Here's to the Open Space Years

7/24/2019 Here's to the Open Space Years

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Timothy [email protected]

1 Spencers Belle VueBath, Somerset, UKBA1 !"

#$$ words

Heres to the Open Space Years

by Tim Hardwick

Alex Merchant bent back the blinds and peered out from the fifth floor. eyond the

utility road the desert spanned out in all directions like a sea of torched !rain as the

shadows of the cryonic complex stretched desperately to the hori"on. He stared east at

the peak of a dune and watched it #ui$er in the heat% wipin! the sweat from his eyes.

&or six lon! months the arid open space had wei!hed in on him. Still% it felt

alien. Metropolis was more than a memory' it was a mindset% hard to shake off.

(oncrete earth to skyline% the density of city life sank in to the bone. &or a moment he

felt like he was back in the northern district% back in his uncles cluttered home% stood

in the biochemists basement lab% starin! at the needle in the old mans arm.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' (

)*hat are you doin!+ Alex asked his uncle the last ni!ht he had seen him

ali$e.

)There was a break,in at the lab while - was away% he replied. )- cant risk

ha$in! copies of my work lyin! around. This is the safest option.

)*hat is it+

)Somethin! - cooked up myself. He pressed the plun!er and Alex watched the

li#uid seep into the retired scientists $ein. A blue cloud tapered off beneath the skin

as the old man remo$ed the syrin!e and dabbed the perforation with cotton wool. )-ts

a biosynthetic file dump. The chemical disperses throu!h the deep tissues% ri!ht down

into the marrow. (all it a breadcrumb trail of binary code.

)-m !uessin! retrie$al is a pain in the ass.

His uncle pointed to a lar!e piece of e#uipment shrouded in polythene and

tucked away at the back of the lab. )*hat you$e !ot there is an old backscatter ,ray.

Yknow% the ones they used to ha$e in open,space airports+ /xcept this one -

modified myself. He smiled as he rolled down his slee$e and buttoned his cuff. )One

full body scan and the code becomes $isible. 0o discs% no data keys. My work !oes

only where - !o. (all it my anatomical stora!e solution.

Alex didnt pretend to understand his uncle. The man ran on a wiser cortex%

maybe functioned on an ele$ated plane. All Alex knew was the contented look in the

old mans eyes. The look of closure.

After six years within the four walls of his under!round lab% 1ean Ashburys

research had finally borne fruit. &inally he had confirmed his lon!,held hypothesis2

deep,free"e re$i$al was 3 and fore$er would be 3 impossible.

His next 4ob% he said% was to break it to the cryo,belie$ers at the ri!ht time. At

the national cryonic conference.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' )

)- cant wait to see the looks on their faces% he said to his nephew that fateful

ni!ht a year a!o.

)*hy is that+ asked Alex.

)They already know -m ri!ht.

That was the last he e$er saw of his uncle.

Two days later% Alex spotted his name in the headline story on the !lobal

Metropolis newsfeed.

Earths first deep-freeze survivor made his maiden public appearance at the seventh

annual cryonic symposium in central SanSan this week. Professor Adam Fortune

looked healthy and was in hih spirits as he made his stirrin speech! in which he

announced his return to work as lead scientist for "rans#ife and relayed his vision for

the corporation over the comin decade.

$%e are ushers of a briht future! he said to a rapt audience. $A time when

every &etro citizen lives safe in the knowlede that insertion is their birthriht! and

not the sole preserve of insurance holders. "hat time! 'od willin! is upon us.

After a ten-minute standin ovation followin the historic address! (uestions

for the professor came thick and fast. $"here was no hanover at all! he said of his

unprecedented revival. $All ) could think of was my mornin ciarette*

Stocks were buoyed and confidence in nanotech shares received a timely boost

as oranisers of the event declared record numbers of new applicants for immediate

insertion! includin some ardent former critics of the practice.

$) take it all back! retired chemist and lifelon sceptic +r +ean Ashbury

admitted at the event. $"he mans a enius. ,es solved the population problem.

Finally space colonization is a real possibility.


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deleates in attendance applauded Professor Fortunes fearless

commitment to advancin cryonics and unanimously endorsed plans to e/pand

"rans#ife operations lobally. 0For more information on ta/ breaks and other benefits

to antemortem insertion! tap here.1

Alex felt sick as his eyes rolled o$er the words on the $id screen. -t was a $olte,face

par excellence 3 perfect 56 for Trans7ife. 0o wonder they had pushed out the story.

Alex didnt belie$e it for a second.

He knew damn well his uncle couldnt be so easily persuaded of anythin! 3

not in the space of a sin!le e$enin!% and surely not when it came to matters of science.

-t was impossible enou!h !ettin! him to part with obsolete machinery' no,one could

e$er rob him of hard,won lab results. )/$en if youre in a minority of one% the truth is

still the truth% he used to say. He was a stubborn ma$erick. A dyed,in,the,wool

contrarian. This story didnt sound like him at all.

