Visitor by John Triptych & Michel Lamontagne

Author:John Triptych & Michel Lamontagne [Triptych, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, hard science fiction, space exploration, first contact, NASA, mars, aliens, Oumuamua, asteroid, object, space
Publisher: J Triptych Publishing
Published: 2021-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 47

MISSION CONTROL IN Johnson Space Center was a cavernous room overlooking a row of gigantic flat screen monitors. Situated along the floor were a series of large desks with even more computer screens and various staffers manning their respective consoles, all of them keeping track of numerous space missions at all times.

Laura leaned on the desktop while staring at her boss’s image on the virtual chat screen. They’d been conversing for more than an hour due to the lengthening live delay of almost ten minutes between them. “I got some very good news for you.”

“”What is it?” Toby asked. His hair had been cut short with a crude buzz cut, courtesy of one of his crewmates.

“The public’s enthusiasm with what you’ve been doing continues to intensify,” she said. “Aether’s stock price is going through the roof the closer you get to Malihini.”

A bemused smirk crossed his face. “Is that right? They’re still buying our stock, even though we pulled out of all our previous space launch projects?”

“Oh yeah, we’ve gone up over five hundred percent in regards to stock price,” Laura said. “As of today, you’re now the second richest man in the world, second only to Hank Orguss. Congratulations.”

The mere mention of his competitor made Toby scowl once more. “Speaking of Hank... where in the hell is he?”

“We don’t know,” Laura said. “He disappeared from public view about six months ago. A whole bunch of conspiracy sites are saying the Chinese killed him and hid his body, or some variation of it.”

“What does his company say?”

“Hank’s people are keeping mum about everything. They say he’s not dead though.”

“Goddamn it, find him! I want to know where he is!”

“We’re trying, but as you know, XSTAR is pretty secretive,” she said. “The one thing I can gather is that Hank boarded his private plane and is either living it up in his secluded island at the Bahamas, or he’s still in China.”

“And there’s been no official word from either the Chinese or XSTAR with regards to the launch that was detected a month ago?”

Laura shook her head. “Nope. Not a peep from the Chinese at all. Knowing them and knowing Hank, he might spring a surprise on us right at the last minute.”

Toby cursed. “I bet he’s lying low until he finds a way to make that stupid probe of his get ahead of me, and then he’ll go on the news and do his usual crap about how he’s the best.”

“That’s a distinct possibility.”

Toby scowled while rubbing his grizzled chin. “You don’t think... no, that’s too crazy, even for him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A damnable thought just crossed my mind,” he said. “You don’t think Hank is actually on that rocket that’s trying to catch up with me, is he?”

Laura glanced towards Pierre, who was sitting beside her. When the French Canadian shook his head, she turned back to look at the monitor screen. “Highly unlikely. NASA intel thinks it’s just a probe.”

“It better not be him!”

Pierre leaned forward and sideways so the chat camera could pick up his face.

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