The Man Who Sold Mars (10 page)

We exchanged smiles, acknowledging she
was right.  She grinned broader and left; while I watched the world I rose and
set for leave.

# # #

Leaving Moscow was an excellent choice
for a whoooooooole lot of reasons.  Stephen on my mind I felt gorgeous.  And, in
a particularly amorous mood, radiating eroticism like the sun, and carrying two
bags of carryout, I walked into the YSR lobby and was greeted as always by the
building’s security officers watching me with appreciative eyes and I as always
enjoyed every minute of it.

The lead officer spoke to me, “Good
evening, Ms. Fedorova.”

In a Russian accent, I said, “Good
evening gentleman.  Enjoy the night.”  They were making me feel exotic, why not
play the part?  I walked to the bank of elevators and once there tapped the
call button.  The door opened and I entered.

Beside me, the adjoining elevator rang in
its arrival and as my doors closed I could hear its opening.

# # #

My visit with Stephen still on my mind,
my elevator door opened, as the one beside me closed and I put away my cell
phone.

Stephen everywhere, I was feeling
stunning and radiating sexuality.  I walked past the officers watching me with
appreciative eyes and enjoyed every minute of it.

One of the guards spoke with me, “Good
evening, Ms. Luce.”

“Good evening gentleman.  Keep us safe.”

Another said, “Yes, Ms. Luce We will.”

I exited the building, continuing to my
waiting limo.  My driver standing besides the passenger door opened it and I
entered.

“Home, Ms. Luce?”

“Yes.—No.  That Italian deli you took me
to—“

“
Gina’s
?”

“Excellent choice.”

He closed the door, walked to the
driver’s seat and pulled off.

Later, so in love, full of mischief with
some treats from
Gina’s
for Stephen I walked quietly through the
executive offices.  In silence, playful and happy, I removed my shoes, so I’d
make as little noise as possible, placed them beside the wall, and continued to
Stephen with bare feet.  I reached for the handle, turned it with silence, and
inched the door open.

Excited and happy, through the crack in
the door I saw—

Stephen and Tatyana kissing and making
love with an erotic hunger as partially nude, she sat on his desk, their hips
moving in unison as he stood wrapped between her legs.

Outside the door, tearing, I closed it in
silence and with a hopeless sadness walked away. 
Why doesn’t he want me? .
. . Even just once?

I couldn’t sleep at all that night.  No
matter what I did thoughts and visions of Stephen and Tatyana “together” were
everywhere.  To make it worse, I knew that when I came in the following
morning, I’d have to see them.  I had scheduled several meetings that day with
both of them together and separate.  Not able to sleep, I gave up and came into
work early.  Sitting at my desk in my penthouse office, lit by the morning sun,
I read a report and brushed away silent tears as I’d done nonstop since I saw
them.  Knowing’s one thing, but . . .”

At my door I heard a knock and in
response wiped away more tears and put on my corporate face.

“Come in.”

Eternally cheerful, Tot entered.  “Good
morning.”

I made no attempt to hide my
displeasure.  “It was.”

Tatyana still chipper ignored the
comment.  “Do you have time to work on—“

“No.”

# # #

It was time Selena and I had a “discussion”
and so with warmth and compassion I said, “Selena, I am not your enemy.”

“This is not personal—“

# # #

Sad Tatyana acquiesced.  “It is.  The man
you love has sex with me.  And, the man I love loves you.”

I sat in silence and shock from her
heartfelt revelation and shared pain and I softened.

Wiping away a tear, she added.  “And if I
can’t have both.  I would rather have it the other way.”

Hopelessly sad she said, “Which would you
rather be the Madonna or the Whore?”

In the silence, we shared more pain.

Breaking the silence, I answered.  “Madonna
or Whore?  It depends on the day of the week.”

We laughed.

Tot grinned broad, “I like Sundays
better.”

“Me too.”

“Right after church.”

I laughed again.  “Absolved of all sins.”

“Time to restock.

Together we laughed for a while.

# # #

Selena slunk into a sad silence that I
mirrored.  Deep in thought she said.  “I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t either.”

# # #

Tot became even more sullen, “You should
see how he watches you when you’re not noticing.  You are a goddess to him.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

For a long moment, we sat in silence.

Tot broke it.  “It’s funny.”

“What?”

“Stephen’s a man bound for the stars and
he never looks at them.  It’s like he owns them.  But he watches and worships
you from afar like you’re one.  It’s as if for him, Mars is more attainable
than you are.  Selena, we don’t have a competition.  You know that.  If I
disappeared, someone else would take my place.”

“Someone elsessssssssss.”

We laughed as we shared another truth,
truths.

“Selena, that’s our relationship.  He
sees other people.  So do I.  I’m not going to stop being me.  I don’t expect
you to stop being you.  Stephen’s pursuing his dream.  I’m pursuing mine.  You
should pursue yours.”

# # #

Selena really didn’t know how to take all
this and stood wondering.

I reaffirmed my words and gave Selena a
friendly push.  “OK.”

She smiled.  “OK.”

# # #

“Now Selena, we need to work on making
sure all this works so that we can fight over him when he returns.  OK?”

I grinned broader, “OK.”

# # #

While Tot and I made our peace, George, Kevin,
Hemmingson, Gardner and Stephen sitting with the gravity of angry men mourning
the murder of a dear close friend and plotting the murder of his assassin, met
with Joshua Hempstead.

