by Sean Clark
At some point, each one of the exploratory drones had lost contact or stopped working for whatever reason, becoming property of the planet. The same, Cecil thought, could be said of Saïd. Cecil sighs.
The picture is old, the book having been printed long before any of the current work had even been conceptualized. He studies the old images taken from space, enhanced to look down upon the red surface. The neat circles of ancient impacts into the surface were where both the old station and the current station had been set down.
Adjusting his glasses, Cecil looks at the text dotting the page. The strange word Adventum sticks out, labeling the crater Niilo had mentioned, that they had called home. The larger crater next to it is labeled Altum, another familiar name. It is the crater where the current station had been set up.
Cecil’s eyes dart back and forth over the page, fingers tracing lines between the two craters. His eyes squint down, studying the shapes and the points at which the formations came in contact. His eyes flutter for a moment, and he drops the book beside him on the bed. Reaching for his phone, he finds the sole contact; Alika. With quick fingers, he starts to type out a text, trying his best to sound innocuous.
“I forgot. I need to return this book to the library. Could you take me there when you you’re free?”
Chapter 18
Alika had remained silent as they pulled once again past the security checkpoint and into the library parking lot. “I can’t convince you anyway otherwise, can I?” He finally says, hesitating to turn off the engine after pulling into the parking space.
“I need to show you this.” Cecil stresses. “It’s like… there’s something that I never noticed before, something that was before our eyes this whole time. I just need to be able to confirm it myself.” Cecil gets out of the car, book in hand. “If it doesn’t turn out to be anything… I’ll let this all go.”
The librarian’s gaze follows the two as they walk by the front desk, Cecil almost dragging Alika along. They mount the stairs like school children getting out of class for the day. Once again, in the far back, the Mars section is still deserted. Cecil immediately begins scanning the shelves, calling out to Alika, “Help me find a map of the surface. A current one.”
Alika humors him, starting to look down the countless bindings. Eventually, Cecil comes across a book titled ‘The Martian Atlas.” Plopping the book down on the table, Cecil begins to flip through the oversized pages, finding a topographical representation. Areas of concentric circles dot the map, Cecil’s eyes flicking back and forth.
“Here it is.” Cecil exclaims. “Altum. And over here, is Adventum.” He points at the two crater shapes, drawing a line between the two.
Alika crouches down to examine the tiny writing on the page. “I see. So Adventum held the first station. That installation wasn’t really meant to be lived in permanently, though, or so I’ve heard. If you went there now, there would probably be very little left.”
“We’re not far.” Cecil notes, pointing to the second, larger crater.
“No, our current station in that crater isn’t too far off. What’s that got to do with anything?” Alika rolls his eyes.
Cecil’s finger traces the jagged lines on the map, encircling the area where the formations overlap. “Right here is where the two craters intersect a bit- like a Venn diagram. It’s right in this area where the secondary base it now; Secundus. It’s where we set up a power station. That’s also where we… my team and I, discovered the pool. Where I had my accident. It’s very close to where the Adventum base was located.”
“What’s your point?”
“Remember how Niilo told us how Saïd just disappeared… He just wandered off to let himself die in peace. He could have easily walked that distance.” Cecil explains emphatically, tracing the path between the two locations.
“I understand what you’re getting at, but that’s one hell of a stretch.” Alika puffs his cheeks out.
“Say if somehow the bacteria had survived all that time, dormant, it could have easily worked its way into the… ecosystem, if you want to call it that. The pool of water down there underground could have come from moisture in the atmosphere leeching into the ground, gathering in that place after long periods of time. Something like that could easily carry bacteria inside of it.”
“And what if that’s the case?” Alika asks, skeptically.
“They are using that water now for hydroponics up there in the station. Any contagions could be slowly making their way into the food supply. The entire crew would become infected one by one. An infection like I had…on that scale, would ruin the station.” Cecil runs his fingers over the pages of the book, nervously.
“Even if this is the case… Do you think they would know what is happening, or even how to deal with it?”
“Not before it’s too late.” Cecil replies, distressed.
“Listen, Cecil. I still feel like this is just a wild goose chase. But… doing this little thing can’t hurt, I guess. You have to promise me that you’ll stop getting work up over all this when you get your answer, though.” Alika looks Cecil in the eyes. The light flickers overhead. The library is silent. “Although, it’s now a matter of who to tell.” Alika speaks up again. “Who should know about this, if this were really something to worry about?”
Cecil sighs loudly. “I thought about it. I don’t know who would listen to me. Not down here. I’m not of any importance to the people of the project right now. They still think I’m off my rocker.”
“Well then, how about you send some sort of message straight to Mars? They know your who you are. You know more about the real Mars than anyone over there in mission control. Let’s go.” Alika stands up and grabs Cecil’s hand.
Alika backs his car out of the parking spot in front of the library. The pristine roads of the compound stretch back, branching out to the various white and grey buildings dotted around the property. Butted up against the water are immense satellite dishes pointed up at the sky. They had been built to provide the high-quality transmissions back and forth between Mars. Not too far away lies the mission control building, in constant contact with the station.
