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The main characters are introduced, also hard science, political and religious intrigue. |
| FADE IN: INT. COMMAND DECK Oksana enters the room looking haggard with dark circles under both eyes. MIKE ANGEL Oksana! If you don't slow down and get some rest, your parents will skin me alive for bringing you back in a state of total exhaustion! Oksana is oblivious to Mike's rebuke. OKSANA Do you realize that much of their technology is carbon-based and not silicon? Mike shakes his head. OKSANA Their 'computer' is one giant processing unit like a brain. It has carbon nanotubes like nerves, and quantum-effect, carbon-based transistors. When it needs to expand, it can 'grow' new sections. OKSANA (CONT'D) Most of their machines are like this. They can repair themselves by growing replacement pieces. It makes more memory when it needs it. MIKE ANGEL I didn't know that for a fact, but I had suspected that anything that lasted this long had to be self-replicating. We're just getting into this area of research on Earth, so it would make sense. But where is the source of carbon it would need for growth? OKSANA That is the amazing part. Any new carbon needed is taken from the atmosphere here, which is mainly carbon dioxide. MIKE ANGEL Now hold on, CO2 has one heck of a tight bond. How are you going to break the oxygen from the carbon? OKSANA (Smiling) That is the beauty of this machine. It is all self- contained. You were curious about their power source. Well, it is a fusion reactor at the bottom of this building. They use a laser with continuous feedback to create plasma from whatever material it can find. While it is here, it can take the carbon atoms from the plasma and use it to grow. The crystalline structure of their laser is fascinating. I have spoken with many materials engineers in the past few days and they find it amazing. Because of the way it uses feedback from its own energy, it needs very little additional input. The pyramid can totally recharge itself from solar power to replenish any energy in the laser that is lost. MIKE ANGEL My God! Sustainable energy production with re-useable by- products! I wish I'd thought of that. Can you comprehend what a revolution this one discovery will have on our entire civilization? Oksana grins through her exhaustion. MIKE ANGEL House? HOUSE COMPUTER (OS) I'm already working on it, Sir. Oksana told me about this earlier. I'll work with our California division to see if they can't come up with some prototypes before you get home. MIKE ANGEL When you figure out the manufacturing process for the laser crystals, get a patent on that, but the rest of the energy process goes into public domain. Got it? HOUSE COMPUTER (OS) Yes, Sir. MIKE ANGEL Sorry to have upstaged you, Vesna. I assume you had some other Earth-shattering reason for calling us together. VESNA (OS) Yes, I did. (almost a hurt tone to her voice) D'am and Y'va would like us all to return. From what I understand, they would like it to be like a press conference where we can ask questions. They would also like us to bring the means for the people of Earth to attend. VESNA (OS; CONT'D) They are fascinated by the history I have been able to supply and are anxious to know more about us first hand without having to return to Earth. Apparently, that takes a tremendous physical toll on them. I gather that between the solar radiation and the Earth's background radiation and poisons in the atmosphere, they cannot remain for more than a few hours on the planet before they begin to take ill. They definitely cannot visit any more without wearing protective suits, which both complain are extremely uncomfortable. Now that they understand that we've dumped tons of radionuclides into the atmosphere in the past 70 years, they are very afraid of going there in person. MIKE ANGEL Crap! I don't blame them. I hate breathing the air myself, and I was born there. We can do that. Vesna, please notify both presidents and have them stand-by to join us as crew for the questions. Oksana, I want you to get some sleep. I mean it! I'll have Vesna cut you off if you don't rest. The girl glares and pouts at him, but Mike looks sterner. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) Sharon, Lana, please talk with your producers and have them make the arrangements for whatever leaders want to join in on this to relay through their stations. We don't have the time to set up separate connections to each of them, so they'll have to fend for themselves. The women both nod and retreat to downlink terminals. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) John, you're with me. I'm going to teach you how to solder and jerry-rig. The rest of you, we'll meet back here in six hours. How's that? There is a general nodding of heads and everyone disperses to their staterooms. CUT TO: INT. ENGINEERING SECTION John and Mike take the elevator to the engineering deck where Mike sorts through various miscellaneous items of electronic boards and wires and points for John to get out the tools. CUT TO: INT. ENGINEERING SECTION Four hours later the two had cannibalized one of Vesna's video monitors and a spare video receiver. They came up with a device that looks like an old-fashioned console television set on wheels. JOHN BELISAR I really don't know how Oksana can do this all day and night. She's much too pretty to be so involved with transistors and machines all the time. Mike looks at the youth with a question for a second before it dawns on him. Then he breaks out in an uproar of laughter that startles the boy. MIKE ANGEL (Fatherly) For your own safety, don't ever say that to a woman. It may be true, but if you tell a woman that you'll probably sing soprano the rest of your life. CUT TO: INT. MIKE'S CABIN VESNA (OS) President Forest is on the line for you. He walked over to his desk and swivels a monitor around. MIKE ANGEL Put him on, please. