“That makes sense.” I nod, unsure of what else to say.
“Well it was nice meeting you, Brett. I think I’m ready to go now. I’m sure I’ll see you around, at least at work.” Suzie motions to a nurse that she is ready, and the two of them set off together.
I sit and chat with the people around me for a while. Suzie was right; they’re all scientists. I imagine working side-by-side with them all; it would sure be something. But I’m also sure it’s only be a matter of time until there is an argument over the classification of a new species, whether it belongs in the
Felinae
sub-family,
Pantherinaeby
sub-family, or a whole new sub-family by itself.
Whoa, I don’t remember learning that. Weird.
I try to think of other scientific things I know, and realize I know everything a biologist possibly could. Dumbfounded, I just sit with my mouth hanging open.
“So you’ve just realized everything you know, right?” Nurse Mary asks me. “That’s the real reason we have everyone stay here as long as we do. It takes a bit of getting used to. Just remember to breathe, and you’ll be fine.” She pats me on the shoulder, but I don’t feel reassured.
I manage to snap my mouth closed and look up at Mary, bewildered. All I can say is, “How?”
“Your brain has been bombarded with information the whole time you were in cryogenic sleep; you were bound to learn it, one way or another. It’s a great feeling knowing everything necessary to do your job; it takes all the uncertainty out of it. At least, it does for me. People are people. Your job will have a bit more uncertainty, getting to discover new creatures every day.” Mary smiles at me warmly, and this time I do feel reassurance.
“But how can a frozen brain learn?” I wonder aloud, more to myself than anyone else.
“It’s probably easier to think of it as a very, very deep hibernation. Our bodies weren’t completely frozen, but cooled to the point of near inactivity. So while we were blissfully unaware, we learned what takes most people years to acquire. It’s also why they chose such young subjects; there was no real way to determine how much aging would occur over the long term. But as you can see—” Mary spins as if she’s modeling a new outfit. I can’t help but laugh.
As soon as the shock fades away, I’m ready to leave. Mary directs me to the exit of the ship.
Chapter 3
As soon as I am outside, I see that a folding table has been set up. The girl behind it gives me a great big nauseating smile. “Please take a map and handbook and have a seat while waiting for the next shuttle.” She gestures to the stacks in front of her.
“Thanks.”
I grab both and begin studying the map. It’s pretty easy to read. There’s color coding, and everything is laid out on a grid. I safely presume that we are on the part labeled ‘
Airfield
’. It’s to the north of everything else on the map. Underneath are warehouses and manufacturing plants. I wonder if they’re being used, or if they’re just for future need. After the plants come various labs, offices and a hospital. I have to laugh; there is even a beauty parlor, right next to the barbershop. They figured – correctly – that the majority of the girls would be unhappy and unwilling to go back to their natural, highlight-free hair colors.
Then I groan. Next are the dining halls, recreation halls and the dorms. Men are in one building, and women are in the other. I guess I’ll have a roommate again. I just worry that my luck has run out; I’ve already had one bearable roommate. Hoping for another good one is probably pressing my luck.
I notice the bottom of the map is labeled ‘
Married Housing
’. So much for being told there’s no pressure to procreate. I guess if you want your own space you have to get hitched.
I look around me. The airfield is huge. I can just make out its edges and can see that there are trees, but I can’t tell much else. I lament the acres of undiscovered land that had simply been turned into blacktop and prevents me from getting a peek at what I am to explore. Funny; watching trees get chopped down on Earth never caused me much grief. I guess there’s more of an explorer in me than I ever knew. There are several other large ships parked on the blacktop. I wonder when they had all arrived.
I listen to see if I can hear any of the local wildlife. I can’t, but I do hear a shuttle approaching. I turn and see what looks like a golf cart built for six moving in my direction. There is even a canopy on it to shade its occupants from the sun. As it gets closer, I realize it’s not just a canopy, but a solar panel. Maybe we’ll actually be successful this time in our attempts to live green.
“Hi; I’m Olive. I’ll be one of the administrators here, but today I’m your tour guide,” the shuttle girl pleasantly announces in a single breath. “Jane, is there anyone else on their way down, or is it just these three?”
The girl at the folding table shakes her head.
“Okay, if the three of you can climb in, I’ll give you a tour of the base and then help you get settled.”
We climb on board, and Olive restarts the cart. At first there isn’t much to see; just large buildings with more pavement – the warehouses. They go on for what seems like miles. I notice the roofs are lined with combinations of solar panels and wind turbines. Again I find myself encouraged by the attempts at green energy.
As we approach the labs and offices, the pavement disappears and is replaced by dusty brown dirt surrounding sidewalks. As if responding to my thoughts, Olive explains. “As of right now there is no landscaping. We don’t want to introduce any of Earth’s landscaping and unwittingly cause harm to our environment, and we don’t know enough about the native plants to use any of them yet. We do grow our own plants and vegetables, but they are all contained in bio-domes to prevent contamination. You won’t see the bio-domes on your map – they border the base on the east.”
We pass close to one of the red brick offices. At a closer look, I see that the buildings are actually made of cement; the bricks are merely a stamped illusion, painted to resemble exposed and weathered red bricks. I remember my neighborhood protesting when a remodeled house tried to use the same method. The owners were forced to tear it down and replace it with real bricks. I never did get what the big deal was.
“The airfield is to the north and the married housing is to the south.” Olive’s tour had continued on while my mind was wandering. I hope I didn’t miss hearing anything important. “And yes, the housing really is for married couples only. Don’t even think about getting married just for the house; getting divorced is almost impossible, and if you do manage to get divorced, you go straight back to the dorms.” I’m getting an eerie feeling that Olive is a mind reader, but then I remind myself that she’s probably given this tour enough times that she already knows what will be asked of her.
