Humanity Never Stood a Chance

We never should have returned to the Moon. Humanity’s goal to expand civilization further into the universe was a terrible idea. The universe held secrets for a reason, but we didn't care. We should have stopped messing with the unknown. 

Then again, humanity always charged blindly to combat the unknown. Just this once, we were wrong. We never should have landed on the moon back in 1969. Humanity stepped too far if that was possible. But we did now, we let the pursuit of knowledge take over. 

Now we know.

The moon is alive and breathing, it’s a real living organism that humanity never should have touched. 

I should have stopped her, I should have pleaded with her to stay, but seeing my mother smile? That was the one thing I couldn’t refuse. 

I was selfish, I never should have given in to her desires. Some dreams must be crushed to give others a chance, I should have known.

We all should have known, the farther you push, the more you fade away.

“Dad! It’s on!” I shouted to my father, who muttered to himself as he approached me. He plopped on our leather couch, seated next to me as I eagerly waited for the interview to begin. I knew that he wasn’t as composed as he was letting on, the obvious twinkle of amusement revived his usual lifeless autumn brown eyes.

The blue news header at the bottom of the TV screen read in bright capitalized white letters, NASA’S RETURN TO THE MOON. Other words were gliding beneath the header, but I couldn’t comprehend them.

It was finally happening.

I could feel my body moving on its own, absently moving as I attempted--and failed to will myself to calm down. Today was humanity’s return. We would walk upon the moon once more.

“We are now live with the Commander of NASA’s lunar exploration mission Cerberus-16, Naomi Morale. Can you hear me?” Newscaster Amy Rodriguez began, the screen transitioning into a split. There she was, Naomi Morale, my mother, confidence beaming from her smile. Her blonde hair didn’t peek out from the black skin-tight suit around her face, making her look funny. The TV screen failed to bring out the stormy gray of her eyes, pixelating what should have been my mother’s beauty. 

I couldn’t fathom she was actually in space. Yet there she was, seated and fully geared up in her spacesuit. Her hands were resting on the space helmet in her lap as she sat still.

There was a delay before she finally answered.

“Loud and clear Ms. Rodriguez, welcome aboard!” She greeted her with a boom.

“That’s right folks, it’s Commander Naomi Morale live from the space shuttle Cerberus-16. We are approximately fifteen minutes from reaching our destination, the Moon.” My mother’s smile was ethereal. The curves in the corners of her lips were wide as the wrinkles in her eyes became more prominent. Just one look at her and I could feel the unsteady hunger she had to devour her dream. She was going to walk in the same footsteps that Neil Armstrong left behind, accomplishing her impossibility.

I glanced at my dad sitting next to me and could see the goofy grin he wore on his face. He was proud of her despite his feigned ignorance. He leaned back into the couch, running a hand through his own scruffy blonde hair. 

“That’s right! We’ll make this interview short and easy so you can all properly focus on the mission. To start off, what is going on in your head Commander? This is an incredible feat that your crew is going to accomplish, it’s not everyday someone can say they’ve been to the moon!” Ms. Rodriguez burst forward, the bright red lipstick on her lips forming into a toothy smile. 

My mom grinned impossibly bigger at the camera and threw her arms out and answered, “I think I’m going to puke from how exciting this all is. There are no words to describe the view from up here Amy. I can see space, I can see the moon just right in front of me!” My mother laughed hysterically, pointing left outside of the TV screen. Her helmet nearly fell off her lap as she scrambled to hold it. My dad snorted as I laughed with her, at how overwhelmed she was. I knew with the childish glint in her eyes that the hard work my father and I put her through was well worth it. My mother dreamed of walking on the moon from the day I was born, reminding me every single day of why I loved her. 

The newscaster laughed as her professional and well-mannered smile mended into a forced grin. She regained her self-control, stifling her outburst as she nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, this is a very thrilling accomplishment Commander. Your entire team should all be proud of what’s to come.” Ms. Rodriguez encouraged, bringing the professionalism back to the conversation. One glance at my mother and you were infected with the same child-like wonder she had as Ms. Rodriguez demonstrated well enough. 

“Can you remind the world of what the Cerberus-16 mission is going to accomplish by landing on the moon?” She continued.

Another delay happened, my mom’s eyes lit up as the question registered. “Of course! Exploration is in all of humanity’s DNA. Every single human on planet earth has the capability to discover. The impeccable taste of curiosity guides us from this planet to the next using the power of science. By making this second trip to the moon, we will be gathering resources that will undoubtedly change everything that we know of the solar system like it did before. With the help of our hearts and minds, we will be able to explore planets, and even possibly discover organic life outside of Earth.” My mom raised an eyebrow, suggesting the idea of aliens. “The Cerberus-16 mission will show an unparalleled demonstration of what humanity can accomplish using the strength of a unified purpose. By traveling this far, all of us,” She raised one of her hands and made a circling motion. “can further our understanding of human life.” 

