The Cold Planet

Evidence A:

Transcripts from the voice messages of Alex and Claire Sawyer. Alex Sawyer, formerly a artifact scrapper on DP001, had been offered up to work at MC666, one in a series of man-made planets used to mark the boundary of the universe. Alex Sawyer was the last person to try to use the transmission tower, and as such, the correspondence of Alex Sawyer and Claire Sawyer are some of the only first hand accounts of MC666 and its eventual collapse.

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

12-21-2222

Hey Claire. My sugar. My sweet artist with a shotgun.

I’m guessing you see where this is from and since it didn’t start with a robotic ‘Claire Sawyer, I am sorry to inform you,’ you probably have already figured out that it’s your always-lovely spouse.

Deep space is weird. There are no stars out here, so when I save enough money for you to come here, we won’t be able to go stargazing every other Wednesday like we did at home. Not that earth is much better than this. It’s beautiful though, in its own way. I know the place is called Metalcore, but like, everything is made of metal. Everything. I’m 90% sure my mattress is. I start my job on the repair rigs tomorrow, and I’m a little nervous. First day working with lights. It’s all very hush-hush. My roommates are nice enough. Loud, but nice.

Now, I feel like I need to tell you that I’m going to take off my wedding necklace. The rig manager said they’re too dangerous. But you will be with me when I’m not working, and even when I’m detached from my locket, you will be in my heart.

How are the guys? Has Earth collapsed without me? Do you miss me?

I miss you, and I love you, and I’m as safe as an idiot like me can be.

Your own personal model, even if you can’t see me,

Alex Sawyer

Voice Message Approved

Attempted Voice Message from Dead Planet 001 to Metalcore 666

01/03/2223

Happy New Year Babes!

At least, if you’re still able to celebrate New Years. I did some digging, and did you know they call Metalcores the Cold Planets because it doesn’t have a sun? Well, probably. Do you really not have a sun? How do you tell time? I’m fascinated. Tell me everything. That you’re allowed to.

Don’t worry about me, by the way. The life of a scrapper isn’t glorious, but we’re getting by. And the money you send helps. I put every cent towards being closer to you. Maybe, instead of moving to Metalcore, we could meet in the middle, find some exoplanet light years away. Somewhere green and not temporally caustic to humans. Where we don’t have to wear magboots or heavy duty gas masks. Where we can be like those people we find pictures of. That we tried to recreate. You are lovely, but a truly terrible model.

It’s okay that you have to take your locket off. You telling me it’s dangerous made me go to bed with nightmares of you getting decapitated. I know I’m in your heart. You’re in mine.

Our family is safe as it can be, and Miley wanted me to tell you thanks for going to Metalcore in his stead. Still pissed at him, but oh well.

I love you. Be safe.

Claire

Voice Message Approved

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

02/19/2223

Gods, Sugar, it’s so nice to hear your voice again.

They monitor all correspondence in and out so if it takes me months to respond, that’s why. I love you, you are always the person I wanna talk to. The correspondence people are just overworked.

Second, they tell time using an old timer that will turn the lights on in any “Timezone” of MC. That’s what all the locals call Metalcore. The lights go from the color of the fires we used on Earth to as blaring as the sun in midday, but whiter and with nowhere else to look. There is no sun here. Was a relief at first, honestly. But I miss the sun. I miss not being bundled up.

A little place on an exoplanet sounds amazing. If you get a chance to jump on a shuttle to one, take it. I’ll find a way to meet you there. Haven’t heard about anyone leaving Cold Planet (But I’m keeping the name because holy crap it’s accurate), but you know me. The little scrapper that could.

This place is awesome though. I really love the way things look in the early morning, how calm things can be before the bustle. Part of me doesn’t even miss the stars that much. I think they’d just remind me of you. And everything already does.

No one could replace our little family on earth but I’ve made some friends. A young guard named Jaimie is pretty nice. They’re fun to hang out with. Reminds me of Miley before he went off the rails.

Speaking of, keep me updated with how everybody is doing! Miley better thank me, I saved his ass. I need to know everything. Please. I need to hear about people who aren’t rig workers and guards.

I love you.

Alex.

Voice Message Approved: Supervision Required

Attempted Voice Message from Dead Planet 001 to Metalcore 666

04/29/2223

Babes, guess what. I found this old song from hundreds of years ago. One of the lines is ‘fly me to the moon.’ It was made way before space travel became the norm. But you did take me to the moon for our first date, so it made me think of you that first night, gorgeous to the point of distraction. Set in duty and really really good at making the tough calls. Too good at throwing yourself on the wire.

