The Terra Project

By Marcus Isaac Nathanial Darshaw

Chapter 1: Invitations

Disclaimer: This is the rough draft of “The Terra Project”, a novel in progress. The story, characters, and events are subject to change during the editing process.

Please keep in mind that as a rough draft, the writing style and organization is expected to be poor and or lacking. As quoted by Ernest Hemingway, “The first draft of anything is shit.”

Comments and critique are greatly appreciated, though it is preferred that advanced critiquing be held off until later drafts. Anyone interested in the story or the novel project is encouraged to email me at fishbowlery@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

He had absolutely no idea what he had been summoned for. Not a single hint or inkling. Not the slightest suggestion about what lay ahead.

Judging by the bewildered expressions of the two next to him, neither did they.

It was the red-haired woman in the khakis that spoke up first in an attempt to comfortably push away the uneasy silence that had settled around them as they waited outside the giant tower in front of them.

“I'm Dr. Tro,” she said. “Pleasure to meet you two.”

She thrust out her hand confidently in a direction halfway between her two new companions.

“Dr. Harrow,” he noted with a casual grip of Dr. Tro's hand.

“Dr. Kaddix,” the last person announced gruffly. He stepped forward and reached out, determined to shake Dr. Tro's hand to the point that he would have brushed Dr. Harrow's hand away had he not reacted in time.

“Charmed.”

The sun finally slipped out of the brilliantly shining sky as it sent forth its last rays.

The tall, heavy doors had only just been shaded by the horizon when they swung open, revealing a brilliantly lit interior of a circular reception hall. Most notable of the room was the pure marble floor with the grainy white interrupted only by a long royal blue carpet stretching to a pair of doors straight back on the far wall all the way to the doors that had just opened for them.

At the proximal end stood a greeter in a blue dress uniform with flowing gold trim and an equally shining smile.

“Welcome!” she chirped with a short curtsy. “I'm Kyme, speaking to you on behalf of Alonso and the rest of Time Space technologies.”

Dr. Tro reached out to shake the greeter's hand and Kyme grasped the offered limb enthusiastically with both arms.

“We've all been really looking forward getting to meet you all! You've got a wonderful opportunity ahead of you! We all do here. Everyone, in fact.”

“Just what,” grumbled Dr. Kaddix, “sort of opportunity are we talking about here?”

“You'll see!” Kyme chirped. She turned and began to make her way down the carpet, visibly on the verge of skipping along.

“How much money is involved? How many figures will I be looking forward to taking home by the end of this?” Dr. Kaddix continued. Dr. Harrow and Dr. Tro had already begun following Kyme down the carpet, and Dr. Kaddix reluctantly began to drag himself along as well.

“No money, at least not directly,” Kyme called back, as her enthusiastic pace had already put her far ahead of her guests. “Not any from us, but that's not the point. Just hear us out, you'll see.”

Dr. Kaddix's footsteps began to drag a little more, but his colleagues' only quickened; Dr. Tro seemed to have acquired a sudden respect for her host and Dr. Harrow had garnered a new level of intrigue.

They reached the doors at the back of the room and they parted slowly in front of Kyme, taking just long enough to separate for her guests to catch up. On the other side was an elevator which they silently assembled into.

“Can you tell us anything about what we're here for?” Dr. Tro inquired politely as the doors reunited and Kyme deftly prodded one of the countless buttons on the control panel.

“Alonso would like to give you all the details himself,” Kyme answered shortly but with matching politeness.

A soft tone sounded and the doors split once again revealing an enormous office. The far wall was a window consisting of a single pane of almost invisibly clear glass, casting a view of the endless Dengris desert from high above, splashed with the slowly dimming pastels of the twilight before dark.

“Amazing elevator,” Dr. Kaddix noted. “I hardly even felt.. how high up are we?”

“Forty stories,” Kyme replied.

“You've got to be kidding. If we had been accelerating that fast it would have-”

“Alonso's here, he'll be glad to finally get to talk with you!” Kyme interruped and she motioned to a silhouette against the lofty view: one of a desk with a single occupant in what appeared to be an armchair.

Dr. Tro strode forward with Dr. Harrow just behind her, nearly leaving Dr. Kaddix behind.

“Dr. Tro! Dr. Harrow! And last, but not least, Dr. Kaddix!”

