“Hey Dean,” the Captain’s voice echoed inside his helmet. “Just out of curiosity, what are you planning to say when you do this in front of the cameras next week?”
Dean smiled beneath his helmet. “I proudly take the next step through the doorway to the universe.”
Dean was astonished when he heard Bill say, “Not bad kid; not bad.”
Chapter 15
Once the three men were all outside, they began to repack the parachutes so the lander would be ready for takeoff when their allotted time on the planet expired in a little less than sixteen hours. As Dean had feared, trying to pack the chutes while wearing the cumbersome space suits and maneuvering in the lighter gravity of Mars proved to be a herculean task. At one point during the process, Bill came over and snatched a tool from Dean’s hand and said, “You’re doing that all wrong. You twist clockwise to engage the locking spring.”
“I know that,” Dean answered sharply. “But the spring is bent. I was trying to see if I could pop it out so I could put in a replacement.”
“Let’s get something straight right now,” Bill said, eyes flaring hotly behind his tinted visor. “I am the chief engineer. You don’t fix, adjust, or repair anything on the lander or Destiny without my express permission. Got it?”
Dean’s hands clenched into fists as he said, “Fine! I won’t touch a thing unless you tell me to.”
“That better go for Stacy as well.”
A look of confusion crossed Dean’s face as he asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you two look at each other. I’ll bet you’ve been ‘assisting’ her with a great many things lately.”
“That’s it Bill,” the Captain interjected. “You’re way out of line this time. I suggest you have a long talk with Stacy when we get back. I think you’ll find out how far from the mark you really are right now.”
“We’ll see,” Bill mumbled in reply.
They finished packing the chutes and repairing the bent spring in silence. Once they were finished, the Captain suggested they get started on their search for the source of the radio signal while they still had some daylight left. Using a signal strength meter, Bill led the way.
As they began walking, Dean looked around in amazement. The rock face to their backs stretched up into the sky; the top barely visible in the far distance. Looking in the other direction, he was unable to see the wall that formed the other side of the massive canyon they were in. Rocks littered the landscape everywhere he looked. Most were no bigger than his closed fist, but many were the size of houses.
They continued walking for more than two hours. The Captain had moved off about fifty meters to the left to increase their chances of finding whatever was sending the signal. He had asked Dean to stay behind Bill. After hours of silence, Bill suddenly said, “I got a strong signal from up ahead.”
Dean looked up at the unchanging landscape and said, “I don’t see anything.”
Bill turned around and began walking backwards so that he could look at Dean as he said, “Thank you captain obvious. Maybe you would like to operate the meter since you are obviously better at everything than I am. I swear I don’t know what the Captain sees…”
“Bill, look out!” Dean interrupted abruptly.
Dean had just noticed a large hole appear, seemingly from nowhere, behind Bill. The hole was at least three meters in diameter. Bill was still walking backwards and had not seen it until Dean yelled. At that point, he was already at the edge and momentum was trying to make him continue in the same direction. He began wind-milling his arms in an attempt to catch his balance. Dean could tell he wasn’t going to make it as Bill began to fall back into the hole.
Dean took three running steps and dove onto his stomach, sliding until his shoulders had passed the edge of the hole. Reaching out, he just barely managed to clasp Bill’s right ankle with his left hand. Swinging his right hand over, he got a solid two handed grip on the ankle before his left hand could give way under the stress. Bill was dangling headfirst down a dark hole that didn’t appear to have a bottom. Dean hung on with all his strength and began yelling for the Captain to help.
“Oh god, don’t let me go,” Bill screamed.
Less than a minute later, Dean didn’t think he was going to be able to hold on much longer. Just as his grip was beginning to falter, Captain Rogers slid into position beside Dean and grabbed Bill’s left ankle with his left hand. Relieved of some of the weight, Dean was able to re-secure his grip. The Captain reached down with his right hand and took hold of Bill’s flailing left hand. With a grunt of effort, he began dragging Bill over the edge towards safety.
Once the majority of Bill’s body was up and over the edge, Dean released his grip and rolled over on his back, panting heavily.
Continuing to pull Bill away from the hole, the Captain said, “Dean, get away from the edge.”
Dean put his hands on the ground beside him and began to push himself into an upright position. Before either man could react, the Captain and Bill both watched in helpless astonishment as the ground beneath Dean gave way and he fell headlong into the hole.
Scrambling back to the edge of the hole, Captain Rogers stuck his head past the rim and saw no sign of Dean whatsoever. He quickly scurried back as he felt the ground begin to give way under him. Once away from the edge, he watched in horror as the sides of the hole began to collapse. Within seconds, the hole was completely covered over and all that remained was a slight depression in the ground.
Chapter 16
Dean fell for several seconds, all the while trying to catch the sides of the tunnel he was falling through. He thought for certain he was going to slam into the bottom and break his neck. All of a sudden, he lost his breath at the sharp impact he felt on his back, but he continued moving. The tunnel had changed from vertical to an angle and only his life support backpack taking the brunt of the impact had saved him from serious injury. Now he was sliding headfirst on his back down the sloping tunnel.
