“What are we talking about?”
“Use your imagination, Priscilla. Distract him.”
“Oh.” She hesitated.
“But that’s all right. Take your time. Why don’t you wait until the bomb goes off?”
Priscilla took a deep breath. She undid the top three or four buttons of her blouse.
“Okay, Abel,” said Patricia. “Let’s do it.”
“Listen, please,” said Frank. “Think about what you’re doing here.”
James stared back at him. “Are you serious, you idiot? You think I’d come here like this without having thought about it long and hard?” He raised both hands over his head, still holding the trigger down. “Get out. Last chance, Frank.”
* * *
PRISCILLA HAD NEVER thought of herself as having pouty lips and smoky eyes. But on that occasion she went all out. She smiled provocatively for the imager and saw her projection appear outside the long window, where usually diners and tourists saw only asteroids and interstellars. Unfortunately, James had his back turned.
But he must have noticed Frank suddenly staring over his shoulder. He turned toward the window and his eyes went wide. Priscilla looked straight into the lens, wishing she could see him from outside the portal so she could look directly into those eyes. She formed the word hello, and inhaled.
And she watched, hoping Frank would make his move, listening for the explosion that seemed inevitable. But her boss only stood quietly until James turned back to him. “Who’s she?” he asked.
“One of our pilots. She thinks I’m crazy for staying in here with you. She was hoping I’d take advantage of the distraction and try to grab the bomb.”
“Why didn’t you do it?”
“It wouldn’t have worked. No way I could hold your hand down on the trigger until help got in here. But more important, you’ve been in here talking about the value of life. Okay, I’m betting I have a better chance if I just leave you to do the rational thing.”
“The rational thing is to blow this place to hell.”
“James, you haven’t hurt anyone yet. Moreover, you’ve become a celebrity. You’ll be able to do more damage to the terraformers by staying alive. And if you kill me, and yourself, and maybe some of these other people, the message you just delivered becomes a joke.”
James turned back to the image beyond the window. And he laughed. “There’s an element to all this I hadn’t considered.”
“What’s that?”
He looked at the bomb. “If I change my mind, how do I get rid of this thing?”
* * *
THE ART MAJESKI SHOW
(Frank Irasco, guest)
MAJESKI: All right, Frank. Did you know what was coming?
IRASCO: I knew they were going to try to distract him. But I had no idea how (laughs). I thought they might try having someone in a clown suit show up in the concourse and start jumping up and down.
MAJESKI: You are kidding, right?
IRASCO: To be honest, Art, I couldn’t think of anything that seemed as if it would have a chance of working. The person you should be interviewing is Priscilla Hutchins.
MAJESKI: The woman who was floating outside the window, right?
IRASCO: Yes. She’s the one. And Patricia McCoy. The director.
MAJESKI: Well, good for them. But tell me, Frank, what about the terraforming? Are we really killing off whole worlds? Is that true?
IRASCO: I’m not an expert, Art, but my understanding is that there is a risk. We just don’t know enough yet. We might wipe out some critical part of the food chain. If that were to happen, yes, I suppose they could lose everything. Though it would take a while.
MAJESKI: One other question, Frank. I was watching the broadcast. It did not get interrupted. So what really happened?
IRASCO: My understanding is that individual stations have control over what they show. Sometimes they use the network feed, sometimes they don’t. The station where his accomplice was reporting from apparently went to something local. Though I can’t imagine a more riveting show.
Chapter 48
PRISCILLA’S ATTITUDE TOWARD Frank had completely changed. When he called her into his office that afternoon, she felt awed in his presence. Who are you? What have you done with Frank Irasco? “That was a pretty gutsy performance out there today,” she said, trying not to sound obsequious.
“Part of the job, Priscilla.” A box of jelly donuts was secured to a side table. “But yes, I’ll admit that was a scary few minutes.” He picked up the box and offered it to her.
She took one. And also got some coffee.
“We have another mission for you,” he said. “I don’t know whether you were aware of this or not, but McGruder’s bringing his campaign here. To the station.”
“I saw that,” she said. “You’re not going to ask me to go shake his hand again, are you?”
“No,” he said.
“Good.”
“I’m going to ask you to be his pilot. But it’s okay. No long flight. He’s only going to Iapetus.”
“You’re kidding.”
“He wants to see the monument.”
“Why? I can’t believe it would help him politically.”
Frank couldn’t restrain a laugh. “You’re terribly cynical for one so young, Priscilla. I hate to think what you’ll be like after you put on a few more miles. Anyhow, three or four members of his team will be going with him. They’ll get out, take some pictures, get back in the ship, and come home. That’s all there is to it.”
“Why on earth does he want to go out there in the middle of the campaign? What’s he expect to gain?”
“I don’t know whether you’ve been following the news, Priscilla, but his campaign isn’t going well. He’s perceived as not very exciting. As stuck with old ideas and unable to adapt to a rapidly changing world. He probably will get the Gold Party nomination, but he’s going up against a sitting president. We both know Norman’s not very popular; but, nevertheless, incumbents are hard to beat. The only reason McGruder’s leading the nomination fight is because nobody else of any substance really wanted into the ring. They’re all waiting for 2200. He needs to shake things up. And I guess this seemed to be a way to do it. It won’t hurt him, by the way, to be seen traveling with the hero who brought the schoolkids home.”
“That’s a little over the top,” she said.
“I calls ’em the way I sees ’em.”
“You’re saying he asked for me?”
Frank’s jaw twitched. “Yes. He did.”
“I’m not excited about hauling politicians around.”
“I thought he was very nice to you when he was here.”
“He was. But I’m not inclined to become part of his campaign. That’s what he did last time.”
“You’re a pilot, Priscilla. It’s what you do. Haul people who need hauling.” He closed his eyes for a moment. Then: “We need you to do this. Look, he may become the next president. If that happens, we need to do everything we can to get him on our side.”
“Even if he thinks we should be shut down?”
“We’d have a better chance of dissuading him if we treat him well now. Anyhow, he can’t be any worse for us than Norman.”
“Frank, even if the voters were dumb enough to put him in, he wouldn’t be able to shut us down. There are a few other countries involved in the Authority.”
“Come on, Priscilla. I’m asking you to take one for the team.” He picked up one of the donuts and took a bite. “You’re always talking about how you want to sit on the bridge instead of in your office. Okay. Do it. And don’t screw it up.”