Fable Hill

by Christopher Uremovich

  The Sakura capsule rapidly lost altitude as it drifted towards the objective. Internal hydrazine thrusters repositioned the craft by ninety degrees in preparation to land. Heat shield doors enclosed the main rocket engine and four rear nose thrusters vectored in short bursts to conserve fuel.

  At 1,000 meters altitude, a powerful, sustained burst of all four rocket thrusters slowed the capsule. Landing gear deployed and the Sakura touched down uneventfully. Frank waited for the smoke and debris to clear before opening the main hatch. Amirah's familiar radio signature repeatedly hailed both the capsule and the two astronauts’ transceivers, but Frank squelched all radio communications with Ōme.

  “We're really fucked now,” Mia blurted. Her feet touched down on the dreary, rubble-strewn plains of Dioscuria. Frank could hear the regret in her voice.

  “You've lived your entire life for discovery and science. Don't you wanna figure out the methane spikes? Why an old NASA plane landed here?” Frank asked.

  “Not at the expense of my career!” she responded grudgingly, kicking at a pile of rubble and launching rocks in the sky.

  “We're here for the betterment of mankind, not some stupid bankrupt company in Japan. We're already fired. No matter what you do, you won't return to Earth with a job with Nagoya,” Frank said, grasping Mia by both shoulders.

  “What if they leave without us?” Mia pointed out. “What if we’re left on Mars?”

  “Then we will survive,” Frank said. “Don't let me have to convince you right now, it should be the other way around.”

  Mia peered over Frank's shoulder as he spoke and reveled at the immense distances before them. As far as she could make out, it was a barren, ice-covered expanse of flat nothingness interrupted only by a single mountain that broke the horizon like an arrowhead.

  “The monadnock . . .” Mia said with an outstretched arm, pointing in the direction of the mountain.

  Frank swung round to get his bearings. “My god, it's massive,” he admired with her.

  “Could you have landed us any further away? That's easily twenty kilometers away!” Mia groaned.

  “Fifteen,” Frank approximated.

  The two astronauts donned heavy rucksacks filled with supplies and set out in the direction of the lone mountain. Frank walked right behind Mia, egging her onward into the unknown.

  •••

  Trucking along the western sand dunes, Keiko drove the powerful MEV. Alongside sat Alexei, deep in thought. They barreled down the valley at a decent speed, making better time than on previous missions. “Achoo!” Keiko sneezed and snot drained from her nose incessantly. Alexei seemed not to notice as his eyes glossed over two separate computer screens.

  “Roland told me that we’re leaving in two sols, with or without you guys,” Keiko said, breaking the silence.

  Alexei winced slightly and turned to face Keiko. “You have to understand, nothing is going to stop me from finishing what I started twenty years ago,” Alexei replied. “Nothing.”

  Keiko let out another massive sneeze, causing saliva particles to fill the cabin and float about. Alexei wiped spit from his face in disgust. “Not even your nasty mouth,” he said.

  “Sorry.” She wiped her nose with the cuff of her suit.

  “Don't be sorry, opioid withdrawal isn't fun,” Alexei said. Keiko's face turned beet red. “Y-you know?” she stammered.

  “Stop here,” Alexei demanded. Directly in front of the MEV, a metal spigot jutted out from the valley floor. It was easy to miss and Keiko stomped on the brake, narrowly avoiding it and jerking them both forward.

  “Is that the . . . ?”

  “Yes,” Alexei replied. He quickly sprung into action, opening the airlock before Keiko had time to apply her helmet. She frantically closed the automatic door to the driver’s cabin, saving herself at the last second from asphyxiation.

  “Move closer,” Alexei ordered over comms. He waved his hands, spotting Keiko as she inched the MEV closer to the borehole.

  Alexei got to work. Using an impact wrench he unsealed the borehole cover and attached a hose, connecting the hole to cylindrical tanks on the MEV.

  “I thought there wasn't any water,” Keiko said sheepishly.

  “Oh, there's water alright, a whole subterranean ocean of it,” Alexei cranked on the release valve and turned on the main pump. The hose stiffened as water siphoned and filled each holding tank.

