If you look up in the sky past the hours of high light, you would see it, no questions there. Unlike the moon which it replaced, this was a specter that never waxed or waned. It was four times the diameter, sixteen times the area; too big to ignore. It was the size that made everyone look up, but there was something else that kept us from looking elsewhere. This giant ball of pellucid oceans and phantasmal greens stayed in the night sky and the dreams of every imagination. Many believe it to be a prophecy, though of what was anybody's guess. The one thing that almost everyone agreed on was that this is our Earth from three hundred million years in the future.

The unholy hour of five was a good time to rise if one wanted to take in the specter at its most solid. There was something mythical attributed to this hour, and it seemed that the powers that brought in Other Earth were respecting this notion of spirit and sweat. When I was a young entrepreneur, five in the morning was what I averaged on a rough week. I remember the everchanging moon outside my window, and I remember the crescent phases with much disdain.

"Oh, you're up already? Man, why do you work so hard? " I used to imagine the gleaming bow as a mocking smile. Now with the moon gone and myself a self-made man, I've found the predictability of the night sky rather appealing. But not everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Claire's schedule was all over the place; getting up and out of our bed at that unholy hour for her work at the hospital. Lester Jones was falling from grace; having made some poor investments after refusing my help. I often look to Other Earth, hoping for guidance in the future so brazenly declared. It would shine its ghostly light back at us, reflecting promised goals and desires.

"Edwin, do you remember when Otty first showed up?"

Lester Jones, my brother-in-arms, and business partner up until the IPO. That was a good eight years past now, but we still met occasionally for hot beverages. We would do our version of roughhousing by contending for the title of 'most frivolous spender'. When I told him that I planned on getting the treatment, he did his best to dissuade me. He said a lot of things; about how immortality should be given serious thought, about how I should talk to Claire before going through with it. When I went ahead and did it, his competitive nature trumped everything else. So, there we were, two immortals, catching up over Darjeeling and Earl Gray.

"You gave it a name?" I laughed.

"Some of the boys I talk stock with were getting tired of me," he said as he rubbed the stray muck on his face. "I'm losing my touch! I've been too long out of the game and I just don't know how to keep the other nerds engaged."

"So to amuse them, you gave it a juvenile name?"

"I would hardly call it juvenile!" Lester slammed down his cup in protest. "I suggested we name the thing and the name I pushed forth won! I mean, it's catchy and simple. You obviously knew it was short for 'Other Earth'."

"Why are you asking me about that day? I don't think it's something we can easily forget," I cut in, having grown weary of his circumlocution.

"I don't know, I just feel like we're running out of stuff to talk about, you know? I feel like we're growing apart."

It was true. We had started out in garage-boy singlets and grew into high-roller garb together. Now he was donning the pseudo-homeless look: torn jeans and stained beanies. I was wearing a hundred-dollar outer cloth, loose ends swaying close to the dust on the ground. It wasn't by accident; Lester had won the frivolity contest. The only problem was that he didn't know how to make the money back, and whatever competitive drive he had was lost after gaining immortality. The other nerds were losing interest in him for more reasons than just boredom.

"I was in the park feeding ducks," I said, deciding to humor him. "I heard screams and turned around to see people stopping in their tracks and pointing to the sky. I saw a car hit the side rails but the driver just got out and stared, mouth agape. What else would you like to hear?"

"What about you? What were you feeling?" he beckoned with open palms and a lower voice.

"I dunno... Afraid I guess? Does it matter?"

"You guess? Of course, you were afraid! Who wouldn't be afraid when something that big shows up in the sky?"

Lester had tried to illustrate the colossal nature of Other Earth by spreading his arms above his head. It looked almost amusing, like a fisherman trying to convince his peers of the size of his catch. His visage was borderline crazed, with eyes wide and nostrils flaring. His ragged beard draped from his chapped lips, which were separated by a pleading yet tired maw.

"I don't know what to tell you," I said eventually. "I did think I was going to die, but my thoughts were more on how I had just wasted the two billion. Fifty-thousand years of promised life down the drain!"

I've got to hand it to Lester. He could have changed the subject then, brought up my family drama to level the playing field. But he was bigger than that. After several more sips of tea, he decided to call it a day. I looked upon his back with pity, the pride and stature I had once admired replaced by sways and hunches. I wished he had listened to me back then, I wished he had taken my offer to work on the Code together. I wanted to help him but he refused, saying that he wanted to count on himself for a change.

He might have succeeded, had he not invested in Other Earth research.

***

"Thanks, Daddy! This is the best birthday gift ever!"

Jill's smile was one of those little things that never failed to bring me joy. Her smile was especially bright the day she came home top in her class for the math finals, a chip off the old block. As a reward, I let her choose a new telescope to replace the one with the scratched-up lens. I even woke up early to join her on the roof, where she pointed her new toy at the heavens for the first time.

"It's so bright!" she exclaimed as she trained the tube on Other Earth. "I can see the mountains! And valleys! And even rivers! It's so pretty!"

