Page 50 of Lion's Share
“You know what the worst part is?” I said after a long pause.
“What?”
“She’s not entirely wrong. Silver Hollow does need leadership that can handle a crisis. We just can’t tell anyone what the real crisis actually is.”
Ben squeezed my hand. “We’ll figure something out.”
I hoped he was right. Because at the rate things were going, by the time Dr. Sonya Rosenthal finished her investigation, there might not be any secrets left to protect.
Chapter Fifteen
Early the next morning, Ben’s laptop alerted him to an incoming email from Marjorie Tran just as he was trying to decide whether the video for his YouTube channel that he’d edited the day before was salvageable or whether he should dump the whole thing in the trash and start over. He knew he’d been distracted, and it showed in the rough transitions and the one time he even cut himself off at the wrong point.
Okay, into the trash it went.
He glanced at the clock in the upper right-hand corner of his laptop. Six forty-seven, which meant Marjorie must have been up even earlier than he — probably not a good sign.
That suspicion was confirmed as he read the subject line.
“Re: Silver Hollow Data — URGENT — Please Call ASAP”
Subtle. He opened the email, pretty sure he wasn’t going to like what it said, but also knowing he couldn’t ignore the damn thing.
I’ve finished analyzing the electromagnetic readings I collected during my field work in Silver Hollow, and I need to discuss this with you immediately. The data patterns are unlike anything I’ve encountered before. I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t think anyone has seen anything like this before.
The frequency signatures suggest a previously unknown type of electromagnetic field generation, possibly indicating natural phenomena that haven’t been documented yet. The energy output readings are so anomalous that I’ve run the analysis three times to make sure my equipment wasn’t malfunctioning.
I know you asked me to keep this confidential, but this is exactly the kind of breakthrough that could change everything in my academic career. I’m planning to present preliminary findings to my dissertation committee next week, and if they approve, I want to submit a paper to the Journal of Atmospheric Physics by month’s end.
Please call me as soon as you get this. I have so many questions about the local conditions and environmental factors that might have influenced the readings. Your knowledge of the area could be crucial for contextualizing the data.
MT
P.S. My advisor, Dr. Gupta, is already excited about the implications. She thinks this could attract funding for a long-term monitoring station in the area.
Ben stared at the screen, his pulse hammering in his ears. This was a calculated risk he’d chosen to take when he asked Dr. Ogilvy to see if someone in the UC Davis physics department could come and get some readings around town. However, after Marjorie Tran arrived, Ben had hoped she would find some conventional explanation for the electromagnetic disturbances, something that would help him and Sidney understand what they were dealing with while at the same time not exposing Silver Hollow to outside scrutiny.
Instead, Marjorie had done what any good scientist would do when confronted with impossible data.
She’d decided to publish it.
He scrolled down to the attachment, a detailed technical analysis that was filled with graphs and charts and terminology that looked extremely impressive, even though he didn’t understand most…well, pretty much all…of it. Marjorie had also included satellite imagery of Silver Hollow, with the anomalous readings overlaid in bright red indicators that made the town look like the epicenter of some kind of electromagnetic earthquake.
Which, he supposed, it was.
His phone buzzed, and he picked it up to see a text from Sidney.
Are you up for an early hike?
Ben glanced toward the window, where the morning looked gray and foggy as usual. Not the most inviting conditions, but he knew if he held out for a fully sunny day before venturing into the forest, he’d probably be waiting for a long, long time.
Sure. We need to talk about some things. Meet at your place in ten minutes?
Okay.
Ben closed the laptop and headed over to the bedroom so he could get some clothes on, even as he tried to figure out how to explain this latest complication to Sidney. Bad enough that Agent Morse and Dr. Rosenthal were investigating Silver Hollow’s electromagnetic anomalies. Now he might have inadvertently triggered an invasion of atmospheric physicists who would want to set up monitoring stations and conduct long-term studies.
All because he’d tried to be responsible and get expert analysis of the data so they’d know what they were really dealing with.
