The Orb

Jason carefully appraised the object. To his left stood Gerald, dressed in suit and tie. All in grey, black dress shoes completed Gerald's spotless outfit. Jason took a long draw of the dry, sterile air. The whole notion of sterilized air always left him a bit queasy about the un-sterilized air outside of his lab. The walls were sparkling white, interrupted at uneven intervals with cabinets jam-packed with lab equipment familiar to any college professor. Rarer instruments, with functions obscure, extended from the ceiling towards steel countertops. A door with no window is set to his right. Beyond that door lay things only the privileged few would ever see.

Jason took pride in his work, and joy as well, for his job was far better than even the myriad he had dreamed of in his childhood. The classification of the unknown filled him with the same exhilaration and sense of accomplishment as he imagined a soccer player might feel after winning the World Cup. Each descriptive tag placed upon an item in that room was as golden to him as his 8th grade Spelling Bee trophy, as worthy of merit as his Doctoral Dissertation (which are, he reminded himself, nothing shabby). His hunch told him that this new piece could prove to be his springboard to a multi-million dollar grant. A quick glance away from the object reminded him that his last grant was beginning to wear thin.

"Where did you say they found this thing, Gerald?"

"Says New Mexico," replied Gerald after a moment. Foreseeing future requests, he continued to scan the file. The super-thin paper made a slight rasp as Gerald turned each page. Glancing up occasionally, he added, "Well, Jason, seems it was found pretty deep - 200 ft through solid bedrock, to be precise. Preliminary analysis says this is no obvious forgery which means..."

He paused before continuing, "Which means that some of the Native Americans were doing more than we thought back in 2000 B.C. Well, either that or-"

"Aliens." interrupted Jason. Turning his gaze to Gerald he asked, "So, good friend and brother, how did you score a find of this magnitude for a low level government scientist like me? Considering that this dates 800 years before the earliest known alien artifact, the thing is just plain remarkable."

Straightening his back, Gerald rejoined, "Well, junior, just had to pull a few strings I've been cultivating over the years. I may not be a scientific genius, but political power isn't anything to scoff at." They laughed. "On the downside, there were ten such as this. If I were you, I would start at once." Gerald's gaze drifted towards spider-like devices outstretched from the ceiling's crevices. "I remember not where I heard this line, but in this case it seems appropriate: Be bloody, bold, and resolute'. I was not the first to procure one of these orbs; traditional methods may not be profitable, for you or for me."

"Do not fret, I have not let you down yet and do not plan to do so now. I am fully aware of what is at stake." Jason began to edge towards the object. It gave off a silvery glow under the harsh electric lights. "So, what's the summary for this thing? Is it safe to touch?"

"Field analysis says it's completely inert... formed from a non-radioactive, unidentifiable super-dense alloy - big surprise. Perfect globe as far as the field team could determine; neither breaks nor edges were found anywhere on its surface." With urgent haste, Jason cut through the seal and gently removed the orb from its translucent plastic glove. "You needn't be quite so careful with it, if what I'm reading is correct. What it burns down to is that this alien thing, this orb, is just plain too unresponsive. It's resistant to heat, cold, everything. However, the interesting thing is that it is simply too light for the alloy to run straight through. Which means..."

"Which means I'm supposed to find out what's inside."

"Correct."

Jason hefted the orb in the palm of his hand before placing it below a mechanical spider extending from the ceiling. "That there is an electron microscope, or EM; one of the most expensive instruments in my arsenal. Even considering its age I'd say it is still worth a good 200 thousand." Gerald released an appreciative breath at the figure. Jason's hand passed out of sight behind the device and a slight "snick" reached Gerald's ears. To Gerald's left a screen flickered on, tinting the walls blue with its pulsating display. Gradually the screen's light ebbed as it ceased to flicker.

"What do you expect to accomplish with this machine?" Gerald's eyes were glued to the screen.

"Well, quite simply I'm going to have the computer examine it. It's the for what' part that's slightly more complicated." He gestured to the globe, inset on a rotating tray beneath the EM. "If I'm right, and I think I am, there should be a flaw of sorts.

Not a flaw per-say, since it was designed to exist, but there should be an incredibly small hole in this otherwise perfect globe.

A pinhole you might say, that if I'm right may provide the secret to opening this little treasure." Moving to the screen, Jason let his fingers fly over the keyboard. Seconds later he stood up just as the screen began to flicker. "Well, each of those flickers means the EM has taken another picture of the globe. With the computer examining it we'll soon know if this globular puzzle will be solved today or in ten years."

Gerald strode towards the screen. "Exactly how long will this scan take? I'd love to be here when you discover the insides of the orb, but I'm in Washington this evening."

"Twenty minutes, tops. We'll grab a coffee now and with luck this will all be over before lunch."

They made small talk to while away the wait. An onlooker might have noticed their unstable posture, the tenseness in between their shoulder-blades, the drawn out silences. A friend might have noted the false nature of their laughter, the slight over-indulgence in coffee. One of their co-workers might have remarked on how they avoided the issue of the orb. Had their wives asked, they may have professed a certain amount of stress over the way the orb controlled the future of their careers.

There were no friends, co-workers, bystanders or wives present as they re-entered the lab.

After what seemed an eternity the screen settled on a final picture. "Yes," said Jason exuberantly, "that's it!" Rushing to the electron microscope, he placed a heavy glass container over the orb. Quickly and efficiently, Jason sealed the edges to the counter with a semi-opaque substance. Gerald looked on with interest as Jason fiddled with the controls on the EM.

"Part of the reason this machine is so expensive, Gerald, is because it's not simply an electron microscope." He winked. "The third arm doubles as an extremely precise laser. I suspect that if I fire a three second burst at that exact spot something will happen. Something. You never can tell about alien objects. The glass should protect us if it turns out to be some sort of killer virus or the like." He handed a pair of tinted goggles to Gerald before putting on his own.

"Should'?"

"Nothing in life is certain." Jason's hands danced over the keys. "Get ready, I've got the cameras going but eye-witnesses are always important." Violet light fired towards the globe, clearly visible despite the heavily tinted glass of the safety goggles.

"Three, two, one." The light died and they quickly removed the goggles. "It's melting! I thought you said it was resistant to heat!" Their eyes stayed glued to the scene unfolding beneath the glass.

"Don't blame me for this, I was just telling you what the field team said."

Jason held up his hand. "Wait. Look closely. There is something inside that seems to be staying intact. I must have done it! Only the shell is melting." They watched for several minutes, Jason taking notes on clipboard as he paced around the scene unfolding before them. As the metal shell melted, the liquid alloy slowly absorbed into the center of the orb. Whatever lay within seemed to devour the worn-out shell.

The process was nearly complete, and the two brothers stared at radiant golden ball within the remnant of the silver orb. Just as the last of the silver shell trickled towards the core, hundreds of scientists were just beginning to file into the complex to start their daily intellectual labors.

"This is it, Jason, you've finally hit the big one. I may have to bring you along to Washington to present this pretty, golden thing. You are positively brilliant! I'm absolutely certain you are the first to crack it."

* * *

"You read the Times today, Joe?" The man gestured at the cover page. "Five major labs blew up across the country yesterday."

He shook the paper at Joe. "Can you believe that? All at once, five of them shiny white institutes scattered across the country.

They're saying it must be terrorists again."

"Well that is something then, isn't it," replied Joe. "Casualties?"

"Craters the size of Manhattan it says, not a building left standing."

"Ok, but how many dead?"

"Twelve thousand dead."

"Cryin' shame."