Exit 9

41

I.D. MINUS 2 MINUTES

BLUEBIRD TIME 10:58 AM

AS THE DOP entered the Cradle from the conference room, everyone sitting at the monitoring stations stood. There was no applause. Silence seemed to be the appropriate response to the moment.

Solemnly, he made his way to the empty station that sat by itself, front and center in front of the monitor wall. Once he reached the desk, he turned and faced the personnel of Bluebird. Along with the Directors who were standing in front, and those at the stations, there were two dozen others squeezed in along the walls, nearly everyone at the outpost who wasn’t needed on security detail elsewhere. All eyes were on him.

He felt a surge of pride. These were some of the most dedicated members of Project Eden, most had been a part of the organization for at least a decade, and many of them for more. What he was about to do was as much for them as it was for everyone else.

Though it wasn’t part of the plan for the day, he felt he needed to say something, something everyone would remember. He’d been wrestling with what that should be for days. Finally he decided to just go with the first words that came to mind.

“Our actions here today are meant to accomplish only one thing-the ability for humankind to reach its full potential. With your dedication, heart, and service, we will achieve this.”

All right. Perhaps it wasn’t One small step for man, but no one in the room seemed to care.

He looked at the digital clock on the wall. They were eighty-three seconds away, less than a minute and a half until the time finally arrived.