Uncertainty

Blue and white lights flash across the walls, casting away the darkness, as an alarm sounds with high-pitched tones. The room is nearly all white, with silver metal railings and handles on the doors and cabinets. A man with short and scraggly black hair sits up in his cot. Dressed in only his skin-tight white undershorts and shirt, he slowly sits up on the edge of the cot.

“Edith, turn off the alarm.” He mumbles, rubbing his eyes.

The alarm continues to sound as he lets out a long sigh.

“Edith! Turn off the alarm, dammit!” He yells at the ceiling.

The alarm still does not stop. He stands up and storms across the room, reaching the other side in a couple of steps, and slams his fist against a small blue button above the sink. The alarm silences and the lights stop flashing. The room is dark, for just a moment, as a small click echoes faintly and the overhead lights turn solid white filling the room with light.

“Edith?”

A synthetic, disembodied voice replies, “Yes, lieutenant?”

“Can you tell me why in the hell the alarm is so loud that you can’t hear me screaming?!” The lieutenant questions, shouting furiously.

“This new alarm is specially designed to help you wake up and start you day efficiently. This setting was updated directly by SA™ official connection, and the data has shown it to be quite effective. You are now awake and moving roughly twenty three percent faster than yesterday.”

“Change it back.” He demands, washing his face.

“I am sorry, but all members of the Space Age™ family must use the newly designed system for a minimum duration of one month. This is part of the new Space Age™, Working Harder to Build it Better Initiative™. Any attempt to change this can result in dock of pay, loss of benefits-“

He rolls his eyes as he begins to brush his teeth. “Yeah, okay. I get the picture. Just please tell me what is on the schedule for today.”

“You have twenty-one incomplete tasks. Fifteen tasks require additional resources and cannot be completed. Four tasks are set for completion today. Two tasks were set for completion three days ago. Failure to complete overdue tasks in the next two days will result in a mark on your record and loss of pay.”

The lieutenant spits into the sink. “So, what I’m hearing is I have four things to do.”

“As stated previously, failure to complete overdue tasks in the next two days will result in a mark on your record and loss of pay. Furthermore, tasks left undone can result in the failure of critical systems.” Edith comments.

The lieutenant steps into his orange and blue jumpsuit before zipping up the front and responding. “That’s enough Edith. Standby please.”

“As you wish, lieutenant.”

The lieutenant presses a small rectangular button next to the door and leaves his room. Walking into the next room, the walls are the same white plastic. Across from him is a ladder that leads down into a hole in the floor. The room itself is full of lab equipment. Test tubes, beakers, scanners and machines, tanks of gasses, and small barrels of liquid all line the right side of the room. To the left of the door is a computer terminal and input console with a wheeled desk chair next to it. Above the small screen of the terminal are three large screens that display readings of liquid pressure, area coverage, battery life, and reservoir levels.

The lieutenant sists down at the console and leans in to speak. “Lieutenant Harvey Walters, signing in.”

A panel opens on the console, revealing a black screen. Harvey places his hand flat on the pad as a small green line slowly runs from the top to the bottom across the screen. Upon reaching the bottom, the machine lets out three long beeps just before the whole console lights up.

“Time to see if Dan’s up yet.” Harvey says with a long sigh.

Harvey types into the console. A moment later, the small screen reads “No connection from Gaia137.”

Harvey squints at the screen suspiciously. “Edith, attempt direct communication with Gaia satellite one thirty-seven.”

“One moment…connection not found. Gaia one thirty-seven appears to have vanished from the network.”

“What do you mean, ‘vanished’? It should be passing overhead this very moment. Can you give me any more than that? Nothing like this has ever happened before.” Harvey says incredulously, standing up from his chair.

“The communication seems unable to find Gaia one thirty-seven along its intended path. I can re-task the long-range communication to search for Gaia one thirty-seven in the space surrounding the planet. Calculating estimated time for completion at six hours and twenty-three minutes. Would you like me to run the scan?”

“Yeah, course I want you to run the scan. What if something happened to Dan? What if we can help?” Harvey stammers.

“Predictive models estimate a sixty-point one five percent chance of the satellite’s destruction. Factoring in other possibilities, Sargent Daniel has a twelve percent chance of survival. Should I alert Space Age™ headquarters before re-tasking the long-range communicators?” Edith asks.

“What the hell, Edith!? Just run the damn scan.”

“As you wish, lieutenant.”

“…damn AI.” Harvey grumbles.

Harvey sits back in his chair, lets out a long sigh, and begins to type on the computer terminal. As he works, the readings on the three large monitors slowly begin to update.

I’m sure he’s fine. I mean…SA equipment is always shitting the bed. Right! That is an older satellite. Not like those new five-hundred models. It was probably a software issue that occurred when those Space Age pricks sent that update last night without warning. I’m sure everything is fine.