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) What the devil is going on up there? It's turning into a three-ring circus. MIKE ANGEL If you mean the press conference, I didn't call it, Sir. I'm just a spectator here now. I would like for you and President Puchinskiy to take a major role, though. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) You can't imagine what a fiasco you've created. The United Nations, every nickel and dime country, is demanding to be included now in the top level of the findings of your trip. Each is insisting that we release all tapes and transcripts of the blacked out portions under penalty of sanctions. There is absolutely no control any more and it's a madhouse! And now you have a computer making the decisions as to who gets what! MIKE ANGEL Sir, I doubt now that I ever had control. Once we discovered an artificial structure, this became the scientist's group effort. When we discovered active machinery, I called for your help because I knew it was out of my hands and expertise. However, when we discovered living inhabitants with a prior claim to the real estate, I think we all lost any semblance of control. I'm interested in hearing what they have to say. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) Is there any way to narrow down the scope to just Puchinskiy and me? MIKE ANGEL They requested an open forum to humanity. I think we should give it to them. They put us down there, and I, for one, think they could probably take us out. I doubt they ever would, though. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) That's precisely my point. We're dealing with a total unknown here and I don't like it. They could have a fleet of sleepers hidden away somewhere just waiting for this moment. MIKE ANGEL I seriously doubt that. They could have eliminated or subjugated us at any time in our history. Instead, they allowed us the free will to screw ourselves to the wall, which we've done very nicely. Vesna seems of the opinion that they are what they say they are and have only benign intentions. In all she discovered so far, violence seems to be totally against their nature and culture. They also don't appear to have any hidden agenda except our well-being. Vesna has had unrestricted access to their complete database and everything checks out so far. Some of the advances we're bringing back will revolutionize the world and every country along with it. Just the thought of almost free unlimited power for all is something that will take the entire Earth, not just a few countries, into the twenty-first century. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) That's another thing! Every utility and oil company is screaming bloody murder that they'll loose hundreds of billions in investments if you're allowed to introduce that here. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS; CONT'D) Do you understand how much money they have tied up in electrical generation alone, much less oil and natural gas? They all stand to loose their shirts! MIKE ANGEL Sir, there will be plenty to go around in infrastructure alone. It'll just be a new way of doing business. In fact, now you'll be able to shut down all those nuke plants and let me cart that poison out into space where it belongs and it won't be able to hurt anybody. The President is silent for a moment and Mike can see that he is obviously trying to control himself. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) (Calmly) To top it off, the Christian coalition is still calling for your head. I've had half dozen evangelists here in the past few days, some of who want you shot down before you ever set foot back on the planet. They have massive followings and this is an election year. If they continue stirring up hate and discontent within their congregations, it could be all over for all of us. MIKE ANGEL I really don't think you'll have to worry much about that. After all, your administration has ushered in the age of interplanetary travel and inexpensive utilities. Your administration brought cooperation between super powers. Your administration has created a renaissance in learning and knowledge. The people may be easily led, but they're not stupid. