The Last Messenger - Chapter 1-2 ISBN:978-1477434185 https://www.createspace.com/3870469
Chapter One
“Hey, Frank,” Bill slowly came out with, carefully setting down his coffee cup as he leaned forward to peer intently out the main window. “Ain’t that Hans Gunter coming this way,” seeing the older man making his way towards the Sheriff’s office.
“Can’t be, no way he’d come back,” Frank replied, not bothering to give the street a glance as he folded a page of his newspaper over to read the sports section.
“He swore he’d never come back into town again, not after that moron sideswiped his carriage about four years back.
“He lost half his family to a drunk with a Buick, all he has left is that granddaughter of his.”
“The one who hears voices now,” he added, lowering the paper enough to give Bill a knowing look. “I think that poor kid’s touched, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, that’s Hans and he’s headed this way, looks kind of agitated over something,” Bill let out, still watching. “I don’t see the girl, maybe she got left behind.”
“Naw… he wouldn’t do that,” Frank slowly gave out, setting his paper down on the desk to turn and give the window a thoughtful look.
“She’s his pride and joy, only death would separate those two as I understand it.”
“Herr Gunter,” Bill let out, standing up to greet the Amish farmer at the doorway as it opened with a rush that rustled the pages on the wall calendar beside the door. “Come in, have a rest in the air conditioning.”
“My Sascha,” Hans gushed out with a restrained sob, reaching out with a trembling hand to grab Bill’s arm, “My Sascha is gone,” he moaned, his voice straining with emotion as the pent up tears finally began to run down his worn face.
“We checked the place from top to bottom,” Frank replied, listening intently to what was being asked on the phone, “That girl isn’t out there.”
“Yeah, long blond hair, blue eyes. Age is fourteen, nearly fifteen,” he replied. “No, no history of domestic troubles at home, this one isn’t like those runaway’s we see here in town.”
“Yeah. Like I told you, wearing a homespun gray dress and a white head cover, one of our Amish kids. He says she speaks German most of the time, English if you remind her.”
“No, no photo,” he added, giving Bill a quick questioning glance.
“The school will have one, it’s required now,” Bill said. “I’ll make a run over there and get a copy for the wires.”
“The home farm is her last known location,” sitting down at his desk, picking up the typed up report to read. “Her grandfather spoke with her just before lunch, he had called her in to eat.
“He says she was standing outside facing the west, her head cocked to one side, listening to her voices. The last thing she said was ‘They’re here, Opa. It’s time’.”
“When he went back out to call for her a few minutes later, she was gone.”
“Yeah, voices,” he repeated in response to the question he was asked. “She’s always heard these voices, at least for the last few years or so.”
“No, she was checked in town when the Elders determined it was something that modern medicine might help her with, but everything’s fine according to all the tests. Smart as a whip, a really sweet kid…she just…well, says she hears these voices.”
“Oh, her flute is missing, too. We’re thinking she took it with her,” he added, lifting up the second page of the report.
“It’s just a plain wooden flute, looks sort of like a hollow pipe, I guess.”
“So, Brandon. Things have changed, and not for the better,” Sam remarked, tossing the report down on his desk as he leaned back in his chair to look over at his old friend, Brandon Reichart.
“According to that, it’s just sped up. You and the gang seem to have finally found something truly odd out there in the dark realms of space.”
“Well, that’s the latest from the boys out at JPL, and all the other reports agree.” Brandon replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he gave the President’s Science advisor a glance.
“This wasn’t expected, Sam. My thoughts were that it would pass well outside of Mar’s orbit.
“The data we collected had supported that. NASA’s Near Earth program has been studying it as well. It’s now been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object, a PHO in the world of us astronomers.
“However, as you know, that is a bit of a misnomer as this thing doesn’t seem to have an orbit that it’s following. It has an absolute magnitude of 25.0 in brightness, so with that, we assumed it to be of the required size for that classification back when it was first detected.
“Now, we might have to come up with something else. Maybe ‘Ricochet Rock, Number One’,” trying to lighten the situation with a touch of humor. “We’re thinking it’s just over a mile or so in overall length.
“I rushed over with that, as soon as I realized everything had changed,” he added, seeing that Sam wasn’t smiling.
“I was planning on going before the man next week, and just telling him this object was just another close call,” Sam sighed, giving him a look, “but now we’re looking at this shift… which concerns me, Brandon.
“I suppose something we haven’t picked up could be a possibility with this change of direction. An extremely rare nudge, or perhaps some gravitational perturbation at work, but they don’t speed up as well,” keeping his eyes on him. “This has all the earmarks of a sudden course correction, one that brings it towards the Earth.
“He’s not going to be a happy camper when I tell him. Care to comment?”
“There seems to be an intelligence behind it, on that I think we can agree,” the older man let out, waving the air with one hand. “The implication is that this… this object, or its occupants…if you will, now has us in mind as its destination.
“I’m basing this not only upon the fact it’s made this recent shift to it’s course, but the current trajectory and speed allows it to make its approach during the meteor shower that we are about to encounter.
“Another piece of the puzzle to consider is that it’s not tumbling end over end like the others that have come our way over the years, this one’s stable as a rock,” pursing his lips at his own fears.
“You’re thinking it’s going to use the shower as a cover, to disguise its approach,” Sam asked glancing over to the calendar on the wall, “in August.”
“Mid August, probably around the time when the shower peaks. It’ll just look like one of hundreds of other streaks across the night sky, Sam.
“That’s the best we can come up with,” giving out a slight shrug of his shoulders. “I just got told on the way in that we’ve now lost sight of it,” keeping his eyes on him.
“It’s gone dark. Dark and fuzzy is a better way to say it I suppose, as we can’t pick it up with anything we’re got for the moment. We have to wait until it gets closer now. The Torino Scale has shifted, it’s now rated at 8.”
“Where’s it going to hit?” Sam asked, letting out a long sigh as he exchanged looks with his old friend.
“Really too soon to say, and now that it’s hiding itself, difficult to say precisely,” he slowly added, considering what his team had come up with. “We still have some data to go over.”
“Somewhere, is going to be a lot of territory to cover,” Sam said sitting up in his chair to place his elbows on his desk.
“You know I’ll be needing something better than that, he’ll be expecting more than a shrug of my shoulders.”
“Maybe it didn’t think we’d pick it up at the distance we have,” Brandon replied, showing a slight smile. “On its current projected trajectory, it now has to pass between us and the moon before it arrives, it can’t avoid it.
“Once that happens, I’ll be able to tell you which state and nearest town, since we’ll be able to pick it up visually without any problem. You’ll have to be ready to move on that, it won’t give you much time to prepare.”
“A fortunate oversight?” Sam asked, standing up to gather all the papers on his desk together.
“Maybe it’s in a hurry,” Brandon quipped, standing up and giving him a look, “It’s now on the most direct route to intercept us. I’m guessing we’ll be finding out soon enough.”
“Alright, Brandon,” reaching out to shake his hand in parting, “Let me brief the anxious folks uptown. Keep me informed.”
“I guess this is the one we’ve been waiting for, Sam,” pausing at the doorway to give a look back, “I hope we’re ready for it. It’s now in a tail chase with the Earth, at 25 miles per second faster than us.”
“There’s going to be one hell of a bang if that beast comes in at that speed. Better pray it breaks up as it enters the atmosphere.”
“Yes?” Sam asked, seeing the expression on Brandon’s face.
“You’ve been out to Meteor Crater, in Arizona,” showing a frown. “That one is believed to be from an impact at around 12 miles per second. I checked that today so I could give you a comparison.”
“It left a crater with a depth of nearly 600 feet. It’s nearly a mile across, Sam, and that’s after some 50,000 years of erosion.”
“We’re going to lose some folks if it gets close to any sizable population center, a lot of them. It won’t be an extinction level event, but if it doesn’t break up, or do something extraordinary, we looking at the possibility of a disaster on an immense scale.”
“Where did you say it originated from?” President Williams asked, studying the bright image on the display before them.
“From the area of the Pleiades Open Star Cluster, or M45 to astronomers,” Sam replied, switching the image to show the cluster. “The name comes to us from the Greeks, who called it the ‘Seven Sisters’.”
“Mention of them is found throughout history, and across the world’s civilizations for that matter,” Will, the man standing next to him, added.
“The Aztecs called the cluster Tianquiztli, which translates to something like ‘gathering place’. The Inca would come to call it the ‘seed sower’.
“Even the indigenous tribes of North America, such as the Pawnee, to name but one, have legends concerning it. Some claim they came from the stars themselves.”
“Well, that might be something we should keep in mind,” the President finally said, walking around to his seat behind the massive desk that seemed to fill the room.
“The ancients knew more about it than we do, which leads me to speculate they had a good reason for their interest, and in the names they chose,” looking over to Sam as he sat down. “Perhaps we should ask some of their descendents a bit more concerning these legends. It might be important later.
“Sam, the other side of this coin bothers me,” he added, looking over at him. “That’s the unknown aspect of all of this.”
“Sir?” Sam replied, raising an eyebrow at the remark.
“Well, gentlemen,” the President let out, leaning back in his chair to give the others in the room a look, “I understood the discussion concerning what effect gravity will play in all of this, and the probabilities on what we can expect to happen as this thing gets closer to us.
“With luck, it will begin to break up and we’ll have the most spectacular night show in recent memory.
“Mr. Willis, there’s a notation on these, TS8.” lifting one of the photos back up for a moment before dropping it back on the desk.
“Oh, that the Torino Scale rating, Sir,” Will replied. “The probability of impact. That’s the easy way of expressing it to the media. It runs from 0 to 10.”
“An 8,” the President repeated, glancing back down at the number for a moment, “You believe that number, Sam,” giving the advisor his attention.
“No, Sir.” looking slightly uneasy. “I’d rate it at a 10. I don’t believe it’s going to miss us.”
“I see,” tapping the desk with his fingers as he considered what had been said, “That’s what I’m getting at.
“What’s the scenario if we’re all wrong on part of this? I find it difficult to believe it went to warp speed just to buzz the Earth, gentlemen.
“What’s the plan if it wants to land?”
“That’s Homeland Security’s problem from that point, Sir,” Director Benson let out, standing up from his seat to walk up to the desk seeing that Sam was bringing his cell phone out to take a call, “I’ll have an assessment team ready to go, along with alerting the Governors of the areas affected for National Guard troops.
“We’ll have to be on the lookout for any biological contamination, poisonous fumes from possible off gassing, things of that nature.
“The bigger problem will be will the projected impact site. At this point, we don’t know if we’re looking at the middle of some lake, or the middle of Main Street, USA.
“The size of this thing when it hits is going to make a difference as I understand it. One small town can be handled, but a major city is going to be a national catastrophe. It’s like heaving a nuclear bomb at us. That’s the effect it’ll have at that speed, if it hits us directly.
“We could be looking at total darkness for several days from the dust and smoke that would follow any impact of that magnitude. There is also the possibility that it won’t come down near us, but hit out in the ocean.”
“Kansas,” Sam quickly said, putting phone back in a pocket, “That’s the latest from JPL, it’s us that has to deal with it.”
“That’s interesting,” Will slowly let out, turning to look over at Sam, before giving the President his attention. “Sorry Sir, I just realized that the largest meteorite ever recovered was located in Kansas… just over 1,400 pounds, if I recall correctly.”
“A test run?” the President asked, sitting back in his chair, “Someone checking the distance and the angle?”
“I hardly think so, Mr. President,” Sam let out, shaking his head at the notion. “That all happened in the distant past, that one came down some 10,000 years ago.”
“Not so far back that the native Indians couldn’t have seen it,” Will mused aloud, giving the President a glance. “It might explain why some tribes have legends concerning the source. Maybe they knew where it came from.”
“Now, don’t go labeling me crazy,” Will added quickly, holding up a hand seeing the expressions on some of the faces.
“Mere conjecture I admit, but we now have a proven impact site, and we have records and physical evidence to show something like this has happened before.
“Maybe it keeps a regular schedule with the Earth. Maybe we’re due.”
“We’re due in a few weeks, Sir,” Sam added, turning to the President. “As you’ve said, we should consider how to deal with the possibility it’s intentional, and that it has a pilot of some kind.
