Monroe slowly turned the sleep chamber switch to off and watched attentively as Delilah gently awoke. She was beautiful, a splendid vision of youth and glamour. She moved quietly from her sleeping tube and told Monroe, "Good Morning."
Monroe smiled and watched as she walked quickly from the chamber to the dressing area. In the chamber, a person could forget they were on a spacecraft. The area was designed as a giant room. It came complete with a large sleeping quarter. There were dressers and closets. They had all the amenities of home, even a large, four poster bed.
The room resembled a normal bedroom on Earth except for the two sleeping tubes. The bed was used primarily for lovemaking. It was interesting to have so much room in space as each person had only brought a small amount of clothes. Their environment was germ-free so they never were unclean. An individual never had to bathe.
Monroe watched as Delilah walked by. She slowly slipped off her nightclothes and smiled. Monroe just sat and stared as she got dressed for the day. He may not have been happy with her personality, however, he felt she was magnetic in her appearance.
Monroe felt guilty about their relationship. He wondered if she knew it was he who put her to sleep and he who gave her the opportunity to awaken.
Monroe walked toward the front of the spacecraft and peered out the bay window. Space sat motionless in front of him. It reminded him of a lost existence, totally without purpose. At the beginning of the mission, he had been optimistic. Ra-tin had appeared virtually out of nowhere. Scientist discovered it in a region they had already charted by mega-telescope. However, a scientist from the North Country had found it one day by accident.
Observing an area he had mapped before, he noticed a small planet near the edge of the Comm-Data universe. It was a new planet or one past technology had not been able to detect. After the discovery was confirmed by World Space personnel, Monroe was chosen for the mission.
He was excited about the possibilities, but after nearly two years of study with no success, he had prepared himself for the worst. He believed it would be another futile attempt, years lost for nothing. As he turned around to grab a cup of coffee, the ship was suddenly slammed forward. He was thrown from his seat and fell to the hard, metallic floor. He looked up and saw that Delilah was also lying on the floor, her head bleeding and she was apparently unconscious. The ship ripped ahead at a rapid pace.
Monroe pulled himself toward Delilah and tried to asses her condition. She was breathing but had obviously suffered a hard blow to the head. The force was such that Monroe could no longer move easily. He pulled himself up to look out the front window. He saw the sights of stars and meteors flying by him at a greater rate of speed then he had ever experienced.
There was a flash of brilliant light, brighter than a thousand suns. A light so bright that Monroe closed his eyes tightly to blind himself from the pain. The heat was unbearable and perspiration sprung through his clothes. He heard an explosion. His eyes opened and the stars of the heavens flew before him. He was paralyzed but struggled to keep himself propped up to observe the chaos. The light had lost its intensity and he could focus on the activity before him.
His eyes beheld the majesty of a unknown atmosphere. A wonderful, blue sky appeared from the heavens out of the darkness. And below him stood a planet covered by flowing clear water. Suddenly, out of the water appeared land and vegetation. Bright green trees stood tall from the land as the ship approached the planet at a hurried pace.
The ship jerked suddenly and Monroe looked at the ships controls. The automatic landing pattern has managed to kick in. The ship with the ease of a child would detect a landing spot and slowly touch down as it had done for missions over the last three generations.
Monroe was now able to tend to Delilah. During the panic, he had almost forgotten about his mate.
The craft made a loud thud as it slowly touched down. Monroe walked toward the front of the ship and was stunned at his discovery. The controls all read normal, as if the trip had been accelerated but stayed completely undisturbed. Outside he saw a fantastic garden - trees and vegetation as far as the eye could see.
He was not sure if he was on Ra-tin but the controls gave him that impression. He walked over to Delilah, who was regaining consciousness. He placed a wet rag on her head and had her lay back on the couch. He walked slowly over to the supply room and removed the outer-departmental suit designed for his trip.
Even though the scientist’s experiments at World Space gave the impression that Ra-tin would be an adaptable planet, no risks were taken. Using the meters located on the ship, Monroe was able to monitor the atmosphere outside. The readings were strange and shocking. The atmosphere was compatible to that of Earth. Monroe ran the test five times to validate the results. Each test was conclusive. The atmosphere was perfect for human living.
Monroe stood perplexed. Even on the most atmosphere friendly planets, there was a need for protective clothing. There was always some strange mix that wouldn’t allow a traveler to visit without the use of the outer-departmental suit. The air would have no oxygen or too much oxygen. The temperatures would be too cold or hot. Monroe pondered the possibilities of Ra-tin, the user friendly planet.
