Peter smiled at the beautiful blonde sitting behind the metal desk as he approached. “Hello, I’m here for an interview.”
“And your name is?”
“Peter Novak.”
The receptionist pursed her lips as she carefully surveyed a calendar on her desk. “Oh, yes, you’ll be seeing Mr. Riddick.”
Just hearing the name made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.
“Please have a seat. He’ll be right out.”
“Thank you.” Peter walked over to the nearest seat, an awkward-looking lounge chair made of polished metal. It looked like it was made from a large section of steel pipe that King Kong seized at both ends and twisted around until the two ends met, and then put a crease in the middle for a human to sit in. Not very practical, but interesting to look at. The feel of the chair was just as he suspected. He tried to adjust himself, hoping to improve the comfort, but he wasn’t having any luck. He glanced around at the NASA pictures along the walls; some were the Saturn rockets that took men to the moon. A smile flitted across his face when he pinpointed his dad’s, which strangely made him think of Anya.
He decided to fire off a quick text, knowing it was early evening for her. He quickly pulled out his smartphone and unlocked the screen. He simply typed, “I love you.” He kissed his finger before placing it over the words on the screen then hit the send button. He confirmed the sent message before powering down the phone, insuring he wouldn’t be disturbed during his interview. As his finger lingered over the power button, the phone buzzed. He looked at the screen to see a text from Anya.
“Ditto.”
A splash of joy shot through him, just what he needed. He placed his finger back on the power button when he was startled by another buzz. He looked down to see a new text.
“Double ditto.”
He smirked. Man, she types quick.
Peter’s concentration was broken when a soft, electronic buzz of an unlatching lock broke through the lobby’s still silence. Peter looked up in the direction of the hum to see a door gradually open. As the silhouette appeared, Peter instantly knew it was Chris Riddick. Every muscle tightened in his body as he quickly sent a smiley face to Anya before powering down the phone and placing it in his pocket. He plastered a smile on his face as he stood to greet the seventy-one-year-old man. Chris walked with an arrogant strut as he emerged from the shadows. The lights penetrated his pale, sunken face, which was expressionless. His green eyes never wavered from Peter’s.
As the man drew near, Peter pretended to be thrilled as he extended his hand. “Hello, Chris.”
Chris stopped just shy of Peter and studied him. After a weighty pause, he reached for his hand. A cautious smile crept on his face as they shook hands. “Hello, Peter.”
Peter was about to start with pleasantries he’d prepared when Chris let go and oddly turned back around. In a cold voice he said, “Follow me.”
Peter shrugged as he trailed the man.
After traveling through a short maze of hallways, they soon entered Chris’s office. Peter was impressed by the large suite with its stunning interior. A large, mahogany desk stood toward the back with two brown leather chairs across from it. By the entrance was a quaint sitting area, with an elegant leather couch across from a couple of comfortable, plush chairs. The office had a modern look, different from the lobby. Chris never had it so good at NASA.
Chris hastily pointed to the couch as he positioned himself in front of one of the posh chairs. “Why don’t you have a seat over there?”
Never missing a beat in his step, Peter walked to the couch with assurance before taking a seat. “Nice office.”
With a slight smirk, Chris fell back into the chair. “Thanks; one of the perks of working in the private sector.”
Peter was surprised by an unexpected stab of anger as bad memories began assailing him like shards of broken glass. Sitting across from Chris reminded Peter of the many heartbreaking meetings he had had with the former NASA man when he had been given one lame excuse after another on why he was being bypassed for yet another shuttle crew assignment. Peter briefly looked away to clear his mind.
Chris’s face tightened. “I thought it was kind of rude how you blew right past me at CIA headquarters a few months back.”
Always one to get right to the point, Chris was evidently done with the small talk. Peter clearly remembered their last encounter and was pleased to hear he pissed off the old man. Though his brush-off was intentional, he had to convince Chris otherwise. He decided to use the moon mission as his excuse. “I’m sorry about that, Chris. My mind was elsewhere at the time. I was still dealing with Dad’s death, and considering leaving SID to take on the mission to the moon. I had a million things going on in my mind at the time. I must not have heard you say hello. I definitely didn’t mean anything by it.”
Chris leaned back in his chair trying to read Peter. Chris cleared his throat. “I did take it personally, especially since we hadn’t seen each other for awhile. I wanted to give you my condolences on your dad’s passing. Remember, we had worked together on a mission. But you just ignored me. It felt mean spirited, like you had some issues with me or something.”
Peter wanted to scream I do have issues with you. You’re one big, back-stabbing prick. Instead, he took a calming breath as he raised both hands in surrender. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just extremely focused. I mean, I was considering leaving SID and flying a mission to the moon. Hopefully you can understand the magnitude of such a decision and how I was preoccupied.”
Chris intertwined his fingers across his belly. He didn’t look convinced. “All right, I accept your apology.” He straightened up in his chair. “So how did you get involved with SpaceQuest anyway?”
Since Chris had access to classified information before he was put on leave from NASA, he probably knew the agency was working with SID on a secret mission to the moon. Peter needed to come up with a plausible story. He decided this was an opportunity to appear willing to give confidential information, with the hope it might sway Chris’s decision. “Originally, going to the moon was a government operation before it was killed for being too risky. I had been introduced to the CEO of SpaceQuest, Allen Ferguson, before the operation was cancelled. I had made up my mind I was going to attempt it, with or without SID. I was doing this for Dad. After some private meetings with Allen, I was able to convince him how patriotic the mission would be for SpaceQuest and how docking with the International Space Station would improve their chances of getting a big contract from NASA.”
“You’re right, they did get a big jump on us, and we want to change that. But before I get into details, I have to first be honest with you, Peter. I was not the one who wanted you in here for this interview. Walter Goings, the president, was. He was excited to hear you were interested in the job and asked me to interview you. However, I personally question if we can work together. I feel you still harbor some resentment toward me.”