Sitting in the transport hurling through the lengthy connected tubes of the city, Chan Li Yong hung his head silently as he listened to the metal striking the tube seams. It reminded him of the subways or train rides he would frequently take into the cities. It was calming and sleep inducing as it rhythmically rocked him back and forth.

But this was not like a normal train ride. The seats were spaced out from each other, with plexiglass barriers in-between them. Red and white markings on the floor indicated where they could stand and the number of people allowed to be near the doors. Before each stop, the passengers disembarking would be quickly sprayed with antibacterial mist that shot out all over their bodies. A small narrow poster near the exit reminded them to see their eyes closed and their mouth shut during the process.

Yong took a moment to sit back and glance at the others around him. There were very few on this ride. There were a few elderly couples, a mother and son, and a group of teenagers laughing and sharing selfies they were taking on the trip. They had to hold up the phones that projected holographic images and scrolled each one causing them to burst into laughter.

There was a time they would have clustered in one area, share a seating area or lean on each other. But nowadays, they had to sit apart, separated by clear plastic and keeping their distance as much as possible. He was rather surprised how they managed their ‘social distancing’, a concept that the last generation had trouble doing.

Chan was about to get up as he heard his stop coming up as the automated voice informed of it. When one of the elderly passengers walked over and gawked at him. She eyed him curiously for a a moment and smiled.

“You are him, aren’t you?” Yang said nothing and continued to stand up. She stood behind the red line and kept at a distance. “It is you, my husband doesn’t think so, but I remember the video interview of you.”

“You’re mistaken…” Yong gruffly spoke.

“I don’t think so.” She giggled. “I may be old, but my memory is sharp. The ‘New Star’ is what they called you. China’s brightest and best. Hero to us all—that’s what they said.”

Chen refused to look at her. He kept himself poised to the exit and waited for the transport to stop. He held on to the green railing near by and could feel the woman’s gaze still fixed on him. He let out a barely audible sigh and shook his head.

“I’m not him.”

“What did I tell you!” The elderly husband shouted to his wife. “Leave him be and sit down.”

“I know it is him.” The old woman shouted back. “I watch the vids and news blogs. And watch my bags! I just bought those supplies, I don’t want them stolen.”

“Who’s going to steal this garbage?” He laughed back. “Ration noodles and rice, barely edible if you ask me.”

“Then I won’t cook them for you, how bout that, huh?”

On and on the two ranted to each other. The transport stop couldn’t come fast enough for Yong. As soon as the doors opened, he stepped through the full mist and briskly walked away from it. The two seniors continued to banter loudly; The Cantonese swearing drifted far past the transport doors, so much so that others stepping onto the transport immediately stepped off again.

Yong felt a slight chill and tried to button up his tattered brown jacket as he continued to walk briskly. The station was spacious enough to give everyone enough room to walk by with some distance. There were markers on the floor to indicate where the flow of traffic should come in and out. People had to observe this rule otherwise the patrolling officers (in protective suits) would stop them and ticket them for a violation.

The line up to exit the transport station was very sparse. People remained a few feet away and keep out of reach of one another. Some wore protective masks or face shields as a means of keeping safe, but it wasn’t always necessary to do so. The supply for such protection was minimal, most of it was priority for the medical and science division, and sent directly to them.

As each person was screened, sprayed and allowed to pass through the checkpoint; the guards at the end of it would question them about their destination. This was the way of life now. Everywhere you went, anywhere you would go, whatever building you entered or exited, you were scrutinized and questioned. Yong detested this process, and his face would often express it accidentally.

The guard signalled him forward as he passed through and demanded his citizenship card. Yong held his foil-embossed clear plastic identification and waited for the officer to scan it.

“Where are you going?” The officer questioned loudly.

He was young with hardened eyes and forceful in his tone. Clearly a young man who took his role far to seriously. Yong sighed and answered with some mild hesitation.

“Health and Science Division One-one-seven…”

“What is your work number there?”

“Level 1, Six-two-nine alpha.” Chan grimaced in response. “I’m the head of bio-science research.”

The young man’s eyes flared slightly as he seemed slightly alarmed by that fact (though, ever so slightly). The officer placed the scanner back down on the table beside him and motioned for Yong to proceed. Yong placed the card back into his coat and walked away.

As he was about to leave the section, a scuffle ensued behind and he turned about to see what it was about. A man and woman had accidentally stepped into the same path and bumped into each other. Guards shouted at them and immediately drew their weapons. The man screamed that he was running late and tried to apologize. The woman was embarrassed and held her hands up in fear.

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The biggest mistake to be made is trying to talk your way out of it. The guards wasted no time and demanded they move to the ’safe wall’. The wall was a zone with two isolation booths for the guards to subdue and pat down the individuals while they were arrested. The woman wept as she did as instructed. The other guy, he continued to apologize and demanded they let him go.

The guards issued their last warning to him. Five of them surrounded the poor frightened man with guns aimed at him. Again, he refused and asked to be let go. “It’s a mistake!” He bellowed. “I won’t let it happen again! I’m sorry”

Chen knew what was coming next and turned away. The sound of the weapons going off echoed all around. The woman screamed in horror but kept herself poised against the ‘safe wall’. The guards now turned their attention to her and continued with the arrest. Chen begrudgingly walked away and was grateful that didn’t happen to him.

* * *

The city, or at least the section he was now in, was large and very overly developed. It must have had a rather quick construction from all the slabs of metal welded in place, the office buildings were built out of old shipping containers and had very little imagination in design. The streets weren’t made for vehicles, just bicycles and pedestrians. They had different lines for each, distance reminders, path symbols for pedestrian and bicycles, and warnings about using them incorrectly.

