To The Colony

The evening sky was ignited with its purple orange haze. Stars began to speckle the ever growing darkness above as the waning moon rose with them. It was the perfect night for this occasion, as Davis calibrated his telescope to the precise location he knew Saturn would be. Astronomy was something he was passionate about in his free time for many years, since he became eligible. Escaping to nature helped Davis forget about the stress, drama, and anxiety that came every year on this day. So many years had passed that he hardly considered today anything more than an excuse to go out and stargaze alone, but at the back of his mind he knew why he was all the way out here.

Deep down he knew there was more to it than just stargazing. Escaping the city, the suburbs, where they could find you in an instant and take you without a moments notice, that was truly his reasoning for spending the day an hours drive outside the city. Maybe it would help if they couldn’t find him? His wife had spent this year at her mothers, she couldn’t spend it alone anymore- being 6 months pregnant, but that only gave Davis more of an excuse to leave; he didn’t know how much danger he could put them in if he was chosen. He didn’t want to take any chances, not with his family getting hurt, not with himself getting found.

As the sky darkened and more stars revealed themselves, Davis began toying with his telescope, until late in the night when he knew the planet would be the most visible. He never quite knew if it had already happened or not, if someone had been chosen. There was no desire to listen to the broadcasts eager to announce who would be sent up this year, nor did he want to glance at the clock every waking minute. The setting sun and ever growing night sky was how he told time on these days, besides, there was no set time when it was decided.

He would stay out as late as he wanted, if it happened early enough he would probably drive back and pick up his wife to head home, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time. And as the orange skyline of the setting sun quickly turned to darkness, the anxiety at the back of his mind grew. Davis didn’t much care to think about the Moon, why they chose one person, what dictated who it was, or any of the hundreds of conspiracies as to why they were sending them to the moon to begin with. Truly he had no desire to believe any of this was happening. The stars helped to enable his object permanence as best they could, as he waited for it to be over until next year. 

Davis’ phone was put away on the dash of his truck, the ringer on full so he could hear when his wife would call him, to tell him that the ordeal was over. He kept it locked away to remove the temptation of searching anything to do with who got chosen, or when they would be chosen, the amount of media coverage was overwhelming and unavoidable. As he turned the telescope to a black splotch in the night sky to observe a far off nebula, his ears rang, and his heart stopped. It happened every year, his wifes ringer always spooking him at the worst moment, always revealing the anxiety he had been building up inside of himself throughout the night. 

It was silly He thought, the odds of him being chosen. Eagerly walking to the car, he shook off the last of his anxieties, ready to hear his wife's voice once again after a day of isolation. However when he answered, all he could hear was crying.

It was distinct, he knew it was his wife but she wouldn’t say a word no matter how much he pleaded with her to calm down. She just could not stop crying, wheezing, trying to say something she just couldn’t get out. Light filled the cab of the truck, and Davis dropped his phone to the floor when he saw its source on the other side of the field. Headlights.

Immediately he slammed his door shut, and pressed the gas. Behind him he could see the headlights slowly closing the distance between them as he turned to get back on the dirt road, blocked on either side by dense forest. There was nowhere for him to go, both directions up and down the dirt path were blocked by dim headlights peering directly at him as the ones behind closed in. He chose the only other option, and ran directly into the dense forest only lit by the dim lights of his pursuers. As the forest closed in around him, and the canopy above distorted the moonlight, he began to feel the darkness enveloping him. 

Davis stumbled, his heart racing, threatening to burst from his chest as his subconscious ran through a million scenarios.

 No, No they didn’t pick me. This is a mistake, turn around. Where are they going to take me? Why did they chose me? Whats going to happen to my family? Whats going to happen to me?

He couldn’t think. 

They can’t do this, its not fair!

He struggled to breathe.

They couldn’t have found me out here!

His cheeks ran cold, as the wind pressed against his tears.

No one could’ve!

His vision began to darken.

How did they find me!

Soon after, it was all over.

The white heavy blanket was cool against his skin, his back forming to the mattress as his head sunk into the cold pillow. His mind was blank, relieved, as memories blotted back into his mind he was glad the nightmare was over, and he was back inside his own home. As he turned to finally embrace his wife, he realized.

My wife isn’t here?

The peering white light against the gray ceiling began to burn and stretch his maladjusted eyes.

This isn’t my room?

His heart began to race again, anger and fear filled his inner thoughts as it all dawned on him.

No, no, no!

He shoot up from the bed, tossing the blanket to the floor,

“No, no, no! Take me back!”

