Box

by Richard J Lowe

  Dimitri’s voice trembled slightly. ‘Lula?’

  ‘Sorry.’ Daniel put a hand on Dimitri’s arm. ‘She programmed an AI which found out.’

  Dimitri took a deep shuddering breath. ‘Of course.’ He wiped his eyes. ‘Come, let’s get some food before this lot eat it all.’

  After the food was finished and the wine drunk, Dimitri and Daniel were standing in the lake, with their trousers rolled up, paddling. They were facing inland, towards the settlement.

  ‘Still no sign of the Box, Danny.’ Dimitri pointed to the large square patch of dead alien grass that marked where it normally rested.

  ‘No,’ said Daniel.

  As if on cue, the Box appeared. The surrounding grass rippled as displaced air rushed over it.

  ‘I meant to say, there it is,’ said Daniel.

  ‘Very funny. Come on, let’s go and see where they’ve been.’

  They found Simone sitting on a deckchair outside the Box. She had a paperback book in her hand and was frowning in concentration.

  ‘Where did you find that?’ asked Daniel.

  Simone looked up at him, a distracted look on her face. ‘What?’

  ‘The book. Where on Mars did you get it from?’

  She turned the book over in her hands and looked at the cover as if seeing it for the first time.

  ‘Not Mars. Earth. Connie picked it up for me on her last trip.’

  Simone folded over the corner of the page she had been reading and put the book on the ground beside her. Daniel read the title on the book’s cover. ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’.

  ‘Is it any good?’

  ‘I’ve only just started it.’

  Dimitri interrupted. ‘Who cares? Where have you been? We need more building supplies.’

  ‘Sorry. We need the Box for something else for a while.’

  Dimitri’s voice got louder. ‘Damn it, Simone. You can’t do shit like this without telling me. I’m trying to get this settlement up and running.’

  ‘I can and I will. You’re not my supervisor, Dimitri.’

  ‘Then tell me. What’s so goddamn important?’

  Simone looked at Daniel then back to Dimitri. ‘I can’t tell you.’

  ‘Bullshit.’ Dimitri scowled.

  Daniel decided it was time to step in. ‘Dimitri, I’m sure Simone has a good reason for not sharing what she’s up to.’ He turned his attention to his daughter. ‘Simone, surely you can tell us something about what you’re doing?’

  Simone did not say anything.

  ‘Tell us,’ said Dimitri.

  ‘You’re not going to like it, Dad.’

  ‘Try me,’ said Daniel.

  ‘We...Kevin and I…’

  Daniel nodded encouragingly.

  ‘I took Kevin and Connie to Mars.’ Simone stopped. Daniel recognised the look. It was the same expression she wore as a child when caught in one of her schemes with her little brother.

  Daniel couldn’t believe it. Actually, he could. ‘What the hell, Simone?’

  ‘They’re taking evidence of Mum’s murder to ColPol.’

  ‘Shit,’ commented Dimitri.

  ‘Simone.’ Daniel didn’t know what to say. His initial reaction was one of shock and concern that his children were putting themselves in danger. This was followed by an almost guilty thrill. A feeling that justice would be done for Doris. If the right people got hold of that evidence, Webb was finished.

  ‘Dad, I’m pregnant, not made of glass.’

  ‘I know,’ said Daniel. ‘You should have told me.’

  Simone got to her feet and threw her arms around him, hugging hard. ‘I know.’

  Dimitri coughed.

  Simone released Daniel with a little laugh. ‘Sorry, Dimitri. We should have told you as well. I just know how you feel about ColPol.’

  ‘I’m glad Lula could help you.’ Dimitri wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘Are they on Mars now?’

  ‘Yes. I’m taking the Box to the agreed pick up point every hour until they show up.’

  ‘And if they don’t show up?’ Daniel asked quietly.

  ‘They will,’ said Simone.

  ‘You sound very sure.’

  Dimitri interrupted. ‘Danny, if they don’t then we will go get them. Right?’

  ‘They will,’ repeated Simone.

  ‘I just hope you’re right,’ said Daniel. ‘We’re coming with you next time.’

  ‘Yes. We will go with you. Make sure you stay safe,’ said Dimitri.

