Void

[11 Pt. 2] Eclipse

Chapter 11 - Eclipse: The total or partial blocking of one celestial body by another.

Pt. 2

Anne

Noelle's place of residence is a few buildings away from ours, and, after she reaches her stop, we climb from the bus, weighed down with luggage. A stark gray structure stands ahead, indiscernible from it's surrounding copies. It's lined with terraces and small circular windows. The neighboring land is barren, save a few rows of trees and the even road we arrived from.

As the bus drives away, becoming smaller and smaller against the dimming horizon, Ed and I stand in a confused silence.

"Are we supposed to go inside?" He asks me. "We were never given instructions for when we arrived."

My eyes search the desolate area. "But we don't even have keys..."

Down the road, a dirt cloud catches my eye. I squint and see the shape of a golf cart approaching incredibly fast towards the apartment complexes. A reggae song follows it, blaring alongside the skidding tires.

The driver sharply brakes in front of us, a little too close for comfort, and he removes his sunglasses to reveal a judging glare. His ride is adorned with cheap bobbleheads, bead necklaces, and tree-shaped car air fresheners of all colors. A mini-disco ball has been mounted through a hole in the roof. As identification, a wrinkled SSRC logo has been stuck to the side of the cart, aided by some duct tape.

In contrast with the golf cart's wild appearance, the driver looks to be the embodiment of white-collar. He's young, maybe in his late twenties, and his uniform is ironed. His gray jacket is the same as the ones we saw earlier, but with slightly different ID. The only odd thing about him is his questionable bright orange slicked-back hair.

"I'm Frederick." His tone is bored as he slides out of the driver's seat. "Welcome to SSRC Headquarters. I'm here to show you around for the next few days."

He waits for some kind of response, but his bold arrival has left both Ed and me speechless. Frederick shakes his head with disappointment and waves for us to follow him to the building.

"Alright, time to give you rug-rats the rundown," Fredrick says as he saunters down the hall. The walls are blank and the doors have only crisp, black numbers over the door frame. "You two might have already noticed, but we are no longer just an aerospace company and this is not just a space station. After many countries decided this would be an excellent place to work and collaborate together, us being on a no-man's-land rock after all, we expanded our intellectual reach to not one, but all matters of science."

His words sound rehearsed. I shift the weight of my bag to ease the strap from cutting into my shoulder.

"The office buildings and laboratories you just saw are areas where people across the globe come to work together. As for the farms, it is cheaper to make some of the food here ourselves then to import all of it. That and our director, Mr. Finn Egan, thought it would add some charm to the land as well as lead to research opportunities in sustainable farming." His says 'charm' as if he's mocking the word and waves his arms about him. "The only recreational buildings you will find here are a gym, laundromat, and a restaurant."

Frederick whips out two maps from his jacket and hands them to us. The island is split into eight color-coded parts varying in shape and a 'you are here' locale has been marked in black pen.

"You'll find that these recreational spots are located in the Office District I mentioned before. We have eight districts here, you've just viewed six of them. And I believe that would be the Coast, Barracks, Hub, Laboratories, Farmlands, and Residential."

"What are the other two?" I ask.

"The Utility District, which is strictly off limits due to advanced machinery and the use of nuclear power--funky business; and the Space Center District of course." Frederick replies.

He pulls out two identification tags and waves them on the panels outside two doors. With a click, the doors slide open.

"Here," Frederick shoves a card into each of our hands and points to the rooms. "Enjoy some time off, while you can. I'll come back to the front of this complex at 8:00 am tomorrow morning to escort you both to the Space Center District. Don't be tardy!" With that and a wink, Frederick leaves us before we can raise any questions.

"He was... unique," Ed musters. "And I have a problem."

"What's that?"

"I think I left the stove on at home. Can we spare a trip back?"

I must be exhausted to even giggle at that, but I do, so much so that I have to lean against the wall. "You can't be serious."

Ed grins while reaching for his phone, briefly checking it--like he has been all day--before tucking it back in his pocket. His smile quickly diminishes after that. "Maybe not, but I am tired. Talk tomorrow?"

I nod and we separate, carrying our bags into our separate rooms.

A cozy but livable interior awaits me. A single bed opposite a small wall TV is located by the sole window. A mini fridge, desk and chair, and dresser are the only other furnishings. A cramped bathroom lies near the entrance.

I lay the pamphlets on the desk and study their contents. None of the information that has been provided for us thus far has pertained to our purpose of being here, so how are we to prepare? Frederick said something about us traveling to the Space Center District tomorrow morning, so will we receive the necessary information there? And are other candidates, like Noelle, already waiting?

I rest my chin against my palm as more questions fill my mind and the feeling of homesickness fills my chest. And now, as I sit on this beautiful island filled with amazing technology and brilliant people---everything I've ever dreamed of seeing--I think that for the first time in my life, something feels terribly wrong.