SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

THE TRIP

"They're leading us?" Darwin and I asked in unison.

The doctor rested his glance in the middle of the panel.

"Mm-mh."

My buddy turned around and looked backwards. I, on the other hand, felt the seatbelts to make sure they were still fastened. Yes. The clasp was still on.

"Who's leading us?" I wanted to know.

"Hush."

The doctor pointed to his ear impatiently. Then, he pointed to the front panel with his other index finger and pressed a button.

"Verify deactivating of injection PHP," was heard among a gust of static. "Begin sequence."

I frowned, questioning the doctor with my eyes. But again, he focused his attention on the panel above.

"Plasma," he murmured to himself.

"Earth," Darwin announced at that moment. "There's the Earth."

He unbuckled his seatbelts and turned over his seat, looking to the rear. I turned my neck mechanically and looked that way. I spotted a side window, although I didn't see anything but starry space. I made myself comfortable to have a better view, but then I noticed that the doctor was pressing the button on the radio.

I stopped and waited for the mysterious voice.

A buzz was heard and then the following: "Transylvania, do you read me? We have a problem in tau."

The doctor released the button and without pronouncing a word, he reexamined the control board.

Transylvania? Tau?

I looked at him startled.

"Are we flying in a Bat by any chance?

The doctor shook his head quickly.

"No, no," he said in a hurry. "I'll explain later."

I turned my attention to the small rear window and tried to see the same angle from where my friend was looking. Indeed, a blue curve appeared on one side. I moved slowly. A huge blue balloon splattered by clouds showed itself floating placidly in space. My eyes, too inexperienced for sights in orbit, were amazed. I even forgot completely about the uncertainty that we were going through.

It didn't take long before Darwin reminded me.

"Why are they leading us to the moon?" I heard him ask.

Naturally, my friend had already recovered from the impression of the beyond praise scenery. I, on the other hand, continued looking, astonished. Even so, I didn't want to miss the doctor's answer, so I pricked up my ears.

"Doctor?" my friend insisted.

I turned to see the pilot. He still was undecided whether to lay his hands on the controls or not. He limited himself to going over each panel with his eyes, studying them.

"Now they're trying to take us back to Earth," he muttered.

"What!"

"The spacecraft has begun to reorient itself..."

I looked toward the rear small window mechanically. I strained my eyes. Earth was shifting slowly toward one end. A retro-rocket had probably activated in the tail.

"We're turning around," I verified, surprised.

"Why do they want to take us back now?" Darwin inquired.

"We're traveling in a spacecraft, that would have taken us, kidnapped to the moon," the doctor explained, still with his eyes fixed on the controls. "And whoever controls it knows that the plan has failed."

After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"We have a minute to make a decision."

Intrigued, I turned toward the doctor again. He was drawing his hands close tentatively to the rudder.

"There are two options," he informed urgently. "Go back to Earth or continue to the moon."

"Can we go back to Earth?" I asked, excited.

The doctor kept his gaze fixed on his hands.

"Let them guide us to the stratosphere," his fingers ran round the rudder, carefully, without touching it. "We break contact and make a manual entrance, or, we break contact now and continue to the moon manually."

Darwin and I exchanged a look of wonder. Then, we both looked toward the Earth. I thought about Vanessa. She was on Earth.

But, at the same time, we were already in space.

"What about the trip to the moon?" I asked.

The question was a big mistake. However, the doctor's answer exempted me at once.

"This time the decision will be made by the three of us."

Darwin turned around and looked at me in a submissive way.

"I need your answer now!" the captain exclaimed. "What will it be?"

Darwin shrugged and made a grimace.

Damn it! I could not interpret Darwin's gestures.

"What?" I asked him in a low voice. "Should we go back or should we keep on going?"

"Fine," the doctor burst out. "I'll make the decision."

"Wait a second," I jumped.

I consulted with Darwin again. He assented at once. I understood that he wanted to continue. My eyebrows arched, freezing in an expression of disconcert.

Half a second would not be enough to dissuade my friend from such insanity. Although, on the other hand, I couldn't go back to Earth and tell Vanessa that because of my indecisiveness, we had aborted the mission just when we were flying to the moon.

She would not approve of that. I couldn't go back to Earth and tell her that I was a chicken.

To hell with it! Keep on going was a death sentence!

"So..." the doctor began.

No. I couldn't let down Vanessa or my companions. I took a last glance at Darwin and assented too.

"Let's go on!" I said at the same time that Darwin exclaimed: "Let's go back!"

"Let's go on!" the doctor seconded me. "Two against one."

My God! What had I done? I put my hands on my head, scared.

"I thought that you wanted to continue!"

Darwin smiled surprised.

"I thought that you wanted to go back!"