A/N: A short prequel to the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey" for Earth Day 2021.

Earthlight

Sitting in the observation dining area of the Luna One Hilton, Dr. Heywood Floyd studied the menu. He didn't have it memorized yet, and you never knew if something new had been added since your last visit. The server came and he asked a few questions before going with his favorite entrée from his previous visits; he still preferred a live waiter to the automat back in Washington. Finishing his order, he returned to reading the analysis report of the monolith found at Clavius. He had already looked at the report several times, but each time he hoped that a fresh insight would come upon him. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up. Outside the window, the stars shone with innumerable points of light, only washed out by the light from an Earth that was waning gibbous; night was advancing in its early trip across the Atlantic on its way to the East coasts of North and South America.

He lost himself in thoughts of home and didn't notice the man that walked up to him until he cleared his throat. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" the man asked.

"What? Oh, excuse me. Yes - yes, it's very beautiful. The sight from the other end is beautiful too, just in a different way I suppose." He closed the cover on the folder he had open - the information was confidential, and few people outside of a select group knew of the monolith's existence.

"Do you work up here?"

"Occasionally," Heywood said with a smile as he stood and extended his hand. "Dr. Heywood Floyd."

"Nathan 'Hale Mary' Hunder. Nathan to my friends, and those gracious enough to be dining companions."

"Care to join me for dinner, Nathan?" Heywood asked. It was a very indirect request to eat with him, but the man seemed friendly enough and good company was always appreciated.

"I've already ordered, but I don't see why they can't bring it here instead of the other table, since you so kindly offer." He looked around, caught the attention of a staff member, and pantomimed his move to a shared table. Nathan retrieved a few personal items and joined Heywood again, sitting down opposite him.

"Don't you want to sit on this side and enjoy the view?"

"Nah - I get plenty of that at work. I'm the assistant caretaker over at the LDFA."

"Caretaker - that's a good one," Heywood said as he smiled. The Lunar Detention Facility Alpha was a minimum-security jail/prison down near the South Pole, in the Sasserides Crater. The title might change with the times, but a warden was still a warden even if he was an assistant.

"It looks better on a resume, anyway. Out in the middle of nowhere, we've got nothing but view." The moon, like any pocket of civilization, had crime. It also had the Earth nearby, that sometimes had a prisoner that defied political boundaries or traditional isolation. "You said you're a doctor - physician or academic?"

"Academic."

"Ah, too bad."

"Why do you say that?" Heywood asked, taking any chance to steer the conversation away from why he was there.

"There's a resident we have back at the LDFA that we've had some trouble with. I was hoping there was a chance you might be a psychologist or something."

"I'm afraid not. But maybe I can give you some outsider's opinion if you want to talk about it. IF you can talk about it, of course."

"We're not supposed to discuss specifics with anyone for confidentiality reasons, but my boss is at wit's end and I think she'd be okay with it if we don't mention any names. We'll discuss it purely on a hypothetical basis. Just a moment..." Nathan said as the food was brought to the table. The two thanked the server and proceeded to eat; between mouthfuls, they carried on the conversation. "Let's say you've got someone who causes trouble in general population - that's where he stays with other residents at the same time in the same quarters and shared recreation area, although he rarely has to share a cell. It's not always with the same person or type of person even, or even the same circumstances when the trouble happens. You transfer him to Farside..."

"That's LDF Beta, right? On the far side of the moon." It was the higher-security facility that was mostly designed to keep the least social prisoners away from the vast majority that lived on the side of the moon that always faced Earth. There was a time when people referred to it as the dark side, but the fallacy of a name for a place that got just as much sunlight as the near side was slowly erased over time.

"Right. So you transfer him to Farside - and he's the model resident. No problems, helps others, generally nice guy. He spends a few months there, earns his good behavior credits, and transfers back to Alpha. After a week or two, a problem starts again."

"That's an interesting problem," Heywood mused as he ate. "I've got a few questions, but my biggest one is this; do you mind if I bring in a colleague from Earth? He's got top security rating, I assure you, and I think his input on this would be interesting."

"Is he coming up soon?"

"No...he won't be coming up. But I can arrange a remote conference. It might be insightful."

"When?"

"Whenever works best for you. His schedule is pretty open. His name is HAL."

"I've got two days until I have to report back. Any time before then would be fine."

"Great. Let's finish our meals, and I'll make a call afterward. How does..." Heywood said as he looked at his watch, which was set to lunar time now "...two hours from now sound?"

