21 Awake again. But today I know who I am. The blood is flowing. The legs are strong. The brain is alert. I make my way to the cafeteria, where Ricky awaits me, coffee in hand, hair perfect , smile in place. “Ready Freddy?” Ricky asks. “Sure,” I say, “and what, no Dave and George today?” “Not today,” Ricky says, “they don’t do sales—minerals, some security, that’s their thing, but this here, now, this is my thing and soon enough your thing as well. Cool?” “Cool,” I say, “let’s do this. “Great,” Ricky says, “come with me to the training room.” We walk down one sleek hall to the next until we reach one of a series of nondescript doors. Ricky pauses. “What we’re going to do here is a role play,” Ricky says “There is a couple in the room and they will play the part of the prospective buyers. They are 1-Percenters who are ready to leave Earth, but not quite. They know it’s time to move on and they know there is money to be made here. But it involves leaving all they’ve ever known and so we have to make it feel to them like this is exactly what they want and need.” “Don’t people want to leave?” I ask. “Sure they do,” Ricky says, “but fear will always override want and common sense.” “Okay,” I say tentatively, “I can do this.” O R P H A N S 72 “Yes you can,” Ricky says, “and you’ll be great. I know it. And here’s how it will go down—I will start, and when you feel comfortable, just jump in, alright?” “Jump, got it,” I say, “and hey, where did the couple come from?” “They’re Terraxes—their jobs back at home were done. They will help us here, and when we get to Fu they’ll do manual labor or be harvested for parts. Circle of Life babe,” Ricky says. “It’s funny how often people say that,” I say as we walk in. “What?” Ricky says, easing into the zone. “Nothing bro,” I say, “Hakuna Mattata.” The room is sparsely furnished. There is a sturdy looking table where the Terraxes are already sitting in chairs, and nothing else especially extraordinary except for the fake window on the wall which is fakely overlooking the sweeping and still underdeveloped red deserts of Mars. “This is about innovation,” Ricky says as we settle into the chairs across from the Terraxes, and I know from my previous training that we always start with that, because people want to feel like they’re part of something new and exciting. The goal is to conjure up the idea of what might be. Every situation is different, every family, with different needs, wants and desires, but ultimately you are selling dreams and hope, a fantasy world that does not quite yet exist, but will. “Why would we want to do this,” the male Terrax asks, his light skin and grey eyes just short of humming with any real vitality. “Why,” Ricky says, “let me tell you why. Mars is not only a place that you will be able to raise your children, and their children, and generations to come, but it’s a [3.230.128.106] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 09:50 GMT) B E N TA N Z E R 73 whole new world where anything is possible, because we are building it together, a wondrous vision full of green living and unending promise.” “Why can’t we just rebuild Earth, I love Baidu,” the female Terrax says, her red corkscrew curls nearly on fire as they cascade across her fiercely freckled cheeks. “Because you deserve the best,” I say a little too enthusiastically as I jump in, “because you are unique, and so is Mars.” I stop for a moment to catch my breath and calm myself . “And this, this is an opportunity to be part of the kind of world you deserve to be part of,” I add because I want them to feel that they are special. “Can I be frank?” Ricky says leaning forward. “Of course,” the male Terrax says placing his arm around the female Terrax’s shoulders. “This will be a world where you only have to interact with people like you. Beautiful and smart and proper, raised right, from good families, families that have built things too and given of themselves...