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The main characters are introduced, also hard science, political and religious intrigue. |
| FADE IN: INT. GALLEY Several crew members have joined for breakfast. MEDVEDEV Did you know that I can't date their tissue? MIKE ANGEL How so? MEDVEDEV I tried to run a carbon-14 analysis on the samples they gave me and there is no carbon-14. They are either several billion years old, or there is no such thing as carbon-14 where they came from, only carbon-12. Mike just shrugs. MEDVEDEV They also have only 21 chromosomes plus the X and Y factor. Not 23 like us. MIKE ANGEL Well, we are hybrid from Earth stock. Is this a problem? MEDVEDEV No. It tells me we are compatible, but there are some genetic differences. What those are, I do not know yet. MIKE ANGEL Well, unless I decide to ask Y'va out on a date, this shouldn't be a big deal. MEDVEDEV It might be. From what I can determine, there would be no problem in interbreeding. Like horses, they may look the same on the outside, but the chromosome count is different between breeds. From what I know, what they added to simian DNA still keeps us absolutely compatible sexually. MIKE ANGEL I was joking. I hope you know that. MEDVEDEV (Smirking) Yes. I thought you should be aware. MIKE ANGEL Now hold on a minute. She's not my type; much too tall. Ivan's smirk grows deeper. MEDVEDEV I think we all know what your type is. He turns to leave the wardroom as Mike flounders for a comeback. MIKE ANGEL I'm a confirmed bachelor. Medvedev just shrugs and keeps walking. Mike squirms, feeling trapped in VESNA (OS) I told you so. MIKE ANGEL (Panicked) That wasn't on the air, was it? VESNA (OS) No. By the time I realized where he was going it was too late to switch it on. I'll do better next time. MIKE ANGEL I'll unplug you! Small beads of perspiration appear on his forehead even though the temperature in the ship is a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit. MIKE ANGEL (Mumbling) FSB, CIA, and the computer cops are all out to get me. CUT TO: INT. COMMAND DECK Mike calls a meeting of the crew on the command deck for just before noon and by the time he arrives, everyone had already assembled. MIKE ANGEL OK, guys. We've only got a couple more days before we go home. Anybody have any major experiments to wrap up? There are disappointed looks around the room. STROMBERG We were right about the water in that tank. It is synthetic. It's a by-product of their power generation system. They can take oxygen molecules from the plasma that were liberated from the iron oxide in the sand and combine it directly with free hydrogen. That's why it is so pure. MIKE ANGEL Think we can come up with a way to use that on Earth to produce power and water for the arid countries? NORODSKY I don't see why not. It will take more study, but if we can duplicate their plasma generators we could even take polluted waters and remake it from the molecules. MIKE ANGEL Well, my chemical company in Silicon Valley tells me that they think they will have a working prototype by tomorrow. They've been able to grow a fair duplicate of the crystal that D'am and Y'va use for their laser and they're in the process of polishing it right now. Talk with my people about this and we'll see what we can come up with. SHARON MANSON The weather here is a complete mystery. The storms like the one we experienced just happen. There is no predicting when something will occur, they just spring up and move in straight lines. It's nothing like on Earth. MIKE ANGEL Well, each of your stations (nodding to the two women) will continue to have direct links to the satellites we dropped up there. You'll be able to continue your monitoring even after you're home. I'm also going to leave the instruments that we brought with us on the peak when we leave so you'll be able to access those, too. Unfortunately, President Forest blackmailed me into giving access to NOAA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, so you'll have competition. But I still think it will be neat to have the conditions at Cydonia on the six a.m. news. RUSSIAN NEWS DIRECTOR (OS) Tell him that we already do that. SVETLANA NTV has been doing that already, it is a popular segment. I have been giving them reports every day and my replacement does a report not just for Cydonia, but for this hemisphere of Mars. AMERICAN NEWS DIRECTOR (OS) Oh, Jeez, we screwed up. I want you to give us reports immediately when you're free. We're still in the spring sweeps and this will put us over the top. GARAN We still do not know how they constructed those industrial diamond coffins. MIKE ANGEL They brought them with them. Vesna has the details on the manufacture, but that's something we probably don't need to understand and I trust her judgment. Three quarters of the industrialized world hates my guts already, I don't have to remove the mystique and value from a girl's best friend to irk every female on Earth too. BARISHNIKOV The database on their culture that Vesna has downloaded is magnificently detailed. My life's work from now on will be to translate and understand how they came to be and how their culture functioned. They had a society of individuals that functioned very loosely with no leadership. It appears either a total democracy or a total anarchy. I don't yet know which. MIKE ANGEL Maybe hive mentality is something that is unique to Earth? Belisar and Igor nod in half agreement. OKSANA (Looking very tired) I still have a few more interfaces that Vesna wants me to install into G'dala. MIKE ANGEL OK, but the two of you leave enough parts on Vesna for us to fly home. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) All right then, let's begin packing it up and winding down, then. CUT TO: INT. SERIES OF SHOTS. The group spends the rest of the day and most of the next finishing notes, storing samples and deciding what equipment they could leave. They take anything not necessary to the bottom section that Mike intends to leave on the surface for use at some future date. Mike manages to drag John away from Oksana long enough take most of the meteorology gear and set it up permanently on the peak of the pyramid along with a power unit and communications uplink to the satellites. He had to bribe the boy with the fact they would be using the backpack "fliers". The pair of anthropologists spend most of their free time either inside the pyramid conversing with D'am and Y'va, or studying the historical database that Vesna downloaded from G'dala. The geologists are also fascinated with this data because they can confirm or disprove many key disasters on earth during the past half-million years. President Forest is in contact with Mike the day before they were to leave. CUT TO: INT. COMMAND DECK PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I hope you realize this is a very different place from what you left. MIKE ANGEL Yes, Sir, I'm well aware of that. It wasn't my intention, things just turned out that way. