2. “This is an official letter by the Office for International Affairs, Greece.
I, Anaestasia Vlastaras, have attended an appointment at the Greek Office for International Affairs and have been informed extensively by an authorized staff member about my participation in the “Atheya” program. I have been educated about my rights, liabilities and the implications of signing up for the program. I was medically and psychologically cleared for participation. I am able to make the informed decision that I, hereby, agree that my nationality will be revoked. I agree to be flown from Eleftherios Venizelos (AIA) Athens International Airport, Greece, to Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez (LIM) Lima Airport, Peru. I will then be transported to a military base, get a rest break in length between 24 and 48 hours and will then be flown out to the island “Atheya” in a 747-400ER. I understand that I am entitled to medical care and sustenance in the form of food and water during the journey. I have the right to humane treatment by qualified staff and other participants. I understand that I, in case of an accident, will be taken to a local hospital for treatment until I am deemed releasable by the doctor in charge. I understand that, unless an accident I am not responsible for happens, the flight to the island in the 747-400ER will be my last and that I will be forcibly removed from the plane above the island if I refuse to get off on my own. Only in case of serious injury due to an accident I am not at fault for will I be taken back to base for treatment to be brought back later.
For the drop I will be given a NATO Standard parafoil with all relevant equipment to enable a safe drop, however I acknowledge that I will not receive any training. I understand that I no longer have any nationally or internationally recognized rights as soon as I leave the plane over the island - any injuries and other damages sustained during the drop or at any point after are outside the jurisdiction of any internationally recognized governmental body. I acknowledge that by signing this contract I am waiving any and all nationally or internationally recognized rights, except specifically those laid out in this document. I agree that I will not be intentionally damaging or destroying national, international or private equipment, machinery or any kind of installation(s) and that qualified staff is permitted to use force to incapacitate me if I attempt to do so. I understand that I may face criminal prosecution if I attempt to hurt or otherwise reduce the combat ability of any persons.
I acknowledge that all qualified personnel are bound by national and international law and must treat me according to these. If personnel infringe on the rights specified in this document, they are to face trial.
I understand that the goal of this document is to establish a legal framework for a transportation process that is fair to everyone involved. I will respect the authorities and their equipment and I will receive everything necessary to maintain good health until the drop. The goal is to create a process that gets me to the island as quickly as possible and the authorities and I will cooperate towards this end. I understand that this contract ends as soon as I leave the plane above the island and that only God has true judgment over what happens to me on Atheya. I understand that Atheya and the surrounding area have been exempted from international law and that I have no right to make legal claims to any secular authority regarding anything involving the place.
By signing this document, I agree to the terms as outlined above, waive any and all rights not stated and explicitly ask the international bodies in charge of the project to transport me to Atheya. I understand that this decision is final and that the procedure will begin immediately after consenting, which I do by giving my signature below.
Place, Date, Signature.”
“Okay, Madam, please sign here.”
Anestasia suppressed a slight tremble and maybe even a tear as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, barely mustering the strength to grip to the pen.
“And you are sure you want to do this, Miss?”, the officer raised his eyebrows. The young woman's thoughts spun in circles - she spent years thinking about every possibility and every option, though at no point did she feel any more confident in any direction. At this point there was no thinking left to do. No thought unthought, no path unconsidered, all Anaestasia wanted was to live in a place where her actions and her words weren't just the words and actions of one person, but where she actually mattered, where she would make a difference. But is this how far she would go? Is she even capable of making a difference?
“No, I am not sure.” Anaestasia whispered.
“Madam, you can either sign or not sign the paper. If you don't you can just give it back to me and go home. Or you sign it and give it back to me anyway.”
His rumbly smoker voice echoed in her mind. 'Home', huh? Anaestasia didn't feel like she even had a home. She had a place where she would go to sleep till the next day, but that was it. Anaestasia, despite being an attractive, successful woman talented in the study of medicine never felt like she really belonged anywhere. She had no significant friends to speak of and the ties to her family were “cold” at best. Anaestasia excelled in school and even at university earned all kinds of distinctions, yet despite being about as successful as a middle-class woman as you could be it just didn't sit right with her. If she decided to abandon Atheya and continue her academic career she would certainly go on to live a fabulous life, an apartment, car, lab job, maybe realize some dreams, travel a lot, maybe fall in love, the usual - however, young Anaestasia wanted more than that. The thought of being confined to this life, with little agency or just impact on her world in general, deeply within she knew that she needed more than this. And maybe Atheya was the answer - a place she could truly call home, where her actions mattered, where she, as a person, mattered, where she would be part of something greater. Or maybe none of this - maybe she would just die to a snake bite, go out like a faraway star in the night sky - slow, silently, unnoticed. Or she could just walk away, go on to live a prestigious, academic life, hold conferences, push the boundaries of modern science, maybe make the world a better place, but probably just go down as yet another scientist who did scientist stuff and then retired.
No, if she wanted to matter then she had to do this. Period. There was nothing else to think about. Anestasia took another deep breath and then, suppressing the thoughts of the consequences as much as possible, placed the tip of the pen on the signature line. A lone tear ran down her cheek - she had already visited her family to say farewell. There was nothing else left to do, her workplace, her flat, her belongings, all would be taken care of by the officials, she just needed to sign this paper. All was waiting for her to make the decision - including the officer who had been looking more and more impatient as Anaestasia was dragging out the decision. Taking so long is a common human response to delay the onset of a new, uncomfortable reality and to buy time to get just a few extra seconds to spend in the old, soon-to-end reality. Basically, the decision was already made. Anaestasia knew that she was going to be doing this, she was just anxious. She shouldn't, she knew that it was a stupid decision, yet here she was and she was going to sign the document.
She exhaled and whispered a faint “Fuck” as she finally started drawing the A in Anaestasia on the paper which had been collecting ink from the pen she had held on the same spot for a while now. “Yeah, I don't understand what you people have, why you would possibly do this.”, said the officer, “but I'm not getting paid to judge you all. If that's what you so desperately want.” Anaestasia drew the last few lines of her signature and countered “I don't know if I want this. But I sure as hell know that I don't want the alternative.”
Anaestasia clicked the pen and returned it, along with the signed document, to the officer. He just shrugged nonchalantly and sorted the document into a file rack. “Look, I'm glad that you, Sir, are content living your life here. I really mean it, it's great for you and I wouldn't want it to be any different. But I? I, just… I can't.”
The officer smiled slightly and nodded - ultimately, he did not give even half a damn, but he respected the commitment. A person willing to throw away everything to live in a hellhole - that's some serious dedication, misguided as it may or may not be.
“Miss, I will inform you, respectfully, that I and the other staff will not put you in handcuffs right now, but that you will be put in handcuffs if you do things, you are not allowed to do during the trip. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Sir.”
“That's what I wanted to hear. Follow me. Through this door.” the officer pointed with a finger at a door around a corner. No matter what happened now, illness, injury, accident, Anaestasia would be brought to Atheya as quickly as realistically possible. She had just renounced her Greek citizenship and would be carried there by hand if they had to. It's like being a prisoner, but… kind of worse. Well, at least on paper.