I sat still, a familiar weight lingering in my chest. Every time she spoke about space, my mom’s words fueled my desire to explore. I looked at my dad who couldn’t help the quaint smile as his lips twitched upwards. His eyes seemed to burn that same fire I felt as he watched my mother in her spacesuit. 

The newscaster’s face turned into an equally as impressed smile that rivaled my dad’s. My mom could always make anyone she spoke with feel the blood flow through their veins and a rush of excitement thump insistently throughout their eardrums, drowning out any and all impossibilities. 

“You all heard it here straight from Commander Morale, the Cerberus-16 mission will further expand our understanding of human life. This is our second chance to discover and reveal the secrets the universe holds. We should all know by now that, no great discovery was ever made without a bold guess.” I grimaced at Ms. Rodriguez’s cliche, causing my dad to chuckle beside me. I’m sure I heard Isaac Newton turn in his grave at the usage of his words.

“That’s right!” My mom cackled. “Leave it up to this amazing team to bring back some of space’s finest lunar samples! This second leap will change everything we know about the universe!” My mom’s eyes widened.

Ms. Rodriguez stifled a laugh behind her next words. “Do you have any final words for the families watching at home?”

“Yes! To everyone watching, when you look at me I want you to see that anything is possible. We dreamed of going to the moon, and Apollo-11 made that dream come true. Now, we dreamed of going back to the moon. We dreamed of looking at our home from a distance, to take in her magnificence. We dreamed of a voyage to cross this universe to the next. Today, right now, humanity will be returning to the moon. This is the beginning of finding the answer to space exploration. We will leave earth one day and travel from planet to planet. I firmly believe that anything is possible with enough determination to make a change. To all of you listening at home, never give up on yourselves, never give up on humanity.” My mom finished before quickly adding, “Also, to my husband and son watching me, I never could have been here without your support. I love you both with all my heart, I’ll take these steps for all three of us.” 

I couldn’t help but jump from my spot on our couch, I wanted to tell her I loved her too. I wanted to be there with her. 

My dad shook his head as a deep rumble roared from his mouth. 

“Sit down.” He chuckled and tugged the back of my shirt, causing me to fall back into the couch. We shared the same look, both of us exhilarated from the words my mom spoke. He leaned forward and threw his arms around me. I copied his motions and hugged him back. 

“That woman…” He murmured and shook his head. He released me just in time to listen to the final part of the interview.

“Thank you for your words, Commander, surely the entire nation, no, the entire world will let your words sink in. Humanity works towards a unified purpose and just hearing that as we fly towards the moon, it becomes more clear.” Ms. Rodriguez’s grin faded into one of admiration. I knew that smile as clear as day because it was the same look me and my father wore. 

“Thank you for speaking to us Commander Morale, we’ll let you get back to the mission and successfully land on the moon.” 

“Roger that!” My mom spoke after a few long seconds. “This has been Commander Naomi Morale of the space shuttle Cerberus-16. See you all on the moon!” She waved cheerfully from where she sat. The TV screen changed back from the split-screen to just Amy Rodriguez sitting in her seat with a tacky background of the galaxy. 

“Now, we’ll watch video footage live from the Cerberus-16 cameras as it lands. This is Amy Rodriguez, signing off.” The newscaster ended, the screen then turning to show footage from a shaky camera, large white countdown at the top reading, TIME TO SECOND LUNAR LANDING: 8 MIN. 42 SEC.

My father and I sat quietly, listening to the muffled words of the astronauts aboard the space shuttle. I could just barely make out my mother’s voice throughout the hustle of their rapid talking. 

The time grew shorter and shorter, until finally, there it was. Cerberus-16 landed successfully on the moon. 

The screen then showed a group of older men, most likely NASA representatives, sitting at a press conference. A camera focused on one older man who took off his glasses in disbelief. 

“We made it!” He suddenly shouted, causing the other men sitting down to throw up their fists or jump out of their seats. I couldn’t help but do the same. 

The landing was pretty anticlimactic to me, but still, I raised my fist as I repeated,

“We made it!” I looked back to my dad, he wore a stupid smug grin on his face. He rose his fist to mine with much less enthusiasm. 

The screen changed back to Cerberus-16, the wobbling of the footage completely gone as one of the cameras from the outside of the shuttle recorded the absent gray rockiness of the moon. There was a faint sound of talking coming from the astronauts before one stood out distinctly. 

