by Davis, James
Arthur leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk and stroked one side of his thick grey mustache "I'm sorry, Johnny, but we've got to look at this objectively. We've been up there for over a decade, spent hundreds of millions of dollars, countless man hours, and haven't found more than a hint of a possibility that the place has ever housed any sort of biological being. It's not for nothing Johnny, you know you're being dramatic. Find me some evidence from the ground and I might be able to convince them, until then it's out of my hands," he replied as he leaned back in his chair.
The men sat in silence for a moment as Johnny processed all of this new information. He sat up straight, ran his fingers through his thick brown hair and nodded.
"Do we have any other options?" he asked. Arthur stared blankly for a while appearing to consider the question "Maybe…," he stated, sliding his desk drawer open and fishing around, eventually producing a pad of white post-it notes and placing them on the desk. He looked around on his desk and grabbed a black fountain pen with a gold tip and the words Arthur Reid inscribed along the side. He scribbled something on the top note as Johnny craned his neck, attempting to see. He finished writing, ripped the note from the pad and slid it across the desk.
Johnny grabbed the note and read aloud "Tanner Washington? How is this an option, Art?" Johnny asked with a skeptical look.
Arthur took a deep breath and gave a slight shrug "If anyone’s got the means and motive, it'll be him," he replied.
"The guy’s a walking publicity stunt, with more money than brains!" Johnny spat.
Arthur nodded, "He's also got a desperate need for attention and more importantly, transportation off this planet. You'll be making a deal with the devil to be sure, but if you have a viable option, that's it."
Johnny nodded, folding the paper and shoving it into his pocket. "Thanks, Art," he said, standing from his chair and turning toward the door.
"Johnny," Art called after him.
Johnny stopped and turned to face the man. "Yeah?"
"I haven't officially announced this to the rest of the staff so, this conversation is off the record, got it?" Arthur said.
Johnny nodded, spun on his heels and headed back out into the hallway, the tap of his hard-soled shoes echoing off of the walls as he headed back to his office. He walked past the main cubical area and noticed how quiet it was. Normally phones were ringing off the hook and people were making noise as they went about their daily tasks. He continued on past the main floor entrance to the far end of the building where he shared an office with his best friend, Roosevelt Parker, an early thirties, bald headed, black man with more muscles than should be possible considering the amount of junk food the man ate on a daily basis. Johnny entered his office and headed right to his desk. He was ready to get out of there and start the weekend.
“Roosevelt, you still here?” Johnny asked loudly over his shoulder as he stuffed his laptop in his bag. Hearing no answer, he shrugged and shoved a few papers inside the bag before grabbing the zipper and pulling it closed. He shouldered the bag and started to turn around when a deep voice sounded behind him.
“Where ya goin’ man?” Roosevelt asked, his bright white teeth proudly on display as he popped a hunk of jerky into his mouth and began to chew loudly. Johnny’s shoulders went up and his head went down as he moved quickly to get away from the intruder. When he finally realized it was his friend he sighed.
“Man, next time answer me when I call out to you! You scared the shit out of me!” Johnny said, leaning on his desk with one hand, his other over his chest. A deep chortle left Roosevelt’s lips as he watched Johnny recover from his shock.
“You alright man? Over there acting like a little ass girl,” he said, popping another chunk of jerky in his mouth and continuing to chew loudly, smacking his lips with each bite. Johnny waved a hand at him and shook his head.
“You gotta stop doing that shit before you give me a damn heart attack!” Johnny whined.
“Well, how’d it go?” Roosevelt asked, dismissing his friend’s whining. Johnny shook his head as his face fell.
“Not good. They’re shutting us down. I just can’t believe it, when I found the spaceman that alone proved that Mars once held life and they had visited Earth but the stupid bastards they keep sending up there aren’t looking in the right spots. It’s frustrating, ya know?” Johnny asked. Roosevelt tipped the bag of jerky up, draining the remaining dregs of the meat into his mouth before tossing the bag in the trashcan next to Johnny’s desk.
