Weird Tales Magazine No. 367 by Jonathan Maberry

Author:Jonathan Maberry [Maberry, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weird Tales
Published: 2023-08-14T23:00:00+00:00

The Last Bonneville

by F. Paul Wilson

Felix peered ahead through the dust on the windshield at the shimmering highway. Someone walking along a desert road in the middle of nowhere among the yucca and saguaro. As he neared he made out a smartly dressed old coot carrying a red gas can. The guy must have heard the engine because he turned and stuck out his thumb.

Hard to refuse a codger a ride in this heat, so he downshifted and slowed to a halt. As the window sank into the door he leaned across the passenger seat.

“Where you headed?”

“A few miles on. My car ran out of gas and it’s waiting for this.” He hefted the can.

“Well, hop in. We’ll get you there in no time.”

“Damn, that air conditioning feels good,” he said as he slipped into the passenger bucket.

“You came from that gas station back there?”

A nod. “Yeah. Someone gave me a ride there from my car.”

“It looks closed.”

“It does. Not much traffic out here these days. But someone’s manning it. Sold me this can and filled it up. My ride had to keep moving west, but I figured I’d be able to hitch a lift back. And I guess you’re it.” He placed the can between his feet and offered his hand. “Dwight Bonneville.”

“Like the salt flats?”

“No, like the Pontiac.”

“Felix De Groot,” he said, shaking the hand.

“That’s the car I left down the road: a two-oh-oh-five Pontiac Bonneville SLE. The gas gauge stopped working so I ran out. Yeah, that was the last production year for the Bonneville … the last Bonneville, just like me.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Simple: No more cars like that, no more Bonnevilles like me. I’m the last of my line. An only child with no kids. Speaking of cars, I saw the trident on your grille. This a Maserati?”

“Yeah. A Ghibli. Just got it.”

“Sweet.” He frowned. “De Groot … I know that name. Same as that rocket guy, works for Rudawski. That you?”

Felix was a little surprised at the recognition. As chief engineer—or “rocketeer,” as they liked to call him—his name sneaked into the newspapers now and then, especially after a big launch. But he didn’t expect to be remembered.

“One and the same,” he said. “Not exactly a household name. How did you—”

“Oh, I keep up with space exploration. You guys are giving Musk a run for his money. And you’re really serious about settling people on Mars?”

“You better believe it. Rudawski’s one of the great dreamers of his generation. If anyone can do it, he can.”

“I hear the unmanned mission is set to go next week. And I also hear you’ve got no shortage of people willing to go when the time comes, even though there’s no coming back—ever.”

“They’re lined up around the block, so to speak.”

Bonneville shook his head. “When I was with the program back in the day, we always assumed it would be NASA running the show, not billionaires with private funds.”

“Wait,” said De Groot. “With the program? You were with NASA?”

“Not only with NASA, I was on Apollo Eight.

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