AmEarth

Scott met Marianne for lunch that day at the same Italian restaurant near campus where they dined almost every night. It was an inexpensive but delicious spot that catered to students with a somewhat larger budget than those living on campus and forced to eat cafeteria food. Their relationship was flourishing, and they would both be traveling to the Shadow White House for their family’s special Thanksgiving. Marianne was enjoying school, and was particularly excited about her political science classes and her teachers. She found Columbia exhilarating and challenging, and she appreciated that Scott was there to help her adjust.

“I wanted to see you before we went to the thanksgiving dinner tonight,” Scott said over lunch.

“What is it?” Marianne said, curious and a bit nervous.

“Nothing, I just wanted to see you alone. Like this.”

Scott was in love and hoped that she was feeling something similar, or at least had the potential to. The fear of her rejection consumed him, so he decided to risk it all. He looked her in the eyes and moved in closer until their lips finally touched, something he’d been wanting for weeks. Marianne didn’t resist; she had been waiting for him. They kissed gently, testing each other, but that was soon replaced by greater passion. When Scott sensed her soft tongue touching his, he realized that he had been right; Marianne was all he ever wanted. The feeling was mutual; the union felt right. After about ten minutes of sitting in the restaurant, kissing, he stopped and looked at her.

“Do you want to come to my place? We have a few hours to kill before we need to be there, anyway.”

“Sure,” Marianne happily agreed.

They walked the streets of the Upper West Side until they reached Scott’s building. They held hands the whole time, but spoke very little. They looked just like the lovebirds they were and they hardly noticed the world around them. In his studio, she found the standard mess of a single guy, but didn’t even acknowledge it. Before she could say anything, they were locked together again, rapidly stripping off clothes and running hands over skin. It was a mission that they both rushed to complete, and they were not disappointed.

They needed to dress again and in better clothes for the dinner that night. Scott was ecstatic and he sang as he showered in happiness. Through the small high window in his bathroom he could see a sliver of the West Side Highway and the Hudson behind it, and parked across the street was a dark car with his Secret Service detail. In a rush, his emotions changed as a thought entered his head; ssistant Professor Ted Landon! He still had the Kepler document, which could take all of this away. Ahat were the odds that anyone would ever take Landon seriously? He continued whistling, reflecting happily on the entire structure of Earth. Everything should have made sense now that he was with Marianne but somehow his knowledge of the truth scared him. He felt a strong desire to come clean, to scream to the world that he knew the truth. If only humans could live in peace together and protect their planet together without war and greed and without made up aliens!.

Scott and Marianne were driven to the Shadow White House for the Thanksgiving dinner. Scott raised the glass partition of the limousine to get privacy.

“Love?” Scott said.

“Yes?” Marianne asked.

“I know I am the son of the President and you are the daughter of Sergio and all, but I think I need to tell you something…”

“I think I know what you are going to say.”

“No. I don’t think you do.”

“What is it then.”

“I just want you to know if I ever do something stupid, something that jeopardized our position in AmEarth, well you should know I love you.”

“You are scaring me. You mean to say if you ever rebel and tell the truth, right?”

“I might.”

“You know something?” She asked.

“What?” Scott asked.

“There is like a huge conscience boulder on my shoulders. Like I can’t breath or something. Guilt, you know…”

“Yes. That is exactly what I feel. It is like feeling criminal all the time. I don’t think I can do it.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Let’s wait. I think our parents would hate us if we start something now. I think we need to lay low for a while, you know?”

“I agree… we would kill them.”

“Yep.”

Then Scott moved closer and kissed her like it was the first time in his life. They kissed like never before. It was finally a union. Moments later they quietly entered the party and joined Sergio, Robbie, Peter, Barbara, and Brianna at a table. This small group of people had been pushed by circumstance into a very special place in Earth’s history. That evening, the talk surrounded school, homework, and Brianna’s new experiences at high school, but little or no politics. After dinner, the children and the wives talked in the living room, and Peter invited Sergio to the library for a drink.

“You know, Sergio, I was thinking,” Peter started as he had so many times in the past.

“Not again…” Sergio joked.

“Yes, again. If Scott decides, for whatever reason, that he doesn’t want to be president, it could also fall to Marianne.”

“What?”

“Hear me out. I was just thinking that we can be flexible. We don’t need to be so limited. There must be many options.”

“Brianna?” Sergio suggested.

“Yes, but maybe you should have some more kids.”

“Now you’ve really lost it! I plan to keep my life with Robbie as fun and exciting as I can.”

“What can be more exciting than children?”

“But we’re too old. You know that.”

“Sergio, you’re only forty. It’s the new thirty, right?”

“Are you really suggesting this?”

“No, I’m merely telling you that it is a possibility…” Peter’s voice trailed off mysteriously.

“Do you know something that I don’t?”

Peter couldn’t help but smile. He had been alerted by the health minister, Dr. Rosencrans, of this development. It was clear that anyone near the president would be unable to hide anything from him, not even health information. In fact, Peter had requested that all people close to him receive this special treatment from Secret Service security to health and wellness maintenance. From Peter’s face, Sergio read clearly that he knew something.

“Sergio, she might not know yet, or she might even be considering alternative options. You must be very cautious about how you approach this, but I have an idea,” Peter said.

“What?” Sergio asked.

“I will have a message sent to her wafer with the results of her blood test. You can enter the room as she’s reading it and ask her then. See what happens. However, whatever you do, don’t let her know that you know. Act well, my friend.”

Peter sent a message to Dr. Rosencrans and put the plan in motion. Sergio went to the doorway between the two rooms and waited. Robbie received the text and Sergio moved toward her. Peter got up, his scotch in his hand, and went to the door, from where he could watch one of the most intimate reactions shared between humans. Robbie looked up after reading it and immediately called Sergio. Peter could see him bend to her mouth, where she whispered something and pulled back, quietly waiting for his response. His face split in two and he hugged her so hard that she was pulled off her feet. Marianne sat on the couch across the room and clearly noticed that something was happening with her parents. Robbie looked over at her daughter, who was holding Scott’s hand, staring incredulously at her parents.

“You’re going to be a sister!” Robbie revealed suddenly, unable to contain her excitement. She was shaken, but overjoyed. Marianne returned the broad smile and squeezed Scott’s hand a bit tighter.

“What are the odds of that…?” Scott added and squeezed right back.

Peter looked on from the entrance to the library and behind him his computer terminal was on. The room became hued in red, and Peter noticed the color on the white trim of the door. He looked back to see the screen covered in red directives…