WEBVTT

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This episode may contain content that is
not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion

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is advised, especially for those under
the age of thirteen. Welcome to end

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to the night. I'm Nari,
your guide on today's excursion down a twisted

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path. Be careful not to get
lost. Be it dark or light,

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it's easy to lose your way.
Are you ready, then let's begin.

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What goes around comes around. A
cool breeze blew through the tall pines,

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and the smell of a distant campfire
wafted in the air. The night was

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peaceful, and only a few animals
stirred in this late hour In the Penellenial

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Mountains of Arizona. An owl hooted
in the pines. Coyotes yapped from the

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next ridge over. A black bear
lumbered through the nearby campground, where tourists

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left food scraps and fishheads behind in
their haste to pack. Occasionally, an

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unlucky hiker ran into a bear that
no longer feared people. But by and

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large, the wild life peacefully coexisted
with the relatively small number of people who

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visited the peaks as a tourist destination. The Coronado National Forest provided relief from

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the heat and crowded streets of Tucson
and Phoenix, but scientists were also drawn

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there. The clear air and the
lack of light pollution made the observatory a

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perfect spot to star gaze and watch
the heavens. The twinkling stars in the

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sky above the telescope tonight kept watch
over a world that had been kept in

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the dark. Exhaustion clouded Avery Pierce's
vision, but he shook his head and

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wiped a cold, damp cloth across
the face. Now was not the time

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to lose focus. Not that it
makes much difference, I don't suppose,

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but I have to see this for
myself. Avery's career in the astronomy department

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had turned him into a night owl. Long ago, he became accustomed to

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staying up all night. Weeks of
sleep deprivation were to blame for his current

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state of exhaustion. However, Ever, since his discovery a month ago,

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he'd slept for no more than an
hour or two at a time. Avery

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double checked the settings on the primary
telescope, stretched and rubbed his face with

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his hands. He walked downstairs to
the exit, pushed the door open,

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and took a deep breath. He
peered at the full moon that hung overhead,

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and then looked to the outline of
the mountains against the skyline. The

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owl hooted a mournful call. In
the trees, and in the undergrowth,

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some small night creatures scampered through the
dry leaves. The mountains were a part

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of who Avery Pierce was. As
he scanned the horizon, his mind drifted

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to the many good men he had
at this place. I practically grew up

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here. Mom, Dad, Chris, and I camped and fished in these

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mountains every chance we had. We
probably hiked every trail on Mount Graham.

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When we were teenagers, Chris and
I would compete in the annual archery shoot.

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Dad started us in archery when we
were barely old enough to hold a

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bow. I'll never forget when Chris
won his first shoot. Dad was so

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proud he put the story that ran
in the newspaper on the bulletin board in

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his office. He'd grown up and
saffered a new Mount Graham like the back

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of his hand, and it meant
the world to him that his boys also

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enjoyed the area. Avery chuckled the
stories Dad told about Grandpa and him when

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he was a boy, especially the
one where he thought he saw sasquatch,

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gave us years of good natured teasing
of him. He took it all in

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stride. I think if Dad was
still alive that he'd have been happy to

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know I'm here tonight. In fact, I know I'm to be here tonight.

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It only makes sense. When Avery
was a boy, he was so

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enamored of the outdoors that he thought
he wanted to be a biologist or a

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conservation agent. To this day,
he could name any tree, plant,

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insect, or animal that called the
Penellanial's home. A decision to take an

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astronomy class as an elective his senior
year in high school changed his plans.

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It was then he knew he had
to become an astronomer. You realize you

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have better luck getting a job as
a conservation agent, don't you, his

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high school counselor had advised him.
Yes, Miss Strait, I realize there's

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not a huge market out there for
astronomers, but this is what I want

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to do with my life. Avery, I just hate to see you waste

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money and a degree on something that
most likely won't lead to a job in

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the future. That was the moment
Avery knew he'd never again ask her for

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any advice. Thanks for your time, miss Straight, but I think I

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know what's best for me, and
I'll fill out this financial aid packet on

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my own. I don't need the
help of someone who doesn't believe in me.

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With that, he picked up his
folder and walked out of the office.

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He never forgot that conversation. Her
words, instead of discouraging him from

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the career he wanted, actually fueled
his drive to work harder and try more

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to reach his goal. She may
not have supported his decision, but Avery

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was very fortunate to have a family
that did. Mom, Dad, and

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Chris believed in me. I believed
in myself. That's all I needed.

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After high school, Avery went to
the University of Arizona. Not only was

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Tucson home to him, but the
astronomy department had a good reputation, not

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just nationally but around the world.
During his undergraduate years, he lived with

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his parents at home on Benton Avenue. To save money, he rode the

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Sun trained public bus to campus every
day. He got on at the intersection

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of Swan and Fifth. It dropped
him off on Campbell Avenue and from there

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he went past the stadium and across
the sprawling campus. Once I got to

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the mall and saw Old Maine on
the other end, it reminded me that

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I was making my dreams come true. That grand old building was like a

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beacon for me. On breaks between
classes, he studied on the lawn of

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the campus mall, where the east
end of the old Main commanded the view.

