by IMAN K. F.
“When I first started my job I was extremely vigilant, but my attention didn’t last, as day after day nothing happened. The training simulations were extremely similar to actual conditions on the farm, however, the training was actually more exciting since at least we had simulated intruders to deal with.
“We started to refer to the robotic arm where the Scarecrows took up their perches as Robo-Arm. I spent a lot of time up there, and often thought about the scarecrow on my parents’ farm. Such a strange concept, that I had to fight so hard to do the same job as him. When you think about it, it’s crazy—I had become a freaking scarecrow, the very same thing I’d always thought of as a useless object. To keep my spirit up, I just had to keep reminding myself that my efforts might eventually contribute to the survival of the human race.”
“Sometimes even the small roles can have a great impact,” Lucas says and turns on his recorder.
“That’s what I tried to tell myself, but countless uneventful shifts went by. Then, about seventy days after I arrived on Mars, the beginning of harvesting season arrived. Not all of the potatoes were yet ripe, but some were ready for early harvesting. It was exciting, even the smell in the farm room had changed. It was during that time that everything fell apart. I remember I’d finished my dayshift, and was about to start my turn on the night shift, with only the afternoon to rest. These shift rotations were always hard on my body, and I usually ended up having to take sleeping pills, otherwise my mind just wouldn’t shut off. I stopped by to see Soraya for a short visit, then hit the bed.
“My shift that night started pretty much the same as any other night. I was still pretty tired; maybe I shouldn’t have taken the sleeping pills, because about halfway through the shift I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I took some caffeine pills to fight it, but before the pills could kick in, I ended up falling asleep. This had happened a few times before, but this time something strange happened. A sharp, needle pain stabbed into my right wrist, causing me to jolt awake. I looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, something felt wrong, so I quickly unhooked my arm from Robo-Arm and I checked my wrist, and could already see a tiny rash right in between my sleeve and the smart glove. At the time, I thought it was probably an allergic reaction related to the harvesting season, or something I’d eaten earlier.
“Towards the end of my shift, I started feeling a little bit sick. Probably due to lack of sleep, I thought, but when my shift ended and I unhooked from Robo-Arm again, I saw the tiny rash had grown almost ten-times its previous size. My heart started racing, and I headed straight to our medical center to get it checked out.
“I walked in and showed my rash to the nurse, who took one look at it and immediately rushed out of the room. She came back covered in full protective clothing similar to what you’re wearing now, along with a few more members of staff. They asked me to stay calm. ‘I was calm,’ I said, ‘but you’re kind of making that impossible.’ They started making soothing motions with their gloved hands, said they had to get me to quarantine right away. ‘Why?’ I asked, but they were already moving to surround me, said they’d explain it all once I was quarantined. I was freaking out at that point. ‘I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers,’ I said, and got up to leave. But out of nowhere, someone behind me injected me with a syringe, and I passed out immediately.”
Lucas doesn’t say anything. Just stares at me with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape.
His facial expression makes me smile softly. “When I came to I was in the very same room and the very same bed that I am on now. Except back then they’d hand-cuffed me to the bed.
“The lead doctor, Dr. Baker, came in soon after I woke, smiling reassuringly, and told me not to panic. ‘We’re simply taking cautionary steps while we work on a solution,’ he’d said. ‘Everything will be okay.’ He informed me that Luiz had got a similar rash on the back of his neck when he’d been on shift the night before. The colony’s medical team had thought it was some sort of allergy, but a few hours after his shift, Luiz’s rash had grown considerably. Since then he’d been constantly vomiting, and had a heavy fever. They assumed I had the same illness, and that whatever it was had initiated from the farm.
“I asked him right away about Soraya. She was fine, but they had asked her not to go to the farm again until they were able to figure out what had caused this sickness. At least she was safe.
