Mars Station Alpha

by Stephen Penner

  Stanton and Petrov picked up Dekker, one on each side, and hurried back to the rover. Rusakova ran ahead and jumped in the driver's seat. As soon as the three men had piled in, she pressed the accelerator and peeled out in the Martian sand.

  The rover raced across the rocks and bumps, far too fast, while Stanton implored Dekker to, "Hold on. Just hold on."

  Dekker started coughing heavily, then gasping as the station came into sight. Rusakova tried to make the rover go faster, but the throttle was already all the way open.

  Stanton turned his comm feed back on. "Gold! Gold! Come in, Gold!"

  "Oh, there you are," came Gold's cold, snarky tone. "Decided to talk to me after all—"

  "Shut up, Gold!" Stanton barked. "Open the equipment bay doors!"

  "You can stop yelling at me now, Captain," Gold said. "I'm just—"

  "Man down!" Stanton interrupted. "Dekker’s suit failed. Open the damn doors!"

  Gold was silent for a moment, then replied simply, "Yes, Captain."

  Stanton could see the equipment bay doors start to swing open as they approached.

  "Oh, Nils," Rusakova whispered through tears. "Please do not die."

  "Lin?" Stanton said into the comm link.

  "I'm at the airlock, Captain," she replied. "The outer airlock door is already open for you."

  Rusakova drove the rover into the bay so fast she couldn't stop it in time and it crashed to a stop into the back wall. Stanton and Petrov jumped off and pulled Dekker from the rover. They ran into the airlock with Rusakova right behind. As soon as they were inside, Lin closed the airlock door behind them and flooded the chamber with the oxygen-rich air of the station.

  Stanton disconnected Dekker's helmet and pulled it off. Dekker was completely unresponsive. His eyes bulged slightly and his tongue protruded from his mouth.

  "Nils!" shouted Rusakova. She tried to reach him, but Petrov held her back and she collapsed into his arms.

  Lin rushed in with the ventrofibrillator and applied it to Dekker, shoving the mouthpiece past his swollen tongue all the way back into his airway.

  Lin activated it once. Twice. Three times.

  Each time, Dekker's body convulsed, but his breathing never started again.

  Gold ran into the airlock, followed by Mtumbe with a limping run, but neither said anything.

  Lin looked at Stanton who looked back at her with gaunt eyes.

  She activated the ventrofibrillator a fourth time. A fifth time. A sixth time. Nothing.

  Lin shook her head. "I'm sorry, Captain."

  Oksana Rusakova broke away from Petrov and dropped to her knees. She hugged her one time lover's body and sobbed, "Nils! No!"

  But for naught. Dekker was dead.

  Chapter 22

  "What the hell happened out there?!" demanded Gold.

  Stanton pulled off his helmet and swallowed against the lump in his throat. "His suit failed."

  Petrov looked gravely at the captain, but then at Oksana sobbing atop Dekker's body, and said nothing.

  "Failed?" Gold repeated. "What does that mean, failed?"

  "It means his suit failed," Stanton growled. "The seams failed and carbon dioxide flooded the suit."

  "Why didn't you turn up the air flow like with Mtumbe?" Gold accused.

  "I did, Gold," Stanton defended. "This was a different situation. Dekker's suit wasn't just breeched, it failed completely. The air flow, even at its highest, couldn't ward off the CO2 coming in right at his neck. Plus we were a lot farther away."

  Gold’s voice shot up. "And why was that, Captain? What was so important out there? And why did you have to shut off the comm feed?"

  "Yes!" shouted Rusakova, still hugging Dekker’s lifeless body. "Why did we have to go on that fool's errand and turn off our comm feed? It endangered all of us and now Nils is dead!"

  "The comm feed wouldn't have saved him," Stanton answered.

  "And it was important what we saw," said Petrov.

  Gold looked back and forth between Stanton and Petrov. "What did you see?" she demanded.

  "Yes, Captain, tell them!" shrieked Rusakova. "Tell them what idiocy cost Nils his life!"

  "Okay, now is not the time for this," Stanton said. "We have a man down and we need to make arrangements."

