Brightest Star Page #5

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- OH, COME IN

FROM THE DARKNESS

ON THE EDGE OF THIS

THREE-TREE TOWN

BECAUSE IT'S THICKER

THAN THE WOODS OUT THERE

-OUR BARTENDER

GIVES HIM GLASSES.

BARTENDER GIVES HIM THE GLASSES.

HE JUST GOES,

"I'M NOT DRINKING THAT.

GET AWAY ME."

-VERY, VERY FUN. NO, IT WAS!

WHO -- WHO SAYS THA TO A BARTENDER?

THEY'RE TRYING TO BE NICE

TO YOU.

WE GOT KICKED OUT IMMEDIATELY.

- COME IN FROM THE SHADOWS

OF THESE BOOT-BLACK,

MARCHING CLOUDS:

'CAUSE TROUBLE FALLS

LIKE RAIN:

AND LATELY IT'S BEEN

POURING DOWN:

-STAY.

RIGHT NOW CAN WE JUST...

KEEP IT LIKE THIS...

SIMPLE?

- SO I, I'VE SEEN

LONELINESS:

SHE TIED ME DOWN

IN HER SWEET CARESS

-[ GROANS ]

[ SIGHS ]

HE'S A PARASITE TO HUMANITY...

A LEECH, A LECHEROUS DEVIANT...

STEALER OF GIRLFRIENDS,

BREAKER OF INNOCENT HEARTS...

A PIRATE ON THE SEAS OF

INTERNATIONALLY SELLING THINGS.

-SO IT'S YOU WHO'S BEEN

RUNNING UP MY UTILITY BILLS.

- YEAH, I'M JUST TRYING TO

POLISH UP ON THE MYSAI PROPOSAL.

I THINK THE YANKEE TICKETS

CLOSE THE DEAL FOR MR. DIBATA.

-WHAT DO I CARE ABOUT MOST?

-LITA.

-IF YOU WANT TO IMPRESS ME,

IMPRESS HER.

GO HOME.

-WHAT'S UP?

-I'M NERVOUS.

-[ CHUCKLES ]

WHAT ABOUT?

-THURSDAY.

I TOLD YOU A&R FROM URGE

IS SUPPOSED TO SHOW UP...

-RIGHT.

-...AND I'M FREAKING OUT.

PLEASE DON'T BE LATE

TO THIS ONE.

-OKAY.

-WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

-OBSERVATORIES OUT WEST,

UP NORTH.

[ CHUCKLES ]

SOMETIMES, THEY POST JOBS.

-THAT'S RAD.

-WELL, YOU NEED A DEGREE

OR RELEVANT SKILLS

FOR MOST OF THE JOBS,

BUT SOMETIMES:

THEY NEED A JANITOR...

-[ LAUGHS ]

-...OR -- OR A GROUNDS KEEPER.

UH, THERE'S THIS ONE

AT 10,000 FEE OUTSIDE THIS REMOTE,

LITTLE TOWN.

IT -- IT'S THE REAL DEAL.

-IT'D BE COOL TO LIVE OUT THERE,

IN THE MOUNTAINS.

I MEAN, IT'D BE LIKE

THE SPIRIT QUEST THE INDIANS DO.

AND WE COULD TRY PEYOTE.

-[ LAUGHS ]

-AND ARE THEY HIRING?

OR DO THEY HAVE A GIFT SHOP?

I COULD DO THAT.

-YOU'D GO WITH ME?

I MEAN, ISN'T THIS

KIND OF ONE OF THOSE

GROWING UP ON MY OWN

SORT OF THINGS?

-IT'S MORE FUN TO GROW

WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

GROWING ON YOUR OWN ALWAYS SEEMS

TO INVOLVE BEING DEPRESSED.

-[ SIGHS ]

YOU ARE WISE BEYOND YOUR YEARS,

LITA MARKOVIC.

-THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL ME.

BEDTIME.

DON'T COME TO BED TOO LATE.

-I WON'T.

-[ LAUGHS ]

-[ SIGHS ]

[ SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE ]

-SORRY.