Monroe still prepared the suit for his use. The end of the trip had been wild and reckless. Monroe grabbed the radio before dressing in the suit. The communication was cloudy but Monroe’s heart raced as he made contact with World Space. The voice on the other end was frantic.
"Monroe, we thought we had lost you. What happened? Our screens showed your ship gaining speed at a rapid pace. The people here at World Space thought that some force sucked you into a space warp."
"I don’t know what happened." replied a confused Monroe. "The ship just took off."
The voice on the other end paused for a moment and then continued. "Monroe, personnel is saying the force probably cut three months off your trip. The amazing part is that it appears you’ve stayed on course. The best we can tell, you are on Ra-tin. It’s amazing."
"I don’t know if its amazing, but it is hard to believe."
"Listen," the voice from the other side said. "Commander Henderson would like to speak to you."
Henderson came over the radio. "Monroe what in God’s name happened, man?"
"Nothing I know of, sir." answered Monroe. "Nothing I could tell you about."
"And how is the Delilah?" asked the Commander.
" She’s fine." Monroe said, while looking at the sleeping girl.
"Tests, have you been able to run any tests?" asked the impatient commander.
"Affirmative, and get a load of this, they’re perfect."
"Perfect?" replied Henderson.
"Yes, absolutely earth friendly," Monroe stated.
His comments were met with silence and then a warning. "Be careful. The instrumentation could have been destroyed."
"Understood," said Monroe. "Well, contact us when all is confirmed." With that World Space signed off. Monroe chuckled to himself. He thought that an hour ago they were worried and now it’s business as usual.
Monroe gathered his suit and looked at Delilah. She was getting up and walking toward the front of the ship. Even ruffled, Monroe was mesmerized by her beauty.
He placed the suit on carefully and walked toward the hatch door and pushed the open button. The hatch opened slowly and stairs led out to the ground. In front of Monroe, stood the greatest beauty he had ever seen. Trees towering towards the heavens. They were the most vivid green and brown colors known to man. He stepped from the ship and heard the rustle of emerald grass beneath his feet.
And then in one magical second, he saw the event of his life. Out of the corner of one man’s tired eyes, he spied a small brown and white deer slipping into the woods from the meadow. Major Monroe was the first man from the planet Earth to ever see life on another planet. And it wasn’t an amoebae or a single cell life. It was a living, breathing animal. A deer or least that what they used to call them. It has been a thousand years since anyone had seen one. They, like most wild animals, were extinct. They lost the war of technology. The only animals left were in zoos and they were used as experiments or sideshows.
Monroe eyes became more focused and he saw more deer run in and out of the woods. His heart raced steadily. He observed birds and other wildlife and in this instant he understood that Ra-tin was to be enjoyed. He looked around and realized he was luckiest man in the entire world or worlds.
He slowly removed the helmet to his suit and became the first human to ever breathe the life of another civilization. His lungs expanded with the sweet, fresh air. Air so pure, it had never been breathed by man - the honey sweet air of a new day.
Monroe walked toward a brook that ran through the meadow and removed the life support suit. The cool breeze felt good on his skin. He stood naked near the water and washed his body. He could feel the burn on his face from the entry to Ra-tin. The cold water stung his burnt face. It had been nearly two years since Monroe had felt the vigor of a cold shower and he cupped the water in his hands and let it run down his head and face.
He stood in the water and looked at the quietness. Only the sounds of the beast and fowl, interrupted the beauty of the silence. He saw doves, bluebirds, and even crickets moving about. They were undisturbed by his presence.
He ran back to the ship to let Delilah know of his great discovery. He found her sitting on the couch waiting. She was stunned as he entered the ship totally naked. "Monroe, what has happened?" she asked in total confusion. "Has the trip driven you mad?"
"Just the opposite," said Monroe. "This place is absolutely the most beautiful place in all the universes, those known and unknown. Come see." Monroe shouted.
Delilah ran behind him as he headed back toward the brook. She followed him in the water as he frolicked uncontrollably. Monroe was not sure of the what or why of Ra-tin, but he knew he could feel the power of a new day. He rushed over to Delilah and removed her clothes. She was shy about her nakedness and looked around.
"My love, we are alone or so it appears." Monroe reassured his mate. She moved uneasily in the water. Monroe realized that she had shame and humility, not necessarily attributes he thought Delilah would possess. He told her the names of all the animals he saw. He remembered them from science class. Monroe loved the stories of animal’s roaming free, but he thought those days had past. Now, today the dreams of a thousand years had came true.