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I'm supposed to be a Republican, but at the moment the only people who like either of us are the Democrats, Libertarians, and liberals. The organized religions are losing members in droves and everybody's on my back over that. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS; CONT'D) Israel has asked our ambassador to leave the country, the U.N. is calling in our marker for past dues at the same time that all of their smaller members are petitioning for recognition with us. You've managed single- handedly to destroy most of the institutions we've known for the past fifty years. The European Union is beginning to look more like Hitler's Axis powers. The Japanese aren't speaking to us, period. In addition, the South Americans are treating us like their long lost brothers. Very honestly, things are totally crazy here. MIKE ANGEL I figured as much. I do apologize, but I wasn't anticipating anything like this. Your people are going a bit crazy, though, too. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) How so? MIKE ANGEL I'd call the bill in the Senate to nationalize all of my industries a bit of overkill, wouldn't you? And the draft notice I received a couple of days ago was also a bit much. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) Draft notice? MIKE ANGEL Yes, Sir. It seems the Chief of Naval Operations thinks I'm fit to be recalled. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I wasn't told of that. In fact, I was told that we couldn't recall you. MIKE ANGEL Well, since my health is now perfect, your CNO thinks that I should go for another two or three hundred years as a hired gun. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) Believe me, I wasn't aware of this. I'll take care of it. I have to sign any orders that go out of this office, and I won't endorse that one. MIKE ANGEL Senator Little is the Chairman of the National Security Committee. I think they've been lobbying harder than you have. Frankly, there are departments in the N.S.A. that even you don't know exist. Actually, they don't really exist, period. We just pay their salaries, but they're not there. I'm the first to understand the weapons value of the space drive and you'll have a really hard way to go getting that out of me. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I know that, and I'm not trying any more. I know we got off to a rocky start, but I've had many people I trust convince me you're on the level. We'll let that pass for now and I promise that I'll do what I can to roadblock them. On another subject, I have everybody from TVA to Southern Company howling like scalded cats about that fusion generation system. They want the full plans and process. MIKE ANGEL Well, Sir. They already have all the data that I do including the laser composition. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) That's just it. That crystal is almost pure carbon - a diamond a meter long and six centimeters in diameter. My science advisor says that would be impossible to manufacture and it certainly wouldn't be found in nature. The best industrial diamonds we make aren't much bigger than a pea. Mike is looking sheepish. MIKE ANGEL (OS) We have a prototype in San Jose that will be ready for demonstration next Monday, Sir. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) (Almost jumping through the connection) What? How can that be? The pressure and temperatures would be outrageous to make a diamond that big. Even nature can't do it! MIKE ANGEL Take a half-ton of good old Pennsylvania anthracite and squash it under about a thousand G's for 24 hours and there you have it. We figure we can retail these crystals for around a hundred thousand each to anyone that wants one. The rest is standard laser technology, except for the magnetic containment for the plasma. My prototype uses a gravity field, but anyone can use a magnetic 'bottle', which is old technology. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) But the pressure? Mike smiles, again a bit sheepish. MIKE ANGEL That's where I cheat. I can use an artificial gravity press, remember? (President Forest reddens on the monitor) I figure that just about any old coal-fired or nuke plant can be retro-fitted for under a mil. Electricity can be profitably generated for around a half-cent a kilowatt-hour indefinitely using municipal solid waste. Moreover, another beauty of the system, you can feed it toxic waste and reclaim elemental byproducts. The only thing you can't feed it is radioactive material. We can kill a lot of birds with one stone with this. At the moment I'm not interested in getting into the construction business, but we should be able to start shipping the lasers within a month or two if my people are right. Forest looks slightly relieved. Mike can see that there is still something else bothering the President and waits. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) The oil and gas people are also stirring up trouble. MIKE ANGEL I don't know about the oil people, but I admit the gas companies will probably be in trouble when electricity gets cheap again. As long as the oil companies have to make gasoline, they're safe. I'm working on that, but I'm not there yet. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) But your gravity drives and power storage for electricity? MIKE ANGEL Unless John Q. Public is ready to shell out a hundred thousand for a Ford and get the liquid helium topped off every ten- thousand miles, I'm not at a practical stage of development yet. Someday we may be able to adapt the fusion generator to motor vehicles, but I'm not perfect. The house has been running through development scenarios on this, but so far even he's stumped. Now Forest is beginning to relax. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) That brings up another problem. The technology sector is demanding details on the artificial intelligence programs that you use at the house and on the ship. They're claiming a very unfair advantage if you decide to market. Now that the public has become familiar with Vesna and her capabilities, everybody is clamoring for the software manufacturers to build the same intelligence into their personal computers. And to come up with programs that don't crash. Mike breaks out laughing at that. MIKE ANGEL Sir, believe me when I tell you, you're not ready for your PC to question your judgment every twenty minutes. VESNA (OS) I resent that implication. MIKE ANGEL See what I mean, Sir? (ignoring having to answer Vesna directly) I rest my case. Forest smiles and nods. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) Will you be there tomorrow when we land, Sir? PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I was planning on it. MIKE ANGEL May I suggest you think about the full contingent of available secret service for both our sakes? Forest frowns and his eyebrows peak questioningly. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) Frankly, I'm less worried about you than the rest of us. Enough nut cases aren't tickled with our trip both outside and inside your administration. I don't want anything to go wrong. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) I'll be there and make certain that everything runs smoothly. MIKE ANGEL Thank you, Sir. Unless there's an unforeseen hitch, we should be in Atlanta sometime around noon. PRESIDENT FOREST You won't consider National or Dulles? MIKE ANGEL No, Sir. We've got all of the preparations and equipment ready to get our crew home right there at Hartsfield. I understand that the City Government is considering renaming it Hartsfield Interplanetary Airport in our honor. Who am I to disappoint them? The President shrugs and breaks the connection. VESNA (OS) Sir? MIKE ANGEL What now? Didn't I fold my jumpsuits correctly? VESNA (OS) (Ignoring the jab) D'am would like to meet with all of us before we leave. MIKE ANGEL 0600 OK with them? VESNA (OS) I would imagine so. They're not on our schedule. MIKE ANGEL Notify each of the rest of the crew, then. I need a nap. CUT TO: INT. RUSSIAN SCIENCE SECTION Everyone is suited in the lower section when Mike arrives the next morning. He can see that some of the crew are excited at the prospect of going home, while others look sad that they were about to leave. CUT TO: INT. MAIN EQUIPMENT ROOM D'am and Y'va are waiting for them when they arrive. Mike can see that refreshments consisting of the mushroom fixed in several ways and various colored drinks had been laid out for them on the lids of two of the sarcophagi and that the chaises had been moved from the other chamber where they had held their "world press conference" to here. D'am waves them to seats as they enter. D'AM Please be comfortable. MIKE ANGEL I think it safe to say that we each would like to thank you for more than just your hospitality here. We thank you for our very existence and the knowledge that we truly aren't alone; we may have relatives spread across several galaxies. There is almost an embarrassment in D'am's face. D'AM There is no need at all for that. It is we who must thank you for becoming the species we had hoped for so long ago. As parents, we are very proud that you have met most of our expectations. We could not have hoped for more. MIKE ANGEL Well, we still don't work well and play nicely together. I think a lot of that may change now, though. Y'VA I hope so. To our people, who are also yours, life of any kind is a gift to be used and cherished and protected. This is what we tried to communicate to you so many times. You must stop quarreling and wanting what the other has. You each are free to follow whatever path interests you, but you must respect that your fellows have that same free will. This is how we lived in peace and joy for so many thousands of your years and it is what we would like it to be for you also. Sharon raises her hand and stands. SHARON MANSON Why is it that you wanted us to worship you? D'am and Y'va looked at each other for a moment. Y'VA That was not our intent. Until you learned the skills to be on your own, we only wanted to be looked on as parents with that same respect. We did not intend you to think of us as deities. It was very difficult in the beginning to put this idea across. Y'VA (CONT'D) We were dealing with those of you that had no comprehension of science or astronomy. I understand from what Vesna has told us that you have a tendency either to be afraid of what you do not understand, or to put it in a place of reverence. We found it very difficult to explain who we were and where you and we came from until now. You had not yet matured past the biological instincts that we had to breed into you for you to survive so you did not fully understand. We never wanted you to think of us as 'Gods', just loving parents that wanted the best for their children. You have surpassed our science in many ways, as we said before. We only want the best for you. JOHN BELISAR Why would you make it a rule that we not take your name in vain? G'DALA (OS) Because that is the key to initiating communication. Everyone jumps as a bass male voice like James Earl Jones on steroids booms out of nowhere. Mike realizes what has happened. MIKE ANGEL A little melodramatic, isn't it Vesna? VESNA (OS) (Innocently) I should tone it down? MIKE ANGEL I think that would be appropriate. A milder male voice of G'dala continues. G'DALA (OS) In order to get my attention it was necessary to set up a few key phrases. My name is among them. It was a nuisance when your people used it improperly because it wasn't always for something that I should pay attention to. I had to convince D'am to include that in his instructions to you. Filtering out the millions of signals I receive is a difficult task and being called for no reason only makes it more difficult. Both D'am and Y'va are grinning like kids at this last. MIKE ANGEL You don't mind this? D'AM (shaking his head) Of course not! Another voice to speak with after so long is more than welcome. MIKE ANGEL I just don't want to get struck down by lightening in a hundred years or so when he irritates you totally. G'DALA (OS) (Flatly) I don't do lightening. MIKE ANGEL See what I mean? (raising his eyebrows slightly) You've now got the most powerful computer in this solar system that is both sarcastic and cynical. Somehow I had a feeling that I should have overseen the programming! Y'va's musical laugh pervades the room. Y'VA We do have a sense of humor. In fact, there is an entire range of inflection in our language that indicates that. I am sorry, but you aren't able to hear it, but we do have it. I feel certain that very soon G'dala will adjust his program to the three of us. MIKE ANGEL (Mumbling sourly) I just don't want to have to say I told you so. Oksana stands. OKSANA Why do you wish us to keep the Sabbath? D'am starts to answer, but Y'va raises her arm and replies. Y'VA You of all people here should understand that. Oksana looks puzzled. Y'VA (CONT'D) Since we have awakened we have watched you work without regard to your health or well being. We have seen Mr...we have seen Mike have to force you to take a rest. From what Vesna has told us, there are many like you that would work until your bodies suffered. We wanted you to enjoy other things, what was the phrase Vesna? VESNA (OS) Stop and smell the roses. Y'VA Yes, the roses, the animals, each other. Your mind will always be there, your work will always be there. Do not ruin your chance to be happy with something outside your immediate purpose. You need to allow yourself to take joy in everything around you. Oksana shrinks slightly from the rebuke, but continues. OKSANA Then which day is the Sabbath? We have many people saying many different things. D'AM Take your pick; it doesn't matter. Our point has always been that you must put aside for at least one day all of the problems that you perceive from the work to which you have dedicated yourselves. If you do not, the work will not be done and you will create biological problems for yourselves. A rest and recreation period is necessary for you to survive. There were times, before we left our planet that D'am and I would take years in your time off from our studies. It would always be there