His Throne

10 - An Empty Base

I felt very tired as we rode for an hour. It just seems like more than an hour because I didn't look at my watch. Taichi continues to drive the vehicle as Hicpa shows him the direction to the Moonbase.

"Hicpa? Are you sure you know where you're going?" James asked.

"I am sure that there is a location that is still functioning." Hicpa replied.

"What do you mean?" James shrugged.

What does Hicpa mean that the location is still functioning? Are there people still working there? This is very confusing for me.

I saw a building in the distance. Could it be the Moonbase that Hicpa is talking about? As we get closer, the building seems so clear. It is made of stainless steel and plexiglass and it looks really old. Taichi stops the vehicle a few meters from the airlock door and hopped off.

"Yep. This is definitely the Moonbase alright." Taichi sighed.

I looked back to see if there's something or someone behind us. Nothing.

"Come on, Alexa." Martin called.

I followed my gang to the airlock and we tried to open it. It didn't. There is a keypad beside the door.

"Okay. What's the code?" Taichi wondered.

"I don't know." James shrugged, "I haven't been here before. But I'll try to figure it out."

He typed in every code but none of them worked. While he is trying to figure out the code, I sat down next to Jennifer.

"Alexa." she uttered.

"Yeah?"

"My leg is bleeding. Can you tell him to hurry up?" she sobbed.

"Mr. Hoffman. I do not think this is the Moonbase I am talking about." Hicpa commented.

James then stopped. "What do you mean? We're here already."

"Follow me. I will show you."

We followed Hicpa around the old Moonbase and behind it is a giant wide building with a NASA logo on it. It looks more like an airport but on the Moon. Next to the symbol is the word "Olympus". Another airlock is under the bridge so we ran straight to it.

Taichi realizes it. "I know exactly what the code is." First he presses a nine, and then a one, and then a four and finally a seven.

He pressed enter and the door opens and we stepped inside. After it closes behind us, the air fills up the whole room and then the other door in front of us opens. We took off our helmets as we stepped inside.

There are speakers, benches, luggage trolleys, plants, and hundreds of rooms everywhere but nobody around.

"They're probably asleep." Taichi shrugged.

"Tha?" I asked, "Can you tell what time it is?"

"It is 10:47 P.M. Real time." Tha replied.

We walked to the map to read it. The whole building is shaped like a giant boomerang. The spaceport is where we are right now, on the right wing of the building. The cabins are on the left, the lobby is in the middle where the front door is, the laboratory is on the far left and the cargo lane is in the center right. I remember this section of the building. This section that is old must be a laboratory.

The hospital is on the same side as the cabins and the laboratory are. "The hospital is this way." Taichi pointed to the map.

"We should've used the other door before." Martin sighed.

"I am sorry." said Hicpa, "This door does not function."

"Okay. That does make sense."

I nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

We ran through the hallway of the building to look for the hospital. It is a long walk to get there. Tha zooms in her lens to a sign. It reads "Hospital".

"I have found a place for Jennifer to heal."

"Good eye, Tha." Martin nodded.

We then enter through the doors. There are computers, hospital beds, tools for surgery and operating theaters. There are doctors and other patients in here and one of the doctors walked up to us. She has brown hair, thin eyebrows and a nametag that reads "S. Maxwell".

"Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Yes. It's our friend." James begged, "She's got a sore leg."

Dr. Maxwell looks at Jennifer's leg and then she nodded. "Come with me. I'll take a look."

We followed Dr. Maxwell to one of the as I see some of the people who are having surgeries. We set Jennifer down on the operating table and took the space suit off her. There it is. Red liquid dripping out of her lower leg. Jennifer whimpered in pain as Dr. Maxwell took a look.

"Okay. How did that happen?"

I explained. "We were exploring the Moon but she fell off the cliff and the rocks broke her jetpack."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Dr. Maxwell sighed and then she turns to Jennifer, "Don't worry. I'll give your leg some healing. Okay?"

Jennifer nodded. Dr. Maxwell took a cannon from the ceiling and aimed it directly at her leg.

"Hold still. This won't hurt a bit."

She pulls the trigger and a beam shoots onto the broken leg. We all watched as the bone gets put back together, the cut disappears and the bleeding finally stops. Jennifer puts her feet onto the floor slowly and she stands up.

"There you go. All better." Dr. Maxwell smiled.

"Thanks." Jennifer smiled back, "I really appreciate it."

I couldn't get that moment out of my mind. Something that made me scared.

"Alexa? Are you okay?" James asked.

"I don't know." I shook my head, "I remember seeing my dad. And, it was just a hallucination."

"Your dad?" Martin wondered, "What about your dad?"

I sighed and explained. "When I was a kid, I was abused by my dad. He wasn't being very nice to me or my mother because he had drinking problems. After all that, my mother divorced him and we both moved out of his house."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Dr. Maxwell sighed, "You should let it go and think of something good."

"Yeah. I'll try."

All the sorrow about the bad memories of my childhood made me traumatized after a life with my father. I used my brain and it switches over to something good like hanging out at the beach in California with my mother. They made me feel much better.

"I think... I feel better. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Dr. Maxwell nodded, "By the way, I'm Dr. Sara Maxwell."

"Well, it's good to see you, ma'am." I smiled as I shook her hand.

The group and I stepped out of the hospital section and then sat down on the bench. I look at Jennifer.

"How's your leg?"

She turns to her leg and then back to me. "It's much better now."