And everyday since we met, you lived up to that first impression. I love you. I do miss you a lot. And… and I’m scared. I’ve been hearing things about the Cold Planet. What I’ve been hearing, Alex; It’s not good things. I hear them and I remember that you’re there and now I’m begging. Please, come home to me.

Voice Message Unapproved: Claire Sawyer Banned from Metalcore Communications

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

07/22/2223

Hey sugar, I haven’t heard from you in a while.

Are you okay? Please be okay. There’s been a lot happening and I don’t know how I will function if you aren’t safe. I thought Earth was hell and that I had gotten out of it, but now I wonder…

They said this place was pretty classless, remember? They said everyone here is looking to escape something or to pay for something that the universe doesn’t hold, but the edge might.

They lied to us. The rich sit in their thermal towers and take steaming baths while the people down here aren’t just stuck here because of the ice on our chairs. No one leaves and tension has been running high… and it’s ugly.

I just wish I could be holding you and staring at the stars. I want to see my family, our family. I never thought I’d be wishing for the blistering heat of Earth, but… here I am.

Voice Message Unapproved

Attempted Voice Message from Dead Planet 001 to Metalcore 666

12/21/2223

Please tell me you’re alive, babes. Please. I am begging you. I’ve heard some things but- shit, Miley’s alarm just went off. I need to go. But please respond to me. I am begging you.

Voice Message Unapproved; Claire Sawyer Banned from Metalcore Communications

Case note: Not shown in this file are the half dozen voice messages sent by Claire Sawyer that were unable to be transcripted beyond chants of ‘I love you,’ that sound like prayers amongst the chaos. There is an effort to find Claire Sawyer, but officials have been taking great caution.

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

02/02/2224

They’ve been. Claire, I’m going to be sick. They’ve- they’ve been. The core, it’s been using the dead poor people as fuel. They dry out our bodies after killing us and put us in an incinerator. Like wood. Like paper. Like some sick leathering company.

The enforcers killed my roommate. Those of us left are waiting to see who they come for next. I don’t know if you’re getting this, but I need you to know I love you.

Voice Message Unapproved

Case Note: Alex Sawyer sent a series of messages everyday for almost a month. None got through. It seemed a guard friend told Sawyer that someone was blocking the transmissions, and Sawyer wanted to test that theory. Or perhaps they were told if their transmission wasn't sent. Much of MC666 is a mystery.

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

03/03/2224

Claire isn’t getting these, is she?

Some guard reads the transcript and decides not to send them. How long? How long have you kept me isolated on this hunk of metal?

Are you tired of this?

Did you hear what I said? About the way things are run? About how awful they’ve been? How they spill on my street and kill at random because they’re so paranoid we’re against them? Why do you still follow their orders?

They’re hoarding the heat, shooting us, and burning our bodies.

To serve them is to be complicit in our own deaths.

THEY ARE KILLING US AND BURNING OUR BODIES SO WE CAN NEVER GO HOME AND YOU WON’T LET ME TALK TO MY WIFE. HOW CAN YOU SIT BACK AND THEM DO THIS?

Please. I just want to tell her I love her.

Voice Message Unapproved

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

03/04/2224

You sons of bitches. This is why people are rioting.

Voice Message Unapproved

Attempted Voice Message from Metalcore 666 to Dead Planet 001

03/07/2224

Claire.

I don’t know if this will reach you- it probably won’t but I want to try.

The founders, they, they turned the planet off. Crazy, right? They had a lever, I guess? To turn off the incinerator at the core and because of the riots, they pulled it and now we’re freezing over. The ice is climbing the walls like ivy, Claire. Claire, Claire, Claire. I love you so much.

I helped some people to the shuttles but it wasn’t enough, and there wasn’t room for me.

I think I’m going to die out here, on the edge of the universe. My teeth are chattering, and I can’t feel my hands.

I just wanted you to know, if you get this, that I love you. You were the most incredible person I could’ve imagined and even a universe away, freezing on an empty ship bay, I would never have loved someone like I love you.

I love you, I love you, I love you more than I have words to say. And I’m sorry my stupid pride made me leave you too soon. Your mama always said I’d break your heart. I’m so sorry that she was right.

Please know, you are always in my heart, even- even to the end. I think this message is the only reason I’m still breathing.

Goodbye. I think I’m seeing the stars again.

Voice Message Failed to Transmit