Destination Mars - Part 2

by Jack Webber

  "Ok, we'll get to that in a minute. How did she die?"

  "I killed her."

  The Senator sat up and took notice. "Really. ... Do I know you?"

  "No, I'm the new kid on the block. John Larse, from Power and Light."

  "All right, let's see her money card."

  John handed him the card.

  The Senator typed some numbers into a console on his desk. "Yup, it's her name, and her public key. Looks like it's her card. Of course you could have stolen it."

  "Yes, but I also have her access code and her transaction code. We can't use the latter without her fingerprint, but we can use the former to look through her accounts. But before we do that, there's something you should know. She was holding out on you. She gave you ten thousand leppas here and twenty thousand there, but she actually had millions."

  The Senator frowned. "I didn't think she was that good. I may have underestimated her, and if that's the case, then I've underestimated you as well."

  "Why was she paying you? Protection? Favors?"

  "Oh a little of both. Now let's have the code."

  John rattled off her access code from memory and the Senator typed it in. He called up her logs for the past year.

  "Wow, she's been busy, and you're right, she didn't send very much my way." He stepped through July, August, and September. "Where do you suppose she got all this money?"

  "I can only tell you how she got my money. She promised me two tickets to Mars on the next transport, for my kids."

  "Oh that." said the Senator. "She's not the only one running that scam. But it fits with the data. She collected between 5,000 and 10,000 leppas from dozens of people every month. I can tell you, she wasn't going to get all those folks on the next transport."

  He stepped through October, November, and December, and then looked up. "Wow! What the hell happened yesterday?"

  "I cleaned her out just before I killed her."

  "Most people would fight to the death before handing over that much cash."

  "I made her believe she might escape, then she could get her money back and kill me later, so she played along."

  "Sounds pretty elaborate. It must have been months in the planning."

  "Yes." said John.

  The Senator passed the card back across the table. "It's worthless now; no money in any of those accounts."

  John put the card back in his pocket.

  "So - you came to see me for a reason. What do you want?"

  John was just as direct in his response. "Four tickets to Mars on the next transport."

  "Your joking." chuckled the Senator. "Even I can’t scare up four tickets this late in the game."

  "I think you can." John leaned back in his chair and pretended to be in command. It was time to act like a king.

  "There are two things to consider. First of all, I work in the power industry, and my software controls the grid. Now I'm sure you remember the brown out last year in your district. Not far from your family's home as I recall. That was an accident of course, but accidents can sometimes be coordinated months in advance."

  The Senator looked a little pale as he thought about his family roasting in a house without power. John waited for 15 seconds, and that was as long as he dared. He put his stick away and pulled out the carrot. "Well I don't want to think about that, and neither do you. Here is the reason I came today. All of Squanto's money is in my account, and I'm going to give almost all of it to you, right now. I think that would guarantee your re-election next year, wouldn't you say?"

  The Senator's eyes opened wide, and he almost drooled at the prospect.

  "Right now." repeated John, "in exchange for four tickets to Mars."

  "I'll have to check this out." said the Senator. "I mean, I think I can get four tickets, but I'm going to need to do some research on you. That you are who you say you are, and you work for the power company etc." He knew the carrot was valid; he wanted to see if John's stick was real too.

  John pulled out two articles from scientific journals and passed them across the desk. "You can keep these. They are scientific papers that I co-authored. I made major improvements to our generators, as much as 15. In fact I just got back from a conference in Siberia, where I presented this information to our international partners. Mention my name to anyone in the power industry, and they'll know who I am."

  The Senator flipped through the articles. "Other than John C. Larse, I don't think I'm going to understand anything in these pages." He typed the name of the journal into the search engine and found its website in short order. Then he clicked archives, and located the same article online. "It's here," he confirmed, "and it looks like you're the lead author." He bookmarked the site and put the paper articles in his desk drawer. "Tell you what," he continued, "if everything checks out, you'll receive your tickets in the mail within a week. If it doesn't check out, you're in a world of hurt."

  "Everything is just as I said. I lied to your receptionist to get in here, but I haven't lied to you."

  "Fair enough." said the Senator as he reached across to shake John's hand. "My word is my bond, and so is yours. Now let's see the blue."

  John pulled out his money card and called up his private account. He authorized a transfer of 85% of the balance and slid the card across the desk.

  The Senator stared at the blue number and smiled. "I just want to look at it for a minute, if you don't mind. This doesn't happen every day."

  John waited patiently.

  Finally the Senator typed in his account number, and the money flew at the speed of light. "It's a shame you're going to Mars. I think we could work well together. I like your style. I might even be able to get you a seat in the senate."

  "I'll take that as a compliment, but you know I have other plans."

  "I understand." said the Senator as he handed the card back to John. "Well, good luck with your venture. You should see your tickets in about a week."

  Both men stood up and shook hands again.

  They left the office, and the Senator turned to his receptionist. "Kelly, this is John Larse. Please make a note. If he ever wants to talk to me, or see me, put him through right away."

