Quote: "CATACLYSMAL" (a.GLASS 2017)

 

Elly Jansky looks out from the plane window, noting the thick stratus cloud formation below.

“Excuse me, would you like a drink?”

She looks at the air-hostess and smiles. “Yes, Scotch and soda...double shot please with ice.”

The air hostess reaches over to her trolley and fixes Jansky the drink, she then hands it to her.

“Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking. Are you the scientist Elly Jansky?”

“Yes I am...” Jansky replies, sipping from the plastic cup. “...Nice.” Referring to the prepared drink.

“A little bit extra,” the air hostess replies with a smile.

“Appreciated”

“I bought your last book...It blew my mind. I mean that in a good way...”

“Thank you”

“What do you think it is?” The air hostess asks, referring to the Alien-Artifact.

Jansky sips again from the scotch and soda. “What we know so far is that it's possibly of Extraterrestrial intelligence, which has created an object around a type of invisible matter.”

“Dark Matter? I read about that in your book,” the air-hostess replies. Jansky in her appreciation smiles, acknowledging that a person who has read her last book is interested in physics despite their amateur perspective.

“No, it's not Dark Matter...” Jansky turns and looks out from the airline window, staring at the wing of the airplane. She then looks up at the air-hostess who is preparing drinks for other passengers. “...A type of matter, that we believe can be manipulated within Space and time. Used as a foundation for a construct. I'm attending a briefing with two colleagues in San Diego before the main conference in Boston in a week's time.”

The air-hostess shakes her head. “Sounds so complex. Exciting though.”

“We're working through it, watch for the conference coming up, we'll be streaming live.”

“Will do...In the meantime here...” The air-hostess reaching beneath the drink cart hands Jansky a can. “...San Francisco Ale, on the house.”

“Thank you...” Jansky reaches across and takes the can of beer from the air-hostess. “...I'll just finish this...” She holds up the scotch and soda. “...I love this beer. Home town.”

“Nice meeting you, I'll definitely watch the conference when it's on.”

Jansky gulps down the last of the scotch, soda and ice. She then opens the can of beer. “We have a lot of brain power working on this.”

“As long as you're on the case,” the air-hostess replies, reaching over and removes the used plastic cup, placing a new one in front of Jansky.

Holding up the can of SF Ale Jansky winks and nods in a grateful manner. “I am”

The air-hostess smiles pushing the trolley down the aisle attending other passengers.

Jansky pours the beer into the plastic cup. I remember a paper a few years back. Two astronomers, for their first astronomy paper, proposed that an invisible atmosphere lurked between stars. As in invisible matter, but not Dark Matter, they called them 'clumps'. Never liked the idea of interstellar gas making up these objects. They were, at the time, also referred to as structures. She holds up the plastic cup, the small bubbles of carbonated beer rise and collect at its frothy surface. “Contained,” she whispers to herself, thinking back three weeks ago when she was ill with the flu, remember the glass of water, the refraction and distortion of light. Jensen, I think you've nailed it. We get the physics right, your conceptualization, perfect, matter, alien devised, within its structure surrounding the artifact. The Universe, manipulation of reality, the very fabric of Space and time. Jansky looks out at the wing of the aircraft again. We create structure to work against invisible matter. For them... Jansky drinks down a large swig of beer...it's the other way around, they control and build matter attaching what ever physical properties are needed. Building onto a framework. It then becomes structural. Complete. Mastering Space and time... She then looks up at the blue sky. “...like a liquid, harnessing it,” Jansky says to herself closing her eyes. Need the calculations on this. She drinks from the beer. Holding up the biodegradable plastic cup she finishes the drink then crushes the plastic with her right hand. “Damn fine American ale. Kicking in nicely,” she says, now feeling the affect of a double scotch and beer. The plane begins to ascend.

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CATACLYSMAL (A.Glass 2017)