[Teaser] Somewhere in Montana

[Narrator]

Earlier this morning the Yellowstone National Park registered a magnitude 6 earthquake. Casualties and injuries fortunately appear to be minimal, although several roads were made impassable and across the affected areas intermittent fires and flooding due to ruptured supply-lines are still being dealt with. So far only one minor aftershock was registered after which seismic activity dropped back down to normal levels, leaving experts confused as to the nature of the quake.
Readings initially caused concern among geologists regarding the long dormant volcano underneath Yellowstone Park, raising concerns about a potentially devastating eruption, but more recent data suggests the activity has since settled down and there is no need for concern. The thorough coverage of the area through seismographs and the monitoring scientists swift analysis quickly saw the situation downgraded to a minor incident. Experts continue to survey the situation as relief efforts are dealing with the aftermath---

The news-feed is cut off as the small screen is turned off, the voice of the caster coming through the headphones replaced by the muffled roar of the helicopter.

"Thorough coverage my ass." the reporter sitting in the passenger seat says through the tinny intercom. "They released a single official reading and that's it. The stuff my contact at the geological institute showed me looked super strange. Just one big sustained reading followed by a sudden spike way past 6 and then nothing. I'm telling you, somebody is covering up something."
"If you say so, Jessica." the pilot responds. "But if this is a bust they're not having my ass for this."


The dense forest below rises along the mountainside, thinning and finally falling away as the helicopter crests the mountain and the valley on the other side comes into view along with construction cranes and other excavation equipment. Squat concrete and steel buildings have replaced forest in the gentle slope of the foot of the mountain and an imposing fence dotted with guard towers and topped with barbed wire encircles the compound and excavation site. Except the neat dig has been turned into a massive crater. Loose rubble and bright yellow cranes along with parts of the buildings have been crushed into an enormous crater several hundred feet across that looks more like the result of a bomb or a meteor strike. If it wasn't for the perfectly smooth curve of compacted earth that makes up the surface of the crater. The news helicopter banks to circle the area as the reporter shouts something over the intercom, gesturing out the window. The helicopter curves in closer towards the crater and the object of the reporter's attention.

[Madison West]

Above the crater is a single person, floating in the air. The figure raises a hand and suddenly the helicopter's cockpit lights up with error messages. Rotor stress, sudden fuel leakage and then the machine begins to spin as the tail-rotor assembly collapses like a telescope, metal shrieking. But instead of careening out of control the helicopter hangs suspended in the air. The woman floating above the crater lowers her arm and the damaged helicopter is slowly lowered towards the ground within the compound, a number of armed guards waiting for it to touch down. The woman turns her attention back towards the crater with a hard frown and her lips pressed into a thin line.