Aekhem

Earth

II

MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA

USGS (United States Geological Survey)

James Dubois was looking at his laptop computer screen with eyes wide open. Reviewed his notes. Went to a different computer, looked at the activity on that computer. He was breathing heavily. He took his asthma inhaler, pushed twice. Inhaled profusely. Adjusted his glasses, breathed and thought:

"Easy Jimmy, easy, remember what happened last time. Just like Mr. Donovan said, check once, twice, one hundred times before jumping into a conclusion"

And that he did, he checked once, twice, three times, one hundred times and the result was the same.

Before calling Mr. Donovan's extension, he called another one:

"Prevention" a sweet melody answered the other end of the line. Just like a song to his ears, from his childhood.

"Hi Doris" Jimmy said shy as that child listening to that melody.

"Jimmy? Hey, what's up? What's new at the Predictions Department" she said joking. Still a melody.

"Forecast. Forecast Doris" Even if she was singing to a child she couldn't take what he did as a joke. It was too serious for him to be taken lightly.

"I'm sorry Jimmy, it's Friday. Ready for the weekend. Ready to get out of here. Just thought about making the reminder of the day a little lighter. What can I do for you?" She couldn't joke with the guy. Even knowing that Jimmy was a nervous wreck when every time he saw her.

"Could you please check your email now?" Jimmy urged her.

"Jimmy, I'm in the middle of reviewing a report I just got from Colorado and I have to send it before quit time, today" Another one of Jimmy's verifications. She didn't feel like staying after five helping Jimmy in yet another verification.

Guessing what she was thinking Jimmy said:

"I swear it's not another verification. Please check the file I'd just sent you"

"Jimmyyyy, what are you sending to me? Did you finally send me something other than graphs, numbers, statistics, or proyections?" there she was again, playing with his childhoold, but now more like when he was a teenager.

"Please, could you please just check it out?" no time for being a teen right now.

She sighed. It had to be another one of his verifications. Definitely. She searched for Jimmy's last email, she had more than a hundred unopened emails from him, she didn't bother anymore, just confirmed she got them, but not open them.

She read his email. Checked the file and said:

"Are you sure about this Jimmy?" a surprised melody.

"Doris, it is not me who is sure. I checked it one hundred times in four terminals, including my own. They are connected to four servers and check with every server and twenty four seismographs in the area" he said excited and quickly, all in one sentence.

"But Jimmy, it's not conclusive. The fact that the numbers are increasing at the same rate does not mean anything. Maybe some plates moving, but it's not exceeding the limits" she said not believing what she was saying, just didn't want to be responsible at that moment and with another one of his emails.

"Check the one that I've just sent you" he urged her again.

"There is a slight variation, increasing but slight. Send me the report for the last five days and ..." she didn't finish the sentence and the last five day report email was there.