The Signal

by Nick Cook

  Graham and I sank back into our seats and slowly nodded.

  ‘OK, that’s better,’ Kiera said. ‘Now let’s see if we can figure this out together.’ She rested her elbows on the table and interlocked her fingers. ‘Is there any additional information you can give me about what happened here when you first received the signal?’

  ‘Just that we were realigning between observation targets,’ Steve replied, his voice calm as if we weren’t potentially staring at an end-of-world scenario. ‘That’s when the power first tripped out. Lauren and I went to the drive room on Lovell to manually reset the circuit breakers in there.’

  ‘Hang on, what new target?’ Graham asked. ‘You were meant to stay on NGC 1277 all night.’

  ‘That would be my fault,’ I said. ‘I persuaded Steve to give me some monitoring time on Lovell.’

  Graham hardened his stare at Steve. ‘So you decided to let your post-docs little project take priority over our scientific work?’

  ‘It was only going to be a few minutes, Graham, and besides, we should be fostering the curiosity of our team members. At some point, we’ve both been in Lauren’s position.’

  Graham shook his head. ‘That’s as maybe, but it doesn’t mean that this isn’t a disciplinary matter—’

  Kiera raised her hand to kill the conversation again. ‘To stop you there, before you get too carried away with your staff issues, we have far more pressing matters to attend to.’

  Graham frowned at us.

  ‘So let me make sure I have understood this correctly,’ Kiera continued. ‘Lovell was realigning to this new target when you had some sort of power issue?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Steve replied. ‘We headed to the drive room because I thought it might be a motor glitching out. However, I couldn’t reset the breaker circuits that had all tripped. Just after that we started to hear a humming sound like the noise a transformer makes but very loud.’

  ‘So you think it was a fault with Lovell itself?’

  ‘That’s what we assumed at first, and it would certainly have explained why the power had tripped out,’ Steve replied. ‘However, the visual light phenomenon that Lauren witnessed suggests otherwise.’

  Kiera’s attention snapped to me. ‘Something to do with your synaesthesia, Lauren?’

  ‘How the hell do you know about that?’ I asked.

  ‘The first thing I did on the way over was to pull up the staff files for everyone who works here, including your own.’

  So Big Brother, or in this case Big Sister, had been checking me out. I shook my head at Graham who’d raised his eyebrows at her.

  Kiera opened a notebook, her pen hovering over it. ‘So this audible buzzing triggered something in your visual cortex, is that right, Lauren?’

  ‘Yes, it is.’

  ‘And what did you see exactly?’

  ‘A faint light running between the panels of the bowl. That was followed by static discharges. We only just made it off Lovell when the whole lightning display started up.’

  ‘When did this occur precisely?’ Kiera asked, writing everything down.

  Steve’s gaze flicked to his open laptop he’d brought in with him. ‘According to our systems, it was 2.07 a.m. when they started to receive the signal.’

  Kiera’s attention narrowed on me again. ‘OK, I’d like to clarify one thing, Lauren. Surely with your synaesthesia, you see visual elements like this all the time?’

  ‘Actually, I don’t. Radio telescope signals are one of the few things to trigger it, which is why I chose this particular area of astronomy for a career. But I’ve never seen anything like this happening on Lovell before.’

  ‘So that suggests this audible hum has to be significant, especially if it is directly linked to the signal,’ Graham said.

  Steve nodded. ‘OK, I may not have Lauren’s gift, but I still heard it. And whoever’s heard of a radio signal producing any audible sound before it’s been converted? We’re talking radio waves here, not sound waves.’

  ‘So that suggests we’re dealing with an entirely new phenomenon, one possibly generated by a new class of military weapon,’ Kiera said.

  Steve dragged his teeth over his lip. ‘It could be, but it still seems unlikely—’

  The door banged open and John rushed in.

  ‘There’s been a development. I need to brief you urgently, Kiera.’

  ‘Go ahead – everyone in here has signed on the dotted line.’

  John’s gaze swept over us as he nodded. ‘I’m afraid the security situation has just been raised to DEFCON 3.’