As the large monitor finishes updating, Harvey leans back in his chair for a long stretch. Leaning forward, he begins to type up lab reports and analyses of two chemicals, phase one fluid and phase two fluid.

But what if it isn’t? What if the update caused a major glitch and something threw him out of orbit? There could have been a hull breech and the whole thing imploded. No, that can’t be the case…I would have received reports from Edith about unexpected debris entering the atmosphere. Still…I should check to see if there was any unexpected debris she didn’t mention.

Harvey begins to work rapidly on the console, opening the atmospheric scan reports. He slowly reads though the scan results that occurred while he was sleeping.

Okay, so, nothing on any of the scans. At least he didn’t fall to the planet. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have just been launched into space. So, really, I just learned nothing. Idiot! Sign up to be a Terraformer they said. The pay is amazing! You can watch a dead planet spring to life! You are building a future for Humanity. I should have read the fine print. Terraformers work in teams of two, but that’s only because if you were alone, you would go mad. I am sure the cheap bastards would send one if they could get away with it. To top it off, I got the short end of the stick as the guy working on the ground. They sent me in three months ahead of Dan to get everything prepared. Longest three months of my life.

He covers his face with his hands, rubbing his temples slowly.

Damn, I’m a worried wreck. What has this place done to me? The money is great, sure, but if I don’t do everything they want, like a good dog, they dock my pay. It’s no small amount, either. I lost a whole month of pay once because my paper work was one day late. I mean one fucking day, what is that?! So, what choice do I have, but to be the good little monkey I am and press the button! Then by the end of this, I’ll have the money! Who needs pride in their work, anyway!

“Lieutenant?”

“What is it!?” Harvey screams.

“Is everything alright, lieutenant? I am detecting elevated levels of testosterone and decreased levels of cortisol indicating that you may be angry about something. Would you like to voice your frustrations?” Edith asks.

“No, Edith. What did I tell you about scanning me?” Harvey groans.

“I apologize lieutenant, but this is part of the Working Harder to Build it Better Initiative™. I am now required to keep a health profile on record for Space Age™ headquarters reference. Would you like to read the full report on the Working Harder to Build it Better Initiative™?”

“No. That will not be necessary. How is the scan coming along?” Harvey responds.

“Nothing as of yet, but I will be sure to let you know if- CRITICAL ISSUE DETECTIED!”

“What is going on, Edith!?” Harvey demands.

“Due to negligent maintenance, it would seem there is a blockage in the refuse pipe for the phase two fluid. It needs to be cleared out immediately or we risk contamination of the entire silo. The long-range scan has been halted due to this critical issue. I cannot restart it until the issue has been resolved. Any attempt to circumvent this will result in a loss of pay.” Edith says as a schematic of the pipe system appears on the right monitor.

“Just great! Something else to add to the shit of today. The minute you can, start up the long-range scan again and prep the airlock for decompression. I’m on my way down.” Harvey commands.

“As you wish, lieutenant.” Edith answers.

Harvey walks across the room to a ladder and begins to climb down into the hole in the floor. At the bottom of the ladder, he enters into the garage. There is a large six wheeled truck in the center of the room and a wide door at the back that leads into an airlock. Shovels, picks, drills, and steel cables hang on the wall to the right of the entrance while various scanners and portable containers line the opposite wall. To his left are three space suits, each of them marked with an SA logo on the left chest plate. Harvey suits up, hoists the shovel and pick over his shoulder, and walks over to the airlock door.

“Edith, begin airlock procedures.” Harvey commands.

“Initiating airlock procedures.”

The door to the airlock slowly slides open as Harvey steps inside. The door sits open for only a few moments before closing and sealing behind him.

“Interior door…sealed. Beginning decompression.”

The sound of leaking air fills the chamber as Harvey beings to tap his foot.

“Decompression complete. Opening outer door. Safe travels, lieutenant.” Edith remarks as Harvey walks out of the air lock and down the ramp that leads into the garage.

He walks down the ramp and into the wet sand of the planet’s surface. Across the horizon, the sun sets behind the dunes. The once grey sand of this desert has been dyed purple from the phase two liquid. Looking to his left, Harvey sees the two towering silos of phase two liquid and the pipe that runs from them to the drone refill station; he begins to walk towards the pipe.

That might actually be beautiful if I wasn’t about to clear out a refuse pipe. I just have to get there, do the job, and get out. Then I can restart the scan, if nothing else goes wrong.

Harvey makes his way under the drone refill platform and over to a ladder that hangs down from a huge pipe roughly seven feet in diameter. He climbs up and grabs onto the railings that run across the top of the pipe, walking only a few feet across the pipe to an access hatch at his feet. Spinning the wheel on the top around and releasing the lock, the hatch swings open, revealing an empty pipe. Harvey climbs down in. Upon entering the dark, his suit’s headlamp lights up the inside of the pipe.

The blockage should be back toward the refill station.

