The Gate

by Jennifer N Hibbert

  Rogers and his colleagues distributed advertisements in newspapers, television and radio, which read: FREE FOR ALL, PLANET RELOCATION ADVENTURE!!! NO MORE MYTHS, NO MORE HOCUS POCUS. SPACE DEMYSTFIED. GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN SPACE TRAVEL IS JUST FOR SELECTED INDIVIDUALS OR ASTRONAUTS. An opportunity of a lifetime has now opened up for anyone who would like to participate in something as courageous as relocating and living out their lives in a brand-new city on Mars as its first citizens, with all expenses paid. THE FUTURE IS HERE TO STAY. Applications will be accepted within three months of this advertisement.

  After placing the ad, they waited anxiously for the first application forms; they were overwhelmed when tons of them turned up in the first week – ten thousand, to be precise. By the end of the month, they had 100,000 applications to select from. From these they selected only three hundred people. The selection process included the old, young, strong, feeble and infants. This process was intentional to recreate the mix of people found on Earth. The reason behind their selection procedure was given in a statement that Rogers released:

  ‘Thank you all for applying to this awesome adventure. Regrettably we have had to pull the advertisement after just one month due to the massive number of applications we received. We’ve now made a careful selection from a wide spectrum of people. As we all know, people on Earth are not always perfect for their situation but they deal with it the best way they know how. They might not have strength, perfect health or wisdom, but that is what makes them human. Each one has their own survival instinct embedded in them. Therefore, we believe that everyone we’ve selected is perfect for this role.’

  Early one morning, at about eight o’clock, the selected migrants started to arrive at the designated place, which was one of the halls the astrobiologists used for entertainment. They called it the officers' mess. Rogers and his team waited eagerly to receive them.

  A group of four young men and a girl in their mid-twenties were the first to arrive. A six-person vehicle with a taxi sign brought them. Rogers beamed with excitement when he saw them. They seemed close enough to be friends. The boys prodded and pushed each other as they spoke and laughed, and they were certainly tender towards the girl; one of the boys was particularly affectionate towards her – perhaps she was his girlfriend. They headed to reception to complete their registration.

  Rogers, being very inquisitive, listened in on their conversation with the receptionist as they stated their names and addresses. He soon worked out that the girl was named Monica and had lived with the boy named Chris. In their applications, they’d indicated that they would like to continue living together as a couple. The other three boys also said they would like to share accommodations at the camp and on Mars. Rogers noticed that they all lived close to each other.

  He was soon distracted as a few other guests arrived, including some parents with their young children. He took a moment to think about the huge risks they were willing to take with their children.

  More migrants quickly followed. After each person finished registering, some stood in random groups chatting with each other and others stood alone. Many parents and family members had accompanied their loved ones to say their goodbyes. Rogers watched as they moved around and some huddled in groups. He remembered reading some of the reasons why these people had opted into this test operation. For some, it was a way to start over. Some had no reason at all and were just going with the flow; others wanted to enjoy the thrill of this risky venture and were not worried about the consequences, or whether they would make it out alive.

  Once everyone had arrived and registration was completed, Rogers stood in front of the crowd. ‘We welcome you all and thank you for taking part in this awesome adventure,’ he said. There was an outburst of crying across the group, a completely different reaction from what he had expected. He thought they’d have all finished crying in their homes before coming here to depart for the camp.

  Families were wailing and falling on each other’s shoulders. They held hands, consoling each other as if their loved ones were about to die or were already dead. Knowing they would never see them again after they departed, many parents were still urging their children not to go but the young adults seemed implacable.

  Rogers’ eyes met those of a woman leaning heavily on a walking frame. The backs of her hands showed prominent green veins that ran across her translucent, brown-freckled skin. Her long, limp hair was completely white; she’d pulled it into a loose ponytail.

