Proxima B

Springfield, Missouri.

Northwest Missouri State University, Room no. 3. There were about fifty people sitting in their places while a woman was sitting behind a writing desk and was using a stick to show some schemes that had been projected on a giant screen behind her. Doctor Abigail Sanders’ AP chemistry class was almost over. She was forty-five, her hair was dark brown and curly, her bright eyes were hidden behind thick glasses that let her look like a young nerd. She had been tenured and had been teaching chemistry for five years in one of the most important faculties of the whole State. She used to hold four classes a week in the morning and serve as director and head of Springfield biochemical engineering laboratory, which she loved too much, since she had financed a part of the renovation work that was carried out nearly ten years ago. She loved chemistry unconditionally. Since she was a child, she had been attracted by all that could be turned into something else. She was fond of all that. Thanks to her father, Carl Sanders, who was a successful chemist now retired, Abigail had succeeded in carrying out all her studies, since she had graduated from high school and from university with full marks. Unfortunately, mainly due to her work and her several travels for many updates, Abigail did not have much time to spend with her family. Her husband Sam, who was an honest electric car mechanic employee of Ionix & Co., and her three children, Robert, Cody and little Gwen, were often home alone and got used to taking care of each other over the years. They knew their mother loved her work and that when she could she spent her spare time with them in the best way. It was so. No one was really satisfied with that situation, but each one did something by respecting everyone’s will for the family’s sake.

“Once again, we’re facing a partial oxidation! 1,200 degrees!”

Abigail stopped for a while so that he could take a breath.

“Well, that’s enough for today! Within Thursday I want you to send me the e-mails concerning your today’s report, which shall be at least six pages long! Thank you all! Have a nice day!”

While our professor was uttering these words, the people who were sitting in front of her began to stand up, murmuring softly.

Abigail was reorganizing her notes on the writing desk while those who were there were all leaving the classroom. A man wearing a dark suit entered. He was quite calm. He went up to the woman who was about to unplug some wires from her notebook.

“Professor Abigail Sanders?” the man wondered while taking off his sunglasses, which let him reveal his eyes, which were as dark as his jacket.

“It’s me,” Abigail answered. She began to gaze at him.

“I must give you this one.”

The strange guy pulled an envelope out of his jacket. It was sealed with two seals. The woman did not hesitate to pick it up.

“Who has sent it? And who are you?” Abigail wondered. She was almost puzzled.

“I can’t answer these questions. All you need is inside the envelope. Goodbye.”

After these words, the man put on his dark glasses again and left the classroom. The professor stood there and held the envelope in her hand. The woman observed the shadow of the man until it was gone. Then she directed her glance towards the envelope again. She turned it inside out again and again. On its back side, the envelope was sealed with two seals. On its front side there were two logos that were as big as a stamp; they represented the U.S. government and New NASA Corporate. Abigail observed those symbols carefully and her eyes opened wide in amazement. On the lower side of the envelope there was a writing that the woman did not hesitate to read: For Abigail Sanders. For the benefit of all!

Chicago, Illinois.

Jerry was an ordinary guy. He was twenty-five and had an unbridled passion for biology. After graduating, he enrolled as a researcher in the Chicago biology institute for further study (a master’s degree). That was the reason why he had studied and this made his mother happy and proud. Jerry used to live with her in a flat in the eastern outskirts of the city. He did not want to change his lifestyle at that time. Still, his intention was to live alone shortly. He never came late at work. That morning he was about to come to the biology institute. He was wrapped up in taking on another day of research. He greeted those who were working there – the doorman first and finally his colleagues – and he entered his lab where he could see his colleague Bob, who was a biologist like him but who was not as good as Jerry.

“Why are you here already?” Jerry asked his friend.

“You know… being single may have its pros!”

The two were happily playing around before work. Jerry noticed a brownish envelope come out of a stack of white research sheets of paper shortly.

