Once out on the surface of the crater basin Gizmo adjusted its speed to maximize power consumption. If it went too fast it would use too much power and not make it, too slow and its other systems would consume more energy than necessary. So it moved across the crater at a leisurely pace—for a robot. But even at this speed, its tracked wheels kicked up a tall tail of dust high into the Martian sky. It looked like a dust devil dancing across the plateau.
It had taken well over an hour to traverse most of the area, and it was nearing Colony One when its ultrasonics detected an atmospheric disturbance. A waveform of an amplitude compatible with an explosion entered its silicon consciousness. Gizmo searched its internal map of the crater to ascertain where it might have emanated from. The only thing it had was the location of the ISA ascent vehicle. Gizmo stopped. This new data required further analysis. It had estimated it would still have approximately 7.63% power remaining when it finally entered the airlock at Colony One. To detour via the source of the explosion would use up a further 2.7%. This was within limits, so the little robot altered direction and headed for the site of the MAV.
From a distance Gizmo could detect the dust cloud surrounding the site. And even with its limited sensory input it ascertained that not much was left of the launch craft. As it moved closer Gizmo bounced ultrasonics off the burnt out husk. It determined that the rover was the most likely initiator of the destruction. Someone must have crashed it into the MAV. Gizmo scanned the area looking for more data to work with, its power was running low so it hadn’t much time to waste. It found nothing to warrant any further investigation. Whatever happened was over, time to move on, nothing to see here. So it turned and made for Colony One.
At around seven hundred meters from epicenter, Gizmo’s sensors picked up a new object, a body shaped form, lying on the ground. The robot moved as fast as its power mode would allow and stopped at the site of the prostrate form. It would have liked to access the Colony One systems and get some data from the EVA suit’s bio-monitor. But Gizmo’s antenna array was long gone so it couldn’t tell if the person was still alive or not. With its one functioning camera it scanned the face behind the visor. It was Dr. Jann Malbec.
“Well now, Jann,” it said to itself. “You do seem to be in a spot of bother.”
Gizmo could not lift her with just one arm, but it could drag her. But there were two problems with this. One, it would be risking damaging her suit, and killing her for certain if it ripped it enough to lose pressure. And two, it would be draining power fast with the added energy requirements of hauling a body.
But, it was here to assist, that was the little robot’s motto, so assist it would. Gizmo reached down, clamped a metal hand onto the shoulder strap of Jann’s EVA suit and started dragging her towards the airlock.
Power drained at an alarming rate. Worse, it was slowing down, too much torque was needed. It realigned its circuits and shut down all but its most essential systems. It kept moving, inching its way slowly to the airlock door.
The final power requirements needed to drag Dr. Jann Malbec up the ramp and into the airlock were virtually all that Gizmo had to give. The outer door closed and it sensed the airlock pressurizing. Then, with the very last few milliamps of its resources it reached down and popped open her helmet visor. It was all the little robot was able to do. It had done what it could, it had no more left to give.
26
Schism
“Gizmo?”
Nills looked up and smiled. “Yeah, it’s a robot, it must have survived the rock fall.”
“A robot?”
Nills waved a hand. “It’s a long story, I’ll explain it to you some other time.” He stood up and examined the site. “See here,” he pointed. “It came to this area, moved around quite a bit, and then headed off in that direction.” He stood up and pointed off in the distance.
“The tracks look very different though, like it was dragging something behind it.” He bent down again. “See the way there’s a deep trough gouged out of the sand? Must have been something heavy.”
“A body?”
Nills stood. “Maybe. Let’s take the rover and follow it. Come on.”
It didn’t take Nills long before he realized the tracks were heading for Colony One. When they arrived at the facility, they parked the rover and followed the tracks on foot, right up to the main entrance airlock. As Nills pushed the button to open the outer door, he did so with a deep sense of trepidation. Was it Jann’s body that Gizmo was dragging?
It took a few moments for the airlock to pressurize and the inner door to open. Gizmo was standing in the airlock. It waved a metal hand. “Greetings, Earthlings.”
“Gizmo, you’re alive,” said Nills as he popped open his visor.
“Technically no, since I am a robot. But I am operational. Well mostly.” It tried to move its damaged arm, which just made a low grinding noise.
“Where’s Jann?” Nills had his helmet off.
“You will be glad to hear that she is alive and well, and in the biodome.” It raised its good arm towards the connecting entrance.
Nills got the EVA suit off in seconds and ran through the tunnel, past the rows of hydroponics and out on to the central dais, just as Jann was stepping out of the pond.
“Jann.”
She looked up and smiled. “Nills, what took you so long?”
They sat for a while on the central dais and talked. The little robot had saved her skin, for the second time. It was becoming a habit. Jann had woken to find herself in the Colony One airlock. She crawled her way to the medlab, patched herself up, and, when she managed to regain some strength, dragged Gizmo off to its recharging station. But she had no way to communicate with Colony Two, to let Nills know she was still alive. Even though Kayden had had some way to do it, she couldn’t find it. Also, she had no transport. One rover was in Colony Two and the other was a charred metal husk. She had considered trying to drag back the quad-bike but now that was not necessary. Nills had come.