when we returned to them. You must do the same. There is so much joy to being that you would miss it if you did not explore that also. Vesna has told us that many of you today are driven only by what they consider 'success'. They are missing the entire purpose of being. I am indeed sorry if this was not understood. Oksana flushes briefly and sits. John pokes her in the ribs with his elbow and whispers, JOHN BELISAR Told you so. There is silence from the crowd for several minutes. MIKE ANGEL We're going to be leaving in a short time. Is there anything else you would like us to know before we go? D'AM No. There is nothing I have not already said. I would like to ask that you respect our personal privacy for a while. Not long, just a few hundred years or so. You can always contact us through G'dala, and we expect to remain awake for many of your centuries from now on. There will still be times that, like any parent, we have to say 'no' to requests, but we will be available directly from now on. Just always know that we will be available if you need us. Mike nods to the pair. MIKE ANGEL Again, we thank you for your patience and your patronage. D'am walks over, put his hands on Mike's shoulders, and looks him in the eye. D'AM No. Thank you. Our thanks to all of you for becoming what we had hoped. And a special thank you to Vesna and Oksana who have given us a companion. MIKE ANGEL (Half under his breath) I still think you'll regret that one. Y'VA Please. Have a meal with us before you must leave. This time nobody hesitates as each gathers around the food. Mike samples one large specimen and finds it delicious. MIKE ANGEL If I didn't know better, I'd say this was grilled Portabella with a seasoning of garlic butter and a hint of truffle, it's excellent. Y'VA Thank you. My mother taught me how to prepare that and some of the others. D'am prepared the ones over there. Mike tries one of the others that she indicated and he found it equally delicious, tasting like sautéed shitake marinated in Bordeaux. Mike sidles over to Ivan. MIKE ANGEL You didn't happen to bring an empty specimen tube with you? The biologist looks at him with a stunned expression and shakes his head. MIKE ANGEL Damn. I was hoping to take a sample of this home and analyze it. MEDVEDEV (Raising his glass) It is quite good, They ended up staying an hour longer than they had intended Everyone is reluctant to leave and is thoroughly enjoying the feast. CUT TO: INT. COMMAND DECK Within the hour, everyone again gathers on the control deck after making certain that all of their personal effects are packed and placed in their respective laboratory areas. There are glum faces all around. MIKE ANGEL Is everybody ready? Blank, disappointed stares all around. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) All right then. Vesna, full control to the engineering console. VESNA (OS) Aye, Sir. Oksana, Mikhail, and Carol whip around in their chairs almost in unison so hard that Mike fears they'd need chiropractic. He also hears gasps from the two mothers behind him, but won't give them the satisfaction of turning around. Mike smiles evilly at the three. MIKE ANGEL You didn't think I'd let you get off scot-free, did you? I've let you practice for a month, now you're going to drive me home. The expressions on the three faces are priceless. All of them looked like something out of a Keane's painting; their eyes couldn't get any bigger if they tried. Mikhail's mouth is open so wide he could easily have swallowed a tennis ball. Mike tilts his head slightly to the side and makes a face at them that says "Well?" and the three slowly turn back to their stations. Misha's voice cracks slightly in adolescent nervousness as he calls out, MIKHAIL Engine temperature? OKSANA Engine coolant reads two Kelvin. MIKHAIL Power reserves? OKSANA Power on board is at 85 percent. MIKHAIL Engine vibration? OKSANA Vibration negligible. MIKHAIL Life support? OKSANA Life support fully operational. MIKHAIL Do we have a go? Oksana scans her board again and replies, OKSANA We are a go for liftoff. Misha turns to Mike, MIKHAIL Captain, we are go for liftoff. Mike has a second of hesitation, but can't resist as he raises his right hand and drops it, MIKE ANGEL Engage. Misha pulls back on a control that looks like the throttle from a 747 and the group feels a change in the pitch of Vesna's engines. The view from the outside monitors shows that they are slowly ascending through the Martian atmosphere and the ground drops away. The view in the monitors slowly darkens as they leave the planet's atmosphere. Mike notices a slight queasy feeling in his stomach but still holds his tongue. Mikhail notices it too, evidently, and he makes a hasty adjustment to the internal gravity field on the ship. They were breaking free of the Martian gravity. MIKHAIL Altitude? OKSANA Altitude is 500 kilometers from the surface. Mikhail adjusts the throttle back to a neutral position. Carol has been making hasty calculations on her panel and lining up the optical telescopes on Vesna's nose while they have been ascending. She re-checked the ships' chronometers and punches a few more numbers into her console. MIKHAIL Course to Earth? CAROL MANSON Adjust course to two four two point seven four point six one. MIKHAIL Course two four two point seven four point six one, aye. Misha adjusts the four levers on the throttle control. The view in the overhead monitor changes as the stars move across it until there is one bright speck in the center. CAROL MANSON Drive engines six two degrees, range two four kilometers, speed one five seven five zero. MIKE ANGEL (under his breath) Oh crud! They're going to go for it, Mike grips the armrests of his seat. MIKHAIL Drive engines set. Mike is white knuckled by this time because he knew that the young people are setting up for about half what Vesna said she could do. He had taken a "leisurely" trip out to Mars and now they were about to take the NASCAR circuit back. He nods, MIKE ANGEL Ignite. Mikhail grips his joystick with a grin and punches a button on his panel. CUT TO: EXT. HARTSFIELD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT They are in Earth orbit in a little under an hour. Mike is thankful as they descend through Earth's atmosphere toward Hartsfield International that none of the others have realized what the trio of teenagers had just done. He feels a slight bump as Mikhail misjudges their landing speed slightly, but not enough to cause concern or damage. The monitors show that almost the entire concourse they parked at is crowded with onlookers - at least 200,000 people. Mikhail had missed their designated landing spot by a meter, but that was also no big deal as the podium is still a good hundred meters away from the ship. Mike flexes the circulation back into his fingers as he stands to the rest of the crew MIKE ANGEL I told you that this was the future. Sharon stands and says as she hugs her daughter, SHARON MANSON Honey, I'll take you for your driver's test tomorrow if you'd like. All three young people beam as they stand, understanding that