1: Intro & the Asteroid
150437TJUN21 (15th of June 2021 - 4:37 am - Denver, Colorado)
Jeb swivels in his chair, humming a tune as he surveys all the monitors sitting in front of him. Deep space monitoring for the Department of Defense is a tedious job, but someone has to do it. Just when he takes a large, messy bite of his double bacon cheeseburger—a large blip shows up on one of his screens, then another and another...all of them glow with the light of a large unidentified object hurtling through space.
Instantly, his fingers fly over the keyboard. At first glance, it appears to simply be a comet. With further study, he can see it’s actually an asteroid. Alarms blare behind him and he rushes to make sure before calling in his superior.
“Uh...Sergeant? You might want to come in here!”
“What is it this time, Jeb? I was in the middle of...holy shit! Is that what I think it is?”
She promptly takes a seat next to him, wincing as the loud alarms pierce her ears. Jeb momentarily shoos her out of the way to flick a few switches on the console beside her.
“Can you figure out where it’s gonna land?”
“I’m trying...”
Calculations are made. The trajectory is charted. With that in hand, Sergeant Stilles is on the phone to relay the information. Jeb fidgets at his desk in the meantime. It seems like forever before anyone on the other line answers. Finally, the Sergeant gets ahold of someone.
“Yes, General Brewer, this is Sergeant M. Stilles of the SSN (Space Surveillance Network). Our sensors have detected a large anomaly in space, an asteroid. If it continues on its present course, it will land in the Pacific Ocean. Exact coordinates are...”
As she turns and trails off into the phone, Jeb continues to watch the progress of the asteroid on the closest monitor. He never thought in his entire life he’d see anything like this happen. This is simply unprecedented. His thoughts are interrupted when Stilles plops down in the seat she previously occupied.
“Well, they know. That’s all we can do...for now. If that thing so much as veers a single inch off its present path, then come get me.”
“Sure thing.”
Their job is done for the moment, but neither of them moves. Seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours as the clock ticks down to this asteroid colliding with the Earth. A heavy sense of foreboding sets in. What will happen because of its impact?
Deep sighs leave them both and all there is to do is wait...
161304RJUN21 (16th of June 2021 - 1:04 pm - Washington, DC)
News of the incoming asteroid has spread. Several politicians gather to discuss it in private conversations.
While they do so, the Office of Science and Technology calls a meeting to plan what to do about the object. The current Science Advisor to the President, Eric Lander, presides over it. Several of the men have ideas, but they fall on deaf ears. One thing does get through—that is the immediate evacuation of Hawaii and the surrounding area is needed. Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the other landmasses nearby should barely feel anything more than an increase in tides.
Calls are being made that instant from most of the men present except for one—Doctor Hector D’cruz. He has long been a key member of this group, influencing policy as he sees fit. A notable scientist in his field, the doctor requests permission for his team to study the rock once the site has been successfully secured. Mr. Lander approves it right away. If this hunk of space junk holds any secrets—he wants to be the first to know about them.
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Dr. D’cruz exits the room. His phone is out in seconds on a secure line to his lab.
“We’re in.”
...Approximately Three Weeks Later...
The doctor’s team has been at the crash site in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for almost an entire week before finally turning up promising samples from the asteroid. Once in the lab, he develops a gene-altering drug he wants to test out on the general population through an experiment in locations across the world.
The members of his staff working on the experiment are excited about the possibilities until an incident occurs one day.
Two scientists are working in the lab with specimens just as they have all the days prior. When it comes time for lunch, Doctor Padrosa is in a rush to leave for the break room and neglects to properly dispose of testing materials.
Later, he is just outside the lab area in his office munching on his tacos when a glimmer of blinding green light spreads throughout the room. Almost as soon as it began—it’s over. He has to blink to clear his vision and the first thing he notices is a large piece of lettuce hanging down in his face. Dipping his head to swat the annoying vegetable has a dollop of sour cream landing on his desk.
What the hell is going on?
Unfortunately, that is the very moment his lab partner, Doctor Kafer, chooses to step into the room. The look of bewilderment on his face says it all. Something has gone wrong. One touch of his face proves that. It feels nothing like it used to. Bumpy ridges have replaced the once smooth skin of the doctor. He’s turned into his lunch. Echoing everything Doctor Padrosa is feeling right now, his colleague exclaims while grabbing the door in disbelief.
“What the fuck, man?!”
Thankfully, his mouth still works somehow, and he shrieks out an answer.
“I don’t know! Something happened!”
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. I was just sitting here minding my own business...eating my lunch and BAM...taco!”
