K-10

 K-10

For years they had been prepping. Her whole life was preparing for this day. The teachers hadn’t changed the plan up much since before the Exodus. She’d been told that up until the second year her plan wasn’t changed much. She still needed to know most of the preliminary things. Colors, Basic Computing, Typing. They had done away with much of the history lessons. Apparently no one could come to a consensus and it was all stored in the Great Cloud anyhow, should anyone need to use it. Lessons of earthly things like dinosaurs and french cuisine were left off with coding, more coding and her specialty botony.

The goodbyes lasted almost for the last year. Everyone she’d ever known had wanted to talk to her and gift her something or other, knowing it couldn’t make the jump with her. She had gotten used to it. Sometimes she told them she would take it with her, seeing the acceptance of the lie in each of their doomed eyes. 

She stood inside the terminal. Looking out over the huge tarmac. This section was labeled K10.  They said they would leave from here. It felt lonely. She had friends with her, but she was leaving her family behind, her Mom who was always worried, and her Dad who was always proud, no matter what. Her Brother had accepted his fate long ago, and so he was gone now as well. Tomorrow! Tomorrow it would all begin! All this work and toil would turn into something truly outstanding.

She watched as the first few boosters landed effortlessly on their indicated X’s and then several more. The sunset (her last?) was burning the sky orange and red and the flames of the booster engines flared with violence as each one touched down, not quite in unison but in a very clever ballet. When all forty had landed, the sunset was turning purple. She took a picture with her phone.

The purple sunset with twenty or so of the bright metal colored boosters hulking over the repurposed tarmac. Reflecting the purple and orange light of the sunset, the yellow bulbs of the crew gear, reflections of reflections of reflections all glittering in towering halos around each booster. She had managed to keep the crew gear out of the picture as it slowly moved about the towers. Connecting things and reconnecting things and checking every inch of every surface for something that could break on the next flight. It had been ages since any of them had really broke. Her dad never talked about it after he found out she’d been selected, but he had told her about the video. How “the big metal giant had left the ground and was speeding up when it became a great orange boom! Then the air was full of parts and pieces, the whole thing was gone! Just like that!” and she could still hear him clap his hands. But that hadn’t happened in ages! And they’d learned so much now. It wasn’t even a slight possibility. 

She got on the dead walkway. Once it had shuttled thousands a day. Then it had spun without purpose for several more days. Now the walkway was simply turned off. “Energy drain” they called it. From the days before such things would worry anyone. Now everything was repurposed. They used to fly “planes” in and out of here. Jetting off to Oxford or Shanghai for visits and tours and business that had to be done face to face. Now this was a spaceport. The Spaceport. Much more efficient she thought. We shoot forty ships up in the same space it took to shoot or land one or two at time. We do it every day! Well, not everyday. The shooting season only came around every 15 years and they’ve been shooting everyday for a month! Will go on for three years, so not everyday but, well everyday for a while! 

She’d been walking down the dark empty terminal. Lit only from light that got passed the chrome tinting on the walls of windows and the backup lights that were once only used during drills, power outages, and once in an emergency. Her ballet slipper like shoes didn’t clop around but only rustled a little on the worn, once polished vinyl floor. She pulled out phone from it’s belly pocket and hovered her thumb over the icon which unlocked her photos. She wanted to look at them but didn’t like the way they made her feel. All the smiles and memories flooding through the backlit screen made her uneasy, she tapped the icon which held her instructions for tomorrow.

Wakeup………..400

Breakfast ……..430 - 5

Pre Flight Checks 5-7

Loading……….8

T-Minus……….9-11

T-Minus is when we’ll be shot out into the universe. This is all a countdown to my last moment on earth! “Breakfast” she said aloud as if the word already tasted bad. 

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“Did you sleep?” Asked Andrew, His head hanging down from the top bunk. 

“A little” She lied. 

“This is gonna be awesome!” He spat out

“Yeah, awesome!” she managed

“What's wrong? We’ve waited our whole lives for this!” 

“Yeah, I know! I just didn’t sleep much” 

“Me neither! Why would you? We’re gonna be strapped in for weeks! Plenty of time to sleep then!” 