The followin! weeks passed slowly for Alex at Metro colle!e. 0othin!

surroundin! the news of 8ncle 1eans dramatic about,face chan!ed. -n fact the lon!er

he was !one% the cra"ier the whole thin! sounded. Yet no,one else in his family

seemed surprised by his uncles drastic chan!e of heart. *ho could blame them+ His

weakness for stran!e notions was certainly no secret. 0o,one for!ot the six months

retirement he had sank into his )yips cure to correct bad !olf habit. 9He claimed the

dru! worked% but there had been no space on /arth for !olf courses for at least thirty

years so there was no way to pro$e it.: And what about his alien encounter stories%

recounted endlessly to the Metro,nei!hbours+ He swore to stay earthbound for life

and warned e$eryone to do the same. Then there was his obsession with secret

subterranean city networks. /$ery s#uare kilometer of Metropolis was crisscrossed


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick '

with them% he said 3 safe passa!e for corporate elite in preparation for the comin!

)Malthusian correction that would likely descend from the skies.

0ot e$en Alex could o$erlook his uncles occasional wild ideas.

ut when it came to talk of cryonics% Alex sensed clarity in the old mans

drawl. His tone was different. His elo#uent raps about the redundancy of nanotech

seemed clipped for precision% machined with lo!ic 3 e$en if Alex stru!!led to

understand the half of it. ut it wasnt 4ust idle talk. /ach step in the old chemists

research had been freed from his usual wayward impulses. He be!an sterilisin! lab

e#uipment daily% somethin! he hadnt bothered with since his wifes passin! fi$e

years pre$iously at the hands of that obscure% indiscriminate retiree killer% )Metro

fati!ue. -t was ob$ious then to Alex that his uncle would die fi!htin! cryonics. And

now% by his own account% he had done so.

The conclusion seemed to Alex una$oidable2 Trans7ife had murdered his old

8ncle 1ean. He tried not to ima!ine his final hours 3 the terror of forced in4ections%

the mainlined anti,clottin! dru!s% the transfusion of cryoprotectant as the body slowly

chilled on the insertion slab. ut it was no use. The mans brilliance must ha$e been

flawed by a martyrs !ene% he thou!ht. Maybe it was a trait shared amon! the last

!eneration of !enuine scientists 3 fla!rantly impartial% independent to the end% e$en if

that end was sealed by their $ery thirst for truth.

Alex $owed to not let that truth !o unheard.

After all% he was an en!ineerin! student% not a scientist. Surely then he had

better luck on his side+ esides% what exactly had he been studyin! for all these years

3 another dead,end Metro 4ob fixin! worn,out transponders and tweakin! !atin!

systems% or the chance to take down a corrupt corporation+


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His determination stren!thened as the summer break wore on. He would do

what was necessary to promul!ate his uncles most important research. *ith his

laboratory and effects left to him% Alex would not let 1ean Ashburys death be in $ain.

To his surprise% his father was ecstatic when he announced his successful application

to Trans7ife -ncorporated. Suddenly the whole family pinned their hopes on an early

insertion. The commercials had !ot to them too% Alex noted.

He left colle!e immediately% took his uncles $inta!e truck and tra$elled south

alon! the old disused freeways. The shock was $isceral as the desert unrolled before

him. 0e$er in his life had he seen such $ast open space. -t made his hands clammy

and his eyes hurt. At first he stru!!led to keep a!oraphobia at bay% but !radually% with

effort% he contained it. -n reality he had no choice. -t was 4ust another step towards

!ainin! acceptance out here. And so% fei!nin! subser$ience% he entered Trans7ifes

onyx complex and soon fell in line.

His induction was rote% his skill,set deemed impeccable. efore lon! he was

mentorin! workers between shifts as he took care of duties on ten different buildin!s.

He kept his records in check% lo!!ed thousands of dewar stats% he ne$er missed a shift.

After a while% time lost all meanin!.

ut lately% Alex felt as if he had woken from a dream. He was comin! back to

himself' where hed been% he didnt ha$e a clue. ut he always remembered his $ow.

0e$er did he think he would actually !et to this point. 0ot e$en in a hundred

years.

This was it. Two weeks had passed since he had successfully rerouted his

uncles capsule from the main !rid and thawed it out to room temperature. He had


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' #

already delayed for far too lon!. He had to !et the body and make an exit. He had to

lea$e Trans7ife behind.

Alex Merchant snapped back the blinds and turned his back on the desert. His

ei!hteen,year,old trainee sat at the control suite% snufflin! between the creased pa!es

of an old comic. Alex couldnt deny it% he needed the kids help. After all% a dead body

was a dead wei!ht. Trouble was% the kid was a stone,cold belie$er. This time Alex

would ha$e to play it safe. He knew some people couldnt handle the truth% howe$er

you broke it to them. He had to keep his mouth in check.

)*e$e !ot a failure% he said finally.

Absently 1enby looked up at him. )*hat was that+ He !lanced at his watch

and realised Merchant had been starin! throu!h the blinds for at least half an hour. He

watched him li!ht a ci!arette. The flame of his ;ippo illuminated the employee

number on his uniform% and 1enby noticed laundry had mixed up their uniforms

a!ain. )You know if you stare out there lon! enou!h youll !o blind% ri!ht+

Merchant !lared at him. )1idnt you hear me+ *e$e !ot a failure on our own

block.

1enbys wry smile waned. He swi$elled his chair toward the wall of flickerin!

