"That's enough for today. Nice work!" Esther high fived Demeter after she aced another quiz during their homeschooling session. She had blazed through all of the basic coursework in the first couple of months on the team and was chugging along with intermediate material now. Professor Thanes even nicknamed her "Wiz" which she thought was silly coming from such a genius.
The truth was Demeter didn't have much free time these days. When she wasn't getting home schooled or contributing in the research lab she had made a habit of studying science course material that was years ahead of her even if she didn't really understand it. That was partially because she knew she'd have to breach the material someday and really wanted to catch up to the rest of the research team, the members of which were all at least 10 years older than her. The other reason was because it kept her from her other, possibly less healthy habit of parsing through the countless files and documents that had been publicly released pertaining to the Pilgrimage. Demeter knew she might never be able to get through everything, but she had this feeling she couldn't shake. It was like an itch in her mind; a tapping on her heart. Demeter had no idea what she was looking for, but couldn't let the idea of her parents and brother go. Maybe she could find some detail or some clue. It might not bring them back. It might not mean they were alive, but maybe she could find some closure in that endless digital library.
"Uh, Demeter?" Esther seemed surprised that Demeter was still sitting there above her open textbooks. Her teacher for the morning had stepped out and come back with Samuel, another researcher from the team. The two of them stood at the door ready to leave the dormitories and grab some lunch. They seemed to be halfway out the door anyhow, and it was just because Demeter was awkwardly zoned out in the common area that they invited her along. That's what she thought, anyhow. She was pretty intuitive about that stuff. Either way, Demeter was pretty hungry and joined them. They passed through the laboratory to see if anyone else wanted to join. A couple dropped what they were doing and expressed their hunger jovially.
"Wiz, could I talk to you in my office?" Professor Thanes, who had been nearly invisible behind a colorful wall of beakers, vials, and tubes separating a couple work areas, popped his head around the end. He held something bubbling potently with a pair of industrial tongs and industrial gloves. Demeter looked back at Esther and the others as they packed up to go eat and held up a finger.
"Hang on, guys, I'll b-"
"She'll catch up with you all," interrupted the professor as he returned to set down his bubbling experiment. Demeter frowned, Esther shrugged, and the others left as Demeter stepped with Professor Thanes towards his office.
"Agey, please clean up workstation 3!" the professor yelled as he closed the door behind them. Through a window of partially frosted glass Demeter watched as the lab's autonomous general support android, or AGS-5, casually took the the professor's place at the workstation with the bubbling concoction and starting breaking materials down. Having an AGS droid of any model was something of a status symbol among all 6 colonies. This was just another example of how much money Professor Thanes had sunk into his operation. Demeter was almost entranced by how fluidly the android seemed to move. Although she'd seen the android standing at its station in the back corner every day since first arriving, Demeter rarely saw it being utilized and when she did it was just to clean up messes.
"It looks so real," she said under her breath. The professor caught on.
"Oh, yeah, it comes in handy, right?" he looked over his shoulder through the frosted glass as if to humor Demeter's fixation.
"I can only imagine, sir!" Professor Thane chuckled at Demeter's enthusiasm.
"So, Demeter," when he used her real name, Demeter knew something serious was coming. "You've been doing so well since you've joined us here! Everybody thinks you're very sweet and very helpful," Demeter blushed and looked at the ground as Professor Thanes went on, "You've also been patient. I know it must have been hard agreeing to come along when I couldn't tell you what exactly our end goal was. That was just a matter of trust; of protecting ourselves. Well, we trust you now." Demeter sat up straight and her eyes widened. Was he really, finally going to tell her about their true mission?
They talked about the different projects everybody had been working on for the last couple years: soil, water, and atmospheric composition studies, the effects Earth's air had on different metals and plastics,
Demeter was starting to put all of those pieces together like a mosaic in her mind.
"You want to visit the surface," she guessed. Thanes smiled.
"It costs too much to send people to the surface. The fuel and materials needed for the trip back up alone turned A.R.E.A. off to the idea and rightfully so," the professor reclined in his chair, counting reasons on his fingers, "Conventional life support becomes exponentially more expensive with each additional week you plan to stay down there. A few centuries ago they did it, but the atmosphere has become too caustic since. Most importantly, the last two attempts to send scientists to the surface resulted in their deaths. Now, I would argue that those missions failed because of The Mammoth's transportation protocols, but that's neither here nor there. To A.R.E.A., it's just not worth it to allow any more attempts until a better plan has been approved."
"So?" Demeter was confused again. She understood what Thanes had said, but not what he wanted to do about it. "Do you have a new plan?"
"Of course, but the approval process would take too long. Do you know why your parents had to leave three years early?" The professor leaned forward in his chair. Demeter furrowed her brow, but she knew where he was going with this.
"It's getting worse too fast." Professor Thanes nodded solemnly. "But, Professor, since A.R.E.A. won't allow a trip to the surface, how will you do it?"
"We're working on it," admitted the professor, "We'd need the help from someone on The Mammoth stationed in their transport sector. We'd also need to scrape together a healthy chunk of funds."
"And the trip back?" Demeter asked. She was trying to poke holes in the plan until she understood it perfectly.