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) Yes, and it will have been my administration that toppled organized religion and crashed the London metals market. My administration will have been the one that has the Dutch wanting to declare war for the first time in over a hundred years because their diamonds are now so much cut glass. It will have been I that proved humanity is not a superior race, but one of half- breeds. God, the creationists are having a field day down here. MIKE ANGEL Sir, they always said they'd be back. If the churches can't put some spin on that to their advantage, shame on them. Surely your P.R. people can help in that area. Forest looks thoughtful for a moment. PRESIDENT FOREST (OS) Maybe, we'll see. The Joint Chiefs are still angry that you won't release your weapons data and won't classify the engineering specifications of the machinery there. In addition, you've made a mortal enemy of the Secretary of the Navy. He thinks that since you were one of his, you should have some loyalty and turn over your findings and inventions to him and NRL for further development in the National Interest. I will warn you, he's spending a lot of time with the Attorney General to develop a case that the ideas for your computers and space drive were first developed while you were a Seal and therefore it becomes the property of the Navy. MIKE ANGEL They'll be hard-pressed to find any evidence for that, Sir. There's a major difference between an idea and a design. Nothing ever hit paper until long after I left your employ. While I really don't wish them luck, at least it keeps them off the streets. The President makes a sour face and waves off. MIKE ANGEL I wish that guy would lighten up sometime. VESNA (OS) I second that. No wonder all your presidents age ten years for every four in office. CUT TO: EXT. TUNNEL OPENING John and Mike lead the group to the tunnel carting their gadget over the broken terrain leading to the entrance. Once inside, the device rolls easily on the smooth surface and they progress quickly to the large room where D'am meets them and waves them to another side chamber outfitted with several chaise lounges. D'AM Please, make yourselves comfortable here. One by one, the group picks seats and almost reluctantly sit back on them as D'am and Y'va each lay back in two chaises facing the crew. D'AM (CONT'D) Before we begin (pointing to the device John and Mike wheeled in) Is this the device to communicate to your Earth? MIKE ANGEL Yes, Sir. Mike wheels it closer to the two. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) I apologize that it was the best we could come up with on short notice, but I think it should suffice for the time being. The networks will combine the images as best they can and Vesna will do the final edit to present you with only the speaker. Would you prefer that she translate into your language, or would you rather in the native speech? Y'VA (Raising a palm) No need to apologize. We are just pleased and amazed that you could provide this so quickly. If you don't mind, we would prefer if the others spoke in English so that all of us can understand it at once. If Vesna needs to translate to this, so be it. Our language would be almost impossible for the rest of you to follow. Indeed, I know that a great deal of it is beyond your physical ability to hear or reproduce. Vesna has learned it quite well and speaks like a native with no accent. It is so pleasing to us to be able to speak with another in our tongue, even if she is not a human. We are...homesick is your word, for the first time in many thousand years. It is difficult to remember that she is not like us. MIKE ANGEL I know that feeling well. Except for the fact that she is normally way ahead of me, I find myself talking to her as I would anybody else. VESNA (OS) Why, thank you Sir. MIKE ANGEL Don't get a swelled head over that. VESNA (OS) (Smugly) I don't have a head, Sir. MIKE ANGEL You know what I'm saying! Everyone smiles at this including D'am and Y'va. Oksana has brought along another mobile camera on a tripod at Vesna's request and sets it up to point at crew so that Vesna could switch between speakers without having to swivel the one camera around. The journalists still have their shoulder cameras, but they would turn those mostly on their hosts during the broadcast. Mike has installed tally lights on all of the cameras so that D'am and Y'va would know which of the four were on at any time. Vesna would control the camera switching for the return feed to Earth. Y'VA Before we open this officially, do any of you have any pressing questions? SHARON MANSON Only about ten thousand, but they can wait until later. We have almost a week left here and the people back home only a few minutes so I'll give them a chance first. I'm certain they all have many of the same questions as I do. SVETLANA I do have one question, if you don't mind. Y'VA Please. SVETLANA You have not given us the name of your home planet or what you call yourselves. Y'VA "In our language our home was called Angli. We refer to ourselves as Anglis. Y'VA (CONT'D) (Y'va turns directly toward Mike and smiles) The closest that would translate to English would be as your name. We are Angels. There is another stunned silence and Mike's face reflects the thought "I'm dead!" Y'VA If there is nothing else, it is most likely best if we begin. The monitor springs to life as Vesna passes the signals from Earth to it. D'am stands, and moves the monitor to the right of the crew, turning it so that all can view it. Before he sits again, he adjusts his seat to face where he is at an angle to both the monitor and the camera. Mike can see that there is a split screen containing two rows of six faces each. D'AM I believe all of you know who we are by now. We are unfamiliar with each of you, however. I assume that most of the rest of the Earth do not recognize you on sight either, so if you would not mind, would each of you introduce yourselves to us and tell us your function? There is a moment's hesitation on the part of the televised participants. The man in the upper left corner finally speaks up. JORGENSEN I am Bjorn Jorgensen, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization. I am here to represent the interests of all of the member nations. D'AM (Nodding) And are you the ruling body on the planet? JORGENSEN No, Sir. We are an advisory group made up of representatives of most of the individual countries. We meet to debate global problems and vote on any actions. We only act with the approval of the consensus of representatives. D'am nods again. MOFFET Tony Moffett, Prime Minister representing the people of the United Kingdom. Y'VA You have a King? MOFFET Actually, ma'am, we have a Queen. However, it's mostly a ceremonial position. We are a full democracy as far as law and policy goes. MUELLER Franz Mueller, representing the European Union. