“Zero, do something!” Instead of just sitting there talking about it!
“The only option left, is to begin the mission now.” It says.
I look back at the main hub, thinking Zero’s some kind of human for a moment. Of course it’s not. It’s a machine. Calculative, overly prone to logical outcomes. Only sees the benefit of its purpose. No feeling. No hurt.
“She’s not going.” Seven says in a declining raspy voice.
I could tell his pain’s getting worse
“Shut up! What are you talking about? Of course I’m with you!”
“This is my fate Ianna. I’m not dragging you into this. I never should’ve.”
“Seven…” I tug his arm as he tries to walk toward Zero’s main hub. He looks back at me for only a moment and gives me that armor-piercing smile. Amazing how he finds the strength to do that, even now.
“Trust me.” He says.
Now’s not the time for your poetic bullshit!
“How can she not go? She said, ‘yes’, after all.” Zero’s tone did not change yet I can sense it became increasingly suspicious.
“You talked of her as the balance piece, didn’t you? Do you really want the both of us to be in there while we let…” Seven glances over at an ashamed John – “Men like that, continue to ruin what we’ve worked so hard to accomplish? We need one of us out here. Valkyrie’s the perfect candidate.”
“A logical point. They wouldn’t accept me as contribution to order. Not yet. Perhaps there is use for Valkyrie outside indeed.”
“Ugh…” Seven squeezed his eyes in pain, only for a moment just so he could try and shrug it off as if nothing were happening. In truth, there was always more…
“Zero, can you save him? Please!” I started feeling a growing fire boiling within me.
Was it tears?
Is it anger?
I’m not sure anymore.
“Seven, if you start the mission now. There is no going back. Do you understand?” Zero’s last warning hadn’t shook Seven an inch. Me? I was about ready to pop in rage.
“Do me one favor.” Seven asks me – “If it’s a boy, call him Colin. If it’s a girl, call her Astraea.”
“No! We still have to pick the name together, remember? I’m not just going to pick a name you want so easily.”
He’s fading from me, so I wake him – “Hey.” I call, “I came here because I was finally ready to do the things we always wanted, together. You can’t go on me now babe.”
“Trust me.”
He strokes my hair and smiles. It isn’t the smile I want. You know that warm smile that lies to you saying, ‘Hey, it’ll be okay.’? That’s what he’s doing right now. You cannot begin to imagine how I feel.
“Seven, you don’t have much time.”
Oh shut up Zero. Shut up… Fucking damnit, Seven you son of a bitch. You can’t be done. Not yet. Not now…
“I love you.” I’m not sure what else to say.
“I love you too, tiger…” Are those his last words to me?
I feel us wrap in an embrace. His warmth, the last comfort that I’ll experience. His kiss, a promise that I’ll see him on the other side again.
Will you keep that promise?
Light engulfs Seven and for a moment, I am one with him. Everything we’ve been through, it comes rolling into my memory randomly. I feel him slip away from my grasp. My eyes open slowly, denying reality. Catch a breath Xeilya…He’s gone.
TIMELINE
2049 – Seven enters Zero’s hypersleep chamber. He is never heard from again. The Valkyrie petitions that humans must strive to better themselves without Zero’s intervention. Throughout the following months, she creates a defense faction named ‘Crimson Spear’ with the help of Zero’s reprogrammed supersoldiers. John returns to the EDF, but as Zero’s inside agent. All information pertaining to the ‘Attack on Zero of 2049’ is destroyed, covered up and forgotten.
2050 – The Valkyrie gives birth to a son. She names him Colin.
2051 – Tension between the EDF and Crimson Spear arise over growing Martian independence. EDF wishes to keep their colonists in control while Crimson Spear leans toward democracy.
2052 – Zero is able to manufacture super soldier clones with relative ease, making all human counterparts or efforts, essentially useless to its rising ability. Crimson Spear’s influence continues to rise amongst the Martians, inspiring them in their freedom.