The figure rose with an enthusiasm rivaling Kyme's and he charged forward and eagerly shook hands with the three of them.

He quickly showed them to a set of chairs in front of his desk and sat down, leaning forward over his desk with anticipation.

“Firstly, I must say I'm very pleased to get to meet you all.”

His guests all nodded politely, but quietly.

“We're quite curios...” Dr. Tro began tensely.

“That's good, that's why I picked you three. I imagine you're all waiting to hear what it is I have to say,” Alonso began, already gaining momentum in his speech.

“I'd quite like to hear what you have to offer us first,” Dr. Kaddix interjected with his most businesslike tone. “Your subordinate mentioned that there was no money involved.”

“Quite right, don't need anything like that involved with something like this.”

“I'd be inclined to agree with you if I knew what that something would be like.”

Alonso stood up slowly and eased his chair away from the desk, then paced forth over to the window. His eyes fixed somewhere off in the sky, at a fairly low angle with the ground.

A silence followed. They all waited as Alonso continued staring and a proud smile stretched across his face.

Finally Dr. Harrow shot up out of his own chair and sprinted to the window, staring to the exact same spot.

Dr. Tro spotted it next, followed quickly by Dr. Kaddix.

“My god, what is that?” Dr. Kaddix demanded.

“That, my friends,” Alonso began. “Is what you are here for.”

“Well that's a start. Now what exactly is it?” Dr. Kaddix stressed.

“It is a new planet. Right now it is just a lump of asteroids that we have assembled into a lump. But all the preparations have been made. By the end of tonight we will have given it the breath of life. And once it is a living, breathing planet, I will need you three to go there. To study it. To learn from it. To catalog it. To befriend it,” Alonso announced. “To protect it.”

The four of them stood staring: Alonso with a swelling pride and his guests with an awestruck confusion.

“That can't be right. Life would take billions of years to even appear, much less evolve into a recognizable form,” Dr. Tro noted.

“I told you, we have it all prepared,” Alonso reassured.

“How are you doing this? And why?” Dr. Kaddix croaked.

“I'll explain how later, but we're pretty much doing it because we can.”

“Did you even discuss this with any of the world powers? Do you have any idea of the implications of all this?” Dr. Harrow asked, astounded. “Assuming that you manage to do what you're saying you are.”

“Haven't said a word, and that's part of the plan. I don't want a land-grab or any garbage like that, which would happen for certain if I told anyone,” Alonso replied. “And if you don't believe that we're pulling this off, wait until tonight and look to the sky. With a nice telescope too, if you get a really good one you might even be able to see the trees and such.”

Dr. Harrow's gaze shifted from the new moon that had appeared in the morning sky to Alonso, but it didn't change in the least from its expression of bewildered amazement.

“You're serious.” It was a statement of a fact that seemed beyond any possibility. “You're completely serious.”

“Not all the time. But I assure you, that thing really will be alive tonight. You just watch. We've got nice rooms for you to stay in tonight, Kyme will lead you to them and will help you find your way to where you need to be in the morning.”

Like so many others, the invitation addressed to Chase had plopped down onto his carpet just in front of his front door.

Like most of the other people that had received the letters, he didn't have a letter slot in his front door.

Yet that did not even flicker in his brain in the least when he plucked it off his floor and peeled away the seal. What was running through his mind was the message inscribed in the shimmering gold ink on the vibrant blue paper.

According to what he read, he was invited to the unveiling of something that would change everyone's lives, the event of the century that would send a truly amazing series of events in motion.

He had no idea what the event would be, or how it would affect his life, or why he, a simple aspiring journalist of all people, was invited to such an important unveiling. He didn't even know how he knew it was genuine, but somehow he just knew. He wouldn't miss it for anything.

He checked the location again, then the time and date of the event. Then he looked at his watch and made a dash for his car.

Alonso, Kyme, and the newly recruited Dr.'s all stood in the elevator as the doors closed yet again as they all regathered the next morning. It was obvious that the three newer employees had not gotten much sleep; judging by Dr. Kaddix's eyes, he had spent all night staring out the window at the new addition to the stars.

Adding an irritating note to the silence that set in the elevator as they rode down it, Alonso and Kyme seemed to have slept their best nights in their lives.