Both men are stumped, contemplating what could cause such a drastic change. They’re coming up blank until Doctor Padrosa remembers the flash of green light. In a flurry of taco toppings, he’s scrambling up and out the door to trot across the hall. The lab sits as usual, but he notices that lockdown protocol has been put into place.
That must be it!
Something inside formed a chemical reaction, setting off the release of the light. Afterward, the room had sealed itself so that the rest of the facility isn’t subjected to anything harmful.
That explains it, but it doesn’t make the doctor feel any better about it. What was he going to do as a freaking taco? Panic hits and he starts to sweat. Millions of questions roam through his mind. As he spirals into an abyss of anxiety, Doctor Kafer steadies him against the far wall.
“Wh-what am I g-gonna do?”
“I’m sure this can be fixed. Or maybe it’s only temporary. At least you’re something everyone likes instead of something gross like liver.”
“Look on the bright side...that’s your advice?”
“I don’t know.”
His shrug makes the doctor’s lettuce droop in defeat. Silence goes on for a moment more until his friend comes to an amusing realization...
“Oh, my god. I guess your name isn’t Tito anymore, but Taco. Doctor Taco! That’s it. I’ve gotta tweet about this one!”
Left in the hall to mourn his loss of humanity, poor Taco...err Tito comes to a realization of his own: he could do with a new friend.
...The Very Next Day...
Despite the unfortunate incident involving Doctor Padrosa, the lab is still going through with the experiment. The substance has been refined from its natural state. Hopefully, that will lessen the abnormal results. Hector D’cruz is looking for a miracle serum, not circus freaks on tap.
A volunteer is in the building to be the first to experience this new drug. He is prepped and ready to go as a crowd of anxious scientists looks on. At first, nothing happens. Whispers begin to spread that maybe it’s not powerful enough, or the patient is a “dud”. Several minutes have passed. Many in the crowd have turned to walk away when a shadow hovers over them. The man is now flying! This is wonderful. Flight has so many applications. Before the dreams can take shape in their heads, the volunteer teeters in the air. With a sudden whoosh, large wings covered in thin membrane sprout from the man’s torso. Other insectlike features develop in addition to wings such as long antennae and protruding compound eyes with multiple lenses.
“Aghhh! This isn’t what I signed up for. You were supposed to make me extraordinary, not a bug!”
Apparently, his speech remains unaffected. A few workers try to calm him down with little to no progress. He continues to flap about, eventually causing gusts of wind to fill the procedure room. As a last resort, Doctor D’cruz gives the okay to use tranquilizers to subdue the man. More than enough darts hit their target, effectively bringing the volunteer down to the floor. Overall, the experiment is a success, even if Hector’s assistant doesn’t agree. He looks out over his lab below with a wicked grin, then turns to the frowning woman...
“Let’s roll this puppy out, shall we?”
231455SSEP21 (23rd of September 2021 - 2:55 pm - Chicago, IL)
Since the day of the experiment, strange stories have been coming in about accidents and weird occurrences that can’t be explained. Here at Chicago Daily News, the Chief Editor, Roger Irving, has called together his best and brightest to discuss who to put on the story. A lead journalist, Cecelia Price, wants the headline, but so does her asshole ex-boyfriend, Gavin Isaacs.
During the meeting, the two exchange dirty looks and Cecelia is almost sure that Gavin steps on her toe underneath the table more than once. Really mature. Ultimately, their boss leaves the decision up to them. With one last parting sneer, he shoots up from his seat to no doubt start chasing leads. This can’t happen. He’d botch the story all to hell and the newspaper would lose its credibility.
No, this headline was hers.
Out in the hallway—she jumps in front of him, cutting off his hasty retreat to secure the story for herself. He’ll cave or he’ll regret it.
“Gavin! Gavin, I know you hear me. Look up.”
“What do you want, Price?”
“You know damn good and well what I want.”
His face perks up for a moment until he remembers the story. Dumbass...
“Sorry, I’ve got to schedule a meeting with Marie. If anyone is working with me on this—it’s her. You understand.”
Did she? Not really.
“I understand that you and she have been spending an awful lot of time outside of work. Maybe even here at work. Not that I can see why. I mean, her name is Marie Porter, for Pete’s sake. RE PORTER...it’s ridiculous.”
“Are you jealous, babe? Want me to start spending more time with you instead?”
Okay, this isn’t going how she wanted it to. Time to steer things back on track. Ignoring his nasty question, she glares at him.
“Drop the story, Gavin.”
“No way. I’ve been passed up for the last eight major headlines to come through here. It’s my turn.”