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY Vladimir Grigorovich Puchinskiy, representing the Russian Federation of Independent States. D'am smiles into the camera. D'AM I understand that you are one of the sponsors of this expedition. I must commend you for your vision and support. Y'va and I cannot express how pleased we are that you have come so far. PRESIDENT FOREST President Forest, representing the people of the United States of America. D'AM Ah yes, the other sponsor. We pass commendations and thanks to you as well for your foresight and thank you for your continued support. President Forest nods curtly. QUI Qui Xianxu of the People's Republic of China. I represent over two billion people of the planet Earth. We were not offered the opportunity to sponsor these people. D'AM (Emotionlessly) Yes. I am led to understand that you have managed to concentrate that number of people within an area that could never possibly sustain them. The Chinese Ambassador is beginning to turn crimson at that but D'am quickly continues. D'AM (CONT'D) You and I must work together to find a solution that is in your interest and would be logical for mankind. That seems to placate the Ambassador and allows him to save face before the world audience. JOPURNAN Chandan Jopurnan of the Indian sub-continent. BENNETT Mick Bennett, Australia. Glad to have you with us again. Both D'am and Y'va smile warmly. Y'VA And we are very glad and proud to be with you once more. DAIMA Shonsu Daima, Japan. A dark look crosses Y'va's face, but she holds her tongue. VALDEZ Jorge Valdez, Chile, but representing all of the people of the continent of South America. AL-ADIN Emad al-Adin, Egypt. However, I speak for all of the Muslim faithful. We were also excluded from having a representative there to meet you. D'am nods with a straight face utterly devoid of any emotion one-way or the other. GOLDBERG Chaim Goldberg, Prime Minister of the State of Israel. We were also uninvited. D'AM We welcome you all today and extend thanks to you and your people for making this time available for us (spreads his hands out toward the camera) I would like to explain to you all why we are responding today only with the English language. Vesna has brought us both up to date on all of the changes in each of your languages since we last visited you, but our friends who are here with us now are conversant mostly in English and Russian. I believe that Vesna can provide each of you with an accurate translation into your own tongue and in printed form by what she calls a 'FAX'. Because this meeting was hastily called, there was no time to construct the means for her to have a private verbal translation. The Chilean and Egyptian representative both nod. D'AM (CONT'D) Please do not hesitate to address us in your native language, if you are more comfortable. Vesna will translate to all of us here as you speak. We mean no slight to any of your peoples; it is just mainly for convenience. The U.N. leader takes the initiative. JORGENSEN Why have you chosen to make yourselves visible to us now? D'am looks puzzled, but Y'va picks up. Y'VA It was not our choice, but our pleasant surprise. We had not planned to return to consciousness for another hundred of your years. We can only remain asleep for a few thousand years at a time when we must awaken to help preserve our bodies. Our machines have the ability to revive us as needed. When your people entered our vessel, we were automatically awakened. JORGENSEN (Pushing) But we have been totally unaware of your presence there until now. Both D'am and Y'va look at each other with furrowed brows. D'am turns to the camera. D'AM We have been among you many, many times in your past. I know that you each have records of our discussions with your leaders and philosophers. We have never made a secret of our presence, but we only stay here for our safety. We have tried to provide you with the tools for your advancement and survival from time to time, but only as an example to follow. D'AM (CONT'D) We had thought that you would understand that eventually and be able to remember your heritage from our racial memory. BENNETT Let me see if I understand you clearly. The two of you want us to believe that you are whom the Christians and Jews refer to as 'Adam' and 'Eve'? D'am and Y'va turn to each other again and D'am makes a face of acquiescence. D'AM That would be a logical extension of our names in your languages. I would have to answer yes. BENNETT But if it was you returning in our history, then where is God? D'am again turns to Y'va who suddenly brightens Y'VA G'dala is our word for computer. I can see where your words God and Allah have been taken from when we introduced ourselves to your ancestors many years ago. There is a general uproar and confusion from the members on the screen and in the room. Mike whispers into his microphone. MIKE ANGEL Vesna, you didn't warn me about this. VESNA (OS) You didn't ask. MIKE ANGEL I will get even! VESNA (OS) (Very smug) Try hard. Lana is seated next to Mike and only hears one side of that conversation amidst the commotion, but correctly gathered from the look on his face that Vesna had once again bettered Mike at his own game of concealment. