The Invisible Universe

Traction: Part 1

The steel doors opened without making a noise. Their heavy bulk grinding against the hard stone floor silently as what little air that remained, was sucked out of the airlock and into the void. The sunlight came pouring in the second the two doors had parted, the lack of atmosphere allowing its full glory to shine down on the cold steel room; casting a pure white glow over everything inside, which incidentally wasn't very much. Being an airlock, it wasn't a place you would want to store your most treasured possessions. The steel walls acting as mirrors, reflecting the bright light around the empty room with a dazzling intensity. If it wasn't for his tinted visor, Marvin would have been forced to shield his delicate eyes from the scene. He was thankful he didn't have to.

The doors came to a sudden stop, revealing that now familiar view. The open surface of the Moon. Those lonely grey peaks standing like ancient sentinels, watching, guarding Earth's closest neighbour against an unseen enemy. The deep and scattered craters that peppered its plains, bringing texture to an otherwise desolate world. Distant rocks and minerals, catching the light in just the right way to create a sparkling effect, as if the stars themselves had found their way down to the ground. This timeless world, that was unshaped by wind or rain, remaining motionless throughout the millennia. Marvin's place of work.

Apart from the faint vibrations rippling up Marvin's legs; due to the doors previous movements, and the sound of his own breathing, everything was still and quiet. As if the universe itself had been put on pause. No matter how many times he had seen it this view never got old.

Once he was satisfied with the scenery, he made his way outside onto the coarse rocky slope. Taking those long and rather comedic strides to account for only weighing around 16% of what he normally would. He followed a purpose-built track that led him down the nearby cliff side. Curving down and off to the right at quite a steep gradient, he essentially spent the majority of the walk floating, waiting patiently for each step to land before lifting of again to continue his controlled descent. Upon reaching the bottom of the cliffside, where the path levelled out, the normally bare view of the Luna landscape was replaced by an energetic race-track start line. 

For almost thirty years now The Moon had been used as a staging ground for a series of motoring events. Starting as a publicity stunt for any competing space-faring company of the 21st century, it quickly became the large scale event it was today.

In the early days the competing companies would film their achievements, broadcasting them to the world.  A clumsy looking buggy or rover making its way awkwardly along the rocky terrain, hoping to attract interest from the general public and, more importantly investors. As the appeal in space travel grew, it became more and more important for these companies to be seen as the leading pioneer of this exciting industry.

As a way to make their competition look "behind the curve" each company made sure their latest design was far superior to that of their competitors. The 2nd space race had begun.

Eventually the endless competition got to the point where races were undertaken. Short distance, simple tracks designed to see who truly had the best (and worst) machine. Fast forward 30 years to the present and these initially small scale races, had become large, extravagant and live televised events. With sponsorships, merchandise and general fame included, the drivers where no longer unknown men and women hidden behind tinted helmets but celebrities famous across the globe.

Marvin (as you might have guessed) was one of these motorised celebs. Specifically he was the Space-X representative for the 17th annual Men's Luna Motor GP. A one lap motorbike race to determine the next world championship.

He waddled out onto the bustling start line, walking in-between the bikes that had been neatly lined up in their starting positions. Two columns side by side. Being one of the lead contenders in this race, his bike was positioned towards the front of the pack, so he had a bit of a walk on his hands. He didn't mind; the lack of outside noise gave him time to relax and collect his thoughts before the start of the race.