Lunar Colony

by Patrick Kinney

  He grabbed two shovels from the rover, tossing one to Salerno. “We start digging,” he said.

  Salerno’s eyes brightened as Slayton barked over the radio: “Mission Control requesting information! I repeat, do you have Salerno in custody?”

  “Mr. Slayton,” Glen said, looking at Commander Salerno’s smiling face, “I’m afraid I’ve had to put your mission on hold for the moment.”

  “On hold?” Slayton roared. “Son, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Well,” Glen replied, “I guess I’m disobeying orders.” He figured that would send Slayton over the edge, but the voice that responded over the radio wasn’t the flight director’s.

  “Glen, can you hear me?” It was Mr. Johns.

  Glen and Salerno were about to start digging, but hearing his father’s voice made Glen pause. “Yes, Dad, I can hear you.”

  “Glen, I know you’ve been through a lot up there, but why don’t you and Commander Salerno just follow orders and come home?”

  Glen could hear the worry in his father’s voice and was sure that his dad had been through a lot, too. He looked down at his feet and kicked a pebble, hoping that what he was about to say wouldn’t upset his dad further.

  “I’m sorry, Dad, but there’s something we have to do first.”

  “But why?” Mr. Johns responded. “What could be more important than coming home?”

  “Dad, it turns out that you were right. There’s a lot left to explore in this universe, and it would be a shame to stop now, especially if this is the last chance we’ll get.”

  Mr. Johns had been desperate to get Glen home safely ever since the launch, but hearing his son’s words made him smile. It seemed that his spirit of discovery lived on.

  “Okay, Glen, but be careful,” Mr. Johns said.

  “I will, Dad.”

  “Son?” Slayton’s voice returned.

  “Yes, Mr. Slayton?” Glen answered.

  “Make us proud.”

  Alien Base

  Glen and Salerno began digging at the point where the beams of light met. They had no idea what they might find, which made their work all the more exciting.

  “Wow,” Salerno said, sticking her shovel into the ground. “The soil here is so fragile. It’s almost as if—”

  “Move!” Glen shouted. They both jumped back as the ground beneath them gave way, creating a massive hole.

  Glen and Salerno peered into the darkness and were astounded by what they saw. A coiled staircase led deep beneath the moon’s surface. They heard the fallen rocks land far, far below, but through the darkness, they could see a faint light.

  “What do you suppose is down there?” Glen asked.

  “I’m not sure,” replied Salerno, grinning. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

  Glen smiled back and asked, “Are you ready?”

  “You bet,” said Salerno, who was already descending the stairs. “Try to keep up.”

  Glen followed close behind her, wishing that there were rails along the stairwell. Even with the moon’s reduced gravity, he didn’t want to imagine what it would be like to fall, especially since he had no idea what he might find at the bottom.

  The pair descended hundreds of feet, both running their hands along the surprisingly smooth outer wall of the hole. It felt almost like marble. As they neared the bottom, the light that had once been faint grew brighter until they reached the floor.

  There, they saw the source of the light. Along the walls of an enormous arched tunnel were glowing orbs, balls of light that hovered in the air.

  “Cool! What are these things?” Glen asked, gently poking one, causing it to slowly glide away.

  “I don’t know, but look at this!” Salerno said, pointing at something on the tunnel wall. “It’s a picture.”

  Glen came alongside the commander and saw what she was looking at. It showed a stick figure standing next to a large circle. Like the mysterious engravings on the obelisks, it was etched into the surface of the wall.

  “What do you suppose it means?” Glen asked. The two looked at it for a long time, trying to figure out what it could represent.

  “I have no idea,” Salerno said at last. “But look,” she said, pointing at the tunnel wall. “Another one!”

  As Glen and Salerno approached it, the glowing orbs followed, providing light for the second picture.

  “It’s just like the first one,” Glen said, “but in this one the stick figure is standing inside the circle.” He stood looking at it, wondering what it meant, when Salerno, who had already gone farther down the tunnel, called him.

