[ WP ] After Astronaut Capt . Scott Kelly returns to earth following a 340-day stretch at the ISS , NASA receives a distress signal from the ISS ... from Capt . Scott Kelly .

`` Sir, you may want to listen to this.'' 
 
 Gerald sighed. His job as Head of Extraterrestrial Intelligence was supposed to be a sinecure, one he'd carefully procured through long weeks of playing the political machine. Even so, there was the occasional anomalous report or signal that he had to be briefed on, though they were always explained by other means before the hour was out. `` Go ahead and play it.'' 
 
 The agent tapped his phone, and the message began playing. 
 
 `` Captain Scott Kelly to Mission Control... mayday, mayday. Control, do you read?'' 
 
 In the back of his mind, there was a nagging suspicion that something did n't add up, but Gerald could n't place it. `` It's a mayday. Hardly our department.'' 
 
 `` Sir, Captain Scott Kelly completed reentry before this message was sent.'' 
 
 Gerald frowned. `` So it's a prank? Something he recorded and scheduled for transmission after he landed?'' 
 
 `` No, sir. According to NASA, the audio timestamp matches the time of transmission, so that is n't a viable explanation.'' 
 
 Gerald was really worried now. Looked like his position actually had a job attached to it now. `` Has NASA quarantined Kelly?'' 
 
 `` No, he's in debriefing on Guam.'' 
 
 `` Can we raise Guam? I need to speak to the director there, figure out what's going on.'' 
 
 `` There's nothing but the recorded lockdown message.'' 
 
 Where there had been frustration at his job actually requiring work five minutes ago, there was now honest-to-goodness fear. Fear, and the growing feeling that his department was the only one that had noticed. `` Get me the President.'' 
 
 `` Yes, sir.'' 
 
 `` After that, get me the VCIGS, the PM of Britain, and the head of the SAS. In that order.'' Sinecure or no, Gerald Roth would n't go down in history as the man who slept on his job when it mattered most.
