Chapter Text
Ina’nis Ninomae looked out the heavily-tinted windows of a NASA bus one early November morning in 1967. From there, she regarded the space rocket affixed to the service structures of the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39. Her purple eyes shimmered with awe, but a wave of anxiety, frustration and anger washed away her positive sentiments.
All of a sudden, a voice called out to Sana from across the bus.
“Keep staring at the rocket like that and it’ll burst into flames.” The voice joked, but its underlying venom was thinly veiled, “You have a penchant for setting things ablaze, Ina’nis Ninomae, don’t you?”
Seated across from Ina was a well-dressed lady seated cross-legged before her.
The director of NASA, Amelia Watson.
“Director Watson.” Ina spoke, struggling to hide her disdain.
Amelia snorted. She took out a pack of cigarettes from her breast pocket and lit it with a match, but she did not smoke it. Instead, Amelia just let the smoke rise up to the ceiling of the bus like a stick of incense.
“Chin up, Ina’nis. You should be thankful.” Amelia spoke coldly, watching the smoke rise, “Not many people get a second chance in life. You’re about to get your third.” She paused and closed her eyes, “If I had my way, I would have had you jailed like the criminal that you are.”
Ashes fell from the tip of Ame’s cigarette. Then, she reminisced.
“But that’s not what she would have wanted.”
Ame brought out an ashtray and snuffed the flame. She opened her eyes and faced Ina squarely.
“Make this launch succeed, Ina’nis Ninomae. You won’t get another chance - and neither will I.”
Silence gripped the NASA bus once more.
…
Close Encounters
Eight O' Clock Daylight
…
Three months ago, on the dying throes of the Fall, Ina’nis Ninomae drove a small, cramped Mini Cooper through the tarmac in the opposite direction of the NASA bus - away from Launch Complex 39. She drove her Mini all the way through to the security gates of Kennedy Space Center.
A pair of Military Policemen stopped her, asking for identification.
Ina didn’t move a muscle at first. Then the MP’s tapped her windshield with a baton, dragging Ina back to reality.
“Oh, sorry.” Ina apologized, even though her side window was still closed.
She slid her Mini’s window open and handed her ID to the MP’s. The MP’s read the ID and started whispering amongst themselves.
“This is the one, isn’t she?” The first MP asked, “The one who…”
“Just shut up and call HQ.” The second MP elbowed his colleague. Then, he squatted and leaned close to Ina’s window, “You sit tight, miss. Director’s orders.”
“O-of course…” Ina frowned. She shifted to park gear and sank into her seat.
She watched the MP’s make a number of telephone calls. Then, the MP’s opened the bar barrier and returned Ina’s ID - but not before they stamped a big red “VOID” on it.
“Good riddance.” The first MP whispered.
Ina’s sharp, elf-like ears, however, heard him. She didn’t say a word and just drove out of Kennedy Space Center - perhaps for the last time, she thought.
When she did, her radio station began a news segment.
“ The time is eight PM in the evening on the dot, Miami time. The date is August 23, 1967. Here are the latest news stories from Cape Kennedy News at this hour! The Congressional report on the reinvestigation of the Apollo 1 disaster has been revealed to the public by the new director of NASA, Amelia H. Watson. According to new documents and testimonies of Director Watson, it was junior NASA technician Ina’nis Ninomae who… ”
Ina furrowed her brow and switched the radio station.
A cheerful Beach Boys song replaced the news anchor’s droning, but it didn’t blunt Ina’s displeasure much. The next station played a lively Johnny Cash tune. Dissatisfied, she switched off her radio altogether and drove on.
Before the bridge out of Cape Kennedy came into view, however, Ina brought her car off the road and parked it by the saltwater brush and the barbed wire fence affixed with signs that read “Government Property, Keep Out!” a good distance away from the main road.
Ina brought out a small suitcase from the trunk of her car and walked alongside the barbed wire fence for a spell. Then, she found a weak point in the fence and snuck on through.
Even in the low light, Ina found her way through the brush - retracing steps that she had taken many times before. She evaded the searchlights from Kennedy Space Center and kept her head low beneath the tall grass and the reeds.
Cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean blew towards her, guiding her towards the waters. Its guidance led her to a small, sandy nook hidden away from the searchlights and the rest of Cape Kennedy. And yet, between the reflection of the moon and the stars, the nook was wrapped in a heavenly silver glow.
This was Ina’s secret base - a place where she could hide from the rest of the world and leave it all behind.
There, for the first time in months, Ina felt at peace.
Ina found a rock to sit down on and set down her briefcase. She retrieved a sketchpad and a pencil from within. Then, guided by the moonlight, Ina drew.
She drew anything and everything that came to mind - the sandy nook, the reflection of the moon on the ocean, the constellations up above. However, it was only a temporary solace. She couldn’t keep the myriad of bad thoughts from seeping in for long.
Halfway through a sketch, tears started forming at the sides of her eyes. They splattered on the paper of her sketchpad. Then, she lowered her pencil and wept.
A cry that no one was supposed to hear.
Dark clouds rolled over the horizon, blocking the moonlight that illuminated the sandy nook. Ina’s secret base was plunged into absolute darkness.
Ina turned her eyes towards the dark ocean and wondered how deep the darkness truly ran. A part of her wanted to find out. After all, she had nothing else to lose.
However, something suddenly cut through the dark clouds - a bright radiant figure descending rapidly. Was it a flare from Kennedy Space Center? Was it a Soviet ICBM? Had the sun finally come falling down to end life on earth?
It was none of those.
The radiant figure fell rapidly into the Atlantic Ocean, close to the shore of the sandy nook. Its radiance flickered like a light and sputtered out. Its descent slowed down too.
Then, it fell softly on the sand, sprawled out like a beached whale.
Ina stood up from her rock. She wiped her tearful eyes and carefully approached the once-radiant figure. Moonlight flowed through the hole torn in the clouds, illuminating the unidentified fallen object.
It looked like a tall, tan-skinned human woman wearing strange clothes that Ina had never seen before in her life. When Ina approached the woman from space stirred. She hoisted herself up from the sand.
Her bright, starry, golden eyes met with Ina’s.
Ina’s heart throbbed, filled with fear, curiosity and - strangely - sympathy. Through the woman’s gaze alone, Ina felt like she was a kindred spirit.
Then, a warm smile formed on the fallen woman’s lips.
With that smile, the upside down life of Ina’nis Ninomae was about to flip once more.
For better.
And for worse.
…
Epilogue
Back at Kennedy Space Center, NASA Director Amelia Watson looked out the window of her office. Telephones were ringing left and right and her staffers were busy answering them as quickly as they could.
Amelia’s eyes were fixed on the hole torn through the dark clouds in the night sky. She brought out a packet of cigarettes and proceeded to light one without smoking it. Smoke rose from the burning tip, distorting Ame’s reflection on the glass.
All of a sudden, one of her staffers approached her with a whole landline telephone set in tow.
“Madam Director, the CIA wants to talk with you.”
Ame frowned. She snuffed out her cigarette on an ashtray and answered the call.
“Your timing couldn’t be more impeccable.” Ame scoffed, “To what do I owe the pleasure, Special Agent Vestia?”
To Be Continued