“Bring back the Percival 3000, and I’ll explain to Grayson your cooperation. You’ll remain out of his reach here on Mars. I’ll make certain things go back to normal for you.”
“No,” Magnus replied. “No deal. I’m not going back to the mines.”
“You signed a contract,” Jonas said in an aggravated tone.
“I never signed away my right to keep my mentality, sir. Never. None of those miners took their contracts to become mindless slaves. That information was never disclosed to any of us. Perhaps that’s what you and Grayson fear the most—that we’ll get to Earth and expose what he’s doing, what’s really going on here. No telling how many humanitarian laws he’s broken to put more money into his filthy pockets.”
Jonas didn’t respond.
“And since you seem willing to continue supporting Grayson, I can’t trust your word that we’d be any safer returning to Mars.”
“You’re making a huge mistake,” Jonas said. “I’m asking that you think this through.”
“I have thought this through and listening to you has made it that much clearer. When we get to Earth, Grayson Enterprises will crumble. I’ll make it my life’s mission to let the authorities at all levels know the despicable treatment these miners are suffering. You know the media will go into a frenzy reporting this. I’m certain the U.S. Supreme Court will find it appalling enough to shut down his operations. Most likely, he’ll get prison time for his crimes.”
Anger rose in Jonas’ voice. “Without mind control over these prisoners, there’d be no possible way to control them. These men were the most ruthless killers on Earth, and you’re the perfect example. Within a few days of having the freedom from your Sleeper Chip, you stole the most expensive shuttle that Grayson owns.”
“No, sir. Don’t place me into the same category as those other miners. My criminal charges on Earth pale in comparison to what they have done. I was framed for a murder I didn’t commit.”
“If that’s true, prove yourself to me,” Jonas said. “Return here and I’ll investigate the charges against you. I have ties on Earth in highest security levels with the FBI and the CIA that can examine your case. I promise that I will not send you back to the mines until they have fully evaluated all the evidence of the charges filed against you.”
Magnus looked into Sylvia’s worried eyes. Carter shook his head.
“Sorry, sir, but I’m not that trusting of your promises,” Magnus said.
“If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Sylvia,” Jonas said. “She had a short termed contract here. Have her return the ship to us, and she can finish out her original sentence without any penalty.”
Sylvia shook her head and whispered, “No. I’m in this with both of you. I don’t trust him. Don’t believe him.”
“She says, ‘No deal.’”
“Fine,” Jonas said evenly. “I suppose you’ll find out the true danger you’re all headed into after it’s too late. Even though you can’t find it in yourselves to trust me, I do have your best interests in mind. I also know you have another passenger on board with you. Who is he?”
Magnus smiled. “I’m sure with your great investigative skills, you’ll figure it out.”
Magnus pressed the button and turned off their connection.
20
Jonas shoved his hands into his pockets. He frowned and shook his head. “I thought that with his intelligence, Magnus would listen. I tried to appeal to his rationality.”
Boony read Magus’ records. “His college scores were very high, and his I.Q. is right near the genius level. You probably shouldn’t have started with the direct threats first. The anger and tone in your voice placed him immediately on the defensive.”
Jonas sighed. He ran his hand through his spiked hair. “You’re right. But my old interrogating habits are hard for me to break. Even as I’ve gotten older, I still prey upon my ability to coerce cooperation. It’s a big flaw and probably part of the reason why Derek and I have butted heads so often.”
“Maybe the two of you are too much alike.”
Jonas forced a tired smile. “Well, there is that, too.”
“But with Magnus, he never had a record until the murder that he swears he was framed of committing. It’s possible, don’t you think, that he might actually be innocent?”
“It happens, Boony, but over the years the majority that hold the excuse that they had been framed have never proven it in court.”
“Isn’t it difficult to do that from inside a prison?” Boony asked.
“Yeah, I imagine it is. But even if it’s true that he’s really innocent, he is like a guppy in a shark tank. Grayson will tear him apart.”
“Have you seen his size?” Boony asked. “He’s another shark that Grayson will have to deal with.”
“Boony, I’ve worked with Grayson for over ten years. Grayson has made a lot of enemies during his lifetime. A lot of them. That’s why he has a team of security guards that put Olympic champions to shame with their build and size, and Grayson is larger than any of them.”
“That may be true, Jonas. However, you must remember that Magnus has knowledge and intellect on his side.”
“You don’t achieve Grayson’s wealthy status and sit at the top of the Forbes Billionaire List by being stupid. Grayson is a genius. He’s invented a lot of things and reaps much more than he has invested.”
Boony smiled. “I don’t doubt that. But there’s still a big difference between Grayson and Magnus.”
“What’s that?”
“Grayson has everything to lose, and Magnus had nothing left to lose.”
Jonas grinned and cocked an eyebrow while studying her. “I’m beginning to think that you’re on Magnus’ side?”
“If he’s truly innocent, I hope he succeeds in whatever it is that he plans to do. I tend to root for the underdog, sir. That’s where I place my money. And if he’s not guilty of murder, then more power to him. No intent to offend or excuse the theft of the Percival 3000.”
