they would be called the Reyes-Mishra Asteroid Swarm, after the two scientists who first photographed them.
Privately, Dr. Reyes and Dr. Mishra had offered Carl a chance to have his name attached to the discovery. The young graduate student had declined.
Carl had seen the tape of his announcement being replayed every hour of every day.
I wanted to go down in history as the man who discovered a new planet , thought Carl sadly. Not the prophet who announced the end of the world.
Carl Strickler had earned his doctorate. But he didn't crave fame. Not anymore.
* * *
It wasn't long before a tabloid television show discovered a passage by the sixteenth-century French astrologer Nostradamus that began:
In the year 1999, in the seventh month, from the sky will come a great King of Terror...
With gleeful relish, the reporter reminded his viewers that Reyes, the name of one of the discoverers of the asteroid swarm, was a variation on the Spanish word for king .
5
MEETINGS
Wednesday, May 19, 1999, 8:55 P.M.
Project Valkyrie headquarters
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
When he heard the knock, Kip looked up from the textbooks, graphs, and schematic charts that were spread across the top of his desk.
"Come in," he said anxiously.
The door swung open and Tia Shimura, looking relaxed in her off-duty uniform, smiled at him.
"Are you coming to the lounge?" she asked. "There's another news conference about the asteroids. Everyone will be there."
"I'm not sure..." Kip hesitated. "I'm not done yet."
Tia stepped into his room and closed the door. It was against regulations to have another student in your quarters, but like Lori, Tia liked to ignore regulations.
She sat down and stared at Kip.
"What?" he demanded.
"You can't just hide in your room, you know."
Kip closed a book and looked at her. "Why not?"
"Listen," Tia replied. "Everybody screws up. You're not alone. Look at Lori, look at Toby, look at me!"
"But seven times, in seven straight simulations? That's got to be a new record," Kip snapped back. "Nobody messes up that much, and stays in the program for long. Krupp said so himself!"
"Krupp isn't in charge," Tia argued. "Taggart is -"
"I know I've let him down," Kip interrupted. "He took a big risk signing me up. Have you heard that Dr. Markham was against letting me in the program? Said my childhood was too unstable."
"Don't worry about Dr. Markham. The lady shrink has gotten into all of our heads at one time or another, and she can be pretty harsh."
Kip sighed. "Maybe Dr. Markham is right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this Project."
"Just what is that supposed to mean?"
Kip's eyes avoided Tia's. "I'm not sure we're doing the right thing..."
Tia stared at him, puzzled.
"I can't... I can't bring myself to think of Godzilla as the enemy. Every time I see him, in the simulator, on film, and in our classes, I see an animal. Confused. In pain. But just an animal. So I just freeze..." Kip looked up, finally meeting Tia's eyes. "Godzilla isn't evil," he whispered. "And I can't force myself to believe he is."
"That's ridiculous!" Tia cried. "You saw the films of Tokyo. You know what kind of destruction Godzilla brings with him! Thousands died in the past, millions more could die in the future if Godzilla shows up again."
"I know," Kip replied a little too defensively. "But when I see him, a voice in the back of my mind says we're doing the wrong thing. I can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Even in the simulators."
Kip's voice faded away. Tia gazed at him.
"So that's the problem," she said.
Kip nodded, and Tia shrugged her shoulders. "Quit then," she said simply.
Kip stood up and crossed the room. He stared out the window at the stars shining down on the barren desert of Nevada. The silence stretched on.
Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to leave. I've found a home here."
Tia sighed. "Then don't forget that what we're doing is important. The scientists will save the world from asteroids. Our job is saving it from
Privately, Dr. Reyes and Dr. Mishra had offered Carl a chance to have his name attached to the discovery. The young graduate student had declined.
Carl had seen the tape of his announcement being replayed every hour of every day.
I wanted to go down in history as the man who discovered a new planet , thought Carl sadly. Not the prophet who announced the end of the world.
Carl Strickler had earned his doctorate. But he didn't crave fame. Not anymore.
* * *
It wasn't long before a tabloid television show discovered a passage by the sixteenth-century French astrologer Nostradamus that began:
In the year 1999, in the seventh month, from the sky will come a great King of Terror...
With gleeful relish, the reporter reminded his viewers that Reyes, the name of one of the discoverers of the asteroid swarm, was a variation on the Spanish word for king .
5
MEETINGS
Wednesday, May 19, 1999, 8:55 P.M.
Project Valkyrie headquarters
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
When he heard the knock, Kip looked up from the textbooks, graphs, and schematic charts that were spread across the top of his desk.
"Come in," he said anxiously.
The door swung open and Tia Shimura, looking relaxed in her off-duty uniform, smiled at him.
"Are you coming to the lounge?" she asked. "There's another news conference about the asteroids. Everyone will be there."
"I'm not sure..." Kip hesitated. "I'm not done yet."
Tia stepped into his room and closed the door. It was against regulations to have another student in your quarters, but like Lori, Tia liked to ignore regulations.
She sat down and stared at Kip.
"What?" he demanded.
"You can't just hide in your room, you know."
Kip closed a book and looked at her. "Why not?"
"Listen," Tia replied. "Everybody screws up. You're not alone. Look at Lori, look at Toby, look at me!"
"But seven times, in seven straight simulations? That's got to be a new record," Kip snapped back. "Nobody messes up that much, and stays in the program for long. Krupp said so himself!"
"Krupp isn't in charge," Tia argued. "Taggart is -"
"I know I've let him down," Kip interrupted. "He took a big risk signing me up. Have you heard that Dr. Markham was against letting me in the program? Said my childhood was too unstable."
"Don't worry about Dr. Markham. The lady shrink has gotten into all of our heads at one time or another, and she can be pretty harsh."
Kip sighed. "Maybe Dr. Markham is right. Maybe I'm not cut out for this Project."
"Just what is that supposed to mean?"
Kip's eyes avoided Tia's. "I'm not sure we're doing the right thing..."
Tia stared at him, puzzled.
"I can't... I can't bring myself to think of Godzilla as the enemy. Every time I see him, in the simulator, on film, and in our classes, I see an animal. Confused. In pain. But just an animal. So I just freeze..." Kip looked up, finally meeting Tia's eyes. "Godzilla isn't evil," he whispered. "And I can't force myself to believe he is."
"That's ridiculous!" Tia cried. "You saw the films of Tokyo. You know what kind of destruction Godzilla brings with him! Thousands died in the past, millions more could die in the future if Godzilla shows up again."
"I know," Kip replied a little too defensively. "But when I see him, a voice in the back of my mind says we're doing the wrong thing. I can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Even in the simulators."
Kip's voice faded away. Tia gazed at him.
"So that's the problem," she said.
Kip nodded, and Tia shrugged her shoulders. "Quit then," she said simply.
Kip stood up and crossed the room. He stared out the window at the stars shining down on the barren desert of Nevada. The silence stretched on.
Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to leave. I've found a home here."
Tia sighed. "Then don't forget that what we're doing is important. The scientists will save the world from asteroids. Our job is saving it from
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