He filled her in on all that had happened as Rachel and Becky spent their time wandering around the facility, simply remembering things. Looking at this and that and sharing stories of times past. Nills had forgotten that they had lived here for quite some time. Perhaps they thought they would never see it again.
After a time Nills decided he needed to report back to Anika and let her know they were all okay. He took his leave, donned his EVA suit again and headed out to the rover to use the comms. As he sat down in the rover cockpit Nills gave a satisfied sigh, things had worked out. Jann was alive and some sense of control could now be established. He flipped the comms unit on. “Colony Two, this is Nills, over.”
Static filled the rover. He tried again. “Colony Two, this is Nills, are you hearing me?”
“Nills, where are you?” It was a voice Nills didn’t recognize.
“At Colony One, We found Jann, she’s fine.”
“That’s great, but you better get your ass back here as quick as you can.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“It’s Alban. He and a few others have taken the geneticists and Xenon down to the tanks. I think they’re going to recycle them. We can’t do anything to stop it, you need to get back here… like now.”
“Oh shit,” said Nills.
Jann could tell something was wrong by the look on Nills’ face when he returned.
“We’ve got to get back, now… this minute.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“Alban. I warned him not to do it, explained all the reasons, I thought he understood.”
“What, Nills… do what?”
Nills stopped for a moment. “They’re going to tank the geneticists… and the hybrid leader. If they do, then all that knowledge will be lost to us. I explained to him the reasons why we need them, but he is just blinded by hate and revenge.”
“Shit.”
Nills wanted the alphas to come back with him but Jann intervened. A leader he might be but the s
ubtleties of politics were lost on him.
“They have to stay here,” she argued.
“But why? They’re on the same side as us, they could be useful.”
“No offense, guys,” she turned to them, and opened her hands out for emphasis, “But you’re alphas. Your presence with us will only confuse the loyalties of those we need to rally.”
They both gave a look of relieved acceptance.
“Also, I doubt you’d be much good in a fight.”
They stood silent, like two school kids being chastised. But they were no fools either, they had not survived this long by sticking their necks out.
“That’s settled, you stay here and try not to break anything. Gizmo, keep an eye on them.”
“Certainly, Dr. Malbec.”
27
Xenon
Jann pushed the rover hard. It bounced and rocked as it sped across the expanse of the Jezero Crater basin. Nills had managed to contact Anika. The situation was delicate, but had not deteriorated—yet.
Alban and a small group of betas, those who had argued most for retribution, had seized their chance while Nills had gone to look for Jann. With her presumed dead, a momentary power vacuum had opened up and they rushed in to fill it. It was a wild sort of counter rebellion, it was mob rule.
They had argued with the betas holding the captives and demanded they be handed over. Anika had tried to talk them down but she wasn’t getting any support. So, rather than see beta fighting beta, she had to back down.
Then followed a period of confusion as they debated what they would do to them, now that they had the upper hand. In the end they had taken all of the remaining geneticists and Xenon, the hybrid leader, down to the tanks. They would be made to pay the price. Justice would be served.
But they had not thought it through. It was not a quick death, not a hanging or death by firing squad. The counterrevolutionaries had barricaded themselves in the birthing room hoping to wait it out. Waiting for the point after which the body may be technically alive, but incapable of sustaining life outside the tank. How long was this? No one was really sure, but it was several hours at least. Although it would still take a few weeks to fully dissolve a live human in the tank.
When the rover finally lumbered into the main entrance airlock in Colony Two, quite a few betas had assembled there to greet them. Word of their return had spread. As Jann stepped out and removed her helmet she could sense the feeling of adulation that emanated from the group. It was something that didn’t sit easy with her, too much responsibility, perhaps. It was a dangerous thing, one false word, or some casual action on her part could have unintended repercussions.
“What’s the situation now?” Nills directed his question at Anika who had been trying to hold the line in his absence.
“They have them down in the birthing room, the doors are all locked and barricaded from the inside, there’s no way in.”
“Well, they’re not going anywhere soon. It takes a long time to die in the tank, so we’ve got some time.” Jann had removed her EVA suit.
Nills walked over to a workbench and stood up on it so he could see over the assembled betas. “Listen up. We’re going to break our way in to the birthing room and we are going to rescue those people.”
“Let them die,” someone shouted.
“Okay. And when they’re finished with them, they’ll come for the rest of the hybrids. After that, they’ll come for the last of the alphas. And after that, they come for you.” Nills jabbed a finger at the crowd. “So tell me, who will be left to save you when that happens?”
There was muted chorus of mumbling from the crowd.
“That’s right—no one. Because you will have stood by and let them all be killed. This is not what we fought for, this is not who we are. So let’s get these people out of there.” He jumped down from the workbench. It had done the trick. The mood had shifted, their confidence was returning. Jann had to hand it to him. The old Nills would have been proud.
