Season of Passage, The (8 page)

Lauren brightened. 'Yeah, that's what I came to tel you. Dean cal ed and said they would be here within the hour. I thought you might want to put on a

suit.'

Jim nodded. Dean Ramsey was the head of NASA. 'I appreciate the warning. A shame most of my good clothes are in storage. But I'l see what I

can dig up.' He paused. 'You look fantastic. You'l make up for the rest of us. I've always thought blue was your best color.'

'Thank you.' Lauren fingered the col ar of her blouse. 'Al my clothes are packed away, too. In fact, this is Lucy's top.' Lucy Delgado was their cook.

She squeezed carrot juice, diced cucumbers, and raved about how fasting was a spiritual experience. Before Jim left tomorrow, he was going to

stuff his empty cookie bags in Lucy's pil ow case.

'I bet the president's going to wonder why he's sending such a beautiful woman to another planet,' Jim said. Lauren smiled. Jim continued, 'Is Gary

presentable?'

Lauren lost her smile and groaned. 'No, he's despicable. He's in his cut-off jeans. He said he's kissed enough ass these last two years. I warned

him that Dean didn't give a damn that he was a hero. But Gary just laughed. He's got a Budweiser T-shirt on.'

Jim chuckled. Gary had recently been promoted to Major. He and Lauren were the only civilians among the Nova's crew. Since Gary's climb in rank,

he had become more contemptuous of authority than ever.

'He might get cold feet at the last second and change,' Jim said.

'I doubt it.'

'In that case we can only hope the president isn't a Coors man.'

Lauren laughed. 'Have you ever met the president, Jim?'

'Once, at the White House. I was invited there after I won the Nobel Prize.'

"What's he like?'

'Strange as it may sound, he's like you and me. And everyone else. He's not a bad fel ow. He doesn't know anything about geology or archaeology,

though. He wasn't even sure what I had won the prize for, but then, neither am I. But we did have a long talk about the Beatles.'

'The musical group?'

'Yes.' Jim reflected fondly. 'There never was another Beatles. But the sixties were great years for music. The Stones, the Doors, Simon and

Garfunkel. Are you familiar with any of their music?'

'I've listened to the Beatles, but that's about it.'

'Friend has recordings of al of them in his data banks. I'l pick out some stuff for you. Wonderful music. The Doors would be great to listen to on

Mars.'

Lauren had other things on her mind. 'Gary thinks the president's coming to tel us something top secret. Something about what real y happened to

the Russians.'

'And what do you think?' Jim asked.

'I think he's just trying to get on good terms with us. The next election is a few weeks after our return.'

Jim silently disagreed. Unknown to Lauren, Commander Wil iam Brent had cal ed him that afternoon from the orbiting Nova. Bil 's wife, Jessica, and

Mark Kawati - the final two members of their crew - were helping their commander with final systems checks. The previous week, before leaving the

Earth, al three had received a private visit from the president. On the video screen that afternoon, Jim had sensed concealment on Bil 's part. Bil

had been told something. They al had. The timing was logical, Jim thought. Once in space, the government could censor al interviews, or cancel

them altogether. And Jim believed there was something secret that had yet to be revealed. Why else would the two most powerful nations in the

world have suddenly bent their every resource to go to Mars? Why now?

'You're probably right,' Jim said.

Lauren was shrewd. 'But you don't agree with me?'

'I'm sorry. I'm as bad as everyone else. I love a mystery. I'm hoping the president spoke to the Martians this morning, and that they're expecting us.'

Lauren wrinkled her nose. 'You sound like Terry.'

'I take that as a compliment. I read his manuscript.'

Lauren leaned forward, expectant. 'What did you think?'

'It was one of the high points of my life.'

'No. Seriously?'

'I am being serious.' Lauren's fiancé was incredibly creative. It continued to amaze Jim that his work hadn't been discovered by the masses yet. He

thought it was only a matter of time. He chuckled. 'I love the part at the beginning when Ricky is walking back and forth on the newspaper, reading

it.'

