Destiny Earth

by Tony Mazzarella

  Aboard Collosum, Jonas scaled the ladder that led to the back of the communications tower. This maintenance corridor followed the long cylindrical base of the tower out to the main control station. It extended out from the station like a giant arm to isolate it from any interference that the station might produce. Jonas knew that at any time, there was at least one officer operating the equipment, and he wasn’t sure if the government had anyone watching this vital conduit to reach all of Mars. He pulled out the com that Will had given him and clicked the button to call.

  “Will…Will, are you there?”

  He waited for Will to respond, but there was nothing but silence on the other end. He knew how dangerous it was going to be for Will and Ileana to try to free Daniels, and started to worry that they had been captured or killed. He continued climbing and approached the hatch that led into the communication control station. He passed a maintenance airlock that led outside to the main transmission dish. From the porthole window, he could see the surface of the planet. As the Folands became visible, he saw a large disturbance on the surface and assumed this was the disruption in the Alexon Array, that Will and Stanzic had planned. It had to be a massive explosion to be visible from the station.

  He reached the top and gently lifted the hatch to peer into the control room. He could see a man in a dark jumpsuit standing by the main elevator door. He’d debated just using the front door and now was glad he’d thought better of it. The man had a sonic pistol on his belt and appeared to serve no purpose but to be guarding the entrance. The elevator’s doors opened and a young woman emerged wearing the uniform of standard station personnel. Jonas was relieved to see that it was Oria. She walked past the guard, who gave her an intimidating stare as she passed. She didn’t even acknowledge him, which further convinced Jonas he was a government guard. He knew Oria to have a bubbly personality and wouldn’t just dismiss someone unless he was deserving of it. She sat at the control station and proceeded to put on a headset while she sipped a steaming drink. Jonas lowered the hatch and stepped down several rungs to think of a plan. He noticed the elevator’s control box directly across a crawlway that connected to the shaft itself. He pulled himself up and began to make his way toward the box. As he approached it, he could see how high up he was.

  “OK, don’t look down…just don’t look down, and you’ll be fine,” he said to himself as he continued to look down. When he reached the box, he pulled open the control panel to expose a mass of wires, all interconnected. Jonas was indeed a genius when it came to such things, but this looked like nothing but a mess to him. As the dust from the panel filled the air, Jonas sneezed loudly. He knew the guard was right above him and tried to squelch another sneeze to no avail. After five loud sneezes, Jonas was able to control himself and prayed that he hadn’t been heard. He examined the wiring and began working on a plan.

  He disconnected and reconnected several wires, and the elevator dropped four floors and then stopped. He then connected several more wires, and above him, the elevator doors began to open and close by themselves. The guard was startled, and as the doors opened, he peered down the shaft only to pull his head in before it was pinned in the closing doors.

  Jonas quickly scurried back across the crawlway to the ladder, and once again peered through the hatch to see the guard with his back to him, trying to figure out what was happening. He pulled himself up through the hatch and gently closed it behind him. He walked over to Oria, who was oblivious to what was happening with the doors, and put his hand over her mouth. She was startled and looked up to see Jonas begging her to be silent. After she got over the initial shock, Jonas removed his hand, and Oria smiled widely.

  “Oria, please be quiet,” he whispered.

  “Jonas, it’s great to see you.” This was the main reason Jonas found himself attracted to Oria: she had a simple charm that didn’t even lead her to question him as to why he was there.

  “You have to help me. I can’t explain now, but you have to trust me.”

  As the guard turned to look at Oria, Jonas crouched down behind her. He quickly turned his attention back to the opening and closing doors. Jonas once again asked Oria to be quiet by putting his finger to his lips. He stood up and began to creep faster and faster toward the guard. As he got within ten feet, he now was in a full sprint. He plowed into the guard, his intention to push him through the open door and down four floors, where he hoped he would just be disabled for a short period. The guard fell forward and was stopped by the closing door. Jonas’s timing was just a few seconds off, and now he was in real trouble.

  The guard turned and grabbed Jonas by the throat. He lifted him off the ground and slid him against the wall as he lamely struggled against his grip. He began to feel the burning in his lungs as he struggled to breathe but could not. His remaining strength was leaving him and he began to feel his muscles go limp as darkness and fear began to descend upon him. He was dying at this man’s hands, and there was nothing he could do. Feeling totally helpless as his vision started to fade, he caught site of Oria out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but think how pretty she was and felt so happy he’d gotten to know her. None of that mattered now. This would be the end of his life and of hers in a few more hours.

