Colony Mars Ultimate Edition

by Gerald M. Kilby

  Mia took the pen, scribbled a swirl on the paper, tore out the sheet, and held it side by side with the note from the book. "Same paper, same pen." She offered it to Bret, who studied it closely for a moment. "He did write this, and it must have been recent."

  "Possibly," said Bret. "But...it's just a name."

  "Attention. Five minutes to embarkation. Please ensure all personal items are stored securely."

  They were now beginning to draw attention to themselves, so Mia sat back down on her seat. Bret followed suit. She tapped her earpiece to open comms with Gizmo. "Are you still connected to the data grid, Gizmo?"

  "Yes, Mia, I am. I do not disconnect until we embark from the terminal."

  "Good. I need you to run a search on a name, Lloyd Allen. And do it quick."

  A few seconds later, Gizmo replied. "I have found public records for three individuals. One is a recent arrival from Earth, 29 years old, a bio-engineer located in Elysium. Another is an administrator, 43 years old, working for the government education department in Jezero. The last one is 48 years old, an electronics engineer and a former owner of Allen Robotics here in Syrtis."

  Mia looked over at Bret, who was also listening to the results of Gizmo's search.

  "I'll bet it's the last guy, the one here in Syrtis."

  "It's possible," Bret replied, not sounding overly convinced.

  "Attention. One minute to embarkation."

  Mia jumped up from her seat and reached up to the overhead compartment for her bag and helmet. "I'm going to find him and figure out what he knows."

  "What?!" Bret almost shouted it out, then lowered his voice. "We're about to leave. There's no time. What about Frazer's body? There'll be hell to pay if we're not accompanying the remains when they arrive back in Jezero."

  "You stay here and accompany the body. But me and Gizmo are getting off." She was already on the move toward the door, leaving Bret with a dazed look on his face.

  "Gizmo, quick—follow me. We're getting off this caravan before it leaves."

  "Excellent," said the little droid. "I was wondering how long it would take before you did something crazy."

  8

  Attack

  Mia stood on the terminal concourse in Syrtis, watching her ride back to Jezero City leave without her and Gizmo.

  "Much as I enjoy our adventures, Mia, I am at a loss to see how this course of action could be considered a good plan." The little droid swiveled its head this way and that, studying the layout of the terminal.

  "I have to admit, Gizmo, I'm wondering that very same thing." Mia was now also surveying the area. "Well, it’s too late now. We're committed. There's no transport back to Jezero for another three sols, so we might as well do what we came here to do and try to find this Lloyd guy."

  "I have not been able to ascertain an exact address for him from the public network. I would need access to the systems in MLOD HQ for that."

  "No way we're going back there, Gizmo. We need to try to stay under the radar, keep a low profile. I don't want them to know we're snooping around."

  "I assumed that would be the MLOD's job, to snoop around."

  "Yes, but this is different."

  "How is it different?"

  "Gizmo," Mia almost shouted, then realized and lowered her voice. "It just is, okay?"

  "If you say so, but—"

  "But nothing," Mia interrupted the droid, then sighed. "Look, just see if you can dig up something on the network that might be of use in tracking this guy down."

  "Very well, if you insist."

  "In the meantime, I need to get out of this EVA suit."

  The terminal concourse had a deserted feel to it now. Gone was the hustle and bustle of earlier; only a few people remained—workers and terminal staff, mostly. They made their way to an area within the building complex that housed a temporary public storage facility where travelers could stash items for a few sols. This was mostly used for EVA suits, as these were not needed in the city, but were a mandatory requirement when taking any form of surface transport on Mars.

  Mia swiped her badge over the keypad of a free unit and the door clicked open. She was taking a risk using her official ID and paying through MLOD expenses; there would be a record, a trail, a way for her to be tracked. But she reckoned that, since they assumed she was now safely on her way to Jezero, they wouldn’t be looking for her just yet.

