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Rated: 13+ · Book · Sci-fi · #1369089
The main characters are introduced, also hard science, political and religious intrigue.
#558317 added January 1, 2008 at 11:23pm
Restrictions: None
EPISODE 8 - FAMILY BEGINNINGS
FADE IN:

INT. RUSSIAN MEDICAL LAB

Medvedev is again putting away his equipment as Mike dresses
on the examination table.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             You are healthier this morning
                             than any human has a right to be.
                             Your samples are still in perfect
                             balance; there is no sign of any
                             infection anywhere in your body.
                             Your immune system appears to be
                             working against every pathogen I
                             know of, including HIV. The full
                             test on the air and water are
                             also back. There is nothing
                             whatsoever alive in that water.
                             It is pure hydrogen hydroxide.
                             There is no deuterium oxide, no
                             contaminants, nothing. It is as
                             if it was synthesized from pure
                             hydrogen and oxygen. There is
                             nothing alive in the air samples
                             either. However, there is a
                             trace of some chemicals that we
                             cannot identify. It is not a
                             carbon-based chemical, so it is
                             not what we call 'organic'. I am
                             detecting traces of silicon and
                             copper, but nothing that I can
                             put my finger on. I would need a
                             full laboratory to analyze
                             completely what it is. I suspect,
                             though, that this may be what has
                             improved your health. You no
                             longer appear to have your old
                             allergies, either. I find no
                             trace of them in your skin or
                             blood. Right now, you are from
                             the textbooks. I do want to
                             examine Ms. Ivanova before we
                             leave today, however.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Is there a problem?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             No, but there is something in her
                             medical records I want to confirm
                             before we leave and then check
                             when we return. It seems that
                             she has had a heart murmur all of
                             her life. This is not a danger
                             by itself, but may give trouble
                             with the thin air. However, if
                             what I am now suspecting is true,
                             I want to document for myself her
                             condition before we leave and
                             when we return.

                                                                                                                       261.


                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             What is it you're thinking?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             I think if you are correct in
                             your dates and your theory, that
                             the old fairy tales about
                             Methuselah and people living 600
                             years may actually be true. I am
                             thinking that whatever is in the
                             air in that chamber, or in the
                             light, or in the water, or
                             whatever, has perfected your body
                             to be what it should be. You
                             were correct to warn me against
                             telling anybody about this. If
                             my theory is correct, the
                             benefits to health and medical
                             science alone will be worth a
                             Nobel Prize or two. I thank you
                             for asking me to accompany you
                             here. I did not know what to
                             expect and this is certainly
                             something that is the most
                             exciting discovery since Pasteur
                             discovered germs!

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             It is I who am honored by your
                             participation. This is why I
                             chose you. Discoveries you make
                             here are yours. I knew when I
                             read your history, that your
                             really should have practiced your
                             MD degree. Vesna, would you ask
                             Oksana to come by Dr. Medvedev's
                             laboratory?

Mike pulls his shirt on and leaves the lab. He passes a
worried looking Oksana by the elevator.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Don't worry. We're just making
                             certain everyone is in top
                             condition. Ivan wants to make
                             sure that your heart murmur won't
                             give you trouble in the thin air.

The girl nods and turns toward the laboratory. Mike enters
the elevator and goes up to make some breakfast.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. GALLEY

Lana is in the galley with Mikhail just finishing a meal of
herrings and something that Mike doesn't recognize right off.

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Very sarcastically)
                             I see you are still walking around.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Ivan gave me a very clean checkup,
                             thank you.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Nothing we should worry about, then?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             No, quite the opposite.

Her journalistic red flag goes up.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             How do you mean, the opposite?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You know, I really enjoy getting
                             your goat. Let's just say you
                             will be pleasantly surprised
                             after today. Dr. Medvedev and I
                             have several experiments planned.
                             If they turn out as predicted,
                             not only will you be pleased, but
                             also the results for the rest of
                             the human race could be
                             revolutionary. Watch for Jim and
                             Ivan to be nominated for this
                             year's Nobel in medicine.

Now she is getting angry. Surprises are not one of
Svetlana's strong points.

Lana finishes cleaning up after herself and her son and
places their dishes in the washer.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             How is it, that since water is so
                             precious on this trip, we can do
                             laundry and wash dishes?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I'll ask Oksana to explain it to
                             you if you like, but basically,
                             all water is recycled here,
                             including your breath. We
                             maintain 20% humidity. Anything
                             over that returns to the main
                             water system. All fluids are
                             distilled first. That part which
                             comes out pure goes back into the
                             main water tanks. Any that is
                             contaminated runs through an
                             electrolysis system that breaks
                             it down to hydrogen and oxygen
                             where it's cycled through the
                             fuel cells to recharge the power
                             system. The fuel cells recombine
                             it to pure water and put it back
                             into the main water supply.
                             Contaminants and crud are kept in
                             storage until we hit space again,
                             and then jettisoned. There are
                             diminishing returns, but we
                             should have close to a six-month
                             supply of water and air.
                             Actually, probably more air, now
                             that Vesna has begun acclimatizing
                             us all to what we'll find in the
                             pyramid.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             I have not noticed any difference.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You shouldn't. Vesna is very
                             good at what she does. She has
                             been gradually dropping the
                             pressure and mixture that we're
                             breathing here so that our bodies
                             can become accustomed to it. It
                             was kind of a shock to me
                             yesterday. Today, I shouldn't be
                             out of breath quite so easily.
                             We are still not at exactly the
                             same mixture and it will take
                             several days to get there and be
                             used to it. But it should be better.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Is this your experiment?

