by Sean Devney
“Wow! That’s really something! But can you play the lottery? How does that work?”
“I don’t know. I never really tried it. But I have a friend who had a dream where his father came to him and showed him a series of numbers. My friend woke up and wrote down those numbers and played them and he won a million dollars! He’s now retired and lives in Canada. But it never happened to me. Maybe God doesn’t want me to get rich like that. Who knows?”
Up ahead was the spaceport. The cop asked Walker,
“What gate are you going to?”
The android said,
“Gate 12. The Martian Express.”
“Righto.”
The car drove up to a terminal and Walker said,
“Well, thanks again, Officer Bentley. Thanks for the lift!”
“My pleasure, detective! Good luck!”
They shook hands and both Walker and the android got out of the car and walked into the terminal building. They walked over to a counter and Walker flashed his badge to a robot behind the counter and the robot said,
“Oh, yes, Detective Walker! Go to Gate Three. The shuttle will take off in one hour. You can leave your luggage here. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” said Walker as he handed his bag over to the robot. Both Walker and the android walked down a hallway and passed by a bar. Sitting at the bar were stressed out businessmen on their way to either the prison on the Moon or to Mars. Sitting in a restaurant nearby were several families with crying children. They too were headed for Mars.
CHAPTER FOUR
Walker and the android approached the gate. It was crowded with people milling around. Outside the windows were giant, silver mushroom shaped ships that glowed in the fading sunlight. Some of the ships lifted slowly into the air like hot air balloons. Walker looked at a wall clock – it was 8:03 PM. The shuttle to the spaceship in orbit over the Earth was leaving at 8:45. The entrance to the shuttle was closed. Walker said to the android,
“Go and find a seat, Joe. I’m going to walk around. I won’t be long.”
“All right, detective.”
Walker walked around the terminal building. It was busy. He saw a theater that was showing a short film about Mars. He walked into the theater and found a seat. He had walked into the middle of the film. The theater was filled to capacity. On the screen were images of farms and farmers working the fields. A narrator said,
“Man has finally found a way to transform this once dead planet into a beautiful new Eden! Water has been found on Mars and farmers and their livestock have been coming to Mars every day for over ten years! People are moving to Mars to start a new life! It’s the chance to begin again!”
There were images of a city being built. The narrator said,
“The capital of Mars is New Washington and this beautiful city has been growing by leaps and bounds! It has a brand new subway system that keeps growing!”
There were images of a new, clean subway system and there were shots of a public park. The narrator said,
“Yes, New Washington has been growing very fast but it has parks and lakes and even a grand canal running right through the center of the city! There are new roads being built and there is even a new railroad going out into the Great Spielberg Desert! Both oil and coal has been discovered on Mars as well as diamonds and other precious jewels! And iron and copper has been discovered and mines have been built to harvest all of these natural resources to send back to a hungry Earth!”
There are images of giant freighters that appear on the screen. The narrator continues,
“But so far, there haven’t been any evidence of life on Mars! The persistent rumors of Martians still alive on the planet are simply not true! The Martians died out many thousands of years ago! Now, you have a chance to create a new life on Mars, so what are you waiting for? Join the Great Migration to Mars! You won’t regret it! See you soon!”
There are images of happy people waving to the audience. The screen goes dark and a title card reads,
THIS FILM WILL RESUME IN TWENTY MINUTES.
THANK YOU.
The lights come up and people began to leave the theater. Walker got up and followed the crowd out and walked over to the gate. He looked around and saw the android sitting on a chair surrounded by screaming children. He walked over and said,
“What’s going on?”
“The shuttle that will take us to the spaceship has just landed.”
Walker looked out the window and saw a giant silver mushroom shaped ship that had landed moments before. The gate opened and a flight crew boarded the ship. Two male stewards dressed in red and white uniforms walked over to a counter and one of them said in a loud voice,
“All right, people! Listen up!”
The crowd quieted down. The steward said,
“Now, we’re going to be boarding the shuttle that’s going to take us to the Martian Express in just a few minutes. Please have your tickets ready!”
The other steward barked,
“Please form a straight line!”
People began forming a straight line and they moved slowly towards the gate. Beyond the gate was a covered walkway that led to the shuttle itself. Walker and the android walked towards the gate and a flight attendant checked both tickets and they were waved through. They walked down the covered walkway and into the shuttle itself. It was wide and spacious, with warm colors. A blond flight attendant smiled at Walker and said, looking at his ticket,
“Your seat is upstairs. Have a nice flight.”
Walker and the android walked up a circular staircase to the next level and found their seats by a window. The cabin was filling up fast and Walker looked out the window and saw the ground crew working on the shuttle. A giant robot was putting luggage into the shuttle. In front of him was a video monitor. He suddenly felt very tired and closed his eyes…..
He awoke with a start. He was standing in the middle of a desert with a hot sun overhead. He looked around and saw a farmhouse and barn in the distance. Was he dreaming this? He couldn’t tell. It was very real. He knew he wasn’t on the shuttle but where was he?
Am I on Mars?
He knew he had to get out of the sun. He threw his jacket over his head and began to run towards the farmhouse and barn. He climbed over an old wooden broken down fence and ran into the barn. It was old and there were cobwebs everywhere. Sunlight streaked through holes in the barn. There were stables for horses but it had been abandoned for a long time. Suddenly, he felt a strange presence. He turned around and looked into a dark corner of the barn. There was a tall figure dressed in a long blue cloak. He couldn’t see any features of the man’s face. Walker stepped towards the man and suddenly, he was back on board the shuttle. He opened his eyes and looked around.
What just happened?
The android looked at Walker and asked with concern,
“Are you all right?”
“I – I don’t know. I think I was dreaming I was on Mars. It was very intense. I think someone is trying to contact me.”
“Hmmm….does this happen to you often?”
“Sometimes. I once had a kidnap victim contact me through the dream state. She sent me information about her location that helped me to track her down but this was something very different. It was like I was there on Mars. It was very powerful.”
“Interesting. I never have dreams. I never sleep. What is a dream?”
“Well, that’s a little difficult to explain, I’m afraid. Dreams are like a portal into another reality. And sometimes dreams – “
The android looked at him with confusion. Walker said,
; “Never mind.”
The captain said over the intercom,
“God evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the shuttle that will take you to the Martian Express. We’ll be taking off here in just a few minutes. Please remain in your seats until we have taken off. Thank you.”
Walker said to the android,
“Have you ever been off Earth before?”
“No. This will be my first time.”
“Mine too.”
The captain said,
“Okay, I think we’re ready. Will the flight crew please take your seats?”
A moment later, Walker felt the powerful engines come to life. The ground crew moved quickly away and the covered walkway that connected the ship to the terminal pulled away. The shuttle began to drift slowly up into the night sky. Walker looked out and saw the city’s skyline glowing in the distance. Then there was a sudden jolt as the shuttle began to ascend more rapidly. It was heading for the upper atmosphere. The captain came back on the intercom and said,
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are now moving into space. We’ll be docking with the space station in about an hour. You can move around the shuttle if you like. We have several bars and restaurants located throughout the ship.”
Walker said to the android,
“Well, I’m going to stretch my legs. You want to come?”
“No, thank you, detective. I’ll stay here.”
Walker shrugged and got up. He walked over to a circular staircase and went upstairs. He had walked into a Vegas style bar and lounge. It was very colorful and there was loud, cheap music. He walked over to a bar and said to the robot bartender,
“I’ll have a Scotch and soda, please.”
He sat down next to a tired looking businessman wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie. The man’s face was red and puffy. The robot put the drink down and the man said to Walker with a slight slur,
“First timer, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“This is your first time off of Mother Earth – am I correct?”
“Yes! How did you know?”
“Oh, I can spot them a mile away! My name is Johnson. I’m a salesman going to the Moon. Where are you going?”
“To Mars.”
“Nice. I like it up there. It’s nice and quiet and unspoiled. Not like Earth.”
The man took a sip from his drink and said,
“Yes sir, we really screwed up our own planet, didn’t we? All that pollution and overpopulation. We had no choice but to move to Mars. But we’ll screw that up as well. That’s what we do, you know? We ruin everything we touch. It’s human nature.”
Walker sipped his drink and nodded. He asked the businessman,
“So, what’s it like on the Moon?”
“Oh, it’s hell up there. It’s just one big penal colony. That’s where we send the worst of the worst! Nothing but hardened criminals who would kill you if you just look at them wrong. They’ll never go back to Earth or to Mars. You know who I really feel sorry for? It’s the families who decided to stay near their husbands or boyfriends or whatever. And they have robot guards. Big machines. No humans in those prisons. It’s too dangerous. But they do have these humans running the whole operation, you know? But no one ever goes into those prisons. They would be crazy to do that! It’s all automated.”
“What about food?”
“Oh, well, they have these giant domed farms up there on the Moon. Some of the prisoners work on the farms if they behave themselves, you know? And I go up there to sell all kinds of crap to the prisoners and their families. It’s depressing as hell but eh, it’s a living. So, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a, uh, limo driver. I’m going to Mars to start a new job.”
“Oh, yeah? I used to do that job when I was younger. You ever been to Mars?”
“No, this will be my first time. What’s it like?”
“Dry – really dry. They have water but nothing like Earth, of course and they have sandstorms! Really powerful!”
