He said, “I was framed.”
Several seconds of silence separated them.
Magnus shook his head. “See? I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “Another tech came into the room.”
“Ahh.”
“If you’re innocent, how’d you manage to get sent to Mars? Usually we only get the worst prisoners. You must have been framed for something horrible.”
“Not that severe a crime actually,” Magnus said.
“Then why did they send you here?”
“A judge wanted to keep me silent.”
“Now you have me even more intrigued.”
“I’m full of surprises like that.”
She laughed.
“Nice that I can keep you entertained.”
Boony whispered, “Tell me. What good are these stones to you here?”
“They have no value on Mars. They’re rocks.”
“Then why do you want them? Do you intend to somehow escape from Mars?”
“You want me to further incriminate myself?”
“Magnus Knight? Is that correct?”
Magnus held his breath for a moment. She held every advantage. He couldn’t see her and didn’t know if only she was watching him, or if there were other partakers, waiting to close in on him and Carter.
“Yep. That’s me.”
“Good. I wanted to make certain.”
Magnus frowned. “You didn’t really know?”
“Sometimes it’s easy to get the rooms mixed up. It was the last time that Cain and Matt reported in.”
“Shit,” Magnus said.
“What’s wrong?”
“Their absence will have other guards coming soon.”
“No,” she whispered.
“And why wouldn’t it?”
“Because your uniforms are tagged with tracers and you’re both active.”
“Oh.”
“According to your chart, your sleeper chip malfunctioned. Wow.”
“What?”
“You act fast for someone that has only returned to the real world for two days.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“You’ve stolen guard uniforms, now planning to steal MarQuebes, and I suppose you’re somehow planning to escape from Mars?”
“It has crossed my mind.”
“As it has many of ours,” she replied.
“What?” Magnus asked. “You don’t like the accommodations?”
“It’s not as glamorous as the virtual tour they gave me.”
“At least they gave you a tour. I got a shovel and an orange jumpsuit as consolation prizes.”
She laughed softly. “I suppose you’re right. It could be worse. I imagine it was a rude awakening for you, huh?”
“It wasn’t good, but it could have been much worse.”
“How?”
Magnus told her about the man that killed himself when his chip had shorted out.
“Oh, God. We got the report for that, but I’d hate to have witnessed it.”
Carter walked ahead of Magnus and reached the vault door first. He pulled at the door lever, but it didn’t budge.
He faced Magnus. “Can you open it?”
“Patience,” he replied.
Magnus slid the guard’s card but the computer denied access. He took the key ring and tried each key. None of them worked.
“Sorry,” Magnus said. “I can’t open it.”
“Damn,” Carter said. “What do we do now?”
“Not sure.”
A few seconds later, the vault door panel glowed. The lock clicked loudly, and the door opened about six inches.
Perplexed, Carter looked at Magnus. “How? Did you do this?”
Magnus shrugged.
He whispered to Boony. “Was this your doing?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“I will allow you to keep moving until I find out more about what you were accused of doing on Earth.”
Magnus pulled the vault door open. “I don’t have time to go into the details right now.”
“You don’t have to,” she replied. “I can research everything about you on the computer. I have access to your records and everything you’ve done while on Earth.”
“I’m an open book, eh?”
“Not yet. But soon.”
Magnus chuckled.
Boony sighed. “Whatever you have to do while in the vault, do it quickly. Anytime someone enters a vault, it is logged, so you don’t have a lot of time.”
He took a deep breath. His stomach ached like someone had kicked him in the gut. He feared someone else might see the opened vault and send guards to investigate.
“I’ll hurry then,” he said.
“You need to. My shift ends in fifteen minutes. Get what you need quickly and get out so I can secure the door.”
“Are you going to turn us in?”
“Not unless I find out that you’re lying to me.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I promise.”
“Let me be the judge of that after I read your records.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now hurry.”
9
Magnus took off his helmet inside the vault room. His eyes widened at the glittering array of gorgeous stones spread across the grading table. Never had jewelry or gemstones interested him. But looking at these stones, he could see how someone might become greedier than normal.
When Magnus glanced over at Carter, he was greatly disturbed and slightly taken back. The glint in Carter’s eyes was dark, lustful, and sinister; something he never expected from the doctor. If a picture of what pure greed looked like were in the dictionary, it would be exactly what he witnessed on Carter’s face.
Magnus grabbed a handful of the stones and poured them from hand to hand. The rattling sound was equivalent to clinking a bag of glass marbles together. Across from the vault were small cabinets. Each drawer of MarQuebes was labeled according to the number of carats per stone. On the tabletop in the center of the vault were open trays of stones that had yet to be sorted.
Carter set his briefcase on the table and picked up one of the MarQuebes. He held it up and examined it beneath the lights. The ruby-red stone flickered and its inner deep violet hue shimmered as he turned it under the light. “They leave them out in the open like this?”
