"If they believe it. The president didn't."
"You know that for a fact?"
"Oh yes. She called me back, right after the new message came out."
"Really!"
"She was mad as a hornet. 'I don't know how you did it, but it's not going to work.' "
"Well, the timing is interesting."
"Yes, but nobody on Earth could have done it. The signal started our way long before the conference call."
"We're off," Deeb said. "We had a second of white noise, and they cut to a commerical."
"Well, shit. Erase it back to Dr. Bell saying 'conference call,' and we'll continue as if nothing's happened. Okay?"
"Sure," Rory said. "It might be aired eventually."
"By historians."
"In five," Deeb said, holding out five fingers and folding them one at a time.
"Well, suppose the president were right, and it was a hoax. The hoaxers—one of whom would have to be you, or someone else who witnessed the conference call, could have had the second message made up long ago, and just signaled for it to be sent."
"But not from way beyond the solar system. It would take more than a day for the signal to get there, and more than a day for the message to get back. Parallax on the signal—comparing the angle of it from two different positions—proves how far away the aliens are."
"But a really paranoid person would point out that we have to take your word for that—yours and some other scientists' on the Moon. They could be in on it, too."
Rory smiled. "You could have said that, a month or two ago. But now it's close enough for two sites on Earth to triangulate it. It's a little fantastic to think of a conspiracy involving every astronomer in the world." Off-camera, Marya nodded to Deeb.
"Don't think nobody will suggest it, Dr. Bell. So ... would you have any advice for President Davis?"
"Only the obvious: listen to the experts. LaSalle's problem, and finally her undoing, was that she surrounded herself with yes-men, and then followed their advice when they parroted her views."
"Pauling the exception."
"Which became obvious. She might have saved her life by replacing him. Though as Pauling said in his ... suicide note, she would have died a month later, along with the rest of humanity."
"And suppose Davis does follow her example, and orbits these weapons?"
"I suspect the aliens won't even bother demonstrating with Phobos. They'll just destroy us out of hand."
"A terrible thing to contemplate ... thank you, Dr. Bell, for being with us on this strange and awful day. This is Marya Washington, reporting from Gainesville, Florida."
"Out," Deeb said.
"Just wrap it and send it on up with no comment," Marya said. "As if."
"You're going to be in real trouble over this," Rory said.
"All of us. Maybe they'll put up a statue someday." She shook a pill out of a vial and took it with the ice water.
She leaned back. "Off the record. It could work, couldn't it?"
"The maser weapon? It's never really been tested."
"I mean in principle. It goes at the speed of light, right? The alien ship wouldn't have any warning."
"Assuming there's only one alien ship, and the beam doesn't miss, and they don't have any defense against twenty-first-century weapons. A lot of assumptions."
"Just trying to look at the bright side."
"Oh, yeah." Rory crossed the room and picked up her buzzing phone. " Buenas."
It was the chancellor. "Rory, what did you do? The governor's been on the phone screaming at me. He wants you fired immediately, yesterday!"
She played dumb. "Because of this morning?"
"He just saw you on the cube. Says you betrayed him and the country and the sacred memory of the president. Divulged top secret information."
"I don't have clearance to gettop secret information. Was this an interview?"
"Yes, with that black New York woman."
"Well, I did an interview. But it won't be aired until seven o'clock tonight."
"That might be what they told you. But the governor sure as hell saw it."
"So I'm fired? Just like that?"
"No, no. But I have to give you a sabbatical, get you out of the public eye. Out of the line of fire."
"No longer head of the committee?"
"No. In fact, off the committee altogether. You have other things to pursue—go do them until mid-January. Full pay. You don't have any classes this semester?"
"No, because—"
"So do some research. Preferably somewhere far away. Turn your phone off and disappear."
"Is that an order, Mai?"
"You know it's not. Just advice, good advice." His voice was tight. "For all of us, Rory. You should've heard the governor. Our budget's in committee! He's liable to do anything."
"Okay, I'm out. Won't make a fuss over it. Can I choose my own successor?"
"Sure, of course. Thanks, Rory. I know you could fight it."
"And win. Academic freedom." She took a deep breath. "Pepe Parker would be the logical successor. I'll see whether he wants the job."
"I owe you for this, Rory. I haven't seen the interview myself ... "
"The governor's probably right. I was not respectful of the late president. But then she was a lunatic."
"Rory ... "
"I'm off-camera. Are you?"
"Sure."
"I'm coming to think that Pauling was a brave man. He didn't see any other option, so he gave his life to save the world. You were there,Mai. Am I wrong?"
There was a short silence. "No. I don't think you're wrong. But don't ask me to back you up, not until after the governor signs the budget."
"Understandable. I'll call Pepe." She pushed the "off" button without saying good-bye and stood there looking at the phone. The other three were looking at her.
"You got the axe?" Marya said.
"Yeah. Until the aliens go home or the world ends, or whatever." She punched two keys.
Pepe
His phone buzzed but he didn't answer it. His boss was on the cube, committing political suicide.
" ... nobody on Earth could have done it. The signal started our way long before the conference call—" The cube went blank and Carl Lamb appeared. "That was Professor Aurora Bell, in a transmission—" Pepe stabbed a finger at the phone. " Buenas?"
"Pepe ... " It was Rory. "The shit has really hit the fan."
"I just saw it."
"The governor wants me tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. You want my job?"
"You make it sound so attractive."
"I'm serious. Mai Barrett just put me on sabbatical indefinitely. Nobody else but you can run the thing."
He knew that, of course. "Sure, okay. Where are you now?"
"Up at the office."
"I'll be right up. Buenas?"
" Si, buenas." He turned off the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
"What was that?" Lisa Marie said.
"My boss. Ex-boss." He finished off his beer and set the mug down with a thump. "Looks like I've been promoted." He took out a card and slid it through the pay slot. "I've gotta run. Don't know how long this will be. I will be with you tonight, though, as soon as I can get free. Call when I know."
She nodded. "Dinner if you can. I'll get us some steaks or something."
"Deal." He kissed her on the cheek. " Buenas."