by Nolan Oreno
“Better this way?" Autumn protested. “Everyone’s been saying it’s been better this way, about everything we do. No, I don’t think it’s better this way, and I think you should stop making the decisions for everyone and acting like it’s somehow communal."
“Autumn, let’s take you back to your room," Saul calmly responded, gently taking her by the arm. “You need some rest."
“I don’t need any rest, I’ve been resting enough. I’m bringing up a concern of mine, so stop treating me like an upset child," she said.
Saul tugged at her. “Come on. Let’s talk about this in your room."
Autumn questioningly looked into his eyes. “What are you trying to hide?" she asked, and the room fell silent.
Saul met Autumn’s eyes, quickly investigated her emotions, and then once he came to a conclusion of what it was that bothered, her he looked back to the crowd.
“Alright, meeting dismissed. Let’s go about our jobs people!" he hollered. “We’ll regroup at nightfall."
The meeting hall cleared faster than what seemed possible, and in its emptiness, Saul and Autumn remained in their same positions.
“Tell me what the problem is," Saul said, letting go of Autumn’s arm.
“You know exactly what my problem is," she said.
“I didn’t do it to hurt you. I only did it because I wanted us all to get passed the time of self-reflection and rumination. I know how much the program meant to you, but we all need to move on."
Autumn pushed away from him. “Move on from what?" she said. “Is your definition of moving on killing one of us and sending another one of us away? Where exactly are we moving on to?"
Saul nodded as if he had been proven right. “This is about him, isn’t it."
Autumn was caught off guard. She had no way of responding and quickly regretted the initial confrontation if it would take this route.
“Yes, I know it is," Saul continued. “It’s about Hollis. He’s a close friend of yours, and as hard as it is for you to believe, he’s also a close friend of mine. But he’s sick, Autumn. You should see him now in the garden, living like a barbarian, rambling on about crazy conspiracies that Asnee told him in his lunacy. You saw Asnee, was he right in the mind? No, he was not. He was a man caught in his actions. He did terrible things to Janya and was making any excuses necessary to convince himself otherwise, as well as everyone else. But while we all saw how incoherent he was, Hollis continued to believe him. Hollis found it easier to believe that his dear friend Asnee is pure and innocent, and somehow, in some twisted perception, I’m the one at fault here. No, I can’t trust a guy who believes in such madness, and furthermore, willing to act on it in the way he did," Saul said, outlining his scarred jaw with a fingertip. “Who knows what other stories he’ll make up in his head if we let him back here. Who know’s who else he’ll hurt."
Autumn shook her head. “You’re the only one who’s hurt people, Saul."
“Hurt people? It was hard to do the things I’ve done, and you can hate me for them right now, but I know one day you’ll forgive me. One day you’ll see that everything I’ve done I did for the colony. But most importantly, I did it for you. I’m protecting our lives here; They all can see that, so why can’t you? I only want to keep you safe," he said, and he drifted his hand to her stomach. “Our child safe-"
Autumn jumped backward. “I think I know what's best for me and my child," she said confidently, and turned away, surged with an adrenaline rush that she had long been waiting for and excited by the fact that she had no idea what she would do next. Even before she herself knew it, she had stolen a Crawler from the garage and made haste to the far reaches of the desert. It was there she suspected the real answers were waiting. As afraid as she was, she knew it was the only way to quiet her questioning so that she may once again assimilate with the colony. Only then could things return to the way they were.
Only then.
Part Nineteen: Extremophiles
Observed by the naked eye, the petri-dish appeared to be vacant of life. Clear fluid thinly covered the base of the dish and to someone with less expertise than Hollis, it could be mistaken for simple water. However, Hollis knew better. The moment he guided the petri-dish under the magnified lens of his microscope, the hidden ecosystem within revealed itself to him. Dancing in the liquid were millions of single-celled organisms, ovular in shape and dynamic in movement. These modest creatures were not as fragile as they appeared and capable of surviving the harshest of environmental conditions, from the fiery hearts of planets to the frozen depths of the deepest oceans. What made these organisms so special were their ability to adapt to whatever surroundings they found themselves within without losing any strength. Thier adaptation was an evolutionary advantage that allowed their unwavering survival since the dawn of first life in the universe. Like the microscopic soldiers they were, the Archaea, as they were called, could live on both Earth and on Mars, and any planet for that matter, without the threat of extinction.
Archaea were the cornerstone to Hollis’ research, and it was their talent for environmental adaptation that interested him early on. He utilized their powers in his past bioengineering exploits by extracting their enzymes and transplanting them into various crops, in turn passing on the ability to survive the unsurvivable conditions, including: nuclear radiation, soils void of water or nutrients, extreme temperatures, and high altitudes thinned of oxygen. His success with the Archaeans on a particular strain of corn made him famous and provoked the idea of their uses on Mars. After months of working on designs with a team of molecular biologists, botanists, and chemists back on Earth, Hollis had discovered the secret for life on the red planet. If he could give corn the powers of environmental invincibility through the Archaeans, why could he not do the same to a tree? It was this idea that the United National Forces of Earth were looking for to begin their plans to terraform Mars for their colony, and they put all their faith and resources into the microscopic Archaea and the Mexican botanist that cared for them.