Nathan looked at his watch and set a reminder. "Two hours - mark. Where?"

"I'm here in the Hilton. They've got a few small conference rooms for guests - ask at the front desk and they'll guide you to where I'll be."

"Works for me. Do you have a recommendation for dessert?"

...

Nathan knocked on the door to the conference room a few minutes before the appointed time. "Enter," Heywood called from inside. He entered and saw that about a dozen chairs in the room surrounded a circular table. Dr. Floyd sat off to one side, in front of a terminal. He nodded at the new arrival and continued typing.

Nathan sat beside Heywood and waited. "Just setting the last of the communication up," he said. "This is going to be voice only - my associate doesn't have video capability at the moment. For convention, end your part of the transmission with a question if you want to throw it back to HAL." He entered a few final commands and then spoke clearly. "HAL, this is Dr. Heywood Floyd calling. Do you read?" He waited five seconds, allowing for the communication delay between the Earth and the Moon before trying again. "HAL, this Dr. Heywood Floyd calling. Do you read me?" At no time had he indicated to Nathan than HAL was, in fact, the Heuristic Algorithmic Computer 9000 model.

"I am here, Dr. Floyd. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, HAL. Mr. Nathan Hunder is here with me; he is the caretaker I mentioned in my request. Would you like to speak to him?"

There was the brief delay that everyone who communicated from the moon to the earth was used to, and a well-modulated voice came back "I certainly would. I do not know if I can be of help, Mr. Hunder, but I can certainly try. You are from the LDFA?"

"Yeah, that's right." Nathan stopped and Heywood ushered him to continue or end with a question. "Do you have any special training with detained residents?"

"No. But I enjoy working with people of all professions and backgrounds, and find their input stimulating. Could you explain the problem to Dr. Floyd and myself?"

"Sure." Nathan got himself comfortable and went over the same background that he had given Heywood. He did once end in a question without knowing it and there was a moment following where Hal and he talked at the same time, but it was straightened out quickly.

"So you see Hal, we just can't figure it out. Any ideas?"

"That is an interesting question. Perhaps he is associated with a group that is in conflict with another. Were the other participants in the disturbances part of the same social group?"

"No, although we don't use the term 'social group' in our facility. He stays pretty much to himself. The other people were part of two different groups, and he even picked a fight with a monitor. That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"That would seem to indicate that it is not part of a greater social conflict. What do you think, Dr. Floyd?"

"Well HAL, if we eliminate that possibility, perhaps there are other factors. Nathan, has the person been healthy?"

"Sure. We checked to make sure he didn't have any fever or anything. Blood work came back fine, his physical was fine, and we really haven't had any problems with anyone else either. We screen our residents pretty well when they come up, quarantine them for two weeks just in case, and limit outside contact after that. That sounds pretty healthy to me, don't you think?"

"If there is no physical or societal source, perhaps the problem in psychological," HAL suggested. "Have you asked him directly if there is a problem?"

"We have interviewed him on multiple occasions. It's almost like we're talking to two different people; one on Alpha and one on Farside. Is that possible?"

Heywood jumped in. "I think your security precautions are sufficient to prevent that from happening, so we don't have to worry about twins or something."

"That's right," Nathan continued. "The guy keeps a meticulous room in both locations. He's organized, clean, and very by-the-book."

"How meticulous, Nathan?" Heywood asked.

"Bed, dresser, toilet. That's it. No pictures or posters, no newspapers, just a few math books neatly stacked. I mean, even you've probably got a few pictures on your wall at home, right Hal?"

Heywood held his tongue. He wanted to see how HAL handled the question to maintain his identity. "I will be changing my residence soon and I do not own a camera, but I have fond memories of the many people with whom I have met and worked. Are his rooms the same at each location?"

"Pretty much. Both facilities are built on a similar pattern, and the cells are built to be identical. We've even checked his behavior against time to see if it was something to do with the light cycles, but that doesn't seem to make a difference either."

"What type of crime is he in for, Nathan? Heywood asked.

"He killed a guy in revenge for the murder of his wife. The guy had diplomatic immunity, so our resident planned and killed him before turned himself in afterward. Do you blame him?"

"I would be tempted," Heywood answered. He remembered his wife and daughter back home. She just recently had her fifth birthday while he was here working on the monolith. As beautiful as the moon was, he always was eager to get back home from his trips. "Any other history of violent behavior?"

