“Dr. O’Neil,” the man shouted. “give me that case and I might find it in my heart to kill you quickly.”
That was it. Now Will knew his intentions, and this was a battle for his life. He worried about Jonas as well and hoped he’d gotten away. As he ran, he shouted back to his pursuer.
“Thanks. I knew you looked like a sweet man, but if it’s all the same to you, I prefer to make it a little more difficult for you.”
“Have it your way.”
The man raised his weapon and shot a sonic blast that barely missed Will. He could feel the power of the blast, and its after effect caused him to lose his footing. He began to slide headfirst down the sloping portion of the building and continued to gather speed.
“Oh my God, not again,” he said as he had visions of hanging from a branch thousands of feet in the air.
He could see the edge of the slope where the building straightened out and dropped one hundred fifty floors down to the ground. He also saw a metal stanchion jutting up from the smooth white surface and knew this was his only hope. With both hands he grabbed the stanchion as his body swung around. He now hung above Manikar Square. The large man was barely out of breath and stood over Will with that same arrogant look he’d had before.
“Throw up the case, O’Neil, and I’ll spare you having to fall one hundred and fifty floors down.” He began to adjust his weapon to an even higher setting than before. “If I hit you with this setting, death would be instantaneous. You’d be at peace in seconds. Throw me the case,” he ordered.
As the larger man continued taunting Will, the smaller man walked up behind his counterpart. As they looked at each other, the smaller man held up the data disk; he’d apparently caught up with Jonas.
“What did you do to Jonas, you bastard?” shouted Will, struggling to hold on.
“Don’t worry about your little friend; I took good care of him. I’d be more concerned with your own situation,” said the smaller man.
The larger man walked over, bracing himself with his foot against the stanchion and Will’s fingers, and kicked him in the face. He felt his fingers slipping and felt like he was going to black out from the impact but quickly regained his senses. He tried to pull himself up and again felt the blunt impact of the man’s shoe against the side of his head.
“This is your last chance, throw up the case now.”
Will knew they were going to kill him anyway, and contrary to the larger man’s promise, he knew they’d take great pleasure in watching him fall to his death.
“Go to hell,” screamed Will in what he thought was one last act of defiance. Then he remembered the orbs. “OK, I’ll give it to you. Just get off my hand.”
The man gave one last push down on his fingers and watched with great pleasure as Will grimaced, struggling to hold on. As he stepped off of Will’s fingers, he turned around to gain better footing and threw a smug look to his counterpart. As he turned away for a moment, Will took the case and put the handle in his mouth. He used his free hand to remove the orb from his pocket. As he pressed the orb against the case, it formed to the shape of the case and blended into its silver color. He tapped it twice as Stanzic had instructed and took the handle from his mouth. Just then the man looked back down.
“Here! Take it” He reached up, and the man took the handle and pulled the case from his hand. He once again looked smugly at his counterpart and threw the case up to him. Will took this opportunity to grab the stanchion with both hands and now wondered if twenty seconds would buy enough time to save his life.
“What should we do now, O’Neil?”
Will grimaced as he struggled to hold on. “Well, you did say something about making it quick, didn’t you?”
“I did say that, didn’t I? Unfortunately it would be much cleaner if you jumped to your death, wouldn’t you agree, Ivan?” said the larger man.
The smaller man laughed as he nodded with approval. The muscles in Will’s hands were now burning as he struggled to hold on. The larger man once again pressed his foot against Will’s hand and began to apply pressure. His right hand broke free, and he was once again dangling with his left hand. He knew it wouldn’t be long, but he couldn’t hold on more than a few more seconds. He looked up with a hateful scowl as the man again started to lower his foot onto Will’s hand. He knew this was it. The loud pop of the orb’s detonation startled Will’s torturer, and as he turned, the force was just enough to catapult him over the top of Will and down one hundred fifty stories to his death. He could hear his screams the entire way down until they were silenced by the concrete in Manikar Square.
He once again reached up with his other hand to hold on. He tried to pull himself up, but his muscles had no strength left. He tried again to muster up one big burst of energy and again his body wouldn’t respond. After surviving the ascent to the observatory and discovering all these new truths about humanity’s evolution, it was all going to end like this. It seemed pointless to him now. He’d come to believe that he had some purpose that was tied to Earth, and with the past day’s events, he was sure there was something more he needed to do.
His fingers began to slip as he relished the last few seconds of life. He thought of Edena and his regrets about his marriage. In his mind he made peace with it, and just then, a hand reached down and grabbed his wrist.
“Boss, are you all right? Hang on!”
“Jonas! I thought they got you.”
Jonas braced himself and helped pull Will back up onto the roof.
They both sat there for a moment, breathing heavily and looking out over the city.
“Jonas, you saved my life. Thank you.” He reached over and embraced Jonas.
Will knew Jonas wasn’t happy about the last few weeks but felt this was all made right after what they’d both just been through. As they struggled to their feet, they looked at the mess of what was left of Ivan.
“Boss, what happened?”
“Well I don’t think Ivan or his friend will be bothering us anymore.”
