ESCAPE FROM MARS

by G. T. Appleton

  “Maybe. What if Carter didn’t hibernate like we did? How will that affect him?”

  “I’m not a psychologist, but my guess is that it can mess with his psyche. He might suffer stir craziness.”

  “I hope not. He’s gone through enough as it is.”

  Magnus nodded. “I know, but bad stuff happens to everyone at one time or another.”

  A tear edged in her eye. “It does.”

  “Again, this is merely speculation on my part, but we might be more irrational and emotional since our long-term sleep episode. So, be prepared, okay?”

  Sylvia nodded. “Okay.”

  Carter leaned against the restroom sink. He turned on the cold water and splashed his face, but the coolness didn’t lessen the searing pain inside his skull. The pressure continued building.

  “I know,” the female alien whispered. “You’ve changed your mind.”

  “Go away!” he seethed through clenched teeth.

  “I cannot.”

  “Please . . .”

  “I told you that I am a part of you. You cannot escape me.”

  Carter’s body convulsed with heavy sobs. “Please, don’t make me kill Grayson.”

  “You promised.”

  He wiped tears from his eyes. “I know, but my rage is gone.”

  “You can forget her so easily?”

  “Who? Wanda?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve not forgotten her.”

  “But you’re refusing to avenge her death.”

  Carter shook his head. The slight movement made him wince. “The loss has eased, but I’ve not stopped loving her.”

  “And if I died, will your want for me perish, too?”

  Carter stared into the mirror. The alien’s image materialized in the glass. He refused to make eye contact with her, more out of spite than fear.

  “You wish to forget me after of all your begging and urges to have me close again?” she asked.

  Pain throbbed in his head. His ears burned. His cheeks and neck were hot. His heart thudded hard against his ribs. “I’m in so much pain . . .”

  “Would you like for me to take away your pain?”

  “Please?”

  “Always wanting but never compensating.”

  His jaw tightened. He stared into the mirror and gnashed his teeth like a rabid dog. “Everything seems to have a price. These headaches never occur unless you torture me with them. Forget it, okay? Kill me instead. At least I won’t have to endure this any longer.”

  “I could never kill you,” she said softly.

  “And yet you torture me.”

  “It has never been my intent.”

  “Lately, it’s all you have done.”

  She was silent for a few moments. Finally, she said, “Close your eyes and relax. I will rid you of the headache.”

  Carter obeyed.

  “Relax.”

  “I’m trying,” Carter replied. The pain pounded, striking at the base of his skull over and over, forcing him to shut his eyes tighter. His stomach sickened from the intensity of his nerve-grinding headache. He fell forward but caught himself quickly against the sink. His knees buckled, but he refused to fall. He knew hitting the floor resulted in losing consciousness.

  “I will release you from this pain, but this is twice I’ve rescued you. You’ve done nothing for me in return.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Reconsider my first proposal.”

  The pain increased, forcing him to double over the sink in pain. “If you’re going to torture me, just kill me.”

  “I’ve done nothing, yet.”

  Carter opened his eyes, but the building agony caused whirling darkness to cloud his vision. He knew that he was seconds from passing out. He held no doubt that he would fall comatose if the pain persisted. He wondered if she was being honest with him about having not done anything to add any further pain.

  “End it!” Carter snapped.

  “Reconsider?”

  A sharp humming rang in his ears, more annoying than a hungry mosquito on a hot summer night. Misery sought to swallow him inside its cloud of darkness. Between the harsh spike-like pains throbbing through his skull and the increased droning, he feared and welcomed death at the same time. But he thought of Sylvia and Magnus. Would this alien harm them after she finished with him? He feared she might, but he wasn’t certain.

  “Okay,” Carter surrendered in a near whisper. “Stop the pain, and I’ll do it. I’ll kill Grayson.”