“This is Commander Naomi Morale, preparing to disembark.” My mom’s voice was heavy as it cut through the TV with a sharpness I never thought was possible to hear. The TV screen changed, showing the view from the camera of my mother’s helmet. 

I couldn’t see my mom’s face, but I knew that her mouth hung open while the door to the space shuttle slowly opened. A ramp extended from the base of the shuttle, making contact with the moon. We watched as though it was through my mom’s eyes as she took a step forward. 

“Disembarking now.” She reported carefully, taking steps that were cautious and steady. The moon’s gravitational field made her small steps fall much slower than they should have been. When she stepped down from the last of the shuttle’s ramp, she finally stood upon the moon.

“I always wanted to be the one to say this, but this time, it’s for the second time.” I knew what she was going to say and I couldn’t stop my mouth from turning to say it with her. She told me what felt like a thousand times that she was going to say it, so much that every word was engraved in my brain.

“Another step for man, another giant leap for mankind.” We said at once. As she said this, she leaped, her body soaring a wide distance before meeting the surface of the moon again. 

I listened to the cheers of the suited men, the footage split between the press conference and my mother’s view. 

“Dad, she made it!” I yelled as my father jumped from his spot on the couch. 

“She made it!” His voice thundered over my own as we hugged again.

Then it was over, in a matter of seconds this moment was over.

“Turn back, turn back now!” My mother’s voice panicked, the footage on the screen turning to face the space shuttle. It was then I saw the other astronauts of her crew stop in place.

What was the problem mom? I don’t see anything.

“Get back inside!” Her footsteps were far too slow to rush back to the space shuttle. Mom?

There was no loud boom, there was no daunting bang. It was quiet as the Cerberus-16 exploded, chunks of space debris breaking off in different directions.

This isn’t right, I’m experiencing a dream, aren’t I? That explosion wasn’t real, was it? My mom assured me many times that she was going to be safe. This wasn’t a part of her plan, it had to be fake.

The footage seemed too fake. I know my mom, there was no way the TV screen was showing her flying backward.

My dad released his hold on me and we stood shocked, unable to understand the severity of what just happened.

“Commander!” A voice I didn’t know called out. The TV only showed the press conference now. “Commander report in!”

I waited for a few seconds, for some sort of response but there was nothing. I bolted to the right, slamming open the sliding door to our large backyard. My dad didn’t protest as I fled, standing dumbfounded as he focused only on the TV. 

I looked into the night sky as the coolness from the late air did nothing but aid the chills that swept over my bare arms. 

I located the moon, a burst of flames beside it. I turned around and grabbed the telescope I kept next to the sliding glass doors. It seemed unreal that I was prepared. 

Why was I prepared?

The telescope had been set up from my last stargazing mission, making less work for me. I scrambled to uncap all of the mirrors and lens, throwing them aside. 

I adjusted the height of the telescope and desperately fidgeted with the location of the moon. I aligned the crosshairs of the finderscope with the moon and turned the counterweight downwards. When I looked through the eyepiece the brightness from the full moon made me freeze for just a second. 

Was that movement?

I shook my head and adjusted the focus, the image wobbling between blurry and clear as I hurriedly found the right adjustment for my eyes. 

It was still so far. I messily unscrewed the bolts of the lens, the sound of it clanking on the patio thundered as I ran. I yanked my best scope off the glass garden table and returned. I screwed the lens fast enough it burned beneath my fingertips. I searched for the right adjustments and peered through the eyepiece once again, the moon much larger and clearer than before.

“This can’t be possible.” I thought aloud, my lips trembling. I could now see the fragments of my mother’s space shuttle floating further away from the moon. I tried to search for my mom, adjusting the focus on my telescope. 

Blurry then clear, blurry then clear.

I couldn’t find her. A pale blue light shot across the rockiness of the moon. The craters of the moon convulsed, twitching as though the blue light gave it life. Numerous streaks stretched over its surface, racing across the craters until it was completely blanketed in blue. A deep dark mix of purple twisted like branches from a tree, extending further and further.

It was moving, everything on the moon was moving. 

Just under the surface, the moon was shifting and transforming into thin lines, as though streams of water dispersed throughout the entire lunar rock. 

It happened all too fast. I had to take a step back from the eyepiece and look at the moon with the naked eye. I blinked a few times just to be sure.

Had the moon gotten bigger?

I looked through the eyepiece again, the overall color of the moon turned into a bright ominous blue instead of shining white.

I felt the impending doom, the power radiating from the lunar rock in the sky. The air on Earth changed, it had to, the Moon was falling.

I pulled away and came to the realization. This is how humanity ends. Humanity should have given up on pursuing dreams because that very pursuit is going to end all of human civilization.

The Moon was alive and heading straight for Earth.