The Mons Connection Read online

  "Yeah, Jon. We show some wind is kicking up west of your location. Be apprised of the situation. Probability is high you are going to experience a disturbance."

  "How far out?"

  "The model is forecasting five hours at best."

  "Copy. Thanks, Houston. We stand advised."

  The astronauts study the Martian landscape and quickly realize they are basically in a big red desert. Rust colored sand is everywhere and rocks, both large and small dot the land. The season is summer now, and the temperature is only about 60 degrees Fahrenheit today. That does not bother the intrepid crew, however, as their suits will keep them comfortable. The sky itself appears to be scarlet with high, wispy clouds and a little dust - quite common on Mars.

  The explorers turn their attention to Olympus Mons. The cliffs are extremely tall, and the volcanic dome seems to disappear over the horizon.

  "My God," Katherine says, in awe, "Could you imagine if that thing were to erupt?"

  "Wouldn't want to be here," Jon replies, studying the terrain.

  Mikhail turns to face the volcano and spots something odd in one of the rock outcroppings at the base of the enormous geological structure. He remains motionless as though transfixed.

  "What are you looking at, Miko," Doug asks.

  "What," asks Mikhail, suddenly aware he was staring. He becomes a little angry with himself for being so careless. "Oh... nothing. I was taking note of how high this mountain is," he smiles at the little intrusion and walks away. Doug studies him, curious, and looks up to the bottom of the palisade, right where his fellow astronaut was looking. As he stares at the rocks, something catches his attention briefly.

  "Is something moving up on that ridge," he thinks to himself. He squints to try for a better visual. He can't help but smile slightly thinking how silly he sounds to think like that.

  "Douglas, don't let your imagination run away with you," he chastises himself. Mikhail turns for a moment and glances back at Doug, reading the expression on his face.

  "Da. That makes me happy, too," he whispers.

  "Keep moving, people... we got a job to do. We can sight-see later," Jon warns. The crew walks over to the ship. They open the hatch located behind where the ramp comes down. They begin the task of removing all their supplies for the trip. The lack of gravity gives each one of them the sensation of moving in slow motion.

  "The first order of business," Jon says, "survival." He hands everyone a weapon - an M4 carbine assault rifle.

  "Uh... we can't have those," Doug says, his nervousness showing in his voice. Jon glares at him and furrows his brow, as though looking at a child.

  "Excuse me? I said we couldn't harm any life if... and I do mean if... we find any. But, if we do find life and said life tries to hurt us, we need to protect ourselves." He makes a facial gesture at the weapon in his hand, and then at Doug. "I suggest you take the weapon, Digger."

  Doug contemplates this for a moment and, reluctantly, slings the semi-automatic rifle over his shoulder.

  "Alright. But only if we have no other choice," he says.

  "Only if we have no other choice," Jon says as he hands an M4 carbine to the others.

  They go about the business of unloading and prepping the rover they will be using to travel up to and into the mountain. A fully enclosed, battery powered vehicle about the width of a typical "side-by-side" ATV and three times as long, this mechanism is designed to be not only their transportation but also their "campsite" away from the lander. The wheels are made of aluminum because of its light weight and durability. In the traveler, they put all the gear they will need. Food, shelter, communication devices, excavating tools, medical equipment, laptop computers, ammunition.

  Mikhail approaches the transport, his arms full of paraphernalia. The other three are starting to walk away to retrieve more, and his eyes follow them as they disappear inside the spacecraft. After they are no longer in sight, he quickly places a small, metallic device - which he had hidden by another piece of gear - under the electric chariot.

  "There ya go," he says, whispering to himself, "you'll be safe until I need ya." He presses a button on the side of his helmet and says calmly, in his native language,

  "They're here."

  "Acknowledged," comes the one-word reply, in the same tongue.

  Mikhail quickly rejoins the group. He tries to strike up a conversation with Doug as they are getting some equipment together.

  "So. What, again, does this ATP stand for," he asks. Doug glances at him and answers

  "Oh, just an archaeological project. That's all."

