The Resistance (Mining Minerals for Earth, Book 1)

by Timothy Cox

  As everyone sat down, Jack looked for anyone he knew, but gave up. There were too many heads. He bit his lower lip, not knowing what to expect, only relying on the stories he had heard over the years. He sat next to a man that looked just as nervous as he did, he kept touching his glasses even though it sat fine. He thought about making introductions: ask the guy how he was, where he was from, but opted not to. He rummaged his pocket and got out his wooden toy. He slid his fingers along the edges, something he had done many times, feeling the wing and then its tale. It’s something that made his mind calm when everything around him was–

  ‘No way mate.’ Glasses guy said with a British accent. ‘If I am not mistaking, that’s a Lightning Forty model.’

  ‘Yeah I, think it is.’ Jack said, amazed at how someone can go from super nervous to super-excited-I’m-peering-over-my-glasses. ‘You…want to see it?’

  ‘Of course I do.’ He snatched it and looked at it from every angle, sliding his fingers over the smooth surface; making love to it. ‘Are you selling this?’

  ‘No.’ The brashness of the question made him laugh. ‘My dad gave it to me a long time ago.’

  ‘Not surprised.’ He looked under the wings. ‘A little scratched but mint condition. The azure so striking, so colorful, so sea like.’ He glanced at Jack with a face of a crack addict. ‘Can I please have it?’

  Jack took the toy, could feel his fingers have to pull a little to get it from him. ‘Why you so crazy about this one?’

  He shook his head clearly unimpressed by the lack of knowledge. ‘That you have there is one of the original. Let me quickly calculate.’ He closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. ‘There should be roughly thirty seven.’

  ‘What in the whole world?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well maybe this one is a fake or something.’

  ‘It’s not a fake and it’s very real, let me assure you.’ Movement on the stage in front made him start to touch his glasses again. He looked around at all the people and wiggled his body. ‘Why do they have to put everyone in one large hall? Clearly it would have been better if there were several.’

  ‘I suppose.’

  ‘You suppose?’ He lifted his hand and shook it like he was casting a voodoo spell (he was counting the rough estimate of people in the hall), he bobbed his head a few times as the information went in. ‘Three thousand two hundred. They could have divided these halls into eight sections, four hundred in each. Much more practical under the circumstances–’ he threw his voodoo hand back into the air. ‘The smaller the group the easier information goes in. It’s not Nanoscience. It’s logical order. It’s the very reason my mother put me in private school–’

  All the lights went off, dark enough to make everything disappear including the person next to someone. It went quiet. So still that the only sound were of shoveling and coughing. A bright light came on center stage. Someone walked under hidden shadow, heavy steps. He appeared under the light and stood still. He didn’t look that old, but confident in posture, wearing the same uniform as everyone else.

  ‘It’s my pleasure.’ He said, pausing for a few seconds as the lights came back on, ‘to welcome all of you to the Resistance.’ He stepped forward and raised his voice, loud enough to wake up gods from their slumber. ‘Because today is a very special day. It’s that time of the year when we send recruits up to help a place so dear to our hearts. To fight for the survival of earth. To work on the very thing we’ve worked on for so many generations: to ensure earth prosper just as well as any other planet in the universe.’

  Jack looked at glasses guy and saw him frown; trying to take in every word the man was saying upfront, trying to figure out this mess – if it was a mess – and trying to figure where they were heading to.

  ‘Now as we all know, earth is not what it used to be. In a moment we’ll get some pictures sliding so you can see for yourself. But before we do, I want you to realize one thing first, and that’s the importance of the job you’re embarking on. You see,’ he walked a few steps forward with his head down, deep in thought. ‘My dad and the men before that, including your parents, were part of the Resistance. These men have sacrificed much. Because as well all know, through consistent research and dedication, we finally realized that the threat of global warming was very real. And not only that,’ he flicked the pen he was holding. The screen came alive with pictures. He zoomed onto one: a child holding a baby amidst stormy weather.