  She stepped into the unit, no bigger than a small wardrobe, and clambered out of the bulky suit. As she hung it up and began to attach the various services that would now charge it and replenish the suit's resources, she queried Gizmo as to any useful information it might have managed to find in its search through the public broadcast network.

  "Lloyd Allen had a small business servicing droids, rovers, and mining equipment. It operated out of a facility near the spaceport, over in the western quadrant of Syrtis. According to reports, this business operated successfully for several years, in tandem with the city's development, until a rival operation was established by Montecristo Industries."

  "That's Vance Baptiste's corporation."

  "Apparently Montecristo aggressively targeted Allen's clients, enticing them away. There are also some unsubstantiated rumors of intimidation of both Lloyd and his employees. This went on for several months until Montecristo finally forced his business, along with several others, to close down. After that, there is not much information. There is only one mention of him, around four months ago when he was arrested at a political demonstration and charged with inciting a riot."

  "What was the demonstration about?" Mia finished storing her EVA suit and was now closing the storage compartment door.

  "Nothing specific that I can see. It seemed to be an amalgam of disparate groups coalescing around the inability of the administration in Syrtis to deal with the breakdown of infrastructure due to the ongoing dust storm."

  "So he's a bit of a crusader?" Mia entered a random code into the door's keypad to lock it.

  "It would seem so. One interesting tidbit is that these protestors had a very negative view of Jezero City."

  "I keep hearing this. Why is that?"

  "The story that has gained traction is that the government of Mars in Jezero City is causing unnecessary suffering of the people by its intransigence over the concessions required by Earth-based corporations before they send increased supplies of vital spare parts and aid."

  "Well that's just crap, Gizmo. Mars is being held to ransom. Just when we need Earth most, they turn around and kick us in the teeth."

  "I do not profess to have an opinion either way. I am just a humble robot. The ways of humans are much too complex for my simple mind."

  Mia gave the little droid a quizzical look that morphed into a smile. "I think the long rest you had in the museum has given your simple mind a new level of cynicism. Or maybe it's just from hanging out with me for too long."

  "Perhaps both."

  Mia adjusted a dust mask around her nose and mouth until it fit comfortably. Then she donned her visor and tapped her wrist pad to bring up an augmented reality view of the area. "Okay, the way I see it is we have two choices. We could find a place to stay and hole up for a few sols until the next caravan is due. In other words, forget about this crazy endeavor, just stay low and keep out of trouble. Or we could take a look at the area where Lloyd Allen had his business, snoop a little, ask a few questions, and see what happens."

  "Judging by the way you are studying that augmented realty map of the industrial sector in Syrtis, it would seem you have already made up your mind."

  Mia turned her head to looked at the droid. "You know me so well, Gizmo." She smiled. "Okay then, let's go make a nuisance of ourselves."

  Syrtis was a city whose foundation began as a mining colony. Its subsequent development mirrored that of many centers of human activity since the dawn of civilization. What started as a mining outpost soon began to suck in capital and people as the industry developed. Processing plants were built to refine
the extracted ore on-site rather than incur the costs of transport to Jezero City. A new spaceport was also built to facilitate the shipping of goods back to Earth.

  Syrtis soon became a hive of human activity, and like many mining hubs, a downtown started to emerge to accommodate and entertain the workers and their families. New living sectors were built, along with bio-domes for agriculture and new streets for retail and leisure. The city now housed over four hundred thousand people, not all of whom worked in the mining industry. Most now worked in the myriad of ancillary activities that fed off its primary source of wealth.

  All this development and specialization served Syrtis well. But it also had the knock-on effect of denuding Jezero of its heavy industry as, one by one, these operations upped sticks and moved to Syrtis. As a result, Jezero became a more genteel place, the seat of government, a tourist destination and the city of choice on Mars, if you had the money to live there.

