Pulvirenti Giorgio - Proxima B

Springfield, Missouri.

Northwest Missouri State University, Room no. 3. There were about fifty people sitting in their places while a woman was sitting behind a writing desk and was using a stick to show some schemes that had been projected on a giant screen behind her. Doctor Abigail Sanders’ AP chemistry class was almost over. She was forty-five, her hair was dark brown and curly, her bright eyes were hidden behind thick glasses that let her look like a young nerd. She had been tenured and had been teaching chemistry for five years in one of the most important faculties of the whole State. She used to hold four classes a week in the morning and serve as director and head of Springfield biochemical engineering laboratory, which she loved too much, since she had financed a part of the renovation work that was carried out nearly ten years ago. She loved chemistry unconditionally. Since she was a child, she had been attracted by all that could be turned into something else. She was fond of all that. Thanks to her father, Carl Sanders, who was a successful chemist now retired, Abigail had succeeded in carrying out all her studies, since she had graduated from high school and from university with full marks. Unfortunately, mainly due to her work and her several travels for many updates, Abigail did not have much time to spend with her family. Her husband Sam, who was an honest electric car mechanic employee of Ionix & Co., and her three children, Robert, Cody and little Gwen, were often home alone and got used to taking care of each other over the years. They knew their mother loved her work and that when she could she spent her spare time with them in the best way. It was so. No one was really satisfied with that situation, but each one did something by respecting everyone’s will for the family’s sake.

“Once again, we’re facing a partial oxidation! 1,200 degrees!”

Abigail stopped for a while so that he could take a breath.

“Well, that’s enough for today! Within Thursday I want you to send me the e-mails concerning your today’s report, which shall be at least six pages long! Thank you all! Have a nice day!”

While our professor was uttering these words, the people who were sitting in front of her began to stand up, murmuring softly.

Abigail was reorganizing her notes on the writing desk while those who were there were all leaving the classroom. A man wearing a dark suit entered. He was quite calm. He went up to the woman who was about to unplug some wires from her notebook.

“Professor Abigail Sanders?” the man wondered while taking off his sunglasses, which let him reveal his eyes, which were as dark as his jacket.

“It’s me,” Abigail answered. She began to gaze at him.

“I must give you this one.”

The strange guy pulled an envelope out of his jacket. It was sealed with two seals. The woman did not hesitate to pick it up.

“Who has sent it? And who are you?” Abigail wondered. She was almost puzzled.

“I can’t answer these questions. All you need is inside the envelope. Goodbye.”

After these words, the man put on his dark glasses again and left the classroom. The professor stood there and held the envelope in her hand. The woman observed the shadow of the man until it was gone. Then she directed her glance towards the envelope again. She turned it inside out again and again. On its back side, the envelope was sealed with two seals. On its front side there were two logos that were as big as a stamp; they represented the U.S. government and New NASA Corporate. Abigail observed those symbols carefully and her eyes opened wide in amazement. On the lower side of the envelope there was a writing that the woman did not hesitate to read: For Abigail Sanders. For the benefit of all!

Chicago, Illinois.

Jerry was an ordinary guy. He was twenty-five and had an unbridled passion for biology. After graduating, he enrolled as a researcher in the Chicago biology institute for further study (a master’s degree). That was the reason why he had studied and this made his mother happy and proud. Jerry used to live with her in a flat in the eastern outskirts of the city. He did not want to change his lifestyle at that time. Still, his intention was to live alone shortly. He never came late at work. That morning he was about to come to the biology institute. He was wrapped up in taking on another day of research. He greeted those who were working there – the doorman first and finally his colleagues – and he entered his lab where he could see his colleague Bob, who was a biologist like him but who was not as good as Jerry.

“Why are you here already?” Jerry asked his friend.

“You know… being single may have its pros!”

The two were happily playing around before work. Jerry noticed a brownish envelope come out of a stack of white research sheets of paper shortly.

“What is this?” the boy asked Bob, intrigued by it. Bob, who was sitting in his armchair, used its wheels to push himself, “Ah yes! It has been there since this morning! An elegant man left it. He was wondering where you were! I had to tell you, but I forgot to do it. Sorry!” Jerry did not hesitate to open the envelope and pull the sheet out. He read it quickly, and then put it back inside its envelope without noticing some flight tickets inside.

That same evening, after work, Jerry went home, he dined and finally opened the envelope. He pulled the sheet out and began to read with much more attention than that morning. The sheet had an invitation to take part in a special lecture in Washington that was coordinated by the U.S. government and New NASA Corporate. The letter suggested that inside the envelope there were two flight tickets that Jerry would use to reach the capital city of America.

