Moonrise

“Happy birthday, Greg,” Joa

“That’s okay,” he replied, trying to smile. “VR’s the next best thing.”

“How are you?” she asked.

“Fine. The operation here is going very well. They’re even talking about setting up an amusement park to draw in tourists.”

Joa

Greg laughed. “The more they blow, the more dependent they’ll be on us. I’m already working out better terms for our contract renewal.”

“I’m very proud of what you’ve accomplished here,” Joa

“Thanks, Mom.”

Neither of them spoke of what stood between them. Greg had gone through years of intensive therapy after his maniacal rage had led him to murder. For years Joa

Only gradually, when it became clear that the focus of his murderous fury had abated, did she allow him to return to the real world. Greg learned to control himself, learned to calm the bitter tides that surged through him, learned even to accept the fact that he had to share his mother with his younger half-brother.

In time, Joa

Yet despite his outward calm Joa

Joa

He never did. And Doug learned to get along with his older half-brother. It was difficult to dislike Doug; he had his father’s charm. Greg could even laugh with Doug, on rare occasions.

Now, as Joa

“What’s the matter?” she asked, looking up into his somber eyes.

Greg let out a sigh, like a man in pain.

“What is it, dear?” Joa

He stopped and turned to face her, his back to the glorious sunset. “Have I done an adequate job here?”

Joa

“All right,” he said. “Then I want to move up to the next challenge.”

“The next…?”

“Moonbase,” Greg said.

For a moment Joa

“I want to be put in charge of Moonbase,” he said, his voice calm. But she could sense the depth of his desire, even through the virtual reality interface.

“Moonbase,” she repeated, stalling for time to think.

“Anson’s due to rotate back to Sava

Doug is on the Moon, Joa

“Mom? Did you hear me?”

“Yes, of course I heard you. It’s just… unexpected. You’ve caught me by surprise, Greg.”

He broke into a cheerless smile. “That’s the first time that’s happened!”

“I never thought you’d want to go to Moonbase,” she said.

“It’s the next logical step, isn’t it? A year at Moonbase and then I can move up to head the entire space operations division.”

Joa

His smile evaporated. “You don’t trust me.”

“Of course I trust you!” she blurted.

“But not enough.”

“Oh, Greg—”

“I know. You’ve got every reason not to trust me. But it’s not like I’m looking to be made CEO, or even asking for my old seat on the board of directors.”

“There’s going to be a vacancy on the board next year,” Joa

If that pleased him, Greg did not show it ’Mom, I want to earn my way. Moonbase is always tottering on the brink of collapse. I want to spend a year there and make the tough decision.”

“The tough decision?”

“To close it down, once and for all.”

“You, can’t do that!”

“Somebody has to,” he snapped. “We can’t let Moonbase keep draining the corporation, year after year.”

“But it’s making a profit…”

Greg’s expression turned sour. “You know that’s not true, Mom. Oh, sure, the bookkeeping shows a small profit, but when you figure in all the seed money we’ve put in for research that’s off the bqpks and all the other hidden costs, Moonbase is an expense we can’t afford.”

Joa

“Let me put in a year up there,” Greg insisted. “I’ll do my best to find a way to make the base really profitable, without bookkeeping tricks. But if I can’t, after a whole year, then I’ll recommend we close the operation for good.”

“Do you think you can make that decision?”

“After a year of hands-on management up there, yes.”

“What do you see as a potential profit-maker?” Joa

“I don’t know!” he said, agitated. “They’ve been using nanotechnology up there. Maybe we can turn Moonbase into a nanotech research center.”

“We’ve been through this before, Greg,” Joa

“Yes, yes, I know,” Greg said impatiently. “And I heard the Vice President’s speech last week, too.”

“He’s asking for a U.N. treaty to ban all nanotechnology all over the world!” Joa

“He’ll be president after November,” said Greg gloomily. “He’s certain to win!”

“A man like that in the White House.”

With a sardonic smile, Greg said, “He won’t be the first ignoramus to get there.”

“But he’s violently opposed to nanotechnology; he’s making it a religious issue.”

Joa

“Ambitious politicians always play to the peoples’ fears,” Greg replied impatiently. “Since when do we let that determine corporate policy?”

Joa

“I don’t agree.”

“We can’t invest major resources in nanomanufacturing, Greg. We haven’t even been able to put medical nanoproducts on the market, and they’ve been proved to save lives. The government, the public, the media — they’ve stopped us every time we’ve tried.”