People of Mars

by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli

  That was why she had sent the data to her French colleague, Aurélie Faty, asking for her opinion. They had been good friends during her brief stay in Paris; doubtless, she would treat them with the necessary confidentiality. Those at NASA wouldn’t appreciate Anna turning to a laboratory of ESA without informing them, but in all honesty, the Americans’ opinion was not of any interest at the moment. She wanted to keep busy. Conducting her research was the only way to succeed in such a purpose.

  A faint noise behind her made her turn. Robert was at the laboratory’s entrance, hesitant. He smiled at her. “Hi, can I talk to you?” He offered her one of his grins. Only two days had passed, but she felt like she hadn’t seen him so calm for a century.

  “Sure.” She smiled back to encourage him.

  Robert moved close to her, with a slow pace, as if he was trying to prolong the time before having to speak. He placed a hand on the counter, looking away from her, then he sat on a stool as well.

  “I guess I must apologise,” he started, finally being able to look her in the eye. “Sister.”

  She made a sign with her head. He had caught her by surprise and she didn’t know how to interpret his visit. She wanted to know if he was okay. He seemed nervous, but not altered. That was already good news.

  “I’m sorry. I was upset and I got annoyed with you. I … well, I’m sorry. I haven’t been myself the last two days.”

  “Okay,” she murmured. He was too calm. If he was taking something stronger than some smoke, the fact that he was so tranquil could mean he was high. His dilated pupils confirmed her suspicion. “I’d like to help. You can’t go on like this.”

  “I know.”

  “I’d like to be able to count on you as mate in this mission, as friend.”

  “It isn’t so simple.” Robert started rubbing his hands. A faint smile dawned on his mouth.

  “Let yourself be helped to get rid of your addiction. We will help you.”

  “We?” His expression turned grim for a split second, then he seemed to regain control.

  “I,” Anna amended, and reached out to place a hand on his, which finally stopped moving.

  “I’d be happy if you helped me.” He held her hand tight.

  “Have you been for your check-up in the infirmary this morning?” It was better not to name Hassan. “When I went there, you hadn’t showed up yet.”

  Robert nodded smiling. Changing the subject of the conversation had been a good idea. “Healthy as a horse. No strange masses.” He blinked at her.

  “Good,” Anna commented. “So it is limited to Dennis.” She sighed. “In a way it’s good news, given that he was already ill. We just have to understand the origin of his decline.”

  “I’ve checked the radiation level inside the rovers, in the warehouses, in the common premises, including the communications room.” He looked like the usual old Robert, focused on his job. “Everything within the normal ranges. No peaks. You can view the data from the server.”

  “The same applies for the laboratories and the greenhouse, but anyway he didn’t frequent them that much. Actually, I can’t remember at all the last time he was here.”

  “Hassan is now checking the quarters.” At least he had been the first one to say that name. “In my opinion, he won’t find anything.”

  Anna emitted a cry of assent. She wasn’t really interested in the whole matter, considering she was fine. It was just a way for having a normal conversation. She was missing her chats with Robert. But there was something unnatural with that one. They were both on the alert, cautious not to say something wrong. It was exhausting.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, pointing to the folio.

  That was a perfect subject of conversation.

  “I’ve repeated the analyses on the new samples collected yesterday. Do you remember our presumed fossil bacterium from the crack in the rock?” He nodded. “I’ve found the same thing in the new sample, which doesn’t surprise me. It’s the one on the left; the image comes from the scanning electron microscope.” She made a sign to the wall with her eyes. “Or rather, what you’re seeing is one of the many crystals creating those azure organelles within the rod-shaped formation visible with the optical microscope.”

  The screen was split in two parts. On the left was a three-dimensional structure, apparently spherical, but which was actually polyhedral, made up of many tiny facets. The image was in black and white. It wasn’t, therefore, possible to see the azure colour.

  “As you can see, they weren’t organelles, but piles of these nanocrystals. The analyses have confirmed the presence of high concentrations of beryllium and of the usual components from the Martian regolith. There is nothing organic, let alone biological. Some substances might come from the degradation of bacteria, but the contrary might also be true. In short, we don’t know any more than we did earlier.” She’d hoped the analyses on that sample would’ve offered different results, given that it was the reason she had gone down there again.

  “On the right?” It wasn’t clear to what extent Robert understood what she was saying, but he looked interested.

  “The image refers to the sample collected from the bottom of the core, therefore not exactly from the crack, but about one and a half metres away. As you can see, the crystalline structures are less ordered.” Instead of a polyhedron, only a few tiny, irregular fragments were visible. “Shifting the framing.” Anna let a finger scroll on her folio. “You can see more of them, but always very sparse. In general the concentration of beryllium is low and it becomes even lower in the samples which are farther from the crack or as you move toward the surface within the core. It’s like these crystals were available in the rock in deeper zones and they reached the outside only thanks to the seismic event that created the crack.”

  “And the fossil bacterium?”

  “The presumed fossil bacterium.” Now it was her playing the devil’s advocate in the absence of Michelle. “It isn’t here. It was missing even in the cores you’d done.”

