Escaping Yellowstone

by Larry LaVoie

“Hilda, this is the young man I met on the plane I was telling you about. Dr. Dakoda Street, this is my lovely wife Hilda.”

  Hilda offered her hand and Cody shook it. She eyed him like she was checking him out and nodded. “You’re the Yellowstone volcanologist he seemed to be so impressed with. Your work must be fascinating.”

  “It runs hot and cold,” Cody said. “I mean it is challenging at times.”

  “While you two get acquainted,” Nathan said, “I’ll get you a drink. What do you prefer, Dr. Street?”

  “Please, call me Cody,” Cody said. “Beer?”

  “Draft or bottle?”

  “Make it a Scotch on the rocks,” Cody said.

  “A man after my own heart.” Nathan smiled and left the two of them alone.

  “So Lisa thought you were a stalker,” Hilda said.

  Cody grimaced. “Yeah, I think I scared her when she answered the door. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself.”

  Hilda smiled. “Lisa’s had a trying day. She did an interview on TV this morning and the phone has been ringing all afternoon. She mistook you for a man who has been stalking her.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cody said, concerned. “Lisa is being stalked?”

  “Don’t tell her I told you. The police are aware of it.”

  “I understand you are responsible for the systems in Yellowstone Park.”

  “It’s more like I study them to try and get a better understanding of what makes the hydrothermal system tick.”

  “And how is that working?” She was smiling.

  “I understand you teach school,” Cody said, changing the subject.

  “I’ve made you uncomfortable,” Hilda said. “It’s a tactic I use on my students.”

  “You’re pretty good at it,” Cody said. “Actually, Lisa and I are both in similar professions. We both have a degree in geology, but she’s looking up in the sky and I’m looking into the ground.”

  “Are you or have you ever been married?” Hilda asked.

  “Ahhh, no on both questions.”

  “I understand why.”

  Cody put his hands to his head. “I’m sorry. Am Iboring you with my work? My sister says it’s taken the place of my social skills.”

  “You and Lisa are a lot alike. I see why Nathan took a liking to you.”

  “He told me Lisa wasn’t interested in anyone who said she was pretty.”

  Hilda shook her head and laughed. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’d still be single if I hadn’t popped the question to him thirty-two years ago. Every girl wants to hear she’s pretty.” She winked at Cody, “but she also wants to be listened to. Her last boyfriend was a creep. He stole her ideas and presented them as his own. I’m so glad she never married him.”

  “Tell her I’m not sorry for what I said when she answered the door. I meant every word of it.”

  “Now that’s an answer Lisa would like,” Hilda said. “Stay right here and I’ll see if I can find her.”

  “What did you do with my wife?” Nathan asked playfully approaching Cody with two drinks. He handed one to Cody.

  “She went to find Lisa,” Cody said.

  “Good,” Nathan said. “It means she likes you. We’re very protective of our daughter, if you haven’t already figured it out.”

  “She must be very special,” Cody said. He started to lift the drink to his lips when Hilda returned with Lisa. He glanced over at Nathan. “I still think she’s beautiful.”

  Nathan laughed.

  “Cody, this is our daughter, Dr. Lisa Wilson.”

  “We’ve met,” Lisa said. This time she was smiling. “Cody, I remember our conversation on the phone. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize your voice.”

  “It’s good to meet you in person. Another television interview this morning? Is another asteroid coming? I hope we don’t have to find a cave to hide in.”

  “Funny. Nothing’s changed, the asteroid will make a harmless pass by the earth just skirting past the moon three days before Christmas.”

  “And Yellowstone Park will not erupt in our lifetime,” Cody said. “Now that we have the public’s concerns out of the way, I was hoping we could talk a little more about earth tides. I’m sorry for blurting out that ridiculous statement at the door. My sister says I’m socially inept.”

  Lisa laughed. “Excuse me mistaking you for the man who has been calling me trying to get an interview. He hasn’t stopped pestering me. I even called the police.”

  “I know the feeling,” Cody said, trying to make light of it. “Not really. My job doesn’t get much press, and no women are calling day and night for interviews with me.”

  “Dad was wrong,” she said, looking at her father. “Our jobs are nothing alike.”

  “I’ll bet you get plenty of calls for interviews. You had a family that died in the park last week.”

  “Not the kind of interview I like,” Cody said. “I’ve been asked to testify.”

  “May I get you a drink?” Cody asked.

  “You two find a quiet place where you can discuss business, I’ll get you a glass of wine,” her father said.

  “We’ll be in the gazebo,” she said to her father. She grabbed Cody’s hand and led him across the lawn to the edge of the yard. The gazebo looked out over the city. “If you want we can watch fireworks from here. They shoot them off over the river.”

  “Cool,” Cody said. “You grew up here?”

  Some of the city lights were coming on and sparkled in the distance. The sun was setting leaving a pink tint on the snow cap of Mt. Hood.

  “I wish I would have lived here,” Lisa said. “Dad bought this place after I went off to college. It was part of an estate sale my father handled. It doesn’t feel like home; more like a vacation away from home, but can you imagine the parties I could have had if I lived here in high school?”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you were a big party girl.”

