Chapter 9: Visitors

The NASA team remained quiet as they left the Capital building. However, that didn’t mean they weren’t busy. Despite the initial stares they received, multiple people congratulated them as they left. There were now roughly equal numbers of smiles and glares. The rest weren’t sure how to interpret what they heard, giving them grim emotionless expressions.

As they settled into the stretch limo leased for the investigation, Isaac spoke up. “Well, given all the other surprises, I’m glad you didn’t reveal you can read minds.”

“I’m not telepathic. I see moral flaws: guilt, sins, disinterest, essentially anything which defines a person.”

Robert leaned forward, speaking past the others. “Representative Lawrence didn’t seem pleased. I couldn’t tell whether it was Eric’s testimony or his attitude.”

“No, he was anything but.” Sarah brushed back a wayward strand, straightening her windblown hair. “However, he wasn’t watching Eric, he was monitoring the audience. Each time he glared, he stared at the cameras. His reaction was staged for the lens. He’s capitalizing on this investigation to promote himself. From his actions, he wasn’t hoping for a positive response.”

Stanley glanced out the window, searching for news crews trailing them. “Chairman Phillips was dancing in his seat. I never realized what a science fan he is. Allowing him to experiment on you made him giddy.”

“That brings the total to two for, one against and the other two undeclared,” Isaac said.

“Yeah, they didn’t volunteer much,” Robert said.

“Hopefully that means they’re still undecided,” Stanley offered.

“It went better than I anticipated,” Daniel Becket, the NASA Press Secretary said. “If tomorrow goes as well, we stand a good chance to get our funding restored. If you impress them with the potential of what we might discover, we may come out with a substantial increase.”

“Since the ISSDD project costs less than a projected Mars mission, I think they’ll approve it in either case. Convincing the country we need to investigate what happened with a return trip will seal the deal.”

“Exactly,” Daniel said, nodding. “Eric, you have several television interviews tonight. You did an excellent job presenting the information and guiding the committee to the right conclusions. That last surprise and the revelation about your new abilities was a bit ... unsettling, though. Let’s tone those down during the interviews.”

“Who are they with?” Isaac asked.

“NBC, CNN and the BBC. We’ll cover most of America, but only a portion of the rest of the world. However, once they start posting the interviews, expect them to pop up on YouTube.”

“What? No Fox News?” Robert teased.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “No, they’d prefer to slash our funding to the bone, transferring the savings to tax cuts or military spending. They can’t see any immediate benefits to space exploration. To gain their approval, you’ll need to militarize your research.” He turned, studying Eric.

“We got a call while you were testifying. It seems someone wants to speak to you.”

“I’m sure a lot of people want to tell me something. Who’s at the top of the list?”

“No, someone phoned NASA’s D.C. office and asked for you. They claimed to be your sister.”

“Leslie called? I’ll return her call.”

“She didn’t leave a message. She wanted to know where you’re staying to book a room.”

“Did you tell her?”

“We had no way of validating her identity. Anyone can use her name with a little research. We highlighted her and your niece leading up to the launch since you don’t have a family of your own.”

“Hey, they are my family,” Eric protested, fishing out his phone.

“We’ll still need to identify her before we can release the information. You don’t understand how many messages we field for you, covering everything from love sonnets to death threats.”

He held his cellphone up. “I’m calling her private mobile phone. I trust that ID is sufficient?”

“No, it isn’t. We have some technically advanced fans, several of whom felt betrayed by your disappearance. They’re not yet reassured by your reappearance. It wouldn’t be hard to fake or intercept a call.”

Eric rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up. “I can identify my own sister’s voice.”

“Even assuming you can, that doesn’t mean the call won’t be intercepted and someone else shows up.”

“Frankly, I don’t give a damn. I’m calling her anyway.”

“We’re trying to limit your exposure for your own safety,” Daniel pointed out.

“Imagine the reaction you’ll get if you record her hugging me during an interview. You want a family shot? That’ll do wonders.”

He considered the potentials. “Don’t bother calling. My assistant will arrange everything. That way she can visually ID her and bring her by the studio.”