  “I'm confused. Why did we spend all that time setting up a pumping station when all this water was underneath us?” Keiko asked impatiently, her legs burning with restlessness.

  “Because it's irradiated,” Alexei replied.

  “Oh . . . I see.”

  “It's called heavy water. I need it for the large amounts of tritium it contains,” Alexei said bluntly.

  Keiko remembered her studies in college, most notably a thesis she did in chemistry. “I know of tritium. It only has a half-life of twelve years,” Keiko informed.

  “Don't ask me how or why tritium exists on Mars, because I don't know,” Alexei said while climbing back into the MEV. “Though it may have something to do with large amounts of lithium isotopes in the water. Something on or under Mars is replenishing tritium in the underground aquifer,” Alexei added, twirling his hand for Keiko to step on the accelerator. “Let's roll, woman.”

  An awkward silence ensued in the cab as Keiko floored the accelerator up the sloping valley wall. As the MEV crested the top, Keiko breathed a sigh of relief and began conversing once again.

  “Why did they leave?”

  “Why did who leave?”

  “You know, Frank and Mia.”

  Alexei, transfixed on his electronics, gave a carefree shrug. “Something important, I'd imagine.”

  This response did not satisfy Keiko. Her skin was cold and sweaty, her nose runny, and her restlessness began moving into her arms.

  “I know you know, you know everything!” Keiko shouted. She slammed on the brakes, halting the MEV in a rut of deep sand. “We're not going anywhere until I know everything,” her voice trembled.

  “Keiko . . . really?” Alexei said softly. “Come

  on . . . really?”

  “I’ll do it.” She put her finger on the engine shutoff button and stared down the Russian scientist.

  “Look, I know where they are going. I know that place very well. They won't find anything my home country hasn't already known about for the past seventy-odd years,” Alexei spilled information.

  “What are you talking about? What place?”

  “Fable Hill,” Alexei uttered. “Where true science died.”

  Chapter 31

  1659 hours, Sol 310

  Dioscuria

  Earth Date: March 10, 2046

  Mia dropped to her knees from pure exhaustion. The outer layers of her spacesuit froze solid as the sun neared the horizon. Light levels diminished greatly, forcing the two astronauts to use exterior helmet lights.

  “Just a little further,” Frank coaxed as he helped Mia back to her feet.

  The impressive inselburg lay before them, finally within reach. Frank had never seen anything like it before. With towering pillars of mangled rock, a sharp, pointed summit, and a symmetrical base, minus the surrounding debris apron, it reminded Frank of an ancient pyramid back on Earth.

  “We need to set up camp before we freeze to death,” Mia pleaded, but Frank was undeterred.

  Determined to find a way up the steep slopes, Frank pushed them further as the sun’s fickle light extinguished. It was at that moment, as they passed around a two-story boulder, the Dreiton plane came into view.

  As if leading the way, the Mars plane expended the last of its power near a naturally formed path. Frank took the route, winding and curving up the mountainside. Darkness took them as they reached a dangerously steep crag half-way up.

  “It’s a crater?!” Frank blurted, his helmet light straining to illuminate anything in the depths. “Lend me your light.”

  Mia positioned her ligh
t next to Frank’s. Together they analyzed the creviced land formation. Frank could see that Mia was tense and shaking from the cold, her arms crossed tightly at chest level. His own feet and hands were now completely numb. Their suits glazed over in a layer of smooth, hard ice.

  “Ok, let’s make camp,” Frank huffed, out of breath. Mia simply nodded and the two walked around the diameter of the crater, looking for a suitable, flat area to camp.

  As if overcome by tunnel vision, Frank began to leave Mia farther and farther behind. It wasn’t until he spotted a nice, relatively flat perch that he turned around to find Mia had vanished, her light gone in the blackness.

  “Mia!” Frank shouted as he ran, backtracking around the precariously dark crater rim.

