by S. S. Segran
As Kody passed by a row of wheat, he saw movement and instantly turned to look. A head fell off and drifted to the ground in a pile of dust. Astonished, he informed the others and zoomed in on the stalk to see what was on it but found nothing.
“I don’t get it,” he said, puzzled.
Aari, who was shining his flashlight a few dozen feet away, whistled. “Oy, I saw one just drop, too . . . Whoa! More of them keep dropping as you head farther in!”
The friends and the Sentry hurried though the crops. Aari was right; heads were falling from stalk after stalk, as if a ghost was running unseen blades though them. Kody used his newfound thermal vision to find the source of the destruction but couldn’t report anything. Whatever it was had become too widely dispersed for him to pick up.
“I can’t see it,” he told the others.
“Wait, I want to try something,” Tegan, a few feet away, said. She knelt and closed her eyes. The rest of the group instinctively drew toward her, no one sharing a word.
Tegan opened her eyes a while later, frustrated. “I don’t know what it is, but Aari’s right. It has to be synthetic. I couldn’t sense it in the novasphere the way I can with living things.”
“So it’s manmade but too small for even Kody to detect,” Aari said quietly, swapping worried looks with Marshall, as if they had a hunch about what the entity was. Before Kody could ask, Tegan said, “Let me try something else. Find me an ant.”
Kody quirked a brow. “What?”
“Find me an ant! Quick!”
They plunged to their knees and searched in the dark but Kody had the advantage with his night vision. He found an ant scuttling over the soil and very gently picked it up. “Here.”
Tegan took it from him and placed it on a wheat stalk where everyone could see, then returned to her meditative state. The others saw the ant go still for a bit before it scurried up the plant. Kody, impatient, had to refrain from shifting around as the group watched the little creature move about in observation. Then, they saw the head of the stalk with the ant on it fall off. Tegan snapped back a moment later and gaped up at them.
“What is it?” Mariah asked. “What did you see?”
“I saw them! I can’t believe . . . ” Tegan slowly stood up. “They’re unbelievably tiny, even to an ant. I’ve never seen anything like it. One was tearing away right under the wheat head with some kind of claw-blades? I don’t know. And another was shredding the wheat into powder. They’re definitely not natural. They move very quickly, too. The second the head falls, they’re off to the next one.”
“Where did you see them go?” Kody asked.
Tegan pointed at a stalk right beside them. Kody pushed past everyone else and leaned in so close his nose nearly touched the plant. He switched to thermal and zoomed in as much as he could. He moved around a bit until he found what Tegan had seen. She’d described it well; it was like a minuscule metallic bug with a long attachment at the end. “Houston, we have contact,” he testified quietly.
“Can you grab it?” Jag asked.
“Sure, if we had—whoa! What the . . . ”
“Kody?”
“It just glowed red and took off! Probably sensed how close I was.” Kody got up, dusting his pants as he kept an eye on the bug. “We’ll get them. Just find me containers.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant,” Tegan said, applauding slowly. “We come out all the way here and have nothing to put these things in. Is there anything in the van?”
“Don’t think so,” Marshall said.
Kody scanned the next stalk. “Which one of us here has that super speed ability thing? Oh right, of course, that would be Jag! Could you be a dear and run back and grab a couple of small jars from the house?”
Jag did not look amused by the notion. “Is that what I’ve been reduced to? A gofer?”
“Yes,” Kody answered. “Now go, Toto! Go!”
There was a grumble and a rush of wind beside Kody, which he figured was Jag taking off.
Tegan chuckled. “Toto?”
Kody kept track of the metallic bug as it moved on. “We’re in Kansas. It seemed fitting.”
Jag returned shortly after with three empty spice containers and passed one to Kody, who received it without taking his eyes off his target. He uncapped the container and held it in one hand while grasping the lid in the other. He brought them on either side of the bug; then, holding his breath, snapped the container and lid together, trapping the tiny entity inside with the stalk sticking out on either end.
“That thing’s not happy,” he said, clasping the glass jar tightly as he stared into it. “It’s bouncing around like a rocket that’s gone ballistic.”
Marshall flicked out his switchblade and trimmed the ends off the stalk so Kody could twist the lid shut and secure the tiny bug. The teenager held up the jar, grinning. “Got it.”
Mariah took it from him and pointed her flashlight into the clear container. “Wow. Can’t see a thing.”
“That’s because it’s probably a nanomite,” Aari said. “A microscopic machine.” He jerked his chin at Kody. “See if you can get more.”
“Aye, aye.” Kody grabbed another container from Jag and carefully put his nose up to several stalks until he found another nanomite. Together with Marshall, he caught it and passed it to Tegan. It took a little longer to find and seize a third one. As he capped the container, he chortled. “Look at me. I used to catch fireflies. Now I’m catching nanomites.”
Tegan patted his back. “So, what now?” she asked. “Looks like we know what we’re dealing with but we can’t go to the cops for help.”
“There is someone who may be able to help us,” Marshall said slowly. “He’s one of the few people I completely trust.”
“Is he a Sentry too?”
“No, but he has some understanding of what we do.”
