Close Up the Sky (8 page)

Leahy looked at
the man who supposedly held the answers to all his questions. He had a
straight, narrow nose that divided his face almost perfectly between prominent
cheekbones. His eyes were pale blue and gleamed with intelligence, but dark
circles marred the skin beneath them. The eyebrows were almost as white as his
hair, and from the age spots on the backs of his hands, Leahy guessed him to be
in his late sixties. He wore the standard lab coat, but it did little to hide
the thinness of his body. It was the appearance of a man who had too much
responsibility and got too little sleep. He dipped his spoon into a steaming
bowl of soup and sipped it gingerly. Except for a cup of black coffee, the rest
of the food tray was bare.

We gave Matt the
grand tour before landing,” Taylor said. Her elbows were propped on the table,
chin resting on folded hands. She gazed at Durant affectionately, the way a
daughter might look at her father.

“Good,” Durant
answered, as he continued eating the soup. “I’m sure it added considerably to
his list of questions." He cut his eyes up at Leahy and smiled.

"Taylor's
done a good job of keeping me in the dark so far," Leahy responded,
attempting to be amicable.

"I know she
has
.......
oh, do you mind if I call you Matt?"

"I wish you
would."

"We really
appreciate you taking everything on faith up to this point, Matt, but I believe
you'll agree with our methods once you've been given a complete explanation.
Everyone felt it would be better if I explained the situation in person, here
at the facility. Anyway, I seriously doubt you would believe it under other
circumstances." He pushed the food tray
away,
the
soup almost untouched, and removed a well-used pipe from inside his coat. He looked
at it longingly, and stuck it into his mouth.

"Trying to
give up smoking," he said, "but it's a powerful habit. Somehow I just
can't seem to bring myself to part with this pipe. Sort of a security blanket I
suppose."

Leahy had broken
the nicotine addiction five years before, and sympathized with Durant. There
were still times when he felt as though he could smoke a cigarette ten inches
long; like now.

They all remained
quiet for a few seconds, then Durant
said,
"I saw
from your FBI file that you have no family other than your brother." He
said it matter-of-factly. It was a true statement, but it made Matt feel
uncomfortable. It was the kind of thing someone might say to a man who was not
expected to live much longer. It prompted his response to be more aggressive
than he intended.

"Dr. Durant,
I know the FBI did a background investigation on me at some point in the recent
past, and after seeing what I've seen in the last couple of hours, I don't
doubt you probably know as much about me as I do. In fact, everyone I've met
since early this morning seems to be well acquainted with my personal life. Please
don't misunderstand me sir, but I think it's time for leveling. What is this
place, who are you, and what do you want with me?" He was trying hard not
to be disrespectful or rude, but his patience was wearing thin. He had had
enough small talk.

"You're
absolutely right, Matt," Durant responded. "Let's go to my office and
I'll give you the whole story."

Durant's office
was somewhere in the maze of tunnels on the same level as the cafeteria. They
took the golf cart through a series of short turns and parked it near a set of
double doors marked FACILITY DIRECTOR.

Matt attempted to
mentally retrace their route, but could not. All the tunnels they had gone
through appeared to be identical and were not color-coded. Viewed from the
helicopter the building had seemed large, but judging from the elevator ride
and the use of electric carts, he knew the underground area had to be immense
compared with the surface structures.

The doors opened
into a reception area, but there was no one behind the receptionist’s desk. Durant
ushered them across the room and into his private office. Matt was pleasantly
surprised at the decor. The room was nothing like what he had imagined a
scientist's office would look like. Instead of shelves loaded with books and a
desk piled high with papers, everything was immaculate. In place of the ceramic
tile he had seen throughout the complex, the floor was covered with royal blue
carpet. Instead of overhead lights, decorative lamps on tables gave the
surroundings a soft appearance. A big antique wooden desk with three plush
chairs facing it dominated one side of the room. A color map of the Milky Way filled
the entire wall behind it. He knew it had to be an optical illusion, but the
celestial scene appeared to be alive. The stars pulsed and glowed in various
colors, contrasting sharply against the blackness of space. It was like looking
through a huge window from the interior of a spaceship. A massive grandfather
clock stood against the opposing wall, its pendulum marking each second of time
with precise strokes. Green plants in colorful pots were scattered about the
room, creating a feeling of health and wellbeing. To say that he was impressed
was putting it mildly.

