The Alien Accord

by Betsey Kulakowski

  Rowan looked to Michael, then to Lauren. “Seriously? It reminds me of something Nostradamus would write.”

  “It does have that sing-song feeling of the Seer’s quatrains,” Lauren allowed.

  “So does this go back to the Tablet of Destiny?” Rowan puzzled.

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “The Dark One ... I can only assume that refers to Enlil, and while he did have possession of the Tablet of Destiny — and it made him the supreme ruler of the universe — in some of the legends, the tablet, if it is real, changed hands a number of times.”

  Rowan sat up, lifting a finger. “I saw something in one of these books ...” He reached for the stack and thumbed through one of them. “There is a Sumerian poem titled Ninurta and the Turtle which mentions that Enki possessed the Tablet.”

  “So if Enki represents Jesus, or good, and Enlil is Lucifer, or evil,” Michael thought out loud. “Do you suppose there are forces ... factions ... battling for control and we’re just innocent bystanders in a cosmic war that is coming? Does this mean Enlil is coming here ... to destroy the world?”

  “So you’re thinking this message is a warning.” Rowan pointed to the page with Lauren’s notes from Alexei’s recording.

  “If this is a cautionary tale,” Lauren said, holding up the page from Michael’s recording, the one retelling the flood story. “Then this one is a threat.” She held up the one from Alexei’s recording. “If we’re to believe these messages ... and if my translations are correct ... then a war is coming; a war we may not be able to win without divine intervention.”

  Chapter 14

  As they sat trying to process their revelation, Michael’s phone chirped in his pocket. He went back over to the computer and pulled up the email. “It’s from NASA,” he said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Oh my gods ...” His hand went to his mouth. “I’ve been granted access to Hubble.”

  “That’s terrific,” Lauren said.

  He nodded. “Competition for time with Hubble is extremely intense, you know.”

  “What’d you have to do to get it?” Rowan asked.

  “I had to show my observations could only be accomplished with Hubble’s unique capabilities and are beyond those of ground-based telescopes.” Michael paced, running his hand over his head, trying to steel his excitement.

  “That’s terrific!” Lauren said. “When? How?”

  “They sent me a code ...” he said. “It looks like I can access it from any computer.” He paused, sinking into a chair, scooping up Henry who crawled over and sat, lifting his hands to his uncle. Henry settled into his lap with his toy shark under his arm and looked at Lauren as if he wanted in on the conversation. “Telescope observing time is measured by the number of orbits required for a successful observation. Programs that request multiple orbits get much greater scrutiny. The observations must address a significant astronomical mystery. I requested six orbits, just to make sure I could triangulate the source of the signals.”

  “And?”

  “They gave me what’s called a snapshot observation.”

  “What’s that?” Lauren asked.

  “Snapshot observations are used to fill in gaps in the telescope schedule which cannot be filled by regular programs,” Michael said. “They basically gave me forty-five minutes of telescope time. That’s not even a full orbit.”

  “Is that enough?” Rowan asked.

  “It’ll have to be,” he said.

  * * *

  It was midnight when the telescope’s orbit put it in optimal position for Michael’s purposes. He had everything set up, the code entered, and the programming set for the scans he needed. With Hubble traveling at five miles per second, he needed to be efficient. There were a lot of variables; a lot of moving parts. Ideally, he’d have had a month, maybe two, to figure out all the necessary factors and set up the perfect scan. This situation was not ideal.

  “Everything ready?” Lauren asked. Rowan came up behind her.

  Michael nodded. “As ready as it’ll ever be,” he said with trepidation. He shivered as he held his finger over the ENTER key. “And we’re live in 5...4...3...2...1.” He hit the button.

  A graph popped up on the bottom of the screen with a timer.

  “Is that it?” Rowan asked. “How long ‘til we get the results?”

  “We have forty-five minutes of scanning, then the data has to be extrapolated into something we can analyze.” He sat back, crossing his arms, swiveling the chair around. “It’ll probably be tomorrow before we can dive in.”

