Turing Test by E. M. Foner

Author:E. M. Foner [Foner, E. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-04T22:00:00+00:00

Twelve

I have to admit that the Hankers know how to stage an impressive landing. The craft appeared to be supported by sixteen pillars of flame as it slowly descended towards the frozen golf course, but I knew that the rocket engines were supplemented by a gravity-lock system that was carrying most of the load. When the lander neared the ground, steam from the melted snow and ice billowed up, and I had the fleeting hope that it would descend as fine ice crystals and the first Hanker down the ramp would slip and fall on his butt.

“Wow,” the lieutenant said for all of us as we gazed at the alien ship sitting in a puddle of boiling water. “That can’t be good for the putting greens.”

“It’s going to take a while before the steam clears off enough for our extraterrestrial visitors to make a grand entrance,” I said to eBeth. “Do you want to use my office computer to catch up on your homework assignment?”

She picked up on the hint immediately and slid off the barstool, but left her winter jacket hanging over the seat. “Shoot anybody who tries to steal it,” eBeth instructed the lieutenant.

“The coat or the chair?”

“Both. And keep an eye on the tally sheets as well.” She shoved the pile of papers with the bets she’d been recording all evening towards him, then thought better of it and leaned over the bar to place them on one of the beer fridges. “Keep an eye on those, Donovan,” she called.

“This is just a practice session,” I told eBeth when we reached my office. “We’re going to open a portal to the League’s main offices to check in with Kim.”

“She’s not back yet? I thought she was just popping over to deliver the final report.”

“I decided to kill two birds with one stone and instructed her to hang around headquarters and answer any questions the council might have. The lieutenant told me there’s a rumor going around town hall that she never took any sick days or vacation time, which annoys her coworkers and looks suspicious with the Feds in town investigating the epidemic of healthy children. She had three weeks coming, plus ten sick days.”

“So what am I looking for?” eBeth asked, picking up the joystick.

“A room the size of a city mobbed with aliens running around trying to look important.”

“And there’s only one portal there?”

“One of the perks of this job is that Observation missions get a dedicated portal entrance to the League headquarters. Since there are only one or two teams out at any given time, it’s probably the least used path in the system.”

“How big of a haystack did you give me to start?”

“Just a hundred or so,” I said. Watching eBeth sort through portals at high speed was kind of a treat for me, and I could use some cheering up since I had predicted three inches of snow in Kansas City on a day that barely saw a cloud. The farm boy had gotten it right.

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