Anomaly by Hugo Navikov

Author:Hugo Navikov
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2018-01-02T17:00:00+00:00

***

Goldsmith opened his eyes and noted Vasquez taking his pulse and blood pressure while Colonel Ash’s face hovered with an expression much more expectant about what the linguist could tell him than concerned about the human just returned from the mind of an extraterrestrial being.

But he was honest with himself—if the person came back alive, he wouldn’t worry about the human as much as the information he had brought back. Vasquez finished her check of his vitals, smiled down at Goldsmith, and gave Ash a thumb’s-up.

“Professor Goldsmith, welcome back—what did you see?”

At least he welcomed me back, Goldsmith thought, and decided, as an internationally recognized member of the worldwide scientific community, that he would annoy Colonel Ash. This was also because he was an incorrigible tweaker of noses. “How did the order go?”

“‘The order’? What order?”

“You know, Weaver was on Titan, Yutani was on Europa …”

“That’s not important right now—”

“It’s important to me, Colonel. A scientist needs context in which to understand that which he sees, let alone to explain those observations to other parties.” Goldsmith smiled. “So, please, do proceed.”

The Colonel pulled a face as he stood up and spoke in an annoyed monotone. “Professor Weaver entered an other-mind on Titan, the largest moon on Saturn. Doctor Yutani found his consciousness displaced to the surface of one of the largest bodies in the Solar System, Jupiter’s moon Europa.”

“So, the other-mind in question moved one planet toward the interior. Were they traveling from the most distant from the sun to the closest, or just randomly to whatever planet came up next.”

“Doctor Golds—”

“I suppose they’d encounter whatever outer planets were on the aliens’ side of the sun. Like Neptune may be the furthest planet out, but it could be on the opposite side of the sun and so in fact became the furthest away—”

“All right, enough nonsense. What did you see inside the other-mind?”

“Humor me for just one more moment, Colonel. Who went where next?”

Ash sighed in, yes, further annoyance. “Next was Professor Hurt, on the surface of Mars. Followed by—”

“Something another planet closer—”

“Airman Frost,” Ash grunted from behind clenched teeth, just barely maintaining a civil tone.

Frost reported within ten seconds. “Sir.”

“Your sidearm, please.”

Vasquez, Goldsmith, and most of all the young Air Force member turned their heads to stare at the Colonel, who had his hand out to receive the weapon. Frost removed the pistol and placed the butt into Ash’s open palm.

Ash immediately—and loudly—slid a load into the chamber. He then brought it down and placed the mouth of the pistol against Goldsmith’s left knee. “May I continue, Professor?”

The suddenly not-so-amused linguist couldn’t move his mouth to form words or wave his arms to indicate to Ash that they just move on, since his attempt at humor as ill-advised and not funny and oh my god please don’t shoot me. He just nodded, eyes round like two frightened hubcaps.

Calmly, very calmly, Ash pressed the muzzle harder against Goldsmith’s precious, pain-receptor—rich kneecap, making the academic squirm and grunt in pain without a bullet ever having to leave the gun.

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