“Oh, stop being a smartass.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s say we do find fossils, then what? We’ve seen nothing that indicates life. Other than ourselves, obviously.”
“I know, but—”
Shad shook his head. “No tremors. Not even a slight one. Right?”
“That’s correct.”
“And you worked at Yosemite?”
“No, Yellowstone.”
“Basically the same thing.”
Clark shook his head. “Nowhere near the same thing, and the locations are half a day apart from one another.”
“Okay,” he said, rolling his eyes and waving his hands in surrender. “Anyway, you studied for possible earthquakes.”
“Yes.”
“So no tremors should be a big clue that this volcano is dead.”
“Not all formations are the same, Shad. This is Mars, and until we got here, what did anyone really know about the geological formations on this planet? The increasing temperature concerns me, even if it doesn’t you.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t worry me. It means I get to wear less clothes,” he said with a wide grin. “I might have to make jumpsuit cutoffs before much longer.”
“Fine,” Clark said, grabbing his pack and slinging it over his shoulder. He picked up his small pick ax and turned to walk away.
“Oh, calm down. Besides, our job isn’t to determine the temperature ranges. We’re supposed to keep searching for signs of former life, too.”
“I know. I did mention that earlier.”
“Technicalities. Always the details for you.”
Clark’s jaw tightened. “Precise measurements and data prevent errors, which sometimes prove to be fatal because the proper research wasn’t performed.”
“Well, you keep up with all of that technical stuff, and I’ll get back to my drilling machine so we can move closer to the center of Olympus Mons.”
They walked past two miners that were shoveling up loose dirt into wheelbarrows. Neither miner noticed them. Both shoveled at the same pace and almost in mirrored reflections of one another.
“Please take it slowly. As a precaution?” Clark said.
“Your reading isn’t anywhere near what a hot volcano would read. But if it will ease your mind, I’ll drill slower.”
Shad climbed up into the driver’s seat of the giant tunnel-boring machine. He took out his CAM-L device and typed commands into it. The two miners placed their shovels on top of their wheelbarrows and moved out of his way.
“That’s sad,” Clark said.
“What is?”
Clark pointed at the CAM-L control device. “Being controlled by computer chips the way they are.”
“Beats the whips and chains, baby! Besides, I’d rather not deal with a murderous convict with mere words. These Sleeper Chips are the best invention Grayson ever developed. Certainly alters the minds of psychos.”
“Not all of them were psychos. I take it that using those controlling devices doesn’t bother you?”
“Shit no. None in the least. It’s nice to know they can send the absolute worst criminal to Mars, and we never have to worry about any revolts. Besides, I’m only one step from becoming a Space Warden. When they establish the next mining camp, I might get promoted even higher than that.”
Clark smiled, shaking his head. “Well, don’t sprain one of those fingers, buddy. You might get demoted.”
Shad frowned with a soured expression on his face before he adjusted himself in the seat. He pulled his seatbelt and locked it into place. He turned on the machine’s blinding bright lights.
“Do me another favor,” Clark said.
“What’s that?”
“Instead of descending at the normal four percent grade, how about leveling forward for about a hundred yards, so I can test the temperature there. If it’s not abnormal, we’ll return to the four percent, okay?”
Shad shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Clark had only worked with Shad for two weeks. Already, he was tired of Shad’s short man syndrome attitude. Shad always overcompensated for any activity. Even if the task required additional help from his coworkers, Shad insisted on attempting to do the assignment alone, at least until he absolutely proved to himself that it was more than he could handle alone.
The other irritating thing that Clark had noticed about Shad was that the little man loved the power of the CAM-L. Using it, he had complete control of six prisoners at a time, each of which was twice his size. The device empowered him and made him overly cocky, but Clark knew that if the chips ever failed, Shad would flee and scream like a frightened child. There was no questioning that. His confidence thrived with the knowledge that the prisoners possessed no freewill to challenge his authority. Remove the control aspect, and Shad became bloody chum to a host of violent prisoners.
Clark was a geophysicist and not assigned to any guard duty. He didn’t have access to use the mind-controlling device, and he was quite thankful for that. He was also not someone with the education to properly perform psychological analysis on people, but even he saw the immediate danger the staff and guards faced should the prisoners ever break free of these mind-controlling devices.
He was shocked when he had first arrived at Olympus Mons and noticed the small number of guards that oversaw the vast number of prisoners. He questioned how long before some type of computer glitch released the prisoners. The guards would hold no control of the prisoners. Once that happened, the revolt was nothing they’d ever contain. The guards would be at the mercy of the crazed prisoners, which, as Shad had indicated, probably possessed no compassion for anyone else.
Clark looked up at Shad. “Have you ever considered the possibility that one day these prisoners will break free of your electronic reins?”
Shad laughed. “That would certainly add more excitement to my duties if that ever occurred. This job is so boring that I seldom even carry my laser weapon any more. The CAM-L control is impossible to fail.”
“Chips have been malfunctioning lately.”
“A few have, but the margin is so slim. It’s almost nonexistent.”