Crying, screaming incoherently in the small white room for only a moment before the two security guards pinned him to the wall as he thrashed.

“Mild sedative, this ones gonna be rough.” A voice, someone in a white coat from across the room. Davis began to panic more, his eyes and mind adjusting to the reality he was dropped in, almost letting out another pleading scream when, another voice presented itself.

“That won’t be necessary, doctor.”

“Sir? With all due respect, hes-…”

“Just give him a moment, they all need one.” The voice responded, it was deep, calming.

Davis was immediately inclined to silence, his body ceasing its struggles along with it.

“See?” The voice asked, stepping closer towards Davis.

“Now get your hands off the poor man!” He commanded towards the two security guards, and they released him without question.

The uniformed individuals stood against the furthest walls in the small observation room. Just one man looked down on Davis as he sat leaning against the cold metal wall, his eyes still adjusting to the white piercing lights, but he could see the older man all too clearly.

“Don’t be afraid, Son.” He reached his hand out towards him, dark and winkled, but his grip firm as he pulled Davis to his feet.

“Whats your name, Son?”

Davis stood and starred at him in disbelief, unable to conjure a response from the river of emotions filling his mind. 

“You already know my name.” He answered, finally. His eyes filled with unplaced anger as his fists trembled.

“Sure they do, its stamped all over their little clip boards. But me? I like to meet the new ones in person. I’m John.” The old man leaned on his walking stick, talking like they were the only two left in the room.

“Its… Davis.” 

The old man chuckled and slapped Davis on the back.

“Well, Davis, let me be the first to congratulate you.” John led them out of the white room into a larger observation space, filled with offices and desks. Uniformed individuals lined the walls, silently starring at Davis as his mind ran blank, wanting to ask questions, demand answers, but without the strength to do so.

“I’m sure you’re plenty shocked about all this, which is why I’m here, not those needle pushing egg heads.” John said, his voice hoarse, followed by a hearty laugh echoing through the empty walkway.

“That is an understatement.” Davis said, his voice hollow.

“Listen here Son, you don’t got nothing to worry about. Now I know all about those conspiracies and such that the people come up with about this program…” He stopped next to the large glass window that lined the walkway. The launch pad clearly visible across the field.

“But see this? Thats the next big step for us. Humanity. And you’re gonna be apart of it.” John grinned and motioned towards the rocket. “Its a lot to take in, but trust me, whats an adventure without gettin’ alittle scared?”

“My family.” Davis answered, starring away from the rocket.

“Son?”

“I don’t want this, whatever this is. I want my family.”

“Well Son, we all need to make sacrifices. But don’t worry, you’ll see them again.” John responded with a hand to the shoulder. Davis said nothing, but the burdens that were mounting in his mind were lifted slowly with each word from the friendly old man.

“Now, no time to lose, I’ll show you your room.”

Davis sat in the small white and red room for what felt like days. The thick body suit hanging from the single hanger in his room’s closet stood as a constant reminder for the inevitable that he still could hardly comprehend was happening to him.

How long would it be? Before I could see them again?

Davis did his best to keep his family, and the thoughts that weighed on him, out of his mind.

The white halls were aglow with the yellow burn of the morning sun. The two men basked in it as they ate breakfast, the window encompassing the entire wall beside them showed the rocket, and the hundreds of crew members preparing its launch.

“So, are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

“I’m not taking you anywhere, Son, mission controls has that burden.” John answered with another hearty laugh as he brushed his heavy dark beard with a thin paper napkin.

“You know what I mean.” Davis said, starring coldly out the window.

“Well… We can’t- I can’t tell you much of anything right now.” 

“What? What do you mean you can’t tell me? I don’t even want to be here!”

“Calm down Son, this whole thing is very hush hush, understand? There's hardly a man in this building who knows much more than you do.”

“So why was I chosen? Why don’t you take people who volunteer?” 

John pondered for a moment, looking out towards the launch pad as the sun eclipsed the rocket, engulfed in a haze of fumes and vapors.

“There needs to be fear, misunderstanding.” He started. “There needs to be conspiracies, misinformation and the like. People need to believe the wrong things, or nothing at all, thinkin’ all the right things are just too damn crazy to be real.”

“So what is the right answer? And why am I here?”

“Well, you know you have certain skills, in a certain field.”

“So its not random? You pick people who you need?”

“I never said that, just know that we picked you for a reason.”

Davis grew noticeably more impatient with the old man.

“Are they gonna kill me when they get up there? Use me for some kind of anti gravity experiments?”

