Chương 32: Chapter 31: Signal

"How did you learn about the lifeboats?" Nathalie asked. Although we could still hear the sound of her driving, she didn't sound as tired as she was a moment ago. Each word she spoke sounded very focused and deliberate.

"Uh," Oliver started, "it's a bit of a long story, but we needed to ask you about them."

"If you are who I think you are, I promise I didn't let anything leak. My team was kept entirely in the dark. I'm the only one who knew. You asked me to keep this a secret and for almost two decades, I've run cover for this. I promise you, I had nothing to do with this information getting out." Oliver and I looked at each other, sensing we were on the same page. She thought we were the people who were after us. I decided to respond this time.

"We're not who you think we are. We're looking into getting into contact with them before it's too late."

"Are you the people who caused the explosion at the VLA?" She asked.

"No!" I quickly answered. We weren't, not directly, anyway.

"It… well, it wasn't myself or Oliver, but I was there when it happened. It was these other two people. They've been following me and–""Hey," she said abruptly, cutting me off with her voice and what sounded like a snap of her fingers, "stop, stop, stop. You know these people, so you should know why it's so dangerous to be reaching out to me–to anyone about this. You think we don't know about the lifeboats? Of course we do! We've been following them for decades. Well, we've been tracking them for decades.

We didn't know they were…" She paused.

"... are you alone?" Nathalie asked us.

"It's just the two of us." Oliver said. The woman went quiet for a moment. I could hear her take a deep breath before she spoke again.

"We've been tracking them for a long time. We were going to reach out, but we were told to stop and to keep it a secret. As far as we can tell, they're on a trajectory that brings them through our solar system. Either they don't know we're here or they don't care, but either way, we were told not to engage. Whatever reason you have for trying to reach out to them, I promise you… it's not worth the potential danger it puts us all in. It's safer to just let them pass. I beg you. Please just let them pass by."

Oliver and I nodded along as she spoke, but one thing didn't make sense.

"If this is such a big secret, why are you telling us all this?" I asked her.

"Because I know who you are and I know you'll keep trying until they find you. For your own good, I hope you'll take my advice and let this be. They will search for you during the final moments of approach, but it should relax once we're in the clear and the ships can't turn back." She paused.

"And also I'm telling you this because I'd rather meet you in person. Alive. Not a corpse on an operating table. I've spent my entire life researching extraterrestrial life and I'd like to meet one before I retire." I was stunned. This woman knew a lot about me already. She knew who…or what…I was, already? Before I could think of what to say next, Oliver spoke to her instead.

"So what was the point of everything you've done so far? Why bother searching for extraterrestrial life if you just hide from it when the opportunity is right at your door? What was the point?" He asked, the last question sounding exasperated. Both of us heard the car come to a stop, but otherwise, she appeared to stay in place. Nathalie huffed in annoyance before giving her answer.

"My job isn't just to search, it's to search responsibly. If we reach out when it's too late for them to turn back, we can still have conversations. We can still communicate and learn from each other, but we eliminate any risks. We don't know who they are or why they're searching the cosmos. Maybe they're conquerors. Maybe they'd see us like ants and kill or enslave us. Who knows what they're doing, or why they're passing through…it's not worth the risk of humanity. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"Wait," I said, grabbing the phone from Oliver, "can I…can I just…" I said, finding the camera button on the phone. Not knowing it was already too late because of the VLA cameras, Oliver tried to stop me, but it was too late. I'd already turned on the camera. Lifting the phone, I let her get a good look at my face.

"Miss Cabrol, please, just let me talk." She remained silent again, but I saw a loading screen appear, and a moment later, her face came into view. She was sitting in her car, and from what I could tell, there were blue and red lights from police cars far in the distance. I recognized that parking lot. She was at the VLA.

"H-Hello." She said nervously. I smiled and waved to her, splaying my fingers apart, figuring she'd be intrigued by that little detail.

"You…look nothing like I thought you would…" She said slowly. I could see her eyes darting in every direction, trying to take in each possible detail she could.

