“..And
let us not forget the sacrifices made…”
Waves
of the onlookers become a facade
Slightly
bewildered
I
awake from my sedation
Strapped
in a tin can
Fortified
for my protection
The
countdown ticks away
Staring
back at my reflection
Everything
is doubled
Repeated
blinks focus my displaced vision
Thanks
to my helmet
The
shape of the sun rests calmly in view
I sit,
awaiting my departure
Accompanied
only by the dull orangey hue
“…This
is man’s last hope for survival…”
Words
never more true
Not
even a monkey to complete this crew
The
flickering lights from the center console
I
remember being instructed not to touch
“…Everything
will be on Auto-Pilot...
Just
to be certain nothing gets botched.”
Too
late to turn back now
My
journey into the unknown had begun
My
engines had already ignited
Ready
to drop all non-winged capsules but this one
I
imagine my escape from Earth’s atmosphere
Being consumed
by the vast emptiness of space
Drifting
beyond and towards the stars
Away from
home but the final stop for the human race
The
shuttle rattles and I half expect the core to shatter
I grip
the armrest with all my force
Expelling
all fears in the form of profanity
As I
focus on the mission to stay the course
With
the mission specialist screeching in over the intercom
“James,
There Seems… A Prob… Please….. Stop…”
While
a peculiar odor faint yet noticeable
Creeps
into my suit on 3… 2… 1… Blast Off!
this
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