"Sit down,
Matt," said Durant. "Would you like a cup of coffee while we
talk?"

"Yes, thank
you. It's been a long day." As he sank into a chair he focused on the star
map, mesmerized by the spectacular scene.

"Lovely,
isn't it?" said Durant.

"It's the
most amazing thing I've ever seen." As he stared at the map he saw a tiny
spot of white light flare deep within a cluster of stars. The brilliance held
for a few seconds then vanished. He leaned forward and squinted into the starry
maze.

"A nova,"
Durant explained. "The map was a birthday gift from some of the scientists
and engineers here at the facility. I don't understand myself just how it
works, but it certainly relieves the shut-in feeling you get from working
underground too long. I've always loved star gazing, and this helps relieve the
stress a little."

Taylor walked
across the room and opened a set of louvered doors in the wall. Inside was a
small kitchenette where she busied herself making
coffee.

Durant moved
behind his desk and picked up the telephone. Someone on the other end answered
and he spoke briefly. "Jenny, I'll be working late in my office. Please
hold the calls." He paused a few seconds, still holding the telephone to
his ear. "Yes, he's in my office now. Tell Carl I’ll get back to him as
soon as possible. Also, please ask Dr. Kasdan to join us.” He hung up and
settled into his desk chair.

"Matt, since
your arrival you've had an opportunity to see some of the measures we've taken
to ensure security at this facility. In addition to the electronics and
helicopter patrols, we have an elite detachment of U.S. Marines on duty inside
and outside the buildings twenty-four hours a day. It would take hours to fully
explain the precautions necessary to see that no unauthorized persons gain
access to the facility and to ensure that the technicians take nothing with
them when they go off duty. In addition to the physical security, everyone
working here has undergone a thorough background investigation. Most have
either a secret or top-secret clearance. That's one of the reasons you weren't
told anything about Apache Point until now. Rather than mislead you, we thought
it best to tell you nothing at all. I believe you'll understand and agree with
our methods very shortly. If you don't, you'll be free to go, just as though
this meeting never occurred."

Taylor started the
coffee then sat down next to Leahy. She folded her hands in her lap and gave
him an encouraging smile. He noticed she was squeezing her hands so tightly
that the knuckles were white. Before they could continue, the door opened and a
man wearing one of the long lab coats entered.

Durant introduced
them. "Matt Leahy, I'd like you to meet Dr. John Kasdan. John is Director
of Middle Eastern Studies here at Apache Point." Dr. Kasdan appeared to be
in his mid-forties, with a swarthy complexion and dark piercing eyes. His hair,
once black, was streaked with gray.

He offered his
hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Matt. I hope you had a pleasant trip
from Atlanta."

“For the most part,
sir,” Matt answered, venturing a glance at Taylor. He took Kasdan’s hand and
held it momentarily. The man’s grip was firm, the hand cool.

"There was a
little incident in the desert on the way from the airport, John," Durant
put in. "I'll explain it to you later."

"Middle
Eastern Studies?" Matt inquired of Kasdan.

"Yes, I'm
chief-cook-and-bottle-washer for everything with a Middle Eastern tag on
it," Kasdan replied, smiling.

"We've just
begun our talk, John. I was about to indoctrinate Matt on the operation here at
Apache Point," said Durant.

"I see. I
guess you're still in a mild state of confusion, huh Matt?" Kasdan asked
as he sat down beside Taylor.

"That's
putting it mildly."