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY But we were taught that God was all powerful. PRESIDENT FOREST (Almost incredulous) And our country's motto is 'In God We Trust'. We trust a computer? D'AM (Simply) Why not? We do. G'dala holds the power of our survival in its circuits. It has also monitored your progress through the millennia, alerting us to changes and problems and helping us to know how each of you is progressing. Again, a general confusion until suddenly Lana notices Mike stiffen as if he were hit with a club. He raises his hand and D'am nods in his direction. MIKE ANGEL Then I can only assume that neither of you is telepathic, but G'dala is. Both D'am and Y'va look startled at that until Y'va smiles and gives out her musical laugh. Y'VA No, we are not. However, I believe I understand where your question is originating. Our interface with G'dala is directly from our brain to its processor. This is how we learned your language so quickly and how we knew you were here. G'dala's interface with each of you is the same. It can operate at this distance from here to your planet. MIKE ANGEL Then prayer?... D'AM Is something we taught you long ago to communicate to us through G'dala. D'AM (CONT'D) There have been many times when it was important for us to awaken and give aid to you in times of problems. To communicate and be a direct channel to us so that we would still be connected is one of its major functions. The Indian breaks the silence; JOPURNAN There are passages in several of our ancient Vedas that describe what can only be a fierce battle in the air. Can you shed any light on this? D'AM Yes. There was a time long ago when another race attempted to dominate your planet. It was necessary for us to protect you because you did not yet have the means to do so yourselves. It was a sad time for us because the taking of any life is something my people do not do. You were already showing great promise as a race and we could not abandon you. PRESIDENT FOREST Where did they come from? Will they return? D'am looked sad. D'AM The answer to both questions is that we do not know. I don't believe that they expected any resistance and the few of their craft that were left disappeared. BENNETT Then there were more of you here in the beginning? D'AM No, there has always been just Y'va and myself with several thousand DNA samples from our people to work with. When our people discovered that our system was going to be destroyed, we could only create so many craft to try to spread our seed and continue the race and our culture. There had never been a great deal of interest in traveling out of our solar system before, so we had to develop the technology quickly. There had only been a short time, a few thousand years, to develop the knowledge that would support such a journey and construct the craft to do so. There were only a few thousand of these created when we left. PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY But certainly, a thousand years would be more than enough time to evacuate your entire population. Y'VA I do not think you understand. As a people, we never had a sense of urgency. There had always been plenty of time to do as we wish. Time to study and learn what was of interest to us. When we knew that our sun was dying some of our people became interested in discovering a way to prevent it. There were at least several millennia to come up with an answer so we felt no hurry. When it became obvious that we could not solve that problem in time, interest turned to developing the knowledge to transport our people out of harm's way. We knew then, that it was too late to move our entire population. Again, our way was not one of pressure. (beat) It pleases us that you have more of a spirit of competition and urgency than we. Y'VA (CONT'D) You would have been able to respond much better to a crisis such as that which faced our world. It may be your shorter life spans, but you advance as a people at a much faster pace than we ever did in all our history. You are already much more advanced than we in space travel. VALDEZ What do you mean by that? You moved a mountain across a galaxy! We have only made baby steps into our own solar system. D'AM It took us over five millennia to reach here in our ship. It takes us over one of your days to reach your planet in our smaller craft. Vesna has shared with us that you took less than three hours to come here and that she was deliberately holding back her speed at Mr. Angel's request. We have made some calculations with the speed that she feels she could do and you could most likely reach where our system used to be within a few years. In fact, I am certain that these people here will soon discover methods of traveling even faster. I am a biologist and not an engineer, but I am very impressed by the leap you have made in this area. You manufactured Vesna in one cycle around your sun. Had Mr. Angel been alive on our planet when our