Murder On Mars

by Sean Devney

  “Who are you?”

  The boy said,

  “I am here to help. Now what do we do next, detective?”

  “Next, we wake up Boris. He has some explaining to do!”

  “Wait, John! He’s on our side! He told me everything! He’s a government agent! Don’t hurt him!”

  Walker grunted and walked over to the android and said,

  “Joe, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing at the moment, detective. It’s all very quiet. I thought they were going to leave you in the desert. How did you escape?”

  “This young boy helped me. Hey, Boris! Wake up!”

  Petrov woke up and rubbed his eyes. He yawned and said,

  “John! You’re alive and you brought someone with you!”

  He looked at the boy and said,

  “My! You are powerful!”

  The boy looked at Walker and said,

  “He’s trying to read my mind!”

  “Yes, he is trying. Okay, people – we’re going to end this today! Joe, where is the freighter?”

  “It is almost here. It will be landing soon.”

  “Well, this is Wednesday and the Marines are arriving tomorrow. The new DA and the new governor are on that military transport. Captain Parker is also coming on that ship. I want to face Rocco again but this time with John here. It should be interesting. But first, I’m starved! Let’s eat!”

  He went into the kitchen and began cooking eggs and bacon. The boy walked in and asked,

  “Sir, what should I do?”

  “Set up the table. You cook at all, John?”

  “No. My mother does all the cooking. I just eat.”

  Walker laughed and said,

  “Good! Go and help set everything up!”

  Edwards walked in and began taking down dishes and Petrov made coffee. When the food was ready, they all sat down and ate.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  After the dishes were cleaned, Walker sat down and said to the boy,

  “So, John, how much experience do you have in the world? What’s it like where you live?”

  “I live on a farm out in the desert. I have a younger brother and sister. Bot of my parents are farmers. We work all day in the fields.”

  Edwards asked him,

  “So, are your parents human?”

  “Yes. I know what you’re asking me, Ms Edwards. I can read your thoughts. I am very old. I was born a human but I am a Martian. I am a sort of a – bridge between both worlds. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes,” said Edwards. “Do you remember Mars in the past at all?”

  “Yes. I can remember some of it. I can remember Mars when it was green and filled with water. It was like Earth at one time. Then there was trouble and society began tearing itself apart. There was a terrible war and then darkness. I don’t really understand it all. Why are people so mean and vicious towards each other?”

  “That’s a good question,” said Walker. “Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for that. Do you go to school?”

  “No. I am home schooled. My mother was a teacher back on Earth.”

  “Well, maybe one day, you’ll go to Earth and see it for yourself. Maybe I’ll take you there.”

  There was silence for a moment and then Petrov said,

  “All right, detective – what are we going to do now?”

  “We need to stop Rocco from taking over Mars. I need to know what’s on that freighter. Do you have anything about those combat robots?”

  “Yes – there are ten of them. They’re big – about ten feet tall and loaded with weapons. There’s also lots of other weapons as well – laser rifles, cannons.”

  “So, what’s the plan? Do you know?”

  “Well, Anderson was going to coordinate everything. The robots were supposed to take out the police, city hall and the prisoners were going to take over everything else. I do know that the freighter has a teleporter. It’s pretty complicated.”

  “Hmmmm…..so, what’s the deal with this landing site?”

  “Well, it’s run by pirates that are working with Rocco and Governor Ryan. We won’t be able to get in. It’s pretty well fortified.”

  “Well, okay, we’ll let the Marines handle it. Now, I have Father Johnson’s people on our side. They’re going to blow up sin city. It’ll be a nice diversion. Boris, you didn’t tell Rocco about this, did you?”

  “No, he doesn’t know.”

  “Good. The freighter will be arriving on Friday night. Well, people, there’s not much we can do right now but wait. I’m really tired so I’m going back to sleep.”

  He yawned and got up and walked towards the bedroom. Edwards said,

  “Wait up, John.”

  They both retired and Petrov took out a chess board and said to the boy,

  “Well, my young friend – do you know how to play chess?”

  “Yes, sir. My father taught me.”

  “Show me what you got.”

  They sat down at the table and began to play.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  He awoke from his nap and got dressed. He walked into the living room and looked around. It was empty. The android was sitting on the chair looking out into the city. Walker asked the android,

  “Joe, where’s Boris and John?”

  “They went out. Boris said they would be back later.”

  “Okay. Are you monitoring the police radio?”

  “Yes, detective.”

  “Is there anything to report?”

  “No. It is all very quiet.”

  “All right. Tell Sam I’m going to see Chief Hernandez. I’ll be back later.”