$id screens% saturatin! himself in their wan !lare. )-f this is a 4oke% - can assure you it

isnt funny.

Merchant looked back throu!h the blinds. )You wont find it in dia!nostics%

he said. )The units temperature still reads


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)1oes it matter+

)Of course it matters> *hat is it+

)&orty,two. This floor.

He tapped in the di!its and eyed a sin!le !rimy screen% sat back and cursed.

The console re4ected his erroneous command with a beep and he swatted away the

microphone arm. He looked aimlessly around the room% at Merchant 3 a silhouette

a!ainst the blinds in the for!ed darkness of the control suite. 7i$in! in the desert% the

ni!hts ne$er seemed to come.

)-ts !ot to be technical% mumbled 1enby. )Theyll understand.

)They wont% said Merchant bluntly. )*ere screwed.

)*hat do you mean+

)*hy do you think that idiot from ?@ $anished+

)Hell turn up% said 1enby. )/xplain thin!s... He made a mistake. Hes 4ust

scared.

)He should be. Theyre callin! it multiple homicide. 1ont you read

newsfeed+

)ut - si!ned a contract. Theres nothin! in there about 3 )

Merchant pounded the wall with his fist. )1ont you !et it+ -t doesnt matter

how it happened. "his is an antemortem patient! not some frozen stiff*After the Buine

affair+ 1ont think they wont pin this on the small fry.

The wall clock struck another hour and 1enby flinched.

)(ome on% said Merchant% killin! his ci!arette in his coffee. )-ll show you.

C


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1enby stared down as their boots struck the walkway that spanned the len!th of the

dewar ward. All about them in the dimness% countless rows of capsules san! a timeless

drone. A fluorescent tube flickered at the far end of one of the aisles. -t strobed them

as they turned into it% and instincti$ely 1enby touched his temple. He felt a mi!raine

comin! on.

)Take a look% said Merchant% pausin! to point at one of the capsules.

1enby crouched and winced at the !lare of the control panel before placin! his

hand on the dewars reflecti$e surface. )Dood Dod% he breathed.

)7ike - said% its warm to the touch.

1enby !ot on all fours to inspect the base of the dewar. Six castors lifted the

capsule about fi$e inches off the floor and a branch of !lowin! tubes trailed from the

back% disappearin! into a floor terminal. )The units still !ot power% he said. )Hows

that possible+

)5robably a $acuum breach% replied Merchant matter,of,factly. )That or a

build,up of nitro!en !as in the thermo,coupler... 7isten% can you !et up+

)*hat for+

)- want to open the damn thin!.

)Shouldnt we depressuri"e first+

)*hats the point+ said Merchant. )The !au!e is compromised. You saw it

yourself.

1enby !ot up and stepped back. He watched Merchant slap down the four

switches on the units control panel and hit 6/7/AS/. The door clunked forwards an

inch and slid sideways pneumatically. There was an eerie silence.

)7ike - said% sniffed Merchant% )the pressure mechanisms dead.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1$

1enby stared timidly into the open capsule as the !as slowly cleared.

Moments later% he was !a!!in!.

The patient dan!led from the carbon belts like a puppet% yellow flesh wrapped

to the bone like cellophane% tissues poised to dissol$e at a touch. *hite fluid bled

from the eye sockets% tricklin! down the face. (ryoprotectant.

)Thats... -t cant be.

)Det a !rip on yourself% said Merchant. )-t is what it is.

)0o... -$e seen him before.

Merchant frowned. He cleared his throat. )1ont talk rubbish. *hat do you

mean you reco!nise the patient+

1enby ed!ed closer to the unit. He knew the old man alri!ht. The upturned

eyes protruded from the face like a parody of the intensity that had marked them in

life. A deflated arm hun! across the chest as if the corpse reser$ed some deathless

sense of !uard% and as the li!ht o$erhead steadied briefly its hair looked almost

freshly !roomed a!ain 3 4ust as 1enby remembered it.

)-m sure% he replied.

)You must be confusin! him with someone else.

)0o. He was at the Trans7ife symposium. Trust me% -m findin! this hard to

belie$e myself.

Merchant rubbed the stubble on his chin thou!htfully. )0o shit% he said% and

closed the capsule with a thud.

1enby stared blankly at the dewars Trans7ife insi!nia. )Okay... *hats

standard procedure+ *ho do we notify+

At first Merchant didnt seem to hear him. He 4ust stood there% neck craned%

sur$eyin! the fifth floors ran!y dimensions% the interminable !low of a hundred


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control panels twinklin! in the shadows% then the unit. )&uck procedure% he replied

summarily. )*e can sort this.

)1id you e$en look at him+

)-m not blind. The patients a write,off. ut think about it for a minute2 the

monitorin! !litch is a blessin! in dis!uise. Theres no problem as far as the networks

concerned 3 the units still operational. 0o,ones any wiser.

)Alex...

)- mean it. *e dispose of the patient and !o on 3 )

) 3 as if nothin! e$er happened% finished 1enby. )(hrist% you really ha$e lost

the plot.

)0o%youvelost it if you think -m !oin! down for a !oddamn technical

!litch> He took a ra! from his pocket and clinically wiped his hands. )*e take care of

this oursel$es% he said. )-ts our one chance. -t wont come a!ain.