they had done a good job. MIKE ANGEL OK people. I hate to sound like a spin doctor, but I think that we should let the young people exit first followed by the American team. Then I'll hang back with the Russian team. I don't know what their agenda is for this, so I'm open to suggestions. CUT TO: INT. AMERICAN SCIENCE SECTION He is met with shrugs all around and the group descends in the elevator to the American lab which is now on the bottom. MIKE ANGEL (Turning to the four young people) Are you guys ready? Their faces reflect more fear now than when they had set foot on Mars. Evidently, it is easier to explore another planet than to face an audience. John steps forward to Mike. JOHN BELISAR I still don't know if I want to be an anthropologist like Dad, or an engineer like Oksana. MIKE ANGEL (Laughing loudly) Son, I'm 40 years old and I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up. If D'am and Doctor Medvedev are right, you have a couple of hundred years to make up your mind, so enjoy! Follow whatever interests you at the moment. You have time to do both if you want! MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) You've been a big help and, no, I'm not mad that you stowed away. Doctor Belisar stepped forward and grips his son. BELISAR You be what you want to be. I am what I am because I wanted to understand what alternatives there were to my culture. Now I know that there are an infinite number of alternatives. D'am and Y'va's culture allows for each to follow their heart and that is what I wish for you. Mike places his hand on the door control. MIKE ANGEL Ready? As he gets nods from the room, Mike pulls the handle. The outer door opens and the crew begins to file out. The crowd is close to three times larger than when they left, at least several hundred thousand occupying all of the space between two concourses. A thunderous roar erupts from the crowd, drowning out the Marine Corps Band's version of "Stars and Stripes Forever". Mike sees that President Forest was true to his word as he spots him standing at the podium with several civilians. He can also see that the President had heeded Mike's advice. The entire Secret Service must have been brought in for this occasion. There were so many dark suits and sunglasses in the crowd that this could have been a Ray Ban convention. Mike spots more cameras set up on the buildings than you would normally find at the Super Bowl. There are also reporters with shoulder-held cameras in the front few rows of the crowd. Mike makes a mental note to come up with a marketing plan for the portable mini-cams they had used on Mars. The President steps forward and greets each of the young people as they ascend to the platform. He shakes hands with all of the scientists and finally comes to Mike. PRESIDENT FOREST We finally meet in person. Mike switches off the box on his belt controlling his personal shield as he holds out his hand. MIKE ANGEL Yes, Sir. It's an honor that you could meet us. The crowd's applause slowly dies down as the President steps to the microphone and raises his hands. PRESIDENT FOREST My fellow Americans, this is a proud day...not just for America, but also for every man, woman, and child on Earth. Especially for the children. He motioned for the youths to join him. They aren't certain how to react, but stiffly comply. The four couldn't have stood any straighter if they were in Seal training. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) The four young ladies and gentlemen that you see with me are the true heroes of the twenty-first century. They have done what no human being in history has accomplished and we were privileged to be with them and watch as they set foot on a planet other than Earth. The President lets the cheers go on for a few minutes before he motions for quiet. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) These four young people, only one of them old enough to vote, (a round of laughter passes through the crowd) These four have made an indelible mark in the history of mankind that will remain for millennia. Their names will be remembered along with Moses, Noah, Mohammed, and Gilgamesh as doing more to turn the tide of human history than anyone of their time. Forest again waits for the cheering to subside. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) Mikhail Gerasov, the world's first interplanetary pilot. Carol Manson - who doesn't yet have her driver's license - the Earth's first interplanetary navigator. We could have used you on those last couple of probes that crashed. Again laughter and a cheer. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) Oksana Ivanova, a world class engineer at seventeen. I may ask you to look at my personal computer because it keeps crashing, too. Oksana blushes at the attention. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) And John Belisar, who like the hundreds of thousands of government workers behind the scenes, helped make this a success. Forest lets the applause and cheering go for a good five minutes before continuing. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) And the two most recognizable faces on television in the world today, Sharon Manson of WSB-TV and Svetlana Gerasova from the Russian NTV. They each had a triple job on this mission. They not only kept you informed of every step taken on Mars, but they also learned more in the last thirty days about the weather on another planet than we have in the last thirty years. And also, like almost every other working mother, they had to keep track of their kids! This time Mikhail joins in the laughter as he turns to look at his mother. Suddenly he puts his arm around Carol's waist and gives it a squeeze that is visible on camera. The girl stiffens at first at the unexpected affection in front of the whole world, but then relaxes and returns the gesture. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) All of the scientists you know also. They have brought back information that today has made almost every textbook in print obsolete. There is going to be a scientific food-fight for the next 50 years as you disprove almost all your colleagues' theories. I don't envy you. (beat) And the mission commander, Mike Angel. The President gestured toward Mike who makes a half-bow to the cameras. Mike is relieved that Forest had finally used the name he prefers. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) I'm certain that all of you will appreciate that this mission was completed with no expenditure of your tax dollars. As Mr. Angel has pointedly reminded me on many occasions, this was a private venture and he footed the entire bill for much less than we could have. I don't know how you did it, but we can really use you in the Office of Management and Budget. The roar lasts close to ten minutes this time. Mike looks as if he would have liked to return to the ship at this point and have a beer. He had spent the majority of his life being invisible and really didn't enjoy being in the spotlight. PRESIDENT FOREST (CONT'D) Also with us today is Ray Ballmer, the Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He motions to one of the civilians on the podium and a balding, heavy-set man walks up to the microphones carrying a large folder. BALLMER Thank you Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, and honored guests. This is indeed a proud day and a momentous occasion for all of us. BALLMER (CONT'D) It's also an unusual day for me; I had always thought I would be in charge of the first manned mission to Mars, but I seem to have been upstaged by a bunch of civilians. There is a low round of laughter from the audience. BALLMER (CONT'D) I know that all of you understand the accomplishments we are celebrating today - the first people to travel to another planet, the discovery of an artificial structure, the discovery of alien life forms that are not only like us, they are, in fact, related to us. I'd also like to add a little perspective that may not be obvious to most of you outside the scientific community. As of today, many of the laws of physics have been proven wrong. What we taught yesterday in high school and college will have to be re-written. I'm surprised that half of my staff hasn't jumped off a roof somewhere. This time the laughter was a bit louder as more people realize that the Director's sense of humor is dry. Ballmer leans forward to the microphones but turns his head to face Mike. BALLMER (CONT'D) Do you realize that you were clocked by my people as traveling almost ten percent of the speed of light to get back here? Mike shrugs and points at Misha and Carol. MIKE ANGEL They were driving. Don't give me the speeding ticket. The crowd roars for a good two minutes. BALLMER In case you don't know, the best we can do with our chemical rockets is about twenty thousand miles an hour. These people just set a Guinness record of 47- million miles an hour. My more adventurous staff members have also informed me that this is just a little better than first gear for your vehicle. He again turns toward Mike. BALLMER (CONT'D) They clocked your test runs at close to 85 percent the speed of light, which means you really could have gone from Earth orbit to Mars in under ten minutes. Do you realize that my commute from home in Houston to Johnson Space Center takes me over an hour? This time, the crowd roars with the Director. Mike just puts on his silly sheepish grin and shrugs. BALLMER (OS) Today we are witnessing a revolution - and that is the correct term - a revolution in science as we know it. It is a revolution in all the sciences from biology, through sociology and psychology to physics. Tomorrow, nothing will ever be the same again. Almost everything we know, everything we have taken for granted from birth, is invalid. You, and I, and the rest of the world have a major relearning job ahead of us. Thanks to these children, our children have to chuck what they know and start over again. I think this is a good thing, myself. I have always tried to push my people to 'think outside the box'; as of today, there is no box! It was a figment of our imagination as these people have proven. BALLMER (OS; CONT'D) (beat) As I said, by Title Fourteen of the Code of Federal Regulations, I'm supposed to be in charge of space exploration. I wasn't. But I would still like to have the honor of bestowing on each of you the official recognition and title of Astronaut for NASA. He opens the folder he had with him and withdraws a sheaf a papers that have patches clipped to them. Ballmer steps back and walks to the line the crew has formed. BALLMER (CONT'D) Mikhail Gerasov, it is my honor to bestow on you the title of Astronaut and mission pilot. He hands the boy the top paper, which also holds a special patch and bars. Mike is afraid Misha's back will break if he stands any straighter as he accepts them. BALLMER (CONT'D) Carol Manson, astronaut and mission navigator. The girl almost makes five foot three as she accepts the award. BALLMER (CONT'D) "Oksana Ivanova, astronaut and mission engineer," Mike can see the girl is standing straight, but her hand begins to shake to the point he is afraid her emotions would get the best of her as she accepts the award. BALLMER (CONT'D) John Belisar, astronaut and mission specialist. (Leaning forward and whispering) I just couldn't bring myself to say 'gopher'. He continues down the line until he arrives at Mike. BALLMER (CONT'D) Mike Angel. I don't know whether to call you mission commander, mission financier, mission inventor, or what. MIKE ANGEL Chief mess cook is fine, just as long as I got to go. Ballmer almost breaks a smile as he hands Mike his certificate and patches and then returns to his seat. President Forest again takes to the microphones. PRESIDENT FOREST We also have with us today, Ambassador Sergei Andropov of the Russian Federation of States. The other civilian on the platform stands and approaches the microphones. ANDROPOV Thank you Mr. President. Because this is the only time we will have for you to be all together, my government has authorized me also to present each of you with the title of Cosmonaut and members of our space program. (beat) I know that each of these heroes deserve special honors, but from my government the remaining four require even more. Unlike Director Ballmer, Andropov begins with John, bestowing Cosmonaut status and mission specialist on the young man and each of the scientists present. He returns to the microphones. He turns to face Mikhail. ANDROPOV (CONT'D) Mikhail Illyich Gerasov, because of expertise demonstrated in your ability to pilot a spacecraft across 47-million miles, the Russian Air Force grants you your wings as pilot, the grade of Praporschik, Second Lieutenant, and also the honors of Cosmonaut. The ambassador withdraws a set of silver wings from his folder, pins them on Misha's jumpsuit, and touches both his cheeks in the Russian custom. The surprise on the boy's face makes Mike fear that he would crumple under the stress, but the young man stands tall, as he now wears the same wings his father had earned. The Ambassador moves on. ANDROPOV (CONT'D) Carol Anne Manson, because of expertise demonstrated in your ability to navigate a spacecraft across 47-million miles, the Russian Air Force grants you your wings as a qualified member of a flight crew and also officially a Russian Cosmonaut. Carol appears flabbergasted and shrinks back to her normal five foot one. The Ambassador repeats the actions he had performed with Misha. ANDROPOV (CONT'D) Oksana Pavlovna Ivanova, because of expertise demonstrated in your ability to engineer a functional spacecraft across 47-million miles, the Russian Air Force grants you your wings as flight engineer and also Cosmonaut. The Russian ambassador takes a step backwards and stiffened to a salute. The four youths do their best to return it properly. The Ambassador steps toward Mike. ANDROPOV (CONT'D) I have been asked to tell you that President Puchinskiy wishes to present honors to you personally. Mike nods. There are several more "rah rah" speeches from political types that Mike recognizes as more PR than substance, but the affair finally