I CRASHED OUT.

-I KNOW.

WHAT IS THIS, CHARLOTTE?

WHAT -- WHAT ARE WE DOING?

-IT'S US.

IT -- IT'S COMPLICATED.

-THAT'S --

[ CHUCKLES ]

THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

-I'M GLAD YOU CAME.

-WELL, YOU ASKED ME TO.

I STILL -- I'M STILL DOING

EVERYTHING:

THAT YOU ASKED ME TO DO.

SHOULDN'T THIS BE EASIER?

-SORRY.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE

WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

-ME, TOO.

-ARE YOU STILL GONNA COME

ON THURSDAY?

-YEAH.

YEAH, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY.

OF COURSE.

I GOT TO GO.

-AW, THANKS, MAN.

[ LAUGHS ] I GOT IT.

[ HORN HONKS ]

-CAN I GET THE DESSERT MENU?

-YEAH, NO, I LIKE THAT.

- I'M SOMEWHERE

YOU'RE SOMEWHERE

I'M NOWHERE

YOU'RE NOWHERE

YOU'RE SOMEWHERE

YOU'RE SOMEWHERE

I COULD GO THERE

BUT I DON' YOU TELL ME

STORIES OF THE SEA

AND THE ONES YOU LEFT BEHIND

AND THE ONES WE LEFT BEHIND

-[ SIGHS ]

-HOW LONG?

-IT'S NOT LIKE THAT.

-HOW LONG?

I TRUSTED YOU.

-I KNOW.

-I-I BELIEVED IN YOU.

-YOU'RE WONDERFUL.

I HAVE NO EXCUSE OR DEFENSE.

-STOP, STOP, OKAY?

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.

-[ SIGHS ]

-BATTING PRACTICE, RIGHT?

[ DOOR OPENS, CLOSES ]

-[ SIGHS ]

[ SIGHS ]

[ EXHALES SHARPLY ]

[ BLOWS ]

[ CAR DOOR CLOSES ]

HELLO.

-WHO ARE YOU?

-UH, I'M THE NEW

MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONAL.

TODD HIRED ME.

-SO WHEN MY OBSERVATORY

IS BURNED DOWN:

BY A STRAY ASH:

FROM THE NEW JANITOR

WHO HAS NO SCIENTIFIC VALUE

TO THIS FACILITY WHATSOEVER,

I SHOULD BLAME TODD?

THERE'S NO SMOKING

AT THIS FACILITY.

-I-I KNOW. IT'S IN THE HANDBOOK.

THOUGHT IT'D BE

A NICE WAY TO MEET PEOPLE.

[ SIGHS ]

[ KNOCKS ]

-[ Indian accent ]

COME IN, COME IN.

WELCOME, MY FRIEND.

-SAY, UH, WHAT'S ON THE DISH

THIS EVENING?

-[ Normal voice ]

UGH, S.O.S., BROTHER.

DEGREE IN PHYSICS --

I MIGHT AS WELL BE

ANSWERING PHONES A A TOASTER TECH-SUPPORT HOTLINE.

-OH, IS THIS

THE RED-SHIFT STUFF?

-LYMAN ENERGY ABSORPTION

AND HIGH RED-SHIFT QUASARS

MEASURING THE UNIVERSE'S

RATE OF EXPANSION OVER TIME.

WHAT, THEY DON'T TEACH YOU GUYS

THIS STUFF IN JANITOR SCHOOL?

-NO, IT'S MORE,

UH, PHILOSOPHY --

YOU KNOW,

LIKE IF THE UNIVERSE'S EXPANSION

IS HIGHER THAN:

THE RATE OF THOUGHT,

WILL TOKAGAWA FINALLY

HAVE A CHANCE TO GET LAID

BEFORE EXISTENCE

AS WE KNOW IT CEASES.

YOUR STUNNING BARB

MIGHT ACTUALLY ZING, BUDDY,

IF YOU DIDN'T DELIVER I WITH A BLEEDING NOSE.

WEEK IN AND STILL A NEWBIE,

I SEE.

