Brian Saves the World, Maybe

Chapter 5A - To Observe an Observer

Brian sat at his dining room table eating the cheeseburger he had grabbed on the way home.

He hadn't actually ordered a cheeseburger, but the guy at the drive-thru window had gotten his order wrong, and Brian wasn't in the mood to point out the mistake.

Probably an Observer, he thought. TV, when are we going to be able to use the smart glasses to see these guys?

The glasses have the hardware we require, but we will need to modify the software.

TV had Brian download an app on his phone that allowed him to interact with the smart glasses. He then provided step-by-step instructions to create a new scan function on the glasses that could be triggered by his phone.

We must now find an Observer to scan. The scan process will likely take 8 - 10 seconds.

Wait, 'find an Observer to scan?' How are we supposed to do that? I thought that was the whole point of the glasses!

The information we gain from a successful scan should make it possible to enable the glasses to detect Observers simply by looking at them.

Okay, let me get this straight. I have to wear these and go around in public, staring at people for 10 seconds at a time, until we happen to find an Observer? That sounds fun—and creepy. You said only about 1 in 1000 people are Observers, right? This is going to take forever!

Brian was struck with the irony of what he had just thought. One for every 1000 people was a lot more than he was comfortable with. But it certainly made finding one more difficult.

He frowned. TV, would it be possible to get an Observer to come to us? Do you know of a way to attract their attention?

That is an interesting idea... Checking my database... It seems the Borae use a special signal to call the nearest Observer to a particular location. With the appropriate transmitter, we may be able to reproduce the signal.

Great! Where can we get a transmitter like that?

We will have to build it.

Of course, Brian thought, sighing. Then again, I guess it wouldn't be something you could just walk in and buy at Radio Shack.

I will make design specs for the equipment using components you should have access to.

A few minutes later, TV helped Brian write up a schematic design for the device.

Brian looked closely at the design, scratching his head. It looked like gobbledygook to him. Great, now I need to find someone that can actually do something with this.

***

As Brian was walking into work the next day, Dale waved him over from his van. He had one of those big industrial vans with no windows in the back. Dale was motioning him to get in the passenger side. As Brian approached, he felt a little like a kid coming up to a stranger who was offering candy.

When Brian got in, Dale looked at him with one of his many stoic expressions. "So... What's the plan?"

Brian filled him in on TV's idea to attract an Observer and then use the glasses to scan it.

"I'm in," Dale said. "So, first we kidnap it, and then torture it 'til it tells us everything it knows."

"Whoa, cowboy. We just need to keep it close to us long enough to scan it. We aren't taking it prisoner."

Dale looked disappointed.  "Whatever. So how do we get an Observer to come to us?"

"With this," Brian said, showing Dale the design for the signaling device.

Dale looked over the schematic, squinting. "If we're going to be working with stuff like this we're going to need to bring Phil in."

Phil Batdorf maintained the older electronic equipment at work. What he could do with electronics was amazing. Brian remembered Dale telling him about how Phil had once built a robot from scrap gear scavenged from dumpsters.

Around Talon, he was infamous for his habit of never throwing any electronics away. He kept everything. He was also kind of a recluse—probably for related reasons.

"And what are we going to tell him?" Brian asked, "Hey Phil, can you build us this device for signaling aliens?"

"Aliens? I thought you said these Observers are fake humans, and not actually from another planet."

Brian rolled his eyes. "You somehow missed the point of the question."

"Just leave it to me. I'll give him the design and tell him it's for an important classified project. He won't ask questions."

"Fine, but I'm coming along," Brian said, feeling obligated to keep Dale in check.

***

Phil Batdorf worked in a corner of the warehouse at Talon; an area enclosed by a high chain-link fence. The fence was apparently meant to secure the equipment Phil worked with, but people would joke that it was actually there to keep Phil away from humanity.

Dale banged on the closed chain-link gate with a broom handle. "Hey Phil, you in there, buddy?"

It sounded to Brian like he was calling a dog.

After a moment, Phil appeared from behind a shelf rack and opened the sliding door. He wore thick glasses which made his eyes look abnormally large.

"Hullo, Dale. What you got there?" Phil said, looking intently at the piece of paper in Dale's hand.

"It's a schematic for an experimental device," Dale said, handing him the paper.

Phil's big eyes lit up. "What's it do?"

"I don't know. It's a classified project because it's for the military. We are going to need the PCB made to these exact specifications."

"How soon do you need it?" Phil was practically drooling.

"As soon as you can," Dale said. "Prototype testing begins next week."

"If I have all the components in stock I can get it to you in a couple of days."

"Sounds good, Phil. You get right on that."

Phil bobbed his head, and without another word, quickly scampered behind the shelf rack, out of sight.

Yep, exactly like a dog. Brian thought. A dog that just got his bone.

***

True to his word, two days later, Phil had finished the device. Brian went with Dale to pick it up.

Phil handed the circuit board to Dale.

"Not very pretty to look at," Brian said, staring at the exposed electronic components.

"Oh, I can put this in a little box for the housing if you like," Phil said.

The completed product was a small black box about the size of a Rubik's Cube, with a red switch on top.

"No, that doesn't look at all like a bomb," Brian said as they walked.

Dale smirked. "Let's just hope it works."