Launch (8 page)

Claire and David were diligent about using
their maneuvering simulators. But once David had mastered the programmed
problems, he was bored and asked programmers for a combat maneuvering program. It
allowed any two of the six simulators in the Team Thunder quarters to be
connected for simulated aerial combat between the astronauts.

Eagle Flight and Wolf Flight soon grew tired of
losing dogfights with David, and they were concerned that it made them look bad
to NASA. So they stopped accepting his aerial combat invitations.

Claire did not quit. David had the edge in
skill, experience, and situational awareness, but she had faster coordination
and never forgot a situation.

After the first time she beat him, she pounced
on him in bed.

Exciting dogfights frequently led to exciting
sex and inspired more dogfights. They were in their simulators almost every
evening during the work week, usually just before bedtime. The result was that
their ability to fly
Origin
developed substantially beyond that of Eagle
Flight and Wolf Flight.

David began running up against the limits of
the laws of physics and running out of new ideas in his contests with Claire.
As she gained experience, her win rate against David began creeping up toward
50%, and
everything
became more exciting.

During jungle survival training in Central
America, the instructor was talking as he led Team Thunder through the jungle.
He did not see a poisonous snake coiled behind a plant before he put his foot
down in front of it.

David happened to be close behind. He was
moving before the snake struck and caught it behind its head, fangs just inches
from the instructor’s leg. Carrying the snake with both hands, David released
it into the jungle.

When he came back to the group, the instructor
said, “Thank you, David. Do you know what that was?”

“Yes, sir. A bushmaster, a pit viper, like the
rattlers, cottonmouths, and copperheads we had where I grew up.”

“Why didn’t you kill it?”

“It’s part of the ecosystem here, sir.”

▼

On April 8, 2049, Claire and David returned to
their quarters after another Friday of training to find orders promoting him to
Lieutenant Colonel. There was also a message from his grandmother. It said she
was in the hospital.

▼

Claire and David had seen his grandmother every
month or so since they had been in training, and on one occasion she accepted
an invitation to go for a flight in David’s Winddancer. She had seemed cheerful
on the way to the airport, and even remarked about the beauty of the plane as
they walked toward it. But her expression became serious as David explained the
instruments and controls. By the time she was seated and belted in the front
cockpit of his plane, she looked apprehensive.

Claire asked, “Would you rather not go?”

She looked at Claire and nodded, “Please.”

After she got out, Claire held Karen and
comforted her. There were tears in Karen’s eyes when they separated. “I’m
sorry,” she said. “It was so utilitarian in there, like being all alone in the
barrel of a gun. I would have been terrified in the air with nothing around me
but gadgets I didn’t understand.”

Claire and David took Karen home and stayed
with her because the servants had been given time off. Pizza was delivered. They
ate it in the big dining room and washed it down with champagne.

By the time Claire and David left, Karen was
smiling and making jokes about her “almost” ride in a supersonic plane.

▼

When they walked into the hospital room the
next day, Karen’s eyes filled with tears. She looked very weak. Claire and
David went to the sides of her bed and took her hands. The shock in David’s
voice was clear when he asked, “What happened?”

“I had another heart attack and another cardiac
arrest. My implanted defibrillator kept me alive. I need a new heart, but I’m
too old.”

“What can they do?” Claire asked.

“Nothing. Just try to keep me comfortable. I’ve
had an enlarged heart, cardiomyopathy, for years. My heart and my systems are
just too weak.”

“David,” she said, “I want to have my ashes scattered
with those of my darling daughter, whom I have loved and missed for so long.
Can you do that?”

Tears were streaming down David’s face, and he found
it hard to speak. He nodded and managed to say, “Okay.”

Claire was crying, too. “I’m so sorry,” she
said.

With a weak smile, Karen said, “It’s not so
bad. I have two heroes holding my hands, and they’re my grandson and
granddaughter. Soon I’ll see my Eric and Erica again. I’ll tell them all about
you and how you’re going to change the world.”

▼

Karen Sands died the following week. Claire and
David went to her funeral at one of the largest Lutheran churches in Houston. All
of the seats were taken and people were standing in the aisles while speaker
after speaker paid tribute to David’s grandmother.

▼

He returned a call from his grandmother’s
attorney several days later. The attorney said, “I have your grandmother’s
ashes, and we need to talk about her estate.”

“What estate?” David asked.

“One hundred and fifty-three million dollars,” the
attorney said. “Half to the Sands Children’s Fund and half to you.”

▼

On the flight to take Karen’s ashes to the
ranch, David was following Claire in formation, as usual. He told her he was
going to drop back for a few minutes. When Claire was far enough ahead and they
were over vacant land, he accelerated to catch her and briefly exceeded the
speed of sound. His grandmother’s ashes were aboard his plane.