“Well, what exactly did he say? We have any wiggle room at all?”
“You know how he is. First, he hits you with the numbers, then he hits you with the facts about the mission, and then tries to let you down easy,” Johnny said, shaking his head with disappointment. He pulled out the post-it that Arthur had given him out of his breast pocket and handed it to Roosevelt.
“Told me if we have any chance at all of saving this project, we should contact him,” Johnny said pointing at the small piece of paper.
“Yeah right! This self-centered bucket of ass juice doesn’t give two shits about the Mars project! We might as well start a GoFundMe page,” Roosevelt said in an annoyed tone.
“Tell me about it. Arthur did make a valid point though. Tanner Washington loves to be in the spotlight and might actually jump all over the opportunity if only to make himself look good,” Johnny replied.
“The man has those fake asses rent-a-cops around him all of the time. There’s no damn way we’re getting anywhere near that man to talk to him,” Roosevelt said, shaking his bald head.
“Arthur did include a phone number on that paper. Let me see if that's just the main office number or if it's his personal cell number,” Johnny stated as he sat down at his desk and removed his laptop. Roosevelt sat the paper down on the desk and stepped back to have a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. Johnny opened the laptop and waited for it to power on.
“Hey man, let’s just run up on his ass and ask him what we need to ask him,” Roosevelt said. Johnny smirked as he typed in his password.
“Yeah, ‘cause those rent-a-cops wouldn’t even think about hitting us with a damn stun gun before we ever got within fifty feet of that guy,” Johnny replied.
“They. Don’t. Want. No. Smoke!” Roosevelt said, making each of his pecs jump with each word. Johnny chuckled.
“Yeah, ok, Terry Crews.” Roosevelt laughed deeply at this.
“Man, ain't he like a hundred years old now? Dude’s still making movies and poppin’ them pecs, son!” Johnny ignored the banter and began typing on his computer. A few seconds later a slight smile broke out on his face.
“Looks like the number we have is his personal number. It’s definitely not any of his office numbers from what I’m seeing here,” Johnny explained, pointing a finger at the laptop's screen.
Roosevelt shrugged his shoulders "Give it a ring," he suggested.
"And say what?" Johnny asked "Hey, Tanner, I know you don't know me, but can me and my buddy get a lift to Mars?"
"Direct approach, I like it." Roosevelt grinned widely.
"Ha...ha…," Johnny mocked, as he continued to look over the information on the screen in front of him.
"Just think about it, I’m outta here. Practically starving man, I'll see you tomorrow," he said, grabbing his stomach to emphasize his hunger.
Johnny stared blankly, as if he hadn't just watched the man devour an entire bag of jerky. He watched Roosevelt grab his backpack and head toward the door.
"You and Ruby still coming over tomorrow?" He called after him.
"If the food's hot and the beers are cold, we'll be there," Roosevelt replied, not turning around. He held one hand up to wave goodbye as he disappeared through the doorway.
Johnny sat back in his chair and stared at the post-it-note for several minutes. He grabbed his cell from the desk and studied it for a moment. The new phones were amazing compared to smartphones of ten years ago. Samsung and Apple had tea
med up in the late 2020’s and started work on a state-of-the-art artificial super intelligence small enough that it could be housed inside of the phone along with a cooling system to keep all of the internals from getting too hot and exploding in the users’ pocket. They had created some sort of crystal infused micro-hard drive to store the massive amounts of data and memory needed to make the thing work. Johnny didn’t really understand how the things worked but he knew first hand that they were lightyears ahead of any other Phone manufacturer on the planet. The two tech giants eventually merged to create a single company they called Theïkós which was Greek for Godlike.
“Not the name I would have chosen,” Johnny said to himself as he listened to the line ring twice before being cut off.
"Yooo, you've reached the voicemail of Tanner Washington…" Johnny was sure he recognized him from TV started. He quickly pressed the red button, ending the call. Johnny slid his phone into his bag, finished packing his laptop. He looked around, ensuring that everything appeared to be in place, before slinging the bag over his shoulder and walking toward the door.