# # #

There was a problem with my company and I
spoke to our group about it.  “We all have been hearing some very disturbing,
credible rumors for a very long time.”

My friends all acknowledged my words in
the affirmative through silent body language.

I acquainted them with Joshua, “Joshua is
a very good friend going all the way back to my days at the Naval Academy.  In
the past, he’s performed invaluable services for The Group and for us.  And, now
we need him again.”

Joshua opened a valise and removed a cell
phone.  “We’ve customized a solution.  Loqutous.”

He handed the cell and a page to me, and
I read the words on the paper into the cell.

# # #

My talk and growing friendship with Tot
on my mind, my purse and valise in one hand and folders in another, I walked
through the corridors towards Stephen’s office.

# # #

My talk and growing friendship with
Selena on my mind, my purse and valise in one hand and folders in another, I
walked through the corridors towards Stephen’s office.  Turning a corner, I saw
Selena slightly ahead of me.  My eyes blazed with mischief, and with speed and
stealth, I snuck behind Se, swiftly moved beside her and playfully bumped her
with my hips.  “May the best woman win.”

# # #

We laughed like two schoolgirls at play. 
And playing like schoolgirls at play, we raced to Stephen’s office.  There and
laughing outrageously, we burst through the doors.

# # #

Joshua’s cell phone still in hand, we
were shocked by the sudden intrusion.  But, the mirth of two beautiful women at
play was infectious and we broke from our troubles and smiled.

I rose, “Sorry, we started early.  Joshua
has a pressing—“

The doors exploded open behind the two
and they jumped with fear.

“Federal Marshals!” announced the lead
officer.

And as he said those words, Federal
Marshals, FBI agents, and armed soldiers poured into the room, while Joshua,
unnerved and undetected, took the cell phone from me I’d spoken into only
moments ago and placed it into his pocket.

The lead Marshal walked towards me,
papers in hand.  “Mister Young, Federal Agents.  We have orders to seize
various Young Stellar Resources’ assets within the United States and it’s
territories that have compelling National and Strategic importance—“

I was livid.  “No.  You—“

The Marshal handed me an order.

“This is crazy.”

George pulled out his cell phone.  “I’m
checking with legal council.”

The officer stared at George.  “That may
be difficult.  For related reasons, your attorneys are being removed from their
offices as I speak.  You might try their cells.”

Fuming, I whipped out my cell.  “I need
to verify—”

Gerard’s voice boomed through the door
just before he entered.  “You don’t have to.”

He walked in surveying the room and
spoke.  “I told you this day or something like it would come.”

“You did this!”

“No, Stephen.  I would never.  Someone is
pulling my strings, just as much as they’re pulling yours.  All of ours.  And
here we are.  The US government has exercised eminent domain and condemned your
Mars project and all facilities related to it in the US and its territories.”

“Thieves!”

“They wanted everything you have, but I
convinced them that wasn’t necessary since it’s required to pay fair market
value.  The cost of the Martian project alone will be monumental.  It was only
prudent to take what was necessary.”

“Why?”

“You and I both know the answer to that. 
They want the first staffed mission to Mars.”

“There’s more honor if you develop the
program.”

“Stephen, honor is not an issue with
these people and in ten years, who will remember?”

Hemmingson spoke a truth, “If that long.”

My friends and I stood for a very long
time in silence.  The lead Marshal walked over and took my arm to guide me
out.  “Sir –“

I wrenched it free as the Marshal spoke.
“Sir, you have to leave.”

Ignoring him, I started towards my desk
to gather things from it.

And the Marshal spoke again, “You can not
take anything with you.”

Gerard expanded the officers command,
“You can take your personal belongings on you, purses, etc.”

“Sir, I was told they could take
nothing.”

Gerard unaccustomed to having anyone question
his words, corrected the Marshal immediately, “You were told to report to me. 
Correct?”

“Yes.”

“What did I just say?”

The Marshal realizing that discretion is
the better part of valor turned to me, “Mister Young and company, you can take
your personal belongings on you, purses, etc…”

Fuming, we gathered our things and began
to exit.

Gerard stopped us with a word.  “Stephen.”

Our entourage stopped and Gerard picked
up a model of the Mars Transit Vehicle — Prometheus.  He looked me in the eyes,
walked to me, started to give it to me, and then walked to Tatyana.  Placing
the model in her hands, Prometheus bow pointed towards the heavens, he tenderly
squeezed the top of her arm and gazed in her eyes for a moment before speaking
and she wondering gazed back.

“Tatyana, you have done an exceptional
job.  You were my first choice for a lot of reasons.  Take this as a symbol of
how high you can go, if you push yourself.”

She smiled.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Marshal, please escort
these distinguish people out.”

Still, fuming we left.

Beyond angry, we entered the elevator.  A
marshal turned a key in it and hit the button for the lobby and stepped out. 
The door closed.  Alone in the elevator and livid, we rode it down.

Frustrated, George pulled out his cell
and hit a speed dial number and spoke to himself while waiting on his call to
connect.  “With as much money as I was paying, I thought I was buying the
government, not renting it.”

Still angry, we exited when the elevator
doors opened, to join the mass of our employees being removed from the building
by Federal agents.  In their midst, Joshua retrieved the phone from his pocket
and handed it to me.  “Hit 1.  When it connects tell your mom you miss her.”