  "Yes, Archaeological, but what do the letters mean," Mikhail presses, "I'm only... how do you say... curious."

  Doug begins to become a little flustered. He has no patience when he is under the impression he is being interrogated.

  "Nothing important. ATP stands for Archaeological Training Project," he says. Mikhail laughs.

  "Oh. And you are going to train the little green man, yes?"

  "Yes," Doug says, chuckling "I'm going to train the little green man." Mikhail slaps Doug on the back.

  "You are good boy, Digger. I like you. I think we have good future together, yes?"

  Doug does not answer, but makes a slight facial gesture. He is curious about exactly what his cosmonaut team mate meant by his last remark.

  "Come on, you two; let's stow the rest of this stuff on board," Jon calls over to them.

  After a few more hours of loading and preparing, the expedition is finally ready to begin.

  "Well, we can't use GPS to find our way back here," Jon says, "let's secure the ship, set the beacon and head out."

  "Roger," comes the reply from Mikhail.

  All four go back inside the spacecraft for one final check and to start the necessary functions on the computers. After they finish and are leaving the lander, Jon tells the three of them to board the rover.

  "Hey, Bill. We're going to leave the landing area and proceed to the mountain."

  "Copy, Jon. Send us some good pictures."

  "We'll do our best."

  Mikhail takes his place in the driver seat. He is, after all, the navigator. He clicks a switch, and says to Jon "Clear to receive." Jon presses a button on the console

  "Beacon set," he says.

  "Acquired," Mikhail says as a small dot appears on a screen he is watching.

  With that, Jon exits the ship, closes the hatch and retracts the ramp.

  He walks over to the rover where everyone else had already boarded. He sits in the front passenger seat.

  "Miko. Seal and pressurize," Jon says after his door is closed. The air pressure inside the enclosed vehicle rises to match that of Earth. Once the cabin completes pressurizing, Jon opens his visor. The other three do the same.

  "Gentlemen... and lady, next stop... Olympus Mons," Jon announces in a factual sort of way. "Forward, Miko. That way," He says, pointing toward the cliffs. Slowly, the chariot begins the several mile journey to the crew's destination.

  Road Trip

  The sound of the high torque electric motors hum as the astronauts set out on their journey to the mountain. Not the smoothest terrain, the cargo of the transporter, both human and equipment, are bounced around as they proceed. Captain and crew are thankful the trip is not long. The horizon on Mars is a mere 3.4 km away, and their destination is well within that distance.

  As they make their way, they study the landscape. Jon busies himself with photographing as much as he can. At a slow, painstaking pace, the cliffs come closer, looming ever so much larger than they appeared from the ship. As the rover reaches the point where nothing but the cliff is in front of them, the weather begins to change. The small decrease in light and the increase in the wind speed is quite obvious.

  "Jon, there is a storm catching you. We advise cover," Mission Control reports.

  "Copy."

  Entering what appears to be a boulder field, navigation of the terrain becomes much more difficult. The tiny electric veh
icle bounces as they pass over a large rock

  "Sorry, everyone," Mikhail says.

  "Jeez, this is almost as bad as the potholes in a New York City street," Jon jokes as he reaches for the hand hold above him.

  "Never been there, Captain," the navigator says. He is concentrating on trying to keep as smooth a ride as possible.

  "In case anyone gets motion sickness, I have Dramamine," Doctor Doolan volunteers. This remark solicits a facial gesture from the boss man in the front passenger seat.

  "Leave it to a physician to give everyone medicine, eh, Doc?" Doug leans over and whispers to her,

  "I might take you up on your offer."

  "Miko. Stop," Jon commands. He is looking out his window, and his attention is drawn to something unusual a short distance away. "Out there," he says, pointing. "Do you see something by that large rock?" Mikhail slams his foot down hard on the brake, and their trip comes to a sudden halt, thrusting everyone forward in their seats.

  "I see nothing," the Cosmonaut strains his eyes to try and make out what caught Jon's attention. "We should go." He is becoming a little impatient.

