I’m with the White House…

Krate and Ash re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and landed without a hitch.

Around the world, their landing was covered by TV and radio stations. Not since Apollo 11’s initial moon landing had the public been so intoxicated by a media story. Ticker tape parades, talk show circuits and radio interviews heralded their return.

MEANWHILE…

P. J. Raygun headed for what seemed the logical place to cheat people out of their money. A place where the inhabitants were gullible and easy to manipulate. It would be quite a trip, but Raygun figured it would be worth it. He’d heard that Earthlings would fall for anything.

MEANWHILE…

Flash stretched, breathing deeply of the wild, open air of Earth. The air he was accustomed to was filtered and recirculated. This air was alive with scents and texture. Flash took this in even as he glanced around to establish his situation. This was obviously a residential street, not a government landing strip.

As neighborhood dogs barked and windows began to light up, Bertha motioned to Flash saying Come inside

Flash followed, noting a sense of urgency in her invitation.

What is this? Flash asked, entering the house

I’m Bertha she nervously replied. Who are you?

I’m Flash Meridian he said, becoming more confused all the time.

Right… Flash Bertha said, and looked to Flash for more information, even as Flash looked to her for the same.

Are you with Alpha Control? he asked.

I don’t understand Bertha replied. I’m with the White House she said, unsure of who or what Flash was.

Get me the President, then Flash requested.

Bertha reached for the phone, not knowing whether she was going crazy, whether this was an elaborate joke, a dream, or real. The latter seemed preposterous.

Fin! she whispered urgently into the receiver. I have something for you to take a look at – quickly!

Hanging up the phone, Bertha looked at Flash. He seemed tired, and she had seen his ship land with her own eyes. You can freshen up in here she said, motioning toward the bathroom and I’ll get you a change of clothes

Thanks Flash said.

He ran the water over his hands, splashed it onto his face and enjoyed these simple pleasures.

Still, something seemed wrong. Everything seemed wrong. As he pondered the events of the past several minutes, there came a knock at the door.

This is one of my father’s suits came Bertha’s voice. I think it will fit you.

The air felt thick and his leg muscles felt like mush.

As Raygun sped out of the asteroid field with Nebula X sitting beside him, he thought of ways to make money. Everything from stealing at gunpoint to space station maintenance crossed his mind. Legitimate employment of the droid would mean background checks, and Raygun had no idea what that would uncover, so the more underhanded schemes seemed safer – and more profitable.

Raygun had had a fairly rough life, so it was easy for him to justify anything he could get for himself – by any means.

MEANWHILE…

Sgt. Snowpants was busy selling Raygun’s equipment to eager buyers who were willing to pay top dollar for it. Everything was reconditioned by Nebula X and in perfect working order. As the wad of money in Snowpants’ pocket grew, he began to come up with a plan of his own.

That sneaky Raygun had cheated him time and time again in the past, and Snowpants owed him no favors! At the end of the day, the stuff was all gone. So was Snowpants. So was the money.

MEANWHILE…

Bertha played the game the best she could, talking to Flash [or whoever he really was] as though he actually WERE a spaceman approaching Earth. Fantasies like this took Bertha away from her normal, boring life. All day long, she sat at her desk processing Government forms. Work was backing up, and her ham radio was an escape. From her own basement, she could talk with people all over the world without the stress of meeting them face to face. The only people Bertha knew were from work, and they only talked in an official capacity.

In order to sound believable, she used landmarks near her home rather than the Cocoa Beach area, with which she was unfamiliar.

Flash descended toward Washington D.C. as night fell over the East Coast. With a visual fix on the Washington Monument, Bertha directed Flash to the street that ran by her house.

Flash reported seeing a fork in the road which surprised Bertha. She figured this guy was looking at a map of the city. When he described the neighbors’ in-ground pool and the park on the corner, Bertha dropped the microphone and ran out the front door. She looked up to see a space ship preparing to land.

Bertha only stared in shock and realized that the conversation had been real. The TNI touched down and came to a halt in front of Bertha’s home.

The ship steamed beneath a streetlight and the hatch opened. Flash stepped out onto the pavement. Earth’s gravity felt strange after so many months in space. The air felt thick and his leg muscles felt like mush.

Whoa! Bertha gasped.

You are being redirected to the Capital.

P. J. Raygun’s first thought, as he looked at all his clean, organized stuff, was simply to sell it. For many years, he had accumulated junk. With Nebula X’s help, he now had a lot of working machinery and valuable parts. All of it was not only categorized and labeled, but repaired and polished as well. Raygun even had Nebula X stand guard over his valuable possessions – there was no room for it indoors.

