H.A.L.F.: ORIGINS

by Natalie Wright

  A few people coughed nervously or shifted restlessly. When Tex began again, he had their attention. He detailed how he needed the cooperation of the personnel at the VLA and needed to use the large array as well as the Arecibo array in Puerto Rico. He had their undivided attention until he got to the part about obtaining the cooperation of the Egyptian government to flood the great pyramid of Giza.

  General Hays banged his fist on the table. “Stop right there.” He stood, put his hat on, and grabbed the papers he had spread in front of him. “I don’t have any more time for nonsense. I’ve got a country to defend.” He pointed a thin finger at Tex. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but it won’t work. This facility will support the authorized operations of the US military as directed by our Commander in Chief. It needs to be at the ready for whatever they need us to do, and that does not include science-fiction projects for teenagers.” General Hays directed his gaze at Dr. Fisher. “Do I make myself clear?”

  Dr. Fisher returned his glare with a cool stare.

  General Hays stormed from the room. The rest of the military folks followed without being asked. Tex stood still and emotionless as they watched the General leave.

  The scientists did not vacate. Dr. Fisher turned her attention to Dr. Randall. “Please, Dr. Randall. Help us understand what Tex wants to do.”

  Erika sat to one side and listened as intently as everyone else did as Tex calmly laid out the specifics of his plan. People occasionally threw out questions, which he easily and dispassionately answered. They seemed to understand the answers given as they all scribbled madly on notepads, trying to keep up with all that he said.

  The formulas and scientific terms were far beyond her grasp. She got especially lost when he talked about why he needed them to flood the great pyramid.

  “Explain again what the water will do?” asked Dr. Lewis.

  Erika was glad to see she wasn’t the only one that didn’t understand. Even Drs. Fisher and Lewis nodded and waited expectantly for his answer.

  Tex went into a lengthy explanation of the mechanism for using the internal structure of the pyramid to create what he called a maser, or microwave laser. “The grand gallery will need twenty-seven Helmholtz resonators, but once installed, the gallery is a perfect resonator, pushing the hydrogen into the collimator then into the King’s chamber, which will focus a beam with microwave energy hitting the ionosphere.”

  He seemed to have lost most of them before he even got to the word Helmholtz. No one was writing anything down by the end.

  Tex pushed his palms together, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. “You are following me, aren’t you? It is quite simple, really.”

  The scientists still stared at him blankly.

  “This has never been done before,” Erika said. She put a hand on his and spoke to him quietly. “We all want to understand. Explain it to them.”

  He unclenched his hands. “With sufficient quantities of hydrochloric acid, zinc, and plain water, we can create a high-energy maser. It will act as a plasma channel, pulling energy directly into the pyramid. The pyramid was built to resonate at the exact frequency required to match the resonant frequency of the home planet of the architects of the Mocht Bogha. Once the pyramid resonates at that frequency, the Arecibo dish will be used to collect the signal. The Arecibo dish will amplify the signal and send it to the VLA. The radio dishes here will be aligned to the coordinates dictated by the resonant frequency, which I will match so that I can travel to the planet of the Architects.”

  Dr. Fisher shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m with you until you get to the part about ancient architects and traveling on what? A photon, basically. Is that what you’re saying?”

  Tex cocked his head in thought for a few seconds then said, “Yes. I believe that is one way you could think about it.”

  Murmurs rose from the crowd. They talked amongst themselves and shook their heads. He’s losing them.

  Dr. Randall whispered in Tex’s ear, and Tex whispered back. Erika couldn’t hear them and suspected that, even if she could, she wouldn’t understand what they were saying.

  Dr. Fisher spoke again. “It’s not that we don’t want to help you. You know that we’re in agreement with you that bombing Europe is not the way to go. But we just—well, you’re talking science fiction, Dr. Randall. We can’t risk our professional reputations to follow this fool’s errand to its logical conclusion. Not when so many lives are at stake.”

