ESCAPE FROM MARS

by G. T. Appleton

  While she searched the stored camera videos, she also needed to delete all voice transmissions between her and Magnus as well as erase the entire footage that existed of her and Magnus sitting together in The Vortex. She was glad that he was no longer on Mars working as a miner. She hoped that somehow Magnus could escape Grayson’s vengeance so he could get the justice he deserved against those who had framed him in Texas.

  Grayson stood and stared out of his penthouse office suit at the crashing ocean waves. They didn’t soothe him like they normally did. Anger tightened his face. He listened intently to his Bluetooth attached to his right ear.

  He recorded his reply. “You’re telling me that the Percival 3000 was hijacked, Jonas? By whom?”

  The worst part about communicating with officers on Mars was the delay in feedback. A radioed message took approximately fifteen minutes to get from the speaker to the listener and vice versa. A lot could happen during that half hour delay. Emergencies could end tragically without one party knowing what had happened to the other.

  After thirty minutes passed, he received Jonas’ reply.

  “Yes. Minutes ago. Well, by the time you get this, approximately forty-five minutes ago. I don’t know who they are yet. We’re investigating to find out the identities of the thieves. Once I get that information, I’ll send you the updated information.”

  Grayson pulled the earphone from his ear and tossed it across the room. He squeezed his hand into a tight muscled fist. His growing rage made him want to hit something, anything, but he didn’t have anything in his office that could satiate that need. He picked the earphone up off the floor and marched out of his office and down the hallway. In his small gym he had a heavy punching bag for days when his frustration was more than he could contain. By the time Jonas contacted him again, Grayson could dent a huge chunk of his aggression away.

  Although waiting for the conversation to reach him took a quarter of an hour, the Percival 3000’s arrival on Earth was still seven months away. The worst that could happen was the shuttle exploding on entry due to pilot error or if the pilot simply crash-landed whether purposely or by accident. He hoped whoever stole the shuttle had the knowledge to fly it properly. At least then, he had a good chance of retrieving the shuttle intact and making the thieves pay.

  After the Percival 3000 broke free of the Martian atmosphere, Sylvia set the autopilot controls.

  “We’re all set,” she said. “The shuttle is on track to fly to Earth.”

  “That’s good,” Carter said.

  “Except for the waiting,” Sylvia replied.

  “True,” Magnus said. “But there’s nothing we can do about that.”

  He set Digger on the floor.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  Magnus turned. “I’m going to see what all is inside this shuttle. That should keep my busy for at least a couple of hours.”

  “Mind if I tag along?” Carter asked.

  “Not at all.”

  Sylvia scooped up Digger. “I’m coming, too.”

  They passed through the twenty-seat crew compartment. Each seat was designed for the passenger to be seated in a safe ergonomic position while undergoing space hibernation. On the armrests were feeding tubes that connected to I.V. machines.

  “I don’t like the look of that,” Sylvia said.

  “What?” Magnus asked.

  “Inserting our own I.V. needles for the trip.”

  Magnus glanced at Carter. “Why worry about it? After all, we have a doctor on board.”

  Carter nodded. “Not a problem. I’d be glad to help both of you with that.”

  “I didn’t think about you being a doctor,” she replied with a slight grin.

  Above the plush passenger seats were capsules that lowered and sealed around the hibernating occupants. The enclosures were made with radiation protection shields and kept their body temperatures about ten degrees below normal to place them into hypothermia, which dropped their metabolic rate by almost seventy percent. Then the back of the seats lowered so the bodies lay flat.

  Sylvia sat back in one of the seats. “These are more comfortable than anything I’ve sat in before.”

  “Probably aids our sleep,” Magnus said.

  “I don’t understand why we must sleep so long during the trip,” she said, pressing her head back against the plush headrest.

  “We have to,” Carter said.

  “Why?”