He was now able to throw his hands down and gain some purchase on the smooth rock. He managed to slow his descent, but was unable to completely terminate his momentum. After sliding for more than thirty seconds, he grunted in pain as the tunnel abruptly ended and he fell several meters to impact on a level surface.
Groaning, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up from the ground. Looking around, he could tell he was in some sort of cavern. He could barely make out the walls near him from a diffuse glow emanating from off in the distance.
“Captain,” he said aloud. “Captain, can you hear me.” Static was his only reply.
A blinking red indicator light displayed on the inside of his helmet faceplate caught his attention. Lifting his left arm, he opened the cover of the life support computer mounted there and read the display. What he saw made his gut wrench and a bead of sweat materialize on his forehead. He was leaking air. He should have had several hours left, but according to his computer he would be out of air in approximately twenty minutes.
“Captain Rogers, come in,” he tried once more. Again, only static could be heard emanating from his radio. “This is really bad,” he muttered to himself.
Looking back, he could see the tunnel exit he had just fallen from about four meters up on the wall. Studying the smooth surface of the wall, he decided there was no way for him to try to go back the way he came. The only thing left for him to do now was to head towards the light in the distance and see if that proved to be a way out. He took a deep, steadying breath and began walking.
As he walked along, he started to notice details of the cave he was in. The floor, like the walls, was completely smooth and level. There was none of the rocks or Martian dust that had dominated the landscape above. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that whatever he was in had not formed naturally. He knew he had to find a way out. The crew needed to know about this cavern. Its mere existence hinted at the possibility that Mars had been visite
d by someone, or something before. This was a monumental discovery. Not only would he go down in history as the first human on Mars; he may very well be attributed with discovering proof of intelligent alien life.
As he continued walking towards the glow of light, a strange object slowly began to resolve itself as the source of the light. As he moved closer, more details became visible. He saw an archway made of some smooth, highly polished metal sitting on a short platform of the same material. The metal had the look of chrome, or mercury. Dean could see himself reflected from each surface. The platform was square, and stood about thirty centimeters in height. A thin band of bright light ran along the outer edge of the platform. It was shining upwards and reflected off the polished surface of the archway. The entire structure stood about three meters tall. The arch itself looked like a square tube about twenty centimeters in diameter. The opening through the arch was just large enough for two people to move through side by side. It resembled a large, horseshoe shaped magnet, mounted upright on a pedestal.
Dean heard a beeping sound echo inside his helmet. He looked down at the computer display mounted to his left arm. He had two minutes of air left. Looking up and past the mysterious arch, the cavern continued on until it faded into the darkness beyond. He felt a moment of panic as he realized he had not found a way out and would die a slow, agonizing death in just a couple minutes.
Taking heart that he would be remembered for accomplishing something grand, he resolved to spend the last precious moments of his life trying to understand what it was that sat before him. He slowly began to walk around the object, studying it closely as he did so. He noticed faint symbols etched into the surface of the arch. He had walked about three quarters of the way around the object when an idea struck him. He knew it would be painful, but as he was about to die anyways, he wanted to feel the object with his bare flesh.
He grabbed ahold of his right glove with his left hand and twisted, releasing the wrist seal. The glove came off and dropped to the ground, instantly forgotten. As he had feared, the pain was intense. His hand began to swell and the incredible cold started to work its way up his arm. Before he lost all sensation, he reached out and gently stroked the side of the arch with his fingertips.
He jumped back as several different things happened at once. The object began to hum loudly and the light coming from the platform suddenly increased in brightness, nearly blinding him until his eyes adjusted. The opening in the archway, where before he could see through it, now had what appeared to be a shimmering silver curtain drawn over it. Finally, hovering in mid-air, about a meter in front of the object, was some sort of display that closely resembled a computer keyboard but made of light instead of plastic.
He moved the rest of the way around the object and came to stand in front of the hovering display. He was momentarily mesmerized until the beeping sound in his helmet became utterly insistent. He was out of air and out of time.
His hand had long since lost all feeling, but he reached up in an attempt to touch the display anyways. He couldn’t quite reach it, so he took a step forward. The oversized boot that was part of his suit caught on the back of his other foot. He began to fall forward. He threw his right foot forward in an effort to catch himself and as he moved, his right hand brushed across the display. Several symbols on the display were suddenly lit more brightly. Dean didn’t notice this as he continued to fall forward. He stumbled over his right foot, momentum still carrying him forward. He thrust his left foot forward in a second attempt to catch himself, but it caught on the edge of the platform.
Dean continued to fall forward and went right through the shimmering silver curtain that made up the face of the archway.
