Monday, March 06, 2006 Touched by Fire
By Bonnie S. Calhoun at 12:12 AM Friday, March 03, 2006 CHAPTER ONE


12 April

The Earth appeared to have developed a heartbeat.

Montana Sinclair released the half-wound spool of seismic tape. It clattered back to the floor, spewing a trail of stark white ribbon paper in its wake. The seismic pen drew a straight line down the tape for about fifteen seconds. Then it jumped in a high spike. That pattern repeated as far as she could see down the length of unrolled paper.

Her eyes darted across the workspace. Multicolored folders and bulging files lay in haphazard stacks piled a foot high on every conceivable work surface. She reached behind the pile closest to her, grabbed the cable and connected the interface, linking her laptop to the seismograph computer. With rapid keystrokes, she coupled the system data to the diagnostic software she created. She blinked, and then stared at the screen.

"Huh? That's my...this is impossible!"

Montana typed several com¬mands for verification. "How can this signal be coming from the moon?"

Her arms prickled with excitement as she popped a CD in the lab computer to burn a data copy. The finely honed instincts she developed over the last ten years had felt as though they were dissolving like wet cotton candy. Now...a grin spread across her lips.

"I've got you, McKay!" By Bonnie S. Calhoun at 1:51 PM