Reddened Wasteland

by Kyle Perkins

  Reddened Wasteland

  By Kyle Perkins

  All Rights Reserved ©2015 Kyle Perkins. No portion of this book may be copied, retransmitted, reposted, duplicated, or otherwise used without the express written approval of the author, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review.

  The characters, names, and events as well as all places, incidents, organizations, and dialog in this novel are either the products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Dedicated to all the people that have helped me out along the way. My dad, Max & Debbie, My mom & Jimmy, Samantha, Richie, and finally the people of Nation Divided & 5th Era.

  Table Of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  “Three hundred years ago, my family arrived like many from Earth. Boarded onto large ships that traveled across the empty void to our final home. It wasn’t some far off destination across the galaxy, but instead, our closest viable cosmic neighbor. Earth itself fell under the sword of humanity and its tampering, and died a quiet death, choked out by disease and lack of resources. Scientists at the time were testing new bioweapons to use in their endless wars amongst one another, and human error was the spark that started the chain reaction that was our untimely end. In the end, we had no place left to hide on our home world.

  “Humanity, like a caged animal, began looking for a way out. Scientists and politicians – the same people responsible for this disaster – are the same people that made it out alive. The rich, the greedy, and the intelligent. All of the so-called best of humanity made it out on these ships through years of careful planning and calculation, as humanity took its last few dying breaths.

  “After months of travel, they finally reached their destination and the first Martian was born. After that, they began terraforming Amazonis Planitia under this giant dome, in hopes of saving humanity. At least, that is the official story,” Alerik said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He stood leaning against a cold, rocky wall as he looked at his crew. He had on a synthetic leather jacket and his sweaty white undershirt was clinging to his athletic frame, his short, dark hair swept back, with a clear safety visor over his cold blue eyes. He knew he was an attractive man, knew Velar probably had a bit of a crush on him. He also knew he was far too old for her. She couldn’t be a day over twenty-one.

  “So that is the official story, huh? You buy it?” She asked with a radiant smile that was somehow playful and suspicious all at the same time. She was a looker herself, with her big brown eyes and tan skin. She was wearing that same shitty backpack that was always slung over her shoulders. It looked ridiculous on her at nearly twice the size of her tiny frame and he couldn’t understand why she bothered lugging it around all the time. Truthfully, he couldn’t remember a time seeing her without the old thing. Must have some sentiment, he figured.

  “Of course I believe it. I mean, we can never know the whole truth… we weren’t there. So, things may have gotten lost in the fray, but I think the story adds up. Plus, why would The Union lie to us?” He asked with a wink, pushing himself off the wall that he was using as a crutch. He brushed past the petit girl.

  “Look,” she followed him with her usual persistence, “I’m not saying they are lying, but what if they don’t even know? It has been a long time, and most things have been passed down from word of mouth. Even you can’t be that naive, Alerik!” she nudged him with her shoulder, causing him to fall back into the wall. He groaned.

  “Velar,” he sighed, “I won’t say you’re right or wrong, but could we talk about this back at the compound? This isn’t the best place to discuss our opinions.” His tone was intentionally cold – just in case she had forgotten the seriousness of the consequences if The Union caught her talking like she was – but he forced a smile as he started walking again. He was only thirty years old, but already he moved like an old man, slow and with purpose. He didn’t move when he didn’t have to. Working in the mines from the time you’re old enough to hold a pickaxe will do that to a man.

  Velar lingered behind to dwell on what he had said before catching up to him. She was quiet. She had decided that she didn’t want to press the issue any further. After all, he was right. Their conversation could be taken as treason. The whole settlement had been on high alert since the attacks in the year 2231.

  ***

  Later that night, Alerik stopped by the bar to turn over a few of his credits for the distilled shit they were passing as a drink those days. He didn’t complain though – who would listen if he did? He walked down the straight path to the bar, staring up into the dome that covered the settlement and into the night sky. The Union called it Humanity’s Womb.

  They were really creative with names.

  As he walked, he began thinking back to earlier and his conversation with Velar. She was right, things were not adding up. But the last thing he wanted to do was scare the kid. The Union had been tightening the chain around everyone’s throats in the last couple of years, from enforcing the curfew and cutting credits, to even culling new births. They said it was for the betterment of the people, that it was necessary to get them in line so they could all make it off of the rock and return to Earth, but he knew he’d never see it in his lifetime. The Union always made promises that they could not deliver, undoubtedly to increase quotas on the workers in the name of duty to their kind.

  Alerik knew far too much was wrong with the world he lived in, but he kept up appearances for the girl. She was the only person he cared about. He let her think she was clever in uncovering some big secret, but the truth was that none of this was a shocking revelation. Anyone who had spent enough time under that dome already knew the truth, deep down. Shit was fucked up.

  He approached the bar, a tall two-story structure with aluminum siding and deep carvings into the metal that indicated it was, indeed, a place to get drunk. He stood outside and took out his pipe, leaning against the siding.