  He put on his jacket and walked out the door. He walked outside and found his car waiting for him. He got in and said,

  “Computer, take me to police headquarters.”

  The car put itself into gear and drove towards downtown. It was getting dark and the street lights were coming on. The car approached police headquarters and drove itself down into the parking garage. He got out and walked over to an elevator and took it up. When the elevator stopped, Walker got out and walked down the hallway towards Hernandez’s office. Hernandez was sitting behind his desk, eating a sandwich. He said to Walker, as Walker walked in,

  “So, what’s going on? Tell me what you’re planning.”

  “Well, it’s like this,” said Walker as he sat down on a chair. “Rocco has combat robots on the freighter and he’s going to use them to break the prisoners out of the prison. The Tyler Corporation is involved in this somehow. I don’t know what their angle is yet but I’ll know soon. I would like to get a court order to gain access to their files. Can you get this done?”

  “Yes, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Good. I just hate all this waiting.”

  “So, after this is all over, what are you going to do? Are you going back to Earth?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Well, listen – if you do decide to stay, I could really use you and your robot.”

  “Thanks. Have you talked to the head of the prison yet? Does he know what’s going on?”

  “Yes, thanks to you. He was rather shocked about Evans. Levin has been the head of the prison for ten years now. He’s a good man. He’s asked about additional police help but I can’t spare anyone else. I’m already spread too thin as it is. So, the Marines will be here tomorrow? What time?”

  “Around noon, I think. They’ll be landing at Mc
Gregor Army Base just outside the city.”

  “How many?”

  “Enough, I hope. They have commando robots – they’re even bigger than the combat robots, if you can imagine it! They’re huge! Captain Parker is coming along with the new DA and governor. It’s going to be interesting!”

  “You mean Captain Tex Parker? Boy, I haven’t seen him in years! He’s lots of fun! I can’t wait to see him!”

  “Yeah, he’s quite a handful. Well, I’m going over to the prison. Would you mind called Mr Levin and tell him I’m coming?”

  “Sure. See you later.”

  Walker got up and left the office and headed for the elevators.

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  The car was waiting for him in the garage. He got in and said,

  “Computer, take me to Clinton Prison.”

  The car put itself into gear and drove out of the garage. The clouds were dark – it looked like it was going to rain. Small drops of water appeared on the windshield and people began running for cover. Soon, it was raining in sheets and a strong wind blew. Up ahead was the prison complex – a massive walled compound with barbed wire all around. The car drove towards the entrance and a robot guard walked over and Walker showed it his badge. The robot waved at a human guard manning the gate and it opened. The car drove into the prison. Walker jumped out and ran into the prison’s main building. A robot prison guard walked over to Walker and said,

  “You’re Detective John Walker, right?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Please come with me. The warden is expecting you.”

  Walker followed the guard through a series of doors and finally walked into a fancy office. Warden George Levin stood behind a huge wooden desk. He was a small man with large eyes and pale skin. He wore a black toupee. Levin extended his hand and said to Walker,

  “It’s nice to meet you, detective. Please have a seat.”

  Walker sat down and Levin sat behind his desk. He said to Walker,

  “So – Chief Hernandez told me you were coming. So, what’s the situation?”

  “Waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Marines will be here tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I was told that. That’s good. There was a rumor of a major jail break for weeks now. Rocco is behind it, I’m guessing.”

  “Yes. He’s been planning this for awhile now. So, how are you going to deal with this?”

  “The best I can. This is not the Moon. On the Moon, there’s nowhere to run. Here on Mars, we have millions of acres of desert. People disappear all the time.”

  “Yes, I know that first hand. So, how many prison guards do you have?”

  “We have about 200. We have 100 robot guards as well. There are three shifts.”

  “And how many do you think are working for Rocco?”

  “That’s hard to say. There are lots of rumors but I don’t know. The prisoners know more than I do. They have their own network.”

  “Well, let’s see how this plays out.”

  “Yes. I’m sorry about the DA. He was a friend of mine. Nice man but I don’t know what went wrong. His death was a real shock.”

  “Well, he used to work for Rocco. These things happen.”

  “Yes, it does. Well, detective, thank you for coming out here. If I need you, I’ll call.”

  “Very good.”

  Walker stood up and shook the warden’s hand. He left the prison and wished it was all over…..

  PART FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  Walker walked into the apartment and saw Petrov and the boy playing chess. The android was sitting by the window and Edwards was busy making dinner. The android turned and said,

  “Captain Parker has sent you a message.”

  “Okay, put it on the screen.”