  “It’s as if the ordered crystalline structure was determined by the presence of beryllium, given that it is a bacterium,” he hypothesised, with the air of an expert.

  Anna gaped at him for a moment. “It’s exactly what I think. I believe that behind this order is a biological process. The fossilisation then froze this condition. I cannot prove this theory, but it could make sense.”

  “Yes, it makes sense even to me!” Robert exclaimed and then laughed, infecting her with his hilarity.

  She had the impression she was looking at the old Robert and that made her feel good. Then she remembered she hadn’t finished with her explanation.

  “The only problem is there’s something wrong.”

  He cast a puzzled glance at her.

  “In a sample taken the other time, I’d found fragments of degraded RNA, which is a substance similar to DNA and is involved in the protein synthesis. I mean a sample from the corer. You had destroyed the other one.”

  “Oops!” he commented, ironic, making her smile.

  “Now I had the chance to repeat the analysis on the new ones, both from the cores and from the crack.”

  “And …?” He appeared anxious to learn the answer. “Come on, Sister, don’t keep me guessing.”

  “The nucleobases, I mean, the RNA fragments,” she specified for the benefit of her interlocutor, who wasn’t very expert on that stuff. “I’ve found them again only in one sample, the core collected near the crack, again in the deepest layer. There are also possible traces of some amino acids, but the analysis is non-conclusive to this end, just like the other time, so I hadn’t considered them. The concentrations were too low.” She shook her head, putting aside the subject of the possible amino acids. “Anyway … I’d hoped that this difference along the core was somehow related to the amount of beryllium.” While speaking, she had replaced the images from the microscopes on the screen with the results of the analyses. “Save that there isn’t the slightest trace of biologic
al molecules in the sample from the crack!”

  “Where beryllium shows the maximum concentration,” he promptly commented.

  “Exactly!” she said, exasperated. “I’m really starting to believe it’s an artefact repeating. But I don’t understand how it is possible. I’ve personally cleaned and sterilised again all probing pipes. I know I’ve made no mistakes. Unless the steriliser is faulty, and that would be a mess, because it might have compromised the results of more analyses.”

  “If you want, I’ll have a look at it.”

  “Yes, thank you.” She had really missed the technician version of Robert, but the truth was that they had a desperate need for new equipment and now, who knew when it would arrive?

  “Do you know how is Dennis doing?”

  The sudden change of subject caught her unprepared. Taken up with her researches, for some minutes she had forgotten about the dramatic situation they were living.

  “I guess he is worsening …” Anna said, and resumed staring at the screen with sad eyes. No, she wanted to think again about her sample. It made her feel safer. She was accustomed to keeping the negative thoughts out of her life and was determined to do so even in that circumstance.

  “Don’t rack your brain about it, Sister.” Robert dared to give her a pat on her back. “How is Moln?”

  She looked at him, puzzled. Now he was asking her about the rabbit?

  “Let’s go for a stroll in the greenhouse, to catch some fresh air,” he insisted with a jovial tone.

  “I have a lot to do, Robert,” she tried to be courteous, but firm at the same time. She had the feeling he was trying to dissuade her from her work for some reason and she didn’t like that. “If there’s something you have to tell me, do it. Don’t go looking for Dennis or the rabbit.” She bit her lip right after. Perhaps she had been too rude.

  Robert removed his hand from her shoulder and resumed a serious expression.

  “Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  He rose and walked away without saying another word.

  She stared for some seconds at the door, bewildered, wondering what he was hiding from her. It was evident he wanted to talk about something, but had given up. Perhaps it was about Hassan.

  Anna shook her head. What situation had she put herself in? Who knew what Hassan was expecting from her now? Or maybe she was expecting something from him. When, some hours earlier, she had gone to the infirmary to do the check-up, she had kept herself to herself and he had behaved professionally. She was a little sorry about that now.

  She placed her hands on her head and resumed looking at the folio. Then the screen. And then the folio again.

  It would’ve been interesting to hear Hassan’s opinion about the data. He seemed to be clear-headed just about everything.

  Again, who was she kidding? She was just looking for an excuse to see him again.

  Five minutes later, she was standing in the corridor beside the meeting room and looking through the transparent wall, astonished by what was happening inside. Michelle and Hassan were so taken by their discussion that they didn’t realise they had an audience.

  Anna couldn’t hear their words very well. She just perceived their tone, but could see their gesturing, the dark expression on their faces. Michelle was touching his arm and talking to him. She looked submissive; from time to time, she forced herself to smile. He replied. He appeared annoyed, but it was like he was trying to stop himself.

  Then he shook his head, removed her hand and turned his back on her. Michelle became imploring. She was ready to cry. She kept on speaking. She stopped for a moment, then she said something. Hassan turned round, perplexed. Now he was the submissive one and she was shaking her head.

  All of a sudden, she had a surge of anger. “I thought I could count on you!” So loudly shouted, her words made their way through the Plexiglas barrier.

  Anna gave a start as she heard them. She felt guilty, wrong, staying there and spying on them, but she needed to know. There was something going on between Michelle and Hassan; she was sure.

