Christopher Corn's Arc

Chapter 8 of 12

Fred stops in front of them and unrolls the blueprint on the ground. Christopher crouches down and sees something that makes his breath catch. The drawing shows three massive amplifiers arranged in a triangle around the wooden platform where the band practices. Each one is taller than the barn and covered in speakers that spiral upward like towers. In the center of the blueprint, Fred has drawn lines radiating outward in every direction with measurements written in careful handwriting. At the bottom corner, there's a smaller sketch of what looks like a star map with Earth circled in red ink. Fred taps the map with one finger. "Chard told me what you need," he says. "This is how we get there." Christopher stands up and looks at Chard. "You already talked to him?" Chard nods toward the shed. "He came by while you were inside. Asked me what kind of sound could cross that much distance." Christopher picks up the blueprint and studies the measurements again. The numbers are impossible. The power requirements alone would drain everything they have and more. He starts to say it can't be done but stops himself. Fred built a barn in three days and a recording studio before Christopher even asked for one. If anyone can make this work, it's standing right in front of him. "How long?" Christopher asks. Fred looks at the sky like he's calculating something. "Two weeks if Chard helps me wire it. Three if he doesn't." Christopher turns to Chard and waits. This is the moment where everything either becomes real or falls apart. Chard walks over to the blueprint and kneels down beside it. He traces one of the radiating lines with his finger and follows it all the way to the edge of the paper. "I don't know anything about building amplifiers," he says quietly. Fred crouches down beside him. "You know what needs to be heard," Fred says. "That's more important than knowing how to build it." Chard looks up at Christopher. "If we're doing this, we're doing it right. No shortcuts. No half measures." Christopher feels the weight lift completely. "No shortcuts," he agrees. Chard stands and rolls up the blueprint. "Then we start now," he says. Fred nods and heads toward the barn without another word. Christopher watches him go and realizes the band just shifted again. They're not just making music anymore. They're building something that will force every world to listen whether they want to or not. Chard hands him the rolled paper. "You ready for this?" he asks. Christopher takes it and feels the weight of what they're about to create. The guilt is still there but it's not crushing him anymore. It's fuel. "I've been ready since the day I got here," he says. Chard smiles for the first time since he arrived. "Good. Because we're about to make history loud enough to crack the universe open."