  Graham stared at him. ‘Isn’t that just a couple of steps below all-out nuclear war?’

  ‘It is,’ Kiera replied.

  ‘How the hell could things have escalated this quickly?’

  ‘Unfortunately it’s a sign of the accelerated times we live in. You see, in the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, they had plenty of time for a huge amount of behind-the-scenes diplomacy to avert armagedon. However, in today’s interconnected world, where computers automate many of our military’s responses, things can escalate far more rapidly.’

  ‘So you’re saying that some trigger-happy computers are propelling us towards a potential Armageddon?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes, and as we speak strategic bomber groups are on the tarmac warming up their engines, ready, if and when the call comes, to take to the skies. The American president will have already boarded Air Force One by now. Meanwhile, all the nuclear assets in the West’s arsenal are being prepped for possible launch and the missile silo doors will be open.’

  My stomach knotted so hard I thought I was about to vomit. ‘Shit, this can’t be happening.’

  ‘I’m afraid it is, Lauren, and that’s why I’m here. I need all your help to get to the truth of the situation, because if this isn’t a Russian attack, we need to be able to prove that to the world within the next thirty minutes – if we’re going to save this planet.’

  Her words struck me like hammer blows to my chest as I struggled to breathe.

  Graham began to pace the room. But Steve maintained his Zen-like calm. He simply gazed across the room at Kiera and said, ‘Then let’s get started on saving humanity from its own stupidity and analyse this signal whilst we still have time.’

  She nodded and, in a daze, I followed her and the others out of the room.

  Chapter Five

  If I’d thought there had been a lot of MI5 kit in our control room before we’d left for the meeting room, it seem to have multiplied tenfold in our absence. Now banks of additional monitoring equipment had been set up and plugged via Ethernet cables into the main control desk for Lovell.

  Graham crossed to the viewing window, rested his hands on the windowsill and stared out at the on-going lightning storm.

  John peered at a huge TV-size monitor that had been mounted in the middle of the room. It made our own screens look antiquated by comparison. On it, thousands of sine waves bounced up and down as they scrolled from left to right. Hundreds of red and green markers, presumably something to do with MI5’s analysis of the signal, were being overlaid and updated every second.

  ‘You’ve hooked up to the live data feed from Lovell then?’ Steve asked.

  John turned to him and nodded. ‘We’re streaming the data straight from your systems into our own, augmenting your data analysis tools with our own latest decrypting algorithms.’

  A guy with a neatly trimmed beard nodded towards Kiera as he replaced a handset that had also been plugged into an Ethernet port back on to its cradle. ‘We’ve just received confirmation over the secure line that Russia has raised its security level to DEFCON 2.’

  ‘And so we edge towards the abyss,’ Kiera muttered under her breath. ‘OK, let Control know the moment we have a definite answer one way or the other we’ll be in immediate contact.’

  ‘Will do, ma’am.’

  ‘Please tell me that doesn’t mean the nukes are already in the air?’ I asked.

  Graham’s ba
ck stiffened as he stared out of the window.

  ‘No, we still have a little time to prevent that,’ Kiera replied. ‘However, it does mean Russia’s armed forces are ready to deploy within six hours and NATO will be forced to respond in kind. But it’s the next level of alert that we have to worry about, as that’s critically close to the point of no return.’

  The enormity of what we were dealing with began to sink in. I hadn’t signed up to save the world from its own stupidity. Just knowing what I was facing meant I was fighting the urge to rush outside and vomit my few mouthfuls of pizza.

  Instead I dug deeper and looked Kiera in the eye. ‘But why would the Russians risk raising their alert status when they know what’s at stake just as much as we do?’

  Kiera shrugged. ‘Because maybe this really is some sort of military weapon experiment where they are simply testing and demonstrating their technical advantage over the West to gain concessions. But if this is just sabre-rattling on their part, it’s a hell of a risky strategy to be playing when the future of this whole planet is on the line.’