“We may not be looking at an impact as has been suggested, and we really don’t have the time to deal with the results if it’s just a falling rock.”
“Sounds like we’re going to need the Marines, too,” Will let out in the silence that formed around them as everyone considered the implications.
“Let’s hope they’re not in a grumpy mood when they get here. It’s been a long flight.”
“Maybe it’s not the Earth itself it has in mind,” Sam slowly let out quietly as the thought occurred to him, turning to meet the President’s eyes, with his own concern showing.
“Maybe it’s something on the Earth, and it’s coming for a visit.”
“Hey, Stormy. What’s this I hear about you missing the party next month?” Jenny let out, coming up beside her to nudge her friend with a shoulder as she stood cramming her uniform into her backpack.
“Hey Jen, and it’s still Ashani. I’m growing weary of all these nicknames. If Walter calls me Lightning Bug one more time I’m going to split his lip,” Ashani sighed, giving her a look.
“Yeah,” giving the locker door a hard slap with the palm of her hand to make sure it was closed as she looked over to her, pulling back on the heavy veil of black hair that had fallen around threatening to hide her face as she stood back up,
“I have to go somewhere with my dad that weekend. It’s been planned for awhile, we’ve been saving up for the gas.”
“Hey, just diss out on him, girl,” Jenny replied, giving her a frown. “Tell him you’re sick or something.”
“It’s your freaking birthday next month. He can’t just take you away from a good party. Besides, Brian is getting us some beer.”
“Skip an outing with my dad? I tried doing that once when we were twelve. Remember? It bothered me for a week. I had to tell him to his face,” she replied, walking beside her as they headed outside the Center to wait on Jenny’s mother to pick them up.
“It’s important, so I’m definitely going. We’re going looking for some Pallasites over in Kansas, space rocks for the store. We’re camping out, too.
“He wants to make me something special for my birthday from that meteorite he found last spring out on Jose’s farm.
“He’s going to need me to help him get it out of that hole it’s in,” she added. ”His back can’t handle the real heavy stuff anymore, ever since he fell last winter.
“Anyway, you know us Indians can’t handle the firewater. I’d just go crazy on you, maybe scalp Brian with that pocket knife he’s been flashing around ever since he found it.”
“Quit your dreaming girl, you’re not one of those,” Jenny said, reaching out to tug on the dark hair that ran down her friend’s back while showing her a smile.
“I think we’re safe, since you’re the kind of Indian that comes from India, unless of course you go totally native on us and get naked again.
“The guys might be the ones going wild if that happens, I think they’re waiting for a certain magazine to show up for a photo shoot with you perched up on that big rock in the river out behind your place.”
“Go back and tell all the lusting boys that fantasy isn’t going to happen, and I wasn’t naked,” Ashani replied, raising an eyebrow. “That Shelia is half blind even with her glasses on and it was raining as I recall it.”
“Yeah, and maybe you were having a wet tee shirt contest out there in the river by your storm loving, lonesome self,” Jenny gave out with a laugh. “I think she saw what she saw, everybody else does, too.”
“Believe what you want,” rolling her eyes before picking up her bag, “Her story certainly sounds like more fun than having a party with the guys to me, beer or no beer.”
“That was back in April, during Basant Panchami, something us Hindu’s celebrate. It’s a festival for Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music and art,” she added, seeing Jenny’s expression.
“Since I can’t use the Ganges to wash myself, the river out back works just fine. You should try it with me next time.”
“Girl, you’ve never even been to India. You told me you were born here,” Jenny said giving her a smile. “Wasn’t it your mom that was the Hindu?”
“She passed it down to me, along with everything else the boys are waiting to see,” showing her a slight smile.
“I don’t need to participate in some ancient Indian religious ritual, thank you very much,” Jenny remarked, giving out a slight shudder at the notion.
“People would stare at me as I walked down the street if they knew, everybody at school would whisper among themselves. Anyway, I’d probably drown in the river. I don’t swim all that well.”
“Hey, come camping with us, it’ll be fun. It’ll just be us, we can sit around the fire afterwards, listening to the stories of the star people my dad likes to tell. It’s better than a movie, the truth is always better than fiction. There’s going to be a great meteorite shower to watch, too.”
“Sitting beside your father while holding a marshmallow over the fire on a stick, listening to ancient legends about the sky people,” Jenny finally let out, shaking her head.
“I’d die from the embarrassment of it all if we found a river to swim in, and I was only wearing a tee shirt,” looking up as her mother pulled to the curb and gave out a beep from the horn.
“Stormy, you’re a sight to see with your hair undone like that,” Janet gave out as the two climbed in to the back seat together. “I keep telling you to stop in the salon; I’ll give it a proper trim. My Saturday schedule has openings.”
“Come on, mom,” Jenny said, making a face at her mother. “Mention cutting her hair one more time and you’ll get the look along that raised eyebrow of hers.”
“Well, let’s change the topic then,” giving her daughter a smile before looking back over to Ashani. “How this one doing in the intermediate class this week?”
“Someone needs to work on her outer circle throw.” Ashani replied giving Jenny a look. “She’s still wobbly on that one. Balance issues.”
“Oh, they put you in charge of us lower beings in the Judo class and it goes straight to your head.” Jenny let out, reaching out to give her a gentle smack on a shoulder.
“Well, you can join me in the taekwondo class next week, then,” nudging her back with her shoulder. “Master Chee is in charge of that.”
“You’re the only other black belt he has in his classes,” Jenny replied, shaking her head at the idea. “Sooner or later, you’d be the one standing in front of me, teaching me the errors of my ways.”
“Well then, how about practicing our vil ambu later,” shaking her head at the amused glance from Jenny’s mother as she headed them towards home. “You’re excelling at that.”
“Just call it archery why don’t you,” Jenny let out, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms as she gave her a glance. “Everything is always so historical with you.”
“India hosts one of the oldest civilizations,” giving her friend a raised eyebrow. “It surpassed even ancient Egypt with its urban planning. They even had a proper sewage system way back then, not bad for a bunch of natives. People have been known to have lived there for over 100,000 years.”
“They even had battles with UFO’s,” showing a smile. “It’s all written down in the Vedic texts.”
“Invaders from space, I don’t think so,” Jenny replied, rolling her eyes at the notion, “Somebody’s been watching too much television,” giving her friend a pointed look.
“I don’t own one, as you know,” Ashani said, raising her eyebrow again as she returned the look.
“I like to read my history.”
“That my girl?” Dan called out, hearing the screen door slam as Ashani came in. “You’re early.”
“Hey, dad,” setting her bag down on the floor next to the hallway. “I got a ride with Jenny’s mom again, didn’t have to take the bus and hoof it in from the main road this time.
“I think she likes coming out this way for some reason. She couldn’t stay this time though, says hi.”
“Maybe looking for coupons for the items we offer,” Dan gave out, coming out from the workroom to give her a hug. “Welcome home.”
“Maybe looking for a free ring,” Ashani said quietly, showing a smile at her stepfather’s facial reaction. “You make the best jewelry around, and you’re single, kind of cute, too. In this sort of older, manly, Indian guy kind of way.”
“I have a helpful elf,” he gave out with a laugh, ignoring her comment. “My silversmith is earning her keep, I’ve gotten some remarks on the website over your latest styles. Maybe they’ll buy something.”
“We sell that rock yet?” she asked, standing back to give him a hopeful look.
“Sorry, kiddo. No new bike for your birthday, that old one of yours is going to have to last a little longer,” he replied, shaking his head.
“Maybe I need to drop the price on that Farm Fielding stone. What do you think?”
“Don’t look at me for advice on marketing, I did my part when I found that thing,” picking her bag back up. “The higher the selling price, the bigger the bike. That’s about all I know.”
“Seriously dad, that’s a 55 pound nickel-iron find. With that Widmanstatten pattern, and being a whole specimen, the price is reasonable. A lot better than most of the others I’ve seen, so I say let it ride at $21,500.”
“How about setting it on a nice wooden platform for another photo, maybe use some purple heart to set it off.”
“Wait,” holding up a hand as an idea hit her. “Let’s put the smaller one up online with it, we’ll add $2,500 to that one. That’ll make it look like a bargain.”
“Ah, the master speaks,” Dan replied giving her another smile. “I hear and obey.”
“Well, get back to work in there. How do you expect me to go grocery shopping,” she gave out, heading down the hallway. “I’ve got washing to do later, and I’ll see what we have on hand for supper tonight.
“I don’t feel like roasting those rabbits yet, the ones you took out from the garden last week. Maybe we should save them for my birthday, we can grill them outside.”
“What?” she asked, seeing the expression on his face as she turned back to look at him, “What else is going on here today?”
“We sold the three meteorite necklace set this morning,” smiling at her, “Somebody wanted the Tri set for their children, so they’ll need to get boxed up and sent out. I was just in there getting the other set ready for photos.”
“Oh, you,” coming back to give him another hug, “That’s two more months of food.
“Hold on, I’ll get right on it, and let’s keep their photos on the webpage. I’ll add ‘Sold’ to them so folks can see the kind of stuff we offer.”
“Tube steak and beans, good for what ails ya. Puts hair on your chest,” Ashani let out as she set her dad’s meal down before him as she joined him at the table with her own plate.
“We still headed off to recover that one we left out at Jose’s?”
“Them kids want you to go somewhere?” he asked, giving her a glance. “Somebody’s been calling for you at the shop.”
“Oh, must be that Walter,” putting her own hotdog on a piece of bread. “Over the summer he’s suddenly discovered I’m a girl, according to Jenny anyway,” showing a brief grin, “He wants to take me out to a movie or something like that. I’ve been avoiding it, he’s just a M & M.”
“Jenny might come with us to help lug that rock of yours,” trying to change the subject.
“He’s candy?” Dan asked, letting a little smile show as he gave her a look.
“A Mindless Moron, dad. Keep up with the current jargon,” shaking her head. “That one been in use for a year now.”
“I remember that Walter fellow, now,” Dan mused, giving her a thoughtful look as he sat back in his seat.
“He’s the one interested in geology, and wants to join the Air Force. He comes into the shop from time to time.”
“Foolish me, I thought he was interested in the geodes in the bottom of the front display case, but now I guess he was looking at something else the whole time,” giving out a slight laugh at his daughter’s expression.
“I guess it was geometry all this time... curves, convex surfaces… things like that.”
“Dad, we both know what he likes to look at and it doesn’t amuse me,” trying hard to keep a smile off her face. “A proper father figure would raise that counter up so I don’t have to bend over so far to point something out in the display cases.”
“No deal, I’d lose sales,” he replied, before taking another bite, “We’d both starve and die. Marketing is everything these days. I heard a resident expert telling me just that very thing the other day as I recall.
“Modeling and product display have been around since before our time. It’s a proven technique.”
“Go take another look at the most recent cover of that motorcycle magazine you have coming here every month,” he added.
“Do you really think those girls in some almost nothing swim suit actually ride the featured bike of the month they’re sitting on?
“Hey, that’s the way it goes, missy,” laughing at the look she gave him. “How’s it feel to be eye candy at such a young and tender age?”
“Dad, I’m burning my bra before we open up again,” she replied, a wide smile coming to her face. “Just to see if the Cherokee in you still knows how to do a war dance to keep the crowds at bay.”
“Hell, I’d be standing in line just like all the rest,” he let out, pushing his empty plate away from him. “If I hadn’t adopted you when I married your mother, I’d swear you were my own.”
“Come on, dad. You dated her for almost an entire year before you guy’s got married, plenty of time for the natural processes to take place. Maybe I just look like mom’s side of the family.”
“Yeah,” he said, sitting back in his chair, “That must be it, my own true flesh and blood,” showing a bemused expression as he looked at her.
“We’ll just disregard the fact you were four years old in the wedding photos, and that your mom was still carrying you when she arrived on the shores of this great nation of ours.”
“Ah, dad. You’re always coming out with the spoiler,” making a face at him. “You wouldn’t stand in line, either. You’d hire some security guy to watch the folks in line while you stood by the register ringing up the sales.”
