Green Planet

Chapter 1

In Portland Oregon it is said to rain a lot. For Evie this was a strange statement, as she had experienced torrential downpours, gusts of wet wind, fierce thunderstorms, pounding hail, and even these newfound weather features that scientists were calling "rain bombs". This weather, with its foggy, misty, light touches of water droplets, was not rain in her opinion. Nonetheless, she pulled her black hood up against the mist with everyone else as they exited the train downtown. Simultaneously, a group of 40 or 50 people streamed out of the train car and lifted hoods to their heads to block the mist of water from touching them. Forest green eyes glowed from beneath the hood as Evie looked across Pioneer Square, towards the government building which held the NASA offices. An elderly man wrapped in a filthy blanket held out a cup to her as she passed, "Miss, any change?" she shook her head briefly, and then continued on.

Two hours earlier, everything in Evie's daily routine had changed. Normally she would have woken at 6 AM, gotten dressed, brushed her teeth, packed her breakfast and lunch and said goodbye to her fluffy cat Sheila, and been on her way to the train station and from there, the coffee shop where she worked, The Rusty Spoon. On this day, however, something was different. People stared down at their mobile devices or tablets - nothing new there - but then suddenly, they looked up at one another. Meanwhile, in coffee shops and tearooms, trains and subways, and all public places across the United States, people were looking up from devices, or looking up at television screens and then at one another, at perfect strangers, as if finally realizing they were of one species. On screens everywhere, a planet spun, similar to Earth but entirely green, deep green. Planet Z847 scientists had named it, for the galaxy in which it existed, and its place in the vast universe. A junior scientist on the newly formed Space Force has discovered it, during routine data collection and observations, to everyone's shock and disbelief.

"Adam White, of Portland Oregon has discovered a new planet Sunday night." The newscaster's voice overlapping the image of the spinning green planet. "This planet appears to be located in the Andromeda Galaxy, 2.5 million light-years from Earth."

People looked up at one another with eyes wide as the reporter continues,

"President Stultus has tweeted about this event, saying, and I quote: 'More great stuff from this administration. I told you all that this space force was a good idea. Now we have a new planet, haha." The newscaster reads this in a monotone voice, staring blankly into the camera, barely hiding his derision with tightly pursed lips.

Evie stood before the government building and looked up, up, up, all along the side of the behemoth. Grey walls and clear windows gleamed in the mist, she lifted her head and followed the building until she could see the grey swirling sky above, and the building standing stark against it. Water droplet fell directly into her face and she could watch them falling from this angle, racing towards the ground. She watched each individual drop fall for a moment, mesmerized. Then she lowered her gaze to the glass doors and waited. Any moment now, she thought, he would walk through those doors, and she would be ready for him.

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Adam looked intently at his first monitor, showing the database and numbers like a million black dots raining down from the top of the screen. On his second monitor was a modeling program showing the specifications of this newfound planet, from the gaseous atmosphere, similar to Earth's, to the bright green landmasses, no bodies of water to be seen. It seemed impossible. How could a planet so green have no bodies of water? Did the entire planet constantly rain and evaporate water from the extreme vegetation? He pondered this and scrolled through his database until a firm hand clapped him on the shoulder, a little too roughly, and he nearly jumped out of his skin with fright.

"Did I scare you?" a loud voice said from behind him.

Adam turned around to see his colleague, Jeffrey Moore, standing behind his chair, looking smug.

Jeffrey was a scientist in the loosest sense of the word, having caught the eye of president Stultus when he still worked in the EPA. Most of the old order in the EPA had refused to do the president's bidding or had been "reassigned" to other positions within the federal government. Jeffrey however had no issues doing as he was bid. First, his job was to wipe the EPA websites clean of any information that could be used by the general public in a negative way. All reports of pollution and the dangers of certain chemicals were removed from the public record. The doings of the EPA were slowly removed from public sight, and out came new reports. Suddenly it was the opinion of the EPA that smog didn't cause quite as much harm as previously thought, and industries were granted the right to emit much more than before. Other chemicals previously banned or monitored were allowed free reign, as the EPA spewed out studies that looked much more favorable to industry than ever before. All of these studies and reports were of course written and approved by Jeffrey himself. For all his efforts to erase impediments to industry and clear away bothersome environmental regulations, Jeffrey had been handsomely rewarded. The president himself gifted him a silver 718 Cayman Porsche, unofficially of course, and his salary nearly tripled in his time with the EPA. He bought one of the most lavish mansions in Portland, high in a hill, far from the hoards of homeless in the streets below. Behind not one, but two gilded gates, just to be sure no rag-tag no-good hoodlums came around looking for a handout. He kept that special car under lock and key however and deigned only to drive his 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon to the office, always parking right outside the front doors so that it wouldn't be missed by his fellow Spaceforce colleagues.

Adam gave him a blank look. "You didn't scare me, I was just...checking my data."

"Oh yeah, I hear the president himself wants to congratulate you on your findings. That's big. He could pass down more funding for our program...get us all a fat bonus, huh?" Jeffrey tried to nudge Adam with his elbow but Adam shied away before he could touch him. Jeffrey's smile faded, "Anyway...whaddya think of that Rubicon out front? Just got it, a little gift to myself. Why don't you take it for a spin? Try it out?" he pulled the keys out of his pocket and gave them a little jingle in front of Adam's face.

"I have work to do, but thanks anyway..." Said Adam, starting to turn back toward his computer.

"Well we all have "work" to do, Adam," Jeffrey grabbed the back of his chair and swiveled it back to face him, "trust me, you don't wanna pass this up, it's an amazing vehicle to drive."

"I imagine it's no different from any other vehicle," Adam replied.

Jeffrey scoffed, "How do you figure??"

"I imagine that when you get into the vehicle, you turn the key into the ignition, and then you put the vehicle into drive, and then you press on the gas pedal and it moves, correct?"

Both men stared at each other incredulously.

"Oooookay then, nevermind." Jeffrey rolled his eyes and moved on to the secretary's desk. "Deborah, Deborah...what would you say to a whip around in my Rubicon?" He waggled his eyebrows at her. She giggled.

Adam returned to his work with a sigh. Extroverts were some of the most annoying people, he found. But feeling extroverts were the absolute worst in his opinion. Not only were they loud and gregarious with no respect for boundaries...but they also needed to be admired at all times. He could hear the rest of his office celebrating. NASA was finally in the news again, a respected organization again. They were going to finally get federal funding! Cheering could be heard in all the meeting rooms, calls for a cake to be cut.