  He opened his eyes when he felt a hand touch the top of his head. The mirror showed nothing. No hand, nor the alien. Warmth spread from her touch and seeped through his brain. The pain stopped. Breathing became lighter, easier, and the heat in his cheeks and neck dissipated. The sickness in his stomach lessened.

  Carter wanted to tell her thanks, but she no longer appeared in the mirror. There wasn’t the slightest pulse of her energy near him. Relieved, he thought of Sylvia again. He washed his face and dabbed a paper towel until it was dry. After taking several deep breaths, he hurried out the door. He felt that he had more comfort and security by being with them and not alone. Each time he found solitude, the alien took advantage and gradually worked to gain more control over him, which was why he wanted Magnus and Sylvia awake.

  Momentarily, he entertained the thought of telling them about the alien, but he worried she’d unleash her wrath upon them. It was best to keep his silence about her for the time being. However, if her threats continued escalating, he believed he’d need to tell them about her.

  Carter walked back to where Magnus and Sylvia sat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

  “What was wrong?” Sylvia asked.

  “You looked to be in a lot of pain,” Magnus said.

  Carter nodded. “I’ve had a horrible headache off and on during the last few weeks.”

  “I didn’t think you set up your chamber when you did ours,” Magnus said. “Why didn’t you hibernate with us?”

  Carter glanced nervously at him. “Fear, I guess.”

  “What is there to be afraid of? You’re a doctor. You’ve been in one of these chambers before.”

  “I know, but things are a lot different than they had been on my way to Deimos.”

  “Why’s that?” Magnus asked.

  Carter shrugged. “To be asleep for an entire month, especially when we’re wanted, is a frightening thing.”

  Magnus frowned. “What’s to fear, Carter? We’re not on Mars. Earth is still months away. We’re the only ones on this ship. It’s not like Jonas will send another shuttle to pull us over.”

  Carter sighed and sat down. “While all that is true, you forget one thing.”

  “What?” Sylvia asked.

  “The ship is controlled by computers. We go to sleep and Grayson could take over the controls.”

  “That’s doubtful.”

  Carter shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

  “What makes you think that?” Magnus asked.

  “When you’re able to stand, I will show you.”

  Magnus used the armrests on both sides of his seat and pushed himself to his feet. He stepped forward with his right foot, placed weight upon it, waited for a few seconds, pressed more of his weight, and then he attempted to raise his left foot. He stumbled but not enough to fall. He balanced on both feet for a minute until he was certain his leg muscles could sustain him. He wasn’t as weak as he feared he might be when they awakened.

  After taking a few gingerly steps, he was confident that he could walk, so he turned and offered his hand to Sylvia. She clasped her hand into his, and he pulled her up. Unlike him, her legs were weaker, but after a few steps and with Carter’s assistance, she walked down the aisle toward the pilot’s cabin.

  When they reached the computer control panels, Carter pointed.

  “Should we be traveling this fast?” he asked.

  Sylvia frowned. “That’s not the speed I prog
rammed for the shuttle.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  Magnus faced Carter and said, “Did you do this?”

  “No,” Carter replied nervously. “Why would I?”

  “You tell me,” Magnus said, towering over the doctor.

  “You can trust me.”

  “Can we?” Magnus asked.

  “Magnus,” Sylvia said. She put her hand on his arm. “Calm down.”

  “Sorry,” Magnus said, rubbing his eyes. “Still a bit of a hangover feeling, which is making me more irritable than normal, but I still have a difficult time knowing you put us to sleep and stayed awake.”

  “I explained why,” Carter said softly.

  Sylvia typed numbers into a distance calculator. After a digital readout, she said, “Someone definitely tampered with the propulsion engines. We’re going to get to Earth a couple of months earlier than we expected.”

  “In a way, that’s good,” Magnus said. “But the problem with it, is Grayson knows more precisely when we’ll get there. So, Carter, I apologize. Grayson is probably the one that initiated the change in our velocity.”