“I’d been so busy discussing the situation with the doctor that I had forgotten to check on my rash. I looked at my wrist, and what I saw made me almost shit myself. The red rash had covered half of my arm. I couldn’t believe that in just a matter of hours, it had progressed so much. Dr. Baker informed me that they’d already started injecting me with different medicines, hoping to eliminate or minimize my symptoms. He further mentioned he’d communicated with his counterparts on Earth, and had sent them sample photos of the afflictions, but unfortunately there hadn’t been any strong opinions about the disease. The only thing they could agree on was that that the rash probably wasn’t from an allergy, based on how fast progressing it was, and Luiz’s symptoms thus far.
“Apparently, both Luiz and I had felt the biting sensation during our shifts. I told Dr. Baker that I had been exhausted, and might not have been fully awake when I was bitten. ’Was it possible that an intelligent species had waited for the right moment before biting me?’ I’d asked.” I grin a little sheepishly at Lucas. “I know it sounds like a silly question, but there had to be an explanation for what had happened. Dr. Baker smiled at my question, and told me Luiz had been completely awake, and hadn’t noticed any species at the time he felt the biting sensation. So much for my theory.”
Lucas chuckles.
“Dr. Baker gave me smart glasses to keep myself entertained, and said the best thing I could do right now was keep calm while they searched for a remedy. Having a growing rash was definitely concerning, but I was confident that the capable medical group would come up with a solution.
“In the matter of just a few hours, things started to get worse. My entire body heated up; it was the worst fever I’d ever experienced. On top of that, I was constantly vomiting. I couldn’t even drink water or take any pills as I’d just throw them up right away. Finally, they gave me a strong anti-nausea suppository, which helped with the vomiting, but the fever raged on. My eyes were burning. Nurses had to place cooling pads on my entire body. My symptoms were the exact same as Luiz’s, so at this point there was no doubt that both of us had been bitten by the same species. The fever continued through the entire night. The rash was also still growing constantly. By the end of the night my entire right arm was covered in red.
“In the morning, Dr. Baker came back to see me. Apparently, Luiz’s rash had spread at a significantly higher rate than mine. They surmised I must’ve had a stronger body or defense mechanism than him. On a positive note, Luiz’s fever had broken, and his body had become more stable. I asked if someone had reviewed the footage from the nights of the incidents and he confirmed that they had, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The theory was that it might have been a very small species, too small for the camera to pick up, or possibly even an invisible species—if such a thing existed. Both of the incidents had happened during the night, which suggested the species wasn’t active during the day, or perhaps they were avoiding sunlight. So far, no one else had been bitten, so they guessed that the species were attracted to the crops.
“They had to move fast, since our lives, and even the whole colony, might depend on their findings, so they’d already sent robots to take sample potatoes and bring them in for testing.”
“I’m glad they were taking the threat so seriously,” Lucas says.
“Me too,” I reply. I suck on the straw for a sip of water before I continue. “Later that morning, the samples were carefully taken in sealed containers, and initial testing had completed in the matter of a few hours. I was hoping they’d get some answers from them. Dr. Baker
returned that afternoon and told me they’d found miniscule bugs in the ripe potatoes, but didn’t see any in the still green potatoes. It seemed the bugs were only feeding from the potatoes ready to be harvested. The bugs looked like fruit flies, and similar to mosquitoes they had proboscises, which was why Luiz and I felt like we’d been bitten. Interestingly, their proboscises had a hard-toothed edge, like a mini saw, which allowed them to dig into the ripe potatoes or even hard Mars surface. Dr. Baker said they were a new species, and had named them Marquitoes, essentially ‘Martian mosquitoes.’
“According to their test results, UV light would kill Marquitoes, which was why they stayed underground or in dark places during the day. That would explain why Soraya hadn’t been bitten: she hadn’t been on a night shift since the potatoes became ripe. It was lucky they’d made this discovery early. Based on those test results, at EMCC the UV light emissions were adjusted right away to the lowest amount needed to kill the bugs, to ensure the Marquitoes wouldn’t migrate to the rest of the colony. This approach proved effective, since there haven’t been any more reports of Marquito bites. The UV light level in the colony is just little bit higher than today’s normal standards, but is still safe for humans. In fact, it’s equivalent to traditional fluorescent lights that were used for many years in the past.”