“What is this?” the boy asked Bob, intrigued by it. Bob, who was sitting in his armchair, used its wheels to push himself, “Ah yes! It has been there since this morning! An elegant man left it. He was wondering where you were! I had to tell you, but I forgot to do it. Sorry!” Jerry did not hesitate to open the envelope and pull the sheet out. He read it quickly, and then put it back inside its envelope without noticing some flight tickets inside.

That same evening, after work, Jerry went home, he dined and finally opened the envelope. He pulled the sheet out and began to read with much more attention than that morning. The sheet had an invitation to take part in a special lecture in Washington that was coordinated by the U.S. government and New NASA Corporate. The letter suggested that inside the envelope there were two flight tickets that Jerry would use to reach the capital city of America.

The following day the young biologist’s mind was distracted. He thought of the letter that he had received the day before, but the most persistent thought was about his colleague Isabel. Just Isabel. Jerry was in college when he first had a crush on her. They were at the same biology class and since he caught her attention, he was immediately fascinated by her. Her skin was pale, she had cold eyes and fiery hair; he was skinny and clumsy just like an overachiever can be, but the sense of protection that he felt for her let him be quite funny. A beautiful friendship was born between them. Jerry, who had just awakened and was sitting on his bed, began to think about Isabel and how he could declare his love for her. This scene repeated itself punctually almost every morning. Just like every day, though, he was as much afraid of his feelings not being reciprocated as he was in love with her. But he got ready for going to the institute. He came into his workplace and greeted Tim, as he always did. Tim was a man in his sixties and he was the reception supervisor.

“Good morning, Tim! How are you?” Jerry asked the man that was standing behind a glass slab in front of the entrance of the complex. He, who could see him reciprocate his greetings but could not hear him from behind the glass, smiled and took the lift. Just as the doors were about to close, a hand avoided it. It was Isabel, who entered and went close to the boy immediately.

“Hey, hi! You disappeared yesterday… and I… you know… I need to tell you something!” the girl cried out in excitement. Her words upset Jerry, who could not imagine anything.

“Exactly! Yesterday I had a thing to do and I had to go away, you know…” Jerry answered with a little embarrassment.

“What did you need to tell me?” he asked her.

“There’s a person that fascinates me so much, but he may not know about this thing!” Isabel cried out. In the meantime, the lift doors had opened.

“This is our plan…,” Jerry said.

“How do you know that he doesn’t like you?” the boy kept on asking; he was in a hurry, as if he had had to take the train and had been late. He walked towards his office as if he were in the grip of an anxiety attack.

“Hey, is anything okay?” Isabel asked him. She changed her attitude for a while.

“It’s almost like you’re running away from me,” she added.

“No… it isn’t so… Why? Is there anything strange in me? Not at all…,” Jerry mumbled.

“Oh, okay! Anyway, you may know him well…,” Isabel kept on saying. Her excitement was back and Jerry was much more upset. He almost exploded due to the beats of his heart.

“I’m talking about Franz! Isn’t he one of your co-workers? Could you put in a good word?” Isabel asked him. Those words took the wind out of his sails. Actually, what Jerry had always hoped would never realize. He wanted that girl to be forever his, but she wanted to be with one of his colleagues, the one who, by the way, was a complete idiot. This fact destroyed all what he had imagined till then. His heart seemed to have stopped for a few seconds and the young biologist looked stunned. He stared into space.

“Oh Jerry! Jerry! Hello? Is anything okay?” He could hear the girl wondering, but her voice seemed far away and barely audible as if she were a few dozen feet away. Then he came round all of a sudden.

“Hmm… yeah! I’ll do what I can… I have to go before Bob blows the whole building up! See you around, Isabel!” Jerry said, walking over to his lab while Isabel was just standing there, looking at him and watching him with much puzzlement.

Phoenix, Arizona.

The day was sultry. The sun shone making the rocks, the ground and even the air incandescent. Everything would seemingly burn at any moment. A rattle snake stirred looking for semidarkness on some rocks to protect itself from the heat that surrounded the firing range where a platoon of PFCs was about to fire. Metal targets, which were a bit rusty, were there, incandescent, waiting for being shot by the bullets shot from the weapons of those young soldiers who were on the hills one mile away from them. Ten Marines that were led by their Chief Master Sergeant Lucas Douglas were getting ready to take point.

