The Surface

"What do we bring when we Ascend? An oxygen mask, a protective suit, a preservation kit, and a metal detector. But above all, we must never forget to wear our solar goggles! The light from the sun takes your sight and it’ll never come back. Understood!?”

My siblings and I respond, “Yes, sir!” as we load our gear into the pod.

My father gives this same speech before every ascension. It’s always a long trip to the surface, but it has to be done. Ascension trips started before I was born; my father says it’s because we depleted the water table. Now we must retrieve the water from the surface. The trouble with the water on the surface is that it's toxic and undrinkable. We must distill it before it’s safe to drink. Our pod can hold enough water to last a few months, but we’ve been having trouble finding sources. The temperature on the surface fluctuates, sometimes the water is frozen, and we can’t retrieve it. Sometimes it's too hot and the water evaporates away. Our last two trips have been to a small lake thirty miles from the breach. But my friend Lauren and her family said that it went dry. On this trip, we’re going further than we’ve ever gone, and we must stay out until we find water.

“Okay, we’re packed tight. Everybody strap in we’re taking off in five,” Dad says as he seals the cargo bay. The three of us load in, take our seats, and click our belts together.

“How long does it take to reach the surface?” My brother Tim asks. It's his first ascension. Once we are ten, we can ascend.

“It's about six hours, try to take a nap, that’s what I do,” I say as I put my radio set on.

“I don’t know if I can, I’m too excited!” Tim responds.

“Enough chit-chat, we’re starting the launch sequence!” Sean yells from the co-pilot seat. Sean is the oldest, he’s been going on surface trips for a long time. Sean and Dad are close, I think it's because they look so much alike. They’re both tall, broad, and strong. Whenever I’m in trouble, I know I can count on Sean.

As Dad takes his seat, he says, “Everybody strapped in?!”

“Yes, sir!”

He turns to Sean, “prelaunch sequence?”

“Done. Ready for take-off,” Sean responds.

“Alright, ready for your first trip to the surface Timmy?” Dad asks while turning around.

“Woohoo, let's go!” Tim yells.

“Take off can be a little scary at first, so hold hands with your sister, ok?” Dad looks at me, “Ellie, you’re responsible for your brother on this trip, it’s a big job but I know you’re ready.”

“I won’t let you down,” I say as I take Tim’s hand.

Take-off is smooth and we begin our journey to the surface. The tunnel highway is dark and long; about ten minutes into the ride, I close my eyes.

#

I awake to Dad yelling, “Ten minutes to surface, gear up!” I get into my protective suit and help Tim with his. As Dad gets into his suit, he explains to Tim, “Now when we are on the surface, the gravity is different. That’s why we wear weighted boots. It’s normal for your stomach to be upset, if you have to throw up, do it in the pod. We can’t breathe the surface air. Ok?”

“But why is the gravity different?” Tim asks.

“Well, a long time ago, an asteroid collided with earth. It destroyed one-third of the planet; we call it the new beginning. When the earth’s mass was reduced, its gravity lost strength. When we built our colony, we chose a spot close to the core. That way we could stay warm and have the same gravity.”

“People used to live on the surface?” Tim asks.

“Yes, aren’t they teaching you anything in school? Ellie, can you explain?” Dad asks.

I kneel next to Tim, “Yes, that’s right, people used to live on the surface. There were a lot more people back then too, billions of them. When the Earth was broken, almost all died. Luckily, Grandpa was an engineer. He was chosen along with other important people to save us. He built our colony and designed our oxygen and garden systems.”

“Were there other survivors? Other Colonies?” Tim asks.

“We don’t know, all communications were lost, and we never stay on the surface long enough to search.”

“I wonder what those people were like.”

“Me too but listen up. It’s dangerous on the surface, we have to stick together ok, Tim?”

“Ok, Ellie.”

As we approach the Breach Dad yells, “Goggles on! Goggles on!” The tint of the lens is dark, but when the Breach gate opens, the light is still intense.

“It's too bright!” Tim yells.

“Close your eyes and open them slowly, your eyes will adjust,” I say as I grip his hand tighter. “It felt too bright for me too at first, but you will get used to it.”

