Chapter 13: Interrogation and Introspection

True to Sheriff Brody’s word, the scene on Highway 101 soon became a hub of activity. Vehicles with flashing lights from various state and federal agencies arrived, their occupants a mix of uniformed officers and serious-faced individuals in plain clothes carrying specialized equipment.

Elias found himself the center of attention. He recounted the events, from his initial unease in town to his use of his enhanced speed to evacuate the onlookers. He carefully described the hovering object, the energy tendrils, and the draining effect he had witnessed.

When he mentioned the communication, the room grew still. The lead investigator, a sharp-eyed woman named Agent Davies, leaned forward intently. “Communication? Can you elaborate on that, Mr. Thorne?”

Elias struggled to explain the raw data stream, the overwhelming sensory input that bypassed language. He described the fleeting image, the spatial representation of a place he didn’t recognize. He emphasized that it wasn’t a clear picture, but more of a feeling, a direction.

Agent Davies and her team listened patiently, their expressions a mixture of professional skepticism and genuine curiosity. They asked detailed questions about his “heightened senses,” his physical capabilities, and the circumstances surrounding the “communication.” Elias was careful not to mention the marijuana-induced aspect of his “Veridian Sight,” simply referring to it as an unusual and unreliable aspect of his enhanced perception that sometimes provided him with insights others couldn’t access.

The interrogation lasted for several hours. They took notes, recorded his statements, and even had him undergo a brief medical examination, which, predictably, revealed nothing extraordinary.

By late afternoon, the scene on the highway was contained, and the affected area was cordoned off for further investigation. The authorities, clearly out of their depth, were left with more questions than answers. Elias, feeling drained both physically and mentally, was finally allowed to leave.

He walked back to his apartment above Miller’s Hardware, the quiet normalcy of Clover Creek feeling strangely alien after the extraordinary events of the day. The scent of pine and damp earth, usually so comforting, now carried a faint undercurrent of unease.

Inside his small apartment, Elias sank onto his worn couch, the image of the alien “destination” still nagging at the edges of his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to recall the feeling, the spatial layout of what he had briefly perceived.

It was a landscape of sharp, angular rock formations under a dim, reddish light. There were structures, tall and spired, that seemed to hum with a similar energy signature to the object that had visited Clover Creek. It felt desolate, almost barren, yet there was a sense of intense activity, of purpose.

He tried to sketch the vague shapes he remembered on a notepad, his brow furrowed in concentration. It was like trying to capture a dream, the details fading with each passing moment. But he knew one thing for sure: the object hadn’t just vanished randomly. It had gone somewhere, and that somewhere felt important.