"We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this special report. The return of Sagan One.
We now go live to Space Station Three and our correspondent, Randolph Gransdell."
"Hey, everyone, it's on! They're coming back!" shouted 15-year-old Schuyler DuQuesne to the rest of his
family in their Satellite Beach, Florida home.
While the report droned on, 17-year-old Aaron, 16-year-old Maureen, and 11-year-old Martin joined
Schuyler in front of the big-screen TV. "I wish we could be there." said Martin.
"We can't, because the Space Agency wants to do all sorts of tests and interviews. It will be two weeks or
more before they get back home" said Schuyler.
"Also, Sky gets so spacesick, he fouls everything around him!" laughed Aaron. Schuyler blushed furiously red,
but said nothing. He had been beaten up more than once by his big brother. Steadfastly, he watched the screen.
"Here they come!" yelled Martin as the picture showed the Sagan One spacecraft nosing closer to the docking
port on the station.
"Dad must be piloting- he's hardly used any corrections yet." observed Schuyler.
"Are we taping this?" asked Maureen as she checked the VCR. "Good. We are."
"Ten seconds to docking... five... three... two... one... CONTACT!" shouted the reporter. "After a three-
year voyage, Sagan One and its crew of six have returned home today, December 23, 2012, at 7:50 PM Eastern
Standard Time. This is a truly historic day in the history of Mankind."
"Look! There's Papa Bear!" shouted Martin as the commander of Space Station Three, Commander
Baldassare Orsa, appeared in the picture. He verified the docking chamber integrity, then, with a purely theatrical
flourish, undogged the airlock door, swung it wide, and went in, followed by six other men and women.
"Commander Orsa has entered the spacecraft with the shutdown team. After a few minutes of
shutdown checks, the crew will exit their home for the past three years for medical checkups and debriefings.
We will stay live until the crew exits the spacecraft. A press conference with these heroic astronauts is
scheduled for 6 PM tomorrow."
"They're going to call us tonight, aren't they?" asked Martin.
"They said they would when they called last week." comforted Maureen.
"Looks to me like they hit more dust than expected on the flight- the paint on the nose looks rather dull." said
Schuyler.
"Don't you think that could be from direct sunlight, Big Brain?" sneered Aaron
"Color's not right. If that was the case, it would look faded, not dulled. Want to bet on it, jet jockey wannabe?"
Schuyler riposted. Aaron said nothing, because he couldn't come up with a suitable reply. While he could beat up his
little brother in a physical fight, he grudgingly had to credit him with a good brain. Better than his, but Aaron would
never say that out loud.
"Look! Here they come!" yelled Martin. They returned their attention to the TV.
"Now exiting the spacecraft is Dr. Hiroshi Tadeki, the mission's doctor, and his wife, Dr. Reiki Tadeki,
mission biologist, the Japanese contingent on this first mission to Mars." As the picture followed the first couple
as they drifted out the airlock, more motion could be seen inside.
"Next out is the ESA team, Major Elena Petrova, ship's engineer, and her husband, Lieutenant Colonel
Yevgeny Petrov, base construction engineer. We're waiting now for the USA mission members to exit the
spacecraft."
"He does babble on, doesn't he?" said Aaron, referring to the commentator. "As if the whole world doesn't
already know who the mission members are already."
"This is a historic moment. He's just ensuring his place in history." Maureen replied to her older brother's snide
comments.
"Little places for little people. If I was there, I'd make him shut up." Aaron shot back.
"Look! There's Mom and Dad!" said Martin, pointing to the screen.
"And now, exiting the craft is the mission's chief scientist, Dr. Katherine DuQuesne, and the mission
commander and pilot, Colonel Martin DuQuesne, Senior, fulfilling the goals set out by the late U.N. Secretary
General, Arne Ulfsson, almost twenty years ago, to put men on Mars and return them safely to Earth!"
"I always wondered why Mom was named chief scientist. Her doctorate's in anthropology, not geology."
Schuyler said to himself as the picture on the TV cut back to the anchor desk in Atlanta.
"Don't sweat it, Four-Eyes! They're back!" Aaron said happily.
