[SCENE — HARDENED CATTO WEATHER BUNKER / LYRA-9 OFFSHORE] [sound design: hurricane wind against reinforced concrete, radar sweep, distant thunder] [LAIZER BEAM — confident female broadcast voice, professional] Catto Weather Radio, BEAM-1. Lyra-9 remains offshore. Cosmic radiation interference is increasing. Radar reliability is degrading. [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE — synthesized procedural voice] Anomalous return detected. [LAIZER BEAM — focused] Location? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Unable to resolve. Large maritime classification. [LAIZER BEAM — confused] Maritime? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Classification based on return geometry. [LAIZER BEAM] There are no registered vessels in that sector. [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Estimated length exceeds conventional cargo vessel parameters. [LAIZER BEAM] Altitude? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] One thousand eight hundred feet. [LAIZER BEAM — disbelieving] A ship? At eighteen hundred feet? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Classification remains maritime. [LAIZER BEAM] That's not possible. [sound design: radar pulse] [LAIZER BEAM] Lima Bravo Zero Zero One, CATTO. Do you have visual contact? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE — flight crew] Negative. Nothing visible. [LAIZER BEAM] Check passive sensors. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] No thermal signature. No visual contact. [LAIZER BEAM — uneasy] I'm still tracking it. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] CATTO, what are you tracking? [LAIZER BEAM] A maritime return. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] At eighteen hundred feet? [LAIZER BEAM] That's what the system says. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Then your system is wrong. [LAIZER BEAM] I know. [sound design: radar distortion] [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Return displacement detected. [LAIZER BEAM] Is it moving? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Affirmative. Direction indeterminate. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] CATTO, we're getting interference. [LAIZER BEAM] I know. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Our radar just painted something. [LAIZER BEAM] What? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Large return. [LAIZER BEAM] Same one? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Negative. Different shape. [sound design: low electronic pulse] [LAIZER BEAM — quiet] Different? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] It's gone. [LAIZER BEAM] Mine too. [sound design: distant thunder] [LAIZER BEAM] Check maritime traffic. [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] No matching vessel detected. [LAIZER BEAM] AIS? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] No signal. [LAIZER BEAM] Satellite tracking? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] No matching object. [LAIZER BEAM — unsettled] Then what did we just see? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Unknown. [sound design: radar sweep resumes] [LAIZER BEAM] Lima Bravo Zero Zero One, maintain position. Do not approach the return. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Copy. [sound design: sudden electronic pulse] [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] New return detected. [LAIZER BEAM] Again? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Large maritime vessel. [LAIZER BEAM — frustrated] There is no ship there! [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Return altitude: two thousand one hundred feet. [LAIZER BEAM — stunned] That's higher. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] CATTO... We see it. [LAIZER BEAM] Visual? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Negative. Radar only. [LAIZER BEAM] Describe it. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Can't. The image keeps changing. [sound design: deep thunder] [LAIZER BEAM — quiet] Mine too. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Is this a radar echo? [LAIZER BEAM] That's what I'm trying to determine. [sound design: low-frequency electromagnetic hum] [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Anomalous electromagnetic activity increasing. [LAIZER BEAM] Source? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Lyra-9 center. [LAIZER BEAM] Magnetic activity? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Affirmative. [LAIZER BEAM] Compare the return against the magnetic fluctuations. [sound design: electronic processing] [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Correlation detected. [LAIZER BEAM — unsettled] So the storm is changing the radar. [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Possible. [LAIZER BEAM] Then why do the returns keep appearing? [CATTO SYSTEM VOICE] Unknown. [sound design: radar suddenly cuts out] [LAIZER BEAM — startled] It's gone. [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Ours too. [LAIZER BEAM] Did you see it? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Only on radar. [LAIZER BEAM] Did it look like a ship? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Yes. [sound design: faint electronic pulse] [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] CATTO... There's another one. [LAIZER BEAM — slowly] Where? [LIMA BRAVO ZERO ZERO ONE] Behind the storm. [LAIZER BEAM — frightened realization] You're seeing the same thing I am. [sound design: radio static] [LAIZER BEAM — final broadcast, controlled but shaken] Catto Weather Radio, BEAM-1. Lyra-9 remains offshore. Multiple large returns continue to appear within the storm. No vessels are registered. No signals are present. No visual confirmation is possible. I don't think we're seeing radar echoes. [sound design: strange electromagnetic pulse] [LAIZER BEAM — quietly] I think we're seeing something else. [sound design: transmission cuts to static]
