Sub-light Fries

Smoke geysers, ash clouds, and the smell of burning fat. I stood under moonlight as the flakes of grease stuck to my skin. I blinked twice. Every time it became harder to see, my eyelashes thick with soot, irritating me to tears. My sight returned and in front of me stood a young woman with alabaster skin, her hands held tightly in mine. I rose my eyes to meet hers, consciously memorizing every detail of this stranger. She had rolled up sleeves, part of a brown wool sweater. A warmth washed over me. I couldn’t shake this sudden feeling of familiarity. The woman gave me a smile that in an instant, transformed into a frown and she shouted in a deep voice, “HEY STARGAZER! ORDER UP!”

I blinked and the glare of the heat lamp glanced off my oily skin as the steam from the deep fryer buffeted my face. I lifted a wire basket filled with French fries from the bubbling oil vat and placed it on the hanger. Behind me, I could hear a holo-ad in the hall finishing its jingle, “Heartfire, relive your heart’s desire.” I waited thirty seconds before serving this basket of fries, ‘Sub-light Fries’ as we called it, the same name as our food stand, because it was the fastest in the colony. The irony never sat well with me, but the oil that we cook with does. Everything happens much slower out here in the Luna Dome. On Earth, it seemed like the world could not stop spinning, the streets were crowded, and everyone buzzed like bees. Maybe it was because of gravity, that one g on everyone’s shoulders that screamed, “You’re grounded!”. Perhaps this was enough to motivate humanity for flight. “Sub-light Fries, the fastest fries in the dome! Come get some, it’ll remind you of home!”

The last gold droplet slowly fell from the crispy fries. Thirty seconds. In one succinct motion I swooped the basket over my head and launched the fries in an arch, catching all the fries in a paper box with my other hand. This is the ‘Sub-light’ signature move, perfected throughout my years on the moon. Of course, with the lower gravity, anyone could do it with ease. The customers cheered anyway; they always do. Another holo-ad finished their catchline as I filled another wire basket with frozen fries and dunked them in hot oil, the steam obscured my vision once more. I stared through the glass behind the deep fryer that separated me from the vacuum of space, and across the abyss the dead Earth stared back. “Earth, Water, Fire, the old world is gone. Look to the stars! Luna Dome will lookout for you!”

I don’t remember much about what life was like back on Earth. Most of our memories had to be wiped before we boarded the last ship to the moon. I don’t even know what my real name is, but I keep thinking of that alabaster stranger. She must have meant more to me than I could ever know. Every time her image appears in my mind’s eye, I remember more details. The sensation that washes over me brings me joy and relief as I think about this moment. No matter how bleak the memory seemed, knowing that at some point in time someone was there for me, standing there on the darkened land and in the ashen fog. Arriving at the end is always the troubling part, the details are what I strive for, but the details mean nothing if there is no context. I need to know what happened then and where she is now. “-so, drop by the MoonLight district in Sector 89, let’s unwind. Together.”

Finishing up for the day, I scrubbed the deep fryers clean. My boss, AC-598, limped over and handed me my pay. I call him Ace. I think he likes that name; he always puts on a smirk when I call him that. He seems to stand a little taller every time, even for someone who has such short stubby legs. “Top Gun 5: Goose’s Revenge, coming to a holo-screen near you.” I made my way through the different sectors of the Luna Dome towards Residential Zone G where my sleeping quarters were. It is about a thirty-minute walk, one-way. The number of holographic images of targeted ads appeared in every direction of the hall. Most people find these holo-ads annoying and end up buying an ‘AdBlock Holo -Shield’, I don’t really mind the ads. I usually find myself alone, so these ads are simply white noise that keeps me company, I also can’t afford one anyway. “Tired of all this advertising? If you buy now, you will get a fifteen percent discount on your very own AdBlock Holo-Shield!”