"They don't look quite right. Three years in low-to-no gravity may have hurt them." said Maureen, the medical
school hopeful.
"Dr. Tadeki said everything was all right when you talked to him last week, so, don't worry so much." said
Martin, sounding worried, but hopeful.
Late that night, aboard Station Three, the six astronauts were taken to a conference room. Waiting there was
Dr. Zamir Al-Faras, the director of the United Nations Space Agency. When everyone was strapped in, he started an
anti-eavesdrop device.
Over the hum, he began the meeting. "I have read all the reports you sent ahead. It seems to me that The Plan
is working, thanks to you all, and praise to the Lord."
"Praise to the Lord." the others chanted.
"The cover story is holding, thanks to your efforts. Now, I want to hear from you all. Katherine, you first."
Zamir said, nodding to her.
"After the camp was set up, we went searching for the entrance to the mound that Sojourner 3 discovered.
Elena and Yevgeny found it, and I was called to read the inscriptions. The photographs sent back were, as we feared,
of insufficient resolution. But, as we hoped, they were clear enough. I confirmed that this was the entrance to the Holy
Chamber visited by Sojourner, leading to the containers that would aid in the restoration of the chosen ones of the
Lord.
"We entered the chamber, which led deep under the hill of the Face. We dusted off the inscriptions and
obtained clear high-resolution photographs for later study. In the concluding chamber, we found the sealed vessels, like
you had informed us. I returned the vessels to the camp for study."
"Very good, Katherine. Reiki, you're next."
"Before I deigned to open a vessel, I had Katherine translate the texts we found both on and around the relics.
They indicated that the power of the Gods would flow only through select people. I managed to comprehend how the
chosen people are selected.
"There is a gene site on Chromosome Two that, in most people, are marked by a dominant gene. It is the
recessive of that gene that allows the power of the gods to flow through the chosen people. It takes a double recessive
at that site which allows the virus to graft there, and permit the power to flow.
"I checked the gene charts of all personnel on the mission. Of the six of us, five have the double-recessive
mark, while I have only a single recessive. That will allow me to spread the power, but not take part in the blessing."
She stopped then, eyes downcast in shame.
Zamir drifted over to her. "There is nothing to be sad about. Your part in the Holy Program will not go
unrewarded. You still serve a vital role, spreading the bounty of the Lord to those who do deserve, who will lead to the
Lord's return to where he once commanded before."
Hiroshi took up the tale. "After determining who could receive the blessing, we released a tiny amount of live
virus into the atmosphere of the habitat. Within two sols, all had received their gifts.
"It appears to my wife and I that the gifts are tailored to the interests or personalities of the recipients. I
received the gift of healing the sick and injured, without need of instruments or many drugs. Elena is now able to tell if
her machines are operating properly or not. Yevgeny can now move massive structures, or pieces, with a thought.
Katherine can now tell what is hidden beneath the ground, with but a touch of her hand." Hiroshi paused, and glanced
at Martin. At his slight nod, he continued. "Martin has now become a truly inspiring leader. His new abilities at
leadership are truly wonderful."
"All that is good. But, you described some side effects to the giving of the gifts. Elaborate." Zamir directed.
"Most of us displayed some signs of infection, like a cold, accompanied with chills and fever. The effects
passed within a few hours, but Elena was ill for three days. Katherine showed no ill effects at all." Reiki reported.
She went on, "It also appears that once the virus is in a person's body, it can never be fully eradicated. The
virus seems to enter a dormant state, awaiting some sort of stimulus to re-activate."
"What sort of stimulus? Tell me!" barked Zamir.
"After my gifts manifested, I went back to the Chamber. Under the niche where the vessels were found, I
discovered a hidden compartment, molded out of the very rock, and unobservable to cameras or eyes. I managed to
open the chamber, to find hundreds of tablets, with cuneiform writing on them.
"After translation, which took weeks because none of these tablets have ever been known before, answered
that question.
"The re-manifestation is sporadic, and not always going to occur. The key points are being in a life-threatening
situation, the onset of puberty in a child, or, what seems to me, can be translated as 'the will of the Gods'." Katherine
concluded.
