Sepia Blue
That night, Tomas and his assistant went through the drone images. They had both sent drones out, throughout the day, towards Willow Shore. The images were seemingly normal: fields and the winding road.
Tomas was half-paying attention when a blue flash caught his eye. He was instantly alert and focused on the closest screen. His assistant was startled and looked wide-eyed to see what Tomas had seen.
He rewound the feed and saw it, his eyes going wide. Blue sparkling cloth fluttered by the drone lens. It was distinct, and had an odd sheen to it like it was specially made and unique. It fluttered over the picture like a flag signaling the start to something ominous.
For the briefest of moments it seemed stuck to the drone, as if it were an integral part of the mechanics and losing it would cause an unforeseen danger.
The assistant frowned and checked the feed and altitude readings. All checked out normal. There had been no diviation, the drone had not lowered from its high altitude throughout its tripl
"What was that? Did the drone snag something gliding on the wind?"
Tomas slowly shook his head, but he couldn't speak. He continued to watch, and his mouth went dry when both images seemed to take on blue filtering. His assistant moved first, rewinding both images at once.
"What the hell is going on!?" She watched the screens again and again. The image turned an odd sepia-blue. It was like it was an old movie reel with a distinct, heavy blue tinge.
The assistant went to work trying to make sense of things while Tomas sat back in his seat, dread filling his stomach like sour milk.
"Two miles out and the lens gets an odd filter to it, but it is a filter I have never seen before." She looked back to Tomas. "Do you have unique apps on your equipment I don't know about, Mr. Vega?"
Tomas chuckled; it was an odd, forced, harsh sound. "Doris, we have worked together before. You know my equipment." He sat forward, advancing the video past these first two incidents. "Stop trying to make sense out of things that we do not want to understand."
The assistant frowned at his words and watched the footage advance. The sepia-blue filter persisted, and then they both shot forward as one when they saw it. Like moving would give them a better angle of the image.
The drone itself did have a wider, arching view, and Tomas tried to widen it, to possibly increase their view. He rewound and they watched, both unintentionally holding their breath.
The blue fluttered across the screen, clearly fabric, again. Then the wall and the sepia-blue filter, followed by what elicited all of this. They looked to each other as one, their mouths slightly ajar.
Doris swallowed audibly. "Do you know what's going on? I mean… we are going there tomorrow, right?"
Tomas stood abruptly. "Not if I can help it."
Tara was extremely annoyed. She had a strict beauty regime and two nights in a row it had been interrupted.
"Tomas, what are we supposed to be look at?" Her annoyance was plain, and Tomas rolled his eyes.
"Calm down, drama queen. Did you not see that blue flutter? No, look, the color has changed completely, but wait, keep your eye on the wall."
The others squinted and leaned in a bit, focusing intently on the screen.
All except Selene. The blue fabric across the screen was enough for her; she looked away, not wanting to see more.
The wall came into focus and then it happened. A mass of electric blue with shimmering light flowing through it pulsed like a heartbeat just below the level of the wall.
Marcus frowned and looked to Dr. Chen. "A phenomenon like this suggests an active gas pocket, Ray. Perhaps a low-grade methane bleed, or some localized geothermal activity creating a will-o'-the-wisp effect?"
Dr. Chen looked to Selene and shook his head. "Not like any I have seen before, Marcus. The spectrum is too clean, too far toward the ultraviolet, for a simple methane burn. It lacks the typical luminescence decay curve we'd expect. Still…"
Tara pursed her lips. "Still what?"
Selene spoke without looking around. "Too many other factors are needed for gas to visually manifest, and none of those factors are present here in Jackson Briar County. You would need specific atmospheric humidity and a stable heat source to sustain that kind of plasma. There is no plasma."
Dr. Chen shrugged when Marcus and Tara looked to him for confirmation. "She's right." He turned back to the screen, frozen on the blue gas just below the wall around Willow Shore. "We checked the conditions for the area for the past 100 years. Nothing has occurred to give this type of reaction."
Tara scoffed. "He uses a filter, and snags a piece of fabric on his drone, and he claims contamination."
Tomas had opened his mouth to refute, but Selene beat him to it. Her shout was frantic and a bit mad, and it startled all of them.
"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP, YOU IGNORANT SHREW! Can't you see that something far beyond us is happening here!"
Her body trembled as all the pent-up frustration rushed out of her. Tara's widened eyes slowly narrowed, and she smirked.
"Calm down, fragile little Selene. Don't think Dan has not already informed me that you are trying to sabotage this venture."
Selene huffed in frustration, her arms flying in the air to land hard on her legs.
Tara scoffed again and smiled. "I am going back to bed. I suggest you all do the same. The Morrison family's caretaker will be here early with the key, and we will drive there on time."
She stood, smoothed her satin robe, and promptly—and primly—left the room.
Marcus and Dr. Chen both eyed the monitors. Marcus sighed. "Get some sleep, everyone," He looked back at the screens, "I think we will need it."