Far From Home

Chapter Three

Chapter 3

“Ha ha okay really funny, I’d like to get off this ride now.” I said, I swiped the hand panel to get the door to open but it flashed red and did nothing else. “Uh am I locked in here? What the hell? Look this was good and all and I’ll still swear to secrecy, but I want to go back to the testing right now and go home afterwards.” Tanner was looking at me lazily as I my panic rose to hysteria, Tanner and the guards just watched as I slid from one side of the car to the other trying to open the doors. “Is this a kidnapping? What are you planning on doing with me? I want to get off!” My voice rose steadily until I shouted the last part, this got Tanner’s attention. “DON’T YOU FUCKING YELL AT ME! DON’T EVER DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN AND I’LL RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT!” I cringed and shrunk back into my seat, cautiously looking at him. He blinked and cleared his throat, straightening his tie. “Excuse me for becoming unhinged there, I lost my cool.” Tanner flicked out a second cigarette while still budding out the first one. “This isn’t a kidnapping, this isn’t anything malevolent. This is simply what the test told you to do until I tell you to do something next. Now if you’d simply be patient and listen, maybe we can get through this without another incident.

We drove on for a while longer in silence while Tanner went through two more cigarettes, by then I was gagging for air and by the looks of it so were Tanner’s two security guards. “Mr Marx, can I roll down a window?” He looked at me and shrugged. I looked at the window but I couldn’t find a way for it to get down, I looked at it defeated. I wasn’t too fussed to test it by now. One of the security guards eyed me and then moved his eyes towards his hand over the window. He put his palm horizontally to the window and did a swipe down motion. I looked back to him and he gave me a small smile and a wink. I’d at least found one friend on this journey. I swept down the window and let the cool air onto my face, blowing my hair back. “Alright, you’ve been patient enough. I’ll tell you why you’re here and what I have in store for you. Do you think you can listen?” Tanner said breaking through my calm, I didn’t open my eyes to look at him but I nodded. “Good, I know I don’t need to give you the whole history of space travel and all that crap since you’ve covered most of it in school but I want to tell you something that nearly no other people in the whole world have heard. The space race is back on.” I opened my eyes after those words that I blinded myself with the wind. I rubbed my eyes and gaped at him. “Yeah but next best thing is that you’re going to be the first person to go to space in over 100 years!”

This had to be a joke; somehow they had coined Tanner Marx or some look-a-like to pull me in this prank. It was an efficient prank, getting the car, breaking the test to get me out here. It was pulled off almost perfectly. I just had to test the water a bit further. “Space exploration was stopped years ago for some unknown reason. Why start it back up now? And why send a 17 year old girl instead of a professional?” I asked, Tanner smirked with a shit eating grin, “that’s why we set it up, we want to know what’s up there and there’s no better time than when everybody who can swim in their cash decides it’s a good idea too. Also you know why we can’t send a professional; there are no professionals on space anywhere. Who better to send than someone still malleable and impressionable than a child who’s just about to enter the work force. Who better to send than someone with an almost perfect score on their school file, specialising in old astronomy. When we saw your marks Adira, you were in there was no time to waste with you. You’re special, you’re needed, wanted. We needed you so badly to say yes to that question on the test Adira, you’re now the face of the future. So to say, you’re mankind’s second step.”

We spent at least half an hour after that in the car explaining the rich forces behind the new space program and the start up in the Test to get the best and brightest to lead this new program, we were then interrupted by the driver’s intercom, “Mr Marx we’ve arrived at your destination. Take your time to leave the vehicle.” Mr Marx signalled one of the guards to open the door, they all slid out and I made my way to the door before I was stopped. A little vibrating feeling on the top of my thigh stopped me and I felt to look at what it was. I pulled out my forgotten phone and saw that it was Mochrie trying to reach me. I picked it up and answered, “Mochrie what is it?” I asked.                                          “Oh nothing really, just where the fuck are you?  We said we’d wait for each other after we finished the Test!” Mochrie said a tone of hurt in his voice. It made me feel bad about my earlier decision to leave him. I looked out of the car door and saw Tanner there theatrically tapping on his watch. “Look Mochrie there was a change of plans and I can’t tell you what I’m doing right now, but I’ll call you later okay?” I waited for his reply but saw he’d hung up, saying nothing.

 I heard a whistle like one you’d hear someone call a dog with come from outside the car. “Ms Zhou if you could exit the car now please, in this facility we need to keep track of you at all times.” One of the guards said his head looking around the door of the car. I clambered out and looked around my perimeter; the first thing I saw was what looked to be high security fences, formidable but also very natural against its’ surroundings. The area contained inside the fence was trimmed grass and water features, all streamlined and in order not one thing out of place. Then my attention turned to the huge building, unlike the buildings surroundings this building was older and showed signs of wear. It was so out of place I almost believed that it was an optical illusion. Tanner came and stood next to me and looked up at the building as well, “Adira welcome to your home for the next year.” Tanner said, giving me the most annoying smile I’ve ever seen.