Boony walked through the dancers, and he followed close behind. The strobe lights washed over the half drunken men and women. Occasionally, due to his size, Magnus had to rudely squeeze between people in order to keep up with her.
While Magnus moved through the off duty guards and officers, he made subtle side-glances. He noticed the misery set in their eyes, and for a moment, he thought that maybe the prisoners actually had the better end of the deal on Mars. At least the Sleeper Chips prevented prisoners from knowing depression, pain, homesickness, and total exhaustion. The true prisoners were the ones that retained their full mental capacity and understood their surroundings. They knew despair and realized they were imprisoned on the red planet for the better part of their lives. The majority of them would never see Earth again.
Such knowledge explained why most of them were becoming heavy drinkers in order to escape reality. They might have the freedom to come and go, but they were stuck inside Olympus Mons. Few were allowed the clearance to venture outside the massive volcano. Low-level guards were stationed permanently inside Olympus Mons.
Boony sat at a table near the center of the dance floor. A mirrored wall blocked part of the throbbing vibration of the music. Magnus took the seat across the table from her. He sat at an angle where he could see her but also where his use of the mirror prevented anyone from sneaking up behind him.
“Don’t trust me?” Boony asked, playfully raising her eyebrows and beaming her cute smile.
Magnus frowned. “I’m overly cautious right now.”
She winked. “Understandable.”
He folded his large aching hands together and studied her face for a few moments. Her beauty was something he wished that he could behold for hours every day. Her eyes hinted of mischief, but nothing in her gaze indicated that she was someone he couldn’t trust. Either that, or she was excellent at suppressing her emotions.
“Well?” she asked, breaking the growing silence.
“What?” Magnus asked, shaking his head and refocusing on her face.
Boony smiled, offering a shrug. “I didn’t take you to be the silent type.”
Magnus took a sharp breath and glanced around at the other people. A few seconds later, he stared into her eyes again. “Did you check out my background information?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I can’t comfortably say that you’re fully innocent, but I can say that the circumstances behind the charges are a bit shady.”
“I told you.”
She smiled. “As would any of the other hundred or so prisoners in the mines if they had the ability to talk.”
A waitress stopped at the table. “Can I get either of you anything?”
“Martian Mudslide,” Boony said.
Magnus gave her a strange look.
She smiled. “It’s good.”
He chuckled. “If you say so, but I’ve tasted enough mud on Mars. No way I’d entertain the thought of ordering a drink that reminded me of it.”
Boony’s eyes brightened, and she laughed.
“And you, sir?” the waitress asked.
“Cold beer in a bottle is fine.”
“Very well.”
After the waitress walked away, Boony said, “So how do you plan to get back to Earth?”
He shrugged. “Still working on the details.”
She shook her head.
“What?” he asked.
“No need being so secretive, Magnus. We both know there’s only one way that you’ll get back to Earth. The real question is, ‘How do you plan to succeed?’”
“I know. But I’m not comfortable directly discussing this with security personnel. Sort of a breech of confidentiality.”
Boony folded her small delicate hands and formed a bridge to rest her chin upon. “You think I’ll tell my superiors?”
“Why would you not?”
“Maybe I’d like to see if you’re successful.”
“Why?”
“If you can pull it off, there’s hope for the rest of us.”
“You’d abandon all of this?” he asked, waving his huge hand toward the dance floor.
“In a nanosecond.”
Magnus leaned closer. “How tight is your security?”
“Depends on which department you’re referring to. Most of the guards are lazy. They’re not motivated because the prisoners offer few challenges. Occasionally, we have one like today that goes insane when his sleeper chip malfunctions, as you witnessed. Techs like me that watch the cameras get bored and find something else to do instead of staring at inactive footage. That’s why you intrigued me and why I wanted to learn what you’re up to.”
“So we have a good chance?”
“Taking a shuttle?” she asked.
Magnus nodded before wishing he hadn’t. Being tired and caught in her gaze, he acted without thinking. Perhaps that was her plan. Offering him tidbits of information to gain his trust, and in return she’d gain knowledge of what his plans were.
Boony grinned, reached across the table, and patted his hand. “I told you our weaknesses. I didn’t disclose our strength.”
“And that is?”
“Jonas Walker.”
Magnus frowned with confusion. “Who is he?”
“Our head of security. He’s an ex-CIA agent.”
“On Mars?”
Boony nodded. “Yes.”
“Wow.”
“Grayson is known to hire the best in any field.”
“Apparently.”
The waitress brought their drinks and set them on the table. Boony handed the lady her badge. “Place both drinks on mine.”
The waitress scanned the card and handed it back.
“Enjoy,” the waitress said, turning and heading to another table.
Magnus took a sip from the bottle. The cold beer felt good going down. He couldn’t believe how raw his throat still was from inhaling the Martian dust. The whiskey earlier had helped by numbing it for a while. The cold beer soothed in a different way.
