“Within twenty-four hours of when they arrive at the moon.”
“Will you be able to transfer what we get to the UN?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Good. If all goes according to plan, in my press conference on Monday I’ll request a special session at the UN for the afternoon of July 5 to present our official response to China’s claims. I’ll have Steve attend the session. After he goes through his introduction and officially states China’s claims are lies, he can reference a large screen behind him which will have pictures of our landing sites. In fact it would be great if we could work in a live video feed from our men. That should shock the hell out of those Chinese delegates in attendance. I’d love to see their faces. We’ll give them a taste of their own medicine, humiliating them in front of the whole General Assembly just like they did us… perfect!” Bill smiled. “Doug, I want you to return to your office and make sure I am constantly updated on the progress of the mission.”
“Yes, sir, I will make sure your office gets regular up-to-date status reports.”
The president got up, signaling the meeting was over. “Gentlemen, let’s pray our men pull this off.”
26
LAUNCH
Dressed in his X-1 flight suit, Peter was surprised how calm he felt as he followed Allen down the hallway to the waiting van set to take them to the rocket. Viktor and Omar followed close behind. He remembered pictures of his dad walking through a similar hallway back in 1972, looking so confident and focused. Peter always admired his dad’s calm demeanor, no matter what the situation. He thought he would be nervous as hell, but here he was relaxed and in control. A chip off the old block. He smiled as he saw a few employees lined up in the hallway, there to see the two astronauts off. Though the folks did not know the specifics of the mission, they knew SpaceQuest was about to send men into space for the first time. This was a big step for the company and its employees, many of whom had put in long hours to reach this point. A sense of pride permeated the group, being part of the first private enterprise ever to put a man into space. Peter made sure he strolled down the hallway confidently, just as his father did forty years earlier, casually waving at the workers. He wanted to assure them their rocket was in good hands.
They stepped out the door. A driver was already in the van, with the engine running. The only entrance to the van for passengers was on the other side, so they all had to walk around. Allen led them around the back end. Peter tried to grab Allen before he stepped into the puddle of pee, but he was too late. Allen stepped right in the middle.
“What the hell is that?” Allen said looking down at his shoe. He quickly lifted it and started shaking the liquid off.
Peter and Viktor smiled as each walked around Allen, making sure to avoid the puddle and flying droplets. Neither said a word.
Allen bent down to get a closer look. “Omar, it looks like there’s some kind of leak coming from under the van. Hopefully it gets us to the rocket. Make sure you have it checked out.”
Omar nodded as he walked past and opened the van door.
Viktor and Peter were now laughing as they stepped in.
“What’s so funny?” asked Allen as he followed.
“I was thinking of one of Viktor’s crazy traditions,” said Peter.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
Viktor said, “We cosmonauts have plenty of traditions before flight.” He pulled out a CD from his carry bag and handed it to the driver. “Can you please play third song for ride? It cosmonaut tradition.”
“What’s the song?” asked Allen.
“‘Grass Near Home,’ by The Earthlings.”
Allen chuckled. “Funny. The Earthlings.”
Viktor smiled. This seemed to satisfy Allen, as he changed the subject by informing the driver they were ready to go. The driver inserted the CD, clicking on the third song before driving off.
After a few moments of listening to the song, Peter and Allen looked at each other with questioning looks. The song was awful—like some early-’80s pop song sung in Russian. Viktor was looking out the window, obviously enjoying the music. Finally Allen couldn’t take it anymore and asked the driver to turn it down. Viktor protested as he peered at Allen.
“Sorry, Viktor, but there are some things I need to pass on to you two before we get to the rocket. I talked with Doug just before leaving and we, of course, got the final approval for launch. He also wanted me to convey some final words from the president. First, the president wants you two to be aware that some of your video feed and pictures will be shown at the UN next Thursday in hopes of shocking China and proving them wrong. We may even go live with your transmission and pass it on to major news outlets throughout the world. So no picking your nose.” Allen laughed. Getting no reaction from either man, he straightened up and continued. “Finally, he wants you both to know how proud he is of your heroic efforts and what a great service you are doing for America. He will make sure regardless of the outcome your sacrifices will not be forgotten. His final words were ‘Good luck and Godspeed.’”
Viktor and Peter looked at each other and smiled.
Allen reached into his pocket and pulled out two small pill cases. He looked at the plastic cases for a moment in silence, then handed one to each astronaut. “Each one of these cases contains two cyanide pills. These are to prevent you from suffering.”
Both men grabbed the cases and put them in their pocket, neither saying a word.
PETER WAS THE FIRST TO DISEMBARK from the van, carrying his helmet. As he slowly got out, towering over him just twenty feet away was the beautiful Newton 9, well over fifteen stories tall. She was alive, gases seeping out of her and coated in ice due to the liquid oxygen now on board. Peter could feel the power in her as he stared, as if she was ready to explode and give him the ride of his life. Hello Baby… ready to play? Viktor walked up from behind and stood next to Peter. They stood together like a couple of school kids staring at the prettiest teacher in school, in awe of the sight in front of them.
Allen poked his head out of the van. “She’s a beautiful sight, isn’t she?”
Neither astronaut moved or said a word.
Allen stepped out of the van and walked up from behind, extending his arms around both. “All right, gentlemen, this is where we part ways. I’m going to join Bud at Launch Control to oversee the launch.” Allen looked at Viktor and thrust out his hand. Viktor set his helmet down on the ground before grabbing the hand with a sturdy handshake. Looking directly into Viktor’s eyes Allen said, “Viktor, I have to say I was uncertain about you at first, doubting a seventy-five-year-old man could handle the rigors of training and ultimately this mission, but you have proved me wrong. I’m proud to have you on our team. Thank you so much for your efforts and your sacrifice. I am honored to have a man with your experience be the first to fly my rocket.” Still holding Viktor’s hand, Allen pulled Viktor close and gave him a hug, patting him on his back. “God bless you.”
Viktor hugging back said, “Thank you sir, for giving me opportunity. We not let you down.”
Allen pulled away smiling as he turned to Peter. He again extended his hand. “Peter, I have complete confidence in you. I am sorry about getting upset with you this morning. Considering what you are giving up, you absolutely had the right of spending your last night with whomever you wanted. There is no better man to lead this mission than you. I know your father would be very proud, just as I am.”
Peter was surprised to see tears well up in Allen’s eyes.
“I’ll never forget the sacrifice you two are making.” With that Allen pulled him close, hugging him. “Good luck, and may God watch over you both.”