"No," Professor Thanes shook his head. Now it made sense.
"A...permanent research facility on the surface?" Now the professor leaned in from the edge of his seat, excitement pouring from his face.
"Our research could be done ten times faster and our results ten times more complete! It's not even close!" Thanes was laughing at the brilliance of his own plan. "Don't you see? We could save the world from down there! It's a cheetah's pace compared to a snail's up here."
Whether or not Demeter fully agreed with the plan, the professor's enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself grinning and the prospect of doing the research that humankind needed. The martyrdom of breaking the rules to do it, though, made her uneasy.
"Demeter, I promise you this is too important to rely on a form or a signature or a committee hearing and if we try they'll only say no and then put us under a microscope. I've been preparing for years now. I won't make you come with us, but I will take full responsibility if something goes wrong. I only ask that you don't tell anyone if you're not comfortable with it," offered Thanes.
"Sir, this team has become as much of a family as I could hope for these days. It would be my honor to help. I think doing this research is the right thing and I think the Earth needs it."
"So..." smiled Professor Thanes, extending an open hand. Demeter giggled and shook it.
"So I'm in."
After a hug and a good-bye, Demeter left and found the rest of the researchers in the cafeteria. She was in a strange, but good mood. They were finishing their food as she sat down with hers.
"What did John want to talk about, Wiz?" Sam asked as everybody but Demeter was clearing their trays. Demeter figured everybody else knew about it, but since Professor Thanes hadn't mentioned it one way or the other, she pretended to joke.
"Oh, you know, top secret stuff," she laughed. The others looked at each other, smirking.
"Very good," Esther winked at Demeter before leaving with some of the others. Only Sam stayed behind while Demeter ate. They started talking about their families and lives before the Pilgrimage. Demeter's story was clearly more depressing than his, so he offered his condolences.
"Wow, Wiz, you've sure had a rough go. I'm so sorry about your parents and Atlas. Pallas, though," he shook his head and sighed, "sounds like he doesn't really want to be your family anyhow," Sam put his hand on Demeter's shoulder. "Did your parents leave you an inheritance or something to help take care of yourself since he won't help you?"
An inheritance? Demeter hadn't even thought about it. It was no secret to family and friends that her parents made a comfortable living in their professions, but aside from living on The Phoenix, Demeter had always thought her family lived modestly. They must have been putting something away in savings. Demeter never checked and just assumed she had nothing but credit to her name.
"Hey, don't you need to check on your samples?" Demeter wolfed down the rest of her food in an effort to change the subject and the two headed back to the lab talking about what kind of biology different theoretical aliens might have.
That evening, after an hour of practicing what she'd say, Demeter waited until everyone else in the dormitories was asleep or preoccupied before she slipped out the front door and walked to the projection phone booths. Getting in, she called the military barracks' office on The Mammoth in an effort to reach her brother. It took a good 20 minutes, but his projection eventually appeared. He looked tired.
"Don't you dare hang up on me this time!" Demeter blurted as soon as he sat down. Pallas had ended the last few calls by hanging up on her, usually around the time she started pressuring him to agree to let her come visit him on The Mammoth. Pallas said nothing, but didn't hang up. It actually took Demeter by surprise.
"How have you been, Pallas?"
"Fine...alright. You?" he yawned.
"I've been really good," Demeter lied. It had been a great day, but more often than not lately she'd been dealing with anxiety about her research of Earth, of the Pilgrimage, and about how she felt like she paled in knowledge compared to everyone she worked with.
"That's good."
"Where have they got you stationed these days?"
"Janitor," scoffed Pallas, "but we've been doing really well in drills so they said we could put in station requests for our next assignments." This was perfect.
Demeter equipped her serious face and tone. She'd been practicing this. She wasn't going to let her team down. She straightened her posture as she sat opposite her brother's projection and cleared her throat.
"Listen, Pallas. I need a favor from you," Pallas raised an eyebrow. "It's important. You do this and I'll stop bugging you to let me visit. I know you don't want to see me, so I'll stop trying. I think you owe me at least this much, though."
"I don't...fine, what is it?" Pallas sighed.
"Request the transport sector for your next assignment. I'll be in touch," Demeter smiled before hanging up on her brother.
Looking down at her feet, Demeter's smile slowly faded. She thought about just what she might be getting her brother into. She thought about how little he must think of her and how low she felt using him like this. Her eyes started to well as the conflict starting storming in her chest. When she looked back up and exited the projection call booth, Professor Thanes was standing there, waiting. Demeter was surprised to see the professor there. She took a moment and wiped her eyes before responding.
"Hello, sir. I, uhm, I was thinking and there's a chance I might be able to help raise some of the money we need. I'll have to get back to you-" the professor raised his hand to cut her off.
"Was that your brother Pallas?" Demeter nodded. "He may be caught helping us. I can't guarantee you'll be able to reach him again once our operation passes that stage."
"How bad would it be? I...love my brother, but I don't think he really cares about me. He's been in enough trouble and I don't want him to get in more." Professor Thanes put his hand on Demeter's shoulder just like Sam had done earlier that day.
"It's hard to say. There are variables. That's the cost of progress."