  “A third one,” she said. “And I think it’s starting to make sense.” Glen and the orbs followed Salerno, whose eyes were now sparkling. “See? This one shows the stick figure standing on the other side of the circle. And look what else!”

  Glen saw what she was talking about. The picture showed a group of taller stick figures. It almost looked as though they were greeting the first one, but Glen couldn’t be sure. Also confusing was the other image in the picture. To the right of the taller stick figures was an obelisk like the ones he’d seen on the moon’s surface.

  “I still don’t get it,” Glen said. “What does this all mean? What is this place?”

  “Don’t you see, Glen?” Salerno replied. “They’ve been waiting for us.”

  “They?” Glen asked. “You mean the aliens?”

  “Yes!” Salerno responded. “Thousands, or maybe even millions, of years ago, they visited the moon and built this base. They’ve been waiting ever since for us to develop the technology to find it.”

  Glen didn’t know how Salerno was getting all that from pictures of some stick figures and circles, but she seemed so sure of what she was saying.

  “Okay,” he said, “but what do you think they want?”

  Salerno looked at the engraving, her eyes filled with joy, and said, “I think they want us to visit them.”

  “Visit them where?” Glen asked, trying hard to follow Salerno’s logic. “Are they still here?”

  “No,” Salerno said, “I’m sure they left long ago, but I think they want us to journey to their planet.”

  Glen gulped. He’d been eager to search for alien life, but he hadn’t been prepared for traveling to another planet!

  “And how do you know all this?” he dared to ask.

  Salerno was already walking back to the first engraving. Pointing at it, she said, “Look at this picture, Glen. This figure represents us, human beings. It’s standing on the outside of this circle.” She continued to the second engraving, Glen following close behind. “Then, we see the figure inside of the circle. Somewhere around here must be some vehicle or other means of transport, because look,” she said, now showing Glen the third image, “the figure has exited the circle, where he’s greeted by these others. They must be the aliens.”

  “And what about the obelisk in the picture?” Glen asked. “What do you think that means?”

  “Well,” she said, “we saw the ones they left here on the moon. I’ll bet their world is filled with them.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Glen asked, not sure he really wanted to know the answer.

  “We have to find out how to reach their planet. And I think I know where to look next. See?” Salerno said, pointing.

  Glen saw what Salerno was seeing. The glowing orbs had floated on to a spot on the wall, where they formed the outline of a door.

  “They’re leading us,” Salerno said. “Come on!”

  Glen and Salerno walked to the orbs, one overjoyed with excitement, the other filled with doubt. Reaching the spot outlined by the balls of light, Salerno reached out her hand and was astounded to find that her hand went right through the wall, as though it wasn’t there at all.

  Turning to Glen, she said, “Are you coming with me?”

  Scared, but curious to find out what was on the other side, Glen said, “I’m right behind you.”

  Passing through the port
al, Glen and Salerno found themselves in an enormous domed chamber. Suspended along the walls were hundreds of glowing orbs, just like the ones they’d seen in the tunnel. And hovering above the floor in the middle of the room was another orb, this one different from the others. It was smaller, only about the size of a marble, but it glowed with an intensity that made Glen and Salerno squint. As they approached it, they both experienced a strange sensation. It seemed to be drawing them nearer, like a magnet.

  “This doesn’t seem safe,” Glen said, backing away. He could see strands of Salerno’s hair floating toward the tiny orb. “Commander Salerno, I don’t feel good about this.”

  “Glen,” she replied, “I don’t think there’s anything to fear. And besides, aren’t you curious to know what this is?”

  Glen was curious, but he couldn’t bring himself to go any nearer. Noticing something odd on the far side of the room, Glen found a good reason to get away from the small ball of light.

  “Hey,” he said, “I found something. I’m going to check it out.”

  While Salerno stayed with the orb, transfixed, Glen crossed the room. There, against the wall, he found a button.

  “Do you have any idea what this might be?” he asked, calling to Salerno.