But nothing could have prepared Hollis for Mars. Days after touchdown, once the entire crew was settled in the Hub for their two-year long stay, Hollis tested his engineered corn on the Martian surface. All attempts failed. Out of the three-hundred and ninety-eight corn seeds planted into the soil, not one breached the surface. As a terrible foreshadowing of his future attempts with EDN, the corn showed no promise to complete its growth cycle in the desert. For a vast majority of his research, Hollis relied heavily on a large outlet of world-renowned scientist back on Earth, and through radio communication from the red planet to the blue planet, they worked together to find the solution to the tree. However, once the radio signals ceased coming on the day Earth’s atmosphere was compromised, Hollis was from then on out left to his own skills to uncover the faults with EDN and the Archaea. He had been searching ever since, from every cell to every gene, for the reasons of the Archaea’s failure. He continued to struggle with the question: was it possible?
This time was different. Hollis’ eyes narrowed on the current community of Archaea that gathered beneath him in the dish. They were multiplying and at a rate he had never seen before. It seemed that by leaving the Archaea alone for such a long period of time, he had given them an advantage that only time could bring. After killing so many during his two years on Mars, through trial and error, he had created a population that was evolving quickly to counter their deaths. By isolating the Archaea, he sped up their advanced adaptive techniques, and unknown to him, he had developed the perfected generation he originally wanted. He had played God, and somehow, it worked.
“It worked," Hollis mumbled in shock. “Carajo! It worked!"
He would need to transfer their enhanced enzymes into the EDN seeds and test them against Mars to be certain, but all signs pointed to a set of stronger traits that might finally be tough enough to counter Mars. Hollis calmed his excitement and began the arduous process of recovering the enzymes and transferring them into the seeds. After
shuffling through his vast collection of chemicals, he found the vial of sodium dodecyl sulfate and began to carefully mix its contents, with precise measurements, into the culture of Archaeans. This would stimulate lysis, the breaking down of the organic components of the bacteria, and allow for the isolation of the enzymes. The two mixtures dissipated into each other, and the reaction began to take place. It would take time before the organisms had fermented and the enzymes were successfully separated, but Hollis had just that while locked away in his garden: time.
He watched the Achaeans as they bubbled in response to the chemicals and felt a flash of melancholy as the invulnerable organisms died before him, but he shook the childish feeling away and moved away from the workstation to let the process ensue on its own. He walked over to the formula tanks that contained his supply of EDN seeds and spent some time there, gazing at the hundreds upon hundreds of seeds that drifted within. This would be the batch, he thought. Somewhere within the tank, hidden among the masses, identical but unique, would be the seed that sprouts the tree and brings the forest. He felt a pounding in his soul that told him this was true. This was the moment that all his sacrifices had been leading to, since the very day he received the letter in his laboratory on Earth. For this very reason, he had left his family and traveled across a sea of stars, just as the Creature had made its own journey to him: to reach this precise moment in time and space. All of it was to see that the tree grows. Perhaps Hollis was being overly confident, and perhaps he was the drug-addicted failure all others believed him to be, but either way, he would soon discover if his life’s work was worth all the trouble of wasting his life upon. He would finally know if he had indeed held true to his promise to humanity, to his daughter, to the Computer, and to himself.
The grasses rustled behind him, and he abruptly turned. Had the overwatching Creature returned?
“Hollis," Autumn said between the leaves. “It’s only me.”
“Autumn-" Hollis muttered. He made sure the white lab coat was tightened around his dirty bare body. “What- what are you doing here?"
Autumn moved into the gardens clearing in her exosuit. “I don’t know," she said. “I had to come, to see you, I suppose."
Hollis took a step back from the lab table. “I’m glad you did," he said. “You’ll see that I’m not the freak they say I am."
“I never thought you were a freak."
Hollis nodded and looked down at his experiments. “No, I’m just a mad scientist."
Autumn came up beside him and studied his progress spread out on the table. “What about your research? Some of us still have faith in you, you know. Some of us are still waiting for the forest."
“As much as it pains me to admit it, being locked up in here has its benefits," he said. “I’ve made a breakthrough that might be the key to synthesizing the seed, but I still need time to be sure, and more importantly, I need access to the valley. Unfortunately, Saul in all his brilliance won’t let me leave the garden for any reason, and since everyone thinks I’m a maniac now, I’ve got no one to help me. You can wait for the forest all you want, but unless I leave this place, it won’t happen."
“I can talk to him. I can convince him otherwise."
“No, you can’t," Hollis said. “He’s beyond reason. He only wants to see me
disappear. He doesn’t care about the tree or anything but his agenda. He said it himself."
“He hasn’t lost his mind, Hollis, and neither have you. He’ll listen to you if you just give him a chance. Once you stop spreading these stories about him-"
“Have you talked to the Computer?" Hollis jumped in.
“No," Autumn sternly responded.
“Come back to me when you do. Your beliefs about this man will be a lot different then.”