Mike smiles and almost bursts out laughing when he recognizes
the old reporter's trick of eliciting a response that wasn't
prepared.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You don't give up, do you?

                                                 SVETLANA
                             You're impossible!

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             And you're beautiful. What can I
                             say?

Misha stares at them both, not believing this give and take.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You really need to learn to relax
                             before you burn yourself out.
                             Vesna can print out a copy of Lao
                             Tsu's Tao Te Ching if you'd like.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             I am not religious.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             No. Lao Tsu was a philosopher,
                             not a religious nut. He just
                             taught to let things unfold in
                             their natural order, to go with
                             the flow as it were. You will
                             most likely have a heart attack
                             before you hit 45 if you can't
                             understand that the universe will
                             do what it darn well pleases and
                             you don't have a say in it!

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Softening slightly)
                             I will consider this.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Please do. I am enjoying the
                             surprises every day. It is a joy
                             that occasionally I can second-
                             guess them, but it's not
                             important that I do. Just relax
                             and enjoy what's going on. I
                             really think you'll start looking
                             forward to it.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             But there are signs, signals; I
                             can tell weather because of the
                             rules of nature.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Misha, tell your mother the rules
                             of games. That the meteor storm
                             that appears from the side of
                             your screen must be taken into
                             account the same as the enemy
                             spaceship you have been tracking.
                             Get her to understand that there
                             are too many variables in life
                             and games for one person to
                             comprehend them all. You just
                             have to take them in stride and cope.

The boy smiles for one of the few times on the trip.

Lana walks out of the room, but the boy turns.

                                                 MIKHAIL
                             Spacibo, moi droog! Thank you my
                             friend.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Nyet, ya blagodaryu vas! No, I
                             thank you.

Mike nods as mother and son leave.

He finishes cutting up the peppers and ham for his omelet
and settles in for a meal.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. RUSSIAN SCIENCE SECTION

Everyone assembles in the lower section and are getting into
their Mars suits.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I'd like you all to understand
                             that shedding your suits inside
                             the pyramid airlock is totally
                             optional. Dr. Medvedev has
                             assured me that I suffered no ill
                             effects from yesterday's
                             encounter with the foreign
                             atmosphere.

The doctor nods.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             The initial analysis by our
                             weather people has proven correct,
                             the air is more than breathable
                             by us, if a little thin. It will
                             sustain life and extend the
                             amount of time that we spend
                             outside because we aren't using
                             up the stored oxygen in the suits.
                             Now I've added portable
                             communicators to all of your
                             suits that you can take with you
                             if you decide to take them off
                             inside. Unfortunately, ladies
                             yours are somewhat bulky and are
                             in the packs by your suits. If
                             you decide to join me and the
                             others, you'll still have to
                             carry those backpacks and attach
                             the cameras to your shoulder.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Why can't we use the small
                             transmitters my station provided?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Smiling)
                             We'll be over a thousand feet
                             inside solid rock, insulated by a
                             platinum passage. Standard radio
                             waves won't penetrate that far.
                             I haven't gotten around to the
                             miniaturization of the subspace
                             transmitters that Vesna uses yet,
                             so you'll be burdened by model
                             1.0. Next trip, I promise to
                             have them smaller.

The women look at each other and shrug. The rest pick up
their gear and the party departs out the airlock into the
pyramid.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. TUNNEL IN FRONT OF THE DOOR

They had left the outer door to the airlock open the day
before, so a repeat of the DNA insertion isn't necessary.
They all enter and cycle the airlock.

When the inner door opens, Mike says,

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             OK. As I said inside the ship,
                             joining me is voluntary. We have
                             not found any pathogens or
                             anything else dangerous, but you
                             may keep your suits on if you
                             wish. Just be aware, that you
                             will have to return within six
                             hours if you do, while the rest
                             of us can stay as long as we wish.

Everyone looks around at the others, but the four young
people step forward past the inner door and start removing
their suits.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (To himself)
                             God, I love the young!

Mike drops his suit in a pile next to the kids' and noticed
that the rest are hesitantly opening their faceplates and
preparing to remove theirs.

                                                 MIKHAIL
                             I smell nothing different.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Wait a while. What you 'smell'
                             is no smell. The air on Vesna
                             was captured on Earth, complete
                             with smells and allergens. From
                             what our good doctors have been
                             able to analyze, there is nothing
                             of the sort in here. This is
                             pure air. The lack of smells
                             should become apparent in a few
                             minutes. In fact, even after the
                             exertion yesterday, I couldn't
                             even smell myself.

The microbiologists have both brought several vacuum air
bottles to collect more samples. They release the valves
and leave the tanks with the suits for their return.

Mike is already about a hundred yards down the tunnel when
he speaks into the microphone on his shoulder,

                                                 MIKHAIL
                             Follow me when you can, I'll meet
                             you at the next door.

The women hastily finish shedding their exploration suits
and put the portable cameras on their shoulders while
donning the backpacks containing the transmitters.

They both trot off down the tunnel to catch up with Mike;
neither wanting to let the other scoop her on this story.