2056 – Crimson Spear is attacked by an unknown force. Valkyrie is presumed dead after her body is nowhere to be found. Colin is placed in the care of Martian council forces. EDF investigations into the attack wields no tangible leads.
2057 – Seven reawakens from his sleep to reunite with Valkyrie, only to get the disappointing news. He takes Colin and raises him on his own. Crimson Spear never recovers after being leaderless and unofficially disbands. Seven is promoted to the rank of Chief Advisor to the Martian and EDF councils. John is promoted to Admiral of the EDF forces.
2058 – Monumental genetic science breakthroughs have increased the general lifespan of the average martian by 300%. Hyperspace technology continues to be monitored and improved. Time travel experiments begin though most are unsuccessful attempts. Contact with Zero halts entirely, leaving the ‘mission’s’ fate unknown.
2059 – Trade between Earth and Mars continues to diminish. Martian independence at an all-time high. They are able to stand on their own. EDF cuts its supply on earth science and resources by a significant amount. Seven doesn’t finish his book Solar Opus, Colin discovers it.
2060 – Due to less and less of the EDF’s assistance, the MDSU is formed with help from both Seven and John. Zero’s assistance in the formation remains in question. Seven publishes three more books this year. His books raises controversy as they hint more and more to the events that were covered up in 2049 and Crimson Spear’s strange disappearance. This catches the attention of the public.
2062 – Seven is assassinated en route to a diplomatic meeting between the MDSU and EDF by a planted bomb from unknown forces. Colin is injured in the attack but survives. MDSU is weakened from this blow but eventually forms a new council slightly governed by the EDF. Colin is adopted. The terraforming project on Mars has soared to new heights.
2065 – Over the next few years, the EDF rises more in control over the MDSU which nearly becomes a sub-unit. Resources shift more to aiding earth exports over planetary gains. Colin excels greatly in school, catching the attention of high end EDF officials, including John.
2070 – Scientific advances from all sectors continue to grow rapidly on Mars. The next batch of Martians will have their lifespans increased by an additional 127%. However, most projects are kept secret from the public in hopes of empowering the EDF in shadow. The Martian EDF unit begins to slip away from its earth counterpart grasp, leaning more toward becoming its own militarized state. Martian atmosphere is becoming breathable.
2072 – Colin begins to work for the MDSU. The Martian landscape also begins to grow green in civilized parts.
2073 – General tension between all factions have dramatically declined. Order is seemingly at a solid high. The rise of the ‘Telekinetic Overlords’ begin, sprouting dramatically strange humans with monstrous consciousness related abilities.
2074 – Colin marries a woman named Adria and has a child with her who they name Josh. Adria is classified as a TK Overlord. The environment of Mars has become breathable in civilized zones. Lakes have also reformed and certain genetically altered wildlife are introduced into the ecosystem.
2078 – ‘TK Control’ Laws are passed, prohibiting the use of consciousness related abilities without direct consent from EDF or MDSU authorities. TK Rebellion begins. Colin continues to be promoted up the ranks of the MDSU. Although he is officially watched from the shadows, he has shown no reason over the years for vengeance. Due to his outstanding efforts, the EDF gains respect for the MDSU.
2080 – TK Control Laws have exiled many of these st
range humans to black sites away from civilization, leading to the decay of the TK Rebellion. Adria dies in the conflict.
2083 – Colin continues to see a steady rise in his field of duty, eventually arriving at the status of ‘Hero Martian’ to his people. He becomes a figure of inspiration for his Martian people. Josh takes heartily to this posture. He investigates his father’s past, leading back to Valkyrie and Seven. Tourism from earth is opened later this year.
2084 – Strange ‘shadow’ figures begin operating behind the scenes more noticeably. However, the question remains if they were there before. Colin takes a trip to earth as the prominent Martian figure. Less and less of the history of Mars is remembered, almost as if it is purposely being filtered away. Tourism from earth is abruptly closed without further word.