“There’s a storm headed this way, you going to toss yourself naked into the river, and sit out there on that rock again?” he asked, giving her a look while standing to collect the plates for washing.
“Might, might just wait until morning so I can feel the warm kiss of the sun on my bare skin,” Ashani replied. “You’re the one who taught me to follow my bliss.”
“As long as your bliss doesn’t get the sheriff coming around for a look see on the finer aspects of natural beauty,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “Those boys down at the jail are always interested in seeing a total tan.”
“Dad, old Smitty wouldn’t know what to do with a naked girl in his jail cell,” taking the plates from him. “I think I’m safe. The old boy would faint dead away.”
“Be that as it may,” he added, giving her his usual look. “Let’s not invite trouble.”
“Sure, dad. Whatever you say,” she let out, putting a hand on one hip as she returned the look. “I’ll make sure it’s just us Indians around the tepee.
“I might just sit outside, look at the stars for awhile before the clouds roll in,” she added. “I had a weird dream last night, something to do with the stars.”
“Falling stars,” Dan said, correcting her, “You woke me up. You were yelling something about battling a falling star.”
“The Governor didn’t look too happy, I think you gave her a headache,” Will sighed, dropping his briefcase down on the motel room’s only table.
“Dang, I thought these suites had more space in here,” he muttered, sliding the case over further as Sam set his laptop computer down beside it as he looked around the cramped room.
“This is what happens when you let somebody else get the rooms for us, keep that in mind next time,” Sam replied, bending down to look around for an electrical outlet for the plug to his power supply. “Where do you think they hid it this time?”
“Use the gizmo,” Will said, “It’s easier to take out one of the bulbs from the lamp there and screw in that adapter you have.”
“This ‘free’ service is slower than my sisters departure from her all too frequent visits,” Will let out, eyeing the display as Sam made the connection over the Internet and brought up the data.
“Impressive,” he finally let out, giving Sam a glance before looking back at the object centered on the screen. “That’s what they called you about? They say what’s causing that reflection.”
“Brandon is now saying it could be organic crystals, some kind we’ve never seen before,” Sam said quietly, unwilling to shift his view to look over at him.
“The first thing that was mentioned when they picked it back up was ice, but they’ve ruled that out from the wavelengths they’re able to pick up since it’s gotten closer. There’s no water there.”
“Speculation is that it’s encased in a protective crystal, the main core here I mean,” he added, tapping the screen with a finger.
“All these other slivers around it are just more of the same material. They’ve been separating for the last two days, ever since we began to see it again.
“The guess is that there was a lattice like shape around it. That’s why it was so bright, the actual size of the main core is smaller than we originally thought.”
“Looks to me like it’s dumping some of its weight by reducing its size like that,” Will surmised, watching as the reflections shifted and gleamed as light from the sunlight struck it.
“Excess baggage maybe,” Sam mused, leaning back against the sofa. “We’re counting at least a hundred smaller sections that have come off from around the core so far.”
“You know,” Will let out, keeping his gaze on the display, “If I wanted to hide myself, this is not a bad way to go,” nodding towards the image.
“It’s still too large,” Sam argued. “That baby is going to stand out at the party. Everyone is going to see it when it comes in.”
“Not if it looks like all those others hanging around it by the time it gets here,” Will replied, leaning back against the sofa next to Sam.
“I’m thinking, if those things are encased in some kind of crystal, they’re are going to flare when they begin to heat up, and shine brighter on the way down than anything we’ve ever seen.
“$20 says we won’t be able to tell one from the other.”
“So you’re saying they won’t just burn up in the upper atmosphere like the usual ones we see this time of year,” Sam said, turning his head to give Will a look as he reached over to the paper bag he had set down on the floor next to the table, bringing out a cold beer to hand over to him.
“Sam,” Will replied after taking a deep swallow, “They’re not meteors,” showing a wide smile after letting out a burp. “Afraid I’m right?”
“Bet someone else,” Sam muttered, fumbling around in his pocket before bringing out his cell phone.
“Back when I flew fighter jets, we carried flares… decoys, something to divert an enemy’s attention from the plane.
“If we’re right this isn’t going to be just some light show in the sky.”
“That’s a lot of trouble to go through. Must be carrying something important,” Will replied, sitting up and watching in awe as the nearest sliver of crystal began to change its form.
Unable to say a word as he reached over and poked Sam to get his attention, they watched as other small molten silver looking capsules beginning to form around the central core like scattered marbles.
“They had sort of looked like some kind of seeds to me, like when you shake a pinecone and they scatter out,” Will quietly gave out before taking another sip from his can, “Only they’re not little round peas, they’re stretched out.”
“We sure about that crystal part?”
“Serotiny. What’s that?” the President asked, still examining the latest picture of the approaching object.
“There are certain plants that begin their reproduction process only when exposed to the heat and flames from fire, Sir,” Will explained. “We know from forest fires that fire and heat somehow stimulates the germination process.”
“When the seed are all released at once, it’s often referred to as facultatively serotinous. We’re thinking this is why the Inca’s called the source the seed sower. It now looks like it’s surrounded by seedpods. We may be looking at how live arrived here on Earth.”
“This is getting to stretch my understanding of science, and beginning to affect my sleep,” President Williams replied, setting the photos down on his desk to listen.
“Every time I turn around, there’s some new and unexpected process occurring here.
“It’s almost as if it’s not a single entity, but several bound together in some fashion.”
“It’s all pretty much speculation,” Sam acknowledged, giving a slight shrug, “We’ve confirmed there’s some type of crystal involved, and it has the ability to change its form when exposed to light. The same thing can been seen here on earth, it’s just rare and unexpected.”
“We’re already studying organic crystals that can bend ninety degrees and then change back just by changing the type of light waves that it’s exposed to,” Will added.
“So, the fact that they have changed isn’t as interesting as the fact that they’ve shifted into a round object.”
“Heat dissipation, aerodynamics, Sir,” Will said, seeing his expression. “It seems to be readying itself for entry into our atmosphere.”
“Shame we don’t have a profile shot of this thing,” the President muttered, picking the photo back up, “It’d would be interesting to see if they only appear this way from our perspective,” turning to give Sam a glance. “Maybe they’re actually tear drop shaped.”
“The core is slowing down, again,” Sam let out to the room, replacing his phone in his jacket pocket, “Most of the smaller sections have too, so we’re thinking a swing by maneuver, or possibly to enter an orbit.
“We have two them still headed right at us.”
Chapter Two
“This is embarrassing,” Jenny muttered, looked behind them at the bluish white puffs of exhaust coming out as the old truck rumbled its way down the highway.
“Smoke signals. A road trip with the local injuns is always an adventure. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you that?” Ashani asked, showing a smile at Jenny’s discomfort.
“I brought one of dad’s blankets along, you can wrap it around you when we stop for gas. Stick this feather in your hair, you’ll blend right in.”
“Oh great, now I’m an Indian, too,” she let out, trying to suppress her smile before letting out a laugh.
“Yeah, it’s an adventure alright,” poking the offered feather through her hair as Dan turned off to stop at a gas station.
“What the headlines for today?” Ashani asked, seeing Jenny’s interest in the front of the box sitting outside the shop as they waited for Dan to get them something to snack on.
“Meteorite shower is expected to peak the day after tomorrow, spectacular night show expected,” Jenny replied, still reading the portion of the front page that she could see.
“Military exercises expected to dominate the region, bringing in unexpected revenues. Missing girl thought to have been sighted, see page 2… Usual stuff,” she finally let out, looking back over to Ashani.
“Oh, sunshine and clear tonight. I guess we’ll be able to see the shooting stars.
“That’s funny,” she added, walking over to the truck. “Here we are, out to dig one up and all the while more are pouring down upon us from the sky like rain drops.
“Does your dad have meteorite insurance, we might get hit you know.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Dan said, giving the pair a thoughtful look as he stopped behind them, “Meteor Insurance. We can print up some nice certificates; sell it as a gag item in the store.”
“You’re beginning to earn your keep this trip,” he added, handing the bags he had been holding over to Jenny.
“All aboard, next stop is the badlands of Kansas, where the sky is expected to fall on us.”
“Chief Jim say something to you?” Ashani asked, noting the frail elderly man standing in the doorway, his eyes on the truck as they began to pull out onto the highway.
“Just a quick Indian pow wow,” Dan remarked, giving her a smile. “The main road up ahead is blocked off by the National Guard, part of what they’re doing I guess, so we’ll have to take the old dirt trail around them.”
“He says tribes are feeling uncomfortable,” giving Ashani a glance. “They say something is coming our way. It must have something to do with the sky, he looked worried and kept glancing up.”
“Did he give it a name, dad?” Ashani asked, turning to give him a look.
“Yeah, he called it Kokumthena, an old Shawnee word.
“Kokumthena,” Ashani repeated thoughtfully, “She was known as a transformer,” seeing Jenny’s questioning look. “She was this super natural being who shaped the world and helped the people. I don’t know much about her other than that, she’s part of the Shawnee legends.”
“Did he say anything else?” looking back at Dan, seeking more information.
“Yeah,” he slowly let out, breaking his attention on the road to give her another glance. “He mentioned the Nunnehi.”
“Ah, something in Cherokee, something you’d understand a little better.”
“Supernatural spirits from the Cherokee legends,” explaining again to Jenny. “They are very strong and generally friendly, especially to the Cherokee people. It is said they will intercede in any battle that involves them.”
“What do they look like?” Jenny asked, “Monsters?”
“Actually, they look like regular people, but a bit more regal in appearance,” Dan replied, watching the road signs for their turn off point. “They’re warriors.”
“Well, this is it,” Dan finally called out as he carefully maneuvered the ancient truck across the edge of the field, to end up next to large oaks that bordered the open areas.
“This is nice,” Jenny said, looking around them as they all got out, “We can set up camp on the other side of those trees there,” pointing to the other side of the field. “We’ll have shade all day.”
“The rock is about a hundred feet out into the field,” Dan said, nodding at her choice. “It’s all solid ground, so we won’t get bogged down this time if we need to use the truck. I guess Jose is letting it sit idle this year.”
“Why do we need to use the truck for hunting space rocks?” Jenny asked, standing with arms out as Ashani set the tent and bag of stakes on them. “I thought you said we get to use metal detectors.”
“We do,” Ashani answered, “That rock is sitting about 3 or 4 feet down, and I don’t know about you girl, but it’s a struggle for me to pull more than 200 pounds out from a hole like that. We’ll use the truck to drag it out. We have an old cargo net and some ropes to use.”
“Whoa, I thought you said this thing was expected to be about the size of big beach ball. How comes it weighs so much?”
“Because it’s mostly solid metal, silly girl. Iron probably, but a lot of them contain nickel, too. The prettiest ones are filled with beautiful translucent crystals of olivine,” dropping the sleeping bags down on the tarp beside Jenny, “They’re semi-precious gemstones,” showing her a smile. “Worth big bucks.”
“We’re set up, dad,” Ashani called out, bringing his study of the sky to an end, “Tent’s up, and everything’s put in place.
“Here’s your measure,” tossing a coil of rope over to him.
“It should be about here,” Dan announced, finally dropping the rope he had been using to find the proper distance from one of the trees.
“Walk over the area until you hear a beep on your headset,” Ashani explained, teaching Jenny how to use the metal detector.
“We measured it out last year just in case, so we’re close. We couldn’t dig it up before we had to go, the rains out this way can really come down at times. They turned the field into a quagmire on us.”
“Oh, this is wild,” Jenny let out, giving a whoop before she planting the wooden stake she had been carrying.
“Here it is!”
“Fine work,” Ashani let out, dropping several shovels down beside the marker. “Now we get dirty. I’ll get the hole started if you want to walk that thing around some more, we didn’t get a chance to explore the entire area. You might get lucky and find us another one,” giving Jenny a look as she put her gloves on. “Take that small shovel with you to use if you pick something up,” pointing it out.
“We need some pallasites; they’re the ones with the gems.”
“Oh, like I need the exercise,” Ashani let out with a tired groan, slowly taking a seat at the folding table Dan had set up while she was digging, gratefully accepting the bottle of water he offered to her.