  Simone nodded. ‘Okay. I can cope with that. It’s actually a relief you two knowing.’

  ‘So, when do we go?’ asked Daniel.

  Simone checked her cuff. It still told the time without being connected to the colony network. ‘In about fifteen minutes.’

  ‘I have to go and tell the construction team they will be on a long break,’ said Dimitri.

  ‘Hurry back. I won’t wait,’ said Simone.

  Dimitri grinned. ‘We are on a schedule. I understand schedules.’

  Simone gently pushed Dimitri towards the settlement. ‘Just hurry up, Dimitri.’

  CHAPTER 35

  They used the main airlock to leave the agri-dome. Reims knew they were lucky to catch a shift change which let them mingle with the workers heading home for the day, keeping their heads down to avoid being picked up by any AI that was monitoring the cameras. The exit was bereft of any ColPol observers, and she guessed Geller and Davis were supposed to be watching this way out.

  Reims hesitated in front of the rover access panel.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Kevin.

  ‘I’m pretty sure my cuff’s being monitored,’ said Reims.

  ‘Not even wearing mine.’ Kevin held up his bare wrist for inspection.

  ‘Connie. Use yours.’ Reims put her cuff into standby mode, disconnecting it from the network.

  ‘Won’t Lula’s cuff be monitored as well?’ asked Kevin.

  ‘It is. But unless anyone has changed it, the AI will only notify myself and Conway.’

  ‘Okay.’ Connie awkwardly held her wrist out towards the access panel. ‘Here goes.’

  Reims noticed the unfamiliar way Connie was handling the cuff’s most basic functions. Perhaps she really was from Earth.

  Reims put one hand on her taser. ‘Maddock, you drive.’

  ‘Still don’t trust me, huh?’

  ‘Forgive me but I’m not in a trusting mood after recent events.’

  ‘I hope you change your mind about us,’ said Connie.

  Reims smiled grimly. ‘So do I. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.’

  Kevin did as he was told and sat in the driver’s seat. Reims took her usual seat in the back. However, this time she didn’t draw her taser.

  Connie looked at the holstered weapon. ‘Maybe starting to trust us a little?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Where to?’ asked Kevin.

  Reims responded with a question of her own. ‘Can you take us to get another copy of the evidence?’

  The two in the front seat exchanged a glance before Kevin said, ‘Yes.’

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ asked Reims. ‘Go.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Kevin.

  Reims was intrigued to know where the Maddocks had been hiding.

  Kevin drove them towards the outskirts of the colony and then veered off the road. They continued over some rough terrain and through a natural rock arch before finally coming to a halt in an unremarkable bit of martian wilderness.

  Reims looked around for some natural shelter the fugitives may have been hiding. There was nothing. She looked questioningly at Kevin who had switched off the rover’s motor, removed his seat-belt and was settling back in his chair.

  ‘Now, we wait,’ he said.

  ‘Excuse me? We’re in the middle of goddamn nowhere,’ said Reims.

  ‘We’re meeting Sim here.’

  ‘Here? Where’s she staying? The nearest habs are kilometres away.’

&nb
sp; Connie laughed. ‘Oh, you’ll see.’

  ‘I hope she isn’t too long, we don’t have any food with us,’ said Reims. ‘How’s the rover stocked?’

  Kevin popped open the panel of the forward storage compartment and took a look. ‘There’s water and tanks.’

  ‘Good.’ At least they had the bare essentials.

  The cab interior was silent except for the faint hum of the rovers circuits.

  ‘So…’ said Kevin.

  Reims raised an eyebrow.

  Kevin ploughed on. ‘How’s everything in ColPol? Good?’

  Reims second eyebrow joined the first. ‘You did not just ask me that.’

  ‘Right. Sorry.’

  Connie’s chair creaked as she shifted her weight. ‘What do you think happened to Bannon?’

  ‘Nothing good,’ said Kevin glumly.

  ‘He’ll be in the cells,’ said Reims.

  She wondered what had happened to Conway. It seemed that chief Smith had thrown his lot in with Webb and was now acting as the councillor’s enforcer. Maybe she was wrong, but it seemed a good working assumption.

  ‘Will he go to the can?’ asked Kevin.

