And where were we? Underground, I assumed. The shaft was dark, save for the horseshoe-shaped contraption we had emerged from and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel—the tunnel being a rectangular passage of rock, specked with chunks of quartz crystal. With nowhere else to go we quickly covered the hundred yards, exiting through an archway of bright light—stepping into what appeared to be the grand lobby of a five-star hotel!

Two rows of gold pillars supported a three-story archway. Polished marble floors led us past lush gardens and trickling waterfalls. Blue neon recessed lighting escorted us to the end of the T-shaped chamber and a thirty-by-sixty-foot observation window that revealed the lunar surface nestled beneath the velvety black tapestry of space.

We stood there, awestruck by the three-dimensional visual evidence of our species’ annihilation, frozen in orbit for all eternity yet animated by the Earth’s gravitational pull. A debris trail high above the moon’s surface formed a tail that was drawn to Earth by the planet’s immense gravitational forces. Lunar dust glittered like diamonds, chunks of rocks as large as pickup trucks spun like rotating islands. And then there was the Earth itself, an image worthy of a thousand terabytes of information—a blue jewel occupying a third of the ever-changing skyline, its atmosphere doused with emerald flames and crimson-red highlights—fading remnants of the solar particle-fueled aurora.

As the moon’s orbit changed and our home world gradually faded, the surrounding stars seemed to brighten. I could spend hours describing the tidal patterns forged around the churning vortex of the Milky Way or the distant clusters forming other galaxies and still never do them justice, but suddenly my flesh prickled and static electricity caused the hairs along the back of my neck to rise as I realized we were not alone.

Dharma shared the sensation, and yet we could see no one.

“Welcome to Alpha Colony.”

From the darkened corridor to our left appeared two brilliant white specks of light. As they moved closer, the pale, almost luminescent faces of the couple who had communicated with me aboard Oceanus became visible, their black bodysuits having camouflaged their bodies in the recessed shadows.

“Dr. Eisenbraun, Dr. Yuan … so good of you to accept our invitation. My name is Douglas McEntyre and I am a senior liaison to the CCE, one of the three divisions on the moon. This is my soul mate, Lisa.”

“My husband, Doug, understates our gratitude.” She leaned in and kissed me on either cheek, her flesh warm and soft and to my relief quite real. “Your presence here honors us.”

She repeated the gesture to Dharma.

Doug McEntyre smiled, observing my apprehension. “Our guest reminds us that he remains a man of science, his mind riddled with questions. You could learn a thing or two from your companion, Robert. Dharma’s mind remains open and calm, thus unencumbered.”