CONTAMINATED
Prologue –
Dr. Arthur Covington watched with rapt attention as the arm of the rover unfolded and twisted its metal hand downwards. The claw-like fingers opened and closed around an odd looking rock the doctor had been eyeing for the last five days. Rotating once more, the arm retracted while it dumped the sample into a two foot by two foot metal bin attached to the rear.
Arthur sighed in relief. Only a few more, and the probe would be packed up, ready to return to Earth. He ran a hand through his thinning blond hair and decided he should shower when he felt how slick it was. When was the last time he’d had one? He couldn’t remember. Eternal darkness and watching a theater-sized screen day and night threw him off.
“Any other rocks you want me to wrangle, Dr. Covington?” Matt Ballard asked from his desk, control stick in hand.
“Not for me, you can roam around and see if there’s anything interesting. I’m going to start filing today’s report.”
Matt ignored his departure, but Arthur didn’t notice. There were things to do, supplies to order, machines to update, funding to beg for, a spectrum of tests, he needed permission to run, and then there were the officials to bribe, so the space rocks would clear decontamination in a timely manner.
The hallways were narrow in the observation building, not to mention how low the ceiling was. Ever since the United States cancelled their space program, people like him had to rely on the goodness of other countries to launch research probes. In most cases, greed was the final denominator. Arthur had spent every last cent to get this mission off the ground.
Now, holed up in a decrepit warehouse in the middle of nowhere Russia, he hoped he’d made the right decision. The Pluto Endeavor cost him his marriage, kids, and reputation, though he knew when the rover returned, those in the scientific community would beg for his forgiveness. They would plead with him to take them on as assistants. They would say any position would be fine.
Smiling, Arthur opened the door to his “office” as he thought of telling them all no. To say they weren’t good enough for
“Dr. Covington, how are you?” asked a monotone voice from behind the desk.
Arthur stopped in his tracks. Who the hell was this guy? No one was allowed in his office. He’d have to talk to Dmitri about security, again.
“Who are you? This office is off limits.” Arthur tried to put as much bravado into his voice as possible, but inside his bladder was quaking.
A meaty paw reached out and led Arthur to his own guest chair. He sat with reluctance, afraid of the strength he felt in the hand on his shoulder.
“My name is irrelevant, but the company I work for might be of interest to you, Sunset Incorporated?” the well-manicured man said with a raised eyebrow.
Arthur almost bit his tongue in half. Sunset Inc. was the most cutting edge place a scientist could hope to work for in their wildest dreams. The man across from him was no scientist though, more of a businessman/henchman, emphasis on the hench. His suit was well cut, as was his hair, and he lacked the haggard expression people in Arthur’s profession developed after reading one too many periodicals. Not to mention his tan, no scientist worth anything saw daylight if they wanted to be published and funded these days.
“Of course, I’ve heard of them, but why are you here? I wrote your company almost a dozen letters, none of them answered,” Arthur responded indignantly.
The man nodded, as he pulled out a wad of papers and placed them on the desk. Arthur recognized his handwriting immediately. A small part of him cringed when he saw some of the later nastier letters he’d sent after too much of the “special vodka.”
“Yes, I’ve read them all. As you know, we recently underwent ‘restructuring.’ The new board is interested in your research. No one has been bold enough to focus on Pluto the way you have. Since it was downgraded from a planet to an asteroid, most people lost interest, but not you.”
Arthur leaned forward. “If it isn’t a planet, then it wasn’t formed. If it wasn’t formed, then it started as something small and has been floating around in space, collecting debris and getting larger and larger. Pluto has enough gravitational pull to maintain three moons. That’s pretty impressive for a non-planet.”
The man sitting at his desk nodded. “We agree. That’s why we’ve decided to fund your research. As we speak, a lab is being built in a secret location with all the bells and whistles. Every last detail is being taken into consideration.”
Arthur sat back, stunned, speechless, and part of him wary of this good news. This was what he wanted. What he’d worked for. Finally, his name would be associated with something great; a lab all his own, where he was in charge. His dream being offered up to him, seemed too good to be true, so there had to be a…
“One catch, Dr. Covington, you can’t tell anyone about this. The probe is scheduled to return in two years. At that time, you will be contacted and taken to the facility with some of the samples. You will run the tests you want, as well as a few for us. Do you agree to these terms?”
Arthur nodded vigorously. His probe had been designed for speed, and used an alternative fuel along with a modified engine that could use combustible space particles to help acceleration. None of which existed when NASA launched their New Horizons probe in 2006.
“I agree to whatever you need.” Arthur would have signed over his soul for an opportunity like this.
The man chuckled, but it was not filled with humor, “Good, I need you to upload all your research and files to this server address.” He tossed a piece of paper onto the desk. “After that, I want you to keep us updated on any advances in the field, additional tests, and to provide images of all the samples that you would like to have, so we can accommodate you as best we can.”
Arthur nodded again, but felt like he resembled an eager dog, so he forced himself to stop. He cleared his throat and pushed an unruly lock of hair behind his ear before speaking.
“Of course, though but why wouldn’t I have all the samples?”
“Dr. Covington.” The man stood. “Some questions are better left unasked. Remember, tell no one, or the deal is void and you go back to being inconsequential.”
The door slammed on the last word and Arthur felt a twinge of worry form in his gut. He waited a moment before standing, in case the men came back to kill him or laugh, because he fell for their joke. Then again, he would deserve it. He didn’t ask for identification, a phone number, or a business card. His obsession with the rocks had a tendency to blind him.
As he rounded the corner of his desk, he found an envelope full of hundred dollar bills. When he finished counting, fifty thousand dollars were lined in neatly stacked one thousand dollar bills. The clock on his desk chimed and the date jumped out at him.
Lisa’s birthday, his little girl, would be turning…eleven? He flipped his computer on and searched for the perfect gift. An hour later, he decided on a pink bike with matching helmet. For Michael, his son, he got a three hundred dollar gift certificate to the electronics store. The last time he spoke with him, the only thing he cared about was 3-D interactive video games.
Mary, his ex-wife, deserved so much more. His kids grew up knowing they couldn’t rely on him. He tried to love them, or show them affection in his own way, but he never seemed to do it right. Mary, on the other hand, met him before the idea of the probe kidnapped his life.
