Kahnu (The Guardians of Tomorrow Book 1) Page 15

  “How did it get to this? Man, the intelligent species. Millions of years of evolution, and here we are, eradicated by our own stupidity. I think I’m gonna throw up,” commented the President in discuss. He fell back in his chair and the room went silent.

  The last call

  Days earlier, Lars had tried to bring the Mars First outpost up to speed on the latest world events. Staring at the small webcam on his computer monitor, he looked as if he had aged several decades in only a few days. His hair was a mess, it was obvious he had not shaved for the past few days, and the bags under his eyes attested to his lack of sleep.

  “I don’t know how to say this, but it’s bad, really bad. The Chinese attacked America five days ago. From what I heard, hundreds of small planes entered the US airspace and released a chemical weapon over the whole country. Reports on the situation there are devastating. It’s horrible. I can’t even wrap my head around it yet. It all happened so fast… The entire country has stopped functioning. Every communication has ceased since Tuesday. The last reports say that more than half the population has been affected. Millions are already dead! The entire country is a disaster zone. No one knows for sure how far the virus will spread, but it’s moving fast. Central and South America have been affected as well. Millions are reported dead there too. It appears nothing can stop this thing. God! What a mess…”

  He brushed his fingers through his uncombed hair.

  “But that’s not all…” He paused a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to hold back tears of despair. “They say the virus is a deadly lab experiment, some crazy biological monster, concocted by the Americans themselves, a few years back. Apparently, the Chinese got a hold of it somehow, and engineered their own supped up version. But they it appears they have underestimated how dangerous this thing is. The virus is going to keep moving across the whole American continent, but it is not going to stop there. It’s spreading hundreds of square kilometers within hours, even over water. Last night, they were talking about Ireland being touched already. I just got off the phone with Miles Waffenson, an astrophysicist I knew back in college. He said London is turning into a giant graveyard, and he doesn’t expect to make it through the night. From what they can tell, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop this epidemic, and there’s no time to evacuate. There’s nowhere to go, anyway… At this rate, this horror will be on us by this afternoon. Within a week, it will have spread over the entire planet. We’re all fucked! I’m sorry. I wish I had better news…”

  He stared at the screen for a moment again, numb. Turning his attention to a picture of the twelve colonists taken before just before the launch of MF1 nine years earlier, he wished more than ever he could be there with them.

  “I know this is hard to take. But it looks like you are the only ones safe from this carnage, now… This might be the end of our civilization. Maybe even of all life on Earth…” He paused once more.

  “These freaking idiots! What a waste… The human race, modern civilization. What a joke! A sad joke. Power and greed got the best of us. I guess we got what we deserved…” Fear and sadness showed on his tortured face, even more so now.

  “I guess I may as well tell you about MF3. They… before they left, there was a…” Looking at the ceiling again, he held back the tears best he could and tried to regain his composure. “We didn’t know. We only found out aft-” He was suddenly interrupted by someone off camera view. After an apparent exchange of annoyed whispers, he gave a reluctant nod and spoke again.

  “I’m afraid I have to go. I wish there was something else I could say or do, but I’m afraid you are on your own now. Obviously, there won’t be any more cargo ships sent your way, so make sure to maintain the base the best you can. You’ve made it this far, I know you will manage. Dream big and build something grand! I wish I could be there with you… At least, I’ll die knowing you are up there, creating a new world. A second chance to-”

  Sylvia entered the room and rushed to his desk, a note in her hand. She placed it right in front of him. She looked frantic.

  He took a glance at it and his face went pale.

  “I… I will try to contact you again if I can… Good luck, my friends. God be with you.” He terminated the call and the two rushed out of the room.

  #

  About twenty minutes later, on Mars…

  “I don’t understand. I mean, it can’t be. He has to be wrong, right?” asked Vera, turning to Dedrick. He leaned back in his seat and brought his hands to his head.

  “My God, what have they done?”

  A sense of despair engulfed Vera as she looked at each one of her teammates. Liu had fallen to her knees, crying. Ladli was trying desperately not to.

  “What do we do?” asked Tendai distraught.

  “Honestly? I don’t know… What can we do?” replied François at a loss.

  The last nine years had been lonely but now, the emptiness and loss they felt was indescribable. They were all in shock. It was hard to grasp, it all seemed so surreal. They all had loved ones back on Earth.

  “I guess that explains why we weren’t able to get through anyone the last couple of days.” François rushed to the control board. “No signal. Damn it!”

  The Russian slowly rose from his seat. “I doubt you’ll get any. Lars said all the communication satellites connections have been shut down. I don’t know how he managed to get us this last message. Shit! How can this be happening so fast?”

  “I don’t get it either. I mean, everything was fine on Monday. What the fuck? And what was that about MF3?”

  ‘I don’t know… I don’t know…” The Russian commander stared out in the distance through the porthole window. Far up above the horizon, the moon Phobos was passing in front of the sun. Although this took place four times a day, what made this transition unique was that Phobos’ shadow, projected onto the planet’s surface, was aligned just right for the station to be in its path. For a moment, the plateau around the base was plunged into darkness, as if the day had just turned to night, instantly. This short eclipse wasn't a first for the small group, but after Lars' tragic announcement, the eerie coincidence seemed ominous. This was by far the hardest blow the astronauts had faced since their arrival. They had always managed but... This time, Dedrick was seriously questioning their chances of survival.

