The Oceans of Mars

by Tiffany Weems

  “Oh wait,” Gerald said before they started moving again. “Don’t tell my mother. I want to do it. I have to.”

  “How long ago did he leave?” Luna asked as they walked to the medical center set up in Second Earth.

  “You missed him by minutes. He’s probably out of the settlement by now.”

  “Then where will he head next?” Luna asked.

  “I think I know. At least I know who he’ll look for next,” Gerald said. They entered the medical center and he was immediately seated into a motorized chair with a bot to direct him to a room.

  “Who is he looking for?” Wallis asked. “Who is he, for that matter?”

  Gerald sighed. “There’s a lot to tell you about. He’s looking for John and Patricia Meyer. Those are probably his next victims.” Gerald bit his tongue, looking around to see who might be listening in. “We need to talk alone. Let’s get into a room first.”

  Wallis and Luna stayed right behind as he was placed into a room. It was one of their more private rooms, Gerald assumed due to the injuries he had sustained. It didn’t take long for the doctor to mend both legs and he was instructed to lay back. He was on rest for a day.

  “So, who is he?” Wallis asked.

  “He was another member of that crew to Europa. He was on board that ship.”

  “Really? None of them ever said there was another crew member.” Wallis made a face. “I think maybe there were a few members of the Juno community who survived who may have said something about five Earth people and not four.”

  “There were five. Beasley was never intended to be on board, like my father. From the stories I’ve been told, Beasley planned to drop bombs on our town when they got back with the water, but Patricia stopped him. They thought he died when he got swept up with the water. Apparently they were wrong.”

  “So he’s going to look for Patricia and John, both of whom are on a flight for a new planet. What will he do when he figures that out?”

  Gerald squinted at Luna. “How’s the progress coming on the new one?”

  “The new ship,” Wallis said with a sigh. He immediately spoke into the communicator on his wrist. “Zalta, come in.”

  A woman’s voice came through on the other end with a bit of irritation. “What do you want Wallis? I’ve got a lot going on here right now.”

  “What happened?”

  “We were attacked and the ship’s gone.”

  “That’s what I needed to know. We’ll have an emergency meeting in fifteen minutes. Could you get hold of Philon and Peter for me?”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  Wallis smiled half-heartedly at Gerald. “Get better. I have a feeling Jessica’s going to want you reassigned.” Then he turned and left.

  Luna walked closer to the bed and leaned on it. “Are you okay?”

  “No. I really need to talk to my mother and I don’t want to.”

  “I get that.”

  Gerald bit his lip. “I hate to ask, but Wilk and Fenny and Sutton?”

  “Fenny and Sutton are dead. It looks like he made sure it was quick for them. After he shot you, Wilk jumped over and started to administer first aid. He saved your life. But Beasley wasn’t very happy. He tried to hurt Wilk without killing him, then he shoved him in the cargo hold with the others. I figured by the time we landed, he’d be gone, but he’s alive.”

  “That was a long answer for that good reward.” Gerald smiled. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Of course. Nothing could ever break up the disappointment brothers.”

  “I really wish everyone would stop calling us that.”

  12

  Almost there

  “Good afternoon, Mister Meyer. Any updates?” Troubalene asked in a very professional tone.

  John lifted his body and gave a curt nod. “Nothing to report. All systems are operating at top efficiency, ma’am. Far better than what any of us could have predicted.”

  “Very good. I wonder if we could check out the systems today.”

  “Of course, what time would you be interested in doing so?”

  “I am available in precisely thirty minutes, if that is congruous with your duties.”

  “I will meet you there then,” John said. He gave another nod and walked away from Troubalene. John had planned on meeting with Xana in the morning, but he decided it was better to meet with her after he’d discussed further details with Troubalene in one of the few places they could talk freely; the systems room. Instead, he thought it better to check on his subordinates.

  “How are all systems this morning?” he asked as he entered the computer room. Three of his four first shift workers were in there fervently working on certain codes for the ship. Since it was nearing the end of its trip, most of the systems were outdated and slowly degrading into nonsense.

  The woman closest to him, who was just a little younger, had worked with him since before their launch from Mars. She turned just long enough to give him a smile. “I’ve got this under control. The fuel injectors have managed to turn themselves back on early. I’ve reprogrammed the system and it should still work fine after we break free of the jump later today.”

  “Thanks, Mander,” he said. He looked at the backs of Friston, an eighteen year old with dark hair and an oversized head, and Chance, his worse worker, who had a very weathered face. “Where’s Lance?”

  “You just missed him. He reprogrammed four systems this morning and then took off,” Mander said. “Said something about this being a complete waste of time.”

  John sat at one of the open computers beside Mander. “Do you know what four systems he reprogrammed?”

  She shook her head. “We’re overloaded. This ship will be lucky to make it to the planet at this point.”

  John typed in a few controls. He worked through several different panels, each with a different password, until he found the personnel files and everything they’d accessed within the last month. He brought up Lance Fisher. John read each of the four systems that had been updated. “Fix what you can. Don’t forget to take a lunch break soon, alright?”