They find Mike seated on the floor of the tunnel with his
back against the second door. His eyes are closed, but his
manner says that he is awake.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Opening his eyes and standing)
                             I was wondering when you would
                             get here. Don't worry, I
                             wouldn't do anything rash unless
                             you were here watching.

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Scolding)
                             I wouldn't put it past you if you
                             did. In fact, I wouldn't be
                             surprised if you hired a group of
                             midgets to come running up the
                             tunnel singing 'Follow the Yellow
                             Brick Road'.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Humph! I didn't think of that.
                             Maybe next time.

Lana sticks her tongue out, which is out of range of her
camera, but not Sharon's who had been looking at her
counterpart.

Conversation can be heard from behind them and when they
turn, they see the rest of the party coming up at a more
leisurely pace. Sharon and Lana are still relatively out of
breath.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Hey guys, up here.

Mike waves to the group as they walk up the incline to his
position.

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             Chto eto? What is it?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             If you look closely, you'll see a
                             seam around the edges. My guess
                             is that this is just another door.

                                                 BELISAR
                             If it is, where is the knob or
                             button?

The walls are featureless surrounding the end of the tunnel.
There are no inscriptions, no protuberances, only a slight
seam surrounding the area at the end revealing it another door.

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             What now?

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Sarcasm in full force)
                             Yes, Mr. Magician. What do you
                             have planned next?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Well, I've looked this over and
                             can't figure out what the opening
                             device is on this one. John?

                                                 JOHN BELISAR
                             I don't see anything either, Sir.
                             There aren't even any other dents
                             for DNA.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You may have something there,
                             John. Yuri, Misha, Joe, Jim,
                             come on up here please.

The four break from the group and approach the wall. Mike
moves to the side with the journalists as they come up.
Each puts a hand on the door. At first, nothing at all
happens, but as Mikhail puts his hand on the wall, all can
feel a low rumbling. The door suddenly swings open.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Mumbling)
                             I've got to find the power source.

                                                 OKSANA
                                       (Nodding emphatically)
                             Da!

Carol rushes up and grab hold of Misha's hand and half drags
him through the portal. Mike looks at Lana, raises his
eyebrows, and tilts his head, and they both follow. The
rest follow a bit more reluctantly.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. ALIEN LABORATORY

At first, it appears just an extension of the previous
passage. Up ahead a few meters, though, it widens into a
large room.

Mike can actually detect points of light on the sides of the
room and it appears slightly more yellow here -- not quite
sunlight, but closer than the red from the prior entry.
Oksana rushes over to one wall when she sees the lights.

                                                 OKSANA
                                       (Very excited)
                             Eto mashina! That's a machine!

                                                 SVETLANA
                             My God!

Similar exclamations come from each as they enter the hall.
The room is almost the size of a football field. Lights are
all around on the walls and there are several rectangular
pedestals on the floor at the far end. The archaeologists
join Mike and Oksana as Sharon and Lana pan the room with
their cameras while attempting to keep up some sensible
commentary.

                                                 BELISAR
                                       (Pointing at characters
                                       underneath the lights)
                             Vesna, can you translate any of this?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Not really. I can see some
                             familiar characters, but most of
                             it is unknown. If you will have
                             Mike move his camera down all of
                             the walls, I may be able to make
                             some sense of it eventually. It
                             appears to be a combination of
                             the four languages on the outer
                             door. It is not a parallel
                             translation, but a mixture along
                             with some characters that are
                             totally unknown. This may take
                             some time. I may need your help,
                             Oksana, since most of the writing
                             is near one panel or another. I
                             feel that these may be describing
                             functions of the machinery. As
                             you understand the machinery, I
                             may be able to apply that to the
                             writing.

Mike wanders around pointing his camera at all of the
inscriptions, meters, and panels. The microbiologists are
busy taking swabs of the walls and floors, while Jameson,
Garan, Stromberg, and Norodsky are debating among themselves
whether to return to the pool of water back in the passage.

A woman's scream pierces the thin air and Mike whips around
to see Sharon standing by one of the boxes at the far end.
He breaks into a dead run toward her, as do most of the
others. When he reaches Sharon, Mike sees she has a hand to
her mouth and is just staring down at one of the boxes.

He puts an arm around her waist and looks to see what had
frightened her. As he gazes downward, Mike sees the
pedestals are containers over two meters long and almost a
meter wide, maybe a meter and a half from the floor. They
also have transparent lids. The one closest to Sharon holds
the naked body of a woman.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Joe, Igor, Jim, Ivan, get your
                             asses down here now!

                                                 BELISAR
                             Lord.

There are ten such containers at that end of the room. The
doctor can see the body is human, maybe mid twenties, and in
a perfect state of preservation. Barishnikov's jaw drops
wide when he joins his colleague and sees the body.

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Accusingly)
                             No more surprises, huh?

She dug her elbow into his ribs.

Mike put his hands up defensively and widens his eyes to
look innocent.

                                                 JOHN BELISAR
                                       (From the other end of
                                       the room)
                             Holy crow. Here's another one!

As the group moves from one container to another, they see
each is identical in size and apparent function. There is a
naked male in another, but the other eight are empty.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             My God! How can this be? Even
                             with the best preservation known
                             to science, a body will
                             deteriorate eventually, if only
                             from its native bacteria. We
                             have the best embalmers in the
                             world, but still the body of
                             Vladimir Illyich requires monthly
                             maintenance to keep him appearing
                             natural.

