Planet Fall

“Somebody do something about these ants, I thought this was a hermetically sealed bunker ?” the woman said, brushing away the insects that  gathered around the coffee rings on the desk.

“They get everywhere Madam President. Apparently ants have more effect on the entire globes’ ecosystems that any other organism, even ours’. I heard one theory that an alien intelligence would view them as the dominant lifeform on earth,“  the servant said, placing the coffee on the table. “I’ll see if we have any insecticide.”
“Thank you Abby, that will be all for now."

Alien intelligence? Yes indeed. President Helen Clayton took a deep breath, as the enormity of what she had to impart to her fellow Americans and the world beyond hung over her, leaden and crushing. She had been in touch with the heads of state of her allies and the Presidents of Russia and China. Ever since the standoff at the Spratly Islands there had been a return to a cold war that threatened to burst into open conflict at any moment. She had grown used to the constant bellicose rhetoric from the now aged President Putin (dictator of Russia in all but name) with regard to the Ukraine and the usual national assertiveness from President Jinping of China, forever pushing against their geographical neighbours. Such nationalistic attitudes seemed of little import now, although the two carrier fleets were still positioned within striking distance of the South China Sea. Despite the decision of issuing joint communiques there was every chance that a hothead in the PLA would use the coming chaos and distraction for personal and nationalistic gain. On the walls plasma screens showed live feeds of the panic beginning to grip humanity.

The President looked up from her carefully worded script, sipped her coffee and looked over her half-moon reading glasses.  She had the greatest speech writers at her disposal; the most expert specialists in cognitive linguistics and Psychoanalysis, yet none could cushion the impact of what her chief scientific advisors were telling her.

She turned to her Security Advisor, Donald Robertson and the NASA liaison officer Dr Davina Newman. “It shows no sign of altering course or of replying to our communications?”

Dr Newman shook her head, “Mrs President, the signal from Comet 67P remains the same. Our colleagues at ESA are constantly monitoring for any change with the Rosetta probe and there has been no change in the singing comet’s song, or a change in direction since it put itself on a collision course with Earth.”
“Has this ‘song’ been translated as yet?”

“Negative Madam President,” the Security Advisor said grimly, “Despite running it through numerous binary algorithms, as yet it has not yielded to translation.”

“Yet it’s transmitting to earth?”

“Indeed Madam President,”  Dr Newman chided in,” We picked up the signal from behind  background Neutron Star bursts back in 1985. They were growing in intensity and very soon were found to be adopting an unknown mathematical pattern. Fortunately this was back in the 80’s prior to the explosion of the internet. With use of HAARP we were able to mask it to the great degree; not before the Soviets had detected it. Fortunately the USSR was in its death throes at the time however hardline Communists passed on the information to China…” Dr Newman looked at the Security Advisor, unsure about continuing.

The President drummed her fingers. “Well? It’s a little late in the day for secrets now don’t you think?” She glared at the Security Advisor. “You were in the CIA, Mr Robertson, what do you know?”

He sighed. “Indeed it is Madam President. When the signals were first detected we were in the midst of the Cold War. Your predecessor Ronald Reagan had initiated the Star Wars policy by way of looking into the possibilities of guarding against extra-terrestrial threats under the guise of global security. This policy continued under Bush Senior but the costs were spiralling. The Clinton administration toyed with making it public and introducing the idea into popular culture with shows like the X Files etc,  especially as  the signal was getting stronger and beginning to overpower the HAARP blockade. Under Bush Junior more investment was thrown at the HAARP technology, strengthening it by use of adding Aluminium and Barium into the atmosphere by the use of the so called Chem Trails. We covered our tracks by first denying this was happening and then, in deep code encryption, stating that this was to counter global warming. This was later revealed through WikiLeaks to the Conspiracy theorists and thereby doing our job for us. However…”

“Yes?”

“This had the effect,” Dr Newman said helping her colleague, “Of creating a residual hum and also these trumpets of the apocalypse – much loved by internet conspiracy theorists.  Not to mention causing health issue in soils and water supplies across population centres. ”

“So,” the President said, “Far from reducing panic it created panic of its own?”

“This coincided with Iraq and the worsening Middle East situation. We were able to blame this toxification of soils and aquifers on Fracking which became popular as if freed our energy policy from that area. Meanwhile our European allies had launched the Rosetta probe in 2004 so we could get a measure of this Comet; our own space resources were tied up in building a defense grid coordinated with ISS.”

“Talking of conspiracy theorists what about this explosion of crop circles, are we behind that as well?”

Robertson and Newman looked at each other. “No Madam President,” Dr Newman answered, “ That isn’t us. That is way out conspiracy tin-foil hattery. They are made by pranksters.”

“But they globally all have the same fractal design, even those in the canopies of forests”

“Just dark web paranoia and mischief Madam President; CGI creations, nothing more.”

“I’m glad to hear it. So why can’t we activate the defence grid?  Mr Robertson?”

“It’s not ready is the simple answer,” Robertson answered, brushing an ant off his trousers. “The comet wasn’t due to intersect with the Earth’s until 2018, however…”

“It changed course when Rosetta launched its Philae lander, “Dr Newman answered. The pictures it collected were extraordinary; it soon became clear it was no comet, but an alien construct built to mimic one. There were structures hidden among the rock and ice. “

“A mimic?”

“Yes, like insects and arachnids do on earth: caterpillars evolved to look like snakes, spiders like ants, drone lies like bees, that sort of thing.”

“Why does no-one know this?”

“The ESA cut the live feed. The story was that the probe had gone into hibernation as Philae was in a canyon out of the sunlight to power its solar cells.”

“So here we are. An alien spacecraft is about to crash into the earth. Its impact will cause a global massive extinction event.”

“It is due to make planet fall  anywhere along the Tropic of Cancer, “ Robertson answered, “To counter any unrest, after you make your announcement we have instigated Operation Jade Helm; this exercise will rapidly be converted to impose martial law in the southern states in the target area if required.”

“Ok, all is in place. I had better make my announcem…”

“Madam President!”

“Yes Abby, what is it?”

“This has just arrived,“  the servant said handing the President a printed email.

President Clayton read the email, her already pale features drained even more so of blood. “My god…” she said handing the email to Dr Newman.

“What does it say?” Robertson demanded.

“It’s a report on the transmissions from 67P,” Dr Newman answered, “They were run through a fractal program and they gave a formic based pheromone message. The Fractals matched the crop circles.”

“What was the message?”

“One word; eradication!”

“Formic? Isnt that…?
On the walls the plasma screens flashed and flickered as they all began to show the same image overpowering all other transmissions. It was a face, insectoid, ant-like.