  He pulled himself upright. "Mtumbe, take Rusakova to her cabin to rest. Stay with her and get her anything she needs."

  "Yes, Captain," Mtumbe said. He offered a hand to Rusakova. "Come on, Oksana. There's nothing more to do right now."

  Rusakova took Mtumbe's hand and stood up. She wiped the tears from her face and looked right at the captain. "Do not dispose of his body until I can say goodbye."

  "Of course not," assured Stanton. "He will receive a proper burial."

  Mtumbe put his arm around Rusakova's shoulder and guided the crying cosmonaut out of the airlock and toward the sleeping quarters.

  Stanton placed a hand on Petrov’s shoulder. "Can you and Lin take Dekker to sick bay? We'll need to remove the suit for a full inspection."

  "Yes, Captain," replied Petrov gravely. "This is bad. It will only get worse now."

  Stanton grabbed Petrov by both shoulders. "I need you here, Aleksandr, not on the family farm in Novogorod. Do this for me now. We'll talk about the rest later."

  Petrov nodded. "Yes, Captain." But he didn't look good. His face was even more gaunt and his eyes were like dull rocks pushed into his skull.

  Petrov lifted Dekker’s body under the arms and Lin picked up the feet, then they carried it out of the airlock.

  Stanton led Gold out of the airlock as well and closed the interior door behind them.

  "Now," he said sitting down on a chair. "You and I need to talk."

  Chapter 23

  "We don't need to talk," spat Gold. "You need to explain. What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you turn off your comm feed?"

  Stanton hesitated. He wanted to tell her, but he didn't totally trust her. Or maybe that wasn't it. Maybe he was starting to think Petrov might be right and he was ashamed and embarrassed to admit it.

  "Do you remember what Petrov said?" he asked.

  Gold stared at him for a moment, trying to sort through all the things that all the different crew had told her since they'd arrived. "You'll have to be more specific, Captain."

  There was something in the way she said 'captain' that suggested she didn't really respect the title.

  Stanton shifted uneasily on his stool. "About—" He couldn't believe he was saying it. "About the poltergeist?"

  If Stanton had ever wondered what it felt like to have someone look at him like he was crazy, he didn't need to wonder any longer. Gold's eyes flew open wide and she took a step back.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" she said. "A poltergeist? You think the station is haunted by a poltergeist?"

  Stanton stood up and put out his hands. "No, no, that's not what I mean. It's—"

  He didn't know where to start. "Do you remember how Petrov screamed and abandoned his post when we were on the roof?"

  "Yes," Gold replied warily.

  "And do you remember how Dekker said he saw something when we were flying in for the landing at the station?"

  Again, Gold offered a wary, "Yes."

  "Okay," Stanton exhaled. "I told you we were going to look for the missing comm equipment."

  "Yes, you did," answered Gold. "Was that even true?"

  Stanton smiled and shrugged. "Not exactly, no."

  Gold crossed her arms. "I don't appreciate being lied to, Captain."

  Stanton nodded. "Understood. But what I'm trying to say is—"

  "Captain!" Mtumbe rushed into the room, still limping.

  "What is it?" Stanton asked.

  Mtumbe looked at Gold, and frowned. "Um, it's, uh..."

  "Oh, for God's sake!" Gold threw her hands up. "I'll leave. You weren't making any sense anyway, Captain. I'll go see if Petrov and Lin need any help."

  As she walked away, she muttered, "I bet Petrov will tell m
e what really happened."

  Mtumbe and Stanton watched Gold leave, then Stanton opined, "She's a problem."

  "Agreed," said Mtumbe, "but we may have a bigger one."

  Chapter 24

  "What?" asked Stanton.

  "Oksana told me what you found out there," Mtumbe started.

  Stanton shook his head. "It was amazing, Daniel. I don't even know what to think."

  Mtumbe nodded. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Look at this," he said as he unfurled his hand from the object.

  In his hand was a small figurine, carved from the same rock the monoliths had been made of. It was worn and rounded and looked like little more than a long bumpy rock. But at the same time, the shape of humanoid figure was still visible trapped inside the ancient artifact.