  ‘The year twenty-fifteen. A year we all know very well, I’m sure you learned about this in school. This was when things got out of control.’ The pictures flipped through. ‘Floods, earthquakes, starvation, rioting. And then came twenty-nineteen, we realized humans were consuming so much resources that earth was starving.’

  Next slide: a picture of two scientists smiling, pointing over the ocean.

  ‘Twenty-twenty. Major breakthrough, unlimited energy. I’m sure many of you have been on boat trips, to see these.’

  The hall broke out with chatter – remembering how it felt seeing it for the first time; the sheer power; the massive vibrations that made the sea ripple. It was a picture of a bullet shape structure: protruding from the ocean and glowing green at the tip.

  ‘RFA. More commonly known as Recyclable Fusion Antenna. We currently have sixteen of these dotted around the world. As we all know energy is not a problem in society.’

  Next slide: a group of people dancing around derelict houses, grateful to have light for the very first time.

  Next slide: cities going into anarchy, buildings burning, people rioting.

  ‘As we also know, soon after the implantation of RFA Program, another problem came. Resources were running out on earth. Twenty-eleven the earth’s population was seven billion.’

  Next slide: a graph showing a red line shooting up.

  ‘As of now, earth is home to nearly seventeen billion. If our generations before us didn’t do what they did–’ He turned and look at the next slide. A group of people holding hands and smiling. ‘These folks here were one of the first ones to Traverse.’

  The room went silent, anticipating information on where they were heading to.

  The man pointed to the table, a holographic image came on. ‘The Traverse Program is simple. Every five years, we send all twenty-one year olds to a new home. Now I know for some of you, or most of you, this is a daunting prospect, but let me reassure you, what we are doing is nothing new. It’s been going on for–’

  ‘Hey,’ glasses guy said. ‘Want to know a cool statistic.’

  ‘What?’ Jack murmured.

  ‘I said do you want know a cool statistic?’

  ‘I said what?’

  ‘Since launching the Traverse Program, while traveling through space, only one died out of four billion.’

  ‘Thanks for that…I think, I feel–’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s a hobby of mine. You know, reading interesting stuff.’

  People clapped hands, making Jack look around. He saw another person walking onto stage. This guy was smaller and had white hair. After the introductions and pleasantries, he started talking about certain rumors that were floating around. Rumors saying that it wasn’t safe in space, that the trip wasn’t secure. He made a few jokes about it, people laughed, he kept reiterating the same thing over and over: it was perfectly safe.

  (5)

  The ship was bigger than he expected. Before climbing onboard, he held the toy up for comparison and marveled at the stealthy blue lights flickering all over. He watched people walk on the ramp and wondered how they were feeling, were they just as scared as he was? Were they looking at the grass, the soil, the night sky – and thinking like he was? That this was going to be the last ever sight of earth?

  He shook these thoughts away and slid the toy into his pocket. There was always time to turn and run, go make a living somewhere else on earth. But he knew that was a great offence. It was compulsory to join all the others. He heard loud chatter walk past, big hoo
rah bravado, cheering, and knew it was time to say goodbye. He glanced at the moon and smiled.

  The ramp towards the ship shook. It felt hot. A few people ran past unable to hold their excitement, but a few preferred a more composed walk; heads down.

  The entrance to the ship neared – a hole in the wall. People disappeared into it. Jack thought of it as some mouth, swallowing humans never spitting them out. Half way there, new lights came on: tranquil blue lines sliding down walls. The ship reminded him of some gigantic insect. The wings were thrusters and the eyes windows. And the legs – pipes’ kissing the outer interior – injecting some fuel.

  This what it, he thought. He took one deep breath and said goodbye.