  “I think I do, Glen. You’d better push it.”

  “But how can you be sure it’s safe?” he asked, nervous about what it might do.

  “We can’t really be sure about anything, Glen, unless we’re sometimes willing to take a leap of faith. Please, just trust me.”

  Reluctantly, Glen pushed the button.

  Immediately, the orbs along the walls cast beams of light in the direction of the glowing ball in the middle of the room. The tiny orb expanded, growing so quickly that in a second it was a hundred times its original size.

  “What’s going on?” Glen shouted, shielding his eyes from the bright lights. The orb was becoming enormous, filling the middle of the room and swallowing up Salerno like a speck of dust in a huge bubble.

  “It’s okay, Glen,” she shouted from within the blinding sphere.

  “No!” Glen called to her. “You’ve got to get out of there!” He was panicking, unsure of what he’d just done. He shielded his eyes from the intensity of the light, but he could hear Salerno reply.

  “I can’t do that, Glen,” she called. “I’ve got to find out what’s on the other side! And besides, they’ve been expecting me for a long time now.”

  And as she said this, the orb collapsed in on itself and was gone, taking Salerno with it. Unable to believe his own eyes, Glen stood alone in the now-quiet empty chamber.

  “Mission Control requesting status update,” Slayton said. “I repeat, Mission Control requesting status update! Are you there, son?”

  “Yes,” Glen said, in a daze, “I’m here, Mr. Slayton.”

  “And Salerno? What’s her status?” the flight director asked.

  “I’ve lost her,” Glen said. “She’s gone.”

  Slayton was quiet for a moment, but at last, he sighed and said, “Son, you did a good job up there. I’m sorry to hear about Salerno, but I think it’s time for you to come home.”

  Back Home

  Glen’s trip back to Earth was very somber. For so long he’d wanted nothing other than to go home, but now, he could only think about Salerno, wishing he could have done something to save her. As he began his reentry into the atmosphere, he imagined how much happier he’d be if his friend were returning to Earth with him.

  After touching down on the landing pad, Glen opened the hatch of his capsule and stepped out onto the gangplank leading to the elevator. As he rode down, he was surprised by what he saw below. Thousands of people had assembled, and they were all cheering for him.

  Where did all these people come from? Glen wondered as he reached the ground. Passing through the crowd, Glen felt many pats on the back and saw signs saying things like WAY TO GO, GLEN and WELCOME BACK, HERO.

  Inside Mission Control, Rollins and Swanson stood and applauded as Slayton greeted Glen.

  Shaking hands, the flight director said, “Welcome home, son. We’re awfully proud of you.”

  “Great job,” said Rollins.

  “Good to have you back,” added Swanson.

  It was nice to be welcomed back by the people in Mission Control, but Glen really just wanted to see his dad, who was standing behind the others.

  He walked up to Glen and, knowing that his teenage son might otherwise be embarrassed, extended his hand. But Glen, who was finally realizing all that he’d been through, threw his arms around his dad, and for a long moment Slayton, Rollins, and Swanson looked on as father and son shared a tearful embrace. They were so moved by the scene that no one noticed the printer attached to the radio receiver spitting out a sheet of paper.

  “I’m so sorry, Dad,” Glen said. “I never should have left you.”

  “It’s okay, Glen. I’m just happy to have you back.”

  “Dad, you were right,” Glen said, still clutching his father. “The universe is so big. There’s so much out there to explore.”

  Mr. Johns smiled, his eyes still wet. “I’m glad you got to see some of it before it was too late.”

  Glen let go of his father and spoke to everyone in the room. “I just wish I could have brought Commander Salerno back with me. You wouldn’t believe what we discovered.”

  “She was a brilliant astronaut,” Slayton said, “and will be missed.” Everyone nodded in agreement, sorry that she was gone.

  But then Rollins noticed something—the paper that had just come out of the printer. “Hey, everyone, what do you think this means?” he said.

  “It’s Morse code,” Swanson said, looking at the paper. “I think I can make it out.”

