cleared her throat. “Weren’t you listening? The
presence told us as much.”
Iris pursed her lips. She wasn’t about to challenge her
sister in front of the teams.
Kassidy put an arm around DJ. “I think it’s too early to
draw conclusions. But DJ is one brave woman, no matter who she talked with.” DJ
gave Kassidy a sideway glance with a mocking pout.
Darian pulled out a chair and motioned for DJ to take a
seat. Iris believed DJ’s new admirer was attempting to melt some of the icy
attitudes in the room, but unfortunately he failed. His declaration confirmed
it. “There is no doubt about her bravery. But heroes need their rest.”
DJ accepted the offer of a seat with more awkwardness
than gracefulness. “I am not a hero, as Darian boldly states. But if I
am a judge of character, I will tell you I believe what our presence has to
say.” Iris wondered why her sister was so convinced.
Evan bounded back into the house with an easel under his
arm. “I hope I didn’t miss anything important.” Over six feet tall and
muscular, Evan had little problem assembling a foldout stand for the easel.
Kassidy whispered in Iris’s ear, “I thought scientists
were supposed to be frail and puny.”
“Down girl,” Iris whispered back. “Remember whose side
you’re on. You’re a ghost girl, not an alien chaser.”
Kassidy sipped her drink. “I can look and still be
objective.”
“Would you two like to share with the class?” Mitchell
asked.
“Yes,” Evan said, “we need input. Don’t be afraid of
offending Mitchell or myself. I don’t know everyone well enough to know their
stance on the subject. But I can say we’ve encountered a number of skeptics
over the years. We believe without doubt there are many planets supporting
life. In fact, the Keplar telescope has confirmed there are more than a few
habitable planets capable of sustaining liquid water. With water, life is
possible. Now, you may not believe extraterrestrial life forms have traveled to
our planet, but you cannot deny the existence of alien life. Skepticism does
not daunt me. It fuels my passion because for me, proving is passion.
Consequently, I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to posit that
alien life might want to connect with us.”
Iris wondered what Mitchell had told Evan. Apparently,
he’d made her doubts known. “Yes, Evan. I would not argue with your initial
assumption. But why would they travel here? Why exactly would they want
to connect with us?”
Evan uncapped a marker and began writing on the easel.
“If you want me to make an educated guess, I would say resources.” He wrote the
word RESOURCES on the board.
“Yet,” Iris said, “DJ reports there is an alien race hell
bent on releasing a plague upon us. How does that relate to resources?”
Mitchell raised a hand. “It’s quite possible they will
take our resources after incapacitating us.”
“That sounds risky,” Rachel noted. “The plague might
affect those resources.”
Gavin turned his laptop so all could see a picture of the
crop circle. “We may be able to confirm that depending on what the lab tells us
about the affected corn. If the balls of light, or OBOLs, are somehow
extraterrestrial they may have intentionally destroyed the corn as some kind of
warning.”
“So, you believe,” Darian said, “that their message is a
threat. If the caduceus is representative of our collective health, the
decimation of the plants could just be the beginning. I think you might be onto
something.”
“I’m not sure,” Gavin responded. “I think Rachel has a
point. I think wiping us out will affect our food and water. Those are the two
main resources aliens may desire.”
“But if the OBOLs are extraterrestrial in origin, are
they here to help or hinder?” Mitchell added. “We need to determine if the
balls of light are allies.”
DJ intervened. “The presence believes the OBOLs created
the time slip in tandem with the object. So, even if
presence told us as much.”
Iris pursed her lips. She wasn’t about to challenge her
sister in front of the teams.
Kassidy put an arm around DJ. “I think it’s too early to
draw conclusions. But DJ is one brave woman, no matter who she talked with.” DJ
gave Kassidy a sideway glance with a mocking pout.
Darian pulled out a chair and motioned for DJ to take a
seat. Iris believed DJ’s new admirer was attempting to melt some of the icy
attitudes in the room, but unfortunately he failed. His declaration confirmed
it. “There is no doubt about her bravery. But heroes need their rest.”
DJ accepted the offer of a seat with more awkwardness
than gracefulness. “I am not a hero, as Darian boldly states. But if I
am a judge of character, I will tell you I believe what our presence has to
say.” Iris wondered why her sister was so convinced.
Evan bounded back into the house with an easel under his
arm. “I hope I didn’t miss anything important.” Over six feet tall and
muscular, Evan had little problem assembling a foldout stand for the easel.
Kassidy whispered in Iris’s ear, “I thought scientists
were supposed to be frail and puny.”
“Down girl,” Iris whispered back. “Remember whose side
you’re on. You’re a ghost girl, not an alien chaser.”
Kassidy sipped her drink. “I can look and still be
objective.”
“Would you two like to share with the class?” Mitchell
asked.
“Yes,” Evan said, “we need input. Don’t be afraid of
offending Mitchell or myself. I don’t know everyone well enough to know their
stance on the subject. But I can say we’ve encountered a number of skeptics
over the years. We believe without doubt there are many planets supporting
life. In fact, the Keplar telescope has confirmed there are more than a few
habitable planets capable of sustaining liquid water. With water, life is
possible. Now, you may not believe extraterrestrial life forms have traveled to
our planet, but you cannot deny the existence of alien life. Skepticism does
not daunt me. It fuels my passion because for me, proving is passion.
Consequently, I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to posit that
alien life might want to connect with us.”
Iris wondered what Mitchell had told Evan. Apparently,
he’d made her doubts known. “Yes, Evan. I would not argue with your initial
assumption. But why would they travel here? Why exactly would they want
to connect with us?”
Evan uncapped a marker and began writing on the easel.
“If you want me to make an educated guess, I would say resources.” He wrote the
word RESOURCES on the board.
“Yet,” Iris said, “DJ reports there is an alien race hell
bent on releasing a plague upon us. How does that relate to resources?”
Mitchell raised a hand. “It’s quite possible they will
take our resources after incapacitating us.”
“That sounds risky,” Rachel noted. “The plague might
affect those resources.”
Gavin turned his laptop so all could see a picture of the
crop circle. “We may be able to confirm that depending on what the lab tells us
about the affected corn. If the balls of light, or OBOLs, are somehow
extraterrestrial they may have intentionally destroyed the corn as some kind of
warning.”
“So, you believe,” Darian said, “that their message is a
threat. If the caduceus is representative of our collective health, the
decimation of the plants could just be the beginning. I think you might be onto
something.”
“I’m not sure,” Gavin responded. “I think Rachel has a
point. I think wiping us out will affect our food and water. Those are the two
main resources aliens may desire.”
“But if the OBOLs are extraterrestrial in origin, are
they here to help or hinder?” Mitchell added. “We need to determine if the
balls of light are allies.”
DJ intervened. “The presence believes the OBOLs created
the time slip in tandem with the object. So, even if
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