The Adventures of Thomas Banks

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Coincidentally, in space there are many reasons a person would want to scream. The things we know are unsettling, to say the least. Perhaps the most rattling knowledge is that space exists within a void. Matter, as we know it, is not present but in fact, the opposite of matter lurks within, paying no mind to the laws of physics or theories of time and space. However, the most scream-inducing nightmares are not made of the things we know. They are made of the unknown, the undiscovered terrors that could be waiting just around the corner of human exploration.

For some, however, there exists a driving force; an undeniable urge to chart the uncharted. They long to explore new worlds, whether it be the depths of an ocean or the unreachable fathoms of space. For these individuals, establishing roots and pursuing societal dreams are absurd ambitions. They’d rather climb mountains and move a few of them along the way, all while progressing toward an ultimate destination among the stars. The horrors possibly awaiting are merely consequences of science, unfortunate but necessary errors in a field of trials.

Thomas Banks was the opposite of an adventurer. He preferred the lasting foundations of family and traditions. He found comfort in routines and well beaten paths. Treks through jungles and voyages through space were best left in works of fiction, of which he read fondly to his children every night.

“Daddy, read us the one about the space pirates,” little Mathew would plead most every time.

Amy, his older sister, who was most intrigued by the adventures of Pippi Longstocking, would argue that Pippi was way more fun than those “dumb old space pirates”.

Thomas’s wife, Rebecca, could always be found leaning inside the doorway, humorously observing the nightly predicament of her three most favorite people.

It was after such a night, when the children were tucked in and fast asleep, that Thomas and Rebecca sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. An unopened letter lay on the table before them with the words “Open Immediately” in bold letters above Thomas’s name. Thomas, however, didn’t want to open the letter, nor did Rebecca, who had contemplated many times that day of throwing it in the fireplace instead.

Hand delivered from the International Coalition of Science, there was no mistaking what lay waiting, like a coiled snake anticipating a lethal strike. Thomas Banks had been drafted by the ICS, and soon he would be uprooted, perhaps forever, from his comfortable world.

As most of us know, the history of humanity is filled with terrors. Wars, slavery, disease… an entire collection of woeful tales could once be found in every library. Interpretations, though often, at least partially inaccurate, were told in every school. There in existed a common theme; reckless abandonment of collective prosperity in favor of individual wealth. Despite the recurring consequences, history seemed a series of doomed and ever repeating motions. That is, until the Great Transition.

Thomas was just a kid in the 2030’s, and though scientists had warned of impending catastrophe for decades, people did little to preserve themselves or their world. The air had long lost its quality, but when the droughts began, all of Earth’s resources were compromised. A famine wreaked havoc around the globe. Entire species became extinct and the human population was cut in half by hunger and war. It seemed all of humanity was lost. But there was a great uprising and the Coalition of Science became the new world order. Finally, though at great cost, the nations of the world were united. Now, in the year 2059, everyone lived simply. Ability to self sustain meant survival. One was either a scientist or a farmer, the latter of which Thomas would have happily remained throughout his life.

In other circumstances, a world led by scientists could be a beautiful thing, but by the time of the Transition, too much was already lost. Earth was dying. Interstellar travel became humanity’s only hope. With limited resources, a spacecraft capable of carrying thousands of people, seeds, and DNA seemed impossible. They needed the likes of hypersleep, traversable wormholes, or teleportation. Theories and prototypes were well underway, but there was no time for years of testing. Thus, the draft.

“We can go into hiding,” Rebecca sounded desperate. Thomas was reading the letter, hoping for an explanation of what test they needed him for.

“Honey, you know we can’t do that. Where would we go? We have to think about the kids.”

“That's exactly what I’m doing!” Rebecca snapped. “The kids need you, I need you. Who will help me tend the garden? Or the panels? Who will read your stories?”

Rebecca’s tears were freely flowing. Thomas dropped the letter and went to her. He pulled her up to stand in front of him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “

“Shhh, it’s okay, my love. It’s going to be okay.”

“What will we tell them?”

“We’ll tell them I have to go on an important trip, for the Coalition. Tell them it’s a farming thing. And if I don’t make it back…” Rebecca's sobs interrupted him and he immediately regretted his last words. Thomas gently clasped her chin and lifted her gaze to him. “I’ll make it back.”

Rebecca placed both hands on the sides of Thomas’s face. Staring urgently into his eyes she said “Promise…. promise you’ll come back to me, Thomas Banks.”

