Readings from all of the devices came in daily, sometimes hourly, depending on the route El Blanco used. Lewis jotted the data into different excel sheets to graph and chart to see any changes.
"The albino graboid is twenty-three feet in length, with a radius of eight feet for its widest area, and unlike a cigar shape, it is more of ovate elliptic like a sweet potato. Weighing in at eighteen tons. No clues as of yet to see if graboids drink from underground rivers or tap into wells, let alone the possibility of osmosis through its hide," Lewis was speaking out loud to himself to help him think but also using a recorder that types up the words he speaks. "It is a curious creature. I had to readjust some of my devices because it moved them. New goals will be to continually test the intelligence of a graboid. Reread over my notes, as El Blanco does remember and can differentiate what harms it. Also, Mr. Gummer has been swallowed by a graboid and yet no government scientist has asked for his blood sample or any sample for that matter. Will be following up with him to get all the samples as well as test his cognitive functions and to see if there was any effect from being swallowed whole. Interesting of sorts."
He moved some papers to see where his next train of thought would lead. "Ah yes, that's right. I have the sounds from El Blanco where it has been communicating with something in the Proudfoot labs. It has been sent to a specialist for a thorough thesis and educated findings. El Blanco communicates routinely. My thesis from the collection of sounds, is that El Blanco is asking the same question and the mysterious being is repeating the same answer. Not much changes in rhythms or noises from either of them. That helps us out on pinpointing what it could be communicating. Another hypothesis, El Blanco is asking it if it's free. Since this being is in the abandoned Proudfoot labs, it may not be able to escape. Notes on the being are vague as scientist there is just speculating and has not ruled out anything. Similar situation I am in. Can't rule out when there's no evidence." He continued working on his research.
As Rose predicted, the scammers came rolling in. Jodi was getting solicited calls about teaming up with them for different business ideas. She was getting annoyed each time she picked up the phone. The junk mail became a pile. Larry was receiving messages on his blogs about similar business schemes. Jodi and him teamed up by creating posts and signs that said all business propositions must be in letter form with details ready to be signed by lawyers and both parties. It helped keep some of the bottom feeders away. There were still loan sharks but they refused them upfront.
While the town was becoming popular than usual, in a mine by Fish Spring, Utah, a single worker was inspecting a rock wall when he discovered something peculiar. He tapped on the wall in some areas, only for it to crumble. He froze, thinking that it would destroy the whole area. Nothing happened. He tapped again. It sounded hollow behind it. His hand pushed on the wall, it crumbled away to show a cavern. He moved his flashlight inside. It was similar soil and rock type inside the cavern. He let out a whistle. It echoed back to him. He pushed more of the rock away causing him to slip a little. The light in his hand jarred, showing round oblong objects.
He steadied himself to cast the flashlight upon them again, it looked like ostrich eggs. He got on the radio to inform management. "You're gonna want to come see this. Also bring our geologist too. I think its something that might need to be in a museum. Looks like eggs of some sort."
The worker was now with a supervisor, one of the owners of the mine, and the geologist. They were looking around the cavern. They counted thirty-four eggs in total. As they were trying to figure out what dinosaur could have laid them, a sleek black helicopter had touched down with three people entering the mine. It didn't take them very long to reach the cavern. The group noticed lights on them.
"Gentlemen, this mine is now under my authority," a woman in her early forties wearing a name brand suit spoke. Her voice echoing back. The two men had weapons with flashlights attached to them. "Move." The group nodded while raising their hands. They had no idea who this woman was but with guns pointed at them, they weren't going to try anything funny.
The woman headed to the first four eggs. It was a long oblong egg with a spiral mark. This was an Assblaster's egg. Her eyes widened in excitement. These were all Assblaster eggs. She let out a maniacal laugh. "Call in the team. We hit the motherload boys." One of the men nodded.
The mine was no longer running with the same workers it originally had, the woman had brought in a team of scientists, geologists, archeologists, and manpower to make sure things were handled smoothly. Black mobile houses were brought which were filled with science equipment.
It took a week for the team to reach a verdict that it was dating back to 250 years old. Each batch of eggs were still together in the rock formation. The team was using cotton swabs and brushes to remove dust and debris carefully.
The woman was in the next room on the phone. "Brother, how is your end holding up?" She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the sound of that. "Well, having a full town of people is a lot to handle. Why don't you let me test things out here? We have more than enough to spare, not all of it is going on the black market. Since the removal of the eggs, I have sent the mine workers back in to see if they can find more hidden taverns. The channels are still open for any other surprises that head our way. Get your side ready to excavate the lab, I'll let get the distractions ready over here. Plus, we'll be leading the way in information of these funny little creatures."