                                                 MEDVEDEV (CONT'D)
                             The body found frozen in the
                             glacier in Italy had deteriorated
                             and desiccated after a few
                             thousand years. If you are
                             correct in your time estimate,
                                       (turning to Mike)
                             this woman has been here for
                             almost a half-million years and
                             still looks as if she had been
                             placed there yesterday.

                                                 KITCH
                             It is the same down here. This
                             man could have died this morning
                             and not looked so good.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                                       (Softly, but audible
                                       to all)
                             There's another possible
                             explanation.
                                       (all heads swivel in
                                       his direction)
                             They're not dead.

Lana sits down very hard on the floor. It was either that,
or fall over from the shock.

                                                 ALL SCIENTISTS
                             No! Impossible! That cannot be!

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Look, from what each of you
                             believed last week, none of this
                             is possible; from flying here in
                             three hours, to a man-made
                             edifice, to working machinery.
                             'There are more things in Heaven
                             and Earth, Horatio...'
                                       (beat)
                             Don't close your minds to
                             anything yet. Believe me, I
                             didn't know any of this when we
                             started out. Nevertheless, I'm
                             not going in with preconceived
                             ideas, either. As an engineer
                             and a physicist, I'm as blown
                             away as the rest of you. Here is
                             machinery, apparently working,
                             after thousands of years.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Heck, we can't make anything that
                             outlasts the warrantee on Earth-
                             especially if it's purchased on a
                             government contract! I had
                             suspicions when I asked for your
                             specialties, but I never expected
                             this! I told Oksana that she
                             needed to start thinking like a
                             Russian; I think the rest of us
                             better also. It's time to trash
                             all of our theories and just go
                             with whatever we discover.
                             That'll be better for our sanity,
                             and will definitely be better for
                             science.

Some of the scientists look a bit sheepish while the rest
still look confused.

Sharon has joined Lana on the floor.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I would like some analysis of
                             these bodies and containers as
                             soon as possible. I will need to
                             discuss this with your respective
                             governments in the meantime, if
                             you don't mind. This has become
                             a lot bigger than I can handle.
                             I'm going to need some direction
                             from your peers. This isn't
                             political, and it's not that I
                             don't trust your judgment; you're
                             the best there are. Proceeding
                             from here needs to be a group
                             decision, with you casting
                             deciding votes. I know what I
                             want, but I think this is bigger
                             than all of us. Let's check other
                             opinions before we do something rash.

The group takes more pictures and samples and heads back to
Vesna before the hour is up.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. COMMAND DECK

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Vesna, would you get both
                             presidents on a conference call?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             I'll try.

The group has returned to the ship to collect instruments
and notes

Oksana has remained behind, fascinated by this unbelievable
technology, only requesting that Mike return with several
stationary cameras for Vesna to have some eyes to check what
is going on.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             We're ready on the call, sir.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             President Forest, President
                             Puchinskiy, I really appreciate
                             your cooperation and responding
                             to my dilemma.

                                                 PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (OS)
                             Nichivo. It's nothing.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             I hope you realize that your
                             mission is now under full
                             jurisdiction of NASA and the
                             Joint Chiefs.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Please excuse me for a minute,
                             President Puchinskiy. President
                             Forest, get off my back! You
                             just won't give up, will you?
                             Realize that you have no control
                             of either this mission or our
                             findings. I have financed the
                             machines and the trip myself,
                             using no government money or
                             expertise. There is no government
                             equipment on board; I left that a
                             couple thousand miles from here.
                             There are no government personnel
                             here. You have no stake in any
                             part of this project and I'm 47-
                             million miles outside your
                             jurisdiction. Frankly, you've
                             been a perpetual speed bump
                             during this whole project. This
                             is a purely scientific mission.
                             What we find, be it information
                             or artifacts, belongs totally to
                             the scientists who discover it.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             I'm leaving it up to them what
                             happens to their findings, not
                             you! I know these people fairly
                             well and I've studied their
                             backgrounds thoroughly. I'll bet
                             your pension on the fact that
                             everyone here would vote for free
                             scientific trading of information.
                                       (beat)
                             What would you do with it? Bury
                             it in the Nevada desert for
                             another 50 years and still not
                             have a clue what it is? You've
                             already done that! You're no
                             closer today to understanding
                             those machines you have there
                             than you were in the late forties!
                             All you've done is make a big
                             secret of everything for no good
                             reason and make your constituents
                             mistrust you and the rest of
                             government. In fact, I'd
                             recommend you declassify one
                             whale of a lot of data, pronto,
                             because the American public is
                             about to come to the realization
                             that their suspicions were right
                             all along.
                                       (beat)
                             Now this conversation has been on
                             a secure line so far. I can open
                             it up and let you make a horse's
                             ass of yourself in front of all
                             300-million voters if you'd like.
                             I called to ask for your advice,
                             but if you insist on your 'Ugly
                             American' strong-arm tactics,
                             I'll cut you out so fast you'll
                             think your entire communications
                             system has crashed!

President Puchinskiy has installed a PC with NetMeeting and
a web cam since their last conversation, so there is video
and audio from his office. Mike can see the Russian
President trying his hardest not to fall off his chair in
laughter.

