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Barker nodded in affirmation, "Tel, once code orange was initiated, men on the ground as well as a helicopter were dispatched. My team is monitoring the situation and will inform us when we get audio and visual evidence. It's approximately 1900 hours, so it's dark. The photos and video from the chopper may not be of much use. Not having ever seen this anomaly, we have no way of knowing if we can get a visual." Telly Anne Lackney shook her head and sighed as she walked to the view screen. She'd been a scientist longer than most of the people in this building had been alive. Her father had been studying these distortions before her. No one knew more, or less, information than she did.
"This isn't the first time this has happened, Colonel, but it's the first time since we've had all these instruments to record them. I find I have little patience to wait for the pictures to show themselves. It seems I've waited my entire adult life to see what happens when the rip occurs in the time continuum. My father would've loved to have been here. " As if on cue the screen changed from a map of the Midwest United States to live video of the area.
From high above the earth, the camera attached to the helicopter captured the most amazing sight. Bright colors filled the jagged area approximately the size of a basketball. The colors undulated, shifting and blending, separating and mixing again. The size of the rip shrank and expanded, but never grew larger than the original size. It almost appeared to be breathing.
Tel sucked in a breath and held it, just like the rest of the room's occupants seemed to do. "Amazing." The word was more of a whisper of reverence than an exclamation. She touched the screen, hand shaking slightly but from fear or excitement, Rick could only guess. The colors reflected off her lined face, making her appear younger and then older as the light changed. Forcing his eyes from the sight of his old friend, Rick looked around the room to the faces of the rest of his crew. "Tolley," his voice sounded hollow to his own ears, "Tolley, record the occupants of alpha."
"Already recording, sir." Her voice was strange, not strained, but without depth. Rick glanced around at each person. Their faces changed briefly, the same but different. Hair colors changed a shade or two, styles varied than shifted back, voices seemed to be muffled in the background noise of the room, some familiar, some not. What the hell was going on?
"Pilot, report!" Rick shouted to the room. His voice seemed to echo.
"Sir, nothing seems to be happening with the exception of the, uh, rainbow-colored anomaly below." The voice of the pilot was audible over the static but barely. "I see no distortions around the, um, lights, but a slight wavy pattern around the edges of the light. It seems to be pulsing slightly and the size varies but it doesn't seem to be getting bigger. In fact, sir, it seems to be decreasing in size slightly."
"Affirmative, Colonel, the rip is decreasing in size about one percent for every second it is visible." The voice came from one of the scientists in the room. Tel hadn't really moved from the screen since it had begun broadcasting the rip in time. How long had it been? It seemed like minutes but time seemed to be sped up and slowed down at the same time. Judging time would be difficult.
"How long has the rip been open?" Barker could hardly focus on talking—the light on the screen was hypnotizing in a way. His body felt heavy and his tongue too thick.
"Approximately seven minutes. Visual confirmation on screen approximately thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds? Are you—" his sentence was interrupted by a loud popping sound over the screen as the rip disappeared. The screen went black and the room was dead silent, but for the ragged breathing of the occupants. "Pilot, are you there? Report." Barker felt like he’d just been pulled from deep water.
"Yes. Yes, sir. All crew aboard accounted for. That was the damnedest thing I've ever seen, Colonel."
Rick made himself inhale and exhale and sat down hard in his chair. "Yes, it was, Captain Amsted. I want you and your crew to report to the facility immediately. I want med to look at each of you and I want the scientists to give you a once over. Each crew member is to detail their current state to the staff. Is that clear?" Rick took a shaking hand and scrubbed it over his face. What the fuck had he just seen? What had he just lived through?
"Crystal clear, sir. Amsted out." Before the communication shut off Rick tapped his fingers on the desk.
"Thanks, Dave. Be safe out there."
"Sure thing, Rick. See ya soon." The radio static died and silence settled in the room again.
****
Within an hour, the chopper landed at the air base and the crew filed out to head to medical. Scientists and doctors waited for the crew with various machines and recorders. Dave Amsted slid his gear off and walked to the waiting group of white coats.
"This way, ladies and gentlemen." A petite white-haired lady smiled and held up her hand to indicate they should follow the white coats down the hall. The crew of the helicopter split off, one to each white coat to be evaluated, while the older lady took Dave to a room and showed him a table to sit on. She flipped a switch and smiled when various machines whirred to life.
"Well, Captain, it seems you've had quite the day." The envy in the woman's voice made Dave grin.
"Yes, ma'am, you could say it was a once in a life time experience." He rolled his neck, releasing tension. Telly grabbed his med file and began reading the contents. A recording of their session had started automatically as they entered the room. She laid the file on a small desk and then hooked up machines to his arm, chest and head. Immediately she began recording his blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and other medical information.
"Okay, Captain, could you tell me if you feel any different than normal? Any dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea?" At the shake of his head, she smiled. "I need you to verbalize, Captain, this is only an audio recording."
"No, Tel, I don't feel different at all. Perhaps I was a little hyper from excitement but other than that, no different than I normally do after a mission." Dave stretched and yawned. "I think I'm a little tired now but the adrenaline has worn off. Time to head home to Sadie." Tel froze and glanced up to look at Dave, brows furrowed. "What’s wrong, Tel?"
"Captain. Let me just run a few more tests." Tel sat quietly, the pen in her hand moving as she jotted notes. "Just for a moment, give me your history." Dave stared at the old woman like she had lost her mind. "Humor me, Captain Amsted. History of service, and etcetera. I'm checking for neurological differences and so on. Now go on, fill me in."
Dave blew out a breath. "Okay, I joined the Army at eighteen, spent three years fighting in the Middle East. I got out of the Army after my four years and joined the Air Force and took pilot training. I've been a chopper pilot for about six or seven years now." Tel wrote feverishly as Dave talked, making those classic doctor noises of "mm hmm" every once in a while.
"Who are your parents?" Dave's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Henry and Leigh Blythe, they lived in Kansas. Mom died of breast cancer. Anything else? Perhaps you'd like to know the name of my favorite stuffed animal as a child?" Tel grinned.
"I didn't know you had a stuffed animal as a kid. It's not in your medical records." Dave grinned. "So, tell me who is Sadie?" Dave looked at Tel with a blank expression.
"I have no idea. Where did you come up with that name?" Now it was Tel's turn to drop the expression from her face.
"Dave, a moment ago, you told me you wanted to go home to Sadie. I was curious since there is no mention of her in your notes. Do you have a pet perhaps?"
