The Season Of Passage Part 6

Lauren glanced at his desk. 'Did I disturb your work? Were you writing a letter or something?'

'Something,' he muttered, touching his blank will. All of a sudden he felt cold. On his desk stood a picture of the Nova's crew. Lauren's fiance had taken it several weeks ago. Jennifer had been standing by Terry's side when he snapped the picture. She had been pointing at them, carrying on. 'Say "Martians,"' she had said.

'Jim?' Lauren said.

Jim picked up the picture. It was covered with a gla.s.s plate, and for the briefest instant he saw a ghost image of Jennifer reflecting on the gla.s.s. As if she, too, had been captured in that instant.

Martians.

But the image was no longer laughing - only pointing.

'What's the matter, Jim?' Lauren asked.

'I was writing a letter to an old friend,' he said finally. He set down the picture. 'I'm glad you came, though. I'll get dressed in a few minutes.'

Lauren stood, kissed him on the forehead, and stepped to the door. 'I'll come get you when the president arrives, if you want to stay in your room till then.'

'That won't be necessary. I'll be down. My letter won't take long. I know what I want to say now.'

'I'll see ya.' She opened the door and left.

'Yes,' Jim said, alone again. For a moment he thought of going after her, and asking her to stay longer, if only for a few minutes. But he didn't wish to bother her. The chill that had struck him continued to linger. Try as he might, he could not find a source for it. He picked up the blank paper on his desk. There was one name he wished he could put on it. But if fate struck him down in the coming months, then Lauren would almost surely perish alongside him.

Jim took his pen and wrote: To whom it may concern, I, James Ranoth, hereby decree that in the event of my death, Jennifer Wagner, sister of Lauren Wagner, become the sole heir of all my possessions.

James Ranoth 8-15-2004 Jim put aside the paper and pulled out the silver ring. He held it under the light of the lamp, marveling once more at its wonderful shine. He remembered the first time he had put it on, how he had antic.i.p.ated something strange and exciting happening. Of course, he had felt no different. One of these days he was going to grow up, he thought. He was a scientist. The ring was an enigma, to be sure, but it was not magic. Why did he keep looking for such things?

Yet it had that peculiar glow to it even when the light was faint...

Jim put the ring up to his eye and peered through the center of it at the picture of the crew that Terry had taken. But he saw nothing unusual, only the confident smiles of his friends and partners. He laughed at his own foolishness. Here he was, one of the world's most renowned scientists, and he was performing a child's experiment...

Except that the moment Jim took the ring away from his eye, the source of his disquieting chill crystallized in his mind. It appeared to emerge out of a gap in consciousness he wasn't even sure he had. It appeared amidst his other thoughts with a rough texture that felt oddly alien. Yet it carried a weight that told him it shouldn't be ignored. One thing for sure - the thought had entered his head the moment Lauren had entered the room; he just hadn't noticed right away. It was as if she had brought it with her.

None of you are coming home.

Jim slammed the photograph face down on his desk and quickly put the ring back in his pocket. He scowled at his own silliness. He took the will and folded it and placed it inside an envelope. Then he turned off the lamp and rested his head in his arms. His mind was confused and his heart was heavy, all for no reason. He loved Lauren, he loved them all. They were friends of his, bright and capable of meeting any challenge. They would go to Mars, he thought, and they would return, and everything would be fine.

Yet Jim was unable to convince himself. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that they were doomed.

SEVEN.

Major Gary Wheeler was reading his fan mail and giggling. Lauren eyed him with both distaste and affection. They were in the isolation complex's living room. Gary sat with his bare right foot rocking over the arm of his chair. He had been reading the same letter for ten minutes, and Lauren was wondering what the big deal was. They'd each received thousands of letters a week. She read only a fraction of them, but Gary went through every one carefully. Kids made up the bulk of her admirers, and Gary got them, too, along with lots of women. There were some risque females out there in good old America. They often enclosed nude photos of themselves. Gary had a collection taped to his bedroom wall. To give him credit, though, he spent more time trying to answer the children. He had even hired a secretary out of his own pocket to deal with the swarms of letters. He sent the kids brochures telling them how they could grow up to be great like him.

Gary Wheeler was a child who had never grown up. In many ways he resembled Terry - he took nothing seriously. Yet he was far more innocent and wild than Terry, and undoubtedly had more fun with his life. Gary did not have Terry's cynical perception of the cruel things people were capable of doing, and so was spared much grief.

He was ridiculously handsome, in a boyish way, and was incredibly strong. Lauren had seen him bench-press three hundred pounds. He was six-two, one hundred and eighty pounds of muscle. He did not own a comb; his brown hair did not know what one was. He had nice eyes - fresh blue, with a little hazel mixed in to honor his Irish mother. He walked as if he didn't have a care in the world, and sometimes he accidentally walked over other people, but he was quick to apologize - if he was in the mood. He was thirty-two, and he had come up fast, and that was not easy to do without ticking people off.

He had joined the Air Force before coming to NASA, and he loved to fly jets more than anything in the world. As long as he still had his wings, the world could turn the way it wanted below him and he didn't complain - too much.

