Cold rain
Violent crack shatters tranquil mist
In cold rain blood pools beneath him
No one else witnessed
At the Park-and-Ride this night
Shadow vanishes into darkness
Burning lead
A contract with destiny sealed
Just another genius death
Proof’s in the pudding
Now the pudding is gone
Order restored
Conclusion begins
01001
Susan
You save me
When I don’t know I’m in danger
You find me
When I don’t know I’m lost
You strengthen me
When I don’t know my weakness
You love me
When I didn’t think it possible
I asked you for a book that day
You gave me a lifetime
Thank you
Your Paperboy
01002
Ask about the calendar
Daily Sun, Sparks
Mr. Sparks you’ve been chosen
For an inside story
There’s something very wrong
Something you should know
Should disclose
It affects time or more specifically
Our abundance of it
They changed the numbers
Change numbers change the game
2012 requests your discretion
It was visible to few in 2000
Irrelevant a century earlier
Secret begins before the pyramids
Its influence is vast
Societal legacy of strength
Power to challenge existence
Exist against challenge
Clear a path, clear you from it
Your life will be in danger
All our lives are
Now it’s up to you
Are you up to it?
Ask about the calendar Mr. Sparks
It’s an imperfect world
You’re just following a story
Don't draw attention
It will find you soon enough
01003
Randall Sparks
Is a freelance reporter for the
Daily Sun
Moderate autism enhances his
investigative aptitude but often
renders social exchange awkward
As odd luck would have it he found
a girl who loves him anyway
Focused on the scent of a story
he settles into his comfort zone
where he’s not typically distracted
by shiny objects
01004
Call to MIT
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
Archeology Department
Dr. Oleb Scorcinski answers
Mr. Scorcinski it’s Randall Sparks
I’m contemplating a piece
The Daily Sun Chronicle, yes sir
A study of the Egyptian and
Aztec cultures relating to time
And the Mayan calendar
As compared with our own
It’s what, more accurate?
Perfect, and what?
It ends in 2012
Got it
What then?
We’re ahead
By how many?
About four days
What does that mean exactly?
I mean, do we fix it?
Or adjust?
Y2K panic
It’s just off then?
Seasons?
What’s that have to do with orbit?
Leap year?
Ok great
Yes!
This is perfect for my article!
A regional piece
Clearance?
Yeah, no I don’t
You have to have a clearance
To find out more about time?
Really?
It’s time!
How secret could it be?
Global what, security?
Ok
What’s that to do with the Mayans?
Did they have clearances?
Kidding
Yeah, no you’ve been great
This will work!
And can I call?
Thanks, thank you
01005
Joe Connors - editor
A piece on time?
On time?
Funny Joe
Apparently we have some extra days
I don’t know, it just came up
But isn’t it curious?
2012 maybe it all ends
Good time to refinance?
Thanks boss
01006
Daily Sun Chronicle
Is a tapestry publication
Local news and advertising
human interest stories
arts and entertainment
Scenic loops highlighting
local culture
In days of hometown news
it stood tall
But the rise of 24 hour
breaking news and world events
pushed yesterday to the curb
Thousands of small publications
disappeared when the dust of
expansion settled
Some tried to compete
and lost everything
Others held tight to a hometown feel
their loyal subscribers followed
Impossible to get global information
from a small paper but difficult to
connect locally from a world stage
01007
Randall calls Susan
Hey love, yeah
Everything’s going fine
Excellent!
Dinner?
Good
We’ll celebrate!
Meet you at eight?
You know I do
Right now?
Yes
Yes!
That’s distracting!
No!
Yes!
I will!
Ok bye
01008
A stitch in time
By Randall Sparks
The reason for leap year
We have extra time
Our orbit around the sun
Adds a day every four years
And some change
The Mayan calendar
Is more accurate
They didn’t have leap years
And theirs ends in 2012
Oops someone wasn’t planning!
Maybe they count backwards then?
We end up with several extra days
It’s difficult to fix
Because of the calendars
There are a lot of them, clocks too
Machines, what have you
Perhaps a series of spring forwards
Until the days align again?
Otherwise seasons arrive early
It changes what Greenwich means
No time like the present
I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday
For a hamburger today
Time to get off a broken record
Sparks - on the record
For the record
01009
Joe Connors
Edits the paper
He doesn’t rock the boat
or get excited
so long as the print arrives
in a timely manner
Joe just wants things to go smooth
and he’s happy
Until he’s not
01010
NSA visit
National Security Administration
Agent Ethan Stearns
This man Sparks
Is he your reporter?
You give him this story?
His piece?
So he just does what he wants
Your permission?
We’re asking here
You recall Y2K, the panic?
That makes it ours
What’s done is done
It is done, right?
Please say it’s done
Trouble where there is none
Is irresponsible
We pay attention to threats
You’re not a threat, right?
That would be a bad thing
You don’t want that
You don’t want that Mr. Connors
01011
Connors’ surprise
What did you do?
NSA came to my office
Big brother big shots!
Y2K blah, blah!
Who are you?
What do you know?
Who’ve you been talking to?
Who do you know?
What else did Scorcinski say?
So again
What did you do?
Who’s Scorcinski?
Pressure me
Over a Mayan calendar?
They don’t own this paper!
The nerve of that guy!
Need to know my rear!
They get nothing!
Tell me my business?
Threaten?
I don’t think so
They don’t want us curious!
They haven’t seen us curious!
You be careful Sparks
And you drop this now!
And if you don’t, you tell me!
No don’t tell me!
Unless you’ve got something
Then you tell me!
So we can see
Then we’ll see
You hit something Sparks
Good work!
Whatever this is
You hit something
But if it goes bad
It was all you
01012
NSA phone call
Mr. Connor it’s Ethan Stearns
National Security Agency
That's right yes
We didn’t mean to alarm you
It’s just policy, these things
We had to follow up, that’s all
Can’t be too careful these days
With all the hoopla
Nation to protect
I’m sure you understand?
But if you have any questions
Here’s a number
Where I can be reached
For a follow up
Or just in case you get curious
Let us know
We’re happy to help
It’s important we work together
01013
Don’t speak in your office
Yeah, this is Sparks
Mr. Sparks
You must appreciate the gravity
Don’t ask who this is
Say nothing just listen
Don’t speak near a computer
Not in front of a window
Write it
Several pieces of paper
Out of camera view
Share this with your editor Joe
Only share what must be told
Then destroy the papers
If we are discovered
This conversation will cease
And you won’t be able to help
Then we won’t be able to help you
And that wouldn’t be good
NSA isn’t the enemy
But nothing’s safe there
Government channels are insecure
You can’t trust them
And a clearance would bind your pen
That’s why we need you Mr. Sparks
You’re the wildcard
The orbit’s changing
There’s not much time
The days are a lie
Leap year’s a lie
At least it’s not the whole truth
You’ll be contacted again
By others
Guard what they tell
You must appreciate the gravity
01014
Not interested, sorry
Right
You have the wrong guy!
My work’s based on facts
You speak in opaque riddles
Find a gamer who has the time
I can’t help you
I won’t
Not interested
Sorry
Hello?
01015
Do you think he will do it?
Of course, he must
What other choice is there?
To know
To have knowledge of devastation
And a chance to stop it?
He can’t walk away
He might have quit
He should have
That would have been unfortunate
All around
But then he asked
He took the challenge
Nature owns him now
It’s his burden
The hook is set
It’s just too important
There must be a single point
Otherwise
Conclusion’s his point
The correction will proceed
The right people will see
They’ll follow the path
People must believe in something
Good or bad
The game’s in play
There’s no otherwise
He’ll be back
01016