Colony One Mars: A SciFi Thriller (Colony Mars Book 1) Read online

  “Well they’re not.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because we have our own agent on site, remember. So they can see to it that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, we now have an incredible opportunity to return this research to Earth.”

  The avatars shifted and murmured. They were all salivating at this prospect.

  “Do you really think it still exists?”

  “If the information we have received is correct then there is every possibility that the… eh, Analogue is intact.” It was Nagle who responded. As the COM member assigned to ISA mission control he was in a unique position to validate all expedition data.

  “We are moving our own satellite back into position over the Colony One site and running full communications diagnostics on it — as we speak. Assuming our agent performs their duties then we will soon know if what we seek is indeed viable.”

  “I trust I don’t need to remind you all of what this will mean to the future of humanity, if we succeed.” Peter decided to up the ante.

  “You’re all forgetting one major issue — what if it’s happening again? What if the unfortunate Commander Decker is succumbing to the same malaise that brought the colony down in the first place?” said Mannersman.

  “You don’t know that for sure.”

  “You’re right, I don’t. But if it is… happening again, then this may be the last we hear from the crew of the ISA Mars mission.”

  CHAPTER 10: MEDLAB

  Paolio wandered into the Medlab to check on Jann. “What happened to her?” he wondered. What made her flip like that? There had been no indication the previous night. She was a little anxious perhaps — but then again, that was understandable considering the circumstances. He thought back to the time they spent on the Odyssey en route to Mars. There had been no sign then either, at least none that he could discern. Nothing to indicate Malbec's potential mental frailty.

  Another issue was the commander. Paolio was still not convinced that Decker had fully recovered. Although, outwardly he seemed remarkably alert. He had given him something for the headache and he was now resting in one of the accommodation modules. This concerned the doctor, considering the commander had just spent eighteen hours asleep.

  As for the others, Lu had gone back to doing a search of the galley and accommodation modules. He would check in on her later. Kevin, the mission engineer, had ensconced himself in the operations area, a section of Colony One given over to control systems. He was busy trying to get a sense of how the colony functioned; power supply, environmental controls, life-support. Romanov had gone off to file a report to mission control. They would be pleased to hear that the commander was on the mend. But, they were still no further along in the search for the survivors. With Jann now a concern, it seemed to Paolio that bit by bit, little by little, the mission was losing its way.

  He spent some time checking Jann's vitals. She looked comfortable enough even though she was still encased in her EVA suit. Paolio had considered stripping it off and taking her out of it, he didn’t want her to overheat. But she would be awake in a while so he just removed her boots and gloves, piled a pillow under her head, and left it at that. He stood back from his handy work and surveyed the rest of the Medlab module. It was in fact two modules connected together. But only one of them was operational. He walked to the far end and checked the door into the disused section. The control panel was dead. He fiddled with it for a while but it was pretty obvious it was never going to open, not without power. There were quite a number of these areas in the colony; shut down, offline, disused. They would soon have to start investigating them. But not before they had a better understanding of the colony control systems.

  In the centre of the Medlab, along one wall were a number of terminals. Paolio swiped a hand over one of the control interfaces — no joy. He hunted around the workbench looking for a power source. Eventually he found a bank of switches which looked like they might control power. He flicked one marked ‘terminals’ and the area illuminated followed by a number of beeps. He waved his hand over the control interface again and this time it came to life and rendered a 3D animated COM logo just above its surface. He touched the logo and it split up into a myriad of icons for programmes and files. What he really wanted to find were medical records. Something to shed a little more light on the colonists that lived here. It might give him an idea of what happened to them in those last desperate days.

  Paolio had always been of the opinion that there was more to the demise of Colony One than just the sandstorm. The last communication from Nills Langtorp had intimated at deeper psychological issues affecting the colonists. Perhaps this had hindered their ability to maintain sustainable life support? Yet, it was never discussed within COM, and the ISA for that matter. Any mention of this line of enquiry was quickly dismissed as unnecessary ‘speculation’. Nevertheless, it had always been in the back of his mind. He wondered if this was the same illness that had afflicted the commander. Yet, he dare not mention his concerns to the others, in case he raised the paranoia levels unnecessarily.