Many considered Gary the most crucial member of the Nova's crew. Gary was responsible for flying the Hawk, the Martian lander. He would have the a.s.sistance of Commander William Brent, and the guidance of Friend, their computer, but ultimately it was Gary who would decide where and when - and even if - they would land. Lauren trusted him. She also liked him, quite a lot in fact.

'I'm telling you, we don't have time for this,' she said. 'Dean told me he would be here within the hour, and that was forty minutes ago. You promised me you would change.' Actually, Gary had promised nothing of the sort, but she hoped he would fall for her lie. Unfortunately, he had not heard her. He continued to giggle. 'Was she good?' she asked, raising her voice.

Gary glanced up. 'Did you say something, Lori?'

'The president's arriving in a few minutes.'

Gary waved his arm in dismissal. 'Their plane hasn't even arrived. Dean's just being an a.s.s. They'd only left D.C. when he called.'

Lauren wasn't sure how Gary knew this, but decided he probably had better information than she. She relaxed and pointed at his letter. 'Someone I know?' she asked.

Gary's eyes sparkled. 'Curious, Doc?'

She hesitated. 'I'm not sure.'

'She has blond hair.'

'I'm not interested,' she said quickly.

'I've been saving this one for when we were on Mars.'

'Is it dirty? I don't want to hear about it.'

'I'm going to tell you,' Gary said.

'OK.'.

Gary laughed. He leaned back in his chair and scratched his crotch. 'This happened three months ago. I had to fly out to Rockwell in California to talk to their engineers about the Hawk's boosters. It was a useless meeting. Anyway, I finished early and wasn't due back in Houston for a couple of days. This was a Friday. I called an old buddy of mine, Fred. You met Fred. He's that bald guy who got a hair transplant and then started to have migraine headaches. We went to a movie in west L.A. and then to a coffee shop. We were sitting there, eating pie, when this girl walked up to us. She was real shy and cute. She asked if I was Gary Wheeler, the astronaut. They always say it like that. I said, yeah, then she asked if I was going to be going to Mars soon, and we got to talking. I invited her to sit down. I liked her right from the beginning. So did Fred. Her name was Kathy. She was a physical therapist, and on weekends she worked as a volunteer at a children's spinal injury hospital. She told me about the place and asked if I could swing by the next day and meet the children and talk to them about our mission. You know how I like kids.'

'Yeah,' Lauren said. 'Just out of p.u.b.erty.'

'Hey, my intentions were n.o.ble, at least at this point. The next morning Kathy picked me up at my hotel and took me to the hospital. The kids were excited. It was touching-there wasn't a one of them that could walk normally. Not that they were all down in the dumps. They seemed real together. They loved me. I gave a speech on what it was like to fly the shuttle, and to be weightless. There were some pretty sharp minds there - they asked good questions. I guess not being able to play and stuff, they read a lot. I was lucky I had a box of literature on the Nova from Rockwell. I pa.s.sed it out, and stayed for a couple of hours and signed autographs.'

'Get to the juicy stuff, would ya?' Lauren complained.

'When we were leaving the hospital, Kathy asked if I wanted to eat. We went to a restaurant and then saw a movie. It got late. We had a few beers at a bar. I must have been feeling loose. You know how I never drink.'

'Excuses, excuses.'

'I started to notice what a sweet girl she was. We talked for hours. She works a forty-hour week in an orthopedic surgeon's office. But she's so devoted to those kids. I really began to dig her. I thought she liked me, too. I know she did. She told me she thought I was special.' Gary paused. 'She asked if I'd like to come to her house for coffee.'

'For coffee. Right.'

'Yeah, with the beer in me, I didn't care if she served it with a little cream on the side. She lived with her parents, but on the way to her house, she told me they were out of town. That was all right with me.'

'How old was this girl?' Lauren asked.

'Twenty-five. Why?'

'I was just wondering. Go on.'

'Soon as we entered her house, she put the coffee on. Then she started to check every room in the house. It was weird. I a.s.sumed she was looking for burglars. She even went out into the garage. I started to look around myself. It seemed the thing to do. A few minutes pa.s.sed. I began to wonder where she had gotten to. When suddenly she snuck up on me from behind and wrapped her arms around my waist. What the h.e.l.l, I thought. I was surprised, though. I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression of her, Lori. Kathy struck me as very shy.'

'Yeah. Sure.'

'We started kissing. She leads me upstairs to her bedroom. There she lets it all hang out. Jesus, if she didn't have these t.i.ts under her sweater. She was an animal. She tore off my pants before I could undo my belt. I was having trouble keeping it together, and we had only just begun.'

'This is gross,' Lauren said.

'Yeah? I'm glad I got your interest. Now all this time Kathy didn't say a word. In fact, as soon as we'd gone into the bedroom, I heard someone knocking at the front door. I asked if she wanted to see who it was, but she didn't answer. She just kept doing what she was doing, and I forgot about the knocking. So there I was, naked in her bedroom, about to make the supreme public relations sacrifice for NASA, when suddenly...'

'Don't tell me!' Lauren cried. 'Kathy came running in.'

