Photosynthecide
by Bruce Forciea
“Dead…every single last one of them,” said agent Hill while handing Mara the eight by ten color glossy photos one by one.
Mara sat in silence examining each photo, her wrinkled forehead signaled a combination of intensity and confusion. “Looks like an outbreak of something. Perhaps Yellow Fever or Malaria. Maybe a new viral mutation.” Mara continued her systematic evaluation of each photo displaying the dead tribal Indians.
“That’s what we thought at first,” said agent Hill. “Look closely at that one. The one of the family.”
“I’m not a forensics expert but to me it looks like they all died in their sleep,” said Mara.
“Excellent observation,” said agent Hill. “That’s exactly what we think. We think the entire tribe died in the night. There were no signs of struggle, no signs of disease. Our doctors reported the cause of death was asphyxiation.”
“Interesting, but what does the Center for Disease Control want with me, I’m a neurobiologist?” said Mara.
“Dr. Mara Stevens, esteemed professor at Columbus University and expert on the neurobiology of plants,” said agent Hill. “We need you because we think this has something to do with the plants.”
“Very interesting,” said Mara. “Are you thinking along the lines of an exotic species secreting some kind of neurotoxin that paralyzes humans so they can’t breathe?”
“Maybe…we don’t know. That’s where you come in. We want you to join a special investigation team headed for the Amazon. You will be part of a group of scientists including a botanist, biochemist, and a medical doctor specializing in tropical diseases,” said agent Hill.
“I…I don’t know,” said Mara. “I mean I have classes, grading, meetings…I don’t know if my dean…”
“We’ve cleared everything with the university,” said agent Hill. “You just need to go home and pack.”
“When would I be expected to leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. Flight leaves at 7:30. Here’s your ticket.” Agent Hill stood up and handed Mara a large manila envelope. “Everything you need is in there, briefing material, photos, plane ticket, and a special CDC identification card. Think of it as a contract job…serving your country.”
“Okay, I’m in,” said Mara with some reluctance. Agent Hill made his way to the door. Mara followed behind.
“Oh, and one more thing,” said agent Hill. “Make sure you are protected at all times. We will be issuing you a special Hazmat suit to be worn at the site. We don’t want any casualties.” Mara stood by her office door as agent Hill walked down the stairs.
“I will be in touch,” he said, voice echoing in the hallway. “Have a nice flight.”
Mara closed her office door and returned to her desk. The photo of the dead family rested on top of the others. She picked it up and stared at it as her mind went somewhere else. The Amazon was one place she had always wished to visit, albeit not under these circumstances. Her thoughts drifted to her upcoming adventure. Perhaps, lurking in the depths of the dense rainforest, was a new deadly species. One capable of wiping out an entire village of Awa Indians in their sleep.
2 Days Later, Território IndÃgena, Brazil
Mara felt energized as her jeep pulled into a compound of log buildings. The 2-day trip from San Diego to Jurti by way of San Luis had taken a certain amount of grit, but her excitement grew with each passing mile covered on foot or by jeep as she neared the remote outpost. Here she would meet the other team members and spend the night before making the trek to the Awa village.
The driver stopped in front of the largest building, jumped out of the jeep and grabbed Mara’s backpack. They both entered the expansive log building.
“Dr. Mara Stevens,” said a middle aged man with thinning premature grey hair as he stood up from a table in the center of the room. “Please come in. My name is Joseph Spiegel, physician, you can call me Joe. This is Dr. Laura Perkins, botanist, and Dr. Gregory Simons, biochemist.” Everyone greeted Mara and shook her hands. “We just finished dinner but if you are hungry, I’m sure we can rustle up something. Greg made a nice fish stew.”
“Maybe later,” said Mara. “I just ate a protein bar that is sitting like a rock in my stomach. Thank you though.”
“Later it is,” said Joe. “How was your trip? I’m sure not too bad until the hiking part. The rainforest is beautiful though isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” said Mara. “When did you all get here?”
“Oh, we arrived yesterday,” said Greg. “You were agent Hill’s last stop so you probably left the day after we did.”
A black man wearing army camouflage and brandishing a pistol on his belt entered the room. “Hello, I’m Mark Patterson, U.S. Army. Don’t let the weapon scare you. I’m on your side. Here for protection. The jungle can be a dangerous place. You know, poachers, bandits, and wild animals.”
“Yes, don’t let Captain Patterson intimidate you,” said Joe. “He’s really a nice guy once you get to know him. Come and sit with us.” Joe pulled up a chair at the large wooden table where the team sat. “We are going over tomorrow’s plan.”
Mara sat with the team and Mark passed a map and assorted documents to her.
“This is our location,” Mark said while pointing to a spot on the map. “And here is where we will be hiking to tomorrow. We are close by so it should only be about a few hours hike. Our mission is to gather plant samples along the way and record anything suspicious.”
“What would be considered suspicious?” said Mara.
“You’re the experts,” said Mark. “Anything you think looks out of place. Like a new plant species or anything that strikes you odd.”
“We were just discussing that exact topic when you arrived,” said Joe.
“When we get to about 100 meters of the site you will all be required to wear your protective gear,” said Mark while pointing to the yellow suits hanging on the wall. “These Hazmat suits have special heavy duty filters that should filter out any toxins. The forensics team wore them and they were okay so I don’t expect any danger.”
“Are there dead bodies?” asked Mara.
“Negative,” said Mark. “The bodies were removed for further study. “So far all we know is that each and every one of them suffocated, probably in their sleep and completely in the open. Our scientists are baffled, which is why you are here.”
“Why do you think it has something to do with the plants?” said Mara.
“Process of elimination,” said Mark. The forensics team said there was no sign of human or animal activity that would have led to their deaths. The number one hypothesis is some kind of poison secreted by the plants.”
“So we just take samples and return stateside to conduct our analysis?” said Mara. The others began to chuckle.
“Look closely behind those trees,” said Joe. Mara had not noticed the series of camouflaged prefab buildings behind a few trees at the far end of the compound.
“Oh…yes…I do now,” said Mara.
“Those are modular labs,” said Joe. “Each one was airlifted here. They all interconnect.” Mara noticed the series of connected long rectangular boxes extending from a central hub, like the spokes of a wheel.
“Those babies are stocked with any kind of equipment you would need and anything you’d like that isn’t there can be airlifted right to us.”
“It’s getting late,” said Mark. “We’ll all need a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. Mara, I’ll show you to your quarters.”
Mark escorted Mara to a small room with a single bed and a nightstand.
“Nothing fancy, but it should be comfortable,” said Mark. “Bathroom is down the hall. Have a good night.”
The Next Day
The hike through the dense rainforest stimulated Mara’s senses more than she could imagine. It was as if she walked on a primitive planet teaming with new life. Each step along the narrow path instilled a sense of wonder at the lush botanical diversity surrounding her. She thought about her work with plant nervous systems and how she believed that plants had a rudimentary nervous system that could feel pain. She thought of her first experiment with determining whether plants had the ability to feel. In this experiment she replicated the work of Cleve Backster, a CIA interrogation specialist who connected a sensitive lie detector to a plant. Backster found the plant reacted to threats by increasing its electrical activity. Mara attempted to disprove Backster’s experiment, but found that modern sensitive equipment could detect minute electrical changes in plants in response to threats. This led to more complex experiments with Mimosa plants that showed that plants have a kind of nervous system that can feel pain, exhibit memory and even communicate with other plants.
“We are approaching the site,” shouted Mark as he gave the signal to the group to halt. “Time to suit up!”
“If you think you’re hot now, just wait till we get into these babies,” said Lauren.
“If you get too hot or feel sick or dizzy, remember to retreat to this area before removing your suit,” announced Mark. “Now everyone hydrate as much as possible.”
The group chugged water and finished dressing. After a brief check, they began following Mark along the path leading to the site. Mara could feel her heart beat quicken as they moved closer to the village. Soon they saw the first signs of human activity in the form of a few grass huts scattered about a clearing in the dense forest.
“Take your time and look for anything unusual. You can begin to gather samples. Make sure each one is placed in one of these containers and labeled,” said Mark.
Mara and Lauren began gathering samples along the path. There were epiphytes (air plants), and dense vines everywhere.
“You can really see the layers of trees,” said Mara.
“Yes, there is the emergent layer consisting of the tallest trees,” said Lauren. “They can be up to 200 feet tall. Next you can see the canopy layer,” Lauren pointed to the dense layer of branches directly above them. “The understory and forest floor are below the canopy layer. The canopy is so thick which is why it is dark down here on the forest floor.”
“I found something!” said Greg. “I think this flowering plant looks suspicious.” Greg pointed to a cluster of several large pink and white flowers. “See there is something in the middle of each one.”
“Don’t touch it,” shouted Mark as he bolted over to where Greg was standing. Lauren pushed Greg aside. “Let me take a look.” Lauren bent over the flower and examined it with her gloved hands. She dipped her finger into the clear liquid substance in the center. A beetle emerged and scuttled away.
“This is a common Bromeliad plant,” she said. “The stuff in the center is just plain water. These plants are common to rainforests and serve as tiny habitats for insects. Nothing to fear here, but it sure is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I guess I’ll just stick to my chemicals,” said Greg, embarrassed.
“Nothing to be ashamed of Greg,” said Mark. “We all have our areas of expertise. Good call.” Mark gave Greg a reassuring pat on the back and the group continued their trek toward the clearing.
A few moments later they all stood in a clearing surrounded by trees and with the same amount of light as the trail. A few grass huts lined the perimeter with a makeshift circle of rocks and ash in the center.
“Looks like the community fire pit,” said Joe. “Probably had some great parties here.”
The group began examining the huts. There were some crude wooden tables, stores of fruit and meat, and an assortment of American T-shirts.
“Have a nice day,” Joe said holding up a t-shirt with a huge yellow smiley face. “Ever wonder what happens to stuff that can’t be sold at Goodwill? Well, I guess it ends up here.” Joe’s joke helped to lighten the somber mood.
“I’m going to take a closer look at some of these plants,” said Lauren. “I’m going to take a few core samples from these trees. Hey everyone, let me know if you find anything interesting.” Lauren removed three large T-shaped devices from her pack.
“Greg, Joe, why don’t you give me a hand with these cores. Here, I’ll do the first one and then each of you can get samples from as many trees as you can. See where I’ve written numbers on each of the trees. Make sure to first take a picture of the tree including the number and then place your cores into these containers. Write the numbers on the top so we can keep everything organized.” Lauren began twisting the large blue handle of the increment borer into the trunk of a nearby tree while Greg and Joe watched. They then retreated to the other side of the clearing to retrieve their own cores.
Mara gathered ground samples of ferns and epiphytes while Mark kept watch over the operation. The core samplers made good time and before long they had nearly 50 samples.
“Taking these cores is a hard job,” said Greg, panting. “Must be these suits, I can’t seem to catch my breath.” Joe came over to check on Greg.
“I hear ya,” said Joe. “I’m toast as well.” Joe looked at Greg through the clear plastic face plate of his helmet.
“Greg, are you alright? You look cyanotic. I mean your lips are turning blue!”
Greg, breathing heavily looked at Joe and said, “Hey, you don’t look so good yourself. Your lips are blue too.”
“Mark! Greg! Joe! Come quick…it’s Lauren,” Mara shouted.
The three men staggered toward Mara and Lauren as they struggled to catch their breath. Lauren lay on the ground in front of a large tree, unconscious.
“Something’s wrong,” shouted Mark. “We have to get outta here…Now!”
Mark and Joe dragged Lauren by the arms out of the camp and along the same path leading to the village. Everyone experienced blurred vision and shortness of breath. They reached the 100-meter mark and yanked off their breathing filters, gasping for breath. Joe had begun rescue breathing on Lauren who had stopped breathing. After a few breaths, Lauren’s chest lurched and she began coughing as her breathing restarted. Everyone felt better after a few minutes.
“What the hell happened back there?” said Mark.
Everyone shook their heads while displaying looks of confusion.
“If this was a neurotoxin, why aren’t we dead?” said Mara. “How could our bodies metabolize such a toxin so fast. I mean, wouldn’t we have some sort of residual affects?”
“You would think so,” said Joe. “But this does not look like something that affects the nervous system. This looks more like hypoxia from lack of oxygen.”
“But that’s impossible,” said a coughing Lauren. “We were out in the open. How could there be no oxygen?”
“I don’t know,” said Joe. “But I am looking forward to finding out.”
“It’s late and we need to get back,” said Mark.
The team’s anxiety subsided as they trekked back to the lab. Mara, Lauren and Greg wasted no time in beginning tests of the plant samples with Joe providing medical support. Mark headed off to the communications room to check in with his superiors.