  The wall monitor came to life. Captain Parker was sitting in a chair and attempting to put on a flight uniform. He said, looking into a camera,

  “Okay, is this thing on? All right, John, the Marines are coming, boy! We’ll be teleporting the ship to Mars and we’ll be there by morning. We’ve got your commando robots and lots of ammo! Boy, those robots sure are big! We heard about the freighter. It’s arriving on Mars tomorrow. The commander said we can catch up with it if we’re lucky, so just hang tight! See you tomorrow! Hey! Can someone help get this darned uniform on?”

  The screen went dark. Walker walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He was tired and worn out. Petrov said excitedly,

  “Hey, John! He’s learning chess really fast! He’s picking it up like crazy!”

  “Good for him,” said Walker. He sat down on a chair and relaxed. Edwards walked out of the kitchen and said,

  “Okay, boys! Dinner’s almost ready! John, can you set up the table please?”

  “Yes, Sam!”, said the boy. He jumped up from his chair and went into the kitchen. Petrov said to Walker,

  “It’s almost over, John. We’ll arrest both Governor Ryan and Rocco tomorrow. Everything will work out just fine. You’ll see.”

  Walker nodded and sipped his drink. He said to the android,

  “Joe, play some classical music. I need to relax.”

  “Which composer do you prefer?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Anything.”

  A stereo system came to life and began playing Mozart softly in the background. Walker closed his eyes. Edwards said,

  “Okay, it’s time to eat!”

  Walker got up stiffly and walked over to the table and sat down. The food smelled wonderful He began eating but his mind was elsewhere. Something wasn’t right. Edwards asked him,

  “Honey, are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, Sam. It’s just something is – “

  Suddenly, Petrov also stopped eating and looked at Walker with wide eyes. He said,

  “My God! The freighter! It’s landed! But how?”

  The android turned and said to Walker,

  “The freighter has landed.”

  Walker swore and said,

  “They’re ahead of schedule! Joe, contact Chief Hernandez! Shit! We have to get moving!”

  The android said,

  “Detective, the combat robots are walking through the city. They’re heading for the prison.”

  Walker, Edwards, Petrov and the boy all jumped up and headed for the elevators. The android followed. They all got into an elevator and took it down to the garage. Two cars were waiting for them. Walker said to the android,

  “Joe! Can you control the robots?”

  “I am trying but they’re not responding to me.”

  “Dammit! Look, we can’t have those robots get to the prison!”

  He turned to the boy and said,

  “Okay, let’s see what you can do. Let’s go!”

  They piled into the two cars and drove out into the pouring rain. As the cars emerged from the garage, the giant combat robots were lumbering down the street. Police officers were shooting at the robots without any effect. The two cars drove towards the prison. Walker said to the android,

  “Joe, tell Warden Levin we’re coming!”

  “Yes, detective.”

  Several cop cars drove past, headed for the giant robots. The two cars drove towards the prison. There were cops and prison guards standing out in front of the prison’s main gate. As the robots walked down the street, the cops and the prison guards opened fire. Walker said,

  “Okay, let’s get inside.”

  They ran into the prison where Warden Levin was shout
ing orders. Walker said to him,

  “What can we do?”

  “Can your robot stop them?”

  “No. I’m not sending him out to fight. Those combat robots will tear him apart!”

  “Do you have suggestions?”

  “Let me think.”

  “You better come up with something fast!”

  The boy said,

  “I can stop them.”

  They all looked at the boy and Walker said,

  “Go ahead.”

  Levin said,

  “You’ve got to be kidding me! He’s only a boy!”

  Walker said,

  “Let’s see what he can do.”

  Then, suddenly, the boy disappeared and reappeared in front of the robots. He raised his right hand and the robots were knocked back by some invisible force. Walker was stunned. Levin said, in astonishment,

  “What the hell just happened?”

  Petrov said,

  “My God! He’s even more powerful than I realized!”

  Then the boy reappeared next to Walker. He smiled and said,

  “What’s next, detective?”

  Walker was speechless. He had never seen anything like that in his whole life. He said, after pulling himself together,

  “Well, uh, we should go out to the freighter and find Max Thorton. Joe, send a message to Captain Parker and tell him what’s going on.”

  “Yes, detective.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  As they walked towards their cars, Walker thought to the boy,

  Nice job, John! I’m very impressed!

  Thank you, sir!

  The cars drove towards a large camp that was all lit up with various lights. In the center of the camp was a huge, bulky freighter. Walker said to the car,

  “Stop here.”

  The car stopped. The android said,

  “I have made contact with Captain Parker, detective. I told him what happened. He said he’s aware of the situation.”