Ace walked with me on occasion either to the food stand or back to the Residential Zone, most of the time he would take the Maglev train like everyone else. Honestly, I prefer it this way, I can spend more time thinking about the alabaster lady. I stepped homeward and that pleasant thought washes over me again. Seeing her standing in front of me, hands in mine. But something has changed, her wool sweater seemed to be a slightly different shade of brown, and her sleeves were rolled down. I raised my eyes scanning the different details of the phantom memory. Her eyes were closed, her lips sealed, and her face, expressionless. The feeling of warmth in my chest was replaced by a chill that ran down the column of my spine. I am alone again. I blinked, and as I cracked open my eyes that welcome feeling came back. I smiled joyously as she stood there in front of me, with the same caring eyes and that warm smile, the sweater a familiar shade of brown and the soft alabaster hands in mine, her lips opened as my eyes met hers, “Hey Stargazer.” I blinked again, and for a split second her form was outlined as if she were in a hologram. Her image dissipated as an oversized heart-shaped locket materialized out of thin air with a glowing red tagline, “Heartfire, relive your heart’s desire.”

The floor panels began to light up as I started running, guiding me towards the Market Zone of the Luna Dome. Dozens of other holo-ads flashed by me in a blur, the sounds of their catchy jingles and risqué taglines were silenced by the deafening echo of my footsteps hammering down on linoleum tiles. The beating of my heart rang in between my ears as I turned the corner and was greeted by a kiosk with an appallingly large and throbbing neon red sign that read, ‘Heartfire’. Without a second thought, I slammed all the money I had in my pocket on the kiosk counter. With a sly smile, the attendant slid a paper box that held a heart-shaped locket inside. I ripped open the packaging, inside, the locket glowed red and blue. It was connected to a silver chain and hanging from the clasp a tiny battery that would rest on the square of your back. I could barely contain my excitement as I hopped my way back to the Residential Zone, passing all the flashing lights that assaulted my cone of vision. Behind me, a voice trailed echoing in the hall, “Oh baby, I am so excited to see you too. So, drop by the MoonLight district in Sector 89, let’s unwind. Together.”

My mind was racing faster than the legs that propelled me forward, the heart wrenching agony and desperation overwhelmed my entire body. As I ran down the halls of the different sector tunnels, an uneasy feeling sat in the pit of my stomach. But it didn’t matter, none of it does now. This is my chance, this ‘Heartfire' will show me what I need to see. I need to get home. The doors opened and shut behind me as I traversed dozens of tunnels to get to my destination. Every door produced the same ear popping sound of pressurized air escaping through the seals and vents, it reminded me of a sweet release. And when the doors close behind, the pleasuring thought is ceased just as quickly as it came, by a loud clamping of industrial sized magnetic locks.

I punched in my personal identification code when I arrived at the entrance to the sector that housed my sleeping quarters. The door rushed open along with the smell of stale sweat of over a dozen residents. Each sector of Residential Zone G housed many dormitories with pillbox style bed chambers, very utilitarian. There have been rumours of full-sized bed chambers complete with en suite bathrooms, if there is, I have never seen one. I quietly climbed a set of ladders to my pillbox which was located on the third level of this dormitory, trying my best to not disturb any of my neighbours. As soon as I slipped into my coffin sized quarters, I activated the ‘Heartfire’ device. A subtle, electrical crackling began to buzz around my ears as the sterile ceiling that hovered a foot above my face slowly morphed and dissipated into the same ashen clouds from before. The smell of sweat disappeared and the smell of smoke came back, this time, a hint of strawberries was in the air. I blinked twice, “Thank you for finding me, I have been waiting for you for so long.” said the alabaster lady. She walked towards me in a seductive manner, the smoke and ashen clouds were replaced with a purple fog, the scent of strawberries became stronger as her soft hands found their ways into mine. My heart was beating in between my ears as I slowly raised my eyes to meet hers, capturing this newfound moment. Her brown wool sweater faded out and she stood there shirtless in a black lacy bra. She leaned toward my chest as I embraced her in my arms, she tilted her head up towards me and gave me a warm kiss that felt electrifying as it tingled my lips. Her left hand crept up slowly towards my face, caressing my cheek with the palm of her hand. She smiled and gave me a wink as she asked me a question, “Hey Stargazer. Do you want to see more? For an additional fee, we can see what happens next.”