“Good mor-” Alonso began.

“How exactly will you be doing this!?” Dr. Tro blurted out. “How did you even get that lump of rocks all together already?”

“I'll explain while we get ready for the party,” Alonso assured them.

“Party?” Dr. Harrow repeated.

“Any excuse to have one is a good one in my book,” Alonso answered. “And we're unveiling something truly magnificent, don't you think? I see a party as quite fitting.”

“So you're doing this all...” Dr. Kaddix coughed, trying to redirect the conversation.

“Ah yes. We'll be melting the rocks all together with a sort of bomb and then using a device of our own creation to alter relative passage of time so that the planet experiences the time passage necessary for the crust to cool and form, water to condense and collect for the oceans, and then life to grow and evolve into something visible.”

The elevator let out a tone and the doors opened up to a long hallway.

“I don't even think that's possible, but assuming you're right, how do you even know that life will appear within the time frame that you bring this planet to?” Dr. Tro asked.

“How do you even know that your process will create land forms?” Dr. Kaddix demanded.

“And how do you know there won't be other implications or effects stemming from this?” Dr. Harrow added grimly.

“Trust me, everything,” Alonso replied confidently, “has been taken care of well ahead of time.”

“Except for us, that seems very rushed and last-minute,” Dr. Harrow noted.

“I can't tell you why we did that, but odds are you'll find out,” Alonso replied.

“How did you even know who we are? How did you even find us?” Dr. Kaddix demanded.

“That's something I can tell you,” Alonso mused thoughtfully. “Later, though. I suggest you start getting to meet your fellow employees now, and then get ready for the party. You'll be attending, of course. I know I wouldn't miss it if my life depended on it.”

Chase checked the passenger seat of his car yet again as he drove onward. His camera bags hadn't moved, but if the event that he was headed to attend was to be half as important or spectacular as it had been advertised as, then it would be impossible to be too careful. He had already made a quick stop at the side of the road to lay out all his camera gear, count everything, put it back, and count it again, just to make sure that he had everything that he would need. Both for his camcorder and his still camera, and made sure he had all the necessary cables and tripods in the trunk.

Even if the thing was a total wash it was his first job in a long time. Even a drab story about an over-anticipated scam would be better than nothing, but he had a feeling that what he was headed towards was definitely something.

The road continued, stretching as far as his vision and endlessly beyond. The drive had already been and would only continue to be long and boring, but at least there were no turns to get lost at. Nothing between him and the mysterious event but a few hours of laying on the accelerator. He could do that.

“I have to ask,” Dr. Harrow called, just managing to catch Alonso's attention before he disappeared into one of the many rooms in the unfamiliar hallway. “How many people will be at this party? Who all is invited?”

Alonso paused politely and turned to Dr. Harrow. “Let's see,” he mused to himself. “Everyone in the company... we're hiring a cameraman to document the trip, pretty much same way we hired you all.”

“No politicians? No high ranking officials from any world powers?”

“Oh gods no!” Alonso exclaimed. “That would completely ruin the atmosphere. This is a celebration, of the unveiling of a brand new world, not an international argument.”

“No, there's no international squabble yet,” Dr. Harrow replied firmly. “But if you don't do something for it all there will be.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Alonso responded dryly. “Please understand, though, that we have seen to everything, and I mean everything. We are the only group of people anywhere to have any sort of craft that can transport people to the planet. Since the whole Mars thing fell through and any other planet of interest is light years away, nobody has seen reason to fiddle around getting any sort of spacecraft. All we needed to do was keep this whole thing under wraps and nobody would bother making one, and we did, so they didn't.”

“But look,” Dr. Harrow interjected exasperatedly. “That doesn't rule out the implications. The fact that we will have means to go there will confer upon us in their eyes a responsibility to bring them along as well.”

“Well they certainly won't be able to make us.”

“You can bet your ass they won't see it that way. You'll have the International Unity organization on your ass, every country that covers more than fifty square miles will be hounding you. Since you're on American soil, Uncle Sam will just waltz right in here and take over everything right away.”

“We've got that all under control!” Alonso restated firmly. “It's simple, really. We've made just enough ships for you all to go and no more. We won't have any to give to the United States or International Unity or any other bureaucrat or politician. We've got it planned out so that they won't be able to make us do anything because we simply can't do anything.”

