A Voice in the Night Read online

  “How far is Tau Ceti?”

  “Twelve light-years.”

  “So they’d have been listening to a Benny program that aired in 1936?”

  “That’s correct,” said Sol. “Was he on that early?”

  “I’m pretty sure he was,” I said. “I remember listening to him through most of the Depression.”

  We stared at one another. “I’m beginning to think this is actually happening,” said Sol.

  The door opened and the guy I’d seen out looking at the stars came in. He was carrying the binoculars. “Nothing up there,” he said.

  The phone rang. One of the engineers picked up, listened, nodded, and put it down. “Kitt Peak confirms, Sol. They’re getting it too. And it does seem to be coming from Tau Ceti.”

  I went over to the coffee machine and poured a cup. They were not happy. Sol looked thoroughly depressed. He’d found what he had pursued his entire life, and it was a heartbreaker.

  They played it again. From the start: “Greetings, people of Earth,” the woman said. She could easily have been from California or New York. “Welcome to the community. We’ve been enjoying the various shows you send our way. We would like to have a conversation with you, if that can be arranged. We hope you get this message.”

  The transmission was about two and a half minutes long. We listened to it a couple more times. Then Sol and I retired to the office assigned to SETI. “What do you think?” he said.

  “I guess you have to believe the evidence.”

  “This is incredible. Harry, I always wanted to find out who might be out there. With this, I don’t know a damned thing. I feel as if all I did was look into a mirror and see myself looking back.”

  “Pity we can’t talk to the lady.” We could, of course, but it would take twenty-four years to get a response.

  Sol collapsed into a chair. “What drives me up the wall is that we don’t know a damned thing about them.”

  “Sure we do. They have a sense of humor, Sol. Maybe we can forget the philosophical discussions. If they really do like Benny, I think that takes us to the heart of who they are.”

  Sol shook his head. “Maybe there are no aliens.”

  Frank was ecstatic. He pointed out something in that first message the rest of us had missed. “She says, ‘Welcome to the community.’ Who’s the community, guys?”

  Benny played the news for all it was worth, pretending to gloat over it on his TV program. But the surprises weren’t over, of course. SETI became overnight a project inordinately popular with politicians. Funding soared. Radio telescopes around the world turned toward Tau Ceti and every other star within fourteen light-years. That covered the radio era. And it was only a few weeks later that another message was received. From Groombridge 34 in German. It too translated into a greeting.

  The Tau Ceti jokes continued front and center on Benny’s show until a male voice from Sirius expressed admiration for Ozzie and Harriet. Benny immediately launched a fake feud with the Nelsons.

  That’s all history now. As everyone knows, we’re surrounded by thriving civilizations. We’ve seen a few of our neighbors. And Sol: He’s talking with people who look like felines near Alpha Centauri. They’re on first name terms.

  He appears to have been right: They may look different. But in all the ways that matter, there are no aliens.

  Thanks to Seth Shostak

  THE LAW OF GRAVITY ISN’T WORKING ON RAINBOW BRIDGE

  “I’m sorry to cut you short, Mr. Secretary, but we have breaking news at Niagara Falls, where the river seems to be spilling over its banks. Mark Espy, from WKBW-TV, Channel Seven, our affiliate in Buffalo, is on the scene. Mark, what’s happening?”

  “Hello, Paula. I’m standing just off the Robert Moses Parkway, along the Niagara River, above the Falls. As you can see, the river is up on the highway and rising fast. Nobody seems to know why it’s flooding. But if it continues at this pace, those homes back there are going to get seriously wet.”

  “I understand there was a helicopter rescue a few minutes ago?”

  “Yes, Paula. A couple of motorists ran off the road. The police got them out okay. The river usually moves pretty quickly through this area, but as you can see it doesn’t seem to have any flow at all today. It’s almost as if it’s backing up.

  “We’ve spoken with Buffalo Weather Central and they’re just starting to get some high water. That’s strange because if there’s going to be flooding at Niagara Falls, they should get it first.”

  “Any idea how high it’s likely to get, Mark?”

  “Nobody knows. They can’t make an estimate until they can figure out what’s causing it.”

  “Your shoes must be getting wet. Maybe you’d better get out of there yourself.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking. This is Mark Espy, on the north bank of the Niagara.”

  “Whit Morrison reporting from downtown. Paula, we’re less than a block from City Hall, looking west along Pine Avenue toward the river. Something absolutely terrifying is happening here. Those are not manikins across the street. They’re real people. I saw two of them go over to try to help the driver in the pickup. As soon as they got beyond the curb over there they froze. Just like you see them. Same thing happened to the dog. You ever see a dog look like that before? And the driver’s just sitting there. You’ll notice a few more people down the block, but nothing moving anywhere along Pine Avenue all the way to the Niagara. Wait. Look at that.”

  “What is that, Whit?”

  “Believe it or not, it’s a newspaper.”

  “It looks as if it’s just hanging in the air.”

  “I think it is. A tall guy to my right, he was off-camera, rolled it up and threw it. And it seems to have locked in place. I mean, you can see it hanging there, right, Paula? Nine feet up?”

  “I can see it. This must be a hoax.”

