«But we don’t want to contact it.»
«Of course not. But I just want to see if this possibility actually exists.»
The boy continued to operate on the computer until Jordan saw the image disappear. He noticed some weird blue texts on a black screen. He saw Yan type some words or numerical codes, he wasn’t sure, he couldn’t look at him. Then a quick list of codes scrolled down the screen and finally all the texts disappeared but a flashing dash. In that exact moment, Yan sank back on his seat and raised his hands in the air with a gasp, but Jordan didn’t understand if it was from happiness or scare.
«What have you done?» he asked.
«I don’t know» Yan replied, still breathless.
«Of course…»
«Okay, technically I’ve created a chat-room with a computer of the Aresland. A satellite-based link.»
In that moment Anna appeared at the cockpit’s entrance.
«Really?» she asked before approaching and crouching on the seat next to Yan, who moved aside to make room for her.
They observed the screen attentively and also Jordan turned briefly to glance at it, but returned right away with his gaze in front of him.
The dash kept flashing.
«How about we write something?» Yan proposed, raising his gaze on Jordan.
«No, do not write anything.»
«Why?»
«Mmm, I don’t know actually. But I think we’d better avoid creating a contact with them. You never know, they might manage to take a distance control of the rover and bring us straight back and we would see not a whiff of the Huygens Crater.»
«I don’t think this rover was programmed for such a thing. Also, taking distance command of a rover by simply using this kind of link is very complicated, almost impossible. I don’t think I myself would be capable of it.»
«Okay, whatever, we better not risk.»
«Uhm… guys…» Anna mumbled at a certain point, she hadn’t moved her gaze away from the screen yet.
«What?» Jordan asked.
Yan lowered his eyes on the computer.
«What?!» he gasped.
«Too late» Anna commented between her teeth.
«What? What’s that?» Jordan urged impatiently, after glancing quickly at the screen.
A brief text had appeared at the top.
«Fine, let’s calm down, everyone. I think the Aresland has just sent us a message» Yan explained.
«Come on, read it» Jordan encouraged him.
«There’s a sequence of numbers and then it says “Shan Fang here, sending this message from the Hong Se De Du base of the Aresland station, are you receiving me?”. Holy Olympus, Shan is someone who knows about computer science almost (I say almost) like me in the entire Aresland!»
«How did she know that you opened a chat-room?»
«Consider that over there they’ll be monitoring everything since we’ve left, I bet they’re following us with the satellites, I wouldn’t be that surprised» Anna observed.
«What do we do, Jordan?» Yan asked, eagerly.
The boy sighed profoundly.
«We’ll answer, but first: Anna, come here. It’s your turn.»
«Alright» she said standing up.
Jordan stopped the rover and went to sit next to Yan. They restarted right away. Yan typed quickly on the keyboard and, after receiving Jordan’s approval, he sent.
[12.04.317.9]: Yan, Jordan and Anna here, onboard the Atenavan. We’re receiving you.
They sat silently, waiting for an answer, unsure of what would happen. But it didn’t take long to arrive.
[73.88.503.2]: Fine! It’s a relief for all of us here being able to talk to you. We request updates about your state of health. Did you get through the storm unharmed?
«They know about the storm!» Yan exclaimed after reading the message aloud for Anna too.
«Well, what did you expect?» she talked back.
«I expected them to be mad at us or to ask explanations» Jordan spoke up.
«I believe they have some more important things to tell us before being mad at us» the girl assumed.
«What do we answer? The truth?»
«No, we’ll say that we’re unharmed.»
And so they sent a new message. Jordan felt his hands trembling from agitation. He feared they would fail to carry out that mission completely. A long time passed before they received a new message.
[73.88.503.2]: Excellent. So, we know where you’re heading, but you won’t find anything at the Rubentes Terrae. It’s nothing more than an experimental base. You’re risking huge danger, therefore we request you to turn the tide and come back immediately to the Aresland, we’ll come to you with other vehicles. Requesting confirmation.
Jordan and Yan exchanged looks. Anna inevitably slowed down the speed of the rover until it stopped and she turned to look at her friends.
«She’s lying» the green-eyed boy stated.
«Jordan…» Anna begged, as if trying to bring him back to his senses.
«It can’t be so, she’s lying! It’s not true that there’s nothing, we’ve read the instructions together, there’s everything that six persons need! And still, why would they keep it hidden from us three?»
No one answered.
«We got this far and we will reach the end» Jordan continued, very seriously. «Do you agree?»
Yan nodded.
«I agree.»
«Okay, Jordan» the girl raised her determined gaze on him. «We go on.»
The boy reached out to the computer and quickly typed an answer that he sent right away.
[12.04.317.9]: Negative.
«Go, shut everything off! Remove the link!» he urged.
Yan hurried to do as he was told and shortly after the usual satellite image reappeared. Anna started the rover again.
Everything returned as if nothing had happened.
* * *
NASA Headquarters
It was March 19th in 2060 and at the NASA Human Exploration and Operations department the stakes were high. Despite it was night and darkness seeped through the windows, the director Claire Dennis, in office after Robert Walmore and Thomas Elliott, kept watch over the huge screens of the Control Room.
