Reality hit, not all at once, but slowly over time. He had romanticized being up in space exploring new worlds. Now he did nothing but worry about food storage, energy capacity, and mission statements. He didn’t even know what the mission statement would be, or what they were really planning to do once they were up and running. Like kids playing in the snow, the novelty wore off fast.
A thought had been brewing. Something bigger, something that would benefit humanity on a grand scale. It had been churning in his mind for a few weeks now.
“Yeah, we need to have a meeting.” Alex grunted in agreement. He looked up from his tablet at the skeleton of his larger-than-anticipated vessel resting heavily on the ground of the hangar.
Zeek operated a crane attached to rails on the ceiling. He lifted the metal sheets and let them hang over their intended location. While standing on part of the ship’s framework, Timmy and a few selected hired hands took and fixed them into their final positions along the flooring of the command center.
***
In a Houston cafe, Mason checked his watch and wondered if he’d really been stood up. He jolted at a voice above and behind.
“The greatest job offer you’ll ever get. That’s what you promised, my friend,” He looked up. His friend Jerry crossed his arms dramatically. “If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have come.”
“I’m glad you did. I wasn’t exaggerating,” said Mason, standing up. They embraced, and took their seats.
“What’s so damn important you paid my neighbor to give me a message?”
Mason regarded Jerry for a moment and wondered if he was doing the right thing.
“I have non-disclosure agreements you must sign.” Mason pulled out the forms as if he had done so a hundred times. After a moment, Jerry smiled, and signed them without word, as if he had done that a hundred times as well. Then he looked up and waited for Mason to begin.
“They’re building a privately-funded spaceship. I need crew, or at least someone to train the crew.”
“What kind of spaceship?” Jerry asked.
“Beyond state-of-the-art. I was on the prototype a year ago and it’s truly amazing. It’s going to change everything.”
There was another silence.
“I’m listening,” Jerry offered.
“We both know you would have been on the ISS if not for Mary. It was a terrible loss.” Mason broke eye contact for a moment before continuing. “But this is an opportunity like nothing you’ll ever see again. I need someone trained at the highest levels. It won’t be long before I am swamped with people around me. I need someone I know and trust.”
“You sound like you’re moving fast. I’m not even on any active lists.”
“This isn’t a NASA mission. The agency doesn’t even know about it.”
Another silence. This was supposed to be impossible. Even privately funded companies had to go through NASA, to get launch windows at the very least.
“Government?”
Mason shook his head.
“What the hell, Mason. Do you have any idea what kind storm this will stir up? An unannounced, unsanctioned space launch. What if someone thinks it’s a first strike?”
“But it’s not a launch. There’s no rocket.”
Jerry was stumped. His brows furrowed.
“As I said, it’s beyond state-of-the-art. I just ask you to trust me. I know you have a thousand questions. I am afraid that you need to make a decision without further information. I can tell you that we are going to explore worlds. There will be limited to no communication with Earth, and no possibility of rescue if things go south.” Mason handed Jerry a pre-paid phone. “It’s got one number on it. If you’re in, call that number and you will receive an address. Stay there until you’re picked up.” Mason stood up. “It was great to see you.”
He extended his hand and Jerry took it, dazed. For a second, he hesitated, biting his tongue, wishing he could tell his friend more. Then he turned and walked away.
He didn’t get to the corner of the first intersection before the phone rang. Mason smiled.
“I want in!” said Jerry.
“Then how about you just follow me to the car.”
***
“They’re on the move. Black Chevy Tahoe.”
“Did you get a marker on the vehicle?”
“There wasn’t time. Most assets are still inbound. We didn’t get enough warning.”
“We got local calls for the last hour, right?” Jack prayed their stinger cell receiver, made to record all nearby cellular phone conversations, had done its job.
“Yes, sir. But there’s nothing odd flagging the system.”
“Do we know who Mason met with?” asked Jack.
“Facial recognition is working on it.”
“I want a report before you turn in for the night,” Jack finished, heading back to his vehicle.
***
The President occupied one of the two small couches in the Oval Office. Mark Hammond and General Green were on the other.
“I understand you’ve been having trouble. What seems to be the problem?” asked the President, raising an eyebrow.
“Sir. We learned today that they have been recruiting.”
Hammond pulled out a few photos of Mason meeting with Jerry.
“That first photo may look familiar.”
The President squinted as he picked it up. He examined it carefully, for a little longer then he should have.
“That’s Commander Mason from NASA. He recently completed a mission on the International Space Station. He’s meeting with a former astronaut, Jerry Berner.”
“What do they have to do with the kids?” General Green asked, concealing his anger that he wasn’t already aware of this information before the meeting with the President had begun.
“We’ve logged several calls between Mason and a number we believe to be used by the suspects. Intelligence suggests he has been recruited. Agents spoke with Mason’s wife a few days ago. She’s under the impression he’s working on another NASA project. NASA advised his schedule is light, with ample time for medical rehabilitation. Mason skipped a physical therapy session to make this meeting.
