When he finished, the reporters tossed him softballs. How was the morale at Moonbase? And then got a little more serious: In light of this unfortunate occurrence, had the space program proved after all to be a mistake? The Mars mission had been postponed, possibly indefinitely. If elected, would he support a new attempt?
Haroud wanted to know whether they were going to get everyone off the Moon safely.
"Certainly," said Haskell.
"I mean safely away, Mr. Vice President. It looks as if one or two of the rescue vehicles will not get much of a running start before the impact."
"If you're asking whether we're concerned, Ali, then my answer is yes. Of course we're concerned. But everything that can be done is being done." He paused to think it over. "Look, let me put it this way. I expect to be home in a few days. And I intend to be the last person to leave Moonbase. I will personally lock the door and turn out the lights."
Rick knew he meant it, but he wished he hadn't made it a public commitment.
WASHINGTON ONLINE. 3:18 P.M.
by Mary-Lynn Jamison
Sources close to the White House sold today that the president has been advised that the Saturday night comet impact on the Moon may eject debris that could land on Earth with deadly consequences. Large pieces of falling moonrock might devastate entire cities, the president has been told by high-ranking scientists. Another major concern: Fragments crashing into the oceans could generate giant waves. If that happens, population centers in coastal areas in the United States and around the globe are at risk. The sources indicate that a conspiracy of silence exists among world leaders, the scientific community, and the media regarding the probable consequences of the impact.
TRANSGLOBAL SPECIAL REPORT. 4:22 P.M.
"This is Shannon Gardner in downtown St. Louis with Tomiko Harrington, who discovered the comet that bears her name. Tomiko, how has life changed for you during the last few days?"
"Well, it's really been very exciting. I've lost count of the number of interviews I've done today. I'll be on the Jack Kramer Show tonight on CNN, and on The Today Show tomorrow morning. I've even been called by some people who want to work with me on a book."
"Any plans along those lines?"
"Oh, I don't think so. What's to tell? I… just happened to find a comet."
"You were going to say something else?"
"I almost said I was lucky enough to find a comet. But it really hasn't been very lucky, has it?"
6.
Moonbase, Director's Office. 6:27 P.M.
Jack Chandler hadn't slept since the emergency started. He was no longer young and just couldn't keep going indefinitely. But he wasn't aware there was anything left he needed to attend to, so he turned the operation over to his aides, announced he'd be at his desk if he was needed, turned down the lights, and lay down on the sofa in his office. Of all the people at Moonbase, of all the careers that would be lost, investments dissipated, dreams blown away, no one was going to take a harder hit from Tomiko than the director.
For the first time in almost ten years, there was no lead weight in his chest, no painful awareness of his bruised heart's constant struggle with gravity, no sense of his lungs struggling for air. Jack Chandler loved his life on the Moon. He'd come to stay.
Evelyn thought they were at the end of the human attempt to expand off-world. What was it she said she'd told the vice president? You get a window when the technology, the money, and the will are all there. We had it. Briefly. They were already scrambling at the LTA to salvage what they could from their fleet of space vehicles.
For Chandler, it meant a return to one g.
He closed his eyes and listened to the soft, steady rhythm of his heart. His body remembered what it had been to be twenty-five.
The distance between Earth and Moon was measured, not in kilometers, but in heartbeats.
Someone knocked. The door opened. "Mr. Chandler?" His secretary.
"What is it, Susan?"
"Phone, sir. It's Elrond Caparatti. Says he has to speak with you. Says it's urgent." Moonbase, Grissom Country. 11:53 P.M.
Evelyn was wrapped in an oversized bathrobe. "You're sure," she demanded.
Chandler hesitated. If the average weight went miraculously down so they could squeeze an extra person on here, and another one there, they could still make it. But realistically speaking, that wasn't going to happen. "Yes," he said. "It looks like about six people."
Her eyes bored into him. "Overload the buses," she said.
"They are overloaded. One of them damned near crashed an hour ago. They aren't built to carry a lot of excess weight, Evelyn. I'm sorry: A few of us are not going home and I think we better start getting ready to face it."
"Show me," she said.
Chandler produced his numbers, the maximum weight allowances for the individual vehicles, departure and rendezvous times, the windows. He watched the muscles move in her throat as she studied them. "We can't do any better than this?"
"I've been over there, working with them all evening. We've tried everything we can think of. This is the best we can do."
Her eyes moved away from him. "You can get the Micro back here by about ten," she said.
"What good's that going to do? The last of the planes'll be out of here by nine-thirty. We couldn't even get back up to it before the comet hits. Couldn't even get out of the Spaceport, for that matter."
"Six people?" she said.
Chandler felt the weight in his chest. "Make it five," he said.
FRANK CRANDALL'S ALL-NIGHTER. 11:59 P.M.
Crandalclass="underline" Go ahead, Bill from Nashua. Welcome to the show. First Caller: Frank? Frank, am I on? Crandalclass="underline" You're on, Bill. But you want to turn your radio down. First Caller: Oh. Okay. Listen, about this comet thing? Crandalclass="underline" Yes. First Caller: It's another government coverup. You know what I mean? Crandalclass="underline" Why do you say that, Bill? First Caller: They claim they put all that money into the Moon- Crandalclass="underline" You mean Moonbase? First Caller: Yeah. And now this comet comes out of nowhere, and they're telling us it's gonna whack the place. Completely. Doesn't that sound a little strange to you? Crandalclass="underline" Well, I think it's pretty unlucky. First Caller: Unlucky? Come on, Frank. They've given the money away. Handed it out to their friends. And all these welfare types. So now they have to come up with a way to hide what they did. Get rid of the body, you know? Crandalclass="underline" Okay. Thanks, Bill. Appreciate your calling. Jeanie from Clarksdale, Alabama. Hi, Jeanie. Second Caller: Hi, Frank. Hey, you know, I can't believe I actually got through. I've been trying for two years. Crandalclass="underline" Well, we're delighted that you were so patient. So, what are your thoughts on the comet? Second Caller: You know how people are saying it's weird that it comes the week we're opening the place? Well, I don't think it's a coincidence. Crandalclass="underline" In what way, Jeanie? Second Caller: I think it's pretty clear. We open the moonbase, and God sends a comet. Same day, we see it. What does that mean to you? Crandalclass="underline" Anything can happen? Second Caller: The Lord's trying to tell us something. You know what the Good Book says: "He that has eyes, let him see." Crandalclass="underline" What's the Lord trying to tell us, Jeanie? Second Caller: We got no place on the Moon, Frank. It's too dose to heaven. We got no place, and he's tellin' us so. I hope we're smart enough to listen. Crandalclass="underline" Okay, folks, we'll be back after a break.