  Erika shot to her feet. “Professional reputations?” She sneered in disgust as she looked across the table at their faces. “There are aliens ripping the throats out of countless people right now, as we speak. And you’re worrying about your reputation.” She spat the words out as though they tasted terrible to her.

  Erika stood behind and between Tex and Dr. Randall and put a hand on a shoulder of each of them. “The three of us traveled to the future. That’s science fiction too, isn’t it?”

  None of them answered, but a few shifted in their chairs.

  “And this man is part alien. That’s science fiction, too.” She flung her hands in the air. “Hell, aliens are pouring out of a rift in the space-time continuum and attacking our planet. Are you going to tell me that’s fiction as well?”

  Erika walked to a chalkboard that covered nearly an entire wall. It was plastered with aerial and ground photos from satellites and other intelligence gathering, showing the devastation that the M’Uktah had already wreaked in Europe. She pointed at a particularly gruesome photo of two huge creatures bending over human bodies, their mechanized jaws unhinged, razor-sharp metal teeth tearing into flesh. An involuntary shudder ran up her spine. She plucked the photo from the board and flung it onto the table. “Is this also fiction?”

  Dr. Lewis had been silent, but she broke her silence. “I for one will not sit idly by and watch as they destroy us.”

  Erika wasn’t sure if by “they” Dr. Lewis meant the M’Uktah or the government forces, but Dr. Lewis continued without clarification.

  “We—all of us in this room—pursued science as a career because we want to know the truth. We seek answers to profound questions. Some of those answers are out there. Other answers sit right here in this room.” She gestured toward Tex. “We’ve wondered if we’re alone. The answer is clearly ‘no.’” She smiled warmly at Tex. “But if we’re to survive this first meeting with another species, we’ll have to work together and not only with each other, but with scientists around the world.”

  Murmurs of assent rose from the others around her.

  “This is not an issue for one country. We’re talking about preservation of our species. And it will fall to us, the scientists, to make it happen.”

  A few people cheered. Dr. Fisher kept his mouth shut and let Dr. Lewis finish.

  She held up her hands for silence. “One last thing. I’ve checked his math. What the young man says is theoretically possible. So I say, while the generals plan a war, let’s put Tex’s plan into action and send him to the stars. He just may succeed before the nukes fly.”

  Dr. Randall clapped Tex on the back. “Looks like you’re going to become an astronaut.”

  Tex sat stoically, showing neither excitement nor fear.

  All the scientists, including Dr. Fisher, stood and clapped for him. Dr. Randall rose and joined in the cheer.

  Erika imagined Tex succeeding and disappearing before her eyes. She did not clap. She almost wished she had not intervened to help him. What have I done?

  23

  JACK

  Anna wiped down equipment and stowed instruments in the lab. Jack knew that fire in her eyes. He didn’t think talking her out of her plan to go to A.H.D.N.A. was likely, but he tried it anyway.

  “I know you want to make sure Lizzy gets what’s coming to her.”

  “Damned right.” Anna chucked into a trashcan a wad of tape that had held electrodes to Alecto’s body.

  “But you’re walking into a trap. You know that, right?”


  Alecto levitated a microscope, which Anna had just covered, back into a closet. Anna didn’t stop to remark on it as though hovering microscopes were totally normal.

  “The great game, Jack. Cat and mouse. Croft thinks he’s the cat,” Anna said.

  “He thinks that ’cause he is,” Thomas said. He stood in the doorway, his arms tucked in his armpits.

  Jack slapped his thigh. “Exactly. Talk sense into her, Thomas. Tell her she can’t go down there.”

  Anna stopped what she was doing long enough to turn an intense glare on Jack. “Watch my back then, Jack Wilson.” She turned her attention on Thomas. “Get hold of Mr. Sewell. We need schematics for A.H.D.N.A. and directions and coordinates for the tunnel entrance Tex used to escape.

  Thomas didn’t move.

