Space Hoax

15 MOVING FORWARD

Once Chris left the building, Peter erased any evidence anyone had been in the area, putting the vacuum back and turning off the lights on Mahogany Row. Hustling back to his office, he took a quick glance at his watch—10:50 P.M. Anya was now weighing heavily on his mind, wondering what she wanted to talk about. He was relieved it was still before eleven and he hadn’t missed her deadline. He closed his door before trekking across his office and plopping down into his seat.

He took a deep breath to gather himself before speed dialing her number on his cell phone. He wiggled his foot as he waited for her soothing voice.

“Zdrah-stvooy.”

“Hey baby, it’s me.”

Her voice got higher. “Hi, Peter. I’m so glad you were able to call.”

“I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I got your text. So are you getting ready for work?”

“Actually, I am in my car in the parking lot. I was waiting for your call. So where are you?”

“I’m still at work.”

“Oh my, it’s late there. What in the world is keeping you at the office?”

Peter eyed the plug-in of his headphones still lying on his desk as he smiled. “I guess you could say I am just doing some catch-up work.”

“Have you had dinner?”

As if on cue, Peter’s stomach growled, reminding him he needed to give it a little attention. “Not yet; I guess it’ll be a late one. So what did you want to talk about?”

Her voice became intense. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us.”

Peter’s knee started bouncing through the ominous pause. Is she going to break up with me?

Anya cleared her throat. “I’ve decided I need to be open with you. You need to know why I left. I don’t want to hide anything from you.”

Peter still wasn’t sure where she was going. “That’s the only kind of relationship I want, one where we are completely honest and open with each other.”

“Exactly. Having said that, you should know I was brought up to always be strong and never show any kind of weakness.”

Peter had always been impressed with her strength. “We all have our issues. That’s part of being in love, accepting both the good and the bad of the other. Believe me, I know I’m not perfect, even though I may think I am.”

Anya giggled. “You’re perfect in my eyes. I know I could be happy with you the rest of my life.”

Peter relaxed. “Ditto.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want you to know why I came back to Russia.”

“Well, I was surprised you left. I thought we were set to live our lives together.”

“I thought so, too, but I was confused and needed some time to think. I was afraid I was too in love with you.”

Peter was now confused. “How could you be too in love?”

“Something happened when you were rescuing the cosmonauts that I didn’t tell you about.”

Peter straightened up. “What’s that?”

“I had an anxiety attack in the control room. I had to be carried out on a stretcher.”

Peter’s grip tightened around his phone. “Why didn’t you tell me that? That’s terrible. Where were you taken?”

She gave a reluctant sigh as she spoke guardedly. “I was sent to medical. When I came to, I wanted to get back to the control room immediately, but the doctor wouldn’t let me. In fact they had to sedate me to prevent me from leaving.”

Peter started to grind his teeth.

“Eventually the doctor explained the attack was brought on because of my deep love for you and my fear that something terrible will happen when you are on an assignment, especially when you’re in space. He said if I’m put into a similar situation, it will probably happen again, though there is some medicine I can take.”

Peter shook his head. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you.”

“Me too, because then I wouldn’t have had the attack in the first place.”

Peter smiled at the conundrum. “Good point.”

Her voice started to crack. “I was so disappointed in myself. I thought I was stronger than that. But as the doctor said, when the body takes over, there’s nothing you can do.”

“I’m glad you’re telling me this.”

Sincerity lingered in her voice. “Peter, I don’t want to change you. I know you like working for SID, and I know you love flying in space. That’s why I left. I didn’t want you to have to make a choice. Besides, I doubted I could handle being in a relationship where these attacks could occur.”

Peter’s knee resumed bouncing. Damn, she’s thinking of leaving. “I’m positive we can work things out. In fact my new assignment is here in Houston, and there will be no flying in space.”

“That’s nice, but who knows where the next assignment will take you and what dangers you’ll be put in?”

Peter leaned back in his chair. “True.”

“But I’ve come to realize, I can’t live without you. I’m too in love. Mom used to be an emotional wreck during Dad’s missions, but she never let on. She wanted him to be happy and flying in space was one of his true loves. Space was the mistress Mom had to compete with. She learned to deal with the anxiety. I used to think she was crazy, but now I understand. When you are deeply in love, you can handle any problem. I would rather be a part of your life and deal with these episodes than be without you.”