Everything was organized in this makeshift city, it had to be maintained and kept clean, to prevent infection or bring about disease. Yong headed towards his workplace, a giant lab facility that took up nearly two-thirds of this particular sector. There was no labeling or corporate identity adorning the structure, only a number and designation symbol painted on the doors.

Corporations were no longer needed. Marketing products or advertisements for them were a thing of the past. The ruling government provided everything. Work wages were now used on a credit system. The more credits you had, the more items you could get for your daily life. But choices for that were limited. There was no entertainment or recreational diversity to choose from, just whatever Lunar China City could provide.

A strict guideline of culture preservation was the mandate. “The Dynasty Of China Is Forever”, that had become the only slogan seen or hear anywhere. A hologram of it floated over the mega-lab, it would infrequently flicker due to the power surges, and Yong felt a sense of uneasy ever time he looked upon it.

His China was gone—forever. This new version was like a spectre of the former country. It wasn’t even a country anymore. To him, it was just a reminder of what they had lost, the hubris of ambition destroyed not only them, but the world as well. There was nothing to be proud of in this city—nothing at all.

“Good day, citizen Chan,” The security guard bowed to him as he came to the door. “Identification, please.”

“Do you ever tire of this, Jun?”

“You know, my wife was just asking that of me this morning,” He snickered. “She thinks we’re in a rut.” Yong handed him the identification card as he continued. “I told her, ‘at least we have a job, full bellies and reason to go on living’, she didn’t think that was enough.”

“Is it?” Yong glared taking back his card. “For you, is it enough?”

“I don’t see why not,” He smiled. “What else can we do? Where can we go? Better to live than not at all.”

Yong smirked at his response. They were almost close in age, perhaps by a few years, and he felt the man was personable enough to have a meaningful conversation (limited as it was). But seemed disheartened by his complacency of living this way. At least his wife and more common sense. Yong stepped into the building’s doorway, and was sprayed, had an ultraviolet light flash over him, and then a laser beam aimed at his forehead took his temperature.

Once that whole dance was over, the secondary doors opened automatically and a pleasant recorded female voice greeted him to the facility. The floor was not like any other floor of any other building. This was a bright orange gel that covered the entire surface. A special compound that removed any viral or bacterial material from the footwear and protected them contamination even after they left.

Young wished he had developed this. It was a remarkable breakthrough. But it was also very hard to re-create for any other building. Oddly enough, the first person to greet him in the elevator (as he swiped his card and stepped in) was the fellow scientist who made it.

“Morning Chan!” He beamed exuberantly. “Another hard day at the ol’ lab, huh?”

Yong nodded with a slight grin. It must have been hard being the only white man among so many Chinese people. Nathan Tucker was a thirty year old who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cut off from the rest of the world, and forcibly shipped to the moon with the rest of them.

Thankfully though, he was not an American. That would have meant instant execution. Not that being a Canadian was much better, but at least the government could tolerate those kind people. Back then, Nathan was a young, idealistic intern in Hong Kong trying to study genetics and micro-biology. It was a fluke that his research led to the orange goo floors that this lab uses today.

The government no doubt strong armed him to coming here and renounce his own country. He was as much of an asset to Lunar China as Yong had become. So, naturally, they got along very well. But Chan didn’t really care much for his bubbly personality, it was slightly annoying at times.

“Canadians…” He muttered sarcastically.

“Got ya a double-double,” He handed Yong a cup. The man looked at him with a suspicious eye. “It’s tea kind, ok? Not a drop of coffee in this city, remember? Thought I would just kill for a large cup of that right about now. Tea? Who can always drink that twenty-four seven?”

“You could always go back home, you know?” Young snickered and took a sip of his hot tea. “I’m sure they’ll let you go any time you’d like.”

“Yeah,” He laughed. “Right out the airlock you mean. I swear, I deserve a raise for all these innovative breakthroughs I’m making for them.”

“Please…”

“Seriously, I deserve it.” Nathan continually tapped the elevator button as their level wasn’t coming up fast enough. “I could use the extra credits and get a better living space.”

Yong chuckled at the thought. Better living space was a joke. There was no such thing. Everyone’s dwelling was equal and had no additional space whatsoever. There wasn’t any added room to be had. But, like Nathan, he too wished that was a possibility.

“Going to your office?” Tucker said (changing the topic).

“Yeah, why?” Yang said sipping his tea again.

“The big man is here. He’s waiting in your office.”

Yong stopped in mid-sip and lowered the cup slowly. “Shit, what for now, I wonder?”

“He does like checking up on you… and me, but, mainly you.” Nathan nudged him.

Tong look of dread seemed to stop the Canadian scientist from giggling. He knew Chan was never happy when this kind of check up occurred. As the elevator reached the level, the doors opened up and Nathan gave a raised cup ‘goodbye’ to the bewildered looking man.

Chan held his arm for a second before stepping out, “Nathan, any word yet?”

Nathan’s face said it all to him, a look of defeat and half lowered eyes made Chan release his arm slowly. “I haven’t heard anything. But, this really isn’t the time or place to discuss this.”

“Sorry…” Chan softly uttered.

“Come see me after, we’ll find a spot out of the way.” Nathan finally stepped out and turned one last time to face Yong. “Drink your tea, and pray that big boss up there is in a good mood.”

“Yeah, thanks..” Chan scoffed. The doors closed and he continued to the top level. “Thanks a lot.”