  "Where did you find that?" Stanton whispered. Its significance, when combined with the standing stones he’d just seen, didn’t escape him.

  "It was in Mei-Zhu's room."

  "Lin found it?" Stanton asked, not completely understanding.

  Mtumbe shook his head. "I don't think so. When I asked which room was mine, she told me it was next to hers and I could tell her room because it had a Quan Yin statue in it. I went to the room I thought was hers and poked around looking for the statue."

  "But you found this instead," Stanton finished.

  "Actually I found the statue too," Mtumbe answered. "But this was inside the closet, up on the top shelf."

  "How much were you snooping around?" Stanton cocked his head at his friend.

  Mtumbe flashed that disarming smile. "Hot chick tells you you can snoop around her bedroom? C'mon, man, that's prime intelligence gathering."

  Stanton nodded. "There must be something in the air," he mumbled. Then, troubled by the thought, he changed the subject back. "So what is it?"

  Mtumbe looked at him. "Are you kidding?"

  Stanton looked at the ancient figurine. It was getting hard to deny what the evidence was showing them. Ancient figurines and standing stones. Man had always wondered if there had been life on Mars. Had they just discovered proof? Had Ferguson's crew found it first? And did it have anything to do with their unexplained disappearance?

  "Did you tell Lin?" he asked.

  "Not yet," Mtumbe answered. "But I was going to."

  Stanton nodded again. "Of course, of course." He thought for a moment. "Can you wait a bit to tell her?"

  Mtumbe looked sideways at him. "Why?"

  "There's a lot of information exploding at us just now," Stanton answered. "And I just can't believe we're the first ones to learn about this. Did Command know about this? And if so, why didn't they tell us?"

  Stanton shook his head. "I don't know who to trust."

  Mtumbe reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

  Stanton looked Mtumbe in the eye. "You know I do."

  "Then listen to me," Mtumbe said. "It's not good to have secrets."

  Just then Gold walked back in. She crossed her arms and glowered at them. "Okay, what are you two whispering about?"

  Chapter 25

  Stanton leaned back and smiled. "No whispering here, Agent. Just discussing our situation, and what to do next."

  Gold uncrossed her arms and stepped in to join them, albeit warily. "I caught Petrov in the hall. He told me what you found out there."

  Stanton nodded. "I figured he would. What else did he say?"

  Mtumbe casually slid the figurine back into his pocket. If Gold saw, she didn't make it known.

  "He said Dekker defiled the site and was punished by the spirits who dwell there."

  Stanton raised an eyebrow. "Did he really?"

  "He even said 'dwell'?" Mtumbe asked.

  "Oh yes," Gold answered. "I definitely remember the phrase 'spirits who dwell there.' A lot of the rest was rambling, but Lin and I got the basic gist of it."

  "Surprised?" Stanton asked.

  Gold raised an eyebrow. "Surprised about the structure you found? Well, yes."

  "Surprised it's there?" Stanton clarified. "Or surprised we found it?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Gold hissed.

  "You're State Department, not NASA," Stanton said. "How do we know you didn't know about this the whole time? Maybe that's why you're in charge of communications, so we can't tell the world the truth about Mars."

  Gold smiled tightly. "So Petrov's not the only paranoid delusional on this crew, I see."

  She looked to Mtumbe for support, but he just shrugged. "It's a lot all at once," he said. "Did you know about Mars Henge?"

  "Of course not," Gold spat. "I don't know anything about this damned trip. I was working on commercial extradition treaty synchronization when I got plucked and reassigned to this godforsaken, doomed mission. They didn't tell me squat except that my role was 'vital,'" she made air quotes in front of her face, "and that I needed to keep the safety of the crew and the public on Earth in mind at all times."

  She frowned. "They did tell me that we might find something that simply couldn't be reported back to Earth for public safety reasons. I assumed they meant something about what happened to the first crew."

  "That is probably what they meant," Mtumbe agreed.