The silence continues for several minutes while Mike watches
the Russian compose himself. Mike winks and gives Puchinskiy
a knowing smile. The Russian nods to the camera with a grin
from ear-to-ear.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             Mr. Angelskov?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Mike.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             What is it you want?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Now we're talking. As you're
                             aware, we have not only found
                             evidence of extra-terrestrial
                             intelligence, we have two of them.
                             We have a room full of equipment
                             that we have no idea what it does,
                             or how it operates. We have a
                             half-dozen other discoveries so
                             far that are totally out of our
                             scope of expertise to handle. To
                             give you just one example, Dr.
                             Medvedev didn't just give me a
                             go-ahead this morning. I am
                             healthier than any person on
                             Earth is. There is a high
                             probability that I'll now have
                             several hundred years more life
                             than any of you. He thinks it's
                             something inside the pyramid that
                             has repaired my DNA and every
                             other system in my body. He's
                             running tests right now on all
                             the other members of our party,
                             but he's certain their results
                             will be the same. I blacked that
                             information out on purpose to
                             give each of you time to think
                             about the ramifications and give
                             me the benefit of your advice.
                             Ivan is looking at a Nobel, but
                             even I know that this may not be
                             something you want released for
                             general consumption. Most of the
                             world is overpopulated as it is.
                             Can you imagine the implication
                             of everyone living six or seven
                             hundred years? You'd run out of
                             food in under 50!
                                       (beat)
                             And that's just one of my worries.
                             Somewhere inside that pyramid is
                             a power source that has lasted 500
                             millennia.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             My cryogenic oscillators are
                             better than anything you have on
                             Earth right now, but the
                             implications of unlimited power
                             for an unlimited period is
                             staggering to me as an engineer.
                                       (beat)
                             I would like permission from each
                             of you for Vesna to download all
                             of her data so far, so that you
                             can gather your best scientists
                             and engineers to come up with
                             ideas of where we should go from
                             here. This time, I don't care if
                             your people are military or
                             simple service. I need brainpower.
                             You're the only ones that can
                             make it happen, and make it
                             happen quickly. That's what we
                             need right now. So far, I've
                             felt comfortable with a general
                             broadcast of everything we do.
                             Honestly, I'm getting a little
                             scared at what I'm finding and
                             I'm looking to each of you, and
                             the people you select to analyze
                             this data, to give me some
                             guidance. Again, if it's a
                             military secrecy clampdown, all
                             bets are off. The cat is already
                             out of the bag, people. I know
                             you each have your own damage
                             control to tend to, but before
                             the real bombshells start
                             dropping, I need your advice.

Puchinskiy's face has sobered as he absorbs this new
information. There is silence from both presidents for a
moment.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             Yes, send your data please.

                                                 PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (OS)
                             Da, we will study.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Excellent and I thank you both.
                             I know what I don't know. That is
                             why I'm asking for your guidance.
                             This trip has really gotten out
                             of hand for me.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             I knew we would find some
                             evidence of ancient civilizations,
                             but never any of this. Believe
                             me; I need the cooperation of the
                             two most powerful people on Earth
                             to get all of us through this
                             without creating chaos and
                             anarchy. There is more than
                             enough science here to
                             revolutionize every country on
                             the Earth, not just yours. What
                             I need now is a plan. So far,
                             I've been just taking it as it
                             happens and figuring out what to
                             do as I go along. I don't think
                             that's such a good idea right now.

                                                 PRESIDENTS PUCHINSKIY/FOREST (OS)
                             Agreed!

                                                 PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (OS)
                             Before I forget, Mikhail. The
                             Patriarch would like to speak
                             with you when you have a chance.
                             He had called me this morning
                             very excited at your latest
                             exploits and would be very
                             interested in discussing them.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             The honor is mine, Sir.
                                       (beat)
                             I know we are stretching a lot of
                             beliefs, from scientific to
                             religious. His Eminence's input
                             would be most valuable right now.
                             I'll contact him when we hang up.
                             President Forest, it might be a
                             good idea if you would alert the
                             Pope in the Vatican and the
                             current Prophet of the Latter Day
                             Saints that I would appreciate
                             their thinking, too.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                                       (Sarcastic)
                             What about the Southern Baptist
                             Convention?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Straight face)
                             They'd just tell me to come home
                             and ignore what I've seen. For
                             your information, Mr. President,
                             you can rest easy about your
                             plutonium. The house computer
                             has assured me that my birds
                             crushed yours and jettisoned the
                             power plants into the sun before
                             sending the rest to burn up in
                             the atmosphere.

This time, Mike can see Puchinskiy hit his mute key as he
lays his head on the desk with his shoulders heaving in
spasms of laughter.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Vesna will send you the secure
                             frequencies for the download,
                             just let her know when you are
                             prepared to receive it. I hope
                             to hear from you within the next
                             day. I can't hold these
                             scientists back forever.

                                                 PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (OS)
                             Ya ponimayu, I understand.
                                       (raising his head)


                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             We will get back to you.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I thank you both. Please work
                             well and play nicely together;
                             I've just made the world a lot
                             smaller and I think we all have
                             to be united. This scares the
                             heck out of me right now and I'm
                             looking for stability. I need
                             both of you for support.