  Reims considered the question. ‘No. I think Conway will go along with whatever the chief says. He has a family to worry about.’

  ‘I meant Bannon,’ said Kevin.

  ‘Oh. He’ll be there already.’

  ‘We’ve got to help him,’ said Kevin.

  ‘We do?’ asked Reims.

  ‘Of course we do!’

  Reims shook her head. ‘No chance. After the breakout the other week, security has been tightened.’

  ‘But—’

  She interrupted Maddock. ‘I’m fine with waiting in silence, by the way.’

  He fell into an uneasy silence and turned to look moodily at the dusty landscape.

  Reims was glad Maddock had decided to shut up and went back to thinking about her predicament. She needed to get this evidence in the hands of someone who couldn’t be ignored or easily disappeared. But at the moment she couldn’t think of anyone who fit the bill. She rubbed at her temples.

  ‘There,’ said Connie.

  Reims looked up and was astounded to see a large grey cubic structure framed by the natural rocky red archway. ‘What the…’

  ‘Sim’s here.’ Connie’s smile was wide.

  Kevin and Connie got out of the rover and, still wondering where the hell this big grey building came from, Reims followed.

  ‘What the hell is that?’ asked Reims, managing to formulate a coherent question this time.

  ‘That,’ said Connie. ‘That is the Box.’

  Reims remained baffled. ‘Box?’

  Her bafflement only increased when the circular ‘door’ flicked into existence and Dimitri Ivankov stepped out holding what looked like a rifle. The missing murder weapon?

  She saw that the other two also looked surprised to see Ivankov. Though probably for different reasons to hers.

  ‘Don’t move, fascist,’ said Dimitri.

  ‘It’s okay, Dimitri. She’s helping us,’ said Connie.

  ‘Some of us,’ muttered Kevin.

  Dimitri snorted. ‘This is the fascist that put Jacob in the can.’ He jabbed the rifle towards Reims.

  ‘I was enforcing the law,’ said Reims. She would be damned if she was going to apologise for doing her job to this idiot.

  ‘The law is wrong,’ said Dimitri.

  Reims shrugged. ‘The law is the law. Whether you like it or not is immaterial.’

  ‘She’s helping us, Dimitri,’ repeated Connie.

  Dimitri didn’t lower his weapon. ‘So you say.’

  Reims saw Daniel and Simone Maddock emerge from the structure.

  ‘It’s okay, Dimitri.’ Simone put her hand on Dimitri’s shoulder.

  ‘But this is the fascist who sent Jacob to the can.’

  ‘I said it’s okay.’ Simone shifted her hand to the barrel of the gun and pushed it downwards so it was pointing at the ground.

  Dimitri scowled, but slung the rifle over his shoulder.

  ‘Come inside where we can talk without these damn masks,’ said Simone.

  Once they were all inside the strange structure, Reims was startled when the others took off their therms and started to take their Masks off.

  ‘Wait a min—’ She stopped. Nobody was suffocating.

  ‘It’s okay Reims. You can take the mask off,’ said Simone.

  She looked over her shoulder at the opening to the outside. There was no airlock. How was this possible? It was warm too. Like being in a habitat. She peeled off her therms then, more tentatively, removed her mask and took a short experimental breath. Then she inhaled deeply. ‘God that smells clean. What sort of scrubbers do you use? What is this place? Does it have some sort of cloaking device or something?’

  ‘I’ll answer your questions in a bit. First, I have some of my own.’ Simone turned to face her brother. ‘How did it go? Has he been arrested?’

  ‘Uh,’ said Kevin.

  Reims shook her head. ‘No, and I suspect the flash drive has ended up with Webb.’

  ‘Shit,’ said Simone.

  ‘That’s what I said,’ said Reims.

  ‘We need another copy,’ said Connie.

  ‘To do what with?’ asked Simone.

  ‘I haven’t worked that out yet,’ said Reims.

  The only person she knew who could possibly help was Josie. Her job at the data centre involved monitoring the news feed. Josie could setup a download link and then send it out on the news feed. The problem with that plan was what happened to Josie afterwards. Any follow up investigation would implicate her. Probably okay if the plan worked, not so okay if something went wrong.