“Are you comfortable?” Jonah Dempsey, the show’s host asked as Eric tried to get settled. “The lights aren’t too hot, are they?”

“It’s not the heat, but there’s a lot of electricity buzzing around. You’ve got better equipment than NASA with less interference and random fluctuations, but it’s still ... overwhelming.”

“Not much we can do about it. This is a studio, and this broadcast is going out to the world. If you want a reporter and a pad of paper, I suggest you contact the New York Times for your next interview.”

“I just might,” Eric mumbled, but Jonah took it in good humor.

Eric took in the surrounding activity. Several of the NASA staff were in attendance: Isaac, Dr. Sam and Daniel Becket. There were also staffers active out of camera range, adjusting lights, makeup, powdering people’s faces, refreshing their glasses. For such a small environment, it was both busy and crowded. The constant buzz in his head didn’t make the confusion any easier.

The show’s host leaned forward, whispering. “We’re set. I’ll introduce you, and then we’ll let them in. Are you ready?”

“As much as I’ll ever be,” he answered, taking a sip of water to relieve his dry throat.

“This is Jonah Dempsey from NBC News, and we’re interviewing the newest sensation, astronaut Eric Morgan. In case anyone has been living under a rock, he’s drawn worldwide attention. First, for being the first man to leave our solar system, then disappearing, only to reappear days later.”

Eric chuckled, his unease evaporating now that the lights were on. If there was anything he understood, it was milking the press. It was the preparation which made him nervous. He was comfortable relating to the media, which is partially why he’d been selected for the mission. “Technically, I came back the next morning, but had to consult with NASA to figure out what the heck occurred.”

“And you did! His explosive testimony before Congress—the House Investigative Committee designed to determine what happened—was captivating. He related meeting aliens who scanned his brain, searched his memories, and revealed things we’ve never imagined. Before we delve into those topics, we have a surprise for you.”

On cue, the door to the studio opened and several figured entered. The crowd parted as they were led to the stage entrance. Pushed forward, Becky ran to him. “Uncle Eric! We missed you so much. Is all you said true?”

Understanding it would win points with the audience, and his niece, he picked her up, swinging her around. He understood it made a priceless image. They possessed numerous private videos of him doing the same thing when she was younger. Only now, it was a greater strain on his back. “It is, sweetie. But we’re only beginning to understand what occurred.”

Putting her down, he opened his arms for his sibling. “Leslie, it’s terrific seeing you again. This is certainly a shock. How’d you ever slip away?”

She hugged him, kissing him on the cheek like a good sister. She’d been in enough of these staged interviews, but was honestly excited to see him. They worried when he left days before. “Fredrick insisted we come,” she said, backing away so the camera could catch both their faces. “I offered to leave Becky behind, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

“I didn’t want to miss you taking me to the Air & Space Museum,” she said, flashing her brightest smile. The kid was no fool. She understood which behaviors got the best responses, and she ate up the attention almost as much as Eric. She was a natural showman.

“We’ve got another surprise,” Leslie said as studio personnel led someone else in. He stopped, his eyes opening wide, his brows flaring.

“Cheryl? What brings you here?”

The woman threw her arms around him. Unused to being on camera, she buried her face in his shirt and wept. “When you disappeared, I was crushed. I forgot all our arguments, our disagreements. I swore I’d give anything to see you again!” She lifted her head, her makeup streaked with tears streaming down her face. “I called your sister, insisting she take me with her when she came to visit you.”

Jonah stepped in, fearing he was losing control. “Eric, how about introducing us?”

Before answering, he held her face in his hands, staring into her eyes. “Cheryl, you look ... terrific. Like the girl I fell in love with. Your bitterness is gone. You’ve abandoned your anger. It’s lightened your soul tremendously. I’m glad you left your frustrations behind.”

She pulled back, caught off guard. “We’re not getting back together!”

He laughed, remembering where he was, but knowing this too was wonderfully dramatic. She’d never forgive him for allowing her to appear on national television in such a mess. “Jonah, this my sister, Leslie, my niece, Becky, and the last person I expected to be welcoming me back, my ex-wife, Cheryl Baker.”

“I take it your breakup wasn’t ideal,” he asked, raising his eyebrow.