                                                 PRESIDENT PUCHINSKIY (OS)
                             Bolshoye spacibo, thank you very
                             much. You will have the full
                             support of my country, our
                             resources, and all we can do for you.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST (OS)
                             Yes. You will have our support
                             also. We will begin assembling
                             people immediately.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Please, not your silly-assed
                             'think-tanks'; get every expert
                             in every field you can, including
                             sociology and psychology. Vesna
                             and I need the input from
                             everyone you can grab so that we
                             can make some good decisions from
                             here on out. I'm your eyes and
                             ears on Mars now. I know that
                             I'm walking a razor's edge as far
                             as the public's psyche is
                             concerned, and I need both of you
                             to keep me from falling off.

Mike breaks the connection.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Vesna, can you reach the Russian
                             Patriarch?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Do you want home, office, or cell
                             phone?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Smart-ass.

It takes almost a half-hour to locate the Patriarch of the
Eastern Orthodox Church.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Your Eminence, I am honored you
                             wished to speak with me.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             Izvinitye menya, ya govoryu po-
                             angliski ochen' uzhasno. Excuse
                             me, I speak English very badly.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Nye problema, Vesna, bi-
                             directional translation, please.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Sir, I understand you wished to
                             speak with me.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             Yes, please. I have heard that
                             you are very uncertain of what
                             you are doing.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Yes Sir. What we are doing could
                             have a bad effect on everybody
                             back on Earth unless we do it
                             carefully. I have no intention
                             of making enemies of large groups
                             of people who belong to certain
                             religions that find what we
                             discover in conflict with their
                             beliefs.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             Where is the conflict? There has
                             always been conflict because of
                             false or assertions that could
                             not be proven originating from
                             both science and from the church.
                             For centuries religious leaders
                             have taught mythical legends and
                             erroneous dogmas that are at odds
                             with modern scientific findings
                             and not based on inspired Scripture.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I don't understand, Sir.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             For an example, the Roman
                             Catholic Church condemned Galileo
                             because he concluded, correctly,
                             that the Earth revolves around
                             the sun. Galileo's view in no
                             way contradicted the Bible, but
                             it was contradictory to what the
                             church taught at the time.
                             Scientists are at fault when they
                             teach as fact the unprovable
                             theory that life evolved from
                             inanimate matter independent of
                             God. They ridicule religious
                             faith as unscientific.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             That's very true. My fear is
                             that we may just prove some
                             things that contradict many
                             people's beliefs.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             I don't think so. Proven science
                             and true religion complement
                             rather than contradict each other.
                             You have forced us into a time of
                             astonishment on a scale previously
                             unknown. Your new discoveries
                             are forcing scientists to revise
                             their views of the origin of our
                             universe and humanity.
                                       (beat)
                             Even if we look within ourselves,
                             the recent mapping of the human
                             genetic code which you found to
                             be the key to the doors raises
                             the questions: 'How were the
                             multitudes of life-forms created?
                             And who, if anyone, created them?'
                             The sheer complexity of our
                             genetic blueprint has moved one
                             of your presidents to say 'we are
                             learning the language in which
                             God created life'.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Concerned)
                             I know. But this may be too much,
                             too fast for many to accept.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             The physicist Freeman-Dyson once
                             said, 'Science and religion are
                             two windows that people look
                             through trying to understand the
                             big universe outside'. You are
                             only discovering what God wants
                             you to because we are ready.
                             There is no conflict, only
                             affirmation and explanation to
                             what we have believed. While you
                             add to science, you also add to
                             religion and to what we have
                             taught. I am excited for you and
                             your compatriots because you are
                             placing our teachings in a proper
                             context. My blessings go out to
                             all of you. May God continue to
                             be with you all, and may you
                             continue to bring, if not the
                             word, the acts of God to us all.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Your Eminence, I thank you
                             sincerely. I have known there
                             may be many that cannot see these
                             things as do you. There are
                             those that will have some big
                             problems with our discoveries.
                             Faith and knowledge are the two
                             things that make us different
                             from the rest of the animals. I
                             do not wish to change the balance
                             by destroying people's beliefs.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             No, you are doing just the
                             opposite, my son. I have heard
                             that church attendance is greater
                             than it has been for 90 years. I
                             have instructed my people to
                             reconcile what you have found
                             with the Scripture, and they have
                             had no problem. Honestly, you
                             are the best thing to happen to
                             the faith since before the Great
                             October Revolution. You may
                             discover that Jesus was created
                             on your planet, I do not know. I
                             do not have a problem with that
                             and neither does Scripture. He
                             was born here and his teachings
                             are valid. What you have found
                             so far not only reinforces what
                             we have always said, but it gives
                             us scientific proof too.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Sir, I cannot begin to thank you.
                             I think that I will be able to
                             sleep much better tonight after
                             our talk. I was very disturbed
                             with the possibilities of our
                             discoveries because I know that
                             many people will have a problem
                             with them. I do not want to
                             create a mass hysteria on Earth
                             with the proof that mankind
                             didn't start there.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             Nyet, it does not matter where we
                             began. The teachings of what we
                             should do and what we should be
                             is much more important. This is
                             why there is not any conflict.
                             What you learn, and what you
                             bring back to us, is more
                             important to the world to live as
                             God wills it. May God be with
                             all of you.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I thank you Sir, and I will pass
                             your blessing along to the rest.

                                                 PATRIARCH (OS)
                             Yes, go with God.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. COMMAND DECK

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Mr. Angelskov.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Can you guys ever learn to call
                             me Mike?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             I need to speak with you
                             regarding the tests I have just
                             completed.

