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NAS FALLON:
Alex looks over at the clock and flight 8767 is five minutes late. He turns back to the window, watching the never-ending progression of fighter jets coming and going. He notices a break in their pattern, and a C-130 military cargo plane touches down and vanishes from view. A few moments later, he sits up when it reappears on the tarmac and stops a short distance from his jet. When Jadin appears, he leaps out of his chair and runs down the aisle to greet her.
Jadin runs across the concrete to the open door of the jet, and smiles as she hurries up the steps to Alex. “We did it. I mean, Christa and David did it!”
“That’s great news. Go ahead and strap in.” He looks into the cockpit. “We’re ready to roll.” He presses the button to bring up the stairs, and seals the door just as the roar of the engines wake Okana and Essex.
Okana brings his seat up and gives Jadin a quick wave before she sits down, then he buckles his seatbelt and closes his eyes.
Essex thinks he’s still dreaming when he sees the attractive red-haired woman sitting down in one of the forward seats. He sits up to look around the corner of the seat in front of him, and is about to stand up when Alex walks down the aisle.
Alex sees Essex leaning out from his seat to look at Jadin, and sits down in the recliner across from him. “It’s a long flight. Buckle up and I’ll introduce you before I get some sleep.”
***
ICELAND:
Alex receives permission for Skip to taxi to Huckabee’s hangar, and he and his three friends run down the stairs from the jet to where Huck and his small plane are waiting outside. Alex runs up to him, while Okana starts his preflight check, and Jadin and Essex climb inside. “I appreciate this.”
“Not a problem, me being in a cast and all. Listen, you wanted me to tell you if I heard of any unusual weather problems. A short while ago, tornados suddenly appeared across the central plains in the U.S., and nobody knows why. Does it have something to do with your mission?”
“In a way, but I can’t go into any details. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone.”
Huck smiles. “Not a problem. Tell Okana to bring it back in one piece.”
The aircraft is ready to taxi by the time Alex climbs in, but as they approach the runway, they’re informed that they are third in line for takeoff. Alex looks at his watch. “Damn! We’re late. Pandora is proving her capability by creating thunder storms over the central plains.”
Jadin is in the back with Essex, and leans forward between the two front seats. “Don’t you find it a little odd that the deadline is down to the exact minute?”
Alex turns in his seat to face her. “I suppose so. What are you thinking?”
“I wonder if Pandora needs the SV1 to be in line of sight before she can take control. Just like communicating with our ship. I checked. The last major weather event was at the exact time the SV1 entered Pandora’s line of sight. I’ll bet that’s when the tornados started this time.”
Alex has an idea, and turns back to the front window.
***
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION:
Commander Short notices Anatole aiming a video camera through the window and floats over to see what has his attention. “Did you find something interesting?”
“Yes, the SV1 appears to be shimmering, and below, I can see storms beginning to form in the central plains of North America. It looks like your country is having some very bad weather.”
Short stares out the window at the thunderclouds blossoming in northern Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. “I’ve never seen so many forming at the same time. I see a tornado over central Nevada, too. This could be very bad.”
***
THE DESERT:
Preston turns around and heads west through the gully, recognizing landmarks and avoiding previous hazards, which greatly improve their speed. The air temperature inside the vehicle suddenly feels as though the air conditioner is on overdrive. He turns the setting to maximum warmth, but the inside temperature continues to plummet.
Frost forms on the inside of the glass, so he stops and rolls down the window, feeling a blast of frigid air. It has to be that damned device! He brushes his hand across the windshield, wincing when his fingertips sting. The vehicle sways from side to side and he grabs the strap of his seat belt when the passenger door flies open. “What are you doing?” he yells, but Carl leaps out of the vehicle.
Ferocious winds swirl into the car, slamming the door close. The rocking increases in intensity, slamming his head against the side window. An instant later, it feels like he’s inside a cement mixer. Unstrapped bodies in the back seat are bouncing around the interior and a boot smacks him in the head. Darkness fills his peripheral vision, shrinking to a point of light that blinks out.
***
ICELAND:
Alex stares out the front and side windows of the aircraft. Dozens of private boats are being held at bay, half a mile from the edge of the ice sheet by an armada of military ships encircling the waters south of Pandora.
Okana sets the aircraft down on the ice sheet and taxies toward the small cluster of tents, careful to avoid the thick power cables stretching away toward what appears to be a generator ship anchored nearby. He spins the plane around next to a six-person helicopter and shuts off the engine.
Girdler hurries over and waits for his friends to climb out, and notices the short man in a ski outfit and dark lensed goggles. “I’m Captain Mark Girdler.”
Essex introduces himself. “This is so incredible! I can’t believe it’s really happening.”
Girdler turns to Alex. “I think the whole world knows there’s something unusual going on here. We’ve shot down two more drones trying to sneak in from different directions. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re drawing a crowd.”