It was tough for Peter to grasp her emotional pain, but he wanted to. He was glad she was willing to work through the challenging issue. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I just want us to be together forever.”

“It means a lot to hear you say that, Peter.” Her voice perked up. “Let’s try this again. Do you still want to move in together?”

Peter slammed his fist on his desk. “Hell yes!”

A relieved snigger came through the phone. “Okay, I’m going back to my boss to ask for that transfer again. He’s probably going to think I’m some unstable, love-struck girl.”

“Hey, if he doesn’t grant it, then quit. I’ll take care of you.”

Anya answered in a soft tone. “I know you would.”

“BOSS, YOU LOOK BEAT.”

Peter tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he straightened up in his chair, grabbing his cup of coffee off his desk. Sitting across from him were Jesse and Blake. “I was in the office until midnight last night getting up to speed on Iris. In fact, all of us are going to have to start putting in late hours. That’s why I called you two here this morning.” He took a big swig of his coffee, hoping the caffeine would jolt him awake. “EarthOrbit is about to make an aggressive move in the space world. One we hope will catapult us to the front of the pack and get NASA’s attention.”

The eyes of both men widened, awaiting Peter’s next words.

“We have decided to take a bold step and launch our first manned rocket on September 21^st.” Peter purposely took a dramatic pause as he set his coffee down and slowly leaned back in his chair, observing the men’s reaction. He was pleased to see an eager look on both faces. “I have selected you two to carry out this mission.”

Blake practically fell out of his chair as he powered his fist high into the air. “Yeah, baby!”

Peter grinned at the young man.

Blake tried to regain his composure. “Sorry about that, Boss, but that is some pretty awesome news.”

“I’m glad you’re excited.” Peter looked at Jesse, who surprisingly had a more serious look on his face. “What do you think, Jesse?”

Jesse directed a cold stare out the window.

The weighty pause caused Blake, with his silly-ass grin, to glance over at his partner, as if wondering why he wasn’t as ecstatic as he was. He looked like a child waiting for his mother to give him the okay to open his present.

Jesse turned his head back around with a calculated look. “Are you sure we’re ready?”

Peter understood the veteran’s concern. Jesse’s number-one priority was the safety of the crew. “Walter and Chris feel we are, and from what I have seen, I think we are as well. Like any mission, there will be risks. But at this point we’re all positive we can pull this off.” Peter leaned back in his chair as he watched Jesse ponder the idea. Peter knew his next statement would really shock the guys. “We’re also considering doing a spacewalk.”

Blake enthusiastically punched the air again but didn’t say a word. Jesse’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped. “That’s pretty ambitious.”

Peter said matter-of-factly, “Yes, it is.”

Jesse rubbed his hands together before sharpening his gaze directly at Peter. “Would you fly this mission?”

Instantly Peter thought of Anya, and because of her fears wasn’t sure he would. Jesse’s concern was if the equipment would do the job. Peter was confident it could. “Absolutely, I’d love to be one of the first men to fly that rocket and get back into space. I betcha it’ll be one hell of a ride.”

Jesse studied Peter for a moment. “I bet it will be some ride. All right, I’m in.”

Blake chimed in. “Me too, Boss.”

AFTER JESSE AND Blake left, Peter decided to do some more snooping around. As much as he was enjoying his new position, he was first and foremost a SID agent. He ventured over to the Assembly Building, where he thought he might know the shop manager. In reviewing the company’s directory, he noticed the name, Carl Stewart. There was a Carl Stewart who worked at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at the Johnson Space Center when he was at NASA. Carl was a huge fan of the Apollo program and constantly bugged Peter about meeting his father. Peter eventually gave in to the man’s requests and organized a lunch for the two. Carl later told Peter that meeting a moonwalker was a dream come true. If this was the same Carl, Peter would have a solid ally within the company.