  They all gathered around as Swanson decoded the message.

  Sorry for all the trouble, guys, but I made it. Glen, it’s more beautiful here than I’d ever imagined. Maybe you can visit me here someday—RS

  Everyone in the room stared at each other in astonishment. A grin crept across Glen’s face, and he thought, She made it. She actually made it!

  “But what does this mean?” Rollins asked. “Did Salerno—?”

  “I’ll tell you what this means,” a voice said. They all looked up and saw Roger McNabb enter the room. Slayton braced himself, realizing that he could be in real trouble for failing to bring Salerno home. But before he could offer an explanation, McNabb said, “This means that the space program is saved. Salerno’s discovery and this young man’s bravery have rejuvenated people’s interest in space. Have you seen the crowd out there? Well, the president has, and he’s decided to restore all the funding we need to keep the program going.”

  They all let out a cheer as McNabb added, “Young man, why don’t you go out there and let the people see what a real hero looks like?”

  “This is pretty cool, isn’t it, Glen?” Mr. Johns asked his son as they walked toward the exit.

  “It is, Dad,” Glen said. “But next weekend maybe we can just go fishing instead.”

  « NEWS FLASH! »

  Hey-ya, listeners, welcome to WADV AM Radio and The Adventure Hour with your courageous, audacious, and fearless host—me!—Illinois Johnson.

  Buccaneers, have I got a scoop for you. This isn’t just breaking news—this is smashing, shattering, splintering news!

  Are you ready for it? Here goes . . .

  Eccentric billionaire Harold Mews is about to announce a contest for “treasure hunters and seekers of fame, fortune, and glory from across the globe.”

  The details of the contest are as yet undisclosed, but one week from today, all will be revealed! Harold Mews will make the announcement from the Mews mansion in Bucky Cove.

  So all you globe-trotting thrill seekers—be there or be left out!

  For now, this is Illinois Johnson signing off from WADV AM—the radio home for adventurers, swashbucklers, and thrill seekers!

  Flyby

  Annie Perkins adjusted the propane bur
ner and heard the familiar whoosh of flame as the hot-air balloon climbed higher into the sky. She tilted the outboard motor’s propeller (that was of her own special design, allowing her perfect control of the balloon), and the balloon picked up speed, moving swiftly through the air, surrounded by nothing but bright blue sky.

  Annie checked the height gauge. She was 379 feet up in the sky, but she was as calm and relaxed as if she were lying poolside. Annie was comfortable by herself—she always had been. And that’s why she knew she’d go down in history as a legendary adventurer.

  “Getting close, now,” Annie said aloud.

  The small bay town of Bucky Cove was coming into focus. Treetops and the slanted crests of houses and shops dotted the horizon. As the balloon floated closer, Annie could even make out the famous MEWS FOUNDATION sign atop Harold Mews’s mansion.

  Harold Mews—Annie’s hero . . .

  It was one week earlier that Annie had made the decision to travel to Bucky Cove and enter the contest. She had been washing dishes at Perkins Dine-In, the small restaurant her family owned. As usual, Annie was listening to WADV AM Radio—it was The Adventure Hour with Illinois Johnson. That day, Illinois had broadcast news that grabbed the attention of adventurers across the globe—news about Mr. Harold Mews’s million-dollar contest!

  Annie could hardly believe her ears. One million dollars! Perkins Dine-In was in trouble, and Annie knew that if her family failed to pay back the loans, it wouldn’t be long before the bank took away the restaurant. One million dollars would be enough to save it!

  Annie told her parents she planned to enter the contest—but they were not having it. “You don’t even know what the contest will be!” her mother had exclaimed. “No one does! That Harold Mews is a reclusive nut!”

  Annie had just smiled at that, because Annie knew more about Harold Mews then anyone! Since she had been old enough to lift a book, Annie had been reading about Mews’s exploits: his journeys deep into the Sahara, his treks across the Andes, his voyages to the North and South Poles.