Axium 20-20
Earth, overpopulated, nutrient depleted, the air toxic, conditions have become fatal. The endurance and survival has always been mankind's greatest quality. In our destined lives solutions have arisen. Mars became a fool's hope. A crowded smoggy city was erected. The arrogance, the naive, named the first city on Mars, El Paso. I see this grave from the last remaining shuttle ship from Earth, it is a spitting image of it's Texan counterpart. Smokestacks have already began ruining the Atmosphere and soon Mars’ temporary living status will become permanent, even the final resting place for human kind. Yet, the persistence of our existence has forged new hope. Axium 20-20 the colony to give us a second chance. Perfectly sealed under an advanced dome, our government, the innovative Americans, have created a synthetic planet amidst the stars. Plants, lakes, an ocean, it is perfect, it is our savior.
My wife and I land in El Paso, Mars. Cardboard structures have our eyes confused as from space, the city looks American more than ever . Yet, the housing kits are no more than cardboard doll houses set upon the slaves of consumerism. At least to the untrained eye. Under closer examination the material is foreign to me. Feels and weighs like paper yet it is strong as wood. A miraculous byproduct of Martian mining.
My wife picks our house from the supply pile. I walk to a nearby cafe. The mood inside is gloomy, dire. The bartender is nice and sweet but her words sting to the heart. El Paso is failing and soon Earth 2.0 will end as it began, swift and painful. Another couple just arrives. Smiling, happy bragging about this glorious sanctuary for human kind. The bartenders smiles at them and points the transportation hub on their crispy new map. I am intrigued. Is it really that simple to reach glorious Axium 20-20, the man mad Elysium.
The bartender explains “Get to the transportation hub, you'll enter a portal and will arrive on planet solaron.” Portals? I mutter to myself. One minute we are testing leisure space flights, next we are magically transporting across the Galaxy.
Outside an abandoned taxi craft awaits the young couple. “How do we drive this?” The wife asks. The husband puzzled looks around at the foreign vehicle.
“I'll drive you guys.” I offer. They do not waste time jumping in the back seat, and away we go on this hovercraft. Flying through the rustic Martian city until a rattle and vibration shakes us off the road. Oil is pouring from underneath the taxi.
“No worries guys, I am a mechanic. Just hold the flashlight for me.” I jump out and proclaim. Within minutes the engine fires up again and we are speeding outside the city limits. We reach the transportation hub. It is empty as I expected to see a long line. We step onto the launchpad and the machine roars to life. The room turns to white as the loud noise deafens our ears. Silence blankets over us. We are on Solaron , fresh air, black granite rocks with white sand streak the across the planet. The sun is bright yet the air is cool. It is an odd feeling. The brightness tricks the mind into thinking it is hot, yet the goosebumps on my skin tell the truth of the real temperature. There is a winding path. A few people are walking up. A young guy approaches us. “Do you need a guide?” He asks.
“Sure, how do we get to Axium 20-20?” I ask.
“Easy follow the path and ships will come and pick you up. But right now they are only taking the elderly.” He responds.
“That is weird.why is that?” I reply.
“Not sure just the ships don't beam anyone up who isn't elderly.” The guide informs.
“Well let's go up there anyways.” I demand
We reach the top and see an elderly couple ahead of us. They Are frail, struggling to make the journey. They reach the arch and with the flick of a switch they vanish. We follow suit. Yet after an hour we remain on the launch pad where the elderly couple vanished before our eyes. I walk back to guide.
“Tell me about Axium 20-20.” I demand again.
He shows me his tablet and plays a commercial. It shows the glistening dome. Yet something was off. The video appeared to be a collage of edited video shots crammed together. I hit stop when my suspicions become reality. I recognize one the buildings in the promo. It wasn't a sanctuary it was the Opera House at Disney. So what the hell was Axium 20-20? I interrogate the guide, he has to know something. He denies and denies but the cracks in his voice motivate me to continue. Finally he panics and holds his head in Pain.
“I remember, he says. I remember what Axium is. It is a prison. A slave camp. We revolted and tried to destroy it. But the army contained us. Our memories were wiped. I remember waking up here. They told me this was my new job. El Paso isn't a hub city, it is the remainder of all the slaves who had their memories wiped. They take the elderly now, they are easy to control, easy to sustain.” The guide weeps as memories rush back into his mind.
“ Slaves? Slaves for what?” I ask furious yet not shocked.
“I don't remember, I'm sorry I can't remember .” He replies. I believe him. It does not matter. What matters, is we came to Mars with hope, and now we will die here living worse than being on a dying Earth.
I return to my wife in El Paso. She is happy to show me her progress. I force a smile. Her happiness persuades me to hide the truth, to protect her from the harshness of our society. What will our future hold for us? That is the unknown, that is where the dragons await.
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