Rick stands staring at the glass wall. "Is that it? Not even a thank you very much?" Rick asks the wall, his voice growing louder. "What do you mean, that will be all? What do you think of my theory? If the bombardment is coming, we must warn people. That will be all, Dr. Munday. That will be all?"
Rick bangs his fists on the glass as he shouts. "I was to give my presentation at a seminar to an audience of my peers! Who's out there? Do I go home, now? I need to call my wife. What the hell is going on?"
The door behind him clicks and whooshes open. Rick turns to see the young man standing in the doorway. "You, again?"
"Well, well, I know it can get stuffy in the presentation room. No need to get nasty, mister—oh, Dr. Munday, I presume." The young man cackles at his own bad humor. "Come with me. You're moving forward."
The two men in dark suits flank the young man. One of them motions for Rick to exit the room. Rick isn't sure where he's going but is more than happy to leave the presentation room.
The young man walks down the corridor, moving deeper into the facility. Rick takes a couple quick strides to get alongside him. "What do you mean move forward? Who was in the audience?" The young man walks cheerfully without answering. "What is your job here, anyway?" Rick asks.
"I am the guest liaison officer of the Astrophysics Science Center. I greet all the guests."
"What do you mean, move forward?"
The young man pauses and turns to Rick. The two men stand behind Rick and the young man. "Your presentation must have gone well. You're moving forward in the program. I'm sure you understand," the young man says with a quirky turn of his head, then continues walking.
"I don't understand anything. This isn't a seminar. I want to go home. Where are you taking me?"
The young man beams his friendly southern smile at Rick as he walks down the bland, institutional corridor, clutching the small tablet to his chest. "Those that move forward go in the green elevator. Those that do not move forward go in the blue elevator. I apologize, security is tight. That is all I know, Dr. Munday. Come along. Green elevator for you. You have done yourself proud, today."
Rick is perturbed. This situation is unlike anything he has experienced before. The people around him don't know or aren't telling him much. He tries to change the conversation to see if he can learn anything. "Have you had many visitors giving presentations? It's just, I wonder if I have competition getting my grant approved."
The young man peeks at his tablet as they walk. "We have kept the presentation room busy the past few weeks. I believe a Dr. Heinrich, from your own Cal Tech, was here the other day. Would you consider him your competition?"
The news surprises Rick. That's why Dr. Heinrich is out. "I don't consider doctor Heinrich competition. I consider him my boss. He's the head of my department. Is he at this facility?"
"I shouldn't speak about our other guests. It's confidential. You understand. Since you work with him, you must have seen him back at Cal Tech. He did not move forward."
Rick pauses a step. If Dr. Heinrich didn't move forward and has not returned to the lab, where could he have gone? If they control information about who moves forward, who does not, and what moving forward means, Rick wonders if they control other information.
"Terrible about what happened in Perth," Rick says causally.
"A daytime fireball shooting across the sky. It must have been a sight."
"But what about the severe damage to the city?"
"I wouldn't classify some unnerved people as severe damage, Dr. Munday."
"No, I guess not."
The young man turns down a hallway. Rick and the two men follow. At the end of the hall, Rick sees two elevator doors. Painted above one door is a blue square and above the other a green square.
Instead of an elevator call button, there is another green gel pad. The liaison officer sticks his hand into the gel. Rick isn't sure he wants to enter either of the elevators.
"I need to call my wife. She must be worried sick. I haven't been able to reach her," Rick says, trying to activate his band.
There is a ding and both elevator doors open. A strong hand pushes him to the elevator with the green square. Rick peeks into the blue elevator to see if there is any difference. They are both empty elevators.
"I'm sure you will have plenty of opportunities to call your wife, Dr. Munday," says the young liaison officer.
Rick stands in the elevator, facing the young man and the FBI guys. As the doors close, Rick calls out to the young man. "It was, Dr. Livingstone, I presume. Not Dr. Munday."
"What?" asks the young man, looking befuddled.
"When Stanley found Livingstone in the jungle, he said—" Rick can tell the young man does not understand what he's talking about. In anger and frustration Rick adds, "You are dumb as a stump, aren't you?"
"Now that was uncalled for, Dr. Mund—" The elevator door closed.
Little does Rick know; The young Astrophysics Science Center guest liaison officer uses the same line on every visitor who is a doctor this or that. His job as liaison officer isn't as glamourous as it sounds. He must entertain himself.
The elevator descends rapidly. There are no numbers to show floors. There is only a green gel pad and two black keyholes where buttons should be. The elevator descends faster. Rick feels pressure build and pops his ears to equalize them as the ride down continues.
The elevator stops. The doors open.