The SUV continued through the town, which barely registered to Susan as much more the a stop on the interstate. By the time she thought to notice it they were out, moving away from the lights towards what looked like the end of civilization. Leaning back she decided maybe she could catch some sleep.
This proved to be a mistake.
"We are almost there Ma'am." the driver said as Susan fought a sudden bout of queasiness. I hate curvey roads.
One moment it was all darkness then it was all light. Ahead on the left side of the road, it looked like the circus had come to Tennessee. In truth it had.
Two apache type copters streaked overhead as the SUV coasted into what appeared to be a sudden tent city set up on the side of the road. She had to remind herself not to gawk. It was unbelievable at the amount of tech, hardware and soldier all around this clearing and forest. Why would anyone go to this much trouble if-
Wait one damn moment! she thought. Was this actually the first time for real that aliens had come to Earth?
She dismissed the thought as a squad of soldiers approached then surrounded the SUV. They were shepherded to a spot off the side of the road about 100 yards from the "event zone." This is actually what the driver of the SUV called it as if it was scientific and official. Susan was fairly sure that he had just made it up.
She climbed out of the SUV, when a tall lanky man in a lab coat came striding over. He was not handsome, although there was something charming about the sly grin he shot her before holding his hand out.
"Dr. McGraff, I presume. I am Dr. Williams." His voice pitched so she could hear him over the hubbub surrounding him. He looked positively giddy.
"Dr, Williams." She said taking his hand shaking it then letting it go. Sweaty palms.
"Care to fill me in?"
"My pleasure." He replied before gesturing towards the site.
They picked their way around cars, trucks, boxes, light kits and some kind of power unit on a trailer. Leaving the road they walk outside a line of what Susan took to be police tape.
"As far as we can tell, the Ripple connected with the surface approximately 6 hours 12 minutes and 32 seconds ago at the center of this field." he lifted the yellow tape at this point- about 15 yards off the road- she tried to mentally pace it out anyway. It was a nerdy thing to do and she chided herself since she could get measurements later.
She ducked under the tape and Williams followed.
"The ripple came down over there." Williams pointed to a spot surrounded by lights about 40 foot in diameter with what appeared to be part of a beat up pickup truck crashed into a tree projecting into the circle.
"A truck?" She heard herself say.
"Yes, that, it seems the Ripple or event intersected the truck bed and de-atomized the part that fell within its intersect."
"De-atomized?"
Williams gave a micro-shrug and spread his hands.
"He won't say disintegrated." a thin man said before turning around from where he crouched with what Susan had at first taken to be a cluster of lab techs but now looked and smelled more like University interns (she would claim to have a nose for this kind of thing).
Williams coughed.
"I am Mick, Dr. Williams assistant in all things technical."
"He's an intern in my Astro-mapping project at Berkeley." William's explained, trying to wave Mick off.
"You guys got here fast." She said, an eyebrow raised.
"Well when Nasa informed the Military of what was happening, Some General started calling in favors and a group of G-men showed up at the lab and scooped up me and my staff of six, stuffed us into a jet I have never seen before and flew us pretty much straight here."
Susan was pretty sure she knew what General he was speaking about.
"So, the event field?" She prodded.
Williams chuckled, "Right. The Field. It's amazing isn't it?" He gestured at the circle filled with markers and lab techs scurrying over the space collecting everything in sight- grass, and soil included.
"What the Doc isn't telling you is what we found shortly after arriving here." Mick interjected.
"Well, I wanted her to get an idea of how much space we have to cover." Williams shot back.
"What am I missing?" Susan said trying to figure out what she was not seeing.
"It's unbelievable, that is what it is!" Williams excitement came bubbling up- the man was positively hopping in place.
"What is unbelievable?" She asked
"DNA, tons and tons of DNA." William yelled, he was dancing.
"DNA?"
"What the Doc is saying, Dr. McGraff is that the event field/zone is filled with little bits of DNA that is not terrestrial as far as we can tell at this juncture."
She must have gaped then blinked at the 40 foot diameter that was in fact, perhaps the single biggest discovery of her lifetime.