Gary looked startled. Then he chuckled. 'You're right. It was Kathy, all right. I was in bed with her twin sister, Lorraine. It seems Lorraine had pulled the same trick before. That's why Kathy was searching the house - to make sure Lorraine was out. Unfortunately, when she looked in the garage, Lorraine locked her in it. That was the knocking I heard. But Kathy got back in somehow. She went berserk. She tackled Lorraine to the floor. They fought like two cats. Kathy called her every name in the book. But Lorraine was enjoying herself. She laughed her head off. She had a high, shrill voice - it's hard to describe. It was no wonder she didn't talk to me. It was total madness. They were both bleeding from scratches. I worried someone would get seriously hurt. I jumped in and broke them apart, which was not easy. I eventually got Kathy downstairs, and had her sit quietly on the couch. But I was still naked. I had to go back upstairs to get my clothes. Lorraine was lying naked on the floor, grinning like a stoned duck. She wanted to know if I'd had fun. She had a real weird voice. She probably gargled with limestone every morning. Sure, I said, I had a great time. No hard feelings. As I was leaving, she told me I had a nice rocket, and that I should look her up when I got back from Venus.'

'Venus,' Lauren muttered.

'Kathy was crying when I came back downstairs. She was a mess. I got dressed and apologized like a madman. But she didn't blame me at all. She understood it wasn't my fault. You see, Lori, they look exactly alike. Lorraine makes a point of it. Anyway, eventually Kathy calmed down, and she was able to drive me back to my hotel. She was still sad, though. She thought I wouldn't want to see her again after the way she had attacked Lorraine. I told her that was nonsense. But I did explain that I wouldn't be able to come back to the west coast until after the mission. She got all upset. She thought I was just making up excuses. She wouldn't even give me her phone number. She said I'd never call. I tried to convince her I was being sincere, but she drove away.'

'Did you call her?' Lauren asked.

'Yeah. I got her home number from her office the next morning. But Lorraine answered the phone.'

'What did she say?' Lauren asked.

'I don't know. I got Lorraine. I hung up. I've called a dozen times since - Kathy can't take calls at work - but Lorraine always answers the phone. She must carry it around in her pants. She talks like a witch from the Middle Ages. I always hang up. Lorraine's unnatural. She's got great t.i.ts, though.'

'So is that letter from Kathy?'

'No! It's from Lorraine.' Gary picked up the letter once more. 'She sent it a month ago. It must have got lost in the shuffle. It's ten pages long. She starts off saying what a fine rocket I have, and how naughty Kathy was to barge in on us. She's pretty funny. I'll read you a few lines.'

'No. I want to hear about Kathy.'

'Lorraine says her sister's broken-hearted over me. Lorraine also says she told Kathy that I called, but that Kathy didn't believe her.'

'Why don't you try calling her again?'

Gary nodded. 'I will. Tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow? Gary, we're going to Mars tomorrow.'

'Exactly. Think how Kathy will feel when the pilot of man's greatest adventure calls a few minutes before blastoff. She'll know I care.'

'What if she's not home?' Lauren asked.

'She will be. She'll be home in front of her TV watching the shuttle take off. I'll call just when I'm getting into my suit, when all the cameras are on me. She'll see me pick up the phone on TV and then hear her own phone ring.'

'I don't know, Gary. We'll be busy then.' Lauren stopped. She had to ask herself if she wanted Gary talking to Kathy. Not that she was jealous. 'Oh, h.e.l.l, what do I care? You probably made that whole story up.'

Gary was insulted. 'You want to read Lorraine's letter?'

'No, I don't have time. I still don't believe you.'

Gary jumped up and shoved a handful of pages covered with what could have been chicken-scratch in her face. 'I won't even speak to the president if you don't read this. I'll be in the bathroom the whole time.'

'You wouldn't dare,' Lauren said.

'Wouldn't I?'

She smiled. 'I'm calling your bluff, Major. Lowly, Major.'

He snorted. 'You can be such a b.i.t.c.h.'

'What does it matter if I don't believe you? Why do you tell me these stories, anyway? I don't want to hear your trash.'

'You love it, you liar,' Gary said.

'You're always trying to prove your masculinity to me. I don't give a d.a.m.n how many girls you've screwed.'

'You just wish you were one of them,' Gary said. 'You were panting when I told you about Lorraine ripping off my pants.'

She acted bored. 'I'm a doctor. I've seen plenty of men with their pants off. I've seen you without your pants on.' She shrugged. 'Not that there was much to look at.'

'Are you saying I have a small p.e.n.i.s?'

'No.'

'You better not be.'

'Gary, I am a famous person. The whole world respects me. People in all five continents pray for my well-being each night before they go to sleep. I am also a liberated woman. I would never say your p.e.n.i.s is small.'

'It's not, you know.'

'But I would have to say - as a medical professional - that I've seen cadavers that could probably get harder.'

'You're saying I'm impotent?'

'I'm just making an observation.'

Suddenly, for no apparent reason - she was, after all, insulting him - he grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips. Then he pulled back, grinning. 'You love me,' he said. 'Admit it.'

'b.a.s.t.a.r.d!' She tried to slap him but missed. 'Don't you ever do that again!'