  “If it is it’s a good one. Look at that woman. How can she stand like that with one foot in the air? She’s in mid-stride. Been like that for at least a couple minutes. Let’s talk to the guy who threw the paper. Sir, what’s your name, please?”

  “I’m, uhh, Robert Thomas. I’m from the Falls area. On the Canadian side.”

  “Mr. Thomas, how long has it been like this? Do you know?”

  “Am I on television?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We’ve only been here for a few minutes. I’m parked over there. In the middle of the block. I don’t know how I’m going to get my car. The pickup turned right here onto Pine and then it just stopped. The driver never moved. Then those two guys went to see what was happening, and they stopped. And then the woman. And the dog. I’ve never seen anything like that dog. You ever see a dog standing absolutely still?”

  (Sound of approaching sirens.) “Thank you, Mr. Thomas.”

  “I don’t know how I’m supposed to get to my car.”

  “Paula, there’s a rescue vehicle coming. Or a police car. Can’t tell which. Okay, here it comes now. It’s police. People are getting out of the way, making room. There’s someone trying to flag them down.

  “They’re stopping in the middle of the intersection.” (Crowd noises. Shouts.) “They don’t know what to make of it either.” (Crowd noises lessen.) “I don’t think they want to listen. Oh, Paula, look. It’s happening to them too.”

  “This is Sherry Weinberg at City Hall. The mayor’s out of town, but a press conference has been scheduled and is already behind time. This place is chaotic. People running in every direction. We’re hearing that they’re going to evacuate the southern section of the city, from Niagara Falls Boulevard to the river. Meanwhile, people and cars are stopping dead on the streets. Nobody has an explanation for any of this, but we can hear sirens all over the city. We’re getting reports of similar conditions on the Canadian side. Wait a minute. There’s Matt Stockton, one of the mayor’s aides. Matt, can you tell us what’s going on out there?”

  “At the moment, Sherry, I don’t know any more than you do. We’l
l have an official reaction shortly. Excuse me. Have to go.”

  “Paula, I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve never covered anything remotely like this. People not moving. Invisible barriers that nobody can cross. Wait, there’s a door opening from the sanctum sanctorum, and, yes, I guess we’re about to get our statement.

  “The woman taking her place at the lectern is Susan Edward. She’s one of the mayor’s staff assistants—.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s hard to know what to say at this point. I won’t pretend we know what’s going on. I’m told the law of gravity isn’t working any longer on Rainbow Bridge. What I can say is that all our resources are being brought to bear. We’re sealing off the southwestern section of the city, from Main Street to the river on the south, and from the intersection of Main and Lockport across to the river on the north. So far, we haven’t received any reports that anyone’s been injured. I wish we could tell you what’s happening, but at the moment we’re just asking everybody to stay calm. We do not know whether the affected area may spread, so we are strongly advising evacuation of everyone as far east as Hyde Park Boulevard and south of route 182. We also suggest people stay off the river. When we have more information we’ll pass it along. I can assure you we are fully engaged. Hold on a second, Wally. Yes, federal help is already on the way. No, we don’t know how many people are caught in the affected area. It includes most of the major hotels on this side, and the Casino and some hotels on the Canadian side. The affected area appears to be about a mile and a half across. It’s centered near the river between Niagara Street and Buffalo Avenue.

  “As you know, the mayor’s in Los Angeles, but she’s getting ready to fly back now.

  “Sorry, Wally, I’m not sure I have any answers. To be honest, at the moment I don’t know any more than you do.

  “The liaison office will stay open and anything else we get will be made available as soon as we receive it. Thank you.” (Sounds of conversation, chairs scraping.)

  “Sherry, am I correct in assuming the area we’re talking about includes the Falls?”

  “Yes, it does, Paula. Both the American and Canadian sides. The water looks frozen in place.”

  “Okay, we’ve put up a map so everyone can follow this. It includes the entire river front along the Falls area, which is to say the tourist area. Is that Rainbow Bridge?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what’s the ship?”

  “The Maid of the Mist. It was headed downstream away from the Falls when the effect took hold. A few more minutes and she would have been clear.”

  “So we’ve got a ship in trouble too. It’s not moving either. And the water’s not moving.”

  “That seems to be the case, Paula.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “You’re asking the wrong person.”

  “What did Ms. Edward mean when she said gravity’s not working on Rainbow Bridge?”

  “Don’t know. Paula, I’ve been in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and the Gulf War—.”

  “—And—?”

  “I’ve never seen correspondents look so rattled.”

  “Hello, Paula. (Voice somewhat difficult to make out over the roar of blades and engines.) This is Mark Espy in the WKBW newscopter. We’re approaching the Falls from the south. From up here the river looks pretty swollen. The water’s piling up about a mile above Goat Island and they’re getting substantial flooding on both sides.”

  “Mark, we can’t see any kind of obstacle in the river.”

  “Neither can I. But it’s as if there’s a wall down there. Look at it. Charlie, how about we go a little lower? He’s shaking his head no at me, Paula. We’re a little concerned about this bubble they’re talking about. They’re saying it’s a mile and a half across, more or less. But there’s no indication yet how high it goes.”