She came back into the lab area where the scientists were working. The group stopped what they were doing and gave her their full attention. "Since you dated how old they are, we're on to the next phase. Bring me designs of sound structures that could hold live graboids, shriekers, and assblasters. Once these designs are approved, they will be made, and then you get to be the lucky ones who get one batch of eggs," she glanced at each scientist. "All of you, one batch." She pointed to all of them then to one batch of eggs. "You get to figure out how to hatch them." Some of their mouths dropped in shock. "We'll house them, watch them grow, learn all we can about them. Even get them through a life cycle. Isn't that interesting? But first, designs, NOW!"
The group nodded to her. They moved away from the eggs as carefully as possible before scurrying back to their desks to start on the designs. This could be a breakthrough, figuring out how the eggs hatch. Figuring out how much time it takes for one to grow exactly. How much food they need to consume before turning into shriekers? What causes them to turn into shriekers? If its just time or food or a combination of the two. So on and so forth.
As that trouble was brewing in Utah, back near Perfection, Jack and Melvin's plan together had taken reality. The rest of the town didn't know it, as it didn't exactly encroach on them. If anyone was going to notice first, it would be either Jodi or Tyler as it affected them the most as tourists were still coming from the fashion editorial magazine.
The Market now had a wall dedicated to famous people who came to Perfection. There was a signed poster of the editorial shot of the magazine hanging in the center. Signed pictures of Val, Earl, and Burt. Nancy's estranged husband even left one of him there too. People now were taking pictures of themselves with those posters as well.
Tyler unveiled his name change and logo design for his tours. He held a small ceremony with a small group of tourists. Larry and Jodi held a red ribbon while Tyler cut it with gold scissors. The shop was painted with the new mural of the bulldozer and trailer. Larry only did the vehicle and trailer since it was more of a backdrop and not a detail type of art. The touring Jeep was repainted from the orange with plain writing to a tan with painted details to make it look like graboid skin on the side. The writing was in black and red with the new name, Graboid Guided Tours. The seats were reupholstered with a suede dark grey material that looked reptilian.
"'Welcome to Graboid Guided Tours, where you can expect everything graboid and graboid related. We will take you on tours pertaining to the first graboid encounters, stopping through every landmark and talk you through the history while keeping you safely seated above ground; first Assblaster encounter, recounting how graboids took over Perfection and quickly changed through two life cycles to wreak havoc on the town,'" a tourist waiting for their turn was reading the newest brochure. "Oh look, these dates they will have tours based on certain holidays. We need to come back to take these tours and see what's going on in the town. I like this tidbit right here. 'There is no guarantee that the endangered graboid will visit but these landmarks and this town of Perfection has been graced with graboids. You are walking and seeing where graboids have roamed recently.' That's so neat. We are really walking with an ancient being. Feels like we're close to God. I wonder what God was thinking when he created something like that."
Burt rolled his eyes. He had to continue to bite his tongue since the influx of tourists. It was going to get worst he thought as the town entrepreneurs haven't let up on their ideas.
There was a celebration dinner just for the town people and its local inhabitants for Tyler's new tour christening. It brought out all the townspeople. The scientists took a raincheck as they were all busy in their work. Larry was serving new tour inspired dishes and drinks he had come up with. The restaurant was decorated in graboid theme party streamers. It was another new idea. Burt let out a sigh. New idea after new idea. With the help of Grady, it was a quick idea, quick copyrighted, and quick shareholding between them. Anything to get their town back the ownership of things it should actually have.
Cota Orlav has agreed to let them sell some of her merchandise in Chang's Market and Monster World. She was also in the midst of creating a small line for graboids. Rosalita and Jodi decided to take the fashion world side further by creating makeup with the help from Nancy, they even started making skin care too. The ingredients had to be natural, sustainable, and a reasonable price. It helped that they had lots of cactus and aloe vera plants. Grady topped them with jewelry line and saying there needs to be a men's skin care line.
Burt was getting annoyed anytime he would go into the Market as it was no longer peaceful but a buzz with talk on getting this place back. He wanted this town to stay quiet, to stay endangered, and to stay dangerous. Less people, less problems. However, with the influx, Twitchell was coming in almost every day with new signs, new instructions, and new annoyances. There were times the two were in a bickering match over little technicalities.
It wasn't until mid-August when a strange rumor was going around from some of the tourists, especially those staying in Bixby. Burt didn't like it one bit. He knew there was something that was going to go wrong. It was becoming too quiet and eerie with the looming threat of a causality. He preferred small ones in intervals. Going this long without a causality made him angsty.
The rumor, was that some of the hikers had spotted a pair of red glowing eyes when the moon is bright. Some say its Bigfoot while others think it's a creature of some sort. Burt just hopes its not a creature from the lab. However, those that have supposedly have seen it, says the thing disappears or hides from them. So far, no one has been hurt, as of yet. Paranoia was getting the better of him. Burt made a map of the hikers that had been and where the supposed spotting was. He was going to keep tabs on this case to keep his mind off the influx of tourists. It was getting worse since the next holiday for them was Assblaster Day on October 11th.