  He felt the hot burn on his face, but this was different. He could breathe now but was too disoriented to understand how this could be possible. He looked up from the ground to see that Oria had thrown her scalding drink into the guard’s face. The guard reached for his eyes, which were burning from the hot liquid. Jonas regained his senses and watched the doors close. He knew he couldn’t screw this up or he and Oria would face the same fate. From his position on the ground, he kicked the guard in the groin with every ounce of strength he could muster. As the guard lurched forward, he and Oria together pushed him through the opening doors. The guard screamed as he fell four stories and was silenced with a loud thud. Jonas was breathing so heavily that now he bordered on hyperventilation. Oria ran over to Jonas with her usual beaming smile, as if nothing had just happened.

  “Oria, I don’t know how to thank you,” said Jonas as he pulled himself to his feet.

  Jonas looked down the shaft and yelled as loud as he could, “I should have dropped it twenty stories, you asshole!”

  “What’s this all about? Why are you here?” she finally asked.

  “It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to explain. It’ll all make sense in a few minutes. Can you set up the transmitter to reach the entire planet simultaneously? I have a message to deliver. It’s the most important message you’ll ever send.”

  “OK, but it’ll take me a few minutes to align the transmitter and activate the geosynchronous satellite system. It hasn’t been used in some time.”

  “OK. Please hurry.”

  “This won’t get me in trouble, will it Jonas?” she asked innocently.

  “No Oria, I promise it won’t.”

  As Oria went to work aligning the dish, Jonas once again pulled out his com and tried to reach Will and Ileana.

  “Boss…boss, are you there?”

  As before, he heard the crackling of static and then suddenly a voice broke through. “Jonas. How are you making out? Did you send the message yet?”

  “No, but I’m working on it now. It shouldn’t be too long. How about you two? Did you get Daniels?”

  “No. We’re approaching the government deck where he’s being held. I’m not sure how this is going to go,” said Will apprehensively.

  “Boss, you have to get him so we can get the hell out of here. What should I do once I get the message sent?” said Jonas sounding panicked.

  “Get out of there and wait by the black corridor. We’re heading there as soon as we get Daniels. Jonas I have to go. We’re almost there.”

  “Boss…wait! Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Jonas. Same to you.”

  The com went dead, and Jonas once again turned his attention to Oria.

  “It’s almost ready, but what m
essage are we going to send?” she asked.

  Jonas pulled the disk from his pocket and handed it to Oria.

  “What is this? What is the message?”

  “We’ll find out together, but you must trust me. It has to be sent…now.”

  She put the disk into the slot, queued up the message, and hit a button that activated the transmitter. It spun the entire control room as it aligned with the satellite net. She gave Jonas one last look and smiled at him again as she pressed a green button to transmit the message. On a screen to her left, the image of Will was displayed, standing in front of a monitor as he began speaking.

  “Many of you know who I am, but for those who don’t, I’m Dr. Will O’Neil of the Space Quorum. I’ve spent a large part of my life sending messages of hope to the people of Mars with the Telos project. I come to you today not with a message of hope but with one of a harsh reality. There is a giant object just hours from our planet that will most likely destroy the surface and make it uninhabitable. There is little chance of survival, but you deserve to know the truth and make peace with those you love before the end. You also deserve to know what the government has been keeping from you.”

  Will turned on his monitor, where Lars Stanzic had prepared a short video of the origins of life on Mars. He used an animation to explain how the object that created the Folands came from Earth and brought the spring of life to Mars. He showed the images of the creature and the primitive man that were uncovered. He then showed the images of the object that was bearing down on the planet.

  “As you can see, our government has not been truthful with us. If not for the heroic journey of the Victory and her crew, we wouldn’t have the information we have now. They risked everything to get back to warn us, and I ask you to remember those who will be left behind in your prayers, as we will remember you in ours. Jonas Crouse has made it possible to transmit this message, and he risked his own life so that the people of Mars would know the truth. His thoughts are with his mother, whom he loves dearly.”

  Jonas smiled. His mother would know he loved her. Will made sure of it.

  “Finally there is one man and one man only responsible for why we have just a few hours’ notice instead of forty-five days. Androv Larsen knew about this forty-five days ago and chose to plan his escape instead of warning his people. His ship awaits launch as we speak, and he has tricked you all into thinking he’s a hero, when indeed he is the biggest coward our race has ever known. I don’t wish anyone to spend his or her last hours with thoughts of revenge, but pity this man, and pray for his soul.

  I have one final message to my family. To my daughter Edena, I love you and always will. I pray that someday you and I will meet again in whatever existence there is beyond this life. Don’t be scared, my precious girl. There is hope for you. There is always hope.”

  Tears poured from Will’s eyes as he spoke to Edena.

  “To my ex-wife Janie, I’m sorry. I wish I were a better man for you during our time together. I should have tried harder to make things work and been there for you when you needed me. Please take care of our daughter.”

  The screen went black as the message ended.

  “Jonas, I don’t understand. Is this true?”

  Jonas looked down at Oria who still sat at her console, looking confused. Jonas wiped his eyes and for the first time thought of someone else’s feelings instead of pitying himself.

