Moonday

by J F Clayton

  He glanced at the door and breathed in through his nose feeling his chest filling with air. It was going to be tricky. He was anxious about how each team member was going to react. The stern voice in his head told him it would be fine and, “just to get on with it.” He knew that extending the contract for another five years might not be easy for them to accept and the dialogue was going to force them to think about how scared they were about returning home, a topic that they’d all been avoiding for the last three years. He was worried. He hoped they would pretend that the contract extension was what they wanted and their choice. They knew that there wasn’t any practical way that they could refuse the extension, well unless they returned in one of the escape pods, but he didn’t think they would. They felt the same as him. They found it difficult to stop worrying about their families and whether or not there was anything or anyone left on Earth for them to return to. They knew that after a five-year shift away from home that things would have changed, not everything would be how they left it, but were they prepared for the possibility that there was nothing left for them, nothing at all. He shuddered and wished he knew what was happening on Earth.

  “Meichun, can you help me? How do we make everything appear as ordinary as possible?”

  Meichun asked, “What’s ordinary?”

  Peter thought for a second about what he really meant before clarifying, “How do we make it look like it was five years ago?”

  Meichun replied, “You changed the picture of your wife.”

  He rested his hand on the handle of the top drawer, where he’d hidden his favourite photo of his wife. It had been over two years since he had hidden it. He opened the drawer slowly and reached in carefully. He turned the photo over as he took it out of the drawer and placed it on the desk next to the other picture. He smiled but felt her absence as a sharp pain in his chest as he told her, “Today we are going to pretend that nothing has happened.” She was beautiful in the picture, and he realised how much he’d missed her. He looked closely at the photo and wondered about the passage of time and if the last five years had been kind to her. When she smiled, she’d have new wrinkles, maybe more grey hair. He liked the idea that she was older and that she was still living at home, in their home. Her existence formed an almost physical connection to the Earth and it made him smile.

  He placed the portrait back in the top drawer and closed it with a click as he prepared himself mentally for the meetings. He’d read the personnel reports, which had been kept secret until the renewals were due. The personnel reports were only released if there was approval from Columbus or the contracts were up for renewal. They were then released automatically in case the Moon Major needed them for any decisions about the next shift. He’d already known everything about the Moononauts he’d travelled with. There hadn’t been any surprises there, but the information about Liam’s past was new to him, and he’d not yet decided how he was going to deal with it.

  He had thought a lot about who to invite first and whether someone would find meaning in the order of the meetings. He didn’t want to offend anyone. He smirked and shook his head. When he was honest with himself it wasn’t everyone he was bothered about. It was just Steve. He didn’t want to offend Steve. He didn’t think that the others would notice or that they would even put any significance on the order of the meetings.

  He looked at the wall clock. It was time. He put his captain’s hat carefully on his head, glanced in the wall mirror and smiled encouragingly. He looked the part. He was going to play a major role in the game and he wanted to present himself both confidently and convincingly. He said to his reflection, “Harmony and a comfortable life. That’s all I can offer.”

  Paul was first up and arrived punctually for his meeting. He came alone.

  When Peter noticed that Paul hadn’t brought Astro he was a little disappointed but managed to hide his feelings well.

  Paul didn’t see Peter’s welcoming smile he was still looking at the floor. He stood there trying to stand still but fidgeted awkwardly. Then he cleared his throat involuntarily and blushed deeply.

  Peter nodded at one of the chairs and suggested he sit down. He knew it was Paul’s first employee appraisal, and Peter had the feeling that Paul felt he’d done something wrong. Peter smiled to himself as he remembered how nervous he’d been for his own first appraisal. Then he wondered what Paul could have actually done wrong anyway.

  Paul looked at the chair before sitting down carefully and then avoided looking directly at Peter.

  Peter stared at him with a furrowed brow. He had the feeling that Paul was looking at the wall behind him and wanted to turn around and see what was there. He resisted the temptation and wondered how he could help Paul relax. He seemed so tense and nervous. Peter asked him kindly, “Are there many bottles of whisky left in stock?”

  Paul looked at Peter and smiled gratefully. His voice was cheerful as he answered, “There are hundreds of bottles. They must have planned a really big party, or there wouldn’t be that many, would there?”

  Peter laughed briefly and nodded approvingly, “Yes you are probably right. Shall we get started?”

  Paul fidgeted again and looked away from Peter.

  In a friendly tone Peter said, “I think your work is excellent and if you want to extend your contract of employment, there are no concerns on my side.” It was true that Paul’s work was excellent, but Peter thought even if it wasn’t, there was little else could he have said at this point. Peter observed Paul’s reaction. He seemed to relax a little. At least he wasn’t sitting so stiffly anymore, and he was even leaning back. Peter asked, “Do you want to renew your contract of employment for another five years?”

  Paul nodded in agreement, but somewhat subdued and without enthusiasm.

  His reaction was good enough for Peter to continue as planned, “That means you get a fifteen percent pay rise and because you are working a double shift and we save the fuel from the return flight, you automatically get credits on your environment and social responsibility account.” Peter looked pleased for him. They both knew that these credits had a lot of value, they represented how much respect you had earned, and for a twenty-four-year-old it was impressive that he had built up so many credits representing his social competence, his environmental friendliness and his long-term vision of the future.

