Houston, We Have Liftoff.
"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."
— Inscription on Columbus' caravels
— Inscription on Columbus' caravels
The Previous Evening...
Henry and Eli sat together in the observatorium, at the very top of the highest spire on The Promise. They did this every new year, in some form of tradition. As if it was some recognition process- celebrating a new group coming aboard.
“Hey, Eli,”
The man rustled some, turning his head lazily towards his reptilian companion. Henry pointed toward the clear ceiling towards no star in particular.
“That, right there, is why I stay on this ship.”
Eli sneered.
“You could get that view on the ground, man. It’s pretty much the same view.”
“Yeah, but I feel closer. Y’know? Who was it- was it black science man, Sagan, or Clarke that made that ‘Alone in the universe’ quote?”
“Clarke, Henry. That was Clarke.”
“Yeah- I just… Some part of me thinks that me doing my part here helps us take one step closer to getting there.”
“Zoey, how far away is that star Henry’s pointing at?”
”That star is approximately… 227 light years away, Doctor Winzer.”
“Well, Henry, we have a hell of a lot of steps left.”
Present
Today is the day. All of that time being vetted in physicals, taking shots, and having strangers put their fingers in every possible orifice have all come to their climax. Whether you have been excited, fearful, or a combination of both, the time has come.
Today is the day you realize, as you slide off of your bed in your quarantined room and press your bare feet onto the ground, that this is a day of lasts. This is the last time you will shuffle into a line to get breakfast, the last time you would see see your family, and the last time your feet would touch Earth for eight years.
Today is the day for launch.
Wednesday
"Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bakey!" a voice called out, rousing Wednesday from her slumber and enticing her to roll over from her lumpy cot. She couldn't see the person outside of the door, but she recognized the voice. It was the same one that had come to her cell every morning and every night, and sometimes at lunchtime- but only to annoy her. Her nature had forced her to come to know the person the voiced belonged to, if only to cause heartache in return.
"Wow, eggs and bacon today? You're spoiling me." She commented as food was slid under her door and into her room. It most certainly was not eggs and bacon. It was oatmeal and bread. Just like it had been every other day since she had gotten into solitary confinement.
"Trust me, I really fought for your last meal to be different. Better eat up! It's a big day today!" the voice commented sarcastically. There was the sound of whistling and footsteps that faded, and then Wednesday was alone again with her... slop. She sighed and knelt down on the ground, dipping her bread in the oatmeal and took a bite like she normally did. Her mind drifted to his words- last day. Did that mean they were going to kill her? She knew she hadn't been a model citizen in any country, but she was certainly not a super villain. Everyone she'd done in had it coming in one way or another.
The past few weeks had been eventful, but in a bad way. She had been pulled in and out of her quarantined cell and restrained so that doctors could do whatever they wanted with her. When she had screamed and burnt several, they had claimed it was for research purposes in preparation. Maybe they were just finding the best way to kill her? She snorted and smiled to herself. Fools, she was just like any normal person in that regard. She took pride knowing that she had wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars and hours of their time. If she was going to die, she was going to die a pain in the ass.
A few hours passed, and she spent the time the way she did any other day- which was carving something into the wall. It usually wasn't anything good, since she couldn't draw for shit, but it got her mind working and that was what mattered. She heard the marching of feet, and immediately stood up. She had spent the time steeling herself for this situation. She had faced fatal situations before, and death was no stranger to her. If she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity. Her cell door unlocked, and two heavily armed guards stood in the doorway. She offered her arms to be bound in that strange goo they always used (since she always melted through the normal handcuffs), but instead she was swiftly stuck with a needle. She wrenched her arms back, and tried to activate her powers- but to no avail. Her vision began swimming, and she felt her strength go. She collapsed to the ground and as her vision began blacking out, she heard:
"Dude! Did you just Bill Cosby her? Not cool!"
Her delirious mind was not looking forward to whatever was coming next.
When she came too, Wednesday awoke heavily restrained, and not in the fun way. She couldn't move any of her body aside from turning her head, and her powers weren't acting like normal. She was alone in a room that had to have... fifty or more seats in it. Some of which were occupied with people restrained similarly to her. What the hell kind of execution was this?
"Woah! Looks like she's awake!" a voice rang out over the intercom. This voice was... nerdy for a lack of better description.
"Where the fu-"
"You're being launched into space."
Wednesday was taken aback.
"Wha-"
"Yeah, see, I do this a lot so the line of questioning gets pretty standard. There was an agent in your food this morning, and a catalyst in that needle along with a sedative. Knocked you and your powers out. Basically some higher up decided that we're the last thing besides you and being shot into the sun, so you're taking a trip on the world's biggest rollercoaster."
As the others began to wake up, the voice answered similar questions. After a while, it announced that the others would be arriving soon, and to sit tight. Then she heard something about him mumbling about coffee breaks not being often enough. After a short period, a slow trickle of people wearing bright white uniforms began coming into the room. They were chattering about 'The Promise' and how they'd been invited. Some were talking about their families. All of them had personal items and luggage- it was like they were walking into a plane or something. They had obviously known about this, and had somehow agreed to it. The noise in the room grew as the seats were filled- and then promptly silenced when the voice came onto the intercom once again.