Walking into the pipe, he soon comes across the blockage. The material is damp and hard and blocks the pipe like a seven-foot ebony wall. There is only a trickle of black liquid that passes through the black wall. With a long sigh, Harvey puts the shovel down against the wall of the pipe and takes a hard swing at the blockage with his pick. The pick impacts, burying its head deep in the blockage. Harvey struggles for a moment, unable to pull out the pick, just before it gives way and several pieces fall to the floor. He continues to swing the pick, chipping away at the blockage one pieces at a time.

Damn, this thing is huge! How the hell does this crap harden so quickly? I was through here last week and not a sign of anything. Now look at it; this thing must be a foot thick! Now look at me, I’m standing here swinging like a madman trying to get this done so I can scan to see if Dan is even still alive!

Harvey continues to swing at the wall until a small opening appears and liquid begins to pour out from a small two-inch hole in the blockage. He takes a moment of rest on the handle of the pick. He then leans the pick against the wall and begins to dig at the hole he created with the shovel, the rushing black gooey liquid assisting in pushing chunks out of the way.

Dan is probably just up there waiting for the communications to get fixed for him. Relaxing in zero grav while I toil away like a common ditch digger! I went to school for six years to be here and what do I get?! Manual labor, shit company policies, and not even the right to sleep in every now and again! Would he even work as hard as I am to find out why I didn’t make the morning check in?! Fuck him! Fuck this pipe! Fuck this stupid goo and its stupid-

He swings harder and harder, the gooey fluid splashing all over him, as heavy chucks of the blockage are crumbling around the hole. The blockage suddenly yields and comes rushing through the pipe. Harvey stumbles, nearly falling over, before catching himself on the wall and gasping for air, out of breath. The rush of liquid and hardened chunks calms into a stream and then dissipates down the pipe.

“Edith? Can we…restart…the scan?” Asks Harvey, pausing between deep breaths.

“The scan was restarted a moment ago”

“Alright. Edith, I’m going to come back in. Make sure to prep the showers as well.” Harvey commands as he grabs the pick and makes his way back to the airlock.

As Harvey enters the airlock, it seals behind him.

“Beginning pressurization and shower sequence.” Edith confirms.

Once again, the sound of leaking air fills the room as it begins to repressurize. Once pressurization is complete, nearly a dozen small water jets open and begin to spray Harvey and his suit clean of all the refuse.

“Anything to report on the scan?” Harvey asks.

“Nothing new to report, lieutenant.”

Warm air is blown through the chamber, removing the excess water, and then the inner door slides open. Harvey drops his tools on the floor next to their rack and begins to take off his suit. He slowly packs his suit back into its locker and lets out a long sigh. He makes his way out of the garage and back into the lab, sitting down at the computer console and picking at his fingernails.

Come on, Dan. Why haven’t I heard from you yet? It has been almost five hours. If I don’t hear from you soon, Edith is going to be up my ass to report this to SA headquarters. We know what happens then. Even if you are okay, which is the best-case scenario, they will more than likely dock you three months’ pay. So, get your ass moving and fix whatever problem you have going on up there.

Harvey slams his fist against the console just before sinking deep into his chair.

Who am I kidding…Dan is dead. The whole damn satellite is missing. Edith has been searching for hours. She’s had the time to scan nearly all of Gaia’s orbiting path. The chances of him being alive are getting smaller and smaller. I don’t know if I can take this job much longer. They want me to do this for five more years? God dammit! Why did you have to kick the bucket, Dan? I mean talk about an asshole move, don’t you think? Now I am stuck here all alone and those SA bastards probably won’t send someone for six months or some shit! I’ll go mad. There is no doubt about that. …maybe I am actually part of some weird psych experiment and they just want to see how long I’ll last. I bet Dan isn’t even a real person. I feel like Edith might be a real person. The way her comments can sound like snide remarks. I don’t like it. I bet they even watch me sleep…creeps.

“Lieutenant Harvey Cheswick?” Edith broadcasts.

Harvey jumps at the sudden sound of Edith’s voice. He loses balance before catching himself, mid fall, on the back of the chair.

“Yes! What is it now, Edith?” Harvey snaps.

“You have an incoming message from Sargent Daniel Craven. Would you like to receive it?”

“Uh…yeah…er…yes…Yes. Patch him through.” Harvey stammers.

“As you wish, lieutenant.”

“Hello? Hey. Can ye hear me?! Blasted ting made outta Fisher Price hardware!” Dan yells as his transmission comes over the speakers of the lab.

“Hey, you bastard, where have you been?!” Harvey exclaims.

“Oh! Oh shit, its workin’! Harv, it’s good to finally talk wit-cha! The upload from the SpaceAge shit fur brains crashed my network. I’ve been trying to connect to ye fur hours! I hope I didn’t worry ye too much.” Dan clarifies.

“No. Nothing to worry about here. Same old shit, different day.” Harvey responds with an uneasy laugh.