Last Contact by Samuel Best

Author:Samuel Best [Best, Samuel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Sky City
Published: 2021-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

16

KATE

The rigid inflatable dome over the impact crater was opaque white, preventing satellites and news crews from constantly trying to catch a glimpse.

Kate flashed her badge at the entrance to the clean room outside the dome and began the hasty process of donning a blue hazmat suit. The room was divided into two sections, with a clear wall between them. While Kate slipped into her hazmat suit and struggled with the seal, someone on the other side of the wall peeled theirs off. They dropped it down a chute which led to an underground collection bunker. Where it went from there, Kate didn’t know. Perhaps the used suits were put into sealed toxic waste barrels and buried elsewhere.

The guard on duty buzzed her into the dome after she passed through the decontamination chamber.

“Come on, come on,” Kate whispered, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The situation inside the dome was remarkably calmer than the one on the outside. No one was rushing about like a chicken with its head cut off. In fact, she only saw three other people on the rim of the crater. One of them operated a pulley connected to a cable which disappeared into the crater. The other two were watching the other man pull the cable, chatting amongst themselves.

Kate stepped carefully to the edge of the crater. She had to push down the bottom of her voluminous soft helmet to watch her own feet.

A large plastic tunnel with transparent walls, wide enough for two people to walk abreast (if they could walk inside at all), descended into the crater. A string of lights attached to the roof of the tunnel illuminated the dark passage, along which ran a sectional ladder and a long ascension rope. At the bottom of the crater, one-hundred-and-fifty meters down, a brilliant blue light pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.

“Back again?” said the Colonel from behind.

Kate was startled and her foot slipped over the edge. Brighton caught her arm and pulled her back.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said quickly, adjusting the helmet of his hazmat suit. “I thought you would have heard me coming.”

“I guess I was daydreaming,” said Kate. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Then she shook her head to clear it and remembered why she was there.

“Did you know about the signal?”

“You told me about it last week.”

“I mean, did Raj tell you what he found? The narrow beam? It’s a beacon for the larger comet.”

Brighton peered over the edge of the hole.

“That’s one working theory, yes.”

“So you did know?”

“Kate, we’re working on it.”

“What does that mean?” she asked. “You know how to stop the signal?”

“Something is in the works. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about it.”

“Why not?!” she almost shouted.

“Our work here must remain compartmentalized. Each team has a specific goal. There are a dozen reasons why, but I can’t tell you any of them. I carved out a lot of leeway for the people here on the ground, but my hands are still tied in many ways.

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