  Then there was Jann. Was she also affected? He put that thought out of his mind and went back to studying the terminal. He touched on various icons looking for anything that might help shed some light on the mysteries of Colony One. After a short time he finally came to a gallery of colonists. There was a head-shot for each, tagged with a cryptic alphanumeric reference. He was about to touch one to open it when he heard a series of screams emanating from deep within the bowels of the colony. He jumped up from the terminal. "Lu!"

  Paolio ran out of the Medlab heading for the galley to check on Lu. He frantically searched around -- she wasn’t there. “Lu?” he shouted. No answer. "Damn where is she?" He moved out of the galley and into the main workshop area. "Lu, are you there?" Still no answer. He turned around and behind him stood Commander Decker — about five metres away. He had a gaunt vacant expression and seemed to be looking up somewhere towards the ceiling. Paolio took a tentative step forward. "Commander, are you okay — did you hear that scream — have you seen Lu?" Decker didn't reply. He fixed his gaze on Paolio with an intense, questioning look. Paolio was about to move towards the commander when he realised Decker was holding a long steel bar. Its end covered in blood, some of which was dripping onto the floor. "Jesus Robert, what's going on?"

  Decker slowly raised the bar. Paolio backed away. Decker lunged. He was too quick for the doctor and struck him square across the shoulder — with force. "Contamination, it must be eradicated."

  Paolio heard his collarbone snap as white hot pain rifled up his neck and into his brain. The second blow connected with the side of Paolio's head, he lost his balance and went flying over a pile of workshop junk, landing hard on the floor and banging into the side of a tall rack unit. It rocked and tottered and finally came crashing down on top of his leg. He heard the snap and more pain that Paolio had ever known in his life coursed through his body. He cursed and screamed and looked around to try and see where Decker was. But the area was now dark. "Has the power gone?" Paolio couldn’t move, he waited for Decker to come and attack him again — but he didn't. Has he moved off somewhere else? All was deathly quiet.

  Paolio tried to get some control of his mind and calm himself down. His body screamed with pain, his head throbbed and his vision was blurry. With his good arm, he managed to drag himself backwards into a corner and hide. It was all he could do. It was very dark. He was sure the power must be out. Then he heard it. Another scream, and another, and then silence. "Lu, no, not Lu." He couldn't bear the pain, it was too much. Then he saw a muddy pool of his own blood seep out from where he sat. The break in his leg must be bad, very bad. He was a doctor so he knew what happens next — he was bleeding to death. His vision began to dim, his thoughts dulled and his eyes slowly closed.

  CHAPTER 11: COLD, SO COLD

  Jann’s eyes snapped open. It was cold, her breath condensed and she shivered even though she was still in her E
VA suit. She sat up and looked around. Her gloves and helmet were on a bench on the far side of the Medlab. There was no sign of anyone. Then she remembered what had happened. She had really lost the plot, freaking out like that and waving a knife around. Could she really blame Paolio for what he did? Too late anyway, the damage was done. Now she would be regarded as the crazy one. “Hello, anyone there?” No answer. “There’s no power,” she thought, “must be why it’s so cold. Where is everybody?”

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, she was a little shaky and took a few moments to find her balance. The light in the lab was dim, but she could still see enough. What time was it? How long have I been out? Jann made her way over to the bench, took her gloves and helmet and put them on — just in case. If there were some emergency she could get life support from the suit almost instantly. Probably a good idea. She strapped on her boots but left the visor on her helmet open.

