t was now 18:50. Spencer’s lift had been progressing for just I under an hour. Laid back in his rocker, under the center oculus, Manny was busy watching the lift, control board at his fingertips.
He could choose from many views available. All the orbiting PV arrays and relay satellites carried cameras. Hundreds of different communication, navigation and weather satellites also provided different vantage points with their cameras. The relay satellite involved in a lift operation provided its own unique view, and even ground-based cameras could provide an interesting view.
For Manny’s purposes tonight, the best views were live feeds from cameras positioned directly over the operation. From that vantage point, Manny could determine how successful they were progressing in achieving their goal: to move their weather east, against Earth’s own proclivity to move that air mass in a south by south-westerly direction. If they couldn’t move it fast enough, the Rocky Mountains would claim their prize. The progress they had made was good, but it was too early to celebrate. The variables could thwart them yet.
The half-inch thickness of the mirglas dome made possible a substantial three-dimensional effect. Manny was admiring that aspect of the system when the pinger on his ear advised him that his supervisor, Yul Strickland, was calling. Only one view popped up, from the single camera poised above the elevator door in the garage.
Several others accompanied him, but Manny couldn’t see enough 329
“Yul,” Manny said, “I wondered if you’d be able to stay away.
You’re a little early for the midnight switchover, though.”
“Hi, Manny,” Yul said. “I hope to be home, sound asleep by midnight. Got someone here wants to meet you, and your team.”
“Oh? Who? All I can see behind you is feet.”
“Um, I’ll do introductions up there. Ok if I come up?”
“Sure, come on up,” Manny said.
Manny’s first thought was that Yul wouldn’t name his guests because they were JFK and Sagan. Today was JFK’s 100th birthday, and Manny’s 58th. It was just one date of 365, a birth date shared by millions. But it had always made Manny feel as if he had a connection to the great man, superficial though it was. Could that be? Yul was bringing JFK and Sagan up? Nah. Those two probably jumped in their plane and hightailed it off the north shore as soon as they finished the ceremony earlier today. More likely, Yul was giving out-of-town relatives a quick, personal tour.
He pinged his team to expect visitors. The camera in the elevator gave Manny a view of Yul and two tall men in dark suits, neither of whom he recognized. He could tell two others were there, but Yul and the two tall men blocked them from both cameras. He stepped down from the bridge and made his way to the elevator just in time to see the doors open.
Yul and the two men in suits exited first and stepped aside, followed by JFK, in a wheelchair pushed by his friend, Carl Sagan.
Manny guessed the chair duty would usually fall to a Secret Service agent, and it touched him to see Carl, eighty-three himself, pushing his friend’s chair.
Manny couldn’t recall having seen JFK in a wheelchair before, but he could understand why, at one hundred years of age, Kennedy might want to keep one handy. Just outside of the elevator, after Sagan stopped and anchored the chair, JFK got slowly to his feet, aided by an agent. Then Sagan stepped around the chair.
Yul stepped forward and said, “Mr. President, Mr. Sagan, I’d like to introduce one of the GREOC Team Leads, Manny Hooks.
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Manny, President Kennedy, and Carl Sagan.” As the three stepped forward to shake hands, Manny said he was pleased to meet the two great men.
“Manny,” Kennedy said, “we met the other teams this afternoon. Carl and I decided we couldn’t leave without meeting you and your team as well. It’s an important day for America, and for the world. Mr. Strickland assures me we couldn’t be more compe-tently represented.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Yul also explained the make-up of the teams, and how each team has developed a philosophy, of sorts, that guide them in decision making.”
“Yes, Sir, that’s true,” Manny said, thinking he knew what Kennedy would say next.
“Um, yes,” Kennedy said, glancing down. Then he looked back up at Manny. “Yul said your team philosophy was more, um, direct… aggressive, I guess was the word he used, more aggressive than most other teams.”
“Yes, Sir. I’d have to say that’s true too,” Manny said, thinking about the lift he had authorized, over Canadian soil, thinking this might not have been the best night to do that.
Something in the way Manny reacted prompted Yul to glance up, just then, and check out the displays on the Sky above each sector. He couldn’t see all of them well from where he stood, but when his eyes reached the North American sectors, he stopped moving his head and squinted a bit. Then he snapped his head toward Manny, and without thinking said, “You have a lift going on?”
Both Kennedy and Sagan turned toward Manny as he answered, “Yep, we do.”
“Ooh, I would so like to see that,” Sagan said. “I’m told it’s quite a sight displayed on this mirglas dome.”
“Could we?” Kennedy asked. “Would we be in the way?”
Not risking a glance at Yul, Manny said, “Yes, you could. And no, you wouldn’t.”
Yul had taken a few steps toward the American sector, gaining 331
a better view of that portion of the Sky. “It’s over Canada,” he said, looking at Manny again. “Our equipment?” he asked.
“It is,” Manny said.