He watched Boony stir her drink with a plastic straw. Her movements were as delicate and graceful as the beauty of her face. Although less than a third of his size, she didn’t seem intimidated by his massiveness, which aroused his curiosity about her. Did she have a laser pistol aimed at him under the table? Although small in stature, he assumed she was a trained expert at hand-to-hand combat. He had not completely disregarded the possibility that other security officers might be seated nearby ready to rush forward and arrest him.
Magnus set the beer bottle down. “Is he a retired agent?”
“A great agent never stops being an agent.”
“I suppose not.”
“He’s also the oldest person on Mars.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Yes. In his sixties.”
“Odd.”
“Why is that odd?”
“I’m surprised he passed the physical to take the flight here.”
“He’s in great shape for his age. And his mind is sharper than yours and mine combined.”
“So he’s the one we must avoid?” Magnus asked.
“You can try.”
Magnus leaned back in his chair and stretched. His backbone popped and cracked. He sighed with relief and seconds later, he rubbed his tired eyes.
“You look exhausted,” she said.
“The mines will do that.”
“I imagine that’s true.”
Magnus studied her eyes for a moment. “The mining pits are death sentences. Regardless of what promises the prisoners received for their labors on Mars, no one will cash in.”
“You really believe that they won’t?”
He nodded his head.
“Why?”
“I tell you what, Boony. The next time you get a chance, go look at them. They are aging faster than we normally do. It’s from the unending intense labor. Hell, they’re being worked nonstop without breaks. My estimate is many will die in the pits fr
om sheer exhaustion.”
“The majority of them were the worst murderers and rapists on Earth. Do you really think they deserve lighter sentences or the freedom to settle on Mars?” she asked.
“So you’re okay with the deception?”
“At least they will pay for their crimes, unlike those on Earth who sit in jail cells watching television all day.”
Magnus nodded. “I see your point and for the most part, I agree. But what if there are others here like me who were framed? I was sent to Mars so there wasn’t any chance that I could get the charges against me reversed.”
“I am still researching your case. I promise I will find out everything I can.”
“Will you tell Jonas about our plan?”
Boony stared intently into his eyes. She held the top of her glass and stirred her drink with her index finger. Her expression indicated that she seemed skeptical and yet, she wanted to trust him. She pursed her lips as she considered her words. Finally, she said, “No. I won’t.”
“And why not?”
“Boredom? It might do our security team some good to have someone to shake them awake.”
Magnus smiled. “You could leave with us.”
She cocked an eyebrow and then she shook her head slowly. “No.”
“Not a risk taker?”
Boony smiled. “Don’t want to be a fugitive for the rest of my life.”
“A fugitive?”
“You’ll be stealing a ship that’s worth millions of dollars.”
Magnus sipped his beer. “I understand, but it seems there is more to it than that. Something more holds you here.”
“There is.”
“Like what?”
Her eyes never left his, but he never felt uncomfortable staring into hers.
Boony replied. “I won’t betray Jonas. He’s been like a father to me, which is something I never had on Earth.”
“By not telling him of our plan, isn’t that betrayal enough?”
She shook her head. “Not the way I view it. Things need to be shaken up around here to make others realize that their duties are required.”
“And if I die?”
Boony looked away. “Well that . . . that would make me very sad.”
Magnus grinned and chuckled. “I wouldn’t be too happy about that myself.”
She grinned and immediately her eyes were drawn back to his. “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Find humor in everything.”
“Survival tactic, I suppose.”
“It’s a good one, then,” she said.
“That’s how I survived my childhood in Dallas. There weren’t too many options growing up with an alcoholic mother and an absentee, deadbeat father.”
“But wasn’t it family problems that got you here to begin with?” she asked.
“I guess you could say that. But it’s more complex than that.”
She nodded. “Sounds like we share a familiar background.”
“You, too?”
Boony straightened in her seat and crossed her legs. She stared at her drink for a few moments and chewed her lower lip. “I grew up in an orphanage. Never knew my parents. Ran away when I was twelve. I learned to protect myself very early.”
He watched her pouty lips as she spoke. When she grew silent, he stared into her eyes again. For someone so small, she had so much strength and more character than anyone he’d ever known.
“I probably would have been a delinquent, had it not been for a lady that took me in. She helped me get into a good school and later she helped me with college. She turned my life around.”
“Do you still communicate with her?” Magnus asked.
She shook her head. Tears glistened in her eyes. “No. She died some years back, which is why I decided to take the opportunity to come to Mars. I didn’t have anything else on Earth, so this seemed a logical choice. Nothing to tie me down there.”
Magnus nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. My decision was a bit different. I didn’t really have much choice. My hands were tied in my coming to Mars. Well, cuffed actually.”