2087 – Martian people have become strangely more tranquil and passive, although slight rebel tensions begin forming over EDF’s presence. Most of these tensions are immediately shut down.
2092 – Zero’s ‘lair’ seemingly becomes ‘active’ again through sparse electromagnetic signals. Strange figures of shadow authority are occasionally spotted. Tension between the EDF and the MDSU grows again.
2093 – Zero’s ‘lair’ is rediscovered, this time it is aptly labelled as ‘The Crimson Zone’.
ACT TWO
Enter Martians
2060, Son of Mars
A young boy, about the age of ten sits in a Martian classroom daydreaming about the tales his father used to tell him. Now, more than ever, he finds encouragement from them. The classroom’s medium sized, with fifteen students of different races, black, yellow, white and red – all dressed in similar white, bodysuit clothing. All of their faces are calm, reserved and prepared. Their teacher, a simple woman in her thirties with an always-welcoming-behavior, moves to the front of the room and activates a holographic display, showing details of the test her students are about to undertake.
“Children, I hope you understand the importance of this test. You are among the firstda classes dedicated solely to Martian-born humans. This test is not only about academics. You’re all making history today.”
History?
The thought of making history excites the other students, but this brunette-haired, amber-eyed young boy’s gone into a meditative state. It’s not that he isn’t prepared for the test, on the contrary, he’s more than capable. There’s something else drawing him away.
“Begin.” The teacher happily announces.
The students press a button on the holographic displays at their individual terminals. A bubble-like barrier forms around each student, encasing them from distraction by anything outside that small vicinity. Inside all of these bubble barriers, no one outside can see inside and inside, they can’t peer outside either. This allows the students to focus solely on the test.
That’s what our young lad’s up to. Focused at full force, ten out of ten, push it to the limit. He’s determined to not only do good for himself, but for his family, his school and the whole Martian-Human race.
‘History’, he thinks, ‘Let’s make history’
AFTER SCHOOL
He’s still thinking over the test while he waits for his dad to come pick him up. For some reason, he can’t push that story out of his head – the Solar Opus, the same one his father read to him when he was so young. The way thing’s been moving along now, it’s strange. He feels more connected to the ideals in the book. Looking around the vicinity of the Martian colony, one can’t help but sit back and observe the beauty.
It’s a bio-dome, though you won’t really know if you were inside and paid really close attention. The inside air’s clean with gorgeous man-grown grass and trees. The school’s not gigantic, rather, a respectable size for a non-overpopulated planet. The colors are light, generally shades of white while the newly grown nature provides the other necessary shades and of course, the technology of the place is state-of-the-art.
The boy’s attention gets diverted to a small beeping coming from his wrist gadget. He slides his fingers for access. It’s his dad, he’s finally here. The boy looks around happily to find his father and sure enough, he finds him a little bit in the distance past the other kids running by him to their own parents.
“Colin, my boy. How’d it go?” His dark-skinned, bearded father asks with a warm smile and his hands slipped into the pockets of his long trench coat. Colin wasn’t dark however, he had the tan skin of a mix-race but his hair was the same slick-back, mid length to the shoulder style like his father’s. Colin, that’s the boy’s name.
“Great. I am positive I did exceptional.” Colin responds.
A proud smile comes across his old man’s face, “I know you did kiddo, I know you did. I got something for you today.”
"You’re referring to a surprise of some sort?”
“Something like that. I want to take you for a ride.”
“Sure dad, sounds good.”
Colin’s dad puts an arm around his son, pulling him in warmly as the two go off to meet the waiting automated transportation ride. There are no civilian vehicles on Mars. All transportation is done in the form of computer-controlled automation under the command of its respective human owner. Their shapes resemble an oval container with large windows, all sleek and clean, containing very little detail to capture a meditative composure in the technology.
