Where is Mars?
Elon Musk, a rogue rocket, and the future of the Earth: a new episode of The Twilight Zone.
A lot has changed since the 2020’s. The moon has some buildings with SpaceX flags on them. There are also lots of flags on the surface from countless countries going to the moon themselves.
Space Flight Instructor: Alright, the plans are all mapped out; Stay seated and I’ll radio when you're allowed to stand up, stretch and explore your capsules surroundings.
Jonathan: Uh huh... (composing himself and convincing his mind he is in fact not scared). Yes Ma'am.
He climbs into a futuristic space capsule and is greeted with big red buttons and multiple glowing displays. “SpaceX” is written on the side of it.
The scene shifts to somebody's smartphone screen and we see them observing a rocket launch. 10, 9 , 8, 7 … countdown… its speaker blares.
The Twilight Zone Narrator: There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow-between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.
After a successful takeoff, the space capsule is seen shooting across the emptiness of space, as it fades into the distance, the scene changes to a view of the capsules cockpit.
A map on one screen in the corner shows the capsule's trajectory to Mars. Autopilot noises beep steadily in the background as another screen prints out lines of endless green code. Buttons flicker and flash on and off, some are green, blue, even broken.
Flight Instructor: You can take your seatbelt off now, feel free to explore your capsule and stretch.
Jonathan (speaking back into the radio): Holy crap, what an amazing device.
He looks at a certain screen oblivious to the fact that a hidden camera behind it is constantly monitoring him. He reaches out for a suspiciously large control panel. “What's this?” he remarks. Space X’s surveillance team immediately notices this risky action and begins to panic. This control panel happens to be the capsules Master panel. John who has had no prior experience of using this panel before, is quickly called out to.
Flight instructor: Please do not touch that Sir, how about you sit down instead?
It is eerily silent, Jonathan and the Flight instructor have nothing to say and both stand awkwardly, planets away.
Jonathan: Well, uh, can I explore the living quarters?
Flight instructor: “Satellites reconnecting to: Earth. Ceased communications until better reception is found.”
Jonathan (he sits down in his cockpit seat and gazes at the stars in the glass roof above): Oh well, okay.
His mind begins to wander. He thinks, “thousands of miles away from any person. This has to be the loneliest day in my life ever. I can't believe it.”
A few hours have passed.
Robotic voice: On your left lies the moon. A landmark of the solar system, it is commonly visible on earth. You have completed 14% of your journey.
The view is nice.
Jonathan: Wow! I have never seen the moon this close up.
A lot has changed since the 2020’s. The moon has some buildings with SpaceX flags on them. There are also lots of flags on the surface from countless countries going to the moon themselves.
Jonathan: Will the ship make a stopover there?
Flight instructor: No. Straight to Mars. The ship has all the supplies needed.
Jonathan: I'm getting hungry. Can I get something to eat?
Flight instructor: Yes. The screen will show you what to do.
Robotic Screen for amenities (that Jonathan is allowed to touch): To get a freeze dried meal, all you need to do is check the option and then it will serve on the desk.
After clicking it, the meal heats up. It makes a sound like a popping noise that badly reminds Jonathan of a gunshot, and of a memory of watching someone get shot.
Jonathan: No! (He crumples onto the rockets seat).
Back on earth, the SpaceX team is watching Jonathan fall over into the seat.
Employee: Inform the flight instructor. Where is she?
Flight Instructor: Why has he passed out? What's going on?
Employee: We don't know. But the autopilot is on so it can focus on Mars when he is unconscious.
Flight Instructor (talking to Jonathan): Umm Sir, can you hear me? She faces back to the SpaceX team. He might have mistaken a rock for an alien craft or got very drowsy. It must have been a hard day.
Employee (now talking on a headset): You have installed the better antennas right? No? What if the rocket loses signal? They could crash and the rocket could be doomed.
Jonathan is out for a while so the attention focuses on a television on Earth to show what the news thinks.
Watcher: I can't wait to watch this news.
News Reporter on TV: The rocket mission is successful. SpaceX rocket has passed the moon. Jonathan the passenger is sleeping. A photo of Jonathan slumped in the chair is shown and everyone assumes it's just a weird sleep position, not him passing out in fear.
He wakes up.
Flight instructor: What is going on? Steer the ship. You're getting off course.
Jonathan: No. Help, how do I turn it?
Flight Instructor: A bit to the left.
Jonathan: It's too much. I'm alone and this lottery was a bad idea.
Flight instructor: No time to mope. At the last moment, the team saw the path was wrong. Connections can get lost so move over a bit.
Jonathan: Which side?
The screen replies: no signal.
Jonathan remembers the flight instructor saying, “Our autopilot is the best. It will revert once the system recognizes it goes off course.”
But why was it heading straight off the path?
Jonathan (into the microphone): Hello? Hello...
The rocket begins to accelerate to a high speed heading off the course for Mars straight over to more planets.
He looks out the windows just a few miles away. There is Mars with cool futuristic buildings and “Welcome” and “SpaceX” signs.