  The minutes turned to hours. Eventually, unable to do anything else, they sent messages to family and friends anyway, hoping some of them might get through. The colonists were using a special private channel in case of emergency. But no reply had come back through that one either, even days later.

  While most of the group had given up hope after a few weeks, Tendai had kept checking the log several times a day. “Even if they can't respond, someone might be listening,” he had argued. But over time, he too had resigned himself, forced to accept the gruesome reality that they were probably not going to hear from anyone for a long time. And as the weeks turned into months, they eventually returned to their regular schedule. They had to. The station did not allow much slack in the maintenance schedule. Especially now more than ever, they had to keep the outpost in absolutely perfect running condition. If any of the systems were left unattended or worse, failed, they had no other supplies than the ones already with them on Mars. They had to be vigilant. Spare parts were scarce. A certain amount of deterioration due to usage had been expected and included in the planning of the mission, but had been deemed manageable as long as supplies would be sent along with a new crew every two years or so. Now, they had to suspect MF3 and its precious cargo, due to reach Mars in just a few weeks, would be the last ship to come from Earth, at least for quite a while.

  Just a weird dream

  With the arrival of the third ship and its crew approaching, the Martian colonists had begun to refocus their attention to their demanding tasks, which included preparing for Chasma’s imminent birth. It had not taken long for the new MF3 team to catch up to the situation back home. As shocked and saddened by the
horrible news as Dedrick’s colleagues, they also felt very lucky to have left Earth before the breakout. They had lost all communication with headquarters several days earlier as well, but at least they were now in constant communication with the Martian outpost, and all were looking forward to the upcoming landing.

  “Can't wait to see you guys!”

  “Thanks, Ladli, we're really excited to see you too. I think we're all ready to stretch our legs and take a stroll out on the Martian ground. We've been cooped up in here for over five months now. But you know how that feels, you guys had to go through the same thing. How's Vera, by the way?” asked Ebba.

  “She's doing great. Looks like she’s gonna have the baby right when you get here. We'll have two reasons to celebrate!” said Ladli with a smile.

  “That's great! I bet Dedrick is excited too.”

  “Oh yeah, he sure is. You should see him. He's constantly trying to find new chores to do. I think he's trying to keep his mind occupied. He just went out with François to grid 50-21. Did I tell you they found another pocket of water yesterday? They should be there now. Ladli is monitoring their progress from pod 1.”

  “Wow! How exciting! That's marvelous.”

  “By the way, everything still green on the ship’s self-diagnostic?”

  “Yes, don’t worry Ladli. I’m telling you, the computers onboard have run multiple checks. Everything is in order. I don’t know what Lars was trying to tell you guys, but we’re fine and on schedule. Thanks for all your concerns guys, we do appreciate, it but we’re good and sound. I promise. Can't wait to get there and join you guys on all the fun. Well, I better go and start my shift. I'll talk to you tomorrow, unless something important needs to be addressed before then. Be safe, love,” finished Ebba.

  “Mouah!” replied Ladli, blowing a kiss back at her through the computer screen. But she couldn’t help it, she was still concerned.

  #

  Valles Marineris was a big place. It was called the largest canyon in the solar system for a good reason, with its several kilometer-deep trenches, covering over 4000 kilometers in length and 650 kilometers wide, the geological feature was a real wonder. For the colonists, it had become their backyard, their place of work and research, and the familiar site never ceased to amaze them. Ladli and Tendai had taken ARC 2 for their excursion up the high plateau a few miles south of the station, a time alone that the couple cherished any time their turn came to break away from the base. Even Liu, who had stopped going outside after Najib’s death unless necessary, was now enjoying her days off in the immense canyon whenever she had the chance, even if she was usually joined by one of the other members for safety reasons. Today’s outing spot had been picked at Ladli’s request. Tendai had parked the rover close to the edge of the abyss and the view was breathtaking. He remembered the first time he had awakened on the red planet and seen the gargantuan cliffs in the distance through one of the outpost’s small windows. He had seen countless pictures and videos while training back on Earth, but nothing could have prepared him for the majestic grandeur of the site. A few hours silently passed as he and Ladli watched the sun slowly set behind the tall ranges around them from the comfort and safety of the rover. Above, the night quietly turned the orange sky darker and darker, until the starry canopy engulfed everything.

  Ladli, sitting next to him, suddenly burst out crying.

  “We’re not gonna make it, are we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, we’re alone now. Earth can’t help us, and no one else is coming, so what chance do we have?”

  “I know, baby, but we’re still here, aren’t we?”

  “For how long?”

