ESCAPE FROM MARS

by G. T. Appleton

  Standing outside the storage room, he watched Carter grab an empty catheter bag and a thermometer. Carter smiled as he hurried out the door and to the restroom. Instead of closing the door like the doctor normally did . . . for hours, he left the door open so Magnus could observe.

  Carter turned on the sink faucet. “This might be impossible to do, but if I can get the water to the proper temperature, it should last long enough for the computer to set the Hyber-Sleep into active, which, I hope, will trigger the firewalls back up.”

  Carter handed the thermometer to Magnus. “If you don’t mind?”

  Magnus frowned. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Hold it under the water while I figure out a way to syphon water into the bag after we get the water adjusted to body temperature.”

  Several minutes passed before they adjusted the water to a few degrees above human body temperature.

  “That’s too warm,” Magnus said.

  Carter shook his head. “By the time I get everything set up to activate the hibernation program, the water’s temperature will probably drop a few degrees.”

  “What happens once the water cools down below body temperature?” Magnus asked. “Won’t the computer alert the system that there’s a problem?”

  “Hopefully by that time, we’ll be ready to jump. However, our body temperatures do drop significantly during the hibernation mode, so it won’t send out an alarm right away.”

  “Okay,” Magnus said. “That’s good. But what about brainwave detection?”

  “There’s a mode that I can use to turn that off.”

  Carter carried the catheter bag of warm water back to the hibernation seat. He gently tucked the I.V. needle into the bag at an angle that prevented the water from leaking out. There was enough empty space in the bag to allow the I.V. nutrients to flow without rupturing the bag at least for a few hours.

  After pressing a few buttons and setting the Hyber-Sleep program, the computer activation system glowed green.

  Carter smiled. “It worked.”

  Magnus clasped Carter’s shoulder firmly and patted his back. “Great job.”

  “Firewall is up again!” Sylvia shouted.

  Magnus released a huge sigh. Everything seemed to be turning in their favor.

  60

  After the long agonizing months of waiting, the day had finally arrived. Within hours the Percival 3000 would be landing. Grayson was prepared. He hated theft.

  During the past few months he had watched his Martian settlement thrive, much to his surprise. He had anticipated Matthews to sever their contract agreement, but instead Matthews had somehow increased the mining operations with fewer miners than what Jonas had done during the past year.

  Because Matthews had proven his loyalty, not necessarily to Grayson, but to the prosperous industry, Grayson readily deployed the next hundred miners on their journey to Mars. Senator Johnson had held true to his word and negotiated with New York’s Prison Committee to recruit one hundred prisoners into the Martian Work Release Program. New York readily offered to hand over an additional two hundred miners by the end of the year.

  The announcement pleased Grayson and Matthews.

  To prevent a potentially massive riot from the established prisoners that were controlled by possibly defective chips, Matthews had designed a flawless Sleeper Chip. He sent the design to Grayson. After Grayson had approved it, he sent it for immediate production.

  Grayson smiled and crossed his arms, watching the ocean. Things were looking good.

  His earphone rang. Grayson tapped it. “Yes?”

  “I’ve lost control of Percival 3000,” Thomas said.

  “What? How? You told me earlier that you hijacked back the command.”

  “I did.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “The firewalls have reestablished their control and blocked my access.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Grayson said.

  “Actually, it does.”

  “How could it?”

  “Because the hibernation system was reactivated.”

  “What? No one in their right mind would induce sleep upon themselves at this time. Not when they’re preparing to land!” Grayson bit down on his lower lip. A drop of blood swelled and dripped. He grabbed a handkerchief and placed it to his lips.

  “My thoughts exactly. Somehow they must have figured out the hibernation program prevents outside computer takeover.”

  “Override the system again,” Grayson mumbled, holding the handkerchief to his bleeding lip. “Get control of that shuttle.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Be quick. They should be landing in less than an hour.”

  “I know.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “I will.”

  Magnus, Carter, and Sylvia put their arms through the parachute straps, pulled them over their shoulders, and tightened the harnesses. She watched the elevation monitor.

  “This is our final orbit,” Sylvia said. “The shuttle is beginning its descent.”

  “Where are we now?” Carter asked.

  “Almost over Texas.”

  Magnus grabbed the handle of the emergency door. “I need to jump now.”

  “No,” Sylvia said, shaking her head. “It will kill you. Our altitude is still too high.”

  “Grayson will certainly kill us if we don’t jump,” Carter said.

  Magnus held the door handle. “How soon before I can jump?”

  “Nevada?” she replied. “I really don’t know. But the descent is steadily dropping. Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  Magnus said, “It will have to do.”

  Sylvia typed in commands. On the large screen a grid came up that detailed the ship’s speed and the amount of altitude descent. Beside the door was a sign indicating the emergency procedure and at what speed and altitude occupants could safely jump, should it ever become necessary.

  Magnus read the sign aloud. “Once we fall to twelve thousand feet and slow enough, we can jump.”

  “Not much longer,” Sylvia said, watching the monitor.