  “Tomorrow?” Lauren’s brows knitted. She’d been ready to work through the night, despite having had practically no sleep since arriving. She blamed it on the multiple time zone changes they’d been through since leaving Hilo a little over a week before.

  “We might as well go back to the apartment then,” Rowan said. “I’m exhausted.”

  Lauren nodded, glancing over at Henry asleep on his blanket on the floor. Lauren suddenly felt sorry for her son. He’d been so good through all of this; the travel, the time changes, the strange places, strange people. Still he’d been cheerful and playful all day. He’d crawled all over Michael’s office and they’d cheered this new milestone, much to his delight. He’d worn himself out. He deserved a better bed than the floor in an office. He needed his rest, even if Lauren couldn’t sleep.

  As Lauren thought about a warm bubble bath, she collected him, and his shark from the floor. She wrapped him in the blanket as she hoisted him to her shoulder. He was getting so big; so heavy. He wouldn’t be a baby much longer. She would miss this phase of their lives together, but she smiled thinking of his future. Would he be more like her, or more like Rowan? Perhaps the perfect blend of the two of them.

  Henry stirred as she shouldered her purse and took her cell phone from the table. He put his arms around her neck, patting her back. “Mama,” he muttered in his sleep. “Mama ... go ...”

  One minute she was in Michael’s office, the next, she was standing in the bedroom in their apartment. The abruptness of the transition was disorienting, and her head spun. She staggered back, making it to the edge of the bed before she fell over. Henry sat up and looked at her, grinning. She inspected him, suddenly more worried for him than for herself. “Are you okay?”

  “Mama,” he giggled. “Go.” His hand patted her cheek, then snuggled into her. “Mama.”

  Lauren wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. Her heart was still racing, a wave of nausea passed over her. “Christ,” she muttered, patting him. She nearly leapt out of her skin when her phone in her hip pocket buzzed.

  She fished it out with trembling hands. It was Rowan. She hit the button, preparing for the inquisition.

  “Where the hell did you go?” he demanded.

  “I’m at the apartment,” she said, running a hand over her face.

  “How ... how did you get there?” His voice was trembling too.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “I was standing there thinking about getting Henry tucked in and debating about a bubble bath before I went to bed ... the next thing I know ... we’re here.”

  “Just like Hilo?”

  “Just like Hilo.” She confirmed. “Just like Mexico.”

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Rowan said.

  * * *

  Lauren managed to compose herself and changed Henry into his pajamas and put him to bed. He drifted off peacefully. The sudden change of location didn’t seem to faze him one bit. Clearly it upset Lauren more than she realized. She found herself agitated, unable to sit still. She went to the kitchen and found the half-empty bottle of wine in the fridge. She took it out and poured herself a dose. Leaning on the counter, she lifted the glass to her lips with a trembling hand. It shook so bad the liquid splashed down her chin and the front of her shirt.

  She nearly dropped the delicate wine-glass before she could set it down.

  Suddenly, all the emotions she’d been fighting not to acknowledge came flooding over
her. The excitement of breaking the alien code, the fear of all the unknown and the risks they faced, blended with the uneasy feeling of sudden displacement and the disorientation that came with it. For a woman who always knew her spatial alignment with the Universe, to suddenly be in a different place, it took her brain a long while to re-orient to her new surroundings. Combined, it was all too much. She sunk to the floor, burying her face in her unsteady hands as the flood poured from her eyes. A pitiful sob escaped her throat as she struggled for control; failing miserably.

  This was where Rowan found her when he blew through the door. “Rowan,” she sobbed, as he dropped to a knee beside her, she threw her arms around him. He sank to the floor and drew her in, wrapping her in the safety of his arms. Burying his face in her hair, he held her.

  “Thank God,” he muttered, kissing her head. “That scared the life out of me.”

  She sniffed. “Me, too.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “You didn’t do it on purpose? Or inadvertently?” She shook her head, unable to find the words. His hand ran down her hair, and he kissed her again. “Henry?” He was having a hard time formulating logical thoughts too.