Andrew had been assigned to her for the mission. They were all paired in boy/girl pairs “To reduce confusion” they explained away simply. They learned more about why a couple years ago. In order to maintain a population they would need to reproduce and the plan worked much better in assigned pairs. Andrew was her boy and she, his girl. They had met in Kindergarten and had been assigned by first grade as they all were. 

He knew her and he knew she was anxious about leaving. No one knew her like him, and no one knew how to care for her like him either. 

“You scared we’re gonna blow up?” he asked while his fingers exploded in front of her face 

“Andrew! Shut up! Please don’t mention that!” 

“Don’t worry Lil’ We’re gonna be fine. They havn’t blown one up on ages!”

“They’ve only been shooting the new configuration for a month.”

“Without blowing any up! Don’t worry!” 

“I’m not worried! Don’t be silly! I’ve had the same classes you have. I’m not worried. Now go wash up. We’ll miss breakfast.” 

“Breakfast! Yuck!” He almost gagged on the word as he jumped down on the floor with large thud. 

“It’s good for you!” She called after him.

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He followed her as usual. She figured this was so he wouldn’t have to turn his head to be heard, and she couldn’t give him ‘the look’ while he was talking. She pushed the button and waited for the elevator to stop. 

“Y’know, I really wish I could have real food again. We’re gonna be eating poo and and poo berries, and poo berry muffins!” 

“It’s good for you!” She said as the elevator dinged and they boarded.

“It’s shit Lil’” 

“Shut up! I’m glad they kept the elevators running” 

“Yeah! They killed all the lights, all the walkways, all the snack machines but they kept these running at some ungodly amount of K-dub just so we won’t have to take the stairs.” 

“Maybe to keep the light of humanity safe from scraped knees” 

“Yeah the light of humanity!” he said as his entire body paused and tensed until she heard a mighty fart shake the inside of the elevator. 

“Oh my god! Disgusting!” Lil’ said as she waved a hand in front of her face. 

The elevator dinged again and the doors opened to an empty lobby as they made their way the noises of people could be heard outside the Hotel. As the doors opened there were people everywhere. Teachers and Crew in their black flight suits. School aged children being marched here and there like ducklings. 

“Hurry up you two!” Their group was across the concourse. Trudy was the teacher. A young lady of 34 who had once trained for the same mission but got waitlisted for a medical reason that kept her down the whole season last time. She was a good teacher. Very strict on “hit-times” she called them. “If you're not’ early you’re late” she would say. 

They ran across the concourse in their space slippers and skidded into line. Once Trudy was had checked her watch. She announced “Count off” 

“One”

“Two”

“Three”

The first of the line began. When the boy in front of her said “eight” she robotically said “nine” and waited for Andrew to say “ten” then they were off. Walking in robotic unison when anyone was looking occasionally making jokes when they weren’t. 

Breakfast was milk and a biscuit. They called it Milk because it had the color and consistency of cows milk but with only the best fats at exactly 6% and additives that made young minds sharp and pliable, made bones strong as titanium, and a taste that could be any color really. Like grey wash water. The biscuit was every other part of the spectrum of necessary, and essential nutrients with a little sugar baked on top. They looked like large greenish grey sugar cookies and Lil’ happened to adore them. As Andrew ate his biscuit in three bites and washed it down with his entire glass of Milk, Lil’ took her napkin and placed it on her left thigh, and smoothed the cotton against her leg. Then, satisfied with the napkin she inspected her biscuit. She looked it over and decided to take a polite bite. She picked up her glass and took a polite taste before setting it down and returning to the biscuit. 

“Why do you do that?” 

“Eat like a human instead of an animal?” 

“Yeah? Why?”

“Does it bother you? That I don’t throw it all down my neck like Nibbler?” 

“Yeah! It does! You take sooooo looooong!” 

“Well, I won’t do it again. We won’t have breakfast like this anym . . .” and she began to cry but stopped it. What good is crying! Stop it STOP IT! She wailed at herself but it was too late. They had seen her. 

“Are you CRYING?” Andrew said in a voice loud enough for the room to hear. There was a lull in the conversation and they could feel the heads turning at them.

“No! I’M FINE!” She informed the room. The conversation lurched again as if nothing had happened. 

