“Tell me what happened, second by second. Don’t skip anything.” “How did you find the substance?” “What procedures did you go through to ensure you didn’t contaminate the sample?” “Did you touch any of it with your bare skin?” “Did you inhale any of it?” “Is there any chance this is a hoax, or site contamination by a previous explorer?”
The questions continued in this fashion for over an hour, sometimes backtracking and coming at him from another direction.
Is she trying to trip me up, to catch me in a lie? James couldn’t decide whether to be insulted or amused. Finally he’d had enough.
“Look, Dr. Chow. I’ve told you everything I know—several times. Can’t we just wait and see what the stuff is before we all get carried away?”
She frowned for a moment, in thought, before agreeing.
It didn’t take much longer for Dr. Snow to identify the substance and determine that it wasn’t an infectious agent. He spoke with Dr. Chow at length in the next room, within sight but out of earshot of James. Finally she left and Dr. Snow opened the door to Isolation and entered.
“They’re spores of some kind. Congratulations, m’ boy, you have indeed discovered the remains of life on Mars! They don't match anything in my database, but that's not unexpected. There was no need for a lot of information about spores out here, so my database has minimal information on the subject—just the common types found on Earth and how to treat allergic reactions; that sort of thing.
“Now, whether it’s in fact ancient and unique to Mars, or merely contamination carried here by Earth travelers over the last century or more, I can’t tell without better equipment.”
“That’s great! So I’m free to go?”
“Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with you. The samples you brought back are isolated in the lab and we found no contamination on your suit or in the Cat itself. The Spectralyser from your Cat is being sterilized as we speak.”
“So…the spores. Are they dead, then?”
“It’s hard to be sure with spores. They can survive in a sort of suspended animation for long periods of time—thousands, even millions of years in some cases. I suspect something similar is true of Martian spores, if that’s what they are. But as I said, I don’t have the equipment here to do a proper job of analysis. Besides, I’m an M.D., not a biologist. We need to send these spores to the research lab at Site 23. Dr. Chow agrees. I’ve already spoken with Lee Tennant and the chief medical officer there, Dr. Shallitt. They’re expecting you tomorrow.”
“Me? What good am I going to be? I don’t know anything about Martian biology.”
“Neither does anyone else. I’m sure they’ll have some questions for you about where you found the spores, the conditions in the cave, and so on.”
James groaned. “Didn’t I just go through all that with Dr. Chow?”
Dr. Snow favored him with a lopsided grin. “You know how it is. Everyone will want to hear it from the horse’s mouth. So be sure to whinny convincingly. Besides, it’ll take them some time to do the analysis. I’m sure they’ll try to compare the spores to see if they’re close analogues to anything on Earth, check for DNA, that sort of thing. You’ll be put up in a hotel while they’re doing that. Think of it as a working vacation. I’m sure there’ll be time to visit friends in Barsoom if you wish.”
James perked up at the thought. “You don’t have to tell me twice, doc. I’m sold!”
“Good. Why don’t you get cleaned up and grab something to eat. Then have a good night’s sleep and head for Site 23 in the morning. I understand there’s a cargo Cat heading that way at oh-eight-hundred. You’ll be hitching a ride on it. I wish I could go with you, but I’m needed here.
“Oh, by the way, Dr. Chow would like to see you in her office at oh-seven-thirty. She didn’t say why, but from the look on her face, I’d suggest you wear flame-retardant underwear.”
James frowned at the news. Oh-oh. “Thanks for the warning, doc. I’ll catch the Cat in the morning. But in the meantime, I’ve got some v-mails to send out, before the grapevine has me dead and buried and all my friends and relatives begin grieving.”
And I wouldn’t mind seeing Janice, if she’s in camp.
As it turned out, she wasn’t; however, when she heard the news at her previous check-in, she cut short her survey mission and immediately headed for camp. She was expected back before midnight.
James anticipated a most pleasant reunion.
