Chapter 1

 

A single thought emerged from the darkness: I can’t breathe.

Sparks flashed violently above me, their brief light casting deep, jagged-shadowed shapes. A tightness pulled across my brow—I tried to make sense of what I saw, but darkness swallowed it before I could focus.

Breathe, damn it!

The thought rattled my bones as every muscle constricted. Warmth flooded my body as I flopped to my hands and knees. My heart galloped out of control—I barely held myself off the floor.

Pressure built in my chest as beads of sweat coated every inch of my flesh. I tried to shift whatever was blocking my airways, but nothing escaped my gaping mouth.

My eyes bulged as I strained, gripping my throat. A thick liquid surged up, spilling out—my lungs still refused to draw breathe.

What’s happening to me?

I wondered if the darkness was all-consuming, preparing to swallow me whole. Every inch of my being vibrated, my remaining strength seeping into the void.

Don’t give in!

Unaware if the thought was my own, I balled my fist, slamming it into my sternum. Oxygen flowed, but my lungs burned like hot coals, holding me firmly to the ground.

Another spark flashed across the room, but my tear-filled vision distorted the world.

I tried to steady myself as my mind failed to recall what had happened, but all I could focus on was my erratic spluttering.

I tried to relax; find some space to think. In reality, my muscles simply gave out, locking me in place.

A vile stench invaded my nostrils. I would have hurled at the cocktail of sulphur, week-old socks, and almonds had it not been for my cramping—notably empty—stomach.

Muffled bangs, pops, and whistles cried out. It was as though the world’s volume was slowly being turned up, the silence falling away.

It was impossible to make anything out in the darkness, but twisted, broken shapes began to emerge.

Static filled computer screens flickered on, their eerie glow casting ghostly shadows across a world of broken glass and twisted metal. A star chart flashed onscreen, returning to static before I could process it.

A high-pitched shriek drilled into my skull. The thunderous boom that followed shuddered the ground, rippling in turn through my bones.

An explosion? What’s going on?

A cabinet of twinkling lights toppled, crashing into another with an electrifying snap.

More glass shattered around me as beakers and test tubes splashed a spectrum of colour onto the fractured floor.

Another shock wave coursed through my knees, sending me against a tall vat of dark, cloudy liquid.

The thick glass was cold under my fingertips, almost frosty. The condensation made the surface slick, my breath fogging the glass as I moved closer.

A shiver clawed along my arms, raising every hair as I stared. Beyond my distorted and dull reflection, something moved inside, but its unnatural shape was clouded.

What the hell?

There was something I almost recognised. A lingering thorn caught in my brain, tearing panic through every incomplete thought.

A hissing pop snapped me back to reality. Adrenaline knotted my chest as plumes of multicoloured vapour rose from the mixing, spilt chemicals. My body tingled in anticipation of the growing mists, forcing me to examine myself.

Wait. I’m naked?

I didn’t think it possible to be any more confused, but as a thinly veiled substance evaporated from my skin, the black hole in my mind deepened.

Not knowing where I was, how I got here—let alone why I was in my birthday suit—it all ripped through me at high speed, every molecule threatening to tear apart as a deepening sense of evil gripped me.

The whirring drum of backup generators kicked in. A pale green hue bathed the room as the high-pitched ringing was replaced with a deep, whirring siren.

My heart matched the throb of the alarm as I staggered to my feet. I stepped back, terrified of what the vapour would do to my exposed skin.

The shattered remains of the laboratory groaned around me, but it caught in my mind like a hook. I wasn’t even sure if I knew what a laboratory was, but the knowledge seemed to be there all the same.

My legs were heavier than they should be. As if I hadn’t used them in days. Inching towards the only door, I tripped.

As my left cheek smacked into the wall, blood filled my mouth. The sharp, coppery tang that hit the back of my throat was a strange sensation; one I almost recognised. Like a faded memory, I failed to comprehend its significance.

Flat on the floor, I lifted my head. Quivering eyes stared back at me, begging for help. The man’s silent, desperate plea bore into me, stirring something primal—a guilt I couldn’t name.

Blood pooled around the man, staining his white beard as his jaw hung loose. He’d been beaten to within an inch of his life, his skin bruised and bloodied.

Time slowed to a crawl. Then a stop. Something called deep within me to help the man, to pull him away from the approaching multicoloured vapour.