  “You got it boss,” she said.

  John logged off the computer and left the room. He made his way to the systems room where the mainframe was with large computer cells for the entire ship. It was the hard drive that controlled everything on board, from the flight systems to the lights. The room was only accessible to a few people. John was one of the few. Troubalene was another. So he entered the room and stood by the first tower, waiting for the door to open again.

  Finally, after five minutes, it did. Troubalene entered the room. The door slid shut completely before she spoke. “Anything?” she asked. Her tone was no longer professional.

  “He updated four systems today before leaving early.”

  “Which four?”

  “The flight system was one. I’ll have to go in to see exactly what he did. I highly doubt he sabotaged anything. I mean, he hasn’t yet. The environmental system and the navigational system were on there as well. I do think those two are a bit of an issue if he managed to change anything. Though I have managed to make them far more secure than the other systems. They seemed to be a bit more important. However, I am unable to determine exactly what the last system is. I didn’t program it.”

  Troubalene frowned. “What was it?”

  “The biological system. What’s that one for?”

  “We may have a bigger problem, if he really knows what it’s to. But not even Lance could know that.”

  “I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but maybe you should explain what that system controls before he has control of everything on board.”

  “John, there are certain things that only the captain and myself are privy to. Unfortunately, this is one of those things.”

  John sighed. “Fine. I will find a way to keep Lance from updating anymore systems until we land. Just one more week.”

  “Yes. We end the jump today and then we will land in a week on a planet which
the crew knows nothing about and that already has life forms living on it. This whole mission is about to be compromised by more than an unruly crew member who has yet to be proven to having stolen something essential for our protection.”

  “Again, shouldn’t need to be said, but if you had told me what he stole, I might have been able to find it by now.”

  Troubalene smiled. “John, just watch him. That’s your job. Leave the rest to me.” She turned and activated the door. Before she left the room, she said, “I expect a status report tomorrow at this time.”

  John rolled his eyes. He waited until he was sure that Troubalene was completely gone, into an elevator or into another room, before he left as well. That was always their arrangement. Whether they met to discuss Lance’s actions, hoping to clear Patricia’s name or to discuss Susanna Creighton and what she took from the archives, John was always the last to leave in order to avoid suspicion.

  John wanted to go to the cafeteria before seeing Xana. She often skipped lunch and he felt a need to make sure she got something before they ran out of food. Not that that seemed to be an imposing issue upon the ship, given the shorter trip they’d opted for, but he still wouldn’t put it past the captain to horde food for the more important members of the ship. John rolled his eyes again.

  He rounded the corner into the cafeteria and was immediately shoved against the wall by a man he’d never seen before. The man looked frail, though he didn’t act like he was weak. His hair was falling out in large tufts and his eyes darted back and forth fervently.

  “Help me,” he said in almost a whisper.

  John looked around to see if anyone else was paying attention. They appeared to be too busy with their food. “With what?”

  “Can’t you see them?”

  John shook his head. “See what?”

  “They’re everywhere. They’re going to kill me. Please help me.”

  With a deep breath, John nodded. “I’ll help you. Follow me, okay?”

  The man pulled John away from the wall and clung to his arm. Then the two of them made their way to the elevator up to the second floor. The man tightened his grip as they approached Xana’s office. “They’re everywhere! Don’t let them eat me!” he shouted as he tried to take off in the opposite direction.

  John grabbed hold of the man by his shoulder and dragged him back. “I won’t. I promise.” He opened the door to Xana’s office. “A little help, please.”

  Xana rose from her desk and ran out to them carrying an injector. She placed it against the man’s skin and pushed a button. “That ought to do it.”

  The man went limp. “What did you give him?”

  “A mild sedative. He’s the fifth case this week of space madness or, by its proper name, Interstellar Dimensia. I’ve got more people in quarantine now than we did when that illness took hold right after launch.” Xana went back into her office and came out with a bar. She pressed a button on the end and a transparent cot appeared in the air.

  John bent down and lifted the man, laying him on the cot which never wavered. Then the two of them moved him into a quarantine cell. “How are you treating the individuals?”

  “We’re trying to develop a formula to counteract the chemical imbalances in their brains. In the meantime, the medical staff is talking with each patient to try to calm them down and work through whatever is causing the issue to begin with.”

  With a glance at the number of cells that contained those of unsound minds, John turned back to Xana. “This ship is going to have a lot of issues when we land.”

  “Speaking of issues, I assume you have come for a follow up.” Xana made a motion for John to follow her.

  He did, and entered into her office making sure the door was secured behind him. “I just met with Troubalene. Tried to bring you lunch, but that man attacked me.”

  “That’s alright. I actually had breakfast today so I’m not that hungry.” Xana took a seat. “What did you two discuss?”