I've found it best to keep silent during her emotes. Jill was a curious kid, and I saw that as a good thing. However, she will drag me along for the ride should I show the slightest interest.

"This telescope has a camera function right? Can we take a picture?" she asked, eyes beaming like the few stars in the sky. Well... it was peaceful while it lasted.

"Why don't you try it, sweetie?" I said, bracing myself for the inevitable barrage of questions. Being the quick learner that she was, she figured to press the green switch to turn on image-capturing. Her face fell when nothing appeared on the tiny display screen, just some sad, lonely stars, pining for the moon they had grown so familiar with.

"It's broken!" she exclaimed, lips beginning to quiver. I had to step in before emotions ran too high.

"It's not broken," I corrected her. "Other Earth can only be seen by the naked eye and tools like this telescope. No one has ever managed to capture it on film, analog or digital."

"Ana...log? Who's Ana Log?" she asked with a pitched voice. I couldn't help but respond with some air out the nose. Even I shouldn't be old enough to know what analog means!

"Never mind that," I smiled. "You just shouldn't feel bad, that's all."

She looked away from me and back at the empty screen, before turning her sights towards Other Earth. After what I suspected was whimpering, she turned back to me with those bright glowing eyes and asked the inevitable 'but why'.

"I don't know," I had to say. "No one does."

"Is it because people are stupid?" she asked, ever so innocently.

"Hey! Just because Daddy says that doesn't mean you can say it!" I chided. "And no, it's not that. It's because Other Earth doesn't follow our established laws of science."

She paused her questioning again, trying to absorb the contradictions. Her eyes were perked up, head tilted slightly to the left; she has the cutest face when she's confused.

"So it's magic?" she asked.

"Maybe. Maybe it's placed there by an advanced civilization, or maybe there was an accident in spacetime and now we're stuck looking at the future."

Those words were probably too big for her, but I couldn't resist drawing out more of that cute look.

"So will people figure it out?"

"Maybe. Maybe we will figure it out many, many years in the future."

"Will you live long enough to find out, Daddy?"

That caught me off-guard. Claire and I had agreed not to tell her of the treatment until she was a little older. I thought it was fair; she needed to be mature enough to make such a heavy decision, regardless of what either one of her parents may think.

"What do you mean by that, sweetie?"

"We learned about it in school, Daddy. Just yesterday. The teacher talked about some of the first people to get the treatment. You were mentioned, along with Uncle Lester."

What was the teacher thinking!? My first thought was to call up the school board to demand an apology. How could they just blurt out our names when at least one of our children could be in class? It was a good thing I told Jill to keep the identity of her father a secret; I didn't want her only friends to be gold-diggers.

"I want to live as long as you do, Daddy! I want to learn more about Other Earth! I want to do it with you!"

"Well, you'll have to wait til' you turn twenty-one, sweetie. You don't wanna be stuck looking like an eight-year-old forever!" 

At that moment, the screen doors slid open behind us. We turned around to see Claire, already dressed in her nurse uniform. She was clearly disturbed by what she had just heard, her furrowed brows betrayed the serenity she was trying to portray.

"Alright Jill, it's time for you to get ready for school," she said in her best motherly tone. Jill replied with a cheerful 'OK!' before doing a hop and a skip past her and back towards her room. I followed my daughter, except my footsteps were ginger and restrained.

"I didn't tell her... "I whispered as I approached my wife.

"I heard. It's not your fault," she replied, with a tone not quite so motherly, "but you will take care of this, right?"

I felt my blood grow cold. I had been looking forward to another day of mindless TV and gaming while the Code played the market. Instead, I had to interact with testy people on the phone and prepare a difficult chat with my daughter. Oh, what joy.

"Sure," I said. Claire nodded before walking back into the hallway and down the stairs to the front door. That was all the love I would get that day.

***

In my position, threatening the school board would be as simple as reminding them of the hefty donations I've been making. To chalk it down simply, that was indeed the case, except I also had to tolerate their sycophantic whining.

"I want the person responsible reprimanded," I had said, "I want an official apology from the Board of Trustees admitting that they were careless and thoughtless."

"Yes, Mr. Kang, " came the mousey voice from the other end. "We will do that, and we're sorry, again... "

I slammed down the receiver and let out a short and loud cry. In all honesty, I think I wouldn't have demanded a high-profile apology if the guy hadn't sounded so irritating. I hate sycophants. I remember the lot of them snubbing us when Lester and I showed up at the convention all sweaty from hours in the garage. I also remember their vampiric smiles and garish suits when we returned to buy their company shares. Even after the IPO, they wouldn't stop calling me, hoping to get some insight into the Code that I had worked so hard on. Just thinking about them makes my heart boil, and when your heart is a nuclear one, that could be scary. I was forcing myself to think of a video game to play when the phone rang, again...

"Edwin Kang!" the voice from the other end was loaded with false joy. I let out a quiet sigh. Dash Outram was willing to put in some elbow grease, though a good eighty percent of his success was likely due to his inheritance.