“None taken.”
Boony returned to reading more of Magnus’ file.
“Do you really think he might be innocent?” Jonas asked.
“There’s always that possibility, like you said. Did you read the report when he took down the two guards?”
“Not yet. I found out a few minutes ago. I understand that he hurt one of them pretty badly.”
Boony frowned. “Really?”
Jonas nodded.
“Well, I don’t know about that. Who knows what happened when the guards entered his room. Things get out of control sometimes. Magnus is a big man and might have accidentally injured the guard. But the thing that sticks out to me the most is that he didn’t take their weapons when he could have easily done so.”
“That’s true.”
“If he was a vicious killer, he could have killed a lot of people with those weapons. The guards first, but he didn’t. I think there’s the strong possibility that he’s innocent.”
“Email me a copy of his file. I’ll see what my former colleagues in the States can find out.”
“Sure.”
“What have you discovered about the mystery passenger?” Jonas asked.
Boony shook her head. “Nothing yet, sir.”
“Keep me posted. I need to inform Grayson about the two we have identified.” Jonas headed toward the door.
“Wait, Jonas. I found something.”
He turned on his heels. “What? Do you know who is he?”
“No. That I don’t know yet. But what I do know is that he was stationed at the Deimos Life Station.”
Jonas frowned. “Then why the hell did he come here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Find out,” Jonas said, walking toward her. “Can you pull up his image?”
“Not yet. All I have is when he landed. But he kept his helmet visor down and avoided cameras directly.”
Jonas rolled a chair up next to hers and sat down. “Show me what you have so
far.”
Boony backed up the footage of Carter exiting the Deimos shuttle.
“Odd,” Jonas said.
“What?”
“He deliberately tried to conceal his identity the second he got to Olympus Mons.”
“Looks that way,” she replied, nodding.
“Zoom in on his briefcase.”
She did.
“Doesn’t seem out of the ordinary,” Jonas said. “But I wonder what he has inside it.”
“There’s really no way of knowing.”
“I’m more concerned about him than I am about Magnus.”
“Why?”
“Due to my CIA training and observations. He arrived on Mars unannounced, wants to keep his identity secret, and has fled with two prisoners to get back to Earth.”
Boony nodded. “That does seem suspicious.”
They continued watching the video footage. Dr. Carter carried the briefcase and causally tried to leave the landing bay when he was stopped.
“That’s Sylvia,” Boony said. “She seemed genuinely surprised at his arrival.”
“Hmm,” Jonas said. “But it still doesn’t tell us who he is.”
“I know.”
Jonas pointed. “He signed the landing sheet. Contact the landing bay. Find out who signed it.”
“On it,” she replied. She tapped an extension number on the console. “Hey, Barry. Help me out. Who signed the landing sheet yesterday when the shuttle from Deimos landed?”
Boony glanced at Jonas. “He’s checking.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Really?” she said into her microphone. Disappointment showed on her face. “Thanks.”
“What is it?” Jonas asked.
“The signature isn’t legible.”
“Very suspicious.”
“I think so too.”
“Connect me with the Deimos Life Station.”
She pushed several numbers onto the computer panel to connect their radio frequency to relay communication with the chief security station supervisor on Deimos.
Heavy static came over the speaker.
“Something seems to be blocking our frequency,” she said with concern.
“Does that happen often?”
“I’ve never experienced that before. It seems deliberate.”
“Damn.”
“Sorry I can’t be of any more help.”
“You’re doing a great job,” Jonas said. He stood. “Keep looking. Surely he removed that helmet somewhere while he was here.”
“I’ll let you know the second I see his face and have the facial recognition scan for his identity.”
He sighed. “I’ll let Grayson know what we know. The day keeps getting brighter and brighter.”
“After you contact Grayson,” she said, “worry more about contacting Derek than over this shuttle. The Percival 3000 is Grayson’s concern now. Not ours.”
“I know. But Grayson won’t see it that way.”
Boony smiled. “What’s it matter? He’s on Earth.”
“Trust me. That’s still too close. I’ve seen him at his very worst, and this incident will set him off like nothing else ever has. Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Jonas exited the security office, and Boony brought up the footage of her and Magnus talking in the Vortex. She wanted to watch it one last time before deleting it.
Although Magnus was a giant of a man, he seemed timid and somewhat nervous when she had spoken to him. He possessed an honest smile. His demeanor was gentler than most of the men she had met, and he was certainly kinder in his mannerism than any of the cocky guards that had come onto her in The Vortex since she arrived on Mars. Something about him made her want to believe that he was innocent. His smile beamed warmly, which was even more rare for her to encounter.
“Safe travels, Magnus,” she whispered, hitting ‘delete’ and wiping their video existence from the camera records. “I hope you find the justice you seek.”
When the video disappeared, she stared at the monitor attached to the outside cameras at the Olympus Mons Landing Bay, which gave her a spectacular view of the night sky with the brightest array of stars she’d ever seen. On Earth too many streetlights glowed in the cities. The glare along with the pollution prevented one from seeing the clusters of stars clearly. A part of her hoped that the population on Mars never exploded like it had on Earth.
