Orbital Stasis

Nobody can hear you scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Math and science weren’t my strong suits in school, that was more of my kid brothers thing. He’s a genius and will end up being the family’s Doogie Howser according to my mom. Math was only convenient for me when it came time to count the cash I earned from my allowance and paper route. As well as, one of the few times science was remotely cool was hearing the hum of a lightsaber for the first time - badass. I really dig sci-fi movies. So, sure, they say nobody can hear you up here; the silence is deafening, but the loudest thing has been my thoughts.

What the hell is going on down there? Does anybody think I’m dead? How long do I stay orbiting up here?

It’s been 6 hours now since the dream and I can still recall it. Vividly. Like it just happened.

I’m in the desert and its scorching hot. Not too far off in the distance I see a mountain so I make my way towards it to try and catch some shade, get my bearings and figure out where I am. As I get closer to the mountain I can make out double doors through the heat haze. I make it to the doors but they are locked. Crap. No shade yet either as even touching the handles on the doors felt hot to the touch. Not sure if these doors are the front entrance or back entrance, I decide to walk along the side of the mountain and find out. Hoping to get in some shade and some water. After some walking I finally hit some shade. But soon after I can make out a crevice alongside the mountain and as I get closer I come upon hangar doors. Big enough to fit a big plane or two smaller ones. I nudge against one of the doors and it slides open without much effort.

The shade and cool air blanket me instantly as I walk in. It’s dark but the opening of the hangar doors lets in some light. I notice the size of this place. It’s got depth and height, tons of computers, consoles, screens and machinery are surrounding the central area where there lies a sort of nest of beams. Like something was being observed or worked on in here. This looked eerily similar to the room that scout ship was housed in the movie Independence Day. To the far right behind some electronic components are beds, the kind you see in barracks. Not comfy looking but serviceable if you’re working around the clock on something, which it seems like whoever was here was doing. On the left I see a catering area. No food left out but I do see a water cooler. It’s a dream but the refreshing feeling is undeniable. On the far side of the room, opposite the hangar doors I spot an elevator. I walk over to it, pressing both up and down buttons - it works.

I step in and try to decide where to go but the options are overwhelming. A button with a “G*” seems to me like it’s the floor I’m on, followed by upper levels numbered 1-5. The part that was overwhelming was the buttons for the lower levels as there were a bit over a dozen. I counted 14. Starting with “LL” and “LL2” then subsequent levels were labeled “SL1 - SL12”. I’m feeling lucky so I hit “SL7” and take the ride down to see what I find. What started as relief when I found this place was turning into an ominous feeling during my descent. Each level down took a few minutes. How deep does this go? Did I accidentally walk into some classified military base? Area 51?

“Nah, no way… just a dream.” I scoff at myself in the dream. Despite the haunting feeling I was compelled to keep going and not back out. I’m way too curious now.

The elevator stops and the doors open on SL7, it’s dark. A corridor draped in mostly shadow with emergency lights lined up along the sides on the floor. The lights are not bright enough to overcome the shadows wholly but offer enough bloom to where I won’t trip over anything. I let my eyes adjust to the dark and I step out cautiously. Making my way down I see a few offices on either side with 2 lockers in the hallway paired with each office. Towards the end I can see a maintenance door. On the door is a red sign that reads “Warning: MICROWAVE ahead. Please wear proper PPE before entering” and underneath that sign is a diamond yellow one that plainly reads “RADIOACTIVE” Its locked. I double back and scour the offices, coming across a security room. Just above a security console, with 5 screens embedded into it, are the keys. I check one of the lockers outside the security room and see two pieces of PPE equipment that resemble a hazmat suit. I decide against it as there is no power down here. What could happen?

I turn the key and push the door, it creaks as it opens, it has weight to it. Steel steps lead down to another corridor. At the bottom of the stairs I notice the shape of this corridor is more like a hexagon as opposed to the typical square architecture upstairs. Pewter colored wall and padding. Along the sides of the hallway are these diamond shaped configurations embedded into the wall with spork-like appendages protruding out. These spork-rods run along the entire wall to a hexagonal door with no windows, handle or key opening. This was not a extra catering area. The entire corridor is a damn microwave. If this place was powered on I’d be cooked instantly.