“Nothing’s impossible, Shad. Nothing. You never know what we might find here. Life could exist. Different life forms unlike anything we’ve ever known.”
“This planet was dead long before we reached it, Clark.”
“Perhaps, but this volcano is the largest in our universe, and we’re still at a high level above the Martian surface. Who knows what we’ll find once we dig deeper.”
Shad shook his head. “Okay, I’m not a scientist, nor do I ever hope to be. But I have enough knowledge to wonder why you’d think we’ll find signs of life inside this volcano.”
“Why?”
“If the volcano contained flowing lava when it was active, how could life possibly exist here? The temperatures would have killed anything that stepped inside, right?”
Clark hung his pick on his tool belt. “My theory is that living creatures might have moved inside the volcano after the lava cooled and hardened. Probably long before the surface water vanished and the atmosphere thinned. As the outside terrain became too severe to support life, different species might have sought refuge here.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Not really. On Earth creatures have adapted for thousands of years. Ever heard of eyeless fish and newts that live in the total darkness of caves?”
“Yeah? So?”
Frustrated, Clark shook his head. “Never mind.”
Shad started the giant drill. The whining noise forced Clark to insert his earplugs to reduce the sound. The drill cut into the volcano wall. Shavings of rock, small stones, and crushed MarQuebes rained down in cascading dry streams, forming piles of colorful debris.
The drill whirled, cutting a giant circular groove. It made a strange whine as the bit scraped and caught in the wall. The machine shook. The massive drill bit twisted out of its proper alignment. Shad quickly shut off the drill while he maneuvered the tr
acks, hoping to back the machine up without causing further damage.
“Dammit!” Shad shouted.
Clark turned. “What happened?”
“The drill bit struck something hard and threw itself off track.”
“I can see that. Looks like your down for the day.”
“Hell, even if we have the necessary parts, it’ll take more than a few days for them to fix this!”
The rocks beneath the circle where the drill bit had carved rumbled. Part of the wall collapsed, revealing a large opening on the other side of the wall. Shad shifted the gears and backed the machine several yards. The bright lights beamed through the enormous hole.
A warm breeze flowed from the opening, spilling across them. The air held a strong acrid smell, forcing them to cover their noses and mouths with the top of their jumpsuits.
“What the hell?” Shad asked.
Clark set his pick on the side of the machine track. He pulled out his earplugs. “I’ll be damned.”
“What is that?” Shad asked.
“I believe you’ve tapped into a large opening. Probably from when the volcano was cooling down.”
Shad climbed down from the cab and rushed ahead of Clark toward the opening. “I’m checking it out.”
“Wait,” Clark said.
“Why?”
“Be cautious.”
Shad grinned. “Of what?”
Clark pointed. “The ceiling looks unstable and more rocks might collapse.”
“Okay, yeah, I see that. But isn’t it odd that I’ve tapped into what looks like a room of some sort.”
“I agree.”
Shad hurried to the wall. The opening was about a foot above his head. He climbed the rugged outcroppings until he was able to look through. He unstrapped a small pickax that hung on his belt and struck at the opening to enlarge it. Loose debris pebbled and cascaded down the other side of the wall. Orange light glowed from the other side, illuminating Shad’s face.
“What do you see?” Clark asked.
“I think we’ve stumbled onto something big.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s much warmer in there.”
“Told you the temperature was getting warmer.”
“Yeah, but there’s a bridge-like structure and a silver door on the other side of it.”
“Oh, bullshit!”
Shad looked down at Clark and nodded. “Seriously. I’m not lying.”
Clark grabbed a flashlight out of the metal toolbox that was welded to the drilling machine.
“You won’t need that,” Shad said. “Between the machine’s light and the orange glow in there, everything’s quite visible.”
Shad pulled himself into the opening. His feet dangled over the edge.
“Wait up,” Clark said, grabbing a handhold and starting his way up the side of the wall.
“I’m going to check it out.”
“I think we should alert Jonas and the others first.”
“And let them grab the glory of this discovery?”
“We don’t need to go inside until we have guards or other staff here. We have no idea what might be over there.”
“Clark, we’ve tunneled all this way and haven’t found one fossil. Not one. No signs of life other than the door and bridge inside this open chamber. There’s nothing moving in there.”
“A bridge and door isn’t enough evidence that something might be alive in there?”
“Seeing is believing,” Shad replied. “I don’t see anything that’s alive.”
“Dude, you kept insisting you needed proof. Don’t you have enough proof?”
Clark pulled himself up higher, trying to get to Shad before he climbed over and down the other side. Shad pulled forward, but Clark grabbed his right foot and held fast. Shad tried to kick free with his other foot but missed.
“Let me go!” Shad shouted, staring down at Clark.
“Not until I see what’s over there.”
“That’s what I figured.”
“What’s that?” Clark asked.
“You want to claim this discovery for yourself.”
Clark held Shad’s ankle tightly. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Then let me go.”
“Let’s wait until we have others here as backup.”
