Polar nexus, p.2
Polar Nexus, page 2
Jake barely notices the three figures approaching until Agent Locke—a tall, imposing man with piercing eyes and a military bearing—steps into his line of sight. Behind him stands a composed woman with sharp features and a black man with an observant demeanor, both dressed in tailored suits. The two men wear shades on a dark, gloomy rainy day. Jake’s first thought…. Government.
Locke places a manila folder on Jake’s table, commanding attention. Jake, glancing up, whispers, “Unless that’s a subpoena, I’m not interested.”
“You may want to open it before deciding.” Locke says coolly. The other agents remain standing, scanning the room. Locke gestures to the chair across from Jake. “May I?”
Jake (gesturing vaguely): “Be my guest. I’m all for a little drama on a rainy afternoon.”
Locke sits while the other agents position themselves nearby. Jake flips open the folder, revealing satellite images of an icy expanse, strange schematics, and cryptic notes. Jake raises an eyebrow and says, “Looks like someone got carried away with Photoshop. What is this?”
“Something buried deep in the Arctic ice. An artifact of unknown origin, emitting signals we can’t explain,” Locke explains. “And you’re showing me this because...?” Locke (leaning forward): “Because we need your expertise. You’ve spent your career investigating cutting-edge tech and uncovering hidden truths. Your perspective is exactly what we’re missing.” Jake interrupts and says, “Let me guess. You’ve read my articles, decided I’m a genius, and now you want me to join your secret, obvious government project?”
“Something like that, Locke states. But it’s not you’re writing that interests us; it’s your ability to see what others miss. Your formidable years gave you a reputation for reading code. As a master of various coding languages, we need that insight.”
Jake smirks, closing the folder. “This feels like the setup for a conspiracy theory. Next, you’re going to tell me the artifact is a UFO.”
“We’re not ruling anything out,” states Locke with a calm but serious look on his face.
Locke slides a business card across the table, a single phone number printed on it. “You have 24 hours to decide. Call this number if you’re part of the team we’re putting together. Otherwise, keep pretending your articles change
the world.”
The agents turn and leave without another word, their presence still lingering. Jake looks down at the business card, then out at the rain-soaked streets, the faintest flicker of curiosity playing across his face. Jake hesitates but eventually picks up the card, weighing the potential for a career-defining story—or something far bigger than anything he has ever imagined. He decides to record everything, determined to reveal nothing secretly but the truth to the public, regardless of the risk to himself.
Jake absorbed computer languages, much like learning his ABC as a child. No language was foreign to him. He sometimes spoke in “0s” and “1s”; his romance language was binary. If Jake could crawl into a computer, he would live the rest of his life computing. He started as a programmer for a few Energy companies, and later, his career put him into the financial arena with banks. Jake made a fortune in his career but lost interest in finance and business entities. He knows some programs he wrote hid embezzled money in foreign countries. He often felt like a bookie in a gambling ring for some of his clients. He always felt the government would eventually pick him up on some embezzlement charge. So, he eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner in public places and rarely stays home. He often worked in libraries or bookstores, any public place where he could be seen. His thoughts always plagued him that he would disappear someday.
Division Zero requires a skilled code reader who can effectively translate information and manage the technical narrative if the project becomes public. Jake was selected for his reputation, but the government expects to keep him in check with threats of his past.
CHAPTER 2
The members of the future team arrive at the North Pole airport. Their airline transportation was replaced by a black SUV. As they each pile into the van, they exchange only glancing looks and nervous smiles. The SUV takes them to a hangar where a sleek, black-and-white helicopter is parked. Surrounded in this hangar are military officers trying to look invisible. The quiet group piles out of the SUV and into the waiting helicopter, still glancing around. Once the helicopter is in the air, the team begins to relax a little as the snow’s whiteness and the sky’s calmness affect them. Within the helicopter, the group feels uneasy because they suspect they are being listened to, so they refrain from speaking to each other. Dr. Marchard glances at the faces in the helicopter. Seated next to her is Iris Tanaka, who is also trying not to make eye contact with her. Across from her is Jake, looking nervous as his one leg bounces up and down. Seated next to Jake is another military guy who smiles each time she makes eye contact with him.
Arrival at Station Obsidian,
A secluded airstrip in the Arctic.
The transport helicopter’s engines roared as they soared over the icy landscape. Through the small window, Lila Marchand could see nothing but a white frozen wasteland stretching endlessly under a pale blue sky.
The door opened as the helicopter settled on a landing pad, and the biting Arctic wind tore inside. Lila shivered, pulling her coat and scarf tighter. She was the first to step out, her boots crunching on the icy ground.
A military-grade vehicle waited nearby, its engine idling. Standing beside it was a familiar figure in a dark coat, Agent Locke.
“Dr. Marchand,” Locke greeted her. “Welcome to Station Obsidian.”
“Charming,” Lila muttered, eyeing the stark surroundings.
Behind her, the plane’s crew began unloading equipment, and another figure emerged from the hatch, Jake Rivers, carrying a beat-up duffel bag. His scarf flapped in the wind as he surveyed the landscape, a mix of awe and trepidation on his face.