  “Where are you?” He mumbled to no one in particular as he lit he alcohol-based lighter, just allowing the flame to hover over the pipe. The white, powdery substance inside the pipe began to bubble as he took a deep drag and allowed the smoke to fill his lungs. When the first settlers arrived, they ran out of what was called cigarettes pretty quickly. Presumably all the stress of starting a colony on a foreign planet diminished the stockrooms at an impressive rate, so they had to find a new source of a quick, few‐minute buzz. Thus, Cigz was born.

  Again, The Union was bursting with creativity.

  “You know that stuff will kill you, right?” A sweet voice echoed in the distance. He glanced up to see Velar appear in the light of the path.

  “Oh, don’t give me that shit right now, we are about to pour pure alcohol made from who knows what into our blood stream. Once you justify that, then you can hop back onto your pedestal,” he smiled wryly as he walked out to meet her.

  As she came towards him, he sucked in a sharp breath. Damn, she really was beautiful. She was short – couldn’t be over 5’2” in boots – but what she lacked in height, she made up for in being a know‐it‐all. She was wearing her typical tight green shirt with that backpack firmly strapped on, the straps so tight that you’d think she was worried it might suddenly sprout legs and walk away from her somehow. She was very curvy and built from good stock. Alerik knew that she was aware of how attractive she was. Yet, for some reason, she never acted like she was too pretty to be seen w
ith the likes of him. Why? He'd probably never know.

  When he reached her, she didn’t give him much time to actually give her a proper greeting, she just linked her arm in his and continued walking.

  “You alright? You seem eager,” he said dryly as he glanced over at the girl tugging on his arm. He moved a little faster to keep up with her pace.

  She looked up at him, “Yes, I’m alright. Just another long day in the mines. You know, betterment of blah, blah, blah…”

  They reached the entrance to the bar and she slid open the metal siding before stepping inside. Alerik followed behind her, sliding the door shut before scoping out the bar.

  The place was a shit hole. Depression hung in the air like an invisible fog. Happy music still played, though. It was the only kind of music they would ever play ‐ everything else had been confiscated by The Union. They didn’t want sad music bringing down the morale of their workers, so only upbeat and fast-paced music was permitted. It was said to create a positive atmosphere, which in turn would increase productivity.

  Ha. Right.

  If The Union wanted to improve morale, it would take a lot more than an upbeat tempo.

  That wasn’t the worst of it though. The worst were the reruns on The Union-sponsored television channel, the only channel that came in on the static-filled boxes that citizens were permitted to use. It was all reruns of American 1950’s television programs. All happy, all the time… and all fake. Alerik was wise enough to know that no one is or ever was that happy. Things go wrong. Life is never as perfect as they show on television. Then again, maybe on Earth it had been. It surely wasn't perfect on Mars. Closer to the opposite, in fact.

  Alerik walked up to the bartender and ordered a couple of shots for himself and his companion. As he did, Velar hopped up onto the stool next to him. She motioned for him to lean closer as she whispered into his ear.

  “I don’t want to get blackout drunk tonight. I want to come to your place,” she lowered her voice, eyes darting around as if she was making sure no one was eavesdropping, “I have something to show you.”

  Alerik was taken aback a second. He was quiet as the gears turned in his head. What could she possibly need to tell him at his place that she couldn’t say here? He quickly dismissed a thought that popped into his head. That one was both impossible as it was inappropriate. Finally, he reasoned it probably had something to do with their earlier conversation. Yeah, probably that. He was glad he worked it out before he said something stupid out loud.

  He offered Velar a small nod as the bartender slid their order across the top of the bar. He picked up the shots and handed her one, clinking his to hers and tossing it back quickly. Once he set the glass down, he looked back up to see her grimace and he chuckled a bit. The girl never could keep a straight face after taking a strong shot.

  This had been their routine for a while, though Alerik couldn’t really remember when it all started. She’d just shown up there after work one day, looking awkward and out-of-place surrounded by the rough types that usually frequented the place. They had started talking, venting about the workday and eventually a friendship had formed between the two. Every night after work and before the curfew, the pair would meet up at the shitty bar and have a shot or two… or seven. There were few things in his life that he looked forward to as much as he looked forward to their daily bar ritual.

  “You ready to get out of here, then? We still have to be up early,” he said as he scanned a few credits onto his bar tab to pay for the drinks. They’d need to cut the bar time short if they wanted to travel to his place and still get her home in time. Velar nodded excitedly, obviously itching to talk to him about whatever it was that was on her mind.

  The two quickly headed out of the bar and Alerik reached for his pipe out of habit.

  “Don’t do that, we don’t have time,” Velar said before grabbing his hand and leading him back onto the path, “I have a few questions for you, about… You know, the history of us,” she said in an ominous tone. As she turned her head to face forward, her long, dark hair flowed over her shoulders like the dust storms that engulf the dome.

  “This again?” he half-smiled, locking his eyes on the path ahead of them so he’d stop noticing things like her hair, “I have no problem with giving you what I remember. Just please, don’t make it an exam, deal?”

  “Deal,” she nodded as they both walked in unison under the dim light of the street lamps.

  Their walk through the settlement was uneventful, the usual sterile smell of metal and dirt filled the air. The filtration system on the dome always did its job, but the metallic smell of the terrain outside always seemed to permeate in, and you never quite got used to it.

