The Oasis

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Two and a half years, gone in an instant. Jake could hardly believe it. He had heard of coma patients being able to hear and think in their vegetative state. That certainly wasn’t the case for him.  It wasn’t like a good night’s sleep, or a long nap. No dreams, no wandering mind, no feeling of drowsiness. To Jake, it felt like a 31 month blink. One in which his face had grown a significant amount of stubble.

                  The straps on his wrists brushed against him. Now that he thought about it, his wrists looked thinner as well. If he really tried, he could probably slip through the straps binding his arms down. Not like that mattered much. The straps were completely unnecessary. In a pod this close, where was he going to go?

                  A pang of claustrophobia struck him.

                  Sardines have it easy.

                   He felt he had been crammed into a matchbox. His only respite came when he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

                  At least I have the window seat.

                  He looked up to the vast, red planet below. He tried to see the features he had learned about as a kid. Valles Marineris, and Olympus Mons were visible from earth with the right telescope, but Jake could make nothing out. Perhaps they were on the other side of the planet. Even with all the terraforming in play, Mars certainly looked different when seen out a spaceship window.

                  As much as He had studied Martian geology in school many years ago, no other notable features were  coming to mind. Besides, the landscape had changed so much from terraforming efforts, Jake wouldn’t be surprised if it was similar to Earth now. As his eyes adjusted to the shine of the planet, Jake saw the beginnings of oceans scattered here and there across the surface of the planet’s globe.

                  He had given up half his life savings and two birthdays he’d never celebrate for this trip, but right now, the view beyond the glass was worth it, a thousand times over. In addition, the expedition’s timing couldn’t have been any better. Things were heating up on Earth. More than they had in a long while. Given the reality of human nature, Jake knew world war three was inevitable. He was just happy to be off world should it ever happen.

                  For most flights to mars, the trip would take seven to eight months, but with a transport ship this size, and a less than optimal orbital path, their journey was significantly longer.

                  Loud clanks and whirrs filled the tiny pod. A display lit up before Jake’s face.                   “Retrieval Protocol” the message flashed. An automated voice accompanied the text, blaring in Jake’s ear.

                  The straps snagged onto his limbs and waist as the pod shot forth, into the ship. The light from the planet shrunk to the size of a dinner plate somewhere above Jake’s head, and darkness closed around him like a collapsing tunnel. Jake’s heart rate spiked. Another message displayed from the bio-sensors.

                  “Please remain calm.”  The voice said. Jake clenched his eyes shut again, balling his fists. Thankfully he had been put under for the loading procedure. Apparently the retrieval protocol wasn’t going to be as merciful.

                  An open ocean. He thought. You’re in a wide, open ocean. Shouldn’t be too hard to imagine. You’re already weightless.