Cougar Flight landed their Winddancers at the
jet airport nearest to the McGregor-Archer ranch and rented a single-engine
plane with side-by-side seating. David flew to the ranch and landed on the
grass airstrip. He parked beside the hangar sheltering the J-3 Piper Cub in
which he had taken his first flying lessons.

A single, wide Dutch door beneath the high wing
on the right side of the J-3 opened to allow access to both the front and rear
seats. David locked the top half of the door flat up against the bottom of the
wing and locked the bottom half straight down against the fuselage.

Claire sat in the front seat. She felt strange
to be in a fabric covered plane with a side completely open. Only gravity and a
seat belt of unknown age and condition would keep her from falling out of the
plane. Only faith in David got her in the seat.

The small plane took off after a very short
ground roll. David flew to a meadow of bluebonnets where the ashes of Liz,
David’s parents, and Mr. McGregor had been scattered. Tall trees, lush foliage,
and softly rising land embraced and protected the deep-blue blossoms.

David asked Claire to take the controls and fly
across the meadow. She looked back over her shoulder to see him holding the urn
with both hands beside the plane while he slowly released the ashes. Claire
flew back to the grass strip, and David talked her through her first landing in
a tail dragger.

After they landed, she asked, “Why did you hold
the urn that way?”

“To keep ashes from blowing into the cockpit.
I’ve had a lot of practice. . . . Too much practice.”

They spent the night at the ranch and were
treated like visiting royalty. Everybody dropped everything for a party with
people coming from miles away.

▼

Fog enveloping the ranch the next morning did
not burn off by noon as forecast. They needed to get back to NASA, and David
told Claire they were going to make a zero-zero takeoff. Even as an experienced
instrument pilot, she did not feel qualified to takeoff with no forward
visibility. But David was a much more experienced pilot, and again, she trusted
him.

With Claire in the left seat of the rented
plane, he taxied the full length of the grass strip and turned the plane
around. After double checking the instruments and flight controls, he began
what she felt was a very spooky takeoff. Nothing but fog was visible over the
nose when he pushed the throttle in to full power. The ground she could see on
the left side disappeared when he raised the nose, and instantly they were
flying blind. The wings remained rock steady, and instruments told Claire that
the plane was flying straight. She knew that if a wingtip hit a tree or the
hangar lurking beside the runway in the fog, it would be a short flight.

They broke out on top of the fog layer in clear
air and brilliant sunshine. David lowered the plane’s nose to accelerate to
normal climb speed. “Your ship,” he said.

Claire took the controls and said, “My ship.”

The Primary Crew Selection Committee consisted
of NASA administrator Dr. Perry Wright, Team Thunder astronaut training manager
Jim Baldwin, two training psychologists, and the director of the Quad Fusion
Thunder Program. They began evaluating the training records of Team Thunder
astronauts in January of 2050.

All six Team Thunder astronauts qualified to be
primary crew, but Cougar Flight’s maneuvering simulator scores were the highest
by a wide margin. On combined scores of all measures, Claire was rated first
and David was second.

On Monday, February 6, the committee met for
primary crew selection at NASA headquarters.

Dr. Wright said, “To me, the choice is clear.
Does anybody have any reason why Cougar Flight should not be primary crew?”

After a moment of silence, a training
psychologist said, “I’ve got a problem with that stunt Dr. Archer pulled four
years ago. I’ve never seen anything as terrifying as a video of a cougar
snatching its cub from her hand with the Grand Canyon in the background. I
think she took a foolish risk, and it reflects adversely on her judgment.”

Jim Baldwin said, “Rescuing that cougar cub is
one of the reasons we chose Claire Archer for Team Thunder. It would be
inconsistent of us to reject her now for one of the reasons we chose her then.”

The psychologist shook her head. “Climbing down
into the Grand Canyon to rescue a cougar cub with no equipment and no support
was reckless. I voted against choosing her for the team and I don’t think she
should fly
Origin
.”

The director of the Quad Fusion Thunder program
said, “Claire had training and experience in mountain climbing. She was fully
aware of the danger and her abilities. In her judgment, she could rescue the
cub. That she did it successfully is evidence that her self-confidence was
justified. That she attempted it is evidence of the courage, initiative, and
vigor the primary crew must have to successfully complete their mission.

“Another incident demonstrated she’s qualified
to be part of the primary crew: less than two months before she came to NASA,
she risked her life to treat accident victims trapped by fire. For that, the
Air Force awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross.

“Finishing first in Team Thunder’s class shows
that she’s a highly competent, responsible person who cares about our mission.

“Despite our preparations, the first
interstellar flight will undoubtedly face many threats, and I think Cougar
Flight is clearly our best choice.”

“Sounds like a nomination to me,” Dr. Wright
said. “Do we have a second?”