A burning flame ignited as time hit fast forward. My survival instincts took a firm hold.

I didn’t know what was happening, but I didn’t have time to care. The vapour was closing in, and I wasn’t going to die here.

He’d only slow me down. He won’t make it anyway, I convinced myself. The thought twisted my gut, but I could barely save myself, let alone a crumpled, broken old man.

Ignoring the knot that ate my stomach, I willed myself up, pulling on the door handle as the coloured vapour drew closer. My sweat-coated palms failed to grip, sliding straight off the handle as I face-planted the door.

Through gritted teeth I carefully locked my fingers around the handle, rattling the door with all my might.

Nothing.

“Open, damn it!”

It refused to budge as the red blinking light of a card reader mocked me from the side. Flicking my gaze between the man and my only escape, I rolled him over.

The noise he made stung, clawing at my psyche. His weak bloodied arms faltered, tried to cling to me as the toxic vapour loomed.

For a split second, I froze. The man’s pleading eyes locked with mine. I saw myself reflected in the whites of his eyes. I was just as scared, and just as desperate. But I couldn’t save us both. The vapour was upon us. My own survival dominated any compassion that was swelling in my chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

I fumbled across his white lab coat, unable to look at him. Sewn into the top pocket, a keycard sat on a thick retractable pull cord. Fighting hesitation, I peeled the coat from him, throwing it over my own shoulders.

I considered taking his trousers, but the guilt I already carried was heavy enough. Besides, the lab coat was at least three sizes too big, but it made me somewhat decent.

The thickening vapour crept closer, crawling over the man. I willed myself not to look, but my eyes washed over him regardless. He silently screamed as his face contorted. His skin immediately blistered. Thick, blackish-red pus oozed across his flesh as it bubbled.

Guilt-ridden gratitude twisted my core as the man made no sound, his body slowing. As the light faded behind his half-closed eyes, I felt a part of me slip away into the darkness with him.

Before my mind could catch up, more sparks erupted across the room.

Dread coiled in my stomach as a live-wire danced toward the vapour—ignition flashed. The roaring fireball that was birthed rolled up and along the ceiling. The blast slammed me against the door as its blistering heat kissed my skin.

I dropped, futilely trying to escape the heat, but it was everywhere. Clutching the keycard, escape was the only thing on my broken mind.

I bounded to my feet. Shaking, I swiped the keycard through the reader. The red light held firm, grunting a computerised denial. Frantically, I swiped again, and again. “Come on, you hunk of junk!”

I wiped the card against the lab coat, a smear of red in its wake as smoke hit my lungs. The keycard’s holographic logo caught my eye—its fractal spiral tugging at my mind. There was no time for distractions.

A steadying hand seemed to calm me. I closed my eyes, pleading with myself to slow down. I swiped the card with more control.

A joyful beep resonated in my ears as the light flickered green. The door shifted, the rush of air fanning the flames behind me. That no longer mattered; my freedom was on the other side.

I slammed the door shut, sliding my back down it. An airtight seal hissed into place, sealing me away from the fire, and the man’s fate.

I should have pulled him out… no, I can’t be slowed. I need to run.

 Sat in the cold, empty corridor, the reverberating siren dominated my ear drums. A fresh wave of adrenaline widened my eyes. I may have been on the other side, but I still had no idea where I was. The siren’s warning call only increased my desire to flee, but to where, I had no clue.

With my back against the door, I gripped my chest. Forcing my breath to slow, I wiped the sweat from my eyes. Cupping my face, I didn’t recognise myself. A swirling tangle of confusion formed in my very soul, a darkness overwhelming my senses.

My mind was a void, empty and echoing. Panic surged, threatening to drown me as I couldn’t remember why I was here. Above all else, a cold truth crawled over me.

“I don’t remember who I am,” I whispered.

 

Chapter 2

 

An emptiness cloaked me as I slumped against the door. A tingling crawled up my legs, sharpening into a shiver. The cold bit my skin, tiny bumps covering my forearm.

Pale green emergency lights rolled along the floor’s edges. For a moment, I swear I heard a hum calling me within the siren. It was as though something was herding me—willing me to stand.

Follow the lights, I finally thought.

Leaning into the door, I pulled myself up, gingerly edging along the smooth, sterile, white wall.