  "Wait. I think I do," Doctor Doolan says. "I'm not sure what you're looking at, Captain, but there is definitely something shiny."

  "I see it too," Doug chimes in.

  Jon closes his helmet visor in preparation to exit the safety of their transportation. The other three do the same.

  "Depressurize, Miko."

  In response to the command, the navigator presses a button which opens a vent to allow the pressurized air to escape from the vehicle. He pays close attention to a gauge on his console.

  "Depressurized, Captain."

  Jon takes his weapon and exits the rover. Mikhail rolls his eyes and mutters to himself in his native language. With their leader making his way toward the shining item, Doug and Katherine make their exit and follow him, weapons at the ready. Still sitting at the controls, the cosmonaut realizes this might be an important find he should not miss. He retrieves his carbine and, leaving the security of his seat, tags along.

  The four reach the target and realize their carbines, in this case, are useless. The shiny object turns out to be on, or rather - in - a rock. Jon is almost transfixed while he gazes at the highly reflective substance a moment and recognizes what this yellow colored material is. He reaches out and shades some of the area with his hand. The yellowish shine remains.

  "Huh," he says, "What do you know. I think we found gold."

  "Well, yeah," Doug says. His archaeological and geological training shows as he ponders the cliffs soaring high above them, "this is the alluvial part of the volcano." As the archaeologist speaks, Jon leans down closer to inspect something that catches his attention.

  "Look at this," he says as he brushes some dust off the rock, "What are these marks? Almost like this stuff was," he stands up and studies the sheer walls, "mined."

  "And who would have done that? Little green man," Mikhail says, trying not to sound nervous. Jon glowers at him and begins to open his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Doug.

  "I don't know, Captain. Marks like that could be made when the boulder broke off from the cliff and fell."

  "Pretty jagged up there," Doctor Doolan agrees as she gazes at the mountain.

  "I suppose," Jon says.

  "Houston, are you seeing this?"

  "Roger on the visual."

  "Any idea what could possibly cause these marks?"

  "That's a negative."

  The four leave their discovery behind and begin to return to their transportation. The sunlight is now quite diminished, and some of the rust-colored soil is blowing around. Doug hangs back from the rest so he can make some observations. He gazes back down the slight hill they are on. He catches a glimpse in the direction of the craft they came from and is horrified to witness the ship disappear inside a huge, blackish red wall; like something from hell. To make matters even worse, this rolling monster is heading straight for them.

  "Aw, shit," he yells out into his helmet microphone. "Captain! It's here! Dust storm!" The other three, almost in unison, turn to face him and they, too, can see the churning cloud of Martian soil coming.

  "Damn! Inside the transport and buckle up! NOW," Jon commands. All four are now racing quickly as they can to reach the perceived safety of their enclosed vehicle. Struggling with the unfamiliar alien terrain is bad enough, but the lower gravity gives the added effect of making everyone run in slow motion.

  By now, the winds are increased to about the speed of a severe thunderstorm on Earth. The one saving grace for the crew now is the weather approaching from behind them. This provides a tailwind which is helping them move faster toward safety.

  The same time they reach cover, the storm reaches them. They hurry to get into the rover as fast as humanly possible. Three of the four hatches close, but one remains open. Its closing is being hampered by the almost hurricane force winds.

  "I can't shut it," Doctor Doolan screams into her radio. She is pulling with all her might. Doug reaches over to help pull the metal and glass door closed.

  "I think the wind caught it and damaged the hydraulics," Doug shouts.

  "Watch your feet everybody! Don't get them in the hatchways," Jon yells as he keeps pressing the master hatch control button on the console in front of him.

  "Not working Captain," Doug says, "it won't budge!"

  "Bill, we're having a problem with our transportation. Can you assist," Jon asks. Then, almost to himself, "Aw, hell, by the time they answer, this storm will be over."

  Jon forces his way out of the vehicle and starts putting all his weight on the hatch to close it. Not an easy task due to the proximity of the sheer rock walls and wind seems to be coming from all directions now, but it does seem he is making some headway. He has the sensation of walking in a cloud as the rover is now engulfed by the dust.