)*hat% dump him somewhere and !o on like this ne$er happened+ ut heEs a

patient> *hat the hell is wron! with you+

Merchant lau!hed and the sound echoed hollowly down the aisles. ),eis a

!oddamn corpse> And if this !ets out+ *ere dead too. -nsertion will be our best

hope.

)*hats that supposed to mean+

Merchant looked at his watch as he turned back towards the walkway. )That

body is out of the buildin! by six. - want you on board before then.

C


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1(

1enby !ripped the hand rail as the transporter dro$e him down the mechanised chute

at breakneck speed towards Trans7ifes central atrium% its heart. He watched his

reflection flicker across the walls as the pulleys abo$e him whirred and echoed.

His brow furrowed as he strained to recall the wards dia!nostic screens o$er

the past few ni!hts. /ach hour hadbeen a picture,perfect readout. Of course Merchant

was ri!ht% the lo!s told the same story. They didnt miss a thin!. -t was pure luck hed

touched the capsule at all% feelin! with his hands where the network had failed.

So much for $i!ilance% thou!ht 1enby. And he had worked so hard to up his

!ame. *hy did this ha$e to happen in the last week of his probation+ Throu!hout his

induction at Trans7ife he had obser$ed Merchant closely like a well,drilled corporal%

ea!er to learn% but more ama"ed by the mans talent for spottin! the phase chan!es as

they rippled down the network statistics% the e#ualisin! !radations of cryostasis he

had come to reco!nise o$er numerous ni!hts on watch. 1enby cra$ed the same skill%

looked up to him because of it.And for what2he thou!ht.&askin the stench of

sunken remains2

Ob$iously his mentor wasnt thinkin! strai!ht. 1enby hadnoticed a stran!e

restlessness in him o$er the last couple of weeks% come to think of it. The !uy was on

a yo,yo strin!. The recent Buine story clearly hadnt helped matters either.

Officials in$esti!atin! the mass breakdown of capsules on block ?@ #uickly

established that its rookie caretaker% 1a$id Buine% had completely deserted his post.

*hy exactly no,one knew% but that he had fled the installation was e$idence enou!h

of an unhin!ed mind. The desert was a !ra$eyard. He was almost certainly as !ood as

dead.

ut 1enby wasnt deaf 3 he had heard the rumours% siphoned off from the

clamour of workers in the atrium% whispered down the passa!eways and throu!h the


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1)

air $ents of e$ery ward. Some said the failures on block ?@ were down to a hardware

!litch and the company hadnt liked the idea of seein! its shares tank at the news.

-nstead% to protect that perfect "ero failure rate% Trans7ife blamed human error. -t

elected a fall !uy. ut why run+ thou!ht 1enby. /$en a criminal had insertion ri!hts.

*hy take off into the desert like that+

1enby didnt swallow it. He knew the company history better than anyone.

Transparency was central to the immortalist code. -t was part of the charter. -t always

had been. That was the Trans7ife way.

The clan! of the pulley spun him back into his surroundin!s as the transporter

came to a buffered halt and the walls sank to the floor. He stared up at the slow

procession of capsules suspended from titanium cables% before 4oinin! the #ueue for

the food court.

He waited in line with his hands in his pockets% his foot tappin! a fitful beat.

He shuffled his way into the cafeteria' e$entually his turn came at a dispensary point

and he tapped in his pin. The door of the machine raised and presented him with a

colourless cube of meat on a bed of rice. He !rabbed a knife and fork% clutched the

tray% and turned towards the dinin! area.

)1enby> O$er here>

Spencer% the idiot officer from block FG(% wa$ed at him frantically. 1enby

took no notice.

)Hey% block ears> *ake up>

o! wait!he thou!ht.Act normal. 3lend in.He turned towards the table and sat

next to the bearded employee without a word.

)Thats ri!ht. Sit next to me% said Spencer% starin! at the lar!e man opposite

them. )ents !ot !as a!ain.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1*

ent pushed away his tray with an exasperated !runt.

)*aste of time star$in! yourself% remarked Spencer. )How many times ha$e -

told you+ -ts all in the !enes. He watched 1enby pour a cup a water and smiled

smu!ly. )So hows life on ?IA+

)Same as always.

)And wheres that brainiac mentor of yours+

)Merchant+ You know him 3 li$in! off !lucose bars from the snack machine.

Says his pins locked his options here and hes sick of cheese pasta.

Spencer forked a !ob of rice and held it up to the li!ht. )*hats the difference+

-ts all the same these days. - almost miss Metro rations.

)1ont say that% said Holloway from I& as he 4oined them at the table.

)Youll put me off before - e$en started. He raised his cup of water to them in a

mock,toast. )Heres to the open space years% !ents.

)Merchants adamant% continued 1enby. )He wont come.

Spencer sni!!ered. )Hell be back. You dont know what they put in those

bars.

)8m... Dlucose+

)Oh sure. esides all that other preser$ati$e crap. ust wait. Hell be walkin!

round like a "ombie by the end of the week. &ifty bucks they insert him by mistake>

The men lau!hed as 1enby drank steadily from his cup. He looked up between

the mo$in! dewars and eyed the domed roof of the atrium% a beacon of free"e. He

finished his water% wiped his lips and nodded up at the passin! units. )So whats with

all the commotion+ he said.

