Transmission

Even so, Kevin was hoping that things would be a lot cooler once they opened it up. Maybe there would be alien technology inside, or messages left in it like a message in a bottle. Unless the aliens were really tiny, he doubted that there were any in there, but maybe they were that small, or they’d found a way to fit more into spaces than they should hold, or something.

Whatever it was, it would be amazing.

They walked back to the space where they’d left the trucks, and already, there were scientists there packing away their gear. It seemed as though they were as eager to get back and open up the rock they’d recovered as Kevin was. When they were getting the equipment out they’d been delicate with it, but now they practically threw it into the back of the vehicles.

“We should get into the trucks,” Dr. Levin said. “We’re almost ready to go, I think.”

Kevin nodded, starting to go back to the Jeep. He saw Professor Brewster along the way, and was going to run around him, but to Kevin’s surprise, the NASA institute’s head actually looked happy. He was practically dancing in place with excitement.

“We found it,” Professor Brewster said. “We actually found it. This is… I know I’ve been hard on you, Kevin, but it was only because I wanted to be certain of this. Ever since I was… well, since I was your age.”

Kevin could hardly believe it; he had never expected Professor Brewster, of all people, to have a childlike optimism.

He ran back to the Jeep where Ted and his mom waited. For possibly the first time since this had begun, his mother had the kind of wonder on her face that told Kevin she finally understood this, that she wasn’t just doing it for Kevin’s sake. Ted seemed a bit less obviously happy. If Ted was worried about something, that couldn’t be good. After all, he’d faced down a caiman with no problems.

It couldn’t dent Kevin’s happiness, though. All the scientists had come in with their testing machines, and he’d been the one to pick out the spot where the alien capsule sat. It felt as though it was his somehow because of that, even while it sat in a truck twenty yards away, guarded by a mixture of scientists and soldiers of different nations. It felt as though whatever happened from now on, it would be down to him.

“What do you think will be inside the capsule once we open it up?” Kevin asked.

Ted thought about it for a few seconds

 “They could have sent a time capsule full of information. Maybe they’re hoping that someone out there has the technology to bring them back from what happened to them. You’d have to ask the scientists. They’d know more.”

Maybe they would. At the very least, most of them seemed to be talking about it, so that the convoy’s radios seemed alive with speculation in different languages. Kevin hadn’t heard them as excited as that since the messages began. Maybe it was the part where they had something more than a signal translated by a thirteen-year-old boy. Maybe they liked having something solid to prove what was happening.

Kevin couldn’t blame them for that. Even though he’d known that what he was seeing was real, finding the rock had been a kind of relief. It had been proof of just how much all this meant.

“How long until we’re at the UN compound?” Kevin asked. He just wanted to get there now, so that they could get on with looking.

“That depends,” Ted said. “We’ve already seen how tricky the roads can—damn it.”

For a moment, Kevin thought there must be another blockage across the road. Then he saw the ribbon of uniformed figures there holding guns.

He stared at them in shock. Kevin could hear the chatter of the others on the radio as they saw what was happening. Even Ted seemed tense. Although not surprised. He looked, if anything, as though he’d been expecting this.

“Too late to reverse,” Ted said, slowing the Jeep. “There’s too many people behind us. Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

He brought the vehicle to a halt, turning to Kevin. “They look like Colombian military rather than one of the cartels, so this should be okay, but if it isn’t, stay here and keep your heads down. Understood?”

“Yes,” Kevin’s mother said.

Ted looked to Kevin. “Understood?”

“Okay,” Kevin said. What did the former soldier think he was going to do? “Um… they aren’t going to shoot us, are they?”

“Probably not,” Ted said.

“Probably not?” That didn’t sound very reassuring. Kevin would have preferred “definitely not” or even “don’t worry about it.”

Ted nodded to where Professor Brewster was already making his way to the front of the convoy. “I suspect it depends on who we let do the talking.”

He jumped down, and Kevin could see a bunch of other figures moving past too, either eager to help, or wanting to show that they had some kind of authority there, or maybe just wanting to see what was happening.

That was certainly the reason he started to get out of the Jeep.

“Kevin,” his mother said. “Ted told us to stay in the vehicle.”