sun exploded, all of our friends and families would be alive today. You are surely each our children as if Y'va had given birth to you. Nevertheless, you have become more than we would have been. That is what pleases us and makes us proud. Is it not the goal of every parent to want more for their children than they had for themselves? There is a general nodding as this is being absorbed and some low talk between the crew assembled in the room. DAIMA What type of drive would you use that would take so long for you to reach here? D'AM It is what Oksana calls an electrostatic drive. It works using the solar winds by repelling particles emitted from various systems as we pass. It works and is very efficient, but it is not very fast. You can think of it as you would one of your old sailing ships that relied on the wind to push it through water. That is how we traveled here and how our smaller craft operate. As I understand it from Vesna, she controls the forces of gravity with very little energy and creates her own wind. It would be the same as comparing our sailing ship to your jet airplane. Secretary Jorgensen jumps up, JORGENSEN But this technology is being held by Mr. Angelskov and is not known to the rest of us! Y'va stands and motions for Mike to come up to their position. He is still trying to not be seen, but grudgingly complies. Y'VA I cannot speak for Mr. Angel, (putting an arm around his shoulder, drawing him into camera range) but Vesna has explained to me, and I can understand and agree with his reasoning. It is unfortunate that such a great advance as this can be used for the greatest good and also for the greatest evil. Y'VA (CONT'D) As I understand it Michael, you want to be assured that it will be used only for good purposes before giving it to everyone? He nods to Y'va. GOLDBERG But should it not be given to us now as your chosen people? The Egyptian looks livid at that. D'am and Y'va look at each other totally puzzled as D'am rises to join his wife and Mike. As he approaches, Mike sees a change in D'am's expression and has a gut feeling that G'dala was filling him in on the past several thousand years of conflict caused by this assumption. D'AM You may be laboring under a misunderstanding. If you check thoroughly into your records from when your peoples branched off, I told each mother that their sons would be the founders of a great nation. That they were. If each of the rest of you would look hard into your history, I told each group that they were chosen. Indeed, you have been. We chose all of you to carry our name and carry our race into the future. We have never had any favorites, but have tried to give advice and guidance to each of you so that you could enjoy the same culture and tranquillity that we have tried to bring with us from our world. Mike flinched. While the Egyptian looked semi-satisfied, the Israeli's countenance is as if he had been hit between the eyes with a hammer. PRESIDENT FOREST Mr. Goldberg, that would be patently ridiculous. As this space drive was developed within the United States, its technology is the property of the US. MIKE ANGEL Gentlemen, gentlemen. I alone have made the final decision for the disposition of that knowledge. The two global superpowers will receive the plans for this drive simultaneously and before the rest of you. MUELLER Superpowers? What superpowers? The Russian economy is in the toilet and the United States has picked on almost every third- world country for the past 20 years. Its economy is not doing so well at the moment, either. Nobody has any respect for either of you any more. The European Union consists of countries over a thousand years old that have united to become a force to be reckoned with. Mike holds up his hand. MIKE ANGEL The European Union is a loose- knit band of economic robber barons that have gathered together to have a semi- legitimate excuse to rape and pillage the rest of the globe. You think you're unified? Tell a Frenchman to make nice to a Spaniard and see how far you get. I can't speak for the politics of the United States, but it always seems to be able stabilize itself after it swings around a while. At least everything can start over fresh every four years, which is more than I can say for most of you. As for Russia, it became a brand-new country in the 1990's. She has done more to develop an economy since then than the rest of you, the U.S. included, did in their first 50 years. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) These two countries danced around the floor with each other for 70 years, each having the capability of annihilating the other several times over. They postured and threatened, but never fought each other! That proves to me the innate sensibilities and character of the peoples behind each country. It also proves that they were evenly matched. (beat) I know that most, if not all, of you have followed me and my antics for the past year, but there is a method to my madness. I chose these two peoples for totally opposite reasons. It will create a balance once more. Right now, that balance is going back and forth between all of you, but the ultimate power rests in the hands of one person, me. I know that I'm not going to use it, but right now I don't trust any of the rest of you. JORGENSEN But we have united for a common cause of peace in our organization. MIKE ANGEL Yeah, right. When was the last time that a 'peacekeeping expedition' was successful