milestones are few and far between,” replied Teller. “And they normally pass completely unnoticed and remain unrecognized for decades, but this, well this is something that has seized our attention in a most remarkable way.”
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
Teller thought for a moment before replying.
“What do I think it is? I think it's complicated,” he began. “I don't know any more than anyone else, but I suspect it is far more intricate and complex than we dare to imagine.”
“Well, the social media is alive with speculation,” said Cathy. “Some think it's alive. Others say it is an alien artifact. Others speculate on it being a portal to another dimension, while still others say it is the result of two parallel universes colliding and collapsing. What do you think?”
“Well, I think those are all very grand and interesting ideas. It could be any one of those or none of them. The only way we'll find out for sure will be by observing it, by studying it.”
The kids were bored with the news crew and disappointed with the anomaly. Having been fed on spectacular images in the media and time-lapse photography, it was a bit of an anticlimax to see the concrete slab sitting low against the ground at this time of day.
As the interview ended Teller noticed that Susan had wandered off. A sense of panic gripped him. Teller asked the relief teacher to sit the kids down next to an idle diesel generator and have a drink break while he went looking for Susan. Cathy and Finch went with him, realizing what had happened. Finch didn't seem that bothered, but Cathy clearly felt awful about a lost child.
Susan was wearing a red jacket, Teller remembered, and holding a balloon, but as the bustling crowd was mostly made up of adults, her visibility would have been limited to just a few feet. He thought she may have tried to get a better look at the anomaly so he made his way over to the barricade still holding the spinning gyroscope like a baseball in his hand.
Teller spoke to one of the officers there, asking if he'd seen the young girl. As they were talking, he spotted Susan in the background, over by the NASA trailer in front of the anomaly. She was talking to an official, a tall man in a dark suit.
“That's her,” he told the officer. “That's Susan. I need to go and get her.”
“I'm sorry,” replied the officer. “My instructions are clear. No unauthorized personnel beyond this point.”
“Yes, I understand that,” pleaded Teller. “But surely you can see that she's unauthorized and she's beyond this point. All I want to do is to go and bring her back here so she's not unauthorized and beyond this point.”
It was a little patronizing, but Teller couldn't help it. He had a real disdain for authority when it was exercised without reason. And he knew his smart-ass comment, however subtle, really wasn't going to help things.
“I'm sorry, sir. I cannot allow you to do that,” replied the officer, turning sideways so he could see Susan. “I'll call command and we'll get someone to bring her over to you, but you can't go in there.”
“But she's a child. You clearly want to keep people away from the anomaly. She's already halfway there. All I'm going to do is bring her back. I'll be no more than thirty seconds.”
The officer rested his hand on his service revolver as he called in a request to have Susan escorted back to the barricade. There was no way Teller was crossing the line. At least, not in one piece.
Cathy flashed her press credentials, saying, “Look, I've been in the restricted area already. I was in there when this all began. How about I go and get her?”
“I can't let you do that, ma'am.”
“Susan,” Teller called out, waving. “Susan.”
Susan looked over at him, along with the man in the suit. She waved back at him while the stranger talked to one of the officers next to him, who in turn spoke into a radio. Within a few seconds, the officer with Teller received a
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
Teller thought for a moment before replying.
“What do I think it is? I think it's complicated,” he began. “I don't know any more than anyone else, but I suspect it is far more intricate and complex than we dare to imagine.”
“Well, the social media is alive with speculation,” said Cathy. “Some think it's alive. Others say it is an alien artifact. Others speculate on it being a portal to another dimension, while still others say it is the result of two parallel universes colliding and collapsing. What do you think?”
“Well, I think those are all very grand and interesting ideas. It could be any one of those or none of them. The only way we'll find out for sure will be by observing it, by studying it.”
The kids were bored with the news crew and disappointed with the anomaly. Having been fed on spectacular images in the media and time-lapse photography, it was a bit of an anticlimax to see the concrete slab sitting low against the ground at this time of day.
As the interview ended Teller noticed that Susan had wandered off. A sense of panic gripped him. Teller asked the relief teacher to sit the kids down next to an idle diesel generator and have a drink break while he went looking for Susan. Cathy and Finch went with him, realizing what had happened. Finch didn't seem that bothered, but Cathy clearly felt awful about a lost child.
Susan was wearing a red jacket, Teller remembered, and holding a balloon, but as the bustling crowd was mostly made up of adults, her visibility would have been limited to just a few feet. He thought she may have tried to get a better look at the anomaly so he made his way over to the barricade still holding the spinning gyroscope like a baseball in his hand.
Teller spoke to one of the officers there, asking if he'd seen the young girl. As they were talking, he spotted Susan in the background, over by the NASA trailer in front of the anomaly. She was talking to an official, a tall man in a dark suit.
“That's her,” he told the officer. “That's Susan. I need to go and get her.”
“I'm sorry,” replied the officer. “My instructions are clear. No unauthorized personnel beyond this point.”
“Yes, I understand that,” pleaded Teller. “But surely you can see that she's unauthorized and she's beyond this point. All I want to do is to go and bring her back here so she's not unauthorized and beyond this point.”
It was a little patronizing, but Teller couldn't help it. He had a real disdain for authority when it was exercised without reason. And he knew his smart-ass comment, however subtle, really wasn't going to help things.
“I'm sorry, sir. I cannot allow you to do that,” replied the officer, turning sideways so he could see Susan. “I'll call command and we'll get someone to bring her over to you, but you can't go in there.”
“But she's a child. You clearly want to keep people away from the anomaly. She's already halfway there. All I'm going to do is bring her back. I'll be no more than thirty seconds.”
The officer rested his hand on his service revolver as he called in a request to have Susan escorted back to the barricade. There was no way Teller was crossing the line. At least, not in one piece.
Cathy flashed her press credentials, saying, “Look, I've been in the restricted area already. I was in there when this all began. How about I go and get her?”
“I can't let you do that, ma'am.”
“Susan,” Teller called out, waving. “Susan.”
Susan looked over at him, along with the man in the suit. She waved back at him while the stranger talked to one of the officers next to him, who in turn spoke into a radio. Within a few seconds, the officer with Teller received a
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