One Wish Away (10 page)

“However, there is no reason anyone should suspect SEAD has anything to do with the missing star.” She looks at Secretary Morgan. “We have released SEAD's statement to the public, saying we're joining forces with other leading astronomers in the industry. That will buy us some time to come up with a better explanation.”

“Thank you, Dr. Altair, for the update. Does anyone have any questions?” Secretary Morgan glances around the room. Even though his eyes spend no more time on me than anyone else, I feel my face warm for the brief second they meet mine.

“Any questions from the psychologist?” Morgan glances at the guy next to me with small, thin rimmed glasses and beady, black eyes.

“Dr. Altair covered everything perfectly,” the man answers.

“Okay, thanks Dr. Bennett.” Morgan nods and then looks to more people around the room. Those we must contract from other research facilities for this project. “Geneticists? Engineers?” He looks at the younger guy who waved at me moments before. “Carl? Anything from you?”

“No, sir. Everything ran great from an IT perspective. As Dr. Altair said, once we have determined the lapse in predicting the missing star, we'll update accordingly.” His smile is so contagious even Secretary Morgan's lip tugs a bit.

Then he claps his hands together. “All right then. Perfect. Let's move on.”

Secretary Morgan plugs a flash drive into his computer and a 3D list pops up in the middle of the table. I've never seen anything like this. It's a pretty cool idea though. Putting the presentation in the middle of the table forces everyone to look at each other, while also taking in the information displayed.

“Our government has listed a number of alternate realities that will not only be appealing to the United States, but also to the world as a whole.” The 3D image scrolls up and down slowly, revealing the long list. “As you can see, many of the ideas are based around themes like disease, hunger, poverty, world peace. It's hard to pick one wish, but the White House would like the next one to focus on a disease. See what kind of good we can do not only for humanity, but also our economies and infrastructure, when we don't have thousands, or millions, suffering.”

The Secretary looks around the room, lets everything sink in. Then he says, “The big question is, which disease?”

For the next three hours, the whole room debates as to which diseases are the most relevant. I don't join in the discussion. Just listen. And think.

Aunt Stephanie jars me out of my head. “I'm sorry, Secretary, but I feel like I have to say this. Eliminating a disease is far more complicated than altering reality so that one person who was originally dead, is now alive. That's why we picked a basic wish to start with. I would argue that we don't have the previous history and case studies to make a precise predictive model to fully understand the consequences of a wish of this magnitude. Personally, I believe we should go with something where we can be more certain of the outcome.”

Morgan's eyes narrow. “Such as?”

Aunt Steph throws her arms to the side. “I don't know. Fix the hole in the ozone layer. Bring back an endangered species.”

“I vote not the dinosaurs,” beady-eyed Dr. Bennett says. I try and hold in my laughter but it comes out as a snort. Aunt Steph glares at me and I sink further into my chair.

“We're escalating this project too quickly,” Aunt Stephanie says bringing everyone's attention back to her. She's in full director mode now, and I must admit, seeing her debate like this with the Secretary of Defense, makes me really proud.

Morgan swipes his hand over his eyes. It's so quiet I can hear Dr. Bennett breathing. From the look on everyone's face, I'd guess Secretary Morgan hasn't been challenged like this yet.

With a heavy sigh, Morgan says, “We're not going to know, with one-hundred-percent certainty, what happens until we try it. It's not like we can look at other examples. We are the past, present, and the future here.”

“Sir, one person's life affects this world in profound ways. Think of all the people we're bringing back by altering reality this way. All of those we're curing. We cannot possibly comprehend or predict—”

“The White House would really like to see this done. We're making this wish.” The Secretary takes a deep breath and sweeps his eyes around the room. “This is why we work together. At some point we have to go for it. I know as scientists it is difficult, nearly impossible, to move forward when you're not sure you can predict the outcome. That's why I'm here. To sift through the worries, the data, and your thoughts, and help you make an educated decision. We have been working on the Cricket Project for
years
now. We are ready.”

My aunt crosses her arms over her chest, clearly not in agreement, yet there's respect etched in her features. She knows when she's lost the battle.

“So, before we were sidetracked, I think we had it narrowed down to cancer and AIDS, due to the recent escalation of this deadly virus,” Secretary Morgan summarizes. “Lyra, as a representative from the younger generation, what do you think?”

Even though I'm looking at Morgan, I'm not
really
looking at him. More like looking through him. But now he's definitely looking at me and asking me about…

“I'm sorry. What was the question?”

“AIDS or cancer. Which one should we cure?”

He's asking
me
?

I'm not sure he'll like my answer.

“I don't know if we should do either of them.”

“Really?” He raises a hand to his chin. “Explain.”

I clear my throat, very aware all eyes are on me. As an intern I thought my job description would be limited to filing paperwork and cleaning lab equipment.

Never thought having input on an alternate reality was even a remote possibility.

“As you stated, there's been a recent escalation in the number of AIDS victims in the world. And, as we're all well aware, cancer is one of the largest killers globally. So we'd be saving a lot of people with both of those wishes, but wouldn't that also add to the complexity?” I know I'm echoing my aunt's thoughts from earlier, but she really does have a good point. I look around the room, amazed everyone's actually listening to me. Usually when I talk, my classmates fall asleep.

“I just think if we picked something that we perhaps already have a cure for, something that affects less of the population, like Malaria or something, that might be a better way to ease into the project.” I shrug, wondering if I sound like a complete idiot.

Talking in a room of the top professionals in their fields has me a little on edge.

“That's very good logic, Ms. Altair.” Secretary Morgan gives me a slight nod and removes his hand from his chin. “However, I'm confident enough in our knowledge and simulations to attack a larger problem. Might as well save as many people as we can and I think halting this escalation of AIDS is just the thing to start with. But thank you for your input.”