)A new round of antemortems% replied Holloway. )Twice as many as last time.

/$ery one a fortune% wouldnt you say+


15/28


1enby frowned. )ut - thou!ht we were burstin! at the seams already+

The man !rinned from across the table. )This is the desert% my friend. (onsider

it the last frontier. 5lannin!s almost appro$ed for the new under!round win!. - hear

its hu!e.

)- had no idea% said 1enby% dri$in! his knife into his steak. )Must ha$e missed

it on the news feed.

)Try the !rape$ine% said Spencer. )And thats 4ust the start. - hear theyre

lookin! to make insertion an opt,out affair. Di$e them half a chance and itll be

mandatory.

)1ont be ridiculous> said ent. )*heres the space for that+

)Hes ri!ht% added Holloway. )5lus thered be an uproar. 0ot e$eryone wants

to lea$e Metropolis% you know. Some folk dont care for space mi!ration.

Spencer !rumbled as he steered a !lob of rice toward the ed!e of his plate.

)*hat difference does it make+ he spat. )Take it from me% the states been in$ol$ed in

this whole racket from the start. He swallowed as he brandished his knife at the

passin! dewars. )You think they do this for humanity+ Open your eyes> -ts a fri!!in

clean,up operation>

)5ipe down> whispered ent. )*arden% incomin!.

A woman in striped,blue uniform approached the table% her eyes trained on the

cup on her tray as she stru!!led to keep it upri!ht. She paused momentarily and

looked up at them. )*hat are you lot up to+ she said.

Holloway smiled unnaturaly. )ust plannin! our martian $acations% maam.

Spence here wants to climb the Alba 5atera. Me% - cant wait to take a dip in those

Arcadian canals>


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The warden rolled her eyes. )- assume you$e heard% she said to no,one in

particular. )They found a body.

1enby #uit chewin!. )*hich body+ he said% starin! at the meat on his plate.

)1a$id Buines% of course. About twel$e miles out from here% face,down in a

sand pit.

Spencer broke the silence with a yawn. )Old news if you ask me.

)Too ri!ht% added ent. )5ure suicide.

)*ell% - thou!ht -d mention it% continued the warden. )You know% let it be a

lesson to us all. The desert does funny thin!s to the mind. Still% - cant keep

wonderin! what made him lose it so badly.

Spencer rubbed his eyes. )*ho knows+

)- thou!ht you mi!ht% she muttered% !lancin! at the code on 1enbys uniform.

)Merchant% isnt it+ Accordin! to the employee re!ister you were the one lucky

enou!h to mentor the lunatic.

C

1enby sat in the darkness of his #uarters% hands motionless o$er the input terminal.

He read the news report on the screen for a second time.

4onstruction workers found the body of +avid 5uine today durin e/perimental

mineral e/cavations in the south. "ests show &r 5uine! former caretaker on ward

block 678! died of proloned solar e/posure. +espite criminal investiations into the

conduct of &r 5uine durin his short career at "rans#ife! in accordance with the


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1#

,uman 9ihts in +eath Act 6:;8 his body will undero standard insertion until post-

mortem revival is achieved throuh the advances of our able scientists.

0o wonder Merchant was so hi!h strun!% thou!ht 1enby. *ho would want to be

associated with a nut like Buine+ 0ot that he had anythin! to worry about 3

Trans7ifes own screenin! process had ob$iously failed to fla! up an open,space

psychosis 4ust waitin! to happen. /$en so% the whole thin! had to be preyin! on his

mind. And now% to top it off% a unit failure on his own damn block. He must ha$e felt

cursed.

1enby rubbed his temple. -t was startin! to make sense. The sombre mood.

The ruthless co$er,up plan. His contempt for e$erythin! Trans7ife. 6i!ht now some

loud,mouthed rookie was the last thin! Merchant needed. Maybe it was time 1enby

cut him some slack+

He raised the internal dewar database on the terminal screen and tapped in the

number of the failed unit.

8nit number2 I?

5atient2 Ashbury% 1ean

Sex2 Male

A!e2


18/28


1enby si!hed. &or some reason he thou!ht of his father. He stood and paced about the

room for a while% did a few push,ups and lay on his stomach% catchin! his breath. -dly

he stared at the bed frame% then e$entually at the sil$er handle !leamin! in the shadow

of the mattress. He reached o$er and took hold of it% dra!!in! a lar!e case out into the

middle of the room. He sat in front of it and stroked the moulded plastic% snapped

back the latches% opened the lid.

His portable perfusion kit had seen better days 3 the tubes were all perforated%

the $al$es yellow with rust 3 yet he still couldnt brin! himself to throw it out. His

father had presented him with the emer!ency case before lea$in! for insertion% two

days short of his sons se$enth birthday. He had called it 1enbys )personal momento

mori 3 a reminder of the fate his father had spent thousands of dollars to escape. So

1enby dili!ently maintained it. He re,assembled the heat exchan!er weekly% tested the

oxy!en tank pressure e$ery other ni!ht. He ne$er for!ot the last thin! his dad had told

him2 death was like alien contact 3 it could come at any moment. 1enby prided

himself on his readiness for it. His foster parents seemed impressed too. Such a

startlin! awareness of mortality for such an a!e> -t made him feel like an adult.