  She stood in the Medlab for a few moments considering what to do next. Silence. Cold, dark silence. Not a sound, she listened, not even the pervasive low hum that comes with space travel, an inevitable consequence of the need to be permanently encased in life support. The hum that you only notice when it’s gone. “Maybe they are trying to restore power? But then, why didn’t Paolio, or anyone, stay here for when I woke up? Hello?” She ventured into her helmet comm. “Malbec here, anybody please respond…” Nothing. Maybe she should go look for them. Or maybe she should get out and make for the HAB. She checked the time; there was still another hour or so of daylight left. But the Martian night came quick. It would be pitch black out on the surface, no moon to illuminate the way. However, she did have the HAB beacon so she could follow that if necessary and her helmet had a powerful floodlight. Jann thought about arming herself with a weapon of some kind. A baseball bat would be good, or a knife. Then again, maybe not. It didn’t work out too well the last time she tried that. So she left it, no point in exacerbating the situation.

  After deliberating on her options for some time, Jann cautiously moved out of the Medlab and into the main common area. Pale daylight filtered down through the domed roof, enough to illuminate her way. “Hello?” she listened. Nothing. “Where the hell are they?” She jumped as she heard a cracking sound from high up in the dome superstructure, it was adjusting to the change in temperature. Metal contracting and shifting causing a creaking that echoed around the facility. Jann made her way towards the bio-dome, all the time looking around for anything that might give her a clue as to the whereabouts of the crew.

  She stopped at the entrance to the short tunnel that led to the bio-dome. Ahead of her, she could make out a crew member sitting on the floor, their back resting against the tunnel wall. “Hello?” They didn’t respond, she moved closer. It was Lu. Her head was covered in blood from a serious gash on her skull. Her eyes were wide — and dead. “Lu, Jesus… Lu!” Jann rushed to her, removed one of her gloves and checked Lu’s pulse. Nothing. She slumped down onto the floor opposite the lifeless Lu Chan, and cried for the loss of her friend. “Lu, what happened?” But Lu had nothing to say.

  Something fast moved between the rows of vegetation inside the bio-dome. Jann caught a fleeting glimpse in the corner of her eye and she froze. It moved again. She stood up slowly, keeping her back to the tunnel wall and moved in through the entrance to investigate. It came at her like a freight train and something heavy hit her hard on the side of her head. The force knocked her forward and she went careening over a grow bed and crashed to the ground on the other side. Her suit helmet had taken the blow and held; otherwise she would be dead, or dying. She rolled over onto her back, above her was Commander Decker. He stood motionless, glaring down at her with a demonic stare. She lifted herself up on her elbows and tried to shuffle backwards. Her head was dizzy from the blow. “Decker, what the hell?” He stopped, tilted his head slightly to one side like he was considering her. He then looked over at the grow-bed, pulled a long sharp metal stake out of the ground and hefted it like a spear. He advanced. Jann frantically kicked out but it was a futile action. He raised the spear aiming to skewer her through the abdomen. Jann screamed and held her arms out in a last desperate act of self-preservation.

  From nowhere, Kevin Novack appeared and struck the commander across the back of the head with a heavy bar. Decker reeled and lost his balance. The engineer hit him again, this time to the side of his shoulder, and Decker went flying over a grow-bed and collapsed on the floor. He stayed still. Kevin glanced over at the prostrate commander, ready to strike again. Satisfied that he wasn’t moving he reached down to help Jann up.

  “You Okay?”

  “I told you he was deranged.”

  “I know, I know… you were right, what can I say?”

  “What happened?”

  “He was perfectly fine then he started talking crazy. Lu tried to talk to him… and he just… killed her. I couldn’t get to her in time. Then he ran off. I’ve been stalking him since.”

  “What about the others? Paolio?”

  “I don’t know, it all happened so fast. I don’t know where they are.”

  “Hello, Malbec here. Paolio, Annis… please respond?” Jann spoke in to her comm. Nothing. “Is no one wearing a head-set?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I took mine off in the Operations area.”

  “How long has the power been out?”

  “Shortly after Decker went crazy.”