She was older, her face was crossed by more wrinkles, but her energy hadn’t faded away. John Torres, the director of the Ad Martem program, had retired, leaving his place to James Walker. Amanda Lynch had been a spaceflight psychologist for more than twenty years by now and she was still holding her role inside the Ad Martem program. Terry Coleman, former vice-director, now worked at one of the consoles in the Control Room, while his previous place had been taken by Leonard Kelley, a former astronaut. Claire Dennis’ associate director now was Tom Reynolds, an aerospace engineer. Although they covered different roles, all of them were characterized by the same worried twinkle in their eyes. All the angles showcased on the monitors portrayed the Martian surface, more or less zoomed, in false-colors or real. One in particular kept changing image every ten minutes, showing the progression of a small dot on the surface. The only person who didn’t look genuinely concerned was Eugene Townfield, a journalist who was sent by the NASA Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, in order to publish about the developments of Ad Martem 12. Since he had arrived, he hadn’t managed to stay silent for a moment, continuing to ask questions and complaining about how much the Office and the public stressed him, requesting more news. He was a round-faced little man with a pair of thick, rectangular glasses that made him look like he was constantly surprised. Only in those last minutes they had miraculously managed to pacify him.
But soon silence was interrupted again, this time by Terry Coleman, sitting in front of one of the many computers of the Control Room.
«The Aresland has sent a new message» he said aloud.
«Pass it on the main screen» Dennis instructed.
«Right up, Claire.»
And so, in front of everyone, instead of one of the images of the Martia
n surface, a chat-room opened showing three messages sent from the Aresland and two answers from the Atenavan.
«Okay, we just have to wait and hope» the director commented after reading it.
«Doctor Lynch, do you think they’re telling the truth?» Reynolds asked, referring to the message sent from the Atenavan where the three guys said they were fine.
«Hard to tell from simple written messages, I’m inclined to believe them. But if I think of what James said before…»
«They’ve stayed still for more than an hour in the same place until the storm literally ran over them» Walker explained. «Why? They could have avoided or circumvented it in time if they had left right away.»
«Maybe they didn’t see it coming» Reynolds guessed.
Amanda Lynch nodded thoughtfully.
«Maybe they got out of the rover to explore the area. It would be totally normal and comprehensible. They’ve been living for more than fifteen years inside the Aresland. The instinct to explore and discover is proper of human beings and we cannot nor we have the right to suppress it.»
«If they’ve really come out unharmed from the middle of a storm of such intensity… ah, I don’t know! It sounds like a miracle, honestly» Walker continued.
«But this way they’re running towards great dangers» Reynolds shook his head, addressing the psychologist. «If they reach the Rubentes Terrae…»
«They got in touch with the Aresland right halfway to the Huygens Crater, it’s probably been a causality. But only now they can go back» Kelley observed with caution, joining the conversation.
At the bottom of the room, sitting in a corner, there was a woman who had been staying there with her eyes on the screens for hours (some said for days), vigilant of everything that happened, everything that was said. She had long, dark hair partially gathered up with a clip, soft features, high cheekbones and visible grey shadows under her eyes, suggesting she hadn’t been sleeping in a while. She wore a black hoodie with NASA’s patch on the upper left. The fear portrayed on her face was different from that of anyone else in that room.
«If they reach the Rubentes Terrae alive, they would inevitably discover the truth on the mission. It’s what they want, after all» Kelley continued.
«What if they decide to…» Reynolds began, but Kelley cut him off.
«Impossible. Let them decide what they want, they wouldn’t be capable anyway, they’re just kids. And if they have a little bit of common sense, they’ll go back.»
«My team and I have analyzed their skill levels registered on the platform and, actually, if they wanted to, they could. It wouldn’t be impossible for them» Lynch stated.
Kelley sighed, uncertain.
Claire Dennis listened in silence. The whole situation had taken a turn that neither she nor anybody would have ever imagined.
«We’ve got the answer from the Atenavan!» Coleman announced, suddenly.
Everyone turned at the same time towards the screen to read the answer that was composed of one single, very clear word. Tom Reynolds went pale, Leonard Kelley found himself with his mouth agape, but tried to recover quickly. Amanda Lynch was nodding slightly, as if she was expecting that answer. Claire Dennis stood serious and stoic, Eugene Townfield sprang to his feet. The woman in the corner hid her face in her hands before standing up suddenly and leaving the Control Room, followed by a couple of people.
«Negative? What does it mean, negative?» Kelley mumbled.
Reynolds passed a hand through his hair.
«It means they’re going to proceed» Dennis explained, «They must be stopped, tell the Aresland to keep trying to convince them.»
Suddenly, the smartphone that Dennis kept for work began to ring in her pocket.
«But ma’am, time we get in touch with them and send a message, they won’t read it before fifteen minutes!» an analyst at another computer complained.
Dennis ignored him as she saw on the screen of her smartphone the name “Roman Garibov”. He was the director of the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos. She sighed and answered.