“I just hit something, time to shift our crew. Where’s our other worker bee?”
“Vanished around that mound, where the field turns towards the rocks,” Dan replied, sitting down beside her. “I saw her digging at something about an hour ago or so, now she’s gone missing.”
“I want to get my dirt bike down from the back of the truck before we stop to eat tonight, Dad,” she said, turning to look to where Jenny had gone. “If we spot a fall during this shower, I’ll be able to run it down.”
“There she is,” she suddenly said, spotting Jenny as she came back into view, waving her hand in the air to get their attention as she headed back towards them.
“Oh, man,” Jenny finally got out, trying to catch her breath from dragging something on the ground behind her as she dropped her dirty shovel.
“I had to use my jacket, couldn’t carry that and the metal detector at the same time, damn thing’s heavy, too,” she gasped, eagerly taking the bottle of water from Ashani. “Just wait to you see it, I think we’re all millionaires.”
“I found this first,” digging in a back pocket to bring out a fist sized rock. “It’s heavy, and I found it with the metal detector.”
“That’s a nice find,” Dan said, reaching out to take the piece. “Looks like nickel-iron. This will clean up real nice.”
“Is it worth anything?” Jenny asked, her eyes on the meteorite.
“Oh, this one’s an oriented meteorite, passionately sought after by collectors for their rarity,” giving her a grin as he gave the stone another look as he turned it over in his hands.
“I’d put about $350 on this one, maybe a bit more once we see how it looks cleaned up,” he replied, handing it back over to her. “Congratulations, you’re now a certified meteorite hunter.”
“Oriented means it didn’t tumble as it fell from space, it came in like the old Apollo space capsules. Maybe your next one will make us all millionaires,” Ashani said, giving her a pat on the back.
“What’s this thing you’ve drug out from the woods here,” glancing down at the jacket that still lay on the ground.
“You bag us something for supper?”
“Amber,” Jenny let out getting excited again, her eyes gleaming as she moved the jacket to partially uncover her other find to them. “I found it buried at the far corner there, in this kind of hollow spot near a stone outcropping.”
“Now that’s a sweet find as well,” Dan said, his eyes taking in the soft golden hue of the section she had revealed.
“I don’t recall ever hearing of a piece so large before, that might be worth quite a bit, just as it is. I don’t know how one finds that with a metal detector though,” stopping to give her a smile. “Amber is made from ancient resin.”
“I did good huh? Is it real old?” Jenny asked, a wide grin on her face.
“Well, let me think here for a moment,” eying the amber section, “The majority of Kansas amber is found within the Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks, if I recall my books correctly.
“That’s maybe, oh say 30 million years ago at the earliest, since that period of time goes way back to around 90 million years,” nodding as her eyes widen with surprise. “That’s old, even to me.”
“We’ll have my research assistant here check that for you when we get back,” giving Ashani a nod.
“Holy damn,” Jenny finally let out, slowly taking the seat Dan had been sitting in to rest herself, before looking back up at him with a pale face,
“I found it with the metal detector, there’s something in it, something made of metal,” reaching down to uncover the rest of the amber still hidden by her jacket.
“See?”
Hearing the unusual sound repeat itself, Frieda slowly made her way around to the side of the hen house, bending slightly lower with the aid of her walking stick, as if it helped her to locate the sound as she looked around at the shadows.
“Benny, is that you there,” spotting the white collie near the far corner fence as he gave out another soft whine. “What ya got there, boy,” moving closer to the dog.
“Another one of them raccoons?”
Standing still with surprise, she watched as the dog licked at the face of a young girl, her form pressed against the shed wall as if to escape notice.
“You lost, honey?” Frieda finally asked, making her way up to the huddled figure, the girl’s deep blue eyes widening, keeping her attention on Frieda as she sat, panting from the hurried run she had made to cross the roadway unseen. “You want some supper with me?”
“No need to be afeared,” Frieda said, motioning for the girl to come towards her. “It’s just me and those chickens around here these days.”
“You’re not more that skin and bones you are,” taking in the sight of her as Sascha slowly stood up, noting she had to use the fence’s support to keep from falling down.
“Don’t go worrying over that pup, he won’t bothering ya, since you’re not a squirrel or one of them raccoons that’s been around of late.”
“Bitte Oma,” Sascha slowly came out with, her voice hoarse and cracking. “Ist Dies Kansas?”
“You come on with me, young missy. We’ll get you looking proper,” moving over to put an arm around her so she could use her staff for support as she lead her towards the old farm house.
“Kansas, yep this be Kansas alright, if that’s what you be asking. The land of Oz, as I heard it once said.
“A hot meal and a bath will get you feeling better.”
“Nobody’s out there,” Frieda remarked, watching again as the girl turned her head, her ear near the window as if she had heard something outside. “Nearest neighbor is near two miles off.
“You’re safe here, honey. So just you eat up them taters, and you might as well have the last of this roast, that Benny boy can spare his extra tonight,” using the ladle to serve another helping on Sascha’s plate.
“Ein schutzgeist,” Sascha let out, a smile showing on her face as she turned back and reached down to run a hand down the long nose white haired of the collie who had maintain his position near her, his brown eyes still following every move she had made since coming inside the house.
“That’s Benny,” Frieda said, amused by the dog’s interest in the girl. “That’s one of them kind from Scotland, my poor son Joe’s dog. A rough collie he always called him, cause they got all that long hair, I suppose,” her eyes still on the dog.
“Saw one once on a TV show as a boy, took a hankering to them ever since. Went and got him two years back from some breeder down south he did, just before he passed on from the cancer.
“He wanted that white kind there,” nodding towards the dog. “Cost him from his savings to get him, having him flown here and it being so rare all. He knew he wouldn’t be going off to school like he wanted, I suppose. He really wanted that dog for some reason.
“That’s him there,” pointing at one of the many photos that covered the walls near the table. “He liked to travel, went to India,” pointing out another picture of a dark haired young man beside a robed priest, an ancient temple dominating the background.
“Went to Japan, and somewhere in Asia, I can’t recall the name,” sighing as she glanced around at all the photos, as the memories of those years came back to her.
“Searching for something, he said to me once,” Frieda said, looking back at Sascha. “I don’t know what… maybe he didn’t either,” giving the wall one last glance.
“We’ll have us some pie,” she suddenly came out with after wiping at one eye, her attention back to Sascha, “After you clean up that plate of course.”
“We’ll get you into a hot tub in the morning then,” taking back the damp washcloth she had given Sascha’s to wash herself off with, “You’re certainly too tired for that tonight,” seeing the flutter of her eyes lids as she struggled to stay awake. ”Probably slip under the water on me in there.”
“Near to starving you were,” Frieda muttered, giving Sascha’s scratched and swollen feet a glance as she unfolding one of the red sheets taken from the chest in the back room to cover the exhausted girl as she dropped her head on to the pillow, quickly falling into a deep slumber.
“There, it certainly looks better on you, child,” she came out with, tucking the end of the sheet up around the girl’s neck.
“Joe won’t be minding I let you use it.”
“Now, Mary,” Frieda repeated, using a hushed tone as she gave a glance back towards the sleeping girl on the couch. “I don’t know where she hails from, she was just there by the corner of the fence like I told you.”
“Did she give you a name, Ma?” Mary asked, cradling the phone so she could turn, reaching out to smack her five-year-old son for reaching into the cookie jar behind her.
“Yes, I got that bit, the rest was German if I’m not mistaken,” Frieda sighed. “Poor thing was near to death by the looks of her. I don’t know where she’s come from, but it’s been a long journey. Her clothes are near to tatters, and those shoes of hers are a loss.”
“Ma, is her name Sascha? Does she have blue eyes?” Mary asked excitedly, grabbing at the paper lying on the kitchen counter beside the phone. “There was something in the paper about a girl like that.”
“Here it is,” gushing out in excitement as she stood at the counter, the paper spread out so she could read the article again.
“Blue eyes and blond hair. Missing from her farm back in Ohio since last month,” slowly reading the item over the phone to her mother, “Thought to be kidnapped. Call local law enforcement if sighted.”
“Hey, Ma,” she suddenly let out, causing Frieda to hold the phone away from her ear for a moment, “There a reward! It mentions a reward in here for her safe return,” running a finger under the words as she read them again.
“We’re going to get some money out of this,” she muttered, reaching over to smack her son’s hand again as he reached into the cookie jar again, seeing her attention was on the paper.
“Listen, Ma,” she quickly said, thinking on her plans, “You keep that child right there close. I can’t come out that way until tomorrow. Jim has the truck all tied up with getting it fixed at the garage today. I’ll get everything taken care of for you.”
“Well,” Frieda sighed, “Don’t know why you’d want to rush all the way out here, dear. Nobody’s kidnapping anyone. She’s just all tuckered out and wanting some sleep.
“That Benny’s taken a good liking to her, laid right down in front of the couch like he was protecting her or something.”
“This dress of hers is ready for the fire,” Frieda sighed, setting her sewing basket down on the floor beside her rocker. “Not much we can do with it,” exchanging looks with Benny as he lay there watching her.
“I found them old sneakers in the bottom of the closet, they’ll do using them winter socks, until we can get her something better,” still talking to the dog as she placed her scissors down on top of the needles and threads.
“I reckon we’ll have to make a trip into town tomorrow to pick up a dress for her.”
“Is it the end of the world?” Joanna asked, seeing the expression on her husband’s face as she sat down beside him on the deck steps.
“We never tell civilians anything concerning the fate of the world, dear. Causes a mass panic,” Sam sighed, taking his attention away from the evening sky to give her a glance as he placed an arm around her.
“Part of the unspoken rules, we just mutter and say nonsensical things,” turning back to watch with interest as another white flaming streak made it way across the horizon.
“You’ve never sat out here watching a meteor shower with so much interest before,” following another one with her eyes as it flared briefly. “It made me think you were waiting for something to happen,” turning to give him a look born from their years together. “Something’s up there.”
“Oh?” shifting his attention to her, “What makes you think that?”
“The Channel 10 News,” she replied, showing her little smile that always irked him as she rubbed her swollen belly.
“No, nothing remarkable as a proclamation of doom,” feeling him tense up, “It was some cultural bit on our native tribes. Some news hound had noticed that a lot of the Indians were returning to their reservations, as if someone had made a call only they could hear.”
“Indians?” Sam repeated, his eyes catching another bright trail as it flashed and faded.
“Yeah,” leaning against him, as she too watched for the next flash in the sky before them.
“When asked why, they all just used the word Wakan-Tanka, a Sioux word. They said on the news it means the Great Spirit.”
“Native Sioux legends,” Will said, “I’ve been pouring over everything I could find since you called,” stopping to accept a warm cup of tea from Joanna, with a nod of thanks.
“The best thing I could find mentioning outer space was the words of Black Elk, a Chief and holy man who died back in 1950.”
“In one of his visions, he prophesized the ending of the world. Here,” reading from a notepad, “…all of the animals and fowls that were the people ran here and there, for each one seemed to have his own little vision that he followed and his own rules; and all over the universe I could hear the winds at war like wild beasts fighting...”
“That sounds like the times we’re living in to me, we always run around like chickens when told the sky is falling,” he added, giving Sam a look.
“He goes on to say that a White Buffalo Woman carrying the scared pipe will appear at the end of the world.”
“What makes this story more attractive than a thousand of others?” Joanna asked, listening from where she had sat down on the sofa.
“This,” Will replied, bringing a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Just got this off the wires,” flattening it out before laying another, with a photo, down beside it.
“A missing white girl is thought to have been located, over a thousand miles from where she vanished.”
“Now,” he said sliding the photo closer to Sam, “That’s her picture, I’m told that pale blond hair goes down to her knees, like a heavy thick white veil, and that she has heard voices most of her life.”
“Oh?” Sam asked, looking up from the photo.
“She’s always turned to the west to listen. The new location is Kansas, Sam.
“She’s carrying a flute,” giving him an intense look, “I expect to Black Elk, it looked like a pipe, the sacred pipe of his people. I haven’t figured out the part about the buffalo yet.”
“She’s traveled halfway across the United States to wait in Kansas for the end of the world?” Joanna quietly asked.