  She was looking at him, eyes filled with tears, and Tendai didn’t know what to say. She was right, their chances of survival, without Earth re-supplying their small base every couple of years, was slim. He passed his hand on her cheek, drying a few tears, and kissed her lips softly. She abandoned herself in his arms. Looking back at her, he slowly unfastened her harness and lifted her to him, carried her willing body to the back of the rover, and laid her down. Without a word, he unbuttoned her black shirt and freeing one of her breasts, began licking the hard nipple with the tip of his tongue. She moaned as he slowly reached for her secret place with his searching fingers. He then arched up his back, allowing her to release the belt around his pants. Running her hand along his large erected member through the fabric of his briefs, she lifted his shirt and kissed his chest. Tendai gently removed her underwear, pulling it slowly down her legs, revealing her wet treasure. As she bit her own lips in anticipation, he brought his to the sensitive place and worked magic with his tongue, soon causing her body to convulse uncontrollably. When he knew she was ready for him, he opened her legs and penetrated her with one strong thrust of his hard-burning penis. The large member glided effortlessly inside her wet opening, and the two became one. After making love several times throughout the next few hours, they both finally fell asleep.

  When Tendai woke up, the thickness of the night was still wrapping its dark scarf around them. Lying on his back on the floor of ARC 2, he stared at the view above in silence. Captivated by the serene darkness, he began to fall into the peaceful realm of wonder as thousands of stars, sparkling against the dark background above, drew him slowly, irresistibly into the unlimited world of his own imagination. Envisioning suns with worlds of their own orbiting in countless arrangements and sizes, some with gigantic gaseous planets, others with smaller, rocky worlds and water worlds, lava spewing infernos and biologically thriving ones, full of life, maybe orbiting a double, even triple star system. He was now on such a world. Three suns, make it four, of various sizes and magnitude, casting strange shadows across an alien world with giant trees and a lush vegetation, bordering a majestic purple ocean. Sharp jagged, ice covered mountain peaks in the distance, partially covering the lower portion of a large Saturn-like gas world slowly rising from the horizon, shot high in the surreal sky. His eyes drawn to movement in the distance, he could see the calm purple ocean beginning to foam. A fantastic being, slowly emerging from the surface, rose far above the water. Almost round in shape, the large creature glided silently towards him, its glossy skin reflecting the light from the suns above. Reaching the shore, the large alien rose its single massive leg and stopped right above him, its four eyes staring at Tendai with intrigue. The creature then suddenly morphed into a …Black Hole. In the dark background of deep space, gradually overtaken by the growing display of countless stars trapped in a death dance with their host, the lonely traveler was now approaching a disc of swirling gases, a gigantic beast the mass of several billion suns, swallowing ferociously countless stars and planets that had wandered too close. The circular plane of spinning light, coagulated in giant bands of spiraling matter stretched beyond recognition, speeding ever faster to their absolute death, was hard to watch due not only to its overwhelming destruction, but also for its unbelievable brightness. Looking at its very center, Tendai was trying to make out the dark sphere of infinite gravity, an absolute emptiness residing beyond the “event horizon,” a hollow space that even light could not escape from. Right above and below the immense disc, perpendicular to the thousands of light years wide secretion plane, the escaping gamma rays and radiation excess were shooting out two columns of plasma, thousands of light years long, rushing in opposite directions at near the speed of light. A distinctive looking object grabbed his attention when it rushed straight past him and dove straight for the giant black monster; an alien spaceship, unlike any he had ever seen. The bulky vessel seemed to invite him irresistibly to follow. All his efforts to resist seemed futile. He could see himself approaching the black hole, in slow motion. He was powerless. His body began to stretch, gradually morphing into a soft rubber-like matter, as it rushed faster and faster toward the infinite gravity of the black abyss. And, as he felt the force sucking him in getting stronger and stronger, his heart began racing faster and faster until-

  He abru
ptly woke up, shaking and sweating. He felt a hand on his arm. Ladli was looking over him with concerned eyes.

  “Are you OK?”

  “Yes… Just a weird dream...” he replied, panting.

  Blobus Viscus

  Back in pod 1, Ladli was looking at the video screen.

  “So, what do we have?” she asked.

  A few miles away, Dedrick was holding a small transparent container.

  “It's hard to tell in this light, but it definitely looks bluer than MA 5-23. One obvious difference, however, is how it changes color when I flash a light on it. It's hard to describe. I don’t know if you can see that on your screen…” He tried to bring the sample closer to the camera.

  “No, not really, but I’m looking forward to seeing it you all get back.”

  “I’ll make sure to get several samples. Meanwhile, François found another passage down to a lower cave. You know how he is. The man can't stay in place. I'm gonna go join him as soon as I’m done here. How's everyone back home?”

  “Dedrick! You shouldn't leave him by himself. You know the rules.”

  “Don't worry about me, Liu Cherie. I appreciate the concern, but I can manage, I assure you,” said François who could hear the conversation in his in-ear monitor.

  “Yeah, well, don't take unnecessary risks. All is good here otherwise. Tendai is in communication with MF3. He should be done soon. Vera is resting in your pod, Dedrick. She's fine, just tired. I ordered her to get some rest. Anyway... Glad to hear you guys got some samples to bring back. Looking forward to seeing you both when you get here.”