  Paul hadn’t expected such good news and looked surprised as he grinned. He proudly tapped his chest and said the word, “I,” before his voice trailed off, he was still smiling as he frowned.

  Peter had known Paul would be pleased. He wanted to be someone who cared for future generations, not just for himself. The environment and social responsibility credits meant even more to Paul than most people.

  Paul, who had completely forgotten his nervousness, let the doubt in his mind crept across his face before he said in a small voice, “I thought I could only stay for one five-year shift.”

  Peter had known that the question would come. He smiled reassuringly and explained, “It was recommended that you only do one shift because of your existing DNA damage. We have treatments available now that can keep the situation under control. Beatriz has done the analysis and says everything is okay.”

  Paul nodded but seemed a little worried.

  Peter pulled himself up in his chair, leaned forward and looked meaningfully at Paul, smiled ironically and said, “And you know what, it would be pretty difficult if you wanted to go home.” Peter watched him closely for his reaction. He knew Paul wasn’t an idiot. Paul knew what had happened almost four years ago and understood the situation. The question was whether he was more willing to play along.

  Paul nodded slowly, understanding.

  Peter exhaled with relief. Paul was going to play along. Peter held his breath as Paul started to speak, “If we stay here another five years, it will probably be too long for my dog. I left Astro at home with my brother Andrew. He’ll not survive another five years.” Paul stared at the table. His voice sounded smaller, “If
there is a way to fly home within the next five years,” he looked up, “I’d like to take it.”

  Peter smiled and nodded, “I understand. No problem.” Peter wrote something down before handing Paul his thank you for all the good work letter.

  Paul took the letter from Peter and thanked him before he got up confidently and went readily back to work, closing the door behind him.

  Peter sat back in his chair and smiled to himself before getting up to fetch himself a cup of coffee. He’d deserved it, the first meeting was over. When he sat down again, he double checked whether he’d given Paul the correct letter. Then he went and opened the door and waited for Dervla and Patrick. Beatriz had offered to look after Patrick, but Dervla had refused. She wanted to bring him, and Peter didn’t mind. Patrick was a sweet kid. He’d just had his third birthday three weeks ago. Peter smiled as he remembered the little birthday party and shook his head as he remembered the delicious cake Steve had baked. Peter had wanted to give Patrick something special but hadn’t managed to get the present ready in time. Now it was finished, and Peter wanted to give it to him today.

  Patrick came running into the room and skidded to a stop nearly dropping what he was holding. Peter smiled broadly when he saw him. With his green eyes and short reddish-brown hair, Patrick was a good-looking boy. Peter wondered where the reddish-brown hair came from, it wasn’t from Dervla with her brown hair. Dervla’s arrival brought him back and he offered them seats.

  Dervla sat on one of the offered chairs, but Patrick didn’t want to sit on a chair at all. It was much more comfortable on the floor, where there was enough space to play with his new toy. Paul had given him a mini toolbox with small wheels for his birthday and he was still holding it in his arms. As soon as Patrick sat on the floor, he saw a marvellous hiding place. Patrick shuffled along on his bottom until he was under Peter’s desk and then started playing quietly with his toolbox. Dervla looked apologetic, but Peter just shrugged his shoulders, if Patrick wanted to play under the desk, it was perfectly fine. Peter looked under the table and checked to see exactly where Patrick was. He didn’t want to accidentally kick him.

  Before Peter could say anything, Dervla spoke, “You don’t understand my work. Do you think you can judge it?”

  Peter was momentarily stunned, but he managed to quickly recover, “To be honest, you’re right. I have no idea about your work. I assume you want a contract of employment extension to keep going with your research?”

  She nodded. She was glad she would have the opportunity to continue her research.

  Peter asked seriously, “How much raise do you want?”

  Dervla thought briefly before she said, “Does it really make a difference?”

  Peter silently pleaded with her to play along with the situation. She didn’t respond so he said, “Please. It’s a game. Play along. Imagine that fifteen percent could mean something when you live at home again.” He waited a moment for a reaction. She seemed to be thinking, so he added, “And because you are working a double shift, you also get credits on your environment and social responsibility account.”

  Dervla nodded gently and watched him.

  Peter was satisfied with her response, “And I have something for Patrick too.” He looked under the desk to see if Patrick had heard. He didn’t seem to have noticed, so Peter said louder, “I have a belated birthday present for someone.”

  Patrick looked up and turned around excitedly. A present. His face lit up. Peter put his hand under the table and handed the brown paper packet to Patrick, who grabbed it out of Peter’s hands and then quickly ripped off the wrapping, which he threw carelessly to the side. He recognised the colour of the soft fabric immediately and laughed gleefully before trying on the cute little captain’s hat. With a huge grin, he jumped up to proudly show his mother, unfortunately the cap was a little too big and the jumping caused the cap to fall over his eyes, Patrick laughed again and pushed up the cap, so he could see again.

  Dervla laughed with him and told Patrick that he looked good before she bent down to pick up the thrown away wrapping paper.

