Race to the Sun

Chapter 1

Teachers and historians would talk about an Earth that was once lush and green. A world where thousands of creatures roamed free. Where water drove through the earth in abundance into a vast body of water called an ocean. The days were warm, and balls of light would fly through the night sky. A world that was full of life. A world that had yet to die.

But now what was once lush and green was now a canopy of white that stretched over the surface of everything. A world of ice and snow. There were no creatures grazing on grass, nor were there streams.The oceans, while vast, were thick panes of ice that had to be mined through to reach the salty brine beneath.  Landscapes were unfinished paintings of blue on a blank canvas. And somehow, despite the hardships this planet presented. Humanity survived.

The calamitous weather took the lives of many, but the survivors constructed glass domes around small villages. Gone were the days of fossil fuels. Solar panels built into the barriers helped trap warmth within the biomes and create a safe environment for its habitants. In turn, the denizens built upon their homes with great technological advancements. Advancements to generate power that would not drain from their planet any more than their predecessors.

Rafael Herrera of Sanctuary was no different. On the glassy dome of Sanctuary, the young man's silhouette was partially obstructed by the wind sweeping around him. Raphael grunted as he tried fitting a heavily gloved hand under the solar panel. The immobile transparent pane did not give way, standing firm against Rachael's might.

"Max, I need a trim removal here." A happy bark sounded out, and a head appeared under Raphael's arm, nuzzling its metal hull  against him before unhinging their jaw, revealing just the tool the young man needed.

"Good boy!" Raphael patted his metal companion, a soft thud rang along his partner’s metal shell, "Now, let's open this panel."

His dog automaton got to work. They wedged the trimming tool between the panel and the hull of Sanctuary and managed to create a space for ungloved fingers to fit.

"Max what is the current temperature?"

On a small visor where one would expect to find eyes, small lettering panned across the screen. -32°f. Not great. But it has definitely been colder. Raphael hurried to finish the job and get back to the inside of Sanctuary. The boy pulled off the thick glove covering his right hand and wedged the bared flesh between the space Max had created.

Raphael pried the solar panel with his hand at enough of an angle to take a look at the inverters on its underside. The inverter is the part most likely to fail in any solar panel. It seemed to be the problem for this solar cell as well.

The panel could be repaired, but in the frigid conditions of the Barren, Raphael would be unable to accomplish the task outside of Sanctuary. He commanded Max to hand him the new inverter, to which his companion enthusiastically popped it out of their mouth like a cassette. Raphael removed the older inverter and passed it to his dog before using a light hand to attach the newer piece.

The inverter was in place and Raphael excitedly smacked the panel to seal it back to the glass terrarium covering his village, Sanctuary. "Let's go home, boy!"  Raphael slipped his gloves back over his hands, now numbed by the cold, as he prepared to leave.

Max yipped as Raphael moved onto the scaffolding and pulled at the rope to lower the platform back to the icy terrain below.

When the platform finally reached the frozen floor, Max clamored out clumsily. Raphael's companion was almost as impatient as the boy himself. He threw himself off the riser and sprinted to the gate.

The entryway was sealed tight. No cold was welcome past the steadfast soldiers that lined the entrance. There were actually two gates per entrance at Sanctuary. Just as there were two domes. The first was to protect from the elements, the second, to ensure no warmth would leak out from the village.

As Raphael turned the wheel on the outer gate, he felt the resistance. The gate shuddered in obstinacy as it inched open in short spurts. The boy didn't wait for the door to open all the way, as soon as he saw Max run through, he squeezed in after his companion, the door grazing his thick coat.

The second door was easier to open, and Raphael was quick to get through. He began to remove the heavy layers of clothes that weighed him down. The warm air caressed him. It's light weaved through the hairs on his bare arms. It brushed up the sleeves of his shirt and curled around him, welcoming him home.

It was good to be back inside, but Raphael rushed past the buildings standing at the exit. The blur of the gray road beneath was paved with cobbled bricks, and the sides were lined with vertical gardens hosting large amounts of fresh green vegetation. Most of the village had streets and roofs laced with plantations. No foot was unutilized in Sanctuary, and it was all thanks to the power supplied to the town by the Herrera family. The young man pressed onwards through the empty streets to the center of the village. He knew that is where he would find everybody today. It's where the villagers always flocked for news. And the closer Raphael got, the truer that statement became. The cobble road went from sparse to fruitful with fellow villagers. The town square was ripe with friends, all huddled closer to the monitor above the mayor's building. A reporter was talking about the preparations being made for the Great Race.

"Excuse me, sorry Miss,  pardon me." Raphael pushed his way  through the crowd to the center of the town. "Don't close that gate, I'm almost there!" He shouted to the teller at the window booth.

"If you race as late as you join the competition you'll be looking at last place boy!" The teller laughed.

Raphael squeezed his way through the final blockade of the small village and hustled over to the teller, "Well I made it in time for this, so let me formally announce my decision to participate in the Great Race. I'll bring home the victory for Sanctuary."