The Loneliest Girl in the Universe(21)

I’m still going to drink less whisky next time, though.





DAYS UNTIL THE ETERNITY ARRIVES:


266


I spend the morning making origami farm animals to add to the yard of my food-container model house. Carefully folding lines of brown and white paper into chickens, pigs, horses and cows, I place them around my farm in groups of two and three. I think I might save up packaging so that I can make a barn for them – and maybe another farmhouse. I could make a pond out of foil, and some origami ducks, if I can find a pattern for them.

I’m so busy crafting that it’s mid-afternoon before I notice the new email in my inbox:

From: Earth Sent: 19/09/2065

To: The Infinity Received: 04/06/2067

There’s an enormous noise in my ears. I think it’s my own heartbeat, pounding like an alarm.

A message. From Molly? It must be.

I stare at the message, suddenly terrified to open it. I don’t know why, but I feel sick. I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. Now that it’s here, I wish it wasn’t.

My vision rattles, shuddering along with my breathing. Everything feels balanced on the head of a pin. What if it’s bad news? What if something has happened to Molly?

I was finally getting used to being out of contact with Earth. I was feeling happy again.

I have to open the message; I know I do. I want to. But what if it’s a mistake? What if the computer glitched and there’s really no new message at all? I brace myself for the worst.

I click.

A page of text fills the screen. It takes me longer than it should to work out why I can’t read it: it’s in a different language, with an unfamiliar alphabet.

I pull up a translator, pasting the text into it and waiting for the message to process into English.

From: Earth Sent: 19/09/2065

To: The Infinity Received: 04/06/2067

Subject: For Attention of The Infinity

Dear Sir/Madam,

Note: This message is intended for Commander R. Silvers of Earth vessel The Infinity. If it arrives at a time that Commander Silvers is no longer in office, this message should be relayed to her successor.

We are writing to inform you that The Infinity and the transmission unit on Earth are now in the control of our noble Union of the People’s Republic. The United States of America was disbanded on 2 July 2065, and the countries of North America have been absorbed into the UPR, together with all scientific government organizations.

We would welcome you as a fresh citizen and representative of the UPR from these moments on, and have large hopes for The Infinity and The Eternity missions.

Since last contacted, the political landscape of Earth has shifted a considerable amount by the powerful UPR’s victory in the Third Global War. Regardless, we hope The Infinity had no similar disruption and is still operating smoothly.

The UPR is in the process of installing new antennas to detect messages, one of the original having been destroyed in the bombing of Europe. We look forward to receiving The Infinity communications at your pleasure in the future, and eagerly await a confirmation that The Infinity is still on course to reach the destination Planet HT 3485 c.

All hail the UPR! May the King live long and vigorously!


I don’t— I can’t— This doesn’t make sense. I can’t even – what?

Bombing of Europe?

Molly. Is she OK? Is she still alive? The message doesn’t say. Molly could be dead and I would have no idea.

This is my worst nightmare come to life. I can’t keep hold of the thoughts running through my mind. As soon as I try to focus, everything scatters out of my grasp. I make myself stop thinking about Molly, using the methods she taught me to calm down. If I carry on panicking, I’ll be destroyed completely.

I run through everything, trying to process it all objectively.

NASA have been taken over by another government. I don’t know how to feel about that. I want to be happy that I’m getting messages from Earth again at all, regardless of who is sending them.

It’s not like I’ve ever even been to Earth. I have no real investment in which ruling government is currently controlling the piece of land that one of my parents came from – or that the land the other came from has been bombed. It’s all happening on a planet I’ve never seen. But I still feel uneasy.

I read the message over and over. The words feel like a vice, clenching around my heart. It might just be the translation, making the message come out odd and unemotional. It must be hard for software to translate tone accurately. If I could read the original language, it would probably be a great message, really welcoming and friendly.

The UPR are probably nice people. The next message I get from them will be totally normal.

But if the war ended in July, then why did it take them until September to get in touch?

I drop onto the sofa and then seconds later jump up again in favour of pacing the room.

I don’t think I’m being told the whole story.

Suddenly I feel lonelier than before the message arrived.

I miss Molly.

I need to talk to J.

From: The Infinity Sent: 04/06/2067

To: The Eternity Predicted date of receipt: 10/08/2067

J,

Did you get an email from Earth? From something called the UPR?

It’s the worst message I’ve ever received – even worse than the last message from my friend Molly. I’m so scared.