“No no nothing like that!” John said.

“Then what!”

“Alright fine, damn…” John looked around the empty room for a moment.

“We’re taking you up to the colony that we’re building up there.”

“A colony?”

“That's right. Where the hell do you think we’ve been puttin’ all the another people we take up there?”

“They’re all up there building a colony?”

“That's why we need smart people, like you. For jobs astronauts aren’t trained for.”

Davis starred into empty space in thought. “I guess that makes sense. But when will I come back?”

“Depends on the job, maybe a few months, maybe a year.”

“That's… Not long I guess.”

The two men starred out the window in silence before John raised his watch.

“Do you feel better Son? Good, cause’ its time to go.”

The space suits were heavy and tight, but smaller and not as bulky as the ones Davis had seen in the past. As the two boarded the ship they were joined by four others, two pilots who took the helm, and two individuals that didn’t say a word to either man the entire flight. A handful of men and women in dark formal suits lined the walkway to the door that would lead to the catwalk. Each one seemed as unfamiliar as they did inhuman, dark eyes with wide, bright, forced smiles, clapping endlessly and saying soft, hollow “Thank you”s as the crew made their way out onto the platform.

Davis didn’t experience take off, passing out only a few seconds after the thrusters shook the rocket and propelled it out of the atmosphere. When he awoke, he was presented with a symphony of stars the likes he had not seen on the darkest nights. 

“The view never does get old.” John interrupted Davis’ mesmerized star gazing.

“This is nothing like the views we have down there. I thought it’d be different, but-”

“I hear ya Son, its one of the perks, that for sure.” John interjected. “Space something that interested you in the past?”

“Yeah, I’d star gaze often, it was actually what I was doing before, well…”

“No need Son, no need.” 

The whole crew stood patiently in silence as they journeyed towards the Moon, John and Davis exchanging the occasional comment about the stars, or questions about the Moon colony, before arriving only 16 hours later.

The Moons surface was gray, stagnate, just as Davis had always pictured it, but this time there was something else. Just off the corner of the cabin window he could see the dark outline of what appeared to be some kind of structure, wide and round with no noticeable details.

“Is that it?” Davis said, his spirits having been lifted substantially. 

John nodded, but it as obvious that something was wrong as tears ran down his dark skin.

“John? Are you alright?” Davis asked.

“Its nothing Son, these journeys are just taxing.” He blinked, clearing his eyes, unable to wipe them through their clear helmet visors. “Sometimes introductions are just as hard as goodbyes.” John finished, his throat raspy. Davis nodded unable to think of a reply, and sunk back into his seat, gripping the armrests as the ship shook in its final approach and landing.

The two silent crew members had lead the way down the ladder and off the ship with John and Davis following close behind. The room was much like those he had stayed in yesterday: White, clean, little furniture or decor, and no other people. 

“Where is everyone?” Davis inquired as he inspected the room.

“Don’t worry Son, you’ll meet everyone soon enough.” John replied after a moment, his voice straining at the last word. The two other silent crew members looked back at him, before leading the group forward down a long black hall. 

It was a steep decline leading to the underground colony, the stairwell was dark, black, and rough like slate stone and seemed to go down for miles before ending. Where it ended, the hallway continued on straight, wide enough to fit all four members shoulder to shoulder, taking the group nearly two hours to finish the journey.

“Is everything underground? Is this it?” Davis asked, growing more eager and more curious as time went on. Soon after, they came to a gray, metallic door. “This must be it, right?”

John let out a heavy sign before looking at Davis. “Yes, Davis, we’re finally here.”

The two silent crew members stood on either side of the door, and starred at Davis through their blackened visors. “Its time to go.” John said.

Hydraulics released, and the heavy metal door scrapped against the fittings as it shot open. Behind it was revealed. Darkness. Davis looked inside, and back to John, in confused disbelief.

“I’m sorry, Son.” John said one last time, before the two faceless crewmen pushed Davis beyond the door. Closing it behind him immediately.

Beyond the door Davis could be heard in desperation, the metal door vibrating each time he attempted to break his way back in, but no plea could be heard. Davis soon stopped, turning towards the cave beyond the door. An expanse that seemed endless, where no light could penetrate save the welcoming glow of orange lamps guiding his path across the stone bridge.

As he followed them, his fear, his anger, his desperation faded. The warmth slowly filled him as he approached it, as he approached them. Their voices were one, all encompassing and welcoming. As he reached out towards the thing, that incalculable thing hidden away for centuries, he became one with the colony. And for another year, humanity would be safe.