The plan was simple. Break open the main door into the labs with a laser cutter, then start removing the barricade. After that it was talk. If that failed, then they would figure something out. Anika had organized a cutting crew, Nills was busy recruiting and arming some of the more levelheaded betas. Jann chose instead to visit the remaining hybrids, to assure them they were safe and that attempts were being made to rescue their leader, unharmed.
She made her way to the operations room next to the council chamber, on the upper level of the main cavern. Unlike the chamber itself this had not sustained any damage from the earlier fight to overthrow Vanji. It was from this room the council kept an eye on all activity within the colony. Around the walls were mounted dozens of monitors, all made with the same organic material as the ceiling illumination. They had a strange eerie look to them as they had no discernible edge, just patches of video here and there. She studied the feeds from the holding rooms for a few minutes.
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know,” said one of the technicians. “They were fine up until thirty minutes ago… you know, walking, talking, that sort of thing. Now this.” He waved a hand at the screen.
The hybrids were all huddled on the floor in groups, groaning and moaning. Holding their heads, eyes filled with sheer terror.
“Christ.” Jann stepped back in horror. “It’s their hive-mind. What one feels they all feel.”
The technician looked intently at the screen. “I still don’t get what’s wrong with them.”
“Alban has just tanked Xenon. They are feeling what he’s feeling. What it’s like to slowly dissolve to death.”
The technician stood speechless, his mouth wide open.
“Do you have a feed from the labs?”
“No, all cameras are cut. But that one there is from the corridor.” He pointed to a feed of the crew that was trying to cut open the main lab door. Shit, thought Jann, they’re going too slow. She raced out of the operations room and headed to the labs. She found Nills resting against the wall of the corridor, just down from where the crew was working. He was armed to the teeth, along with Anika and two others. He wasn’t taking any chances. The crew had finished opening the door and were now removing the equipment used to block the entrance.
“Nills,” Jann shouted. He smiled when he saw her coming. “Xenon has already been tanked.”
“How do you know?”
She explained what she had seen. “So we have to get him out of the tank quick, before he’s passed the point of no return. The point where his body cannot sustain life outside the tank. If we don’t hurry then we’ll doom the remaining hybrids to weeks of writhing agony—it may even kill them all.”
“Dammit,” was the best reply Nills could manage.
“Nills,” one of the crew shouted up to him. “We’re nearly through.”
“Okay.” Nills signaled to his team and they moved up to the lab entrance, taking up positions either side of the doorway. It had been fully cleared. Nills stuck his head around the doorjamb.
“Alban, this is Nills here. Killing those captives will do us no good. We need them to survive. Nobody else has the knowledge.”
There was a moment of silence. Nills moved in through the door. The others followed, keeping low. Once inside they spread out across the space of the vast lab cavern. They could see Alban and a few others at the far end, standing beside one of the birthing tanks.
“Alban.” Nills held his hand up in the air. “Give it up. This is pointless.”
Alban swung around, reached for a railgun and pointed it at him. Nills kept his hands high and moved forward, slowly.
“That’s far enough. Come any closer and I will shoot you.” He looked like he meant it.
“Where are the geneticists?” Nills stopped. Jann had slipped off to the side and was moving closer, using the tanks as cover.
“They’re getting what they deserve. Except now that you’ve showed up we’ll need to speed up the process.” He shouted back t
o the others who were now all pointing weapons. “Bring them out, we’ll do it here.”
Two geneticists were dragged out from behind one of the tanks. Their hands were tied behind their backs and they both had defeated looks on their faces. They were forced down on their knees in front of Alban.
“This is for our friends.” He pointed the railgun at one of the forlorn figures and fired. A spray of blood exploded from the back of his skull, he collapsed backwards, and everyone lost it—fire erupted from both sides.
Nills dove for cover, metal barbs bouncing off the floor as he ran. One of Alban’s crew went down. There was a scream from one of the betas. Jann hit the deck just as the tank behind her got hit and exploded into a thousand glass shards. The contents spilled out in a deluge, and with it came a body with tubes and wires still connected— it was Xenon, the Hybrid leader.
The ooze spread out across the floor in all directions and sloshed around Jann’s feet as she peered around the edge of a tank she was using as cover. The hybrid kicked and squirmed. Several other bodies lay on the floor, dead. But there was no sign of Alban. So Jann crawled out from behind the tank toward the writhing body of the hybrid. Nills appeared on the other side.
“Nills,” she called. “We need to get those tubes out of him quick.”
Nills nodded and looked behind him to see Anika and a few others moving forward. He signaled for them to take up covering positions.
Jann rushed over to Xenon. “Nills, hold him down, stop him moving.”
Nills grappled with the squirming body. “Dammit, he’s really slippery.”
Jann cut away the wires that had entangled him and pulled out the long tube running down his throat. He coughed, and spluttered, and spat. Then he started to shiver violently. Nills released his grip. “Shit, he’s going into shock.”
“He’ll be okay. Remember I’ve been here, I survived. But we do need to get him to sickbay.”
Colony Mars Ultimate Edition Page 32