“It’s good that we’ve come up with a plan to fight these things,” Lucas interjects, “but have they found what actually causes the disease?”
I had planned to go over this later, but maybe I should address his question before continuing. I look at Lucas and respond, “No. Actually, I shouldn’t say no; I guess there’s a theory, but it hasn’t been completely proven yet. The theory is that Marquitoes, similar to mosquitoes, have nerve cells that have a receptor to detect carbon dioxide and skin odor. Similarly, their bite transmits diseases. But it’s more like they’re carrying a virus that causes the disease rather than causing it themselves, so the actual original source is still unknown. It’s possible the bugs are born with it, or it might be passed to them from some other species that we don't know of yet. We decided to call the disease Marsles, since it had some similar symptoms to Measles. Medical groups like to get creative when coming up with names.”
Lucas chuckles, and shakes his head.
“Despite the similar names, this disease is different from anything we’d experienced on Earth. My fever lasted for a day, and my body became more stable, but the rashes were still growing. Within two week it had covered my entire body. Meanwhile, the team was working hard to find a solution. I was injected with different drugs every day, and even exposed to dangerous amounts of UV light, but none of it worked. It was becoming harder to keep my spirits up. I mean, I was starting to look like a rusted sculpture, and living in quarantine is no picnic. But I didn’t want others to feel sorry for me. I joked around and made fun of my situation to make my visitors feel more comfortable. I told everyone to call me Rusty, not only because of my skin color, but also because it was short for my name, Rustin. Almost everyone had started calling me Rusty, until the new rocket landed few days ago. I believe you were on that ship, plus the new nurse, Amy, and some others whom I haven't met yet.”
Lucas nods. “We arrived five days ago. The travel was incredible. My company had offered to let me write about the journey to Mars and the colony. It was a no-brainer for me to accept the offer. I always was interested in life beyond Earth, and I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Then once I heard about you, I was determined to learn your story, as I think this will be an important part of the colony’s development history.” He looks at the ground, his voice lowering. “I wish I had a chance to talk to Luiz. I heard his disease seemed more accelerated. I was sorry to hear he didn’t make it.”
I watch Lucas as he talks, but my mind is busy thinking about Luiz. Do I feel sorry for him? Luiz and I were both victims of the same disease, so I didn’t want to feel sorry for him, because that would also mean feeling sorry for myself. I find the victim mindset depressing. Sure this is unfortunate, but it has happened. I want to make the best of the situation. Easier said than done, but I truly have been trying to avoid feeling depressed for the time I have left. I notice Lucas staring at me, waiting for me to respond to something.
“Sorry Lucas, I got distracted. Did you ask me a question?” I ask.
“I asked how Soraya handled the situation.”
CHAPTER 7
Part of me wishes that Lucas hadn’t brought Soraya up. This has been the most difficult part of my sickness. It almost makes me feel like a hypocrite; just a few seconds ago I was taking pride in how I’d fought hard not to feel down, but it seems whenever I think about Soraya, I can’t help but give in.
With a soft, but strained voice, I respond. “It wasn’t easy for her. Initially we met a few times per day, still hopeful that the medical group would find a remedy. When the disease started to expand internally within my body, it became harder and harder to maintain that hope. After both of us were entirely covered by the rash, Luiz and I started to develop lumps both externally and also internally. Initially the lumps were as small as chickenpox, but they just kept growing. The internal growths caused numerous symptoms, but most importantly, they impact breathing. Luiz developed the lumps several days earlier than me. He survived a few weeks, all together. In the end, he died of suffocation.