Part II
Chapter 17
He saw the image only briefly. It was a quick flash across his consciousness. He was floating in a dark space. Off to his left was a ball of light floating in the air. It closely resembled those heavily filtered images of the sun he used to see on the science shows he had loved to watch. He could just make out arcs of light in the far distance. He had a sense of substance all around him. His eyes told him he was floating in a void, but the rest of his body insisted he was wading through a viscous liquid.
The image vanished in a flash of bright light and Dean found himself stumbling across a floor before finally falling to his knees. He tried to draw a breath and found little of substance to fill his lungs. He began to panic. He fell onto his side and began clawing at his helmet. He was in such a state of shock that he failed to realize it when hands grasped his arms and rolled him to his back.
He felt something pull on his head. His eyes snapped open. He saw faces; strange faces. I must be delusional, he thought to himself. He felt his head being pulled again. His vision was beginning to go black at the edges and he saw spots dance in front of him. He reached up with the very last of his strength, grabbed each side of his helmet, and violently twisted it to the left. He then promptly blacked out.
Dean awoke with a start; confusion and fear warring in his mind. Wait…why was he afraid? He laid back and took a huge breath, silently demanding his mind explain the errant emotions he was experiencing. Slowly, images began to form and a chain of events started to coalesce.
He remembered the cavern and the strange object sitting within it. He recalled how the object had reacted to his touch and the strange symbols floating in mid-air. Then it struck him; he had run out of air. How was he still alive? He continued to concentrate, striving valiantly to find answers in his tortured mind. He saw an image that made little sense and then the light. He had been blinded by a bright light and had fallen to the floor. He remembered gasping for breath and then there were faces. Surely he was remembering something wrong. The faces were not right; they were not…human.
Dean turned his head sharply when he heard an odd, swishing sound. He saw an open doorway. And standing in the doorway was the same face he had just been attempting to refute in his own mind.
“Ah good, you are awake,” the face said.
Dean realized it wasn’t just a face. The body that went along with it was wrong as well. Alien, his mind screamed. He knew he needed to calm down. He knew there was a rational explanation, if he could just calm down. He took a deep breath, sat up, and looked at the creature closely. He saw a being that had six legs attached to a bulbous rear end, a narrow torso and a small head with a face covered in fur. The creature had two eyes and a strangely shaped mouth, but no discernable nose or ears. It had two spindly arms ending in four fingered hands.
The creature continued to speak, “I know it can be strange when you first walk The Path. I am here to answer your questions and to aid your species in its integration into the community of worlds.”
“Who…who are you?” Dean stammered out.
The creature walked closer to the bed Dean was laying on and said, “My apologies. My name is Quillitonoxic of the Garroshtic. And who might you be, good being?”
“Ah…my name’s Dean. Dean Danforth.”
“It is a very great pleasure to meet you Dean Dean Danforth.”
“It’s just one ‘Dean’,” he told the creature.
The creature, Quillitonoxic, turned its head sideways for a moment and then replied, “I believe I understand. The translation devices are sometimes problematic when inserted into a new species.”
“What do you mean inserted?”
“I took the liberty of implanting a translation device while you were unconscious. It is simply a small machine implanted just behind your ear. Your anatomy is really very simple; there was no risk. I would be happy to remove it if it causes you discomfort. Of course we will not be able to communicate if I do.”
Dean reached his right hand up and found a small lump just behind his right ear. Running his finger across it, he could feel no evidence of an incision. He worked some moisture back into his mouth and said, “This is all just so confusing. I don’t even know where I am.”
“I understand. Some species fail to i
nvestigate the information stored within The Path before stepping through.”
“You keep saying that. What is The Path?”
The creature looked surprised for a moment and the said, “Perhaps we should continue our conversation once you have rested some more. You seem to be very confused. Perhaps the lack of air has affected you more than I had thought. You are quite safe here. Rest and we will talk later.”
With that, the creature turned and walked out of the room. The door swished shut behind him and Dean laid back on the bed. He figured the creature was right; some rest was probably a very good idea.
Chapter 18
Dean awoke to the sound of the door opening. Squinting his eyes against the harsh light, he was just able to make out Quillitonoxic standing in the doorway. At least he assumed he was looking at the same individual he had spoken with earlier. For all he knew, every member of the alien’s race could look identical. Having only met one alien, he had no way to know.
“Quillitonoxic?” he ventured.
“Yes,” the alien answered. “You are feeling well I hope.”
“Yes, I am feeling much better. Thank you.”
“Very good. I came to offer you food and a tour of this facility, if you are feeling capable. You are free to utilize the sanitation facilities first if you would like.”
Dean looked around the small room. It was square in shape with four plain, white walls. There was the small bed he was laying on and a small table set in a corner. There were no light fixtures that he could see; instead the entire ceiling glowed brightly. The only door was the one Quillitonoxic had just entered. He hesitantly answered, “I would love to use the…sanitation facilities. Where are they?”
As soon as the question had left his lips, a doorway opened on the wall opposite the main entrance. He could have sworn there had not been a door there before.