  Magnus unzipped the front of his suit and slipped Digger inside. He zipped it back up. He gripped the emergency handle again.

  “Now!” Sylvia said.

  Magnus didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a metal bar beside the door and shoved down the handle. The door dislodged. A strong sucking force pulled at them. He held tightly and used his body to keep Sylvia from being dragged past him and through the open door. The sound of the air being extracted from the shuttle roared.

  “See you on the ground,” Magnus said, looking over his shoulder with a broad smile.

  He jumped.

  Sylvia gripped the metal bar Magnus had been holding. Her knuckles whitened as she clung to it. Her insides quaked as she watched Magnus vanish. She held her breath and wanted to scream.

  “I can’t do this,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “No way. I’m going back to the cabin.”

  “You can’t, Sylvia,” Carter said. “We’re too close to succeeding. I’m not going to let you. Let me get this briefcase situated and then you can hold my hand. We’ll jump together.”

  Carter tucked the briefcase into his safety harness and then fastened Velcro security bands around it to prevent it from being blown out while they dropped to the Earth.

  Sylvia nervously looked at Carter.

  Carter took her hand into his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

  “You ever do this before?” she asked. She clutched his hand tightly. Her nails dug into his flesh.

  He nodded. “It was a requirement I had to perform before Grayson would hire me.”

  “Really?”

  Carter nodded with a reassuring smile.

  “Why would he require that? I never did, but I’m a prisoner.”

  “Grayson wanted his doctors, nurses, and techs to make at least one jump from a plane b
ecause it tested our determination of how much we wanted to work for Grayson Enterprises.”

  Sylvia shook her head. She was pale but turning green. “Guess I’m glad I was a prisoner. Only, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do?”

  Carter pointed to the pull ring. “Okay, after we jump and stabilize, I will let go of your hand. When I do, pull that ring. That releases the chute and you’ll feel it jerk you up.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “You don’t have to be terrified by this.”

  “And how can I not be?”

  Carter smiled. “Do you like amusement park rides like rollercoasters?”

  “No. Not really. Tilt-A-Whirls make me sick.”

  “Okay. Remember when I let go of your hand to yank that ring. You got it?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Here, put these on.” He handed her protective goggles to put on.

  She nodded and adjusted them to fit her face.

  He kissed her cheek. “You’ll do fine.”

  He stepped ahead of her at the door. Her fingernails dug even deeper, drawing blood. He pulled her beside him. The terrain below seemed so far away. Roads were lines. Buildings looked like miniature toys. Thin layers of clouds looked like strange wisps of white smoke.

  Carter stepped forward and pulled her with him. Together they plummeted out the door.

  She screamed.

  He grabbed her other hand and pulled her so they faced one another. The air rushed and roared in their ears. The pressing air made the skin on Carter’s face appear to ripple. His smile looked deformed. Sylvia couldn’t stop smiling. Adrenaline pulsed through her, and she found herself laughing. It was the oddest sensation to be falling from the sky. She actually enjoyed the rush.

  She was less worried about their descent now. She smiled at him. Falling rapidly together she no longer held any fear. Of course, it was too late to be afraid. This was an activity where she didn’t get a second chance should her chute fail.

  Carter released her hand. He motioned to his ring like he was tugging and then he pointed to her.

  She tucked her chin against her chest to see where the ring was on her parachute. She looped a finger around through the ring and then she looked for Magnus. He was much closer to the Earth than they were. It appeared he was nose-diving to descend faster, and he still hadn’t pulled his chute.

  She pointed. “Look at him!”

  Magnus’ chute opened, yanking him up quickly.

  “We need to pull the rings, okay?” he shouted.

  She nodded.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  She crinkled her nose and smiled before yanking the ring. Her chute yanked her into the sky above him and she screamed again. But not from fear. She liked the lofty feeling and the excitement that tickled her stomach. Sylvia’s heart pulsed with excitement. She felt exhilarated from the adrenaline rush.

  Two seconds later, Carter yanked his cord.

  They floated carelessly on the winds, exchanging smiles.

  61

  Grayson stood at the end of the tarmac, awaiting the shuttle’s arrival. Dressed in silver and black fatigues, his small army of guards stood with their weapons drawn. Having recruited mercenaries that worked for him, he had no reason to alert the government or local authorities about the theft of his shuttle. He’d keep matters in-house and exact his own judgment.

  Thomas stood beside Grayson and held a small computer tablet. Grayson shoved his muscled hands into his pockets while watching the small shuttle grow larger as it descended from the sky. His jaw tightened.

  “The hibernation is still activated?” Grayson asked, never looking away from the approaching shuttle.

  “Yes.”

  “I suppose we should check it out. If they’re asleep they’ll be easier to take into custody, but it might be a trap. That’s why my men are armed.”

  The shuttle lowered and slowly touched down, skidding slightly as the tires met the pavement, at the far end of the runway. Giant chutes pillowed up behind it, drastically slowing the shuttle down. The small army readied their weapons. Their faces were hardened and determined like Grayson.

  When the shuttle came to a complete stop, the motorized staircase was driven to the side door. Two guards rushed up the stairs. The door opened, and they headed inside.

