“I’m speechless. So, all that money that we poured into NASA, actually paid off?” Nolan responded.
“See for yourself,” Perry directed Nolan’s attention to his portable video player. “Here’s one of our ships, the Apollo, as it prepares to depart for New Earth.”
“And who is this?” Nolan asked, his eyes trying to follow the video of an elder gentleman.
“That my friend is, Marine Sergeant Dwight “Bud” Stephens. Not only a close friend of President Forsythe, but a well-decorated hero as well.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” Nolan said, grabbing hold of the video device, placing it on his lap.
“Watch the video and if you are still interested,” the Senator paused, “then come down to Antarctica and find out for yourself,” he urged Nolan to make a decision. “I’m afraid it’s a limited time offer.”He pulled out a ticket from his pocket and placed it on the table, over the map of the United States. “You will need this ticket to board the craft. I hope to see you there by the end of sunset tomorrow. We are on a tight schedule. And, Mr. Drake, Happy New Year.” Senator Perry concluded the visit and hurried back towards his small cavalcade of staunch supporters.
Nolan Drake took the ticket and tapped it against the arm rest of the wheelchair while he peered down at the video player. His ran his fingernails across the sleek screen, prompting the video to begin playing.
A man’s grizzled image surfaced with refined clarity. Nolan immediately recognized the aging hero. Sergeant Stephens walked across the underground facility somewhere in the southern hemisphere. Nolan guessed it was the South Pole based on his previous conversation with Senator Perry. “We are preparing the Apollo for her maiden voyage,” Stephen’s stern, yet friendly voice began the introduction. “We are about to embark on a mission to save civilization on orders from the President himself. I am one of the commanding officers on the ship, and our ship’s manifest is swelling with engineers, teachers, doctors, scientists, and their families, along with several military and NASA personnel.”
Nolan traced his fingernail over the screen fast-forwarding the speech to the end.
Chatter in the background distracted Stephens for a brief moment. “For those of you who have perished in Yellowstone’s wake, we offer a moment of silence,” he paused, “for those of you lucky enough to have the last ticket to New Earth, I offer you Godspeed and safe travels.”
Nolan glanced down at the ticket:
The Athena
Departure: January 2, 7 pm
Arturo Pratt Naval Base, Antarctica
Destination: New Earth
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Gehlert has written several novels in the horror genre, including the successful Quiver series and Contagion. Now, he ventures to science fiction with Europa. A Communication/Media major, you can find Jason frequently doing lectures, appearances, and other promotional events for his extensive library of work. He is married and currently resides in New York.
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