"Students, welcome! My name is Elias, and I am required to sound like I give a shit."
That prompted a few laughs.
"So, I gotta brief you all- basically you'e being shot into space towards a hole that's moving really really fast. Kinda like a really big game of pool. If we undershoot, you die. If we overshoot, you die. If you leave the ship now, you probably wont die. Last chance to get off!"
No one moved. Some out of balls, and others out of fear.
"Wow, buncha winners we have here. Anyways, keep yourselves strapped in- and keep your gear secured. Dont want that killing anyone during the flight!"
The comms shut off again, and the chatter resumed. Wednesday was just trying to remember her family.
Half an hour passed, and then...
"10!"
The countdown began. Some students were giddy in their seats, eagerly looking out their windows. Others were clutching various religious objects and praying in various languages.
"6!"
"You ready?" Someone called.
"4!"
"Not even a little bit!" another person answered.
"3!"
A large portion of those aboard the pod joined in on the counting.
"2!"
Some students were holding hands.
"1!"
Wednesday made a cross across her chest.
"Liftoff!"
For a moment, there was dead silence, and Wednesday wondered for a brief moment if there was an issue. Then her stomach lurched as the pod's engines rocketed to life. She and everyone else felt the push as the amount of thrust overcame gravity- and then were pressed into their seats as the rocket picked up speed. Mötley Crew's "Kickstart My Heart" began playing over the intercom, no doubt as a courtesy of one of those overseeing them from the control room. Wednesday was able to turn her head and gaze out of her window- a huge white cloud of emerged from the base of the shuttle, then brightness so intense it was almost hard for her to look at- but there was no looking away. This was it. Wednesday's heart was in her throat as memories of nightmares she’d had popped into her head- of fears she had, of her family and friends both living and dead. The flames shooting out of the bottom of the shuttle were scorching a line through the sky, leaving a thick trail of orangey smoke behind them. Within moments the shuttle was soaring high above the Earth, to a soundtrack of cheering. Then came the first inkling of the rumble that went on to be a wall of sound so powerful it literally shook her bones. The deep rumbling built to a crescendo of popping like the sound waves were ripping the air apart, bursting their way through to them. Had she not been provided context, she would have assumed that it was the sound of an earthquake. It was like one thousand fireworks exploding all at once, with an accompaniment of an Earth-shaking rumble.
"Enjoy your trip. ETA: ten minutes. See you all soon." Eli's voice came onto the intercom.
The launch was immensely powerful, and she truly felt herself in the centre of it. It was like riding an enormous- overpowering wave, or being pushed and lifted, or shaken in the jaws of some gigantic animal. The pod shook and vibrated, and she was pinned hard down into her seat by the acceleration. As one set of engines finished and the next started, she was thrown forward and then shoved back. The weight of over 4 Gs for many minutes had been oppressive, and the sudden shift rocked her to her very core. As if an enormously fat person had been lying on her, until suddenly, after 9 minutes, the engine shut off and she was instantly weightless.
Outside, The Promise was rotating around the planet at five hundred miles an hour, and as the pod approached, the port at the bottom of it's central spire opened- and the pod flew seamlessly into it. Wednesday and many other students lurched forward when a series of braking systems enclosed around the pod as it flew through the port's bowels. As it came to a stop- the seat belts released from around the normal students.
The whole process of transporting the group 350 miles had taken twenty minutes.
The doors opened, and a flood of people in all shapes and sizes rushed in. The woman who had approached Wednesday unlocked her restraints and offered her a hand. She weakly raised her arm and took it, and was pulled up slowly, but all too quickly at the same time. She fell against the woman, who held her until she was steadied. It dawned upon Wednesday how fast her heart had been beating, and she placed a hand against her chest and tried to keep herself from coughing.
"One hell of a ride, huh? Nothing quite like it."
Wednesday noted that her voice had a British accent, and that she was thin and blonde. Wednesday nodded wordlessly, and the woman helped her to her feet. Many of the other students were leaning against the walls of the room or their luggage, and others were walking into a bright corridor outside.
"What's your name?" Wednesday questioned. The woman smiled, and answered easily: "Arianna."
Arianna pointed towards the corridor, and Wednesday looked to her incredulously. Did she really expect her to walk after all that?
"The first steps are a special thing. It's tradition to take them on your own." Arianna said knowingly.
Wednesday gulped, and took a step forward. She nearly collapsed under her own weight, and leaned heavily onto the wall. Only a few more steps. She repeated this process, gaining slightly more strength as she did so, and eventually stepped into the bright corridor, and followed the large arrows on the floor directing her where to go. When she stepped into what couldn't be anything other than her destination, she was greeted by a massive hub. There was a large variety of people- most of which were those on the pod, but some were others that weren't dressed in launch uniforms. They were dressed like normal people, and they were in a ring around the new arrivals yelling something about 'The Promise' and 'School Spirit'. They were loud and proud. Wednesday nearly threw up in her mouth- but she couldn't tell if it was because of the Kumbaya shit or leftover queasiness from the launch.
Arianna walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Welcome to The Promise."