Alika drives the car up to the front and pulls into an empty spot. Unlike the others, the building is decorated nicely for visitors. Cecil and Alika make their way into the lobby. “Good day, Gentlemen.” The receptionist greets them. “What brings you here today?”
“We need to talk with the mission control team for the Mars Station.” Cecil places his hands on the counter across from the girl. Her face lights up with a hint of sourness.
“I’m afraid that without proper clearance, we can’t let anyone in there directly. Would you like to leave a message? If you know the name of the person you want to contact up there on the planet, you can use our telegraph system as well.” She explains, her face forced into pleasant smile.
“This is kind of important for them to know, both mission control and the men up there.” Alika comes up behind Cecil, explaining in his most pleasant tone.
The receptionist purses her lips. “Is this a matter of urgency?”
“We don’t know.” Cecil says, trying to hide his frustration.
“I suppose then, a message will suffice.” She points over to the wall. “Over there are computers that you can use to fill out our form. Just put in the recipient’s name and your message, and after it gets reviewed, it will be sent up to the planet. The whole process takes maybe a day and a half.”
Cecil looks at the girl in the eyes, attempting to find an excuse. “Thank you.” He says, relenting. Alika nods his head at her.
The computer screen lights up as Cecil moves the mouse. “Who are you going to contact?”
“I would contact the commander, Cassius, but I know he would just write it off. He doesn’t like to discuss ‘maybes’. I know someone who will listen to me, though.” Cecil pulls the keyboard up to the edge of the table.
A-G-R-I-P-P-A. Cecil types slowly into the ‘name’ field. “You sai
d when you left, he was done with you.” Alika peers over Cecil’s shoulder.
“He’s one of the few guys up there who could deal with a situation like this.” Cecil speaks, beginning to type. “He has a level head.”
“Dear Agrippa,
There are many things I could type here. The only thing you need to know about me right now is that I’m just fine.
Ever since I left the planet though, I couldn’t give up the thought of it. I’ve been in a bad place mentally, but I’m getting better. I’ve done some research, and been lead down a path of discovery… there’s more about the planet, the space agency that we don’t know about.
A long time ago, somebody died up there. He died of a strange sickness, like meningitis. Somehow, I think the infection still lies dormant on the planet. It infected me. It was the water there in the pool, carrying the bacteria. At least, that’s what I believe.
As I type this, I feel like I believe it less and less, but I feel like I should warn you anyways. If that water truly is carrying the bacteria, then anyone in contact with it is in danger of the infection. Please pass this around and let people know, because it would affect everyone up there.
Thank you for being by my side,
Cecil.”
Cecil’s eyes scan the screen. Alika stands behind him, focusing on the decorative mobiles hanging from the ceiling. Cecil looked back, scrolling down to the ‘submit’ button at the bottom of the page. A short confirmation pops up and the screen fades back to the home page.
Cecil shoves the keyboard up and catches Alika’s attention. As they walked out, the receptionist gives a weak ‘goodbye’.
Chapter 19
Cecil’s phone rings, jolting him awake. The sunlight is bright outside the windows, illuminating the pale cloth hanging from the curtain rod. The phone rings again. Cecil sits up, and fumbling around to find it. It rings again. Cecil gets it into his hand, able to push the answer button before it has another chance to sound. “Hello?” Cecil’s voice is raspy and dull sounding.
“Mr. Ruiz. My name is Lia; I’m with the space agency. You came by mission control yesterday. We need to talk to you about the message you sent.”
The strong yet elegant voice rattles Cecil’s ears. He takes a moment to process what she had said. “Fuck.” He whispers under his breath, the phone pulled away from his mouth as he looks at the caller ID. The blurry screen reads ‘blocked.’
“Excuse me?” He can hear the voice coming through the earpiece. He puts it back up to his head.
“I get it. I’ll be down there as soon as I can, I just have to call my ride-”
“No need.” The voice cuts him off. “We have a driver on the way to pick you up already.” The phone clicks loudly, and Cecil pulls it away reflexively. The screen flashes at him the message ‘Call Ended.’ As he sets down the phone, there is a loud knock at the door.
Cecil pulls himself out of bed. The floor is cold against his bare feet. The knock comes again. harder. Cecil trots quickly to the door on his tiptoes.
Opening the door reveals a fit looking man, tapping his foot quickly, looking if steam might burst out of his ears at any moment. He sports black slacks and white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The wind outside rolls in, giving Cecil a chill. The man’s baggy, tired looking eyes stare Cecil down.
“This is the right place, right? You’re Ruiz?” He says shortly. Each word he speaks lets out a puff of fog into the air.
“Yeah, uh.” Cecil tries to respond, but before he can continue the man pushes by him and makes his way into the apartment. Cecil closes the door behind him. The man looks around the apartment, scratching his unshaven chin, which was almost the same length as his buzz cut.
“Get dressed. We need to get you there soon. You got any coffee made?” The man looks in the direction of the kitchen.
“No.” Cecil replies hesitantly.
“Shit.” He mouths, biting his lip.