He hit thirteen before he realised all his efforts had been a waste of time. The

kit his dad had !i$en him was an anti#ue 3 it wasnt simply primiti$e% it was useless.

ut e$en now% 1enby couldnt let it !o. Still he didnt know why.

He slid his hand into the cases leather insert% took out an old folder and

flicked throu!h its contents. At what a!e had he started collectin! the astronaut

clippin!s+ &our+ &i$e+ He had torn them obsessi$ely from sci,fi ma!a"ines and space

ad$enture comics% then came the real,life news reports. He knew his passion was in

no way uni#ue 3 the notion of boundless space was surely irresistible to e$ery Metro

citi"en. ut after the countless knock,backs from the space a!ency% how many had


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' 1-

pursued it as far as he+ How many could lay claim to a career in cryonics and its

promise of insertion% the last route off a dyin! planet+ He had simply taken the ur!e to

its lo!ical conclusion. One hundred and sixty years from now the Martian

terraformin! machines would finish their work% then space mi!ration could truly

be!in. And out of billions% his place at the front of the #ueue would be !uaranteed.

8ltimately% it was all that mattered.

)Hey% superhero.

1enby started. Merchant was leant a!ainst the doorway to his #uarters%

tappin! his wrist.

)You ready to roll+

C

1enby slid open the maintenance door and winced at the bla"in! li!ht. &or a moment

he was blind' clumsily he donned his shades and listened to the waste disposal

compressor hum in the heat on the north side of the buildin! as his eyes slowly

reco$ered. He looked once more at the scene outside. Sun rays bore down on the

utility road and a ripple of risin! heat made the outer rim of Trans7ife look a distant

mira!e. He peered up at the hi!h,rise ward but the reflecti$e intensity was too much 3

all he could do was stare at the black tarp he carried with Merchant% close behind.

)=eep to the wall% he ordered 1enby. )*e dont want to be seen.

)Youre sure its comin!+

)Any minute now.

They waited a!ainst the hot metal as a plume of sand !athered at a turn,off

about a mile down the utility road% before the wa$erin! shape of the automated refuse


20/28

%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' ($

collector !radually emer!ed. They watched as it approached% $isitin! each block in

turn robotically' finally it "oned in on their ward.

The disposal compressor stirred to life% and Merchant nud!ed 1enby forwards.

Hesitantly he closed in% only to sink a!ainst the wall% but Merchant pushed past him

and stepped onto the dockin! $ehicle. He wrenched open the cabin,door% !lanced

inside and !a$e a satisfied nod% then climbed in and !uided in the tarp as 1enby took

the wei!ht. A flakin! limb dan!led from beneath the co$er and Merchant #uickly

tucked it back inside as 1enby lurched aboard% the collector chan!ed !ears and

resumed its endless 4ourney down the utility road.

They sat opposite each other. Sweat min!led with the sand on the cabin floor.

The truck kept to its pre,pro!rammed speed and 1enby watched the outlyin!

capillaries of Trans7ife roll by. /ach linked sector was the same as the last 3 ten

floors hi!h% black walls peppered with solar panels% windows closed to the heat. The

$ehicle made three final collections before lea$in! the complex behind.

Soon Trans7ife was 4ust a speck on the landscape% and the $iew bled into the

!olden dust smeared across the cabin windows. Merchant snee"ed and looked back at

the body ba!. )So whats his story+

)How should - know+ replied 1enby.

)Youre hidin! somethin!.

1enby folded his arms. )- told you% - saw him at the cryo,conference.

)So the !uy had himself inserted. So what+

)-t doesnt make sense. He was a!ainst re$i$al% cryonics% the whole thin!. He

said it was unnatural. He didnt belie$e in it at all.

)Maybe he was pullin! your le!.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' (1

)0o% he was con$inced. He handed out these pamphlets 3 lon! damnin! screes

a!ainst insertion. He called them part of his researchP.

)He was a scientist+

)So he claimed.

)And what did the papers say+

)- didnt take one. Of course - didnt. 0obody actually took him seriously...

Merchant chuckled. )-m not surprised.

)How so+ asked 1enby pointedly.

)(ome on% said Merchant. )You$e !ot to take all this stuff with a hu!e !rain

of salt. You wont catch me spoutin! that martian re$i$alist crap% thats for sure. -ts

4ust a 4ob% ri!ht+

)Then why !et into cryonics at all+ *hy not stay in the city+ Theres a

thousand 4obs there -m sure you could wran!le.

)And a million candidates for each of them. -f you think Metropolis is a $iable

option then youre more deluded than - thou!ht. - breathe my own air.

)*hich is why we came out here in the first place. To secure our insertion.

)&or what+ chuckled Merchant. )A better future+ Di$e me a break>

1enby shook his head and si!hed.

)7ook% Merchant continued. )-m tryin! to help you. 1ont you !et it+

(apsules dont consume. They dont commute. They dont demand li$in! space. Hell%

they dont e$en $ote. They ha$e no status. And yet theyre called citi"ens. The trouble

is% its sub,"ero citi"enship. They contribute nothin!.

