The World Above Us

Chapter 2

DeShawn and Robert

DeShawn scanned the data on his computer. The holograms danced in front of his vision. He swiped them away one by one until he found what he was looking for.

"Aha," he said aloud when he found the one he was looking for. He tapped it open, reading the two pages that could seal his adoptive brother's fate aboard the colony. He found a loophole in the code which allowed him to access it.

"I'm in," he muttered quietly to himself. The walls of his habitat weren't too thick and the last thing he needed was one of the other colonists finding out about his activities. DeShawn flipped through the code, changing the words and deleting the original document. Robert was safe, for now. His brother came up behind him.

"Did it...?" he asked trailing off. DeShawn nodded.

"It did," he said. Robert sighed and brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. DeShawn and his brother embraced. They were doing this for a good cause. If anyone found out the truth, who knew what Novae Terrae would do to them.

When he was younger, DeShawn had always had an affinity for computers. His mother was amazed at how quickly he could fix a broken holo or pick up a new software program. He was able to pick apart the pieces of code like no one else. DeShawn had even designed and coded his own holo game before he had even finished high school.

He never thought he would find himself in space. That was Robert's dream, not his. But that was before they realized they had no other options. Climate change was wreaking havoc on their native Corpus Christi, Texas. By the time he and Robert were out of college, their parents had passed so they figured, why not?

DeShawn's talent for computers had made him a shoo-in for the program. He had passed all the entrance exams with flying colors. He had survived the brutal training regimen that was required of all the future astronauts. Robert did too. Space had been a passion of his from the beginning. Robert spent hours of his youth pouring over space magazines and watching every single space HoloFilm available.

When he got into high school, Robert started to take the idea of being an astronaut seriously. He and DeShawn had been fifteen when the Original Ten landed on Mars.

He remembered his amazement at the sight of Georgia Holland's boot touching the surface of the Red Planet. At that moment he knew that was what he had to be doing. He didn't let the fate that befell them diminish his desire to set foot on another world.

Space was his one distraction from the fact that his coastal home was falling apart around him. Climate change had melted most of the ice caps at that point, causing the sea levels to rise. His home had to be raised three feet off the ground to keep out the flooding. And global warming was making his already sweltering Texas home even hotter. From late spring to early fall the brothers were kept indoors to stay safe from the 100+ degree heat that was common in the summers.

After Hurricane Carson, his family moved away from the coast toward Austin, where he and his brother went to college. His brother was good with technology, Robert was good with space and memorizing facts. They knew the Novae Terrae colony was the only way out of a rapidly deteriorating planet. They were already through the Academy by the time the Earth Nations had made any progress on reigning in climate change.

Robert watched as DeShawn tapped through the holo data floating in front of him. His deep brown eyes remained fixed on the holograms and the screen. All they had to do was find that one incriminating document and their endless cycle of paranoia and fear would be over. Robert held his breath.

"Done," DeShawn said, finishing up the last of the hacking. Robert wanted to jump for joy. They were safe from the ominous shadow of Novae Terrae. For now. DeShawn couldn't afford to lose his brother now.

From the time his family had taken in Robert when the boys were seven they were inseparable. Robert's birth parents had died when he was a baby due to a climate disaster, leaving him an orphan. He had lived with his uncle until the Bennetts adopted him. Mrs. Bennett was a good friend of Robert's uncle, whose health was in rapid decline. After his uncle's passing the boys grew even closer.

The two brothers reclined on the plastic chairs in their habitat, feeling safe for the first time since they set foot on Mars. Both brothers had come to the colony hoping to escape losing anything else to the climate crisis on Earth. However, the brothers didn't want to find out the consequences of the discovery that only DeShawn was permitted to be there.