“What is she going to do, play along to the music of the Spheres?”
“Hey, Frank,” Bill slowly came out with, carefully setting down his coffee cup as he leaned forward to peer intently out the main window. “Ain’t that Hans Gunter coming this way,” seeing the older man making his way towards the Sheriff’s office.
“Can’t be, no way he’d come back,” Frank replied, not bothering to give the street a glance as he folded a page of his newspaper over to read the sports section.
“He swore he’d never come back into town again, not after that moron sideswiped his carriage about four years back.
“He lost half his family to a drunk with a Buick, all he has left is that granddaughter of his.”
“The one who hears voices now,” he added, lowering the paper enough to give Bill a knowing look. “I think that poor kid’s touched, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, that’s Hans and he’s headed this way, looks kind of agitated over something,” Bill let out, still watching. “I don’t see the girl, maybe she got left behind.”
“Naw… he wouldn’t do that,” Frank slowly gave out, setting his paper down on the desk to turn and give the window a thoughtful look.
“She’s his pride and joy, only death would separate those two as I understand it.”
“Herr Gunter,” Bill let out, standing up to greet the Amish farmer at the doorway as it opened with a rush that rustled the pages on the wall calendar beside the door. “Come in, have a rest in the air conditioning.”
“My Sascha,” Hans gushed out with a restrained sob, reaching out with a trembling hand to grab Bill’s arm, “My Sascha is gone,” he moaned, his voice straining with emotion as the pent up tears finally began to run down his worn face.
“We checked the place from top to bottom,” Frank replied, listening intently to what was being asked on the phone, “That girl isn’t out there.”
“Yeah, long blond hair, blue eyes. Age is fourteen, nearly fifteen,” he replied. “No, no history of domestic troubles at home, this one isn’t like those runaway’s we see here in town.”
“Yeah. Like I told you, wearing a homespun gray dress and a white head cover, one of our Amish kids. He says she speaks German most of the time, English if you remind her.”
“No, no photo,” he added, giving Bill a quick questioning glance.
“The school will have one, it’s required now,” Bill said. “I’ll make a run over there and get a copy for the wires.”
“The home farm is her last known location,” sitting down at his desk, picking up the typed up report to read. “Her grandfather spoke with her just before lunch, he had called her in to eat.
“He says she was standing outside facing the west, her head cocked to one side, listening to her voices. The last thing she said was ‘They’re here, Opa. It’s time’.”
“When he went back out to call for her a few minutes later, she was gone.”
“Yeah, voices,” he repeated in response to the question he was asked. “She’s always heard these voices, at least for the last few years or so.”
“No, she was checked in town when the Elders determined it was something that modern medicine might help her with, but everything’s fine according to all the tests. Smart as a whip, a really sweet kid…she just…well, says she hears these voices.”
“Oh, her flute is missing, too. We’re thinking she took it with her,” he added, lifting up the second page of the report.
“It’s just a plain wooden flute, looks sort of like a hollow pipe, I guess.”
“So, Brandon. Things have changed, and not for the better,” Sam remarked, tossing the report down on his desk as he leaned back in his chair to look over at his old friend, Brandon Reichart.
“According to that, it’s just sped up. You and the gang seem to have finally found something truly odd out there in the dark realms of space.”
“Well, that’s the latest from the boys out at JPL, and all the other reports agree.” Brandon replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he gave the President’s Science advisor a glance.
“This wasn’t expected, Sam. My thoughts were that it would pass well outside of Mar’s orbit.
“The data we collected had supported that. NASA’s Near Earth program has been studying it as well. It’s now been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object, a PHO in the world of us astronomers.
“However, as you know, that is a bit of a misnomer as this thing doesn’t seem to have an orbit that it’s following. It has an absolute magnitude of 25.0 in brightness, so with that, we assumed it to be of the required size for that classification back when it was first detected.
“Now, we might have to come up with something else. Maybe ‘Ricochet Rock, Number One’,” trying to lighten the situation with a touch of humor. “We’re thinking it’s just over a mile or so in overall length.
“I rushed over with that, as soon as I realized everything had changed,” he added, seeing that Sam wasn’t smiling.
“I was planning on going before the man next week, and just telling him this object was just another close call,” Sam sighed, giving him a look, “but now we’re looking at this shift… which concerns me, Brandon.
“I suppose something we haven’t picked up could be a possibility with this change of direction. An extremely rare nudge, or perhaps some gravitational perturbation at work, but they don’t speed up as well,” keeping his eyes on him. “This has all the earmarks of a sudden course correction, one that brings it towards the Earth.
“He’s not going to be a happy camper when I tell him. Care to comment?”
“There seems to be an intelligence behind it, on that I think we can agree,” the older man let out, waving the air with one hand. “The implication is that this… this object, or its occupants…if you will, now has us in mind as its destination.
“I’m basing this not only upon the fact it’s made this recent shift to it’s course, but the current trajectory and speed allows it to make its approach during the meteor shower that we are about to encounter.
“Another piece of the puzzle to consider is that it’s not tumbling end over end like the others that have come our way over the years, this one’s stable as a rock,” pursing his lips at his own fears.
“You’re thinking it’s going to use the shower as a cover, to disguise its approach,” Sam asked glancing over to the calendar on the wall, “in August.”
“Mid August, probably around the time when the shower peaks. It’ll just look like one of hundreds of other streaks across the night sky, Sam.
“That’s the best we can come up with,” giving out a slight shrug of his shoulders. “I just got told on the way in that we’ve now lost sight of it,” keeping his eyes on him.
“It’s gone dark. Dark and fuzzy is a better way to say it I suppose, as we can’t pick it up with anything we’re got for the moment. We have to wait until it gets closer now. The Torino Scale has shifted, it’s now rated at 8.”
“Where’s it going to hit?” Sam asked, letting out a long sigh as he exchanged looks with his old friend.
“Really too soon to say, and now that it’s hiding itself, difficult to say precisely,” he slowly added, considering what his team had come up with. “We still have some data to go over.”
“Somewhere, is going to be a lot of territory to cover,” Sam said sitting up in his chair to place his elbows on his desk.
“You know I’ll be needing something better than that, he’ll be expecting more than a shrug of my shoulders.”
“Maybe it didn’t think we’d pick it up at the distance we have,” Brandon replied, showing a slight smile. “On its current projected trajectory, it now has to pass between us and the moon before it arrives, it can’t avoid it.
“Once that happens, I’ll be able to tell you which state and nearest town, since we’ll be able to pick it up visually without any problem. You’ll have to be ready to move on that, it won’t give you much time to prepare.”
“A fortunate oversight?” Sam asked, standing up to gather all the papers on his desk together.
“Maybe it’s in a hurry,” Brandon quipped, standing up and giving him a look, “It’s now on the most direct route to intercept us. I’m guessing we’ll be finding out soon enough.”
“Alright, Brandon,” reaching out to shake his hand in parting, “Let me brief the anxious folks uptown. Keep me informed.”
“I guess this is the one we’ve been waiting for, Sam,” pausing at the doorway to give a look back, “I hope we’re ready for it. It’s now in a tail chase with the Earth, at 25 miles per second faster than us.”
“There’s going to be one hell of a bang if that beast comes in at that speed. Better pray it breaks up as it enters the atmosphere.”
“Yes?” Sam asked, seeing the expression on Brandon’s face.
“You’ve been out to Meteor Crater, in Arizona,” showing a frown. “That one is believed to be from an impact at around 12 miles per second. I checked that today so I could give you a comparison.”
“It left a crater with a depth of nearly 600 feet. It’s nearly a mile across, Sam, and that’s after some 50,000 years of erosion.”
“We’re going to lose some folks if it gets close to any sizable population center, a lot of them. It won’t be an extinction level event, but if it doesn’t break up, or do something extraordinary, we looking at the possibility of a disaster on an immense scale.”
“Where did you say it originated from?” President Williams asked, studying the bright image on the display before them.
“From the area of the Pleiades Open Star Cluster, or M45 to astronomers,” Sam replied, switching the image to show the cluster. “The name comes to us from the Greeks, who called it the ‘Seven Sisters’.”
“Mention of them is found throughout history, and across the world’s civilizations for that matter,” Will, the man standing next to him, added.
“The Aztecs called the cluster Tianquiztli, which translates to something like ‘gathering place’. The Inca would come to call it the ‘seed sower’.
“Even the indigenous tribes of North America, such as the Pawnee, to name but one, have legends concerning it. Some claim they came from the stars themselves.”
“Well, that might be something we should keep in mind,” the President finally said, walking around to his seat behind the massive desk that seemed to fill the room.
“The ancients knew more about it than we do, which leads me to speculate they had a good reason for their interest, and in the names they chose,” looking over to Sam as he sat down. “Perhaps we should ask some of their descendents a bit more concerning these legends. It might be important later.
“Sam, the other side of this coin bothers me,” he added, looking over at him. “That’s the unknown aspect of all of this.”
“Sir?” Sam replied, raising an eyebrow at the remark.
“Well, gentlemen,” the President let out, leaning back in his chair to give the others in the room a look, “I understood the discussion concerning what effect gravity will play in all of this, and the probabilities on what we can expect to happen as this thing gets closer to us.
“With luck, it will begin to break up and we’ll have the most spectacular night show in recent memory.
“Mr. Willis, there’s a notation on these, TS8.” lifting one of the photos back up for a moment before dropping it back on the desk.
“Oh, that the Torino Scale rating, Sir,” Will replied. “The probability of impact. That’s the easy way of expressing it to the media. It runs from 0 to 10.”
“An 8,” the President repeated, glancing back down at the number for a moment, “You believe that number, Sam,” giving the advisor his attention.
“No, Sir.” looking slightly uneasy. “I’d rate it at a 10. I don’t believe it’s going to miss us.”
“I see,” tapping the desk with his fingers as he considered what had been said, “That’s what I’m getting at.
“What’s the scenario if we’re all wrong on part of this? I find it difficult to believe it went to warp speed just to buzz the Earth, gentlemen.
“What’s the plan if it wants to land?”
“That’s Homeland Security’s problem from that point, Sir,” Director Benson let out, standing up from his seat to walk up to the desk seeing that Sam was bringing his cell phone out to take a call, “I’ll have an assessment team ready to go, along with alerting the Governors of the areas affected for National Guard troops.
“We’ll have to be on the lookout for any biological contamination, poisonous fumes from possible off gassing, things of that nature.
“The bigger problem will be will the projected impact site. At this point, we don’t know if we’re looking at the middle of some lake, or the middle of Main Street, USA.
“The size of this thing when it hits is going to make a difference as I understand it. One small town can be handled, but a major city is going to be a national catastrophe. It’s like heaving a nuclear bomb at us. That’s the effect it’ll have at that speed, if it hits us directly.
“We could be looking at total darkness for several days from the dust and smoke that would follow any impact of that magnitude. There is also the possibility that it won’t come down near us, but hit out in the ocean.”
“Kansas,” Sam quickly said, putting phone back in a pocket, “That’s the latest from JPL, it’s us that has to deal with it.”
“That’s interesting,” Will slowly let out, turning to look over at Sam, before giving the President his attention. “Sorry Sir, I just realized that the largest meteorite ever recovered was located in Kansas… just over 1,400 pounds, if I recall correctly.”
“A test run?” the President asked, sitting back in his chair, “Someone checking the distance and the angle?”
“I hardly think so, Mr. President,” Sam let out, shaking his head at the notion. “That all happened in the distant past, that one came down some 10,000 years ago.”
“Not so far back that the native Indians couldn’t have seen it,” Will mused aloud, giving the President a glance. “It might explain why some tribes have legends concerning the source. Maybe they knew where it came from.”
“Now, don’t go labeling me crazy,” Will added quickly, holding up a hand seeing the expressions on some of the faces.
“Mere conjecture I admit, but we now have a proven impact site, and we have records and physical evidence to show something like this has happened before.
“Maybe it keeps a regular schedule with the Earth. Maybe we’re due.”
“We’re due in a few weeks, Sir,” Sam added, turning to the President. “As you’ve said, we should consider how to deal with the possibility it’s intentional, and that it has a pilot of some kind.