  ‘And I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in Moscow is saying precisely the same thing about the West,’ Graham said, still looking out of the window.

  ‘Then let’s hope sanity prevails,’ Kiera replied. ‘And the best chance for that are the people in this very room, so let’s get to it.’

  ‘Just tell us what to do,’ I said.

  John smiled at me. ‘In parallel with our own efforts, analyse the signal with the tools you have. However, you need to be aware that our initial analysis indicates that this signal contains only white noise without any sort of discernible data within it. Terabytes upon terabytes of condensed white noise, but nothing more so far. Unfortunately, without an alternative theory, this strengthens the case for this just being a jamming signal.’

  ‘Let’s not jump to conclusions,’ Steve said. ‘Your white noise can sound like a deep space object to us. But anyway, I may have an idea that would help prove it faster, one way or the other.’

  ‘Which is?’ Kiera asked.

  ‘It’s what scientists have always done whilst others meddle in the art of making war.’

  I peered at Steve and guessed his direction. ‘When the other lines of communication have been closed off between countries, scientists keep talking.’

  ‘Precisely.’

  ‘So tell me what you’re suggesting here,’ Kiera said.

  ‘At the moment we’re limited to our own experience with this phenomenon,’ Steve answered. ‘What we need to do is try to clarify the bigger picture and the best way to do that is to reach out.’

  ‘You’re suggesting that we talk to our colleagues in the MERLIN array at St Petersburg, aren’t you?’ Graham said, still not turning round.

  ‘In one, Graham. Do that and, if they have been affected like the rest of us, it starts to show it’s less likely that this is some sort of Russian attack.’

  I clicked my tongue against my teeth. ‘We’re certainly more blind in dealing with this than we need to be. If they know anything about this phenomenon, even if it’s off the record, it can only help us avert war between our countries.’

  ‘I can see the merit in what you want to try, but I’ll need to get authorisation from higher up the chain of command before I can allow you to try that,’ Kiera said.

  Graham spun round and glared at her. ‘Oh for god’s sake, Kiera. Do you really need to follow the company line at a time like this? Surely they pay you for your initiative, don’t they?’

  Her eyes became steel. ‘I’ll let the attitude slide for now because we’re all under serious pressure. But for your information, there are protocols that need to be followed.’

  Graham marched right up to her and thumped his fist on a cabinet. ‘Protocols be damned. At any moment we could all be wiped out by the blast wave of a nuclear explosion. So forgive me for not getting out the marching band to follow you and your bloody orders!’

  One of Kiera’s men moved his hand to a pistol on his belt and gave her a questioning look. She shook her head slightly, and the man returned his attention to the equipment he’d been unpacking from a crate. Graham’s nostrils flared bull-like at Kiera.

  I’d never seen him so furious over anything. He normally resorted to hard stares rather than throw any real attitude around. But of course these were anything but normal times.

  I tried reaching out for Graham’s shoulder. ‘Let’s give Kiera a moment to get this ratified.’

  He shook me off and stared at me. ‘But we haven’t got time for this.’

  I nodded. ‘I know…’ I glanced at Kiera. ‘Just please don’t take too long.’

  ‘I’ll do everything I can to expedite the decision,’ she replied.

  Steve nodded, his expression still far too calm. ‘Good, and in the meantime we’ll start on the analysis from our end. Maybe we can spot something that your guys have missed.’ He headed over to Graham and took him by the elbow. ‘I need to show you some data on my laptop from the initial signal capture.’

  Graham turned to glare at him. ‘All I’m fit for right now is leaping into my car and racing home to be with my family for the end. I mean, what can we do to stop this other than fiddle with our bloody computers and pretend we understand what’s going on? It could take us months to unpick the truth here. And as Kiera has already bloody reminded us, time is something we haven’t got a lot of.’

  Steve grimaced. ‘Please, Graham.’

  Graham’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. ‘OK, OK…’

  Steve grabbed his laptop. ‘Lauren, you need to see this too.’

  ‘I do?’