  “It’s true, Oria. It’s all true.”

  Oria began crying as Jonas knelt down and held her close. They both looked up as they heard the elevator begin to descend.

  “Damn! They must have overridden it from below. We have to get out of here. They must know the signal was sent from here. They’re coming!”

  19

  SIANESE TEA PARTY

  Will and Ileana approached the government level, which was made up of administrative offices for the government and military. There was also a special section dedicated to covert operations. This was created after the bombings several years ago and was now used by the new government order for interrogations, like the one Daniels was undergoing.

  “Will, slow down,” said Ileana. “We can’t look like we’re threatening or we won’t make it far. Make sure your pistol is hidden.”

  Will tucked his sonic pistol into his pants and concealed it with his long shirt. Ileana did the same with her pistol and concealed the rifle in her jacket. They approached what looked to Will like a weapons detector.

  “We can’t go through there!” said Will stopping short.

  Ileana continued approaching the small tunnel designed to prevent anyone from entering with weapons. As she reached the edge of the tunnel, she put her eye up to a retina scanner and typed in a code on the keypad.

  “Hurry. Walk through.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I have special authorization to carry a weapon in this section. I overrode the detection system to allow you to enter as well.”

  As they walked past several offices, they could see people glued to their com units. The news was starting to get out. Apparently, Jonas had been successful and transmitted the message.

  “We have to hurry. It won’t be long before panic sets in up here,” said Will.

  “Even worse than that,” said Ileana. “government officials will try to use EC2 as their escape plan as well. We have to get Daniels and get out of here.”

  They approached a set of doors at the end of the hallway that were sealed and required Ileana’s access card, which she pulled out from her shirt. Ileana signaled to Will to get ready to enter once she slid the card through.

  “OK, let’s go.”

  Will opened the doors, exposing a long corridor with solid metal doors lining both sides. There was a guard sitting at the entrance who seemed oblivious to their presence. He too was glued to his com, watching the aftermath of the message. When he finally looked up, he recognized Will.

  “Dr. O’Neil…what you said. Is it true? Is Mars going to be destroyed?” he asked as a scared citizen of a doomed planet.

  Will wasn’t sure how to answer the question under the circumstances, but decided that the truth was the only way.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I have to get to my family,” said the man in his thick accent.

  The guard jumped up from his chair and ran off through the doors.

  “Well, that should make this a bit easier,” said Will.

  “He’s right through this door,” said Ileana. “You go in first, and I’ll cover you.”

  Will prepared by pulling out the sonic pistol that Ileana had given him and making sure it was set properly. He took a deep breath to calm his fear, gave Ileana a nod, and then swung the door open. The two guards who’d been hired by Larsen were standing on either side of Daniels, who looked like he’d been through hell. He had bruises on the right side of his face and his lip was bleeding. Two more official-looking men were sitting across from Daniels at a small table. Will recognized these men as high-level government officials. Premier Gregoran was the leader of the Western provinces, and sitting next to him was Ambassador Junta, who was famous for working out the treaty with Cholan that some saw as repressive, to say the least.

  Will couldn’t imagine why they were so interested in Daniels. As the guards drew their weapons, Will raised his sonic pistol and squeezed the trigger, aiming at the first guard, with no result. He tried again to get the pistol to fire with no response. He wondered why the guards weren’t firing at him, knowing he was in big trouble. He could see Daniels trying to signal something to him with his facial expressions.

  Before he could react, he heard the sound of the sonic pistol, much like he had heard when it was fired at him in quorum headquarters. Unfortunately, this time the impact of the blast made him feel like like his teeth were knocked out. The force of the sonic waves pushed him hard into a wall, and he fell to the ground, stunned. He tried to get to his feet, fighting to see through the blurry shroud that covered his eyes. He could
see the silhouette of someone standing over him, pistol in hand. As his vision began to clear, his heart almost jumped out of his chest at the sight of Ileana’s cold stare. She had fired at him. She’d also disabled his weapon and tricked him into thinking she was on his side.

  “Dr. O’Neil, did you really think I would so easily change my loyalties? You are a fool to believe that,” said Ileana while picking up his useless pistol from the floor.

  Will could see the two government officials smiling as he struggled to get his bearings.

  “Maybe so, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re all going to die if we stay here.”

  He’d finally recovered enough to stand up and was grabbed by the guards and slammed down into a chair next to Daniels.

  “Glad to see you, Will,” said Daniels. “Did you bring any tea to this party?”

  One of the guards kidney punched Daniels, who was bound to his chair. He leaned over the table in pain.

  “Gentleman, it would appear we have a big problem, as you may have heard. He was planning to steal the EC2 and make for Earth. Under the circumstances, that isn’t a bad idea. He and Daniels must have found a way to get into the black corridor.”