“I see Canada sent a couple of ships to help out.”
“The agreement must have been made by someone in Washington D.C. So far, they’re just acting as a blockade.”
“I guess we’d better get started. I’m already an hour late.”
Alex leads the group over to the ladder down to the ship, and waits while Jadin gives him and Essex a communication device. She is about to put one in her ear when Alex places his hand on her arm. “I thought you said Pandora can detect another signal.”
“That’s right. I’m going down with you.”
“I’m sorry, but Pandora seems to have a problem with you. I think it’s best if it’s just John and me. At least during this part of the negotiations.”
She knows he’s right, and gives him a sullen frown. “She better not try anything, or I’ll claw her camera lenses out.”
Alex grins. “See you soon.” He steps onto the ladder, climbs down, and performs his ritual ice sweep before Essex steps off the ladder.
Essex takes off his goggles and looks around. “This is magnificent.”
“Come on. We’re late.”
Alex stoops slightly on the way to the control room. “Remember what we talked about on the plane. Turn on your earpiece.”
Alex sets the star in place and turns it on without looking over the edge. With Essex at his side, they step forward. “I’m back.”
When Seth looks up at the ceiling and sees Essex’s yellow eyes, his mouth opens and he takes a step back. “Pandora is correct. I just never imagined it would be a YELLOW. I’m Seth, and I’m honored to meet you. I thought you were just a legend. What do they call you?”
Essex is at a loss for words and looks up at Alex. “What is he talking about?”
Seth interrupts. “In our society, your status in life is determined by the color of your eyes.”
“That sounds like racism to me. What am I supposed to say to something like that?”
“Telling me your name will be a good place to start.”
“Oh. Right. My name is Essex. I mean, John.”
Seth looks down. “Pandora? Is this possible?”
“Negative, Captain. His retinas are imperfect.”
“Well, it has to mean something. He must be a descendant from our race. They must have come back at some point and repopulated the planet. They probably didn’t realize we were still here. I just can’t believe they would let the CRUDS take over this world.” He looks up at Essex. “Hello, Essex John. Did you bring the data?”
“It’s just John, and well, not the whole program. The file is immense and we have a problem with storage capacity. He holds up a flash drive. “This is the only way to transfer the information directly to your ship. We can bring more information when we come back.”
“That is not our agreement. Turn around and you’ll see a small opening in the surface of the ship. Place the storage unit inside and return here.”
“Not so fast. First, stop creating the storms as a symbol of your sincerity in our exchange.”
“You’re the ones who are late and you didn’t bring me all the information. I kept my promise to destroy some of your population. That is your symbol. Insert the device. If it works, I’ll shut down your SV1.”
“Give me a moment to talk to my friend.” He steps back without waiting for a reply.
Essex touches the button on his earpiece, and waits until Alex does the same. “If it doesn’t work, we’re screwed.”
Alex thinks about it. “We don’t have a choice.”
Essex turns on his ear device, steps back to the roof, and looks down. “All right. Open up and Alex will do it.”
Alex sees a six-inch circle appear in the surface, about ten-feet further under the ice sheet. After slipping and sliding across the ship, he reaches the opening and looks down inside. It appears to be a bottomless pit. He reaches into his pocket and brings out the data storage device, giving it a kiss for luck before dropping it into the opening.
He gets up and follows his tracks back to Essex, and looks down at Seth. “It’s in.”
“Yes, I know. Pandora is analyzing it before we insert it into our system.” Seth notices Essex’s eyes go wide. “I see I have reason not to trust you, John.” He looks down. “Pandora. Will it work?”
“It is not all the information I need, but it will allow me to become familiar with the new technology.”
Seth looks up at Essex. “Pandora is shutting down your machine. She wants to talk to Alex in person.” He turns so they will not see his face as he walks back to his recliner.
Alex watches Seth turn away and plop down in his chair. He wonders what’s going on and waits to hear Pandora’s voice through his headset, but it remains quiet.
Alex feels Essex grabbing his coat sleeve, trying to turn him away. When he spins around, his jaw drops. Six-feet away, a three-foot section of the spaceship is rising up, exposing a cage containing a transparent cylinder filled with swirling gray gas.
When it stops, the glass drops away, and a person steps out of the cloud. He can tell it’s a young woman by her long hair and breasts beneath her one-piece white suit. When she stops in front of him, he is drawn to her sparkling blue eyes. He feels his heart rate increase and his hands starting to sweat. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, even though she doesn’t smile.
He doesn’t notice she is reaching out to him until Essex nudges his ribs. He wipes his hand on his pants leg before accepting the handshake.
The woman grabs Alex’s hand, and places her other hand on top of his. “Hello, Alex. I’m Pandora.”
Alex feels a slight tingling in his fingertips, and is at a loss for words as he stares into her sparkling, neon-blue eyes.