The Mission From Mars-Careful Planning

“What in the world are you thinking?” asked Thomas C. Williams.

Mentor watched the portly politician pace around in his office. The fat man had been complaining for the better part of a half hour. Why was Mentor going on such a dangerous trip? Had he finally lost what was left of his mind? It was a rather amusing scene to watch. Mentor sat back in his chair and waited to see what Williams would say next.

“What is even worse is that you are taking that girl scout of a reporter with you on the mission,” said Williams.

Mentor bit the inside of his lip, trying not to laugh. Williams was really becoming quite comical. At the rate things were going, he could easily work himself up into a frenzy and give himself a heart attack. If only there was a way to guarantee something like that could work. Blinking his eyes. Mentor focused back on Williams.

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat what you said?”

“I said ‘What were you thinking by bringing that girl along?’”

“Simple,” replied Mentor. “By having her onboard, we will have an official, unbiased, record of the trip. Anyone who says I am making a fake film will have to deal with the fact that there was a person who had skepticism on the trip. As a result, the history written about the film will have two perspectives on it, the true believer and the skeptic. Either way, it is a win win scenario.”

“What happens if even a part of her absurd story is true?”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there,” replied Mentor. “Until then, I suggest you calm down and relax. I know what I am doing.”

“Things like that are easier said than done,” commented Williams.

Mentor nodded. He stood up and began to walk around his office. “You know,” said Mentor, “you remind me of an old colleague of mine. This was an old battle axe of a woman. My first year here at Industrial Sciences, I could do no wrong for her. Second year, she seemed to listen to what others said instead of trusting me.”

Williams sensed there was a message imbedded into the story. “What happened to her?”

“Oh she retired,” answered Mentor. “When my third year was complete she decided her time in Industrial Sciences was over and ended up handing the reigns of the department over to me.”

“She decided her time was up?” asked Williams questioningly.

“But of course,” replied Mentor with a sly grin. “Now, granted, she might have had a little bit of influence in making that decision, but she did retire nonetheless.”

“I see.”

Mentor knew the truth behind his ascension to head of his department in Industrial Sciences. It was that job which led him to the executive board, and then being in charge of the entire company. It wasn’t as if Mentor lied about the former department chair deciding to retire. In fact, she really did do that. The influence for retirement came from many different sources, but Mentor was the most vocal on it. He simply reminded the old battle axe that she was not quite as spry as she used to be. After that, he threatened to blackmail her on all the dirt he had on her to the executive board. The fall would not have been so bad for him as it would have been for her. So, the only honorable course of action left for the old battle axe was to retire. The day after she did that, Mentor made a note to visit her at her apartment. While she was not happy to see him, he made sure that her angry rants would take care of themselves. Nothing says silence like syringe full of air emptied into a vein.

The memory of doing that made Mentor think about his situation with Williams. It had potential, but needed timing. Since the politician was portly, people would only assume he had a heart attack. Timing was still the issue that needed to be addressed. Mentor had to think about the usefulness of Williams for the near future. If he had his uses, then the fat man would live. If not, well, the planet might get a little lighter.

Mentor walked over to Williams and slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry Tommy,” said Mentor. “I have a plan.”

“You better,” replied Williams. “Because if you don’t, she could cause trouble.”

“She won’t,” said Mentor. “Trust me.”