As Boony stared at the night sky, she was beginning to regret that she hadn’t taken Magnus’ offer and returned to Earth with them. By staying on Mars, she was jeopardizing her own freedom should Jonas ever discover her hand in helping Magnus and the others steal the shuttle.
“Be safe, Magnus,” she whispered.
21
Derek looked up the hillside where the strange Chinese robots had stood. He could no longer see them, even though the harsh winds had died and the red dust and silt had settled. Before the sun had risen he had not been able to locate them with the aid of his night vision.
The sudden disappearance of the hostile robots made his heart race. Given the treacherous terrain along the Phobos rocky ledges, how were those robots capable of moving that fast? Fear crept into his mind. The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened, and a chill shot through him. Where had they gone? Were they still watching him?
He wondered if he’d ever see his grandfather again.
Despite his own robots’ pleading for him to hurry to the Phobos Crash Site and hide hours earlier, he had ignored them. Instead he had stopped at a radio tower near the bottom of the slope and attempted to finish connecting the wiring before seeking shelter, which now he viewed as a grave mistake.
Since he had spotted a dark opening at the side of the Phobos remains, he estimated that still he had plenty of time to rush into it whenever the robots came into view.
While he had worked briefly on the radio tower, Octavia and Ursula scouted in opposite directions. Bradbury and Isaac stayed near Derek, scanning the area for the robots. Kurt was nowhere to be seen.
Once Derek realized that he didn’t have enough time to get the radio workable, he untied a tarp on one of the truck beds and looked beneath it. Missile turrets. Three of them.
When Derek had first learned that Grayson wanted to set these up around the Phobos perimeter, he believed it was Grayson’s defiant statement that he wanted Mars all to himself. But now, after discovering the heat-seeking robots closing in on him, perhaps Grayson was preparing for the inevitable. Other countries like China might eventually invade Grayson’s settlements to kill his citizens, which would shut down his operations prematurely. By the time Grayson sent replacements to Mars, the other countries might have already stolen and settled his bases at Olympus Mons and the Phobos Crash Site with their own occupants. Recapturing zones that he considered his own required military strategies, and with the majority of the inhabitants controlled by the Sleeper Chips, his miners turned militants would be under the control of only a few individuals. Should the opposition kill those who dictated the prisoners’ commands, the prisoners were easy bait and would be killed without any resistance. Or used as combatants against Grayson’s reinforcements.
Grayson had another project in the works on Mars that no one on Earth had any knowledge about. Not only was he building his own steel industries on Mars, he was also setting up plans to start his own mint for Martian currency so he could get away from the U.S. and U.N. monetary control. Backed by his trillions of dollars, he was his own bank.
Although no prototype coins had been sketched, at least not publicly, Derek knew enough about Grayson’s ego to realize the coins would have Grayson’s facial image stamped on them. Derek was surprised that Grayson hadn’t plastered large banners with his image or erected statues of himself inside Olympus Mons yet.
Derek didn’t believe Grayson was a true dictator at heart. Grayson’s ideology proved that the man was getting closer to setting up a throne on Mars where he could rule h
is brand new civilization. However, Mars didn’t have the luring extravagances that the ritzier places on Earth already possessed. If Grayson wanted to make an appearance to astound his resentfully jealous competitors, he couldn’t successfully do that on Mars. Such places didn’t exist on the red planet, nor did Derek believe that they ever would within the next three lifetimes. Grayson needed to remain on Earth where the other wealthiest aristocrats lived so he could witness their expressions as he rubbed his success in their faces.
Derek pulled back the tarp and studied the unassembled turrets. These must have been sent to detect enemy vehicles or hostile heat-seeking robots like the ones scouting the ridgeline before sunrise. But since the turrets hadn’t been set up and connected to a command station, they were useless. He wondered if Grayson had received some private information about the possibility of such threats.
“Damn,” Derek said.
Every guard posted at Olympus Mons was issued laser rifles and laser blaster pistols. He had been given one of each by his grandfather since Derek was an engineer tech and worked within the security team. He didn’t bring either of the weapons out to the Phobos Crash Site. Of course, he never expected he’d need a weapon since no viable life forms roamed the Martian terrain.
Derek tapped the air filter on his helmet. Loose dirt and grit rained from his mouthpiece. He imagined how badly the sandstorm would tear someone apart and kill them if they didn’t wear a protective helmet and an insulated suit. The red sand and grit were probably more abrasive than midgrade sandpaper and sharp like needles.
Isaac and Bradbury stood to each side of Derek and scanned the rocky terrain. He watched them for a few moments. He had named two of the robots after two of his favorite authors. Isaac was named after Isaac Asimov who had written, I Robot, which had been the book that inspired Derek to work diligently on inventing robots. Bradbury was named in honor of Ray Bradbury because Derek had read The Martian Chronicles as a boy, which was part of the reasons why he liked living on the red planet. Of his five robots, these two were his favorites.
Octavia was positioned to the west within view, and Ursula stood slightly to the east. Kurt was at the radio tower on the ridgeline with his back toward Derek.
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