“I can see his point.”
“After a few days, I see it now, too. But after losing my son and Derek’s mother, it’s still hard to let him become a man.”
“That’s understandable.”
“When you have children one day, Boony, you’ll completely understand.”
Boony smiled. “I’m sure I will, but with the likelihood of prospective suitors for me on Mars . . . I don’t see that happening.”
“No?”
She shook her head.
“You never know. Love finds you sometimes when you least expect it.”
Boony smiled. “I’m not sure I want it to find me. At least not here. I don’t know that I’d want the worry and responsibility of having children. I wasn’t exactly the model teenager. And even though I made a lot of bad decisions, my parents still gave me a lot of drama for wanting to move to Mars.”
“They did, huh?”
“Yes.”
“And how did you get them to comply?”
Boony shrugged and smiled. “I didn’t. I left.”
Jonas’ eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Yes. They were always overbearing and never let me do what I wanted, so I had no other choice except to leave. So it’s good that you have decided to let Derek live his life.”
Jonas nodded.
Boony turned to her computer and sighed softly. She hated lying to Jonas, but he was in such mental anguish over Derek. She pitied him, which was a shame because he was the strongest person she’d ever met. He was solid and had a mental edge like sharpened steel. So, if a lie helped him overcome his needless mourning, it was worth it.
Of course, if he ever looked into her background, he’d know that she had been orphaned, a delinquent, and had blatantly lied to him about her past. But she wanted to ease his mind. He was the type of man she wished she’d had as a father. And since his job demanded that his focus remained keen, a little lie shouldn’t be too great of a crime.
“So how are we to handle the theft of the shuttle?” she asked, changing the subject.
“That’s all in Grayson’s hands now. There’s really nothing more we can do.”
“Okay. If there’s anything you need for me to do to help, please let me know.”
“Thanks. Keep trying to contact the Deimos Life Station at least once an hour.”
Boony nodded. “Not a problem. I can do that.”
“What we cannot afford is a similar incident like the theft of the Percival 3000. That’s a wakeup call for how we operate the security team. I’d really like the identification of the man from Deimos that landed here. That’d narrow down a lot of factors. However, not knowing means that we don’t know if there are any others hiding in the shadows with the same intent to steal a ship or bags of the MarQuebes or do something even worse.”
“That’s true. I never really gave that much thought.”
“The surveillance video only showed him exit the Deimos shuttle, didn’t it?”
Boony nodded. “Yes.”
“Never anywhere else?”
“From every camera angle where I have located him on surveillance video, he always wore the helmet. He never took it off, so he must have been aware that there were cameras.”
“It seems he covered his tracks quite well. But I still cannot help but think that he must have had ties with others here besides Sylvia.”
“I suppose that’s possible.”
“I have a few shady guards that I need to pay more attention to. God knows I really don’t have the extra time to do that.”
“Did you check the Deimos shuttle log?” she asked. “He’d have had to access the computer, wouldn’t he? Even if we can’t read the physical copy, there has to be one recorded with the computer.”
“I already had a tech scan for that information.”
“Nothing?”
Jonas shook his head. “No. The man cleared the computer. Wiped it clean.”
“Damn. Then he must have some tech background. Most people still leave tracks somewhere.”
“He didn’t.”
“Well, Jonas, there’s something else that I need to tell you.”
Jonas frowned. “What’s that?”
“The last time I was at The Vortex, I overheard some of the other guards talking about the shuttle theft.”
“And?”
“Some of the guards are actually viewing Sylvia as a hero.”
“A hero, huh?”
Boony nodded.
“That’s when you realize you have problems. When those standing on the right side of the law begin to think that a thief is a hero, they’ve lost all rationalization between right and wrong. They’re not far from stepping across the line of good and becoming what they were trained to fight against.”
“I know.”
“And if those on Deimos view the shuttle pilot in the same light, no telling what kind of chaos is happening inside that moon station.”
Boony felt uneasy. Who was the man with Magnus? While Magnus seemed trustworthy, and she truly suspected that he was innocent of murder, had he somehow been duped into helping a more dangerous individual make his way back to Earth?
She took a deep breath. “Seems we might have a lot more to be concerned about than we thought?”
“No. Grayson does. It’s his ship. Since they’re headed back to Earth, there’s nothing I can do. It’s his mess, and I expect he has plans on how to clean it up.”
“Surely this concerns you, too?”
“Of course it does, Boony. But look at me. My grave will be here on Mars. I’m too old to make a journey back to Earth. This was a one-way ticket for me.”
“You’re not that old.”
Jonas chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not about to put my body through the strain of space travel for another seven months again. It’s not worth it.”
She smiled. “It was rough on me, too.”
“Wait another forty years and reconsider that statement.”
“Oh, now—”
The security door flung open. Clark leaned against the doorframe, bent forward with his hands on his knees, trying desperately to catch his breath. Jonas rose and pulled his laser blaster. Clark’s eyes widened and his face grew paler. He waved his hands in surrender, panting, letting them know he didn’t mean them any harm. He couldn’t breathe. Sweat rolled down his face. A half-minute passed before he was able to breathe calmer.