  The settlement was mostly a uniformed height, no buildings exceeded five stories tall except for the buildings in the Ruby and Diamond district. Those buildings towered above them all, stretching upwards from an impressive thirty all the way up to a hundred stories tall. The buildings were grim and dark. All structures were, in fact. The dome amplified the weaker sunlight, and the dark buildings absorbed it, making heating a little easier.

  The settlement was a well-oiled machine, an ecosystem. Everyone had the same amount of pay, the same amount of things to choose from if they wanted to use their pay, and the same structured, pre-planned lives.

  Nearly all the inhabitants of Liberty were miners. Exceptions were the guards who kept order, and the people of The Union. The Union was comprised of scientists, doctors, and politicians – all fighting for the same chair. Historically, power had switched hands often in Liberty.

  For the last fifty years, however, it has been ruled by one man. Aldain Denamu. His family had been fighting for power since the dome went up, leveraging the power that their name held due to the weight it had back on Earth. Now that the family finally had someone in the lead chair, there would be no letting it go.

  Outside of the settlement, who knew? No one was allowed to venture past the settlement walls. It was a bleak existence for the miners, working from sun up until sun down, with no breaks in between. ‘It could be worse,’ they told themselves, but the sentiment was unconvincing. And besides, what other choice did they have? They were stuck, with no way out. It was how it was and how it would be, and that was that. At least the days on Mars were just about the same as a day on Earth, otherwise their bodies would go haywire. You learn to appreciate the little things.

  Soon, the pair arrived at his apartment. It was a tiny room, with a toilet on one side, and a stove on the other. Pretty run-of-the-mill accommodations. The walls were bare, with rust forming over the sheet metal, and the stone floor was always cold and slightly damp.

  Velar actually admired it, it was far better than what she was used to. She simply couldn’t wait to move up in the mining world and make a name for herself so that she could get a place so spacious and comfortable. She lived in a similar room, except with about twenty other women, all on cots sprawled out across the floor. The extent of the décor was one dim bulb hanging from the ceiling.

  “Nice place you got here!” she said with a genuine smile.

  Alerik smiled back, remembering she’d never visited his place before. “Thanks, I’ve been trying to make the place look nice. I saved up last cycle and was able to get a new lamp. It’s really been a life-saver when I want to read the next morning’s orders,” his voice dripped with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. He moved over to the wall and slid down so that it was easier to take off his boots. “So, come sit. Tell me why you wanted to come here of all places. Why couldn’t you just talk to me at the bar?” He asked as he got his boots off and pulled out his Cigz. She narrowed her eyes at the pipe and sighed before speaking.

  “So, I know what you have told me at the jobsite is the official story. What I want to know is, what do you really think happened? I can tell you’re bullshitting me and don’t you deny it, Alerik. Things here are not great. They haven’t been great for a while. This can’t be how humanity was before coming here
. I imagine a world of color, of happiness.” She said, her eyes widening with wonder and fantasy, “I refuse to believe it has always been this… depressing.”

  Alerik took a drag from his pipe and smiled at the girl, his dimples making their first real appearance of the night. Velar loved his dimples but couldn’t bring herself to ever tell him. She just wanted him to think she was cool, unlike some of the other women at the site who fell all over themselves every time he was around. She forced herself to focus on his words and not his dimples.

  “Well,” he exhaled a puff of that nasty smoke, “I don’t think it happened the way we are told. I don’t think it’s too far off, either. We are just meant to be depressed, in my opinion. Think about it, everyone you know is down about something, if not everything. Even the people up at The Union can’t be happy with their work. I know I wouldn’t be. I think maybe when Earth died out, this was supposed to be some paradise for us to regrow in, somewhere to call home without missing home too much. I suppose something between then and now changed and now here we are, disappointed and depressed because this isn’t the paradise it was meant to be. Men have always fought for power, and power corrupts things. Maybe this was always inevitable,” he shrugged, “Every scenario involving humans ends this way eventually,” he let out a deep breath.

  “So, you think that someone took control once we were isolated and that this is just all we know? All we’ll ever know? So now we just accept it?” her face fell into a sad expression.

  He hated seeing her frown. Watching her perfectly shaped lips shift from a smile to a frown twisted his heart worse than anything else inside the dome. He moved towards her and looked at her in the eyes in an attempt to reassure her.

  “I don’t know anything for sure,” he offered gently, “That is just my best guess, but I’m a cynical asshole. My family passed down stories of Earth for generations, and some of that got lost in the hand‐off, I’m sure. But, one running theme is that men like power, and if they have a way to secure it, they do. At any cost.” He said before shaking it off and smiling. “Hey, there isn’t much we can do anyway, is there? So, just keep these thoughts out of your head. They’ll only bring you down. We are all alive and that’s what counts. We just have to keep doing our part and eventually, once we are big enough, things will change. You'll see.” He hoped his speech was as convincing as he was trying for. Optimism wasn’t his strong suit. She was just so young and had a long life of depressing shit ahead of her. If she could get a touch of truth here and there while maintaining a positive outlook, she might be okay for a while.