Anomaly (21 page)

Cathy came bouncing up to him as he walked toward Mason and Anderson. Someone had changed her batteries. The difference between now and last night surprised him. Perhaps she just needed to get things off her chest, he figured. Once the air was clear, it was easier to move ahead. She kissed him on the cheek, and he felt like he'd been shot full of painkillers. All the aches and creaks in his body faded.

“Thanks for listening last night,” she said. “I really needed that.”

“Hey, I think it helped both of us,” he replied. “Did you find any re-runs of Gilligan's Island?”

“Nope. But there was a reality show about cooking.”

“And what is it you like about cooking shows?” asked Teller as they walked into the shadow of the anomaly. He wasn't really that curious, but he wanted to show some interest in the things that interested Cathy. If she found it interesting, there had to be something to it, despite his stereotypical masculine misgivings about the subject.

“It's cooking for lazy people,” she replied, having a laugh at herself. “It's all over within an hour and there's no cleaning up.”

“But you don't get to taste anything,” said Teller.

“Oh, the dishes they cook probably don't taste as good as they make out. The way the judges carried on last night, you'd think the chocolate dessert gave them an orgasm.”

“Ha!” cried Teller, having been taken completely off guard by Cathy once again. He wasn't sure, but he figured he was probably blushing at the thought. Teller was somewhat of a prude, whereas Cathy was easy-going. And he liked that about her, she brought him out of his shell.

She pushed him playfully, laughing as well.

Anderson called them over to one of the monitors on the side of the NASA trailer.

“Look at this,” he said, pointing at the screens. “What little we thought we knew yesterday seems wrong today. This central area, here, at the heart of the anomaly, has remained roughly the same size. What we thought were appendages have turned out to be recursive, arching back within the organism.”

Teller was beginning to regret sleeping in. He'd missed more than he realized. Anderson continued to explain their observations.

“Rather than being a separate entity, like a fetus would be in a womb, this looks more like the anchor point of the umbilical cord stretching out to the wall of the egg sac. So the cord is tethered here, at the heart of the anomaly. Look at the radar imaging.”

Anderson flicked through a few screens and brought up a false-color image showing pulsating fluids pumping outward within the cord. Bates came over, as did Mason.

“Rather than being the focal-point for a growing alien embryo,” said Anderson. “It appears the entire organic structure originates from here and provides nutrients or cellular material to the outer wall. The cord appears to be feeding the growing egg-sac surrounding the core.”

Teller looked at the anomaly, then back at the screen.

“So it's empty?” he asked. “That whole vast sphere is empty?”

“Seems that way,” said Anderson. “The end-node, where the umbilical cord attaches to the outer wall of the egg-sac is now larger than the nodule in the center. Any ideas?”

Teller shrugged, looking at Bates and Mason. Finch was hovering in the background, trying to record the conversation without distracting them.

Anderson brought up the image of the outer wall of the egg-sac as he continued describing what they'd been able to observe. “Look at how the cord fans out when it reaches the sac-wall. It branches out with what looks like arteries and veins. That placenta-like mass must be about a foot across, but then it fades, and all we have is the semi-translucent sac-wall.”

Bates asked, “Why would it build an empty biological environment? Why wouldn't it fill it with something?”

“And what could it sustain?” asked Teller. “I mean, look at it, that inner sac is at least ten stories high in itself. It dominates a significant proportion of the whole anomaly.”

“There has to be a purpose,” said Bates. “Whatever it is building it is requiring time, effort and energy to construct. It has to be deliberate.”

“Can you tell anything about its construction?” asked Teller.

“Without a sample, it's impossible to determine composition, but the xenobiologists are saying it's most likely carbon-based organic chemistry, given what we can determine from the environment.”

“Is there anything in that egg-sac?” asked Cathy.

“Not that we can tell,” said Anderson. There's probably some kind of fluid, as there would need to be something counteracting the surrounding pressure. But we really have no idea at all.”

“Could it be building something that's transparent to our eyes?” asked Cathy.

“Yeah,” said Teller, liking her question.

Anderson rubbed the stubble on his chin before replying.