Dr. Harrow stood frozen, staring with an expression of pure shock at Alonso.

“The party starts in about an hour, and we're going to be making a day of it. At about ten we'll be flipping the switch, and by eleven you'll be flying over there. Go on and get ready and your new co-workers will fill you in on all the necessary details while we all get drunk off our asses.” Alonso thought about this. “Except the pilots, of course.”

Before Dr. Harrow could protest, Alonso eased himself behind the door and it clicked shut behind him.

Dr. Tro emerged from her assigned dressing room after nearly three quarters of an hour. She had selected a conservative dress suit in blue and gold, the only colors that were available from the company's selection. She carried her original attire folded neatly and tucked under her arm, complete with her comfortable, yet sturdy hiking boots that she never went a day in the field without.

She looked around and retraced her footsteps to the elevator, which opened for her on their own intuition.

Inside was a tall, burly man wearing a blue and gold buttoned up vest and matching pants and boots, topped by a sheet white cowboy hat.

“Evening, miss,” he said warmly with a strong southern accent. “Name's Buck, you must be Dr. Tro. Pleased to meet you, ma'am.”

She smiled warmly in reply and strode into the elevator next to him, offering him a hand. “Nice to meet you too, are we headed toward the party?”

“Yes ma'am we are. Are you as riled up about this as I am?”

Dr. Tro gave a polite chuckle. “I guess I would be if I knew what all was going on.”

“Got a point there,” he noted. “Well, Alonso's let you in on the whole 'flip a switch and we breath life into that pile'v dust' deal, right?”

“Something along those lines, yes.”

The elevator toned softly and opened up to a long, high-ceiling hallway leading to a pair of doors about a hundred yards away.

“Well, then we launch a few ships, one for each of you, with the whole objective of studying the place, observing similarities between it and Earth, being an ambassador to the locals and so on and so on.”

The two began walking at a leisurely pace down the hall.

“Just three of us? To do all of that? That's a huge responsibility.”

“Alonso thinks you can handle it,” he replied. “Ya'll are the best in your fields. You're the top zoologist around today. Dr. Kaddix is the best geologist.” He paused.

“And Dr. Harrow?” Dr. Tro asked.

“Well, let's just say he's a people person, 'cept I dunno if he likes people all that much.”

They strode in silence further on down the hallway. When they were about halfway down, Dr. Tro spoke up again.

“So, what do you want me to do? Should I be cataloging each species that I see? Observing ecosystems?”

Buck shrugged. “Just do whatever, I guess. We unerstand it'll be tough starting from scratch. You'll be just noting similarities and differences between there and Earth, I think, a few facts and observations that you happen to collect. Mostly just making sure-”

“Making sure what?”

“Nevermind.”

“I have to ask, how are you so sure that life will appear on this planet?” she inquired.

“Eh, I don't think I'm allowed to say yet. Just trust me, we've got it all sorted out.”

“What do you mean?” she pressed. “Do you have some way of sending single-celled life forms out at a certain point and letting everything evolve from that?”

Buck mulled over her suggestion for a second, then turned to her. “Look, you're a bright young lady, I'm sure you'll have it figured out soon. You wouldn't want me spoilin' the ending now, would you?”

Dr. Kaddix couldn't help but stare.

He had already gotten changed into a rather flat suit of the company colors and was already outside at the site of the party. It was now mid-morning and already warming up with more heat rolling in by the minute.

“Nice, isn't it?” chirped Kyme brightly.

“Gods, what the hell is it?” He barked, still staring.

“It's the layer cake,” she replied.

“Great, now what the hell is that?”

“It's the thing that we're going to use to make time speed up on the planet so that the whole cooling and everything can occur. And a bunch of other necessary things.”

Dr. Kaddix stared at the enormous stepped cylinder ahead of him, the outside of it plated in a bright, polished metal of a brilliant golden sheen, glaring brightly with the light of the morning sun. After a while he peeled his eyes off of it and began searching for the planet, but the sky was already so bright as to wall it off from view.

“Perfect day for this. No clouds. Perfect place for this too. Without the city lights the night sky will be just perfect to watch this from.”

Dr. Kaddix continued to scan the bright blue sky for even the slightest hint of the new planet, even though he knew that he would never be able to see it in the current light.