“Ah, you must be the coder,” Lila said dryly.
“And you must be the one who’s going to explain why I’m freezing my ass off,” Jake shot back, offering a hand. “Jake Rivers.”
“Dr. Lila Marchand.” She shook his hand briefly, her expression guarded.
Before either could say more, Iris Tanaka descended the steps. Her small frame was almost swallowed by the heavy parka, but her sharp eyes took in everything as she approached.
“Is this the whole welcoming committee?” Iris asked, brushing snow from her hood.
“Not quite,” Locke replied. “One more.”
A final helicopter approached from the horizon. It landed noisily, scattering snow in all directions. Ethan Cole stepped out, looking wildly out of place in his aviator sunglasses and a too-thin coat. He squinted against the wind, clutching a leather satchel.
“Is this a science team or the start of a bad joke?” Ethan called out as he joined the group. “A scientist, an engineer, a coder, and a publisher walk into the Arctic…”
Lila rolled her eyes. “And who exactly are you supposed to be?”
“Ethan Cole,” he said, flashing a grin. “I’m here to ensure the world remembers all of this, once the government allows us to discuss it.”
“Assuming we survive long enough to tell the tale,” Jake muttered under his breath.
Locke stepped forward, cutting through the growing chatter. “That’s enough introductions. Follow me.”
Location: Station Obsidian, underground research facility.
The newly formed team piled into another vehicle and quickly whisked across the landscape. After traveling what seemed a great distance, they came upon a man-made snow mountain embedded into the landscape. The vehicle descended a hidden ramp carved into the ice, leading to an enormous steel door embedded in the glacier. As it slid open, the group was met with a rush of warm air and the hum of advanced machinery.
Inside, the facility was a stark contrast to the icy exterior—brightly lit corridors, walls lined with state-of-the-art monitors, and teams of personnel moving with precision.
“Impressive,” Iris said, her eyes darting to the robotic arms assisting a technician nearby.
“This way,” Locke instructed, leading the group to a central briefing room.
Already waiting in the room are Dr. Elena Ward, a fellow Glaciologist; Professor Martin Klem, a former MIT Dean and specialist in Algorithms and Computer Languages; and Dr. Barbara Manning, an Aeronautics and Nuclear Science publisher from ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich). As the recruited team takes their seats, it’s noted with glances that there is an empty seat.
The room became eerily silent, dominated by glances at the anomaly’s holographic display, suspended in the air like a ghostly apparition on the table next to Locke. Its intricate geometry seemed to shift subtly as the group entered the room.
“What the hell is that?” Jake asked, breaking the silence.
“The reason you’re here,” Locke replied. “And the reason why this facility exists.”
Lila leans closer, her scientific curiosity overriding her reservations. “This… isn’t natural. Those structures… they’re precise. Engineered.”
“Correct,” Locke said. “We believe it’s an artifact. Of non-human origin.”
The room fell silent. Ethan let out a low whistle.
“Okay, now you’ve got my attention,” he said.
Iris tilted her head, examining the hologram. “What’s the signal?”
Locke arched an eyebrow. “How do you know about the signal?”
“Those energy readings in the files you sent me,” Iris replied matter-of-factly. “They weren’t random. They’re patterns.”
Locke nodded, impressed. “You’ll be working to decipher them. Along with ensuring we have the tech to interface with the artifact safely.”
“And what’s my role in this circus?” Jake asked, crossing his arms.
“You’re here to figure out the code and document its engineered purpose under strict guidelines,” Locke said. “Your reporting will be invaluable when it’s time to go public—or not.”
Jake scoffed but didn’t argue.
“And me?” Ethan asked, leaning back in his chair.
Locke’s eyes narrowed. “You’re here to shape the narrative. If this goes wrong, the public will need a story they can believe.”
“‘If’?” Ethan repeated, smirking.
Locke didn’t reply, letting the weight of the word settle over the group.
The anomaly’s hologram rotated slowly, casting eerie green light across the tense faces around the table. Agent Locke finished making introductions.
Iris handed the tablet to Jake with a smirk. As Jake began to review the code, he found both recognition and confusion in his reading. It’s a combination of primitive programming and something new. He squinted his eyes as the code began to change, as if it were speaking. Locke breaks the silence. I would like you to settle into your quarters today and meet the rest of the teams that have already been working on the anomaly tomorrow. You will each be shown to your supportive departments. Dr. Klem has been working on the language and captured the video you are currently viewing. He and his team have been working on this project for only three weeks. Dr. Marchand, you already know Dr. Ward, as you both are glaciologists. We need to understand why and how this happens here at the North Pole. Dr. Barbara Manning, an expert in Aeronautics and Nuclear Science, can tell us if we will all start to glow.
Location: Common area, Station Obsidian.
Later, the team gathered in the common area, trying to shake off the day’s revelations. The room was sparsely furnished, with a view of the icy expanse through a reinforced glass ceiling.
Lila sat with a mug of coffee, gazing at the holographic projection of the anomaly on the far wall. “Whatever that thing is, it’s been under the ice for thousands of years—maybe longer.”