“We're observing this thing at every wavelength, looking for the most subtle variations, anything that would reveal the internal composition, but there's nothing there. Anything invisible to our sight would still show up in either infra-red, ultra-violet, or x-ray wavelengths. Any time you introduce something with a slightly different density, it will distort the electromagnetic spectrum in one way or another. It's just not possible to make something entirely invisible at all wavelengths.”

“We don't know that,” said Mason. “After all, up until a week ago, we would have said it was impossible to defy gravity.”

“It's not likely,” said Bates. “It would be inconsistent with everything we've observed so far. The anomaly has made no effort to conceal its activities. From ripping up a New York intersection to burning lithium, to transforming a section of the Earth into something from a gas giant, everything we've seen when it comes to the anomaly has been overt. There's no reason for it to suddenly pull some hocus-pocus magic act on us now and cloak its activities. I think the answer is simple. It is empty, and that is deliberate on its part.”

“But why?” asked Mason.

“Why indeed,” replied Bates. Finch zoomed in on his face, capturing his expression.

“It's following a preset path of action,” said Teller. “Bates has a good point. From day one, the anomaly has been invasive and intrusive. Everything we've seen suggests the anomaly is deliberately disruptive, wanting to catch our attention. But it's important to note that it is not here to satisfy our agenda.”

“No, it's not,” agreed Bates.

Anderson added his thoughts. “We know the alien entity is modifying the environment within the anomaly to suit itself. This may just be another phase, another prelude. Perhaps it’s still establishing an environment in which it can propagate its biology.”

“After almost two days?” asked Bates. “When it could turn platinum into gold in little more than a nanosecond? No, if it's taking its time, it's for a reason. If it is empty, it's for a reason.”

“But what reason?” asked Teller.

“Beats me,” said Bates. “We may not understand its reasoning, but it has chosen to take its time.”

Cathy was standing in such a way she could take in most of the anomaly as the backdrop to the conversation. She could see the winding umbilical cord within the sac deep inside the swirling blue orb.

“Whatever ends up growing inside that thing,” she said, “it is going to be big.”

“Should we be worried?” asked Mason.

“We shouldn't,” said Teller. “The whole tone of our conversation with the anomaly has revolved around science. I'm betting that will continue. It's not aggressive, it's not threatening. It is self-restrained. We need to be patient.”

“Oh, that's never good to hear,” said Cathy. “I bet the pundits are having a field day with this, trying to out-guess you guys, whipping up a frenzy. The media isn't good with patience.”

“Teller is right,” said Mason, turning toward Finch and his camera. “There's considerable anxiety out there, but it is important to emphasize this thing is going slow for a reason. As alarming as this may seem, the anomaly appears to be taking its time so it doesn't freak us out.”

“Absolutely,” said Bates, also turning toward the camera. “Remember, this thing was able to instantaneously transform elements. If it wanted to build something in the blink of an eye, it would. We have to look at its current actions as a deliberate effort to slow things down, to avoid any misunderstandings and give us time to observe it in action. We've just got to do the one thing no one likes to do, and that is, wait patiently.”

“So what now?” asked Mason.

“We wait,” said Anderson. “We watch and observe. And when it's ready, it will let us know.”

Mason looked at Bates and Teller, who both agreed.

“OK,” said Mason, walking off.

Finch looked disappointed. He spotted a few scientists setting up what looked like a satellite dish, something to eavesdrop on the anomaly, and went over to find out what they were up to, his camera constantly streaming video out to CERN in Switzerland, and then on to the Internet at large.

“Looks like we get a nice quiet day,” said Cathy, turning to Teller. “It would be a great day to head off to the beach.”

She was joking, Teller could see that.

“Yes, it would,” he replied, smiling. “Hey, were you serious last night about wanting to go shopping?”

Cathy looked at him sideways. She instinctively knew he had something else in mind, and that seemed to bother her. Teller called out after Mason, jogging off after him. Cathy followed along.

Mason stopped, his hands resting firmly on his hips, his suit jacket open and his tie loosened.

“I'd like to go shopping,” said Teller.

“Shopping?” said Mason, rather impatiently. “Am I hearing you right?”

“Yes,” replied Teller before Cathy could stop him. She had her hand out, almost at the point of pulling him back. She must have thought he'd gone mad, he figured.