“Why not?” Magnus asked. “It’s not like any of the prisoners can steal them. Except us, of course. But even if the others managed to gain the freedom of their minds and robbed a vault, the outside terrain would kill them or they’d be shot on sight.”
Carter’s eyes stared at the gems. “I’m a bit worried about getting shot myself.”
“We’ll be careful. Once we get the mechanic jumpsuits from Sylvia, we’ll get out.”
“I’m not so certain,” Carter said.
“Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Our lives depend upon our ability to stay bold and calm.”
“How many MarQuebes should we take?”
“Two dozen will be more than enough,” Magnus replied. “Don’t take any of the largest stones though.”
“Why not?”
“Uncut stones will raise questions, anyway. Anything more than two to three carats will draw suspicion from a jeweler or pawn shop owner.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.”
“But we will only succeed in our escape by remaining out of sight and under the radar.”
“It’s worked so far,” Carter replied.
“Mind if we put the stones in your briefcase?” Magnus asked.
Carter shook his head. “No. There’s no room.”
Carter grabbed the briefcase and tucked it against his side.
“Okay. Not a problem,” Magnus said, eyeing Carter with suspicion.
Magnus counted out twenty-four of the best-colored stones and slid them into his pocket.
Magnus peered out the vault door with Carter slightly be
hind him. Before stepping out he forced the helmet back onto his head. Outside the vault, he shoved the door closed.
“I’m signing out for the night,” Boony whispered into his ear.
Although Magnus didn’t know her, and they had only talked for a few minutes, he ached at her sudden departure. He liked the mystery of talking to someone new and unseen, the euphoria in learning more about her. He found himself filled with sudden disappointment that he’d not hear her voice for quite some time or ever again. His chest felt heavy.
He was ready to plead for her to stay on the mike, but before he could reply, she said, “You could meet me at The Vortex in a half hour if you’d like.”
Eagerness overshadowed any worry that she might be setting him up. He loved the softness of her voice, her sultriness whenever she teased, and more than anything, he wanted to put a face to the beautiful voice and hoped he wouldn’t be disappointment. Usually people fell for one another based upon first sight, but with her voice . . . he really didn’t care about her outer appearance. She had already won his interests.
“That sounds great. How will I recognize you?” he asked.
“I’ll come to you,” she replied.
“Very well.”
“Heads up,” she said.
“What?”
“Guards are changing shifts. You and your secret friend need to get out of the tunnels now.”
“Where should we go?”
“Damn,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I have to go. My supervisor is coming up the stairs. Hurry and find somewhere to hide.”
Sudden bumping static crackled in his ears. She had apparently yanked the headset off her head. The transmitter went dead.
“Come on,” Magnus said. “We have a problem.”
“What?” Carter asked.
“Guards are heading our way.”
“How do you know that?”
“Trust me. They are headed down this corridor.”
Carter looked both ways down the tunnel. “Which way are they coming from?”
Magnus shook his head. “I’m not certain.”
“We have nowhere to hide.”
“This way,” Magnus said, heading for the darkest part of the tunnel.
“If you don’t know which direction they’re coming from, how is it that you even know they’re coming?”
“I just do,” he replied.
Carter shook his head and grunted.
Magnus hurried toward the left side of the tunnel. He wished that Boony had at least told him from which direction these guards were coming.
He ran his hand along the polished corridor wall. Voices came from ahead of them. Others from behind. He and Carter were caught in the middle.
Magnus winced. Had Boony set them up?
10
Jonas Walker entered the surveillance office. His short spiked, silvery hair resembled the blunt quills of a hedgehog. His gray eyes studied Boony. She fumbled to remove her headset and set it onto her desk, wrecking her short black hairstyle in the process. When his eyes greeted hers, she replied with a nervous smile.
“Boony?” he said with a firm stare. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine, sir. I’m heading out for the evening.”
Humor teased at the edges of his narrowed eyes. The deep wrinkles around them revealed his wisdom. “Big night planned?”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “Oh, of course. Going to cruise the midway in my car for a while. Maybe stop at the mall. Eh, you know, those type of girly things.”
Jonas chuckled softly. “So all was quiet from in here?”
Boony nodded. “Nothing stirring.”
A light flashed on one of the consoles across the room. He headed over to check it out. “Did you see anyone enter the vault in Corridor 10?”
She shook her head.
He sighed. “I guess I’ll have to replay the film footage.”
“That door occasionally sends out a false alarm.”
Jonas frowned. “I know. It did, but I updated the alarm program for it last week.”
“Most electronics don’t work too well on Mars.”
“We still experience some minor glitches, but they are improving since we have some of the best techs available.”
Boony gathered her pack and some of her other belongings together. “Yes, we do. How’s Derek? Is he still out on the Martian terrain?”
Worry furrowed Jonas’ brow. He nodded. “He should almost be finished with the radio receivers at the Phobos Crash Site. I have to say that he’s a daringly brave young man.”