  ‘Yes – I need you to study the signal phase shift analysis and give me your opinion.’

  I had no idea what Steve had just said, but his eyes widened a fraction at me and I realised it hadn’t been for my benefit.

  ‘OK, you’re the boss,’ I replied. I followed them both out into the meeting room, a question mark growing in my mind.

  Graham closed the meeting room door behind us. ‘What the hell is so important about that data, Steve?’

  Steve gestured towards a network point on the wall. ‘That’s why it’s so important.’ He took out a blue Ethernet cable from his jeans pocket and unrolled it.

  ‘This isn’t about that initial data capture, is it?’ I asked.

  ‘Of course not,’ Steve replied. ‘But just like Graham said, we don’t have time to sit around on our arses waiting for Kiera to get permission for us to do the right thing. We need to reach out right now to try to get some straight answers from the St Petersburg team. Once we’ve done that, then maybe we can formulate a real strategy.’

  ‘And there I was thinking you were Mr Ice, you sneaky son of a bitch,’ I said.

  He grinned. ‘Yep, that’s me.’

  Graham slumped into a seat, his face looking lined. ‘Who are you thinking of contacting, Steve?’

  ‘Someone I’ve always considered to be a friend and who might just be able to cast some light on all of this.’

  Graham nodded slowly. ‘You’re talking about Anton, aren’t you?’

  ‘I most certainly am.’

  ‘Who?’ I asked.

  ‘A mutual Russian friend of ours,’ Steve replied.

  I stared at him. ‘But if we contact him, won’t Kiera hang us all for treason when she finds out?’

  ‘If the bomb is about to drop, I don’t think there’ll be much time for hanging,’ Steve replied.

  ‘You reckon? Something tells me Kiera would make the time. But I agree that it’s a risk worth taking.’

  ‘Now you’re thinking on my wavelength.’ Steve turned to Graham. ‘Can you keep Kiera distracted long enough for me to be able to do this?’

  ‘No problem. I’ll go and play the role of the obedient scientist who’s realised the error of his ways.’

  ‘Good man. You should go too, Lauren. It only needs to be one of us who faces the Wrath of Khan, and by that I mean Kiera when the shit
hits the fan.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere, Steve.’

  ‘You can be bloody infuriating sometimes, you know that?’

  ‘I know, but you love me anyway, right?’

  Steve rolled his eyes at me as Graham disappeared through the door and closed it behind him.

  ‘Surely you aren’t going to risk contacting this Anton guy directly?’ I said. ‘If it’s anything like it is here, the Russian intelligence services will be crawling all over the St Petersburg facility. They’ll certainly be monitoring all communications in and out in case someone on the MERLIN network tries to reach out to them.’

  ‘And which is why I’m praying that Anton still plays online chess.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘You’ll see in a moment if this goes according to plan.’ With a glance towards the closed door, Steve moved his cursor towards the program menu on his laptop.

  ‘Good luck to all of us,’ I whispered under my breath as he clicked on the screen.

  Chapter Six

  As I watched the door, the minute it took Steve to track down the old chess program felt like several lifetimes passing.

  Steve shot me a triumphant look. ‘Found it.’

  ‘Get on with it then, before I pee myself with fright,’ I replied. ‘Although I still don’t see how this is going to help.’

  ‘This chess program comes with its own chat system, one that is so old-school that hopefully no one will think to monitor it.’

  A window with a blue background appeared on the laptop screen. On it, a pixelated low-res font listed the names of available opponents. I spotted Anton’s name right at the top with a green tick next to it.

  I pointed to his name. ‘Does that mean he’s online?’

  ‘Yes, and the swine is still number one in the rankings.’ Steve clicked on a speech bubble icon next to Anton’s name. A new black window containing only a flashing cursor opened up.

  ‘That looks like Windows when it’s recovering from a crash,’ I said.

  ‘I told you it was an ancient program. This thing is actually written in MS-DOS. I’m slightly shocked it even runs on this latest version of Windows.’ Steve began to type in the message box, his text appearing in a lurid green glowing font: