An Otherworldly Frequency (A Starset Story)

Chapter 1

I franticly run through the long corridor, back to the person waiting on their coffee. I hand her the warm cup, "One coffee with mocha, vanilla, cream and sugar.

I stare at the tall, blonde lady as she takes a sip, "Ah. Thank you Sierra. This is just what I needed. Now. Again, Marcus."

I turn, about to leave, when the man named Marcus nods and plays a clip that sounds like a low screech.

The blonde rubs her chin. "How slowed down is this?" she asks calmly.

"Over 16,000 times, Gina," Marcus replies.

"Damn. Still, it's nothing..."

Marcus nods, "The 10 thousands of radio waves coming from an unknown point in space and this is all we have figured out...."

I interject, "Have you sped them up?

They both turn to me. It's obvious they thought I left. Marcus starts, "Ma'am. You shouldn't be..."

Gina turns to face me fully, "Sierra... These clips are less than a hundredth  of a second each already. Explain?"

"Well, if you lined them in sequence received and sped it up..."

Gina whirls around, "Well, Marcus. Try it."

Marcus looks disgruntled, but does it anyway.

I turn to leave, as I still have tasks to do as an intern. Gina stops me, "Nope. You're not leaving till he's finished. Your idea was one we haven't had. You must see it through."

I blink, "O-okay."

Marcus speaks up, "It's done..."

"Well... Let's hear it." Gina says.

Words come through the speakers, "Cascading waves of change
The things we think to be inconsequential, can affect the future unintentionally
Once you had the power to effect monumental change, would you let fear consume?
Or would you overcome?
We sent a message into the past
A warning of man's imminent demise
We have that message
The following record was inspired by that message
Though this story is not inevitable, and a society does evolve
We can change our fate
We can change the future
We can change the past"

My jaw drops, "Dustin knew."

"What was that?" Marcus asks.

"M-my favorite band. Starset. this was their first song in 2014. The lead singer has a story line that carries through each album.  It was true..."

"Show me the song." Gina states.

I pull out my phone and play the song First Light by Starset.

When the song is done, Gina turns to me, "What's his name?"

"Erm... Dustin Bates." I answer.

"Dustin Bates, huh?" she rubs her chin, "Marcus inform Stephanie that it's cracked and tell her to get in contact with Dustin Bates."

"Hopefully, we can talk him into coming down here and explain how he knew. Plus, we might just need his help in the future. And... you." Gina states.

"Me?" I ask, "I'm an intern."

"How would you like to be an assistant on this? Do you have any college experience?"  Gina asks. Marcus gives her a dirty look.

I gulp, "I have a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and i minored in computer software engineering."

Her eyes gleam, "Yes! That actually meets the requirements. So how about it? Do you wanna be on the team?"

I blink in amazement. "Yes," I beam, "Yes I will."

"Great!" Gina smiles. She glances at her watch, "It's 8pm already. Why don't you call it a day? You can come in at 7am tomorrow? We're gonna have a busy day ahead of us."

I nod, "Okay I will be here bright and early."

"See you tomorrow," Gina smiles as I turn away.

As I walk down the long corridor, my chest feels as if it's gonna explode. It's really happening. My dream is a reality.