“It’s gonna be awesome!” Andrew assured her as he tried to get the last of his milk to roll down his glass into his mouth. 

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“Welcome to your final Preflight guys!” Trudy said as they walked into the large ground level room under the K terminal gates. “Let’s make it our best one!” 

They’d been doing this specific task several times a day for the last few weeks. They’d don their gear, then help the other put on some more gadgets and then be helped and once it was all done, they would go back over it again to ensure everything was in working order. Then have Mrs.  Trudy check their work. 

“Legs apart!” as she elbowed at the thin legs in vac suits. Slowly checking every seam, wire connection, and hose fitting on the rig which weighed about the same as their occupants. Working up to the waist “Turn Around” was the command, as she twirled the student by his or her pelvis pushing on one side and pulling the other. Then as she stood never looking away, always looking for a fault, always touching and tugging on the suit. “Turn around” she would say again and they’d face her again as she continued across their chest and up to the neck. “Helmet” she called and Lil’ donned her helmet and studied the readouts on her wrist. “Power on” Trudy called out. 

“Check” came the muffled voice form inside

“Comms up?” She would ask

“Check” Came the voice. 

“Function check” She called 

And after a few buttons were pressed and one held down for three seconds the suite hissed and whired until the whole thing became a body shaped balloon around them. 

“All Green” the muffled voice would call out, unless something had been missed or a seal had worked loose or gone bad. 

“Check complete power down and get out” Trudy would say

But this time she said “Check Complete. Power down, remove your helmet and stand by. 

“Stand By! That’s a funny way of telling us to sit down” 

“Ha! It makes as much sense as “stand fast” she said mocking an instructor who used the phrase instead of “stay there”. 

“Oh my god Lil’ I’m . . . I’m standing so fast! I wonder how much faster I can stand!” 

They both enjoyed a laugh

“You really think we’ll be alright?” 

“I really do know it! Lil’ Don’t worry. What are we gonna do anyway? Stay here? The whole place is dying!” 

“It makes me sad! I’ll miss Mom and Dad, and Greyson” 

“I won’t miss anybody. They all suck and I don’t care.” This was always his attitude. He didn’t talk much about his family. She got the impression that his being selected for the light of humanity mission had not made his family as proud it had made hers. 

“At least I’ll have you Huh?” 

“Yeah! The Light of Humanity!” He said as he ripped another huge fart. 

They waited nervously, talking and politely tapping away at their phones

“Final Check Complete” Trudy said to no one in particular into her phone

She listened to it and then said “On your feet!” 

The room was suddenly full of old people trying to get up as the 15 year old boys and girls struggled to stand under their life preserving Vac Suits. 

“Helmets on. Power up” She called as she drew a large circle in the air above her head with her finger. She brought down her headset and spoke gently into the microphone. 

“Count off” she nearly whispered and listened to the earpiece count from one to ten in childish voices” 

Two metal doors swung away from each other and the sun poured into the room. Blinding yellow light squinted their eyes and brought down visors. Lil’ could feel the front of her Vac suit warming with the radiation. The tarmac rolled out before them and a then their ride rolled up to them. 

A pickup truck? I’ve been training for ten years to go to mars and they sent a pickup truck to take us there? 

“Cybertruck!” She heard Andrew say in awe of the Hulking metal box before them. It paraded by the class and then stopped and begin to back up. 

“So cool! I hope they send some up one day soon!” 

“Then you’ll learn to drive?” 

“Drive? Ha! You just tell it where to go! Drive!” Andrew scoffed. He’d long ago realized he’d never be allowed to drive on earth. He didn’t have a license and would never get one. 

The truck bed began to lower and Trudy stood to one side and whispered “Count off” and some could hear a tear in her heart as she spoke and then fingered her mike to mute it. 

‘One’

‘Two’

‘Three’ they filed into the truck bed and stood

Trudy waved to the ones looking back Lil’ gave her a quick wave and watched her drop her face into her hands, shaking her head against the feelings that made her body wrack with sobbing before regaining herself and going to close the doors. 

“Which one’s ours?” Lil’ asked Andrew over the helmet comms. 

“K-10”

“Yeah but where is it?” 

“A-4, A-5, B-5,” He read as they passed between the gleaming metal boosters, now fitted with Starships on top. 