“Make out a list of what you want and I'll get the quartermaster to pick up what you need,” said Mason.

“I can't do that,” said Teller.

“Why not?” asked Mason, clearly not amused. The scowl on his face showed he had more important tasks to attend to.

“Because I don't know what I need.”

“Then why do you want to go shopping?” asked Mason.

“Why does anyone want to go shopping?” asked Teller rather innocently. “I want to look for something, but I don't know quite what.”

Mason shifted his weight. He didn't look impressed. Anderson walked over, listening in.

“Think about it,” said Teller. “We're looking for innovative ways to interact with the anomaly. I'd like to get in an environment where I can think outside the box.”

“In a shopping mall?” asked Mason, surprised by the concept.

“Yes. I've got a few ideas. But I suspect they'll become more concrete if I can get my hands on stuff.”

“How is going to a shopping mall going to help?” asked Mason. “Couldn't you just go online, pick out what you're after and we'll get one of the Marines to run out and pick this stuff up for you?”

“It doesn't work like that,” said Teller. “It's about stimulating thinking. It's about seeing things from a different angle. It's about escaping this bird cage.”

“The last time you did that,” replied Mason, “I had to flood New York with troops to get you back.”

Mason turned toward Cathy, asking rather aggressively, “Did you put him up to this?”

Cathy held her hands up denying any responsibility.

Teller ignored him. “Listen. We're divorced from reality in here. We're in an artificial environment. Everything's regimented. It's contrived. I think that by getting out in the real world, it will open up other possibilities for consideration. The human brain works best when it's stimulated.”

“He's got a point,” said Anderson, offering his unsolicited opinion.

“He's got a point?” exclaimed Mason. “Are you kidding me? The real world doesn't consist of shopping malls. The American world might, but not the real world. Find me a shopping mall in Afghanistan. Find me one in Malawi. Find me a Wal-Mart in Terra Del Fuego. Find me a Costco in Mongolia. Come on. Don't play me for a fool. What is this really about?”

“OK,” said Teller, swallowing a lump in his throat as he spoke. “I want to go shopping for toys.”

“Toys?” cried Mason, looking at Cathy and Anderson, looking for some kind of support from them for his sense of disbelief. Teller grimaced, this was worse than he expected.

“Bear with me,” said Teller. “Toys stimulate and educate the mind at the same time. They teach us how to interact with our world. I think they could be invaluable in providing a stimulus for lateral thinking when it comes to communicating with the anomaly.”

“Toys?” repeated Mason, somewhat hung up on the point. “What? Like Lego?”

“Wait a minute,” said Anderson, turning to Mason. “A couple of days ago, you'd have thought releasing a balloon inside this thing was a dumb idea, and yet it was just what we needed to kick-start things. Maybe Teller's got a point.”

“Toys,” said Mason, shaking his head. “OK. Talk to Sergeant Davies. He'll arrange transport and a protective detail. But I don't want you going more than a couple of blocks. OK?”

“Fine,” said Teller.

“What about Grand Central?” asked Anderson. “It's over on Park Avenue, less than three blocks from here.”

“OK,” said Mason. “But no further. And you stay in constant radio contact.”

“Great,” said Anderson. That took both Teller and Mason by surprise.

“What?” asked Mason. “You're going with them?”

“Absolutely,” replied Anderson. “I think our grade-school teacher has a valid point. We need to stop thinking like scientists stuck in a basement somewhere, never seeing the light of day, trying to analyze this thing too closely, and start looking at how to simplify our approach. Sometimes, you can get too close to an experiment. Sometimes, you've got to step back so you can see the forest among the trees.”

Teller was smiling.

“All right,” said Mason. He pointed a stern finger at Teller, adding, “But no more riots. OK?”

Teller laughed. “Yes, dad.”

Mason walked off, shaking his head. Anderson went off to arrange their transport.

“What do you think you're doing?” asked Cathy.

“Getting you your day trip,” replied Teller. “And, besides, I really do think there's some value in a change of scenery. I've got a couple of ideas, but I think just being there will help to stimulate some alternative concepts about how to communicate more effectively.”