“Here we go, welcome to the surface, Timmy!” Dad shouts as we pass through the breach. The tires deploy as we land with a gut-wrenching thud. As our eyes adjust, the terrain becomes visible. The sun has risen on the barren land, with the ground beginning to steam. The Breach is in the middle of a valley. Dad says it used to be lush with green plants, like the ones we have in the colony garden. After the new beginning, there was nothing left but ash. We set off on our course to find water.

“Dad, how long do you think it’ll be until we find water?” I ask.

“Hard to say, the maps we have are 80 years old. There’s supposed to be a lake about 100 miles away. We’re going to try for that.”

“Woah, what’s that!?” Tim points to the sky, “is that the moon?”

Dad responds, “That’s our second moon, it’s the piece of Earth that broke off in the new beginning. Our first moon is much smaller. Now keep your eyes open for artifacts, we’ve never been on this route before, so we’re bound to find something new.” For the first 50 miles, there was nothing but grey land inhabited by motionless black giants.

It’s about noon when I hear Dad say, “Well I'll be damned, look at that.” He nudges Sean and points towards a bunch of rubble and metal. It was all gathered in rectangular spots, something I’d never seen before.

“What’s all that?” Sean asks.

“Looks like houses, what’s left of them anyway. This used to be a little town. I bet there'll be some useful stuff buried here. Let’s stop and take a look.”

“What’s a town?” Tim asks.

“It’s like a colony, but on the surface, buddy,” Dad says while pulling up to the rubble. “Now remember, items must be something useful to the colony, we can’t grab anything we see.” We put on our oxygen masks and begin to scavenge. Tim and I sweep our detectors as we walk. At the center of the rubble, my detector goes off.

“Over here!” I yell. Dad and Sean rush over with their tools and dig into the ash deposit. They unearth a metal box, it was dented but still intact but locked. Sean took his shovel to it and broke the lock. Dad opens it and there’s a note with a gold heart-shaped locket inside.

“Oh man, I thought it'd be something good. It's just a locket and a love letter.” He laughs with Sean and tosses it aside, then goes back to searching. Tim and I continue, but I can’t help but wonder what the letter said.

“Hold on, I dropped something, wait right here,” I tell Tim, and head back to the box. Before reaching down, I look to see if anyone is watching, then stuff the locket and letter into my suit pocket.

“Doesn’t look like there's anything of use here,” Dad says, “We better head out, we’re losing sunlight.” We pack into the pod and set off. I’ve never broken the rules like this, I hope no one saw. I look out the window to quell my anxiety.

“How much longer?” Tim asks.

“If the map is right, we should be there in a few minutes,” Sean says.

“Thank God, this trip has taken forever!” Tim exclaims. “Ellie, what’d you forget back there?” He asks, “You know when you went back to the box.”

I hold my finger to my mouth, shushing him, “Nothing!” I say while peering at Dad to see if he heard. Dad stops the pod. “I swear it was nothing!” He and Sean sit silent, then I realize they’re staring out the front of the pod. The entire horizon is blanketed in blue, with water as far as the eye can see.

“I see why they named it Lake Superior,” Sean says.

“We won't have to worry about water for a long time,” Dad responds. We set up the pump and revel in the beauty of the water.

The collection is almost complete when the pump jams. “Dammit, here we go again,” Dad says, “Ellie, come back here and help me fix this.” Dad never asked me for help, he always had Sean help him. I walk to the back of the pod, sure that I’m in trouble.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask.

“Hand me the wrench from the tool kit.” I hand him the wrench. “Too bad we didn’t find anything in that town huh?” he asks while working on the pump.

“Yeah it’s too bad, I’m sure we’ll find something on the next trip,” I say.

He laughs, “you know, you’re just like your mother was,” he says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Sometimes I forget that you’re becoming a woman. You’re curious, kind, and brave like she was. Make sure you keep this hidden when we get back, ok?” he says while patting my pocket. “Everything looks good here, let’s finish the collection and head home.”

We drive back. I cling my hand to my pocket, in excited anticipation of what the letter reveals.

End