Chapter Two
6:20 p.m. July 4, 2048
Truman Residence
Cocoa Beach, Florida
A knock at the front door of Johnny’s home pulled his attention away from the television where a middle-aged woman explained the details of a July 4th return of one of the Mars mission crews.
“Babe, can you get the door?” Johnny shouted, not wanting to miss the rest of the program. He turned his gaze back to the television to see a commercial for A51 Technologies.
“Son of bitch!” He muttered, getting up to see who was at the door. He twisted the knob to reveal Roosevelt dressed in an American flag Elvis jumpsuit, a fake Elvis wig, flashy Elvis style shades and an enormous sparkling belt buckle to top off the look. Johnny doubled over in laughter immediately. He expected his friend to do something crazy as he did every year, but this was just too much.
“You gonna invite us in or just stand there laughing at us?” Roosevelt said in his best Elvis impression as he swung his hips from side to side before kicking out a foot and giving a “Uh huh!” To top it all off, Johnny was laughing so hard he was crying now.
“Johnny, get out of the way and let them in!” Tracy, his wife, said pushing him off to the side so Roosevelt's wife Ruby could squeeze past her ridiculous husband.
“Nice costume Rosie!” Tracy said, a huge smile covering her face as she and Ruby walked deeper into the house.
“You know I hate that stupid name, right?” Roosevelt shouted back but received no answer.
“Man, that is fantastic! Get in here!” Johnny said when he finally managed to get his laughter under control.
“Happy 4th my brother!” Roosevelt said, throwing an arm around Johnny in a quick bro hug. He took a step back and with a huge toothy grin he said, “I brought something special for the party.”
“What an extra-large box of snap and pops?” Johnny said pointing to the tall red box with a golden stag head printed on it in Roosevelt’s left hand.
“No, sir. This is what you call The Dalmore!” he stated, running his hand down the side of the box like he was a presentation girl on a gameshow.
“What the hell is ‘The Dalmore’?” Johnny asked.
“I’m glad you asked. Here hold this for a second,” he said handing the red box over to Johnny. Roosevelt shoved his right hand into the front inside pocket of his jumpsuit and pulled out two fat cigars.
“The Dalmore is a cigar malt whiskey that pairs perfectly with a fresh Cuban cigar my friend!” he said, handing one of the stogies to Johnny.
“Nice! We’ll have these after we eat. Now I have something just as good as this!” Johnny stated, before turning to head to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out several large white packages. He sat one on the counter and peeled the white tape back until the paper was able to unfold. Inside were two massive ribeye steaks at least two and a half inches thick. Roosevelt's eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning.
“Now that’s what the hell I’m talkin’ about! My brotha!” he said, stepping in to get a better look at the massive slabs of meat. Johnny chuckled.
“I figured your hungry ass would appreciate those.” Roosevelt smiled.
“You damn right I do! Let’s slap these babies on the damn grill!” He sat the whiskey on the counter followed by the cigars and proceeded to help Johnny prep the steaks with a maple rub.
“My damn mouth’s already waterin’,” Roosevelt said as Johnny slapped the first steak on the searing surface of the grill top in his outdoor kitchen. To his left was a large outdoor living room area where people could sit and watch TV on a large projection screen that hung on the far wall. To his right was a concrete path leading out to a large in-ground pool.
“Y’all got a bunch more people coming out today?” he asked, bringing his gaze back to the searing meat as Johnny flipped the steaks. The smell was starting to cause Johnny to salivate right along with his friend as they stood there talking.
“Nah, just a few more couples Tracy knows. You know I don’t socialize with many people,” Johnny replied, just as three more couples stepped out of the back door as if they had heard what he had just said.
"There they are." Johnny nodded toward the couples as his wife and Ruby ushered them into the backyard. "Hey, you want a beer?"
"You know I do!" Roosevelt exclaimed.
"Great, get me one too," Johnny replied.