  While Frank began to panic, he spotted a dim light source at the bottom of the crater. Mia had fallen about a hundred meters down, to the very bottom of the crater floor. Frank feared she was dead. He looked for a way down the steeply angled slope.

  Tight-roping perilously close to the edge, Frank stepped on a piece of loose soil and took the plunge himself, exactly like Mia.

  Frank fell at first on his back, sliding down the bowl-shaped wall before his momentum caused him to somersault and roll. For what felt like an eternity, Frank skid to a halt, near Mia’s half-buried body.

  Miraculously, Frank stirred to life and crawled towards his downed partner. He was confused. Surely that fall should have killed me, he thought—but the crater floor felt strange. It was far different from any other regolith yet encountered by the crew.

  “Mia . . . Mia!” Frank called out. His hands and knees sunk into the sand as he grabbed ahold of Mia’s arm.

  The ground was fluffy, like crawling in sawdust. Frank could feel his legs sink deeper. Frank conjured the last of his strength and heaved Mia’s body out, plowing through the loose ground in no particular direction.

  Each step taken became erratic as Frank’s boots were sucked into the ground with each step, causing him to stumble repeatedly. The added weight of pulling his friend made moving impossible in the mush.

  “Mia . . . you gotta help me. Mia, wake up!” Frank slapped at the shoulder plate of his fellow astronaut. When that failed, he shook her violently.

  Mia broke Frank’s grip as she came back from the brink, shoving him backwards. They tussled together in the loose soil as Frank attempted to make radio contact with Mia. Disoriented, she flailed around wildly.

  In the confusion, the ground gave way from increased activity. The two astronauts plunged several dozen feet to a soft bed of dirt. Mia’s light source flickered and died as sand continued to cascade from the cave-in.

  Cold and exhausted, Frank feared for their survival. Radio communication had ceased and Mia remained seated in complete silence, refusing to move. It appeared as if this would be the end. With no way out of the pit, Frank began to set up camp.

  Frank’s spacesuit displayed an underground temperature nearly ten degrees warmer than on the surface. A faint glimmer caught both astronauts by surprise as Mia did a 360-degree scan of the cave. Staring back at them like an unholy apparition, an all-metal door, built into the far side of the cave.

  Upon closer inspection, the door was a heavy-duty submarine hatch, covered in a layer of iron oxide. Frank caressed the metal exterior. The metal had bulged some, warping the door as if under immense pressure from the other side.

  Mia placed her hands on a rusted wheel in the center of the hatch and attempted to turn it with no luck. Frank grabbed her by the arm, signaling with a shake of his head that it would be a bad idea. He pointed to missing rivets on the sides of the hatch’s moorings, alluding to possible pressurization.

  Thinking quickly, Frank rummaged through his rucksack, producing a small roll of braided parachute cord. Tying one end to the hatch wheel and another to the hilt of his e-tool, Frank proceeded to pull. When the wheel wouldn't budge, both astronauts put their entire weight into it, yanking on the door with the last of their strength.

  Like a cannon blast, the door ripped from its frame and catapulted down the dark cavern. A white pressure wave of air shoved them aside like chaff.

  Frank caught a glimpse of fire mixed with random detritus exit the hold. In a matter of seconds the storm of air ceased. An eerie orange light radiated from within the chamber.

  “Help me with this,” Frank said in vain. He lugged the life support inside and sealed the doorway with a section of tent fabric, using duct tape for an air-tight fit. As Frank set up the life support, Mia scanned the area with her light, daring not to venture further alone.

  Together, they explored the mysterious area. A main chamber intersected four separate corridors, all appearing to be man-made. Signs of blast damage plastered the walls, pre-drilled holes alluding to the use of dynamite. Old hand tools littered the floors with a single pneumatic drill propped up against a wall. Traveling deeper still, into the cavern, Frank tapped on Mia's shoulder, his helmet removed.

  “It's safe,” Frank muttered.

  “Obviously,” she replied. “But how? It would’ve taken hours to create an artificial atmosphere.”

  “There's gotta be something else generating oxygen in here,” Frank proposed.

