MOONBASE ALPHA
After a short shuttle flight, the first for each, the three contestants arrived at Moonbase Alpha. William Chen, eager to begin, was first to disembark. Passing through the airlock he was greeted by the base's Comander, Captn. Ryder.
"Welcome to Alpha, Mr. Chen. If you and your comrades will follow me we'll get right to the briefing so you can begin your game."
"Comrades!" John Stevenson said to himself, "With comrades like Chen who needs enemies!"
All three changed into their suits, designed for lunar survival and exploration; bulkier than those worn on the shuttle, and fitted with a camera in each helmet to allow those Earth-side to follow their every move. They were instructed how to plug the food and water packets and oxygen canisters, contained in aluminum boxes dispersed about the moon's surface and marked by yellow flags, into the portals connected to feeder tubes in their helmets. Their whereabouts would be constantly monitored by receivers at Alpha. Finally, and most importantly, they were shown how to activate their distress signals, vital in the event of an emergency.
William, John, and Daniela stepped into the airlock chamber and locked their helmets firmly in place. The inner door sealed shut behind them. They waited while the chambers atmosphere was quickly drawn out through suction ports in the walls, then the outer door opened with a soft hiss of hydraulics.
Moonbase Alpha stood gleaming conspicuously in the unfiltered sunlight of the otherwise unoccupied lunar plain. Three space-suited figures, outwardly alike but for an embossed nameplate over each right breast, gathered in a protective huddle outside the main airlock and surveyed the panoramic landscape. Grayish rocks were spread out over a darker, almost metallic floor. Overcome by their sudden vulnerability in the lifeless lunar void, no one spoke for a long moment. Finally, one broke the silence.
"From here on it's every man, and woman, for themselves." The voice was William Chen's, heard through suit-com headsets hidden behind coppery sunshields within their helmets.
"Good luck, but not too much, gentlemen," replied Daniela with an unseen grin.
"I hope to see you both again Earthside, when I'm the world's newest billionaire," announced John Stevenson. His friendly demeanor didn't disguise his underlying self-confidence.
"No sense standing here wasting oxygen, see you on the trip home." With those words Chen broke away from the group and began crossing the ancient lava field with a slow-motion skipping stride inherent to lunar navigation.
The remaining two touched gloved right hands and parted. Independantly each sought a beacon, marked by a single red flag; once activated its tenuous thread would temporarily link the two worlds, a signal to earthbound receivers that one individual had beaten not only two fellow seekers, but a forbidding, unforgiving extra- terrestrial wasteland as well.