Unforgettable

Chapter 1

Sia’s breathing was shallow as she strained to see the Moon base from the small circular window. A dream that had long eluded her was not far from being fulfilled. She shifted uncomfortably in her spacesuit, getting used to the weight of the unwieldy thing, but it didn’t compare to the relief she felt when she heard, “Touchdown initiated. ETA: one minute,” from the automated recording inside the autonomous hypersonic shuttle as the base came into view.

Her eyes sparkled as the domed city became clearly visible, a haven made by humans to escape humankind on Earth. The shimmering appearance of the dome looked like a glistening mirage, surrounded by powdery grey Moon dust as far as the eye could see. Sia was shaken out of her admiration by a soft thud, which heralded the docking of the shuttle at the arrival bay. She took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach. The sigh that followed momentarily fogged her helmet visor.

“Welcome to Apollo city. Today is the 1st of January, 2211. This is the last shuttle service to the Moon for today. Departures will commence tomorrow at 0600 hours. Have a pleasant time on the Moon. Passengers can disembark safely now,” said the automated voice in a monotone. She looked around, half expecting someone to reveal themselves, but the shuttle was empty. She was the only passenger to travel from Earth since the last many years. Apparently, no one had bothered to update the recording.

Sia unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, walking slowly past the empty seats in the lone aisle of the shuttle, clenching her fists to control her jitters. Her face broke into a smile to see the first inhabitant of the Moon waiting at the exit. The facial gesture wasn’t returned.

“Hello Sia Sen. My name is Dr. Enzokuhle Dlamini. I am a fourth generation Moonlander and the physician in charge of your transition to the Moon. I trust you had a smooth journey?” asked the tall woman in a stoic voice, her accent indiscernible. She had a strong jaw, shrewd dark eyes, shiny ebony skin and appeared to be in her thirties. She appraised the twenty-something Sia, taking in her equally tall, slender frame, with pale skin and hazel eyes. She looked at Sia as an unwelcome addition to Apollo with a dismissive scoff.

“Yes, thank you. And it is Dr. Sia Sen,” said Sia firmly, her eyes narrowed at Enzokuhle’s odd introduction and tepid welcome. She wasn’t used to speaking through the helmet and wondered when she could take hers off.

“Your temperature and vitals are normal, doctor,” said Enzokuhle, who read the digital panel on Sia’s helmet and scowled at being corrected. “You will have to quarantine for two weeks in isolation, starting with a decontamination shower. Your belongings will be sanitised as well and will be given to you after they have been checked for any surviving forms of bacteria from Earth,” she continued, standing still.

Sia looked over her shoulder, but couldn’t make out anything other than the long air-bridge that had locked itself with the shuttle, maintaining the air pressure, oxygen, temperature and gravity for its inhabitants. She brought her gaze back to Enzokuhle, who didn’t look impressed with her wavering attention.

“Can I take my helmet off now?” she asked in a meek voice, barely audible to Enzokuhle, who was wearing a complete space suit with helmet, though the entire domed city had oxygen.

“You can, yes, but you may not,” Enzokuhle responded in a condescending tone, her eyes fixed on Sia as if she were a criminal. Her correction of Sia’s language didn’t seem to perturb her, as she continued to look Enzokuhle squarely in the eye. “Once you are cleared from quarantine, you can move freely in Apollo. I will take you to ‘The Zone’ and give you more details when you are settled,” she said.

“Thank you,” said Sia, trying to mirror Enzokuhle’s motionless face, feeling unwelcome but not showing it. Enzokuhle spun around and walked away from her. Sia she followed, with an eye roll, pursed lips and a shuffling step. They walked in silence as Sia took in the interior of the dome. Sparse, with not a speck of dust in sight, the shiny porcelain floor tiles complemented the transparent glass walls supported by graphene beams, crisscrossing to make an abstract design, softly lit by tiny LED lights. A cloudy blue planet visible from the curved ceiling seemed to be her only ally.

They entered a large circular space with a single door marked ‘The Zone’. Dr. Dlamini stopped a few feet away from it and turned to face Sia. “Please go through these doors and follow the instructions by the resident nurse. When you are settled in your quarters, we will make contact,” she said, gesturing towards the door. Sia stepped forward and opened the door, shutting it behind her without making eye contact with the unusually cold physician.

What is wrong with the woman? Sia tossed her head at the needle of annoyance pricking her usually placid equanimity without warning.

Sia walked slowly across a long corridor, treading softly as if expecting another sour faced person who would chivvy her around.

“Hello Sia! My name is Mandy Tapp and I will be looking after you for the next two weeks!” said a sunny faced woman in a British accent, short and rotund with kind blue eyes, sitting behind a desk with a glass barrier, hurriedly standing up to welcome her.