“Who is he?” Aari asked.
“A good friend and a leading mind in the field of molecular science. If there’s anyone who could help us figure this out, it’s him.”
Kody, hopeful yet skeptical, asked, “What’s the catch?”
Marshall smirked drolly. “He’s in California.”
Kody tapped his fingers against his mouth and knew he’d been right to be cynical. “So we’re going to go all the way back to California.”
“Yes. We need to book a flight and leave first thing tomorrow. There’s no time to lose.”
“I don’t want to leave my grandparents,” Jag said quietly.
“And I won’t ask you to. But it would be best if a couple of you could come with me.”
Tegan passed the container she was holding back to Kody. “I’ll go.”
“I’m staying with Jag,” Mariah said. “I’m sure Mr. Sanchez could use some extra help around the farm.”
Kody went to stand beside Jag. “I’m staying, too.”
They all looked at Aari, but Tegan answered for him. “Brainiac’s coming with Marshall and me.”
Jag put his arms around Mariah and Kody. “Sounds good, but we need to stay in close contact throughout. There’s too much at stake.”
Kody quickly shushed them and gestured to their left. The group wondered what he was pointing at.
“The nanomites are coming together,” he whispered. “They’re falling back into formation.” He spun around to follow the movement of the entity as it rose into the sky. “There it goes. Looks kinda like a huge bird.”
Jag started running back to the minivan. “If it’s heading off, we should follow it!”
The others caught up with him and sprinted toward the vehicle. Marshall leapt into the driver’s seat and took off in the direction that Kody was pointing. He was their eyes, keeping track of the entity’s movement as best he could. “It comes and goes, guys! I’m losing it!”
“Drive faster!” Jag urged. “We need to find out where they’re coming from!”
“Kody, do you still see them?” Marshall asked as he floored the gas pedal.
Kody d
idn’t respond. He was craning his neck outside the window to scour the sky. Moments later he turned to his friends, disappointed. “I lost them.”
The group let out a collective sigh. Jag placed his palms on his face. “That’s alright, Kode-man. We know you tried your best. Besides, you caught three of them.”
Marshall drove the now-quiet group back to the house and parked the car. They entered the house where Lady greeted them drowsily as if they’d interrupted her sleep.
Marshall turned to the five. “Alright. Tegan, Aari and I will leave tomorrow morning. Let’s make sure we all have each other’s numbers. Capeesh?”
“Capito,” Jag replied.
They split off while Marshall went online to purchase flight tickets and returned to their beds, feet dragging. Kody, beyond spent, fell face-first onto his air mattress. As exhausted as he was, it took him a few minutes to fall asleep.
And all this because of a talking hamburger.
42
When Aari trudged out of the guest room a few hours later, he found Marshall at the dining table with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. The Sentry smiled tiredly at him. “Good morning.”
Aari helped himself to some coffee as well and joined Marshall. “Hi. You look really alert for someone who’s had less sleep than the rest of us.”
“Glad I look that way,” Marshal said, then waved his phone. “I got the tickets. Our flight leaves in less than four hours. We’ll arrive in California at about one and we’re set to meet my contact at his house.”
“You’ve been busy,” Aari commented. “Maybe you can grab a catnap on the plane.”
“Oh, I will.”
The others joined them a while later. They chatted for a bit before Aari, Tegan and Marshall got ready to leave and headed out. The friends exchanged long hugs. After everything that had happened, they were reluctant to split up again, but they all knew what needed to be done.
“Take care, guys,” Aari called as he and Tegan got into the vehicle after Marshall.
“You too,” Jag said. He, Mariah and Kody waved as the Sentry maneuvered the minivan out of the driveway and onto the main road.
The drive to the airport was a short one and they were soon through the gate to board their flight. Marshall kept to his word and fell asleep before they took off, as did Tegan. Aari pulled his laptop out of his bag and, using the plane’s Wi-Fi, checked the news. As he expected, the headlines were dominated by reports on the ever-widening crop failures. He shut down his laptop after a few minutes and closed his eyes, nodding off.
* * *
Jag cracked open a can of energy drink and took a swig. It was late in the afternoon and he, Mariah and Kody did not seem to be any closer to finding the origin of the nanomite swarm. Right after the others had left for the airport, he had driven out to purchase maps and a load of pens, then brought his grandfather’s old computer down to the living room. As clunky as the thing was, it ran well enough and that was all they needed.
He sat down on the sofa and took a few more sips of his drink as he studied the map of the U.S. spread on the coffee table in front of him. Areas where there had been reports of destroyed crops were shaded in various patterns to indicate a timeline in hopes a pattern would emerge. Another map, this one of Kansas, was on the floor and being pored over by Mariah. Kody was plotting affected areas on a global map taped to a wall.
“Anything?” Jag asked him.
“No,” Kody replied distractedly.
Jag sighed. They’d been watching news on the TV intermittently and doing research online, trying to work out the extent of the destruction. He glanced down at the Kansas map; Mariah was attempting to figure out where the nanomites would strike next. Once in a while she’d dip her hand into a container of Pringles, but for the most part remained intent on her task.
