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It was a peaceful night in the desert, quiet with no noise save the soft wind and crickets. A van was parked on the sand, three people were standing out the top and one inside. They gazed up at the sky, which beheld a smattering of stars.
"Wait for it," Jane Foster said to her colleagues, seeming to try to convince herself as much as them. She held a small device in her hands that she fiddled with.
"Can I turn on the radio?" Asked Darcy Lewis, their intern, from inside the van.
"Nope," Leila Dayne said, popping the 'p.'
Erik Selvig turned to Jane. "Jane, you can't keep doing this."
"The last 17 occurrences have been predictable down to the second." Jane lowered herself back into the van, picking up a laptop and journal, Erik following. Leila stayed gazing at the sky, searching for any difference.
"Jane, you're an astrophysicist, not some storm chaser."
"I'm telling you, there's a connection between these atmospheric disturbances and my research. Erik, I wouldn't have asked you to fly out here if I wasn't absolutely sure."
A storm began forming in the dark sky, blooming with ribbons of light. Leila blinked as her eyes adjusted and her mouth dropped open.
A moment later, she heard Darcy shout from down below "Jane? I think you want to see this."
"What is that?" Leila heard Jane say.
Erik and Jane scrambled back up onto the roof to gaze at the anomaly. Immediately, a look of wonder captured their faces.
Erik turned to Jane." I thought you said it was a subtle Aurora!"
"Go!" Jane said, and all three astrophysicists ducked below as Darcy started driving towards the light storm.
Jane held up a video camera as she sat in the passenger seat, "get closer."
"Right. Good one." Laughed Darcy.
"Go!"
The van got closer and closer to the storm as it began forming a funnel shape. Lightning speared out of the clouds and it touched the ground
Suddenly, Darcy turned the wheel and sent the van swerving away from the storm.
"What are you doing?" Jane yelled.
"I am not dying to get six college credits!" Darcy continued driving, though it was hard to see with the dark clouds surrounding them. Jane put a hand on the wheel, trying to get them closer to the storm.
Thunder boomed as a fork of lightning touched the ground in front of them, illuminating the shape of a man.
The car swerved and slammed into the man. Breathing heavily, everyone sat in shock for a moment then got out of the van.
