Stepping onto the platform before the sun is an adrenaline rush. I know I am high enough that the parasite cannot sense me. It does not make me any less nervous. I have seen the footage of the attacks. They are gruesome, to say the least. Being swallowed whole by the earth, and then by the plant, is not the way I want to go.
The craft pulled up to our dwelling. I checked my watch, it was 0430 on the button. You have to stay still when the craft beams you on board, otherwise you could seriously injure yourself. I froze my face turned upward toward the sky. Caeruleum was bright in the sky. The stars were alight, like scattered embers against charcoal.
They scanned my arm where an insert lay just beneath the skin.
"Welcome CALYPSO. Your payment has been accepted. Please sit in any chair that is available. Available seating is indicated by the blue light. Remember to buckle up and sit tight. We will have you to your destination shortly. Thank you for flying on AEROCRAFT."
I sat in a seat near the window. On my way to work, I am mesmerized by the sky. The dark blue and black swirl together like oil and water. I imagine what life might be like on the other planets. We haven't had visitors or been allowed to leave since the invasion.
The ride to work is only 10 minutes but we stop 7 more times to pick up or drop off flyers.
Just as quickly as I boarded, I exit the craft. I am beamed down onto the roof of the government building. There I take the chute to the 3rd floor. First, I scan my wrist and wait for the panel to light up green. Then I sit in the chute chair, waiting to be taken down.
I notice immediately upon entry something is wrong. Hastily, I make my way to my lab.
"Scholar Calypso, you are needed for a vote."
"On what?" The words were out of my mouth before I processed what the intern had said. "My apologies, I know you are unaware."
The board had always passed solutions unanimously. It was made up of 8 highly important members as determined by government protocol. By rank, I was the next member that could cast a vote in the event of a tie. It had only happened once since I worked in the lab. I knew whichever side did not get their idea chosen would feel slighted. Sighing I walked to the meeting room.
The big metal doors swung open upon my arrival. Body scans were the only way to enter common rooms. A hologram sat poised in the center of the table while projections were plastered on each wall. Not exactly how I had expected my work shift to start.
"Welcome Scholar Calypso." The use of my first name was to signify I was not old enough for marriage. Three months and I would be. "We would like for you to be synced."
"I accept." Syncing was always painful and the side effects could vary, but it was the fastest way to transmit information at once.
I sat in the chair and reclined. The distributor handled the equipment. Pressing three buttons in quick succession. My wrists and ankles were bound. I was injected with a partial anesthetic in the nape of my neck. Then my hair was hovering away from my body. The distributor put a chip into the port behind my left ear. I succumbed to the medication and information. It was like a waking nightmare.