* * * *
That evening, Jardin and two other men huddled together in a darkened corner of a storage facility on the surface, at the outskirts of MMR Site 23. The two thugs were of a kind: big, strong, mean, and each with an axe to grind against MMR in general and Lee Tennant in particular.
“You boys ready? People are going to get hurt.”
Jardin was determined that no one get squeamish in the last minute and screw up his plans. He had to know they’d go through with it. If not, he knew others who would. The impact of this “lesson” must be far more wide-reaching than the previous ones.
That’ll teach Tennant to threaten his betters.
“Hell, yeah, I wanna do it!” said thug number one, also known as Shooter Tallman. “That bastard Tennant cost me a promotion and a lot of money.” In fact, it was a certain drunken brawl resulting in broken bones and a hospital stay for two other men that did it. Tennant merely assigned the punishment. “I hope he does get hurt. The more pain, the better.”
Thug number two, Jeff Sawyer, nodded. “Same here. I’ve been looking for a chance to get even with him.”
His sins were of a more intimate variety. There was nothing that could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law; however, several female co-workers had refused to work in the same camp with him ever again. That resulted in his banishment to repairing distant sections of maglev train track, far from civilization—and far from any women.
Jardin smiled—the same terrible smile that he’d had as a child when he tied a string of firecrackers to a dog’s tail and lit them; the same smile that he’d had two years ago, shortly before the shop steward who preceded him disappeared mysteriously, never to be seen again. When he spoke, the naked glee in his voice sent chills down Sawyer’s spine.
“Excellent. You two are going to send the uppity sonofabitch a message he’ll get loud and clear. Now, here’s what I want you to do….”
CHAPTER 18
Biology: Spores—Terrestrial spores from bacteria, fungi, lichens and other forms of life can survive in viable form for great periods of time. For example, in 1999, spores trapped inside glacial ice for 750 thousand years were discovered in theGuliya ice cap of western China. Far older samples have been found as well.
In 1995, bacterial spores in theDominican Republic were extracted from a bee, captured in amber that formed approximately 25-40 million years ago. In 2000, salt crystals found in Carlsbad, New Mexico(North American Federation; formerlyUnited States of America) were found to contain bacterial spores estimated to be more than 250 million years old. In 2078, 70-95 million year old fungal spores were discovered inside aMid-Atlantic Ridge deep-sea core sample.
In each case, some of the spores were revived by placing them in special nutrient solutions. Scientists were then able to extract and sequence DNA from these spores.
— Excerpt from Encyclopedia Solaris, 2176
* * * *
The next morning, James disentangled himself from Janice’s sleeping embrace, showered, shaved, dressed, and knocked on Dr. Chow’s office door right at the stroke of 0730.
“Enter.”
This time James noted a chill in her voice that had been absent on previous occasions. What’s the problem? I discovered life on Mars, for godsake! Am I going to be raked over the coals for banging up the Cat again?
Dr. Chow looked up from the document she’d been reading. “Have a seat, James.”
He did as he was told. The desk separating them somehow seemed more imposing than usual, the shadows in the room dee
per and more forbidding.
Dr. Chow’s face was impassive, revealing nothing of what she was thinking. “First of all, I’m pleased that you’re safe and well. That’s always my primary objective.”
James acknowledged her remark with a nod.
“Second, good work identifying the canyon rockfall as a potential source of beryl, and then doing the excellent fieldwork that confirmed it.”
“Third, if it turns out that the organic residue you found is indeed unique to Mars, that will be a momentous event in human history. You can expect much acclaim as a result.”
James sensed an impending “but” coming.
“However. I’m less than pleased with how you handled yourself regarding the storm. You violated the number one rule of survival on Mars: always pay attention to your surroundings. There are so many ways to die on this ball of rock that you can never, ever, take your safety for granted. One mistake can not only kill you—no matter how famous you might become—it can kill others as well!”
James swallowed hard.
