Mission Origin View (Final Days Trilogy) (48 page)

***

A few minutes later the QMAC was operational, and a surprised looking Admiral Frank was on the QMAC monitor. “Captain Bowser. I wasn’t expecting to speak to you until you had arrived at the observation point. Is there a problem?”

“
Yes, Admiral. We have a problem. Would you please have Doctor Layton join you so we can give you our status?” Mary said.

For the next
few hours Dr. Harper, Stephen, and Mary briefed Admiral Frank and Dr. Layton on what had happened and what they were seeing. Dr. Layton seemed as confused as the scientists aboard the
Stephen
Hawking
.

“
Doctor Harper, do you agree that you’re in normal space now since we can communicate via QMAC?” Dr. Layton asked.

“
Yes, Doctor, I agree we’re in normal space, but I’m not sure where we are, and what we’re seeing,” Dr. Harper said.

“
I suggest you continue with your analysis of the planet and learn what you can. I’m also sure it’s not Earth, but the analysis may give you a clue on what you’re witnessing and your location,” Dr. Layton said.

As the scientists
were talking, Mary used her Anna forearm interface to create an encrypted message to send to Admiral Frank, informing him that she had taken into account the possibility of alien intervention. She had Anna send the message microseconds before the QMAC link was disconnected.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

O6
48—
March 10, 2372

Gideon didn
’t sleep during the night; he relieved his marines one at a time so they could grab a few hours’ sleep. At 0600 he went back to his quarters, changed into a clean jumpsuit, and went by the galley to grab a bite to eat and a cup of coffee on his way to the MCC. He had a feeling new long-range sensor data would be coming in at any time. He believed what Sipes had said and what would be seen today but didn’t know how Sipes knew; was it alien control, or was it the book?

The MCC was quie
t when Gideon entered, and only Dr. Qasim was there. She sat at her console, analyzing data.

“
Where is everyone?” Gideon asked.

Dr.
Qasim jumped; she apparently didn’t know Gideon had entered the MCC.

“
Sorry, Doctor, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Gideon apologized, realizing what he’d done.

“
That’s okay, Lieutenant. I’m pulling my scheduled watch while the other scientists are sleeping or eating,” she said. “Everyone will be back at zero eight hundred unless, of course, some new data comes in.”

Gideon found a seat at a nearby console.
“Doctor, what’s your take on all this?” he asked and began sipping his coffee.

“
To be honest, Lieutenant, I don’t have a clue. I’m just a frightened computer scientist, not a physicist, biologist, or astrophysicist,” she answered. “By the way, that was a good idea about using the QMAC.”

“
It just seemed like a good idea at the time,” Gideon said.

Dr.
Qasim was about to speak again when Stephen interrupted them over the MCC intercom. “New sensor data being received.” The focused image blurred again as the incoming data began to be analyzed.

“
Stephen, let the rest of the scientists and Captain Bowser know,” Dr. Qasim requested as she started looking at the data being received.

Within
minutes the scientists were at their stations in the MCC, analyzing data and discussing what they were seeing. More and more data poured in, and the planet’s image became so distorted all anyone could make out was an image of something round.

“
A lot is happening on that planet,” Dr. Bailey commented. The biological data being gathered was enormous.

***

A
fter meeting with her officers earlier that morning to get a ship’s damage report, Mary entered the MCC a few hours later.

“
Learn anything yet, Doctor Harper?” Mary asked as she approached the holographic display.

“
No, Captain. We are receiving a massive amount of sensor data that has to be processed,” Dr. Harper said.

“
Captain, Doctor Pettway would like to speak with you,” Mary’s Anna said into her implant.

Mary acknowledged
the message and then sat at a nearby console. She opened a communications link to the sick bay. “You want to speak with me, Doctor?” Mary asked as Pettway appeared.

“
Yes, Captain. The children are talking this morning!” Pettway answered with a smile.

“That’s great, Doctor. Congratulations on your progress,” Mary said and returned her smile.

“
Thank you, Captain, but I can assure you it wasn’t anything I’ve done,” Dr. Pettway said. “They were all still terrified about what’s been happening the past few days aboard the ship, and didn’t go to sleep till midnight. This morning, they all woke up laughing, smiling, and talking.”

“
What’re they talking about?” Mary asked.

“
Well, Captain, they all want to tell Petty Officer Sipes about the dreams they all had last night, and they want him to read to them some more,” Dr. Pettway said.

“
Sipes can’t go to sick bay,” Mary began, not mentioning he was in the brig. “But I can set up a com link so he can read to them, and they can tell him their dreams.”

“
Thank you, Captain…I…I think that will do,” Dr. Pettway said, as thought she was troubled by something.

“
Is there something else, Doctor?” Mary asked, noting her concern.