Cecil runs to barricade himself in the room and changes quickly into a pair of jeans and tee shirt. Out of the closet, he pulls a thick coat down off a hanger, and quickly jumps out of the room.
The man’s eyes jump up instantly as Cecil shuffles out, his feet planted in the same spot as before, twirling a cigarette between his fingers nervously. “Good, let’s go.”
Stepping out after him, Cecil goes to lock the door. He turns around to see the man cupping his hands around a lighter up to his face, cigarette sitting between his lips. He starts to walk towards the stairs, hardly looking in Cecil’s direction. Cecil pursues him, dodging clouds of smoke. He quickly puts on the heavy coat and zips it up.
In the parking lot, the man pulls out a key fob, hitting the unlock button, causing a car across the lot to beep. As they approached, Cecil notices the scratches in the paint and out of state plates that seemed like those of a rental car. Arriving at the car door, the man takes a big final drag of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground, putting it out with his shoe.
The ride is quiet. Cecil had decided to not make a peep. At every red light, the man taps on the steering wheel with increasing force each time. As they arrive at the center, the gate opens for them seemingly automatically and he drives through without looking back.
They step out of the car, and Cecil stops to look back and forth between the man and the building. “Go ahead.” The man says gruffly, pulling another cigarette out of his back pocket.
Cecil moves in through the swinging doors. He notices the same girl there from the previous day. She looks up as Cecil enters and her face immediately turns white.
“Mr. Ruiz.” She exclaims. “They’re… expecting you it seems.” She stumbles, fumbling around under the desk, hitting a buzzer and causing the big set of doors at the back of the room to click, unlocked.
Cecil grabs the handle of the door and swings it open. It is heavy, opening up to a dark hallway with no end in sight. The ceiling is lined with old looking fluorescent lights that buzz and flicker. Continuing down the path of plain white tile, Cecil’s arm hair begins to stand on end. There is a slight electric buzz in the air. At the end of the hallway Cecil finds a big set of doors with crash bars. Through the tiny reinforced windows, he can see a dull electric glow of monitors. The doors open with a loud bang, and Cecil stumbles through, coming face to face with a couple of men who seem to have the same dress code and comportment of his chauffeur.
The tapping of heels on a hard floor comes his way, sound echoing through the room. Cecil’s eyes adjust to the bright glow of the monitors that cover the wall in front of him, top to bottom. “Welcome to mission control, Mr. Ruiz.” A woman in a pencil skirt had made her way up to him. Her head comes up to the level of his chin, looking up at him while she adjusts her glasses.
Cecil avoids her gaze. A few people had spun around in their chairs to look at him, monitors casting soft glows on their bodies. A hand eagerly pulls at Cecil’s wrist. He looked back down at the young woman attempting to lead him ahead. Without looking back at him, she begins to speak in a snotty tone. “I’m Lia by the way. I talked to you on the phone.”
“Yes…” Cecil stumbles after her, attempting to talk.
“I’m sorry for the rude awakening.” She continues. “However, I think you know some things that you shouldn’t. The chief officer is in the briefing waiting for you.”
Cecil gives up resisting the small tugging hand transporting him towards the back of the room. The monitors covering the front walls are littered with maps and images, charts reading air, floorplans and various stats. The air in the room has a buzz, and Cecil is able to pick out the sound of beeps, clacking keyboards, and various other human noises.
A similar set of double doors situated underneath the array of monitors appears before them. Pushing through, Cecil finds himself in a bright yet cramped room. A large desk sits in the middle, scattered with papers and sporting an empty doughnut box and a mess of paper coffee cups. A chair faces a big screen against the back wall. As Cecil approaches, it turns
around.
The man sports a chiseled looking mustache with streaks of grey, similar in color to his hair that was pushed back neatly. He smacks his lips, making piercing eye contact with Cecil.
“Mr. Cecil Ruiz. You have some explaining to do.” He speaks, eyebrows scrunched into a v-shape.
Chapter 20
Cecil feels himself trembling, both from anger and from fear. Lia pulls out a chair from the desk and pushes it his way. Cecil takes it and sits down, shoving his hands into the pockets of the big coat, hiding his shaky hands.
“My name is Franc Atreo.”
“I’ve heard the name mentioned before.” Cecil sneers.
“That’s no surprise. Your old boss, Cassius, answers to me, after all. Yesterday, you came here and delivered a message.” Atreo stands, brow furrowed and fingers intertwined. “I would like you to tell us a little bit about it.”
“I have some questions for you first, sir.” Cecil leans forwards in the chair. His hands form into fists inside the jacket, legs bouncing up and down, nervously.
Atreo bites his lip, looking down. He scowls at Cecil, but pauses to speak. “You’re a shrewd man, Mr. Ruiz. I’ll allow it. Go ahead.”
“Are you aware of the lasting effects of cryo sleep that your astronauts undergo after the procedure?” Cecil tries his best to maintain his composure.
“We know.” The serious man responds nonchalantly. “There is a certain degree of intolerances that develop in the brain after being frozen for that long. There have been a series of closed tests done of those who have undergone the procedure like yourself.” Atreo sits back in the chair. Cecil keeps his gaze fixated.