“What about Martians? I’ve heard rumors.”
The man nodded and said, after taking another sip,
“Oh, yeah, they’re still on Mars all right! I’ve seen them with my own eyes! They sort of look like us but they have these black eyes and a yellowish gray skin. They’re all bald and they have two holes where the nose is supposed to be. When I first saw one, I really freaked out! They disappear like ghosts! Really strange!”
“I thought the government said there weren’t any more Martians!”
“Oh, that’s a load of bullshit, if you ask me. They know about the Martians! I’ve heard that they have some kind of a secret pact with the Martians but who can tell, you know?”
“I hear you,” said Walker, as he finished his drink. He said,
“Nice to meet you.”
The man just grunted and then asked the robot bartender for another drink. Walker got up and walked away. He walked over to a window and looked down. He saw the Earth and suddenly felt queasy. He walked back down the staircase and walked back to the android and sat down. The android was looking at a video monitor and he said,
“Look, detective, there’s the space station and next to it is the Martian Express.”
“It’s huge! Is it true it will only take 72 hours to get to Mars? How is that possible?”
“The ship creates its own wormhole effect, folding time and space and it will fly at close to the speed of light. We haven’t broken that barrier yet but we will one day. You see, the principle of time warp – “
“Uh, that’s okay,” said Walker. “I’ll take your word for it. I was never any good at science or math. Look, I’m going to find somewhere to eat. I’ll see you later.”
Walker got up and walked around the ship and found a McDonald’s and ate a Martian burger and fries. There were several families in the restaurant and the children were running around and playing. He was drinking a beer when the captain came back on the intercom and said,
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, we will be docking with the space station in a just a few minutes. Those who are going on to Mars will leave the shuttle and those who are going to the Moon will stay on board. Just follow the instructions from the flight crew and have a nice flight.”
Walker finished eating and went back to his seat.
CHAPTER FIVE
When he sat down in his chair, the android pointed to the video monitor and said,
“We are about to dock with the space station.”
The shuttle was slowly drifting to a giant wheel like structure floating high above the Earth. At the opposite end of the station was a giant silver bullet shaped spaceship. It had three tail fins in the back and windows all along its side. The shuttle docked with the station with a soft jolt and most people got up and headed for the exits. They walked down a long corridor to the space station itself. The station was huge and brightly lit. It was painted in bright colors. There were bars, restaurants and all kinds of stores and in the middle was a garden with a water fountain. People walked around and looked out the windows to see Earth directly below. Walker looked down and nearly fainted. The android looked at Walker and asked in puzzlement,
“Is there anything the matter?”
Walker gulped and said,
“I – I don’t like heights.”
The android nodded and said,
“If you did fall, you would not survive the reentry. You would burn up.”
Walker nodded and said,
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
A bell rang and a woman said over the intercom,
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Martian Express is now ready for boarding.”
Walker and the android followed the crowd towards the opposite end of the station. They passed through the flight attendants and they entered the great ship. It was massive and it reminded Walker of a luxury liner. They found their seats and Walker looked at a video monitor in front of him. It was showing scenes of farms, farmers, small towns and the capital of Mars, New Washington. Then, a smiling man wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie came on the screen and said, with a smile,
“Good evening to you all and welcome aboard the Martian Express! My name is Mark Gordon and I want to tell you about this incredible ship! It is the most expensive and the most modern spaceship ever built and it was built by the Tyler Corporation! It was built to bring people to Mars – the New Eden! This ship has everything! It has two giant pools, playgrounds for the children, movie theaters, gyms – you name it and we got it! We have world class restaurants and bars! Now, the journey will only take 72 hours! Yes, people, you heard that right! This ship creates its own wormhole effect and the ship travels at close to the speed of light without breaking it! Now, god forbid something should happen, we have several life rafts available but so far, nothing bad has happened on any of our flights! Now we have a great crew and one very experienced captain and several other officers, so you’re in very good hands! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, okay? And now, we’re about to take off, so please fasten your seat belts and we’ll be on our way! Have a good flight and we’ll see you on Mars!”
The screen went dark. The captain said over the intercom,
“Good evening, folks. My name is Captain Edwards and we’re about to go. Please stay seated until we hit our top speed. We’ll be passing by the Moon and once we get past it, we’ll be kicking the ship into high gear! Now, will the flight crew please prepare for take off? Thank you.”
Walker felt the powerful engines come to life. The tunnel connecting the ship to the station was pulled back and the ship began to drift away. Suddenly, there was a powerful jolt as the engines roared to life. He could feel the G forces rapidly building up and he was pressed back into his seat. Babies screamed and Walker saw the Earth quickly disappear from sight. He saw millions of stars but they didn’t seem to be moving. He knew it was an illusion. The captain said,