Worlds Away

"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say."

The words kept repeating in my head as I slowly floated away. When Genotech introduced the Armen safety pods, no one ever expected them to be necessary so soon. Off-world travel was still new to us, we had barely scratched the surface. Regardless, here I was drifting farther from my family.

We had boarded the Genotech lunar ship in hopes of a weekend away as a family. My father had been on edge for the last few weeks putting out company fires and felt it would be a nice break for us all. I had never witnessed him so agitated before. His temper flared constantly. We all tried to be understanding as his days in the office had grown longer and, judging the bags under his eyes, he wasn't sleeping well. I found him outside one night standing in our backyard just staring, coldly off into the vast space above us. When I touched his arm, I startled him and pulled him out from whatever trance he was in. When he looked at me, the anger on his face melted. "Let's get away for a bit, spend some time together as a family" he sighed as we sat together on the porch steps in the wee hours of the morning. He was a planner by nature and the announcement of this impromptu trip felt very surreal.

The orb was comfortable enough, with life support for up to two months if needed. The internal flex seating worked through a gyroscope system to keep the inhabitants upright while floating. It allowed me a strange comfort and stability while I watched the world around me crumbled in flames. The self-healing membrane on the outside would protect against any of the sharp edges of the ship hitting it but, as I quickly learned, didn't prevent it from knocking the pods off course. In hindsight, I was fortunate to maintain my upward trajectory but at that moment, I looked on with envy as some pods were batted back down to earth. As I passed other's pods I was struck by their varying reactions. Panic and fear were evident on the faces of most, but some seemed to be in shock, unable to move. They sat, hollow, on the edge of their bench with a thousand-yard stare. Unexpectedly, I felt hot tears stream down my face as I recognized the nearest pod's inhabitant. I made eye contact with my father. His sharp blue eyes were filled with dread as he mouthed the words "I'm sorry" but it felt hollow. My anger began to build with the realization that this too was planned. This was the legacy of his generation. While he couldn't save his company, he could try his best to save us from the oncoming disaster they had caused.

I was young when he began his career with them. The promise of a whole new chapter for human exploration and understanding. The company touted what many did as its origin story, it was a small start-up in someone's garage. A young entrepreneur with a vision to disrupt the industry and "change the world." They quickly amassed a following and popularity as the aim of their products hit a sweet spot with consumers. Easy items, inexpensive, and designed to make daily life easier. They struck a nerve with consumers looking to keep up with the trends and the following grew to almost a cult-like following. Whispers of secret partners and questionable government contracts were swirling by the time I graduated and began my internship with them. I didn't pay much attention; the company was highly regarded in my family - my father often spoke of them more as benefactors instead of employers. I had been indoctrinated from my youth that Genotech could do no wrong.

I had been there less than 6 months when the openings of the new Genotech power stations began. Drilling deep into the earth to harvest a newly discovered power source, of course using patented Genotech technology, these power stations promised financial freedom for all with their open-source mentality. No more reliance on grid systems, it was free to anyone at any time. It was an amazing leap forward for us all - until it wasn't. The first stations began malfunctioning within weeks and the domino effect followed. The mass power outages were only the beginning, then came the food shortages, the outages, and rioting in the streets. All of these paled in comparison to the groans coming from deep within the earth.

Internal notices had been sent out to us with the company talking points. Explanations of the problems were blamed as growing pains - normal for any progress to occur. The issues were of course being addressed as quickly as possible. The company supplied monetary aid to the cities hit hardest. Denial of any major concerns was played on repeat on every major network. But the noise was undeniable. It rose from below the surface like a wave, trembling off of the walls of the power stations. The frequency had increased as time went on. In some cities it had become so relentless it was a steady hum. The noise was passed off as an unrelated natural phenomenon, a sabotage effort by rival companies, or, as one top executive tried to pass off in a failed interview, mass hysteria.

As I watched the surface grow smaller with every minute, my thoughts drifted to my friends, undoubtedly left wondering what was happening on the planet below. This was never supposed to happen, the Armen pods were meant to encapsulate and deploy the passengers only if the ship failed and returning to the surface was impossible. Still, here I was - watching the broken pieces of the ship I boarded 3 hours ago float past. I had held out hope that my pod would return to earth but hesitation washed over me as I was able to see for myself the full scope of the fissures stretching and writhing throughout the crust.

The damage was everywhere but I had to get back.