  (6)

  It was like an illusion. The inside of the ship was bigger than it seemed. It was nothing like he had expected, he thought that it was going to be people strapped on seats – told that if they moved – that they would be injected into space. But it was nothing like it. People roamed around at their own pace, observing everything around them, touching the walls like it were chocolate. It even had a lounge area and a kitchen where most people were, socializing like normal human creature. Trying to figure out who their new best friend was going to be, trying to forge new relationships; forging something real when everything around them felt uncertain.

  Jack walked around not knowing what to do, he felt a little unsure of himself with so many new faces. The more he thought about what he just left behind, the more his mood darkened, to the point where his stomach ached. He tried escaping it by walking into uncharted halls, observing new technology around him, trying to figure out how everything worked.

  Two older men approached.

  ‘Hey excuse me.’

  They stopped and looked at him strange. ‘Yes can we help you?’

  ‘I just want to know how long the trip will be?’

  They shook their heads and walked, mumbling: ‘It’s a long journey find something to do.’

  Down a few halls, he found a group of people standing around something. They kept saying: ‘Wow. Cool. What is it?’ His curiosity piqued. The closer he got, the more he saw of it. It was a glass box. The object, which looked like a rock, floated in midair. One guy was about to touch it when a person came walking around the corner. He scribbled on paper and looked up, laughing.

  ‘I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.’ He lowered the paperboard and pointed. ‘That over there will bite you.’

  ‘Yeah righ–’

  ‘Honest. Don’t believe me? Touch it.’ A salesman smile ran across his face.

  The man looked at him and back at the glass, trying to think if he should or shouldn’t. His finger trembled towards the glass. Everyone looked.

  ‘Ah.’ The man said.

  His finger fell back – startled. ‘What’s it?’

  ‘If you lose your finger, don’t say I didn’t–’ he looked at everyone, ‘I’m only kidding guys.’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘That over there is a special rock from another planet. It looks like it’s hovering with no help but,’ he moved closer. ‘It’s an illusion. If you look closely, you’ll see small pipes blowing air on it.’

  ‘What’s it for?’ Someone asked.

  He gave another salesman smile. ‘Two things really, one, it’s just for display and two, we’re trying to see what effect earth’s atmosphere has on alien objects.’

  An intercom went off: Doctor Silinder, please proceed to the armory.

  ‘Well that’s me. You guys have a great trip, make the most of it.’

  As he walked away the man touched the glass, laughing at it, as if trying to prove that he knew it was harmless.

  As the night went on, so did conversation. People were quickly becoming friends, telling each other their concerns, worries, or just acting like young adults, trying to have a good time. Jack found himself sitting in the corner of the room, looking at everyone talk, starting to feel like maybe he should walk up and–

  ‘Mind if I sit?’

  Jack looked up.

  ‘I saw you sitting here all alone, thought you could use some company.’ He adjusted his glasses.

  ‘Sure go–’

  He sat before Jack could finish his sentence. ‘You still have that ship on you?’

  ‘You’re not going to steal are you?’

  ‘What preposterous thought. Do I look like the kind that go around nibbling people’s belongings?’

  Jack looked at his new British companion – that didn’t look British. He looked more Chinese, his hair short and pointy, expensive glasses, skin a little too white. ‘So uh, where you from?’

  ‘A town called Warwick, in England.’

  ‘Were you, born there or?’

  ‘Yes of course.’ He said looking at the people walking past, scratching his cheek. He bobbed his head back. ‘Why do I not look English?’

  ‘No-no that’s not what I’m–’

  ‘If you do need to know.’ He removed his glasses and cleaned it on his shirt. ‘My mom’s Japanese and my dad English. Don’t ask me how they met because I can’t really tell – nor do I really care.’

  Jack’s brow rose. He felt like smiling, but kept a more serious expression. ‘I see, so, how are you finding the trip?’

  ‘It’s been roughly three hours. I do wish I knew where we were.’ He looked at the ceiling. ‘I think the lack of maps around here is a disaster.’

  ‘It’s not like we’re traveling on road you know.’

