reflected in by a ring of mirrors.
From the look of things, it appeared to be dawn outside.
“We’re not meant to save the world,” Professor Brand said. “We’re meant to leave it.”
Cooper couldn’t take his eyes off of the rocket. He let his gaze travel up, taking in every beautiful inch of her, not in a hurry. When he reached the top he saw two sleek craft mounted there, belly-to-belly, and he knew them.
“Rangers,” he murmured. Lineal descendants of the rocket planes like the X-15, and the space shuttles that followed, the winged Rangers could maneuver easily in an atmosphere. Unlike their predecessors, however, they were equally suited for deep space—at least in theory. None of them had ever made it there before the program was cut.
Or so he had believed. So he had been told when he was forced to retire, sent to “do his duty” in the fields, almost two decades ago.
“The last components of our one versatile ship in orbit, the Endurance ,” Professor Brand said. “Our final expedition.”
Final , Cooper thought, in a daze. That suggested others. And there had been a fair number of craft in his day. He’d assumed they’d been broken up and recast as farm equipment. But now…
“What happened to the other vehicles?” Cooper asked.
A new, unreadable expression played across the old man’s face.
“The Lazarus missions,” he said.
“Sounds cheerful,” Cooper replied.
“Lazarus came back from the dead—” Dr. Brand began.
“He had to die in the first place,” Cooper interjected. “You sent people out there looking for a new home…?” He trailed off, incredulous, but Professor Brand just nodded as if it all made perfect sense.
“There’s no planet in our solar system that can support life,” Cooper said. “And it’d take them a thousand years to reach the nearest star. That doesn’t even qualify as futile …” He shook his head. “Where did you send them, Professor?”
“Cooper,” Professor Brand said, “I can’t tell you any more unless you agree to pilot this craft.”
Cooper stared at him, dumbfounded.
“You’re the best we ever had,” the older man added.
What was he talking about? It had been decades. Everything Cooper had experienced, through most of his adult life, told him this whole thing was impossible. And yet…
To be asked to participate sent an undeniable thrill through him.
Which in turn made him more cautious than ever.
“I barely left the stratosphere,” Cooper objected.
“This crew’s never left the simulator ,” the professor said. “We can’t program this mission from Earth, and we don’t know what’s out there. We need a pilot. And this is the mission you were trained for.”
Cooper thought back to his training. Sure as hell no one had ever mentioned anything like this to him. He’d thought Mars, maybe, or Europa at the outside.
“Without ever knowing,” he said. “An hour ago, you didn’t even know I was still alive. And you were going anyway.”
“We had no choice,” Professor Brand said. “But something brought you here. They chose you.”
He felt a little chill at that, remembering Murph’s ghost, the lines in the dust, the coordinates that showed him the way to this place and these people. In the back of his mind, he’d thought he would find the mysterious messenger here, but by now it was clear that wasn’t the case.
Yet from the professor’s words, he understood that there was a messenger. It wasn’t all some figment of his imagination.
“Who’s ‘they?’” he asked.
But the professor fell silent. Cooper knew the drill. The man had baited the hook, and he was biding his time until the fish was firmly on the line.
Cooper thought about it, about the impossibility—and the possibility—of what the professor was saying.
“How long would I be gone?” he finally asked.
“Hard to know,” Brand said. “Years.”
“I’ve got my kids, professor,” he said.
The professor nodded, then looked
From the look of things, it appeared to be dawn outside.
“We’re not meant to save the world,” Professor Brand said. “We’re meant to leave it.”
Cooper couldn’t take his eyes off of the rocket. He let his gaze travel up, taking in every beautiful inch of her, not in a hurry. When he reached the top he saw two sleek craft mounted there, belly-to-belly, and he knew them.
“Rangers,” he murmured. Lineal descendants of the rocket planes like the X-15, and the space shuttles that followed, the winged Rangers could maneuver easily in an atmosphere. Unlike their predecessors, however, they were equally suited for deep space—at least in theory. None of them had ever made it there before the program was cut.
Or so he had believed. So he had been told when he was forced to retire, sent to “do his duty” in the fields, almost two decades ago.
“The last components of our one versatile ship in orbit, the Endurance ,” Professor Brand said. “Our final expedition.”
Final , Cooper thought, in a daze. That suggested others. And there had been a fair number of craft in his day. He’d assumed they’d been broken up and recast as farm equipment. But now…
“What happened to the other vehicles?” Cooper asked.
A new, unreadable expression played across the old man’s face.
“The Lazarus missions,” he said.
“Sounds cheerful,” Cooper replied.
“Lazarus came back from the dead—” Dr. Brand began.
“He had to die in the first place,” Cooper interjected. “You sent people out there looking for a new home…?” He trailed off, incredulous, but Professor Brand just nodded as if it all made perfect sense.
“There’s no planet in our solar system that can support life,” Cooper said. “And it’d take them a thousand years to reach the nearest star. That doesn’t even qualify as futile …” He shook his head. “Where did you send them, Professor?”
“Cooper,” Professor Brand said, “I can’t tell you any more unless you agree to pilot this craft.”
Cooper stared at him, dumbfounded.
“You’re the best we ever had,” the older man added.
What was he talking about? It had been decades. Everything Cooper had experienced, through most of his adult life, told him this whole thing was impossible. And yet…
To be asked to participate sent an undeniable thrill through him.
Which in turn made him more cautious than ever.
“I barely left the stratosphere,” Cooper objected.
“This crew’s never left the simulator ,” the professor said. “We can’t program this mission from Earth, and we don’t know what’s out there. We need a pilot. And this is the mission you were trained for.”
Cooper thought back to his training. Sure as hell no one had ever mentioned anything like this to him. He’d thought Mars, maybe, or Europa at the outside.
“Without ever knowing,” he said. “An hour ago, you didn’t even know I was still alive. And you were going anyway.”
“We had no choice,” Professor Brand said. “But something brought you here. They chose you.”
He felt a little chill at that, remembering Murph’s ghost, the lines in the dust, the coordinates that showed him the way to this place and these people. In the back of his mind, he’d thought he would find the mysterious messenger here, but by now it was clear that wasn’t the case.
Yet from the professor’s words, he understood that there was a messenger. It wasn’t all some figment of his imagination.
“Who’s ‘they?’” he asked.
But the professor fell silent. Cooper knew the drill. The man had baited the hook, and he was biding his time until the fish was firmly on the line.
Cooper thought about it, about the impossibility—and the possibility—of what the professor was saying.
“How long would I be gone?” he finally asked.
“Hard to know,” Brand said. “Years.”
“I’ve got my kids, professor,” he said.
The professor nodded, then looked
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