“When does this party start, then?” he asked.

“About five minutes,” Kyme answered as she turned back to the towering building behind them. “I can see others coming on out. We'll set up a shade soon and someone will come on out with booze and foodstuffs.”

“Sounds good, I could do with all of that right about now,” he sighed. “Especially the booze.”

Kyme nodded, then paused. “Wait, you're not a pilot, are you?”

“You tell me.”

The telephone in the white house presidential suite blared.

President Dan Sudineck picked it up.

“Yeah?” he grunted.

“Mr. President, an observatory in Washington has picked up something urgent.”

Dan groaned. “What?”

“Sir, a bunch of meteors-”

“If they're all headed this way at blinding speed, have the maid send me a pina colada and put a movie on the t.v.”

“Actually sir, they're all lumped together and staying a steady distance from Earth.”

“What?”

“They're in Earth's orbit exactly. The person who discovered them noticed this, and says that the combined cluster all has a size comparable of that of the Earth, and believes it has a similar mass.”

Dan groaned. “And?”

“Sir, if he is correct, then this could have devastating effects, not to mention that its very existence raises a great deal of questions.”

“What sort of devastating effects? Go ahead and order that pina colada now then if you haven't already.”

“According to the radial distance from the Earth of,” the person on the other end paused, then continued at the slow pace of someone reading information that doesn't completely make sense to them. “Pi twelth radius of Earth's orbit-”

“I don't need to know that, I need to know what's going to happen.”

“Sir, according to our top astrophysicists, the gravity between the two bodies should result in a complete tidal shift and heavy Earthquakes as the surface is ripped apart.”

“How soon can we expect this to happen?”

“It should be happening already, sir.”

Dan sat up, horrified. “Where all is it happening?”

“Sir, we've yet to receive any reports of seismic activity or unusual oceanic-”

“Oh, good. When you do, have someone bring me a pina colada and put a damn good movie on. If it's the end of the world I'd like to enjoy a nice relaxing day in for once.”

He tossed the receiver onto its cradle and flopped back and went back to sleep.

Dr. Harrow was the last to stride into the morning light, having donned a quiet trench suit of a very dark blue fabric and with the most discreet of the mandatory gold trim that was available. He shadowed a group of ecstatic employees as they made their way out towards the site. They seemed to hardly notice him as he followed.

Finally his eye caught the glare of the layer cake and he nearly froze as he was struck by the sight of it.

After a few seconds he fell back into step and followed his new peers toward the area of the party, where a pavillion-style tentshade was being erected.

“Oi, Dr. Harrow!” called an employee. “Say hello to everyone!”

He froze as to his horror, the focused attention of everyone in view focused on him.

“Nice to meet you all and I look forward to working with this fine company,” he replied without missing a beat.

Everyone cheered in response and the attentions scattered, allowing Dr. Harrow to ease up tremendously. As everyone's focus on him diffused away he made his way to where he had heard the call from until was able to discern who the owner of the voice was.

“And that's what I said, I did,” he summarized for the person who he was talking to, who was either genuinely interested or a very good actor. “And that was that, they didn't believe me that someone else had been in the jar lab, but-”

“Excuse me,” Dr. Harrow whispered. “Could I get a word with you?”

“Well you damn well could! Here I am, I'm Fletcher.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dr. Harrow replied, shaking his hand without even needing to see Fletcher's offered appendage.

“'Tha's good, tha's good. In what way can I be of service, Cap'n?”

“Captain?” Dr. Harrow repeated.

“Yeah, didn't you know?”

“No, I didn't, actually, which was why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Ah, still aint got the finer details?”

“I'm fairly sure I'm lacking all of them.”

“A'right, see, you're one of the best people with people or summat like that,” Fletcher began. “So, what you'll be doing, see, is befriendin' an' ambassadorin' all the li'l people up there, as well as bein' public relation of sorts with the people back down 'ere, and makin' sho' that they get all the inf'mation that they need about the going-ons and the stuff about the places and the likes.”

“I see, but why me again?”

“Well, to my knowledge, you's like a psychologist and political analyst and suchas the likes.”

“How did the company locate me?” Dr. Harrow asked quietly.

“Eh, we got smarts and stuffs. I dunno, I was in the jar lab.”

“Jar lab?”

