12: The Last Straw

“Sorry for screwing up your funding.”

Isaac waved his concern aside. “There wasn’t anything you could do. They had it in for you.”

Eric leaned back, resting his head and staring at the ceiling of the limo. “I know. What did they expect me to do, allow myself to be killed?”

Sarah grasped his shoulder. “It’s not that they didn’t think you’d defend yourself. It’s that, if you weren’t so moral, there’d be no stopping you.”

“She’s right,” Robert said. “While you’re protecting your immaculate soul, someone who isn’t so pure-hearted wouldn’t be so circumspect.”

Eric laid his arm over his head, not looking at the others. “I’m hardly without sin, but I can witness what happens when people make bad decisions. Still, I see your point. If I weren’t the one selected for the ISSDD project and someone with nothing to lose was selected, they’d feel no compunction using it for their own benefit.”

“You see why they’re afraid. No one can stop you if you set your mind to something—say protecting your family. You even admitted you’d cross that line, given the right circumstances.”

“Yeah, I realize why everyone dislikes me. So what can I do about it?”

“I’m not sure there’s anything you can do,” Daniel said. “As it is, it seems our funding is shot for the indefinite future. I’d guess you scared them enough they won’t try to assassinate you, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do you any favors.”

“What if I resign?”

“What good would that do?” Isaac combed his thinning hair back, letting it fall as his hand passed. “We’d be free to send others where they can learn even more than you already do, and where they can gain more abilities? If they don’t act, they won’t risk pissing you off, but they prevent anyone else from becoming a threat. From their perspective, the ISSDD project needs to fail. Unfortunately, the easiest way to accomplish that is to shut NASA down through simple inaction. All they need to do is not authorize any further spending.”

“The first thing you do,” Daniel said through pinched lips, “is maintain a low profile. You need to demonstrate that you don’t present a risk. Next, we need to formulate some way to assure them we won’t duplicate what happened to you. However, that will take time.”

“Well, as I said, sorry for sinking the project. I’m not sure it was possible to avoid, but the results are pretty clear. You’re out of luck.”

Sarah turned, regarding him. “‘You’? Since when did you stop being one of us?”

“I’m not sure. Recently I feel my calling lies elsewhere. Besides, I was meant to be the public face of NASA going forwards. If I scare the bejeebus out of everyone, that doesn’t make much sense. If they don’t like what I’ve become, I can’t imagine them authorizing my return.”

Isaac sighed. “Even though you’re clearly the best candidate. The aliens you encountered already know and trusted you enough to send you back. At the worst, they won’t attack you, whereas they might anyone else. What’s more, you’re the only one who can see them. We can’t even rig an automated camera to record their world.”

“So what’s our next step?”

Daniel leaned forward, putting his hands on the seat on either side of Eric. “We finish the tasks remaining. You have another interview. You should make that appearance. After that we’ll reconsider whether it makes sense to continue. The public heard about your kidnapping, and saw your fight with the committee. They’ll want assurances and explanations. So far, you’ve held your own with the public. While you haven’t won them over, they’re intrigued by your story. If you don’t panic them anymore, you’re our best bet. While we may not rescue the ISSDD project, if you can garner public support, we might restore our other projects.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but my returning to NASA doesn’t. The capsule we employ is too constraining to endure for long, and these public investigations and interviews are excruciating. I think an island getaway with nothing besides a cold drink and a warm beach are my best bet. I need to think, to figure out what this means. I might yet have other undiscovered abilities. Overwhelming me with crowds and gadgets will inhibit whatever other talents I possess.”

Isaac spread his arms, trying to get everyone on the same page. “We’ll have to negotiate that, but seeing what a success the mission was—despite how this investigation turned out—means you’ve earned that latitude. While the project might be dead—for now at least—we’ve already learned a phenomenal amount. Now we need to calculate is how to measure what you’ve witnessed. We’re pulling up to the hotel, so we’ll table further discussions until later.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re honored to have the only man to personally explore the vastness of space beyond our solar system. What’s more, he came back with honest super powers. We’re eager to hear him explain what he’s experienced the past several days, and how he interprets it. May I present, Eric Morgan!”

Eric was surprised at the applause by the small studio audience. He figured they were paid to clap, at least in exchange for tickets, but it continued longer than he expected.

“Thank you, John. After everything I’ve been through, it’s wonderful being welcomed for once.”

The fans laughed, clapped and hooted. He glanced around, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Not used to humans anymore?” the host teased.

“Not after they started kidnapping me,” he replied, taking his seat after shaking John’s hand. “I’m glad to be here. The last place I visited kicked me out. They and Congress both sent me home without dinner.”

Again, the applause went off the scale, with people stamping their feet. For some reason, these people supported Eric, despite everyone’s conflicting reactions the past several days.

“Before getting to your aborted space mission, let’s discuss how you escaped a kidnapping single handed.”

“I didn’t do it alone. The criminals—CIA operatives—helped, and the police are still filing the paperwork. No government project is complete until you fill out twenty-three forms.”

“I’m sure the CIA guys were helpful, but I can’t picture them being so incompetent. What happened?”

“There are a few things which set the stage. When I returned, I discovered I respond to electrical currents. They produce intense headaches, while I can pull or push energy into them.” He spread his hands, as if holding a ball. “It’s a complex relationship, but it’s incredibly intuitive. I can feel the electrons flowing. I spiked the natural electricity in their brains. I boosted it a small amount, feeling how it reacted, essentially giving them epileptic seizures—random electric signals coursing through their cortex. Once you suffer that, you can’t do much of anything for several hours other than thrash.”

“I’ve always wanted to do that with government workers, and you did. Not only with trained CIA spies, but to members of Congress. There aren’t many people who dictate terms to Congress, at least without forking over millions of dollars.”

Eric laughed. “Believe me, they wanted to shut me down. They started threatening me. Luckily, I had other ideas.”

“Do you actually have a list of crimes the Congressmen committed?”

“Don’t worry, I placed it in a sealed envelope, which is locked in the vault of my unidentified lawyer. Even if they succeed the next time, those responsible will pay for their actions. But there was so much detail I couldn’t hope to remember it all without jotting it down.”

John was about to say something when Eric’s head jerked back, his eyes opening wide, his brows arching.

“Are you Okay? You look like you were just punched in the gut.”

Eric tilted his head—as if expecting something to run out—and smiled. “Can we take a quick break? I’ve got some terrific television for you, and it’ll be front page news in the morning in every newspaper in the country.”

“How can I refuse an offer like that?” he said, laughing. He turned, flashing the audience a beaming smile. “We’ll be back after this commercial break.”

Once the cameras were off, John leaned forward like a boy begging for a candy cane. “What’s up? My producer is about to split a gut.”

“I need someone to get me a Google Maps overview of this entire block. We’ll also need to move the cameras to the street. We can’t take anyone with us, but the cameramen should be okay. Things are about to get quite interesting.”

John’s brows went up. “Is this going to get violent?”

Eric nodded. “Potentially, but I’m prepared and understand what’ll happen, while they have no idea what they’re stumbling into.”

John considered it, rubbing his chin, ignoring the stern voices in his ear. “You’re on. We’ll need to comp the audience, but if this is as big as you suggest, they’ll eat it up even if they can’t participate.” He held his earphone, giving his producer a quick list of instructions.

Eric lifted his cell phone to his ear. “Officer Martin, are you in position?”

“We are. You sure you don’t want us to advance before something happens?”