  His cheeks plumped and lips parted; far enough to show a few teeth. ‘Thanks, I never knew that. I thought we were riding in a car.’ He smiled. ‘Now that I know we’re travelling in space, I think I can relax. Do you care for some water?’

  ‘Sure.’ Jack said. He watched him storm off to the dispenser. He gave a few people walking slow a look that said: walk-a-little-faster. Jack laughed and gazed around, still trying to take in everything. He had one burning thought that needed answering, and sure that he wasn’t the only one. There weren’t much talk about where they were heading to, other that it was another planet. Sure he could understand that there were certain regulations and rules and that some things needed to be kept secret, but a little information would have been nice; just to calm the nerves.

  (7)

  People rushed in and out, chasing each other, smacking doors shut, and laughing. Jack was on the top bunk overlooking at all of this. He took his pillow and threw it over his head. He shook his head and thought: how can these people be so immature? Sure everyone was the age of twenty-one, but they were acting like–

  The guy ran straight into the bunk bed, knocking his head; hard enough for the bed to shake. On any other occasion Jack would find this funny, but he removed the pillow from his eyes and shot them a look. The guy on the floor rubbed his head and giggled.

  ‘What’s your problem?’ The guy standing at the door asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Jack said. He looked at the guy on the floor. ‘Just nothing.’

  ‘Good, keep it to yourself.’ He said rubbing his bald head. ‘C’mon Jason, let’s let this girl sleep.’

  Jack shook his head. Typical him, opening mouth and all hell breaks loose. He started thinking too much; it was like a freight train that if he didn’t stop – would keep on driving with force. He closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings: he could hear chatter down the hall, strange clapping, the sound of thrusters humming, and felt the metal railing of his bunk vibrate. The vibration made him feel, sleepy...

  He woke up to a girl shouting into the room. For a moment he thought he was dreaming; still drifting in that place where reality and dream coincided. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her Christmas-smile, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. Then it dawned on him, the ship was stuttering – it was slowing down.

  The mood was tense excitement. People came from all directions; buzzing like insects – following the flickering light on the floor, listening (or trying to listen) to the intercom yelling: landing was
imminent. There was a sense of extreme excitement among everyone, but also something else. The evil twin of curiosity.

  ‘Aren’t you excited?’ A voice said in the crowd.

  Jack followed the migration of people, the lights, and the sound. It didn’t take long to see where everyone was disappearing into: a hole in the wall where a much larger room was. Everyone formed lines and waited in queue to go in. Half way there, Jack could hear people gasping, saying how beautiful, awesome, outrages it was. It only made him want to see it more. Was it a first glimpse of the outside? Some cool new technology?

  His fingers felt clammy, his head span – this was it. His turn to go in next and join all the others. Two people in front of him disappeared through the door. He stepped forward.

  No one spoke and Jack saw why. There were only a few times in life when sight stole breath and this didn’t steal it, it plundered his lungs empty. He lost control of his body. Without warning his body stumbled forward to an open space between people. He wrapped his fingers around the metal pole. Squeezed. Gazed.

  It was the back of the spaceship, the wall transparent; revealing everything and beyond. Everyone saw their first glimpse of their new home: forest vegetation eerily familiar. But as the ship flew over a cliff – things changed. People gasped and for a good reason.

  The cliff they left behind was a mountain; wide as far as the eye could see. Waterfalls’ cascaded all along it – making it not only welcoming, but beautiful.

  ‘Look!’ Someone shouted pointing at the side.

  At first it looked like a gust of dust, but as it neared, it twirled in shapes and sizes that didn’t make any sense.

  ‘I think it’s alive.’

  ‘What yo mean.’

  ‘I mean it’s alive, it must be–’

  ‘That.’ Doctor Silinder said, standing on a pavilion at the back, pointing his ruler like it was chemistry class. ‘Is a Centiri La Cop, known as the Dust Fly.’ As he stepped down everyone looked back in front. ‘Harmless insects, just like all the other creatures on this planet.’