“I can’t."
“Why not?"
Autumn was apprehensive to say it. “Saul disconnected him. The hard drive is wiped clean. He’s gone."
Suddenly, Hollis burst into uncontrollable laughter. He stumbled backward and laughed at the glass domes sky. Autumn waited patiently to the end of his outburst.
“You’re telling me he deleted all the Computer’s files, all the personal logs of the colonists, all the evidence of maltreatment, and you don’t find it suspicious? Come on, you’re smarter than this. It’s right there in front of your eyes," Hollis laughed. “Can’t say I didn’t see this one coming, but it’s almost unbelievable that he’s lived up to his stereotype as the villain."
“I don’t know what to believe anymore!" Autumn yelled to combat Hollis’ laughter. “This place has become a courthouse with everyone being called up to the witness stand! Who’s the criminal? Who’s the murderer? Who’s the monster? How the hell am I supposed to know!?"
Hollis slowed his laughing and composed himself. “Look, Autumn, you’ve known me for years. Never once have I lied to you. I’m not starting now. I need you to trust me."
“I’ve known Saul for years too! I’ve trusted both of you! One of you says one thing, the other says something else. I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a standoff, and I’m tired of playing both sides. I’m tired of choosing!" Autumn finished, and she grabbed her stomach as her muscles cramped from all the screaming. She let out an exasperated breath.
“Okay, okay you’re right. I’m sorry. This can’t be easy for you," Hollis said, realizing his word was slipping. “Right now none of that matters. What matters most is that you keep our child safe, and you rest until delivery. You don’t need any of this right now. I can figure this out on my own."
Autumn calmed herself and pushed sweat off her forehead. “No," she said. “You can’t do this on your own. You and I both know that. You need help to make this tree grow. The Computer always told us that the tree and our child had to born together. We might not be able to talk to him now, but I’m sure the plan is the same. I might not trust either you or Saul right now, but I do trust the Computer."
“And I trust him too. But the problem still remains: no one else will help me. The others are too scared to come here, and Saul won’t be convinced to let me free anytime soon. We’re stuck where we are."
“Not exactly," Autumn said. “When the batch is ready, I can take it to the valley."
“No, out of the question," Hollis harshly responded. “It’s too dangerous in your condition to make a long journey in the desert, let alone knowing what Saul would do if he found out you were helping me. No, I might as well do it myself if that's the case."
“We both know if you leave this garden the others will never trust you again. Saul will finally have a good reason lock you in here forever."
“Then we get someone else."
“There is no one else, you were right about the others being scared of you," Autumn said in shame. “This is the only way. I can deal with Saul, I got here without him noticing. They’re all at the Refugee Settlement most of the day anyway working on the construction. I’m the last person he’d expect to double-cross him. He thinks I’m helpless and weak, and I can use that card to my advantage."
“But our child," Hollis said. “Our child's not safe out there, in the desert."
“Without me doing this, our child will grow up out there, in the desert. I need to do this."
Hollis rubbed his dirty face with his dirty hands and sighed. “Come back to me in three days. The batch will be ready. Until then, I need time to think."
Autumn turned to leave, and on her way out she took one last look around the lush garden. The plants were greener and thicker than she remembered, and vines crawled up the piping on the glass walls, obscuring some of the light but letting enough in to brighten the expanse. The smell of life wafted through the humid air and coated her dry skin in warm dew. Her lungs felt relieved to breathe again.
“You know, this place is beautiful," she said, and she walked out.
Hollis waited the next day in a deep meditation while registering in all that had happened and all that will happen. He followed the timeline of the twi
sting paths of the past that somehow brought him where he found himself now, backed into a corner. With the Computer's death, he was without proper guidance, and, therefore, he could rely only on his own clouded and emotional mind for judgment. But no matter where his mind went, and the complex strategies it fabricated in an imaginary space, it always came back to one option: Autumn had to plant the seeds.
On the second day, the seeds were produced with the new enzymes. He tested them in the Nursery against an atmosphere nearly identical to Mars, and they survived at a 97% survival rate, the best he had ever seen in all his years of research.
On the third day, as she promised, Autumn returned.
“Okay," he said. “We’ll do it your way."
Hollis installed a one-way wireless headset so they could communicate directly without any other ears listening. They went over a topographic map of the surrounding area to find the safest route to the valley and assured themselves no sandstorms were forming in the greater desert beyond the boundaries of the colonial territory. After he double checked Autumn’s suit and life support systems, he finally felt ready to let her go. He took out the liquid bag filled with one hundred of the new EDN seeds and placed it in her gloves.
“Make sure both of you get to the valley safely," he said. “It’ll be a few hours by the path we mapped out, but it’s the easiest way to get there. The ground is relatively flat most of the way, but once you begin nearing the valley it’ll become more rocky. Just remember to take it slow and steady and watch out for sizeable craters."
“Don’t worry, Hollis. I was trained in surface missions in the Sahara as much as you were," she said.
“I know, I trust in you. You’ve got nine hours until they return from the construction site. That should be more than enough time, but remember, take it slow."