As I get closer to the hexagonal door I start to wonder how I’m going to get this thing to open. When I get a few feet in front of it all of a sudden it just slides open. Motion sensors? But, there is another microwave corridor. Power walking towards the end to another hexagonal door, it slides open. Another corridor but this one’s hexagonal door is black as opposed to the drab and sanitary look of the others. Walking through this door I step into a space that looks about the size of a over sized closet maybe a bit bigger. Another hexagonal black door in front of me several feet in front. The hexagonal door behind me shuts and a gust of cool air and what feels like water spray me from all sides. A computerized voice calls out: “COOLING AND SANITIZATION COMPLETE. YOU MAY PROCEED”

The hexagonal door in front of me opens and leads to another set of steel steps but this room is massive. Bigger than the hangar upstairs. I stand in awe at the top of the stairs. This room looks like a grand planetarium. Easily triple the size of the Hayden Planetarium I visited on a school trip. That place was really cool. All around this planetarium are moving projections of the galaxy and solar system. The steel steps are longer than before and lead down to a beam structure that is surrounding a dark glass structure in this room like a walkway. The structure is shaped like an orb and the projections are coming off of it… or through it. Hard to tell from up here so I make my way down. Slowly. Taking this all in.

Surrounding the orb is a black fenced cage with a security door in the middle. It’s unlocked too and slightly ajar. Lucky boy, thankfully cause this lock has a keypad. Standing in front of the orb structure I look up and around admiring the projections emanating off of it. Looking behind me I can see above the door I came in from and spot what seems to be a window to a observation deck. The orb is a shade of black but not completely dark and is producing this very low hum. I couldn’t notice from the top of the stairs but this thing is orbiting in here. I’m within distance that I can now touch it. I do and…

It’s suddenly dark all around me. Where am I? Did I teleport? Am I in the orb? Right in the middle I see a stool and something sitting on it. The galactic projections in the planetarium seem to be coming off this thing and it’s the only source of light in this dark space. I edge my way towards the center. Curiosity taking over. This thing isn’t a thing its a being. Sitting still. Whatever it is I can tell its at least half my height - its legs hovering over the floor - but its presence is undeniably felt. Powerful. If this is an alien it looks like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard of in my life. Not a little grey man or those goofy looking things in Mars Attacks!. What is seated in front of me looked monumental. The ominous feeling from before is washed away and I’m filled with curiosity and wonder.

This being looked majestic. Surveying it carefully I observe that its skin is sentient, moving, breathing. It’s clear now that the projections are emanating from its body. I walk around it carefully. Appreciating the magnificence of what sits before me. Looking at it in totality its hard to gauge whether the cosmos on its skin is a projection of our galaxy or wherever its from. Its body from toes, legs, torso, hands and neck are covered in it. The head is equally fascinating. It looks like a helmet of sorta, the upper portion of its head is shaped like the little grey men we have seen and heard of with slight ridges where there would be eyes and ears. What would be its mouth, cheeks, chin and nose, there isn’t any and instead its a dark space with less populated stars. Not as vibrant as the rest of its head/helmet and body. I take a few steps back to get a whole look at it and it honestly looked like the Cerebro apparatus Professor X uses in the X-Men cartoon. Only this was attached to its body. Brilliant physiology.

Its sitting in perfect posture with its hands resting on its legs with palms facing upward. I feel compelled to touch it. I might not ever get to witness something like this ever again. Waking or dreaming. Gently I place my hands on theirs. Swiftly I’m shot up into the sky, past clouds, and enter space. Blasting through beyond our moon, Sun, galaxy and farther. All of a sudden I hear a voice in my head. Warm but stoic.

“Do you know why you are here, Cayden?” the voice calls. “No… how do you know my name?” I sputter back in reply. “I know all of you” it echoes back.

“Like… my mom, my brother too?” I ask. “Everyone” it says back definitively.

Everyone? Like on Earth? I think to myself in the dream. If it can even be called that at this point. It just seems so real. “Yes” the voice counters.

“Whoa! You can hear my thoughts?!” I react excitedly.

“I can” it retorts calmly. “What do you desire, young Cayden?” it asks. I take a beat.

“Peace. Sometimes my mom gets on my case about school and it would be nice to get away once in a while. I can’t drive yet. I’m only 15…” I reply shyly.

“If you could have one wish, what would it be” it asks warmly.

“Before I answer that I need to know - Where are you from? Mars? Europa?” curiously I ask.

“Your world calls my home Zeta Reticuli but for us it is @#$%&”

“Wait, I couldn’t understand what that was…”

“Apologies. My home is Binaria” it discloses. “Now, young Cayden, your wish”

I pause for a bit. Giving it some thought.

“I wish I could have the most futuristic car ever created. Like a orbital drop ship and a hot rod had a baby. Red and yellow, all the proper fixings to sustain myself on land and space for months at a time. No fuel just self sustaining. Snacks. Weed. Movies. Videogames. Water. And 4 seats for me, my mom, brother and best buddie, April.”

“Wish granted”

“Really? Just like that?” I reply shockingly

“Yes”

“Where is—“ I say before before being cut off.

“Time to wake up, young Cayden” it declares. And just like that I’m awake in my bed.