“Eh, you'll find out later, I'm sure. But ay, free booze, a swig'll make everything better.”

Fletcher called over someone in the crowd who ducked through everyone else, popped a shot-glass brimming with liquid into each of Fletcher's hands, then vanished.

“I'm not a pilot too, am I?” Dr. Harrow asked tensely as he looked at the glasses.

“Eh, good point,” Fletcher replied. “Guess I'm drinking for both of us.”

Chase slammed on the brakes and shifted his car jerkily into park as he pulled in front of the monolith that was apparently the TimeSpace Technologies Headquarters. The brakes hadn't even finished halting the car when he dove out clutching his camera bags, sprinted to the trunk and yanked it open to get to his tripod sand other gear. He was already close to running late, and anything short of very early was unacceptable in his line of work.

He probably shouldn't have asked for directions. At least not the number of times that he actually did. Each time he got the same answer.

“TimeSpace? Them's the folks with that hulkin' tow'r of a buildin'. It's right the hell next to the road too, got no idea what they's was thinkin'. Ya couldn't miss the damn thing if ya tried.”

No matter how many times he'd heard it it still didn't sound quite right. It just a bit too odd, but the more he thought about it, the more he remembered that the whole situation was quite strange anyway and that it would probably be a good idea from here on out to stop worrying about how strange things were at the time.

He figured that everything would make sense later.

In a feat of pure dedication to the job he sprinted, carrying himself and his heavy, jostling equipment over the baked, blistering dirt all the way around the building, spotted the gathering beyond it, and continued his breakneck trek. He honed in on the party, only stopping and letting the resulting fatigue catch up to him once he was within arm's length of the nearest partygoer.

“Oh, hello!” Dr. Tro greeted uncertainly.

“Hi,” Chase wheezed hoarsely, his throat beginning to crack with dryness like the dirt beneath his feet. “I'm... the cameraguy...”

“We have a camera person?” Dr. Tro asked blankly.

“Well, apparently you do now,” he replied with a scratchy cough. “Here I am.”

“Oh, that's good.” She peered around, giving a sympathetic effort to locate something of interest for him to record.

“Let's see, you can...”

Chase bolted into his most upright stance and deftly whipped a tripod off his back, setting it up in the same motion as he clicked it into the ground, then popped his camera out of his bag and set it in place on the stand.

“This is Chase Rodram here with an exclusive interview. This person is-”

He cut off suddenly, leaving Dr. Tro with an unmistakable queue.

“Wait, you can't be all set up already!”

He waved his hands hurriedly for her to begin.

“No way, I've worked with tons of videographers and journalists and film-makers... there's no way you could have that camera set up that fast.”

He remained silently peering through the camera and motioned jerkily to Dr. Tro.

“I'm Dr. Tro with TimeSpace Technologies,” she began sheepishly. “We're... er.... we're here at a party to celebrate the... um... we um flip a switch of some sort... and then... well... I think it has something to do with this thing here,” she continued with a wave towards the layer cake. “And then the new planet thing becomes a planet.... something like that.”

Chase panned the camera to show the layer cake and then back to Dr. Tro.

“What inspired this project?” he asked.

“I... um... I don't know, I just got in this all at the last second...”

“What do you mean by that?” he inquired.

“I was just recruited this morning,” she stated in reply.

Chase did a double take as her answer hit him, but in a completely professional manner managed to ask the next question without missing a beat, even while he was still reeling in surprise. “What kind of efforts have been put into this already?”

“I don't know, but apparently everything is quite taken care of,” she answered with a shrug.

“What about the many implications and consequences that could result from this? Has the company acknowledged and taken care of all of those?”

“Look, I'm sure they have. You should probably ask someone else... anyone else,” Dr. Tro muttered and she began peering around for someone that she even remotely knew.

The first thing to catch her eye was a bleach-white cowboy hat.

“Buck!” she called.

The hat turned toward her and waded through the crowd until the last people between them parted to reveal one of the few familiar faces present.

“Howdy miss, what can I help you with-”

He paused knowingly as he noticed the camera pointed at him and the person huddled behind it.

“Ah, hello, you must be Chase Rodram. Welcome to TimeSpace technologies.”

Chase said nothing, replying only by waving his hands for Buck to continue.

“Oh no, don't worry, you don't need to film anything yet.”

