Christopher Corn's Arc

Chapter 9 of 12

Christopher walks toward the barn with the rolled blueprint still in his hand. The paper feels heavier than it should, like it's already carrying the weight of what they're about to build. He stops halfway across the yard and looks back at the wooden platform where the band has been practicing. Three amplifiers taller than the barn will surround it soon. The sound they make will either reach Earth or blow apart trying. Fred appears from the barn carrying cables thick as his forearms. Chard follows with a toolbox that looks like it weighs more than both of them combined. Christopher meets them at the platform and spreads the blueprint on the ground again. Fred points to the base of the first amplifier tower and traces his finger up through the layers of speakers. "We start here," he says. "Foundation first, then we build up." Christopher nods and looks at the materials scattered across the yard. Lumber. Wire. Metal casings. Every resource they have is about to disappear into this project. But before Fred can move, a newspaper tumbles across the grass and stops against Christopher's boot. He picks it up and sees a photo of a man with long hair and a headline that reads "Tom Petty — Deceased." The date matches the year he died on Earth. Christopher's chest tightens. Not again. A figure walks through the gate wearing a black jacket and carrying a guitar case. He stops when he sees the three of them standing around the blueprint. "Heard you were building something loud," the man says. His voice is calm but his eyes scan the property like he's measuring it. Christopher recognizes the walk before he recognizes anything else. That same easy confidence Tom Petty had on stage. Fred steps forward and extends his hand. "You're here for the band," Fred says. It's not a question. The man sets down his guitar case and nods toward the blueprint. "I'm here because you're trying to reach Earth with sound," he says. "And I know what it takes to make something last that long." Christopher looks at Chard, then at Fred. They're already at capacity. The amplifiers will drain everything they have left. Adding another person means splitting resources even thinner. But the man picks up the blueprint and studies the star map in the corner. "You're close," he says. "But you're missing something." Christopher takes the blueprint back and looks at the design again. The measurements are there. The power calculations check out. "What are we missing?" he asks. The man points to the triangle formation around the platform. "You've got the structure right, but the sound won't carry unless you wire them in sequence. One amp feeds the next, builds momentum before it launches." Fred crouches down and traces the path the man is describing. "Like a relay," Fred says. The man nods. "Exactly like a relay." Christopher realizes the stranger just solved the problem they hadn't even identified yet. Without this adjustment, the amplifiers would fire independently and the sound would scatter before it left Loud Garden. Chard looks at Christopher and waits. This is the decision point. They can build what they planned and hope it works, or they can trust someone who just walked through the gate and commit everything they have to a design they didn't create. Christopher rolls up the blueprint and hands it to the man. "Show us how to wire it," he says. The man takes the paper and smiles. "Call me Tommy," he says. "Let's make this loud enough to crack the sky."