«Claire Dennis, tell me.»
«Oh, you think she doesn’t know? She’s NASA’s administrator, for God’s sake!» Kelley talked back right away, exasperated.
«Of course, I’m sorry. You know, the agitation… I’ll do it immediately.»
«I don’t know what’s happening!» Dennis exclaimed in her phone. «Yes… No, there’s nothing we can do at the moment… Of course I know! …»
«Broken link» Coleman mumbled to himself all of a sudden, then he repeated it aloud.
«What?!» Dennis exclaimed before hanging up the call, ignoring an increasingly nervous voice on the other side.
«What’s that supposed to mean?»
«The Atenavan has broken the link with the Aresland. They’ve cut all the ties, we have no possibility to contact them from the Aresland, let alone from here.»
«The Rebellion of the Martians, it would make a perfect article!» Eugene Townfield squeaked cheerfully, appearing in front of Dennis. «Director, have you got anything to say?»
«Oh, yes, I’ve got plenty of things to say. And the first of all is that you must get out of the way, we have no time for this rubbish!»
«Rubbish!? Ma’am, this is journalism! People want to know!»
«They’ll know at the proper moment!»
«When? Tell me when, so that I’ll settle down the Communications Office!»
«We’ll wait for a couple of days to see how the situation evolves, then we’ll publish. At the moment we are all powerless in front of what’s happening. We can do nothing but look and cross our fingers and may God be with us and with them, even though they’re two hundred million kilometers away!»
ELEVEN
~ 178 sols before ~
When Jordan woke up at 6:00 am and headed to the cockpit, the darkness was beginning to lose its imposing intensity as a light blue spot grew larger towards the East. Anna had been driving for two hours probably.
«Hi» she greeted him with little voice.
Jordan read the tiredness in her eyes. He answered with a nod of his head he knew she would see out of the corner of her eye. He sat at the passenger seat while Anna decreased the speed until she stopped in order to let him drive his turn. She didn’t leave right away though, she left the controls and sat back in her chair. Jordan lost his gaze outside the window, studying the horizon, looking for nothing in particular.
«What’s going to happen now?» he murmured.
That question wasn’t solely directed to Anna, but also to himself, even to the Atenavan and to Mars too. The girl turned to look at him
«What do you think?»
Jordan was taken off guard by those words and raised his gaze to her eyes, finding the same light of the sunrise. He had to look elsewhere again in order to be able to talk.
«We escaped in secret» he began, «We lied and we foreclosed any possibility of communication with anyone.»
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl nodding slightly and returned to look at her, noticing her eyes had remained firm on him. He began to feel warm.
«And now we’re alone» she stated simply.
«We’re alone» Jordan convened. «Does it make any sense to you?»
«What?»
«What we’re doing.»
«You mean this journey?»
The boy nodded. Anna glanced outside.
«Maybe not, for now. Just think about it! What are we doing lost in nowhere, inside a metallic box of six meters by four that’s the only thing keeping us alive? It makes no sense in itself. But…» she returned to look at the boy, «It’s a journey, in fact. And maybe that’s the best part: we’ll find a meaning only at the end, at the touchdown. And if we don’t find it, we’ll give it one.»
Anna smiled and Jordan smiled back. A good minute of silence passed and when Jordan thought all of that was getting too awkward, he spoke.
«Go rest» he said, «I’ll keep driving, we cannot waste time.»
Their eyes met briefly before the girl stood up.
«Aye, commander» she replied before leaving.
Jordan took her place and restarted right away. As he looked outside he noticed some dim glows in the sky and briefly raised his gaze. They were stars. The truth was that he had never seen them in person. He had never left the Aresland by night and in any case the flashing red lights would have probably concealed their soft luminescence. He promised to himself that he would spend some time gazing at them, before going back, once they would arrive at destination. He wondered how could it be to stargaze without any visor or glass between the eyes and the sky. He also said to himself that probably it was never going to be possible as he would die. He frowned at the thought, but then he simply pushed it away, as he always did, returning to focus on his work.
He drove in complete tranquility and peace for about an hour and a half, enjoying the far sun rising and illuminating his world, as red as a firebrand, yet frozen.
At a certain moment, all of a sudden, he began to feel a weird sleepy sensation descending on him. He thought it was strange as he had slept enough hours to feel fine. And yet he felt heavy, even the hand control seemed more resistant to his movements. Or was he weaker? He tried to sit straighter on the chair, realizing he had slipped down a little bit. In the grip of exasperation, he slapped his own face, but by doing so he didn’t pay attention to the path and ran straight into a big stone, making the entire vehicle jolt violently. He regained control of the situation and the rover returned to be steady, but suddenly he felt a stinging pain in his head that slowly faded away. Then returned. Jordan realized he was struggling to keep his eyes open every time that pang arrived and thought it was best if he stopped the rover. He had no idea of what was happening. He took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. He felt the pain increase and coughed a little bit. Then he stood up and stumbled towards the central body of the rover where Anna and Yan slept peacefully. He fell on his knees and began to shake them.
«Wake up, please» he almost begged.
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