at keeping the peace? In fact, when was the first time? The U.N. has lofty goals and ideals; it just doesn't work. Emad, how long would the State of Israel exist if you had the capability of creating a black hole in the center of Tel Aviv? Mr. Goldberg, would Palestine be a new harbor on the Mediterranean six days after the next zealot blew himself up in a restaurant? Chandan, wouldn't the Kashmir dwarf the Grand Canyon within a month? QUI (Smirking) But since we have the majority of people, wouldn't we have the most votes in your system? MIKE ANGEL Yes, you have the most people. Shame on you. I can trim that, you know. Most of your territory is a desert today; you've been in a drought for over ten years and can't feed the people you do have. I think everyone here knows that you are desperate to expand your borders so that you can shed a few hundred million excess bodies into areas where they can at least survive. I'm sorry, but I won't be a party to global expansion of anyone's political agenda. MOFFET At least we have historically been your allies. MIKE ANGEL Really? I guess that's why we turned the Charles River into a giant cup of Earl Grey. Britannia may have ruled the waves at one time, but I'll be doggoned if she'll rule the ether. The rest just glare at him through their cameras. Mike examines the faces in the monitor with a glare. MIKE ANGEL Does anyone have any more questions or demands from me? There is only stony silence as each politician desperately tries to calculate some way to gain an advantage. Mike turned to D'am. MIKE ANGEL If you don't mind, this is your show and I'd like to sit down. My presence here will only provoke more petty squabbles and this isn't the time or the place for that. Today is the time for the Earth to come together as one people and understand that borders are ridiculous. Right now, I'm the prize in a Cracker Jack box, but I'd much rather the stage were yours. D'am nods solemnly and Mike walks back to his seat. As he sits, Lana surreptitiously snakes her arm around his waist and gives him a squeeze of approval. D'AM May we continue with questions from your people? He receives nods and the "press conference" continues without incident for another hour and a half. Y'va and D'am fields questions on everything from metaphysics to physics. There is no more aggressive posturing or attempts at one- upmanship. The Indian and Australian representatives were very interested in the biological ramifications and details of the beginnings of Earth humans. The Indian seems especially intrigued with the prospect of potentially slowing down the reproductive rate of humans. Daima of Japan is interested in details of their instrumentation and machines. Both D'am and Y'va beg ignorance on the engineering aspects and the Japanese looks put out when he was told he would have to wait for Vesna to sort it all out. Moffet spent most of his time kissing up to President Forest and not really contributing to the conversation. Mueller is sulking that he couldn't glean anything that would strengthen his economic position in the global marketplace. Mike can see that both Y'va and D'am are beginning to wear down and raises his hand. Y'VA Yes, Michael. MIKE ANGEL My friends all call me Mike. He rises and walks toward them and in front of the main camera. He turns to face the lens. MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D) I think we're over taxing D'am and Y'va. I know each of you has at least ten thousand more questions and that each of your constituents has at least that many more, but these two have been here as long as we've been on Earth and will be around for a long time to come. I think it's time to call it a wrap. He can see from the corner of his eye that Y'va looks relieved. There is grumbling from all of the representatives, but no one actively raises a complaint. D'AM Yes. We will make arrangements for better communication in the future, but please understand there is much we do not know ourselves. Please refer to things we have said in the past and we will be here to make clear anything that has been lost during translation. MIKE ANGEL (To the camera) Thank you all again for your participation. This has been a momentous occasion, I know. To date, only eleven people have walked on the Earth's moon, but now fourteen of us are standing on a neighboring planet and we've found more than mankind ever dreamed of. Let's just take it as it comes. (turning to D'am and Y'va) Thank you very much for your gracious hospitality and willingness to put up with us. D'am smiles broadly for the first time that Mike remembers seeing. D'AM It is we who should thank all of you for remembering us, no matter how. It is our great pleasure, as I said. You have come so far in so short a time. There is a general assent from the Earth representatives and then the monitor goes dead and all of the tally lights turn black. MIKE ANGEL Vesna, are we off? VESNA (OS) Yes, Sir. Mike starts back to the crew when Y'va interrupts. Y'VA Mr...Mike, may we have a word with you? MIKE ANGEL Certainly. Mike turns, but motions to Lana to join him. MIKE ANGEL Do you mind if Mrs. Gerasova joins us? Y'VA (Playful glint in her eye) Not at all. Y'VA Thank you for understanding our condition. It will take almost a full cycle of this planet before we are back to our normal strength after a long sleep. The machines keep us fairly well, but our stamina is not what it will be. Mike shrugs, almost