“Do we know what the meeting was about?” the President asked.
Hammond pulled out a device from his jacket and hit the play button. They listened to a grainy recording:
“I want in!”
“Then how about you just follow me to the car.”
“We didn’t have the resources to follow him,” finished Hammond. “My team has been watching Mason’s house for a couple of weeks now. He has not returned home or called his wife since that meeting today.
“What do you think this means?” asked the President.
“I believe Mason took Berner to see the craft,” said Hammond. “If that’s the case we know they are still in Florida. It’s obvious they had help from someone. Don’t worry, we will track them down.”
“Why haven’t we seen the craft again since this whole thing began?” demanded General Green.
“Two possibilities. They deconstructed or mothballed the ship. Or they may be building another.”
“What makes you think that?”
“They haven’t surfaced in over a year, and now they’re recruiting. They must have been busy. It would make sense they are building another vehicle, possibly several.”
“Why haven’t they gone public? Isn’t that the safest option for them?” inquired the President.
“I believe they will. It’s just a matter of time,” Mark said.
“You need to find them before that happens, Mark.”
***
“I was starting to wonder what you were really doing.” Cindy looked down into her sandwich, deep in contemplation. Mason and Jerry glanced at each other from the opposite side of the table.
“You’ve seen the ship too?” Cindy peered at Jerry.
“I was skeptical at first, but then I saw it work. It’s amazing.”
Cindy p
ut her sandwich down without taking another bite. She crossed her arms and looked away from both of them.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life living and breathing NASA. Now you’re asking me to give it all up.”
Mason carefully leaned forward, arms resting on the table.
“Cindy, you weren’t always at NASA. Think about all the places you worked that were a stepping stone to the next place. You thought NASA was your final stepping stone. I am here to tell you it’s not, not by a long shot.”
She looked at Jerry, and back at Mason. Her eyes began to glisten, as she realized there no way she could go against him. Mason reached out with his hand across the table, and grabbed hers. She looked up into Mason’s all too familiar eyes.
“I wanna see it first.”
Chapter 5
Another year
Another year had gone by. It had been a month since they agreed they could leave the facility on short excursions to public places. They also began recruiting phases. Alex was approaching the cashier after a few hours spent shopping for formal business attire. He placed his desired purchases on the counter, and the cashier began to ring up items and remove security tags.
“Do you offer a veteran’s discount?” asked Alex.
“Why yes, we do. Fifteen percent. Do you have an ID card?”
Alex pulled out his old military ID card. It was no longer valid, but it proved his affiliation.
The cashier took a quick glance and inputted the discount. After observing the price, he handed over a business debit card.
“My brother is a Marine, he’s been deployed twice. Thank you for your service.” She eyed Alex with a smile. “What did you do over there?”
Alex stuttered like he always did when asked about his brief time in service.
“…I just did what I had to do.” He wearily glanced at her. “You know how it is.”
“Yeah. Well, we hope to see you again soon. Let me know if there’s anything we can do for you.”
“Alex Prager, we need you to come with us.”
Alex froze in place. He eyed the cashier, who also looked petrified as she fixated on someone behind him. Alex calmly signed and pocketed his purchase receipt, pressing a panic button in the same pocket as he did so.
He turned to see two men in business attire standing too close. One of them pulled out an ID badge that said NSA in large, holographic letters. When Alex hesitated, one of the agents spoke.
“We would prefer not to make a scene.”
Alex looked down at his shoes, pretending to consider the remarks while he eyed the rear employee-only door that surely led to a receiving area. Out of nowhere, and as if on cue, a large man had approached the two men from the side and pretended to stumble into them both, with exaggerated difficulty.
Alex took off running with his recent purchase into the employee area. He pulled out his phone with his free hand and speed dialed Zeek.
“Immediate evac, now!” Alex managed to say in between breaths, sprinting down a long hallway. He thought he could hear Zeek reply, but he couldn’t be sure as he pocketed the phone.
Before he reached the T section of the hallway, something zinged by him. A dart vibrated in the wall in front of him. He willed his body to run faster. He made a couple of quick turns and he was outside in the loading bay. His security team had a vehicle backed up, and the door was open, waiting for him to jump inside.
“Who are we missing?” Alex asked, noticing the empty seat in the vehicle. The vehicle speeding away.
“He’s fine, they paid him no attention. We’ll return for him later.”
Alex began to put the pieces together. The driver was not subtle as he exited the parking lot.
“It’s thirty-five minutes to the facility,” he said as he began a series of turns. “We have company.”
Behind them, Alex observed three black cars. They were gaining. He called Zeek again.
“Yo!”
“Where are you?”
“I am airborne, twenty seconds.”
Alex stood on the middle seat and asked the driver to open the moonroof. It was only now he realized how fast they were driving, and he had to brace against the highway winds.