  ‘You don’t have to leave, sweetheart,’ she pleaded in a quivering voice to a young man standing beside her, before letting out an exhausted breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The young man hugged her closely for a few seconds. He was crying too. He quickly pulled himself away from her embrace and swept the tears off his cheeks before reaching down to the old woman and using his hand to wipe a tear from her face.

  Rogers was moved by emotion seeing them and many of the other families’ heartfelt goodbyes. However, he had to be strong and committed in order to see this project to fruition.

  ‘Nana, please! Don’t cry any more,’ said the young man, who was standing with his wife and their two little children.

  ‘All of you are the only family I have left. I’ve been lonely ever since your mother died and your grandfather died from his heart problem,’ the old woman said. With a shaky hand, she pulled a handkerchief from her small bag that hung across the edge of her walker. She dabbed her eyes and nose, before stuffing the handkerchief into her sleeve.

  She reached towards her grandson and he lowered his face towards her. She kissed him on the cheek. She took the hand of the little girl standing next to him and kissed it. The man picked up the little girl and the old lady kissed her cheek. ‘Goodbye my darlings,’ she said. ‘I am going to miss you so much. I shan’t see you again; promise me you will take care of yourselves.’

  Hearing that, the young man started crying again. ‘Nana, we will miss you too. I am sorry, but this is what we think is best for our family’s future.’ He looked at his wife, but she said nothing. She was cupping a little child close to her chest.

  ‘I’d go with you, but I’m finished now,’ the old woman said pitifully. ‘Each day that passes could be my last. I know it won’t be long – I am eighty-two years old. I can’t go anywhere else.’

  ‘You will be all right, Nana,’ the young man said reassuringly.

  This sort of thing was happening among all the different families standing around the room. ‘Calm down, everyone, please,’ Rogers said. ‘Look on the bright side. It’s a wonderful opportunity to participate in something as courageous as this.’

  ‘Booooo!’ shouted some of the family members. They began to call out to him.

  ‘It’s all your fault! Just tell me, why are you doing this? Are you enjoying splitting up families? Is this your idea of fun?’ shouted one of the parents from the crowd.

  ‘Please, everyone, there’s no need to raise your voices. Our goal here is to take advantage of an awesome opportunity. This project will allow the next generation to travel to another planet without worry. We’ve worked very hard on this programme to be where we are today and we will continue to do so in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved.’

  A husky voice called back, ‘Hey, I’m not sure if you are plain old malicious or just naïve about the danger that’s attached to this stupid dream of yours. Let me share some simple common sense. It’s dangerous out there! Yeah, that’s it, I said it. Maybe you need to stop deceiving innocent people, trying to put their lives in danger for something even you know is impossible to achieve.’

  Rogers looked at the parent who was speaking and gulped. His eyes caught the unflinching gaze of a human mountain, a man with broad shoulders and bulky, hairy arms that popped out from under the rolled-up sleeve of his V-neck, tightly fitted T-shirt and were covered in tattoos. The folded skin around his neck had buried part of his head. He was a head taller than the skinny young man standing next to him. The massive man looked o
ld enough to be the young man’s father. There was a physical resemblance between them, except for the breadth of their shoulders and thickness of their necks.

  The desire to respond to the man brewed strongly inside Rogers but, after stealing a scowl at the man-mountain, he fell silent. He could sense that the crowd was getting rowdy and restless and decided not to reply. Instead he said in a soft, assertive voice, still trying to maintain excitement and momentum among the migrants, ‘Once again, we thank you all for coming to participate in this awesome project.’ He kept his gaze fixed above their eye level. With that, he stepped away from the front of the crowd.

  Silence followed his departure but soon the murmuring resumed.

  Rogers took a moment to think about what the man had said about the dangers out there. He felt anguished, wondering if the man was right. He recollected their struggles with the Biddatals on Mars who constantly threatened the astrobiologists and the Gatekeepers that they would do everything in their power to frustrate this project. He felt a little selfish when he thought of the Biddatals possibly attacking the migrants and his unrealistic hope that the migrants would be safe. Queasiness settled heavily in his stomach.