A bright ball of fire resembling the sun was beginning to set in the west and Monroe and Delilah returned to the ship. It had been hours since Monroe had spoken to World Space. He picked up the transmitter and spoke. He was disappointed when there was an answer. "Man, where have you been? WS has lost their minds!" the voice on the other side said. The friendly voice was interrupted by Commander Henderson. " What in J.J. Johanna is going on up there?" The world is waiting on you and you take your time."
The words were broken by silence. After an uncomfortable pause, Henderson asked, "well, tell me about the atmosphere and the planet." Our reading are coming back to HQ as perfect, just as you stated. It took a couple of hours but we managed to get our controls on your ship working again. Well?"
"The readings are good, like I said," answered Monroe Then in an instant, he looked at Delilah, who was naked and wet. He smiled. "But, it’s a desert. Absolutely nothing here. It will take me days to investigate, but I see no signs of life." He looked at Delilah and she smiled back nervously.
"Well, tomorrow there will be a major news conference on our discovery," countered Henderson. You will need to feed the data into the computer with the detailed report."
"I will," responded Monroe as he hung up the radio.
"Why, do you look so sad?" asked Delilah.
"Don’t you see?" questioned Monroe. " When WS gets word of this, they will just come here and gum up the works. They’ll probably turn it in to a tourist attraction or sell it off to the rich. We don’t even know yet, if anyone else is here."
"True," she said, "but they will never ruin this."
"Right," replied Monroe, and "they never sell anything for a profit. Fortunately, they never expected us to find anything and it will take us days to get any real information. Unfortunately, they will just tell people what they want to hear in the meantime, so everyone will be on pins and needles until they get the hard data."
As the days progressed, Monroe continued to spend his days ignoring World Space and their demands. He and Delilah gathered the data from the space encyclopedia and journeyed through the area naming the creatures everywhere. They were amazed at the vegetation. Everywhere they looked, they had food to eat and water to drink. The land was perfect and at night when the world was silent, Monroe could hear the darkness speaking to him. He saw a plan for the area and himself.
He knew that Delilah was becoming the mate he had always wanted. The trip and the land had made her independent. She showed all the emotions of any true human. Monroe also knew that for the first time, when he looked at her, he saw a women, a beautiful women. He saw her and felt an emotion he had never felt before, love.
As he sat next to the ship, he wondered how long he could put WS off. He contemplated why they had not made any arrangements to send others. Surely, after all this time, they must have known that the environment was perfect for living.
Monroe walked into the ship. It was empty now. All the furnishing had been transferred to a place Monroe found near the cove. It was a cave overlooking a waterfall. However, once inside it was a lavish palace. Its floors were covered in marble and sunlight shined through the clear but sturdy ceiling. Monroe stumbled upon the dwelling on one of his many discovery trips. Monroe fell in love with the home immediately and suggested that they move there. Delilah was more than happy to comply.
He turned the radio on and transmitted. As usual, a hungry voice responded from the other side. This time it was Henderson. "My boy, the world is waiting. Anything new?"
"No, just the same." Monroe knew the next words would be his trump card. "The ship has been damaged extensively, I don’t think I can make it back home."
There was still silence from the other side and then a question. "Monroe are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Well, here is our problem," Henderson said officially. "During the last part of the trip your homing device was knocked out. We can’t pinpoint your exact location. We believe you’re on Ra-tin but we are not really sure where. Now, don’t panic, there should be a back-up system. On the right hand panel, there is a switch marked Space Station 1. See if it is connected."
Monroe looked under the compartment and saw two wires slightly broken apart. He smiled and grabbed the radio. "It’s totally destroyed. I am sorry."
"Don’t be sorry, boy. The scientists said the last few minutes of your trip is garbled on their computers. Even though, you made your destination we are not sure how. The data gives the impression that a portal needs to be gained to get into Ra-tin."
"And?" questioned Monroe.
"Well, if we don’t know where you are, we are not sure we can gather the information to find you. Even if we make the planet, we don’t know if we can locate you. All we know is that the original orbit we diagrammed for your mission was not followed completely and without your location we are not sure if we can repeat your mission."
"Really," said Monroe. "You don’t know where I’m actually at?"
"No, son we don’t, but..."
