Signal

1962

Somewhere, U.S.A.

"Glad you could make it Curtis."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. If what you say is true then we've got to act fast. Has the president been notified yet?"

"Not yet. And maybe not ever. We don't have any confirmation about what this thing is. If it turns it to be a weather balloon or some kind of HAM radio prank I don't want to disturb him. Election year you know?"

"That's not your call, Dave, excuse me, General Conlin. You've got command of this department and this mission but as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff I report to the president directly.

"My apologies General LeMay, but this mission is officially under NASA jurisdiction--even if they don't know we exist. As the commander of the mission and the department it is my considered opinion we do not notify the president until we have confirmation of this signal. It might be coming from the orbiter itself. No human has ever been in as high an orbit or for so long. Who knows what that does to the mind?"

The two officers stood in silence for a moment; chatter filled the air around them. A sea of military personnel sitting at computer consoles filled the room. A giant screen facing them displaying an orbital path on a 2-dimensional Mercator projection of the world.

"General Conlin, sir. Just received this from CINCPAC." The general took the paper and waved away the ensign.

"What is it Dave? News from the orbiter? We've got two men up there you know."

"No, Curtis" he said. "No. It's, well, I don't really know." General Conlin looked up at the screen and the orbit being traced by a glowing point, the trailing path slowly fading, as numbers in the upper right continually changed.

"Let me see," said General LeMay, snatching the paper from his hand. He scowled at the note and at his colleague. "This is impossible! This simply can't be true. We don't have any ships near Australia? Do we?"

"We have a listening post," said General Conlin. "A back up in case our equipment is damaged or compromised. And don't get all in a huff. This is on a strictly need to know basis and only a few of us need to know. Can't be too careful these days."

General LeMay frowned and said, "But the moon? If we'd already made it there I'd have heard about. This has got to be and God help us if that's true."

"That's the funny thing," said General Conlin. "That signal is being beamed right at our orbiter. It's jamming their messages to us and jamming our messages to them. On all frequencies."

"Without those radio signals we can never get them down. They'll be stranded up there forever."

"Yes," said base commander Conlin.

"This is an act of war and it's got to be the damn . We've got no choice but to notify the president. I am going to recommend a nuclear strike on the moon."

"Good god man! Do you know what you are saying?"

"General Conlin sir, we've been able to partially decode the signal. It's an image and a very odd one sir." The aide lifted his hands up and down as if not knowing if he should salute, eventually deciding in the negative.

"Show me ensign," said General Conlin, a weariness in his eyes and in his voice.

"Some kind of ruse no doubt," said General LeMay. The three stepped to a nearby console.

"Here sir. It is blurry but you can just make it out." The two generals looked at the screen in the console and the ensign looked at them, hands pressed firmly at his sides.

"Is this some kind of joke?" said General LeMay, glaring at the ensign with ferocity.

"No sir. Our own analysts processed the signal as it came in from Desert Castle. There is no mistake."

"Desert Castle is the codename for our listening station in the outback," said General Conlin to a squinting General LeMay.

"So they're in on this prank too then? Or this is just rank incompetence!"

"Curtis, I would put our team up against anyone else in the world and you are on shaky ground accusing our allies or my people of some kind of fraud. I take that personally."

"How do you explain this then? A photograph of a well known American film star being transmitted from the moon with enough to power to jam the signals from a manned orbiter. And that signal is following the orbiter as it moves around the planet even?" General Conlin stepped away from the console and gestured for his peer to follow.

"Curtis, I didn't want to mention this but there has been some speculation, pure speculation mind you, that the moon is actually inhabited. Oh, I know, most consider that all Jules Verne stuff and nobody really believes that anymore. Well, almost nobody." General LeMay gave his friend a good long stare.

"Dave, if I hadn't known you for such a long time I'd shut down this whole operation and have you court-martialed for dereliction of duty. But I have known you for a long time. If you take this seriously then, it seems, so should I." He gave him another stare, his face softened, his voice quieter.

"Tell me. What do you think this is? And how do we deal with it? With that kind of power it could destroy our space program. Maybe even destroy our whole country. Or the world even."

"Well, I think we should take a step back and--"

"General Conlin sir, we just received a communication from the orbiter!" The aide held a paper in his shaking hand. He looked at both generals, gulped and read: We are under attack from hostiles. Energy weapon originating on the moon. Please help!"

"Get me the Pentagon now!" said General LeMay.

***

"Lamay, wake up dear! Wake up."

"Mother it was horrible! Just horrible! I dreamed I was a corporeal being and I was attacking other corporeal beings."

"Oh dear, you were having another nightmare!"

"How's that exactly a nightmare? They're all just chemicals. And only last for like a few minutes anyway."

"How in universe can you say that?! You are her father! It frightened Lamay and so it's definitely a nightmare."

"Well, anyway, c'mon, let's get going or we'll be late for the show. It's going to be a two-fer. Black hole formation and stellar collision."

"Your father is always in such a rush dear. Are you ok to fly?"

"Yes, mother."

"All right. Let's go. We'll plant some star seeds on the way home."