“Down, everybody! Take point!” the sergeant told them, so they all obeyed and took their own points, lay down and loaded the sniper rifle and waited for him to give the signal to commence firing. Lucas Douglas, for his part, took it easy before giving the signal. They waited for his signal several minutes. He had been used to the Arizona blistering sun since he had been serving in that helluva place for more than twenty years and he knew that he had to make them – the ones that he considered as the runts of the litter – understand that life in the army was not a game and that it would lead them to difficult decisions and exhausting waits under very hard conditions. Lucas Douglas, who was an Afro-American big-hearted, high-spirited man in his sixties and a very hard worker, too, was there today. He meant to get the best out of his seven men and his three women who were waiting for him to order them what to do. Some of them were getting impatient; others were already covered with sweat but no order had been given yet. The sergeant’s wait appeared to be intentional… He only had to yell the soldier’s name and this one would fire a shot. But he had not done anything so far. After getting a big glass of lemonade off a table under a nearby sunshade, the Chief Master Sergeant took a quick glance at the troop and immediately got an idea of whom would do one’s work well during that intense workday. He grabbed his binoculars and watched the faraway silhouettes, and then he yelled out, “MONTGOMERY!”

He barely uttered the whole name when a rumble caused by the gunshot pierced the air. The silence of the valley was replaced by the screeching of the bullet that shot the metal silhouette right on its right shoulder.

“Well done, Montgomery! Next time aim at its head!” The sergeant’s heavy voice directed its words to the young man, who murmured to himself in a low tone of voice, “What am I supposed to have aimed at?” He was a bit disappointed. He started watching the silhouettes from the monocle of the rifle.

“PINCHER!” the Chief Master Sergeant shouted again and another shot was fired by the soldier who missed the target completely and ended up behind the metal silhouettes among gravel and cobbles under Lucas Douglas’ gaze.

“Pincher! You did fucking miss it completely! You wouldn’t even be able to shoot the ass of an elephant sitting right in front of you!” the sergeant exclaimed, which elicited a smile from a few fellow soldiers. The guy that had shot, who was a bit angry and disappointed, did not laugh, but stood there and waited for further instructions. The soldiers, who were waiting for their own calls, took their own points again in the blistering sun. One of them was Emily Parker, a young soldier with light brown hair and brown doe eyes. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead to her right eye, the one that she was not using for looking through her monocle. She tried to wipe it, but as soon as Lucas Douglas saw that she was not paying attention, he yelled her name. It took about two seconds for Emily to take her own point again and shoot. The bullet shot the dummy’s head and the metal sparked, which stopped her fellow soldiers and the Chief Master Sergeant in their tracks. The latter did not hesitate to congratulate her on her work.

“You did a great job, Miss Parker! A great job!”

The training was over shortly thereafter. Each soldier broke ranks by freshening up a bit.

“Go freshen up, you deserve it! Great job, guys, except yours, Pincher and Sully. Your aim sucks…,” the sergeant said merrily from underneath the big awning. Then he turned his attention to Emily.

“Miss Parker, can I talk to you?” the sergeant asked the girl. The young soldier went up to him. She thought he would reprimand her.

“Sir, I’m sorry for…,” the woman tried to excuse immediately, but she was stopped her instantly by her superior.

“Miss Parker, I didn’t call you for what happened earlier. I called you to tell you that this morning I’ve received a letter from the Government and NASA. They wanted me to recommend somebody for a project,” the man informed her. Then he paused for a while and searched for any reaction in the girl’s eyes. Then he kept on saying, “I’ve thought of you. What about this idea?”

Emily did not expect the sergeant to tell her so. She took a few seconds to think and finally she said, “Sir, I’m confused. I don’t even know what this is about,” the young Marine said with hesitation.

“Once you’re in Washington, everything is going to be clearer. You’re too smart to get old in this fucking hole. You’ll find the invitation letter and the flight tickets in your bedroom!”