"Miss Cabrol, please, I need you to understand. I don't know who these people are that are chasing me. I don't know why they're after me. I don't know if they'll stop once the ships of my people are gone. I'm asking you for your help. I… I grew up here, but I don't belong. I landed here as a child and I don't even remember where I came from, but over the past few months, we've learned a lot about them. They're not explorers or conquerors. They didn't come here by choice… they're here as refugees."

She blinked, clearly interested.

"Their star system exploded and they had nowhere to go. That's why they're traveling: they're looking for a new place to live. I don't know why I was sent here, but we think it was to find out if my people could live on this planet or not. They're in need of help. I know they are. Something…terrible happened. I don't know what it was exactly, but for all we know, it could happen again. They could be on their last reserves." Nathalie gave a slow nod, only enough to encourage me to continue.

"If we have the potential to save them and choose not to because we're afraid, what does that say about us? What would you want, if the roles were reversed? If they wanted to hurt us, they'd find some way to turn around and come back. We'd only delay the inevitable and create an enemy through inaction." I sighed, even imagining another grim possibility.

"That is… if they're even alive to respond in the first place. For all we know, they could already be dead, but we have to try. I used to be guided by fear, but I've learned that I have to rise above it. I've learned to trust my friends and trust that people generally want to do the right thing, no matter how adversarial they are. People want everything to work out. If I can learn that, so can they." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I pointed upward.

This might be my last chance, and I wasn't about to let that window of opportunity close.

"I have a feeling they're not as different to humans as you think. They just want help and you have a chance to offer that to them."

"... mmmhmmm." Was her eventual response. She was definitely taking in what I'd said, but I also knew she wasn't fully convinced.

"When you made this your career, isn't this the exact opportunity you've wanted? Isn't this the whole reason you started on this path? If the younger you knew you'd give up on this opportunity, would she be happy with your decision?" Leaning back in her seat, she groaned, staring up at the ceiling. I knew her resolve was wavering a bit. Without looking at me, she responded, "we intentionally don't look to that part of the sky. The VLA is out of commission for at least the next few weeks while we sort this out.

Unless we knew exactly where to point our directional radios, we couldn't possibly reach out the way you need… not in time, at least." I pulled out the paper from my pocket, taking a photo of it with the phone and sending it to her. Her phone beeped, making her look back at her own device.

"What's this?"

"Coordinates." I said proudly. Nathalie took off her glasses, rubbing her temples for a moment before putting them back on and reaching for the phone's camera, turning it off.

"Stay quiet." She commanded, and a second later, we heard her car door open. I turned off my own camera and waited with Oliver. The two of us sat silently in the car as we heard her footsteps softly crunching across the gravel. It felt like ages, but eventually the sound changed as she went through a door.

"Nathalie! There you are!" A man's voice echoed through the speakers, muffled slightly by the fabric of the pocket where her phone must have been resting.

"What's the damage?" We heard her ask.

"Oh, god…what isn't damaged would be a shorter answer. Basically the entire control room was destroyed. They don't know who did it, but there were these two people who were arrested here a few hours ago. We haven't heard anything. I don't know who would do something like this…"

"The transmitters are fine though, right? They're controlled from a separate area, so as long as that room wasn't attacked as well…"

"Um, no…that room should be fine. It was just the main room."

"Have you tested them?" She asked.

"Nah, we've been a bit busy here. We haven't exactly gone around testing everything given the amount of cleanup."

"Okay." Nathalie answered.

"By morning, they'll want a full report. I'd like to test the transmitter units. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." There was a long silence after she finished her statement. I assumed the man was confused about why she'd want to test the radio, but eventually he relented and we heard her footsteps once again. Soon, the squeak of another door opening and closing came through the speakers, followed by the sound of a lock turning. A few moments of shuffling later and she was able to speak to us again.

"I better not regret this…" She half muttered under her breath, turning the camera back on to reveal a small control room. A few monitors were active as she made her way around the area, finding one computer and typing something into it. I could see her eyes shifting from her computer and her phone, presumably typing the coordinates I'd given her into the machine. Shifting over to a second computer, she looked at the data a second time and typed the last few bits of information.

Suddenly, Oliver and I both heard the sound of someone trying to open the door, followed by a few knocks.

"One moment!" Nathalie called.

"Just testing something!"

