case like this, all of the sociologists had agreed. Once the general population had any time at all to get past the shock, the mobs would have time to form and riot. The crimes against humanity would be horrific if too much notice was given, and perhaps create a worse situation than the arrival of the asteroid itself. The final advice of the human behavior experts was, “better to give them no notice at all.” After a heated debate, the world leaders had eventually compromised at six hours. They were all to begin their announcements at precisely 2000 hours Zulu-12 noon PST Nevada time.

  For the new arrivals to the ARC, Batter knew he would likely be compelled to personally follow up on the President’s comments with some of his own. Although every member of Congress had been advised of the ARC emergency plan in case of disaster, and they had all pledged to strictly adhere to it should it become necessary, the reality of what was about to happen would be too much for some of them. Batter had a contingent of doctors and a huge security force standing by with sedatives and plenty of fire power to deal with the almost certain fallout.

  The lawmakers would be forced to comply completely with the rules of the ARC or face severe consequences. Everyone’s survival depended upon it. Any tendency to anarchy would be immediately suppressed with all means necessary. Batter knew this was going to be very difficult for men and women who had largely lived their lives setting the rules for themselves and others. It was highly unlikely they would react well to their new situation.

  *

  “Well, Mr. Batter,” the Vice President said to him as they ended the meeting with the President, “looks like we are going to have our work cut out for us tomorrow.” He was a 63-year-old politician with a full head of graying hair. He looked like he had aged ten years just since his arrival.

  “Yes, Sir,” Batter replied. “I have everything in place.”

  “I am sure you do, Batter. I am absolutely sure you do,” the Vice President said. He swirled the ice that was the only thing left from a cocktail he had been drinking. “I have three brothers, a sister, four grown children, eight grandchildren and a slew of nieces and nephews. None of them is going to survive after tomorrow,” he said with regret, looking into the glass. “Do you have family Batter?”

  “I have no children, no siblings and no parents—just three lovely ex-wives who are no longer on speaking terms with me, and a German Sheppard by the name of Max that follows orders like a Marine. Max I will miss.”

  The Vice President chuckled slightly. “Well, let’s hope everyone tomorrow takes a lesson from Max.”

  “Good night, Mr. Vice President.”

  “Good night, Batter.” The Vice President rose and prepared to exit the conference room. “By the way, do you even have a first name?”

  “I do sir,” Batter responded politely, “but no one ever uses it.” Almost no one, almost never, Batter thought, remembering his earlier conversation with the President.

  The Vice President let the comment stand and walked out the door.

  Chapter 31

  The Rival

  Alex managed to ask around enough to lead Tom through the underground labyrinth and get them to the Primate Research area. They both clearly noticed, as they passed through some massive doors on the way, that their destination was not inside the protective confines of the ARC itself. Batter had informed Alex to contact Pete Wilson when they arrived.

  Pete was standing with a clipboard, just outside of Mot’s enclosure when he spotted Tom and Alex making
their way up the hall. “How is he?” Alex asked immediately as they approached.

  “I had the IV removed about an hour ago. The anesthesiologists think any time now he will awaken. I am very glad you are here, Doctor,” Pete said, sincerely. Then he looked at Tom.

  “I’m sorry, Doctor, this is my…. This is Tom Hancock,” Alex said turning back towards Tom.

  “Yes, Alex, we’ve already met. Utah, remember,” Tom said extending his hand. “Nice to see you again, Doctor.”

  “Oh, of course, I’d forgotten,” she said, embarrassed.

  “Welcome, Mr. Hancock. I heard about your grand entrance. That was really something. Can’t say as I blame you,” Pete said smiling, looking back at Alex. “How do you want to approach this Alex? Are you able to communicate with Mot as I do with Ara?” Pete was aware that Batter had told Alex about the female Arzat and—for reasons he still didn’t really understand—about the impending impact of the asteroids.

  “He is going to be extremely disoriented and probably pretty upset. I think I had better try to calm him down by being with him when he wakes,” Alex said.

  “A note of caution, Doctor. Batter informed me that you and Tom have been fully briefed on the coming events. Ara was able to go completely past normal conversation and into the deeper parts of my consciousness. Suffice it to say, this means she knows everything about what is going on. Mot will probably be able to do the same if he chooses.”

  “How did you find out?” Alex asked, not completely surprised.

  “She told me.” Pete shrugged. “She seems as resigned to her fate as the rest of us, but, with Mot here, well, you never know.”

  “Mot would never hurt me,” she said defensively.

  “I know you believe that, as I do with Ara. But the survival instinct is a very powerful thing, as you know, Alex. Just be careful. I would hate to see you become a tool for an attempted escape. They are very intelligent,” Pete added, knowing he was stating the obvious.