ESCAPE SPACE

Decision Making

 September 20th 2098

 It was the year Denversoul Michaels had his Masters Award from the University of Australia in Flight Engineering course after an early 4-year Space Science course from the Rivers State University, Nigeria under the WIC Scholarship scheme due to his excellence from High School performance. At 4:56 pm GMT+, he sat among his parents during the welcome home party held in Port-Harcourt City, Nigeria, since his mom is a nationality of Nigeria, the family decided to move in from the United States after his high-school.

  “We are proud of you, son... And we know you are going to make us proud in days to come” both softly massaging his back with palms.

  “I don’t know what to do with my life next after all these recognition... I prefer to live in the Space for the rest of my life” The 24-year Denversoul genius speaks with mute body language as he stares at the sky through the opening on the window curtains. “You do what you wish, dear son... We got your back” Papa Holland spoke gently.

  The Party was over has Denversoul dodged to his room, avoiding the company extended family who came around for the celebration, with dizzy eyes, his finger fell on the keyboard of his laptop to wake the display of the device. He turned rightwards to the bright screen almost blinding his dizzying eyes and saw the WIC logo at the top-right corner of the screen. Out of anxiety, he slides through his palms across his face to clear off the spike hovering over the view and saw an invitation email. He paused for a while and slowly placed his right index finger on the left-click button of his mouse to open the mail in full.

  It read “Engr. Denversoul Michaels, you have been selected to take part in the next Galaxy Conquer Mission on Galcum. Accept or decline with the dedicated section at the bottom of the screen.”

  “It was an easy decision for me to make at that time because my parents had my back and know already the risks behind what I’ve been dying to sign up for... But for you Trice Cooper, You never dreamt of this do you?” Denversoul and Trice sat in the Vivace Restaurant at 6:32pm GMT-6, 19th September, 2100.

  Her mom was suffering from Chronic Cardiac disease which demands a whole lot of money to get an Electro-Bioheart to replace her mother’s almost damaged heart. The WIC Space knew about the predicament of this youngster genius’ mother in the hospital and offers Trice Cooper the chance to join the WOSE in exploring Silltrix the newly discovered planet and will take good care of her mom as soon as she accepts the terms and conditions and joins the team.

  “How will live like a living robot, having people controlling me and monitoring my life” She looked at Denversoul, grabbing tight her purse in the middle of her breast.

  “Yours is different” He replied. “If the team returns with a good artifact that will worth selling or even technologies... You have your price and left your freedom”

  “What if we never make it back alive?” She shakes her head with anxiety and paused her heartbeat. “Other missions were easy, you guys got the details you need to survive like the oxygen level, land topography, predators, and every factor that may threaten life and a return trip”

  “That is the major point why prizes are high... And the rest recruit has no better choices because WIC Space picked them from trash background offering them exclusive lives and anticipated price even before the mission” Denversoul stood up as he pushed his chair close the table. “My story is different from yours.. think of your mom” And he left at the dash.

  Trice returned home in the evening and walked into the sitting room, saw her 12-year old niece, Selina playing a video game and leaving the video game to come to greet her big aunt “Big Trice, Big Trice!!!, What did you get for me? How did it go? You got the job??”

  Trice looked at her innocent niece, whose both parents had died in a car accident when she was just 6-year old, and said smiling “yeah, I got the job and grandma is gonna be treated.” “Here, got you some chocolates”

   Trice left the sitting room after handing over the cup of chocolate to Selina and head upstairs to her room. She sat in her bed, snatched off the lingering Pager device from the tooth of her bag, and flip it open. “Where is that Commanders contact” as she searches through the device and got the information to document on her page dairy.

  Without thoughts on what to eat, but the disturbing thoughts of taking on a suicide journey to save her sick mom and the heartless condition of help the WIC Space organization has decided to help save her 51-year old mother in the hospital. The night gets colder as she folds the layers of her blanket over her head to feel the warmth within her bosom, she fell asleep at the moment.

  It was 8:05 am GMT-6 when Denversoul stopped by Trice’s home and hit the bell button outside the apartment as Selina open the door to Denversoul.

 “Hey, Beautiful... I am Denversoul Michaels, is your aunt Trice at home at the moment?” placing his WIC Space ID card between the sight of Selina and him.

   “Sh... She’s at home. Are you her employer or boyfriend?” she chuckled, putting her arms across the back of her waist.

   “I am her Supervisor, beauty... I’m here to get to work on her first day” He walked and squatted close to Selina. “Go call aunty Trice for me and tell her I’m waiting”

    She ran upstairs to Trice’s room and banged at the door heavily and some few seconds later, Trice opened the door dressed in an office suite, and stared at little Selina while she took a deep breath at the spot. Selina delivered the message to her left for breakfast while Trice taking two pieces of toasted cookies and a disposal cup of coffee walked out with Denversoul to the WIC Space headquarters in California, US.  

 She told Denversoul as he drives, about how she made the call and made up her decision on going to the mission but centered on how she doesn’t want to die outer space just with the Exploitation intention that was never her dream as in what to do with her life. As they approached the Gate of WIC Space organization and stopped the car at the parking zone, he turned to her and made this statement “I will protect you the best way I can, I promise.” They both paused for a moment as they stared at each other’s eyes before the 9:00 am Cyber alarm hits the facility to break the suspense.