Mike follows him to the elevator and back down to the lab.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. RUSSIAN MEDICAL LAB

The doctor sits down by his desk; if Mike didn't know better,
he'd have thought that Ivan is about to lose his bladder.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             I can find no evidence of
                             deterioration of the cells due to
                             aging. None of our people has
                             any bacterial infections anywhere.
                             Ms. Ivanova's heart murmur does
                             not exist anymore. Mrs. Gerasova
                             has no more allergies.

                                                 MEDVEDEV (CONT'D)
                             Every person who went on the
                             expedition today is in better
                             health than the day they were
                             born. They are like you, like me.
                             From what I can see on the tests
                             that I can run here, we all have
                             no effects of aging or medical
                             problems. What is happening?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Do you know how long it will last?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             I don't know what is causing it;
                             there is no way to know how long
                             the effect will last. For now,
                             it looks permanent. We will pick
                             up bacteria and virus again when
                             we return, but our cells have
                             changed in other ways. Look at
                             the back of your hands.

Mike extends his right hand in front of him and examines
both sides. The palm looks normal, but the back is smooth.
The network of fine lines and looser skin that begins in the
thirties is gone. His skin is as smooth as a teenager's.

                                                 MEDVEDEV (CONT'D)
                             It is too early to tell, but I
                             would guess that by the time we
                             go home, none of us will have any
                             gray hair. How long will it last?
                             If it begins to reverse again
                             when we go home, you have at
                             least doubled your life expectancy.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Have you told the others?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Only James knows because he
                             double checked all of my work.
                             He finds it impossible to believe
                             also, but the facts are there.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I think it's time to call a
                             meeting, then. Let's go on
                             upstairs and get everyone together.

The doctor follows Mike up to the control room.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. COMMAND DECK

The young people are there, as usual, practicing at their
stations. John is making small talk with Oksana while she
peruses screen after screen of diagrams. Carol has already
calculated every possible trajectory back to Earth for the
next six months and is busy now coming up with plots to the
other planets. Mike just shakes his head; for an engineer,
he hated math.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Vesna, will you ask everyone to
                             come on up?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Already done. I heard you
                             talking to Dr. Medvedev. They
                             should all be here in a few minutes.

The rest of the crew start assembling. Mike notices that
most still sport Band-Aids on their elbows from where Ivan
and James had drawn blood.

A couple of them looked concerned, but the majority are in
good spirits.

Igor and Pavel have even prepared a tray of zakuski
consisting of pickles, eggplant, cheese and of course, brown
bread with plenty of butter and salt.

When everyone has helped themselves and sat down Mike started,

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Ladies, gentlemen, people of
                             Earth, I'd like to give you a
                             brief explanation why your video
                             from Mars for the next bit of
                             time is going to be outside shots
                             of where we have landed. I've
                             spoken with the Presidents of
                             both the United States and the
                             Russian Federation and have
                             already apprised them of certain
                             findings. The crew and I need to
                             have a meeting so that they are
                             all up to speed also. This is
                             not a secret meeting, by any
                             means. However, certain facts
                             have come up that they need to be
                             aware of before we go public.
                             Please understand that there are
                             no problems here.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Everyone is well and the
                             exploration is proceeding beyond
                             all expectations, as I'm certain
                             you are aware. We just need a
                             brief period to ourselves to
                             decide on some policies before we
                             proceed. Each of us here will
                             have a vote, as well as President
                             Forest and President Puchinskiy
                             and, of course, Vesna.

All of the crewmembers are looking worried now, except
Doctors Medvedev and Kitch. The women looked at each other
with special worry - their children are with them on the
flight. Lana suspects Mike's penchant for surprises, and is
especially worried that he wouldn't just drop a bombshell
and watch the reaction as he usually did. This was not a
good sign to her. She can feel a knot in her stomach tighten.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Mr. Angelskov, will we be able to
                             disclose this meeting to our viewers?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             That will be entirely up to the
                             group as I mentioned. We will
                             discuss future policy and vote on
                             it. This is something that I
                             won't decide alone. I will say
                             that both countries are assembling
                             groups of experts to analyze our
                             data and advise us of a good plan
                             for the rest of the month.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             I am already downloading all of
                             the data we have collected so far
                             to Russian and American computers.
                             This should be complete within
                             the hour.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Thank you. And now Vesna, you
                             may start sending the Muzak of
                             space exploration.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Done.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             OK, group. You can stop looking
                             worried. I didn't lie; there is
                             absolutely nothing wrong. It's
                             just that some things have come
                             up that you need to be aware of
                             and I, for one, need your advice.
                             Publicity has to be a group
                             decision. Ivan, Jim?

The biologists rise and step forward to face the group.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Let me just tell you all that
                             each and every one of you are in
                             perfect health. Frankly, you are
                             in too perfect health.

Looks go from concern to confusion at this. The crew looks
at each other in bewilderment, wondering if anyone had a
clue about what was going on.

                                                 KITCH
                             What Ivan is trying to say, is
                             that each of you is now in better
                             health than you were the day you
                             were born. Oksana, you no longer
                             have any evidence of a heart
                             murmur. Svetlana, you have
                             absolutely no eosinophils in your
                             blood; you do not have any
                             allergies. Something inside that
                             pyramid has corrected every
                             defective gene in your DNA as
                             well as any trace of bacteria or
                             virus in your system.

There is still confusion on the crewmember's faces.