Chase poked his head curiously over the top of the camera.

“We already know you do good work, you're already hired.”

Chase thumbed a button on the camera and it blinked off. “That's not the point of me filming right now though, aren't I supposed to send this to some news agency?”

“I hardly see a company picnic as newsworthy,” Buck drawled.

“Yes, well,” Chase stammered. “I got a letter to come here and film, and now I'm told this isn't what I'm filming?”

“Oh no, see, this is here lil' fiesta is in celebration of the launch of our big project.”

“I see,” Chase began. “I've already talked with Dr. Tro here a bit, she said something about flipping a switch and a new planet? That hardly makes sense at all to me.”

“That's 'bout the hang of it.”

Chase paused. “Well, you try explaining it then, might make more sense coming from you.”

“Did you look out at the sky last night?” Buck asked. “Before it got bright out, y'know.”

“No, why?”

Buck turned to Dr. Tro. “You'll have to excuse us, miss. C'mon, Mr. Rodram, let's take a walk and I'll explain everything. You look like you could probably use some shade and a drink or two.”

Chase shrugged, scooped up his camera gear with a few deft, nearly automatic motions and started to trod off to the tent at Buck's heels.

Dr. Tro gave her head a gentle shake to try to clear it, then began to think of who else she was at all familiar with. She reasoned that by then, Dr. Harrow and Dr. Kaddix ought to have met someone that they could introduce her to and she could work her way out from there to get to know people.

“Mr. President!”

Dan stirred his coffee as a few officials rushed to his table, clutching manila folders brimming with papers that were undoubtedly boring, uninformative, and unnecessary.

“Yep, I'm here,” he stated blandly.

“Sir, you slept in terribly late.”

“Yes, well,” he began as he stared into his swirling coffee. “I'd gotten a call about meteors or such, I figured with the increased chances of these being our last days on Earth, we might as well enjoy them, or at least sleep in.”

“Sir,” began one of the officials heavily. “According to our top NASA scientists, we should all be dead by now.”

“Oh good, that really lightens things up already.” He took a sip of his coffee.

“Sir, what do you want us to do about the situation?”

Dan swished around his mouthful of coffee for a few seconds. After he finished with it, he asked, “I don't know, what does NASA want me to do about it?”

“They don't know what to do.”

“Alright, what do you gentlemen want me to do about all this?”

“We don't know sir,”

Dan threw back another sip of coffee. “Well, I don't exactly have a degree in astro-physics, and the best minds at NASA can't think of a single thing to do about any of this. How then, exactly, am I supposed to come up with anything to do?”

The officials all looked at each other and at various locations around the walls of the room.

“I did turn on the news this morning. A lot of strange astrology and junk on the today show, but no earthquakes, no meteors, no tidal mayhem. I think we might as well just kick back and go on to business as usual.”

“Sir, there's something else you should know.”

Dan's coffee mug halted midway through its trip back to its owner.

“Yes?”

“This new object is estimated to have exactly the mass of Earth.”

“And?” he continued lifting his mug to himself for the next sip.

“It is orbiting the sun at the same exact velocity as the earth and in its same orbit.”

Dan gave an apathetic nod, accented by a facial expression of keen interest soaked in sarcasm.

“And we have verified it is a radial distance of exactly fifteen degrees behind us in its orbit.”

Dan gave another irritated nod.

“Sir, nature never does anything exact like that, especially not in this case. This gives us reason to believe that this occurrence was done by intelligent beings.”

“Well, that's all great. Now what am I supposed to do about all this?”

“Sir, you've been advised to begin building up our armies in the event that said intelligent beings come to Earth and are hostile.”

Dan grimaced and shook his head. “No, I've got a better idea, a brilliant idea, in fact. We'll just all calm down and relax, and if anything major happens then we'll cross those bridges when, and if they actually happen.

“Sir!” one of the officials stammered. “We need to prepare!”

“Prepare for what?” Dan demanded.

“We don't know.”

“If it makes you feel better go build a bomb shelter in your back yard and stockpile it. But until we know what all is going to happen we can't prepare for it in the least.”

Dan realized he was sitting painfully tensely in his seat. He took a deep breath and sat back, taking another sip of coffee.

“Who knows, this might even be a good thing once it all happens.”