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NOW PARKED IN THE DESERT, THE SUV'S ROOF PANELS FOLDED OPEN, WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF THE PANELS HOUSING A VARIETY OF HAND-BUILT ASTRONOMICAL DEVICES, WHICH WAS NOW POINTING AT THE SKY.
Jane popped her head through the roof and positioned a magnetometer (cobbled together from spare parts of other devices), so that its monitor could calibrate with the constellations in the night sky above.
"Hurry!"
Her demand was met with a loud bang followed by muffled cursing from below and she winced as he offered a hand down to Selvig, who emerged rubbing his head.
"Oh, watch your head," Jane warned as Aaron followed suit and climbed up through the open roof.
"Thanks." Aaron positioned himself alongside the other two, gripping the edge of the vehicle with both hands as he squinted up at the clear sky. "So what's this 'anomaly' of yours supposed to look like?"
Jane pulled one knee up to her chest and tilted her head side to side. "It's a little different each time. Once it looked like, I don't know," she huffed, pausing for a moment, "melted stars, pooling in a corner of the sky. But last week it was a rolling rainbow ribbon-"
"Racing 'round Orion?" Selvig finished for her, a gentle tease in his tone. "I've always said you should have been a poet."
Reigning in her excitement and trying instead for dignity, Jane smiled shyly before turning to yell down through the roof opening.
"Hey, Darcy. Pass up the bubbly and my gloves, will you?"
Darcy handed Jane a bottle of champagne and a pair of gloves through the window, and Jane passed the bottle to Aaron to hold onto while she pulled on the old gloves; they were much too large and masculine for her small hands. Aaron started to unwrap the foil surrounding the cork, but Jane reached out to stop his hand.
"Not until you see it!" she grinned excitedly.
"I recognise those," Selvig said, nodding his head at the gloves, "Think how proud he'd be to see you now."
Jane's grin faded to a sad smile and she looked between the two men. "Thank you, you two."
"For what?"
"The benefit of the doubt."
The three of them stared out at the sky expectantly; minute after minute ticked by while they scanned the skies. Nothing. Jane started to worry.