We pass the dining hall and the dorms. They aren’t much; just large rectangular buildings with barely any windows. Then we get a quick tour of the married housing. What I can see is only the beginning: the housing stretches further back, and construction appears to be taking place somewhere in the distance, erecting more buildings. I lean forward and raise my voice over the hum of the cart. “How will everybody get where they need to go?” I smile sheepishly, hoping she didn’t cover this information already.
“Naturally everyone will be encouraged to walk whenever possible. However, there will be shuttles, like this one, which will circle the base at regular intervals; so if anyone needs to travel – say, to one of the far warehouses – they just need to wait for the next passing shuttle.”
“What are the warehouses being used for?” the girl beside me asks.
“Right now a few are used for storage. Eventually, many of the buildings will be turned into manufacturing plants. That way we can utilize the planet’s natural resources to produce everything we need.”
My curiosity gets the better of me, and I have to ask, “Will the warehouses run entirely on green energy?”
“Right now we are running on a combination of nuclear and green energy. We hope to maintain a ninety percent level of renewable energy. Solar panels and wind turbines are being placed everywhere feasible.” Olive flashes a satisfied smile over her shoulder.
As the shuttle loops and starts to head back, we get close enough to the fence to get a good look at the wilderness. It’s strange, but wonderfully breathtaking. At first glance, it looks similar to the trees I grew up with, but the colors are somehow different; there is a blue tint to the leaves. Intertwined among the underbrush are tropical-looking flowers of every possible color. My body tingles with anticipation – I simply can’t wait to get outside to explore all of this. Much too quickly, the cart pulls away, and we head back to the dorms, surrounded by the dusty, bare ground again. I follow the group into the building, sigh, and wonder if my roommate is already there and waiting to meet me.
“Women are not allowed in the men’s dormitories and vice versa—”
Olive continues, highlighting some of the key rules and information we need to know, but I’m barely paying attention. I’m too focused on the gray cement of the interior walls that surround me on every side. There’s no carpet, no drywall, nothing that indicates this place should be more than warehouse storage – just bare-bones cement, metal, and wood. Before I have a chance to ask Olive about the state of the building, she stops in front of plain door with the number 103 etched on it.
“Karen, this is your unit. Follow me and I’ll show you to your pod.” Olive opens the door and we all gasp. The room is a long rectangle with rows of sleeping pods on each side. Each pod has a plain metal locker next to it. There is nothing else in the room whatsoever. Olive is prepared for our reaction, and she responds before we can begin to protest. “This may not be what you had in mind, but it’s an effective way to initially contain everyone in one place. Once you’re married and ready to start a family of your own, you will receive a house to live in. Besides, the pods are extremely comfortable, they ensure a sound sleep, and they can be used to supplement your education as you’re sleeping. If you suddenly find yourself needing information from a field different than your own, the pods will be very useful. It’s not ideal, but it’s what we have. Just think of this as the place you sleep; you’ll do your living everywhere else.
“Now, the door at the end on the left is for the showers – on the right are the toilets and sinks. It’s the same in every unit.” Olive finally pauses to see if anyone still wants to protest the sleeping arrangement. We all just stare back at her blankly.
I sigh, knowing how much I will miss my privacy.
Olive informs us when and where we report tomorrow to start our jobs, and then she leads us to the next unit, and finally, to mine. I’m on the top floor, and the only elevator in the building is a locked service elevator – yuck.
I look around my unit. It’s an exact duplicate of the other two. The first real pangs of regret hit me.
Did I make a mistake deciding to do this? Just what did I get myself into?
I look at Olive. “Now what?” I ask solemnly.
Olive giggles, “Don’t worry; the dorms are the only bleak thing about this place. You’re going to love it here.” She gives me an ear-to-ear grin. I give her a doubtful look. “Just about everyone that hasn’t started their jobs are in the recreation centers or dining halls. You can go to the supply store to get your toiletries and such. And now’s a good time to review the handbook’s rules.” Her expression shows empathy, and I wonder just how pathetic my expression must look to her.
“Wait. Supply store? Will I need money?” I blurt out as what she said registers.
“No; all the basics are available for everyone.” She attempts another reassuring smile, but now I’m just finding it annoying. I’m over my moment of dismay.
“Okay, thanks,” I mumble, then turn to continue to review my bleak living conditions.
“Well, enjoy getting settled in.” Olive stops and turns before leaving the room. “By the way, welcome to
Verita
.”
Her brief welcome makes me pause. I am really here. I look around the empty room and contemplate what I want to do. I stick my head in the showers. They resemble the showers at the YMCA back home. The whole floor is tile, drains dotting the center. A thin curtain provides privacy for each shower, but there is no privacy area for getting dressed; just a long bench and hooks on the walls.
So much for modesty
. I look into the bathroom section. At least there is plenty of counter space opposite the stalls. The sinks are evenly spaced along a continuous counter that spans the length of the room. A mirror spans the entire wall above the counter, and next to each sink is a curling iron and blow-dryer. At least the girls that still care won’t have to skip their morning beauty rituals.
I’m about to head out, when I finally notice a white box in the center of most of the pods. I search and quickly find the one with my name. I open it and try my MP3. Of course it has no charge, but still I had to try. Refusing to entirely give up, I slip it in my pocket in case I find a power source somewhere. Then I look at the pictures. Most are of me and my parents. I didn’t want to be reminded of Jenna or Brad. The picture on top was taken this past summer. I’m standing in between my mom and dad at the pool.
My dad used to muse that I had taken the best from them both and would soon be a knockout. He said he’d eventually be forced to sit on the porch with a shotgun just to keep the hounds at bay. Then he’d over explain it and tell me that’s because boys and men are dogs. Of course, being my dad, it was his job to think I was pretty and to feel protective.