“Hello Mandy! Nice to meet you,” said Sia with a large beaming smile, looking visibly happy and relieved, as her fear of being in an unknown place was driven away. Mandy was dressed in pale blue scrubs, a transparent mask and seemed genuinely excited to see her.

“Now let’s get you set up! Let me get that helmet off of you. The washroom is on the right, I will help you out of your suit, which you can leave there. Please get in the decontamination shower which will turn on automatically for five minutes. You must wait for it to stop and then step out. I will keep a set of ‘Zone gear’ out for you, which is only worn here and is easy to spot if you wander out!” she said with a laugh, holding Sia’s helmet and guiding her to the toilet.

Sia stood in the shower in the heated washroom and waited for it to turn on.

“Please close your eyes, the decontamination process is about to begin,” said an automated voice. The jets alongside the length of her body sprayed her with odourless liquid for a few minutes and stopped. The shower above her started right after, and she felt water wash away any residual liquid. As the shower stopped the voice said, “DNA sample collected. Specimen confirmed. Sia Sen.”

Sia dried herself and her shoulder length dark brown hair. She looked around to find a clean set of clothes. Her eyes widened as she saw what Mandy had left for her and reluctantly wore them. She returned to the counter wearing a bright pink pair of cotton trousers and a long sleeved button down shirt.

“I hope you like the colour?” Mandy asked with a grin.

“I detest it actually. But it’s only for two weeks right?” asked Sia, with a shrug.

“Yes. Would you like to eat? You must be hungry! I know you mustn’t have eaten many hours since before departing Earth,” Mandy asked kindly.

“I am thirsty more than hungry. Some water would be nice, thanks Mandy,” said Sia.

Mandy handed her a glass bottle which had the word ‘Apollo’ engraved on it. “Only one brand of water here, I am afraid! Not the variety that you lot are used to on Earth. You will get used to the taste soon. They have worked hard to make it as palatable as possible,” Mandy said, her eyes wide, waiting to take in Sia’s reaction.

Sia poured some water into a glass and took a sip. It tasted like soda water back home, only that it didn’t have any gas. “It’s better than I expected!” said Sia with a tinkle.

“They have worked hard on it. Moonlanders who were born here wouldn’t know the difference, but you and I would,” said Mandy. “Once they figured the technology to create sustainable oxygen for Apollo, the next step was water, which happened to be a happy by-product of the same process. Don’t ask me how though, I wouldn’t know where to start, one of our engineers will be happy to fill you in, as I am sure they would during your training.” [DS4]

“Let me show you to your room and explain all the features inside,” Mandy continued, walking north towards a cluster of doors.

“Have you been here long?” asked Sia, happy to have someone to talk to after being on her own for the last few weeks.

“Funny you ask. I was the last one to come from Earth, was just a teenager then. My older sister had won the lottery and got a place here. My parents were beyond thrilled that one of their children could get a better life. They stopped the lottery system soon after that. When my parents died unexpectedly, my sister moved heaven and Earth to get me here. As you can see she was successful.

“But after I arrived they stopped human movement from Earth completely, only cargo comes here in the shuttles. You were their first passenger since my arrival. That’s why I was assigned to welcome you and look after you by Dr. Dlamini. She thought we would have much in common, though I am a fair bit older. Don’t ask me how much though!” she said with a laugh as she stood outside a door. “Please put your finger on this panel. Any finger will do,” she said.

Sia put her left hand forward and touched the panel with her index finger. The door opened softly to reveal a dimly lit room, with concealed yellow lights behind panels, a window which was on blackout mode, a queen sized bed, wardrobe and a desk with a chair.

“Everything is controlled by this main panel. Your food is stacked in the pantry, with tea, coffee and long life plant based milk. Fresh towels are in the washroom and your belongings will be sent up shortly. You can walk up to my area for a chat anytime and there is a small gym at the end of the corridor exclusively for you. Choose any of the holographic entertainment or exercise options from the panel, which is self-explanatory. Any questions?” Mandy asked.

“No thanks, Mandy. I think you’ve covered everything. I am glad you’re going to be here so we can get acquainted. Are you staying in ‘The Zone’ as well or will you go to your regular quarters?” Sia asked.

“I will be right here to keep you company until you are allowed out. After that I will be your ‘shadow worker’, assist you in settling in and in your work, be your liaison if you need anything in Apollo city. I wish I had someone when I moved but I am glad I can be here for you. This was Dr. Dlamini’s idea as well,” said Mandy.

“That’s very kind of her, she seems to have thought about my transition more than I have,” said Sia, her expressions not in sync with her gratitude, as she had still to digest the odd reception by the doctor earlier.

“Oh! You will soon get to know Dr. Dlamini better. She is a good sort, though she could give the graphene beams here a run if we were to compare who was tougher. She keeps herself to herself but is a fair person. She has been very kind to me and I am sure I am not an exception,” said Mandy in a resolute voice.

