Free Overture (Earth Song) by Mark Wandrey Page B

The laser scientists were impressed and climbed up to create a crowd on the dais top.
    “ So why don’t you know anything about the markings?”
    “ Well,” explained Osgood, “concentrating on these markings while we didn’t even know what this was made out of seemed rather like taking time to read a Chinese instruction manual on a rocket ship when the most advanced thing you’ve ever seen was a horse and buggy.”
    “ Cute.”
    “ You’ve seen these images, I’m sure,” Osgood pointed. “I would think the meaning is difficult to misconstrue.” The picture showed the Earth, its continental layout obvious, being destroyed by a celestial impact.
    “ But is it a threat, or a warning?”
    “ Well, this might have something to do with it,” said another of the scientists who walked around to the other side. “These are the only items that have demonstrated any life at all.” Everyone came around to that side. “These lights that circle the dais perimeter: there are one hundred forty-four of them. This one here is glowing, you will notice, the one next to the base on the right side. Now back on the other side-” The scientist turned and took a step to point, and that’s when he made a big mistake.
    His team had only been in the bag for two days, arriving for the laser experiments. Like all the other new technical teams they were given the standard warning about what not to do around the Portal. The most important was not to interact with the center of the Portal itself, the ghostly disappearing archway. Objects tossed through it landed unharmed on the other side, but it had not yet been tested with a living person. Too many questions still remained unanswered.
    The scientist who had been talking was completely wrapped up in the favorite hobby of all scientists, demonstrating how intelligent they are. The man was having such a good time he forgot the rule about interacting with the Portal. He casually took a step sideways to demonstrate the lack of lights on the other side, and stepped through the center of the archway. Mark Volant was standing edge on to the glowing portal projection, maybe a fraction of an inch thick from his view. The scientist stepped in one side, and not out of the other.
    The dais gave a deep base hum, like plucking a cord on a cello, and the entire structure under their feet glowed purple for a second. Everyone on the dais scrambled to get off as fast as possible, led by Volant who performed a spinning backwards leap that would have made any Olympic gymnast proud. The dozen other scientific staff in the dome all yelled and at least one person screamed.
    When Volant and Osgood regained their senses they both ran around the dais to be sure the man hadn’t just fallen over the side. The hovering Portal stayed in place, something it had never done before once the top step was vacated. Clearly visible in the window of the Portal archway was a wooded clearing lit by subdued starlight, not the glaring dome illumination that should have been there. Also visible was a surprised and frightened-looking scientist. He was looking around, obviously as amazed as those looking at him from the other side.
    “ Are you getting this?!” hissed Dr. Osgood.
    “ We’ve had this thing on continuous record since we got here,” someone replied.
    “ That particle target just had a shit-fit,” someone else said. “Real spike in neutrino and neutron emissions.”
    “ Any danger now?”
    “ No, it was only about half a second. Maybe two or three rads total ionizing radiation. Nothing to worry about. Unless it fires up again, of course.”
    Osgood nodded his head and boldly climbed back up to the Portal. The ill-fated laser scientist could be seen talking, but not a sound came through. Osgood gestured for the man to step back through. The scientist nodded that he understood and stepped forward only to collide with an invisible wall.
    “ One way trip,” Mark Volant said from the ground. A pair of