Jane simply nodded at Bonham and waited.
Bonham exhaled loudly. “That was some fancy maneuver you pulled a few days ago. How much of that was you? How much the Kubodera?”
“It was a joint effort. Dr. Bergen collaborated as well. This ship cannot be flown without the Kubodera. He is integral.”
“Yes. You made much of that in your report.”
“That’s because it’s true. I won’t allow you to injure him in any way.”
Bonham’s expression was incredulous. “I assure you I have no intention of harming him, Dr. Holloway. We just want all of you home safe.”
The conversation hit a lull. Bonham and Jane watched each other warily.
Bonham motioned to someone off screen who rolled a monitor into view.
“To that end, we’ve set up a landing site for you at Area 51. We want to assist you however we can. We’d like to set up a beacon of some kind for you. Do you have any idea what might be most useful to you? Radio transmission? Infra-red?”
An aerial photograph of Area 51 came up on the monitor with an ‘X’ marked out on the ground next to a large hanger.
Jane could feel agitation in Ei’Brai’s mental touch. “That won’t be necessary. I have no plans to land the ship.”
“It seems to me, based on what we’ve seen you do so far, that landing the ship should be a rather simple affair.”
“Not simple, but possible. Nevertheless, I won’t be doing that.”
Bonham took a step closer to his video camera. His face filled the screen. She could see every pore on his craggy, lined face. “Need I remind you, Dr. Holloway, that your mission was to bring that vehicle home if it was at all possible?”
“I don’t need reminding, General Bonham. My mission was to make contact, be an ambassador, be a voice of welcome from our world. I was to use my skills of translation to assist in bringing this vessel back to Earth—only if there was no one aboard.”
“Your reports say the ship is all but empty. There’s no one aboard.”
“There were no humans aboard. I don’t believe we expected there to be humans aboard, though, did we, sir?”
“We couldn’t have anticipated this turn of events. I would have expected to see Commander Walsh standing before me right now, telling me when and where he would bring that bird home.”
Jane slowly blinked. “Walsh commands the Providence. I command the Speroancora. Therein lies the difference.”
That comment seemed to stun Bonham. He turned and conferred quietly with Deputy Administrator Marshall and a few of their aids.
Jane’s jaw was set tight. She forced it into motion. “General Bonham, have you prepared the teleconference with the multiple national heads of state that I requested?”
Bonham whirled, looking angry for the first time. “I’m not feeling particularly moved by a spirit of cooperation at present, Dr. Holloway.” He turned back, distractedly, to Marshall.
“That communication is vital. I’ve explained all of this in my reports. This is not an American issue, it’s a planetary issue. You do understand the gravity of our situation?”
“I understand that you think it is, Dr. Holloway—but I don’t think you understand. It doesn’t matter what I think. I don’t have the authority to make something like that happen. Your reports—and these proceedings—are being recorded and transmitted to the White House. It’s up to the President and his staff how that information will be disseminated.”
Bonham’s tone was verging on patronizing.
“I see,” Jane said coolly.
The Providence crew was feeling uncomfortable about the mood shift. They hadn’t expected things to get so antagonistic. They were frowning and stealing furtive looks at each other.
Jane flicked hooded eyes at Alan. He glowered at the screen, shrugging like he was uncomfortable, his hand at the back of his neck.
Bonham and the President would be getting a rude awakening in a day or two if they didn’t follow through with her request, but she wasn’t about to make demands or issue ultimatums. She didn’t need them to make that communication happen.
It would be far better if the government would set it up with heads of state, but Ei’Brai was perfectly capable of hacking into the communication satellites that encircled the globe and broadcasting a message she’d already prepared in dozens of languages.
Jane’s voice rang out, strong and sure, “I’ve just told you what I will not do. Would you like to hear what I am willing to do?”
Now she had Bonham’s attention. He swung back to the camera, his features pinched. “Let’s hear it.”
“As you know, the Providence was affected by a massive EMP, but Dr. Gibbs assures me that most of the information gathered in flight should still be salvageable. The capsule is no longer capable of return to Earth under its own power, however.”
Bonham’s nostrils flared and he inhaled sharply. He appeared to be about to unleash some military wrath.
Jane held up a hand. “I know what you want. I’m sorry. I can’t give it to you. But I can give you something of great value.”
She paused. Tension on the bridge was running high. She was about to make it worse. “I’ll put the Providence crew in a Speroancora shuttle and program the autopilot to land anywhere you designate. You’ll have an intact specimen, exactly like the one from 1947. You’ll finally be able to unlock all of its secrets, General Bonham—including a database I will download to its computer core that will contain information vital to the survival of the human race. And you’ll have the capsule too, which is certainly valuable. I’ll deposit it in the Pacific for you, off the coast of California. You’ll have all of this as soon as Commander Walsh is well enough for travel.”
She felt the shock of her companions. Fleeting impressions of their feelings percolated through her mind. Ajaya was torn. She was considering asking to stay aboard. Compton and Gibbs were both relieved, ready to go home. She knew Walsh would feel the same.
Alan was pissed. He outright rejected the concept of getting on that shuttle and leaving her behind. That set off a small flutter of hope in her heart.
Bonham sat back against a desk and frowned. “What on Earth are you planning to do, Dr. Holloway?”
Jane’s lips twitched involuntarily. “I’m going on an adventure.”
Mission Control went completely silent. Everyone on the bridge froze.
Bonham looked shocked. He asked, “By yourself?”
Jane lifted her chin a fraction more. “Yes.”
The Providence crew converged on Jane with an outcry of objections. Mission Control erupted into chaos as well.
Bergen rounded on her, pushing Compton out of the way. He grabbed her arm so hard it hurt. “Jane? What the fuck? No way are you going out there, alone. Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Jane raised her voice above the din, speaking to those back on Earth as well as those around her. “I’m going to take Ei’Brai home, to Sectilius.”
Despite the noise, Bonham honed in on Jane. “Is this a one-way trip?”
She blinked rapidly and smiled slowly. “I don’t believe it will be, no. Who knows where it’ll take me.”