  Grayson and Thomas walked along the runway toward the shuttle.

  One of the guards pushed his head back out. “Shuttle’s empty!”

  Perplexed, Grayson looked at Thomas. “What the hell?”

  Thomas shrugged.

  “How in the hell could it be empty?” Grayson picked up his pace.

  “It shouldn’t be. Unless . . .”

  “Unless what?”

  “They might have parachuted somewhere. The emergency door is on the other side of the shuttle. We should check that.”

  “What?” Grayson asked. His face flushed red. “Where would they get parachutes?”

  “Most of the personnel shuttles have emergency parachutes. This one does, too.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me that?”

  “I figured you knew.” Thomas swallowed hard. “You insisted that every shuttle had every means of safety precautions. That was one of them. It would have been a rare thing for anyone to need to use parachutes during a reentry. I honestly never expected they’d think or even attempt such a maneuver. But desperate people are known to do some crazy things.”

  Grayson nodded. “That’s true. But the computer still show the hibernation activated?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even after it landed?”

  Thomas nodded and hurried up the steps to the door. Grayson followed.

  Before Thomas stepped inside the shuttle, he glanced back at Grayson. “The computer shows active hibernation, and I want to know why, too.”

  They hurried to the passenger cabin. Thomas stopped midstride when he noticed the catheter bag filled with water and the I.V. needles inserted.

  “I’ll be damned,” Thomas said. He walked to the bag and removed the I.V. needle. “I don’t know who that third passenger is, but he must be the one behind this.”

  “Yeah, I’m curious to who he is, too. But we need to backtrack and find where they jumped from the shuttle.”

  “I’m on that.”

  Grayson glanced around the shuttle. Less than an hour ago, his three employees had been right here. He shook his head. For months, all he could think about was apprehending them to find out what their motives were. How had they managed to contrive such a plan so effectively within a short amount of time? He wanted to know the specifics, so he could prevent any future attempts. The more he learned, the better he could establish better security protocol.

  “While you’re at it, have a team dust down the seats for prints,” Grayson said. “I want to know who this other person is.”

  Thomas nodded. “You got it.”

  “Do you think they survived the jump?” Grayson asked.

  “Possibly. The parachutes were placed here in case an emergency occurred during landing or glitched controls prevented a safe landing.”

  “Find them.”

  Thomas nodded. “I’ll do what I can, but getting access to the satellite feed will take some time.”

  Grayson chuckled. “That would. Call Donovan Taylor at the Sleeper Lab. Get him busy tracing their chips. We should have them in custody by the end of the day.”

  “That would be quicker.”

  Thomas stepped away to contact the forensics team.

  Grayson crossed his arms and looked out the shuttle door at his armed guards. He had another shuttle approaching Earth, but Jonas and his crew were still a month from arriving. Matthews had been forthcoming in the news of its arrival because he wanted Grayson to know that he had not killed Jonas. Jonas had chosen to leave. He needed to know Jonas’ reasons for abandoning his post because he wasn’t certain Matthews had told him everything. Jonas wasn’t a man easily manipulated. There had to be
a deeper reason, and that was what Grayson planned to find out.

  Magnus landed hard. Even though over the past two weeks he had been exercising daily on the stationary bicycle, his legs still were weaker than he expected.

  He had tried to run fast when his feet touched down, but his left knee buckled slightly, sending him off balance. With Digger tucked inside his suit, he didn’t dare fall face first because his weight would surely crush the fat little ferret. Instead, he pivoted to his left, dropped, and fell on his back. The loose gravel dug through his silver insulated suit into his back. He groaned and winced in pain, but at least Digger wasn’t hurt in the fall.

  “Damn, that’s going to hurt even worse tomorrow,” he said.

  The dry wind yanked on the puffed out parachute and tugged at him. Had he been a smaller, lighter man, the chute probably would have dragged him across the ground. Instead, he was a giant anchor with the wind rippling the parachute behind him.

  Forcing himself to sit up, Magnus unfastened the straps and slipped his arms from the harness, allowing the wind to yank the chute away. Scrubby shrubs and sharp rocks snagged the billowing material, preventing it from sailing away.

  He gazed up into the sky, looking for Carter and Sylvia. He located their position in the bright blue sky. They were much farther away, being as they hadn’t immediately jumped after he had. He watched Carter and Sylvia floating downward, their images growing larger, and he hoped they had more graceful landings than he had.

  At least the wind seemed to be carrying in his direction. A professional jumper could have maneuvered with the wind current and dropped somewhat closer. As it was, Magnus would probably have to walk a good half-mile or more to join them. Provided neither of them was injured upon landing, they could get to a small town or community where they could hide until they found a way to make their next move. He assumed that Grayson had discovered they were no longer aboard the Percival 3000, which meant a search team would probably be dispatched immediately to find them. They had little time to disappear.

  Digger squirmed and rolled near his stomach, pushing his pointed nose against the fabric, trying to weasel out. Magnus chuckled, unzipped the suit, and Digger popped his head out and chattered with excitement.