  “Can you see Rainbow Bridge?”

  “It’s off to the north. We’re about two miles from it. Okay, we’re headed there now. The city below is filled with police units. And it looks as if they’ve called out the National Guard. They’re putting a cordon around this entire section of the city. A lot of people are clearing out. Down in the affected area, it’s like a ghost city. Look at it. Nothing moving anywhere. No cars. No people. And my God look at the Falls!”

  “They’re frozen. How cold is it there?”

  “Forty degrees or so last night.”

  “The river’s the same way. Inside the bubble it’s just not going anywhere.”

  “Yes. The water’s not moving. It looks like crystal from up here. You can see lots of people down there, some standing along the overlook, others on the approaches, but nobody along there is moving. Everything’s dead still.” (Long pause.) “Here’s something else past Rainbow Bridge. It looks as if the river drops off again. Only a few feet. But it’s there. Curved slightly, all the way across. But there’s never been anything like that before in this part of the river. It reminds me of that movie, The Ten Commandments, when Moses raises his staff and the waters roll back. Except this has only rolled back a little bit.”

  “Mark, might it be the edge of the bubble?”

  “I think so. It’s at the right spot. Something else, too: The river beyond the drop-off is flowing normally. You aren’t looking at a hard surface.”

  “Mark, it doesn’t look as if anybody’s moving on the bridge. There’s even a little boy with a balloon, and the balloon’s not even moving.”

  “No.”

  “What’s that just above the bridge?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s zoom in on it.”

  “It’s a bird.”

  “A gull, as a matter of fact. It’s maybe forty feet above the span. Wings spread in full flight.”

  “But it’s just hanging there.”

  “It doesn’t seem to be suspended from anything.”

  “The law of gravity isn’t working on the bridge.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Something they said at the briefing.”

  “Paula, the Robert Moses Power Plant on the Niagara has announced that water levels on the river have fallen so far that they’re going to have to reduce power. The Beck plant, on the Canadian side, is expected to follow suit. We all remember that this was where the great blackout of 1965 began. Meantime, the evacuation areas on both sides have been extended because of flooding fears. Professor Abraham Harding is a physicist at the University of Toronto. He joins us this afternoon from the university campus. Professor Harding, can you give us any idea at all what’s happening at Niagara Falls?”

  “Yes, Leon. I believe I can. I have to confess that I’ve no idea why it’s happening, or how long it’ll last, but it’s quite obvious what is going on. A bubble has formed, about a mile and a half in diameter. And it looks as if it’s at least three-quarters of a mile high, although I’d suggest that aircraft give it a wider berth. It seems to be centered in southwestern Niagara Falls, and it includes parts of the city, the Falls itself, Goat Island, and a slice of the Canadian side. Inside that bubble, I would say that time has stopped.”

  “Time has stopped? How do you mean? Could you explain that, Professor?”

  “I don’t know how else to say it, Leon. If you went inside the bubble, your watch would not work, your neurons would not fire, and you would cease to function.”

  “That hardly seems possible, Professor.”

  “Yesterday, at this time, I’d have agreed with you. But there’s no other explanation for what we’re seeing.”

  “None at all?”

  “Well, I suppose it’s possible that time has remained normal inside the bubble and accelerated out here where we are. (Laughs.) But, seriously, yes, that is unquestionably what has happened. It’s a time warp.”

  “That sounds like science fiction.”

  “It does indeed. I wish it were so.”

  “Professor, some of our viewers would argue that time doesn’t really exist, except as something humans invented and measure with clock
s. So how can it stop?”

  “Oh, time is quite real. Just as space is a great deal more than simply the distance between two objects. This morning, for whatever reason, within that bubble around the Falls, the flow of time shut down.”

  “Is the condition likely to spread?”

  “I have no way of knowing. We’re in uncharted territory here, Leon.”

  “Is there a way to counter this thing?”

  “I can’t imagine how you’d go about doing it.”

  “I assume there’s no way to know how long it’ll last?”

  “I’d like to think there’ll be a tendency to compensate, for conditions inside the bubble to realign themselves with the surrounding continuum. But as I say, at the moment it’s anyone’s guess.”

  “Would you be willing to hazard any sort of explanation how it could have happened?”

  “I can’t imagine, Leon. If I were a betting man, I’d say that we’ve just discovered that time, like light, like radiation of all kinds, is quantized.”

  “Explain, please.”

  “People talk a lot about time flowing, being like a river. But it might be that time moves in something like packets. Think of movie film with thousands of tiny images, each slightly different from the next. Then imagine that the projector jams. The movie gets stuck. Something like that seems to have happened here.”

  “All right. Let’s try another tack. The police are estimating there are upward of forty thousand people trapped inside the bubble on both the U.S. and Canadian sides. And the Maid of the Mist is stuck out there as well. If time’s not moving, then we can assume everyone’s safe, right?”

  “For the moment, they should be in the same condition they were in when the event began. When it ends, if it ends, they should be all right.”

  “That’s encouraging news for the families to hear, Professor. Thank you. We’ll ask you to hang on while we take a break. And then we’ll be back with this developing story.”