My gut churned as my body seemed to expand. Through short breaths, my eyes darted erratically.

“What the hell is this place?”

I couldn’t hear myself over the din, but I felt my voice tremble. Confusion cut like a knife, my stomach ready to burst.

Before I knew it, I was running through the empty hallways, the booming siren drowning out the world. The ground shuddered several times. Like a beating drum, the quakes pounded my feet, bouncing me into the walls more than once.

Every door I came to was locked—the keycard useless. “Where is everyone?” With my voice lost in the din, my mind began to split in two. My fingers tried to grip what little hair I had as I sank into myself against the wall.

Between my spinning vision and the shaking ground, it was all too much. I curled into a ball as a fresh layer of sweat coated me. “Just stop,” I whispered to myself.

In vain I squeezed my head to block everything out, but the pressure only intensified between my ears.

A sharp jerk pulled me to my feet. A woman dressed in a white lab coat—like the one I’d commandeered, only less ill-fitting—screamed in my face.

Her curly blonde hair and blue eyes should have been calming, but her dishevelled appearance cried panic. The siren drowned out her voice, but her fear was palpable, bleeding into my own.

She gripped my arm so tightly it pulsed with my heartbeat. She waved a small gun, motioning down the corridor.

She wasn’t threatening me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to follow either.

Locked in place, I stared at her gun. Noticing, she slid it into her pocket. I couldn’t hear what she said; the siren was too dominating.

She shook my shoulders. Despite my bouncing head, I caught her mouthing “Come on!”

When I didn’t respond, her face flushed a deeper shade of red. A sting slapped my cheek, blood returning to my mouth.

She placed her lips against my ear. “-Ound yo- snap ou- to go-” Her words were barely audible as her breath tickled my earlobe. Her urgency spilled into me, reigniting my sense of survival. I followed—what choice did I have?

She pulled me to a glass door that sectioned off the corridor, ‘H22’ branded above it. She swiped a keycard through a reader. Her face twisted in horror as the red light remained. I knew that feeling.

Her eyes widened as she repeatedly swiped the card. She screamed against the siren as she slammed her fist against the door, jiggling the handle.

Her eyes bore into mine. I couldn’t explain why, but I saw her as a young girl in my mind’s eye. Scared and lost, her pupils quivered in time with my own. I wanted to reach out toward her, but my arms remained by my side.

She washed her eyes over me, her brow twisting in confusion. As she settled her sights on my chest, her eyes sparkled with delight.

She pulled the keycard from my jacket, the extending cord too short as it pulled me along for the ride.

As the light turned green and the door opened, she radiated excitement, almost dancing through the door. I couldn’t explain what I saw behind her eyes, but it was almost heavenly. With a massive smile, she pulled me along.

The walls were darker, less clinical. Everything was in disrepair. Concrete walls were crumbling, twisted metal scattered the floor like scorched bones, and broken wires snapped electricity, casting sharp shadows.

Smoke hit the back of my throat again, conjuring the broken man I left behind.

The siren was sealed behind us—but its ghost trembled in my eardrums as a spinning red light warned of danger overhead.

“Finally,” the woman said, “I can hear myself think.” She scanned the corridor, twisting the side of her mouth. “God, I can’t wait to get away from this place.”

The woman frantically patted me down, her gaze darting over every inch of me. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she realised I wore nothing under the coat.

The sensation that surged left me wondering if I’d been better off back in the fire. The burning embarrassment that flooded my face was just as painful.

“Are you hurt?” she said softly.

I willed the blush from my cheeks, my questions flowing. “That coat. Do you work in the lab back there? Who are you?”

Her face softened, but a cautious fear rolled across her eyes. With a slack jaw and raised eyebrow, she asked, “What do you remember?”

My jaw clenched so hard I almost cracked a tooth. My fists balled as I scoured my shallow mind for anything beyond what just happened. A bottomless pit opened beneath me, swallowing every thought, every feeling, leaving nothing but the pitch-black of uncertainty.

“You’re my ticket out of here,” she snapped. “Answer me.”

I stalled, unsure if I should voice the truth.

She pulled me closer. A hint of perfume brushed against me. Its summery warmth prickled my cheeks as a brief, blurred image flashed in my mind. The memory was fleeting to the point I wasn’t even sure it was real.

