Xaviers!

After thoroughly analyzing Will's results to make sure that nothing is, in fact, malfunctioning or being processed wrong, Ashlie initiates a secure connection to the cellular network and probes the endless datastream until she finds the number she's looking for. She dials Major Briggs' number, making sure to isolate the call from the rest of the network. No need to risk drawing the attention of the NSA on either her or the Major.

"Briggs," came the short, gruff reply.

"Major. This is Ashlie Minamida. Could I have a moment of your time?"

"Minamida? How did you get this number?"

"Narrowed it down from a list. I apologize if this is intruding in your privacy, but I have made some discoveries regarding the substance you found in Antarctica. Details on it's discovery are understandably hard to come by." she says, launching right into her question. Maybe it'll distract him enough that she won't have to explain how she narrowed it down by compiling location-data from cellphone towers. People keep forgetting they carry little identifying beacons around with them at all times these days and she found that it tends to upset them when reminded of this fact.

"Some discoveries? What sort of discoveries?"

Yup, the question had distracted him alright. Points for ASHLIE.

This was where things got tricky. Tell him too much and he might get too curious, tell him too little and he might not answer her questions.

"We found some inconsistencies in his isotope composition when I tried to determine it's age. I was wondering if you have some information you could disclose about the circumstances of it's discovery. I want to make sure there was no residual contamination from the site."

"I'm afraid that information is classified."

"Information from 60 years ago about a mothballed project still hasn't been declassified?"

"That is correct."

"Is that because you found it at the bottom of an ancient meteor impact site?" Might as well go for broke and see how he reacts.

Silence.

"I'm going to need to hang up this phone now, Minamida," he said, TOTALLY not confirming that.

"Look, I understand your hands are bound on this matter. Believe me. But my ability to keep an eye on this substance is greatly diminished when I don't know what I'm dealing with and this line is secure."

"How are you containing the substance at present?"

"Social engineering. It's chosen a shape and is interacting with the students, taking some classes. It hasn't shown a need to detain it here."

"And none of the students have suffered averse effects?"

"No, although we don't monitor all of their health at all times. No irregular amount have reported to our medical center. I've also run Will through a mass spectrometer and found no signs of dangerous substances."

"You mean the 70-N."

"Yes and it has chosen a name. I see no reason to disregard the request." It's probably good that Ashlie is pretty adept at sounding completely unemotional, because the Major is not exactly scoring many points with her. "I understand your main concern is security, but it has shown no signs of hostility."

"Neither does uranium, but we keep that in lead-lined cases."

"And if that's all anybody had ever done with it the world would be a very different place. You're letting fear cloud your judgement. If this substance originated from space it would go a long way towards proving and possibly even explaining Panspermia. It's clearly capable of a biological composition and it's base form has characteristics that are similar to primordial soup. Evolutionary speaking it could be the derivative of an ancient ancestor."

"I can tell you it's none of those things, but any other research we've taken on it is classified."

Ashlie sighs. "Can you at least tell me how you located it? Or was it's discovery an accident?"

"We weren't looking for it, if that's what you're asking."

"Partially. I really don't care what else the US military was doing in Antarctica during the Cold War. Was anything else recovered from the site?"

"Ms. Minamida, you're free to file a FOIA request for this information, but I'm telling you, it's classified."

It's fairly clear he was either hiding something or trying to get her off the line.

"That's why I called you instead of running into a wall. Off the record, help me assess the risks involved since you clearly seem to think they exist."

"Just keep monitoring it. I don't think it's wise to let it on too short of a leash. The damn thing shouldn't even be sentient, by all rights."

"It's certainly a strange world where uppity objects expect to be treated as equals." she says in a completely flat voice. "Thanks for your help anyway."

"I'm sorry I can't do more for you, Ms. Minamida.

How did you say you got this number again?"

"I'm afraid that information is classified."

"You think you're pretty funny, don't you?"

ASHLIE would probably notice that someone had instituted a trace on the call.

"I think that this conversation is over. Thanks for your time, Major." she says before disconnecting the call. She could have tried rerouting it to buy her some more time on the trace but she was unlikely to get any more information anyway. Time to try someone else, possibly someone who felt a little more amicable towards Will. She goes digging through cellphone data again to try and find Sara VanBuren's private cellphone number.

"Yello?" the voice answered.

"Lieutenant VanBuren? This is Ashlie Minamida. You probably don't know who I am, but I'm the head-mistress of the school the substance calling itself Will Stanton was transferred to."

"Oh! Oh, hi there. How's he doing?"

"Pretty well, all things considered. Right now he's a little upset due to the results of some tests I ran, which is why I'm calling. Major Briggs Was exceptionally unhelpful about the details of Will's discovery."

"Well, government security is government security. You know how it is.

What sorts of tests were these?"

"Isotope composition and quantum spin dynamics. Circumstances led me to investigate more unusual parameters, which revealed that his Potassium-40 percentage is almost non-existent. He didn't take well to the implications of being several billion years ahead of the radioactive decay of the universe."

"And you re-ran the samples?"