“So why dig it up now?” Jake asked, pacing. “What aren’t they telling us?”
“You’re assuming they know more than they’re sharing,” Iris said, her voice calm but pointed. “For all we know, they’re just as in the dark as we are.”
“That’s comforting,” Ethan quipped.
“Comfort isn’t why we’re here,” Lila said sharply. “We’re here to figure out what this is and what it means.”
Jake stopped pacing and stared at the vending machine…thinking of food. “And if what it means is dangerous, he retorted?”
The group fell silent. Even Ethan had no retort.
CHAPTER 3
The group was collected from the break room and shown to their sleeping quarters by a military officer. When asked when they could see the anomaly, the officer stated, “You will receive that information in the morning from General Locke.” Each member was assigned a can-like room with minimal metal furnishings, the aesthetics would make you feel like you entered a spaceship’s quarters. There was a bathroom the size of a closet, and a Murphy-type bed that could be brought down or put up to create floor space. There was a desk that could also be hidden in the wall. All the warmth of home if you were on the orbiting space station. As each team member settled in for the night, thoughts of today’s activities filled their minds, but a restless night lay ahead.
Jake stepped into his room, which he considered a prison cell. He immediately took out his phone, which he was glad they had not confiscated. He would use it to record his thoughts. Looking at it, he realized he had no one to call. He stood in his room, thinking, “Why do I feel Locke is not telling it all?”
Two doors down, Iris, the always quiet, contemplative person in the group, lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind raced with thoughts of her previous work with the military and Locke. She questioned her eagerness to work with General Locke again. As she walked down the halls, some military personnel gave her a knowing glance, as if she were a sibling returning home. Some smiled, while others stared in somewhat disbelief.
Lila stood in her quarters, looking out the ice-covered window. She wondered if she could put aside her differences with Elena on this project. She desperately needed to have someone like her to talk to. She felt Barbara was a follow-the-script type. But looking at the images of the anomaly made her think this might be the challenge of her career. She had never seen anything like it in ice, glowing and not melting the ice around it. She shivered and hugged herself as if she felt the cold on the other side of the window.
As Ethan stood in his room, a knock came to his door. He opened it to find an officer standing there. Mr. Cole, General Locke wants to see you in his office tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Ethan grinned and said, “Oh, General Locke is my teammate. Why am I not surprised?” He laughed as he closed the door on the officer. Ethan looked around his surroundings and thought, “This is not Savoy accommodations, but I can make do.”
Uneasy Alliances, Breakfast in the cafeteria,
Station Obsidian
The newly arrived team members are escorted to the breakfast room the next morning. The anomaly’s hologram, rotating slowly on a table, casts an eerie blue light across the tense faces gathered around the table. Agent Locke had just finished outlining the day’s objectives, but the room was anything but cooperative. He excuses himself from the table and leaves.
“This doesn’t add up,” Jake Rivers said, leaning back in his chair with arms crossed. “You bring in a code reader, a publisher, and an engineer to investigate that?” He gestured toward the hologram. “Feels like we’re missing a piece of the puzzle. Or someone is playing games.”
“Paranoia suits you,” Ethan Cole said, flipping through the dossier before him. “Maybe you’re the one hiding something, Mr. Exposé.”
Jake shot him a glare. “At least I’m here for a reason. You’re just here to spin the truth into whatever fairy tale they sell.”
“Enough,” Lila Marchand said, her voice cutting through the rising tension. “None of us knows the full picture. We need to focus on what we do know.” She turned to Iris. “Any progress with those energy readings?, Can you duplicate them for a drone?”
Iris didn’t look up from her tablet, her fingers flying across the screen. “I’m close to decoding part of the pattern. But it’s… strange. The signals aren’t just random data—they’re layered, like an encrypted message.” To build an interface, I need to know what language it understands. Jake, do you recognize any of the code or the language? I would need to build a specialized drone to get closer and record more footage.
I was looking at them all last night. I see patterns, but they transform into a new language or code when I recognize them. Various languages are even mixed into the code as if they were meant to be read by different societies. It seems encrypted on purpose, Jake states with a smirk.
“Encrypted by who?” Lila asked.
Iris hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Or what?” she said finally.
“That’s not ominous at all,” Ethan muttered, earning a sharp glance from Lila.
Well, let’s get to work, Jake said, ending the group meal. I’m eager to visit my department and begin reviewing some code. Right on cue, Dr. Klem enters the room and gestures to Jake to follow him. Just before Dr. Klem seeks out Jake, he briefly meets with Barbara.
Klem, what do you think of the additions to the new team? Barbara asks. Klem, looking contemplative, says, “I’m not sure about all of them, but Jake and Iris intrigue me.” They both appear to be very talented in reading code. This is just what I told Locke we needed at this point. My guys struggle to understand it all; most are hackers. Jake seems to bark a lot about conspiracy, but I’m starting to pick up that he is also being very observant while trying to be distracting. Iris, on the other hand, comes across as hiding something. Did you catch how Locke watched her in our first meeting? Barbara nods her head. Yes, she and Locke exchanged glances during the meeting.