  Anna blew out a breath, making a stray hair blow up. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” She attempted to push past Thomas.

  He grabbed her gently by the shoulders. “Hold on. I’ll do it.” His eyelashes glistened. “It’s just…” He lifted the butterfly pendant hanging on a chain around her neck. “I can’t lose you.”

  Anna’s voice, normally filled with patience when she spoke to Thomas, was shrill. “We’ve been through this. You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going down there unarmed. And I’ll have Alecto with me. Right?”

  Alecto stood with her hands on her slim waist, her lips set and thin. “Affirmative. I will terminate anyone that attempts to harm Anna Sturgis.”

  Alecto spoke as if reading from a script she’d memorized. Alecto had been like Anna’s guard dog. That should have comforted Jack, but it didn’t. He tried to see Alecto through Anna’s eyes, but his vision was clouded by the memory of how Alecto had hurled Erika into a wall and nearly killed Tex.

  Thomas turned to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Anna called to him.

  “To do what you asked.”

  Anna began to leave as well and gestured for Alecto to follow her. She was miffed at Jack—that much was clear.

  Jack wasn’t about to give in on the argument just to put a cease-fire to the hostilities, though. He’d vowed to himself never to go back to that place, and too much was at stake to fling themselves into A.H.D.N.A. without a small army of backup.

  He followed Anna to the office where she had stowed her purse. “Stop. Please, let’s talk this through.”

  She stopped and waited for him to catch up to her. “What do we need to talk through? You only want to talk me out of it.”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  She continued walking.

  Jack groaned. Why is it always so difficult? “At least tell me your plan for how the two of you are going to combat a small militia? ’Cause if the guards at the penthouse were any indication, he’s going to have a small army down there.”

  She stopped again and looked him in the eye. “One carcass at a time until I put a bullet in William Croft’s head, just like Lizzy did to my dad.”

  The cold determination on her face chilled Jack to the marrow. “But you’ve never been inside the place. It’s like a maze down there. Blind corners. Many ways to die.”

  “No, I haven’t been there. But she has.” Anna indicated Alecto with a flick of her head, and her expression warmed. “And you have.”

  The statement was an invitation—no, a plea. Jack knew what his response would be. He’d known before the conversation even started.

  He briefly imagined wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her to him. He’d kiss her deeply until he felt her body relax against him. He let the moment pass, again unable to risk her rejection. “Of course I’m not letting you go down there alone. What do you need me to do?”

  Her face lit up in a smile, and she blushed. She had an answer ready, indicating she’d already thought about it. “I’m putting you on weapons detail.”

  ____________________

  Jack was fine with being in charge of ensuring they were well armed. The only problem was he didn’t know where to start. He took the elevator down to Dr. Montoya’s office and hoped she had a resource or could at least point him in the right direction to obtain the weapons and armor they needed.

  The elevator pinged, and Jack stepped off into a brightly lit linoleum-floored corridor, identical to every other floor in the building. The walls were a pale, peachy, 1960s brick with offices running down the hall on both sides.

  The time was after five, and the offices were empty, the lights turned off. A soft pink glow filled the corridor, streaming in from the office windows. Dr. Montoya’s office was the last one on the left. Jack hoped she hadn’t already left for the day.

  Before he hit the door, he knew something wasn’t right when he heard someone ransacking the place. Papers were being thrown about, and desk drawers rattled.

  Jack wished for the gun he’d been carrying while in the Croft penthouse, but he was unarmed. Jack pressed himself to the wall and tiptoed toward the door.

  He took a deep breath to steady himself then peeked around the doorjamb. He expected to find one of the Makers goons, dressed in black, sacking the office.

  Instead, he found Dr. Montoya. Her hair had broken free of its smooth, sleekly groomed ponytail at the back of her head. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open and pulled back. She was rifling through the contents of one of her desk drawers and mumbling to herself.

  Jack stepped into the door opening. “What’s up?”

