by John Corwin
For all she knew, something even worse waited ahead, maybe even the real outside. Scarlett pushed off the wall and paced into the tunnel. Lights blinked on ahead for every step she took, revealing a sharp turn to the east. She closed her eyes and envisioned City 7, its airlock precisely to the north, and just outside it, the large kill room with a tunnel leading eastward. The founders had disguised the kill room for a reason—to hide the tunnel on the other side though they hadn't done anything to hide the doors.
The room was too large to traverse without oxygen, so no one had ever come close to unveiling the secret. Even if victims had realized they weren't on the real outside, they had no way of telling anyone on the inside. Max had made it over the red dunes hiding the airlock. Alderman must have guessed the man had oxygen since nobody could make it that far on their own. Even at a quick pace, it took several minutes to reach the dunes, and nobody could hold their breath that long.
Alderman should have sent someone after Max immediately if he suspected the former constable made it to the hidden airlock, but Scarlett had seen no signs of pursuit. The only footprints had been those of Max's. That line of deduction led to two possibilities: Alderman didn't care if anyone found the airlock, or he didn't know about the airlock.
What if the founders designed the room to hide a simple truth from everyone—that there was far more on Mars than just City 7?
If Alderman and his cronies didn't know the truth, they likely assumed Max had run out of oxygen and died and that Scarlett would soon suffer the same fate. Though they could send someone out in a toughsuit to verify this, it seemed unlikely they would—she hoped.
Scarlett unzipped her duffel bag and retrieved a blaster. If Alderman sent anyone after her, she'd be ready. For now, she was mighty curious to see what was on the other end of this tunnel. After stuffing the bubble helmet into the duffel and strapping it on her back, she awkwardly mounted the bladewheel and directed it around the eastern turn in the tunnel.
The tunnel seemed endless, especially since the lights only granted vision a few yards ahead and behind, keeping the terminus hidden by dark. The airlock door at the end came as a sudden surprise and Scarlett fell off the bladewheel in her clumsy attempt to stop before ramming into it.
She landed on her back atop the duffel bag and dropped the blaster carried in her hand. It took a moment to untangle herself from the strap and stand up in the bulky suit. After putting on the bubble helmet, Scarlett hit the button and the door slid open to reveal the airlock. She closed the door behind her and readied herself for emergency action, depending on what lay on the outside of the next door.
The door slid open to darkness filled with the sounds of insects and animals. The light from the airlock extended only a few feet outside, revealing a flat patch of earth. Scarlett tentatively stepped outside and looked around, but there wasn't much to see in the pitch black. A glance up proved her wrong. Stars covered the sky in a never-ending blanket of twinkling light. For a moment, she lost herself in the sky until the truth occurred to her.
There was no dome overhead—nothing but the clear night sky. That meant she was on the true outside. Scarlett gasped and fumbled with the bubble helmet. When she yanked it off, humid air flowed against her face. Scarlett took a deep breath of warm air and instantly felt invigorated. The air outside seemed richer and cleaner.
"It all makes sense," Scarlett muttered. The founders already terraformed Mars. If Alderman knew, that meant he was just keeping people in City 7 so he could stay in power. Naturally, he wouldn't send anyone after Scarlett or Max because the outside world presented a boundless place to hide from any pursuers.
Scarlett had been to the zoo enough times to realize she'd face new dangers in the outside world, and she certainly didn't want to test her luck by venturing into the dark. Spending the night in the airlock or the tunnel seemed the best idea.
She stargazed for a while longer until a loud roar sent her scampering back inside and pounding the button to close the airlock before whatever it was lunged inside and got her.
Dinner consisted of fruit and ham she'd scavenged from Joseph Britain's refrigerator, and bottled water. When she finished eating, she curled up in a corner and tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she imagined armed men in toughsuits surprising her in the airlock and blasting her while she slept. Alderman might have reckoned that Scarlett wouldn't want to spend her first night out in the wilds of Mars and sent someone to kill her before her escape.
