The day after the raid, the Schwabs had a family meeting to discuss what had transpired, but there wasn’t all that much to say. They simply agreed on what needed to be done: Gone were the late breakfasts and lazy, afternoon bike rides. No more video games or movies night either… All that was replaced by the constant grind of a collective, family effort, from dusk ‘til dawn, to finish the Beginner’s Luck as fast as possible.

The first few days were the worst, as the twins struggled to adapt their internal clocks and work through sleepless nights... and it was even harder to follow their parents’ directions without arguments (or Quentin’s stupid phone instructions). But Sander and Lori swallowed their pride, ignored the mounting pressure and kept their focus laser sharp, never losing sight of what was at stake.

By the time June turned to July, the “nuts and bolts” construction of their ship was nearing its end and both of them had become quite proficient at soldering, wiring and anything that requires a screwdriver... but at this point, even their workload wasn’t enough to keep the ubiquitous, gnawing anxiety at bay.

Sander had begun sleeping with a baseball bat beside his bed, tired of glancing out the window and being reminded of Mr. Jarwin’s fate, as the man’s once-perfect lawn grew wilder and wilder without his care. Sander wasn’t alone in avoiding what was soon becoming an eyesore in the cul-de-sac: the rest of the neighborhood had either left for less fertile pillaging-grounds or become as reclusive as the Schwabs.

For her part, Lori had become plagued by terrible, violent dreams of impossible creatures and strange places. And Barney too was struggling to keep it all together... Consumed by his calculations, measurements and the supervision of the kids, he had started sleeping less and less, despite Evelyn’s urging.

“Every second counts! You heard them, they´ll be back… with guns, and with injections of God-knows-what!” Barney ranted, as the circles beneath his eyes grew steadily darker. “These people are sick… Immunization... that´s a direct attack! No, we need to get out yesterday. And the more simulations we can run, the safer it will be.”

And run simulations he had. While the twins had spent their downtime packing bags, (after convincing their parents to let them bring one backpack of “personal effects” each) they had gone through their belongings... and strangely, realized there wasn’t much that they desperately needed.

Nevertheless, they had both weighed and numbered a series of items that were about to become their only earth souvenirs, and in doing so had felt a melancholy that they could imagine was shared by their increasingly haggard-looking parents.

In between naps, Barney had taken to staring obsessively at his computer, hunched in the middle of his homemade Faraday cage in the attic, running variables through one of Quentin´s programs that spit numbers back at him. Depending on the scenarios he typed in, the results would then either send him into a state of ecstasy or despair, with little room in between.

In fact, his moods had gotten so extreme that, after a particularly upsetting result, Barney had broken down in tears, explaining there was a 12% chance they would suffocate upon takeoff, due to the shape of the ventilation system they had installed.

Shooing away her shocked children, Evelyn double-checked his math and soon pointed out he’d forgotten to account for air pressure valves, before forcing him to go lay down… it was quite a panic in the Schwab household when the day preceding their departure (“Independence Eve” according to Evelyn) a speakerphone blasted them awake.

Laying in their habitual, midday stupor before what was sure to be an intense final night, they all jumped at the sound and squinted through the blinds… but there wasn’t a soul in sight. As they slowly calmed down, it soon became apparent that the source of the distorted voice was farther away than it first appeared.

“God… What is that?” Evelyn yawned, flopping back down on her bed.

“Hang on…”

Still in his pajamas, Barney rubbed his eyes and opened the front door with a stretch. Unable to locate the sound, he began walking around his property to the backyard. A few other doors opened as their remaining neighbors, also curious to pinpoint the speaker, began doing the same.

Eventually, Barney reached the backyard and figured out where it was coming from: Someone was blasting the same slogan again and again, while slowly driving down a nearby road. Almost out of earshot, the words rang out clearly one last time:

“Respect the law. Do not attempt unauthorized air travel. Violators will be met with force. Respect the law. Do not attempt unauthorized air travel. Violators will be met…”

Leaving Evelyn to rest, the twins had followed Barney downstairs and bounced from window to window to keep him in sight... until the meaning of the monotone words had fully sunk in.

“Violators?”

Lori looked back wearily and turned to go back to bed... when another, louder sound rattled the house. The unmistakable sound of helicopter blades were fast approaching.

Despite their mother’s warnings, the twins ran out on the lawn just in time to see a fleet of choppers darken the sky. And suddenly it began to snow… Or at least for an instant, that’s the way it seemed.

In reality, the summer air was filled with fluttering pamphlets, in a colorful cascade that blanketed the forest and spread all the way down the street. Dusting one off his shoulder, Barney picked it up and read the same, oppressive restriction… Only this time, printed on biodegradable cardboard with a beautiful woman smiling back at him.

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“From sea to shining sea, keep the skies clear”

Tossing it away, he went back inside to sleep. Or at least try to…

That evening, under the last of the sun’s setting rays, the Schwabs left single-file through their back yard. Following Barney’s orders, they had snuck out of the house slightly earlier than usual, to gain a few extra hours before the big day.

As they loaded up with their prized possessions and made their way down the now-familiar slope towards the Beginner’s Luck, a long-forgotten sight appeared on the horizon between the trees and Lori couldn’t help but stare.

After spending the past few weeks underground, working all night and sleeping all day, neither she nor Sander had been outside for weeks… And as her brother caught sight of the full moon, slowly rising above the gently flowing river, he too felt a jolt of finality weigh upon him.

Sander reached out to hold Lori’s hand and the two of them stopped, transfixed.