“
It’s…it’s…that they all had the same dream!” Dr. Pettway said.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

1333
—
March 10, 2372

Mary and Gideon sat at a console in the MCC
, watching the communications link between the brig cell Joseph was in and sick bay. Mary not sure what to expect, and concerned about what was happening between the children and Sipes, decided to observe. Could aliens be trying to control Sipes and the children? She needed to know.

Mary and Gideon
watched as Joseph sat in his cell, reading from his book. The orphans in sick bay were glued to the monitor, listening to every word. Joseph read, “‘
Then little children were brought to him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But his followers rebuked those who brought them. He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for paradise belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
’”

Joseph stopped reading
, looked at the children, and asked, “Do you believe the story?”

“
Yes!” they all shouted at once with smiles and laughing.

“
Good! I was told you had a dream last night. Would you like to tell me what you dreamed?”

All the children began speaking a
t once, and nothing made sense.

“
Okay, okay, one at a time,” Joseph interrupted them and continued when they stopped talking. “We’ll let the oldest speak first. Who is the oldest?”

“
Me…me…me!” a little girl eagerly said while she raised a bandaged arm.

“
Go ahead and tell me the dream, and I want everyone else to be quiet while she speaks,” Joseph said, and the children nodded.

“
I dreamed we were all here, and you were reading to us. Then all of a sudden something happened, and we were all flying in the sky like birds going to him. And all of our hurts and pains were gone!” the little girl said excitedly as all the other children nodded and remained quiet.

Joseph smiled and asked,
“Guess what?”

“
What?” they all yelled with smiles.

“
I had the same dream last night,” Joseph said.

All the kids laughed and cheered
. Then they begged Joseph to read some more.

***

In the sick bay, the widows were sitting near the children and listening. Some of the women cried, and some smiled as Joseph began reading again.

Gunny Xia could also hear everything from his bed. He
lay in his bed with tears in his eyes. He’d also had a dream last night, but his dream was different. In his dream he’d watched as the kids flew like birds, and he wished he could go with them, but he couldn’t. Instead he heard a ghastly cry of a beast behind him. He turned around and saw something horrible with razor-sharp teeth running toward him. He tried to run, but the beast caught him, and he awoke as it began devouring him alive.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

1632
—
March 10, 2372

The scientists were busy analyzing information as sensor data continued to stream in. The holographic image began to focus
, but no details of the events occurring on the planet could be established yet. The crew of the ship continually watched the feed from the MCC, anxiously wanting to know what was happening. Mary and Gideon discussed what they’d seen and heard between Joseph and the kids earlier, and decided it wasn’t any type of threat. They concluded the kids had missed Joseph reading to them and had all pretended to have had the same dream.

“
New sensor data has ceased,” Stephen said. Seconds later the holographic display of the planet began to focus quickly. First the light-gray image began to change to a blue tint, and as the minutes passed, the planet changed to light blue as it continued to focus.

“
Doctor, Harper!” Dr. Jones exclaimed. “Sensor spectrum analysis reports several land surfaces have emerged from the ocean. Land surfaces are located and shaped the same as the continents on Earth, and vegetation is present on all land surfaces except on the southern pole continent!”

“
Biological analysis agrees. Sharp increases in oxygen have occurred within minutes, indicating the immediate presence of vegetation!” Dr. Bailey added.

Dr.
Harper stood as the other scientists looked at him. “Everything we’re witnessing goes against all laws of science,” he began. He scratched his head and continued. “We’re in normal space, but there’re no stars. We detected a single planet covered with water in a void of nothingness. We saw gases emerge on that planet from no natural catastrophic planet event or cosmic events. We saw land emerge from an ocean without any planet geological seismic event. We saw accelerated evolution of plant life using light from an unknown source. Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!”

“
Creation, Doctor, not evolution!” a deep commanding voice rumbled from the entrance of the MCC. Joseph stood with Sergeant Manelly behind him.

Everyone in the MCC froze
in place, looking at Joseph, again all yearning to hear more and fighting the urge to fall on their knees.

Joseph slowly walked over to the holographic monitor of the planet as the image came into clear focus.
It was a blue planet with continents and oceans dotted with varying shapes and sizes of white clouds. It looked like Earth as seen from the moon.

“
This is Earth after the third day of creation,” Joseph said. “Witness it, believe it, tell everyone about it. The day and time is near!” He walked back to the MCC entrance and, as he was leaving, said, “Read my words!”

Agai
n, minutes passed before anyone could move or speak in the MCC. Gideon fought to come out of the trance, or whatever it was he was in, and was the first able to speak. “Stephen, contact Joseph’s Anna and get a copy of his book!”

“
There is no need, Lieutenant. His Anna just sent me a copy,” Stephen said.

“
What is the book? Does it have a name?” Gideon asked, still fighting to move his arms and legs.

“
Yes. It is named the Holy Bible,” Stephen answered.

Mission Control Center, SRS
Stephen Hawking

1735
—
March 10, 2372

“Stephen, read the section in the Bible describing the fourth day of creation.” Gideon said.

Stephen read over the MCC intercom, “‘
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
’”