Shad rolled his eyes. “If I see any little green men, I’ll scream for you.”
“Not funny,” Clark replied, pulling Shad’s ankle.
The rock ledge that supported Clark cracked. The section beneath his left boot gave way and forced Clark to release Shad, so he could grab a handhold on the wall that prevented him from falling.
28
Shad pulled himself through the hole quickly before Clark rebounded his position and reached to grab Shad’s foot again. Shad dropped on the other side of the wall and struck the ground hard. The breath escaped his lungs, and for a moment, he was paralyzed with pain, groaning.
Lying on the ground, he looked up at the opening. The bright lights lit up the large room to where it almost seemed like daylight, and the orange glow seemed to be a reflection from the machine’s light against the ceiling above.
Shad was much farther from the opening on this side of the wall than he had been on the other, which presented him with another problem as well. If he needed to climb back to the hole, the walls on this side were too smooth. No rough places existed that he could use as handholds or footholds. He’d need someone to toss down a rope in order to get him out.
Clark peered through the opening and kept his nose and mouth covered with his coveralls. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Shad replied, somewhat bitterly. “The fall knocked the air out of me and bruised me up a little.”
Shad stood and wiped the dust from his clothes. His ankle hurt when he attempted to place any weight on it, and his right knee was swelling.
“Think I twisted my ankle, too,” he said, turning on his visor light.
Clark looked down. “Damn, that’s a ways down. Can you hoist yourself back up?”
“No. It’s too deep. Probably over eight feet. You’ll need to get a rope so I can get out.”
Shad limped away from the wall. The ground where he stood looked like a dry riverbed, or most likely, it was a dead lava flow.
“Where’s the door and bridge that you mentioned?” Clark asked.
“Ahead of me. See?” Shad said.
Clark looked, but he didn’t see anything. “No. I don’t see anything.”
“There!”
“I still don’t see a door. Only rock walls.”
Shad limped forward.
“Turn around and wait,” Clark said. “Let me call the engineering office and have someone bring a rope so we can pull you back up.”
“Not until I see what’s on the other side of that door.”
“There isn’t a door, Shad.”
Shad kept limping, ignoring Clark. “This might be the discovery that we’ve needed.”
Clark might have thought Shad’s delusional state came from striking his head when he fell over the ledge, but he had mentioned the silver door before he fell. The path Shad walked was smooth and meandered a good hundred yards before disappearing around a steep mound of rocks. Even with the light shining into this hollowed out room, no door was visible. No bridge either. If the door and bridge were silver, the light should have magnified them or at least reflected off them.
The only other thing that made any sense was that the lights were playing some type of trick on Shad’s eyes. Sometimes harsh lights forced images or odd shapes, but now that Shad was on the floor out of the blinding glare, he pressed on like he was headed toward something. Perhaps the pungent air contained hallucinogenic chemicals.
Movement stirred on the floor, like tiny reddish undulating waves, rocking side to side. Clark wondered if his eyes were being deceived. He cupped his hands and shielded his eyes, blocking the harshness of the light. The movement on the floor continued.
“Shad!” Cl
ark shouted with grave concern.
Shad didn’t answer. He kept walking forward.
“Shad! Get back here! There’s lots of moving creatures on the floor. Don’t you see them? Armies of them.”
“I don’t see anything. Stop trying to frighten me.”
The rusty red creatures crawled like stick insects. They camouflaged well into their surroundings and had they not been moving, Clark would never have noticed them.
The strange creatures moved forward, closing in around Shad. Hundreds of these things moved in a streamline toward him. Their slender legs crept in unison, like soldiers marching abreast and headed into battle. Shad had entered into an unknown enemy’s territory. By the time he finally noticed them, they had blocked his path to return. Thousands of these strange bug-like creatures crept around him. The room was like a giant hive of weird insects. They were unlike anything he’d ever seen.
Shad turned and faced Clark. His growing fear was evident on his face. One of the creatures leapt toward him, but Shad kicked it before it attached to his leg. Others approached, and Shad stomped one of them. He lifted his foot to inspect his kill, but the creature wasn’t dead.
Instead, it bounded into the air and latched onto his leg. He tried to swat it away, but instead he screamed in sudden agony. It had bitten him.
“Shad!”
“Get help!” Shad cried. None of the other insect-like creatures advanced. They simply waited. His hands frantically patted his leg. “I can’t feel my leg. I can’t move—”
Shad dropped to his knees. His eyes grew wider and still. A second later he collapsed face first into the swarm. They covered him, and there was no resistance. He didn’t scream again. Apparently the first creature had injected a paralyzing poison into his bloodstream. They inserted long beaklike projections into his body. Clark guessed that these things were drinking his blood.
Appalled, frightened, and sickened, Clark glanced around the opening to see thousands of these creatures roosting on the ceiling and all around the opening where he sat.
“Oh, shit,” he said, slowly crawling back from the ledge.
Clark flung himself off the wall and landed on the drilling machine’s tracks. He scrambled around until he reached the steps to the cab.
ESCAPE FROM MARS Page 18