I don't know why he asked, it doesn't seem like he's really listening. Whatever.

And if I remember correctly, he was the one who suggested AIDS.

Morgan claps his hands together, jarring everyone in their seats. “Perfect. Looks like we've come to a consensus.” There's a knock on the door and Betty peeks her head in.

“And it looks like lunch's here. So why don't you all help yourselves while I call the White House and get the go ahead. Thank you everyone.” The Secretary leaves the room and immediately everyone floods to the cart of food.

“When will the wish be executed?” I ask the man directly in front of me in the food line.

“The research and planning usually takes a few weeks,” he says. He wipes his hand on his lab coat and then holds it out to me. “Carl Lee. I work in IT and help develop the algorithms and software to predict what the alternate realities will look like.”

I take his hand and give it a good shake. “Lyra Altair. Intern.”

He smiles wide and turns to put food on his plate. He glances at me sideways as he moves down the line. “I've heard about you, Lyra Altair. I hear you're mighty curious.”

“You could say that.” My cheeks heat up in embarrassment as I turn my focus to the potato salad.

“In any case, it's very nice to have you on the team. Welcome.” Carl gives me a little nod, a large smile, and then returns to his seat at the conference table.

Welcome.

It actually sounded like he meant that.

While I'm eating, I listen to the conversations around the room, most I don't really understand. The amount that I can learn from the people here makes me feel like a kid on Christmas.

Just as I'm spooning the last carrot into my mouth, the door flies open and Secretary Morgan comes in. “Team. Seems we have one more thing to discuss before we get the go ahead from the White House and start the next phase for this wish. So if everyone could return to their seats that would be very much appreciated.”

After everyone has quieted, Morgan clears his throat. “We need to decide whether to wish for AIDS never to have existed. Or if the wish is to find a cure.”

“We wish for it never to exist, of course,” Iris says with such force my eyes dart to hers. I can't believe she's talking to the Secretary of Defense like that.

“That's one option, yes. But there's an economic portion we must analyze too,” Morgan explains as he looks at everyone. “To provide a cure means people will make money from the treatment. Those that provide the medicine, the equipment, the care. That means more jobs for doctors, nurses—”

“You're kidding, right?”

I shrink farther back into my chair at Iris' words. As if putting distance between her and me has an effect on Secretary Morgan's opinion of me.

With my mouth agape, Iris continues. “It also means those infected are going to have to
pay
for the treatment. What about those who don't have the money for the current medications we can provide them, let alone to pay for a cure.”

Everyone in the room is silent, including my aunt, which is amazing. From the way Bennett's eyes are darting back and forth, I can tell he's enjoying this debate.

“It's not that I don't agree with you, Iris.” Morgan rests his fists on the table. “Think about where we're taking this. We cure all the diseases, every wish granted, what do we do for jobs? We have more people living longer, which mean more people need work. The health care industry is huge. Over 4.5 million jobs will be created in the next three years. In this current reality, at least.” He runs a hand over his face and sighs. “I know it seems cold to compare a job to a life, but we have to make sure we keep the big picture in mind as we change our world.”

Wow. I would
not
want his job.

“I think we should eliminate AIDS and see what happens.” Iris' voice is much softer. “If we observe too many complications we'll reevaluate before we grant the next wish.”

Secretary Morgan turns his lips up slightly, though there's no happiness behind it.

“I agree, Iris.” He moves his gaze around the room. “But I want everyone to remember this. These are wonderful gifts we'll be bestowing on the world. But every gift has a consequence. Good and bad. We have to make sure we don't lose sight of that. All right?”

Mumbling and nods from around the table.

“All right,” Morgan says again. “Let's change history.”

“Ready to go, Lyra?”

I spring up from my chair and stand in front of Dad.

“Yup.”

“Great. Let's go.”

I follow him into the Universe Room. There is so much excitement in my veins I have to force myself to walk. It's been weeks of planning and waiting. We know how much star power is needed and we know
everything
about the star we're using. We've run numerous scenarios in our attempt to figure out what the world will look like once AIDS is gone forever.

In summary, it's going to be pretty freaking fantastic.

Which makes sense since we're
eradicating
a disease. But the way Secretary Morgan and a few others talk, it's like ending people's suffering could lead to something worse. But what could possibly be worse than dying from something like AIDS?

Morgan, Iris and Aunt Steph meet us outside the door to the Lyra Room and we all walk in together. As the door closes behind us, I find the courage to talk to the Secretary next to me.

“Thank you.” My heart pounds in my chest, my voice an octave higher than usual.

“For what?”

“For letting me be part of this.”

He nods and speaks without looking back. “You'd probably find a way to sneak in anyway.”

Iris lets out a half laugh as she starts around the glass dome.

The Secretary's arm comes out and stops me. We both watch as my aunt and Dad follow Iris around to the back. “Perhaps someday you'll join the family business of granting wishes. Your DNA is closer to theirs.”

I gulp. It's thrilling and terrifying to think I might someday have that power.

“Do we know if there are any side effects for the person being used to grant a wish?”

“You mean for your father and aunt?” He looks down at me and waits for my nod. “We haven't witnessed any so far. But we've only granted one wish. The preliminary tests don't suggest anything, but we keep a close eye on them.”

I take a deep breath. They're all I have. I'd like to think if there were adverse side effects my Dad would stop, but deep down I know that virtually nothing comes before his work. At least I can keep an eye on him now.

“I know I said it already, but I really appreciate being here. Not only here,” I gesture around the room and at the StarCatcher, “but with SEAD in general. I've wanted this for as long as I can remember. I know I didn't give you much choice, but—”