  "Negative. Sensors do not indicate a close," comes the reply from Mission Control many tense minutes later.

  "No shit," Jon shouts to make sure his voice is above the now almost howling wind.

  Jon almost loses his footing as some soil on the ground slides past him. He is painfully aware of a dull rumbling sound that he can feel in his gut. To his horror, the rumble is getting louder, and it is obvious the noise can only come from one place... the very nearby cliffs.

  "Oh, Christ," he shouts, "now what?!" As he turns around, he feels someone or something pull on his arm.

  "Get your ass in here, Captain. Landslide," Mikhail bellows as he pulls Jon back into safety. From his seat, Jon makes out the forms of some large rocks bearing down on them. He yells into his microphone

  "Brace!!"

  The word no sooner leaves his lips when a huge boulder slams into the front of the buggy, shattering the windshield and sending the battery-powered transporter and its inhabitants careening backward down the slight incline.

  "Protect your visors," Jon commands. Everyone puts their head down and covers their helmet visor as best they can.

  Looking down, no one is able to witness what is going on, but the destructive sound of rocks as they pummel the crew's chariot is deafening. Dirt and crag crash down, bending and twisting the metal skin and skeleton of the mechanism and breaking all the glass in its windows. The Doctor lets out a blood-curdling scream as they take an impact so hard the transporter is now hurtling through the air and tumbling one end over the other. This sickening ride seems to be nonstop, but at long last, the vehicle finally comes to rest on its side. Then, as fast as the storm began - so, too, begins the calm and quiet. The four are thankful this happened on Mars, where the gravity is less than Earth. It results in lessening the impacts, and when the rover tumbled, it seemed to tumble in slow motion.

  Doctor Doolan is the first to break the silence.

  "Is everyone alright," she looks up, and right in front of her only inches away, is Doug's face. His eyes and mouth wide open as though he is taking his final breath. His helmet covered in red M
artian dust

  "Oh, my God," she screams, "I think Digger is injured!" She wrestles her way out of her seat as best she can to help him. His lips start to move, and she listens patiently while he is trying to speak, but can only muster a slight whisper.

  "What," she asks. "Louder, please. I can't hear you. Where are you hurt?" He winces at her and says, weakly,

  "Do you still have that Dramamine?"

  Without warning, he turns his head away from the Physician. She knows, by the spasms of his body and the sounds she hears, she is glad he turned away, and she does not have to bear the sight of what is going on.

  "Yes, I do," she says. He puts his hand up and says

  "Never-mind. I think I feel a little better now. But, I'm going to need a new shirt."

  Now turning her attention to the other inhabitants of the vehicle, a thought comes to the Doctor; Jon and Mikhail have remained silent.

  "Captain... Miko... are you two..." she starts to say.

  "We're fine, I think," Jon says, interrupting. He glances at his front seat mate who signals he is uninjured. "We're in good shape," he reports back to the medic.

  "Oh..." the Russian moans, "I need some good Vodka."

  Their helmets crackle with the sound of Mission Control.

  "Captain Carson. Come in. Is everyone still there? We lost everyone's metrics. Is anyone injured?"

  "We're all fine. A little beat up, but none the worse for wear," says Jon. It seems like time stands still before Houston replies again.

  "We copy. Glad for that. We're resetting everything."

  "How's the ship? Did it take much damage," asks Jon.

  "A big negatory, Jon. Lander is good."

  "Great to hear. Thanks for the info, Bill."

  "Well," Jon says after they all take a little time to collect their thoughts and become reoriented with their surroundings. "We should all go out and find out if we could right this thing. We need to know if it's still going to be able to take us anywhere again." The four gather themselves together and exit the vehicle. As they walk around to the top side, Mikhail glances down before joining them to make sure his device is still on the bottom of the chassis. He glimpses the boxlike mechanism in the exact spot he expected and smiles to himself, thankful no one else is aware of it.