The professor looks at it, insulted.
KLEIN
What am I supposed to do with this?
CECIL
I want you to stop whatever you're
working on and run a complete analysis on
it at a secure terminal.
KLEIN
Is there something in particular that I
should be looking for?
CECIL
There are about two thousand data
fragments that have already been
identified with an anomaly scan. See if
you can make some sense of them.
Klein sighs loudly.
Cecil notices, but doesn't seem to care.
CECIL (CONT’D)
But what I'm really looking for at the
moment is anything that an anomaly scan
might've missed. There's a ten thousand
dollar bonus in it if you find something
new before noon today.
KLEIN
No problem.
CECIL
The sooner the better.
Klein nods. Exits.
A clock on the wall reads 9:05.
DISSOLVE TO:
The clock reads 11:15.
Cecil and Jeremy are running around the office lofting model spacecraft above their heads.
Klein enters.
Cecil and Jeremy quickly regain their composure and put down the models as if nothing was happening.
KLEIN
I'm still working on the data fragments
but you're going to love this.
Klein routes an image to the wall screen from his handheld computer.
KLEIN (CONT’D)
This is an atomic micrograph that I took
of the crystal.
A portion of the image is magnified in the lower corner of the screen. Tiny deviations are visible along the otherwise perfectly crystalline structure.
KLEIN (CONT’D)
Look closely at the magnified portion. Do
you see anything unusual?
Cecil and Jeremy examine the image.
JEREMY
I see some minor deviations. It almost
looks like a deliberate alteration.
CECIL
Those are just imperfections in the
crystalline structure.
KLEIN
Actually, the boy is correct.
Jeremy raises his arms in victory.
Cecil sticks his tongue out at him.
CECIL
What are you saying, Professor?
KLEIN
The deviations are far too precise to be
naturally occurring. The ones I've seen
so far are in groups of eight. I'm
guessing that it's binary code.
CECIL
Binary code? Are you saying that there's
information stored there?
KLEIN
There may be vast amounts of information
stored there. My initial estimate puts
the number of groupings at somewhere
between five and six trillion.
CECIL
How could that much information be hidden
from an anomaly scan?
KLEIN
Because an anomaly scan doesn't analyze
the crystal's physical structure.
CECIL
Of course.
KLEIN
It seems as if the crystal was actually
designed around the information it
contains. It's a pretty ingenious way to
hide information. I can't even begin to
imagine who could conceal data in such a
sophisticated way, or why they would want
to.
CECIL
Can you translate it?
KLEIN
If it's binary, it shouldn't be a
problem. It'll take the computer some
time to scan and document each deviation.
CECIL
Whatever it takes.
KLEIN
The technology to achieve this level of
information storage is far beyond
anything that I'm aware of. In fact, the
crystal itself is composed of an alloy
that I've never seen before. Where did it
come from?
CECIL
A competitor. Consider the translation of
this information your first priority.
When the scan is complete, I want
detailed copies of the results for both
Mr. Ash and myself.
Klein eyes Jeremy with disdain. Then forces a smile.
KLEIN
Understood.
CECIL
Good work, Professor. There's another ten
thousand dollar bonus in it if you
complete the scan by the end of the day.
Put as many men as you need on it.
KLEIN
I'll get started right away.
Klein exits.
CECIL
Looks like you got more than you
bargained for.
JEREMY
And you as well. This could be the
beginning of a stellar partnership.
CECIL
You want it all don't you, kid? It looks
to me like you're the one holding all the
cards.
JEREMY
How do you figure? One of your men has
possession of my crystal.
CECIL
Your crystal is secure. All that's left
is for you to trust me.
JEREMY
I trust you.
The clock reads 11:45.
DISSOLVE TO:
The clock reads 4:45.
Cecil and Professor Klein are waiting.
KLEIN
Is it really necessary to wait for-
The elevator door opens. Jeremy steps out.
JEREMY
What's up?
CECIL
The professor has finished his analysis.
He forgot to print you a copy of the
report. Sit over here, you can look at
mine.
Jeremy sits down next to Cecil.
Cecil looks at Klein with disappointment.
Klein eyes Jeremy with contempt.
KLEIN
Now that we're all here. I've completed
my analysis of the mystery crystal.
Klein activates the wall screen. Letters scroll down it. They are all grouped as A-T, T-A, C-G and G-C.
CECIL
Is that what I think it is?
JEREMY
Adenine, Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine.
DNA. The crystal contains genetic
information?
KLEIN
It appears to be the genetic code for an
organism.
CECIL
What kind of organism?
KLEIN
A section of data was encoded as a
grayscale image.
CECIL
Put it on screen.
The professor displays an image of an unfamiliar organism. It is football shaped. Wings of cilia extend from both sides. Its head looks like a tiny satellite dish. Its posterior contains a small orifice.
Several equations appear beside the image.
KLEIN
According to the data provided, this
microbe utilizes high energy radiation to
break down complex carbon and hydrogen
compounds. Molecular oxygen and water are
among the by-products created.
CECIL
Sounds a little like photosynthesis.
KLEIN
It's much more complicated than that.
According to these equations, the
organism a very robust extremophile, able
to survive temperatures of about three
hundred degrees Celsius, and withstand
pressures fifty times that of Earth's
atmosphere.
CECIL
Do those temperature and pressure
thresholds exist anywhere on Earth? Maybe
the bottom of the ocean, near a volcanic
vent?
KLEIN
It also needs high energy radiation.
JEREMY
How about Venus?
CECIL
I actually thought of that. But both the
temperature and atmospheric pressure on
Venus are nearly twice those limits. They
couldn't survive there either.
JEREMY
How about the upper atmosphere of Venus?