She could hear the air passing around her helmet, could feel the weight of the gear on her shoulders, the nobby tires vibrating up through the truck into her boots all the way to her little space slippers. 

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Other trucks followed them, other trucks led them. It was a ordered mad dash racing from the Terminal building to the MegaHeavy rockets that would take them away forever. Forty Megas with 100 passengers each. Four thousand people . . . gone . . . in a few hours!

“There it is!” Lil’ announced as she pointed with her whole arm at the gleaming metal tube which had K-10 in big black letters on the nose of the Starship. The tailgate was lowered and the back of the truck began to tilt down toward the ground. They all got out and without Trudy, began to gaggle around the back of the truck before it sped off to get more students. 

“Count off” came over the helmet comms. It wasn’t Trudy it was a hearty male voice that sounded a little hurried. 

“COUNT OFF!” It said again, more hurried. 

“One!”

‘Two’

‘Three’

‘Four’

‘Five’

‘Six’

‘Seven’

‘Eight’

‘Nine’

‘Ten’

They all called back

“The stairs are a little late. Stand Fast Martians!” The voice came again. 

“I’m up here on top of this thing. My name’s Captain Kirk and I’m gonna blast you off this rock.” We’ll get to know each other soon, we just need y’all to get some stairs. 

Stairs! They expect us to take stairs? I don’t even take stairs down for breakfast! I can’t walk all the way up there in all this! 

“Stairs are here” Captain Kirk called out “Check your 6” 

As Lil’ looked around she saw a small platform on four wheels speeding toward them. It slowed to a crawl within 25 meters of the booster and moved into position inches away from the shiny skin. There were three stairs which were flipped off the back of the vehicle and long arms reached out around the booster and out into the tarmac and touched down hissing to stabilize the platform. The operator yelled into his headset and then waved them over. 

“Okay guys, leaving earth now. Watch your step. Backwards from ten” 

She turned and saw that Andrew had already started walking toward the stairs. She walked and looked up at the sun. It warmed her face and the little tear that was rolling down beside her nose, into her mouth. She sucked it up in her mouth and attempted to wipe the snot from her nose but had forgotten about the helmet. She sucked up what she could with her nose and attempted to clean her face with her tongue. 

She counted down her last three steps on Earth three, two, one! And she was up the stairs and on the platform. Rails rose up on all four sides. The operator yelled at them but they couldn’t hear him. He realized the problem and yelled into his mic instead. “Hold on to each other! Don’t touch the rails!” and with that the platform began to rise into the air. The gear was heavier and they all jostled as they shot up hundreds of feet. The rail nearest the starship dropped through the floor and a shiny metal hole opened in the shiny metal skin. There was a large man with a red face and big nose behind the mic on his face. 

“Welcome aboard Martians!” Captain Kirk yelled excitedly into everyone's helmet at once. 

“Come on in, have a seat!” 

He showed each one into their seat and helped them buckle in.

“You guys will just have to wait. As you can see I’ve got ninety other seats to fill up so sit tight” 

Beep beep “Lil! I think . . . I think I’m sitting too tight! It’s so tight!”

The beep beep let her know it was Andrew on the closed channel, just for her. 

Beep beep “Very funny” she commented back “wonder where the others are” 

Soon more students, all dressed the same started popping through the hole. Captain Kirk showed them all their seats, ten at a time. Soon the whole thing was full. 

Beep beep “You feel that?” 

The whole world seemed to be moving. Two hundred little hands grasped around as it moved again. 

“It’s just the wind guys” Captain Kirk told everyone's helmet. “She won’t blow over though no worries.”

Beep beep “You still nervous?”

Beep beep “A little, the wind doesn’t help” 

Beep beep “This is awesome!” 

The world rumbled and shook

“These big boys make a hell of a noise don’t they? That was the first flight leaving. I’ll be in my seat for the rest of this hop.” 

The rumbles continued like huge bangs outside K-10 

“Countdown’s on the board guys. Here we go” Announced Captain Kirk 

The bang came from behind and pushed the chair up into her back. Her eyes were closed, tears were running back into her ears. 

Beep beep “This is awesome! Right?” 

Beep beep “ha ha ha ha ha” she cackled back at him.