Boony grinned, sipped her drink, and watched the erratic dancers nearby. “Do you dance?” she asked.
“Do you value your feet?” he replied.
She shook her head and smiled. “If you succeed in whatever plan you have, I will miss you.”
“Really?” Magnus asked, flattered. “We hardly know one another.”
Boony shrugged. “All the same, you’re the most interesting person I’ve met in a very long time.”
“Thanks. And what if we fail?”
“Let’s not discuss that outcome.”
Magnus finished the beer. “What do you think our chances for success are?”
“Evaluate the information I’ve given you. Your success depends on how well you make decisions during your escape on whether you’ll succeed or not. I’ve told you all that I can about the security without truly betraying Jonas. The rest is up to you.”
“Very well.”
“So, who’s the man you’re trying to help?” she asked.
“I’ve told you all I can about him.”
“I suppose we’re at a knowledge standstill, huh?”
“Looks that way.”
Boony said, “How well do you know the man?”
“No more than I really know you.”
“And you’ll fully place your life in his hands?”
He shook his head. “No. I’d never drop my guard around him.”
“So you don’t trust him?”
“I’m still questioning his motives, but right now, he’s the only ticket I have to get to Earth. That’s what I’m betting on, more so than him.”
She smiled. “I see.”
Magnus returned the smile. “However, if I had to fully trust someone, I think you’re the sure thing.”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
He shrugged. “There’s something in your eyes and smile that leads me to believe I’d be safe.”
“And you don’t have any doubts that you might be wrong with such an assumption?”
“I suppose a minor second-guess might gnaw at the back of my mind from time to time. But, it’d be worth the risk.”
“How so?” she asked.
“Young lady, I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you.”
She gave a sly glance. Her face reddened. “Some of the most attractive things in the world are also the most dangerous and deadly.”
“That’s true, too. But I wasn’t speaking only about your physical beauty. Your personality . . .”
She shook her head and raised a hand, motioning him to stop talking. “Let’s not go this direction.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you weren’t attempting to escape, or if we were on Earth and met, I’d love to get to know you on a more personal level. But, with what you need to do, and what might happen, I don’t believe this can benefit either of us.”
Magnus shook his head. “I didn’t mean anything like that.”
Boony finished her drink and stood. “Good luck to you, Magnus. I hope your endeavors are worth the risk.”
Before he could reply, she slipped through the dancing crowd. He sat a few minutes longer, thinking about her. If he intrigued her, she had taken his mind hostage. Her sudden absence made him profoundly lonely. Even though her demeanor was pleasant and her eyes and smile made him want to trust her, he still cautiously eyed others on the dance floor and those seated at nearby tables. The abrupt coldness in her voice and quick departure made him uneasy. He half expected guards to approach the table, but ten minutes after she had left, no one else approached. Not even the waitress.
The thunderous music seemed much louder after she had left. And worse, his heart was lonelier than he wished to think about. Digger had given him something to talk to, but Boony’s introduction had given him a human connection, which was something he missed most of all.
Carter wasn’t a friend.
Like he had told Boony, Carter was an associate who held the same mutual goal—to escape Mars. Magnus understood that even if Carter didn’t. He knew he couldn’t place full trust into Carter, nor did he want to. Once they got to Earth, Magnus planned to go his direction to settle a debt that was long overdue. What occurred to Carter afterwards, he’d have to wait and see.
14
Jonas sat at his desk and stared at the computer monitor. The Martian weather map indicated that Boony’s prediction was correct. A dust storm was blowing over the region where Derek was supposed to be working. From the speed of the winds and the size of the storm, the worst of it should pass over the Phobos Crash Site within the next half hour. It also didn’t help visibility since morning was still hours away.
Another excessive downfall with these sandstorms was the electrical static charges that often occurred, which tended to affect radio communication from one station to the next. This was possibly another reason for why he had not heard from Derek.
Jonas typed commands to the Grayson Satellite to use the high-powered cameras to see where his grandson was, if possible. Derek was resourceful enough to find shelter during the worst of the storm, so finding him still might not be possible. But there was a good chance that he might see one of his grandson’s robots in the field.
Jonas zoomed the Martian positioning camera over the Phobos Crash Site.
Nothing large was moving.
The grainy satellite feed was difficult to filter. The atmospheric interference was due to the high layers of dust and silt that the winds had lifted. It was impossible to get a ground visual.
Jonas typed a few more codes, and a green dot lit up on the computer screen. He breathed a sigh of relief because that was Derek’s tracer chip, which indicated his grandson was there. It didn’t, however, guarantee that the young man was alive.
He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves.
He noticed movement coming from the west toward the Phobos site. They appeared as red dots on the screen, but due to the windblown sands and grit, he didn’t have a clear image of what these eight moving dots represented. Nothing else should be out there on the terrain.
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