Jonathan: Let me get out the window and put on a suit. I can jump there.
Jonathan (looking at the empty planet): Too lonely. No I will continue on.
Mars fades out behind and Jonathan sleeps in the chair.
Reporter (on the watcher’s TV): Breaking News, America. The SpaceX Team has this to say about the rocket's update and it's a little unsettling. We don't know what happened. Connections have been lost and we can only hope that the ship has landed safely on Mars.
Watcher: No, no, no, no. It can't fail.
ConspiracyNews.com: Did Elon Musk purposely sabotage his Mars mission to kill this Jonathan Sir lottery winner?
System Voice is talking back in the rocket.
Computer: Jupiter, on your left.
Jonathan (waking up): No. Jupiter? This can't be. It hasn't rerouted and that needs to happen.
Jonathan (checking the microphone): Hello? HELLO? THIS IS NOT GOING WELL. PLEASE LISTEN TO ME. Oh man. So I'll just die going past the solar system and die in space. Alone.
Rocket fades out and Headquarters of SpaceX is shown.
Worker: It just doesn't make any sense. Look!
The SpaceX rocket passes right by Mars on screen. Autopilot did not guide it.
Worker 2: I don't know Sarah. I hope this isn't leaked to the public. Let’s tell the flight instructor there is a slight delay.
Something on a whiteboard says “emergency.”
2 days later.
Computer: Passing pluto.
Jonathan is still pushing controls trying to guide the ship back, but all that has happened is getting the ship to go faster. Pluto is gone and a beep noise sounds.
Computer: Rerouting to Mars Station.
Flight Instructor: Finally! Everything is reconnected. Even cameras, what great news.
Jonathan: All right! Let's get back to the Mars station. I was so scared… Wait, hold on, why is there a black dot on Pluto?
Flight instructor: I'm not sure but the rocket is heading towards it. This is back on TV.
He gets sucked up live on TV.
Watcher: This is impossible. He was just heading to Pluto. Why did the connection die?
ConspiracyNews .com: Our breaking news announcement is here. So far as we know, Jonathan Sir has been killed by Elon Musk and his team's fake autopilot. It looks like he got sucked into a black hole or hit Pluto. It's clear Elon musk is a cruel man. And so is his team for following his orders.
Screen changes to a very big rocket building in Kennedy Space Center. There are lots of official looking people having a meeting watching the Conspiracy News report. NASA’s boss stands up.
NASA’s Boss: This plan has gone great without a hitch. Elon Musk is in jail and we can take to space without competition.
Screen changes back to SpaceX headquarters.
Flight Instructor: Oh no! That black hole behind Pluto is real. We are in so much trouble with America. Just go home now. Go, go!
More news: Should you trust Elon Musk after the recent incidents? Evidence says he killed a man while disguising it as a Mars winner lottery.
The SpaceX center is vandalized with everyone thinking Elon Musk killed a person on purpose.
Elon Musk is thrown into jail for murder for 5 years. His companies go bankrupt. Technology is worse without him. Nobody thinks of going to space anymore.
We see the watcher checking the news.
News Reporter: The Earth's core and atmosphere is heating up too fast. Earth could be like a Venus in a month. Mars has an atmosphere now but the colonization was canceled 5 years ago with the Elon Musk incident.
Elon Musk (in jail watching the news too): If people just knew it was an accident. If they realized it was a black hole and faulty communication. I could have saved them all. But there is no turning back now.
One month later... All the icebergs melted. Big continents are islands. Now there is no grass except what humans could grow indoors because it's so hot. To make things worse the earth is about to explode from overheating.
The last discovery on earth was that Pluto seemed to be disappearing, getting stringy and sucked into something. The camera moves to a shot of earth. 90% of earth is ocean and the rest is a desert. The place explodes.
Unfortunately almost everyone dies of the heat or explosion some are shot so fast they go to space, lose oxygen and die. A few cars explode. The watcher gets blasted off the couch.
However, during his trial, Elon Musk knew the world would die without him, so he made sure to use the rest of his money to fund an aircraft training site for prisoners. And while everyone panicked about the world ending, Elon Musk and his most trusted jail mates started an airplane and took off. As Elon, the pilot, flies past the boundaries of the prison getting in trouble, the guards try to shoot him down. He keeps flying as the plane barely escapes a shot from a missile and gets no damage.
Guard: Sound the alarm! The prison and Earth explode.
Elon Musk and his jail mates try flying to Mars, prepared with oxygen tanks. A propitious gust of 200 mph winds push them a lot farther with less fuel. They crash land on Mars and somehow survive the impact. They go inside the headquarters before they die. The place is intact and functioning after being abandoned for a few years, plus it has medical supplies for all of them and everyone sits down.
Elon Musk: I am getting old, but everyone can start a new life here. I'm sorry that earth and your belongings are destroyed, but perhaps we can start something new. Rest in peace Jonathan Sir and my beloved flight instructor Jennifer.
Earth continues exploding as Elon Musk and his new crew from the prison go inside the headquarters.
The scene fades out.