This posed a problem for Raygun. First, Nebula X was visible to everyone who came by, and second, this was another inefficient use of her time. The more P. J. Raygun had, the greedier he became.

Finally, he called his friend Sgt. Snowpants to man the yard while he took the droid where she could be more beneficial to him.

Nebula X had electronically placed all of P. J. Raygun’s items on the classifieds, and customers began arriving right away.

MEANWHILE…

Krate and Ash passed their time and kept their minds sharp by playing games. A team of Earthbound scientists had developed games that simulated various scenarios that would be possible during space travel. Krate and Ash were amused by the game where the most severe challenges consisted of contaminated water, fatigue and computer bugs. The problems they encountered in real life were so far beyond those in the game as to make it laughable.

Corporate sponsors took full advantage of the video feeds from the ship.

The space games were hot sellers back on Earth. Anything endorsed by or in any way connected with Lander and Azimuth was a hot ticket.

Far from the advertising machine that they powered, Lander and Azimuth felt isolated and at times forgotten, millions of miles from the world they knew. The public’s conception of the men was as far from who they had become as the game was from life in space. Glossy, flawless, shallow, the public hung on every sound byte from space.

MEANWHILE…

Flash could make out the continents of Earth, and reported this to Bertha, who sat in front of the radio in her basement, munching popcorn and leafing through magazines.

I can now make out the Florida peninsula Flash stated, estimating Cape Canaveral in the glowing cloud-shrouded view below him.

Yeah… er… 10-4…” came Bertha’s stammering reply. She wanted this to sound official.

10-4 Flash, you are being redirected to the capital.

Capital? Flash repeated, unsure of the directive.

D. C. Bertha reiterated.

SAWTOOTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – 4th Grade

Tuesday, October 17, Flash Meridian and his group of four 4th Graders finished the suitcase project.

John, Luke, Flash, Brian and Wade pose with the project.

Thursday, October 12, Flash Meridian joined 4th Graders, artists and other notable officials from Grand Marais and across the country to celebrate the work being done locally through the MILKEN FAMILY FOUNDATION. The Fourth Graders put on a program, and then we all ate cake.

Tuesday, October 10, Flash Meridian joined students from Jana Larson’s 4th grade class for the second session with our suitcase-to-television project.

Here John, Wade, Brian and Luke are putting the first coat of paint over the primer on the suitcase, and disassembling an old TV for parts. Tune in again to see the finished product!

>

Thursday, October 5, Flash Meridian joined students from Jana Larson’s 4th grade class for the first of two sessions in which they will transform a suitcase into a television depicting Apollo 11’s lunar landing.

Group picture: Flash Meridian (kneeling), John Wagner, Luke Miller, Wade Hoffer, Brian Tuohy, Jana Larson (seated) and Arnie Napadensky.

COSMIC CONNECTIONS

Tuesday, August 1, 2000 Flash Meridian read to a group of first through fifth graders at the Grand Marais Public Library.

COSMIC CONNECTIONS

Thursday, July 27, 2000 Flash Meridian read to a group of pre-schoolers at the Grand Marais Public Library. Pictured above, Owen Hoglund soars into reading as Madeline Young looks on

Dock’s return to Earth was uneventful. He passed the time analyzing data and compiling his findings. All in all, his trip to Mars was an overwhelming success. He had accomplished all he had set out to do, with the only setback being Wormhole’s escape. How this would affect Nomicon’s plans on Mars remained to be seen.

MEANWHILE…

Krate only laughed as he watched Lander flailing wildly in space. He chuckled into his radio, though Lander’s handset drifted further from him and the sound went out in rippling waves to the great beyond.

No line tethered Lander to the ship.

Righting himself to face his transmitter, he fired his vector boots, snagging the radio strap, then turned quickly about and rocketed back to the air lock.

Way to go, Ash came Krate’s voice.

Pretty slick, huh? Ash responded, and turned a few somersaults while Krate opened the air lock hatch. Ash pulled himself in and closed the door behind him while Krate began pressurizing the compartment.

How are you feeling? Krate asked, as was routine after repressurization.

Hungry came Lander’s reply.

Excellent! said Krate I’ll get dinner on while you change. Though food was not elaborate aboard the ship, the men always looked forward to mealtimes.

MEANWHILE…

Playing along with what seemed an obvious game, Bertha responded to Flash.

This is Alpha Control

Relieved, Flash sped closer and closer to Earth.