)They deser$e nothin! in return. -s that it+

)They may as well be dead.

1enby snorted. )Trust me. *ith that attitude% youre the dyin! breed.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' ((

Merchant pressed his forehead a!ainst the !lass and stared out the window.

)Sa$e it% he muttered. )0o wonder youre fore$er in the basement% no doubt polishin!

that precious capsule of yours. You$e spent too much time roamin! those damned

aisles. Your brains $itrified.

They sat in silence for se$eral miles. /$entually the $ehicle 4olted as its tracks

lowered and they #uickly !athered speed.

A dyin breed indeed% thou!ht 1enby% as he stru!!led for comfort in the small

cabin. -f Alex Merchants time at Trans7ife amounted to an escape from Metropolis

then this course of action was only lo!ical. ut how many more workers shared his

total lack of faith+ -n the distance the road surface was no lon!er marked out and the

desert sprawled out before them% dense and archaic. Three cars lay at the side of the

road% the corroded remnants of a freeway collision% their rustin! hoods concertinaed in

the crash. This was all the freedom that remained.

A small tremor shook the cabin and a lock of sil$er hair wri!!led from the end

of the tarp. 1enby ima!ined a hand emer!e to pat the hair back 3 the same way

Ashbury had done at the conference% stru!!lin! to preser$e his perfect middle partin!

a!ainst the !ust of chillers directed at the demonstration capsules as he inspected their

inner mechanism. He had looked a real oddball and at first 1enby dismissed him' but

while the tourists shied away from the faint human profiles behind the !lass% Ashbury

peered ur!ently into the units 3 as if to !limpse a si!n of life% or make out some tiny

component that would finally re$eal to him the complex science of deep,free"e.

1enby couldnt help but approach him with a smile.

)Of all places% why ha$e the conference here+ the old man had asked.

)To remind people of the choice that faces them% replied 1enby.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' ()

)- see% he mouthed ruminati$ely. )On the one hand% Metropolis 3 the life of a

tinned sardine% shall we say. On the other2 insertion% the promise of an interstellar life

to come. -s there really any choice at all% MrQ+

)1enby. -ts a free country.

riefly the man fell silent. )0o man can outface nature.

)/$idence to the contrary surrounds you% sir.

)An illusion% if that.

)-llusion+ 1enby stifled a lau!h. )Han! around and youll hear one speak.

5rofessor &ortunes next on sta!e. He may be the only antemortem re$i$al% but he

wont be the last.

The old man wa$ed his hand dismissi$ely. )Oh% we$e already met% he said.

)1id you know the first insertion trials were state,sponsored+

1enby !rinned. )Of course. They were part of the space pro!ramme.

)Maybe you shouldnt belie$e e$erythin! the !o$ernment tells you.

)Maybe you shouldnt be so cynical. en &ranklin proposed cryostasis in

J


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' (*

he+ He was dead. And now% cloaked in a thick repellent aura% it was for sure. There

was no comin! back.

The refuse collector swer$ed to a$oid the peak of a dune that thrust into the

sky like a colossal blade% and the $ehicle be!an a !radual sweepin! manoeu$re around

its base.

)This is it% said Merchant% poppin! his knuckles as if to ready himself. A

cemetery of abandoned cars ed!ed into $iew% and 1enby took a deep breath.

)Howd you e$er find this place+

)Theyre a penny a piece in e$ery direction. (ast,offs from the open space

years. Merchant !ot to his feet. )Alri!ht% !et ready. He opened the door as far as it

would !o and dra!!ed the ba! from the cabin. -t plun!ed into the sand head,first.

)0ow> he screamed% and launched himself from the $ehicle% rollin! in the

sand to break his fall. -mmediately% 1enby followed. He looked back and watched the

refuse collector continue blindly toward the hori"on.

Twisted fenders surrounded them as they carried the body across a cake of oil,

sodden sand that formed a platform beneath the scrapheaps% and it cracked under their

boots.

)O$er here% said Merchant. He led 1enby to an old four,by,four% dropped his

end of the ba! and swun! open the boot% catapultin! dirt o$er the roof. To!ether they

lifted the tarp% and as the body thudded into the back of the truck 1enby !limpsed

Ashburys eyes between the torn blue folds starin! directly into the suns white disc

with painless indifference% before Merchant slammed the lid shut.

He dusted himself down ineffectually. )Make yourself at home% he said. )The

collector aint due back til six. He sidled throu!h the dis4ointed !rills and sprun!

headli!hts% poundin! the metalwork randomly with his fists. )Yeah% he yawned. )-ts


25/28


!onna be a lon! ni!ht. He prised open the door of a cadillac% climbed in and lay down

behind the front seats. A brief wa$e of the arm% and he was silent.

C

The sun mer!ed with a rid!e of far,off dunes and the remainin! li!ht took on a cool

deep,blue that co$ered the sky like a $eil.