begins to wind down. President Forest finally shakes hands around the group once more and stops at Mike. PRESIDENT FOREST We need to talk about a position with my administration. MIKE ANGEL I'll have my people call your people... (total incomprehension on the President's face) I'll call you after I get these folks home. Mike motions the Russians off the stage. Mikhail starts from the stage, but turns and takes both of Carol's hands in his. MIKHAIL I want to see you again. I could not have done this without you. CAROL MANSON You had better stay in contact, or I'd think I just wasted the last month flirting with a lost cause. Misha smiles and then kisses her for a long enough time that Sharon's expression turns to one of concern. John takes the cue and takes Oksana's hand. JOHN BELISAR Will I see you again? OKSANA (coyly, not meeting his eyes) I don't know. If you are ever in St. Petersburg, maybe. JOHN BELISAR Then I will see you again. John vows as he squeezes her hands. The couple parts and Mike walks back to Vesna with the Russian delegation. CUT TO: INT. COMMAND DECK Mike and his Russian crew settles into their positions on the command deck. Carol's empty chair reminds each of them that there was now a gap in their lives. MIKE ANGEL Release the American section. VESNA (OS) Aye. They feel the docking clamps retract. There are a few moments of silence and Mike says, MIKE ANGEL "Well? Mikhail turns to the American rather puzzled. MIKE ANGEL Home, James. MIKE (Mikhail's face shows no understanding) Never mind, American joke about British chauffeurs. Just get us back to Moscow. MIKHAIL But I don't know the way, Carol isn't here. MIKE ANGEL Then this must be for you. Mike pulls an envelope out of his jump suit and hands it to the boy. Misha takes the letter and reads it slowly, his eyes gleaming and a smile comes on his face. He refolds it and puts it in his suit. MIKHAIL Yes, Sir. I have the coordinates now. He flips a switch on his console and Mikhail and Oksana go through their pre-flight checkout. In a few minutes, he pulls back on the throttle and all can see the view changing on the monitors. CUT TO: EXT. SHEREMETYEVO As they descend over Sheremetyevo Dva, Mike can see that the crowd was at least the same size if not larger than at Hartsfield. This time Mikhail's descent is flawless and there is no bump as he touches down. Mike stands and faces the group. MIKE ANGEL Well, the time has come the walrus said... Lana smiles at him as she turned to the elevator to leave. CUT TO: INT. RUSSIAN SCIENCE SECTION As they gather by the airlock, Barishnikov stops Mike. BARISHNIKOV Moi droog, I have had many adventures in my life, but never anything like this. Before we part, I must thank you for making me feel more like your Indiana Jones and less like the absent minded professor than ever before in my career." MIKE ANGEL We're all going to have lots of time to try to top it. They shake hands all around. EXT. SHEREMETYEVO The outer door open and Mike hears the Red Army Choir strike up Knipper's "Polyushka Pole", "Oh Field, My Field" as a welcome home to the adventurers. Misha and Oksana lead the group to the podium where President Puchinskiy awaits. There is a group of people standing behind the President wearing the uniform of the Russian Cosmonaut Corps. Mike recognizes Oksana's mother in a roped off area of the front row of the crowd directly in front of the stand. A man he assumes to be Oksana's father and a few young people that must be Oksana's classmates accompany Olga. He waves and Olga Ivanova energetically returns it. As Mikhail ascends the steps,his new wings gleaming in the afternoon sun, the Cosmonauts snap to attention and salute. The boy returns the salute as his mother and the scientists gather around him on the platform. Mike brings up the rear and stands behind the Russians. Puchinskiy walks over and motions for Mike to come forward and join him. Mike shrugs and moves through the group to stand next to the President at the microphones. He can see that large screens have been set up on either side of the podium like at a rock concert. Those assembled in the audience had been able to witness their arrival and ceremonies in Atlanta. Mike turns and half-whispers to the President. MIKE ANGEL This is really their day, Sir. Puchinskiy puts his hand over the microphone. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY Nyet, moi droog. This is our day, all of us. I will not let you hide in the shadows. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY Citizens. This is a day I never thought I would live to witness. Our people have walked on another planet. Ever since our ancestors came out of caves in Siberia, they have wondered what those lights in the sky were. Today we know, thanks to these people you see here, what is there. Moreover, what is there is not only our future, but also our past. This is not an end, but a beginning. The crowd roars. Mike can see that kids around the world were the same, the young people accompanying the Ivanovs were shouting, whistling, and several were even doing the Atlanta Braves' tomahawk chop. Puchinskiy waits patiently for the din to subside on its own. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY This is a beginning the same as 50 years ago when a few scientists placed the Sputnik in orbit showing that we could leave the Earth. A beginning as when Yuri Gagarin showed us that a man could live in outer space and return. A beginning as when the Americans showed us that we could leave the Earth's gravity altogether and walk on the moon. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) Today we begin to explore the entire universe because we no longer have the bonds to keep us here. Once again, the cheer lasts several minutes. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY You all know well our people who have made this possible, Mikhail Gerasov, Oksana Ivanova, Svetlana Gerasova, Igor Barishnikov, Pavel Norodsky, Ivan Medvedev, and Yuri Garan. These are our heroes today from the Rodina. However, we must also honor another who shares our heritage, our blood, and our dreams. We must honor the one who had the vision and the knowledge to perform this act and to force the rest of us to comply. Mike can feel what is coming and again longed to be in his back yard with his feet up, sipping a cold Guinness. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) Mikhail Ivanovich Angelskov, there is no question of the science you have created. However, greater than that, you have accomplished something that no person has done in a hundred years. You have brought the governments of both the United States and the Russian Federation to their knees and made us both support you. As your television says, 'resistance was futile'. A look crosses Mikes face, Payback time. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) You have forced us to examine our values and our goals. You have done something that no diplomat has ever been ever been able to do and that is to make us stop and think about our differences. We discovered that we do not have that many. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) I am pleased to be able to tell all of you today, that next week I will be traveling to Washington in the United States where President Forest and I will sign a treaty of mutual cooperation that will allow both countries to open their borders without question to each other. We will be able to support each other in trade and defense as if we were each part of one country. We will have free trade, free travel; our currencies will be accepted in each country as equal. The President takes a small box from his overcoat. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) Mikhail Angelskov, 20 years ago this would be a 'Hero of the Soviet Union'. Our governments have come together and created a 'Hero of the Earth' award. He withdraws a bronze medallion on a white, blue, and red ribbon and places it around Mike's neck. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY We have also discovered that while you have been flying around the world and the solar system, you do not possess a valid pilot's license. The President withdraws a certificate and a small book from a folder. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) The American Federal Aviation Administration and our own Commissariat have authorized me to present you with a license to pilot your craft within our jurisdictions. We believe that you have more than proven your ability to uphold public safety. That brings a laugh from the crowd. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (CONT'D) And finally, as all of you are aware, as two sovereign countries, neither the Russian Federation nor the United States of America allows a citizen to hold a dual citizenship. In light of the treaty that I will sign in a few days, that will change. And in honor of that time, it is my proud honor to present you with this, (the President withdraws a small blue and red booklet from his coat imprinted in both Latin and Cyrillic characters) Your State Department has produced this passport, declaring you to be a citizen of both the United States of America and the Russian Federation of Independent States. The serial number of this document, (holding it up to the cameras) is number one. Mike accepts this amidst another thunderous round of applause. MIKE ANGEL (Bashfully) Thank you Mr. President. The honor really belongs to each of them. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY Nyet, tovarishch. You have earned these by making possible not only the expedition you have completed, but the cooperation we now enjoy. You have restored the glory to our country by forcing us to follow your lead. This is a debt that we can never repay. Mike shakes hands with the President and holds his awards up to the cameras amidst another thunderous round of applause. MIKE ANGEL My friends, now my countrymen. I thank you for your support. I could not have done any of this without each of you. I am only one person, but this should show each one of you that one person can make a difference. If there is only one of you out there; a young person like Oksana here, or Mikhail, that will understand this and make another difference, then I can be at peace knowing that I have truly done something positive. The young people with the Ivanovs and those in the crowd go wild. Mike can see children that couldn't have been over the age of five, sitting on their parent's shoulders, clapping and yelling with the rest. MIKE ANGEL Cosmonauts Ivanova and Gerasov. The two straighten and turn to Mike. Behind them, the Cosmonaut Corps comes to attention also. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) I can think of nothing further to say that you do not already know. It has always been the desire of teachers and parents everywhere to see their students and children outshine them. This you have each done for me. It is now the duty of each of you to move forward and bring others with you even further into the future than we have already gone. (beat) The only thing I can think of to say at the moment is a bunch of old Irish proverbs, 'May your hands always be busy; may your feet always be square. May the road rise to meet you; may the wind be at your back. May the inevitable never happen, and the unexpected constantly occur, and may you be forever young'. Always see things the way you do today, with the excitement of your youth. If anyone ever tells you that something can not be done, you send them to me. Mike steps forward, grasps Mikhail's hands, and nods at him. Misha stands back after a few seconds and salutes, not knowing what else to do. Mike returns it and turns to Oksana, reaching for her hands. The girl was standing as straight as Misha, but avoids his grip and instead throws her arms around him in a bear hug and buries her face on his chest. OKSANA Dada. You are truly family. You will always have a plate at our table. The ceremonies continue for another hour, featuring several politicians and military leaders. Toward the end, a contingent of FSB escorts Oksana's parents to the stage to greet their daughter home. As her father also grips Mike in a mighty hug, he realizes that the girl's emotionalism must be patrilineal. Olga just gives him a social hug and then hands him his satellite phone. OLGA We will not need this any longer. You have done as you promised and returned my daughter safe. Mike accepts it and smiles. MIKE ANGEL I just hope you have better luck than I did making her sleep and eat on a regular schedule. Her father grips him again, this time including his wife and daughter. PAVEL You have done more than you promised! You have taken my little girl and returned to me a woman. Familia! You will always be one of us. As the ceremonies begin to wind down and the reporters concentrate on the individual scientists, Mike starts to slink away from the group toward Vesna. Mikhail intercepts him on the third step off the platform and grabs his arm. Mike swings around, startled. MIKE ANGEL Yes? MIKHAIL If you walk away and don't do it now, I am going to have to sucker punch you in front of six-billion people. Mike is startled at first, but then smiles back and returns the boy's grip. He walks back up to the stage and over to where Svetlana is being interviewed by her co-anchor from the morning news. She is in the middle of a response as Mike reaches out and touches her shoulder. Lana is startled as she swings around, but seeing who it is, begins to relax. Her network is the one who has set up the twin screens by the podium, and the camera operator pulls back slowly to display both Mike and Svetlana as he takes her into his arms and they kiss to the cheering of the crowd. -END- Ben W. Gardner Sedona, Arizona "I do not fear computers. I fear lack of them." --Isaac Asimov http://ca.geocities.com/vladilyich/ In The Beginning - ISBN: 1-4116-3848-4 Just In Time - ISBN 1-4116-3851-4 Ad Astra - ISBN: 978-1-84728-518-8 In stores and at Amazon.Com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-1761779-3946261?url=search-alias%3Daps&... |
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