How was your trip? Bertha asked, not really up on the space craze that was sweeping the nation.

Well, for now, I’m relieved to be coming home he said.

Right. I’ll talk you down, Flash. Picking up a copy of National Geographic Magazine, Bertha looked for material to use in her dialog with Flash Meridian.

Let me know when you can see the eastern seaboard.

10-4 Flash replied.

You’re in outer space?

Krate Azimuth glanced out the porthole toward Earth and noticed that something was wrong. The ship’s grappling arm was in the wrong position, and appeared to be caught on the external ladder.

Ash! Check the grappling arm Krate called out. This malfunction was potentially serious.

Ash went to the computer and attempted to manipulate the robotic arm. it didn’t budge. The two men assessed the situation visually and determined that a space walk was necessary. Col. Lander outranked Azimuth, so it would be his call as to who would be going outside. Rather than pull rank on his friend, however, Lander decided to draw straws. The job fell to Lander.

He suited up and entered the air-lock while Krate monitored his oxygen and other conditions in the suit. While Krate kept visual tabs on Ash, the men communicated over their radios.

From his new perspective outside the ship, Ash quickly spotted and corrected the problem.

Raising the radio to his mouth to report the repair, it slipped from his grip and drifted away. Instinctively, Lander reached for his transmitter and in so doing, lost his grip on the ladder.

Ash Lander was floating free in space.

MEANWHILE…

Crystal Weightless may have been somewhat cloistered in her chamber, but she was not cut off from the universe. Crystal was aware of all the local ships and received signals from deep space as well. Even faint static which would be overlooked by the casual listener, held messages for Crystal who, throughout her life had sought information… about who she was, where she came from. At times, she imagined the transmissions she heard originated from Nebula X. As the weeks passed, Crystal’s paranoia subsided and her desire to explore returned. What harm could it do to cautiously look around? She needed to get out of the school.

MEANWHILE…

Flash talked to the voice on his radio.

This is Flash Meridian he repeated

OK, Flash. Where are you?

Flash was relieved that his signal was finally being received and verified. This was the first human voice he had heard other than his own since long before Pluto.

I can just now make out the moon Flash answered. I’m under a million miles from Earth now.

After a pause, the voice came back. OK… you mean you’re in outer space?

10-4 Flash said, and proceeded to give his coordinates. Trans-Neptunian Interloper 87 23113170

I read you loud and clear

Krate and Ash sped anxiously back to Earth and the stability of home.

During those next weeks, Ash often lay awake in his bunk thinking about the events that had transpired to bring him here. His friend Krate Azimuth was a good man, and seemed very different than he had at the beginning of the voyage. There was a confidence – an inner strength that Ash now saw in him. A strength that comes from great suffering. Ash knew that Krate blamed himself for what had happened on Callisto, though it was all the doing of Wormhole.

Ash thought of the space girl often. Her face was still etched clearly in his mind. He thought of Flash Meridian. Lander blamed himself for their failure to save Flash. Whether sleeping or awake, Ash often saw, in his mind’s eye, Flash’s ship, sailing forever into unknown space beyond our galaxy.

Godspeed, Flash Meridian he often thought, or even said quietly as he gazed out the porthole on his ship.

MEANWHILE…

Flash Meridian continued to attempt to contact Earth with no reception. There had to be something wrong with his equipment. The computer picked up nothing at all from Earth. The radio was useless. It was as if Earth were uninhabited. Flash, in a desperate attempt, began pushing every button on his handset and flipping every lever, in an attempt to pick up something… anything.

After a few moments of this, Flash did hear something. It was a voice. It was from Earth.

Come in, Alpha Control!

Come in, Alpha Control!

Flash nearly shouted into the radio. Then he realized he was on a short wave band.

Short wave bands haven’t been used for decades he muttered and continued to make himself known.

Do you read me?

This is Flash Meridian! He called

I read you loud and clear came the voice.

MEANWHILE…

P. J. Raygun began devising a scheme to make the Nebula X profitable to him. He had actually convinced himself by this time, that this was his rightful property. Though he wasn’t completely above stealing, he saw the X unit as his chance to make an honest living. There would be no convincing the other residents of S-120 that he had come upon the droid honestly, so he tried to keep his windfall a secret.

Earth hung like a glimmering blue ornament against a backdrop of spangled infinity

In short order, P. J. Raygun’s house and grounds were cleaned and organized by Nebula X. Raygun soon realized that household chores were not where the droid would be the most beneficial, however.

