Edward sat up straighter still. “We could find out which company’s about to be acquired and buy them first! Then turn around and sell them to the highest bidder. Now that would multiply the Society’s money right quick!”
Simon was quiet for a moment. “Genius,” he said. “Absolute genius.”
****
The smell of resin hung thickly in the air. The enormous factory floor was alive with the humming, shunting, and hammering of giant machines. The ground vibrated as mighty steam engines transmitted their power through shafts to great machines whose appetites for materials were fed by dozens of men to each one; men who clamored to feed hoppers or thread wires in their dirty britches and threadbare flat caps—the very epitome of the mighty, smoke-blackened hum of industrial, Victorian England.
Edward, in his fine waistcoat and top hat, was as incongruous there as a shiny new penny on a beach. The lines around his eyes were deeper than ever as he looked down from a catwalk onto the factory floor. Thirty feet away, three giant vats bubbled, giving off a strong smell of pitch. Hot fluid ran down pipes into a machine roughly the size of a car. A large wheel on one side drew thin steel wire from one of several giant drums behind it. A giant crankshaft rising from the floor kept it turning. The front of the mechanism was a funnel, and out of the short end came the same wire—only coated in the material from the tanks. Known as Gutta-Percha, it was the first of many insulating layers that would be applied to the wire through subsequent machines of similar construction.
Seven lengths of this finished product, thicker than a man’s arm, would be twisted together and covered by hemp in a preservative solution. After that, this much thicker composite cable would be fed through the largest and most impressive machine in the factory, which would wind eighteen strands of high tensile steel around it, each covered with fine strands of Manila yarn.
Edward walked across the football field-sized factory floor, past each station where the product took on more and more of its final shape, eventually ending up where the finished cable for the first undersea connection between England and America was wound onto a vast spool. Its next stop would be the docks, where it would be loaded into the hold of the SS Great Eastern, a naval ship adapted for cable laying.
Edward entered the spooling room, a ballroom-sized area where the finished cable came through an opening in the wall and wound slowly onto a giant wooden spool the size of a bungalow. He put his hand onto the surface of the cable. It slid past like some never-ending boa constrictor. Edward closed his eyes and remained there a time.
Workers would occasionally see what he was doing and, once they were discreetly out of earshot, say “What’s old Eddie up to? He just stands there like that for hours with his hands on that thing. Is he intent on touching every foot of it before it gets laid on the bottom of the Atlantic?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Present day
An icy hand gripped Storm’s throat. Black dots danced at the edge of his vision. He looked desperately down upon the Earth through his spacesuit visor, but the whole scene spun around him faster and faster as his life drained away, and the darkness of what lay beyond encroached upon him. Then the hand that had been choking him yanked his helmet off, pulled him out of his suit, and he was there, naked in the heavens. Everything stopped spinning. He was looking down on the earth again. It was immaculate and stunning in the clarity of its deep blue oceans and lush, green continents. Storm felt no more stress or pain.
Then he was stuffed in a small, dark room, forgotten by everybody. He clutched his head, and great tufts of his hair fell out. As he was looking down at his hand, his fingernails began to fall out. Further checks of his body showed that his arms and legs were wasting away. The room grew ever smaller, tightening upon him like a death grip. He had been left on the bed, with its rusty old rails, to die.
The cell-like room had one small window on the right, which Storm could see from his shabby, dirty bed. Overcast daylight illuminated the dirty, rotten walls of the cell. There was nothing but an unbroken stretch of clouds as far as the eye could see. Then, the day gradually turned to darkness as the edge of a vast, round alien ship slowly cast a foreboding pall across the land. It grew until all light had been eclipsed. Storm now began to shrink, wasting away until he was the size of a baby, looking up, completely helpless, at the presence that overshadowed everything and everyone. His bed, now a crib, fell through the floor into nothing. The light from the small room above faded rapidly into a point as Storm was engulfed by darkness.
Storm was twenty years old again. He and a young Bonita were playing in a children’s splash park where the fountains turned on and off. The sun shone down, the sky a cloudless blue. They stood over the inactive water jets until the last minute before they came on again. Bonita laughed, her eyes full of joy as she stood facing Storm, who stood six feet away. Back then she had worn her hair large and frizzy.
“You’re going to chicken out,” Storm said.
“No, you are. I’m not afraid to get wet.”
“Yes you are; you’re just staying here because you want to see me get wet,” Storm said.
“I’m not afraid of getting…” Bonita screamed as jets of water soaked her from head to toe. Storm laughed, looking at her through blurry, wet eyes, oblivious to the children around her shouting “Look! They’re just standing there in the water!”
“Come on, play over here, away from them,” parents chided, looking at the pair as though they were lunatics.
Bonita laughed. She opened her arms, and she and Storm embraced as water pelted them.