“We may not be looking at an impact as has been suggested, and we really don’t have the time to deal with the results if it’s just a falling rock.”
“Sounds like we’re going to need the Marines, too,” Will let out in the silence that formed around them as everyone considered the implications.
“Let’s hope they’re not in a grumpy mood when they get here. It’s been a long flight.”
“Maybe it’s not the Earth itself it has in mind,” Sam slowly let out quietly as the thought occurred to him, turning to meet the President’s eyes, with his own concern showing.
“Maybe it’s something on the Earth, and it’s coming for a visit.”
“Hey, Stormy. What’s this I hear about you missing the party next month?” Jenny let out, coming up beside her to nudge her friend with a shoulder as she stood cramming her uniform into her backpack.
“Hey Jen, and it’s still Ashani. I’m growing weary of all these nicknames. If Walter calls me Lightning Bug one more time I’m going to split his lip,” Ashani sighed, giving her a look.
“Yeah,” giving the locker door a hard slap with the palm of her hand to make sure it was closed as she looked over to her, pulling back on the heavy veil of black hair that had fallen around threatening to hide her face as she stood back up,
“I have to go somewhere with my dad that weekend. It’s been planned for awhile, we’ve been saving up for the gas.”
“Hey, just diss out on him, girl,” Jenny replied, giving her a frown. “Tell him you’re sick or something.”
“It’s your freaking birthday next month. He can’t just take you away from a good party. Besides, Brian is getting us some beer.”
“Skip an outing with my dad? I tried doing that once when we were twelve. Remember? It bothered me for a week. I had to tell him to his face,” she replied, walking beside her as they headed outside the Center to wait on Jenny’s mother to pick them up.
“It’s important, so I’m definitely going. We’re going looking for some Pallasites over in Kansas, space rocks for the store. We’re camping out, too.
“He wants to make me something special for my birthday from that meteorite he found last spring out on Jose’s farm.
“He’s going to need me to help him get it out of that hole it’s in,” she added. ”His back can’t handle the real heavy stuff anymore, ever since he fell last winter.
“Anyway, you know us Indians can’t handle the firewater. I’d just go crazy on you, maybe scalp Brian with that pocket knife he’s been flashing around ever since he found it.”
“Quit your dreaming girl, you’re not one of those,” Jenny said, reaching out to tug on the dark hair that ran down her friend’s back while showing her a smile.
“I think we’re safe, since you’re the kind of Indian that comes from India, unless of course you go totally native on us and get naked again.
“The guys might be the ones going wild if that happens, I think they’re waiting for a certain magazine to show up for a photo shoot with you perched up on that big rock in the river out behind your place.”
“Go back and tell all the lusting boys that fantasy isn’t going to happen, and I wasn’t naked,” Ashani replied, raising an eyebrow. “That Shelia is half blind even with her glasses on and it was raining as I recall it.”
“Yeah, and maybe you were having a wet tee shirt contest out there in the river by your storm loving, lonesome self,” Jenny gave out with a laugh. “I think she saw what she saw, everybody else does, too.”
“Believe what you want,” rolling her eyes before picking up her bag, “Her story certainly sounds like more fun than having a party with the guys to me, beer or no beer.”
“That was back in April, during Basant Panchami, something us Hindu’s celebrate. It’s a festival for Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music and art,” she added, seeing Jenny’s expression.
“Since I can’t use the Ganges to wash myself, the river out back works just fine. You should try it with me next time.”
“Girl, you’ve never even been to India. You told me you were born here,” Jenny said giving her a smile. “Wasn’t it your mom that was the Hindu?”
“She passed it down to me, along with everything else the boys are waiting to see,” showing her a slight smile.
“I don’t need to participate in some ancient Indian religious ritual, thank you very much,” Jenny remarked, giving out a slight shudder at the notion.
“People would stare at me as I walked down the street if they knew, everybody at school would whisper among themselves. Anyway, I’d probably drown in the river. I don’t swim all that well.”
“Hey, come camping with us, it’ll be fun. It’ll just be us, we can sit around the fire afterwards, listening to the stories of the star people my dad likes to tell. It’s better than a movie, the truth is always better than fiction. There’s going to be a great meteorite shower to watch, too.”
“Sitting beside your father while holding a marshmallow over the fire on a stick, listening to ancient legends about the sky people,” Jenny finally let out, shaking her head.
“I’d die from the embarrassment of it all if we found a river to swim in, and I was only wearing a tee shirt,” looking up as her mother pulled to the curb and gave out a beep from the horn.
“Stormy, you’re a sight to see with your hair undone like that,” Janet gave out as the two climbed in to the back seat together. “I keep telling you to stop in the salon; I’ll give it a proper trim. My Saturday schedule has openings.”
“Come on, mom,” Jenny said, making a face at her mother. “Mention cutting her hair one more time and you’ll get the look along that raised eyebrow of hers.”
“Well, let’s change the topic then,” giving her daughter a smile before looking back over to Ashani. “How this one doing in the intermediate class this week?”
“Someone needs to work on her outer circle throw.” Ashani replied giving Jenny a look. “She’s still wobbly on that one. Balance issues.”
“Oh, they put you in charge of us lower beings in the Judo class and it goes straight to your head.” Jenny let out, reaching out to give her a gentle smack on a shoulder.
“Well, you can join me in the taekwondo class next week, then,” nudging her back with her shoulder. “Master Chee is in charge of that.”
“You’re the only other black belt he has in his classes,” Jenny replied, shaking her head at the idea. “Sooner or later, you’d be the one standing in front of me, teaching me the errors of my ways.”
“Well then, how about practicing our vil ambu later,” shaking her head at the amused glance from Jenny’s mother as she headed them towards home. “You’re excelling at that.”
“Just call it archery why don’t you,” Jenny let out, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms as she gave her a glance. “Everything is always so historical with you.”
“India hosts one of the oldest civilizations,” giving her friend a raised eyebrow. “It surpassed even ancient Egypt with its urban planning. They even had a proper sewage system way back then, not bad for a bunch of natives. People have been known to have lived there for over 100,000 years.”
“They even had battles with UFO’s,” showing a smile. “It’s all written down in the Vedic texts.”
“Invaders from space, I don’t think so,” Jenny replied, rolling her eyes at the notion, “Somebody’s been watching too much television,” giving her friend a pointed look.
“I don’t own one, as you know,” Ashani said, raising her eyebrow again as she returned the look.
“I like to read my history.”
“That my girl?” Dan called out, hearing the screen door slam as Ashani came in. “You’re early.”
“Hey, dad,” setting her bag down on the floor next to the hallway. “I got a ride with Jenny’s mom again, didn’t have to take the bus and hoof it in from the main road this time.
“I think she likes coming out this way for some reason. She couldn’t stay this time though, says hi.”
“Maybe looking for coupons for the items we offer,” Dan gave out, coming out from the workroom to give her a hug. “Welcome home.”
“Maybe looking for a free ring,” Ashani said quietly, showing a smile at her stepfather’s facial reaction. “You make the best jewelry around, and you’re single, kind of cute, too. In this sort of older, manly, Indian guy kind of way.”
“I have a helpful elf,” he gave out with a laugh, ignoring her comment. “My silversmith is earning her keep, I’ve gotten some remarks on the website over your latest styles. Maybe they’ll buy something.”
“We sell that rock yet?” she asked, standing back to give him a hopeful look.
“Sorry, kiddo. No new bike for your birthday, that old one of yours is going to have to last a little longer,” he replied, shaking his head.
“Maybe I need to drop the price on that Farm Fielding stone. What do you think?”
“Don’t look at me for advice on marketing, I did my part when I found that thing,” picking her bag back up. “The higher the selling price, the bigger the bike. That’s about all I know.”
“Seriously dad, that’s a 55 pound nickel-iron find. With that Widmanstatten pattern, and being a whole specimen, the price is reasonable. A lot better than most of the others I’ve seen, so I say let it ride at $21,500.”
“How about setting it on a nice wooden platform for another photo, maybe use some purple heart to set it off.”
“Wait,” holding up a hand as an idea hit her. “Let’s put the smaller one up online with it, we’ll add $2,500 to that one. That’ll make it look like a bargain.”
“Ah, the master speaks,” Dan replied giving her another smile. “I hear and obey.”
“Well, get back to work in there. How do you expect me to go grocery shopping,” she gave out, heading down the hallway. “I’ve got washing to do later, and I’ll see what we have on hand for supper tonight.
“I don’t feel like roasting those rabbits yet, the ones you took out from the garden last week. Maybe we should save them for my birthday, we can grill them outside.”
“What?” she asked, seeing the expression on his face as she turned back to look at him, “What else is going on here today?”
“We sold the three meteorite necklace set this morning,” smiling at her, “Somebody wanted the Tri set for their children, so they’ll need to get boxed up and sent out. I was just in there getting the other set ready for photos.”
“Oh, you,” coming back to give him another hug, “That’s two more months of food.
“Hold on, I’ll get right on it, and let’s keep their photos on the webpage. I’ll add ‘Sold’ to them so folks can see the kind of stuff we offer.”
“Tube steak and beans, good for what ails ya. Puts hair on your chest,” Ashani let out as she set her dad’s meal down before him as she joined him at the table with her own plate.
“We still headed off to recover that one we left out at Jose’s?”
“Them kids want you to go somewhere?” he asked, giving her a glance. “Somebody’s been calling for you at the shop.”
“Oh, must be that Walter,” putting her own hotdog on a piece of bread. “Over the summer he’s suddenly discovered I’m a girl, according to Jenny anyway,” showing a brief grin, “He wants to take me out to a movie or something like that. I’ve been avoiding it, he’s just a M & M.”
“Jenny might come with us to help lug that rock of yours,” trying to change the subject.
“He’s candy?” Dan asked, letting a little smile show as he gave her a look.
“A Mindless Moron, dad. Keep up with the current jargon,” shaking her head. “That one been in use for a year now.”
“I remember that Walter fellow, now,” Dan mused, giving her a thoughtful look as he sat back in his seat.
“He’s the one interested in geology, and wants to join the Air Force. He comes into the shop from time to time.”
“Foolish me, I thought he was interested in the geodes in the bottom of the front display case, but now I guess he was looking at something else the whole time,” giving out a slight laugh at his daughter’s expression.
“I guess it was geometry all this time... curves, convex surfaces… things like that.”
“Dad, we both know what he likes to look at and it doesn’t amuse me,” trying hard to keep a smile off her face. “A proper father figure would raise that counter up so I don’t have to bend over so far to point something out in the display cases.”
“No deal, I’d lose sales,” he replied, before taking another bite, “We’d both starve and die. Marketing is everything these days. I heard a resident expert telling me just that very thing the other day as I recall.
“Modeling and product display have been around since before our time. It’s a proven technique.”
“Go take another look at the most recent cover of that motorcycle magazine you have coming here every month,” he added.
“Do you really think those girls in some almost nothing swim suit actually ride the featured bike of the month they’re sitting on?
“Hey, that’s the way it goes, missy,” laughing at the look she gave him. “How’s it feel to be eye candy at such a young and tender age?”
“Dad, I’m burning my bra before we open up again,” she replied, a wide smile coming to her face. “Just to see if the Cherokee in you still knows how to do a war dance to keep the crowds at bay.”
“Hell, I’d be standing in line just like all the rest,” he let out, pushing his empty plate away from him. “If I hadn’t adopted you when I married your mother, I’d swear you were my own.”
“Come on, dad. You dated her for almost an entire year before you guy’s got married, plenty of time for the natural processes to take place. Maybe I just look like mom’s side of the family.”
“Yeah,” he said, sitting back in his chair, “That must be it, my own true flesh and blood,” showing a bemused expression as he looked at her.
“We’ll just disregard the fact you were four years old in the wedding photos, and that your mom was still carrying you when she arrived on the shores of this great nation of ours.”
“Ah, dad. You’re always coming out with the spoiler,” making a face at him. “You wouldn’t stand in line, either. You’d hire some security guy to watch the folks in line while you stood by the register ringing up the sales.”
“There’s a storm headed this way, you going to toss yourself naked into the river, and sit out there on that rock again?” he asked, giving her a look while standing to collect the plates for washing.
