Thel reached out and wiped the corner of his lip with the tip of her finger. “You’ve got egg on your face this morning, Commander.”
“Oh…thanks,” he said, his face coloring.
“No problem, Commander.”
James struggled to look into her eyes; it was difficult to look at her—she seemed able to look right through him, right into his soul. Did she know what he was thinking?
But I can’t control what I want to do—I can only control what I actually do.
He turned away for a moment and noticed Rich and Djanet watching—not working—watching. “Uh…preparations are going okay, I hope?”
Thel noticed the changed look on James’s face and turned to see her coworkers as they sneaked quick glances upward, trying to look as though they weren’t looking. Her smile broadened. “Just fine, Commander. We’ll be ready.”
“Good, good. I…uh…I better go get ready.” James began to float across the lab towards the second-story doorway to his office but stopped when he noticed another greenish light emerging from the clouds. “Hey…it’s Old-timer!”
Old-timer, formerly known as Craig Emilson, arrived on the exact same trajectory as James had a minute earlier. He was dressed in an identical flight suit, as all the researchers were, and only his extra ten centimeters in height prevented dizzying déjà vu. After Old-timer entered the airlock and slipped off his helmet, he smiled at Thel, kissed her on the cheek, and vigorously shook hands with James. “Hey, good buddy!” Old-timer said, offering his usual, very familiar greeting.
“Good morning, pal!” replied James.
Old-timer had the polar opposite effect on James that Thel did; somehow, he put the younger man at ease. He was self-assured, just as Thel was, but there was something different.
“Too bad about those Canucks of yours, eh, Jimmy?”
“I’m impressed, Old-timer. It took you all of four seconds to bring that up.”
“Well, I’m not one for beating around the bush, especially when it comes to collecting on a wager. You owe me.”
“I know, I know. I didn’t forget.”
“What did you bet?” Thel inquired.
Old-timer and James exchanged glances.
“Would you like to tell her, or shall I?” asked Old-timer.
“I wouldn’t dare deprive you of your chance to gloat. The honor is yours.”
“Thank you, sir,” Old-timer responded, performing an exaggerated bow. “Commander Keats has agreed to join me this evening for…are you ready, Thel?”
“What is it?”
“For a beer!”
Thel gasped in mock astonishment. “I can’t believe it! You got him to agree to have a drink! I’ve been trying to get him to have a drink with me for three years!”
“Well, we can thank a certain Martian expansion hockey team for this miracle!”
“I still can’t believe they lost,” James said, almost pouting.
“Oh, c’mon! Don’t look so down, champ! You’ll enjoy it! The nans will fix up those brain cells overnight! I promise, you won’t do a speck of damage to that noggin of yours.”
“Is that why you don’t drink, Commander? Afraid you might lose an IQ point?” Thel asked in jest.
“I just don’t see the appeal. I like thinking. I enjoy it. Why would anyone purposefully impair their ability to do it?”
Old-timer and Thel looked at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing. “Hopefully you’ll find out at the pub with me tonight,” Old-timer replied before adding, “You ready to fire up the Zeus this morning?”
“Can’t wait.”
Old-timer, like everyone else, was twenty-nine biologically, but he was chronologically 110—the only centenarian on the team. He moved like a young man and had the libido of a young man, but one could tell after only a few moments in his presence that he was a senior. Something seemed to happen to people once they reached a certain age: They seemed to recapture their joy of life, and they often got along best with the younger generations.
“Are you ready, Old-timer?” Thel asked.
“You know I am always ready for an-y-thing,” he replied, leaning in toward the younger woman, putting his arm around her and raising his eyebrow saucily. Only Old-timer could take such liberties with her.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” James said, smiling. “I’ll be in my office for a few minutes. We’ll commence at 9:30 a.m. Pacific. Let everyone know.” James met Thel’s eyes one last time; she could still see through him.
Inside his office, James removed his flight jacket and set his helmet down next to his desk. The office was sparsely decorated, with just a desk in the middle of the room and a couple of chairs. He meant to replicate a plant, but kept forgetting. He hoped Thel would pick one out for him, since she likely had better taste than he did.
A sudden flash appeared in the corner of his vision, activating his mind’s eye. It was Inua Colbe, returning his call. James sighed when he saw the other man and took a moment to collect himself before responding flatly, “Keats here.”
“James? James, I just watched a rather unpleasant message on my phone. What’s the matter with you?”
“I could ask you the same thing. You used my name on a broadcast.”
“And?”
“I know how they think, Inua. I know how the mind works. I know how it works better than anyone. They’ll feel a connection to me, and I don’t want that.”
“Calm down, James. Calm.”
James folded his arms.
Inua reassessed. “How long has it been since we’ve been golfing together?”
“Two years,” James replied, sitting down behind his desk.
“Two years? Two years? Holy…that time with our wives in Arizona? That was—”
“Yes, two years.”
“My, how time flies. Listen, we should go again.”
“Golf? Please tell me you have something better to offer than that.”
“I’m not offering anything,” Inua said, suddenly indignant. “Remember, James, I’m the guy that got you Venus.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know, there are still a lot of prominent people down here who want you removed. A faction in the Governing Council thinks the Hektor plan is more practical than yours.”
James smiled. “I agree. Without question, the Hektor plan is a much more practical way of blowing up Venus. On the other hand, if you want to terraform her—”
“You’re being belligerent.”
“Then fire me, Inua.”
“Look, all I am saying is there are a lot of people down here with multiple PhDs who disagree with you.”
“But you agree with me. The Hektor plan is lunacy, and you know it. Smashing an asteroid into Venus to get rid of the atmosphere isn’t going to accomplish anything other than destroying the planet. You have to have a little more finesse than that, Inua. Jesus Christ! You know this.”
“I did you a favor. Don’t bust my balls just because I needed you to do me a favor in return.”
“I’ve done enough favors. All I asked was that I remain anonymous. Was that too much to ask?”
A new strategy flashed into Inua’s eyes. “What are you afraid of, James? You’re afraid you’ll be famous for a little while?”
“Exactly.”
“Let me let you in on a little secret. Fame is a sham—a total sham. It’s spectacle. No one who’s famous deserves it. They’re only famous because the public needs to believe that there are people worth idolizing—it’s the malady of the herd.”
“I know this, Inua.”
“Do you? That’s interesting. And do you also know we’re forecasting a 210 IQ for the general public within a decade?”