  "Yes sir." she replied, as she typed John's name into her computer for future reference.

  John called for a one person car and checked his watch. 10:36 in the morning. Where could he go? He couldn't go home, and he couldn't go back to work either.

  A car pulled up and John climbed aboard. He sat for several minutes, letting the fans drive the hot air out of the cab.

  Finally he decided he would go home after all, and tell Mellissa everything. Why not? He had won! They were on their way to Mars. Not just the children, but all four of them.

  "Home."

  FIVE

  "Please identify occupant." replied the car. For a moment John was dumfounded. He always called for a car from home, or from work, and the traffic network forwarded his identity to the car, so it pulled up pre-programmed. Today he left a public building without identifying himself, and the car had no idea who he was.

  "John Larse." he said as he placed his hand on the scanner.

  "Occupant identified. Heading for home."

  John took the chair across from Mellissa instead of sitting next to her on the couch, and she knew something was wrong.

  "I've lied to you many times over the past few months, and I don't want to do it anymore."

  She thought he was going to describe an act of infidelity, perhaps at the conference. She knew he was attracted to Jane. So Mellissa sat quietly and waited for the worst.

  "I've got good news and bad. Let me start with the good news first. I'm pretty sure we're going to Mars in April."

  "We?" asked Mellissa.

  "All of us, four tickets, if you still want me to come with you."

  Mellissa ran across the room and gave John a big hug and a kiss. "I don't have to send my children away? I can be with them all the time? I don't believe it!" She gave him another kiss, and anot
her and another. "How did you do it?"

  "That's the bad news. I had to murder someone to get those tickets."

  "Oh come on John, it wasn't all that bad. Now tell me straight, what are the damages? You mortgaged the house I suppose."

  "Actually it didn't cost us a thing. I was diverting the IRA funds to buy tickets for the kids, but I've put all that money back. It's not about money at all. Listen to my words and look at my face. I had to ‘kill someone’ to get the tickets."

  Slowly, Mellissa realized that John was serious. She backed away and sat down on the couch.

  "When?" she asked.

  "Yesterday."

  "Then you won't be coming with us, because you'll be in jail."

  "I doubt it. She was with the underground, and they don't usually investigate murders in the underground. Even if they do, I don't think they can trace it to me."

  "You killed someone." she repeated in a quiet voice.

  "She had killed others in the past, and had stolen the life savings of thousands of people, selling non-existent tickets to Mars."

  Mellissa stood up and became irate. "Ok, she was a monster, but who appointed you judge, jury, and executioner? Don't you believe in the rule of law anymore?"

  "There is no law in the underground." John was yelling too, trying to defend his position to Mellissa and to himself. "She was never going to go to trial, never. You need to wake up and see how the world works."

  "I know how the world works, but I didn't want to marry someone from the underground. That wasn't part of Better or Worse."

  John realized he was getting nowhere, so he changed his approach.

  "I'm sorry." His voice was almost a whisper. "I just wanted to get the kids to Mars, and after I had given her my life savings, I realized it was all a scam. She was going to take me for more and more, every month, for the rest of my life. This was the only way out."

  Mellissa sat back down and was quiet for several minutes. "Tell me everything." she insisted.

  John told her almost everything. He left out a few details, like threatening Squanto with a C clamp, but his recounting was, on the whole, accurate and complete.

  Mellissa listened attentively, then reached the obvious conclusion.

  "You're still in danger."

  "And you are too I'm afraid. The kids may be as well. We won't really be safe until we set foot on Mars."

  After several minutes Mellissa spoke again, like a child who has learned that Santa Claus is a myth. "Is our government really that corrupt? Senators trade favours for cash, then use the money to buy public opinion?"

  "Not all of them. There was only one senator on Squanto's payroll. I'd guess there are four or five who work with the underground for personal gain. And remember, one of the first sentences ever to be written down on paper, and one of the truest: The love of money is the root of all evil."

  "Will it be any better on Mars?"

  "I don't know."

  "Never lie to me again, about anything. Ever!! It gets in the way of us, of who we are. Perhaps that's why you haven't loved me in weeks."

  "But you're wrong. I've always loved you; I just haven't showed you in weeks." He looked at the clock on the wall. "We have an hour before the kids come home from school."

  It took Mellissa a moment to respond.

  Just 24 hours ago, John was engaged in a premeditated murder, and now he wanted to love her. She wanted to back away, but she was drawn to him like a magnet.

  Her evolutionary past would not be denied. John was both her protector and her provider, the guarantor of her genetic future. He had just turned a predator, a member of the underground, into prey, in the form of cash reserves and tickets to Mars.

  Modern concepts such as justice and the rule of law yielded to thousands of years of genetic programming. Mellissa didn't understand this at an intellectual level, though she would figure it out over the next few days. For now, she wanted to love and be loved by the man of her dreams.

  Mellissa came back across the room, quietly, took John's hand, and led him upstairs to their bedroom. They stood next to the bed like newlyweds - not sure where to begin.