“Sir… I don’t know what to say,” the soldier stuttered one more time.

“Don’t say anything. Honor your country! For the benefit of all!” Lucas Douglas said finally. Their glances were admiring when they saluted. Emily went back to her accommodation.

She arrived there and picked up the envelope. Her hands were shaking. She was happy. She leafed through the letter and the tickets. She was ready to leave for Washington.

Chapter 2 – A new hope

T

he day of the flight to Washington had finally come. Jerry was busy getting his small luggage prepared, but the excitement and the curiosity that had seized him that same morning since his awakening had led him to hesitate over what to take with him.

“Not this one… This one is too showy… Ah! This is the one I was looking for!” the boy cried out while picking the shirts to take with him. He chose a pair of trousers and his underwear. He filled up the small bag and took it near the front. He took up his belongings, his keys, his wallet and a thin and clear-glass device whose shape made it look like a credit card but that was actually something that served as a smartphone. He took a look around for the last time to check if he had all that he needed.

“Mom! Mom! I’m ready to go!” Jerry shouted. His mother left her bedroom. She was still wearing her nightgown.

“My little man is going to Washington! I’m proud of you! Give ‘em hell, honey!” Mrs. Vandcamp said. Then she added, “Come here, let me hug you!” And they hugged each other with love.

“Mom, I’ll be back soon. I’m not going to the moon!” her son cried out. He smiled, kissed her mother on her cheek and took his luggage and walked towards the taxi while his mother was staring at him with her watery eyes, since she was sad for her son. But he let her feel proud of him, too.

Michael had just got on the plane that would take him to Washington. It would take only few minutes. The plane had an elongated shape and its wings were relatively small. Two electric engines were ready to thrust it supersonically, which was usual at that time. The motto of the air carrier stood out on both sides: The world in less than one hour. He boarded the silver plane whose inside was white and Havana-brown and took his seat. Then he sat down in the lavish seat made of synthetic material, which does not mean poor quality, and thought.

“Why the hell am I doing this?” he wondered in a low tone of voice. The passenger who was sitting next to him was attracted by his voice.

“Is it your first time on a Jet Line?” he was asked by José, who was a man of Hispanic origin. Michael turned slowly towards the man who was in his fifties and slightly overweight.

“No, it isn’t the first time!” the man answered lazily.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m José! I hope I’ll enjoy my journey with you,” the man said to Michael, who stared at him for a few seconds.

“José, huh? I’m Michael. Let me tell you something. I haven’t slept for two nights or something. And to add insult to injury, they’ve run out of whiskey at the bar in the airport, I’ve got on board this plane even if I didn’t want to, and I’ve settled myself into this seat on a plane, and now I’m sitting next to a man I’ve never seen in my life and that is already unbearable to me. It’s going to be a nice trip, you’ll see...”

The ex-Marine turned to the porthole and cried out, “The fucking rudeness people have!”

Washington D.C.

Some hours later, Jerry got off the taxi. He had got on the taxi at the airport of Dulles and was dropped off a few hundred feet away from the seat of New NASA Corporate. The building was wonderful. The way it shone thanks to its large glass windows made it look like a crystal; after admiring it for a while, Jerry walked towards its entrance. Emily arrived unexpectedly. She was in her civilian clothes. She was wearing a black coat and a pair of dark blue trousers. They both came close to the entrance and were embarrassed as usual since they did not know who would go first. So, Jerry decided to let her go first.

“Please… ladies first,” the biologist said. Then he smiled.

“Oh, a gentleman! I thought they had died out,” Emily answered sarcastically. After an exchange of smiles and gazes, they entered the structure and everybody went their own ways.

Jerry glanced at Emily for a last time. She was going away. He pulled out his smartphone to see if any emails had been sent to him from his workplace. He walked without looking around and, even if he was walking slowly, he collided with a man, dropping his trolley and some belongings.

“Oops, I’m sorry. I’m terribly sorry! I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t paying attention,” Jerry mumbled quickly as he tried to pick up the man’s things.