On the other hand, that seemed unlikely because it meant revealing the secret to Alderman's thugs. Then again, Simmons might be happy as a bee to pursue and finish her off. It created quite the conundrum because Scarlett sure as hell didn't feel confident about surviving the night in the strange new world on the other side of the airlock. Without refuge, she'd be an open invitation to dinner for any nearby predators.
Unfortunately, the airlock didn't offer a locking mechanism to keep people out, so she'd just have to stay awake and vigilant. If the inner door began to open, she'd have enough time to open the outer door and make a run for it.
Scarlett hunkered down next to the button for the outer door and set a blaster on the floor next to her. If anyone tried to open that door, they'd be good as dead. She almost hoped Simmons came after her. It would be a nice treat to shoot his feet while the door slid open. She leaned her head back against the padded wall and waited.
One hour passed and then another and Scarlett tried talking to herself to stay awake.
"Come and get me, Simmons." She picked up the blaster and checked the battery pack. "I almost hope you show up so I can get rid of one more black-hearted son of a bitch." If anyone showed up, they wouldn't take her by surprise.
Scarlett woke up some hours later, neck stiff and a stream of drool hanging from her mouth. "Damn it!" She pounded a fist on the floor and stood up. "Guess I'd better thank my lucky stars Simmons didn't come or I'd be dead."
Disgusted as she was with her inability to stand guard all night, she consoled herself with the fact that she'd at least gotten some sleep. She'd need it for the outside world.
After breakfast, she repacked the duffel bag, placing the bubble helmet and food inside. She'd brought a change of clothes, but decided to keep on the toughsuit just in case she needed the extra protection. Being hot and uncomfortable was preferable to being quickly disemboweled by a predator's claws.
Scarlett opened the airlock door. Humid air filled her lungs and a wondrous green landscape filled her view. Alien sounds buzzed in her ears, as if all the creatures of the forest decided to talk at the same time. Massive trees reached into the skies; every inch of ground was covered in a verdant carpet of ferns and bushes. It was almost too much for her senses to handle.
"My new home," she murmured, excitement and fear taking equal turns lifting and quelling her expectations. This life would be completely different to anything she'd ever experienced. This alien landscape could kill her in a heartbeat if she let her guard down.
Scarlett took a deep breath and got down to business. She had enough food and water to last two days which meant finding new sources of sustenance would be a top priority. Her best bet would be to continue in a straight line until she found water. She had empty water bottles she could refill. A forest with this much plant life was also likely to have berries and other fruits, provided the wildlife hadn't eaten it.
The time she'd spent gazing at the strange animals in the science campus zoo gave her some idea what to expect out here. This environment closely resembled the jungle display which meant large predatory cats, snakes, and bears were possibilities. The terrain would be too rough for the bladewheel to handle, so it might be best to leave the extra weight behind. Once the battery charge ran out, it would be useless anyway.
Scarlett turned to set the bladewheel back inside the airlock and stopped in surprise. In the darkness last night she hadn't seen the towering gray wall running as far as she could see in either direction or the smooth path paral
leling its base. She kicked at what looked like hard-packed dirt beneath her feet, but her attempts barely scuffed it.
Why was there a wall at the end of the tunnel from City 7? She pressed a gloved hand against the concrete as if to confirm it was really there. A wall this massive wasn't necessary unless...Scarlett leaned against the wall and looked straight up. At first, the sky looked perfectly clear as she imagined it must on the outside, but the sunlight glinted off a transparent surface and gave her the answer she dreaded.
This wasn't the outside. She'd found another dome.
The bladewheel dropped from her hand and the duffel bag weighed even heavier on her back. There was no outside to escape to. If this habitat existed, there were probably others—all part of the founders' plans to preserve Earth life on Mars.
Scarlett would never know a day of life that wasn't beneath a dome.
