Number Four began to glow. Suddenly, it shot a brilliant beam of light straight out across the moon’s surface. Amazed, Glen looked out into the distance, where he saw the other three obelisks, each doing the same.
For a moment, Glen tried to process what he was seeing: four beams of light, each projected from an obelisk. Far away to the left was Number One. Straight ahead, many miles in the distance, was Number Two. Number Three was to Glen’s right. And finally, where he stood was Number Four.
Then, his eyes brightening, Glen looked from one to the other and realized what he was seeing.
“An intersection!” he exclaimed. “I think I know where I need to go next.”
Glen took off in his rover, following the beams of light until he reached the spot where they met. He was not surprised to see that he was not the only one there. Salerno was standing next to her own rover, shaking her head as she watched him approach.
“You did it,” Salerno said, looking at Glen in amazement. “You found Number Four. And look,” she said. “These beams of light, they form an
X
, like on a treasure map.”
Glen walked over to Salerno, and they both stared at the point on the ground where the beams met. They were silent, but both wondered the same thing:
What was down there?
“Son, do you have her?” Slayton said, his voice coming through over Glen’s headset. “Do you have Salerno in custody?”
Both Glen and Salerno heard Slayton’s question, and for a moment, they just looked at each other as the flight director continued to ask what was going on. At last, Salerno spoke.
“Well, so now what?” Realizing that she was lucky to escape from Glen three times already,Salerno was prepared for the worst. After coming so close to unlocking the mysteries of the obelisks, she knew that she might never find out if her theories about alien life were correct. She held her breath as she waited for Glen’s decision.
He grabbed two shovels from the rover, tossing one to Salerno. “We start digging,” he said.
Salerno’s eyes brightened as Slayton barked over the radio: “Mission Control requesting information! I repeat, do you have Salerno in custody?”
“Mr. Slayton,” Glen said, looking at Commander Salerno’s smiling face, “I’m afraid I’ve had to put your mission on hold for the moment.”
“On hold?” Slayton roared. “Son, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Well,” Glen replied, “I guess I’m disobeying orders.” He figured that would send Slayton over the edge, but the voice that responded over the radio wasn’t the flight director’s.
“Glen, can you hear me?” It was Mr. Johns.
Glen and Salerno were about to start digging, but hearing his father’s voice made Glen pause. “Yes, Dad, I can hear you.”
“Glen, I know you’ve been through a lot up there, but why don’t you and Commander Salerno just follow orders and come home?”
Glen could hear the worry in his father’s voice and was sure that his dad had been through a lot, too. He looked down at his feet and kicked a pebble, hoping that what he was about to say wouldn’t upset his dad further.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but there’s something we have to do first.”
“But why?” Mr. Johns responded. “What could be more important than coming home?”
“Dad, it turns out that you were right. There’s a lot left to explore in this universe, and it would be a shame to stop now, especially if this is the last chance we’ll get.”
Mr. Johns had been desperate to get Glen home safely ever since the launch, but hearing his son’s words made him smile. It seemed that his spirit of discovery lived on.
“Okay, Glen, but be careful,” Mr. Johns said.
“I will, Dad.”
“Son?” Slayton’s voice returned.
“Yes, Mr. Slayton?” Glen answered.
“Make us proud.”
Alien Base
Glen and Salerno began digging at the point where the beams of light met. They had no idea what they might find, which made their work all the more
For a moment, Glen tried to process what he was seeing: four beams of light, each projected from an obelisk. Far away to the left was Number One. Straight ahead, many miles in the distance, was Number Two. Number Three was to Glen’s right. And finally, where he stood was Number Four.
Then, his eyes brightening, Glen looked from one to the other and realized what he was seeing.
“An intersection!” he exclaimed. “I think I know where I need to go next.”
Glen took off in his rover, following the beams of light until he reached the spot where they met. He was not surprised to see that he was not the only one there. Salerno was standing next to her own rover, shaking her head as she watched him approach.
“You did it,” Salerno said, looking at Glen in amazement. “You found Number Four. And look,” she said. “These beams of light, they form an
X
, like on a treasure map.”
Glen walked over to Salerno, and they both stared at the point on the ground where the beams met. They were silent, but both wondered the same thing:
What was down there?
“Son, do you have her?” Slayton said, his voice coming through over Glen’s headset. “Do you have Salerno in custody?”
Both Glen and Salerno heard Slayton’s question, and for a moment, they just looked at each other as the flight director continued to ask what was going on. At last, Salerno spoke.
“Well, so now what?” Realizing that she was lucky to escape from Glen three times already,Salerno was prepared for the worst. After coming so close to unlocking the mysteries of the obelisks, she knew that she might never find out if her theories about alien life were correct. She held her breath as she waited for Glen’s decision.
He grabbed two shovels from the rover, tossing one to Salerno. “We start digging,” he said.
Salerno’s eyes brightened as Slayton barked over the radio: “Mission Control requesting information! I repeat, do you have Salerno in custody?”
“Mr. Slayton,” Glen said, looking at Commander Salerno’s smiling face, “I’m afraid I’ve had to put your mission on hold for the moment.”
“On hold?” Slayton roared. “Son, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Well,” Glen replied, “I guess I’m disobeying orders.” He figured that would send Slayton over the edge, but the voice that responded over the radio wasn’t the flight director’s.
“Glen, can you hear me?” It was Mr. Johns.
Glen and Salerno were about to start digging, but hearing his father’s voice made Glen pause. “Yes, Dad, I can hear you.”
“Glen, I know you’ve been through a lot up there, but why don’t you and Commander Salerno just follow orders and come home?”
Glen could hear the worry in his father’s voice and was sure that his dad had been through a lot, too. He looked down at his feet and kicked a pebble, hoping that what he was about to say wouldn’t upset his dad further.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but there’s something we have to do first.”
“But why?” Mr. Johns responded. “What could be more important than coming home?”
“Dad, it turns out that you were right. There’s a lot left to explore in this universe, and it would be a shame to stop now, especially if this is the last chance we’ll get.”
Mr. Johns had been desperate to get Glen home safely ever since the launch, but hearing his son’s words made him smile. It seemed that his spirit of discovery lived on.
“Okay, Glen, but be careful,” Mr. Johns said.
“I will, Dad.”
“Son?” Slayton’s voice returned.
“Yes, Mr. Slayton?” Glen answered.
“Make us proud.”
Alien Base
Glen and Salerno began digging at the point where the beams of light met. They had no idea what they might find, which made their work all the more
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