They walked back to the scaffolding and back through the destroyed door.
“How did you get away? They got the disk. I thought you were dead,” said Will.
It was just then that Will noticed Jonas had small cuts on his face and hands. It was the first time he noticed that Jonas also didn’t get through unscathed.
“He hit me with a blast from that gun and sent me through a wall. He must have taken the disk and assumed I was dead. When I woke up, there were people all around me, so he must have been scared off. It was then I came looking for you.”
“And I’m grateful that you did. C’mon. I have a lot to explain.”
When they arrived back in their office, Jonas sat while Will explained everything to him. He told him about the remains of the primitive man as well as Fat Bob’s ancestor and the underground city. He also explained the government’s desire to keep this information secret at all costs. Jonas just sat dumbfounded with his mouth open in disbelief.
“Jonas, are you OK? Say something.”
Jonas continued sitting with a blank stare and finally looked up at Will. “All those years of religious school that my mom made me attend—everything I was force-fed since I was a kid was a lie.”
“Just because the evolution of man is different than what you were taught here on Mars doesn’t mean we aren’t the result of a higher power. Maybe it was meant for this to happen, for us to question who and what we are, and where we come from. Maybe the answers to those questions are on Earth, where our origins as a species began. Don’t you see? Our work here means more than ever now.”
Will could see this was really hitting him hard. He remembered Stanzic’s explanation of why the government would want this kept secret. If this information affected Jonas in this manner, how would the masses of people react if their religious beliefs were torn from them? Jonas sat hunched over in the chair with his hands over his face.
Will tried to console him by putting his hand on his shoulder, an
d just then the doors to the office were kicked open. Four men in black suits entered, looking very much like the same two men he had just dealt with. They were obviously with the same government organization and had the same unforgiving expressions on their faces.
“What the hell is this? You can’t just barge in here like this!” shouted Will.
The first man spoke in the same accent as Ivan and his friend. “Dr. O’Neil, you have new orders.”
“Orders? I’m not in the military. I’m in the Space Quorum. I don’t take orders from you.”
Just as Will made this statement, the man who had been speaking stepped back and lined up next to the other three. As he stepped back, Larsen entered the room and walked over to where Will was standing.
“Ah, Will, but you do take orders from me.”
“Larsen, what’s all of this about?” asked Will.
“It’s about new priorities. It would seem the government has a renewed interest in your Earth project.”
Larsen walked over to the monitors that had the rover’s images displayed, thinking about his own future. He knew he needed Will and his knowledge of Earth if he was to survive. A decision had come down from high in the government that the Earth project was to be reinitiated, obviously because of what they had found in the Folands. This played perfectly into Larsen’s hands, as he needed Will to survive the catastrophic event, which meant he couldn’t be on the surface. With his hired mercenaries already in place aboard Collosum, this was the final piece of the puzzle needed for his plan.
“It would seem they want you to continue to pursue your work on Earth colonization despite your—what shall we call them—setbacks.”
“The only setback I ever had was your lack of respect for science, which is why you continue to compete with me. It’s not about science with you; it’s about winning some stupid competition for funding, respect, or adulation. You’re too stupid to realize that the way you act, you’ll never really get any of that. Yes, you’re in a position to give me orders, but it doesn’t change anything. You’ll always be a step behind anyone who’s true passion for discovery guides them, not their ambition.”
“Are you done with your little speech, Dr. O’Neil? As you might have noticed, there isn’t anyone here of any importance to hear it,” said Larsen, directing the comment to Jonas, who put his head down, still devastated over the last hour’s events.
“You may not respect me, but as you pointed out, you will listen to me. You have two days to report to Collosum to reinitiate your project at full funding levels.”
“Full funding levels! What changed so drastically that I am being fully funded?” asked Will.
“I don’t speak for the government. I just follow orders myself in certain cases, and you have been fully funded indefinitely. Prepare your team and be on that shuttle in two days,”
Larsen took one last look at the monitors and walked out of the room. The four men followed behind, scowling at Will as they left. He had to wonder if they knew the fate of their two friends.
Will kneeled down in front of Jonas’s chair. “Are you going to be OK?” he asked softly. “I need you more than ever; I don’t trust anyone else with this.”
“Yeah, boss. I’m with you.” Jonas reached up, his eyes welled up with tears, and shook Will’s hand, knowing that he had to see it through with him. He had to fill the void of what he’d just lost, and maybe Will was right. Maybe those answers were on Earth.
11
TELOS REBORN
As the shuttle approached the giant station, Will looked down at the surface of the planet. He could see the dull gray landscape surrounding the lush green oasis that was the Folands. It looked so small from up here, and it was striking to Will that such a small thing was the focal point of so many events in Mars’ history as well as the past few weeks. He didn’t consider himself a religious person, but began to wonder if this wasn’t God’s way of pointing humanity back to their origins, back to Earth. He quickly dismissed the idea and began to sort out his thought process as a man of science.
“Boss, we’re almost there.”