Carl’s office was located right in the middle of the shop floor within the Assembly Building. Even with orange plugs balled up and stuffed into his ears, Peter still heard the loud machines operating all around him as he trekked down the marked walkway. The smell of grease and freshly cut metal engulfed his senses. As he looked down the path toward his destination, he saw Carl’s office was an enclosed room surrounded by windows, allowing the manager to keep an eye on the shop floor. When Peter was close enough to see clearly through the windows, he saw the tippy top of a bald head just sticking out above a computer monitor. Though the Carl he knew had hair, he had to remind himself that was over seven years ago. Peter held out hope this was still the same man as he lightly knocked on the door’s glass pane that had “Shop Manager” painted on it.

When the man poked his head over the monitor, Peter instantly recognized the face. Carl did a double take before a big grin appeared and he rose, signaling Peter to come in.

After Peter opened the door, Carl loudly called out over the shop noise flowing in. “Peter Novak. Wow, it’s been a long time.”

“Hey, Carl, it has been.” Peter shut the door quieting the room. He removed the earplugs as he walked over to the desk and extended his hand. He lowered his tone. “It’s good to see you.”

Carl’s hand, covered in dried grease stains, was firm as they shook. “Good to see you, buddy. Have a seat.”

Sitting, Peter joked, “What happened to all your hair?”

“Teenage girls is what happened.” Carl sat before he casually leaned back, a loud squeak coming from his tattered chair. “You look good, so obviously you don’t have any.”

Peter smiled. “Not yet.”

“So what are you doing here? Did you join EarthOrbit?”

“I did, a few days ago. I saw your name on the directory and had to stop by.”

“I’m glad you did.” Carl leaned forward as he put his hands on his desk. His mood became somber as he let out a sad sigh. “I was sorry to hear about your father. I took a shot of tequila in his honor when I heard the news.”

Peter gave the man a half smile as he inclined his head. “His favorite.”

Carl perked up. “I know, he told me when I met him. I have to tell you again, that lunch was so cool. Hearing your dad describe, in detail, what it was like walking and driving on the moon was phenomenal. He answered every question I had and never made me feel rushed. He was so gracious with his time. Something I’ll always treasure.”

Peter smiled. Over the next ten minutes, the two proceeded to catch up on each other’s lives, occasionally being interrupted by a shop worker. Soon they were discussing Carl’s job and the overall workings of EarthOrbit. Peter probed Carl with questions, making sure to come across as an executive wanting to learn more about the new company he was now working for. A problem that caught Peter’s attention were some discrepancies Carl mentioned he was having with the Receiving Department.

Carl was obviously frustrated when he discussed his concern. “Normally the operation on this floor runs smoothly. However, some parts have come in lately that have mysteriously had their identification numbers switched after being received, which has developed some confusion.”

“Any idea why that is happening or who is doing it?”

Carl shrugged. “No idea why. However, it’s one of my clerks making the changes because she is being instructed to by management.”

“What parts?”

Carl scratched his head before he pulled out a binder. “I don’t remember exactly. Keep in mind we have thousands of items coming through Receiving. I do remember one of the companies because it was the only German company we work with.” He started rustling through the papers in the binder before his eyes found what he was looking for. He slipped on a pair of reading glasses as he studied the paper for a second. “Krause Aerospace, that’s the company.”

Peter made a mental note. “When you get a chance, let me know which parts, and I’ll see what I can find out for you.”

“Will do.”

KUANG HAD CALLED Lin to his office. He wanted to get an update from the MSS assistant director on their scheme to bomb the International Space Station. His hope was that their inside man had convinced the American space company to launch their rocket early, unknowingly carrying out the operation.

Lin had an arrogant look as his voice swelled with pride. “The mission is moving forward. Our operative has informed us that the American company plans to launch their rocket on September 21^st.”

With a concerned look, Kuang quizzed the man. “Is everything in place to ensure our operation will be a success?”

Lin answered, his voice tight and efficient. “Yes, everything is in place and we feel there is a ninety percent chance of success. We even learned they plan on informing the press soon after launch, hoping to show the world what their rocket can do.”

Kuang’s face muscles relaxed. “Perfect. Are you certain there is no way the Americans can trace the cause of the accident back to us?”

With a cocky nod, Lin confirmed they had covered their tracks. “There will be no trail leading to China. All the evidence will point toward an accident caused by EarthOrbit.”

Kuang examined the man for a moment. He was impressed by Lin’s poise. “Let’s not fail.”

Lin brazenly shook his head. “We won’t.”