Yul knew Manny well enough to know he could justify his actions. However, the Canadians had always been sensitive to jurisdictional issues, and as the GREOC wouldn’t assume control for a few hours yet, Yul was more than a little interested in knowing how this lift came to be. Manny knew he wanted to ask for more details about the lift, so he thought he might just as well jump out in front of it.
“They tried to turn it, didn’t have the angle. Would have lost it in the mountains. I talked to the Lead up there. He said we could give it a try.” Manny said.
“Hm. I’d like to know how you talked him into that,” Yul said.
“Well, I might have played the drought card kinda heavy.”
“Hm,” Yul said. “You gonna make it?”
“Too early to say. Looks good for now.”
“Ok, good call, Manny. Gentlemen,” Yul said, looking to the others, “this should illustrate how the team Lead will work with the Primary for each sector, and how their collective effort improves if they all have a similar mindset regarding the definition of goals, use of resources and assumption of risk. If you’ll follow Manny, he’ll show you what he’s trying to do.”
As Manny began walking toward the bridge, he turned to see Kennedy settling back into his chair, and Sagan moving back into position to push.
“Here, I can help with that,” Manny said, moving toward Kennedy’s wheelchair.
“Carl’s got it,” Kennedy said.
When Manny, looking a little confused, didn’t turn away, Carl explained, “We have an agreement, Manny. When we’re together like this, hanging onto the chair handles ensures I won’t topple over quite so easily while walking. Creates the illusion I’m a little more ambulatory than I am. Believe me, if the terrain were anything but flat, I’d probably have to sit on Jack’s lap.”
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“Not something I’d look forward to,” Kennedy said. “You’ll notice I stick to flat terrain whenever Carl’s about.”
Everyone chuckled at Kennedy’s remark, and the group of six headed to the bridge. On the way, Yul gave a short briefing on things they had done to ease mid-west drought conditions.
“The Canadians have been willing partners in our efforts. Yes, they have lost a few precip opportunities in the mountains, and it’s easy to say they should have started earlier. Often, there’s more to it. Canadian resources don’t have the best angles this time of year, for one thing. In addition, receiver anodes are sparse in that part of Canada. One or two line outages could cause a situation where all the power resources available are needed to cover electrical loads.”
“And that’s where we come in,” Manny said, looking up at the displays overhead. “That’s what the GREOC is all about. With all resources and all options open to us, there’s no reason we can’t deliver all the electricity the world ever needs, and still eliminate drought. No reason deserts can’t bloom. No reason we…”
They had reached the bridge, and Manny realized to whom he was speaking. A little embarrassed, he said, “Guess I’m preaching to the choir, huh? Sorry. I get carried away at times.”
“Where’ve you been all my life?” Kennedy asked. “I should’ve had you with me in the old days, when I pitched this to disbelieving politicians.”
“You seem to have done just fine without me, Mr. President,”
Manny said.
Carl Sagan had climbed the four steps to the bridge. “This is fantastic,” he said now. “Are you looking at this Jack? Look, you can see the cloud slices… I see your problem, though, Manny. I can see the southerly movement. It looks like you’ll make it. You’ll drop water on Montana, the Dakotas, maybe even northern Ne-braska, before it’s spent.”
“It looks good for now,” Manny said. “But this is only the start.
I’ve studied the archives. We’ll get more opportunities, all over the world, and we’ll jump on every one we’re given. We’ll refine our methods. Learn how to use this…” Manny looked up, and held his 333
arms out to his sides, palms up, as if to include everything, “this incredible system.
“You guys,” Manny said, indicating Kennedy and Sagan, “You did this. You gave us this. Do you know how monumental all of this is? Fifty years ago, we were like, like cavemen, compared to this.
This will change us. Do you know that?”
Carl kept silent. He had listened, had heard every word. He still looked up though, afraid he’d miss something. This cue was Jack’s.
Kennedy stood now, and he took a step closer to Manny.
“We know, Manny. Yes, this will change us. Our planet. I only hope the politics and nationalisms of the past don’t resurrect themselves, subvert the process, divert the resources, or re-infect society with the greed and fanaticism that was nearly our undoing. Carl here has given us a good start, but we can go so much further.
“I say this to everyone I meet, these days. Carl and I will soon be gone. Those who remain must keep us on the right track, keep us moving forward.”
“I promise you this, Sir,” Manny said. “In the two years the GREOC is here, we’ll show the world what is possible with this system. We’ll do it so well, we’ll turn over a system that won’t have a single detractor. Not one. And I’m glad I had the chance to tell you that.”
Carl and Jack spent another ninety minutes in the GREOC.
They visited with every team member, shook their hands and told them they’d be watching their accomplishments. When they left, Manny walked with them to the elevator. Sagan was right, their weather lift had cleared the mountains and was even now beginning to sprinkle much needed water on parched land in the mid-west.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Kennedy said,
“You know, Manny, we’ve always had a special connection.”
“What?” Manny asked, confused.
“We share a birthday, Manny.”
The doors closed before Manny could respond. He had to smile though. The former president had impeccable timing.
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