Mike chooses this moment to translate into nonprofessionals'
terms.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             What the doctors are trying to
                             say is that, even if we begin
                             dying again the minute we set
                             foot on Earth, each of us has a
                             minimum life expectancy of 140
                             years. If the Bible is to be
                             believed, it may be possibly over
                             900 years.

The looks turn to a dull roar of questions and exclamations
among the assemblage.

Mike holds up his hands and they eventually quiet down.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I have my theories, but medicine
                             and genetics are not my fields at
                             all, so anything I think is
                             grounded more in science-fiction
                             than real science. Take it for
                             what it's worth. The 'Hall of
                             the Ages' was either a cloning
                             chamber, or a staging area for
                             the original population of the
                             Earth with genus Homo. It is
                             obviously the original 'clean
                             room'. There are no microbes
                             whatsoever present, including
                             those you brought with you in
                             your bodies. We knew, or at
                             least suspected, yesterday that
                             this was an effect of the
                             artificial atmosphere or the
                             lighting or something inside
                             there. As of today, your bodies
                             contain no defective or dormant
                             genes. Unfortunately, we don't
                             have a sequencer on board to do a
                             proper analysis, but the initial
                             findings that the good doctors
                             can provide are that each of you
                             has been made perfect. You are
                             now composed of the original
                             blueprint for life on Earth, with
                             no mistakes.

He is met with a stunned silence.

Sharon slumps in her chair again, as does Lana. The young
people don't comprehend all of the implications of this.
The scientists are all floored.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Why did you not just break this
                             to the world like the rest of the
                             discoveries?

Mike looks at her softly.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             There are currently close to
                             seven-billion people on Earth,
                             the majority of which are in
                             either poor health, or dying of
                             starvation. Can you imagine the
                             clamor people with AIDS or Ebola
                             or Cancer would create? Second,
                             if you have seven billion people
                             that could double their life span
                             and still procreate, how long
                             would the Earth be able to
                             sustain them? Third, people with
                             power, corporate CEOs, government
                             officials, criminals, would be
                             among the first to insist that
                             they get the only shot at this.
                             This is a Pandora's Box, folks,
                             and I really don't want to be the
                             one to open it. Now the
                             governments know of this, which
                             is unfortunate, but I had to tell
                             them to get their cooperation. I
                             need their help in getting the
                             best people to study the
                             phenomenon and come up with
                             solutions. My personal first
                             reaction is to reprogram the
                             satellites up there to prevent
                             any other human from setting foot
                             here for the reasons I just gave.
                             Fortunately, that is not my
                             decision, but all of yours. Once
                             the word is out, there will be a
                             race to Mars that will make the
                             Oklahoma land rush look like a
                             Sunday drive.
                                       (beat)
                             I will say to you, that I am
                             prepared to claim this planet as
                             an independent nation. I had an
                             ex-President from each of your
                             countries and a German diplomat
                             sit down a couple of months ago
                             and come up with a good
                             constitution and government plan
                             for a hypothetical new democracy.
                             I liked it and so did the house
                             and Vesna. As a sovereign nation,
                             we could set absolute immigration
                             laws. You all are citizens, by
                             the way.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             We have precedents in the old
                             Rules of Admiralty for salvage to
                             claim the property. Since we are
                             the only ones here, except for
                             our two friends inside, that
                             would pretty much be up to us.
                             It'll upset many folks back home,
                             but it's quasi-legal by the UN
                             charter.
                                       (beat)
                             The second potential problem we
                             have is what I told you all
                             earlier, I personally don't think
                             those two in there are dead.
                             We're faced with a dilemma of
                             whether or not to try to wake
                             them up. If we do, what will
                             happen? What will be their
                             reaction? If the eight empty
                             chambers contained the four races
                             we identified, who are the two
                             that are still left and what are
                             their races?
                                       (beat)
                             I think they are a race that we
                             don't have, because they were
                             left behind for some reason. We
                             just plain don't know. They
                             might be defective, criminal, or
                             just plain insane. Right now, we
                             have more unanswered questions
                             than we do answers. It's going
                             to be up to you whether we
                             release this to the public. I
                             will say that I've spoken with
                             the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch
                             and he finds nothing wrong with
                             what we've discovered so far. In
                             fact, he thinks that it
                             substantiates, rather than
                             contradicts, any of the beliefs
                             that he holds.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Unfortunately, neither the Pope
                             nor the Prophet has returned my
                             calls, so I don't know what their
                             reactions will be. They don't
                             know, however, what you do now.
                             The only people outside this room
                             who do are your respective
                             presidents and whomever they let
                             in on the secret.
                                       (beat)
                             I know this is a lot for you all
                             to absorb at once, but I need you
                             to discuss it among yourselves.
                             Let's let it sink in for an hour
                             or so before bringing it up to
                             the group again. I guess you can
                             probably consider yourselves the
                             first Martian Congress deciding
                             public policy. I hate pawning
                             the responsibility off on all of
                             you?no I don't. I'm chicken to
                             make this decision on my own. I
                             know what my and Vesna's vote
                             will be, but we will go along
                             with the majority and suffer the
                             consequences with all of you for
                             whatever they may be.
                                       (beat)
                             How about we meet back here in
                             about two hours and take a vote.
                             We can have floor debate first,
                             if you want.

No one says a word as Mike stands and moves toward the
elevator. This news has left Sharon totally limp.

                                                                                          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
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