Mara and Lauren began with the hypothesis that the plants emitted a substance that interfered with the body’s ability to use oxygen based on Joe’s hypoxia observation. Greg began an analysis of several samples of plant material. Just as he was setting up for the analysis Mark burst into the room.
“I have some important news,” said Mark. “It appears that our problem has spread. Other groups of endemic people have been found dead. There are reports of 27 other mass deaths in the Amazon forest. One entire village of over one hundred people have died and this was in broad daylight! Whatever it is that is killing these people is spreading like some kind of epidemic. Word from the CDC is you are to work around the clock as necessary to find out the cause. They say that whatever this is, it must be contained.”
Greg continued his analysis of plant material with the mass spectrometer. Mara and Lauren turned their attention to a few of the live specimens. Most of these consisted of the epiphytes they had gathered at the primary site. They placed one specimen in an isolation chamber that measured the gasses emitted by the plant.
“Let’s see,” said Mara. “Looks like the usual oxygen and carbon dioxide with traces of nitrogen. Nothing strange here. No exotic neurotoxin.”
Lauren took a long and hard look at the data and after a few moments called Mara over.
“Mara, take a look at this,” said Lauren. “Yes, there is oxygen and carbon dioxide but look at the ratios.”
“I don’t get it,” said Mara. “Looks like there is both carbon dioxide and oxygen. What’s wrong with that?
“Well, we all know that plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. We breath in the oxygen and emit carbon dioxide making this a symbiotic relationship of sorts.” Mara nodded her head and Greg and Mark came over to join them.
“The data here suggests that these plants are doing the reverse. They are taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.”
“You mean like a reverse photosynthesis?” said Mara. “Exactly,” said Lauren.
“How can that be possible,” said Joe.
“It is possible,” said Greg. “The photosynthesis reaction is reversible and happens all the time. The reverse of photosynthesis is called cellular respiration. The glucose and oxygen produced by photosynthesis can be broken right back down again and produce carbon dioxide and water. Do you remember your cell biology from medical school? It just depends on the availability of light and enzymes. You know that trees emit more carbon dioxide than oxygen at night. It is possible that something in the plants has mutated that could cause photosynthesis to produce more carbon dioxide than oxygen even in daylight. Now I know something we can search for.”
“I have heard of this,” said Mara. “There is an old Indian story about never sleeping under a Banyan tree because it could release enough carbon dioxide to kill you. I thought this was a myth, but now I’m not so sure.”
“I think we should contact the CDC right away with this new information,” said Mara.
“What new information?” said Mark as he entered the lab. “Have you found something?”
Lauren filled Mark in on the reverse photosynthesis theory. He agreed they should relay their findings to the CDC. The group moved to the communications room where Mark set up a direct channel. They reported everything they had discovered as well as the reverse photosynthesis theory. The CDC also told them of the rapid growth of the phenomenon throughout the Amazon forest.
“What are your projections for the rate of growth of this anomaly?” said Mark.
“We project that within as little as one week the entire Amazon rainforest will be affected. Since the Amazon produces about 20% of the worlds oxygen, we predict that global oxygen levels will decrease enough to cause some serious hypoxia. If this anomaly spreads to other continents then we are looking at an extinction level event,” said agent Hill. “We will be dropping a supply of supplemental oxygen. I suggest you get ready to use it. We are also forming other scientific teams in other large forests around the world. We just hope we can find a solution…and fast!”
“We’ve got to get back to work,” said Greg. “I’m ready to run the first set of samples through the mass spectrometer. Maybe we can get some clue as to what this enzyme is made of.”
“I’ll help Lauren with the genetic analysis of our carbon dioxide secreting samples,” said Mara. “Perhaps we can find a mutation that is responsible for producing the anomaly.”
“Greg, I can give you a hand as best I can,” said Joe.
The team worked non-stop on attempting to identify any abnormalities that may be contributing to the reverse photosynthesis effect. After 24 hours of sleepless work, the team grew weary. They gathered in the conference room for a short meeting to discuss their results.
“I’ve run every test I possibly can,” said Greg. “I don’t see anything unusual. Chemical components, even atoms check out normal.”
“Same here,” said Mara. “Lauren and I have looked at every possible cause at least three times. Our results indicate that we are simply dealing with plants that for some unknown reason are undergoing a kind of self-destruction by using their energy stores to produce carbon dioxide. We are at a loss as to why?”
“Well, people are dying out there,” said Mark. “Oxygen levels are dropping! There must be something!”
