Chapter 1, part 2
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Shem’s lear jet landed smoothly at the base. Cuba was now a territory of the United States. After Castro’s death in 2009, the country was left venerable despite Castro’s heir apparent. Cuba’s isolation allowed Shem and his team to develop light speed engines that hurled the probe out into deep space just two weeks earlier. That probe was to breach the galaxy in search of a new planet that may sustain human life. By their calculations it would be at least a month, at best, before the probe returned. The probe only left two days ago. And it was back already.
Shem walked into a large hanger where the ship was being built. They would all be here in a week. Shit… shit … SHIT!
“Dr. Finch, you have returned. How did it go in New York?” Dr. Finch’s assistant Monica greeted him at the door with his lab coat. Monica Perez was a sultry Hispanic. Drop dead gorgeous with a brain to match. She learned everything she knew from Shem at MIT. She worked closely with him on everything since becoming his intern 10 years earlier. He never seemed to notice her though and she kept her feelings hidden.
“Very well Monica. It worked! You should have all the data in this disc to plot into the navigational computer of the ship. We only have a week Mo. One fucking week.” Shem seemed worried.
Shem stood in front of a giant metal shuttle that resembled so many of the shuttles he saw in his science fiction TV shows. Heck if this was going to be his baby, why not make it look familiar. Welders were busily working on the hull. Computer parts and wires were all over the hanger floor.
“One week? You can’t be serious. We’ll never get it done in time.” Monica looked panicked.
“They will be here in one week Mo. All one hundred. Actually ninety eight. You need to come with me. Other than myself no one else knows how to fly this bucket of bolts.” Shem loved borrowing lines from movies. “The UN council told me I could take you.”
Monica looked grateful but had no idea how in the hell they were going to finish this project in a week. She adjusted her PV slightly. Oh how joyous it was going to be to live without this thing attached to her face. Oh it would be so lovely to see Shem’s face again. His rugged handsome face. The years were taking it’s toll on him. He was old enough to be her father but she didn’t care. She loved him all the same. Shem, however, never seemed to notice her for anything but her brain.
“How are they picking the other 98 people? I’m sure that most of those will be world and religious leaders.” Monica was not a person that like special treatment because you were someone powerful.
“Actually, no. They will randomly pick names from the central birth records of all countries. 49 males and 49 females. No one knows about this. They will have UN peacekeeping troops in charge of the task of retrieving each person and returning them here one week from today.
Each person will be allowed to take one item or series of items with them that they think is important for our decedents to remember us by. I am taking my Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov books with me.”
Monica contemplated what she might bring with her. Books on Nuclear Fusion? No we want to build a new world and not kill it this time around.
“What else are we taking? I suppose the usual two of everything?” Monica sarcastically announced. They both snickered.
“We’ll take a few animals but mostly we will take seeds along with enough rations to last us six months. That’s why we have limited space. I’m not even sure this is going to work Mo.” Shem started sweating again.
They walked over to the main central navigational computer which had yet to be installed in the ship. Monica opened CD drive and installed the disc. Up popped an image of a planet that vaguely looked like Earth itself. The continents were similar yet different. Not as much ocean covered the planet.
“We are sure there is breathable air?” Monica was worried,
“The read out from the probe shows Nitrogen and Oxygen.” Shem replied.
Shem’s lear jet landed smoothly at the base. Cuba was now a territory of the United States. After Castro’s death in 2009, the country was left venerable despite Castro’s heir apparent. Cuba’s isolation allowed Shem and his team to develop light speed engines that hurled the probe out into deep space just two weeks earlier. That probe was to breach the galaxy in search of a new planet that may sustain human life. By their calculations it would be at least a month, at best, before the probe returned. The probe only left two days ago. And it was back already.
Shem walked into a large hanger where the ship was being built. They would all be here in a week. Shit… shit … SHIT!
“Dr. Finch, you have returned. How did it go in New York?” Dr. Finch’s assistant Monica greeted him at the door with his lab coat. Monica Perez was a sultry Hispanic. Drop dead gorgeous with a brain to match. She learned everything she knew from Shem at MIT. She worked closely with him on everything since becoming his intern 10 years earlier. He never seemed to notice her though and she kept her feelings hidden.
“Very well Monica. It worked! You should have all the data in this disc to plot into the navigational computer of the ship. We only have a week Mo. One fucking week.” Shem seemed worried.
Shem stood in front of a giant metal shuttle that resembled so many of the shuttles he saw in his science fiction TV shows. Heck if this was going to be his baby, why not make it look familiar. Welders were busily working on the hull. Computer parts and wires were all over the hanger floor.
“One week? You can’t be serious. We’ll never get it done in time.” Monica looked panicked.
“They will be here in one week Mo. All one hundred. Actually ninety eight. You need to come with me. Other than myself no one else knows how to fly this bucket of bolts.” Shem loved borrowing lines from movies. “The UN council told me I could take you.”
Monica looked grateful but had no idea how in the hell they were going to finish this project in a week. She adjusted her PV slightly. Oh how joyous it was going to be to live without this thing attached to her face. Oh it would be so lovely to see Shem’s face again. His rugged handsome face. The years were taking it’s toll on him. He was old enough to be her father but she didn’t care. She loved him all the same. Shem, however, never seemed to notice her for anything but her brain.
“How are they picking the other 98 people? I’m sure that most of those will be world and religious leaders.” Monica was not a person that like special treatment because you were someone powerful.
“Actually, no. They will randomly pick names from the central birth records of all countries. 49 males and 49 females. No one knows about this. They will have UN peacekeeping troops in charge of the task of retrieving each person and returning them here one week from today.
Each person will be allowed to take one item or series of items with them that they think is important for our decedents to remember us by. I am taking my Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov books with me.”
Monica contemplated what she might bring with her. Books on Nuclear Fusion? No we want to build a new world and not kill it this time around.
“What else are we taking? I suppose the usual two of everything?” Monica sarcastically announced. They both snickered.
“We’ll take a few animals but mostly we will take seeds along with enough rations to last us six months. That’s why we have limited space. I’m not even sure this is going to work Mo.” Shem started sweating again.
They walked over to the main central navigational computer which had yet to be installed in the ship. Monica opened CD drive and installed the disc. Up popped an image of a planet that vaguely looked like Earth itself. The continents were similar yet different. Not as much ocean covered the planet.
“We are sure there is breathable air?” Monica was worried,
“The read out from the probe shows Nitrogen and Oxygen.” Shem replied.
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