“Please. Answer me.” Her voice was even softer as her eyes begged for a reply.

“Nothing. I don’t even remember who I am,” I admitted.

She let go of my oversized collar, taking a step back. “But you’re the contact, right?”

The woman rummaged through her pockets. The unrest strewn across her movements drew me closer as I fixated on her freckles.

“Who are you?” I asked.

She pulled several pieces of paper from her pockets, thumbing through them. “I’m Vesper,” she said, pulling a sheet from the pack.

Vesper held it up beside me, her brow relaxing. “You can’t be the wrong one.” The sigh she released laced with relief.

I snatched the paper from her and stared at the crumpled printout of a teenage boy. I traced the contours of my face. We shared dark hazel eyes, short dark brown hair, strong brow, and a defined jawline.

It’s me.

With both hands I gripped the paper, scanning every word in search of a name. “It doesn’t say who I am.” I ran my gaze over it again to double check. Nothing. I launched at Vesper, clutching her lab coat, “You must know who I am.”

She slowly raised her hands, placing them on mine. Gently, she pushed me away, speaking slowly, and softly. “Easy, now. Let’s take it down a notch, hmm?”

My core tightened. Like a loaded spring I was ready to explode at the slightest of movements.

“Take a breath,” she said. “I’m just here to get you out. Whatever’s going on, we can fix it.”

Between her softened eyes and voice, I couldn’t help but believe her. There was a genuineness to her that I couldn’t shift, but something still bothered me.

“Get me out?”

Vesper’s lower lip twitched as she glanced over my shoulder. “We don’t have the luxury of time. I’m not the only one looking for you.” She grabbed my arm, pulling me down the corridor.

“No!” I yelled. “I’m not going anywhere! Something’s not right.” The knot in my stomach twisted tighter. Every fibre of me burned, screaming bloody murder as I vibrated on the spot.

She held her palms out in surrender. “Look, I don’t have anything on you beside that picture. I just know if I get you out, I can get away from this star system for good. I don’t know what was going on in that lab, and I don’t want to know. Whatever batshit crazy experiments were taking place, I just want to get as far away from them as possible.”

Vesper gingerly held out her hand. “Please. I promise you’ll be safe with me.”

The ground rumbled. I had two choices: run or trust her. I needed answers. If she has my picture, someone must know who I am.

“Please,” she said. “I can help you.”

My brain turned to mush, swelled against my skull. The throb of indecision tore me in two. Can I trust her?

There was little choice. I was lost, and Vesper was offering salvation. Her smile pushed me over the edge. I took her hand.

We wove through the corroding corridors at a breakneck pace. Vesper seemed to know where she was going for the most part, but occasionally we hit a junction that caused her to look left and right a few times before she shot off again.

“We’re almost there,” she said.

My lungs burned as smoke began to line the top of the corridor, forcing us to hunch lower as we ran.

My mind wandered. I had the sense I was still running, but through a forest. The smoke became dense fog in my mind as a chill nipped at my skin.

Thoughts fractured. I couldn’t be sure if I was remembering something or repressing it.

Whatever it was, the thought evaporated as we drew closer to a siren, shifting reality back into focus. I hadn’t missed the deep tone reverberating through my skull, and this time it forced my heart into my throat too.

It had been far too quiet. We hadn’t passed a single person, and the siren only drew my attention to the fact.

My mouth turned to dust. The instinct to turn and run only built, but Vesper didn’t seem fazed.

We turned one last time, leaving the smoke behind us. A frosted glass door stood in our way. The siren on the other side clawed at my nerves as I strained to hear Vesper.

“Through here. There’s a ship waiting for us.” She motioned to the reader beside the door. “Your card.”

I glanced at its photo before swiping it through the reader. I hope I did the right thing. My blood turned to ice; bile rose in my throat. Shutting away the sensation, I opened the door.

Vesper ran out in front, pulling me behind her. There was so much noise. I gripped the side of my head as I squeezed my eyes, doubling over myself.

“No!” Vesper’s cry was cut short with a deafening bang.

My eyes snapped wide as I watched her slam against the glass door. Vesper’s blood smeared across the frosted glass as she slid to the ground in a crumpled mess, her once-white lab coat soaking crimson.

Time crawled as the shot echoed between my ears. The pounding of my heart drowned out the siren as the scent of her blood hit the back of my throat—my own flooding my cheeks as I bit down.