A tear trickled down her cheek but she angrily wiped it away. "What are you crying about, you little fool? You're alive, aren't you?" She jerked on the duffel strap and marched forward to the edge of the border path. "I survived City 7, and I'll survive this place."
Scarlett stepped forward and stopped, turned back to the airlock. It wouldn't do to leave it open and let animals inside. She punched the button on the control panel. Concrete slid down to conceal the panel and the airlock door slid into place, leaving no sign it existed.
Scarlett frowned. Why in the dome would the founders want to keep this door concealed when the one outside City 7 was visible plain as day? The animals certainly wouldn't know the difference between a door and a wall. She noticed a thin black line running straight up the wall where the door had been.
"That's mighty odd." She looked up and down the wall but didn't see any other black lines. She reckoned it was how the founders marked the hidden doors so they could find them later. They probably had a good reason for hiding the doors. Scarlett bit her lower lip and came up with one good reason—what if there were other humans here?
Just like City 7 had a forest, maybe this was another city but with a jungle around it.
Scarlett clutched the blaster tight. What if she'd just found another dome with its own Alderman and Simmons? The thought so preoccupied her that she almost didn't see the creature with a tan hide covered in black spots slinking closer to her. Golden eyes glittered as they found their next meal.
Her knees went weak and her bowels tried to let go. Scarlett screamed and fired the blaster. The bolts whined wide of the target, catching a small bush on fire. The huge cat—a leopard—leapt back and roared.
With the airlock closed, Scarlett had no choice but to run. The duffel bag slowed her considerably so she flipped the strap over her head, let it drop, and ran. In her panic, she abandoned the trail and ran into the jungle, the heavy boots of the toughsuit clomping against the soil and tiring her legs quickly. A snarl from behind lent her fresh energy and she pushed ahead.
The bushes thinned into a carpet of short ferns. Dangling vines smacked Scarlett in the face as she dodged around trees and rutted earth. A flash of tan and white fur appeared from behind a tree ahead and the leopard peeled back its muzzle to reveal rows of sharp teeth.
Scarlett realized she heard the sound in stereo and looked back to see the first leopard crouching behind her. She was trapped.
Chapter 31
The other cat looked larger, with a patch of white on its forehead. A sound like a saw on wood grated through its throat. With a vicious snarl, the bigger cat streaked toward the other one. Claws flashed and fur flew.
Fascinated as she was by the spectacle, Scarlett came to her senses and ran. She tripped over roots and crashed through foliage. Spider webs clung to her face and smaller animals fled when she tromped past. She ran until she could run no further and collapsed at the base of a tree. A glance back told her she'd run all this way for nothing. The leopard with the patch prowled her way.
She checked the blaster battery pack. At half full, it held plenty of shots, provided she could land one. Arms trembling, she stood and raised the weapon. The leopard crouched and observed from thirty yards away—too far for Scarlett's poor aim. She waited, hoping the cat would leave, but it reached a different decision and burst forward.
Scarlett shrieked and pulled the trigger. Blaster bolts splashed wide of the target. Undeterred by the noise, the leopard lunged the final few yards. A bolt grazed the beast's left side. It screamed in pain and tumbled along the ground. Scarlett fired again. Dirt exploded into the air and the leopard finally gave up and dashed out of sight.
She leaned against an oak, sobbing as the adrenalin faded and left her weak. A human voice shouting caught her attention. Scarlett staggered toward the sound of a leopard snarling and a man shouting. When she came around the tree, she saw the leopard slam into a man. Blood dripped from a wound in the cat's chest, but it seemed determined to kill the man.
Scarlett unleashed a flurry of sizzling red energy and the leopard finally gave up, dashing away into the jungle. The man was safe, but he might attack her the minute he realized she wasn't from this dome. His back faced her so she couldn't tell if he had another weapon.
"Turn around slowly," she commanded. The blaster nearly fell from her hand when she saw his face.