Will acknowledged Jonas with a silent nod. He thought about the conversation he’d had with Janie when he told her he’d be leaving for Collosum again. She appeared to be devastated, as they had just begun to discuss rebuilding their relationship, and now it looked like it was going to be beyond repair. Edena was much more understanding since her visit to the Folands. She’d given him a kiss and asked him to try to make it possible for everyone to visit Earth someday. As he left the house, there was a feeling of finality in his soul. He had thought it was his relationship with Janie, but now he began to question if that was the case.
The loudspeaker overhead brought Will back to the moment. “We’ll be docking with Collosum in four minutes. Please prepare for departure.”
The shuttle approached the massive station slowly as it headed for the open doors of the cargo hold. It touched down with a small bump, and the exterior station doors slid closed.
“Jonas, please coordinate the offload and setup of our new facility with Walker and Davis. I need to have a word with the captain. I’ll be along shortly.”
During Will’s time on Collosum, he’d become quite friendly with Captain Nigel Daniels and hadn’t seen him since he left over two years ago.
“No problem. I understand we also have a new member of the team waiting for us,” said Jonas.
Will looked irritated as he stopped and faced Jonas. “What new member?”
“Sorry. I thought you knew. Larsen called just before we left and said he was assigning someone from his team to us and he’d be waiting for us when we arrived.”
“Damn that son of a bitch. I’m sure it’s someone who’s loyal to him and will be serving as more of a spy than a scientist. Listen to me; tell Walker and Davis this person is not to be trusted. Make sure he’s kept away from any primary mission duties; give him the grunt work for now.”
“OK, boss, but what if Larsen—”
“Larsen may be the head of the quorum, but he has no authority to dictate to me how I run my team. He’s not up here with us, and pretty soon, he’ll be off on his rescue mission, and we probably won’t hear from him for years. Trust me; come to me if you get any pushback from this new guy or Larsen. Understood?”
“Yeah, I understand,” said Jonas. “Why can’t anything be easy where you’re involved?’
“I don’t know, but it’s getting really old.”
Both men smiled as the noise from the opening doors echoed through the passenger cabin. Once again the overhead speakers rang out.
“The ship is secure. You may begin to disembark. Welcome to Collosum.”
As Will and Jonas stepped through the doors of the shuttle into Collosum’s hanger bay, a station officer flagged down Will.
“Dr. O’Neil, Captain Daniels would like to see you. Please come with me.”
“OK. Jonas, please see to the equipment after you settle into your quarters, and I’ll meet you in the lab.”
Jonas walked over to Walker and Davis and began to delegate responsibilities. Will did take a lot for granted where Jonas was concerned. He was as good a right-hand man as anyone could ask for and took on any responsibility asked of him, even if it came with emotional tantrums at times. He knew when all was said and done that Jonas would be right there by his side.
The station officer led Will through Collosum’s long corridors and into the elevator.
“Where are we headed?”
“The captain is on the command deck, but he wanted to see you as soon as you arrived.”
“How is good old Nigel these days?”
Will could see that the young officer was uncomfortable with the casual reference to Captain Daniels and obviously had no idea how close he and Will had been.
“The captain is fine, sir.”
The doors slid open, exposing the giant command deck, which was impressive to say the least. A large series of massive windows surrounded
the entire area. There were view screens and flashing lights of all sorts on consoles circling the entire command deck. There also had to be at least fifty officers operating all of the equipment and performing various duties. In the middle of all of this stood Captain Nigel Daniels, directing activities while sipping from a small cup, which Will knew had to be Sianese tea.
Daniels was a few years older than Will, but he looked a lot older with the gray streaks that ran through his hair. He was also a bit overweight compared to the last time Will had seen him.
“Bloody hell, Will. You sure know how to get the Quorum’s attention.”
Daniels put down his cup, walked up to Will, and shook his hand while patting his other shoulder.
“Great to see you, Nigel. I thought I was keeping a low profile, but apparently not low enough.”
“You can never hide for too long in the quorum Will. Ensign, get this man a cup of tea.”
Will hated Sianese tea, and Daniels knew it, but he also knew Will was too polite to say no, and he always joked that eventually he’d end up liking it if he forced it on him enough.
“So I hear you have full funding to begin Telos again. Why do you think the Quorum changed their mind?” asked Daniels.
Will trusted Daniels, but didn’t feel it was the appropriate time to discuss the details with him.
“Let’s just say that I think they found new motivation for the project and it’s to their benefit to have me up here not causing trouble for them.”
Daniels laughed as the ensign handed Will the cup and saucer.
“Well, go ahead; drink up before it gets cold.”
Will put the cup to his lips and sipped the bitter tea, making a sour face as he always did.
“Ah, some things never change. I thought by now you’d be drinking Sianese tea just to get used to a man’s drink so you didn’t have to show your lack of culture every time we meet,” laughed Daniels.
“On the contrary, Captain. If you were up on your reading, you’d have known that in early Sian, it was a custom and a sign of great respect for the gods to make those facial expressions when drinking the sacred tea. It demonstrated man’s humble respect for the gifts of the gods and was seen as the proper way to drink the tea.”
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