“Might, might just wait until morning so I can feel the warm kiss of the sun on my bare skin,” Ashani replied. “You’re the one who taught me to follow my bliss.”
“As long as your bliss doesn’t get the sheriff coming around for a look see on the finer aspects of natural beauty,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “Those boys down at the jail are always interested in seeing a total tan.”
“Dad, old Smitty wouldn’t know what to do with a naked girl in his jail cell,” taking the plates from him. “I think I’m safe. The old boy would faint dead away.”
“Be that as it may,” he added, giving her his usual look. “Let’s not invite trouble.”
“Sure, dad. Whatever you say,” she let out, putting a hand on one hip as she returned the look. “I’ll make sure it’s just us Indians around the tepee.
“I might just sit outside, look at the stars for awhile before the clouds roll in,” she added. “I had a weird dream last night, something to do with the stars.”
“Falling stars,” Dan said, correcting her, “You woke me up. You were yelling something about battling a falling star.”
“The Governor didn’t look too happy, I think you gave her a headache,” Will sighed, dropping his briefcase down on the motel room’s only table.
“Dang, I thought these suites had more space in here,” he muttered, sliding the case over further as Sam set his laptop computer down beside it as he looked around the cramped room.
“This is what happens when you let somebody else get the rooms for us, keep that in mind next time,” Sam replied, bending down to look around for an electrical outlet for the plug to his power supply. “Where do you think they hid it this time?”
“Use the gizmo,” Will said, “It’s easier to take out one of the bulbs from the lamp there and screw in that adapter you have.”
“This ‘free’ service is slower than my sisters departure from her all too frequent visits,” Will let out, eyeing the display as Sam made the connection over the Internet and brought up the data.
“Impressive,” he finally let out, giving Sam a glance before looking back at the object centered on the screen. “That’s what they called you about? They say what’s causing that reflection.”
“Brandon is now saying it could be organic crystals, some kind we’ve never seen before,” Sam said quietly, unwilling to shift his view to look over at him.
“The first thing that was mentioned when they picked it back up was ice, but they’ve ruled that out from the wavelengths they’re able to pick up since it’s gotten closer. There’s no water there.”
“Speculation is that it’s encased in a protective crystal, the main core here I mean,” he added, tapping the screen with a finger.
“All these other slivers around it are just more of the same material. They’ve been separating for the last two days, ever since we began to see it again.
“The guess is that there was a lattice like shape around it. That’s why it was so bright, the actual size of the main core is smaller than we originally thought.”
“Looks to me like it’s dumping some of its weight by reducing its size like that,” Will surmised, watching as the reflections shifted and gleamed as light from the sunlight struck it.
“Excess baggage maybe,” Sam mused, leaning back against the sofa. “We’re counting at least a hundred smaller sections that have come off from around the core so far.”
“You know,” Will let out, keeping his gaze on the display, “If I wanted to hide myself, this is not a bad way to go,” nodding towards the image.
“It’s still too large,” Sam argued. “That baby is going to stand out at the party. Everyone is going to see it when it comes in.”
“Not if it looks like all those others hanging around it by the time it gets here,” Will replied, leaning back against the sofa next to Sam.
“I’m thinking, if those things are encased in some kind of crystal, they’re are going to flare when they begin to heat up, and shine brighter on the way down than anything we’ve ever seen.
“$20 says we won’t be able to tell one from the other.”
“So you’re saying they won’t just burn up in the upper atmosphere like the usual ones we see this time of year,” Sam said, turning his head to give Will a look as he reached over to the paper bag he had set down on the floor next to the table, bringing out a cold beer to hand over to him.
“Sam,” Will replied after taking a deep swallow, “They’re not meteors,” showing a wide smile after letting out a burp. “Afraid I’m right?”
“Bet someone else,” Sam muttered, fumbling around in his pocket before bringing out his cell phone.
“Back when I flew fighter jets, we carried flares… decoys, something to divert an enemy’s attention from the plane.
“If we’re right this isn’t going to be just some light show in the sky.”
“That’s a lot of trouble to go through. Must be carrying something important,” Will replied, sitting up and watching in awe as the nearest sliver of crystal began to change its form.
Unable to say a word as he reached over and poked Sam to get his attention, they watched as other small molten silver looking capsules beginning to form around the central core like scattered marbles.
“They had sort of looked like some kind of seeds to me, like when you shake a pinecone and they scatter out,” Will quietly gave out before taking another sip from his can, “Only they’re not little round peas, they’re stretched out.”
“We sure about that crystal part?”
“Serotiny. What’s that?” the President asked, still examining the latest picture of the approaching object.
“There are certain plants that begin their reproduction process only when exposed to the heat and flames from fire, Sir,” Will explained. “We know from forest fires that fire and heat somehow stimulates the germination process.”
“When the seed are all released at once, it’s often referred to as facultatively serotinous. We’re thinking this is why the Inca’s called the source the seed sower. It now looks like it’s surrounded by seedpods. We may be looking at how live arrived here on Earth.”
“This is getting to stretch my understanding of science, and beginning to affect my sleep,” President Williams replied, setting the photos down on his desk to listen.
“Every time I turn around, there’s some new and unexpected process occurring here.
“It’s almost as if it’s not a single entity, but several bound together in some fashion.”
“It’s all pretty much speculation,” Sam acknowledged, giving a slight shrug, “We’ve confirmed there’s some type of crystal involved, and it has the ability to change its form when exposed to light. The same thing can been seen here on earth, it’s just rare and unexpected.”
“We’re already studying organic crystals that can bend ninety degrees and then change back just by changing the type of light waves that it’s exposed to,” Will added.
“So, the fact that they have changed isn’t as interesting as the fact that they’ve shifted into a round object.”
“Heat dissipation, aerodynamics, Sir,” Will said, seeing his expression. “It seems to be readying itself for entry into our atmosphere.”
“Shame we don’t have a profile shot of this thing,” the President muttered, picking the photo back up, “It’d would be interesting to see if they only appear this way from our perspective,” turning to give Sam a glance. “Maybe they’re actually tear drop shaped.”
“The core is slowing down, again,” Sam let out to the room, replacing his phone in his jacket pocket, “Most of the smaller sections have too, so we’re thinking a swing by maneuver, or possibly to enter an orbit.
“We have two them still headed right at us.”
Chapter Two
“This is embarrassing,” Jenny muttered, looked behind them at the bluish white puffs of exhaust coming out as the old truck rumbled its way down the highway.
“Smoke signals. A road trip with the local injuns is always an adventure. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you that?” Ashani asked, showing a smile at Jenny’s discomfort.
“I brought one of dad’s blankets along, you can wrap it around you when we stop for gas. Stick this feather in your hair, you’ll blend right in.”
“Oh great, now I’m an Indian, too,” she let out, trying to suppress her smile before letting out a laugh.
“Yeah, it’s an adventure alright,” poking the offered feather through her hair as Dan turned off to stop at a gas station.
“What the headlines for today?” Ashani asked, seeing Jenny’s interest in the front of the box sitting outside the shop as they waited for Dan to get them something to snack on.
“Meteorite shower is expected to peak the day after tomorrow, spectacular night show expected,” Jenny replied, still reading the portion of the front page that she could see.
“Military exercises expected to dominate the region, bringing in unexpected revenues. Missing girl thought to have been sighted, see page 2… Usual stuff,” she finally let out, looking back over to Ashani.
“Oh, sunshine and clear tonight. I guess we’ll be able to see the shooting stars.
“That’s funny,” she added, walking over to the truck. “Here we are, out to dig one up and all the while more are pouring down upon us from the sky like rain drops.
“Does your dad have meteorite insurance, we might get hit you know.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Dan said, giving the pair a thoughtful look as he stopped behind them, “Meteor Insurance. We can print up some nice certificates; sell it as a gag item in the store.”
“You’re beginning to earn your keep this trip,” he added, handing the bags he had been holding over to Jenny.
“All aboard, next stop is the badlands of Kansas, where the sky is expected to fall on us.”
“Chief Jim say something to you?” Ashani asked, noting the frail elderly man standing in the doorway, his eyes on the truck as they began to pull out onto the highway.
“Just a quick Indian pow wow,” Dan remarked, giving her a smile. “The main road up ahead is blocked off by the National Guard, part of what they’re doing I guess, so we’ll have to take the old dirt trail around them.”
“He says tribes are feeling uncomfortable,” giving Ashani a glance. “They say something is coming our way. It must have something to do with the sky, he looked worried and kept glancing up.”
“Did he give it a name, dad?” Ashani asked, turning to give him a look.
“Yeah, he called it Kokumthena, an old Shawnee word.
“Kokumthena,” Ashani repeated thoughtfully, “She was known as a transformer,” seeing Jenny’s questioning look. “She was this super natural being who shaped the world and helped the people. I don’t know much about her other than that, she’s part of the Shawnee legends.”
“Did he say anything else?” looking back at Dan, seeking more information.
“Yeah,” he slowly let out, breaking his attention on the road to give her another glance. “He mentioned the Nunnehi.”
“Ah, something in Cherokee, something you’d understand a little better.”
“Supernatural spirits from the Cherokee legends,” explaining again to Jenny. “They are very strong and generally friendly, especially to the Cherokee people. It is said they will intercede in any battle that involves them.”
“What do they look like?” Jenny asked, “Monsters?”
“Actually, they look like regular people, but a bit more regal in appearance,” Dan replied, watching the road signs for their turn off point. “They’re warriors.”
“Well, this is it,” Dan finally called out as he carefully maneuvered the ancient truck across the edge of the field, to end up next to large oaks that bordered the open areas.
“This is nice,” Jenny said, looking around them as they all got out, “We can set up camp on the other side of those trees there,” pointing to the other side of the field. “We’ll have shade all day.”
“The rock is about a hundred feet out into the field,” Dan said, nodding at her choice. “It’s all solid ground, so we won’t get bogged down this time if we need to use the truck. I guess Jose is letting it sit idle this year.”
“Why do we need to use the truck for hunting space rocks?” Jenny asked, standing with arms out as Ashani set the tent and bag of stakes on them. “I thought you said we get to use metal detectors.”
“We do,” Ashani answered, “That rock is sitting about 3 or 4 feet down, and I don’t know about you girl, but it’s a struggle for me to pull more than 200 pounds out from a hole like that. We’ll use the truck to drag it out. We have an old cargo net and some ropes to use.”
“Whoa, I thought you said this thing was expected to be about the size of big beach ball. How comes it weighs so much?”
“Because it’s mostly solid metal, silly girl. Iron probably, but a lot of them contain nickel, too. The prettiest ones are filled with beautiful translucent crystals of olivine,” dropping the sleeping bags down on the tarp beside Jenny, “They’re semi-precious gemstones,” showing her a smile. “Worth big bucks.”
“We’re set up, dad,” Ashani called out, bringing his study of the sky to an end, “Tent’s up, and everything’s put in place.
“Here’s your measure,” tossing a coil of rope over to him.
“It should be about here,” Dan announced, finally dropping the rope he had been using to find the proper distance from one of the trees.
“Walk over the area until you hear a beep on your headset,” Ashani explained, teaching Jenny how to use the metal detector.
“We measured it out last year just in case, so we’re close. We couldn’t dig it up before we had to go, the rains out this way can really come down at times. They turned the field into a quagmire on us.”
“Oh, this is wild,” Jenny let out, giving a whoop before she planting the wooden stake she had been carrying.
“Here it is!”
“Fine work,” Ashani let out, dropping several shovels down beside the marker. “Now we get dirty. I’ll get the hole started if you want to walk that thing around some more, we didn’t get a chance to explore the entire area. You might get lucky and find us another one,” giving Jenny a look as she put her gloves on. “Take that small shovel with you to use if you pick something up,” pointing it out.
“We need some pallasites; they’re the ones with the gems.”
“Oh, like I need the exercise,” Ashani let out with a tired groan, slowly taking a seat at the folding table Dan had set up while she was digging, gratefully accepting the bottle of water he offered to her.
“I just hit something, time to shift our crew. Where’s our other worker bee?”