  Finally John removed his shirt, put his arms around her, and slipped his hands up under her clothing.

  He kissed her face and caressed her body for several minutes, then he pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the floor.

  He kissed her neck, her shoulders, and her body, while she held him close.

  Finally he threw her onto the bed and stripped her naked.

  They melted into one; hearts beating together and lips pressed close.

  It seemed to last forever, and Mellissa wanted it to last forever.

  She climbed higher and higher into the sky, like a weightless passenger thrilled by the ecstasy of a parabolic arc.

  Mellissa screamed as she went over the top, then she coasted back down to Earth.

  They moved to their respective sides of the bed to rest and recover, pulse and respiration returning to normal.

  John stroked Mellissa's short brown hair for 5 minutes, maybe 10, and then they had to get dressed; the kids would be coming home soon.

  "We have to get away for an evening or maybe a weekend." declared John. "We need more time together; just us."

  "Maybe Ellare and Maria could watch the kids." she replied. "Let's try to set something up."

  John could picture them together in a nice restaurant, then a movie, and then a hotel. Just the two of them, all night long. But that would have to wait.

  The bus was pulling up to the house and Mellissa went downstairs to greet the kids.

  John straightened his clothes in front of the mirror, and then followed her down.

  SIX

  Mellissa walked to the kitchen table with a poached egg on toast, frightened by the stillness of the house. She set the plate down and looked around. Nobody was there, and nobody was visible through the windows either.

  "Perhaps some music." she thought. "Anything to break the silence. I can't wait till the kids get home; and it's only 11:35."

  She had started to scroll through the entertainment center when the phone rang.

  "Hello."

  "This is an automated message for Mr. or Mrs. Larse. Postal Express will be delivering a package to your home in 7 minutes. If you will be available to receive the package, please press 1 now. If not, please press 2 now."

  Mellissa pressed 1 and hung up. What could it be? Then she remembered: "Your tickets should arrive within a week."

  It was a week to the day.

  She forgot her fears and began to dance around the kitchen. Seven minutes were filled with her linoleum floor show, and then the truck pulled up, right on schedule.

  The driver got out and dashed to the house, pushing on the outer door. He never took a shade; it slowed him down, and he got paid per delivery.

  Mellissa met him at the door.

  "Just say your name, and that you're receiving the package, and place your finger on this scan strip."

  "Mellissa Larse, receiving package."

  The portable unit beeped, and he handed her a thick manila envelope.

  "Have a good day." said the driver as he ran back to his truck.

  Mellissa went back to the kitchen table and opened the package. There they were, right in front, a small jacket with 4 tickets.

  "John Larse". She read aloud. She slid the top ticket to the side and read the next ticket. "Mellissa Larse. Tania Larse. Mark Larse. April 3, air fare to the elevator and passage on the Mars transport."

  She tucked the tickets safely in their jacket and pulled out a thick booklet of instructions. "Please read carefully, before you go to Mars. This booklet describes the items you are permitted to take, and the procedures and protocols associated with your trip. If you fail to follow any of these guidelines, your ticket is immediately forfeited without refund. Some violations are criminal acts, and will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Pay close attention to section 7; transporting fo
rbidden species, or their genetic material, is punishable by death."

  Mellissa thumbed through the booklet. "There's 83 pages!" She put the booklet back in the envelope. "John and I will have to go over this together, when the kids are asleep."

  SEVEN

  "Coke?" offered Hank as John sat down in the green chair.

  "Yes please."

  Hank took out a coke for each of them and returned to his desk. "I was away last week, and in meetings most of this week, so we haven't had a chance to chat. Tell me about the conference."

  "Well, my presentation was first and..."

  "Yes John, I read your report and Jane's too. I was wondering what you thought, personally, of Khristian's ideas for raising Earth's orbit."

  "His initial approach wasn't going to work, but by the end of the day I think we were on the right track. If we use various moons of all sizes, I think we can pull it off. But Paul's going to have to work out all the details. He's got the software. Shucks, he wrote the software."

  John took a long drink, then resumed. "The Earth Jupiter interchange is going to be tricky, and we're going to need our moon or something larger, to pull us up past Jupiter, but yes, I think it can work."

  "Then you really don't need to send the kids to Mars, since you're not living on a doomed planet anymore."

  "Hank, that makes perfect sense and no sense at all. For the past hundred years, for the past thousand years, nothing has changed. It may take another thousand of years, if all goes well, to make the Earth habitable across its entire surface, the way it was before. In the meantime, nothing has changed."

  "Then you're still dealing with Squanto."

  "Last Thursday was my last payment."

  Hank put his coke down on the desk and stroked his beard. "I thought your last payment was next month. I'm pretty sure that's what you said."

  "No - this was the last payment. If I said January, I misspoke, or I was mistaken."

  "I don't think you would make that kind of mistake. So something came up, and you don't have to make your last payment. If it's none of my business, that's fine, but can you at least tell me if you got your tickets, or is that none of my concern as well?"