The Last Phone Call

"Mom! Finally! I thought our weekly calls from the station were pre-scheduled. I was worried."

"Hey sweetie. Sorry about that. Things have been... a bit chaotic up here. Solar radiation's been causing issues with communications."

"You usually call on Sunday. It's Wednesday."

"You know how space is. Unpredictable. The ionosphere is wreaking havoc on everything up here. It took me a while to get through with the available channels restricted."

"I guess. I hadn't heard about a radiation storm. Any way, how's the research going?"

"Can't complain. How's school?"

"Weird. I've noticed a lot of strange stuff happening lately. For example, we were setting up the club telescopes in the park on Monday when some official showed up. He said he was with the Space Weather Center. Told Mr. Hays they were expecting a massive solar flare and had to shut down all civilian solar observations. Said they didn't want any students getting blinded if it happened during observation. Your comms problem isn't related, is it?"

"Could be. The SWC must have seen something. There might be..."

"Wait. That's completely wrong and Mr. Hays knows it. Solar filters protect our eyes during normal observation. And even the big flares are not that bright at optical wavelengths. Plus, if there really was a huge dangerous flare coming, they'd have issued a public warning. The whole thing makes no sense."

"Huh. Maybe the official was simplifying the explanation, or didn't fully understand..."

"For our astronomy club? Come on, Mom, we're smarter than that. We're all AP students. Mr. Hays was confused, too. I don't think he bought it either."

"Sarah... you..."

"Why would they bother sending someone in person to a small astronomy club meetup in the park? Why didn't they just send an email warning to the school or just issue a general public notice. This guy showed up flashing credentials, telling us to pack it in immediately. It makes no sense."

"I don't know. Maybe they weren't sure you'd get it in time."

"And Dad... Mom, I'm worried about him. He barely sleeps. I hear him pacing at night. Yesterday morning, I found him asleep at the kitchen table, still in his work clothes."

"Well, you know your dad. He's... just under a lot of pressure. More than usual lately. Always taking his work too seriously. So... how's that physics project you were telling me about? "

"It's going good, Mom. I'll make an A, like always. But Dad... he let it slip they're updating deep space tracking systems."

"Yea, I heard that, too. He never was good at keeping secrets."

"All of them? At once? On emergency status?"

"Who told you it was emergency status?"

"No one. I overheard him on the phone."

"You shouldn't eavesdrop."

"I just want to know what's going on. Just tell me."

"I'm doing my best, sweetie..."

"But you're not telling me everything."

"Look, honey, you know I can't always tell you everything. So, let's talk about your birthday coming up. Seventeen... wow. I'm sorry I won't be there. I hear Aunt Paula and your Dad have something special planned."

"Forget my birthday. Something's wrong. The NASA website's been down for days. Maintenance they say."

"These things happen. They're probably just doing upgrades or fixing a server issue. "

"During the same week that all the major observatories stopped updating their web sites?"

"Sarah..."

"And why did Aunt Paula buy extra supplies?"

"What do you mean?"

"I dropped by after school yesterday. She was carrying in boxes of food. For her storm shelter, just in case, she said. She also mentioned that you called her yesterday. I've been trying to reach you for the last three days. You found time to call her, but didn't call me?"

"Keep Aunt Paula's phone number handy. It's always nice to have someone to depend on, just in case."

"Mom, stop. Something's happening. Just tell me."

"Nothing's happening. We're just conducting routine research."

"Then explain the launches. You know, I track this stuff for the astronomy club."

"What?"

"Five days ago. China, Russia, and NASA all launched within hours of each other. No warnings, no announcements. All classified payloads? At the same time?"

"Honey... uh... It's likely just coincidence. Sometimes agencies coordinate for unrelated reasons. You know NASA likes to cooperate with other agencies."

"I might have believed that, but amateur astronomers tracked two of the rockets. Posted the trajectory data online. Then their data disappeared. And now those same astronomers aren't responding to anyone. They've gone dark."

"You really need to stop reading conspiracy theories online."

"These aren't theories. I've seen the videos from people who live near the launch sites. Those have been taken down, too."

"..."

"I checked the trajectories myself. They're all going to the ISS, aren't they. And, why did the ISS change orbit?"

"Sarah... NASA's... it's complicated. Just some specialized equipment for our research, okay? The Russians are sending up new cosmonauts. The ISS is just performing a standard maneuver, Sarah. Space debris is unpredictable. You know how it is. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Really? China finally claimed it was a weather satellite launch? Why did Russia lie in their announcement today? They said it was engine testing. And why hasn't NASA said something?"

"These things are complicated..."

"No one launches secret missions in perfect sync by accident, Mom. Remember when you taught me about Occam's Razor?"

"Sarah..."

"And the astronomy forums are going crazy about something near Jupiter. But the posts keep disappearing."

"Internet hoaxes. Don't believe everything you read online."

"No. No, it's not. Dad got a call late last night, it woke me up. I got up and saw him make several calls. He looked rattled. Then he told me this morning that he needs to leave for a few days—for work."

"So?"

"Mom, I couldn't help but overhear Dad's side of the call. He said something about a spacecraft and a 'collision course.'"

"..."

"Mom?"

"Sarah, it's not what you think. These conversations are never straightforward. Your dad deals with classified projects all the time. You should get some sleep, honey. It's late there."

"He's never acted like this... What's on a collision course?"

"Sarah, please. I... I can't talk about this right now."

"All those launches, the spacecraft, the deleted information. It's too much to be a coincidence. They're hiding something, Mom. And you know..."

"Sarah, I—it's just... stop, okay? "

"You're not... Mom, are you preparing for something? It's not just research, is it?"

"I can't have this conversation."

"The Chinese, the Russians, NASA, the ISS... you're all working together... in secret."

"Sarah, quit it, now."

"You're not studying anything. You're trying to stop something."

"Sarah, I can't do this. I have to go."

"How big is it?"

"How big...What?"

"The asteroid. That's what it is, isn't it? That's why all the telescopes are shut down. Why everything's classified. You don't want people to panic."

"..."

"Mom?"

"You always were too smart for your own good."

"How bad?"

"I have to go."

"Mom, please."

"Don't tell anyone about this call."

"What?"

"I mean it. It's important. Promise me."

"I promise."

"I love you, Sarah. More than anything. Always remember that, okay? No matter what."

"Mom... are you going to be on that spacecraft?"

"..."

"Mom, please tell me you're not."

"Be strong, Sarah, like I know you can. Remember how much I love you, and know that I'm doing everything I can to come back to you. And... stay close to Aunt Paula. Just... just in case."

"Mom... just be careful and come home soon. Mom..."

"This call has been terminated."

"I love you too. Stay safe."