Not Alone In The Dark
Looking over a vibrant Earth as the Terminator of night moves across North America, with the world just barely clawing its way out of the fear of the cold war, In 1986, On an overlook in the laurel highlands of Pennsylvania, just east of Pittsburgh, a young couple named Katie Hillman fresh out of Laurel City high school at 18, and Ned Miller who was 20 Fresh out of Mount Pleasant High School, decided to go on a date night to the middle of the Laurel Highlands. The Roar of the Roadrunner crawling up Pennsylvania State Route 31 echoes in the distance. The Windows were down and the music was blaring.
Its very serene and this couple was out for a nice quiet warm june summer night. The night sky is clear, and it hasn’t rained in about a week up here. Driving up a windy road not too far from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and listening to The Radio Station WDVE blaring the song Limelight by Rush a Canadian Progressive Rock band. This windy road, some call 3 mile hill, is a long stretch, but They pull up to an open field area. The idling sound of the Roadrunner as it chucks into a rhythm, like Neil Peart on a set of drums entertaining a crowd. The 20 year old Ned fixing his blonde mullet as he sweeps across the back of his head like a broom, freshening up for what would be a fun night for the young couple as they stargaze.
The noise from the CB radio disrupts their moment together with some people calling each other nick names like Bilbo, jack rabbit, and coyote. All talking about some talker called CB Rambo, trying to pick a fight with a trucker and didnt show up. Ned shook his head and remarks as he turns to shut off the radio, “This Soap Opera is ruining a good night, im turning it off” Katie, Remarks “Hey, remember its that radio is how you met me.” Ned chuckles, “True, very true, i remember the first time i went to your house, i thought your dad was gonna tear me limb for limb.” Katie laughs, “Ha, my dad is very protective, but he seems to like you now i think, i hope anyway.” Ned smiles as he shakes his head.
The Couple decide to get out of their 1977 sky Blue Roadrunner, He opens the trunk of his roadrunner and pulls out this telescope thats been in his family for generations. He looks at The Young 18 year old brunnette just graduating from high school, who he is on his second date with. Enjoys the quiet moment they share. His girlfriend Katie smiling at his telescope and asks where did you get this?” Ned replies, "oh it was my grand paps, he had it in his attic collecting dust and i found it in a chest, i cleaned it and decided to take it tonight.” Katie looks at her boyfriend and says, “Ned, do you think people like us could be on the moon?“, Ned looks at her and assures, “Someday Katie, someday. Just not on some god awful claustrophobic space station” “perhaps maybe on some ship that whips through the stars like that old tv show you watch,” Katie jokingly adds. “Hey, i like that show, wish i could fly off to the stars, who knows whats out there, maybe they’ll open up a mcdonalds on mars or something” Ned giving Katie a sheepish smile.
They both stare at each other for a second almost like a staring contest to see who would laugh or blink first, but they end up both laughing at each other. He gently holds her hand, then They hold each other close. As she looks at him and he looks at her, he gracefully brushes her hair on her left side back and leans to kiss her. She was a bit shy at first and after the first kiss, she puts her hands on the side of his face and kisses him passionately, and under the stars, they begin to love one another.
2000 miles to the southwest, in Tucson Arizona at the MMT Observatory, one astronomer, David Fletcher while jamming to Autograph's Turn Up The Radio, is getting a decent glimpse of the dusk sky. As he looks into the aperture of the telescope, He notices something odd, he had to do a double take, and he saw An odd blue and red object with a strange and intermittent glow towards the constellation of Cygnus. It seemed pretty far, he thought it might be another planet, but he wasnt sure. "Well... Hello There," he remarks, He turns down the radio as the song says "Turn Up The Radio", and looks back into the telescope and says to himself, "and who might you be?" He thought to himself had he made a discovery? He grabbed his rotary phone and began to dial his friend Janus Parker at the Puerto Rico observatory but then abruptly put the phone back on the hook. Talking to himself he says, “he’s gonna think im crazy, i cant tell him.” So he looks again at the object, looking at it, he writes down the location of the object, and prepares to fax it to the Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico. He then Picks up the rotary phone and redials his friend Janus in Puerto Rico, by the time he calls however it will be passed midnight there.
Janus picked up the phone and asked in a groggy snippy voice, “hello, who is this, its a bit late to be calling.” David responds hastily, “Wait Janus, its David Fletcher from Stewart Observatory, i need to ask a favor of you.” Janus rolls his eyes, sighs and says “Dave, its 1 o clock in the morning. Can you call me tomorrow?” “Please Janus, it could be important, i need to you to monitor something for me, let me know when you get the fax,” David implores. “Alright alright gimme a minute,” Janus submits. Janus adjusts his equipment to match the location of where David noticed the Anomaly. To his surprise, he hears an odd sound emanating from that object. The sound is almost like a tennis ball being bounced every second through static. Janus, looking with frightening look, asks David, “how far is this object?” David exclaims, “about a little over 2 light years away, Looks stationary but that could mean its moving towards us.” “We need to confirm this, We may need to contact NASA as well, and have them review the data we intend to send,” Janus’s stutters in a slight panic. “What do you think it is Janus, First Contact?” David inquires. “No, Definitely not, The pattern is to consistent almost like a heart beat. Hopefully its nothing....” Janus concludes with a frightful Look.