“When I heard the news I decided to end things with Soraya. My chances of survival were just too low, and I didn’t want her to have to suffer with me. Sometimes I felt that she was in even more pain than I was. I told her that I wanted her to move on, but she didn’t want to accept it. She cried and begged, but I just couldn’t bear to see the love of my life go through any more pain. Deep down inside, I think we both knew it was for the best. Finally, we agreed to stop all communication, no matter how hard it would be.”
“I’m so sorry, Rusty,” Lucas says.
“Her last visit was so heartbreaking,” I say, caught up in the memory once again. “We reminisced about our time together, good and bad. We laughed and we cried. I swear, saying goodbye to her was even more painful than my disease. It feels like I’ve been stabbed in the heart a hundred times, and the wounds aren’t healing. I couldn’t even give her a kiss or hug goodbye. She was in that protective clothing, that mask, and I was covered in disgusting lumps and needles.”
My voice starts to crack. I need to stop. I need to change topic or I’ll break down. “How about you, Lucas?” I ask to distract myself. “How is your love life?”
Lucas smiles. “Well, truthfully, it hasn't been great, and at times it’s downright sucked. I’ve had several relationships, but none of them lasted more than one or two years. During my first serious relationship I was young and excited, so I asked her to move in together after only six months of dating. That was a bad decision. We liked hanging out, but we weren’t really ready to live together. We started to drive each other crazy over the smallest things, and got into silly arguments. So that didn't last. It was a good experience though; it helped me get to know myself better, and what I'm looking for in a partner.
“After that I decided to spend some time just dating, not looking for anything serious unless I come across the right person. After a few years of this, I met someone at a friend’s party. We hit it off right away, seemed to have great chemistry, and ended up dating for a while. Little by little, my feelings for her grew. You gotta understand, I am not a ‘love at first sight’ type of guy. I really need to get to know the person before I can build feelings. Sure, looks are important, but I also need to ensure I have genuine feelings about her. As my feelings were becoming stronger, I wanted to avoid past mistakes, so I suggested trying Virtu-Love before moving in together."
“What's that?” I ask.
Lucas’ eyebrows climb his forehead. “I thought you knew! Basically, it’s a program that allows people to live together virtually before moving in together. Couples still live at their own places, but see live streams of each ot
her's lives through holograms. A small drone follows around and records one’s activities, which is then streamed live for the other person. This way, we’d get a chance to see what living with each other was like, before actually taking the leap. The first few weeks were cool and exciting, but after that it just became too much. I felt like I had no privacy. We probably should have defined some boundaries first, like bathroom privacy. We started getting into arguments, and when we got really mad we’d shut down the Virtu-Love. When one of us did that, the other would get suspicious, which led to even more heated arguments. Once, I got so mad that I smashed the recording drone with my baseball bat. We decided to end things after that, and since then, I haven't been in any other serious relationships.”
Lucas turns his head and look at the clock. I follow his gaze—6:50PM. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by.
“I think we need to wrap up the interview soon,” he says, “I just have a few more important questions.” He eyes his recorder, tries to keep his tone nonchalant, though he’s not fooling me. “Why did you decide to do it?”
I know what he means but I still ask, “What do you mean?”
“You know. Why did you decide to end things?”
Still he doesn’t say the exact words, but I understand exactly what he’s asking. I take a deep breath, and then go on. “I want to have control over my own death. I don't want to suffer, and eventually suffocate. After Luiz’s death, it was clear that my chances of survival were nearly none. The medical team has tried everything they can think of. They’re completely out of ideas. They’ve sent skin samples from both Luiz and me to Earth, hoping the well-equipped teams there could maybe find a remedy. But by the time the samples actually get to Earth, I’ll already be gone. So they’ve left it up to me, whether or not I use self-assisted death. And why would I put myself through more suffering? I owe it to myself to leave peacefully. I’m glad I have the option for voluntarily death. I believe my time has come.”