"So, now that I am with you, I can manifest immediately?"
"You can, sir, but you may not. It is completely up to the will of the Gods if you do manifest immediately or
not." Martin told Zamir bluntly. "You are certainly deserving, being the living conduit of our Lord's will, but it is simply
up to the Lord, not you, to decide when and if. Be patient, and you will be rewarded, like we are." he concluded, using
a soothing tone of voice.
Zamir did settle down, responding to Martin's request. He felt comfortable inside, proud that he had chosen
such a fine man to command the expedition. The rest of the meeting went smoothly, under Colonel DuQuesne's
guidance.
Several months went by, as the returning heroes toured the world. As they did, reports began appearing of
people obtaining unusual talents and abilities, which were assiduously tracked by agents of Dr. Zamir. When they
became too numerous to cover up, Dr. Zamir orchestrated a 'leak' of biological materials obtained from Mars. The
phenomena became known as 'Sagan Syndrome', and governments around the world began trying to cope with the
problem posed by people with unusual powers and abilities. Dr. Zamir recruited the ones he felt were most trustworthy
to become agents in his Plan.
Dr. Al-Faras' cult was widespread, reaching deep into the corridors of power in all the major nations, as well
as the United Nations bureaucratic structure. Few had real power, but many members were in positions of influence.
Dr. Al-Faras, as Director of the United Nations Space Agency, had the most 'real' power, as was fitting, because it
was known that God's word was located on the Moon and Mars. Mainly on Mars. An extensive search was being
conducted, ostensibly to find Earth-crossing asteroids, but the real object was to find the Igigi, the spacecraft of the
Gods, and Nibiru, the planet of the Gods.
The goals of the cult were to bring about the return of the Sumerian Gods to Earth- the members of the cult
being rewarded with positions of power over the more ignorant members of humanity. The virus left on Mars had the
stated purpose of bringing select persons closer to the Gods, making them more powerful, and to aid the Gods in their
re-conquest of Mankind.
The phenomena struck the families of the astronauts as well. In the DuQuesne household, Aaron developed
mind-controlling abilities, to accompany his rather bullying personality. Maureen became able to heal diseases, but not
injuries. Schuyler became even more intelligent, outstripping his peers and graduating college with degrees in Electrical
Engineering and Computer Design by the time he turned 17. Martin Junior developed the ability to become
insubstantial, like a ghost, and sometimes being able to turn completely invisible.
The Sagan Two expedition left for Mars, bringing more tools and supplies in order to put a permanent colony
on Mars, at Cydonia. Schuyler, acting on an insight, developed a new model of rocket engines that used fuel more
efficiently and delivered a higher thrust. The design proved so radical and revolutionary that he was given enticements to
work for several major aerospace companies, as well as the U.S. government and the UNSA. He chose instead to
attend the Air Force Academy. In just over a month, he had challenged all the courses, and was graduated with the
rank of 2nd Lieutenant, with a degree in Mathematics. He was also working, in his spare time, on another project. He
was developing a new type of computer processor, what he called an 'E-series engram chip', which would boost
processing speeds by over 1,000% over currently-available models. That one, he kept quiet.
Major General [formerly Colonel] Martin DuQuesne and his wife were appointed to head the Sagan Three
expedition, using the new engines that Schuyler developed, which would shorten the trip time from three years to
eighteen months. 2nd Lieutenant Aaron DuQuesne graduated the Air Force Academy in three years, under somewhat
suspicious circumstances, and went to school to learn to fly the F-29 Griffin.
In September of 2016, 1st Lieutenant DuQuesne was summoned to the White House, to speak with the
President.
In the Oval Office, the President addressed the 19-year-old officer. "Son, I have a dream. A dream that all
those with Sagan's Syndrome be put to work, using their abilities to help everyone, normal and Sagan alike. I want you
to go find some people, preferably young ones like yourself, and make them a useful team for this country. A team that
will prove to the public that people with these gifts are not out just for personal power, but to help people selflessly. I'm
putting you in charge of the project, to find such people."
"Sir, you want me to head what is essentially a public relations show? Is this the right job for me? I'm not
exactly a forceful, dynamic leader, like my father is." Schuyler said, nervousness clearly evident in his voice. He is the
classic example of a nerd, more comfortable with computers than people.