Next, Storm saw himself and Bonita at that same park, sitting on the gentle embankment near the spray with pad baby Anna in his arms. He lifted Anna up in front of his face. Even at two months old, she could recognize him. She laughed as Storm touched his big nose to hers. Anna flapped her arms. Bonita adjusted her sun hat to keep the rays off the back of her neck. Then everyone around them looked up in horror. The same alien spaceship was there, its shadow now much darker and more defined by the backlighting sun; the ship steadily encroaching, ready to plunge the entire world into night.
“Storm? Storm?”
He opened his eyes, and there was dear old Mom, in his new hospital room. “Were you dreaming?”
“Uh… yes, I must’ve been.”
“You look pretty frightened. Storm, what happened to you in the alien spaceship?”
“Well, I didn’t go in the actual spaceship…”
“Okay, the Enigma or whatever it was called. What was it like in there?”
“Dark, quiet, and very creepy.”
“I do hope it didn’t hurt you permanently.”
“No, I think it took humans to do that—well, hurt me temporarily, anyway. Nobody has any idea who the actual aliens are.”
“I’m frightened, Storm.” Mom looked older and frailer than he’d ever seen her.
“Of the aliens?
“Yes, and this possible war with Russia.”
Storm laid his head back against the pillow. “Me too.”
Betty Kovacs suddenly perked up. “They brought Drew here, while you were sleeping.”
Storm’s heart leapt. “Really? So he’s out of his coma?”
“Yes.”
“Awesome! So he’s going to be okay?”
“The doctors think so.” Betty got up and hugged Storm almost as tight as his large body could bear. He closed his eyes. Somehow, a hug from mom could still make everything all right.
“Where is he?”
“One floor up.”
Storm pushed the nurse call button. “Can I leave this floor?” Storm asked, when she entered.
“Let me check with the doctor.” She returned a minute later. “Yes, just don’t be gone longer than twenty minutes.”
“Right, thank you. By the way, do you know when they’re going to discharge me?”
“The staff neurologist is going to check back with you this afternoon. You’ll know then.”
Storm no
dded, then swung his legs over the left side of the bed and clumsily got to his feet. “Earth gravity feels weird. It’s been a long time.”
Betty’s eyes moistened. “It’s been too long. But, let’s go up and see Drew.”
****
Storm looked into the eyes of the thin man who had put him through hell back when they were still kids, and now had tried to save him from it. “Hi,” he said uncertainly, padding into the room on bare feet.
“Storm…” Drew replied, his unshaven features betrayed the mixed signals under the surface.
Storm flashed back, seeing the large helmet around Drew’s head and the fear in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Storm began. “You nearly died because you were trying to save me.” He swallowed away a lump in his throat.
“You’d have done the same for me,” Drew croaked.
“Hi, Uncle Storm,” a twelve-year old brown-haired boy smiled.
Storm jumped. “Hi, Mark.”
“Hi, Grandma.”
“Hello, dear.”
“Guys, this is my brother,” Drew said, looking down past the end of his bed. For the first time Storm noticed two men and a woman standing away at a respectful distance.
“I’m Chris,” the man said.
“Holly,” the woman smiled.
“Achilles,” came the last man’s baritone.
“Are you the crew of the Sigma?” Storm asked.
“Yes.”
“I… uh… didn’t think you made it.”
“That’s okay, we didn’t think you’d made it, either,” Chris joked, reducing the tension in the room slightly.
“Have a seat,” Drew said.
“Thanks,” Storm replied, taking the padded vinyl chair beside the bed. He looked at Chris. “How did you escape?”
“Same way you did. We were shielded by that chunk of the Enigma’s hull. Did you get a look at the ship that was inside it?”
“No.”
Chris took his communicator out of his pocket, walked over to Storm, and projected the video in midair. Storm’s jaw dropped as he saw the vast bird taking flight.
The room was silent for a long moment. “Holy crap!” Storm managed, at last. “So that’s what was in there!”
“Yup,” Drew said.
“Do we know anything about its origins or where it’s headed?”
“It’s headed here.”
Storm blinked a few times. “Earth?” he said, incredulously.
“Yep.” Drew pursed his lips, smiling slightly as he nodded. “As if the threat of nuclear war weren’t enough, we are going to meet aliens.”
“Good God!”
“One way or another, life here will never be the same.”
“Are people leaving Earth?” Storm asked.
“Yes,” Holly said. “Long lines, confusion and near-rioting at the spaceports. But the military have requisitioned all the shuttles.”
Storm grunted. “Guess I’m not going home any time soon, then.”
“No, you’re not,” Drew said. “You’re coming to stay with me.”
Storm raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
Drew nodded.
“Thanks,” Storm said. He gazed off into the distance. “So, nuclear war and aliens?”
Drew nodded.
“What you might call interesting times,” Achilles said. “Nobody knows whether they’ll do us in or if we’ll do the job ourselves before they get here.”
Nobody laughed.
“Have they said when you can go home?” Storm asked.
“A couple more days, they’re thinking.”
“Well hurry up and recover; we need you back at work,” Achilles joked.
Drew smiled. “The extrasolar team is a lot like a family.” He turned to Achilles. “Has Larson said what the plan is now as far as the Enigma goes?”
