Nyxia: Alternate

Part 3: Goodbye, Earth

I am escorted by a Babel employee, we call them 'techies', into a private pod on the ship. It houses two comfortable chairs, a table, some books focused on relaxation and stress-releif, and a window showing the outside world. For now, it shows the view of the launch station, but soon it will show nothing but the darkness of space.

I sit waiting, for somebody to say my final goodbyes to. I don't know who is coming, but Moms is too ill to fly on a plane to see me like this.

In the time I wait, I stick on my music player. After a few minutes, I am lost in my thoughts, and making a plan in my head with everything Defoe and Babel had just coached into me. I sort things out into letters. When I was young, I was taught to make an imaginary folder and file things one at a time. That way, I can remember things and deal with them correctly.

I file the planet Eden under N for new world.
I file the aliens- the adamites under S for scary.
I file nyxia under C for confusing.

Ten of us, eight go to Eden. 80% chance, if it were luck based. But it isn't. I have to earn this, put in the work. Nine other people will be trying to stop me at any chance I have. They may look friendly, or even be my friends, but I must not let anything stop me from my end goal. I do not want to come eighth, or seventh. I want first.

A knock at the door sends me back to reality, and I watch as Aunt Julia walks through, her contagious smile spreading onto my face. Her hair fluffy as ever, like a raspberry bush on top of her head. She is dressed smart, a change to usual. A shirt buttoned up to the top, and a straight skirt that goes past her knees. Perhaps she had no smart-styled clothes in her entire wardrobe, so that Babel had to buy her some.

"Emmet!" She squeals, and I jump up to hug her. I am not the closest to my Aunt and Uncle, but sure am I glad to see her. Any trace of home, before I am gone for who knows how long, matters.

After a few seconds, I let go and we sit down in silence, taking it all in. Her giggles interrupt our silence, as if we were playing sleeping lions.

"Fifty thousand, auntie. Every month. That's what they're paying me. All I have to do is come in the top eight out of ten. I can do it, I can win this."

"Forget the money, Emmet. Are you sure about this? They told me you will be gone for over 3 years. I worry for you, out there all alone. Somewhere we cannot see you or hear you."

She grabs my hands, rubbing them gently. She works at a spa in the nice part of the city, so massaging is something she has always been good at. It helps calm me down.

"They are giving medical help as well. Moms can be well, they will help her. Your sister. Whatever it takes, i'll do it."

She nods, taking this in. I see that they didn't tell her much. "Still, Emmet. Are you sure?"

I take some time to think, as if I haven't already been doing that before. Where i'm from, you'd be stupid to not jump at fifty dollars if it was available. This is fifty thousand, monthly. But something in my mind makes me worry.

*"I really don't know." I say. "It's hard to tell the difference between rich and wrong."

We sit and stare outside the window. Auntie gives me a look, like I am meant to know what it means just from that. I do, nodding gently.

After a couple minutes, a guard knocks, telling us that we have one minute left. Auntie has to leave, or she will be stuck here for the whole journey with me.

"Tell Pops and Moms I love them." Are the last words that come out of my mouth before Auntie is whisked away by an escort of guards. Techies are running all around the corridors of Genesis 11, preparing for something. They all look too important to give me a glance.

I watch over as somebody is taken out of one of the other private rooms in this bay. Somebody's grandma, or mother. I spot a girl walking out right after, her tears dropping down onto her shirt. I realise then that I did not cry. I will miss Aunt Julia, but I am more focused on the job at hand.

Within thiry minutes, our crew is brought to our cafeteria and community area. We will spend a lot of time in this room, together. Defoe stands in front of us as we sit down again, this time alone. A few guards stand by each of the exits this time. I recognise one to my right to have been there when Thomas, the recruitment techie, visited me and Pops back home.

I am sat next to the girl I saw crying earlier. She has neated herself up since then. Her shirt has a picture of a duck on it, I smile when I look closely but quickly dart my eyes away so that she doesn't spot me staring.

"Greetings, again. Soon, we will be getting on with our competition. Each day there will be set tasks that must be done, arranged by catergory. Tasks within each catergory are subject to change over the course of our full journey."

I start to think of what these tasks and challenges could be. Rope climbing, swimming, perhaps a set of time dedicated to a gymnasium.

"Out in space, there is no earthly calendar. Sabbaths are celebrated on the tenth day, not the seventh. There will be nothing scheduled in for sabbaths, to allow you to rest or practice by yourselves. Up to you to decide."

I think, and raise my hand.

"Yes, Emmet?"

"When do we enter space, Defoe?" I ask, curious and also scared to be leaving the planet I call home.

"Oh, we are already here. Come see." Defoe gestures for us to come over to the window, which he opens with a remote. We all stare in awe as we watch earth drifting further and further away from us, along with our families and everything we once knew.

Together, we mentally prepare for the months ahead of us. It is on.

Writer's Note

Aunt Julie is a new character I made, for a little fun and to spice things up. In the next part you'll meet the rest of the crew! I bet you're dying to know who is there... see you after the next part!

Cavo

*From 'Nyxia' by Scott Reintgen