MEANWHILE…

Crystal Weightless’ life had become a bland string of uneventful days. She found security enclosed in the school where her fear held her captive. Gravity tried to encourage her sister, but her efforts were to no avail. Her only ventures outside the confines of the school were by way of her radio. She sat in her chamber listening for signals from space.

The static and occasional beeps formed a language crystal understood. Mentally, she traveled out there, seeing, in her mind’s eye, the ships she heard. Rocket liners, fighters, small ships, cargo pods, each had their own unique fingerprint signals.

MEANWHILE…

Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth radioed ahead to Earth, advising them of their current status. Krate glanced out to see Deimos, casting its tiny shadow on Mars’ equator, and then turned his gaze away, symbolically leaving his panic behind. He felt as though he had quietly, calmly turned over a new leaf.

MEANWHILE…

Flash also underwent subtle changes as his inner life was slowly stripped away and systematically rebuilt – or at least organized and redefined. His preparation for re-entering Earth felt like a rebirth. He knew his time in the womb was coming to a close, and the time had come to apprise earth of his imminent return.

Switching his radio and computer back on, his voice was strong as he called Come in, Alpha Control… Come in, Alpha Control… This is Flash Meridian

He now had a visual fix on Earth, which hung like a glimmering blue ornament, dangling against a backdrop of spangled infinity.

Come in, Alpha Control…

Come in, Alpha Control…

He switched to another frequency, broadcast again and waited for a reply.

His signal was strong. A test of his radio checked out. His communications disc was aimed correctly at Cape Canaveral.

Come in Alpha Control…

There was no response.

Flash missed many things on Earth. People, his family, food, music, art…

P. J. Raygun approached Nebula X and said Clean my house. He said it partly to be funny, and partly to check whether the droid would respond to him or not.

Nebula X quickly began organizing the jumble of wires and electrical components heaped on the table before a vacuum tube extended from her left thumb and cleaned all the components of dust and other foreign particles. Raygun and Snowpants watched her until the hovel was spotless and every item was labeled.

Whoa! Snowpants said, You owe me!

Yeah Raygun responded in awe. Thanks. What should I have her do now?

Yard work? Snowpants suggested.

MEANWHILE…

Ash, Krate and Dock wasted no time in leaving Mars. Dock was the first to lift off. Nomicon would have to decide their next course of action considering the Wormhole situation.

As Ash and Krate’s ship finally escaped Mars’ pull, they looked back on the red planet with mixed feelings. A sense of unfinished business over-rode even their excitement about going home.

Mars, the god of war, seemed angry and menacing, accompanied by its moons, fear and panic. Ash and Krate now had a face to attach to the god. Wormhole.

MEANWHILE…

Waking, Flash too, looked out over Mars’ rusted face, his first terrestriall sight in ages. Though he still had far to travel, Mars seemed the gateway to Earth.

The sun was now bright and hurt his unaccustomed eyes, so long had he hibernated in the outer reaches of the sun’s kingdom.

With his radio and computer still off, Flash continued to converse with Holly Gram. Together they walked through Flash’s memories – at times scampering through sundrenched fields, at other times strolling hand in hand down starlit streets or darkened corridors.

With her companionship and guidance, Flash seemed to make sense of his life. The important things formed his foundation while the rest crumbled away, cast off as the refuse it was. Among those things discarded were expectation, judgement, anxiety, fear and the political church. Among those things retained were love, acceptance, tolerance and peace.

Flash tried to come to terms with the incredible distance he had traveled since last entering the kryo-tube. According to these numbers, the speed he must have achieved was… well… impossible. The numbers had to be wrong. That was the only explanation. The blips he saw on the radar screen were not the outermost asteroids, but the innermost. The reddish object growing in front of him was Mars… Mars!

MEANWHILE…

Dock, Ash and Krate were dumbfounded, staring at the empty hole in the ground. What the – ?! Dock gasped. All color drained from the faces of Azimuth and Lander. Krate vomited the breakfast he had just eaten. This was too much to take in. As the three men stared, their entire world seemed to crash down around them. From the hole, they heard again that hideous laugh.

Aaaaaaaagh! Ash bellowed in utter despair

MEANWHILE…

Flash tried to find an explanation for his current coordinates. Even if the speed had been possible, there is no way he could have made it through the asteroid belt without evasive action. Then he remembered… HollyGram! Her words came back to him… When you were in danger, I guided you.

With that, Flash switched off his radar, his radio and computer, putting his life in the protective hands of his guardian angel. A sense of peace filled him while all the questions and fears fell away into nothingness.

The constellations Flash now saw fell from her gown, showering his dreams with diamonds.