  “Because we’d go stir crazy. Sleeping most of the trip through space actually helps us maintain our sanity. We’ll be in a coma-like state. The shuttle’s computer will monitor our bodily activities and feed us intravenously.”

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  Carter nodded and sat in the seat beside her. “Didn’t you do this when you left Earth?”

  Her brow furrowed as she searched her mind. “Honestly, I don’t remember the trip. Before I arrived at Grayson Enterprises to board the shuttle, I was extremely nervous. We drank juice or something in the hanger, but . . . that’s the last thing I actually remember.”

  Carter stared into her brown eyes. She smiled and for the first time since he had come back from Deimos, he smiled at her. “Yes. Trust me. It’s not that bad. I researched everything about space travel before I signed Grayson’s intimidating, lifelong contract. I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. Luckily, Grayson Enterprises had already started the Olympus Mons settlement when he contacted me to join his agenda for his Deimos Project.”

  “I didn’t know enough about the trip,” Sylvia said. “A part of me didn’t even care because I didn’t really have much of a choice. I wanted my prison record erased. On the plus side, the high pay rate was too tempting to pass up. Sadly, if what Magnus says is true, I’ve lost everything that I’ve earned.”

  Carter gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about. We’ll have far more money than that with the MarQuebes we took.”

  From farther back in the shuttle, Magnus yelled, “Hey, guys! Come check out what I found.”

  Carter and Sylvia hurried through the crew compartment and rushed to where Magnus stood in one of the storage rooms. Magnus turned around with a strange device that resembled a UPC scanner.

  “What is that?” Sylvia asked.

  Magnus smiled. “It’s a scanner that detects our tracer chips. It would be a good idea to see if you or Carter have chip implants.”

  “Why would we?” Carter asked.

  “The question should be, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ You underestimate Grayson. He keeps tabs on every employee on Mars and probably on Earth, too.”

  “I’m a doctor. He has no reason to implant a chip in me.”

  Sylvia said, “I probably have one due to my record.”

  “What did you do?” Magnus asked.

  “Petty theft and bank fraud. Nothing severe compared to the majority of the miners, but I imagine I do have one. Since I had great mechanic skills before I was sentenced, he offered me a great deal. My record will . . . would have been expunged after my three year contract with Grayson Enterprises ended.”

  “If he kept his end of the contract,” Magnus said.

  “You don’t think he would have?”

  Magnus shrugged. “He’d have figured out some way to convince you to extend it.”

  She looked at Carter with wide eyes.

  Carter nodded. “He’s probably right. I don’t trust Grayson at all.”

  Magnus turned on the scanner and ran it across her arm.

  Nothing.

  Then he proceeded to scan her head. The detector red light turned green and the scanner beeped. Small text scrolled up on the small screen, showing she did have an active chip.

  “I have one?” She looked astonished.

  Magnus nodded. “Told you.”

  “What do we do?” she asked.

  “Either we deactivate it or cut it out. Otherwise, Grayson will know every move that you make once we reach Earth.”

  Carter frowned, studying t
he scanner, and then he looked at Magnus. “Can’t you deactivate it? I don’t have the proper equipment to surgically remove it. And should she suffer an infection during Hyber-Sleep, she’d be dead before we get to Earth.”

  Magnus turned and walked to a shelf. “There’s another device here that has a strong enough magnet that might make her chip malfunction.”

  Carter said, “Why would they have all of this gear on this shuttle?”

  Magnus shrugged. “Maybe for prisoner transport. They possibly need this equipment for when a chip malfunctions like mine did. I honestly don’t know. But from what one of the guards had mentioned, a lot of the chips were glitching out.”

  Magnus set down the scanner and took the magnetized device and turned it on. He placed it near the chip at the base of Sylvia’s head.

  “Will this hurt?” she asked.

  “I hope not.”

  He turned up the magnetic frequency. She squinted and groaned.

  “You okay?” Magnus asked.

  Sylvia nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. It hurts a little, like a slight headache. It’s also getting warm where the chip is.”

