[ WP ] In 2006 NASA quietly removed `` to understand and protect our home planet '' from it 's mission statement . A scientist at NASA is about to find the terrible truth why .

My shoes clicked upon the tile, emanating slight squeaks as they lifted again. The pit of nerves in my stomach continued to grow and I adjusted my tie, hoping it would make me feel more confident. The lights in this sub-basement were dim, and as I approached the door at the end of the hall, my shadow was strongly cast over the handle. I stopped for a moment, assuring myself this is what I wanted. Shoulders back in faux confidence I opened the door to hopefully find out what I had been looking for. 
 
 
 The room was a mess of monitors, cables and the smell of too many men going without showers. A large screen at the far end bore a visual of earth, superimposed with data that I had no understanding of. One man stood up, wiping his palms on his lab coat as he approached me, a nervous smile flitting across his face. 
 
 
 “ Terrance? Hi I ’ m Noah, good to have you on board. They didn ’ t give you any information on this project before they sent you down here did they? ” In a reflexive manner, he anxiously glanced over his shoulder at the large screen, turning back to me with a momentarily more relaxed face. 
 
 
 “ No, but I ’ ve heard that this division is the reason NASA removed the ’ to understand and protect our home planet ’ clause from the mission statement. It ’ s been something that bothered me all the way through my geological doctorate. What caused us to stop wanting to explore that? ” Noah glanced over his shoulder again. 
 
 
 “ Heh, well… semantics really. I guess they didn ’ t want anyone to think there was any other course of action when it happens. ” He motioned to a chair near me, “ you should really sit down. Most people want to sit down when they first hear the truth. ” Waiting with something resembling more a grimace than a smile he motioned again. I settled in, fighting to keep my confident pose I had entered with. 
 
 
 “ I ’ m just going to come out and say it. ” Noah seemed to be speaking more to himself than me as he grabbed a wireless keyboard, carefully aiming at the screen as he entered a few rapid keystrokes. The image of the earth became cross sectioned, and what I saw didn ’ t register until Noah spoke again. 
 
 
 “ The earth is… pregnant. ” I looked at his serious and dour face, then back to the image of something curled up in the inner core of the earth. 
 
 
 “ Are you fucking with me Noah? ” I stood up, annoyed that they would try to pull such a ridiculous prank on someone who was new to the team. 
 
 
 “ I, heh, really wish that I was. We don ’ t know what it is, no probe has been able to get close enough to get any accurate readings on it. But we can use the earth as a sort of abdomen and get a basic ultrasound. It is alive, and... it has been growing. ” I sank back into the chair, all confidence leaving my body. 
 
 
 “ So what? They took out the clause so people wouldn ’ t get upset when we attacked it without understanding what it is? You think they would understand survival on that level. ” Noah shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he brought up more data on the screen. I read it without comment, understanding some, not grasping a majority. 
 
 
 “ People can get… petty and divisive over inconsequential things. I mean, just look at the last election. Heh. ” A light, accompanied by a buzzer, went off in one corner, cutting Noah ’ s bad attempt at a joke off. 
 
 
 “ You getting this Noah? ” Another person in the room popped their head up from their cubicle, calling to our direction. 
 
 
 “ Yeah, yeah. ” He responded quickly, moving to a desk, summoning data to the screen. “ I guess this is scenario delta then! ” 
 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry, what? ” I followed him over, feeling completely out of my league. He shrugged in a defeated way and didn ’ t look at me as he delivered a single word that shook me to my core. 
 
 
 “ Labour.''