The other training psychologist said, “Second.”

Dr. Wright said, “All in favor of Cougar Flight
as the primary crew. . . .”

Everybody at the table voted “Aye,” except the
training psychologist who had raised the objection about Claire. After a brief
hesitation, she made the vote unanimous.

That afternoon, Team Thunder and the rest of
the world were notified that Cougar Flight was chosen to be the Primary Crew
for
Origin
.

David called Michael, “We made the cut.”

“No doubt it’s all Claire’s fault.”

“She was first in the class. Remember when you
told me I should be so lucky?”

Michael laughed.

David said, “We need a good attorney to prepare
a living trust to manage our finances while we’re gone. And we would like for
you to be co-trustee. There’s nobody we trust more.”

“Thank you, David. The attorneys who handle my
affairs are rated excellent and have high integrity.

“Okay.”

“They’ll be in touch asking some questions to
see what you want,” Michael said.

“Great! Claire and I will be looking forward to
seeing you and Joanne at the signing.”

▼

Many people stopped what they were doing to
watch the two NASA Winddancers land one behind the other at Van Nuys Airport.
Joanne and Michael watched the two jets park with military precision. After
hugs and handshakes, Joanne said, “Those are nice little hot rods you ride
around in.”

“Thank you,” Claire said. “We enjoy them.”

Michael had a helicopter waiting, and they flew
to his attorneys’ offices in Century City to sign the trust. Afterward, they flew
to Michael’s estate and had lunch on the patio where they had first eaten
together almost four years earlier. The Chinese chicken salad and iced tea were
perfect for the warm, spring-like sunshine.

Joanne said to Claire, “You haven’t said much
about your training.”

“It’s a challenge.”

“Nothing like bubbling over with enthusiasm,”
Joanne commented.

Claire took a sip of her tea and shook her head
as she put the glass down. “We have a grueling schedule. It’s hard to stay
enthusiastic when you’ve been working a long string of twelve-hour days.”

“I just can’t believe you’re going,” Joanne
said sadly.

Michael asked, “Do you worry about what you’ll
find when you come back?”

David said, “The last five hundred years have
seen great social and technological progress. We think it’s reasonable to
expect that the current world problems will be overcome and progress will
continue. Fusion power plants should solve many problems and contribute to economic
growth.

“Anyway, we’re not unique. Most immigrants who
came to America before the twentieth century left their homes forever to start
over in a new land.”

“Those who did it voluntarily were brave souls
indeed,” Michael said. “But their trip was only a few weeks long, and they
weren’t alone.”

“We’ll be together,” Claire said, “and we may
be able to have three or even more children who could have a bright future.”

Michael grinned. “Start your own population
explosion?”

“We want a family,” she said. “One way or
another, the population explosion should be over by then. We can only hope that
billions of people won’t die in preventable agony.”

It was quiet around the table for a minute.
Then Joanne lightened the mood with a comment: “I understand the Hawaiian word
for pregnant is spelled h-a-p-i. I hope you will have a very
hapi
return.”

After lunch, they went to Michael’s study to
discuss investments. “If your trust holds up, you may well become the richest
people who ever lived,” he said.

“We can live with that,” David said.

“I hope so,” Michael said. “Having that much
money could be a problem.”

“What do you recommend that we investment in?” Claire
asked

“Since you’re going to be gone for a long time,”
Michael answered, “I think you should put your money in investments that
benefit society and have a long term potential for high yields.”

 “Anything specific?” David asked.

“We’re considering a start-up company with a
contract to develop a computerized flight control system for a new, small,
civilian aircraft. It’s so unstable it can’t be flown manually by a human
pilot. The system will be similar to fly-by-wire systems on fighters and
airliners, but it’ll be even more automated,” Michael said.

 “If it’s that unstable, why bother?”

“It can fly as efficiently as a fixed-wing airplane,
and it can takeoff and land in a car parking space.”

David raised his eyebrows. “Something like that
might replace cars.”

“Exactly. The first version will be very easy
to fly: a point-and-fly aircraft, like a point-and-shoot camera. The pilot will
simply choose speed, altitude, and direction. The flight control system will
take care of everything else. Version two will require a fully automated air
traffic control system that will be integrated with the flight control system.
That will allow any person, even a child, to select a destination. The system
will then take them there with no further inputs, like a self-service
elevator.”

“Sounds good to me. What do you think, Cougar?”

“I trust Michael’s judgment,” she said.

“What’s the name of the company?” David asked.

“Elf Corporation,” Michael answered. “Elf will
also be the name of the product. The company wants to project the image of a
tireless, magical servant.”

▼

Khyla Tyne, Michael’s co-star in
Porgy and
Bess
, was opening a new show in Las Vegas that evening. Claire and David had
accepted Michael’s invitation to fly to Las Vegas in a chartered jet.