  This perceived difference in status between the grubby city of sweat and toil and the sunny uplands of the rich and powerful became a source of much friction between the citizens. At best, this manifested itself as good-humored jibes. At worst, it had the potential to boil over into hatred and even violence. The final straw for many in Syrtis was the reluctance of the government in Jezero to concede to the demands of the Earth-based corporations, whom they relied on for vital supplies of those goods that could not be manufactured on Mars. And as the endless dust storm rolled on, eroding the very infrastructure needed for human survival, it was understandable that tempers began to flare.

  All this Mia had learned since her arrival in Syrtis, perhaps not in great detail, but enough to know that they could be walking into trouble if they weren't careful. It didn't help that she was traveling with an antiquated droid. Gizmo was drawing attention from people as they passed along the main thoroughfare. Mia kept her head lowered, her eyes straight ahead, and focused on the destination marker highlighted in her AR visor.

  They had decided back at the terminal to go and check out the physical location of Lloyd Allen's old business venture. It was located in a sector sandwiched between the refineries and the spaceport, designated for light industry, and was generally referred to as the maintenance sector. As they walked, Mia began to get a sense that a lot of folks in Syrtis seemed aimless, with nothing to do and no place to be. Small groups of people knotted around corners and open spaces, some sitting, some drinking, but not much else.

  The route they were taking was along the main backbone that sliced through the heart of the city. Behind them lay the great agri-domes and agricultural sectors. Those led into the administrative and leisure sectors, which they were now leaving, and entering into a more industrial sector.

  Mia checked her AR display. "It's not far, another six hundred meters." She stopped at a junction and looked right, down another wide thoroughfare. "Down here, on the right somewhere."

  They walked past small industrial units, closed up and shuttered. There were few people and even less activity. After walking for a few minutes, Mia's AR display indicated that they should be standing right outside the old business premises of Lloyd Allen.

  Mia stopped and looked around at the shuttered facility. "This should be it." She walked up to what looked to be the front door of a wide, tall, highly engineered structure, built as an airlock and big enough to accommodate large vehicles. On the wall beside it, a small sign read Allen Robotics. It was coated in a thin film of dust, like everywhere else in the city.

  Gizmo was examining something on the entrance door.

  "You got something there?" said Mia as she moved over to see what had intrigued the droid.

  "No dust on the locking mechanism. And see here, along the edges of the door? No dust, either."

  "Someone has been in here recently." Mia removed the AR visor to get a better look. "Or is still in there."

  Mia stepped back at the realization that someone might be inside, perhaps even watching them on a monitor. She glanced around the exterior wall for signs of a camera. But even if there was one, it would be very difficult to spot.

  "Do you want me to open it?" Gizmo was now examining the keypad beside the door.

  "You think you can hack it?"

  The little droid's head swiveled around to consider Mia. "Of course. Is that not why you had me reactivated, so that I can do whatever hacking needs to be done?"

  Mia paused for a moment, then smiled and stabbed an index finger at the robot. "Like I said, Gizmo, you know me so well." She looked back at the building. "Not right now, people may have seen us come up here, and...it would be good to know if there is someone inside before we go barging in uninvited." She looked back at Gizmo. "Only one way to find out."

  She walked over to the door, pressed the intercom, and waited. Nothing. She tried a few more times, putting her ear up to the door to try to hear any movement from inside. Still nothing.

  "Okay, either there's no one at home, or they're hiding out. Let's try to find out a bit more before we resort to breaking and entering."

  "Very well," said Gizmo. "So, what is our next step?"

  Mia turned her head to face back up the route they had just taken. "We passed a bar at that last junction that looked open. I suggest we pay it a visit and ask a few questions. Maybe someone in there knows something."

  The bar, called the Neutrino, was set a little back from one corner of the crossroads. It had some seating outside, with a few people eating. All around this junction, a number of smaller business had set up shop—small workshops, mainly—and most of their activity had spilled out onto the walkway, merging with street vendors and the general public. The area was busy and had a lively feel. It seemed to be the center of activity for this entire sector, feeding off all the people that worked in the factories and workshops in this area. All this activity had kicked up a thin haze of dust that hung in the air, softening the edges of the structures, blurring the details, so much so that the people moved as if in slow motion.

