Theme Thursday (LIMO)

The LIMO arrived and Jason looked back at his house one more time, wondering if he would ever return there again. He had been selected for an adventure that some people would die to go on, but many others would not have accepted . He stepped into the LIMO, while neighbors looked on, and then it sped away, on a 2 hour drive to the Kennedy Space center.
Upon arrival at the Space center, Jason saw that there were 19 other LIMOS, parked in a line in front of the entrance. He got out and was escorted to a room, where the other 19 people waited. They were about his age, all athletic in appearance, all seemingly nervous. He was handed a pamphlet, and upon opening it, he saw each person’s photo with a short biography. They were all single, all professionals, including doctors , engineers, and scientists. He felt out of place, being a construction foreman.
He had received a form in the mail a few months earlier, saying that NASA was looking for volunteers to spend one year aboard the international space station. He filled out the form and sent it in, figuring that he would never be considered, but to his amazement, he had gotten a response within a week. It said that he was chosen and that he would have to spend 2 months in training and would be lifting off in the month of September. So, now, on July 1st, Jason sat in a room with 19 strangers , waiting for the next step. He was getting excited.
The two months went quickly and the 20 people really bonded. He had met a woman named Cheryl, who he really found to be quite attractive, but there was no liberty during their training, and he could not explore anything more than being friendly. He had been bruised and battered and nearly drowned, but he had come through it ok, and now, in early September, it was launch time.
They were led to the shuttle, which had been modified to act almost like an airplane, with rows of sturdy seats. It was the 20 of them and a 4 man flight crew. People gathered around the launch like they had not done in years! Civilians in space had not been tried since the Challenger disaster, it was big news. The launch went off like clockwork and their training had paid off, no one got sick, well, seriously, anyway, and the ride to the space station was mesmerizing.
They entered the station, it was not very nice, at least that is what Jason thought. It had a very hospital type feel to it. Spending a year here was going to be tough. They were led to rooms and were assigned sleeping areas, it was cramped for 20 people. He wondered if this was some sort of experiment to test people’s sanity? After putting their personal belongings in their living space, The flight crew escorted them to a small conference room, where a monitor had been set up. A face appeared on the monitor, it was The President! How cool was that? Thought Jason. The president spoke:

“ Welcome to your new home for the next year, or as long as it takes. A strain of a Super Ebola Virus has been found in 4 different countries, including a town in the United States, and according to all computer models, the entire world population will be infected within 7 months. There is no cure or way to stop it! Ebola is 100% fatal. No one has survived this strain, it is an airborne virus, and even the tightest isolation efforts have failed. The computers also say that if the world population is eliminated, that the virus will lose it’s host and die out. We have automated your return, and your pilots know the drill. Some government officials and scientists are going to try to survive in a controlled environment. You will be fed news channels and government updates as long as they are available. Keep us in your prayers, and God bless.”

Jason was in shock! He looked around the room and saw the dropped jaws and saw the tears of the people who were obviously thinking about their family members. Now he knew why they were all single, and childless, and such a variety of knowledge was required. This was crazy!
The time went slow, each day listening to the news updates. Whole towns were dying, and dead bodies were littering the streets. Then the news reports became sporadic, and the government updates disappeared. Jason had gotten very close to Cheryl, and often found himself in her caring arms. Three months had passed and there were no more news updates, they were now alone, it was very scary. Jason remembered seeing re runs of “The Twilight Zone”, and felt like he had been dropped right into the middle of an episode.
A year passed and the flight crew decided that 8 months without contact was enough. They Decided that they should stick with the one year schedule. Jason and Cheryl had become intimate and Cheryl had become pregnant, he could not wait to get back home, even though he knew it would be like a war zone. He had spent enough time in space. He was actually looking forward to his new adventure. They could find an island, or live anywhere that they wanted, it was really a bizarre new life ahead of them!
The shuttle landed perfectly at the Johnson space center in Texas, and the 24 people all exited the craft and hugged and cried. They knew that the fate of mankind was in their hands. That is when a car drove up, it was a LIMO. A man got out of the car and yelled, “Welcome Home! Thank God I am not alone anymore!”
Cheryl, who was a doctor asked him, “Didn’t you get sick”?
“Yea,” he replied , “But I didn’t die, I felt like I was going to, it was pretty bad”!
Cheryl looked at Jason and started to tear up, she knew that they were doomed. Even though the man had fought the virus off, his body was still a host, a way that nature found to preserve her lethal killer! You cannot run from Mother Nature, if she is going to get you, there is no place that you can hide!

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