  Carter waved his hands. “I know about medicine, viruses, and bacteria. A little bit about computers, but engineering is not my specialty.”

  Magnus’ eyes narrowed as he stared into Carter’s eyes. Carter appeared nervous but never broke their gaze. Magnus smiled. “I believe you. But, the next time we go into hibernation, you will be the first one to go to sleep.”

  The suggestion made Carter visibly uneasy. Magnus watched him for several moments. “You really fear being put under, don’t you?”

  Carter nodded.

  57

  The Next Day

  Sylvia pulled her pants up. Carter hurried and zipped his pants before reaching for the restroom door. She grabbed his hand and turned him toward her. She frowned but evident hurt was in her eyes.

  “Is that it?” she asked.

  “What?” He seemed confused by the question.

  “I’m a quickie for you? After nearly a month of you being isolated and alone while Magnus and I were in hibernation, all you want is to . . . relieve yourself and walk away?”

  “No, Sylvia.”

  Her eyes moistened and her cheeks flushed red.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. He leaned toward her.

  Reluctantly her lips met his, but no passion came in his kiss, but even if it had, the moment for her was gone, ruined. She pushed the door open and brushed past him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, you said that already.” She glanced back and noticed the lost expression on his face. For some reason she thought about Wanda and her death. She winced. Of course, why didn’t she even consider that? Could Carter still be grieving over her? She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, feeling like an idiot. “Carter, I’m sorry too. I wasn’t thinking. Is . . . is what we did too soon?”

  “What?”

  Sylvia swallowed hard. “After Wanda?”

  “I’ve tried not to dwell on her during the past few weeks. But maybe it is bothering me at a deeper level.”

  “Is that part of the reason why you didn’t want to hibernate?”

  He shrugged. “It could be part of it. Really, there’s a lot on my mind, and I don’t want to discuss this right now.”

  “You’re sure I didn’t do anything wrong? You know, rushing us?”

  “No. Don’t be silly.”

  She forced a smile. “If you need more time—”

  “Sylvia, please, it’s a combination of a lot of things. Not this. Certainly not this or what we have.”

  “Okay. I don’t mean to press you, but talking about problems with a friend can help. Is it Grayson, too?”

  “Yes, him, what we’ll do once we get to Earth, and maybe it’s jetlag and my sleep deprivation.” His eyes narrowed. He looked away obviously angry and frustrated.

  “If you need to talk sometime . . .”

  “There’s nothing to discuss. Okay? Please, give me a few minutes to think.” He refused to make eye contact with her.

  Sylvia nodded, fighting tears. “I’ll wait for you at our seats.”

  She hurried away from him and down the aisle.

  Carter shut the restroom door and locked it. He ran his hands through his hair and then rubbed his eyes, trying to gain enough courage to look into the restroom mirror. He knew having sex with Sylvia in the restroom had been a mistake. The alien always visited him in this one, and he feared she had watched him with Sylvia.

  He pumped sanitary hand cleanser from the wall dispenser and coated his hands, rubbing them together vigorously. Still, he feared glancing into the glass.

  While his fling with Sylvia had been quick and pleasurable, it couldn’t compare with the sensations he had felt with the alien, which was something he had longed for and doubted he’d ever know again.

  He took a deep breath and turned, facing the mirror. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to do that with Sylvia.”

  The alien’s face didn’t materialize in the glass like before, but he felt her presence. “No, you must let her believe that you love her.”

  “Why?”

  “So you can carry your mission to kill Grayson.”

  “She has nothing to do with that.”

  “No, but continual isolation from her with only draw more suspicion toward you and what’s hidden inside your briefcase.”

  Carter thought about that. He agreed, but was also troubled that the alien wanted him to be more intimate with Sylvia. “What about you and I?”

  “I’m always with you.”

  “But I need you more than just inside my mind. I need what we shared together on Deimos when you healed me. Our physical bond. That’s what I miss. I’ve never experienced that kind of ecstasy before.”

