Genetic Drift Read Online Free Page A

should have done this earlier,” Mac said, upset with his decision to wait.  Barron had never seen Mac this worried.  Normally, Mac was as calm as a glassy sea.  Even after the Attack, Mac was the standard-bearer with everyone.  He kept a level head and saved many people.  
    “Can we give her a name?  I’m tired of using pronouns all of the time.  Can we call her something else other than she, her, it, that woman, that girl?”  Barron asked as he helped moved the stiff body onto the cart.  
    Mac, lightening his mood, said, “Sure, what do you have in mind?” as he lifted on his side.
    “We’ll call her Tulip then.” Barron always liked the names of flowers.  He gently placed Tulip’s rigor mortis-like body on the cart.
    Mac looked at him, rolling his eyes, “Really, all of the names in the world and you pick Tulip… great job.” Mac gave Barron a thumbs up.  “Let’s get Tulip into the X-ray and try to find out what’s going on,” Mac changed his tone to serious as Barron pushed the back of the cart.  Mac turned on the light in the X-ray room and steered Tulip into position.

DAY ONE
    INITIAL EXTRATERRESTRIAL CONTACT
    WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
     
    The chilling air blew from the vents and trickled down his neck.  Staff Sergeant Collins huddled in his coat as he stood his watch in the Command Suite.  Tired and cold, his eight-hour watch would be ending any moment.  He stared at his screen as the final minutes were coming to a close.  Two years of his life, he stared at the screen.  Nothing ever displayed, not even a blip.  The whole system was a product of witchcraft, wizardry, and apocalyptic doomsday believers.  A system to locate incoming alien spacecraft.  But then it happened, after two years, days after days of eight-hour blocks of nothing, it happened.  One blip.
    “General, our orbital satellites have picked up something 200,000 miles vectoring in between the Moon and the Earth’s surface,” he called out. 
    General Hawkins looked down at the watch floor.  Four rows of watches monitored the elements of defense throughout the entire United States.  One man, Staff Sergeant Collins, sat with his face staring at his screen, waving his arm as if he had an answer to a teacher’s question. 
    “What’s the composition?” the General asked.
    “Composition One, Sir,” Collins stated as he maintained focus on his screen. 
    General Hawkins looked up toward the Main Display.  Normally, it projected the defense of the United States or hot areas of operation.  The display hadn’t shown the orbital system since it was installed and tested.  He hoped that after all these years, it would still work.
    “Put it on the Main Display.  Train the OOS toward the contact.  It’s probably a NEAR object but we will make sure,” the General said.
    The Orbital Optic Sensor came online and displayed on the Main Screen. 
    “Sir, that isn’t an asteroid.” 
    “Of course it’s not.  I can see it too,” General Hawkins said as he shook his head.  A spacecraft was definitely on the display. 
    “Sir, I think I can make out the silhouette… got it!  The estimated length from OOS is 1,000 miles,” Staff Sergeant Collins said.
    “Get me SECDEF… and the President,” the General commanded, and he walked to his office.
    General Hawkins thought back to five years earlier.  A group of SETI enthusiasts were determined to keep the Allen Telescope Array in California running.  In their determination, they made breaking news by receiving an old image of the Earth from space.  The image was tethered with the reply “Congratulations,” like a contestant on a game show.  They continued to receive the message for months until the transmission suddenly stopped.  The receipt of the transmission was all that was needed for proof of alien-life.  There were the skeptics but they did not prevail in defunding the planetary defense system since there was now proof that Earth was no