The following day the young biologist’s mind was distracted. He thought of the letter that he had received the day before, but the most persistent thought was about his colleague Isabel. Just Isabel. Jerry was in college when he first had a crush on her. They were at the same biology class and since he caught her attention, he was immediately fascinated by her. Her skin was pale, she had cold eyes and fiery hair; he was skinny and clumsy just like an overachiever can be, but the sense of protection that he felt for her let him be quite funny. A beautiful friendship was born between them. Jerry, who had just awakened and was sitting on his bed, began to think about Isabel and how he could declare his love for her. This scene repeated itself punctually almost every morning. Just like every day, though, he was as much afraid of his feelings not being reciprocated as he was in love with her. But he got ready for going to the institute. He came into his workplace and greeted Tim, as he always did. Tim was a man in his sixties and he was the reception supervisor.

“Good morning, Tim! How are you?” Jerry asked the man that was standing behind a glass slab in front of the entrance of the complex. He, who could see him reciprocate his greetings but could not hear him from behind the glass, smiled and took the lift. Just as the doors were about to close, a hand avoided it. It was Isabel, who entered and went close to the boy immediately.

“Hey, hi! You disappeared yesterday… and I… you know… I need to tell you something!” the girl cried out in excitement. Her words upset Jerry, who could not imagine anything.

“Exactly! Yesterday I had a thing to do and I had to go away, you know…” Jerry answered with a little embarrassment.

“What did you need to tell me?” he asked her.

“There’s a person that fascinates me so much, but he may not know about this thing!” Isabel cried out. In the meantime, the lift doors had opened.

“This is our plan…,” Jerry said.

“How do you know that he doesn’t like you?” the boy kept on asking; he was in a hurry, as if he had had to take the train and had been late. He walked towards his office as if he were in the grip of an anxiety attack.

“Hey, is anything okay?” Isabel asked him. She changed her attitude for a while.

“It’s almost like you’re running away from me,” she added.

“No… it isn’t so… Why? Is there anything strange in me? Not at all…,” Jerry mumbled.

“Oh, okay! Anyway, you may know him well…,” Isabel kept on saying. Her excitement was back and Jerry was much more upset. He almost exploded due to the beats of his heart.

“I’m talking about Franz! Isn’t he one of your co-workers? Could you put in a good word?” Isabel asked him. Those words took the wind out of his sails. Actually, what Jerry had always hoped would never realize. He wanted that girl to be forever his, but she wanted to be with one of his colleagues, the one who, by the way, was a complete idiot. This fact destroyed all what he had imagined till then. His heart seemed to have stopped for a few seconds and the young biologist looked stunned. He stared into space.

“Oh Jerry! Jerry! Hello? Is anything okay?” He could hear the girl wondering, but her voice seemed far away and barely audible as if she were a few dozen feet away. Then he came round all of a sudden.

“Hmm… yeah! I’ll do what I can… I have to go before Bob blows the whole building up! See you around, Isabel!” Jerry said, walking over to his lab while Isabel was just standing there, looking at him and watching him with much puzzlement.

Phoenix, Arizona.

The day was sultry. The sun shone making the rocks, the ground and even the air incandescent. Everything would seemingly burn at any moment. A rattle snake stirred looking for semidarkness on some rocks to protect itself from the heat that surrounded the firing range where a platoon of PFCs was about to fire. Metal targets, which were a bit rusty, were there, incandescent, waiting for being shot by the bullets shot from the weapons of those young soldiers who were on the hills one mile away from them. Ten Marines that were led by their Chief Master Sergeant Lucas Douglas were getting ready to take point.

“Down, everybody! Take point!” the sergeant told them, so they all obeyed and took their own points, lay down and loaded the sniper rifle and waited for him to give the signal to commence firing. Lucas Douglas, for his part, took it easy before giving the signal. They waited for his signal several minutes. He had been used to the Arizona blistering sun since he had been serving in that helluva place for more than twenty years and he knew that he had to make them – the ones that he considered as the runts of the litter – understand that life in the army was not a game and that it would lead them to difficult decisions and exhausting waits under very hard conditions. Lucas Douglas, who was an Afro-American big-hearted, high-spirited man in his sixties and a very hard worker, too, was there today. He meant to get the best out of his seven men and his three women who were waiting for him to order them what to do. Some of them were getting impatient; others were already covered with sweat but no order had been given yet. The sergeant’s wait appeared to be intentional… He only had to yell the soldier’s name and this one would fire a shot. But he had not done anything so far. After getting a big glass of lemonade off a table under a nearby sunshade, the Chief Master Sergeant took a quick glance at the troop and immediately got an idea of whom would do one’s work well during that intense workday. He grabbed his binoculars and watched the faraway silhouettes, and then he yelled out, “MONTGOMERY!”

He barely uttered the whole name when a rumble caused by the gunshot pierced the air. The silence of the valley was replaced by the screeching of the bullet that shot the metal silhouette right on its right shoulder.