“What is it?” Jonas asked, lowering his weapon.
“We’re got a major problem down in Shaft Fifteen.”
“What kind of problem?”
Clark panted and wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand. “We have found life on the planet. But it’s not a good discovery. They’re deadly, and there’s far too many of them for us to stop.”
34
“Life?” Jonas asked. He gave a puzzled glance toward Boony. “What the hell are you talking about? What kind of life?”
Clark nodded. “Yes. Strange insect-like creatures. They killed Shad.”
Jonas frowned. His eyes narrowed as he studied Clark. “These creatures killed him?”
“Yes,” Clark said, nodding. “They bit or stung him. They must possess some very toxic venom. He dropped to the floor and was paralyzed in less than a minute. They . . . I think they drained his blood.”
“How many creatures are we talking about?” Boony said, walking toward the door.
“Thousands of them.”
“Thousands?” Boony asked. Her eyes widened with fright as she flicked her gaze toward Jonas.
Clark nodded vigorously.
“And why haven’t we seen these things before?” Jonas asked.
Clark stepped away from the door, grabbed a swivel chair, and plopped down. Boony handed him a bottle of water. Sweat rolled down his pale frightened face. He twisted off the lid and downed the water quickly.
Panting, he replied, “Shad was operating his drilling machine to lengthen the tunnel. The next thing we knew, the gi
ant drill bit bent and was knocked off its track. The hole in the wall cracked open. Chunks of rock collapsed. He had tapped into a large room.”
“What do you mean a room?” Jonas asked.
“It’s an enlargement, like the big open areas you find inside a lot of the cavern systems on Earth. Shad went inside the room. These creatures are all over that chamber. The ceilings. The walls. The floors.”
“Wait a minute. Why’d he go inside if those insects were in there?”
Clark took a deep breath and exhaled. “We didn’t see them. They are well camouflaged. They are the same color as the floor and walls. They blended in so well that I barely noticed them, and by the time I did, Shad was already surrounded.”
“What possessed him to go inside alone?” Boony asked.
“I tried to stop him. I really did. He was so possessed with discovering something to make a name for himself that he shut out my logical arguments and any rationality. I had grabbed him by the ankle but lost my footing. When I let go, he dove over to the other side. I tried to convince Shad to come back out, but he swore that he saw a silver bridge and a door. I didn’t see either of those structures.”
“Had he been drinking?” Jonas asked.
“No. Not that I could tell.”
“Did he hit his head when he fell?” Boony asked.
“I don’t know. But there was this pungent chemical odor.”
“What do you make of that? Could it have clouded his judgment?””
“It was harsh. I suppose there’s the chance that it might have caused a reaction that distorted his visuals, but he might have simply struck his head in the fall like she suggested.”
“Okay, then.” Jonas grabbed a laser rifle from the gun rack and handed it to Clark.
Clark shook his head. “I don’t think these weapons will harm them.”
“Why not?”
Clark explained how he had struck one with the shovel and the impact didn’t do any damage to it. The pick had only worked because he happened to strike it in the exact spot between its jointed segments.
“Any ideas about what you think might kill them?” Jonas asked.
“Heat? Or maybe extreme cold. I really don’t know. My biggest worry is that their exoskeletons are strong like metal, which might prevent almost any tool from penetrating their outer crusty layer.”
Jonas pressed the button for the corridor intercoms. “Shaft Fifteen is in a state of emergency. I need all guards and off duty guards to take flamethrowers and fire extinguishers and meet me at the platform that overlooks the tunnel. Under no circumstances should anyone head into Shaft Fifteen until I get there. This is a Level Four emergency.”
After he turned off the intercom, he looked at Clark. “How many of these creatures are we dealing with again? Thousands?”
Clark nodded.
“You’re certain? Shock sometimes makes us see things that aren’t there.”
“Trust me. That might be an underestimated number.”
Jonas frowned. “Do you think the corridor in Shaft Fifteen might already be infested?”
“I hope not. I tried to seal the opening with the giant drill bit, but there were edges of the wall that no longer meet since part of the wall collapsed.”
“In other words, gaps large enough where they can still get through?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Come on,” Jonas said to Clark.
“What about me?” Boony asked.
“Watch the surveillance feed. Keep an eye on the corridors. Make sure everything else is running smoothly. Keep trying to contact Deimos Life Station, too.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied. “But do note that there are no cameras in Shaft Fifteen.”
“I know. We’re going in blind.”
Grayson sat behind his desk, frustrated with the events that had unfolded during the week. Holding the keys to the vast wealth of the Martian terrain, he now felt threatened and realized how fragile his hold on the planet was becoming. Future applicants for Grayson Enterprises would be required even more thorough background checks and additional screenings before being interviewed. He had thought the ones he had already established were quite detailed. Apparently not.
Beatrice paged him.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Thomas Quaid on line one.”
“Thanks, Beatrice.”
Grayson tapped the button on his desk. “Yes, Thomas? What have you found out?”
“Two of the occupants on the Percival 3000 are in hibernation. Not sure what the third person is doing.”
“Have you found a way to override the computer system controls on that shuttle?”
