The Inner Circle (37 page)

The conference room was buzzing, as throngs of reporters and photographers awaited President Marshall's arrival. With the destruction of an important deep space prototype and the death of the Secretary of Defense, today had been one of the most memorable news days in recent history. While the space story would have gotten top billing on a normal news day, Henry Wilson's demise instantly became the biggest story of the day.

"Just think if he would've run for president two years ago and won," one of the reporters said to a group of others. "Then this
really
would have been big news."

"Yeah, there hasn't been a presidential death since JFK. It's a shame, Pulitzers are made by stories like that."

"I wonder if there was a cover-up about ole Henry's death. There were rumors going around that he had himself a mistress. I wonder if it was really his wife who was there when he died."

When the president walked into the room and got behind the microphone, all chatter died down instantly, replaced by the snapping of dozens of cameras.

This is it
, Marshall thought to himself. For the past few weeks, he knew this day was going to come and he knew approximately what he was going to say, but now he had to pretend like everything was still new to him. This was where he hoped his acting skills were up to par.

"Good evening my fellow Americans," he started, "although I think it would be hard to classify anything about this day as being good. Today started off as having the potential to be one of the most promising days in our great country's history. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

"The news hit earlier this morning that the deep space probe NASA planned to launch was doubling as a prototype for a manned, deep-space vehicle. This was a project I was informed about soon after taking office, a project that my predecessor apparently did not know about. It was a very exciting project that I, as well as NASA, desperately wanted to share with the public but thought better of. I was told by NASA that there was a chance it might not work and that was the reason why the information about the probe was not made public earlier.

"Obviously this news got out and for three or four hours this morning and early this afternoon, America was buzzing with the news that positive steps were being taken to ensure the next great leap into space for humankind. The thought of interplanetary travel was a very exciting notion for many people around the world, and even more disappointing when we received news that the probe – in all likelihood – was destroyed in space. It is unknown to many people just how big a space enthusiast I am, so therefore, I did not think there could be anything else more disappointing than the news of the probe's destruction.

"That was until I heard the terrible news about Henry Wilson. I'm sure most people have heard about the untimely passing of our country's Secretary of Defense, a tragic loss for the Wilson family and our country as a whole. After a long and distinguished career in Congress, Henry was an obvious choice to become a member of my Cabinet. His hard work and dedication was something that all of America could be proud of. The job of protecting our great nation was the highest honor Henry could have been given and I am sad that his time on the job was cut so tragically short.

"Besides all of his wonderful career accomplishments, Henry Wilson was also a dear friend to me. Everybody who knew Henry on a personal basis loved and respected him as a person. He was a good man, a kind man who was always friendly to all people with whom he came in contact. I think I speak for the country as a whole in giving my deepest sympathy to his wife, Molly, and hope that she can stay strong in her time of grief. Henry Wilson will always be remembered as possessing the greatest trait any citizen can hope to have: loyalty to his country.

"One thing that Henry Wilson understood was that success breeds success, which brings us back to the disappointment of the space probe. Billions of dollars go into NASA projects on a yearly basis, billions of dollars that are being spent on things like this space probe prototype. Now I wish I could say that for every disaster such as the one today, there are ten, or even five, significant achievements. But the truth is, today's disaster seems as though it’s becoming the norm instead of the exception.

"Once upon a time, NASA was one of the most important administrations, if not the crown jewel of American government agencies. In the days of the great space race and the moon landing, NASA became a symbol of the unfaltering will and spirit of this great country. People originally fell in love with NASA because they put people in space, they had realistic and specific goals and they set strict timetables for making these goals happen. And when these goals were met, the nation, as one, celebrated the historical accomplishments.

"But times have changed and although NASA has been responsible for countless numbers of medical breakthroughs and other discoveries, it has languished in complacency for far too long. Today's space probe destruction proves that too much of taxpayers' money is being spent to accomplish goals that just aren't important to the majority of people in this great country. Nowadays, people feel cheated that the next step they expected to happen at NASA was put aside so we could learn more about deep space and celestial objects. My intention is not to sound as though I'm belittling these discoveries and these studies, but if there was one thing we learned today, it's that most normal people show more interest in other aspects of space. The prototype to send man to deep space has failed, but this failure has made it clear on what NASA must now focus.

"As of this moment, I am terminating any NASA-planned studies being conducted that deal with distant planets and galaxies, comets, asteroids, blackholes, supernovas or anything else that takes place past the moon. These studies have all been done purely for academic purposes, but I think it’s time to let the scholars take over from here. There are plenty of colleges and universities in our country to keep these kinds of studies alive, and the taxpayers' money should not be spent on what are essentially collegiate studies. After all, as I've said before, most people simply do not care about these kinds of things and it is unfair for a government agency
not
to serve the people's best interests. Technology has fueled innovation, but by refusing to take that next big step in the astronomical world, NASA has lagged behind.

"Therefore, as of this moment, NASA will cease to exist."

Although the reporters knew to keep quiet while the president was making his statement during the live press conference, many could not believe what they were hearing and an audible gasp could be heard coming from the conference room. And while flashbulbs flashed on Marshall during random times of his speech, every camera in the room seemed to explode when he made that last statement. After he paused for a few seconds to let this information sink in to the viewers, he continued to speak.

