The Year of 2152

Chapter 1

The year is 2152. Global Warming was first discovered in the year of 1980.  In 2050 there were over 10 million people living on Earth. 2076 the highest temperature for Europe has now reached to 55 degrees. On Thursday 14th July 2098 Dr Leon Knockmen announced the rate of which Earths only supply of water would soon be no more.  His expectation date, the year 2202.  My name is Akayla Patel and I work for Green Circle HQ.  Green Circle is an international company based in New Europe.  It was founded in 2104 after Dr L.H Mark discovered the latest new galaxy.  The Cosmic Cycle.   The Cosmic Cycle research lab was invested first by multi billionaire Christopher Lonshare CEO of Lonshare industries.  Within the years following Dr Mark and his team researched The Cosmic Cycle and discovered its occupation of 13 planets within its solar system orbiting around one star. A star which is very similar to our Sun.  Confirmation arrived that the star would indeed enable growth on the surrounding plants.  Plant GLF4702 was number 7 in the line of investigations.  Planet GLF4702 contained the much needed supply of clean water.  Planet GLF4702 is the Green Planet and our only hope for humanities survival.  I am applicant number 08034592 and tomorrow I will be on the fifth human trial group into the Cosmic Cycle.  I will go with a handful of other applicants.  My mission is to find planet GLF4702.  None of the previous four human group trials have ever successfully reached the Green Planet.  My death is secured.  Alone with people I don’t know and cold, along with the possibility of starvation.  I do not know what will await me in The Cosmic Cycle.  All I know is that I am terrified.  20 Years of life to die out there in space.  My only reward and payment is the guaranteed place that my family will have on the Cosmic Ship which will travel to the Green Planet once success has been established.  My spaceship will launch in exactly 2 months’ time.  This day will be the last of my life with my family before I enter into the secret confines of Green Cycle HQ.

                Climbing out of the bed slowly I begin to stretch my limbs.  It can be sore and difficult to sleep on a single bed with my two younger siblings. Josh is only four years of age and CholA is seven.  With a quick glance I turn to look at them both.  CholA is lying with her head at the bottom of the bed, her mouse brown hair reaching down to her shoulders and the gentle rise and fall of her chest can be seen from my position at the edge of the bed.  Josh is curled up on his right side and the clear indent of where I was lying beside him is more than clear.  I can’t help but smooth his blonde silky hair away from his face.  My sacrifice is for both of them, in the hope that they will have a future greater than what would be left for them here.  My life will pay for their future just as it has given us the extra income that my family and I have needed in order to survive up until this point.

I make my way out of the small room and into the communal area to find my mother effetely trying to start that fire.  Today’s breakfast will consist of the usual half bowl of porridge, paid with by the few coins I receive each week which were only meant to feed and clothe myself.  But how could I stand by and watch my family starve without doing all I could for them. 

“Where is he?” I ask.  She knows all too well who I am asking for. 

“Your dad is asleep still.  Lord knows there is nothing else he can do.” She sighs.

My lips form a tight frown.  I know all too well.

When the population began to rapidly increase over the last century, jobs began to be even fewer than before.  The rich would have machines that required little maintenance to partake in the jobs they needed to be done in their factories and industries.

She turns to face me.  “I’m making your favourite tonight for supper.”  And in those few words she has said more behind them than we would both like to admit.  The tears begin to form in her eyes and as they begin to flow from her face she takes a quick step towards me which I reciprocate back and we both enter into the bond of mother and daughter with a tight hug that expresses more than mere words can say.

“You’ll be okay mum, I know you will.”  I inhaled the scent of her knowing it would be one of my last with her.

                To spend a day with your family and know that you would never relive those moments again in the flesh was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, knowing that I would leave and never come back to them was breaking my heart, but what choice did I have if I wanted them to survive?  I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly.  Dawn was vastly approaching and soon they would be here to collect me.  I had little to bring, what use would it be to me.  But I left a note where I had just slept on the bed.

“I love you all so dearly and you will always be in my heart, please be happy.

Your Daughter and Sister, Akayla”

                The journey to Green Cycle HQ was one of the longest of my life.  The jeep rode easily through the quiet roads and I finally found myself in front of the huge building that is made up with white walls and multiple windows, the sheer height of this building required you to stretch your neck back to enable your eyes to look up at it.  I couldn’t help the sinking feeling I got as I arrived closer to the double glass doors.  Everything about this building was strange and foreign to me.  It was so light and airy inside and contained nothing but the best furniture in the large reception hall.  Completely different when I compare it to the small build stone house I lived in with my family.

Passing the decorative fountain I couldn’t help but think how iconic it was of them to have this, to waste the water which people needed in order to survive.  I guess money really could buy you anything you wanted.  Reaching my destination of the counter where the dark haired woman sat with the painted smile on her, she asked me politely “How can I help you today Miss..?”

I couldn’t help but stare; she looked so radiant and alive, with her full cheeks and the blush on them along with the smooth clothes she wore, so much different than my mother and the other women in our town.  It seems to be true that the people living within the city are much richer than us town people.  I felt my cheeks heat up at the thought of how my own clothes and appearance must look to her.  Glancing down I saw myself wearing my black trousers and the faded red top before lifting my head up to answer her.

“My name is Akayla Patel, applicant number 08034592.”

She rose from her chair so swiftly and elegantly.  “We have been expecting you Miss Patel, please follow me.”

I didn’t have much chance to nod before she made of down one of the many corridors.  After many twists and turns, stairs and doors we finally arrived at a very large room.  The woman went inside first thus blocking my view but as she soon introduced me and stepped aside for me to enter I then saw the room in its entirety.  It looked to be a couple of acres wide containing many spaceships and a lot of space equipment with a lot of people in long white coats walking around carrying notes of information.  But my thoughts were soon brought to a close as my name was called by a man and my hand was soon grasped into his rough one.

“Miss Patel, it’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Wyatt Reid and I will be the Captain on our spaceship on course to The Green Planet.”  He gave me a soft small.

I momentarily got lost in his smile and his blue eyes before replying.

“Please..call me Akayla.” I replied while trying my best to ignore the butterfly’s that seemed to fly around in my stomach.  Those were feelings that I just couldn’t afford to feel.

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