“Your grandson is braver than any of the others here.”
“Sometimes being too brave gets you killed well before your time,” he said.
“Not Derek. He’s the only one we have that can successfully do this mission alone and succeed.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself, but I’ve not heard from him in three days.”
Boony stood at the door with a sad expression on her face. She tried to be reassuring with her eyes and voice. “Probably another sandstorm. That produces too much static and blocks our communications via transmitters.”
“I know. That’s always another possibility,” he replied.
“I’m sure he’s okay.”
“Thanks for your optimism. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
She forced a smile and left the computer control room.
After the door closed, Jonas sighed. Being the head security supervisor over the computer techs, he had wanted to protest his grandson’s voluntary request to set up the radio receivers at the Phobos Crash Site. But he couldn’t show favoritism, and in spite of his own selfish qualms, he okayed Derek’s request.
Derek had left the safety of Olympus Mons alone. Well, perhaps not totally alone. But no humans journeyed with him. Instead, Derek brought along a team of his robotic humanoids that he had built, which troubled Jonas. Derek’s argument was that the robots could withstand the rugged terrain and frigid temperatures without them having to worry about any human casualty. Except his own, Jonas thought.
It was a grandfather’s painful duty to stress about his grandson’s welfare, especially on such a dangerous mission so far from their only base. This worrisome situation was also another reason why Grayson hadn’t allowed family members to come to Mars together yet. Should tragedy arise, it weighed heavily on people and made them less productive in their tasks. However, Grayson had allowed Jonas to bring Derek to Mars for several reasons.
Jonas had worked for the CIA more than thirty years earlier, during his late thirties. His duty to the government didn’t go unnoticed and his actions soon placed his life and his family’s lives into jeopardy. He had unraveled an inner threat within Congress to secretly overthrown the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution, so many radical political opponents vowed to destroy him as well as some of his colleagues inside the CIA.
Jonas was taken into the identity protection service, but his son Samuel, refused to comply. Stubbornly, Samuel continued his political bid for the senate seat, believing that if he were elected, he could stop the radical uprising within Congress, but that opportunity never came. Samuel was shot and killed during a campaign speech. Jonas didn’t doubt that the corrupt antigovernment officials he had exposed in Congress had carried out the assassination, but since he had secured a new identity, there wasn’t anything he could do to prove it. Perhaps their motive had been an attempt to draw him out of hiding. He didn’t know, but his opponents didn’t stop there.
Almost a year later, Samuel’s wife was killed in a car bombing in D.C. but due to what could only be described as a miracle, Derek had survived. He was an infant, but investigators could find no feasible explanation for why Derek wasn’t killed in the blast.
Jonas emerged to get his grandson, and in doing so, the men that wanted him dead attempted to kill him again. Only instead of their setup to bring Jonas to them, Jonas turned the tables and crippled their faction by permanently re
moving their strongest leaders. It was the first time that Jonas had actually approved of government drone assassinations on US soil.
Grayson learned about Jonas’ bold determination to fight against political opposition in order to protect his family. He was so impressed that he hired Jonas to oversee his security firm at Grayson Enterprises. Jonas took the offer without hesitation and was no longer seen in the public eye. He and Derek were safe. Grayson’s buildings were more fortified than any other organization that Jonas had previously supervised.
During the time Jonas worked at Grayson Enterprises, Derek’s keen interest in computer programming and robotics flourished, and Grayson paid for the entire robotic engineering training Derek needed. By the time Derek was twenty, he had patented several types of humanoid robots, which fascinated Grayson enough that he offered Derek the chief engineering job on Mars.
Derek readily accepted, and Jonas insisted that he journey to Mars as well. Grayson allowed it, but only if Jonas became the head of security inside Olympus Mons.
In retrospect Jonas never regretted moving to Mars with his grandson because it was a new frontier where few individuals would ever reside, at least during what was left of his life. It was also less likely that any of his remaining enemies could threaten them.
Jonas looked at the Martian weather map. He wondered if the sandstorms were the true reason for why he’d lost contact with Derek, or had something worse occurred?
The Phobos Crash Site was thirty-five miles northwest of the Olympus Mons Aureole, slightly southeast of Lycus Sulci. The site was still in its earliest stages of development. Grayson Enterprises mandated that the new incoming mining prisoners would be stationed to work there once power and living quarters were properly established. Jonas was dead set against the idea from the beginning, but Grayson believed that Phobos might have different gemstones than Olympus Mons, or perhaps valuable ores. Jonas worried more that Phobos might have high levels of radiation, which might be causing the interference of the radio waves.
Frustrated and not wishing to continue stressing over a situation he had no control over, Jonas fidgeted with the control panel for the vault door. He commanded the computer to playback the video feed, but he found it odd that the camera angles weren’t where they were supposed to be. Instead they were angled toward the ceiling and the footage showed a blurred image of the smooth rock. This image remained for almost ten minutes.
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