I ran downstairs to the garage to see if my wish had been granted. If the dream had been real. Opening the garage door and it’s empty. Mom’s car is gone and my brothers bike isn’t there either. She’s at work and he’s at school. I was home alone. There was a field trip at school to the zoo and I was not interested. I’m grateful my mom let me stay home so I spent the night catching up on some comics and gaming.

Feeling slightly disappointed I figure I might as well make lunch and head back into my room. More PlayStation doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend the day until everyone gets home for dinner. I mope into the kitchen, open the fridge and grab the bread, apple juice and strawberry jam. Place it on the counter next to the peanut butter. Turning towards the cupboard above the sink I grab a glass for my juice. My eyes glance out the window above the sink which has a view of the backyard. I freeze and the glass falls and shatters all over the floor.

“No way…” I utter to myself.

There it is. Gleaming under the sunlight in all its red and yellow glory. The pod-rod I wished for. I run outside and right up to it. It’s polished, beautiful and unreal. I’m rendered speechless. I don’t hesitate and hop in. The seat fits like a glove, I sink in comfortably. The steering wheel feels as comfortable as a game-pad.

“Wow. This is too cool! Is this thing on?” I exclaim. What sounds like surround sound a voice calls out.

“Welcome, Cayden Tyler. I am your on board command A.I.. How can I help you?” it announces in a female voice. Cool.

“Might as well take this thing out for a joy ride!” I declare excitedly. The engine turns on, the onboard console in front of me lights up and it hovers over the ground.

“Where to, Master Cayden?” It asks.

“Master?! So badass!” I exclaim gleefully. “Let’s take this baby up to orbit. I wanna take in the view from up above. See everything!”

“Very well”

The steering wheel rises up higher from its position and motions over towards me in position between my thighs. I take off and within minutes I’m in orbit. This thing is fast. Light. Sky and cloud whoosh by me. Watching Earth from up above. It’s so beautiful. Wondrous. Breathtaking. This must be what Superman feels like.

That was 6 hours ago. A joint and some PB&J’s later I wonder if anybody got a wish too. Was I the only one? I took off in such a rush there was no time to process much. I’d say there was about 5 minutes from the time I woke up, checked the house and found this beauty in the backyard. I’ll take a nap and then head back down hopefully in time for dinner.

Some time shortly after, I’m spooked out of my nap to an announcement: “INCOMING TRANSMISSION, Master Cayden, will you accept?”

I’m afraid to answer. Did the Russians find me up here?

“Um… sure” I answer petrified.

“Hello?! Is anybody out there?” a familiar squeaky voice calls out. A mic icon on the steering wheel allows me to reply.

“Wait a minute. Brian? Is that you?” I reply curiously.

“Oh my god! Cayden!” He shouts out thrilled.

“Dude, are you ok?! Where are you?!” I ask nervously.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, bro”

“Try me” I challenge.

“I’m in a space station. Mom is here too”

“Hey honey! We are ok!” I can hear my mom shout from behind him.

“A space station? How?!”

“I don’t know exactly but I had this dream with this translucent alien genie and he offered me a wish! How cool is that?!” he says enthusiastically. Confirming I’m not the only one to have a dream with the being.

“Honestly, bud, I had a similar dream too” I affirm.

“Wow you’re special too.” He replies happily. “The space genie offered every kid on Earth a single wish through their dreams. What did you wish for?!”

“I wished for a self sustaining hybrid ship. Like a orbital ship and a hot rod had a baby.”

“We are definitely bros! I did too!” He shared delightedly. “Look around can you see us?”

I look to my left. Nothing. Straight ahead. Nothing either. I turn to my left and looming over the horizon I can see something. The sun rays creating a massive silhouette. Whatever it is it’s huge. It becomes clearer to view as it blocks out most of the sunlight blinding my direct view. Unmistakably it appears to be a giant mecha. Like from those Japanese anime like Gundam or Voltron.

“What is that, Brian? What did you wish for?! I ask specifically.

“Parallel thinking it looks like, bro. My wish was for a space station and mecha hybrid. I was thinking International Space Station meets a Gundam! Cool, right?” He says hyper excited.

“Hella cool!” I confirm.

“Oh! I see you up ahead. We’ll scoop you up, bro!” he announces with glee.

As his space mecha gets closer it casts a really big shadow. One of it’s arms grabs my ship, carrying it over to a opening it its chest.

“Watch the paint job, dude!” I warn.

“Sorry, sorry! I’ll be careful! See you in a bit” he says.

This mecha has to be double the size of the ISS. I’m in awe of my little bro’s imagination. While I was thinking small, he of course has his mind on much bigger things. Maybe I wasted my wish and could have thought up something better. I guess it’s not going to be as lonely up here as I thought. Now that I know every kid on Earth got a wish too it’s time to talk shop with Brian and compare notes. Figure out what exactly is going on and why kids only?