  “I would have been if I lived here.”

  “So is Hawaii home?”

  “For now. That’s where I work. Who knows where it will be next year.”

  “You’re thinking about moving?”

  “There are only so many asteroids that can threaten earth. Once we’ve found them all, I’ll probably move back and teach at UC Berkeley.”

  “You think you’re that close to finding all of them? I would have thought the discovery of asteroids would follow the same diminishing curve as most projects.”

  “You mean if it took ten years to find the ninety-five percent the last five percent will take eighty more years.”

  “Something like that. I was thinking you may never find the last one percent. Space is a big place.”

  “That’s an astronomical understatement,” Lisa said, smiling at her pun. “My father said you wanted to talk to me about something I said on television. I hope you are not one of those people who think there is a conspiracy behind everything and the Government is hiding the truth from the people.”

  “Wow, another cynic.”

  “I’m sure you’ve come across a number of crazy people in your job. No one who works at Yellowstone can be fully sheltered from the media attention an erupting geyser or another earthquake draws. Statistics don’t play much of a roll in the general public’s eye. If it did Las Vegas would be out of business.”

  “After that, I probably shouldn’t ask you this,” Cody said. “Statistically speaking you and I know there is not the slightest chance Yellowstone will erupt in our lifetime, and the earth is about as likely to be hit by an asteroid, yet, when I pulled up your first statement about your latest asteroid discovery, you thought the asteroid would hit the moon.”

  “Wow, you did your homework.”

  “The moon has hundreds of impact craters from direct asteroid hits. Some you can see with the naked eye from earth. So, in the billions of years it has been orbiting our planet, a few asteroids have impacted its surface. There was a rather sizable one caught by NASA in 2007. It left a glowing impact crater f
or eight seconds. Why did you change your statement?”

  “I don’t like where you’re going,” Lisa said. “You of all people should know the more information we gather, the better the science. We all thought the sun revolved around the earth at one time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cody said. “I tend to be blunt. It didn’t seem like there was a lot of time between your first projection and when you changed it. I guess you could have received additional data.”

  “November nine two thousand seven,” Lisa said. “That was the rock that hit the moon. It was a ninety-pound rock. It was fresh in my mind when I made my calculations. The asteroid I discovered is millions of times larger, so you can imagine how important it was to get the math right. We were working from optical data gathered over several months.”

  “Wow. So, you had the math double checked?”

  “Better than that. I was relieved to find out that I was wrong. It doesn’t take much of an error to affect the path of an object millions of miles out in space. We were able to get additional telescopes around the world to sight it and add to the data. It could change again as we use our space-based optics and radar data, but it all takes time. For now, the official data tells us it will miss the moon.”

  “What if you were right?” Cody asked.

  “I wasn’t. End of story.”

  “You must have thought of what might happen if it hit the moon. Would it break it? Send it flying off in a hundred pieces?”

  “Now you’re getting on my nerves,” Lisa said. “You’re sounding like one of those nuts who think everything is doomsday.”

  “Okay, I admit it crossed my mind. Like I mentioned in our phone conversation, there’s a lava pool beneath Yellowstone that seems to ebb and flow like the tides. I’ve found at certain times of the year there seem to be more earthquakes and greater geyser activity. The crust will gradually rise and then fall like ocean tides, to a much smaller degree, of course. I haven’t proven it, but I’m collecting evidence that might show the moon has an influence on the Yellowstone magma pool. You said a larger body approaching earth would give us more reason for pause than the rise and fall of the tides. Could it affect the lake of magma beneath Yellowstone?”

  “Seriously, you’re asking me this as a scientist?”

  Cody could see she was becoming upset. “Forget it. It was a stupid suggestion.”

  Lisa’s father interrupted them. “Here you are.” He handed the wine to Lisa. “You two have found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks. They should be starting in a few minutes.”

  They had been standing by the railing in the gazebo.

  “It’s a pretty night. Seems a shame to wast it,” Lisa said. “You can sit with me and watch the fireworks if you promise not to ask anymore stupid questions.”

  They watched her father retreat back to the party and had the gazebo all to themselves. They sat together on the bench swing. The lights of the city twinkled and sparkled like a decorated Christmas tree.

  “I need to apologize,” Lisa said. “Of course, the moon could influence the magma pool under Yellowstone, but there is no way the asteroid has enough mass to influence the earth tides. I didn’t mean to put you off.”

  “Maybe we should drop the work-related discussion and enjoy the fireworks,” Cody suggested. He could hear the crickets chirping and see an occasional bat flutter by. He turned toward her. The only light reaching them was coming from the deck close to the house and it cast shadows in long fingers across the lawn. She was little more than a silhouette, but he couldn’t help but think she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He wanted to get to know her better.

  “How would you like to go back to Yellowstone with me?” he asked.

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “I haven’t thought about it that far,” Cody said. “I thought I could give you a tour of the park and show you what I do. You might find it interesting.”

  “Oh, I thought you were making a pass at me.”

  “No,” Cody said too quickly. Of course that was on his mind. Was it that obvious? “Not that I wouldn’t want … oh hell, I like you and would like to spend more time with you. I haven’t met many girls I can talk to.”

