The sleek, black Tesla pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the Mars Desert Research Station. It's once gleaming paint now coated with a fine layer of red dust from the Utah desert. Even before the Model X's door had completely opened, Elon Musk stepped out, ducking under the falcon wing as it rose towards the cloudless sky. His shoes, which also started out shiny and black, were likewise soon covered in red dust as he strode towards the station.
Elon loved it. It felt so right. This place, remote by most standards, felt all the more alien compared to the sprawling expanse of San Francisco, which he had left that morning. He looked up at the sky, the blue so much more intense at this high elevation and relative lack of humidity. The blue set off an incredible contrast with the vast expanse of red desert. Bizarre hoodoos and rock formations dotted the horizon, the quintessential picture when humans think about Mars. Southern Utah felt so right. He felt at home here. Elon grinned, the irony was not lost on him.
A line of MDRS crew gathered outside the main building of the station. As Elon strode forward to meet them he could see awestruck faces in the group. He felt like a foreign dignitary, and although he appreciated the admiration, he certainly hoped his fame would not interfere with the crew approaching him with their ideas or concerns. Fame could be a double-edged sword.
After introductions were made the MDRS Director bounced over to share the latest finding of the station. His whole body was quivering in anticipation. He reminded Elon of those small dogs that shiver when they get excited. Hopefully he wouldn't pee on the ground. Good thing they were outside. Elon snapped out of his intrusive thoughts as the director began to speak.
"Mr. Musk, thank you again for visiting us and for your most generous donation. It means everything to the crew and myself. The reason we asked you to visit is that we have some very exciting news!"
He paused for dramatic effect, still quivering. Elon couldn't resist the urge to check the ground for urine.
"We've discovered a solution to mitigate the perchlorate concentrations in the soil!"
Elon's eyes snapped up and focused on the director. The guy was still shaking like a leaf, but Elon could understand his excitement.
"Show me."
For the rest of the day, the MDRS crew showed Elon their findings as well as other research projects and data from the station. It was an inspiring day, filled with a crew who shared his excitement and hope for the future. As the sun set in a dazzling red and gold haze in the West, Elon bade the crew farewell. Although dining and places to stay were limited in this remote area, he had decided to stay the night and leave the next morning. His SpaceX facility in Texas could wait while he took a rare indulgence of time for himself.
XxXxXxXxX
Elon Musk stared up at the night sky. Space stared back. The vast expanse resplendent with glittering stars and the thin crescent of a waxing moon. The Milky Way was a glorious display of light arching across the southern horizon. As he stared, a few shooting stars raced across the sky. His heart soared as though connected to the meteors as they burned up in Earth's atmosphere. He shivered, not so much from the cold but from the sheer beauty before him. It was like the chills you get from listening to music. Transcendent.
Having lived for so long in big cities, Elon missed seeing the clear night sky. No smog, no light pollution, just intense darkness and the light of countless stars. It was fortunate that he was visiting when the moon was so small, just a silver crescent that did little to impact the darkness. He smiled at the moon. She was a beautiful satellite. He knew his own Starlink satellites were orbiting earth, miles overhead, offering some rare connectivity to this remote Utah desert.
As if on cue his phone pinged. Reluctantly, Elon pulled his eyes away from the glorious sky as he looked down at the harsh blue light of the screen. He saw a message from his assistant.
<VIP requesting a personal tour of the Tesla Design Factory on Thursday.>
<I'm at SpaceX on Thursday. Reschedule or have Franz lead the tour.>
<She specifically requested you. And I promised her agent that you would meet her. Your calendar shows you at Tesla Wednesday through Friday, was that an error?>
<No error. Flying to the Giga Factory in Austin Wednesday night and spending all of Thursday and Friday split between Austin and Boca Chica. Who is the VIP?>
<Ariana Grande>
Elon paused as he stared at his phone. Ariana Grande. The singer? Was she into cars? He doubted it, but it was possible that she wanted a backdrop of a working factory or a fleet of cars for a music video or some other project. It seemed unlikely, and even if that were true it wouldn't be her asking for a private tour. It would simply be a business transaction. So why was she asking for him personally? This didn't make sense.