  “In bed,” she said. “He’s fine. It didn’t seem to bother him one bit.”

  Rowan nodded, relieved. “It’s okay,” he said, brushing her hair off her face. “We’re going to figure this all out. You’re okay.” She heaved a heavy sigh, letting it out with a ragged breath as she melted against him. “Come on,” he moved to get up, offering her a hand once he found his feet. “We’re tired and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow. You need some sleep.”

  “I haven’t slept since we got here,” she said weakly, swaying with the exhaustion she’d been fighting through for days now.

  “You’re going to sleep tonight, if I have to make you,” he said.

  “Like you can force me to sleep,” she said as he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

  “Maybe, but if I need to wear you out to make you sleep, I will,” he said, the innuendo overt. He looked back at her with a wicked grin.

  * * *

  “Yes, sir,” Kitty said into the phone tucked under ear. “I’ll take care of it. Yes, sir. I understand.”

  She hung up the phone and gazed out over the crowded terminal. She was expecting her contact to arrive any minute. No delays had been announced, but she checked the time on her phone again as she nervously waited.

  “Dr. Catherine Donovan?” A voice behind her in a thick accent startled her from her thoughts. She turned and glanced over her shoulder. A tall, stoutly built man stood in an expertly tailored black suit. He was completely bald but had thick gray eyebrows. She stood to greet him.

  “I am Dr. Donovan,” she said. “Please, call me Kitty.”

  His brow arched. “Yevgeny Malakoff, Estonian National Security Council.” He bowed politely.

  “Have you been briefed on our mission?” she asked.

  “I have,” he said.

  Kitty picked up her duffle bag, putting it over her shoulder. “Good,” she said. “I’ll go over some recent updates in the car.”

  “I drive,” he said. “My rule. I always drive.”

  “Is that some kind of male macho crap? Because that doesn’t go over well with me.”

  “I like to drive,” he said. “That’s all.”

  She nodded, flashing him a Texas-size smile. “In that case, the wheel is yours.”

  He fell in behind her as she headed down the terminal. His dress shoes slapped against the tile floors as they walked. She had a on a suit but had slipped on her favorite pair of Chuck Taylors for the journey. High heels looked pretty, but they weren’t functional while working in the field. If she needed to escape a crashed airplane or chase a bad-guy down the street, she needed shoes she could run in. She didn’t expect to have to do either, but if the need arose, she was prepared.

  “Your accent is quite unique,” Kitty said. “What part of Estonia are you from?

  “Narva,” he said. “It’s near the border.”

  “The border with Latvia?” she asked, wondering if he was testing her.

  “Russia,” he said. “About two hours from St. Petersburg ... eight hours to Moscow.”

  “Ah,” Kitty said. “Northern Estonia then.”

  “You know your geography then,” he commented with a nod. “Dr. Donovan,” he stopped, and Kitty did the same a moment later. “I’m here to do a job. Not to make friends.” He eyed her down. “Less talk. More global security.”

  Kitty considered him a moment. “Strong silent type. Fine, suit yourself.”

  Chapter 15

  They reconvened early the next morning at Michael’s office. Lauren had been anxious to get back to the results of his pass with Hubble. Michael had a cup of coffee ready for her. “You scared me last night,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek as she handed Henry off to Rowan.

  “Me, too,” Lauren said, taking the cup from him. “I am starting to think it happens more when I’m tired.”

  “Did you get some sleep?” he asked.

  Her eye went to Rowan who avoided looking at her, but a dimple tightened in his cheek. “Yeah,” she said, hoping she wasn’t blushing. “I slept like a baby.” Rowan had made certain of it.

  “And did my adorable nephew sleep well, too?” Michael went over to his brother-in-law. Henry reached for him. Michael took him and tickled his cheek. Henry giggled and reached for Michael’s hair.

  “Hey, little man,” Michael said, backing his head up. “Grow your own hair.”

  “Mama!” Henry giggled.

  “I am not your mama,” Michael said. “Michael. Can you say Michael?”