  “Shit, look…”

  She pointed at the spot where the commander lay — he wasn’t there anymore, he was gone.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here… now!” Kevin grabbed Jann and moved her towards the tunnel exit. He pushed her through the door and then started to close it. It was stiff.

  “Shit, give me a hand Jann, we can close him in here if we get this shut.” The short tunnel between the main bio-dome and the common area was designed as an airlock so each section could be sealed off. But the doors had been rigged to stay open. Jann had just turned back to help when Kevin’s eyes went wide and a large dark blood stain spread across his abdomen. A metal spear protruded from its centre. He dropped to his knees. “Kevin… no…”

  Decker stood behind the stricken Novack holding the bloodied metal shaft. He looked at it with a vacant curiosity, like it was something alien. He seemed mesmerised by it. Jann backed slowly down the short tunnel. She grabbed the door at the far end and put all her weight behind it. It moved, but slowly. It was stiff and needed all her strength to get it to operate. Decker’s head jerked up as he noticed the swinging door, he shot forward with frightening speed. But Jann had her shoulder to the heavy door, it was gaining momentum and clicked closed just as Decker crashed into it. She bounced off it with the force and slid across the floor, but the door held. She rushed back and spun the locking wheel, grabbed a bar from one of the scrap piles and wedged it into the handle. Just in time. She could see it rattle as the commander tried to open it. He stopped and for a brief moment silence returned to the colony. Then there was a massive crash as the door shook, and another, and another. He was throwing himself against it with a crazed frenzy. The entire facility resonated with the force. But the door held. Jann backed away.

  The banging stopped. Jann wasn’t sure if this was a good thing. It probably was, but now she didn’t know what he was up to. The daylight was also fading fast. She needed to get out now and make a run for the HAB. Like she did this morning, running from the demented Decker, except this time it was in the opposite direction.

  She was about to flip her visor down and make for the airlock when she heard a low moan, she froze. It came from over by the workshop area. There it was again. She picked up a heavy metal rod from one of the scrap tables and cautiously headed towards the sound. She kept low, moved behind a mound of disassembled machines and peered in. On the floor, in a gap between a row of storage boxes, she saw a pair of bloodied legs. She shifted closer to get a better view. The legs were attached to Dr. Paolio Corelli. He was sitting on the floor with his back re
sting against the dome wall, hidden as best he could. “Paolio.”

  His face was bloodied but he was still alive, still breathing. She shook his shoulder “Paolio, it’s me Jann.” His eyes slowly opened. “Jann.” He coughed and spat a bloodied gob on the floor. She crouched down beside him. “Paolio, can you move?”

  “My leg… broken, collar bone… ribs I think.”

  “Decker is trapped in the bio-dome, for the moment. We need to get out of here.”

  He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer. “Lu… where’s Lu?”

  “She’s… dead, Paolio… so is Kevin. I don’t know about Annis.

  Paolio let out a long, gut wrenching moan. “No… not Lu.” Then he let go of her and slumped back. “I’m sorry, Jann. I fucked up… thought you had gone off the rails.” He spat again.

  “It’s okay. You probably saved my life, Paolio. If I wasn’t out for the count I might be dead by now. Come on.” She put her arm under his and tried to help him up.

  “Ahhhhh…” he collapsed down again. “It’s no use I’m too broken.”

  “Don’t give up on me now, just get your shit together.” She raised her voice and put some sting into it. Anything to get him to move. “We've got to try and get to the HAB. If you can get outside I can call the mule and you can ride it there, you’ve got to try.”

  “Okay…” He steeled himself and, with Jann’s help, managed to stand up on one leg. He was weak and unstable, but seemed to revive a little now that he was upright and had purpose.

  “Where’s your EVA suit and helmet?”

  Paolio rubbed his head as he balance himself against the wall. “Over by the airlock… I think.”

  Jann put his arm over her shoulder and propped him up. “Okay, ready?” He nodded, and they shuffled off. Paolio was in extreme pain and he hopped on one leg, he could put no weight on the other. They made slow progress.