“We’d be in for a cold summer.”
“I know. That’s why I said almost.”
“I’ll be glad,” he said, “when this is over.”
“Me, too.” Laura’s voice was soft. But very far away. “You guys were right about the laser cannons.”
“I know,” said Matt.
“Maybe I could throw something at it.”
Matt tried to think of a witty response. What could she throw at the rock that would get a laugh? A shoe, maybe?
“The only reason I joined NASA,” said Laura, “was that I hoped one day I’d get a chance to go to Mars. My folks always thought I was deranged.”
“We all are, Laura. You have to be to come out here. But hell, we haven’t even made it to the Moon.”
“Matt, you’re well out past the Moon.”
“But I’ve never set foot on it. Despite all the talk the last few years we’ve done almost nothing.”
“We built Earthport.”
“It’s not the same thing. Earthport is supposed to be a gateway, a first step to serious space exploration. But what happened? We changed administrations and a new president comes in, looks at the budget and shakes his head. Cost-cutting always starts with us.”
When Matt arrived back in the operations area next morning, Judy was talking with Laura. “Just don’t get too close,” she said.
Laura’s voice was electric: “Don’t worry, babe. That is a very big rock.”
“Maybe you’ll get a promotion out of this, Laura.”
“Maybe I’ll get invited to the Jerry McComber Show.”
“Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“Are you serious? That guy’s really a hunk.”
Judy’s lips tightened slightly. Then: “Oh, hi, Matt.”
“Good morning, Matt,” Laura said. “Finally got up, I see.”
“Hi, ladies. How’s the flight coming?”
“Laura’s getting close to the Moon.”
The lunar surface, still on view through the Cernan’s scopes, had been relatively smooth last night. Now it was all craters and ridges and broken rock. “You still on schedule, Laura?” he asked.
“As far as I can tell.”
“Can you see the asteroid?”
“Not right now. The Moon’s in the way. Houston tells me it’s beginning to accelerate.”
“Lunar gravity.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. If you need anything, let us know. And—”
“Yes, Matt?”
“I still think we’ll get to Mars.”
“It would be nice.”
“When we do, could I persuade you to have dinner with me?”
“You think we could find a good pizza place there?”
“If that’s what it takes, sure.”
“Maybe,” he said, “we’ll get a break. If the asteroid were to go close enough to scare the devil out of everybody, maybe they’d realize they need us.”
“Maybe,” said Judy. “I think they’d be rattled for two days, and then they’d forget. By the way, can I offer an observation?”
“Sure.”
“I can’t imagine you’re ever going to be able to get Laura into that Martian pizza place. But, from the way she sounds, I’d say you have a pretty good shot at Rusty’s.” Rusty’s Seafood was a popular spot down at the harbor.
The radio beeped. “This is Houston. Laura won’t have enough fuel left to pick you guys up when this is over, so we’re going to bring her home after she completes the asteroid survey. We’ll be sending somebody else out for you. They haven’t told me yet who it’ll be. But the pickup will be a couple of days late. Sorry.”
Damn. “Roger that, Houston.”
“By the way, we’ve gotten a better read on the asteroid. If the Moon weren’t in the way, it would pass well outside the upper atmosphere over the Atlantic, and keep going. The experts think now that the lunar passage won’t affect it much. The consensus is that we’ll probably be okay. Maybe get a light show, but nothing more.”
Nobody had ever affected him the way Laura had. Looking back now, he realized that she’d been sending signals all along, we do not have a future. And finally, after they’d come home from celebrating her birthday and were standing in front of her apartment, she’d pulled aside and told him. That had been two years ago and he still couldn’t get her out of his mind. Maybe there was a chance, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. If he got another opportunity, he’d play it more cautiously. Not let himself look too eager. Maybe she’d see what she’d let get away.
Laura had begun as someone to fill in during a slow period in his life, and had become, in just that handful of evenings, unforgettable. He didn’t understand how that could have happened. Maybe it was because he’d worked with her, knew her, had spent time with her, and all that had come into play. She was not simply a stranger he’d picked up in a bar, but a woman he’d thought of as a friend who’d turned out to be so much more.
And she shared his passion for walking on another world. “My life won’t be complete,” she’d told him once, “if I don’t get to do that.” And she’d realized how that sounded and they’d both laughed.
“As long,” he’d replied, “as you don’t leave a large hole in the ground.”
The way he had—
The news channels couldn’t let go of the story. Scientists and politicians were showing up and warning everyone to look out. The usual political experts were discussing the effect an impact might have on the presidential race. It would, according to the common wisdom, very likely hand the election to the challenger. They all admitted no one knew whether the asteroid, after its brush with the Moon, would simply continue on its way, or whether, as one commentator was saying, it would blast into the Atlantic and generate tidal waves that would spell disaster around the world. If it hit, the least we could expect, they were saying, was another round of climate change which would dwarf everything that had gone before. There’d be widespread famine, clouds of dust would block off sunlight possibly for years, forests would burst into flames.
Churches had begun holding special services. Homeowners were storing supplies and filling containers with fresh water. FEMA announced it was going on standby. The White House issued a statement that there was no reason to worry, which probably scared the general public as much as anything. William Forrest, whom Matt thought of as generally deranged, told a town meeting in Oregon that, if he were elected, “this sort of thing won’t happen again. I guarantee it.” Will MacReady, on the 700 Club, announced that the asteroid was at the very least a warning that we all needed to pray harder.
“We’re picking up the Cernan again,” said Judy.
She need not have said anything. Matt had been watching the time, and the monitors, which would acquire any signal from Laura. And, virtually to the second that Laura had a clear line to the platform, she was back. “Hi, guys,” she said. And they were looking through the Cernan’s aft telescope at a slice of lunar landscape. “It’s getting close.”
Judy nodded. “We’ve been watching it.”
“Seventy-four minutes, looks like.”
“That’s how we read it, Laura.”
Judy looked over at him. Did he want to say something?
While he tried to come up with something, Laura took it: “I’ve been listening to the reaction at home. They sound as if they’re all hiding under their beds.”
Judy was still watching him. “Maybe a good scare is what they need,” she said.