"You're sure about that? About everything? I'm meeting with the board tomorrow. They'll give me the final go ahead even with a slim chance of success, but the final say is mine and I don't like slim chances. They haven't worked for any space program thus far and we don't need another failure on our hands. So I'll ask you one last time. Are you absolutely, one hundred percent, without question, sure that you'll find what you're looking for?

"Not a doubt in the world. I've worked my entire life for an opportunity like this. I promise you, we will succeed." Peterson smiled. "I wouldn't be doing this otherwise. I don't like to fail."

"Good," Nancy said. "Neither do I."

A loud ring filled the air. Nancy reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a tiny cell phone. "Director Heintz here."

"Dr. Connelly and her crew are here to see you, Ma'am," came the voice of a receptionist on the other end.

"Direct them to my office," Nancy said, before hanging up the phone. She turned to Peterson, who was looking at the massive greenhouse. "Feel free to stay here as long as you'd like, but don't touch the plants. I'm meeting with the TES crew now. Update me on your progress by the end of the day."

"Will do," Peterson said.

Nancy entered the elevator and disappeared behind its closing doors, leaving Peterson alone in the gargantuan greenhouse. He looked at all the vegetation, some of it otherworldly and then up to the moon. His body shivered with nervous energy. He knew his view from the next greenhouse he'd be standing in was going to be even more impressive.

*   *   *   *   *

Connelly stretched and touched her toes, which felt awkward in the formal business suit she was wearing, but the three flights it had taken to get them from Antarctica to northern California had been cramped. Flights were much faster than they used to be, but more people than ever were flying. After landing in San Francisco it had taken them another three hours to drive to the Global Exploration Corporation's headquarters, which was situated in a forty acre portion of prime landscape. The grounds were impeccably maintained. The lush green grass was as trim as a marine's hair. A brook ran perpendicular to the main entrance at the front of the building. The compound could have been mistaken for a national park, if not for the expansive parking lot, barbed wire fences and large marble sign which read: Global Exploration Corporation. Overall, visiting the site was a relaxing experience and Connelly could understand why so many scientists clambered to get research space within the facility, but coming here was never a good thing for her.