'That was great, yeah. What did you think when he found out his girlfriend had stepped on his best friend Joe?'

'It broke my heart,' Jim said. 'The whole story was so sad, even though it was funny. The way Ricky kept talking about everything like an important

person, when he was only a cockroach.' Jim shook his head. 'I think that book's going to explode.'

'If it doesn't die on the shelves in the first month.'

'Maybe when Earth is talking to us on Mars, you could read parts from it.'

Lauren's eyes glowed. 'I've been thinking of that. But wouldn't it piss everybody in Mission Control off?'

'Not at al . They'l laugh. They'l want to go out and buy the book. Do it.'

'Maybe I wil .' She tapped Jim's knee. 'I'm going to have

to tel Terry what you said about the book. He'l be thril ed.'

'I didn't think my opinion meant that much to him.'

'Oh, he thinks you're a gem. Didn't you know that?'

'No,' Jim said.

'Don't give me that false modesty. Everybody thinks you're God. Doesn't it just drive you crazy?'

'I honestly never notice it.' He had always disliked talking about himself. 'Wil Jennifer be here tomorrow for the launch?'

'Yes.'

'How is she?'

Lauren hesitated. 'Fine. She told me this morning on the phone that she wanted to see you before we left. You know, she talks about you often.'

'I think about her often,' Jim said. He had met Jennifer Wagner only a few times, but those were times he remembered wel . She was a remarkable

girl, with her deep silent pauses and her soulful blue eyes. She seemed to light up the room the moment she walked into it. She reminded him of a

Cinderel a...

How old is this place?

Jim remembered asking that question. Two miles under the Earth. He had never received an answer.

Lauren glanced at his desk. 'Did I disturb your work? Were you writing a letter or something?'

'Something,' he muttered, touching his blank wil . Al of a sudden he felt cold. On his desk stood a picture of the Nova's crew. Lauren's fiancé had

taken it several weeks ago. Jennifer had been standing by Terry's side when he snapped the picture. She had been pointing at them, carrying on.

'Say "Martians,"' she had said.

'Jim?' Lauren said.

Jim picked up the picture. It was covered with a glass

plate, and for the briefest instant he saw a ghost image of Jennifer reflecting on the glass. As if she, too, had been captured in that instant.

Martians.

But the image was no longer laughing - only pointing.

'What's the matter, Jim?' Lauren asked.

'I was writing a letter to an old friend,' he said final y. He set down the picture. 'I'm glad you came, though. I'l get dressed in a few minutes.'

Lauren stood, kissed him on the forehead, and stepped to the door. 'I'l come get you when the president arrives, if you want to stay in your room til

then.'

'That won't be necessary. I'l be down. My letter won't take long. I know what I want to say now.'

'I'l see ya.' She opened the door and left.

'Yes,' Jim said, alone again. For a moment he thought of going after her, and asking her to stay longer, if only for a few minutes. But he didn't wish to

bother her. The chil that had struck him continued to linger. Try as he might, he could not find a source for it. He picked up the blank paper on his

desk. There was one name he wished he could put on it. But if fate struck him down in the coming months, then Lauren would almost surely perish

alongside him.

Jim took his pen and wrote:

To whom it may concern,

I, James Ranoth, hereby decree that in the event of my death, Jennifer Wagner, sister of Lauren Wagner, become the sole heir of al my

possessions.

James Ranoth 8-15-2004 Jim put aside the paper and pul ed out the silver ring. He held it under the light of the lamp, marveling once more at its

wonderful shine. He remembered the first time he had put it on, how he had anticipated something strange and exciting happening. Of course, he

had felt no different. One of these days he was going to grow up, he thought. He was a scientist. The ring was an enigma, to be sure, but it was not

magic. Why did he keep looking for such things?

Yet it had that peculiar glow to it even when the light was faint...

Jim put the ring up to his eye and peered through the center of it at the picture of the crew that Terry had taken. But he saw nothing unusual, only the

confident smiles of his friends and partners. He laughed at his own foolishness. Here he was, one of the world's most renowned scientists, and he

was performing a child's experiment...