  His eyes landed on a little child who ran past him. Rogers felt sharp pains surge through him and fear swam in his chest, making him recall the powerful fear he’d once felt while he and his colleagues were out there on Mars. During the construction of the new city, Rogers and his colleagues didn’t know that the Biddatals had camped in the new city. Some of the workers were taken hostage, Rogers among them. Luckily the Gatekeepers were able to map out a strategy that saved them, but that incident was a terrifying ordeal for everyone involved. He also remembered Asariel in the meeting between the astrobiologists, the World Government and the Gatekeepers. In that split second, flushed with hot sweat, Roger wondered whether he was deceiving the migrants or he really believed that the Gatekeepers could keep them safe.

  Just then, there was an announcement from a speaker; it sounded like a recorded message. ‘Attention, attention all migrants. Please take this opportunity to say your goodbyes to your loved ones. Anyone who is not part of this programme should prepare to leave now. The gate will be closed in the next five minutes. Thank you all for listening.’

  After the announcement the wailing started again and parents started to depart from the centre.

  Rogers and his team gathered the migrants. Lines of coaches were parked nearby; on their sides ‘CAMP LIFE’ was written in bold letters and then, in very tiny letters, ‘the future is near!’

  The migrants boarded the coaches, which transported them on a ninety-minute journey to a camp in a secret location where they would spend the next six months preparing. This also gave them the opportunity to make up their minds about going to Mars because, after they departed, there would be no going back. Some looked sad and tearful, maybe because they’d just separated from their loved ones or thought that they would never see their friends and relatives again. Whatever the reason, their expression was joyless. Others looked excited, beaming from cheek to cheek, laughing and chatting; they seemed to be looking forward to the adventure.

  Rogers’ team included: Simon Gatty, a middle-aged man who was fascinated with space travel and had a vast knowledge of space and travels; Luis Landsy, who was very knowledgeable about space living and safety; finally, there was Sunita, a community welfare officer. These three individuals and their assistants, together with Rogers, would spend a lot of time explaining the significance of this migration and its possible dangers.

  The migrants gathered in a large hall to be addressed by their caretakers. Once the noise abated, Rogers sprang to his feet to address the crowd.

  ‘My colleagues and I would like to welcome everyone here for the Mars travel programme. As you all know, you will spend the next six months here as part of your training about how to live and stay safe on your new planet. As you can see from the handbook you are holding, after this camp you will be transported to Station X, where you will board your train to the place called Middle Way.’ A few of the migrants started looking at their handbooks. ‘You will spend a night there. The next morning you will be transported to the Channel of Exchange, where you will board your spaceship to Mars.

  ‘Remember that the city on Mars has been adapted to operate like a city on Earth. This means that many treacherous conditions still exist there, such as the weather. We believe that some of the dangers will be mitigated over time, when all the work we’ve done is fully realised. Until then, you’re required to follow the rules in order to stay safe – after all, we are talking about living on another planet.’

  He scanned the seated audience. A group of four young men had their heads together and were whispering and giggling. Rogers wondered what he’d said that was so funny. These were the same boys he’d seen arrive with a young lady that morning.

  ‘You, over there! Do you have a question for me?’ The audience followed the direction of Rogers’ eyes and turned to the young men. They quickly sat back in their chairs.

  ‘You,’ he said, nodding his head at the group. They looked at each other and then back at Rogers. Each young man pointed at himself with eyebrows raised, trying to ascertain who he was speaking to.

  ‘Yes, all four of you young men. What are your names?’

  The group was taken by surprise. After a brief silence, each spoke in turn.

  ‘My name is Chris Legger.’

  ‘I’m Martin Salexy.’

  ‘I’m Morgan Joshy.’

  ‘My name is Koi Pens.’

