Return to the Moon: Mission 12B

"This plan isn't gonna' work, Paul." Eric said with an angered look on his face.

"Hell yeah it will! Everyone will go crazy over it! This is something the world hasn't seen in ages!" Paul said as he waved his hands over his head with excitement. "I can bet you my life this will work!"

"The A.S.R.F has planned everything out. There's a 50/50 chance it will work." Joseph pointed out.

"And think about the money!" Paul said, still overwhelmed with excitement. "Gold will rain into our very hands!"

"It's not just about the money, damn it!" Eric slammed a fist into the wooden table as he stood up from his chair.

Joseph patted Eric's back. "Eric, calm do-"

"You know very well how our last mission ended up. All you... you mindless freaks think about is money! How about, for once in your lives, you think about the consequences, the safety, the people involved in this!" Eric slightly calmed down as he finished.

A long silence filled the room. Everyone looked down at the floor. They all did know how Mission 12A had ended up. No one had ever brought up that incident since it happened, as no one wanted to be reminded of the brave lives lost on it.

"F -" Eric could barley speak. "Fine... but if something happens to them, you know what will happen to you."

A huge smile spread across Paul's face. "Perfect..."

Mark's heavy boots thumped with each step he took on the hard, concrete floor. Getting around the A.S.R.F facility was basically playing a maze, except there was a larger chance of you getting lost. The facility itself was larger than a football stadium, maybe even two! (plus the extra test chambers and training courses outside the facility.) What did Paul need now? Mark thought as he tried to remember where Paul's office was. Surely it was to the north, but there was no way of telling which way was which inside this giant labyrinth. Mark took a right turn and entered an office hallway. He was relieved to find a golden plaque with the words "Paul Fredrickson" on top of an office door. Mark, fortunately, had taken the right path. He knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said a high-pitched, raspy voice.

Mark recognized Paul's voice and obediently opened the door and walked inside.

"Knights!" Paul said with a big smile as he stood up. "Glad you could make it! I thought you'd get lost on the the way!"

Mark gave a small grin. "I almost did though!"

"Please, take a seat." Paul sat back down, and so did Mark.

Paul took a thick stack of papers and put them aside. He opened a drawer from his office desk and grabbed a sheet of paper.

"So," Paul began. "the A.S.R.F team has been talking about an important project lately,"

Paul stopped as he placed the sheet of paper on the desk's surface. "Actually, Knights, let me ask you a question: when was the last time a man set foot on the moon?"

Mark tried to remember how long it had been since the most recent success. "Well, sir, it's been more than 53 years. Why?"

"Let me explain this mission thoroughly," Paul's excitement grew as he spoke. "we recently discovered a new type of material on the moon. It's a flexible metal that can be found deep within the moon's crust. So, to learn more about this material, we're going to need a live sample."

Mark looked at Paul awkwardly. "So you're suggesting that, this mission involves sending a rover back to the moon, and retrieving a new type of ore?"

"Indeed. Well, not entirely. You and your team will be going instead," Paul responded.

"Since when was this mission in mind?" Mark asked.

"Why, it's been planned for over fourteen years!" Paul said with a small chuckle.

Fourteen years? How come Mark hadn't heard a word about this? Surely it was 100% safe if it was tested for this long. There was a long moment of silence. In that moment, Paul just took a cup of coffee and relaxed as he sat in his chair. After a while, Paul finally broke the silence.

"Take your time thinking about it. No need to be rushed," Paul said before he stood up and walked over to the door. "e-mail me when you make up your mind."

Mark stood up from his chair and walked to the exit.

"I will," Mark said as he said his good-byes and walked out the door.

That night, all Mark could think about was the mission. Should he take it? He was stuck between two hard choices, and Mark didn't like making choices one bit. His head was even starting to ache from all of the thinking. As Mark laid in bed, his mind raced through the pros and cons of both choices. Take the mission, one side of his mind would say. You'll never get another chance like this again, take the mission. But another side of his mind would come along and deny it. Don't take the mission. You're not ready for this much pressure and responsibility on you. Just decline the request and go on with your life.

The two sides of his mind would argue and battle as Mark's head pleaded for a rest. Mark decided enough was enough and took some sleeping pills. They helped him fall asleep, but that didn't prevent the mental argument to continue in his dreams, which actually felt more like nightmares. This cycle continued for a week, but eventually, Mark finally came to a conclusion: he would accept the mission. He decided that this indeed was the chance of a lifetime, and that he would most definitively not get another chance like this. Plus, Mark needed a little excitement in his life. Those two components outweighed the rest and led to Mark's conclusion.

Before Mark got to his daily routine, he got on his computer to send the promised e-mail to Paul. As Mark finished, he could feel his head aching less and less, and his mind beginning to focus more and more. When he hit the send button, it was as if Mark had just removed an anvil from his shoulders. The pressure and stress faded away and he regained consciousness of the world around him. Mark had finally made his choice.

"I accept this mission," Mark said confidently. "it is my duty, as a commander at the A.S.R.F to accept any given mission by my host."

That morning, Paul had called Mark into his office. Apparently, Paul wanted to confirm that Mark had accepted the mission by hearing Mark say it himself. Mark thought this was kind of stupid, but saw that it was just a safe way of knowing someone's real answer.

"Wonderful!" Paul exclaimed as he clapped is hands together. "Excellent choice! All I need you to do now is to sign this confirmation sheet and you're all set. That is, other than the health risk sheet, the warning sheet, and... you get the point," Paul slid the sheet across the desk and placed it in front of Mark.

Mark looked down at the sheet. He didn't even bother to read it. He had read it countless times when he read the document files. It wasn't mandatory, he just felt that knowing what each document contained would speed things up for him in the future. Mark picked up a pen from a cup that was on the desk and started sign the sheet. He could see Paul's grin getting wider and wider with each letter Mark wrote on the sheet. Mark finished signing the sheet and handed it to Paul, who by now had the biggest (and creepiest) smile Mark had ever seen.

"The mission will begin in nine months," Paul said, still with a smile. "Time will be extended if clarification of any lesson in training is needed."

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'll handle everything just fine." Mark responded with relaxation as he began to rise from his chair.