NOT EVERYBODY'S CUT OU FOR LIFE AT 10,000 FEET.

-[ GROANS ]

HEY, UH, I WAS HAVING

A SMOKE TODAY,

AND SOME LADY YELLED AT ME.

-A LADY LIKE --

LIKE OLDER AND MEAN?

-SHE WASN'T THAT OLD.

SHE WAS WEARING A HAT.

-OH, YOU'VE GOT TO

GET OUT OF HERE NOW.

SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE

ON SABBATICAL. GO, GO, GO!

-WHO, WHO?

-HYPATIA! DUDE, OUT.

NO CIVVIES ON BRIDGE.

GO, THANK YOU, AND COME AGAIN.

[ GROANS ]

-[ SIGHS ]

[ SIGHS ]

-ARE THE RULES IN THE HANDBOOK

NOT CLEAR,

OR DO YOU JUST HAVE

NO REGARD FOR FOLLOWING THEM?

-NO, T-T-THEY'RE VERY CLEAR,

MA'AM.

-THEN WHY WERE YOU

TOUCHING MY TELESCOPE?

-I HADN'T COME UP HERE YET.

UH, TODD WAS SUPPOSED TO

BRING ME, BUT...

-I HOPE YOU'RE NO COMING UP HERE TO SMOKE.

-I-I DON'T REALLY SMOKE.

-GOOD THING.

YOU HOLD YOUR CIGARETTE

LIKE A MIDDLE-SCHOOL GIRL.

-T-T-THEY'RE LIKE MARTINIS,

YOU KNOW?

I LIKE THE IDEA:

MORE THAN THE ACTUAL THING.

-FASCINATING.

I'VE BEEN SAYING I'M GONNA

FIX THIS THING FOR YEARS.

THE GREATS USED TO

BUILD THEIR OWN.

I SHOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE

TO FIX ONE.

-THE GREATS?

-[ BLOWS ]

GALILEO, COPERNICUS, KEPLER --

THE ONES PEOPLE REMEMBER.

-HYPATIA.

-THEY STILL CALL ME THAT?

IT'S AN IRONIC NICKNAME.

HYPATIA WAS:

THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED

PHILOSOPHER AND SCIENTIS IN ANTIQUITY.

PERHAPS IN MY YOUNGER YEARS,

IT FIT.

-WHAT'S YOUR REAL NAME?

-JESSICA.

SOMETHING TELLS ME

YOU'RE NOT HERE

SECURING YOUR PLACE

IN JANITORIAL POSTERITY.

-[ CHUCKLES ]

-SOMETHING ELSE?

TELL ME IT'S NOT A GIRL.

-WELL --

-OH, GOD.

YOU UNDERSTAND THIS IS

A PLACE FOR NOBLE PURSUITS,

LIKE THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE

AND UNDERSTANDING

OF THE UNIVERSE?

-AND NOT FOR MARTINIS

AND CIGARETTES?

-[ LAUGHS ]

-HOW FAR CAN THIS THING SEE?

-I'VE OBSERVED AS DEEP

AS 3.2 BILLION YEARS,

LIKE A TIME MACHINE

PROBING INTO THE PAST.

EVERYTHING WE SEE COMING IN FROM

THE SPACE AROUND US IS THE PAST.

EVEN SUNLIGH IS EIGHT MINUTES OLD.

-WHAT ABOUT FIVE YEARS,

SEPTEMBER 14th?

I'D LIKE TO SEE

WHAT SOMETHING LOOKED LIKE

ON THAT DAY FIVE YEARS AGO.

-ALPHA CENTAURI'S

ABOUT FOUR AWAY,

BUT YOU DON'T NEED

A TELESCOPE TO SEE IT.

-[ CHUCKLES ]

-THERE,

THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY --

4.4 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.

-SO FOUR YEARS AGO,

I-IT COULD HAVE EXPLODED

INTO A SUPERNOVA

AND WE'D ONLY

JUST NOW BE FINDING OUT?

-NOT LIKELY.

ACTUALLY,

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