"Damn! I knew it!" Roosevelt groaned as he turned and headed toward the back door, "Imagine that, the king fetchin’ beers," he muttered as he walked into the house.
"Something smells good!" A tall slender man with a brown mustache said as the new couples approached and crowded around Johnny.
"Oh, it’s just a little something I threw together," Johnny said proudly pointing his tongs toward the steaks.
A moment later, Roosevelt returned with two beers in one hand and a large bag of Doritos cradled in his other arm.
"Nice getup," the mustachioed man said, as Roosevelt approached. The group snickered and spent several minutes laughing and examining his costume.
"I'm sorry, I try not to take him out too much," Ruby joked after the laughter died down.
"Aw, baby, don't be cruel," he said, in his best Elvis voice and attempting to turn his lip up into a slight snarl.
"The king is always welcome in this house," Johnny said, raising his beer toward Roosevelt. Roosevelt lifted his beer and tapped Johnny's making a clinking sound.
"Thanks, brotha," he said, grabbing a handful of Doritos from the bag and stuffing them into his mouth.
“Y’all gonna watch the Mars crew’s return landing?” Rick asked, running his fingertips along the edges of the thick brown ‘stache. Johnny reached down and turned off the grill and started taking the thick steaks off one at a time until the platter on his right was overflowing with the delicious looking meat.
“That’s the plan,” Johnny replied pointing one of the thick steaks toward the projection screen.
“Hey Rosie, turn the TV on, would you? We can watch the landing while we eat,” Johnny said, lifting the platter and walking it across the patio to the table. Right on cue Tracy, Ruby and the other three wives came out of the house carrying trays of sides and condiments.
“Come on everyone, let’s eat!” Tracy shouted as she held up a tray full of baked potatoes. The table was set and everyone took their seats and began filling their plates.
“My god, man! This is literally the best damn steak I’ve ever put in my mouth!” The man with the mustache said.
“Bet that ain’t the only meat you ever put in your mouth,” Roosevelt blurted out. The table got eerily silent for a long second before everyone burst into laughter. Even mustache was laughing deeply.
“Alright everyone shut up! It’s starting!” Johnny shouted over the laughter as he aimed the remote toward the large screen in front of him. The patio became silent once again as everyo
ne's attention was now fixated on the screen. The screen showed a view of the fading blue sky while an announcer talked about what was happening. A ticker ran along the bottom of the screen giving the viewers the names of each of the crew members that were returning. A bright flash lit up the upper left corner of the screen as the lander ripped through the atmosphere at an extremely high rate of speed. They all watched as the lander shot across the sky eventually leveling out and firing small bursts from the engine to slow their descent. This was not like the typical landing pod astronauts of old used where a parachute would carry them down safely to the ocean. This was a lander. It used a computer to calculate exactly when to fire the engines at each interval until it touched down safely on a floating landing pad just off of the coast of Florida. The group all cheered when the lander finally touched down safely and they all watched as the return pod door popped open revealing the first of five people inside. Johnny finished his steak and stood up from the table.
“Hey Roosevelt, can I talk to you over here for a minute?” he asked. Roosevelt nodded and then pushed back away from the table and followed him over by the pool. The blue water sparkled as they walked past to the tables beyond where they each sat down. Johnny produced the bottle of whiskey and the two cigars. Roosevelt smiled a huge toothy grin.
“I like the way you think! Who are these people anyway?” Roosevelt asked.
“Well the fat one is Mark. The little blonde there is his wife Tiffany, Tracy knows her from spin class. The walking moustache there, I think his name is Josh, he is Brittany's new boyfriend, real schmuck. Of course, you know Brittany,” Johnny said in a muffled voice as he tried to light the cigar.
"Wasn't she with a different guy at the New Year’s party?" Roosevelt asked.
"Oh yeah, this one won't last till Thanksgiving," Johnny replied.
"Think we should go mingle?" Roosevelt asked, sipping his drink.
Johnny shook his head slowly, parting his lips and releasing a large cloud of smoke from his mouth.