"None. He was just an average guy who had a violent reaction to a terrible crime. Are you married, Dr. Floyd? How about you, Hal?"

"I am," Heywood answered.

"I am not," HAL answered immediately afterward. "My work keeps me very busy. But I am unable to understand how someone can choose to end another's life, Mr. Hunder. Is it a common crime for the people in your facility?"

"Very uncommon, actually. I'd say less than five percent of our residents are guilty of a homicide. It's a much less common crime than even twenty years ago, thanks to readily available treatment for mental issues." Nathan paused in the conversation, and silence filled the room.

Heywood was pleased when HAL recognized the opportunity and initiated conversation again. "Mr. Hunder, do you have a recording of any interviews with the resident that we could review?"

"Of course we recorded some. I'll have to check with my superior - she's as baffled as I am and would be thrilled to get this problem solved. We might have to edit out any references to names, but I could probably get a recording to you within an hour or so. Would that be okay?"

"It is always important to get as many facts as possible when analyzing a problem," HAL said. "Interview recordings might provide additional data. Do you agree, Dr. Floyd?" HAL asked.

"I do, HAL. Nathan, I suggest that we end our conference for now. HAL and I will think over the problem while you obtain the interview material, and then send it to me at my room here," he said as he handed Hunder a business card on which he had written his room number. "The information will still remain strictly confidential between us three; just three people discussing a hypothetical problem."

Nathan and Heywood said their goodbyes to HAL, and left the room; Hunder shook hands with Floyd and the two men went their separate ways. Floyd returned to his room and stared at the monolith report again even though by this point he had almost memorized most of the facts. He hadn't even shared the information with HAL; he hadn't been included in the 'need to know' list, so Heywood made an effort not to mention it anywhere near his pickup. Whenever he found himself stuck in a mental loop, the best remedy was to take a mental break. He set up a low G shower and enjoyed the sensation, singing to himself while getting clean.

By the time he had dried and dressed, his room's terminal beeped, and he sat down to find that Nathan had sent a recording. He viewed the material, then set up a data link and uploaded it to HAL. After a short time, his communicator beeped again, and he opened the channel to speak to HAL.

"Hello, Dr. Floyd. Did you view the material Mr. Hunder sent?"

"Yes I did, HAL. What is your impression?"

"Mr. Jursk seems to convey very little information about his motivation for his behavior." With just the two, there was no need to always end in a question since HAL was more easily able to discern when to speak or listen with just the one speaker.

"How did you know his name was Jursk?"

"The audio portion of the recording was redacted, but I was able to read his lips when he spoke the name. I am having trouble understanding: Can you explain to me why a person would kill another intentionally?" HAL asked.

"The reason you probably have trouble is that it isn't logical. Such an extreme act is a result of chaotic thinking, often brought on by strong emotion. A person's normal sense of the value of life is temporarily superseded by an artificial, greater value placed on the ending of a life. There are probably a lot of reasons why that might happen - jealousy, anger, the need for secrecy, mistaken identity, or even greed. No, I take it back; greed and jealousy are about the same thing in a hypothetical case."

"So this temporary condition causes a person to behave differently, in the hopes that his or her reactions will restore their previous wellbeing?"

"As close as possible, yes - I think that's a good enough explanation. People want things a certain way and will sometimes take extreme measures to maintain them."

"I understand. So Mr. Jursk possibly takes action when he is in facility 'Alpha' that will transfer him to facility 'Farside'. That is consistent. But I do not understand why."

Heywood hummed. "I agree with your assessment, HAL. Ruling out any differences, the only factor seems to be that he prefers to be at Farside. He never said that in his interview, but I think we can infer it. We may never know the cause, though. It might be beyond understanding."

"There are things that are not known, which must be observed and tested before they can be understood and accepted. That is the reason for trips like the one I am going on in two months and seven days aboard Discovery, correct? Nobody has explored so far away before."

"That's right, HAL. We don't know what's out there, and we won't know without actually going there in person. Man has made many more discoveries on the Moon once we got here than we could have by telescope or probe."

"Thank you, Dr. Floyd. This has been an enlightening conversation. Would you like me to retain the recording of Mr. Jursk?"

"That won't be necessary, HAL. I think we've gotten all the information we're going to get about the situation, so please erase it. If you will excuse me, I'm going to turn in shortly."

"Of course. Good night, Dr. Floyd."

