Far away from the soft sands of Diamond Harbor, a storm was building. Gary Macintosh could not see the clouds or hear the thunder, but he could feel the change in his bones. From his desk chair, Gary attempted to repress his latest migraine. The past several hours had worn him down. His heavyset frame was not meant for running from one end of the lab to the other. He didn't even know what all the commotion was about, just that some officials had brought in a piece of some significance. Gary knew he should be excited at the prospect of new alien technology, but he was just tired. He looked down and was dismayed at the sight of sweat marks on his shirt. Hastily, he attempted to button his lab coat to hide the dark stains. The action required far too much effort, and Gary gave up after just two buttons. From down the hall, he could hear the patter of footsteps on tile. Pushing his glasses up, Gary tried to make himself slightly more presentable.
Agent Costello was getting far too old to be babysitting scientists. He grumbled to himself the entire way across the facility. It was bad enough that he had to keep an eye on Agent Sharp. That blond twerp was far too hotheaded for Costello's liking. Despite being partners, it was clear to Costello that he and Sharp were not equals. Sharp was untrained and undisciplined, two of the greatest sins in Costello's eyes. That being said, Costello did admire Sharp's grit. The boy never shied away from a task, a respectable trait. If anything, it should've been Sharp in his shoes right now. Costello couldn't argue with the boss, though. If he thought Costello should be the one to fetch some pasty kid from R&D, then Costello would do it. That didn't mean he had to like it.
Upon arriving at the pencil pusher's desk, Costello's lip curled in disgust. The boy that sat in front of him was a disgrace. His clothes and hair were unkept, his gaze distracted. Costello shook his head. "Get up. You're coming with me." The kid looked up at him with questioning eyes.
"Where are we going? What did they bring in?" Costello gritted his teeth. The scientist's tone was nervous and whiney. Costello bit back the venom about to seep back into his next words.
"Not your concern, boy. Now shut up and follow me." To Costello's relief, his commands were followed to the letter. The two began to make their way back towards main processing, where the flying saucer Costello and Sharp had recovered sat.
Gary was far too tired to be very upset. Nonetheless, he was still hurt by the agent's words. Gary was 35, hardly a boy. What had hurt more than words was the agent's clear disdain for Gary. He had made no attempt to hide the disgusted expression on his face. Gary was used to the expression, as he saw it in the faces of higherups all the time. People looked down on Gary, he knew that much. Gary loathed the air of superiority people like this agent put on. He never loathed the people, though. After all, Gary knew that he was a person with value. Likewise, these people who looked down on him had value too. Even if they didn't see Gary as valuable, he always saw them as real people. The agent here probably had hobbies or interests. He wasn't simply a suit, he was a man. Gary tried to respect that man, even if it was hard in the moment.
Agent Costello savored the silence present during his escort of the scientist. Without looking, he could tell that he had scared the boy. It was better for the agent that way. Costello absolutely hated small talk. He saw no purpose in it. Speech was a tool, conversations should be purposeful and concise. On top of that, Costello doubted the sweaty child had much of value to say. Stopping just shy of the salvage bay, Costello turned towards his silent companion. "The boss is waiting through those doors. Be polite. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't do anything stupid." Costello glared at Gary until he received a nervous nod. With that, the two stepped through the doors into a large, open room. A dozen men in jumpsuits milled about in the hangar space, darting from place to place. Standing just ahead were two still figures, Sharp and a man dressed rather plainly in a flannel and jeans. He was imposing, standing a head taller than anyone else in the room. A rough beard sprouted from the man's face, curly and dark. Altogether, he was quite rugged looking and completely out of place. Gary didn't notice. He was too busy staring at what was behind the two men; a flying saucer.
The bearded man stepped towards the new arrivals and extended a hand towards Gary. The scientist almost didn't notice. Agent Costello was surprised the kid wasn't drooling. Absentmindedly, Gary shook the hand. The bearded man's shake was more than firm, it was painful. Gary tried and failed to repress his pained expression. The man chuckled, amused by the attempt. Turning towards the spaceship, he spoke. "Quite a thing of beauty, isn't it? Our boys in black here just brought it in. You're dismissed, by the way." Costello frowned at the offhand dismissal, but followed Sharp out of the hanger. "Of all the alien technology our group has located over the years, this is by far the most impressive. A nearly intact spacecraft plucked from the ocean. Humanity's future could be inside that metal shell. Or, perhaps its past. Tell me, Gary, do you know who I am?" Gary shook his head hesitantly, only sure of the fact that this strange man must be very important. "Come on, Gary. Surely you have some inkling, some little hypothesis. Isn't that what you science types are supposed to be good at?" Gary answered honestly.
"I don't know, sir. I imagine you're probably in charge, but I've certainly never seen you before." For some reason, this made the bearded man laugh. Wrapping a burly arm around Gary, the man began to guide the scientist towards the ship.
"I am likely the highest authority you'll ever meet. I run this place, Gary. Just call me Boss, got it?" Gary nodded, confused by the whole situation. A muscled squeeze from Boss kept Gary from asking any follow-up questions. "I'm sure you have things you want to ask me. Don't. Just listen to me. I picked you over every other scientist in this facility. That includes your superiors. Do you know why, Gary?" Gary wasn't given a chance to respond. "I need a personal touch for this project. I need someone delicate. I mean that in the best possible way, Gary. I think you'll come to understand my reasoning in time." Rather than entering the ship, as Gary had expected, Boss brought him over to a metal table nearby. Gary sat down in an uncomfortable gray chair. Boss remained standing, motioning towards a lean man wearing a jumpsuit. Without a word, the man brought over a heavy white box and set it on the table. Gary stared at it, then looked to Boss for guidance. Boss jutted his chin towards the box. "Take a look inside."
Cautiously, Gary lifted the lid of the box and set it aside. The items within twinkled in the harsh light of the hanger. In the box sat chipped pieces of gemstones. Quite a few were clearly smashed or shattered, smaller fragments of a greater whole. The colors of the stones varied wildly, from red to green to blue. A particularly large gem of dark maroon looked to be more together than the rest, exhibiting only a few chips and a small crack. Of all the glittering treasures within, one grabbed Gary's attention entirely. Although he couldn't quite explain it, Gary was drawn to rounded red stone in the corner of the box. It was small and smooth, different from the rest. A large sliver was missing, but Gary was easily able to locate it in the box. Setting the stray piece next to its better half, Gary sat back in his chair. "What are these, Boss?" Rubbing his beard, Boss smiled down at the curious scientist.
"That, Gary, is exactly what I want you to tell me."