1enby sat silently in his sleepin! ba!% watchin! the solar display throu!h the

cracked windscreen of the con$ertible. The dyin! li!ht #ui$ered in the heat risin! off

the car hood% and he was reminded a!ain of the thawed capsule.

ust picturin! Ashburys state now was enou!h to sicken him. -t wasnt simply

that hed died in cryostasis% it was the manner of his decay. -t was the bul!in!%

upturned eyes. The $acuum,drawn,in cheekbones. That stale back,of,the,throat smell

that permeated e$erythin!. /$en the body looked shocked by the extent of its

putrefaction% as if it half,expected to sta$e off the process by the lin!erin! remnants of

some immo$able will.

)ll ive you the cold truth - all hail the new death*

1enby sni!!ered emptily as he recalled the pseudoscientists clarion call.

Nainly he had shouted it from the doors of the con$ention centre% discarded papers

swirlin! about him in the winds. /$entually he was led away by security% but nobody

noticed% no,one heard the old man. 0o,one listened. -t was 4ust another howl soundin!

a!ainst the hopeless multitude. *ithout insertion as insurance% there was no solace to

seek. All that was left was the certainty that life on /arth would be done with%

someday% soon% e$entually.

Truth+ There was no lo!ic to him at all.


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%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' (+

1enby wound up the windows a!ainst the descendin! darkness and sank into

the dri$ers seat. His sleepin! ba! felt useless now the sun had deserted them. He

couldnt feel his feet% or at least they were replaced only by a dull% disembodied pain.

His mind drifted in the cold silence. *as this what it felt like to be in a

capsule+

C

The seal of dawn lined the hori"on and sand danced throu!h the wrecked $ehicles as

clouds of dust whipped up between the dunes.

1enby climbed from the con$ertible and faced the risin! sun% tryin! to absorb

its timid heat. He felt exhausted. He had hardly slept. Still shi$erin!% he stepped

throu!h the twisted fenders and !a"ed o$er the car roofs% stru!!lin! to make out the

four,by,four amon!st the upended $ehicles. He wandered between them for some

time% his stride laboured% his boots hea$y as lead% seemin!ly !ettin! nowhere. He

chan!ed tack and headed in the direction of the lar!e dune that the refuse collector

had rounded% but as he did he !lanced down and noticed a trail of fresh footprints

anticipatin! his own. He followed the trail as it snaked throu!h the scrap% in and

around the hollowed,out hub caps and strips of torn rubber% before comin! to an end

at a lar!e rectan!le of discoloured sand.

1enby stared out from the ed!e of the scrapheap at the $ast openness before

him. Tyre tracks slunk in$isibly into the desert. He swallowed dryly' finally% his knees

!a$e.

He sat alone for hours% silently awaitin! the refuse collectors return. He was

$a!uely aware of the mountain of sand at his side. Mars has dunes% he thou!ht. He


27/28

%pen Space &ears ' Hardwick ' (#

remembered them from his childhood cuttin!s. Hu!e meltin! pinkish dunes co$ered

with layers of frost. They made him feel small. He pictured their insides hollowed out%

ca$ernous% like $ast ancient tombs. Tombs filled with capsules. (apsules% twistin!

down to some imponderable core...

-t was hot a!ain now% and he lapped the last dre!s from his water bottle% starin!

emptily throu!h its bottom at the wiltin! hori"on. He was ready to collapse when the

distant whirr of rotor blades $a!uely roused him.

He s#uinted at a black spot as it ed!ed across the sky. The spot !rew like a

spreadin! stain% and 1enby panicked. He tried to haul himself to his feet% but he fell

forward% then forced himself to crawl. He mo$ed without direction% scurried to the

base of the dune% and wildly% unthinkin!ly% he be!an to di!.

The helicopter loomed o$er the shadow cast by the !reat dune and 1enby

choked as its tor#ue swirled the sand like a twister% whirlin! around him% exposin!

him% markin! him out. -ts landin! skids settled with a bump at the ed!e of the

scrapheap. Two Trans7ife officers wearin! !o!!les ali!hted from the craft% closed in

on him% hauled him from the shallow hole he had du! himself% and dra!!ed him into

the cabin.

1enby sat between them% shi$erin! despite the heat% cou!hin! up sand like

powdered !lass. Opposite him sat a white,suited% clean,cut man of middle a!e% and

1enby reco!ni"ed him at once. Stran!ely% despite it all% he couldnt help feelin!

honoured to be here% at this moment% in the presence of li$in! history.

5rofessor &ortune smiled at him. )You accessed the database% Mr 1enby.

5atient I?. *hat exactly did you expect to learn+


28/28


1enbys lip trembled. He didnt know what to say. He was mesmerised by the

human profile before him. One moment the professors smile was there% pristine% like

smooth polished enamel% seemin!ly immo$able. The next it had $anished completely.

)*heres Merchant+ &ortune demanded.

)He left me% cried 1enby. )He had transportQ - had no idea.

)And the body. *here is it+

)He took it. -ts !one.

The professor !lared at the two officers. )Track him down% throu!h the tunnels

of Metropolis if you ha$e to% but - want that patient found>

The men nodded as &ortune uttered an a!!ressi$e order throu!h the radio and

the rotor blades roared into o$erdri$e. Sei"in! the moment% 1enby wri!!led from the

$ice of officers and fell at the professors knees.

))ll confess to everythin* he cried. ))ll do my time.

Here's to the Open Space Years

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Transcript of Here's to the Open Space Years