"Instead, it will be replaced by NASSA, with two Ss. This new NASSA stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Station Administration. The government will soon be accepting planned designs and bids to the first group of companies who can come up with feasible plans for a space station, a large space station. No more small, five-person stations that float around Earth and underachieve for the billions of dollars spent on them. If the taxpayers are paying for things, I will be sure they get proper value for their hard-earned money.

"This has been an idea I've had since the first day I took office as the President of these United States. I was considering making this move my very first day, but when I was told about the deep space probe prototype, I was glad to hear that NASA was at least trying to take that next big step. But after seeing this project fail miserably today, I have come to realize that maybe the next big step should be taken a bit closer to home. Let me explain what I envision.

"The MIR space station and the International Space Station – while both revolutionary and major accomplishments for their time – were nothing more than small outposts just beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The ISS, which was funded for a large part by America, did not succeed in taking the next big step in establishing a place for people to live outside of this planet. Instead, it proved to be little more than a very expensive location for high-priced, low-interest experiments to be conducted. The costs far outweighed the benefits, which is something that the new NASSA will refuse to accept any longer.

"My vision for the future American Space Station involves a huge structure, one that will be capable of holding hundreds, if not thousands of people at once. I want a space station capable of sustaining the lives of these people over a long-term basis, not the three or four months that most astronauts used to live aboard the old space stations. Since I have yet to receive any potential plans for such a station, it is obviously too early for me to give specifications of exactly what else will be aboard. But there is one other thing that I will require for the future planners of the new space station.

"Every time I've ever seen footage of Neil Armstrong taking that famous first step on the moon, one thought has gone through my mind: What must it be like to be in outer space? What must it be like in an environment with no gravity, where you can float around freely? Though I'm sure this prospect does not appeal to some people, I'm sure that given the opportunity, the majority of Americans are likely to feel the same way I do. That's why for this space station, I do not, I repeat, do not want it built merely for the use of astronauts and scientists. If every single American taxpayer will be chipping in to help bear the cost of building such a structure, then every single American taxpayer should – at least in theory – have a chance to visit the space station.

"Of course it would be ridiculous of me to promise a trip to every single American, but I promise you that upon the station's completion, a large percentage of those on board will be normal American citizens.

"This will be the biggest undertaking in United States history and if we are to get it right, the process is sure to be a relatively slow and menacing one. But the founders of this great country took a huge risk settling on unknown and dangerous ground, and the only way they made our great country happen was to jump into it headlong. I'm sure that lives will be lost and lessons will be learned, but the United States will no longer be afraid to take that next big step in settling the last 'great' unknown."

In his mind, President Marshall thought he should have ended the speech right at this poetic moment. It seemed the perfect place to allow the imaginations of all those watching him to run free, to dream of such a space station. But he knew there was one more thing that the American people had to know. One more thing that had recently come about that would make sure Phase Two advanced to where it needed. After more murmuring from the room of reporters, the president ended his speech on one last note.

"Having this space station will distinguish the United States from every other country in the world and it will also provide us with a major advantage in the country's Defense. That is why the new NASSA will fall under control of the Department of Defense, and there is only one man who deserves to have the job of running this joint agency: James Armour."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Colin McKay opened his eyes to the darkness of night and was momentarily confused as to where he was and what was going on. He could not remember what he had just been dreaming about, but a sweaty brow and fluttering heart made him realize that his dreams had not been good. He sat up in bed and looked at his alarm clock – which read just past two in the morning – but his heart was racing so fast that going back to sleep would be impossible. A general feeling of alarm – he did not know what about – had entered Colin's mind for some reason and it was times like this that he really wished his mother were still around. All he wanted was comfort, somebody to tell him that everything would be okay, but the only person he had in his life was his father and getting comfort from him would be like asking a shark for a hug.

Still, Colin did not want to stay in bed, alone in his dark room, especially when he could hear the television blaring from the next room. He crawled out of bed and limped into the living room, where he saw a familiar sight. As usual, his father was passed out on the couch, a larger than normal pile of beer cans littered on the ground next to him. A deep, nasally snore escaped from between his father's lips after every breath he took.

Maybe I heard the snoring while I was sleeping and thought it was a monster
, Colin wondered. A smile appeared on his face at this thought and some of his nervous tension he’d felt was suddenly relieved.

Colin sat down at the end of the couch – careful not to wake his father – and pushed the button on the remote control to turn the volume down. He wanted to change the channel to see if there were any cartoons on but doubted there would be at this late hour. Besides, if his father did wake up and see that he’d changed the channel, there was no telling how he would react. Sometimes when he got drunk, Colin's father was much friendlier to his son than normal. But other times – which seemed like most of the time recently – his old man would just look for the smallest reason to yell or hit the boy.

Instead, Colin watched yet another news program, which seemed to be the only thing his old man watched besides the occasional ballgame. While sports seemed to be the one thing the two had in common, Colin did not think he would ever understand why people watched the news. It was so boring to see these people just sitting around and talking about things that happened in far away places throughout the world.