Outcasts

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In his spotless, white government research facility gray-haired Geophysicist Geoffrey Blume stood in front of a bank of computer screens scanning the streaming data. His lined, geriatric face was a mask of concentration as he observed the gigs of data that unmanned eyes were downloading into the computer system. Unlike traditional scientists he eschewed a white lab coat and wore and dark sweater under an FBI windbreaker. He was a legend in the agency for his work in the field as well as the lab. None of the agents knew his age, but most assumed he was in his seventies. He carried himself with the stance of a man in his fifties.

Two FBI special agents in black suits in their late twenties stood next to the scientist looking out of place in the spotless, high-tech research center. The federal agents were a well know pair in the intelligence industry and they were used for delicate undercover assignments. The nondescript male had short brown hair, while the blond female agent was stunning. She could easily have been a model. Her blonde hair touched her shoulders and looked silver and ethereal in the florescent lighting.  "What are we looking for?" Keeping his upper body still, agent Paul Heller shifted his feet.

Agent Cheryl Bronson, a few inches taller than him, leaned over his shoulder. Her ice blue eyes picked up the numerical pattern he hadn't seen. She had one of the highest IQ's in the industry, one of the reasons she was single and didn't date. Her shoulder length blond hair brushed his shoulder and he inwardly shuddered. Despite her super model appearance, he found she had a frosty analytical demeanor. The other agents referred to them as The Ice Princess and the Hellion.

"Right there," Geoffrey Blum said. He pointed to an innocuous looking stream of numbers.

There was nothing there that looked abnormal to Heller. "I don't see it." He grimaced.

The streaming data reflected in Blume's glasses as he explained the phenomenon. "Let me explain." He had a calm lecturing demeanor which Heller appreciated. The esteemed scientist could easily have made a fool out of him. "For a self-sustaining magnetic field to materialize on a planet, rotation is necessary." The geophysicist's pale blue eyes remained fixed on the computer screen. "The liquid iron swirls in a corkscrew pattern, just like you see storm systems on weather satellites. This data shows a break in the helic pattern. Something's slowing the earth's inner core enough to disrupt the magnetic field."

Bronson nodded. "Yes, the government knows there's an anomaly affecting the earth's magnetic field. We've been assigned to investigate the area surrounding the disturbance in New England. Thank you for bringing us up to speed."

"I hope your superiors understand time is of the essence." Blume answered. "The primary geomagnetic field has lessened by nearly ten percent since December. That's twenty times faster than the field would decline naturally were it to lose its power source. We have to determine if this is just a fluctuation in the Earth's magnetic field, or if it's another reversal." He looked at Blum with a critical eye. "I'm glad they chose you for this assignment. You were one of my best students. You should have finished your degree in geophysics, Cheryl."

"Not all scientists are open to women in their field as you are, Geoffrey. That's why I opted to swirl in the Bureau's paranormal unit.

"But this, anamoly," Blume continued as he tilted his head a fraction," is abnormal. We believe that it's alien in origin, or it might have been recovered from and alien ship and brought back to earth. We're not sure how long it's been embedded in the ground or where it came from. All we know is that it's now active."

Uneasy, Heller frowned and tilted his head to one side. "What will happen if the liquid core stops swirling?"

Blume frowned. "The magnetic field protects our planet from solar wind. Without it, charged particles would strip away the ozone layer that protects the Earth from cosmic  radiation. The planet would be defenseless from untraviolet radiation." He was detached from his analysis as if none if this concerned him.