“Vanished around that mound, where the field turns towards the rocks,” Dan replied, sitting down beside her. “I saw her digging at something about an hour ago or so, now she’s gone missing.”
“I want to get my dirt bike down from the back of the truck before we stop to eat tonight, Dad,” she said, turning to look to where Jenny had gone. “If we spot a fall during this shower, I’ll be able to run it down.”
“There she is,” she suddenly said, spotting Jenny as she came back into view, waving her hand in the air to get their attention as she headed back towards them.
“Oh, man,” Jenny finally got out, trying to catch her breath from dragging something on the ground behind her as she dropped her dirty shovel.
“I had to use my jacket, couldn’t carry that and the metal detector at the same time, damn thing’s heavy, too,” she gasped, eagerly taking the bottle of water from Ashani. “Just wait to you see it, I think we’re all millionaires.”
“I found this first,” digging in a back pocket to bring out a fist sized rock. “It’s heavy, and I found it with the metal detector.”
“That’s a nice find,” Dan said, reaching out to take the piece. “Looks like nickel-iron. This will clean up real nice.”
“Is it worth anything?” Jenny asked, her eyes on the meteorite.
“Oh, this one’s an oriented meteorite, passionately sought after by collectors for their rarity,” giving her a grin as he gave the stone another look as he turned it over in his hands.
“I’d put about $350 on this one, maybe a bit more once we see how it looks cleaned up,” he replied, handing it back over to her. “Congratulations, you’re now a certified meteorite hunter.”
“Oriented means it didn’t tumble as it fell from space, it came in like the old Apollo space capsules. Maybe your next one will make us all millionaires,” Ashani said, giving her a pat on the back.
“What’s this thing you’ve drug out from the woods here,” glancing down at the jacket that still lay on the ground.
“You bag us something for supper?”
“Amber,” Jenny let out getting excited again, her eyes gleaming as she moved the jacket to partially uncover her other find to them. “I found it buried at the far corner there, in this kind of hollow spot near a stone outcropping.”
“Now that’s a sweet find as well,” Dan said, his eyes taking in the soft golden hue of the section she had revealed.
“I don’t recall ever hearing of a piece so large before, that might be worth quite a bit, just as it is. I don’t know how one finds that with a metal detector though,” stopping to give her a smile. “Amber is made from ancient resin.”
“I did good huh? Is it real old?” Jenny asked, a wide grin on her face.
“Well, let me think here for a moment,” eying the amber section, “The majority of Kansas amber is found within the Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks, if I recall my books correctly.
“That’s maybe, oh say 30 million years ago at the earliest, since that period of time goes way back to around 90 million years,” nodding as her eyes widen with surprise. “That’s old, even to me.”
“We’ll have my research assistant here check that for you when we get back,” giving Ashani a nod.
“Holy damn,” Jenny finally let out, slowly taking the seat Dan had been sitting in to rest herself, before looking back up at him with a pale face,
“I found it with the metal detector, there’s something in it, something made of metal,” reaching down to uncover the rest of the amber still hidden by her jacket.
“See?”
Hearing the unusual sound repeat itself, Frieda slowly made her way around to the side of the hen house, bending slightly lower with the aid of her walking stick, as if it helped her to locate the sound as she looked around at the shadows.
“Benny, is that you there,” spotting the white collie near the far corner fence as he gave out another soft whine. “What ya got there, boy,” moving closer to the dog.
“Another one of them raccoons?”
Standing still with surprise, she watched as the dog licked at the face of a young girl, her form pressed against the shed wall as if to escape notice.
“You lost, honey?” Frieda finally asked, making her way up to the huddled figure, the girl’s deep blue eyes widening, keeping her attention on Frieda as she sat, panting from the hurried run she had made to cross the roadway unseen. “You want some supper with me?”
“No need to be afeared,” Frieda said, motioning for the girl to come towards her. “It’s just me and those chickens around here these days.”
“You’re not more that skin and bones you are,” taking in the sight of her as Sascha slowly stood up, noting she had to use the fence’s support to keep from falling down.
“Don’t go worrying over that pup, he won’t bothering ya, since you’re not a squirrel or one of them raccoons that’s been around of late.”
“Bitte Oma,” Sascha slowly came out with, her voice hoarse and cracking. “Ist Dies Kansas?”
“You come on with me, young missy. We’ll get you looking proper,” moving over to put an arm around her so she could use her staff for support as she lead her towards the old farm house.
“Kansas, yep this be Kansas alright, if that’s what you be asking. The land of Oz, as I heard it once said.
“A hot meal and a bath will get you feeling better.”
“Nobody’s out there,” Frieda remarked, watching again as the girl turned her head, her ear near the window as if she had heard something outside. “Nearest neighbor is near two miles off.
“You’re safe here, honey. So just you eat up them taters, and you might as well have the last of this roast, that Benny boy can spare his extra tonight,” using the ladle to serve another helping on Sascha’s plate.
“Ein schutzgeist,” Sascha let out, a smile showing on her face as she turned back and reached down to run a hand down the long nose white haired of the collie who had maintain his position near her, his brown eyes still following every move she had made since coming inside the house.
“That’s Benny,” Frieda said, amused by the dog’s interest in the girl. “That’s one of them kind from Scotland, my poor son Joe’s dog. A rough collie he always called him, cause they got all that long hair, I suppose,” her eyes still on the dog.
“Saw one once on a TV show as a boy, took a hankering to them ever since. Went and got him two years back from some breeder down south he did, just before he passed on from the cancer.
“He wanted that white kind there,” nodding towards the dog. “Cost him from his savings to get him, having him flown here and it being so rare all. He knew he wouldn’t be going off to school like he wanted, I suppose. He really wanted that dog for some reason.
“That’s him there,” pointing at one of the many photos that covered the walls near the table. “He liked to travel, went to India,” pointing out another picture of a dark haired young man beside a robed priest, an ancient temple dominating the background.
“Went to Japan, and somewhere in Asia, I can’t recall the name,” sighing as she glanced around at all the photos, as the memories of those years came back to her.
“Searching for something, he said to me once,” Frieda said, looking back at Sascha. “I don’t know what… maybe he didn’t either,” giving the wall one last glance.
“We’ll have us some pie,” she suddenly came out with after wiping at one eye, her attention back to Sascha, “After you clean up that plate of course.”
“We’ll get you into a hot tub in the morning then,” taking back the damp washcloth she had given Sascha’s to wash herself off with, “You’re certainly too tired for that tonight,” seeing the flutter of her eyes lids as she struggled to stay awake. ”Probably slip under the water on me in there.”
“Near to starving you were,” Frieda muttered, giving Sascha’s scratched and swollen feet a glance as she unfolding one of the red sheets taken from the chest in the back room to cover the exhausted girl as she dropped her head on to the pillow, quickly falling into a deep slumber.
“There, it certainly looks better on you, child,” she came out with, tucking the end of the sheet up around the girl’s neck.
“Joe won’t be minding I let you use it.”
“Now, Mary,” Frieda repeated, using a hushed tone as she gave a glance back towards the sleeping girl on the couch. “I don’t know where she hails from, she was just there by the corner of the fence like I told you.”
“Did she give you a name, Ma?” Mary asked, cradling the phone so she could turn, reaching out to smack her five-year-old son for reaching into the cookie jar behind her.
“Yes, I got that bit, the rest was German if I’m not mistaken,” Frieda sighed. “Poor thing was near to death by the looks of her. I don’t know where she’s come from, but it’s been a long journey. Her clothes are near to tatters, and those shoes of hers are a loss.”
“Ma, is her name Sascha? Does she have blue eyes?” Mary asked excitedly, grabbing at the paper lying on the kitchen counter beside the phone. “There was something in the paper about a girl like that.”
“Here it is,” gushing out in excitement as she stood at the counter, the paper spread out so she could read the article again.
“Blue eyes and blond hair. Missing from her farm back in Ohio since last month,” slowly reading the item over the phone to her mother, “Thought to be kidnapped. Call local law enforcement if sighted.”
“Hey, Ma,” she suddenly let out, causing Frieda to hold the phone away from her ear for a moment, “There a reward! It mentions a reward in here for her safe return,” running a finger under the words as she read them again.
“We’re going to get some money out of this,” she muttered, reaching over to smack her son’s hand again as he reached into the cookie jar again, seeing her attention was on the paper.
“Listen, Ma,” she quickly said, thinking on her plans, “You keep that child right there close. I can’t come out that way until tomorrow. Jim has the truck all tied up with getting it fixed at the garage today. I’ll get everything taken care of for you.”
“Well,” Frieda sighed, “Don’t know why you’d want to rush all the way out here, dear. Nobody’s kidnapping anyone. She’s just all tuckered out and wanting some sleep.
“That Benny’s taken a good liking to her, laid right down in front of the couch like he was protecting her or something.”
“This dress of hers is ready for the fire,” Frieda sighed, setting her sewing basket down on the floor beside her rocker. “Not much we can do with it,” exchanging looks with Benny as he lay there watching her.
“I found them old sneakers in the bottom of the closet, they’ll do using them winter socks, until we can get her something better,” still talking to the dog as she placed her scissors down on top of the needles and threads.
“I reckon we’ll have to make a trip into town tomorrow to pick up a dress for her.”
“Is it the end of the world?” Joanna asked, seeing the expression on her husband’s face as she sat down beside him on the deck steps.
“We never tell civilians anything concerning the fate of the world, dear. Causes a mass panic,” Sam sighed, taking his attention away from the evening sky to give her a glance as he placed an arm around her.
“Part of the unspoken rules, we just mutter and say nonsensical things,” turning back to watch with interest as another white flaming streak made it way across the horizon.
“You’ve never sat out here watching a meteor shower with so much interest before,” following another one with her eyes as it flared briefly. “It made me think you were waiting for something to happen,” turning to give him a look born from their years together. “Something’s up there.”
“Oh?” shifting his attention to her, “What makes you think that?”
“The Channel 10 News,” she replied, showing her little smile that always irked him as she rubbed her swollen belly.
“No, nothing remarkable as a proclamation of doom,” feeling him tense up, “It was some cultural bit on our native tribes. Some news hound had noticed that a lot of the Indians were returning to their reservations, as if someone had made a call only they could hear.”
“Indians?” Sam repeated, his eyes catching another bright trail as it flashed and faded.
“Yeah,” leaning against him, as she too watched for the next flash in the sky before them.
“When asked why, they all just used the word Wakan-Tanka, a Sioux word. They said on the news it means the Great Spirit.”
“Native Sioux legends,” Will said, “I’ve been pouring over everything I could find since you called,” stopping to accept a warm cup of tea from Joanna, with a nod of thanks.
“The best thing I could find mentioning outer space was the words of Black Elk, a Chief and holy man who died back in 1950.”
“In one of his visions, he prophesized the ending of the world. Here,” reading from a notepad, “…all of the animals and fowls that were the people ran here and there, for each one seemed to have his own little vision that he followed and his own rules; and all over the universe I could hear the winds at war like wild beasts fighting...”
“That sounds like the times we’re living in to me, we always run around like chickens when told the sky is falling,” he added, giving Sam a look.
“He goes on to say that a White Buffalo Woman carrying the scared pipe will appear at the end of the world.”
“What makes this story more attractive than a thousand of others?” Joanna asked, listening from where she had sat down on the sofa.
“This,” Will replied, bringing a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket. “Just got this off the wires,” flattening it out before laying another, with a photo, down beside it.
“A missing white girl is thought to have been located, over a thousand miles from where she vanished.”
“Now,” he said sliding the photo closer to Sam, “That’s her picture, I’m told that pale blond hair goes down to her knees, like a heavy thick white veil, and that she has heard voices most of her life.”
“Oh?” Sam asked, looking up from the photo.
“She’s always turned to the west to listen. The new location is Kansas, Sam.
“She’s carrying a flute,” giving him an intense look, “I expect to Black Elk, it looked like a pipe, the sacred pipe of his people. I haven’t figured out the part about the buffalo yet.”
“She’s traveled halfway across the United States to wait in Kansas for the end of the world?” Joanna quietly asked.
“What is she going to do, play along to the music of the Spheres?”
