by Cindy Borgne
****
Late that night, I leaped into bed, throwing the covers over myself. Whatever happened to the days when Nate called me his brother? Yet, he came to hear about my vision. If I was able to find a more precise location, he’d be curious enough to come again. The scouter would be mine.
Find the location of the mine.
I said this to myself for at least an hour before falling asleep. An orange mound grew beneath my feet. The sky lightened around me. I found myself on the top of a hill near the same canyon in my earlier vision. Several hundred feet ahead, a variety of Marscorp vessels circled the area, including one of our large transports.
I needed a way to see details such as landmarks, digital maps, or perhaps people talking. The large transport carried about five hundred soldiers as it slowly descended to the surface.
This one was rectangular with rounded corners. Portholes lined the sides, and four rocket boosters were on the bottom. Two triangular tail wings at the rear of the vessel turned slightly as the pilot adjusted their course. The letters “MC” displayed on each wing.
I pointed my finger toward the large vessel to make the jump, but stopped. A glowing hole appeared toward the rear of the transport. Flames flickered out of it and the gap grew larger. The transport drifted toward the ground. More flaming cracks spread all over the vessel. Voices shouted to each other to put out the fire.
“Evacuate!”
Yelling turned into screaming. My heart pounded. I tried to stop the adrenalin rushing through me.
“Damn you, Genners!”
“Oh my God, it’s breaking up!”
The transport exploded and sent up a huge dust cloud. Parts of the vessel careened in all directions. Bodies tumbled from the wreckage, landing lifeless on the surface.
Why? Marscorp transports don’t just explode?
A dark ring of swirling dirt hurled toward me. I put my arms up to block my face. A sphere of dust and debris surrounded me, blocking my view.
I focused ahead and went through the cloud, but instead of seeing the mine, I appeared in the middle of a room surrounded by vegetation. Light from stars and the moons shined through a clear ceiling. The girl sat in the center ringing her hands and stared across to a vine-covered wall. Her eyes narrowed as if she saw something dreadful.
She put her hands over her forehead.
“What’s wrong?” I went toward her and stopped. She wore the same type of envirosuit as the child from the post. She wasn’t a Marc. A wave of confusion went through me, causing the room to spin. Vegetation molded into streaks of green, spiraling into the dark twisting walls.
I coughed, feeling my breath hit the pillow. I’m back in my room. I rolled over. The blanket was half off the bed. Why do I have visions of a foreign girl?
The coming battle upset her. Not only could I see her sadness, I could feel it too, making it impossible to concentrate.
Even though it appeared she would survive, she was going to be involved in this conflict. How long can she last? All of the small organizations were either joining us or being conquered at the cost of many lives.
“Nate? Dr. Clare?” I flung the covers off and hurried down the hall.
“I’m in the study,” Dr. Clare said.
Somehow, I had to delay this battle and meet this girl, so I could convince her that joining us was the only way to help the people of Mars.
The smell of fresh coffee came from the kitchen. I rushed down the stairs, jumped into the study and accidently landed too close to Dr. Clare.
She flinched and almost spilled her coffee. “Do you have to startle me like that?” She sat in front of her holo dressed for the day in a lab coat and black skirt.
“Sorry, but there’s a problem.”
“Very well, what is it?”
“I had a vision. One of our transports exploded, a Marscorp transport. All our soldiers were being killed. I heard the name of the enemies. Someone called them Genners.”
“Genners?” she mumbled a few times while typing and staring at her monitor. “Oh yes, they were originally known as Genesis Technologies. I thought they dissolved ten years ago.”
Her calm tone made me all the more nervous. I couldn’t exactly tell her about the girl and paced in a circle. “It looked to be the same area as the mine. I think they’re the same ones who set up that small outpost. They must have some fire power in order to take out a transport.”
“Maybe these Genners have grown more than we realize.” She typed quickly on her keyboard.
I sat down at the desk at the other end of the study, turned on the holo and tried to contact Beacon. My call went to his voice mail, and I left a message for him to call me back.
How could I have dreams about kissing a girl from a rogue organization? Of course, she was probably brought up to hate us. My vision could’ve been showing me that I was meant to save her by convincing her to join us. Somehow, I had to persuade Beacon to delay any battles with them.
“Where’s Nate?”
Clare shut off the image. “He went to the south plaza to meet Cappy.”
I felt stupid for asking. Then my holo beeped.
“Yes? Ian?” Beacon’s voice echoed as his image materialized. The bags under his eyes were bigger than usual.
“I found out the Genners are the one doing the mining.”
Beacon wrinkled his brow. “That small post also belonged to them, interesting.”
“But there’s something more important. I saw one of our transports exploding and over three hundred casualties. Perhaps we should delay any combat to analyze the situation more.”
Beacon chuckled. “Nonsense, Gentech won’t be able to hold this little mining operation once we find it.” He shrugged and tilted his head. “There are always some losses in battle, even for the victorious side.”
I tucked my lower lip in, trying to think of a way to convince him not to rush in.
“Have you any more intel about the location?” Beacon asked.
