The Millionth Week #6
Cleo decided only a few people would meet these Outsiders before she allowed the citizens to transfer over.
She formed a first contact team. They had a small transport vehicle that held nine.
Cleo chose, Ofira, Adia, Zavier, Denyce, and Ivette so they could assess Outside for compatibility.
Sanders, the new peace keeper chief and two of his team rounded out the party.
At the millionth week of their journey, Inside flew so close to the sphere, Cleo feared they would crash into it. Instead, they were pulled into an orbit, circling around it at a safe distance.
In the control room, everyone stared at the screen.
“It’s huge,” Ofria said. “No wonder they’re not worried about the size of our population.”
“Why is Outside round?” Denyce asked.
No one answered her.
“Is that a…haze around it?” Zavier asked.
“That white stuff is moving! Do you think it’s some sort of protection?” Ivette asked.
“Probably to reflect the sunlight,” Cleo said. “Outside is really close to the sun.”
“How do we get inside?” Ofira asked. “Has anyone seen the spaceport on the surface?”
“Not yet,” Denyce said.
The speculation and comments continued. However, they would soon get the answers. Ofira reported that the small transport vehicle was ready to go, The coordinates had been programmed.
Cleo’s stomach turned upside down. She was going to be sick. Sheer force of will kept the bile down and she was soon distracted by the sight of Inside. An impressive metal rectangular box home to roughly a hundred thousand people.
When the transport vehicle shook, making the same noises as Inside during the slingshot, she clutched the arms on her chair. An orange glow surrounded them.
“Relax, it’s normal,” Ofira said over her shoulder. She had taken the pilot’s seat.
Hard to relax when the temperature kept climbing. Eventually everything stopped and they flew over…well, she wasn’t quite sure. Strange shapes and big blue areas. It wasn’t until they got closer that she spotted patches of green, undulating zones of yellowish-tan, and those blue…water?
They kept descending and she marveled at all the stuff on the outside of Outside.
“Look at the size of those plants!” Ivette gestured to a group of tall pillars with leafy tops.
Ofira landed them on a large flat surface. There was a row of rectangular boxes lined along the far end. More Insides?
“We’re here,” Ofira said.
“Is this the entrance to Outside?” Cleo asked. “How are we going to get to those Insides?”
“Maybe this pad descends.” Ofira speculated.
“Um, Cleo, look.” Zavier pointed.
Four Outsiders strode toward them. They didn’t wear Outer Space suits.
“Wow,” Adia said, checking her control panel. “We’re surrounded by breathable air.”
“How?” Ofira asked
“Does it matter at this point?”
“No,” Cleo said. “Open the hatch, let’s go meet our welcoming committee.”
Cleo squinted in the bright daylight. The four Outsiders stopped and waited for Cleo and her team to approach. They resembled the Insiders, but their skin was darker and each one was a different shade. Hair colors ranged from black to yellow. Weird.
A man stepped forward and spoke gibberish into a hand held device. He pressed a button, and words came from the device. “Welcome back to Earth! We’ve been waiting for you.”
Back? “I’m Captain Cleo Ashon of Inside. We are glad to be here. Forgive my ignorance, but where is here?” She gestured to the blue ceiling. “Did we travel through your ceiling? Or is this your port to get inside?”
The man pressed the device to his ear and listened for a moment.
Then he spoke more gibberish followed by, “We understand you have a million questions. This is the planet Earth. We live on its surface and it’s perfectly safe.
You flew through our atmosphere. Don’t worry all will be explained.
We have set up domed cities for all of you so you have time to adapt to Earth. ”
“You said welcome back, and you’ve been waiting for us,” Cleo said. “Did we leave from here?”
The man listened and talked. His device translated.
“Yes, nine families from Earth left here one million weeks ago on an interstellar journey. An experiment to see how humans would fare being away from Earth for so long. What you’ve forgotten, what you’ve learned, the evolution of your language.
We already have a team of scientists analyzing your data files.
All quite fascinating, we can’t wait to start the interviews. ”
An experiment? Her life and the lives of her ancestors were all for an experiment. Anger surged through her. She exchanged looks with the others. From their heated gazes, they were thinking the same thing.
“Let’s go home and give them nothing,” Ofira said.
“They already have all our files,” Zavier said.
“And we have a rusting bucket of rivets.” Cleo reminded them.
Inside’s machinery wouldn’t survive much longer, but their people, the Insiders were survivors.
They’d adapted to living in a giant metal box for a million weeks.
They could adapt to this new situation. Not only adapt but thrive.
Despite reading their files, the Outsiders had no idea who they were welcoming back.