“It’s your turn? This isn’t fucking kindergarten. There’s no obligation to share, Isaacs. You’ve been overlooked because your writing didn’t fit the bill. Plain and simple.”
“Whatever. I suppose you getting them all means you’re the better journalist? More like you kiss Irving’s ass and remind him that your father helped him get his job.”
“Why you little...”
“Oh, what’s wrong, kitten? Don’t like it when someone does some digging? Too bad. I might be persuaded to forget that major convenient fact though.”
“Yeah, how?”
“You and me...working together in a setting we’re both very familiar with: my bed. Come on, Cece. You know you want to.”
Cecelia contemplates losing two minutes out of her day and suffering through this with Gavin for the story, but her stomach revolts as she remembers their past. It was mediocre at best. She doesn’t even want to think about when it was at its worst. When she looks over at him, the man is smiling like an idiot and leaning against the doorframe of a vacant office.
Does he think she’ll actually accept? Ew.
She plasters on a sly smile of her own, then walks over to him. The faint swish of her hips draws his attention just enough that Cecelia can wedge her leg in between his. Before he can think better of the sudden closeness—she brings her knee up into his groin. He doubles over with a loud groan of pain, cursing her name on the way down. It couldn’t have hurt much. He’s not exactly blessed in that department. His face tells a different story...several shades of pink and possibly green pass over it. He honestly looks like he might puke. Stepping out of his way just in case, Cecelia takes the time to lean over and whisper in his ear...
“Fuck you, Gavin. I’d rather my lady bits turn green and fall off than be found anywhere near a bed with you. But you’re...sweet to offer. Have a nice day!”
Her lips turn up into the most triumphant of smiles, and her happiness swells. The sight of her heels walking away from him is the only thing he can see. Sparing enough strength to look up, he asks the question he’s been dying to know since their argument started...
“Cece! What’s that in your hand? At least tell me that.”
“A contact list for all the affected individuals we know of. Duh!”
“Shit...”
As Gavin wallows on the cold tile floor, Cecelia walks away, waving the paper around teasingly. He’s going to hate life once he can manage to get up or he’ll simply crawl to his office. Oh well, that’s what he gets. The headline was never his to begin with.
No, this story is hers—no one else’s.
301002RSEP21 (30th of September 2021 - 10:02 am - Washington, DC)
Cecelia has done her research on the list she was given. That research has led her to Doctor D’cruz’s lab. After quite a few calls, she has finally been allowed an appointment to speak with him and some of the individuals. As she looks up at the gigantic building, nerves try to get to her.
“Calm down, Cece. You’ve got this.”
Her confident walk inside falters when she takes a good, long look at everything. This place is impressive. Finding her way to a nearby reception area—she checks in. The man behind the desk promptly escorts her to a set of metal doors leading to a single elevator. He presses an unmarked button, then braces himself as the metal box rockets them upward. In seconds, they are arriving at their destination. She is ushered into a small conference room by a different person who simply tells her to wait.
Fidgeting in her seat after a few minutes, she looks up to find the most handsome man she’s ever seen. Hector D’cruz waltzes in like he owns the place because, well, he does.
“Hello, Miss Price.”
“Hello, I’m here to...”
“Yes, I’m well aware of why you’re here. Wouldn’t be much of a laboratory director if I didn’t know what was going on in my own facility.”
“Of course. I’d like to begin with...”
“Speaking of it, have you seen the lab yet?”
“No, but I’m not sure that matters.”
“Let me give you a tour.”
He extends his hand in a gentlemanly gesture and proceeds to escort her to a security checkpoint. A man wearing a pair of latex gloves plus a protective mask asks her to sit so he can examine her. Doctor D’cruz assures her this is all standard procedure. Just to be on the safe side, she is also inoculated against a host of viruses that have the potential to float around the lab. After this, she is given a waiver to sign—freeing the lab of responsibility if anything should happen. Her eyebrow arches as she looks over the document, but reluctantly she signs.
The tour then begins. She is amazed as it continues through corridor after corridor. This place really is quite fascinating. At the end of it, she is shown back to the same room as earlier. There, Hector let her know that the individuals she requested are on their way.
Once alone, she sits at the table, looking at her notes in the first person’s file. Everything appears normal—maybe even a bit on the boring side until she gets to the very last paragraph. It details events that shouldn’t be possible. The time frame also seems a bit alarming. As she adjusts the watch on her wrist, Cecelia prepares the recording app on her phone.
“Okay, Audra Sparks, let’s see what your story is.”
###
