Founders Ch. 52

"Winnie Topelma, It's Now News. I have a follow-up question for Doctor Carson. Have you paired up with any of your crewmates yet, and if so, which are the best in bed?"

"Are you trying to get me killed?" answered Zach, garnering more laughter. "Actually, I have gotten serious with a crewmate, yes. It seems to be working out."

The reporters erupted in a cacophony of asking who it was.

"It's me," Khushi piped up. The reporters fought to ask the next question.

Frankel stood up and waved his arms. "This will be organized. You, Mumbai Now."

"Vikram Rajani, yes, Mumbai Now. Miss Gupta, Doctor Gupta. Was it the superior size of your breasts that allowed you to win the catfight?"

"No, it's okay Pete," said Khushi. "To be perfectly honest, Zach is not particularly a breast man. He has been a practicing doctor for years. He has seen, poked, prodded, and cured all the breasts. He is very cerebral. I think he loves all body parts equally. I believe it was my mother's pastries that made the difference. But I'm joking. It wasn't a competition. Many of us were interested in him, but for us both, it was love from first sight. Everybody knew this as soon as we met."

"Okay, next question," said Frankel hastily.

"Ricardi Montag, Tragic Roller. Doctor Carson, could it really be true that you like a kneecap as much as a bajingo?"

Zach answered, "I prefer whatever I have a good grip on." More laughter.

"And a follow up question. Have you knocked her up?"

There was an uncomfortable silence from the panel. The reporters began to buzz. Pete nodded to Khushi. She answered, "Actually, I found out I was pregnant on the eighteenth, when we were in orbit."

This caused another feeding frenzy among the reporters. Questions were shouted out. "Are you sure the baby is his?" "Does that mean the baby is illegitimate?" "It really was the milkers, wasn't it? And those hips!" "Does he make you orgasm reliably?" "Are you and Zach together only for the baby's sake?"

Frankel blew a loud horn, and the reporters quieted down. "I think it's the first time we've ever had to use this boat horn here at NASA. We'll have another press conference where you can get all your questions answered about Doctor Carson, Doctor Gupta, and their forthcoming child. Let's move on to other topics."

"Allen Tig, Hawoocha News Service. I have a question for Doctor Carson. I have a hard time believing, handsome man that you are, that you didn't at least tap a lot of that before coming to a decision. My question is which have you dated, and why did you reject them?"

Zach waved Frankel off and said, "You have to realize that we've all known each other for just over two weeks. I might as well relate to you, since you'll know soon enough and do the math yourself, Khushi and I first met when she arrived from India on the tenth. As you've already learned, she tested positive on the eighteenth. So the baby must have been conceived that very evening. As Khushi said, for us both, from the moment we met, we knew our love was real and very intense."

The reporters buzzed. "Crelda Matthews, Sun Chronicle Limited. Miss Gupta, do you believe it's appropriate for a woman to have unprotected sex with a man she has just met?"

Frankel looked uncomfortable. Khushi replied, "Depends on the man." There was laughter at this. She continued, "But seriously, astronauts are tested all the time. We knew we had nothing to fear with regard to sexually transmitted diseases. This is not the case in general. I would not recommend this to any woman except with an astronaut." More laughter.

"A followup. There are serious questions of propriety here. Do you believe it's appropriate for a woman to have any kind of sex with a man she just met?"

Khushi replied, "My parents didn't raise a dummy. Under the circumstances, considering how I felt, was I going to leave Zachary on the market block? Risk a chance of him slipping away? I challenge any woman to say she would have." More buzz from the reporters.

Frankel said, "Look, I thought we agreed, no more questions about Doctor Carson's and Doctor Gupta's relationship. That will be covered in a separate press conference tomorrow at 2 PM, okay?"

"Charlotte Weymouth, Cosmology Today. There are legitimate questions to be asked about the situation. Is this pregnancy safe given the level of radiation exposure on the trip to Mars?"