The phone rang in the study. Michael answered it, and after a short
conversation he said,
“Bad news. The plane scheduled
for our flight has a problem that can’t be fixed today, and the company doesn’t
have a replacement.”

Claire said, “We have a couple of spare seats.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Will NASA allow
that?”

“We’re authorized to carry passengers at our
discretion.”

▼

On the way to the airport, Joanne asked,
“David, aren’t you a flight instructor?”

“Was. My certificate isn’t current now.”

Her expression was one of disappointment. “I
was hoping you could give me a lesson on the way to Vegas.”

“A Winddancer is a hot airplane for a first
flight, but I could give you a demo lesson.”

Joanne smiled. “Yes, please!”

David took Joanne slowly around his plane as he
did a preflight inspection, describing each part of the plane and how it
worked. His explanations were simple and clear and she paid rapt attention.
Then he buckled her into the front seat.

Following David’s instructions, Joanne took the
controls after takeoff. He talked her through straight and level flight, gentle
turns, climbs, and descents as they made their way across the desert to Las
Vegas.

Claire had no experience or training as a
flight instructor and flew to Vegas on a routine instrument flight plan with
Michael in her back seat. They were waiting on the ramp when David parked.
Joanne was smiling broadly as David helped her out of the plane. She ran to
Michael and threw her arms around him. “I want to do that! I want to learn to
fly!”

Michael appeared to be surprised, but he recovered
quickly. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll find a place for you to learn next week.”

“I’d rather have you teach me,” Joanne told
David, “but NASA’s already got you. I’ll have to settle for somebody else.” She
gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, David. That was absolutely
fantastic.”

▼

They were escorted to Khyla Tyne’s dressing
room after dinner. Michael introduced Claire and David.

“I’m proud to meet you,” Khyla said. “I’m going
to introduce Michael at the beginning of the show. Do you mind if I introduce
you, too?”

“That’s fine,” Claire answered. “NASA likes for
us to be seen.”

Khyla handed a cordless microphone to Michael.
“‘Bess’ after ‘Crystal?’”

He grinned and nodded. “You got it.”

The dishes were cleared away after dinner and before
the house lights dimmed. Khyla’s voice hushed the darkened room as she began
the show offstage with “Summertime.” Slowly she moved from behind the curtains.
The spotlights gradually came up to full strength as she reached center stage.

She finished the song and welcomed her
audience. “A few months ago,” she said, “I finished a remake of George
Gershwin’s
Porgy and Bess
with the incomparable Michael Bedford. We’re
fortunate to have him here tonight with his lovely wife Joanne.”

Spotlights illuminated Michael and Joanne. He stood
up and bowed to the audience as they applauded.

Khyla continued. “Michael has always traveled
in good company, but tonight he’s outdone himself. Sitting with him are the
astronauts who will fly Starship
Origin
five hundred years into the
future. Ladies and gentlemen, Doctor Claire Archer and Colonel David Archer: Cougar
Flight!”

The spotlights expanded to include Claire and
David. They stood and acknowledged what became a standing ovation.

Khyla continued the show with songs from
Porgy
and Bess
. After she sang “Crystal,” the orchestra played the overture to
“Bess.” Michael then used the cordless microphone and began singing the song
from the table. A spotlight picked him up, and Khyla’s voice joined
Michael’s in the duet.

Claire felt a thrill as she was immersed in a
world of musical magic.

▼

For the flight back to Los Angeles, Joanne rode
in the back seat of Claire’s plane, and Michael rode in the back seat of
David’s. He apologized to Michael for not being able to give him a lesson. “Too
dark.”

“Not a problem,” Michael said. “I’m quite happy
to let the pros do the flying.”

David transmitted to Air Traffic Control when
they were 100 miles from Los Angeles. “Center, Cougar Flight requests descent
direct to Cajon Pass. We’ll cancel when we get to minimum.”

“Roger Cougar Flight. Cleared as requested.
Descend to and maintain one two thousand. Is Cougar One on frequency?”

Claire transmitted, “Affirmative Center. Cougar
Flight is out of flight level four zero zero for one two thousand.”

“Roger, Cougar One. I just wanted to say hello,
ma’am.”

“Howdy, Center.”

“You just made my day, ma’am. My wife and kids
are going to be thrilled when I tell them I talked to Cougar One.”

“It was my privilege.”

Michael asked David on the intercom, “What’s
with the accent?”

“She picked it up from other pilots who’ve been
imitating Chuck Yeager’s West Virginia accent since he broke the sound barrier
in nineteen forty-seven.”

“Claire seems to be quite popular.”

“Air Force One is about the only flight that
gets better handling from Air Traffic Control.”

“She flies very well,” Michael said.

David nodded. “She does everything well.”