“Obviously! Watch where you’re going, boy! You could hurt yourself or hurt other people!” Michael exclaimed. His tone was a bit harsh, but as soon as he saw how much the young biologist was awkward while picking up the things, especially the letter from NASA that had also fallen to the ground, he was impressed with how Jerry looked frozen to see that he was there to attend the lecture, too.

“Give it to me, boy! Are you here, too, because of that stupid farce, huh?” Michael asked him abruptly.

“How do you know that?” Jerry asked promptly.

“The way you’ve looked at that letter…,” the ex-pilot answered. Suddenly a voice from some glass sheets that served as speakers interrupted him and made them vibrate by one acoustically induced vibration.

“Guests are invited to the pavilion 3. The lecture starts in fifteen minutes. Thank you!” the female voice that sounded almost metallic informed.

“Did you hear? We have to go! Take your seat and… good luck!” Michael said, addressing a frozen Jerry that stood there for a while before coming round and walking towards the pavilion.

At the entrance of the pavilion, David met two stewards who asked for his invitation letter. The engineer from Montana slid his hand in his coat pocket, and then he pulled out the letter and handed it over to one of them.

“Please sit down. Your seat is number 1367. You’ll have to go that way to reach it,” the supervisor told him after scanning David’s letter and checking his seat.

“Excellent! Is this a concert? There are so many people!” he exclaimed while he was taking a look around one more time. He noticed that hundreds of people were taking their seats in what looked like an ancient semicircle-shaped theater with so many rings facing the stage over which a giant screen stood out.

At the same moment, behind the scenes, while the audience was taking its seat, two men were drinking what looked like excellent liquor, even if they were expensive.

“Here you are. Try this one, Matthew. I can assure you that it is the best scotch you’ve ever tasted,” Ferdinand Piquet said. He was the President of the United States of America at that time. While handing the glass with two drops of scotch, he leaned his other hand on a three-star General’s shoulder, that’s Lieutenant-General Matthew Ross, who took up the glass and drank a gulp. His expression proved that the liquor he was given by the President was to his satisfaction.

“What’s the matter with you, Matthew? All those wars fought and won… and now… is a lecture enough to leave you speechless? Come on, my friend! Don’t worry! Everything will be alright!” the head of the State exclaimed and he gave Matthew some pats on the back.

“Sir, the time has come! They all have taken their own seats. It’s time to go!” one of the members of the personnel said.

“I’ll come!” the President exclaimed.

“Matthew… you know… this is the dawn of a new era. Let it start in the best possible way!” Piquet kept on saying in a low tone of voice as if he were whispering close to Matthew. Then he went behind the stage. The Lieutenant-General was left alone with his own drink.

All the guests had taken their own seats. The lights in the hall dimmed and the spotlight turned on in the middle of the stage.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the President of the United States of America, Mr. Ferdinand Piquet that is going to introduce the lecture!” the speaker announced. So the President took his own place on stage behind a microphone.

“Good evening, everyone, and welcome!” he exclaimed. His words broke the silence and the guests applauded.

“First of all, I must thank you all for accepting our invitation. I must tell you that in our European branch in Copenhagen and in the Asian branch in Shanghai the same meeting is taking place. We are going to discuss a problem that has been affecting us for a long time.”

While the President was uttering these words, the audience’s gazes were getting more and more perplexed, even if there was some curiosity in them.

“You should already know that our planet has entered the zone that we have named ‘RED’, due to its serious threat to the whole terrestrial ecosystem. But before you get alarmed or become upset, I need to give the floor to the one who knows facts better than me and, therefore, is going to show you anything. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome Lieutenant-General Matthew Ross!” the American President said finally, and then he gave him the floor on stage.

“They are yours…,” he added by calling on Matthew and after giving him the last pat on the back, he faded away and made his final exit. Matthew took his place, took a deep breath, licked his dry lips and started to talk.

“Good evening, everyone. As you heard, you know who I am and you know why I am here today, too. As to all of us, you and I know the name of this planet…,” Matthew cried out by indicating the giant screen behind him where the images of the Earth were appearing.