Moments later, Zeek arrived. A sleek black shuttlecraft, considerably smaller than the Surprise, sped over the trees and slowed to hover above the SUV, easily keeping pace without so much as a whisper of noise. A steel cable with a hook lowered from the bottom. Alex hooked it into the metal loop they’d installed on the SUV. Effortlessly, the shuttle began to rise, and the SUV was lifted off the roadway. Smaller than the cargo container had been, the aerodynamic shuttle was dwarfed by the large vehicle it towed skywards as if its weight meant nothing at all.
Alex closed the moonroof and buckled himself into his seat. Because there was only one hitch point holding the vehicle, it spun, dipped and swayed against the air.
Almost as quickly as they had been picked up, they were getting dropped off within the compound. Over the last year, a concrete wall had been constructed around the property of the hangar. One gate was installed for entry and exit that was always manned. Just as Zeek was collecting Alex on the freeway, a small joint task force of NSA and FBI were about to execute a warrant on the compound.
Jack Morris wanted the team to be small, due to the sensitive nature of his real objectives.
“We need to call off the raid and re-plan our entry,” Jack told his team over their ear comms. Four local squad cars and three blacked-out SUVs were barred from the property by raised steel beams on the gate. When Jack had approached the guardhouse, the guard inside calmly walked away, locking it behind him.
Jack and his team could have entered the property on foot. The gate was not entirely prohibiting, but he had anticipated a compliant arrival. Generally, businesses do not resist federal authorities. He would need more people. He tucked the warrant back in his coat pocket.
“Lets go,” he growled, trying not to show anger at his lack of foresight.
The small convoy drove away from the property. Jack sat in the passenger seat looking through the window as the vehicle pulled away.
“What the hell?” he whispered, looking up through the tinted glass. He barely had time to pull out his phone and take a picture. There was a small, rotor-less aircraft of strange design carrying an SUV at high speed in the direction they had come. As he turned to watch, the craft lowered its load on the other side of the concrete wall.
“Bravo team reports they were unsuccessful in obtaining Mr. Prager,” his driver said.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Jack replied as he watched the SUV disappear behind the wall.
***
Amanda Reese sighed as she looked around the nondescript waiting room. The compound’s security seemed impressive, but she hadn’t yet seen anything to justify all the secrecy.
There was a commotion in the corridor, and she tensed as a number of large men in uniforms and sunglasses strode past. They were followed by two younger guys in heated conversation. One of them noticed her through the room’s glass panels and stopped, surprised.
“Is that the next applicant? I thought that was tomorrow.” Alex looked at Zeek’s data pad as he scrolled the schedule. “Nope, today!”
“You must be Amanda,” Alex said, coming through the door, as the guards continued on. “I’m so sorry you had to wait. Would you believe me if I told you I had to make a getaway from my last appointment in a flying car attached to a magical spaceship?”
She smiled politely, but she did not look impressed.
“Sorry,” he continued. “Let me show you to the briefing room. I imagine you’re not the only one I’ve kept waiting. We were very impressed with your application, by the way. Thank you so much for coming. I promise it will be worth your while.”
They walked a little way through the building until they reached a meeting room where a number of individuals were waiting around a table. Most were dressed professionally. Together with the room’s high-tech functionality, it
made for an intimidating first impression.
“Allow me to introduce to you my team.”
“What… What kind of team is this?” she asked, after recognizing Mason among those at the table.
“We are calling ourselves the United Earth Fleet.”
Amanda frowned.
“Yeah, we’re still working on name recognition. The short of it is that these people will help me explore the universe.”
Amanda continued to look confused. She had been headhunted by Cindy like many of the new recruits in the room. Her original application into NASA had been denied due to insufficient letters of recommendation. She thought she was applying to another research gig.
“A fleet of what?” asked Amanda. Several people chuckled.
“Didn’t you apply to NASA last year?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, so?”
“You still want to go to space, right?” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “Amanda, I apologize for the slight… lack of information in the job description. Allow me to clear things up a bit.”
“You should test the new video on her,” said Timmy cutting Alex off.
Alex considered the video for a moment and thought perhaps it might be better than explaining the whole thing.
“Get the lights,” Alex grabbed a remote on the table and navigated a short menu on the large wall screen. “Amanda, take a seat.”
The video opened on Alex, on a black stage in a formal black suit.
“I’m Alex Prager, and it’s my privilege to welcome you to the United Earth Fleet. We all dream of going to space, but few of us will ever get to make those dreams come true. We want to change that. Imagine a world where you can reach the stars with the same amount of power you use to turn on your T.V.”
Behind Alex were images of the first cargo container lifting off the ground, moving upwards and finally reaching the ISS. There were the initial greetings between Alex’s crew and Commander Mason.
“Our revolutionary propulsion system allows craft of any size to defy the laws of gravity with no need for rockets or external energy sources. We want to use this amazing new technology to transform the future of space exploration. Unfortunately, the government has chosen to treat us as a threat, despite our peaceful behavior and intentions. Our legitimate, private business has been illegally and repeatedly harassed by federal agents.”
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