Classical: MARS: Book 3 of MARS

by Matthew Ellis

  David knocked on the door. No one answered, so he tried the knob. It was locked.

  He thought, “I’ll have to use the locksmith tool to get inside. If I’m quick, no one’ll suspect a thing.”

  Jordan saw him get closer to the doorknob.

  “What the hell’s this guy doing?”

  The door opened, and Jordan summoned the capitol security team.

  He ordered, “A suspicious man wearing an immigrant badge is breaking in to Notah’s office. Observe him and let him do what he’s been sent to do. Then apprehend him and bring him to me.”

  David took a device from his arm and placed it on the wall. He turned around and started to walk toward the door when he felt a sudden wave of panic.

  “I didn’t think about cameras. What if they’ve seen me? Wait, if they saw me, they’d try to stop me.”

  He walked out of the room and found a security team waiting to arrest him.

  “Unless they wanted to see what I was doing,” he thought.

  The security team handcuffed David and took him to Jordan’s office. Jordan was upset, but he needed answers more than he needed to show his anger. He held the device in his hand.

  Jordan asked, “What is this thing?”

  David answered, “I don’t know.”

  Jordan said, “We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. I can get truth serum and get the truth that way, or you can save yourself that pain and just tell me what you know.”

  David said, “I don’t know what it is. I only know what I’ve been told that it does.”

  Jordan said, “Then tell me what it does.”

  David explained how the device worked, and how he took one apart. He told Jordan everything he learned, but he dared not tell Jordan who sent the device to Mars.

  Jordan said, “You’ve told me a great deal about this device, but you haven’t mentioned who sent you here or why they did so.”

  David said, “If I told you that, I’d be killed before I left the planet.”

  Jordan said, “I’m pretty sure I know who sent you. I just don’t know why the General would use our immigration system to try and gather intelligence.”

  David said, “Please don’t make me tell you anything about that. I’ll be killed for sure.”

  Jordan said, “I won’t make you do that, but I’m not going to let you do any more damage to our society. I’m sending you back to Earth on the first transport available.”

  David asked, “Will my name be on the manifest?”

  Jordan answered, “No, because I’m going to report that you were captured and executed for spying.”

  David said, “I thought that was against your law.”

  Jordan said, “It is, but I can say a rogue soldier carried out the execution and has been disciplined for it.”

  David said, “Thank you for not putting me in a Martian prison. I wouldn’t survive in there.”

  Jordan said, “You should be more grateful that I’m not returning you to General Rich. If he found out you’d told me any of this, he’d hunt you down like a dog.”

  David said, “I’m very aware of that. I only took this job to see how life is here on Mars.”

  Jordan said, “It’s too bad you didn’t try it the right way. You could’ve had a better life. Now, you’re going to be banned from ever returning.”

  David said, “Maybe I’ll join the resistance on Earth. That might change things.”

  Jordan said, “I doubt it. DeNoPE is too powerful, and the corporations make sure it stays that way.”

  David said, “Maybe someday I’ll surprise you with an alliance request from the Earth resistance.”

  Jordan said, “It would be denied. You’re on my shit list. I’m never going to trust you.”

  Jordan called a security leader into his office.

  He said, “Make sure he’s not on the one with the refugees. I don’t want him hurt, so I don’t want the delegation from Earth to know he’s betrayed them.”

  The security leader said, “Understood, sir. He’ll return on some other ship.”

  Jordan thought, “If only it was that simple. We’re committing murder to advance our own agenda.”

  David left the room in handcuffs. The security team took him to a holding cell to await deportation to Earth.

  Jordan thought, “I wonder how this thing works?”

  He took it to his private lab and took it apart. When he saw the worm, he became very concerned.

  “What the hell kind of genetic mutation is he doing over there?”

  He took a very small sample of blood from the worm. He didn’t want to harm the creature, but he had to know what it was. He ran the DNA through the sequencer to find out what kind of creature it was.

  He said, “What in the hell? This doesn’t match any known organism on Earth or Mars. What the hell does Rich know that we don’t know?”

  He cross-referenced the analysis with every living genetic mutation available. There was nothing to compare it to. The DNA didn’t even match the chemicals found in living things found in this solar system. There were traces of gold, lead, and uranium in its blood.

  “The only logical solutions are that either he created this entirely in the lab or he’s discovered an alien race. I’m not sure which one is more plausible.”

  Jordan didn’t notice that the device had a circuit with an integrated camera, microphone and speaker.

  Rich said, “Hello, General Green. I see you’re spying on me.”

  Jordan said, “Only because you’re spying on me.”

  Rich said, “I just thought I’d warn you that the device and the creature inside have a self-destruct protocol in case of capture. It’s going to explode in about 20 seconds.”

  Jordan asked, “You’re going to kill an innocent creature that you’re using just so I don’t find out its secrets?”

  Rich answered, “Isn’t that what the best investigators do? You haven’t been above this yourself in the past.”

  Jordan snapped, “But I’m not a horse’s ass.”