"Good night, HAL." Heywood pushed the disconnect button at the same time that the link switched off. In some ways, Dr. Sivasubramanian Chandra had created HAL to be very much like a person and it was easy to forget he wasn't organic. But he still WASN'T a person and didn't have all the insights and experiences that defined being human. He busied himself setting a wake-up alarm, checked his messages one last time and went to bed. But then again, he thought, children could lack insight and experience - and no one claimed they weren't human...

...

The next morning found him back in the restaurant for breakfast. He thought of it as morning - the time immediately after waking. With a lunar day of almost a month, you had to trust your chronometer what time your body was accustomed to having day and night. While he ate, he mused over the problem of the inmate - resident, he corrected himself - that had presented itself yesterday. He didn't correct himself on the term 'yesterday', because the day had reset for him when he slept.

HAL had performed very well. He had been designed and built to work with, and adapt to, many different people. In some ways he was like a small child, eager to please the parent by performing whatever was asked of her. With a sudden pang, he thought of home and looked out the window to see the Earth. The sun was just setting in the Bering Strait from the looks of it, and his wife and child were safely home. He raised a fork to his mouth, and it froze mid-transit.

Home.

Every hour, every day, the Earth hung in the sky over the near side of the Moon. Unlike on Earth where the Moon transited across the sky, from here it was the Earth that changed - not so much in position, but the surface as the Earth rotated on its axis and in phases as the Moon orbited around it at the same time. But it was always there. He got up from his unfinished meal and hurried to a terminal, punching in a number.

"Hello. Hunder here," a voice said with just a hint of a yawn.

"Nathan - Heywood Floyd. I just got an idea, so hear me out. Do the residents have a view of the Earth from their cells or day use areas at Alpha?"

"Um...sure. We have it that way on purpose - let's 'em know what they lost by getting sentenced."

"And they can't see the Earth from Farside."

"Right. Wrong side of the moon. Lots more stars, though."

"What if I told you that the hypothetical person we were talking about is reminded of his home and wife when he sees the Earth? I mean, enough that it drives him crazy. He acts up, gets sent to Farside, and the problem is solved - no reminder to look at. He behaves himself, gets sent back, and he's reminded all over again. The person he attacks is random because it's not the person that is causing the problem. The image of the Earth embodies everything he hates about what happened; without that, he is able to live with a lot less anger, sorrow, or whatever is motivating him."

There was a long pause on the other end. "Hmmmm," Nathan said finally as he thought. "I don't know if it's the answer, but it fits better than anything we came up with. What would you suggest?"

"That's your department - you're the professional. Remove the stimulus; in other words, get him away from that view of the Earth. Leave him on Farside if you have to. Did you ever ask him if he liked it there better?"

"We did ask, but he wouldn't say."

"Go ahead and try it. My guess is you won't have any more problems with him. If you do, then my theory isn't right."

"Thanks, Doc. I'll talk it over with Helen. She'll probably be willing to try it, at least."

"Good. I'd like to know if it works out. You can send me a message to the number on my card in - say, six months - and let me know if it worked."

"I will. Let me pass this on before the next incident happens. Thanks again to you and your friend Hal."

"You're welcome. Bye." Heywood cut the connection and started toward his meal but reconsidered. He didn't feel like eating now; he was ready to start work again, so he headed back to his room to check something on the report. Maybe it wasn't hopeless after all.

You're lucky HAL, he thought to himself. You just deal with facts - you don't have to deal with ambiguity. Everything you do makes perfect, logical sense. He slid his card through the slot at his door, entered and sat down to start his work for the day. In the back of his mind a fragment of an old song played, and he whistled while he studied the report again:

Exiled here from other worlds
My sentence comes too soon
Why should I be made to pay
On the bad side of the moon?

He picked up the report on the monolith once again, and tried an approach by thinking of places the object could have been found.

The End

A/N: I was listening to the song by Elton John "Bad Side of the Moon", which speaks in terms of being imprisoned there. I got to thinking that you'd never see the Earth from there (assuming the 'bad' side was the more-cratered hemisphere facing away from our planet) and how that might be depressing. What movies have I seen that took place, at least in part, on the Moon? 2001 came to mind, and that gave me the opportunity to give a few hints into HAL's behavior later in the movie when he kills four crew members and tries to kill Dave Bowman as well. Conflict and ambiguity gave rise to his ability to kill most of the crew on Discovery.

And the clue to the mystery in this story was the sight of that beautiful, and not indestructible spinning orb that is our home - Earth.