  “I told her about the four systems that Lance updated this morning. That’s really it. She still won’t tell me what he stole and wouldn’t explain to me what the biological system was. That’s one of the four he updated. As far as I am aware, that system has never been on any of my update agendas, ever. I was not the one who programmed it to begin with. If it hadn’t been for Lance, I would not even be aware of such a system onboard this ship.”

  “I’m not sure. I’m privy to a lot of information on this ship, though. What were the other three systems?”

  “Navigational, flight and environmental. All of which concern me on different levels. I don’t know what he’s planning, but my guess is this next week will be key to his plan.”

  “Susanna was in here yesterday.”

  “Really? Is she ill?”

  “No. She’s concerned about her husband. Says the captain is ill, but won’t come to see any of the physicians on board.”

  John grimaced. “I’ve not noticed anything. I could look into it if you’d like.”

  “Keep an eye on him.”

  John bit the inside of his cheek. “If I can convince him to come meet with you, do you think she’d attend that meeting as well? That would be a normal thing to do, right? Support your spouse?”

  “Yes, John, that would be a normal thing to do.” Xana shook her head. Then her eyes widened. “Yes, it would be normal.”

  “How long would a physical take?”

  “I could maybe make it last twenty minutes if I talk enough. But that is it. What about their son?”

  “Oh, they found separate quarters for him months ago. I don’t know why it took so long to get him out of his parents’ room, but I think they were all grateful for the change.” John stood up. “I’m going to go find the captain now. We need to set this up as early as possible. Troubalene does not seem to be at all concerned with what the captain’s wife is arranging.”

  “John, she does seem like the lesser of the two evils and Lance is the key to clearing Patricia’s name.”

  “I know that. It just appears as though their agendas may be interconnected. I could be wrong, but that file she stole might just be the key to what Lance is concocting.” Then, he turned away from her and left without a backward glance.

  The captain wasn’t too hard to find. He frequented three areas on the entire ship and that was about it. “Good afternoon, Captain Creighton.”

  “Good afternoon, Mister Meyer. Is it time for your status report already?”

  John looked around the control room at all the people diligently working. “I thought maybe you’d like to have a report before we break free from the jump, instead of after.”

  “Smart thinking,” the captain said. He sounded annoyed, but that was how he always spoke to John. “If you have anything to report, now is the time.”

  “All systems are fully functional and any that were posing small issues are being reprogrammed as we speak. Even after we land this ship will continue to be fully operational until the day we die.”

  “One can only hope,” the captain said. “Why don’t you take your seat?”

  John looked around annoyed. He sat down and watched as they typed in controls. The ship had survived the jump, but coming out of it was going to be quite another test. So he sat still.

  Troubalene walked in the room. “Are we ready sir?”

  “Mister Ellis, announce it to the ship please.”

  Barney Ellis leaned forward and spoke loud and clear. As he did, his voice carried through the room. “Please make your way to the designated jump zones. We will be coming out of the jump in just a few minutes as the end of our journey is nigh. In one week we will land and begin again on a new planet, a second hope for mankind.” Then he leaned back.

  John rolled his eyes. He looked to Troubalene who refused to look back at him. She was supposed to be mad at him. Everyone was. His wife had stolen something from them, something important, and obviously he had helped. It was getting a bit old.

  The pit of his sto
mach churned, his head swam and his muscles felt as though he’d just run none stop for hours and they were slowing down to a normal speed. Then it all stopped. His head was still swimming, but it was better. He looked up, out the window in the front and saw planets. Not those they had left behind, but new ones, really intricate ones. There was one that they were just about to pass. It was smaller with a moon half its size. The surface was an exquisite purple with swirls of white. Ahead he could make out two more planets that were in the same orbit, dancing around each other. Both had oranges and browns swirled into each other. He could see three more, but couldn’t make out much about them because they were too far away. John smiled. He looked to see that most of the crew was in the same awe as he was at the sight, but the captain wasn’t. That seemed fitting.

  “Good work everybody,” Captain Creighton said. “You are dismissed. If there are any further issues, I’ll notify you straight away.”

  There was a loud raucous as the crew disembarked for the cafeteria, their beds, or the recreational rooms. John, however, stayed behind. To his disappointment, so did Troubalene.

  “Sir,” John said trying to find another way to bring up the subject of the doctor. “I’m curious, in a week’s time what will we do as a crew? Will everyone maintain their current positions or will new ones need to be assigned since a ship and a planet require completely different needs?”

  Troubalene scowled at him, but he managed to ignore her.

  “We will have to determine the functionality of each position as issues arise. I highly doubt you’ll have anything to worry about.” The captain didn’t sound too convinced as he said it.

  John ignored him too. “The subject of the planet’s atmosphere has also been brought to my attention. The planet itself appears to be similar to Earth in texture, but there are a few concerning details. Such as, after traveling in space for so long, will we be able to hold up to a regular gravity again or to the composition of an atmosphere with a little bit more carbon dioxide than what we’ve been getting used to?”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Sir, I feel it is imperative that everyone on board receive a physical. Not doing so could be more costly than the outbreak caused right after we launched.”