  After several minutes, he shut off the magnetic device. He took the scanner again and ran it across the back of her head. The scanner showed the chip but revealed it as ‘inactive.’

  “It’s dead now,” Magnus said. He turned to Carter. “Let me check you out.”

  Carter turned around and Magnus ran the scanner across Carter’s head and then scanned from head to toe.

  “You’re clear,” Magnus said.

  “So I don’t have one?”

  “Not according to the scanner.”

  Sylvia felt the lump at the back of her head. “Strange that I never noticed that was there.”

  “At least it wasn’t a Sleeper Chip like mine,” Magnus said. “I wonder how many days I had spent mining without ever knowing it.”

  “That must be like a nightmare,” she said.

  “It would be if I obsessed about it. Time loss and not knowing exactly what happened during that time, yeah, it could drive you insane, worrying about it. I’m glad that the man gave me that injection. Otherwise, I’d still be out there mining for MarQuebes.”

  Sylvia smiled. “You won’t have to do that ever again.”

  “Damned straight,” Magnus said. “I won’t let them take me alive. I’ll have them kill me before I undertake that type of control again.”

  “That’s a bit extreme, Magnus,” Sylvia said. Sadness claimed her face.

  “Not to me it isn’t.”

  Carter returned to the passenger seats and sat down. “Time for us to settle in for a long nap? Some hibernation sleep? Seven months is a long time.”

  “No, not yet,” Sylvia said. “Our trip just started. Can’t we wait a few weeks before we undergo the hibernation?”

  “I don’t see why not?” Magnus said. “What do you think, Carter?”

  Carter shrugged. “That’s okay with me, but what do we do for entertainment?”

  “Well,” Sylvia said, “I know they have movies we can watch. I’ve heard some of the officers talking about it when I’m repairing hardware inside the cabins. They have access to thousands of movies and videos, so we do have that to occupy some of our time. There’s also a digital library, if you’d rather read. Puzzles and—”

  “To those who have stolen the Percival 3000,” a voice said over the intercom. “Turn the shuttle around now and your punishment will be less severe than what you will endure once you reach Earth. I’m certain you know Grayson’s reputation well enough to know that I’m not exaggerating.”

  “Shit,” Magnus whispered.

  Sylvia glanced from Carter to Magnus. “What do we do?”

  “Where’s the transmitter?” Magnus asked.

  “In the pilot’s cabin.”

  “Let’s go.”

  19

  Jonas had returned to the security office after sending Grayson the message of the stolen shuttle. In a way, he was thankful for the fifteen-minute delay in communication due to the distance between Mars and Earth. It gave him a thirty-minute gap in their conversation, so he could brace himself for Grayson’s explosive fit of fury.

  A guard stepped into Jonas’ office. He was six foot tall and thin. His hair, eyes, and skin color were characteristic of someone from the Middle East.

  “What is it, Zeke?” Jonas asked.

  “Did you not get the report?”

  “Which one?”

  “I set it . . . there, on your desk, under you laptop,” Zeke replied, pointing.

  Jonas moved aside his laptop, and picked up the folder. He opened it and looked at the picture inside. “Magnus Knight?”

  “Yes, sir. He incapacitated two guards yesterday after his shift.”

  “And I’m learning about this today?”

  “We found them a little while ago. They were cuffed and gagged inside his shower. He stole their uniforms.”

  Jonas frowned. “He apparently also stole the Percival 3000. Where are the two guards?”

  “In the infirmary. According to the report, one of them is still unconscious. Critical condition. The other one should leave within a few hours.”

  Jonas nodded. “Come with me.”

  He left his office with Zeke and walked down the stairs to the desk where Boony was going through the facial scans on the computer. He expected Grayson to call at any time. At least he had discovered the identity of one thief, but he wanted more information before he talked to Grayson again.

  “Boony, patch me through to the Percival 3000’s intercom.”