Jag helped himself to the chips as well. “No luck?”
“Not yet,” she said. Lady, who was resting with her head on Mariah’s lap, nuzzled the girl’s arm. Mariah tore her eyes away from the map and snuggled the dog. “She’s so precious. Aren’t you, girl? I’m gonna keep you, yes I am, yes I am!”
Kody groaned. “You’re doing the weird baby-voice thing, ’Riah.”
“As if you don’t do it either.” Mariah kissed the dog on the nose. “Why must you be such a sweetheart?”
“I can’t help it,” Kody quipped. “I was just made this way.”
“I was talking to Lady, you moron.”
“Well, then.”
“She’s a distraction, that’s what she is,” Jag said, playing with the dog’s ears. He took a quick look at the time; he’d have to leave in a couple of hours to buy some food for the three of them and deliver dinner to his grandfather at the hospital. Jag had visited him earlier in the day and found his grandmother to be in neither a better or worse condition. She was still unconscious, which Jag hoped wasn’t a negative sign. He’d kissed her on the forehead and prayed for her recovery, then reluctantly left after keeping his grandfather company for a while.
Jag turned his attention back to the map in front of him and set his energy drink aside. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands under his chin while scanning the chart. It had become clear that the crop destruction was taking place in large territories of farmland in the Midwest. Another wave of destruction had laid to waste orchards and vegetable farms in California, centered in San Joaquin Valley.
Kody thumped the wall with another groan. “I wish something would just show up already. This—wait. What’s that?”
The television showed seated journalists facing a podium in front of a blue backdrop crested with an official-looking emblem. Jag turned up the volume just as a skinny man in a suit walked on stage. He adjusted the mic, then addressed the journalists. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The Secretary of Agriculture will be with us in a moment. He will make a brief statement and take questions afterward.”
He then strode off stage and was replaced by a man thrice his size who took to the podium. The newcomer greeted the journalists, then said, “As you know, the nation has been hit by large-scale crop losses. Although isolated reports of these events began coming in three to four months ago, the situation has escalated over the past couple of weeks.
“While we have been unable to conclude the source of the crop damage as of yet, I give you my complete assurance that we have the best people from various agencies working to identify, isolate and neutralize this phenomenon—this scourge.
“We are also working with the United Nations and the governments of several countries who have been affected by this outbreak. The Secretary of State has been in close contact with the leaders of China, India, Australia, Canada, and our friends in Europe, South America and Africa. I too have been in touch with my counterparts in the aforementioned countries and regions. Working with them and the UN, we are trying to ascertain the state of global grain reserves.
“I would like to assure our citizens that we are doing everything we can to contain the effects that this phenomenon may have on U.S. agriculture production. We are, at present, taking all necessary measures to ensure sufficient grain supplies are available in areas hit hardest by the shortage.
“I am also asking the public, especially farmers and folks involved in supporting the farming industry, to report immediately by calling the number at the bottom of the screen if they notice anything suspicious or out of the ordinary occurring in their areas.
“With regards to the incidences of unrest reported in several cities across the country, I call on those involved to immediately cease these indictable activities. Adherence to the rule of law is crucial at times like this.
“Furthermore, I have been instructed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to remind you that looting will be not be tolerated. Law enforcement agencies around the country have been advised to take all necessary steps to maintain order.
“Once again, let me state that the government is doing everything possible to resolve this pressin
g situation and we ask for your full cooperation and support. Thank you. I’ll now be taking a few questions.”
Several reporters stood up and began shouting questions. An off-screen voice could be heard calling for one question at a time and the reporters quieted. A microphone was passed to a pretty, petite African-American woman in the front row. “Mr. Secretary, Naomi Shakur from CNN. You stated that you first heard about this disease around four months ago. What has your department done since then and how did things get so far out of control to reach this crisis point?”
“When the first reports came in they were, as I said, isolated,” the Secretary replied. “We immediately dispatched teams to affected areas. Based on the findings at that time, there was no direct evidence of a connection between those regions. Since then, there has clearly been a significant increase in both the size and severity of the outbreak and I will admit that the rapid spread caught us by surprise.”
The microphone was then passed to a balding, mustachioed man. “Good afternoon—Linden Sullivan, New York Times. There is all kinds of speculation going around. Is this a disease or some sort of bio-terror attack on our nation?”
“The results of our tests remain inconclusive,” the Secretary repeated. “We have yet to discover the source, be it biological, chemical or some other cause. I am advised that no credible information exists to suggest this is part of a terror plot aimed at our nation and, in fact, the effects seem to be global in nature. Our view at this point is that no known terrorist group would have the capacity to mount an attack on this scale, nor has an of them made a claim.”
The next journalist, a youngish fellow with a prominent jaw, spoke. “Trevor Romanov with Fox News. With all due respect, sir, your call for calm is not going to be enough for the growing number of individuals and families across the country who wake up in the morning wondering if they will have enough food on the table for the day. My question is, does the United States have sufficient grain reserves, or have we depleted it since the implementation of the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act? And if so, how does the government plan to prevent mass starvation?”