29th March
Morning sunlight streamed in through Duck’s bedroom window.
‘Is this job typical of what MI5 asks you to do?’ Duck said.
‘I don’t normally sleep with subjects that I’m assigned to,’ she replied, glancing at Duck who was lying beside her. ‘In fact, this is a first. Otherwise, it’s hard to generalise because the jobs are so different.’
‘Are you glad you got involved with them?’
She paused for a few moments to think about the question. ‘On balance, yes,’ she said. ‘It’s been fascinating. I’ve used my skills and developed my interests. I’ve been to places that I would never have otherwise been, and I’ve seen things that I would never have otherwise seen. I sometimes wish I’d found a long term partner along the way, though. … Who knows,’ she concluded, ‘maybe I wouldn’t have met anyone, even if I’d done an ordinary job.’
There was a long pause. Finally, Duck began to consider plans for the day. ‘How’s your work going on Sam’s documents?’ he asked.
‘A lot of the documents relate to ancient prophesies,’ Jenny replied. ‘There’s also a lot of astrological stuff – stars played a big part in attempts by ancient cultures to understand the world.’
‘Had Sam really discovered how to predict the future?’ asked Duck with a tone of irony.
‘Not in the sense that ARK understands prediction of the future,’ Jenny said, smiling. ‘But in the sky, as in people’s lives, what happened in the past is often a reasonable predictor of what will happen in the future. I’ve found four references in which Sam marked a specific section of text. They all relate to the appearance of a god in the sky. The first was about ten thousand years ago, and the others were six thousand, two thousand and one thousand years ago. I feel sure that those references are significant, but I can’t figure out why.
‘What are you doing today?’ asked Jenny, changing the subject.
‘I’ve done some tests on the plants in the cellar. They’re ready to move to the drying and curing area. Do you want to help?’
~*~*~*~*~
Duck and Jenny walked along the concrete tunnel that led the two hundred metres from the old stables to a large metal door.
When they reached the door, Duck punched some numbers into a keypad. A lock mechanism clicked, and he pulled open the door.
Jenny shaded her eyes from the glare of the lights. ‘Bright,’ she said.
‘They’re computer controlled,’ Duck explained. ‘They’re on for around twenty hours and then off for four. The temperature and humidity down here are also closely controlled.’
They stepped into a room that was about thirty metres long and ten metres wide. It contained rows of cannabis plants that were suspended in tanks of liquid.
On the floor, in the nearest corner of the room, was an irregular lump of material that was about the size of large suitcase.
‘Is that the meteorite?’ asked Jenny.
‘It is,’ confirmed Duck. ‘All the way from outer space to here.’
Jenny suddenly gasped.
‘Are you OK?’ said Duck.
‘It’s so obvious,’ said Jenny. ‘I think Sam believed he’d located a recurrent asteroid.’