“You have to always be aware of your air supply, the condition of your suit, your radio, your vehicle, and especially the status of the environment around you. How crumbly is the ledge you’re standing on? Might the slope you’re about to drive down be unstable? How far away is the bad weather heading your way? Is there shelter nearby? What gear is the Cat in?” She pursed her lips and shook her head slowly.
“You can’t take anything for granted here, and you can’t become so distracted that you forget safety. You very nearly died out there—again; not because of the storm, but because of stupidity! You easily could have suffocated mere meters from your Cat because you lost track of time. How hard would it have been to set an alarm on your heads-up to remind you to get back inside the Cat half an hour before the storm struck?” She held up a palm to forestall a reply.
“You’re still relatively new, and this was a rookie mistake. Your predecessor wasn’t a rookie and he died because of a careless oversight.”
Now her voice got hard, and cold enough for icicles to form on her words. “If you ever do anything this criminally negligent again, I’ll ship you back to Earth on the next available ship—upright if you survive; in a body bag if you don’t.”
She paused for a moment to let the import of her words sink in. “Between Barsoom and this, I am beginning to see a dangerous trend of recklessness developing. It stops right now! Am I making myself absolutely clear?” Her coffee-brown eyes blazed with an intensity from which James was forced to lower his gaze.
He again swallowed hard, and nodded.
“That’s all I have to say on the matter. I trust we’ll have no further reason to renew this discussion in the future.”
James quickly shook his head and uttered his first sounds since the “meeting” began. “No ma’am. I mean yes, ma’am. I mean—”
“Good.” Dr. Chow’s voice softened to its usual amiable tone. “Have a nice trip to Site 23, James. Let me know as soon as you find out what that organic substance is.” She turned back to the document she’d been perusing when James arrived.
James nodded absently. “Yes, ma’am.” And then taking her cue, he stood and exited Dr. Chow’s office. As soon as he left, he checked his eyebrows to see how badly they were singed.
Fire and ice; Dragon Lady indeed.
He still had time for a quick cup of synthcaf in the commissary, which gave him time to mull over Dr. Chow’s points.
I can’t very well take exception to anything she said. She didn’t say anything I haven’t thought myself. I was stupid and careless. How could I lose track of time like that? How could I forget to set an alarm?
Okay. The past is past. All I can do is make sure I don’t do anything equally idiotic in the future.
James walked outside to where the cargo Cat full of cuprite ore waited in the morning sun. He climbed in through the airlock, tossed his travel bag and the haz-mat case containing the spores into the back of the cab and hopped in the passenger seat. He was eagerly anticipating the trip to Site 23, which offered the possibility of seeing Daniel and Kim again for the first time in months.
He never caught the driver’s real name, but the big man seemed happy to go by Moose; so that’s what James called him. Moose wasn’t the talkative sort, which gave James plenty of time to muse.
Okay, figure I’ll get in tonight and drop off the specimens. They’ll want to talk to me, but I can beg off until the morning, pleading fatigue. Then, they’ll probably grill me most of the day. If I take the elevator up in late afternoon, I can get to Barsoom in time for dinner the next day. That should give Kim time to zip down from Phobos to Barsoom on a “supply mission” and meet Daniel and me for the evening. This could work out quite well.
It’s too bad Janice couldn’t come too, so they could meet her. A smiling face in a v-mail isn’t quite the same thing.
James hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and soon his eyelids grew heavy. Moose wasn’t talking, so James settled back in his seat and got comfortable.
“Let me know if you need anything, Moose.”
Moose merely grunted.
* * * *
The rest of the day went much as James predicted. He arrived at Site 23 in late afternoon and was greeted by Lee Tennant, Dr. Shallitt, and a small army of aides, technicians, researchers, and who-knows-what else. All were eager to examine James’ prize discovery. They quickly relieved him of his case and shuttled it to Dr. Shallitt’s lab.
He submitted to another battery of tests, just to make really, really, sure he wasn’t harboring some sort of killer pestilence. Then, just as Tennant was in the midst of asking him whether he felt up to answering some questions, James interrupted him with a tremendous yawn.