  “You mean about science?”

  “Yeah, you’re… interesting.”

  “Interesting? You think I’m interesting. I’d like to have a dime for every time I’ve heard a boy tell me that,” Lisa said joking.

  “You’d be rich?” Cody asked.

  “No, broke,” she said, laughing. “I’d like to meet your sister. She was right about you.”

  “What about Yellowstone?” Cody asked, turning the subject away from his sister.

  “I can’t get away right now. I have to get back to Hawaii, but I’ll think about it.”

  “Give me your phone. I’ll put in my number.”

  She handed her phone to him. He punched in his number and handed it back to her.

  “Don’t look at it until tomorrow.”

  “Why not?”

  “Just don’t.”

  The first volley of fireworks lit up the sky in a burst of rainbow colors.

  “I think this is the best spot in the city,” Cody said. He was looking at Lisa, not at the fireworks.

  Honolulu, Hawaii

  Lisa turned over in bed. She had arrived at her condominium after midnight and had set her alarm for 7:00 a.m., but she wasn’t hearing the normal annoying chime on her phone alarm. Instead David Cassidy was singing “I Think I Love You”, a song she hadn’t heard in years. How did it get on her phone? She thought of the day before and the evening with Cody Street. You devil, she thought, you are more romantic than you let on. A smile formed on her lips and she listened to the entire song. Maybe I should reconsider that trip to Yellowstone. She showered and dressed for work. She was going to get the calculations from NASA and check them against hers.

  Lisa brought her plane in for a landing at Hilo. A car was at the airport to pick her up. Driving the car was a graduate student from UC Berkley, Ashlar Shari.

  “Hey, Dr. Wilson, I hope you had an uneventful trip. How is the family?”

  “They’re all fine, Ashlar. Thanks for covering for me.”

  “No problem.” Ashlar opened the passenger door for her and she got in.

  “We had a little excitement while you were gone,” Ashlar said, starting the car and putting it into gear.

  “Oh?”

  Ashlar had Middle Eastern features, black hair and eyes and a full beard, yet a slight build. He was wearing a flowered shirt, tan cargo shorts and flip-flops. He was a mix of a Berkeley student and a Hawaiian tourist. He gave her a proud grin showing a perfect row of white teeth. “You know the asteroid you discovered. It has a sister, or brother, a sibling nonetheless.”

  “You discovered it?”

  He grinned again and looked at her.

  “Watch the road,” Lisa said. “Can you tell me about it without taking your eyes off the road?”

  “Sorry. It is my first discovery. I am so proud.”

  “Tell me about it. This is exciting.”

  “The sibling is a baby compared to the original and it was so far away our equipment didn’t detect it until last night.”

  “So, the sibling is traveling with the asteroid. Where is it in proximity to the main body.”

  “About 25,000 miles behind it. I believe it made your discovery appear much larger than originally thought.”

  “It could change everything. The mass determines how it will react when it comes in close proximity of the earth. Have you notified NASA?”

  “No, I was waiting for you. I knew you were returning today.”

  “Good. I want you to help me with the math on this. NASA said my original calculations were off due to the make-up of the asteroid. It could have been impacted by a lot more if we thought we were looking at one object and there were two.”

  “Correct me if I am wrong, but we now have two bodies approaching in close proximity to the eart
h. That could mean a greater risk of impact.”

  “We’re going to determine that. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “That is why you are the doctor and get paid the big bucks,” Ashlar said, beaming. “Will I have this discovery credited to me?”

  “You sure will.”

  Keck Observatory, Island of Hawaii

  Lisa Wilson made the call to her boss in Washington DC. “Martin, this changes everything. Check my numbers, but we already know the asteroid’s mass and I have double checked our numbers. I think we’re right this time.”

  “Okay, Lisa, you know this is the second time this month you called excited about a near-earth object. This is serious stuff. We can’t go out and get the world hyped up every time we see something.”

  Lisa narrowed her eyes. He was telling her not to go public with this. “Martin, you were the one who asked me to do the interview. I was traveling to Portland anyway. Don’t make it look like I’m grandstanding.”

  “I’m just saying. I’ll take it from here. Two asteroids might be a little harder for the public to grasp.”

  “I wasn’t planning any more interviews. I had a dozen offers after that appearance and turned all of them down. You think I’m looking for fame?”

  “You did seem like you were enjoying yourself.”

  “Martin, you know what you can do with the data I sent you… shove it up your ass.” Lisa hung up. She had been working for NASA and observing asteroids as long as he had, yet when it came to who was going to lead the newly established NEO project, he was the one who got the promotion. She was in Hawaii. Not that she didn’t like her work; it was the principal of the thing. She felt like her discovery would help lift her from the mundane world of tracking the sky at night to a teaching position. She needed publications and with them TV appearances to secure a permanent position. NEO was only funded until the next Congress, then what? It seemed like Martin was trying to take any credits away from her. Why would he do that? I wouldn’t speak out without checking with him. Does he really think I’m trying to undermine him?

  “Is everything all right?” Ashlar asked.

  Lisa nodded. “What is the probability that the sibling is a different composition than the larger asteroid?”