And with that, Monroe cut off the radio. The silence was golden. He left the ship and returned to Delilah. He told her of the news from home. She was nervous, but happy. Monroe spent his evening outside his dwelling looking at the stars and talking to the powers of the universe. Monroe was complete for the first time in his life. He loved Delilah and they spent their days moving and living among the animals.
One night after a day of gathering food, Delilah lay next to her man. "Monroe, I love all we have here, all we are together. I wish I could give you something special."
Monroe looked deep into her eyes. "My love, you are all I need. What else could I ask for?"
"A child."
Monroe was shocked. Delilah had become more alive everyday. Her thoughts and wants were growing. "A child," he repeated.
"Yes, a child," she said softly. "It’s the one thing we can’t have."
"Nonsense," Monroe answered. "You are my everything, my only thing."
"I know," she said and drifted off to sleep.
Later, the next afternoon, Delilah slipped away from their home. She traveled far from the tranquillity. She walked into the clearing to their starship. It had been forbidden. The only place Monroe had told her not to go. She entered the ship and sat down. She looked around at the hollow shell. In front of her rested the radio, just as it had been left.
She had seen Monroe use it on many occasions. She reached over to turn it on. She still wondered what had happened to Earth. The radio was quiet for several minutes and then in an instant a quiet voice was heard. A voice that did not expect an answer.
"Monroe are you there? Can you hear me?" It was Henderson. He sounded tired. "Monroe we need you. The last two years have been terrible. The earth is at war. There is awful destruction. Answer and those of us at World Space can join you. Listen, I come here everyday and beg you to answer me. Are you there?"
An angry silence followed. Then suddenly, very suddenly a change in direction from Henderson. He was calmer now. His voice soothed. "Delilah are you there? Are you?" Her ears perked at her own name. "Delilah, your family is waiting for you. Your mother and father are concerned about your well-being."
Delilah felt nervous energy spring from her body. She took the radio and transmitted. "Mr. Henderson?"
"Yes, Yes," the voice answered excitably. "I am here."
"What has happened on earth? Is everyone okay?"
"Yes, Delilah. All I need for you to do is to fix the homing device. It is easy, just follow my directions. Open the compartment on the right hand side of the control panel."
Delilah slowly followed his directions.
"What do you see?" asked Henderson.
"Two wires pulled apart."
"Well, take the wires and place them together. Then in six months we can be together. That’s right six months. Our technology has grown so fast we can be there almost immediately. Just fix the wires."
Delilah sat in silence as Henderson continued. "Fix the wires and all that you want will be yours."
Delilah placed the two wires together. A twist and in a moment she heard the jubilation. "Great, my woman. We have you locked in. In six months, the scientists of the world will be there. There is so much we can do. Earth has become unbearable and now you’ve given us a chance in your world. Our mission is complete."
The radio fell silent. Delilah walked out toward the brook where she and Monroe had gone swimming on their first day. She gathered the clothes she had left there undisturbed that day and placed them back on. She suddenly felt sadness beyond any she has ever felt.
Monroe stood by their palace and watched as Delilah returned. He was saddened to see her dressed. His heart sank as he asked, "you went to the starship?"
She looked down and said, "yes."
"How long?" Monroe asked.
"Six months," she stated.
Monroe moved back into their home and placed his issued clothes on and they both walked back toward the starship. As he entered, his eyes welled with tears. He rubbed the radio’s inscription and cried. It was the best communication device in the universe, the Space Aero Tech Navigator 1. SATN 1 for short. It reminded him of a story and he felt the tears run down his cheek.
Delilah sat in the captain’s chair of the spacecraft. It was her rightful home. She was the commander of the craft. She opened the compartment next to the homing device and saw the switch for the android download. She looked sadly at Monroe. He had been a good companion, but the mission was done. He had served his purpose.
Delilah stared over at Monroe and watched the passiveness on his face. She understood that since their arrival on Ra-tin that he had appeared so human that even she forgot his purpose. However, the mission was completed and her fellow scientists would be arriving to share this new Utopia.
Monroe braced himself as he laid in his sleeping tube, never saying another word. Delilah flipped the switch to off and Monroe fell back to sleep never to dream again. His android world was gone forever.
Bio:I reside in Newport News, VA and admire the writing of Edger Allen Poe and John Steinbeck. I am a new web-fanatic and enjoy the thought of its endless possibilities. I have been previously published in The Poet's Edge Magazine, The Daily Press and Poemata. Your comments on my story are welcomed.
E-mail: jsdasj@hroads.net
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