DAY 38: Torn Apart

Jaeger was two minutes ahead of the police when he ran up to the lab, against the tide of panicking students.  He reached the door as the security guard was about to chain it..  "Let me in, Carl!  Let me through!"

"Dr Jaeger, it's not safe!  The police'll be here-"

"I know about Morgan!  I need to try before he gets shot!"  Jaeger stared Carl down.  "Lock up behind me!"

Jaeger kept up with the Twitter feeds of some of his cuter students, including Janelle Foster, who subsidized her education with provocative selfies sponsored by a domain website and a field-hockey league team.  But six minutes prior, she had posted the first words about Dr Whittier's rampage., across the quad from Jaeger's office.  

In the time it had taken him to run from his desk to the lab, Jaeger had rationalized how unsurprising Morgan's behavior was.  Morgan had grown more silent and possessive with the data coming in from the Swift satellite.  There were 47 scientists around the globe monitoring the results; he was performing due diligence, testing redundencies, seeing what others had seen.  But the man who lived and breathed his work had stopped talking, had stopped going home, had stopped visiting his friends and colleagues.  He had taken a deep dive.

Jaeger made it to Morgan's desk.  Morgan was sitting there, head in his hands, gun off to one side.  The phone was shot to pieces; his monitor had received similar damage.  Jaeger said Morgan's name, too softly at first, until he recognized Jaeger's voice and looked up.

"Are there any casualties, Morgan?"

"Jaeger, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry about all of this."

"What's this about?"

"I'm not sure I can do this anymore.  There's too much to see..."

Jaeger sat down.  "I remember a lecture in my second year.  Someone told me that we are not conquerors.  We are stewards of a infinite inheritence, and our greatest achievement is to contribute to that inheritence.  We struggle not for our persistence, but the persistence of truth."

"Well, that sounds pompous," Morgan chuckled.  "Jaeger, I am arriving at the conclusion that some things are beyond examination."

"Well, we can't know everything.  Not enough time, right?"

"That's not what I mean."  The faint echo of stomping boots came from down the hall; Morgan placed his hands over his head.  "I leave my work to you; you're too obstinant to accept otherwise.  And if you see what I've seen, please forgive me.  The abyss has looked back."

The police swarmed in, forcing Jaeger and Morgan to the ground, restraining them.  Morgan ignored their warnings, telling Jaeger, "The abyss is looking back!  The abyss is looking back..."

Inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Our Black Hole Lights Up"