The Aliens has arrived.
She gulped but then could help wishing that they could have been a little bit bigger.
This proved to be a mistake.
"We are almost there Ma'am." the driver said as Susan fought a sudden bout of queasiness. I hate curvey roads.
One moment it was all darkness then it was all light. Ahead on the left side of the road, it looked like the circus had come to Tennessee. In truth it had.
Two apache type copters streaked overhead as the SUV coasted into what appeared to be a sudden tent city set up on the side of the road. She had to remind herself not to gawk. It was unbelievable at the amount of tech, hardware and soldier all around this clearing and forest. Why would anyone go to this much trouble if-
Wait one damn moment! she thought. Was this actually the first time for real that aliens had come to Earth?
She dismissed the thought as a squad of soldiers approached then surrounded the SUV. They were shepherded to a spot off the side of the road about 100 yards from the "event zone." This is actually what the driver of the SUV called it as if it was scientific and official. Susan was fairly sure that he had just made it up.
She climbed out of the SUV, when a tall lanky man in a lab coat came striding over. He was not handsome, although there was something charming about the sly grin he shot her before holding his hand out.
"Dr. McGraff, I presume. I am Dr. Williams." His voice pitched so she could hear him over the hubbub surrounding him. He looked positively giddy.
"Dr, Williams." She said taking his hand shaking it then letting it go. Sweaty palms.
"Care to fill me in?"
"My pleasure." He replied before gesturing towards the site.
They picked their way around cars, trucks, boxes, light kits and some kind of power unit on a trailer. Leaving the road they walk outside a line of what Susan took to be police tape.
"As far as we can tell, the Ripple connected with the surface approximately 6 hours 12 minutes and 32 seconds ago at the center of this field." he lifted the yellow tape at this point- about 15 yards off the road- she tried to mentally pace it out anyway. It was a nerdy thing to do and she chided herself since she could get measurements later.
She ducked under the tape and Williams followed.
"The ripple came down over there." Williams pointed to a spot surrounded by lights about 40 foot in diameter with what appeared to be part of a beat up pickup truck crashed into a tree projecting into the circle.
"A truck?" She heard herself say.
"Yes, that, it seems the Ripple or event intersected the truck bed and de-atomized the part that fell within its intersect."
"De-atomized?"
Williams gave a micro-shrug and spread his hands.
"He won't say disintegrated." a thin man said before turning around from where he crouched with what Susan had at first taken to be a cluster of lab techs but now looked and smelled more like University interns (she would claim to have a nose for this kind of thing).
Williams coughed.
"I am Mick, Dr. Williams assistant in all things technical."
"He's an intern in my Astro-mapping project at Berkeley." William's explained, trying to wave Mick off.
"You guys got here fast." She said, an eyebrow raised.
"Well when Nasa informed the Military of what was happening, Some General started calling in favors and a group of G-men showed up at the lab and scooped up me and my staff of six, stuffed us into a jet I have never seen before and flew us pretty much straight here."
Susan was pretty sure she knew what General he was speaking about.
"So, the event field?" She prodded.
Williams chuckled, "Right. The Field. It's amazing isn't it?" He gestured at the circle filled with markers and lab techs scurrying over the space collecting everything in sight- grass, and soil included.
"What the Doc isn't telling you is what we found shortly after arriving here." Mick interjected.
"Well, I wanted her to get an idea of how much space we have to cover." Williams shot back.
"What am I missing?" Susan said trying to figure out what she was not seeing.
"It's unbelievable, that is what it is!" Williams excitement came bubbling up- the man was positively hopping in place.
"What is unbelievable?" She asked
"DNA, tons and tons of DNA." William yelled, he was dancing.
"DNA?"
"What the Doc is saying, Dr. McGraff is that the event field/zone is filled with little bits of DNA that is not terrestrial as far as we can tell at this juncture."
She must have gaped then blinked at the 40 foot diameter that was in fact, perhaps the single biggest discovery of her lifetime.
The Aliens has arrived.
She gulped but then could help wishing that they could have been a little bit bigger.
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