“Sorry sir. I’ve been on the road a lot lately, and I didn’t sleep much last night.”
Tennant grinned. “It’s okay, kid. And I told you before, it’s ‘Lee.’ Grab yourself some chow and we’ll pick this up again in my office at oh-eight-hundred. You’re staying at the Princess of Mars Hotel across the main passageway. The room’s already booked in your name.”
“Yes sir. I mean thanks, Lee.”
Tennant walked off, trailed by Bella and two others James didn’t know. Bella smiled and winked as she passed by.
Was that an ‘attaboy’ wink, or was she signaling interest? He shrugged to himself. Either way, I’m already seeing Janice, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.
James looked up and down the passageway as he exited the lab building. All right, I’ve got the evening off and I’m back in…well, not exactly civilization, but at least a place that’s a lot bigger than Base Camp 9. So what’s next? They’ve got nightclubs here, real restaurants instead of a commissary, holo theaters—all the comforts of home.
James was in the mood to raise some hell; but only a little. He wandered through the passageways of the mostly underground complex called Site 23, in search of a blues club. At the moment, things were going well for James. Still, there’s nothing like hearing someone sing about how hard her life is to make you feel better about your own.
* * * *
James awoke with a slight hangover, but nothing he couldn’t work around. He dragged himself out of the indescribable luxury of the cushy bed and stood under a hot shower for a full twenty minutes—something he wouldn’t have been able to do back at Base Camp 9. Stiff muscles gradually yielded to the beating of the hot water.
He dressed, grabbed a hasty breakfast and made it to Tennant’s office with two minutes to spare. By then he felt almost normal.
I’m on a roll. Look out world; here I come!
“Mr. Tennant will see you now, Mr. McKie.” She favored him with a warm smile.
“Thanks, Bella. And it’s James.” He entered Tennant’s office and closed the door behind himself.
“Morning, James. All recovered from your trip?” He gestured to the same chair in which James had briefly sat the day he arrived on Mars. Tennant seated himself ac
ross the small table from the younger man.
“Morning, Lee. Yeah, pretty much. Thanks for the hotel room. It was quite agreeable after all those nights sleeping on a cot in the back of the Cat. So let me guess; you want to hear all about how I found the spores.” Naturally. Why else would I have been summoned—for my scintillating dinner repartee?
Tennant nodded.
“There isn’t much to tell, really. I was trying to pull the Cat in behind an outcropping for shelter from the storm and I guess I got a little overeager with the power and hit the rock wall. When the storm was almost over, I realized I’d exposed a cave. I investigated and found some powder on the walls that I didn’t recognize. I took samples just like I would of anything else. That’s about it. It wasn’t especially exciting at the time.”
“You didn’t touch the powder with anything but a scraper and the vials?”
“Right. I put the sealed vials directly in the Spectralyser, which unsealed them and then resealed them after processing. I don’t see how I could have contaminated the samples.”
“Me neither. If there’s any contamination it would have to be from the Spectralyser. But they self-clean between samples to eliminate false-positives, so contamination from that quarter seems unlikely, too. Anyway, it should be apparent when Dr. Shallitt’s done with his analysis whether the spores are a common Earth variety or something else. Why don’t you head over to his lab? I know the full analysis will take a day or two but I’m sure he has some questions already.”
“Sure thing, Lee.” James started to rise, but Tennant wasn’t finished.
“You’ve had a pretty exciting few days, haven’t you, between the dust storm, finding beryl, and what looks to be a momentous discovery. When Dr. Shallitt’s done with you, go ahead and take a few days off and visit the ODF. I had Bella make a reservation for you at the Barsoom Overlook hotel. Grab yourself a steam bath and a massage while you’re there. I’ll pick up the tab. You’ve earned it.”
The Imperative Chronicles, Books One and Two: The Mars Imperative & The Tesserene Imperative Page 22