Transmission

It felt good to be believed, particularly by Luna. There was something reassuringly solid about Luna’s belief. It was the kind that people could have built on, unwavering and strong. Kevin needed that right then.

“You might not want to go back to your house right now,” Luna said. “You know how there have been reporters around it since this started?”

Kevin nodded.

“Well, now there are like twice as many, plus a bunch of other people who don’t look happy. It’s like a mob or something.”

“It’s because I gave them a dream,” Kevin said. “And they think that I lied to them.”

“Well, they shouldn’t blame you,” Luna said. “I mean, I was watching that broadcast. That Professor Brewster himself said the rock was from outer space.”

That wasn’t enough, though, was it?

“I don’t think that will make things better,” Kevin said. “They’ll say it was just some random meteorite. There are plenty of those.”

In fact, he suspected that it would make things worse, because if there was one person who didn’t like being made to look stupid, it was…

“Kevin,” his mother called from the doorway. She was standing there with Phil. “You need to come with us. Professor Brewster wants to speak with you and me.”

Kevin swallowed, because that sounded far too much like when the principal wanted to talk to someone at school.

“Looks like I have to go,” Kevin said to Luna.

“Okay,” Luna replied. “Just remember, this isn’t your fault.”

Kevin tried to remember that as he made his way with his mother and Phil through the facility. Ordinarily the researcher might have joked around, but now he had a serious look, and barely said anything, just opening the doors ahead of them as he had to. When they got to Professor Brewster’s office, Phil didn’t say anything, just turned and left.

“What was that about?” Kevin asked his mother.

“I think a lot of people are hurt by how angry people are at them,” she said. “They all believed that they would find aliens and… they didn’t, Kevin.” She took his hand. “You’ve got to be prepared. I… I don’t think this will be good.”

They went into Professor Brewster’s office. He was waiting for them, sitting behind his desk, looking formal, even imposing. He didn’t say hello as they came in, just gestured for Kevin and his mother to sit down in two chairs in front of his desk.

“Kevin,” he said, “Ms. McKenzie, we need to talk.” He paused, looking at Kevin as if trying to see into him. “Kevin, I need to ask you, did you make all of this up?”

“How dare you ask my son that?” his mother demanded, half rising out of her chair. “Kevin is not a liar.”

“Please sit down, Ms. McKenzie,” Professor Brewster said. “Kevin, did you make this up?”

Kevin couldn’t believe that he was asking that.

“No,” Kevin said, shaking his head.

“Are you sure?”

“This is uncalled for,” Kevin’s mother said. “You have no right to ask this.”

Professor Brewster steepled his fingers. “Given the amount of money that the government has put into this project, not only do I have the right to ask it, I have the obligation. Kevin?”

“You heard the signals,” Kevin said. “I didn’t make it up!”

“I heard signals, yes,” Professor Brewster said. “But you were the only one who could ‘translate’ them, and space is full of electromagnetic oddities.”

“I didn’t make it up,” Kevin said. “I gave you the numbers for the coordinates. I gave you information about the planets that no one else knew.”

“Which you could have memorized,” Professor Brewster said. He looked at Kevin’s mother. “Maybe you were coached.”

“Are you accusing me of something?” Kevin’s mother shot back.

“I’m just noting the possibility,” Professor Brewster said. He sighed. “As are many other people. The truth is that you came to us and we threw resources at you that we should not have. We provided you with healthcare, testing… and now I have important people calling me to ask if that was all a trick.”

“It wasn’t,” Kevin insisted. Why were people not believing him now?

“Then why was there nothing but rock when we cut into that ‘capsule’ of yours?” Professor Brewster asked.

“I… don’t know,” Kevin admitted. There should have been more. He didn’t understand it. “You said that it was from space.”

He saw Professor Brewster wince at that. “Don’t remind me. I put my reputation on the line in backing you, Kevin. I stood up in front of people and told them that you were real. But many rocks are from space. At any one time, the Earth is peppered by fragments from space. We have meteorite hunters who sell them over the Internet. The fact is that this one didn’t have any evidence of the aliens you promised.”

Kevin tried to remember what Luna had said. “That isn’t my fault.”