“Er, no.”
“We’ve sent out several probes and have found a suspicious site in the Noctis Labyrinthus that we’re looking into.” Beacon paused. “I’ll check back with you later.”
“Wait, one more thing,” I said, figuring nothing I said would change his mind.
Beacon’s image reappeared. “Yes?”
“Remember how you said you hoped Nate and I could see some more combat. Well, why not take us with you again? Maybe I could prevent the transport explosion.”
“Sorry, I can’t take that chance. Especially since you told me there will be casualties.”
I wanted to pound my fist on the table. “Why can’t we view from a distance?”
“I appreciate your eagerness, but seers like you are rare and we need you too much to take any risks. As for your latest vision, you can be sure I will inform the transports of the risk.”
“But sir . . . .”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time to discuss it further.” His image vanished and all I could do was brood at the empty space above the holo.
Dr. Clare laughed. “I could’ve told you he’d never delay any mission against some mine with rare metals.”
“But why couldn’t I have had these visions at the same time?”
“Relax, you did the right thing. Maybe there will be a small battle, but just today Nortell joined us. More of these organizations are going to do the same sooner or later. How can they not see the sense in going back to Earth?”
She always made sense, but it did nothing to make me feel better considering the girl was going to be in danger. I tried to call Nate, but he didn’t answer.
Chapter 4
As I rode a squeaky elevator to the south plaza, I couldn’t calm down. Worries about the girl and the transport explosion wouldn’t leave me alone. Something terrible would happen to the girl if I didn’t do something.
With a loud screech, the elevator rattled to a stop. I stepped out into an intersection of monstrous corridors. Weaving my way t
hrough the foot traffic, I came to a large, open plaza full of people. There were stores and restaurants. Voices mixed with the trickle of a nearby water fountain. I couldn’t see Nate anywhere.
In the center of the plaza, a garden with flowers, shrubs and red-flowered trees surrounded a pond full of lily pads. People sat on benches along the garden. Vessels cruised past beyond a large porthole. Mountains were visible below the distant tan sky. I thought over all my visions and lost track of time.
“Wow,” Nate said. “I sense the vibes of doom coming from you.”
I blinked and turned around. He stood to my side wearing jeans and a sweater.
“What are you doing here?” Nate asked.
“Looking for you. Where’s Cappy?”
“She’s getting us a table at Moreux’s. Is something wrong?”
I looked around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear. “I saw a lot of casualties early this morning. Beacon isn’t concerned.”
His smile dissolved. “You had another vision? A detailed one?”
“Yes, a transport is going to explode. I couldn’t tell why, and Beacon won’t let me come this time. He feels it’s too dangerous to risk.”
Nate briefly gave an annoyed smirk. “I’m sick of being babied by him.”
“Wouldn’t it be impressive if we went out there and prevented the whole disaster?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t said it too soon.
Nate chuckled. “At least we’d finally see some combat.” He motioned with his head. “Let’s go eat.”
“I’m serious.” I grabbed his arm. “I want to go out there.”
“What?”
“I don’t have a lot of time. Beacon thinks they’re close to finding the mine. Just help me finish a few modifications on my hovercraft.”
“What did I tell you about being too impulsive?”
“Someone has to warn the people in that transport at the right time. No one else can do it.”
Nate nodded and stared in deep thought. “Going out there alone is insane, so stop thinking about it.”
“Nate!” Cappy called from across the hall. Her long blond hair dangled as she peeked around the corner. “Hurry, our table’s ready.”
“Just a second!” Nate yelled back and turned to me. “Why don’t you have lunch with us?”
“I’m not hungry.” I hurried off, feeling Nate’s eyes follow me. He had changed a lot since going to college. I hurried into an open elevator just before the doors shut, planning to get some parts.
****
Time passed quickly as I upgraded my hovercraft. Dr. Clare thought I was sleeping, but I’d sneaked out every night to my hovercraft in the private hangar near our home. I worked on my vessel every chance I got and tried to live off protein bars, but they began to taste like compressed dust.
After changing the last valve on the engine, I admired my work. This had to be one of the fastest civilian hovercrafts around. Yet, no matter what I tweaked, new ideas came, followed by yet another adjustment.
New parts for the radar needed to be installed. Leaning over the work bench, I unpacked the box and continued to work while listening to troop activities on the radio. When I tried to read the directions on the dataviewer, the words blurred from lack of sleep no matter how hard I tried to focus.
I set a timer for an hour, lowered the bunk attached to the wall and flopped on it, falling asleep, even though the radio chattered with voices.
The girl returned and stood in the middle of my vessel wearing a flowing night gown. She walked over and snuggled beside me.
I put my arms around her. Kayla, don’t leave me again.
I gasped. Somewhere deep within my mind I knew her name all along. The ground vibrated beneath me. I flinched. She was gone again.
Kayla!
I sat up, not in my hovercraft anymore, but on the floor of a large hangar with only one small vessel in it. Kayla ran out of a control room and rushed away. She wore an envirosuit and carried a laser rifle.