"It would be good for you, to help you learn some people skills. I know," the President said, holding up a hand
to silence Schuyler's protest, "that you have the book knowledge, but you need to put them into practice.
"You will be provided with an office, travel passes, and a large budget to put the team together. We will give
you all the files we have on people with Sagan's Syndrome, so you can pick and choose who you want. When ready,
we will give you a base of operations tailored to your needs, when you tell us what they are."
"Sir, you are leaving office in January. Will the incoming administration also support this project?" Schuyler
asked his commander-in-chief.
"Absolutely. This project has the support of Congress, who have been debating this for months. Now, we will
give you an office here in the White House to do your research. Get started and good luck, son. Your country is
counting on you to make this project work!" The President got up from behind his desk, shook Schuyler's hand, and
showed him out of the Oval Office.
After three months, Schuyler had assembled a team of six youths, from 15 to 18 years old. The six are: from
New York City, Theodore [Ted!] Martinko, who could change his body into different machines, limited mainly by his
imagination; from south Texas, Sheila Brown, who is very strong, very tough, and constantly in trouble from her bad
temper; from western Oklahoma, Ezekiel Silverwater, a taciturn 7' Cherokee with amazing stretching abilities; from
Birmingham, Alabama, Zoey Berkowitz, a young lady with the ability to heal traumatic injury; from Hyannisport,
Massachusetts, John Joseph Kennedy, son of the Senator, who displayed a wide range of abilities regarding ice and
snow, like coating himself with ice, creating ice sheets, snowstorms, and forming an 'ice slide' that helped him get
around faster than a man could run; and from Chicago, Maximilian Petoskey, a chunky 15-year-old who could change
his density, enabling him to grow and shrink at will. He could also fly, but only when very big, like a cloud, or very
small, like a doll.
The six, and Schuyler, were thinking about settling in Chicago when they received word about a group of
teenagers from Hannibal, Missouri stopping a large drug shipment. From the descriptions he received, Schuyler
suspected Sagans, so he sent Ted to investigate. To make a long story short, Schuyler not only found a batch of Sagan
teens, but they were willing to work with him. Schuyler decided to settle the group in Hannibal, and set about to
convince the powers-that-be that this is to be the place for the training ground.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zamir was getting some rough news from his Lord. Zamir was indeed blessed with Sagans- it
made it easier for him to commune with his god. Right now, his god was not pleased with him.
"This attempt to organize the blessed is not good, because they would not worship me. Even though the
leader is the son of my best speaker, they are to be eliminated by any means possible. See to it."
"It will be a difficult task to perform, My Lord. The leader is very wise, and many of the people he has gathered
are not fools. It will take time to perform without risking exposure of our plans for your return, Lord."
"Time is not our ally. Even now, agents of the Devil, my brother, are now making their moves to
support these blessed children. Shatter them, then pick up the pieces. Use the preacher as a weapon. He is a
loyal agent."
"Lord, his children have joined the organization."
"Excellent. They have admitted a weak reed. Using the father will shatter the organization as the weak
reed fails. Stop them before they unwittingly destroy all we have labored so long on."
"It shall be done, my Lord Enlil."
Several months later, Zamir was called by his god. "You have failed me! The organization grows stronger,
and they are being aided by my evil brother and his agents! You have one last chance to stop them, to break
them. If not, you shall be broken!"
"There is other bad news, Lord. They have discovered our attempts to grow lulu amelu as your brother once
did. Worse, they acquired a full set of your Holy Texts."
"I trust you have started other attempts to grow more Primitive Workers elsewhere, have you not?"
"Yes, My Lord. But, this was the one that was the most advanced, and closest to success. Shall we try to
recover your Holy Text?"
"That is of no account. Few can read the texts, fewer still have the wisdom to understand them, and
even fewer would comprehend our Plan."
"By your command, Lord." From such errors, empires have fallen, as did Enlil's entire scheme, because,
unknown to them both, Schuyler had learned to read cuneiform from his mother, better than she had ever suspected.
But, that's for another day.