Four. Why don’t you join me?”
“You want me to help you? But if you haven’t found the fourth obelisk yet, what makes you think I could?”
“Well, you managed to track me down, didn’t you? You must be pretty smart,” Salerno said, causing Glen to blush. “Plus, I’ve been looking for a Geiger counter. It’s a device that picks up signs of nearby radiation. If you could help me find it, I’m sure we’d find Number Four in no time!”
Something had awoken in Glen. He desperately wanted to join her, find Number Four, and see if Salerno was right about it being linked to alien life. But most of all, he wanted to explore. He was just about to answer her when Slayton’s voice came in over his headset.
“Son, you’ve got her. Now bring her back to the lunar lander and come on home!”
Salerno heard Slayton’s orders, too. She looked Glen in the eyes, waiting to see what his decision would be. At last, Glen hung his head and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Commander, but I really have toget back to Earth. You need to come with me.”
“I see,” Salerno responded. “You have a job to do and don’t want to disappoint the people back home.” Salerno rose from her seat and began moving toward the wall. “But, Glen, I have a job to do as well, and I must do it. Not just for myself, but for everyone in the world who’s ever wondered if there’s life beyond Earth.”
“Commander,” Glen said, his voice cracking, “I really just want to go home. Please don’t make this difficult.”
Salerno reached for a switch on the wall and turned to Glen. “It is difficult, Glen. It’s difficult because I see in you a young man who is turning his back on his spirit of exploration. I find that very sad.” At that, Salerno pulled the wall switch, causing an airlock to fly open. Standing on the edge, she added, “I really wish you were on my team, Glen.”
And then she jumped.
Glen ran to the edge and looked down, where he saw Salerno land softly on the moon’s surface. She hopped into her rover and drove off.
“What’s going on there?” Slayton demanded. “Do you have Salerno?”
“No, Mr. Slayton, she’s escaped.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he shouted. “Get after her while she’s still close!”
Pursuit
“Just what in the world happened back there?” Slayton asked, sounding very angry. “I didn’t figure you to be one to go screwy when the chips were down.”
Back in the rover, Glen drove as fast as he could. His eyes were glued to the far-ahead lights of Salerno’s fleeing vehicle.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mr. Slayton. I’ll get her, and she won’t get away this time.”
The truth was, Glen didn’t know what had happened. He’d been so close to catching her, to completing his mission and going home. But all that talk of obelisks, aliens, and discovery had distracted him.
She tricked me,
Glen thought, feeling foolish for having allowed himself to get swept up in Salerno’s fantasies.
But it won’t happen again.
Glen flew across the moon’s surface, making up ground on Salerno. As he closed in on the lights up ahead, he began imagining what he’d say to her, promising himself that this time he wouldn’t give her a chance to escape. But then, suddenly, the lights of Salerno’s rover disappeared.
“Darn it!” Glen shouted. “She turned them off.” Left behind in Salerno’s trail of dust, Glen had no idea which way she’d gone. He slowed his vehicle to a stop, looking in every direction. Then, an idea occurred to him.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” he said, turning on the locator device. The green arrow immediately began beeping, and Glen set off at once, following the signal until he reached a building he hadn’t seen before.
I don’t see Salerno’s rover anywhere around here,
Glen said to himself, patrolling the outside of the building,
but she must be here. The locator device is beeping like crazy.
Glen stepped out of his vehicle and
“You want me to help you? But if you haven’t found the fourth obelisk yet, what makes you think I could?”
“Well, you managed to track me down, didn’t you? You must be pretty smart,” Salerno said, causing Glen to blush. “Plus, I’ve been looking for a Geiger counter. It’s a device that picks up signs of nearby radiation. If you could help me find it, I’m sure we’d find Number Four in no time!”
Something had awoken in Glen. He desperately wanted to join her, find Number Four, and see if Salerno was right about it being linked to alien life. But most of all, he wanted to explore. He was just about to answer her when Slayton’s voice came in over his headset.
“Son, you’ve got her. Now bring her back to the lunar lander and come on home!”
Salerno heard Slayton’s orders, too. She looked Glen in the eyes, waiting to see what his decision would be. At last, Glen hung his head and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Commander, but I really have toget back to Earth. You need to come with me.”
“I see,” Salerno responded. “You have a job to do and don’t want to disappoint the people back home.” Salerno rose from her seat and began moving toward the wall. “But, Glen, I have a job to do as well, and I must do it. Not just for myself, but for everyone in the world who’s ever wondered if there’s life beyond Earth.”
“Commander,” Glen said, his voice cracking, “I really just want to go home. Please don’t make this difficult.”
Salerno reached for a switch on the wall and turned to Glen. “It is difficult, Glen. It’s difficult because I see in you a young man who is turning his back on his spirit of exploration. I find that very sad.” At that, Salerno pulled the wall switch, causing an airlock to fly open. Standing on the edge, she added, “I really wish you were on my team, Glen.”
And then she jumped.
Glen ran to the edge and looked down, where he saw Salerno land softly on the moon’s surface. She hopped into her rover and drove off.
“What’s going on there?” Slayton demanded. “Do you have Salerno?”
“No, Mr. Slayton, she’s escaped.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he shouted. “Get after her while she’s still close!”
Pursuit
“Just what in the world happened back there?” Slayton asked, sounding very angry. “I didn’t figure you to be one to go screwy when the chips were down.”
Back in the rover, Glen drove as fast as he could. His eyes were glued to the far-ahead lights of Salerno’s fleeing vehicle.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Mr. Slayton. I’ll get her, and she won’t get away this time.”
The truth was, Glen didn’t know what had happened. He’d been so close to catching her, to completing his mission and going home. But all that talk of obelisks, aliens, and discovery had distracted him.
She tricked me,
Glen thought, feeling foolish for having allowed himself to get swept up in Salerno’s fantasies.
But it won’t happen again.
Glen flew across the moon’s surface, making up ground on Salerno. As he closed in on the lights up ahead, he began imagining what he’d say to her, promising himself that this time he wouldn’t give her a chance to escape. But then, suddenly, the lights of Salerno’s rover disappeared.
“Darn it!” Glen shouted. “She turned them off.” Left behind in Salerno’s trail of dust, Glen had no idea which way she’d gone. He slowed his vehicle to a stop, looking in every direction. Then, an idea occurred to him.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” he said, turning on the locator device. The green arrow immediately began beeping, and Glen set off at once, following the signal until he reached a building he hadn’t seen before.
I don’t see Salerno’s rover anywhere around here,
Glen said to himself, patrolling the outside of the building,
but she must be here. The locator device is beeping like crazy.
Glen stepped out of his vehicle and
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