“What’s happening?” I scrambled to my feet and hurried after her.
She raced for a door at the back of the hangar. An explosion rattled the metal walls.
I followed her through the door just before she slammed it shut. A blast went off and shook the ground. The metal sides of the hangar buckled. She watched out a tiny window. At the other end of the hangar, the ceiling caved in.
Metal twisted and screeched as a Marc midrange crashed through the hangar ceiling. Kayla ran through the tunnel, but the blast knocked her off her feet. Pebbles and dust fell from the ceiling as the rock walls cracked.
I jolted awake and tried to catch my breath. She would be in the battle. With my heart still racing, I went back over to the workbench and fumbled for the dataviewer. Admiral Beacon’s voice overpowered the chatter on the radio.
Priority message, repeat, this is a priority message. At approximately 0400 hours a Marc probe located the Genner mine in the Noctis Labyrinthus. Coordinates are being transmitted to all officers and elite personnel.
It is necessary for us to take this mine from the Genners as we have on several occasions invited them to join us, but they have repeatedly turned us down. We can only assume their intentions are hostile. The fleet will be ready to deploy at 1200 hours. Admiral Beacon out.
That only gave me eight hours. I checked my private messages and found the coordinates, along with a map, displaying a section of the Noctis Labrinthus - a jagged canyon, the longest on Mars, with narrow ravines to the east and wide branches further west. The mine lay deep in the narrow section - far north of Marscorp in unclaimed land. Why does a small organization like Gentech refuse to join us? They had to know what would happen, especially since they just lost an outpost to us.
Footsteps came through the open airlock. “What are you doing?” Nate asked, sternly.
“What do you care?” I avoided his eyes and slammed the tools into storage.
“I know I’ve been busy, but you can’t go out there by yourself. I’m going to have to come with you.”
I stopped banging things. It stunned me in a good way that he wanted to come. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t know.”
“You’re going to need someone to help you. Besides, I’m tired of the troops calling us spoiled.”
In the plaza, I had asked him to come, but the reality of it hit me. I didn’t want to put him in danger over my problems. “No, I’d rather go alone.”
“Fine, if I don’t come with you then you’re not going either.” Nate took a com out of his pocket and held it with one finger over the call button. He shot me a look, his jaw clenched. I knew he meant it.
“Okay.” I gave in with a sigh.
“Now get back to the house. Clare’s been looking for you because she’s about to leave.”
“Where’s she going now?”
“Her turn came up, and she’s going with the fleet to the mine.”
“Why didn’t she tell me? This is just great. Now she’s in danger too.”
****
I went through the front door and stopped to catch my breath. Clare stood in the foyer, holding a duffel bag and wearing the military style camouflage uniform of Marscorp. I frowned. Why was it okay for an older doctor, only a few months away from retirement, to go and not me?
“Watch the place for me,” Clare said.
“You know what I saw.” I responded, bleakly.
“I know.” Clare shrugged. “We’ve already discussed this, so let’s not go on about it.” She turned toward the door.
“Dr. Clare, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me these years.”
She hesitated. “You say that like I won’t be coming back.”
“Stay away from the big transports.”
“I’ve already thought of that, and if for some reason I don’t return, please do as Admiral Beacon says. I’m proud of how you turned out.”
Her rare compliment stunned me. She wasn’t the hugging type, but I hugged her anyway.
She hesitant
ly patted me on the back. “I expect decent grades on those exams, so you better study.”
“I will.”
Clare left with a nod. When the door shut, I bolted upstairs to the far end of the hall. I went into Clare’s room, opened her closet and found the two old laser pistols still on her shelf. I stuffed them into a bag and rushed outside.
****
As it neared 1200 hours, Nate and I finished the rest of the modifications, filled the fuel tanks and put on our envirosuits. Nate sat by the navigation console and turned on the radar. I took the pilot’s seat and flipped a switch on my left, sending a signal to open the hangar airlock.
A buzzer sounded indicating depressurization. As the retractable door slid open, sunlight brightened the small hangar. I slowly pulled down a lever. The engines started with a brief rumble. All gauges read at normal levels.
I set the hover control. We lifted gently and I nosed us out of the hangar. Red powder kicked up as I increased our speed. I kept our altitude at six meters, and we skimmed away toward the coordinates Admiral Beacon conveniently supplied.
I planned to stay just out of radar range behind the fleet. The sun blazed across the ripples of orange dust for miles. I picked up speed as we cleared the domed area. A line of tall metal poles with flashing red lights at the top came into view as we neared the Marscorp border.
A patrol vessel raced over to us. “Attention,” a voice said over the radio. “Unauthorized vessels are not permitted to cross the perimeter.”
“Uh oh.” Nate’s eyes shifted nervously.
“Don’t worry.” I hoped these officers wouldn’t bother to do a thorough check and switched on the microphone. “We have authorization.” I transmitted my elite-level security code.
The wait for them to verify took longer than usual. Being elites alone would get us across, unless they checked deeper into the details of our files. If they did, they would see our status as “non-combat/special operations.”