  “Yes, sir.” She typed in several commands. “You’re connected.”

  “Come in, Percival 3000,” Jonas said. “Channel is open. For now.”

  Boony sat at her desk still evaluating the video feed. Once the facial recognition software identified Magnus and Sylvia’s faces, she had no choice but to reveal their names. Not doing so made her a conspirator. Jonas wouldn’t hesitate to make an example out of her, so no one else inside Olympus Mons would ever attempt any similar insubordinate action or help others steal a shuttle.

  She imagined that she’d end up in the mines where Magnus had been. Perhaps worse. While the computer scanned the faces, she deleted the recorded tracks of her conversation with Magnus via the headsets.

  “Percival 3000. Come in,” Jonas repeated.

  The computer in front of Boony sounded its recognition alert. Jonas turned and looked down at the computer screen. When he saw the face, he took the picture out from the folder and set it before her. Beneath the picture on the screen were bold letters identifying Magnus Knight as one of the culprits.

  Jonas pointed at the screen. “Boony, get me the information on him now. Everything you can find.”

  “Yes, sir.” She bit her lower lip and typed in additional search commands.

  Jonas connected to the bridge of the Percival 3000. “Magnus Knight? Care to reply? I know you’re aboard the shuttle. The evidence speaks for itself. Being silent doesn’t change the fact that you’re aboard the shuttle.”

  Boony printed out Magnus’ bio. Secretly, she hoped Magnus made it to Earth safely. He was a giant of a man, but his heart seemed kinder than his intimidating appearance portrayed. Had Magnus been ruthless like the other hardened prisoners, she had no doubt that the two guards in his room would have been dead. But he held the mildness of a true gentleman.

  The computer screen beside hers froze. The image that appeared brought obscenities from Jonas.

  “Fuck!”

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Sylvia Perkins? She’s one of our best mechanics. She’s the last prisoner I’d ever expect to do something like this. She had such a short sentence and scored favorably on each of her conduct reports. Are you certain that’s the correct match?”

  Boony shrugged. “The facial recognition indicates it is her.”

  Jonas gritted his teeth, trying to find a way to remain calm while he conversed with Magnus.
With his anger and blood pressure rising, he doubted he’d be successful doing that.

  Magnus looked at Sylvia and Carter with slight confusion. “How’d he find out so quickly?”

  “Hard to say,” Sylvia replied. “But there are cameras everywhere in the mines, corridors, and the landing bay.”

  “I know, but I expected a longer delay.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, remembering the information Boony had given him about the guards being found.

  Magnus pushed the transmitter button. “This is Magnus.”

  “I understand that you overtook the two guards that came to your cell yesterday. Is that correct?”

  “I guess you could say that, sir, but it’s not what it seemed.”

  “I’m not a trusting person with prisoners and even less with one that is now an escaped con that has stolen Grayson’s prized shuttle.”

  “I understand how it looks,” Magnus said.

  “It’s not how it looks, son. It is exactly what it is. What I don’t understand is how you convinced one of my best mechanics to help you steal a shuttle.”

  Sylvia leaned toward the intercom. “He didn’t convince me. I chose to go on my own. Magnus came into the picture afterwards.”

  Magnus frowned and placed his index finger to his lips.

  “No,” Sylvia said. “What he’s saying about you isn’t true.”

  Jonas said, “Look, there’s no way I can go after you. I’m sure you’re aware of that. So let me appeal to your better judgment. That is, if you are fortunate enough to possess any rationality at all.”

  Magnus’ jaw clenched tightly. His eyes narrowed.

  “Magnus,” Jonas said in a milder tone. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about the things Grayson has done to those who have betrayed him in the past. I know his relentlessness. I’ve seen it. Even if he gets his ship back, and you somehow get away from him, he won’t stop hunting you. He won’t rest until he makes each one of you suffer. So, I’m placing this offer on the table for you. It’s a one time offer.”

  “I’m listening,” Magnus said.