Ana

CH 26

Heidi awoke to the sound of Naomi's voice. "Wake up sleepy head, we're almost there."

A lethargic Heidi rubbed sore muscles on the back of her neck. For some reason, she felt very heavy and her body was being pressed into the padded chair. A quick glance around the room didn't review anything unusual until she looked behind her. The view of a quickly approaching moon got her attention immediately and they were speeding straight toward the floor of a crater. This caused her to become much more alert.

Naomi seemed to understand her distressed look. "I find it best to close my eyes for these landings."

Heidi could do little more than brace for the impact as she watched the moon's surface open like a mouth to swallow them. The ship descended into this new cavity, and once inside, the opening closing above them. The drugged wine must have worn off because she was feeling more than a little anxious.

Naomi beamed a large smile at her after the ship came to a stop. "Welcome to the Moon. I'm so excited that you're here. We've got a busy day ahead of us because I want to show you everything I've done so far to make this place livable. And let me tell you, Tom has been no help at all. He spends most of his time checking reports from Ana and playing with forecasting programs"

Now that they had landed, Heidi felt so light. That was going to take some getting used to. She was very disoriented and couldn't even guess how long she had been out. "What day is it?"

Naomi also slipped out of her belts and then she bounced over to her. "Well, now that we're on the moon, it's kind of hard to keep track of. By-the-way, watch your step when you first get up or you'll lose your balance. It takes a while to get use to walking here."

"I asked Tom if he could do something to make it more like Earth but he said the computer can't make artificial gravity like you see in the movies. There is one section that spins like a ride at an amusement park so that the rooms swing out to make the gravity normal, but most of the base is like this."

An obviously excited Naomi waved for her to get up. "Come on, let me show you around. Oh, I should tell you that Ana made some adjustments to your phone so it can't take pictures or other recordings. I'm sure you understand."

Well, that would have been too easy and she didn't expect anything from now on to be anything but hard. With Naomi's help, she stood and together they climbed up the stairs.

Heidi wasn't sure what to expect as Naomi opened the door to the outside but it was a moment she would never forget. Naomi gestured through the open door to a wide hall paved with worn, red bricks. The walls looked like aged plaster or stucco painted a mustard yellow color. She followed Naomi out into the fabulous hallway.

"So, do you like it? I'm going for a rustic Spanish decor. It's very similar to the style we have in the Philippines." Naomi was practically beaming now.

Heidi touched the nearest wall which felt authentic to her. "It's great, not at all what I expected. It's weird though... It makes me feel like I'm back on Earth, except for the gravity."

"That's the idea. I want everyone to feel at home here. Well, as much as possible."

"But how did you make this? I know you're not the handyman type and I didn't think Tom was either." This hall had obviously been done by a master craftsman.

Naomi sighed. "You still don't get it. Well, let me show you around some more and then Tom can explain how the computer makes things. I'm sure he can do a better job explaining than I can. He understands the science but has no idea how to decorate so we make a great team. You should have seen this place when I first got here. It was so drab I couldn't stand it."