2 Departure from the Small Things

I stared at the ceiling and contemplated the last seven years of my life. Within Unit B on board of the U.S.S. Phalanx I have probably met at least a sixteenth of the residents. In my relatively small collection of seven years, aboard I have only traveled a couple of miles following the horizontal axis of the Unit.

In the Units, you can only travel widthwise for approximately two miles and lengthwise for one. I have seen the same people and places over and over again. Nothing changing, no one leaves, no one ever comes.

I long to be one of the lucky few who are permitted to traverse the Units at will, but that was restricted to high authorities and selected personnel. I wish to see all the different people, places, cultures that are contained in the other Units.

I have grown faded and jaded of the same stale setting and tired of the same old people. I have grown disinterested in my mundane life, spending every day following the same routine. That is why I have decided to leave Unit B, my home. No one is holding me back. I have no family, no friends, no attachments in general. I've never been able to make friends. I don't know why, but that is just the way it is.

You might've guessed. But, traversing the units as a normal citizen is illegal. I don't consider myself a normal citizen. I survived the streets of Tokyo by myself. Self- reliance was my greatest facet. I always find a way. Selfish as it may be, no longer do I cherish the small things in life such as family and home. I wish to see everything. This will be my endeavor.

I take a last look at my home. Everything that I have acquired over the last seven years is stuffed into the pack on my back. Everything is not much. I turn away and start towards the end of the Unit. I have no real plan, but like I said, I will find a way.

I walk for hours up and down the main avenue that sprawls lengthwise through the Unit, finalizing the plan for my escape. My legs ache a little , after two hours, but I mustn't stop until the night cycle starts. I stop for a moment. I am a third of a mile away from the Unit's end wall. Still fifteen minutes till the night cycle begins.My legs hurt so I sit down.

I watch the ceiling until the UV illuminators grow dim. I keep a careful eye on my watch until it is time to leave. I head towards the gate at simulated 9:00 p.m. I tread quietly along the houses and buildings until I am to the left of foot of the gate. The gate is manned by robotic sentries upon raised buttresses and the gate to the exit locked by an ID scanner. Fortunately, I have the card that I bought off of the underground market. I crawl to the far left side of the gate so that I am in the sentry's blind spots. I make sure no one is out and shuffle along the gate walls. When I finally get to the ID scanner, I reach up in a half prone position and I quickly put the ID card to the scanner.

It doesn't work. I will try again. Once more. D*mn it! The card doesn't work, it's either a dud or expired. I think fast and pull out a flashlight and a spare jacket. I wrap the flashlight in the jacket and prepare to hit the ID scanner. I swing my hand back and thrust it forwards with all my might.

The flashlight makes contact with the ID scanner and a slight crackle follows. I might've hit it too hard. My arm aches, but fortunately the gate opens. I didn't fully believe it would work, but in the end, it did. I step through the gate and quickly flip myself under the bridge to evade detection. I travel the underside like monkey bars. Once I reach the end, I climb back and enter the exit tunnel.

I reach the far end of the tunnel and enter a separate room. The room is full of space suits, air canisters, and other spacewalking gear. I figure that to cross the Units you must wear a suit and go outside. Surprisingly, the suits are un-monitored. Apparently, no one expects anyone trespass this far.

I am ecstatic. For being in space for seven years, I have never seen outside the walls of the Unit. It has no windows since it must rotate to generate gravity and the walls themselves are meters thick. There is simply no need for windows, they are just unnecessary liabilities. I found a suit procedure pamphlet and carefully read how to put the suit on. It is divided into three main pieces, the legs, torso, and the head. It is much easier to assemble than I expect. I lower the main chassis over my body and connect it to pieces that contain my legs. I reverse myself into an air tank unit on the wall and attach it to my suit. Finally, I slip the helmet over my head.

I walk towards the decompression chamber and close the hatch behind me. No going back now. I hook myself to the tether that will prevent me from floating away if I leave the platform. I brace myself and open the exit hatch. The door opens slowly, almost dramatically to punctuate the climax of a movie. As it opens, I take my first look at real outer space.

Before I exit, I hesitate. Can I really do this? It is utterly stupid I realize, but I can't stop. What does it matter if I am caught. I'd rather die and have seen the world, than to shrivel as a forgotten soul. I finally decide to take the step out. I departing from the small things and opening the door to a uncertain future. But as long as I step forward, I know I'll be going the right way. Goodbye Unit B.