I turned, my heart threatening to burst through my ribs. A black figure stepped from the shadows, their face obscured behind a visor. My mind screamed to fight. Instinctively, I knew what to do, where to hit, how to stop them. I could see how it would all play out deep in my mind.

My body refused to obey—even as the figure trained their weapon on me with cold precision.

 

Chapter 3

 

My body stopped cooperating with my brain as two more figures appeared behind the shooter.

Although not identical, they were indistinguishable from one another. A smooth oval black helmet encapsulated their heads; although matte in finish, my dull face reflected in place of their own.

Their all-in-one suit of rubbery black ran into their helmets seamlessly. A dark grey belt ran diagonally across their torsos, forming a uniform of sorts.

Their suits clung to rippling musculature, yet they moved with the grace of gymnasts.

I became fixated with the white circular emblem on their upper right chest. A splinter in my mind burrowed deep as though it were a memory running from my consciousness.

My thoughts tuned to Vesper. She clearly wasn’t part of whoever they were, which only left me questioning what they wanted.

She did warn others were looking. I should have paid more attention.

I turned to Vesper’s lifeless body, her eyes wide as they stared blankly at nothing. My heart skipped as my chest tightened. She was trying to help me. I’m sure of it. The guilt merged with the memory of the man I’d left behind. Is this my fault?

I wanted to shut out the images behind my eyes, but I didn’t know how.

The world crawled as my mind raced at light speed. I could see the butt of a weapon flying toward me, but I didn’t care as I wished my mind to be still.

As it smashed into my temple, a flash of darkness carried relief, but it was short lived as my body fell. I prayed to black out. To feel nothing. But I had no choice but to suffer. In that moment, I just wanted it to end. To give up. Something wouldn’t let me.

White noise hummed between my ears as I struggled to focus. Without needing to reach for it, I could feel the sizeable lump that had formed.

Two of the rubbery soldiers hooked their arms under my armpits, lifting me as they dragged me away.

“You hit him too hard,” one said. “We’re supposed to keep him safe.”

“Just get him to the extraction point,” he replied.

My feet dragged along the ground, my skin grazing over shards of glass and rubble as they rushed me through another door into a large foyer.

Every one of my senses burned. It was all too much to process. The distant siren petered out as it was replaced with ballistics. Smoke lined the ceiling, billowing from under most doors.

Through the wall of glass that made up the foyer entrance, a dark purple sky was dirtied by clouds of greys and blacks. Moonlight cut through the murky air, casting rays of soft white-blue.

A waft of cold air blistered past, sliding up into my loose lab coat. Every hair on my body stood tall as my muscles tightened in a shiver. Stale, damp air mixed with burnt metal, the scent sickening.

Bullets shattered the glass front, exposing the battle that raged outside.

Everything blurred together as streaks of colour clashed. A strategic chess-like battle saw the brighter coloured suits push the black rubbery ones back, clearing a way out.

Between the bullets, zaps of electricity, and explosions, I wondered what they were fighting over. Something stirred in my chest, a dark resonance that froze my soul. Is this all my fault? Why can’t I remember! My fingernails dug into my palm as I clenched with rage.

A craft descended as five fighters dropped to the ground amid a flurry of bullets.

The men threw me over a counter as we took cover. They were protecting me, pushing my head down as another spray of bullets whistled overhead—why?

I was perplexed. Why would they kill Vesper, drag me across the floor, but want to keep me safe? Nothing made sense. Vesper. The rubbery soldiers. The skirmish around me. The world stung, cold and bitter. I couldn’t see how I belonged in such a harsh place.

“Mother needs him alive,” one of them said.

Mother—I didn’t know who they meant, but sweat seeped from every pore. My heart beat faster as I surged with a renewed sense of survival, willing me to run as far and as fast as I could.

They pulled their weapons from their belts—which were magnetised in place—firing bursts of ammo in retaliation.

They seemed to hold a calm and collected mindset as they settled into the fight, as though it were routine. Several explosions lit the night sky, the ground quaking as though giants were playing out of sight.

I fumbled around the floor as my eyes itched from all the dust and smoke. I thought I was remembering something. Something important. But it was just out of reach, taunting me. Are they fighting over me?

