Anomaly by Peter Cawdron Read Free Book Online Page B

will not engage in sensational or unsubstantiated claims. I expect Ms Jones will ensure this protocol is followed.”
    Cathy's head hung low.

Chapter 05: Helium
     
    Teller walked up to the NASA trailer with Cathy.
    “You too, huh,” said Cathy, seeing Finch looking despondent. His camera sat idly beside him on the ground.
    “Oh, yeah,” replied Finch. “A cavity search would have been more fun than what I've just been through.”
    Cathy flinched. “That bad?”
    Finch was quiet. He was holding Susan's balloon, poking it with his finger like it was some kind of boxing speed bag. He clearly wasn't in the mood for idle chatter.
    Susan was sitting next to him in a deck chair, watching the slab of concrete in the distance as it slowly rose up on one side. It was almost at a right-angle to the ground, appearing like a large circular wall blocking the view of the United Nations building by the river. Susan sat there tossing a football idly from one hand to the other to stave off the boredom. The anomaly was supposed to be exciting, but she found it slow.
    Mason, Bates and Anderson walked up behind them, stopping to talk with a few of the NASA scientists some ten feet away. With the news conference behind them, there was a lot of discussion about the next steps. There was a general agreement that they'd learned all they could passively, watching the anomaly from a distance. At some point, they needed to probe the interior, but the question was how?
    Anderson asked Mason about Teller, knowing both Teller and Cathy could overhear their conversation. Anderson was thoughtful, not one to jump to rash conclusions. In this case, he clearly appreciated the fresh perspective Teller brought to the discussion about the anomaly. Bates was not so complimentary, saying there was no room for amateurs on the project. Mason reminded Bates they were all amateurs when it came to possible extraterrestrial contact. Bates protested, saying it would look bad in scientific circles. Anderson challenged that, asking since when did Bates care about what others thought. Mason reminded them both of the loss of the Challenger space shuttle, and how group-thinking had dominated NASA's decision making prior to that fatal launch. As far as Mason was concerned, a little diversity in the group was a good thing, preventing them from falling for the same mistakes again. Teller, it seemed, would become a part of the team. Teller might not be qualified, said Mason, but he was sharp and he thought laterally. His gyroscope comparison had been a good example of thinking outside the box. Teller, Mason noted, seemed to understand the anomaly better than anyone else so far, something that grated on Bates. Even with the Vega fiasco, Mason said it had been a productive afternoon.
    Hearing this, Teller wasn't quite sure what to think.
    Cathy pretended to be talking to Teller about something else and not listening in on Mason's conversation, but she raised her eyebrows knowingly at Teller as Mason walked up behind him. Mason's hand landed on Teller's shoulder with a thump.
    “We'd like you to stick around a little, OK?”
    Teller went to say something in reply, like sure or thank you, but Mason had kept walking. An answer wasn't needed.
    Mason knelt down by his niece.
    “I got hold of your Mom,” he said, bending down beside her. “She's going to be home around eight, so we'll get one of the police officers to drop you off then.”
    Susan's eyes lit up at the prospect of a ride in a police car.
    “Can I turn on the siren?”
    “I don't know about that,” said Mason, rubbing her head fondly. “Hey, where'd you get that football?”
    Finch raised his hand. “Guilty, as charged. I found it in the trailer, behind one of the filing cabinets.”
    Susan tossed it to Mason and he tossed it back with a smile. She passed it to Teller.
    “Have you thought about ballistic trajectories?” asked Teller, passing the ball to Mason.
    Mason grinned, saying, “Are you thinking what