“I… I promise, my sweet Becca, I’ll come back to you.”

Thomas didn’t sleep that night. At five years, the draft was still fairly new, but he was aware of enough to know people rarely came back. Once, while visiting the trading grounds, he’d overheard two men talking about the latest hyper-sleep trials. Allegedly, it involved breathing some sort of non-Newtonian fluid into the lungs. It had worked on two of the animal trials, but none of the human subjects survived.

Thomas shuddered at the thought, and spent most of the night working around the house to keep his mind distracted. At one point, he peered into the children’s room and watched them longingly. He wanted nothing more than to scoop them up and hug them and tell them how proud he was of them. He wanted to give them the same promise he gave their mother, but he feared they would never forgive him. Thomas left his children sleeping and rejoined Rebecca in bed, where he found her whimpering and crying in her sleep. His heart was in peril to see his beloved wife in so much anguish. He slid himself in next to her. Still asleep, her body moved to conform with his until her head was resting on his chest. She was relaxed now in his arms, and it seemed whatever nightmare plagued her moments before had faded away. At least, for now, Thomas was with his family, and that was comforting enough that he finally drifted to sleep.

The coalition gave him three precious days before they came to collect him. He knew he wouldn’t need to pack much, but he and Rebecca agreed if they were telling the children he was going on a trip he would need to make it look that way.

“When are you coming back Daddy?” Mathew asked solemnly while two men in suits were putting Thomas’s bags in the car. Thomas picked him up and hugged him tightly.

“I don’t know, Matt, but hopefully it will be soon.”

“Mom says the Coalition needs Daddy because he’s such a great farmer, isn’t that right Daddy?” Amy said matter of factually.

“That’s right,” Thomas said as he put down Matt and then kneeled before Amy to give her the same tight hug.

Rebecca was next. He lingered in their embrace and he could feel her struggling to keep it together in front of the children. He breathed in her scent, and let his fingers entwine through her soft, brown curls. He felt her tears against his cheek and when he kissed her, perhaps for the last time, he tasted them. His sweet Becca… he never wanted to let her go, but all too soon, it was time, and he was on the way to his dreaded destination.

It took three hours to arrive at the Coalition complex. By the time the trip was through Thomas’s stomach was turning flips inside him. Earlier, he had been wrecked with guilt that he didn’t eat the breakfast Rebecca prepared for him, but now he was glad his nerves wouldn’t allow it. Otherwise, he was sure the soybean sausage would be a mess for someone to clean later.

Thomas almost forgot his anxiety when he saw the crystal fortress before him. The complex gleamed with thousands of solar and plain glass panels. It reminded him of a science fiction story in one of his books at home. Had his visit been for a less distressing cause, he might have stood in awe for much longer, but his nerves were tearing him apart. His heart was leaping inside his chest, his mouth was dry and his legs were feeling weak. As he walked inside, escorted by two, rather large men, a young woman of starkly contrasting size ran to them excitedly.

“Mr. Banks!” The girl was smiling widely as she reached out for a handshake. Thomas reciprocated hesitantly, and the girl shook his hand rambunctiously.

“I’m Dr. Jillian Marks, but you can call me Jilly!”

Thomas thought Dr. Marks seemed much too young to be a doctor of science, although she certainly looked the part in her white lab coat and thick, black rimmed glasses. Her smile quickly faded when she noticed the two men who had escorted him in, their grip still firm on his upper arms.

“Mr. Banks is NOT a criminal,” she said boldly as she slapped the men’s hands away from Thomas and then took his arm lightly in hers, leading him away from the men and further into the complex.

“I apologize for that, Mr. Banks. I hope they treated you decently during your trip.”

“Yes,” Thomas said nervously, “Yes, the trip was fine…”

“Good! Now let’s pick up the pace. I have something so wonderful to show you! And we have lots to discuss.”

Perhaps it was her childlike and excited demeanor, or maybe it was her very non-intimidating size and friendly smile, but Thomas was feeling just a bit less nervous. At least, his legs no longer felt like jello, and his heart seemed to soften, just a little. Through seemingly endless corridors and left and right turns, Dr. Marks had much to say. She spoke of rabbits and atoms, signals and coordinates, all of which Thomas had a hard time following. However, It was one of the last words she said that caused Thomas’s anxiety to hit him back in full force;. teleportation.

“Teleportation?” he said stopping just short of the doorway leading to Dr. Marx’s lab.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, “Isn’t it exciting? Mr. Banks, you’re going to be the first human to experience teleportation!”