Except that the moment Jim took the ring away from his eye, the source of his disquieting chil crystal ized in his mind. It appeared to emerge out of

a gap in consciousness he wasn't even sure he had. It appeared amidst his other thoughts with a rough texture that felt oddly alien. Yet it carried a

weight that told him it shouldn't be ignored. One thing for sure - the thought had entered his head the moment Lauren had entered the room; he just

hadn't noticed right away. It was as if she had brought it with her.

None of you are coming home.

Jim slammed the photograph face down on his desk and quickly put the ring back in his pocket. He scowled at his own sil iness. He took the wil

and folded it and placed it inside an envelope. Then he turned off the lamp and rested his head in his arms. His mind was confused and his heart

was heavy, al for no reason. He loved Lauren, he loved them al . They were friends of his, bright and capable of meeting any chal enge. They would

go to Mars, he thought, and they would return, and everything would be fine.

Yet Jim was unable to convince himself. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that they were doomed.

SEVEN

Major Gary Wheeler was reading his fan mail and giggling. Lauren eyed him with both distaste and affection. They were in the isolation complex's

living room. Gary sat with his bare right foot rocking over the arm of his chair. He had been reading the same letter for ten minutes, and Lauren was

wondering what the big deal was. They'd each received thousands of letters a week. She read only a fraction of them, but Gary went through every

one careful y. Kids made up the bulk of her admirers, and Gary got them, too, along with lots of women. There were some risqué females out there

in good old America. They often enclosed nude photos of themselves. Gary had a col ection taped to his bedroom wal . To give him credit, though,

he spent more time trying to answer the children. He had even hired a secretary out of his own pocket to deal with the swarms of letters. He sent the

kids brochures tel ing them how they could grow up to be great like him.

Gary Wheeler was a child who had never grown up. In many ways he resembled Terry - he took nothing seriously. Yet he was far more innocent and

wild than Terry, and undoubtedly had more fun with his life. Gary did not have Terry's cynical perception of the cruel things people were capable of

doing, and so was spared much grief.

He was ridiculously handsome, in a boyish way, and was incredibly strong. Lauren had seen him bench-press three hundred pounds. He was six-

two, one hundred and eighty pounds of muscle. He did not own a comb; his brown hair did not know what one was. He had nice eyes - fresh blue,

with a little hazel mixed in to honor his Irish mother. He walked as if he didn't have a care in the world, and sometimes he accidental y walked over

other people, but he was quick to apologize - if he was in the mood. He was thirty-two, and he had come up fast, and that was not easy to do

without ticking people off.

He had joined the Air Force before coming to NASA, and he loved to fly jets more than anything in the world. As long as he stil had his wings, the

world could turn the way it wanted below him and he didn't complain - too much.

Many considered Gary the most crucial member of the Nova's crew. Gary was responsible for flying the Hawk, the Martian lander. He would have

the assistance of Commander Wil iam Brent, and the guidance of Friend, their computer, but ultimately it was Gary who would decide where and

when - and even if - they would land. Lauren trusted him. She also liked him, quite a lot in fact.

'I'm tel ing you, we don't have time for this,' she said. 'Dean told me he would be here within the hour, and that was forty minutes ago. You promised

me you would change.' Actual y, Gary had promised nothing of the sort, but she hoped he would fal for her lie. Unfortunately, he had not heard her.

He continued to giggle. 'Was she good?' she asked, raising her voice.

Gary glanced up. 'Did you say something, Lori?'

'The president's arriving in a few minutes.'

Gary waved his arm in dismissal. 'Their plane hasn't even arrived. Dean's just being an ass. They'd only left D.C. when he cal ed.'

Lauren wasn't sure how Gary knew this, but decided he probably had better information than she. She relaxed and pointed at his letter. 'Someone I

know?' she asked.

Gary's eyes sparkled. 'Curious, Doc?'

She hesitated. 'I'm not sure.'

'She has blond hair.'

'I'm not interested,' she said quickly.

'I've been saving this one for when we were on Mars.'

'Is it dirty? I don't want to hear about it.'