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The stately old building was the original
site of the university. Now it

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remains as a crown jewel for Arizona
Wildcats. Those were the good days.

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A seminar at the U of A
allowed him to meet the man who would

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become his mentor. A shy graduate
student at the time, he made his

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way to the front of the lecture
hall. After the presentation, Doctor kincaid,

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you were incredible. You probably hear
this all the time, but you've

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just changed my life. The prominent
scientist looked at the eager young man and

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smiled. You know, you remind
me of myself when I was about your

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age, I met someone who changed
the course of my career as well.

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How would you like to join me
for dinner and we can talk about what

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you want to do in astronomy,
Avery was dumbstruck. Are you sure?

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Really? Yes? Really, here's
my card with my cell number. I've

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been to Tucson before, but not
enough to get to know anyone. My

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wife couldn't come along on this trip, so I wouldn't mind having a conversation

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with someone as excited about near Earth
objects as I am. Doctor Kincaid.

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I can't thank you enough for this, no need to thank me. I

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hope someday you will do the same
for another young astronomer. At seven o'clock,

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the two men met at one of
the Mexican restaurants that showcased Tucson's local

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cuisine. One thing I always enjoyed
when I came to the Old Pueblo is

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the food. This restaurant is one
of my wife's favorite places. Doctor Kinkaid

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gestured for Avery to sit across from
him in the booth as the hostess took

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them to their table. Over the
course of the evening, Doctor king Kaid

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told Avery about the man who first
interested him in the search for comets and

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asteroids that could impact Earth. Jean
had a connection with the U of A.

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You know, Avery's eyes lit up. He did. He and his

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good friend David Levy discovered the comet
that struck Jupiter years ago. I liked

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to lecture here every year or so
to pay homage to the two of them.

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Avery stopped chewing and swallowed hard.
You mean your mentor was Eugene Shoemaker,

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the Eugene Shoemaker of Shoemaker Levy nine, the one and only. He

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was amazing. He was my friend, my mentor, and my father figure.

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His eyes became misty. I miss
him. I'm sorry, I heard

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about the tragic accident. He's a
legend, So are you, Doctor Kincaid,

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call me Sutton. After that meeting, Avery Pierce became a research assistant

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for Sutton Kincaid. Through the years, they worked on several projects, and

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sometimes Sutton and Avery traveled the world
giving presentations. With the renowned astronomer's backing,

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Avery moved up the ranks in his
field. Soon he was in charge

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of the INEO project through the U
of A and more specifically, at the

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telescope on Mount Graham in the southeastern
Mountains of Arizona. The fact that he

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was living the life he wanted in
the place he loved made Avery certain he

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was a lucky man. Tonight,
in the still of this pre dawn morning,

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he thought of all the wonderful experiences
he'd had. His thoughts went back

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to the fateful night a month ago. That was the night he first discovered

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what astronomers hoped no one would actually
ever find. He'd detected a celestial killer.

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His first phone call after he verified
the numbers was to Sutton Kincaid.

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At first, nothing but stunned silence
met him on the other end of the

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line. His first phone call after
he verified the numbers was to Sutton Kincaid.

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At first, nothing but stunned silence
met him on the other end of

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the line. Sutton, I'm sorry. I know you're still dealing with Lucy

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Merrily. I hate to be the
bearer of bad news. But no Avery,

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you did the right thing calling me. I'll fly out there in the

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morning at Sutton expected. His protege
was right. They calculated and recalculated the

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results, but the truth was irrefutable. Nothing would stop it. We'd been

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blissfully ignorant, and now that we
knew, we were powerless. The government

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kept the news quiet. There was
no sense telling the public the bad news.

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World leaders believed the people of Earth
deserved to live out their last days

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peacefully. Riots and mayhem would change
nothing and would only make the end more

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horrific. Instead, life would go
on as normal, until life would go

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on no more. Hours before the
colors of sunrise peeked over the ridge,

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Avery stood scanning the horizon. He'd
discovered the killer here, so it was

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fitting this was where Avery chose to
die. I know where Sutton Kincaid is.

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He's sitting on his balcony in Serenity
Beach watching. He's enjoying one more

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marvelous sunrise on schedule as dawn broke, asteroid N two six five for nine

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arrived over the coast of Florida.
Thank you for joining me for this episode

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of the Into the Night Anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated by

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Nari Quok. Theme music by Nico
Rodriguez, all other original music, sound

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design and editing by Omenhawk Studios.
You can find our links in the show

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notes. Into the Night is on
your favorite podcatcher, so make sure to

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like, subscribe and leave a five
star review to help other excursionists to join

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us. I'll see you next time, and remember, whether in the shadows

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or in the daylight, all twisted
paths lead You Into the Night. Into

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the Night Anthology is a creative Typo
entertainment production