“I’m sorry everyone,” said Lauren. “I have to get a couple of hours of sleep. I just can’t think straight.”
“Good idea Lauren,” said Joe. “As the team medical doctor, I recommend that we all get some sleep. We will be able to function much better when we do.”
All of the members headed to their respective bunks except Mara who remained in the lab.
“Aren’t you coming?” said Lauren. “Doctor’s orders.”
“No, I have some data to record and then I will join you all,” said Mara as she watched the others leave the room. Lauren shook her head, yawned, and exited the room.
Mara opened the crate containing her device for sensing electrical activity in plants. “This is just a hunch,” she thought. “I should have at least taken one reading before getting into the genetic analysis.” She attached the electrodes to one of the epiphytes and took a reading.
A green line began to trace across the screen, zigzagging in an up-down direction.
“Is that good or bad?” said a voice from behind Mara. It was Mark. “I didn’t think I could sleep right now. I thought that maybe I could help.”
“This reading is abnormally high,” said Mara. “It means the plant is under a lot of stress.”
“So, what could be causing this stress?” asked Mark.
“Could be a lot of things. Lack of water, sunlight or even some sort of threat.”
“I guess it could be just about anything,” said Mark. “There is something familiar to me about this signal…I can’t put my finger on it but it looks like something I’ve seen before.”
“So what where would an army corporal have seen such a pattern?” said Mara, confused.
“Well, you know I am an electrical engineer,” said Mark. “My specialty is communications. This looks like some sort of message.”
“Interesting,” said Mara. “My work is exploring plant nervous systems and I am convinced that plants have the ability to communicate through root systems.”
“I think we should get a copy of this to my unit for analysis,” said Mark. Perhaps it contains some sort of pattern.”
Mark copied the data on a flash drive and both headed to the communications room. Within a few minutes Mark had the data sent to the CDC with instructions to assemble a team of communications engineers for analysis.
“Not much to do now but wait,” said Mark. “If there is a pattern in this data, they will find it.”
“I must say, I am impressed Mark,” said Mara. “I mean, I thought you were…”
“Just a grunt with guns barking orders?” said Mark. “No offense taken. I can see where you would think that. Plus, we haven’t had a lot of time to get to know one another.”
“I’m going to take Lauren’s advice and get a couple of hours of sleep,” said Mara. “Wake me if something happens.” Mara retreated to her bunk and fell asleep within seconds.
After what seemed like minutes to Mara she awoke to Mark calling her name. She bolted out of bed and followed Mark to the lab.
“We got something,” Mark said. “I was right, there was a pattern.” Mark pulled up an image of the data on the computer screen.
“The team removed some noise and this is what remained.” The screen displayed the tracing but this time it looked much cleaner. Mara could clearly see small bursts of activity constituting a pattern of sorts. “The team said their results indicated a non-random pattern. This is some sort of message!”
“We need to see if the other specimens contain the same pattern,” said Mara.
By now the others had begun to arrive from their naps.
“What are you working on Mara?” said Lauren who was the first to arrive at the lab.
“It’s a pattern. I mean the plants are communicating some sort of message to each other,” said Mara. “Thanks to our electrical engineer here, Mark.”
Lauren looked over at Mark who was sitting in front of a computer examining the data. “Mark…I didn’t know…”
“No problem,” said Mark. “I just didn’t think it necessary to divulge my background since we were focused on plants and all.”
The group gathered around Mara who had transmitted the data to a large monitor.
“See these repeating blips,” she said, pointing to the tracing. Everyone acknowledged they had seen them. “These are a non-random sequence…some sort of message.”
“Are you saying the plants are communicating with each other?” said Lauren.
“Yes I am, and not only are they communicating, they are telling each other to reverse photosynthesis.”
“There must be some sort of signal source,” said Mark.
Greg had already brought up a map on one of the computers displaying all of the sites where people had died.
“Can you give me a printout of that Greg?” said Mark.
Within a few seconds Mark had taped the map to a nearby wall and had begun to label all of the sites with dates. He then took a marker and connected all of the sites with the same dates.
“See, the pattern forms a series of concentric circles,” said Mark.
“The center is here,” said Mark pointing to the site they had visited the previous day. “There must be something generating a signal near this site that is communicating with the trees. We have to go back out there and find it.”