Durant sucked on
the empty pipe a few times as though it was lit, then began speaking. "As
you may know, Matt, the Earth is composed of a certain number of natural
elements, most of which have been identified and cataloged. However, a few
years ago a team of geologists working in the Arizona desert discovered a
substance they were unable to identify as any of the known elements. The sample
was relatively small, only about the size of a grapefruit. They continued to
excavate the area but failed to find any additional quantities. At first they
thought it might be uranium because it emitted radioactivity, but uranium is a
silver-white substance that can appear in a lot of different ores. This
specimen was entirely uncontaminated by any other ore, and emitted a pale green
radiance. Because of the radioactivity, they placed it in a lead-lined
container and brought it back to the laboratory for additional study.

"At that time
I was chief physicist in the lab that was selected to work with the material. Over
several months we ran a number of tests to determine what it was and if it
could be useful in any scientific applications. During our studies we found it
had an atomic mass and structure different from anything we had ever seen. Though
it was radioactive, we were unable to establish any similarity between it and
the known elements in the uranium series. It also didn't contain any lead, so
we were unable to determine its half-life. We also learned that the radiation
was harmless to humans.” He paused and leaned forward in his chair.

"I know
you're not a scientist, Matt, so if what I'm saying starts to sound like
gibberish, please feel free to interrupt and ask questions. It's important that
you understand the basics if not the complexities."

"It's been a
long time since I took physics and chemistry in college," Matt responded,
"but I think I follow. The half-life of a radioactive element is a way to
determine its age by measuring how much of its total volume disintegrates over
a period of time, right?"

Durant's eyebrows
went up and a little smile lifted the corners of his lips. He seemed pleased
that Matt was familiar with the term. "Exactly!” he replied,
then
went on. “During our studies we discovered the material
consisted of several different isotopes, one of which was very close to
plutonium. Since plutonium undergoes fission by absorbing a neutron, we decided
to try neutron bombardment. Working with plutonium is dangerous under any
circumstances, and because of the unknown qualities of this new substance, we
took extra precautions to ensure that if any energy was released it would be
kept under strict control.

"Our newest
reactor, built to the most stringent of technological specifications, was used
for the experiment. To harness any released energy, we employed special
moderators to absorb most of the free neutrons and restrain the reaction. Absolutely
nothing should have been able to escape or enter the confines of the test
chamber. Visual observations took place through special cameras strategically
positioned in several places. When we were positive that all contingencies had
been covered, we executed the test.” He paused as though reliving that moment,
pondering his next words.

Matt found himself
leaning forward, almost as if the experiment was about to be recreated at that
instant.

After a few
seconds, the scientist continued. “There was an instantaneous flash of green
brilliance that obliterated the camera images coming from the reactor. Simultaneously,
our instruments recorded the release of an enormous surge of energy. But
instead of remaining constant as we expected, the energy level dropped to zero
within a few seconds. When it subsided, the video image returned. It was at
that moment that we realized we were dealing with something that didn't obey
the physical laws of science as we know them." He exhaled deeply, and even
though his pipe contained no ashes, he tapped it a few times on an ashtray.

“The fission
process hadn’t taken place at all,” he resumed. “That in itself was a
phenomenon, but it was dwarfed to insignificance compared to the images the
cameras were broadcasting. We were scarcely able to believe our senses." He
paused and glanced at Taylor and Kasdan.

Matt found himself
holding his breath. "What happened?"

"Here, in the
middle of the desert, the entire floor of the chamber was covered with a foot
of water and what appeared to be
seaweed
!"

D
urant's words hit like a
thunderbolt. Leahy intellectually refused to accept what the scientist was
saying, rejecting it as impossible, but instinctively knowing that it was true.
His mind raced ahead of the story, trying to make sense of it, but found
nowhere to go. He looked to Taylor for reassurance and found only silence. Her
attention was riveted on Durant, as entranced by the narrative as he was.