“I am sure I will like her when I get to know her. We have hardly interacted. Thank you so much Mandy,” said Sia with a grateful smile.

“The nutrition bricks take some getting used to, but there are plenty of flavours to choose from, so I am sure you will settle on some favourites. Take care my dear,” said Mandy as she walked out of the door that clicked shut softly.

Sia stood and examined the control panel. She was tired and not looking to watch something. She wasn’t hungry either, but walked to the pantry to see the fabled nutrition bricks. Those were shipped in every shuttle, produced and packaged on Earth. They had tried growing vegetables on the Moon, but it consumed too many resources, so they resorted to eating these customised bricks which tasted similar to foods back on Earth and had the complete nutrition to sustain you.

“Brocolli, lentil, chocolate,” she said under her breath, reading the labels and amused at the variety. She loved food, both cooking and eating, but she was well aware of the things she would have to give up when she left Earth. This was all explained to her when the position was offered. She had jumped at the opportunity, knowing she would not only create history, but be a permanent part of it.

“Beep, beep, beep!” a sound got louder with each beep. A red light was flashing on the panel. Sia walked to it and touched it. A voice recording said in a drone, “Dr. Dlamini would like to meet with you now. Please say ‘yes’ if you are ready and ‘no’ if you are not.”

“Yes,” said Sia, waiting for the hologram to appear and sat on the chair nearby, the familiar anxiety of her earlier meeting resurfaced. The panel lit up and a face appeared above it in 3D. It was the same indifferent visage she had seen upon her arrival.

Chapter 2

“Hello Dr. Sen, I hope you are settling in well,” said Enzokuhle’s hologram, recreating her face down to every line and hue, as if her head had floated into the room. She wasn’t wearing a helmet and her short afro hair framed her angular face perfectly.

“Yes, thanks. Mandy has been very kind and welcoming,” said Sia, answering the question and also making an indirect point.

“Good. We had received your DNA code and biometrics from Earth. The shower has confirmed your identity as has the door lock on the room. Your retinal scan and finger prints will be enough to get you into most areas of Apollo city,” said Enzokuhle, pausing momentarily.

“Great,” said Sia, unsure of whether the pause was inviting a response.

“Here on Apollo, we wear many hats. Most of us have dual qualifications, if not more. I am a Physician and a Plant Geneticist. I understand you are a Biotechnologist, so we will have that in common,” Enzokuhle continued.

“Yes. I teach Yoga and sacred art as well,” said Sia, keeping her answers short, feeling hostility even through the hologram.

“Interesting,” said Enzokuhle, though her expression didn’t appear engaged. “Before we begin, I have to consult with you to ensure that you are fully aware of the conditions set forth for your move to the Moon and their repercussions. Is that okay?” she queried.

“Yes,” said Sia, impassively.

“Very well. We live by a very different protocol from Earth, as you have been informed. We don’t form civil partnerships or get married here. The entire population that exists on the Moon is a result of the ‘Incubation’ program, where embryos are planted inside a surrogate. Our immaculate matching will ensure there is no genetic overlap in any Moonlander. By agreeing to move here, you are automatically enrolled in the program,” Enzokuhle said.

“I am aware, yes.”

“You may be called upon to be a surrogate or you may not. But your eggs will be taken and frozen. You are after all, the winner of a genetic lottery, sent to the Moon because of your physical and mental prowess, is it not?” Enzokuhle smirked as she asked what appeared to be a rhetorical question enveloped in a taunt.

“Some have said so. I know I am here because I want to thrive in the mission I have prepared for long and hard, for the last five years,” Sia said, in a calm, cool voice.

“Your story is legend here. Sia Sen, ground breaking biotechnologist, who made massive contributions on Earth has been chosen for an important mission to the Moon. Funny that you decided that you couldn’t do more on Earth and moved here,” said Enzokuhle, expecting an explanation or back story. She got none.

“A one-way ticket to the Moon. A place where you can’t cook, eat your favourite foods, contemplate love, engage in any intimacy, discuss anything religious, adhere to the ban on all political affiliations and never return to Earth was something you desired?” asked Enzokuhle with a hint of disbelief.

“Surprisingly, yes,” said Sia, not elaborating any further.

“Well then, all that remains is to confirm that you understand you cannot consume any media from Earth, listen to any music, read any books, watch any visual entertainment created there. The only things available are the ones made here on the Moon, respecting the ethos we have chosen to live by,” Enzokuhle continued.

Sia let out a sigh. This was going to be the hardest part. “Yes,” she said, half-heartedly.

"You can practise your Yoga and art here, but will have to leave out all references to the sacred or divine,” Enzokuhle said, expecting a reaction.

“Thanks. I will make sure I do,” said Sia, with a stoic face. She was prepared for all of this.