  She visibly jumped, put her hand to her chest, and sighed. “Oh, Jack. You startled me.”

  “I can see that.” Jack looked around the room trying to make sense of the mess she’d made. “Lose something?”

  She stopped her frantic fingers rifling through some papers. “Yes.”

  For as neat as Dr. Montoya’s appearance was, her office had been a disaster even before she went on a pillaging rampage of her own stuff. Even the day before when he’d been there, it had been strewn with piles of papers intermixed with large medical volumes and a lone, sickly, spindly avocado plant that sat atop a filing cabinet and strained toward the light of the window. Jack figured she was looking for a thumb drive, which certainly would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  “What are you looking for?”

  Dr. Montoya sat back in her chair, took off her glasses, and wiped her eyes. “It’s missing, Jack. All of it gone.” She rubbed at her temples.

  Jack hadn’t known the woman long, but she had struck him as a solid person, not prone to crying jags or irrational fits of worry. This is about more than a lost thumb drive.

  He figured he didn’t really want to know the answer, but he asked the question anyway. “What’s missing?”

  She put her glasses back on and coughed. Her voice quavered when she answered. “The antivirus and…” She indicated the mess in the room with a sweeping gesture of her hand. “And all my notebooks with notes about it.”

  Jack nodded toward the computer. “But you’ve published stuff on it, right? You put it in the database already? Got it backed up and all that?”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “We had everything on a local server. I didn’t want to announce a cure until we were certain—until we’d tested and retested to be sure. I was going to upload all of my research to DC tomorrow. The server has been wiped. All computers here scrubbed. Someone knew exactly where it was and exactly how to delete it permanently.”

  Jack didn’t bother flicking the papers off of the chair across from Dr. Montoya before he sat down. The papers crunched beneath him. “But who… I mean, hardly anybody here even knows what it is you’re working on. Only you, Dr. Randall, Ian, Anna, and I.”

  Dr. Montoya grabbed a tissue from a dusty box on her desk and blew her nose. “You forgot one.”

  Jack wracked his brain. “Ben?”

  She nodded. “He was busy in the lab this morning when I left for an all-day meeting on the other side of town. I asked him to take a look at my report and notes to check for errors. He was the last to have his hands on the antivirus�
�the last that logged into my computer. When I came back late this afternoon, he was already gone.”

  Jack’s stomach lurched at the thought that Ben could be behind the missing antivirus. This will break Ian’s heart.

  “Why would he do this?” she asked. “Who is he really working for?”

  She might have meant the questions to be rhetorical, but Jack had a pretty good idea of the answers. “He’s working for Croft.”

  Dr. Montoya blew her nose again. It was red and her eyes puffy from crying. “Croft? The same man that Dr. Randall said wanted to take that strange young man away from the virus outbreak unit in Ajo?”

  “One and the same. I’m not sure I fully understand how the two things are related. But what I’ve learned so far in this mess is that any time something smells rotten, Croft’s got his mitts all over it.” Jack stood to leave. He’d come down to discuss weapons, but Dr. Montoya already had her hands full. “If it’s any consolation, we’re going Croft hunting tomorrow. With any luck, we’ll find the missing antivirus, too.”

  “You said ‘we.’ You mean you and Anna?” Her voice was shrill with worry.

  Jack nodded. “And Alecto.”

  “Well that’s something, but you can’t mean to go up against this man, just the three of you. I mean, down in Ajo, there were dozens of those Makers men roaming around.”

  “Yep, that sounds like them.”

  When she said it, the whole thing sounded like a suicide mission, but then, she hadn’t seen Alecto in action. Jack figured Alecto was worth at least a dozen men, maybe more.

  Dr. Montoya rose from her desk. “I’m useless here tonight, and I’m guessing you need help.”

  “Well, since you asked. Have any idea where we get firearms and ammo for our three-person militia?”

  Dr. Montoya put her arm through Jack’s and walked with him to the elevators. “What made you think I would know anything about guns?”