"Hello, Dash," I said, trying to hide the fact that I'd rather be killing virtual zombies. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I got the treatment, Edwin! I'm immortal now! Just like you!"

"Oh! Congratulations!" I did my best to sound sincere. Outram wasn't one of the guys I had hoped to spend eternity with.

"Anyway, I wanted to call you today for two reasons. One of which is to celebrate! I've managed to pull some strings and we've got spots on the first civilian flight to see Other Earth up close!"

"Oh!"

That time, it was a little more genuine. I began thinking about taking Jill, but I wasn't sure I wanted her mingling with all the snakes on that plane. They'll be more than willing to use her to get to me.

"You do have to pay half a mill' upfront, though I think you probably earned that in the past hour."

Half an hour, but who's counting?

"And you do get to bring a plus one. Maybe Claire? You think she might be interested?"

"Yeah, don't hold your breath," I replied. "That does sound fun but I was thinking of bringing Lester instead."

"Oh... " the disappointment was not masked by the electronics between us. "May I ask why?"

"He's just been very down lately and I thought it might be good to bring him along. He has been very interested in Other Earth ever since the day it first appeared. Besides, Claire's been pretty busy with her work in the hospital. I doubt she'll be willing to come."

There was no way I would give him a chance to expose our family drama. Besides, I hated the way he threw Lester by the wayside when it was clear he would be of no further use to him. This was my way of sticking it to Outram. I guess when you're rich, even field trips like this become a game.

"Alright," he said begrudgingly. "It's your spot so it's your right, though I really was hoping to meet your family again."

"Cool," I replied. "I'll forward you the half-mill' now and another half to not badger me about the Code on this trip. Sound good?"

"Ha! I like that about you, Edwin!" he laughed, a little too forcefully, "You always know how to flex. Ok, that's fine. Let's just all have a good time on this trip."

"Good! So what's the second thing?"

"Are you alone?" he asked, his voice suddenly sounding a lot less cheery. This was truly him, a cause for relief and consternation.

"What if I am?"

"Then I can tell you of a deal I'm making that I hope you'll jump in on."

I paused, unsure of what to say next, or if I should hang up the phone right then, maybe just forget about the trip entirely. He soon began talking again, probably spurred by the safety of silence on my end.

"Remember Daniel Victory? That politician who made headlines some years ago?"

"That sleaze?!" I was horrified, "You're getting caught up with him?"

"Well yes, though I'd like to think that he's getting caught up with me. Anyway, you know how the treatment's getting more affordable these days? I mean, I could afford it. Problem is, we want this affordability to stop somewhere. After all, we don't really want to spend eternity with... eh, how should I say this... riff-raff."

I felt a chill down my spine. Who even says 'riff-raff' anymore?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, almost wishing that I hadn't.

"I'm talking about paying the big-pharms to turn to other sources of revenue. I'm talking about paying the self-help gurus to tell the ninety-nine percent that immortality's some rich fool's game. That way, we'll get to spend the rest of our infinite lives with the peeps who know the real game."

How was a man able to say something like that and make it sound like he was selling children candy? It was the second time that day I felt my blood run cold. I was getting slightly worried about my heart.

"Erm... How about I give you another half-mill to save this conversation for after our fun trip?"

"Come on! Are you getting damp on me? Fine, forget the half-mill'. I'll send you the details and we'll talk after the trip, but I hope you'll have an answer by then. We'd really like to have you onboard."

The call ended with some terse goodbyes as I placed the phone gingerly on the receiver. It felt like my muscles had lost their strength and I couldn't help but shudder when I heard the click. Why did I not just say 'No'? Actually, why did I not just scream a capital N-O? I could still remember my time as the 'riff-raff', working hard and blissfully unaware of the twisted games the elites play. After our first major break, I'd found myself caught up in their plots and had to weave one of my own just to get out. I remember how it got easier and easier. I learned to look a man in the eye and lie while keeping a steady voice. I learned to smile at children and curry favors with their parents for deals on the side. Was I at the point where I would consider dealing with lives and godhood, the issue of death and divine karma a shade of the past?

Or maybe it was the Code, my last great act of intelligence, the one that made me the world's first auto-quant. I was living the dream; sitting on my ass playing video games while market forces pushed nuggets into my bank. Was I so detached that I no longer remembered the blood and toil that makes us human? Was the only thing that stuck from my days as a garage boy my hatred towards those sycophants?

No, thoughts and feelings don't make the world go round, money does. I may not be going out much, but I am funneling much-needed capital to causes I believed in. Climate change research has never received so much funding. Human trafficking was almost non-existent thanks to new enforcement equipment. I pumped in what was really needed to make a difference. Maybe I deserve to be a god, maybe I do have the right to sit on my ass and play video games for the next fifty-thousand years and beyond. I walked to the balcony and looked up. Other Earth had risen early today, still pale, still ghostly.

"Am I deserving of you?" I whispered silently at it, "The real you? "