  Mia shook her head in disbelief and slumped down onto the floor. “This is all happening so fast. What is this place?” she asked, her head resting against the wall.

  “No idea. But it’s human, that’s for certain.”

  Mia dumped the contents of her rucksack onto the floor and grabbed for an MRE package. She tore through the top of the package and poured a smidgen of water inside. The flameless ration heater began an exothermic reaction, releasing hydrogen into the air and boiling her entree to a delicious 120 degrees.

  “Will you be alright here? I’m going to explore more,” said Frank.

  “I’ll be here,” Mia replied as she stuffed her mouth with her favorite granola.

  Frank ventured ever deeper into the cave until he stumbled upon another door, this time of a very thin plastic material. Frank forced his way through the flimsy door.

  “Mia!” His voice echoed against the walls of the cave.

  Past the doorway, the claustrophobic tunnel system turned into a single expansive space. A metal-grated ledge wrapped around a cylindrical room with stairs leading to multiple levels.

  Frank stepped out onto the rickety catwalk and peered over the edge of the railing. Below him, a sheer, cone-shaped drop into an abysmal darkness swallowed his light. Mia stepped behind Frank and onto the catwalk.

  “You know what this is? I figured it out,” Mia said from behind.

  “Just had to get some food in you, eh?” Frank joked.

  “It’s a dormant volcano. We are somewhere between the caldera and the magma chamber.”

  “That’s crazy . . .” Frank whispered to himself, awestruck with the sheer size of it all.

  “The cave behind us is a lava tube, one of many, I’m sure,” Mia said.

  “Now the only question is who built their base inside a dormant volcano,” Frank mused. “Let’s keep moving.”

  Carefully, they made their way across the rusted catwalk. With each subsequent step the metal creaked and whined. Audible snaps could be heard as the two descended the first flight of stairs with caution.

  “Kind of d-dangerous,” Mia stuttered. Her hand grasped the railing with a death grip.

  At the bottom of the first flight of stairs, another door led to a dead end. Frank flipped an old light switch, not expecting anything to happen. To his surprise, the whole room lit up in florescent yellow.

  “Surprised?” Mia asked.

  To their amazement, the room was neat and tidy, with three military-issued cots and some plastic furniture. On one wall hung a heavily faded stars-and-stripes, adjacent to the red and gold flag of the Soviet Union.

  “It’s like an alternate reality,” Mia commented as she carefully paced about in shock.

  “No, it’s very real,” Frank replied. He stared intently for a bit, t
rying in vain to understand what he was witnessing.

  “Over here!” Mia called out. She had wandered back onto the catwalk and down another flight of stairs. Frank followed and entered another large room with a makeshift laboratory inside.

  “Found the oxygen source.” Mia pointed. A large machine that looked like a diesel engine appeared to be inoperable.

  “Chlorate generator,” Mia said, as she read the words right off the machine.

  “Look back here,” Frank replied as he pried open a piece of the chlorate generator.

  Heat radiated from the spot Frank had touched. He recoiled back from it slightly as it singed his gloved finger.

  “It's an old Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or RTG for short,” Mia said after glancing at the black-winged metal device.

  “Explains why the lights are still on,” Frank said.

  “Also explains why it’s not so frigid down here. There must be more of these,” Mia added.

  With unabated curiosity, Frank and Mia curiously toyed with the different scientific instruments and objects situated around the lab. A NASA logo was found plastered on several objects, as well as several journals detailing the mission.

  “Fable Hill, 1973 . . .” Frank read from an old astronaut’s journal.

  “Go on,” Mia urged.

  “Lots of scientific jargon, let me find something relevant,” Frank said, flipping through each crispy page. “From what I gather—” Frank began saying, then stopped.

  “What?!” Mia raised her voice, the suspense too great.

  “Three astronauts. Two American and one Russian cosmonaut. It says here they traveled on a modified Saturn V rocket, November 26, 1973,” Frank summarized. “Toss me another journal.”

  Mia cleared the table of paper and trash with her arm and searched through different notebooks to find something of relevance. It was then that she spotted a metallic lockbox.