“What’s the matter?” Evelyn asked, her voice already muted from halfway inside the tunnel as she held the tarp open for them.

Tearing her eyes away from the shining orb, Lori turned to her mother.

“This is it,” Lori’s answer came difficultly, as she struggled to put her rising feelings into words. “We’re- We’ll be gone tomorrow…”

Doubling back, Barney returned to his wife and pulled his mask down impatiently as he stepped over the generators.

“Hey, guys! Let’s go. What’s the hold up?”

“I don’t wanna spend our last night on earth underground,” Sander answered curtly.

And without waiting for an answer, he walked over to the riverbank with Lori close behind.

“What? Guys… come on-”

Taking a second to process Sander’s frigid tone, Barney started to follow them... but on his way past Evelyn, she put a hand on his arm.

“You know what, they’re right. Let’s give them some time.”

Stunned and confused, Barney tried to say three different words at once and ended up just opening and closing his mouth like a choking fish.

“But, wh- I… What?”

Before he knew it, Evelyn had already turned him around and guided him back down the tunnel.

“It’s OK, let them relax a bit.”

Cutting short his sputtering, she just massaged his shoulders and walked him back towards their ship.

“Yeah but this isn’t the time to relax! Seriously, they-” But Barney’s incredulity was quickly smothered by his wife’s tired smile.

“They deserve one last normal night.”

“I don’t get it; is it because of yesterday? I know I overreacted but come on, imagine if we miss something... imagine if we miss something!”

“Then we’ll all be dead. And we might be anyway, no amount of planning can make this safe... We’re building a spaceship honey,” she answered reassuringly. “Come on… we’ve done our best. It’s time for the chips to fall.”

But Barney still didn’t seem convinced…

“And hey, I have a surprise!”

From behind a pile of rubble, Evelyn pulled out a little bottle of champagne.

“I was gonna save it to christen the ship, but I think we deserve it.”

Conceding a smile, Barney sighed and took his wife in his arms to kiss her... but from the other side of the tunnel, neither twin heard the cork pop.

Indeed, as they sat by the water, both siblings were lost in thought. Barely blinking, Lori hadn’t stopped staring at the moon since they’d sat down, and didn’t seem much inclined to talk. Feeling her stress (and trying to avoid his own) Sander took a brave stab at making conversation, but struggled to find much to say…

“Hey. What are you gonna miss the most?”

“About earth?”

“Yeah.”

Silence followed, as a million soon-to-be memories flew through their minds. Hoping to make his sister chuckle, Sander gave her a nudge.

“Dude, did you see the food we packed? I think I’m gonna miss fresh stuff. Like, just Earth stuff… fruit... even salad.”

“Yeah…”

She breathed deeply and finally took her eyes off the glowing orb in the sky, to meet his.

“Nature.”

“Nature?” Sander grinned, until he ran the idea through his mind and realized how right she was. The smile slid from his face and they fell back into silence.

An hour passed… and without saying a word, or even consciously realizing what they were doing, an impromptu meditation had begun. They both focused on experiencing their present moment as intensely as they could... and, as they let themselves connect to all the smallest things that this planet had to offer, lost the need to concentrate.

Sander closed his eyes to feel the water lap his bare feet, while Lori just soaked up all she could, from the wind on her back to the spider webs in the bushes, even the muddy banks of their little river… And as she did, Lori created a mental repository of all she would need on their journey.

After another hour, Sander opened his eyes and got up, interrupting his sister as she watched the moon’s reflection.

“I can’t sit anymore. Let’s walk.”

And off they went into the forest… But there wasn’t much to do. And after skipping a few stones and remembering some of the sillier stories from their childhood, they were back in front of the tunnel.

Then, just as the first hints of pink started to taint their dark summer sky, Barney’s familiar voice called out.

“Hey! Wanna see something cool?”

Looking over their shoulder, Sander and Lori turned to see Barney strolling out of the tunnel towards them, with their mother close behind.

“You guys been alright?” Evelyn inquired, but Barney hadn’t heard her.

“Ready for the fireworks?” he smirked, a slight whiff of alcohol on his breath.

As he said it, Barney produced a large tubular device from his pocket and extended an antenna.

“Is that it?”

“Yup! Now stand back OK? Farther…”

The twins dutifully backed up and looked to the sky, until they realized that neither Evelyn nor Barney had raised their heads. Instead, their parents were bracing themselves against a large rock to their left, squinting into the dark forest next to the tunnel entrance.

Before Lori had time to ask just what it was that they were looking at, Barney pushed the button.

In a muffled roar, the trees in front of them rose in the air and the Schwabs fell flat on their backs, as a hail of sizzling dirt knocked them to the ground. Tuning to his side, Sander tried to grab the underbrush to steady himself but it shrunk away from his fingers as the ground caved… or so it seemed.

With a painful shudder, his hips slammed against the forest floor and he realized with a pang of adrenaline, that his whole body had momentarily been suspended in the air! Just as rapidly as the blast had occurred, the trees collapsed back down in a thundering tumble, and a torrent of water flooded into the sudden chasm that they’d voided.

Sander was the first one to stand back up and, as the water rushed into the newly formed channel between the hillside and the riverbank, he saw the crumbling facade of the slope give way to the cavern within.

With a sickening lurch, shredded trunks slid down the muddy embankment into the swirling pool that had accumulated in front of the family… and from across the smoking crater, an amazing -if strangely grotesque- sight appeared: bobbing precariously on ill-fitting buoys, the Beginner’s Luck floated out in front of them, slowly coming to a stop against some debris, in all it´s funky glory.