Achilles shook his head. “It’s been too chaotic. Half the staff is gone—fled the city for the countryside in case there’s war.”
Drew nodded. Right on cue, the sunlight streaming in through the window was abruptly blocked by a large, dark bank of cloud, reflecting the mood in the room.
A white-coated doctor of Indian descent entered, holding a display unit and scanning the readouts anxiously. He turned to Drew. “I’m afraid we’ll have to discharge you now.”
Drew puzzled. “I’m better already?”
“No. Well … mostly. But the government’s taking control of the hospital, so we have to discharge all but the most acute cases.” The bald-headed doctor wore a pained expression. “Though, if the worst happens, the hospital itself won’t be here, so…” He shook his head. “You should take it easy for a while. Stay away from the heavy machinery.”
Drew laughed with difficult. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
****
The vehicle slid silently into the driveway of Drew’s large, well-appointed brick home.
“Am I ever glad to see this place again,” Drew said, looking up as he exited the car. “I’ve been wondering whether I should’ve gone to the Enigma at all.”
“You and me both,” Storm said, following him.
Drew pushed open the large red paneled front door and they entered.
“Daddy!” a girl of around ten said, her long light brown hair flying as she ran into the hall. She almost knocked Drew over. Years seemed to melt from him as they embraced.
A somewhat attractive, tall woman came down the stairs leading into the hallway. “You’re home! And in one piece!” she smiled.
“Yeah, I am.”
She reached the bottom of the stairs, but they didn’t embrace.
“Storm’s staying with us for awhile,” Drew said.
Storm looked apologetically at Elizabeth. “Sorry to…”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous!”
“Well…”
“You’ve got the second bedroom on the left. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks Liz,” Storm said.
“Oh, Betty! You’re here!”
“Well, yes…” she began.
“Come on in, I fixed dinner.”
“I don’t…”
“Mom, you’re staying too,” Drew said. “You pretty much have to. The interstates and airports are closing.” Drew’s stomach lurched, as he wondered whether modern society would soon end in a flurry of radioactive fireballs.
****
Drew stood in Manfred Larson’s office. “So, I’ve got both our crews back safe. Now, we need to figure out where to go next with the Enigma,” Manfred said.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not anxious to go back to the Enigma,” Drew said as he thought about how the good weather contrasted with his most memorable previous visit to that office, when they had had their showdown about launching the first mission to the Enigma.
“I can well understand that,” Manfred said, tipping his office chair back and putting his hands behind his head. “But, we should probably do what I was going to do in the first place and send an unmanned probe to shadow it.”
“That’s if you can even find it again,” Drew said. “It flew off in the direction of the Enigma’s original trajectory, but it may not stay on that route.”
“Our best guess is that the ship’s on the fastest trajectory to Earth.”
“Yeah, but how fast? We don’t know what propulsion capabilities it has.”
“Drew, are you sure you don’t want to go back? If the Enigma was scientific paydirt, how much more so is the ship that was inside it?”
“I probably will go back, but I’m not ready. Feels like I need therapy first,” Drew chuckled.
“Funny you should say that … We already have you booked in with one of our psychologists.”
Drew nodded. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m aware no director of extrasolar science in history has ever gotten an opportunity like this one. I take it we’re already attempting to contact the vessel?”
“Every radio antenna that NASA possesses is trained on where we t
hink it should be. And we’re broadcasting greetings in all languages and sending raster images.”
“Of what?”
“The Voyager plaques,” Manfred said.
“The ones showing humans and the rough location of planet Earth?”
“Yes. The builders of those probes would love to have seen this.”
“Do you think this is related in any way to the Surrey Rapture?” Drew asked.
“It could well be. I don’t think any serious scholar doubts that the Rapture was a visit to Earth by aliens, so they could be forerunners from this crew.”
“I want to go and investigate that site more than I want to go back to the Enigma. The 350 years between that event and discovering the Enigma is so minute in cosmic terms I think they have to be related,” Drew said.
“We should look closely at both angles. I’m counting on you to at least put the mission together to try and track it down. We’ve been thinking it’ll take a large fleet of unmanned probes as well as crewed ship.”
Drew nodded. “I guess we don’t know when or if it’ll get to Earth…”
Manfred shook his head. “It all depends on the big unknown: how much it accelerated.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that it shed its skin at the exact moment the nuke went off?” Drew asked.
“Oh I think it’s far more than coincidence. I think they knew what it was detonating, but they couldn’t project that force field that protected their ship while the Enigma still had its skin, so they jettisoned their shell to activate it.”
Drew frowned and stroked his chin, looking at the floor. “They saved us in the process. But surely they couldn’t have known where it was going to explode, and hence used one of those huge panels as a shield for us?”
“Nothing is impossible, my good man,” Manfred said. “If they’d somehow known when the bomb was going to go off, and calculate to account for where, they could well have intentionally saved you and the others.”
****
“Oh… You’re still here,” Drew said, entering the front door at 10pm and seeing Storm sitting on the couch.
Destination: Earth: The Enigma Series, Part Three Page 3