"Nathalie! Just wanted to let you know they're shutting off the power in a moment. Can't get to some of the damage until we shut down! They're asking everyone to get out!"

"You got it!" She responded. After a few moments, I spoke softly into the phone.

"Thanks again for doing this," I said. She nodded, "I hope you find what you're looking for. It should be ready to go any moment now…actually, I wanted to ask you something." She said, her eyes turning from the monitor to the phone. I sighed, leaning back a bit, expecting an Emily-style interrogation.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you like us?" she asked. I didn't respond at first, not entirely understanding the question.

"Us? Who?" I asked.

"Us, as in, humanity. Do you like us? Do you feel like you get along with us well?" She asked. I was a bit caught off guard, not expecting such a strange question. I thought about everyone I'd met. Aside from the friction with John and Emily, I still loved both of them. I loved my friends and for the most part, everyone I'd met had been good to me. The woman at the shop giving me her clothes and supplies, my friends taking me into their homes and helping me find what I needed.

I hadn't met many people, but the few people that I knew were good to me and I loved them.

"Yes," I said softly.

"I'm happy to hear that," she said with a smile. Looking down at the phone, she nodded, hitting a button on the computer before she stood.

"Okay, alien girl…I wish you luck…and I hope you're right." She said, hitting one more button and walking off camera. Her voice grew more and more faint as we both heard her say one last thing to us.

"You're live. Say whatever you need to say to them." The door then closed behind her.

"I-I…wait…" I said, eyes widened, suddenly in a panic. Anything I said to them wouldn't make any sense. I didn't know their language! I was sent here to show them I survived, but I didn't know something to say that they could actually understand. I was frozen, staring at the phone as I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

"Tess, say something." Oliver said in a whisper.

"I…I…" I tried to say something, but the familiar feeling of words failing me rose up once again. I didn't know what to say. I felt my throat drying, my hearts racing. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like…I finally had my chance, and here I was, blowing it.

"Tess, you need to say something…" Oliver said again, reassuringly. He reached down and held my hand. My hand… I didn't have any instruments with me, but suddenly I remembered what my other self told me. I remembered how he speaks… what he taught me. My eyes drifted shut as I held the phone in front of me, took a deep breath and started humming the tune he'd taught me. Even if I didn't know the words, I knew the song. My humming changed from a soft quiet hum to an open-mouthed singing.

Everything around me didn't matter at that exact moment. I forgot about the fear and the pressure, I forgot where I was, I even forgot about Oliver. The music took over my feelings as I remembered the love I felt, the safety she gave me… I remembered all of those beautiful feelings and sang them into the phone. I felt a hand on my shoulder, distracting me enough to open my eyes to see Oliver.

"Hey…sorry, it looks like it all got shut off a moment ago." He said, pointing at the phone. Sure enough, all the lights were off. I sighed, leaning against the car chair and closing my eyes.

"Do you think they heard it?" I asked. He gave me a reassuring nod.

"I think they did." We sat in silence for a few minutes. I didn't know what to think, how to feel. Everything we'd worked for, all of it had come to that one moment. Now…we'd done all we could do for the time being. There were no other options left right now but to wait…and to hope.

"We should probably get going." Oliver finally broke the silence, starting up the car again.

"Yeah…" I agreed.

"But…where?"

"I was going to go back…home…hmmm." Oliver paused.

"Probably not the best place to be right now. They know who Gav is. They'll probably be looking for me."

"Right, yeah. I don't think we can go back there." I said, thinking for a moment. Something came to mind a minute later. It was a long shot, but we didn't have much to lose by trying.

"Could we stop by my old house?" I asked.

"That doesn't sound like such a great idea, Tess. They found you there before. Wouldn't they go searching there again?" Oliver pointed out.

"I don't think so. The last time I saw it, it was a smoldering pile. Only about a third of the house was still intact, so it's not exactly the perfect hideout. I just wanted to stop by for a bit. I'm almost out of mercury and…well, I don't know how helpful it'll be, but…" I shrugged.

"... John kept an old address book. Maybe he knows someone who could take us in or something. I don't know for sure, but it's worth a try. Where else are we going to go?"

"Okay." Oliver agreed.

"We shouldn't stay long, though. Maybe we can find a motel that takes cash."