  ‘You can think about it while we go and get a copy,’ said Simone.

  ‘You don’t have one here?’ asked Reims.

  ‘No. The original is back on Kev’s world,’ said Simone.

  Reims looked at Kevin and Connie. ‘The joke?’

  ‘It’s not a joke. It’s an escape,’ said Connie.

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘We’ll just have to show you.’ Connie was grinning again. ‘Simone?’

  ‘Box, close the door and take us home,’ said Simone.

  ‘Home? Isn’t that here on Mars?’ asked Kevin.

  Simone shook her head. ‘Not any more. Box, open the door.’

  Reims turned to look out of the circular opening. Instead of the familiar dusty red landscape of Mars, she was looking out across a carpet of lush green grass. Three giggling children ran out from behind a small grey hut. They seemed to be playing tag. Reims rubbed her eyes. They were not wearing therms or a mask.

  ‘Welcome to Kev’s world,’ said Connie.

  ‘Holy shit,’ said Reims.

  ‘The laptop is in my hut,’ said Simone. ‘I’ll go get it. Be back in a minute.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ said Daniel.

  As they left, Dimitri called after them. ‘I’ll watch the fascist.’

  ‘She’s on our side,’ said Connie.

  Dimitri just shrugged. He was still holding the rifle.

  ‘I think our guest wants to take a look outside,’ said Kevin.

  Reims realised she had been staring out of the opening with her mouth slightly open and hurriedly shut it. ‘I wouldn’t mind a quick look.’

  They went outside and Reims slowly turned around and marvelled at the fluffy white clouds scattered across the blue sky. Then, she dropped to her knees and ran her hands through the grass. ‘It’s magnificent.’ She was surprised to find her voice choked with emotion.

  ‘Wait until you see the waterfall,’ said Kevin.

  Reims stood up, brushing the grass from her blue coveralls. ‘There’s a waterfall?’

  ‘And a lake,’ added Kevin.

  ‘Where is this? How is this possible?’ asked Reims.

  ‘The Box.’ He gestured at the implacable grey cube. It’s surface was smooth and featureles
s now that the opening had closed. ‘Turns out that the artefact is an instantaneous interstellar transportation device.’

  ‘Christ.’ Reims looked up at the clouds and wondered what being in the rain was like.

  ‘You should see it at night. Not a familiar constellation in sight,’ said Connie.

  Reims realised that this changed everything. If she and Josie could come here, then they could publish the evidence with no fear of repercussion. If she and Josie left the colony and came here. She rolled the idea around while she stood in silence, the wind ruffling her hair. The only dampener on her mood was Dimitri who was scowling as he watched her.

  It wasn’t long before Simone returned alone. ‘Dad’s staying here. He’s feeling a bit tired. Now all we need to do is work out who to give this to.’ She held up a flash drive.

  Reims took a deep breath and decided to go for it. ‘I know what I can do with the evidence.’

  Simone looked at her questioningly.

  ‘I think I can get it inserted into the news feed with a download link,’ said Reims.

  ‘The news feed is controlled by the council. They would never run a story on this,’ said Simone.

  ‘I know someone who works at the data centre. She can set up the hosting and insert a story in the feed.’ Reims didn’t want to involve Josie in this, but it looked like she had no choice. With the chief doing Webb’s bidding, going through proper channels in ColPol wouldn’t work. Conway had found that out. She just had to hope that Josie would help. Reims thought she would, but she’d thought that about the chief too. She smiled a little. But then, she wasn’t sleeping with the chief.

  ‘That’s actually not a bad idea,’ said Simone. ‘Enough people should see it before it gets taken down that it can’t be covered up.’

  ‘There’s one condition,’ said Reims.

  Simone looked wary. ‘Condition?’

  ‘I want to come and live here.’

  Reims enjoyed the look of surprise on Simone’s face.

  ‘Not just me. Someone else as well.’

  ‘Right. I mean, I guess that would be okay. As long as no one objects?’ Simone looked questioningly at her companions.

  ‘Fine with me,’ said Connie.

  Kevin shrugged. ‘Whatever.’

  Dimitri scowled and said nothing.

  Simone looked to him for confirmation. ‘Dimitri?’