The team sprang into action and gathered their gear for the hike. Within minutes they were loaded up and headed back to the Awa village. Each member strapped on a portable oxygen mask due to the decreasing oxygen levels. Mara brought an ample supply of electrodes and a recording device so that the origin of the signal could be traced.
Upon reaching the village, Mara handed out electrodes and directed everyone to attach them to leafy plants in each of the four points of the compass. Greg headed north, Lauren west, Mark east and Mara south. Mara then took a reading at each of the points.
“It looks like the signal is stronger from the northwest,” said Mara. “I think we need to go in that direction.”
The team followed Mara heading northwest. After about a mile Mark shouted, “Hey look at this. It looks like something broke those branches over there.” He was pointing to some broken branches in the trees above.
“The branches are broken along a path,” said Mark. “See there are more broken branches over there.”
The team followed the path laid out by the broken branches. The path began high in the trees and descended at about a thirty-degree angle until it was just above the ground.
“Whatever this was, it was coming in really hot,” said Greg. “The branches and leaves are all burned.”
The path ended at a small clearing. At the center of the clearing was a small crater, about twenty feet in diameter.
“Bingo!” said Mark. “I think we found the source of our signal. Someone hand me a shovel.”
“Mark, don’t you think you should wait until we can get some other experts out here. I mean maybe there’s a radioactive meteor in there,” said Greg.
“You’re right Greg,” said Mark. “But we don’t have much time. Soon, the whole Amazon forest will be secreting lethal doses of carbon dioxide.”
Mark grabbed a shovel and began digging into the center of the crater. After straining to remove several shovels full of earth, Joe jumped in to help. A few moments later, a good sized hole began to take shape as both men quickened their pace in hopes of finding the object that caused the crater.
“I got something here,” said Mark. “Doesn’t seem too big. I’m going to pull it up.”
The team gathered in closer as Mark lifted the shovel holding a metallic sphere about three inches in diameter. The sphere had no distinguishing features. It resembled a 17th century cannon ball with a rusty mottled surface.
“It’s beautiful,” said Lauren. “What is it?”
“Your guess is as good as mine’s,” said Mark.
“They are on their way,” said Greg who had used the satellite phone to contact the CDC about the crater while Mark was digging. “Should be here in a couple of hours. I told them the coordinates for the clearing. I think they could get a small helicopter in here okay. They said to stay put until they can get here.”
A mixture of loose branches, leaves and dirt began to swirl around the team as the helicopter landed in the clearing. Mark handed off the object to an awaiting soldier.
“We have room for one of you,” said the soldier.
“Mark, you should go,” said Greg. The others nodded in approval. “We can get back okay and you were the one who identified the signal.”
“Are you sure?” said Mark.
“We’ll be fine. Go and save the world,” said Mara.
Mark hopped into the copter as it ascended in a flurry of debris. The team made the several hour trek back to the camp. When they arrived, the main computer signaled a message from Mark. The message contained only the words ‘call me’ and a link to a video conferencing app.
The team gathered around the computer as Mara clicked on the link. After a few seconds an image of Mark popped onto the screen.
“I see you all made it back okay,” said Mark.
“Yes, we are all fine,” said Mara. “Have you found out anything about our discovery?”
“Yes, a lot has happened in the last couple of hours,” said Mark. “They flew us out to an aircraft carrier. We are on high alert. They are calling this an attack.”
“They think terrorists had something to do with this?” said Mara.
“It’s much worse than that. We think this is an extraterrestrial attack,” said Mark as the group stood by in disbelief.
“It turns out that what we found is not the only one. There is at least a dozen or so more of these things that have turned up in other major forests. We think this is some kind of systematic attack with the goal of promoting an extinction level event. Science teams are now reviewing meteor data to see if they can trace the origin of these objects. They are working on the hypothesis that someone out there wants us gone so they can do whatever to our planet. They think an alien race wants to colonize the earth. This may be the first phase of their plan. Once we are gone, either the first wave of aliens would come, or they would send another series of objects to again reverse photosynthesis to restore the oxygen levels. Their plan could take years.”
The team, silent and stunned, stood staring at the screen. A flurry of activity erupted behind Mark as other soldiers began to run.
“I’ve got to go,” said Mark. “They found another one. They are sending transport for you…should be there within the hour. Oh…and the president sends his thanks. You were the first team to determine the cause of the anomaly. You probably saved us all.”