  Rich said, “That’s for the future to decide. You should probably find safety. Next time, there’s not going to be a warning.”

  Jordan left the room with his research just as the self-destruct activated. He was safe, and his data was preserved. The lab’ however, was completely destroyed and would need to be completely rebuilt. He headed straight to Scout to share his findings.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Torture

  Governor Kidd escorted the prisoners to his ship. The ship would return them to Earth to be prosecuted for their crimes. They faced life in prison or death for their crimes, which included murder, accessory to murder, and obstruction of justice.

  The Governor told the guard, “Make sure you keep them restrained during the trip. We don’t want to have anyone escape.”

  Michael said, “Where the hell would we go? We’re gonna be in space.”

  Kidd told the guard, “And put a muzzle on this smartass. Don’t let him give you any lip.”

  The guard said, “Yes, sir.”

  The governor said, “Thanks, I’ll see you when we get home.”

  Governor Kidd left to meet with the Martian authorities and file the official paperwork to extradite the prisoners to Earth.

  The guard placed a strip of cloth over Michael’s mouth and secured it with duct tape. He also put a small hole in the tape and cloth to allow the prisoner to breathe. Michael would be unable to speak for the duration of the journey. This tape and cloth would only be removed for fifteen minutes at a time so that Michael could eat. The guard secured all three prisoners to their seats with four point restraints.

  He said, “If anyone else shoots their mouth off on this trip, you’ll get the same as your buddy over there.”

  Elaine and Andres were silent but acknowledged their understanding of the guard by nodding their heads. They didn’t want to make the trip any more uncomfortable than it had to be.

  The ship’s p
ilot started the engine and the guard closed the door. Within seconds, the ship was in the air. Then it began the long journey back to Earth. The guard wanted to begin the interrogation of the suspects during the journey, but the deal that Scout had struck with Governor Kidd forbade any kind of Earth business while in transit between the two planets. To enforce this rule, there were cameras feeding Scout with a continuous feed from the ship.

  The guard thought, “I wonder if Scout’s even watching this feed. I’ll bet I could interrogate the hell out of these people without any consequence.”

  He was very tempted to follow through with this plan. Then a wave of fear swept over him.

  He thought, “I can’t do that. If Scout’s watching, it’ll trigger another war. The last war didn’t end well for us. I’ll have to wait until we’re out of communications range.”

  The beginning of the journey was quiet. The prisoners dared not speak when the guard was near, and the guard dared not violate the treaty. Four days after the ship left Mars, it left communications range. Scout could no longer see what happened on the ship. Once the ship was out of range, the cameras were disabled. Now the interrogation of the prisoners could begin.

  The guard removed Michael’s four point restraints and replaced them with handcuffs and shackles. They were silenced with tape over their mouths, gagged with cloth, and told that the shackles were electrified. He repeated this process with Elaine and Andres. They were escorted to three separate rooms to be interrogated.

  He said, “Move your ass, or I’m gonna move it for you. That goes for all of you.”

  The prisoners walked to the interrogation room on the ship. Their clothes were removed and the officers made sure their weapons were visible.

  The guard told the prisoners, “Take a seat and shut up unless you’re asked a question. If you’re asked a question, tell the truth or pay the consequences. I’m ready to discharge this weapon if I have to, so don’t try anything stupid.”

  They did what they were told to do out of fear. The reputation of these police was a plethora of terrifying stories. They didn’t want to experience any more persecution than was absolutely necessary.

  Michael was in the first room with the guard from the ship. The guard ripped the tape off his lips and yanked the cloth out of his mouth.

  The guard yelled, “Start talking!”

  Michael said, “What do you want to know?”

  The guard said, “Oh, you’re gonna continue being a smartass. Maybe I need to give you a lesson in respect. The shackles are electrified, but I find that people fain the inability to speak if they’re shocked.”

  The guard jumped out of his seat and moved to the corner of the room. He grabbed a whip from a box in the corner. The whip was made of leather and ended in seven knotted strips.

  He told Michael, “You’re gonna learn to respect my authority.”

  He hit the table with the whip, and a loud crack filled the air. Michael jumped in fear as the guard approached him.

  The guard said, “Now you’re gonna find out what happens to people who don’t show me the proper respect.”

  He reared back with the whip and landed a series of quick hits on Michael’s chest. Michael winced in pain, but dared not cry out. He feared that crying would lead to more of this punishment.

  The guard said, “Next time you mouth off, it’ll be a little lower. Now, who are the people who helped you?”

  Michael answered, “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  The guard said, “Don’t lie to me! We know you had help hiding, and we have no record of any citizen of the Republic of Mars doing it.”

  Michael said, “I told you, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  He whipped Michael’s thigh and made his leg bleed. Then he reared back and stopped the whip two inches from his crotch.

  He said, “I don’t think you want that to happen, do you? I think you want to tell me the damned truth.”

  Michael said, “We found a group of Martians. Not the new ones, but the original colonists from 60 years ago. They helped us hide and gave us food and supplies. They’re on the far side of the planet.”