  He kept on speaking, as if he was trying to calm her, but she was restless. She walked back and forth. She stopped and said something to him, rage mixed with desperation. She waited for a reply, which for her, however, was too late in arriving.

  So she turned to the door. But then Hassan moved forward and embraced her from behind.

  Even Michelle looked so little beside Hassan. It wasn’t a matter of height.

  Michelle didn’t oppose that hug; she let him go on holding her and give her a sweet kiss on her hair.

  A stab of jealousy hit Anna. In that very moment she would’ve liked to disappear. In the end, it would’ve been better to know a great deal less.

  Michelle’s hands reached Hassan’s and held them. They stayed this way for a while without saying or doing anything, then she removed his arms and came out through the door.

  As she walked past her, Anna froze, but the other woman ignored her, disappearing down the corridor.

  A moment later and Hassan was stood in front of her. He wasn’t wearing the same defiant expression she had seen on him the other day in the gym, nor did he appear displeased or surprised that she was there and had witnessed that conversation. He appeared devoid of any strength.

  That was the right occasion to ask for explanations, to know once and for all what was between him and Michelle. She opened her mouth to speak.

  “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat something?” He spoke first, leaving her speechless. And he concluded with an exhausted smile.

  The moment was gone, all her determination too.

  With an almost imperceptible motion of his eyes, Hassan looked around, as if to check if someone else was there, then he took Anna’s hand and headed for the kitchen.

  Perhaps it wasn’t jealousy, but only her wounded pride, yet Anna was tense.

  They all were in the kitchen, save Dennis, obviously. Robert was searching the fridge and the cupboards; from time to time, he took out something, which he ate on the spot, still standing. Michelle was keeping herself to one side, ignoring the others she patiently waited for her herb tea to cool down.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll download the data onto my folio, so I can have a better look at them tomorrow,” Hassan said to Anna, after finishing his dinner. He placed a hand on her knee, with ease, under the table out of the sight of the others, but at the same time, he kept his eyes on his device, as it performed the file transfer.

  “How is Dennis?” Robert asked Michelle, right before giving a loud bite on a carrot.

  “Not good,” she murmured with bitterness, turning his gaze to Hassan, who, however, insisted on pretending not to hear her.

  A disgusted expression appeared on Robert’s face. At first, it wasn’t clear whether it was because of the carrot or the tone in Michelle’s voice, but then he winked at Anna.

  There was something surreal in the entire situation. What made Anna most curious wasn’t whatever was between that woman and Hassan, but what the hell they had said earlier. It was as if she was accusing him of something. Perhaps was it about the treatment he had given her husband?

  Then Michelle stood up and left the room, without uttering a word.

  “And your herb tea?” Robert asked, but too late. “Uh, and I’m supposed to be the one out of his mind.” He gulped the last piece of carrot and finally closed the fridge. “Well, guys, I’m withdrawing to my quarters.”

  “’Night, Rob,” Anna said. Hassan, instead, didn’t move.

  Before leaving, Robert turned one last time by the kitchen door. “Anyway, stop partying so hard. Some people wanna sleep here!” And he laughed at his own joke, which gained him a nasty look from Hassan and a half laugh from Anna. The usual clown.

  “Do you fancy talking about it?” she asked, once they were alone.

  He pulled back his hand to close his folio and returned hers to Anna. “Actually, no,” he replied, serious.

  “Ah.”

 
She stood up, put the dishes in the washing unit, and headed for the door. If he didn’t fancy talking, perhaps it was wiser to have a change of scene, and she wanted to be the one to decide. She already felt too humiliated.

  Once in the corridor, she heard his footsteps behind hers, but forced herself not to look back at him. She would go to her quarters, take a nice shower and watch one of the films coming from Earth. Among the benefits of being the pioneers of a Martian colonisation was that they could watch all the new films in advance and, for someone living in the middle of nowhere, it wasn’t a little thing.

  Placing a hand on the controls, she unlocked the door and, as the panel opened, she felt pushed inside.

  “Hey!”

  As she turned round, she found Hassan in front of her. How dare he? She was furious.

  “If you don’t fancy talking to me, you can go,” she hissed.

  He clenched his fists. She could see he was undecided. But what for? That was the problem. Anna had spent such a long time hating him for the most disparate of reasons that she hadn’t ever understood with whom she was really dealing. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand those like him, as she had told him the previous evening. Truth was, she didn’t understand him. And that frightened her now.

  She wanted him to leave, but he didn’t seem inclined to do so. He stood between her and the door, and stared at her. If only she could distract him and run away.

  Then Hassan moved closer. Anna backed off, finding herself with her back against the wall. He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. She perceived a sort of desperation in the gesture and couldn’t help but go along with him, but right after he drew himself back. He let her go and left, closing the door.

  “Fuck off!” Anna shouted at him, but he was already gone.

  That man enjoyed frightening her and she had enough of it. She rushed out of her quarters, with the firm intention of stopping him and forcing him to talk to her. But, when she reached the corridor, she realised it was empty. Panting, she looked at one side and then at the other one.