  Like the rest of the businesses around the junction, the bar operated part outside and part inside; there was no door as such, just an indistinct transition. The term outside was something of a loose term on Mars, as, strictly speaking, outside meant the surface, beyond the structures of the city.

  Mia glanced up at the curved, transparent roof of the thoroughfare. In normal times, this would provide ample light to the people below. But these were not normal times; all she could see was the dense, brown haze of the ever-present dust storm darkening the sky and casting a dim, pale light onto the street below.

  They made their way into the dull interior of the bar, which was clearly designed for utility rather than ambiance. Everything in it—the counter, the walls, the tables and chairs—all seemed to be made of the same dull beige material. It had the feel of a medical clinic whose surfaces had become cracked and yellowed with age.

  A few tables were occupied with customers, all of whom were avidly watching a public broadcast on a large screen at the back of the bar. It looked to be a news story of an incident somewhere in the city. They made their way to the bar counter and Mia parked herself on a hard, plastic stool. The barman took his eyes away from the broadcast and looked them over. He was tall and heavy-set, dressed in a dull, brown overall with the sleeves torn off. Around his mouth and nose he wore a complex dust mask that had the look of handcrafted industrial salvage.

  He shifted his bulk from his elbows and came over with a nod. "What'll it be?"

  "Eh...I could use a coffee?"

  His response was unmoving. Instead, he gave her a curious look, then glanced at Gizmo. "That's an old G2 unit, if I'm not mistaken. Haven't seen one of those in a while."

  "I am not a G2 unit. I—"

  Mia raised a hand to Gizmo to stop it from talking. "Eh, yeah, it's...a version of one."

  The barman studied them for a beat, then turned to get Mia's coffee. While his back was turned, Mia poked a finger at Gizmo and whispered, "Don't even think about talking."


  The little droid shifted slightly, but said nothing.

  The barman returned with the coffee presented in a plastic mug in a similar shade of dull beige as the rest of the decor. He leaned in a little across the counter. "I take it you're not from around here?"

  Mia didn't reply. Instead, she took a sip of coffee and concentrated on looking at the counter long enough for the question to drift away. She clasped the mug in both hands and looked back at the barman when she was satisfied that he wasn't going to pursue the query. "Say...that unit down there at the end of the street, Allen Robotics. I don't suppose you know where I could find the owner, Lloyd?"

  He stepped back a bit from the counter, gave her a suspicious look, and folded his arms. "And who wants to know?"

  "I'm a friend of a friend."

  "Is that so. You wouldn't be MLOD, would you?" With the mention of this, Mia could sense a change in vibe in the bar. Gizmo started to twitch—never a good sign. She glanced over her shoulder to find a few of the customers now taking an interest in them.

  She turned back to the barman. "Lloyd Allen. Do you know him?"

  "Nope." He glanced up at the screen. Something showed up that seemed to get the rest of the customers a little agitated. There were heated words being flung at the screen.

  Mia jerked her head in the direction of the broadcast. "What's the story?"

  "Incident down at sector twenty-five. Primary oxygenator failure. Sector is sealed off, looks like multiple deaths. Bad... Very bad." He kept his eyes on the screen as he spoke.

  "This damn storm," said Mia. "It's killing us all."

  He turned back to Mia. "For sure. Listen, who did you say you were?"

  Mia sensed he might be softening a bit now that she had let him know that they were all in this together, so to speak. So, she took a chance. "I'm investigating a...possible murder."

  The barman raised an eyebrow.

  "Dan Frazer. He was an MLOD agent. They say he died in an accident, a CO2 scrubber malfunction, but I don't think so. Before he died, he was meeting with Allen. That's why I want to talk to him. Find out what he knows."