  The guard said, “I know that’s a lie. All the colonists from that mission are dead, and the settlement was used by the Allied Earth army during the war.”

  He cocked his arm back and held the whip in the air while he asked his next question.

  He asked, “What is the truth?”

  Michael cried, “I already told you,” as tears streamed down his face.

  The guard landed the whip in Michael’s crotch sixteen times. Each blow was harder than the one before. He spent every bit of energy he had making Michael bleed. When he was finished torturing Michael, he removed the restraints and took him back to his cell. Then he went to report to his superiors.

  Michael fell out of his seat writhing in pain. His legs and crotch were bleeding profusely. A nurse entered the room shortly after the guard left to attend to Michael’s wounds. She applied silver nitrate to the wounds to stop the bleeding, but that as all she could do to help him. He would have to wait to get serious medical treatment until he arrived at a hospital.

  The nurse said, “Let’s get your comrades in here. I might need to help them, too.”

  Michael asked her, “How can you work for these assholes?”

  She replied, “It’s the only job I could get. I’m sorry, but if I talk to you too long, I’ll get whipped too.”

  She brought Elaine and Andres into the cell. They were all still naked, they were all bent and bleeding so much that it was hard to tell which one of them was the female.

  The guard walked to his supervisor’s office to report the findings of his interrogation. The supervisor was in her office when the guard arrived.

  The guard said, “Do you have a minute?”

  She replied, “What did you find out?”

  He said, “None of them know anything. They made up some bullshit about colonists on the far side of the planet. They all said they’re in the settlement we used during the war.”

  The supervisor said, “Sounds like a rehearsed story. We’ll have to use the new brain scanners when we get back to Earth.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Mudslinging

  Scout turned on his television to watch his ad. He needed an escape from the insanity of the last few days. The ad was scheduled to air ten times a day for the month leading up to the election.

  The news anchor said, “In local news, a spy from Earth was caught planting spy equipment in Notah Yazzie’s office. He was sent back to Earth and asked not to return to Mars. We’ll be right back after these few messages.”

  Scout thought, “Okay, here comes my ad. I hope they did a good job.”

  An ad said, “Can we really trust the leaders we have right now? Scout and Jordan started out great, but they’ve allowed Freedom to be overrun by spies from Earth. They allowed one of General Rich’s operatives to plant spy equipment in our cities. Maybe it’s time for a change.”

  Scout thought, “That’s not fair. The spy was posing as an immigrant. I refuse to let us become a closed society. We’re going to continue welcoming new people; we’ll just have to be more diligent about our screening process.”

  The ad continued, “Vote for a change in Martian society. Vote for the Mars Isolation Party.”

  A list of candidates followed, and Scout noticed that all of them were from the first two waves of settlers on Mars.

  He thought, “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when people on Mars would become isolationists. We created this society to make a better way for people who don’t like the systems on Earth. I have to respond to this ad. If I don’t, we might all become Nazis.”

  Scout’s ad aired immediately after the other one, and he liked the way it looked. The studio did an equally good job with his ad as they did with his opponents’. However, he still wanted to answer his opponents’ claims directly with another ad. He called Jordan to
discuss a plan of action.

  Jordan asked, “Why does it bother you so much? They’re not going to defeat you in the election.”

  Scout replied, “It bothers me because they’re spreading lies and half-truths. If we want this society to work the way we want it to, it has to be grounded in the full truth.”

  Jordan said, “I guess that makes sense, but it seems like a moot point if you’re still in power.”

  Scout said, “An idea like that without an answer is like a seed. If I let it go, it’ll grow like a weed. If I shrug it off, I’ll be pruning its branches for years. But if I deal with it swiftly and at the root, it’ll die.”

  Jordan asked “When do you want me at the station?”

  Scout answered, “Come with me tomorrow after work.”

  Jordan said, “We’re not supposed to be joined at the hip just because we’re co-consuls.”

  Scout said, “We were joined at the hip long before we ever came to Mars.”

  Jordan said, “Yes, we were, but things changed a long time ago.”

  Scout asked, “Are you ever going to move on with your life?”

  Jordan replied, “I’ll move on when enough time has passed to heal my pain. That hasn’t happened yet.”

  Scout said, “It’s been decades.”

  Jordan said, “Sometimes I feel like nothing can ever be okay again, no matter how long it’s been.”

  Scout sighed, “I’ll leave that alone.”

  The next day, Scout and Jordan recorded another ad. They discussed the allegations against their administration in detail and explained what really happened. Then Scout implored the Mars Isolation Party to stop their dirty tactics.

  Scout said, “I don’t want to win an election that turns into a war. I don’t want anyone else to have to campaign that way, either. I hope that political ads in the future are positive. Let’s tell people what your beliefs are and why you believe you’d make the best candidate. Mudslinging should be left on Earth where the petty minded are. “

  Jordan wanted to add something, so he asked Scout for some time in front of the camera. The station manager agreed to edit the change, and make everything more fluid.