embarrassed at the compliment. D'AM Yes. For that and for understanding your fellow people. We might have made an error by misjudging technological advancement with maturity. D'AM (CONT'D) From what Vesna has taught us in the past few days about the state of your planet and about you as a person, I am very thankful that you have acted with restraint and have heeded my suggestions of the past. Mike is completely embarrassed at that and has a difficult time finding his voice. MIKE ANGEL Please, I am no saint. Honestly, I don't belong to any organization that touts what you said. I just know my fellow man, and I know what is not right. I have had to do things in my past that I would rather you never learn about, but now I will not willingly become a part of what would be wrong. Y'VA (Relieved) You would not destroy the country of China, then? Mike almost laughs as he feels the heat leaving his face. MIKE ANGEL No! That was what we humans call a 'bluff'. They all know I have the capability of doing it. Nevertheless, they don't know me. I would never do such a thing for any reason, but they don't know that. I would destroy all of my work before it would come to that. I will tell you truthfully, however, that there wasn't a person in this conference today that would hesitate one nanosecond to do something similar. That is why I'm hoarding what I know. I hope I'm just being paranoid, but I don't think so. I have very little trust in my fellow man. Like you said, we were crossed with a territorial and aggressive species and that is still with us. Y'va smiles and puts her arms around him in a motherly hug. Y'VA Still, we are grateful for your sensibilities. Mike feels the heat coming up from his neck again. MIKE ANGEL Please, there are many like me. I'm not unique. There are a lot of us who think as I do, we are just not in control. Svetlana's late husband was one just like me. He had to break all of the rules because of circumstances and he hated it. So did I. I try to be correct now. Lana shrinks a bit with the mention of her Illya, but knows down deep that the assessment is correct. D'AM But from what I have learned from your history, would not the two of you have been enemies? MIKE ANGEL (Assertively) Never! Our leaders said that we were, but had we met, we would have been more like brothers. I would venture a guess that on my planet there are more that think as I than like our leaders. It is an odd quirk of our nature that, while we know and understand right from wrong, we follow a strong person into doing the wrong thing. It is my dream that, especially now that you are with us again, we can bring some sanity to the Earth. Y'VA That would be wonderful. It is the only thing we have ever hoped for. MIKE ANGEL Then please, stay awake for at least the next century and become an active part of our development because we have a long way to go to get our act together. Y'VA You will make arrangements for better communication between our worlds? VESNA (OS) That has already begun, ma'am. I have had Miss Ivanova install an interface that will allow G'dala direct access through our subspace communications to Earth. We are making arrangements now to make this connection widespread on our planet. D'AM That is very good. It has always been a problem from this distance. G'dala can only receive impressions and symbols and relay them to us as such. Complete verbal communication has always been impossible unless we went there. As I said, we cannot remain on your planet for long, even with our protective suits. VESNA (OS) Mike. Would you mind if I downloaded some of my personality subroutines to G'dala? He is such a magnificent machine that the house and I look like an abacus next to him; but their technology never considered allowing him to grow or have independence as you have us. Mike blanches. MIKE ANGEL Not my call. D'am and Y'va are the ones that would have to put up with a pain in the...neck like the two of you for the next several millennia, not me. Y'VA (Excited) Oh, please! You cannot imagine how refreshing it has been for us to speak with you and Vesna. It would be very pleasurable to have another to speak with. Mike just rolled his eyes. MIKE ANGEL (mumbling) It's your funeral. SVETLANA Excuse me, I have a very silly question just for my own information. D'AM Yes? SVETLANA We give names to everything. For instance, Vesna is the vehicle we came in and the computer behind it. May I assume that your ship, this mountain, this vehicle is also called by you G'dala? Y'VA Oh, no. We never personalized the craft. It is just called H'vn. MIKE ANGEL (mumbling more) I'm freaking dead. (Eyes roll totally) The Fundies will be building missiles when they hear that. Alpha Centauri, here I come. Lana appears to take that in stride and thanks the pair as she turns to leave. Mike begin to follow when Y'va puts her hand on his arm Y'VA She is your mate, yes? Mike can feel his heart pound and has the look of a cornered animal. MIKE ANGEL (Very softly) No. Y'VA She should be. FADE OUT: Ben W. Gardner Sedona, Arizona "I do not fear computers. I fear lack of them." --Isaac Asimov http://ca.geocities.com/vladilyich/ In The Beginning - ISBN: 1-4116-3848-4 Just In Time - ISBN 1-4116-3851-4 Ad Astra - ISBN: 978-1-84728-518-8 In stores and at Amazon.Com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-1761779-3946261?url=search-alias%3Daps&... |
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