Max Planck looked nearly as shocked to see her as she did him. "Scarlett?" His eyes seemed to go blank for a moment. Max shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Going crazy," he muttered.
Scarlett steadied the blaster. It was one thing to know Max survived, but something entirely different to see him alive and mostly well. He wore shorts, boots, and even looked cleanly shaved. This was the man who'd sent her best friend in the world, her brother, to die. The man who'd betrayed his oath of office and turned into Alderman's lapdog, who killed his own sister.
People told her he'd done good, that they were grateful to have Constable Planck. Maybe he'd helped others, but he hadn't lifted a finger to save Nathan.
"You gonna pull that trigger, Scarlett?" Max wiped sweat off his forehead. "You think killing me will make up for Nathan?"
Her throat went dry. "Nothing will make up for that, Max, but burning a hole through you might make me feel a little better."
Max stiffened. "If ending me gives you a little bit of peace, then do it." He folded his arms. "There's an epad with a map in my backpack, and some meal packs. I don't think you'll want to stay in this place long, though, because another ranger will probably come looking for the one I killed."
Scarlett blinked. "Ranger? Killed?"
"A lot's happened since Alderman sent me to feed." Max nodded at the blaster. "Well?"
Killing Max might make Scarlett feel a little better in the short term, but it would probably prove fatal in the long run. In the little time he'd been in this jungle, it sounded like he'd managed to discover a lot. Scarlett wanted answers and a way to survive. For now, she'd let Planck live.
She lowered the blaster. "I won't blast you now, but I might change my mind later."
Max stared at her quietly for a moment then nodded. "Well, at least you aren't so bullheaded you won't listen to reason."
"I'll always listen to reason, you big fool." Scarlett blew out a breath. "Now, tell me about this ranger."
"Have you eaten?"
She narrowed her eyes and nodded. "I brought food."
"Before I tell my story, I'd like to know what in the dome you're doing over here, Scarlett." Max bent down and retrieved a blaster with an absurdly long barrel. He slung it over a shoulder and straightened. "And why are you wearing a blue scientist toughsuit?"
"I reckon we both have stories to tell," Scarlett said. She fanned her face, but it didn't do any good in the humidity.
Max took out an epad and flicked his fingers on the screen. "There's a shelter nearby. It'll be a safe place to rest and recover." He looked her up and down. "Plus, you might want to change clothes before you melt in that toughsuit."
Scarlett felt a little dizzy. "Okay, but first we need to get my duffel bag."
/> "Where is it?"
She frowned and tried to remember which direction she'd come from. "It's near the airlock."
Max nodded and motioned her to follow. "This way."
He led the way without a word and they arrived back at the wall a few minutes later. The duffel bag sat where Scarlett had left it. Max knelt to unzip it, but Scarlett quickly grabbed the handle and shook her head.
"This is mine." She pried his fingers off the zipper. "I don't want you digging through it."
Max shrugged. "Fine, Scarlett, but I don't care about seeing your spare underwear or stealing your food."
Scarlett brandished the blaster. "I don't care what you say."
He sighed and pointed toward the wall. "You closed the airlock door, didn't you?"
"Yes, but it's right there." She pointed toward the black line.
Max's eyes flickered with surprise. "I didn't even think about that." He rushed to the wall and began pressing his hand along it about chest high until a small section slid back to reveal the door control panel.
"Didn't think about what?" Scarlett asked.
He waved a hand toward the line. "I figured these were just to mark cardinal directions, but I'll bet they also mark where the other hidden airlock doors are."
"Other doors?" Scarlett's forehead pinched. "You think there's more of these?"
Max nodded. "I'd bet there's other habitats too." He pressed the close button and the section of concrete lowered to conceal the panel again. "Come on." He tromped through the jungle as if he knew where he was going, talking along the way. "You remember all the micro-habitats at the science zoo?"
"Of course." She walked faster to catch up.