Both father and son get in and sit on opposite ends facing each other, with warmness emanating from the two, just happy to be in one another’s presence. Colin’s bursting with excitement, although he does his best to downplay it. His father taught him the tactic.
No matter how happy or sad you get, always keep yourself in control. Always keep yourself balanced. Your wisdom must never leave you.
“Where are we going this time?” Colin asks while he gazes over the obvious; they are leaving the central Bio-Dome
“Outside my boy. There’s something I need to show you.”
“Hey dad…” Colin momentarily loses interest in their destination – “There’s something I wish to share.”
“Speak freely.”
“Today, I am not sure why but I couldn’t stop thinking about Solar Opus.”
Colin’s dad raises an eyebrow in curiosity – “Really?”
“Yeah, it was just with me and it’s been with me the past few days if I’m to be exact.”
“Is it troubling you?” The father wants to make sure his son is alright
“Not at all. I’m just wondering… just wondering if, by chance, you can finish it?”
Colin looks to his dad with wanting eyes, seeking more
“That’s for you to decide one day, Colin.”
Before Colin could get another word in, his father looks away and speaks to the computer, “ATU, get us some suits. We’re going outside.”
The father and son get in their respective form-fitting space suits and exit the transporter unit at the top of a hill not too far off the Bio-Dome’s outskirts, despite the computer’s warnings of an incoming storm. The storm’s not visible yet, so they take the chance anyway. What they see - is the Martian’s red, dusty landscape, unbothered by the human colonists in the distance with cluttered sunlight struggling to get past those stringy clouds.
“One day, you’ll live in a world that reaches out there.” Colin’s father points to the natural happenings in the distance – “And when you do, you’ll remember what we taught you.”
Colin ponders the meaning of his father’s speech. It was enjoyable to sift through the lines and their meaning. His words, though many can claim they understood, were always etched in deeper truths.
The glare of the sun touches the surface of Colin’s helmet visor. A feeling of wonder and mystery comes over him. His father faces him humbly on one knee to level their height.
“Your mother and I did everything we can to make sure this world becomes a better place. To make sure this world won’t be the old one we came from.”
Colin pays closer attention.
<
br /> “You’re going to find out all these things and more Colin, and when that day comes, you’ll get to decide what’s right and what’s wrong for the sake of your Martian world.”
Colin finds the strength to ask the impossible.
“Dad, what happened to mom? Will she ever come back? Did she… love me?”
A sterner stance takes the father – “Now you listen to me very carefully. Your mother always loved you and will always love you. She did what was necessary. I did what was necessary and you, Colin, you’ll have to do what’s necessary. You understand me?”
He understands
“Yeah…”
But he still wants to see his mother.
The father puts a firm hand on Colin’s shoulder comfortingly and peers past the helmet, right into the eye of his boy – “I love you Colin. Now be strong, no matter what happens, no matter how much bad comes your way or how stuck you get – know that you can make it through all of it. All the perils of life’s just a lesson son and nothing more. Never let it beat you down. Never let it break who you are.”
Colin nods attentively to his father, looking past any sad demeanor
“That’s my boy…”
2093, The Son of Mars grows up
“That’s my boy…”
The feint whisper of a father’s love echoes through the mind of a prime-aged man decades later. Prime age is the key. Although a solid 33 years have passed, Martians have a longer lifespan compared to their forefathers. The average Martian will live for about 470 years, and as science improves, that number goes up every generation by an additional 100 years.
Colin’s done a good job so far. He heeded to the advice of his father, and strived for an upright life. Academics were the least of his worries. Colin was naturally brilliant, but he’d still have to go through all the troubles of being the First-Generation Martian. Naturally, the lives of the first-gen were plagued in responsibility, but they came out just fine. Colin landed his occupation as a Commander on board the Martian Scout Defense Unit or MSDU. A Defense organization dedicated to the security of Mars.
Zero Sphere: A Space Opera Thriller Page 8