Frankel said, "Okay, this is definitely a question for Doctor Carson. He is the world's foremost expert on such matters."

Zach answered, "The Interplanetary Vehicle has a lot of radiation shielding, but you're right to be concerned. Developing fetuses are most vulnerable to radiation in the first eighteen weeks of gestation. Since we're launching after then, there's minimal risk to the fetus."

"What about the week you just spent in orbit?"

"Radiation is a cumulative danger, so a week in low Earth orbit doesn't pose much danger."

"Shouldn't you have returned to Earth as soon as you learned of the pregnancy?"

"We talked about it and thought it would be overreacting."

"Next question," Frankel insisted.

"Snanick Hoffsis, Eternal Gentleman. This is a question for all the ladies. Will you wear bras on Mars?"

"Who wants to answer that?" asked Frankel.

Berte raised her hand and said, "No."

"I must say, young lady, yum. I hope my publication sends me to visit Mars soon."

"Thank you," said Berte, "You're welcome. Okay."

Frankel said, exasperated, "Could the members of the press roll up their tongues and ask sensible questions?"

"Martin Lovelock, Cosmic Consciousness. This is a question for the man. What if something scary happens and the rest of the crew panics?"

Everybody was horrified. Zach answered, "As you all know, Colonel Bruno, Colleen, saved her entire crew at great personal risk to herself. I assure you, in any emergency where she is less than cool, I will have already fainted dead away."

"I have a follow up question. Will the women be able to work together? Won't there be catfights? And fights over Zach?" Everybody kept being horrified.

"Asked and answered," said Frankel. "Next question."

"Natdel Iffen, Oloma Weekly. Isn't it true that Miss Gupta struck Miss Roberts, and that's how she got the black eyes?"

"Absolutely not," said Frankel. "Next question."

"Kaden Zwanick, CosCitGeo. Do you mean to tell us there was no fighting or bargaining over Doctor Carson's affections at all?"

Alexis piped up, "Khushi was supposed to have bribed us all with her mother's pastries. But I haven't received mine yet." There was some laughter at this.

"I have a follow up question I believe is relevant, because it involves the rest of the crew. Miss Gupta, will you be lending Zach to your crewmates at all?"

Khushi answered, "We plan to have a traditional Indian or American marriage, so no. But I'm sure I could get a lot for him." This brought laughter. "I could skip all my chores."

"Mangalo Oppen, Conspiracy Times. Is there any truth to the rumor that Doctor Carson poisoned the other male candidates so that he could have all the women to himself?"

"No," said Frankel. "Next question."

"Alain Hooten, GerBuBu. Doctor Carson, as you probably know, studies of relationships show that for the vast majority of men, physical attributes dominate the early stages of a relationship. The younger the relationship, the more it dominates. So in all honesty, wasn't it the knockers?"

"Thank you all for coming," said Frankel.

As soon as Zach stepped off stage and reactivated his phone, he received seventeen text messages. About half of them were from professional colleagues offering congratulations. The other half were from current or ex-girlfriends offering everything from propositions to opprobrium.

Becky had texted just one word, "Nice."

"You dirty dog," Emma had texted, "I don't know whether to be angry or laugh, thinking of you changing diapers on Mars." She didn't know the half of it.

There was a text message from Sidonie. "I'm in love," it said. "She's like a goddess. I did some research. She was quite the cosmopolitan fixture of the Mumbai nightclub scene. I gather she wouldn't be shocked if you asked her. Can you bring her? I must meet her. I'll introduce you two to my men. Perhaps the six of us can have a great time together. Please say yes." Zach thought, what a diabolical way to torment Ayana. Then he knew he needed to ignore the message. He would call Sidonie at the appointed time.

Zach received a text message from Olivia, "Fuck off and die. Already saw the news. Enjoy your Indian whore." Harsh. But who could really blame her? The relationship and pregnancy announcements were regrettable. Hard to hear that on the news versus at least over the phone beforehand.

He didn't get a text from Ava.

(To be continued)