Two dark orbs bolted toward us. The fighter on my left shot one of them mid-air, exploding the projectile in a cloud of green smoke. The other, however, made it through. Landing six feet away, my heart skipped as the orb came to a dead stop. A glowing seam cracked open around its equator.

I tried to scream, to jump away, but I couldn’t. It was as though the orb was calling me, ordering me to stay down.

The world dissolved into white silence. My lungs seized as the air turned to syrup. Every muscle in my body contracted as the numbness was purged from my being. As reality faded back, a man shot the two rubbery fighters at point-blank range. Their head wounds oozed a pale-yellow liquid as they fell.

The man turned to me. Expecting a bullet for myself, I clenched my eyes tight as I curled into a ball, unable to fight the shakes that rattled my bones.

“I’m not going to hurt you!” the man shouted over the fighting. “Where’s Vesper? She got you out, right?”

I stared blankly at the man. I didn’t know what to think. My mouth dried as I recalled her motionless corpse. “She’s dead.” My voice was croaky, on the edge of breaking.

“No… She can’t be.” He drove his fingers into my shoulders. “Where is she? What happened?” A pang of regret fired through his face.

I tried to explain, but I wasn’t sure I was making any sense. He punched the ground before shaking his head. He took a deep breath, locking his eyes with mine. “Was it quick?”

I nodded. “It all happened so fast. She didn’t have time to react.”

He brushed a finger under his nose, nodding slightly to himself. “So she didn’t suffer. Good.” He looked me over. “We need to get you out of here.”

Why is everyone so interested in me? I couldn’t fathom what was unfolding. Lost within myself, I could only ask one thing. “Who are you?”

With a deadpan expression, he said, “They call me Dojan.” He looked to the fallen men in black. “And I wasn’t the one dragging you against your will.” His cocky smile reminded me of Vesper. Can I trust him too?

I almost laughed. Trust seemed so foreign, I failed to find a response.

His uniform was form fitting like the black rubbery ones, but his was colourful and tailored. Like the others, his outfit was an all-in-one suit, but stopped under his chin—his head exposed.

The main body of the outfit was a royal blue, accented with a silvery shade over his spine, abdomen, arms, knees, and feet.

He offered his hand to help me up as the wind ruffled his mahogany hair. There was a harshness to his rugged face, but his eyes were soft and gentle.

Unsure, I gave him my hand.

Wasting no time, he hoisted me up, making a beeline for the craft he had dropped from. It was a blocky metallic box—not too dissimilar to that of a shipping container—with four movable thrusters on the underside holding it in place.

Two sliding doors were being held back, the fighters retreating to its safety. As we approached, a woman hung out the hatch, calling to us. “Dojan, where’s Vesper!”

“She’s gone!”

“No! We have to go back for her!”

“Leave it, Willow. We can’t. They’re coming.”

He bundled me aboard, practically throwing me into a chair.

“He better be the right one!” Willow said to Dojan.

He stared me down as he buckled me into the seat, pulling the straps tighter than I would have liked. As his eyes bore into mine, his expression shifted. “Tell me your name, kid?”

An uneasy feeling sank in my gut as I wrestled with my thoughts to decipher who I was. I balled my fists, clenching my jaw as I searched for something, anything. I didn’t care what, I just wanted to remember something. A name. A place. Anyone else.

“I… I don’t know.” The admission was bitter on my tongue.

Willow looked concerned, anger colouring her cheeks. “If Vesper died for the wrong——”

“Save it!” Dojan snapped. He returned his gaze to me. “What do you remember?”

My encounter with Vesper replayed deep within my mind. She asked me the same thing. Whatever I had seemingly forgotten must have been important.

Dojan must have read the conflict in my face as I failed to catch the splinter burrowing deeper out of reach.

He vigorously shook me. “What do you remember!”

I paused, our gaze locked. “I don’t remember anything.”

Willow threw herself into another seat. She pounded her fist a few times into the armrest before burying her face into her hands.

“Get us out of here!” Dojan called to the pilot as he buckled himself in.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Moonbase Echo. Hold on. It’s going to be a bumpy ride through Earth III’s atmosphere this time.”

As gravity sucked me into my seat, I wish I had. Blasting away from the carnage, I couldn’t shake the feeling something was waiting for me on the moon. Something that would change everything—if we survived the journey.