“Negative, sir. I’ve tried every code I have, and the shuttle computer continues to deny me access.”
Grayson frowned and thought for a moment. Thomas was his head computer-programming engineer, and if anyone had the knowledge necessary to hijack and take back the shuttle, this was the man.
“How is that possible?” Grayson asked.
“One possible explanation is that since the hibernation mechanism is in place, the computer has blocked all outside communication to prevent hackers, which in our case would be us, from taking over the shuttle. That is a precautionary code that you had me build into the system, which merely keeps the passengers safer.”
“I see. Any other possible means?”
“The other possibility is that one of those aboard the shuttle has tampered with the control system to reject outside interference. However, there is something else I can try.”
Grayson’s eyebrows rose. “What’s that?”
“I believe I can hack into the nuclear propulsion engine computers.”
“So?”
Thomas laughed softly. “I can boost the speed of the engines to have them back to Earth in six months instead of seven.”
“Will they detect that?”
“Doubtful. I can set it to gradually increase over a two-day period.”
“Do it,” Grayson said with a broad smile.
“Consider it done.”
35
Carter sat in one of the seats inside the passenger cabin. He held the opened briefcase on his lap and stared at the two vials of deadly virus. He took the vials in his hands and looked at them in the faint fluorescent lighting. So much power. Enough to wipe out worlds, and he possessed it. A smile curled his lips as he pictured the mighty egotistical Grayson pleading for his life.
“Why aren’t you asleep like the others?” the female alien said inside his mind.
“I’m planning my strategy,” he replied.
“There is plenty of time for that. You need rest, too.”
“I’m fine.”
“Grayson has vast intelligence. Without sleep you’ll not have a sharp enough edge to contend with him.”
Carter set the vials back into the cushioned interior of the briefcase, closed it, and then he locked it. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and pictured her dark oval eyes.
“Is killing him truly necessary?” Carter asked.
“It is the only way,” she replied. “Without him, the damaging construction on Mars will stop.”
“Others will come.”
“Not with the same magnitude he has. They will start fresh with fewer funds, less people. Perhaps they won’t come at all. Grayson’s death might frighten others not to risk Mars exploration.”
Carter sighed. “I don’t know that I can do this.”
“I know you better than you know yourself. You will do this.”
Startled by the angry tone in the alien’s voice, Carter opened his eyes. His breathing increased, in spite of his tightening chest. His eyes searched the passenger compartment. He half expected her to materialize right in front of him. Where had the passion in her voice gone? Why had she allowed vengeance to completely possess her?
He stared at Sylvia beneath her plastic hibernation bubble. She slept so peacefully. He thought that her facial features were more angelic than human. Perhaps death
blessed some better than others.
He waited several more minutes for the alien to speak, but she was gone. He no longer felt her presence. Her voice became silent.
The computer would awaken Sylvia and Magnus in thirty days. During that time, Carter had to map out plans for when they arrived on Earth.
Clark followed Jonas and three armed guards. Since the tunnel was narrow and dark, Jonas ordered the other half dozen guards to remain behind while they checked out the corridor.
He didn’t think Jonas believed his report about how many insects were at the end of Mine Shaft 15, or else, fewer guards had arrived than what should have. Of course a lot of them might have gotten drunk and passed out in their quarters.
Clark carried a fire extinguisher because he wasn’t trained in how to use a laser rifle. Besides, he didn’t believe such a weapon could harm these strange insects anyway. He also had his doubts that the flamethrower Jonas carried or their fire extinguishers would be effective either.
As they neared the area where he had seen the insect-like creatures, his apprehension increased. He had never thought that the three-year contract he had signed might actually cost him his life. Of course, the space flight to Mars had been a great risk in itself, even though Grayson Enterprises had never lost a shuttle or space barge to a critical malfunction resulting in a devastating crash. For Clark, to study the Martian volcano was an achievement that any adventurous geophysicist could ever hope to be assigned. His discoveries and geothermic evaluations thus far were enough to launch his scientific career back on Earth, and had he uncovered any fossils, his fame would have soared even higher. But the discovery of a living creature on Mars broke any previous aspirations he had ever entertained in his daydreams. Any book he wrote and published was guaranteed to become an international bestseller. Every news channel and talk show host would request his appearance for an interview. The major and minor universities would seek him for guest lectures, request him to work on possible research projects with them, and quite possibly NASA might even offer him a government job. The possibilities were endless.
Clark’s accomplishments on Mars meant nothing if he died though. The worrisome part for him was he remained bound to complete the last two years of his contract. Regardless of his discovery, he was stuck on Mars. Those were the obligations he had agreed to; mainly, in part, due to the lucrative deal Grayson had made with him. His initial eagerness to sign the contract had been to start his future business on Earth. But now, his outlook toward the notoriety in science deemed itself far greater. He had never sought the limelight for himself. He had always shunned it. But the possibility of making millions of dollars more than his current contract drew him toward the light like a moth sought a candle’s flame. Now he understood the reasons behind Shad’s stubbornness and why his colleague had walked blindly to his death, which was something he also took to heart as a precaution. Vainglory was deadly in any quality or environment. He needed to remain alert and not make premature stupid decisions.
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