  “You fulfill your promise to me, and you’ll have that again. But make certain Sylvia believes you’re with her. She and Magnus mustn’t ever learn about me.”

  Chills ran down his arms. As he feared, she was a threat to the others. When he no longer felt her presence, he turned on the water and washed his face.

  Magnus sat in his seat with Digger curled on his tree trunk of a leg. The ferret slept, curled with its belly exposed and appeared to have a slight smile on its face. Sylvia approached. She looked distraught and near tears.

  “What’s bothering you?” he asked.

  “You mind if I sit beside you?”

  “Your company is always welcome.”

  “Thanks. I think I was too hasty and moved too fast with Carter.”

  “You seemed to have taken a quick liking to him.”

  Sylvia shook her head. “No. I’ve been attracted to him for a long time. But since he was stationed on Deimos and I was assigned my duty to work as a mechanic in the landing bay on Mars. He seldom came to Mars though.”

  “And what is the current problem?”

  “His mind is focused . . . overwhelmed by everything else. I think he still hasn’t gotten over Wanda’s death.”

  “Losses like that take time to heal.”

  “I understand that. I do. But if he’d let me, I’d do whatever I could to love away his pain.”

  “We still have five more months, okay not that much now, but you have a few months of space travel to learn more about one another. If it’s meant to be, trust me, it will work itself out.”

  “And if it doesn’t, this will be a few awkward months to deal with.”

  “That’s true, too, but try not to focus on the possible downside, okay?”

  “I’ll try.”

  Carter came down the aisle with his briefcase in hand, and she crossed her arms, frowning and refusing to even glance in his direction.

  “Look,” he said, “I didn’t mean to be short with you.”

  Magnus cradled Digger in his hands without waking him and stood. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

  “M
en can be regular jerks. You know that, right?” Carter said. “I was the biggest asshole ever a while ago.”

  “You think?” Still she refused to look at him.

  “I never meant to disregard your feelings. You have every reason to be upset and hate me, but—”

  “I don’t hate you. I’m very turned off by you right now. In my mind I had one image of you and us, but you burst that fantasy bubble.”

  Carter nodded. “I know, and I’m truly sorry. You don’t have to accept my apology or even forgive me. I don’t deserve to be with someone like you.”

  “You’re right. You don’t.”

  Carter turned to walk away.

  Sylvia grinned and glanced toward him. “Sit.”

  Puzzled, he met her eyes. “You’re sure?”

  “How else are we going to work through this unless we talk?”

  “You’re right.” He set the briefcase in the aisle beside the seat. “I’m sorry.”

  “No more groveling. As much as a woman hates men who are dicks, we also hate pleaders and whiners. It’s still a long trip to Earth. We need to figure out where we stand and proceed. If we’re not going to be a couple, at least we should get that out in the open right away.”

  Carter stared at her and smiled. “You’d really consider being with me after how I acted?”

  “Let’s start from this moment forward, okay?”

  He shrugged. “Okay.”

  “I’m willing to overlook your actions as your internal struggle to cope with your losses on Deimos. I’ll put it as that, for now, unless it happens again, and then, no. I’m not going through any further disrespect.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I know little about you.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “What brought you to Deimos? I know you’re a medical doctor, but why travel across space to Mars and Deimos, besides the money. I know Grayson pays quite well.”

  Carter smiled. “The money’s good. No argument there. But I’ve worked in the most destitute places on Earth when I was with the Peace Corps. I’ve watched people die from horrible diseases, and there wasn’t anything I could do to save them. I helped develop vaccines, but in the time it takes to manufacture one to cure a dying village or tribe, hundreds of people could die. So, Grayson offered me the job here, and I liked the idea of working on a new frontier. The last thing I expected was to see everyone on Deimos die like those helpless villages on Earth. I mean, the people here were healthy people until they were exposed to a new virus that we don’t have a cure or a name for. We still don’t.”