  ‘Thank you, gentlemen. I want everyone to pay attention when we are explaining things relating to your new planet – your survival could depend on it. At least try not to distract others who are willing to listen.’ Everyone went quiet.

  Rogers smiled. ‘Anyway, at least we’ve used this opportunity to get to know these four individuals a little. We should all start to get acquainted, as we will be spending a substantial amount of time together here in the camp. Please do your best to integrate. This is important for the success of the project. These four sharp young men can be your first point of contact.’ He nodded again in their direction. ‘But please do not interrupt the talks as they are important. As I was saying, this project is not child’s play. You are required to follow instructions and abide by strict rules and regulations. Refusing to do so could lead to your death.’

  The migrants, looking timid and naïve, watched him as he spoke. Judging from their trusting gaze, they were expecting Rogers to give them a magic formula for how to live and stay safe on Mars, especially since they knew he’d already lived and worked there. Rogers knew there was no such magic potion. He could see a few of the daredevils among them were especially curious and impatient, wanting to hear more.

  ‘We are here to make sure you’re equipped with the right training and skills for this adventure,’ Rogers concluded before resuming his seat.

  The group of boys started whispering again. Rogers heard Martin say quietly to Morgan: ‘This guy keeps mentioning how dangerous it could be out there but I’m pretty sure that if he can succeed, we can too. I mean, we’re younger than him.’

  ‘Yeah, I see what you mean. But don’t forget, he has loads of experience.’

  ‘Ha-ha, well, that’s true.’ The boys laughed.

  Rogers felt a slight twinge of disgust that they didn’t respect authority but at the same time he secretly admired their courage for taking part in this adventure.

  Next, he made an introduction. ‘The next speaker is Luis Landsy.’

  Luis was immaculately dressed; her shiny, long, jet-black hair was smartly brushed and swept back. For the first time that day, Rogers looked at her closely. If she wore make-up it was not noticeable; perhaps she wore natural tones that blended well with the grey of her eyes. She was in her early forties.

  She started her speech. ‘Yes, it’s true, there could definitely be danger lurking but, if you follow our instructions and handle things properly, thi
s journey will be a tremendous adventure,’ she said softly.

  Rogers was again distracted by the boys speaking. ‘You see! I told you it can’t be that bad. You heard her. She said we could enjoy a tremendous adventure,’ said Martin to Morgan, beaming with excitement.

  ‘You missed out the “if”! Got it?’

  ‘Yeah! I suppose,’ Martin agreed reluctantly. His eyes met Rogers’ and he quickly looked away.

  Rogers felt irritated, so he stared steadily in their direction, allowing them to notice his gaze. They stopped talking.

  Luis was still speaking. The three hundred migrants were eagerly absorbing her every word, except for the few children among them who appeared to be unconcerned as they played by themselves or with their siblings.

  ‘It’s not all doom and gloom,’ Luis continued. ‘And remember, you are the lucky ones who have been selected from our massive database of applicants to be the first to test this awesome project.’

  When Luis mentioned the selection process, Rogers recalled the numerous phone calls made by some of the migrants, especially the more adventurous among them, who had feared that their hopes had been dashed when they did not receive a reply for their application on time.

  ‘Think of all the discoveries you will make as the first citizens of a planet. And, of course, you have the chance to start a new life. Isn’t that wonderful?’ Luis continued.

  As she returned to her seat, Rogers stood up. ‘Yes, indeed. Luis is correct. There is a tremendous adventure to be had on Mars. My colleagues and I had a wonderful time living there. And that was during the construction period of the new city,’ he said dreamily. He did not mention any of the dangers they had encountered.

  Before returning to his seat, Rogers introduced another member of the team. ‘This is Simon Gatty,’ he said. Simon nodded. He was a dark and handsome man in his forties, with a military appearance: bulky shoulders and a very short haircut. Despite his macho looks he had a beautiful smile, which he flashed frequently. He had a great sense of humour and liked making small talk. He and Rogers got on very well, despite their age gap.