  Stanton seemed less sure. He recalled Ferguson's advice once regarding their civilian commanders:

  We're nothing more than tools to them. They'd be out here if they could, but they can't. They can't because they're weak, and old, and cowardly. But they want power and control. So they send us to do the work, then they decide for themselves how to divvy up the fruits of our labor. And the worst part is, we let them do it, because we don't give a damn about power, we just want to be out here. We need to be out here. It's who we are. We can't change that. So they use us, but never forget: we're the ones who get to see the whole damned planet while we stand with our feet on the fucking moon.

  "You like being out here?" Stanton suddenly asked Gold.

  She had trouble with the change in conversation. "Where? The entry bay?"

  Stanton smiled and shook his head. "No. Space. Mars. Off Earth."

  "Oh," said Gold. Then she smiled broadly. "Yeah. I like it a lot."

  "What do you like about it?" Stanton continued.

  Gold thought for a moment. "It's so new. No one's been here before. Well, almost no one anyway. But we're here and we're seeing what no one ever even used to dream of seeing."

  "What if you see something you're not supposed to see?" Stanton pressed.

  Gold thought about that one long and hard. She looked at Stanton, then Mtumbe, then the floor, then Stanton again. "I don't think it's possible to see something we're not supposed to see. We're here to see things and whatever we see is what we're supposed to see."

  Stanton smiled. "Be careful, Agent. You're sounding like one of us."

  Gold laughed. "It was bound to happen eventually. But don't misunderstand me," she warned. "Just because we're meant to see something doesn't mean everyone on Earth needs to hear about it."

  Stanton and Mtumbe both frowned.

  "Then what's the point of us seeing it?" Mtumbe asked.

  "I would think it would be its own reward," Gold chided. "So no, there's no way I'm letting you comm back that you found Mars Henge."

  Stanton stood up, ready to challenge her, but just then Lin walked in.

  "I removed the spacesuit from Lieutenant Dekker," she announced. "I would suggest we dispose of the body quickly. That Martian bacteria might be on him too. We saw what it did to Daniel's leg."

  "Well, Gold," Stanton said to his communications czar. "We at least have to tell them one of our crew has died."

  Gold's eyes narrowed. "We don't have to tell them anything unless I decide we tell them. You and I have already discussed the dangers in Command misinterpreting our communiqués. Let's think this one over before we decide what, if anything, to inform them of at this time."

  "Man," Mtumbe slapped his thigh, "you are one cold-blooded bitch."


  Somehow, that made Stanton angry, which in turn made him confused. Gold, however, didn't seem phased. "Thanks for noticing, Commander. They didn't select me for this job because of my long blond hair."

  Stanton needed to change the subject.

  "Where's Petrov?" he asked Lin.

  "As soon as we placed the body in the sick bay, he left to check on Commander Rusakova," Lin answered. "If what he said is true, I'm sure she's very upset."

  "What did he say?" Stanton asked.

  "And did he use the word 'dwell'?" asked Mtumbe.

  "I don't recall his exact words, I'm afraid," Lin answered, "but he said you found an ancient Martian temple and when Dekker jumped on the altar and defiled it, his suit failed. Petrov is convinced the ghosts did it."

  "Which ghosts?" Gold sneered. "The Mars Henge spirits or the poltergeist?" Then she stepped toward the doorway. "I'm going to use the little astronaut's room. When I get back, we should discuss how to phrase our communication to Command regarding Dekker's death. I can already tell you we're not using the words 'ancient temple,' 'altar,' or 'ghosts.'"

  "What about 'dwell'?" Mtumbe asked with a grin.

  Gold grinned back, but without any warmth whatsoever. "Unlikely," she said, "except maybe that now he dwells with angels."

  With that, Gold slipped down the hallway.

  "That woman is cold," said Mtumbe.

  "And a liar," added Lin.

  Stanton and Mtumbe both looked at Lin.

  "Why do you say that?" Stanton demanded, trying not to sound upset by the accusation.

  Lin shrugged casually. "Because it is true. She lied to all of us. She did not carve 'Croatoan' in the corridor hallway."

  Chapter 26

  "What are you talking about?" asked Stanton. "Why do you say that?"

  Lin cocked her head at the two men. "Were you not listening to her when she was arguing with you about poltergeists?"

  "Just now?" Stanton asked.