  Only fifteen persons are going on the mission with other synthetic Cyborgs called “Rivorgs” as security bodyguards assigned to each explorer having two per person. These Rivorgs were created at the spot synchronizing the blood and genotype of the explorers to share symbiosis scientifically that the Rivorgs share a common feeling, such as fear, adrenaline overflow, sub-consciousness and acts as a protector to its explorer on the mission.

 The Rivorg is like parental combat robots but has a lot of human features, like care and fight-back against attackers that may harm the subject explorer.

  The introduction session of each explorer was on the go as both Denversoul and Trice walked into the facility. “Whoo, here they are, never black & white still has some brush together” Micah made the welcome speech to them. The two experienced pilots, Saki Krane and Fela Ola were the Pilots to fly the WOSE team, Denversoul Michaels, Boma Clifford, and John Cubs were the three experience field explorers on the team, while Cory Mills and Sasha Flairer are the two onboard feed controllers.

  The rest eight team members are recruits which are Trice Cooper a Space Scientist, Micah Miles a physicist, Favour Bills a Cyber scientist, Belema JJ a trained field specialist soldier, Jersey Gad a Space game programmer, Felix Fox a Space Analytical Scientist, Diepriye Offorson Chess awarded player, and Marvelous Sima a Cyber system hacker.

  The team got the acquaintance they need to have at the introduction session with some teamwork training on the day and talks from experienced and retired spacemen in the history of successes and awards so far in the Space Quest of mankind. 

   Finally, the date for the launch was fixed for 10th of October,2100 which

should prompt space for more V.R training for all the WOSE team members in preparation for the launch and mission.

  A week later, Trice’s mother was discharged from the hospital after the surgery and heart replacement back to the house and every fund was taken care of by WIC Space and her salary scheme was already in session before the launch day. The whole team built more intimacy and understanding by hanging around together and sharing different past lives and the different predicted expectations each thinks to face on the mission to go on.

  On the 5th of October, 2100 Denversoul, Micah, Belema JJ, and Trice went on a hangout to the ‘Brain Game’ center to spend the evening. They sat as an audience to watch the on-screen playback games.

  The Survival Quest was the playback motion picture on the screen in the scene where two characters were left as survivors in an abandoned house where there are no windows and doors. And one of the characters told the other “There are no possible ways out from here and we are about to die in the next thirty minutes” and the other replied, “They want us to think that way”. The countdown was down to 2-second to go, then one of them spoke loud “I am not here!!!.” The execution countdown was over and the room lit up with flames consuming the other character while the other who yelled was unharmed by the fire.

  “Are these guys kidding?” Micah reacted. “I mean, why the tricks behind the lockdown, a blunt statement?”

  “Either way is acceptable” Denversoul chuckles and at the sudden, all of them got a deep alert from their wristwatches, notifying WIC Space, demanding their presence in the Facility immediately with an effect in five minutes. 

   Signal was sent from the Earth’s satellite in space, notifying WIC Space that the Silltrix galaxy is observed to be fainting away in more light-years away from the milky way galaxy as days pass by. According to Trice’s hypothesis of space dynamics; “Space Force is the opposite of gravity forces in planets about a galaxy that reacts on planets axis according to the partial gravity force from the planet bombarding the Space force that causes revolution differences with time.” The Silltrix galaxy shifting away from the milky way made a way to Trice’s Space Hypothesis confirmation and this became a reason the WIC Space organization had to put the WOSE team in place even without peak preparation of the team for the mission.

   The team was concerned about how far the galaxy will continue to shift away from the milky way galaxy when they will begin the trip and on getting there, how far do they have to travel again to navigate the Milky Way galaxy and Earth in particular. Two hours were given after the whole team arrived at the Facility for a final farewell time together with family before the unexpected trip begin. The explorers whose family was in the same city went back for the final greetings while others whose families are cities or countries away made a Virtual Reality conferencing with family at the spot for farewell wishes while the WIC WOSE Team Spaceship was being prepared for the launch.

    An alarm rings at 5:40 pm GMT-7 for launching with the explorers having their dedicated space suits on and their Rivorgs side-by-side behind them heading towards the mouth of the Space Ship.

   “I love this feeling, but I prefer to die in the arms of my grandchildren screaming ‘Grandpa wake up!!!’ than in space” Favour the Cyber Scientist commented on the way to the ship, then Felix replied. “At least I ain’t gonna die in a gambling ground for just some couple of bucks, I’d die remembered”

  “What? Like Armstrong... Nobody even knows that you’re here. Guess what? You’re pet ain’t gonna cry nothing for you” Diepriye mocked at Felix.

   Denversoul interrupted “You should be offering some prayers now, huh? You about to hop in a spaceship you never dreamt of taking a sleep in before”

  “So, God is gonna come save us, when we are in a strange place where He abandoned?” Belema JJ spoke. “I guess we all gonna make a family on this Silltrix bullshit, cause we ain’t coming back here.. And what if as soon as we landed the whole galaxy disappears into the light” Marvelous replied.

    They all stepped into the Space Ship as the talks went on going to their designated seats in a face-to-face arrangement Ready Room. Saki and Fela walked into the Cockpit for flight launch. At this age, spaceships no longer utilize the Combustion Principle for space travel but a nano gravity displacement principle not necessarily requiring fire or ignition to operate a flight phenomenon.

    In silence as the Space ship rumbles in awake among the crew and watery eye looks between the recruits as the Space Ship went off the ground to head for space. Micah shouted “Are we doing this? Is this our final decision-making?”