Colonists-362

I hear the thumping footsteps as I stand on the concrete floor surrounded by electric wires in complete darkness. “Young man, step aside-” his face penetrates the flashlight, “Wallace?” He raises his eyebrows and his face contracts like a pitiful old man. 

I stand speechless as my dad, ignoring my existence, joins back the huge wire to the supply. The fault is easily found- ah the advancement these days.

Even louder and speedy footsteps come towards this slowly-coming-back-to-life room. “Robert! Thank god you fixed it before much damage was done . . . and you Wallace, don’t try to look confused, you know you are in trouble.”The angered authorities walk away to answer the troubled colonists. 

I tell my reasons only to be dragged in a tiny enclosed grey room. Ironic how they want us to discuss our issues in this windowless room. 

“Honey, why didn’t you consult someone before?” the counselor puts on the most sympathetic look she could, “Matters like this aren’t small enough to be hidden underneath.”She looks through my stony eyes as if she could get more out of me.

Telling her that I had no online friends and I was malevolent enough to not let others communicate with their friends is already too embarrassing. 

“I am sorry, but aren’t you like supposed to help me?” I speak up.

She raises an eyebrow in pity, “Honey, please go down to the greenhouse and understand the circumstances of your act . . .You are old enough to handle it, aren’t you?” She looks away in confidence knowing that it has triggered me. 

I loudly walk my way down through the enclosed staircase. It was a minor one, the lights went out for a minute or so, why is everyone being so serious? 

The colonists are sitting in the middle surrounded by the very first plants grown. The president is giving his speech looking down.

“I am sorry for your loss dear Martians, the power outage was an unintended and a surprising one. We will make all efforts to compensate for the people in the hospital in high oxygen chambers. We would make sure that we get right back on track with the colony set-up so that no more harm is done. I would like to thank Robert for immediately fixing the problems so that no deaths of the outsiders occurred.” 

Dad walks on the stage and blushes as the forlorn figures clap for him. 

“Also, I would like our youngest technician to come up and apologize for his fault”

I have myriad thoughts. Although guilt is penetrating me, the humiliation is still more embarrassing for me.

My dad and I are on the same stage and yet it couldn’t be told in the future. 

“My dear colonists, I am sorry for my irresponsible behavior,” I try to avoid eye contact, “I hope you consider me as just another selfish and inconsiderate teenager,” this line is not the best way to say it, but I am already humiliated so why not some more?

I hold my tears in as the greenhouse comes alive with booing. I stand there while the authorities explain why I am not being arrested. I stand and look through the glasses at the blue sphere up there. If only those people from Earth communicate with me instead of Ralph or Maria, none of this would have happened.

Ralph and Maria would never play with me, they would come inside the room only to flash their busy schedules. 

I would stare at those two as they are proudly interviewed by the Earthly humans in the colonists-362 cyber cafe. 

I get lost in my thoughts all over again, only this time people are watching me.

My dad pulls me down the stage and we walk home through the tunnel 54. On our walk, my dad explains the reality of life just like the tropic earthly movies.

“Son, I know that sometimes we don’t intend to do something, however it just happens, right? I want you to know that it is completely okay to not have online friends, I mean you should take pride in the fact that you don’t need strangers to keep you going. I know that Ralph and Maria are two busy being influencers, but you have me and our whole gang of technicians.”He laughs and then his face puckers as if in nostalgia, “I was your age once . . . and I was a typical Ralph, your mom a typical Maria, we both seldom studied and we had no skills. One day the news comes on for the selection of colonists-362. The way they advertised made something inside me come alive. . . I hurried to my room and opened the link to enroll, and the form had so many things that I never even heard off . . . 

“The next day, I wake up determined to acquire some skills, but then my phone beeps, and my whole day was wasted again and then again . . .  I decided to delete Instagram and Sarah too agreed with me-”

“How is that related to me?”

“Son, we left our teenage years to come here, and you had the privilege to be born here . . . I am so proud of you for being so skilled, do you know what the future holds for Maria and Ralph?”

“Um, they are going to continue being influencers and earn” I look at him in confusion.

“Yes, of course, but you, my son, have got a lot of opportunities, at this age you can do so much . . . you can cut down the main transmission wire.” He laughs.

I shake my head and I end up laughing too.

“All this you are handling, will go away once you create something for the colonists, the Earthly people are interviewing Maria and Ralph right now, but those interviews will mean nothing once you give an interview on what you have created . . .” 

Of course, I just needed this kind of talk. It feels good to be appreciated. 

I did not know that on this day, I will do this small thing and it will create such a huge impact on my life. Maybe I will become ‘determined dad’ now. 

I go inside my capsule burping and try to sleep and I am able to, after so many days. 

The next day I travel through the tunnel-23 and reach the huge 3d printed ball. This glass ball has people of my kind in it and all the huge machines you can imagine.

I talk with the manager and he shows me how they break Carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon with the help of electricity.

“This is a never stopping process and it stopped yesterday for a minute.”He smiles at me.