  “M...m...” Henry babbled, then blew a raspberry at his uncle.

  “Close enough.” Michael grinned.

  Lauren took the baby back. “What’s the word on Hubble this morning?”

  “I was waiting for you to get here to see,” he said. “If we’re going to find definitive proof of alien life today, we’ll find it together.”

  That made Lauren smile. She nodded and pulled up a chair by Michael’s at the computer station. Rowan brought his chair over and took his place behind them. Lauren glanced back over her shoulder, scooting her chair over so he could see.

  The computer took over a minute to boot up. Michael logged in and keyed in some information. They waited another few minutes for the images and data to populate on the computer screen. Before Lauren knew it, they were looking at a dark field dotted with brilliant stars in a wide-screen panorama. Michael typed in some information and clicked on the image. A grid laid over the scene, along with a few markers identifying the primary stars in the field. A few more clicks and a roll of the mouse, and the image zoomed in. “Ordinarily, I’d start with the first block in the grid on the top and work my way through it block by block,” he said. “But I know the region where my signals came falls in this block,” he pointed to the center of the screen. “There’s the Southern Cross ... there’s the Pleiades.” He used the pointer on his mouse to direct her eye.

  “What about Alexei’s signal?” Lauren asked, picking up the cell phone the Russian scientist had sent her brother.

  Michael shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Lauren nodded, putting the phone down, turning her attention back to the screen as Michael continued to zoom in ... and in ... and in. Soon, the dark field was filled with a large glowing star, set in a field of what looked like blue smoke.

  Lauren gasped at the beauty of it. “I had no idea the cosmos was so ... colorful.”

  “The computer is doing that,” Michael said. “So it’s easier to make out the variations in the darkness.”

  “Oh,” Lauren said, a bit disappointed.

  Michael continued zooming in on one star in particular. “Okay, this is Mimosa.” He leaned in on the desk. A few more clicks and the bright light took over the screen. Dark dots blurred around it. “Exo-planets,” Michael pointed at the dots. He clicked aga
in, zooming in on one. “This one ... see the aura around it?”

  “Yeah,” Rowan said. “What is that?”

  “It’s a planet ...” Michael flashed a bright smile over his shoulder. “With an atmosphere.” The tone in his voice told Rowan and Lauren how significant the find was.

  A knock at the door was followed by the arrival of Michael’s boss. “Dr. Cameron,” Lauren greeted her with a nod.

  “India,” Michael said. “Come see ... we got access to Hubble. Look! Exo-planets.”

  “What?” India hurried over, putting a hand on Michael’s shoulder as she leaned in. “Is that? An atmosphere?”

  “Yeah,” Michael said. “Mimosa has at least five planets ... five we can see anyway. At least one ... has an atmosphere.”

  “Does that mean there could be life on ... what would you even call that planet?” Rowan asked.

  “Mimosa 1?” Lauren offered, bemused by the name.

  “There’s a whole naming convention, established by the International Astronomical Union,” Michael said. “The Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature maintains that naming convention. It isn’t up to us.”

  “They do allow teams to offer suggestions, but Michael is right,” Dr. Cameron said. “We don’t get to name the exo-planets.”

  “So much for Grayson Mimosa,” Michael chortled.

  “Grayson-Pierce Mimosa,” Rowan added.

  Lauren glanced at Rowan, then Michael. “Has a nice ring to it,” Michael said.

  “I just want a mimosa right now,” Lauren came back.

  Rowan put a hand on her knee. “When we are done here, I’ll take you to brunch, and you can have all the mimosas you want.”

  “Deal,” Lauren chirped.

  “I should call Dr. Dlamani,” India said. “He’s going to want to see this.”

  “Yes,” Michael said. “Call him.”

  * * *

  Lubanzi pushed Michael out of the way to take control of the telescope’s images on the computer. He acted, at first, as if he didn’t believe what had been accomplished. He zoomed in on Gacrux, counting the number of visible exo-planets, then moved on to Alpha Crucis.