  Peter smiled and shook his head, “Don’t worry about the wrapping paper. I’ll take care of it.” And he watched as Patrick ran out of the room to go and show his new present to his friend Paul.

  Laughing, Dervla followed Patrick out of the office. As she walked through the door, she looked at the tracking device to see where he was going. She left the door open behind her.

  Beatriz was in a good mood as she arrived punctually. She came straight in without knocking and closed the door behind her. They both nodded and smiled warmly. She sat down directly opposite from Peter and smiled before saying, “I can’t believe five years have passed.”

  Peter saw no reason for small talk, not with Beatriz, “Do you want to hear the offer?”

  Beatriz let out a brief loud laugh, “Not really, but I suppose I should pretend it is important.”

  Peter forced himself to use a professional tone and said, “You’ll get an employment contract extension for another five years, a salary increase of fifteen percent and because you are working a double shift, you automatically get credits on your environment and social responsibility account.”

  Seemingly unimpressed, Beatriz thanked him briefly before she changed the subject, “I suggest that we conduct additional medical examinations. I’m worried about the effects of cosmic radiation.”

  Peter agreed, “Yes, especially for Paul.”

  Beatriz suggested, “Liam could increase the cosmic radiation deflection field. It costs more energy, but we can afford it, and no one is monitoring our budget.” Ironically, she added, “We don’t want to get Moon Madness.”

  Peter nodded and remained quiet. He didn’t like the thought that no one was monitoring them.

  Beatriz continued, “We have DNA-targeted drugs that are a kind of immune system booster, but you can’t use them all the time, otherwise they could attack the body, similar to an autoimmune disease.”

  Peter nodded. He thought it was a good idea.

  Beatriz continued, “Liam has already helped me, and we have installed a Robotician in the infirmary. None of us are getting younger.”

  Peter was pleasantly surprised, “One of Robotician’s new models. They’re as good as an eye check at the opticians.”

  Beatriz smiled, “Yes, and I suggest that everyone undergoes a thorough five-year health check. Including a session with the Robotician.”

  Peter was pleased. The conversation had gone perfectly well. He handed her the letter and said, “Thank you. They’re great suggestions. Can you make sure it happens?”

  She agreed and thanked him for the contract extension.

  He watched her leave. He hadn’t expected any problems from Beatriz and she hadn’t disappointed him, however he couldn’t say that about Steve, who was next.

  Steve was standing right outside, already waiting as Beatriz walked out, he almost pushed past her to get into the room. He sat down without being invited and demanded to know what the significance was with the order of the meetings.

  Peter sighed he knew this was coming but he’d considered the consequences if he had given Steve the first meeting. Peter tried to assure him that there was no significance to the order of the meetings. The list had been put together by chance.

  Steve didn’t look like he believed Peter and insisted, “Why was Paul before me? Does he have precedence?”

  Peter defended himself in a quiet, controlled voice, “Liam is scheduled after you. Does that mean you have precedence over him?”

  Steve ignored Peter’s reply, and he changed the subject. He had something else he wanted to argue about, “If you are giving me a new employment contract, I want a raise, and a promotion.”

  Peter sensed his growing impatience with Steve. He was always looking for trouble, where it didn’t exist. Peter replied in a tired slow voice, “You can have whatever you want.”

  Steve lent forward and said in a quiet calm voice, “It’
s part of the game,” and then he almost pleaded, “Please play your part. Otherwise it’s no fun.”

  Peter nodded and understood immediately. This was Steve’s game. This was how Steve was trying to keep himself sane. He thought, people try and control their world in different ways. Peter looked stern and said, “Your work is satisfactory, and we would like to renew your contract of employment for another five years. Would you like to extend your contract of employment?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m offering a ten percent pay rise, and because you’re working a double shift, you automatically get credit on your environment and social responsibility account.”

  Steve leaned his head to the left, stroked his chin and said with a harsh tone, “Fifty percent pay rise and thank you for the credits.”

  Peter played along, “I can go to fifteen percent and not a penny more.”

  Without smiling, Steve suggested, “Thirty-five percent.”

  Peter looked him directly in the eyes and shook his head gently from side to side while mouthing no.

  Steve looked at him for a few seconds before saying, “Twenty-five.”

  Peter smiled and nodded relieved. They had an agreement and shook hands amicably.

  Steve relaxed in his seat and became friendly almost chatty as he suggested, “I mean if we are staying longer, I could increase the cosmic radiation deflection field. We don’t want to get Moon Madness. Although, I think some people might already be affected.” Steve didn’t say he meant Europa.

  Peter already knew his opinion and decided not to react to the provocation and quietly thought that Steve had got the idea about the radiation deflection field idea from Beatriz. Peter made a note to avoid having to say anything.

  It annoyed Steve that Peter hadn’t commented on his excellent idea. He sounded bitter as he added, “We’re only living for today and never think about the future. We know that there are only three escape pods each for three people that means nine people can return, and with Patrick there are ten of us.” His expression was hard, “I want you to assure me that I belong to the nine who will get the chance to return. I’m not giving up my chance of getting back.”