<Did her manager say why she wanted to visit the factory?>
<No sir, only that she wanted a factory tour and she only wanted you.>
Elon had a feeling his assistant was playing to his ego, but he still felt confused as to why a pop star would want a factory tour. Maybe best not to overthink it. It was possible that she was into cars or tech. Other than hearing her songs on the radio he didn't really know much about her.
He pulled up X on his phone and nope, account not found. Deactivated in 2021. When in doubt, Google it. But Google News didn't shed much clarity on the question at hand. He read through article titles of a breakup, fashion blogs, new music and a new movie. Apparently some stir over a controversial relationship then the dissolution of that relationship. Her clapping back via her album. Elon smirked. She was scrappy. But still nothing that would hint as to why she would want a personal Tesla factory tour.
Well he certainly wasn't a huge Instagram fan, but he did have a secret, private account. He pulled up the app and found her account. Wow, she was pretty. He tried to not get distracted by all her images as he scrolled. Mostly images from her new music video and studio shots. The posts didn't really shed any light at all, then a new story notification.
He tapped it and a photograph popped up with the caption, "So Scandalous" But he didn't actually read the caption. He was staring at the beautiful woman on his screen. She wasn't just pretty and he wasn't just distracted. He was starstruck. She was stunning. Like art come to life. And the most heartbreakingly beautiful eyes, that somehow seemed both innocent and seductive at the same time. She was an intoxicating contradiction. Sun and moon combined. Just his type. She wants a factory tour and she only wants you...
Elon gasped, only now realizing that he had been holding his breath. He looked back up at the moon and willed himself not to get carried away. Stop it. She doesn't want you. She wants to see what a car factory looks like. You mean nothing to her, you're just the Tesla guy. She's a stranger and here you are, a stupid man lusting over a pretty young woman. So cliche. He was not a stupid man, but he was often foolish. And very foolish in love. No, don't think like that. It's lust. Of course it is. She's young and gorgeous and so full of life, and-and-and this, this is just nature talking. You are programmed to want her. It's just your limbic system trying to procreate. Fool... But damn.
Almost unwillingly, Elon looked back at his phone. Yep, limbic system was hitting hard, triggering endocrine function and flooding him with hormones. Fuck. He needed to get laid. It had been a while. He was just so busy with work. And wasn't that the most Elon thing ever, he thought self-deprecatingly. He will go to bed alone again tonight.
Elon scanned the night sky, hoping to see a few more shooting stars. He should know better. He was a dreamer. Wishful thinking had gotten him into more problems than he cared to count. Besides, he didn't need wishes. He would make his own destiny. Other men could count on luck. He worked for his dreams even if they killed him. He would create the future he wanted. He had a mission.
Elon looked down at his phone one last time. She was just a distraction... a beautiful distraction.
What the heck? It was just a factory tour right? He was blowing this simple thing way out of proportion, which was definitely the most Elon thing ever. Before he could think about it any more he shot off the text.
<I'll be in LA next Wednesday. Schedule the tour then.>
<Done>
Elon swiped his phone to silent mode and shoved it back in his pocket. He would, of course, still get emergency notifications so it wasn't as though he had actually disconnected from the world. But he shouldn't get social media notifications pinging his phone and causing another spiral. If only he had such self-control on other nights. Maybe he should move to Utah. The martian-like landscape and heavenly night sky were doing wonders to his stress levels. He breathed in and out.
Elon's thoughts and ideas were usually like constant explosions. Fireworks bursting one after another. Relentless, tumultuous, a never-ending storm. This place was a source of silence for the chaos that was his mind. His children could also quiet the mayhem... sometimes. He imagined a home in Southern Utah. Land was so absurdly cheap here. He could have an escape for himself and his whole family. What a simple life that could be.
It would not happen. His life was anything but simple. And his mission was to help mankind reach the stars. He couldn't just look at them. He had to reach out to them. To claim them. They had been calling to him all his life. He had always felt lonely and lost. But the stars gave him hope. Hope, wonder, and a direction. Even when everyone told him that his dreams were crazy and unrealistic, he kept looking up.
Another shooting star raced across the sky, a glorious blaze of light. So breathtakingly beautiful then gone like it had never truly been there at all. Despite himself he thought about Ariana. Beautiful star. Why not make a wish? Elon was a dreamer after all.