Chapter 1 and 2 completed, now in need of an editor
Another Man’s Dreams
By Larry Austin Bernard
Editing by Luke Melendez
Chapter I:
The Reflecting Pool
The stone skipped across the reservoir 3 times, sending out ripples before it sunk to the bottom. The voice from behind him cut into him "You know we all have to drink that water." The young man didn't turn around. His long brown hair flipping in the wind, in the direction of the accusing voice, his lip began to smirk. "Rocks don't pollute much considering they periodically do enter the reservoir Serenity." The girl knocked him down and he started gasping and groping. In short order she put mouth piece between his teeth. He took long and labored breaths "Jesus Darren, why did you have your Breather off?" Her eyes were not accusatory but they were clearly upset as she moved to ensure she wasn't laying against him to hard so he couldn't breath.
"The air quality index was going to be high." He mouthed before retaking the breather into his mouth. The girl simply shook her head at him "They had the alerts on, but you were probably to busy daydreaming here to listen to anything but your own thinking." As the boy regained his breath he looked up at the figure pinning him down. The Strawberry blond with green eyes and the faintest of tans on a world where tans are usually a sign of being from another planet was his best friend, for the longest time the only other child in his parent's quad. But then there was enough of an atmosphere for real neighborhoods to be formed, and they remained cronies ever since.
"Well Serenity, if you must know I was here reflecting on my dreams."
The girl rolled off him and lay back against the wall of the reservoir complex. "You know, dreams shouldn't trouble you as much as they do. Dreams are just a jumble of information the mind spits out like a blender." She looked on the one whom till just last year had been the smaller of the two. As long as she can remember Darren was the weaker and she had to keep a watchful eye on him in school. He had trouble breathing when they lived bellow the ground, and he had allergies often. But now he was blossoming on the vine and becoming a young man. His hair grew long and he grew tall when they started to actually live in the sun on the surface of Mars. He has been known to wander off and roam around their homes now that he can, an idea still a bit strange during the current stage of Terra forming.
“People used to put a lot of stock in dreams you know Ms. Smarty pants." The young man sitting up and looking at her, the breather out of his mouth again his lungs full enough of air. "Heck, men for centuries dreamed of the people who lived on mars, and here we are talking about how dreams are meaningless."
She stood up and ruffled his hair, resisting the urge to pound him in the shoulder. "Well Mr. Philosopher, were going to be late for our first day of high school if we don't get going here soon." He laughed a bit from behind his breather. "Was that why you came to get me? Trying to keep me under your wing like a little ducky?" his eyes revealed a great deal of relaxation. She popped off her fist into his shoulder. "No goofus, your mom is taking me to school the first day to remember." He nodded, not wanting to laugh in his breather as they both walked back to their homes.
The soil here was not yet ready for planting, but the terraces of hydroponics made up for what an earlier generation on earth would seek in a yard. Flowering plants and a little garden sitting in wait for the day they could grow strong in red Martian soil. Darren wondered when they were kids if the food plants would grow red if they were ever in the soil, Serenity just laughed at him. The Orange color of the house, looked almost red against the contrast of the sky. The shape of the house looked like it had been cut into the side of a Martian hill. When looking at the face it seemed almost reminiscent of the Anasasi cliff dwellings. But the pattern of the houses and lots bears the most American of handiworks a new Levittown on a new world. The new Generation on Mars was walking out on the surface that they would some day plant in as their parents pulled tentatively out from under the planets surface. Most of them had seen an Earth Sunrise as children, but now they look at a Sunrise which is alien to them, but is the only star their children had ever seen. The kids grew up watching the two small moons in the sky, something their parents themselves only experienced for the first time not so long ago. The children of mars who saw a earth son on videos and earths moon will only be able to compare it to their children to the dual moons in the sky. The air is richer then earths. The children of mars would know a carbon that only the worst of earths pollution would have made known to their parents. But the carbon is growing less and less every year. The nitrogen sits at the upper end of the human norms and Earth Born people still have problems with it in the first few years. Trying to describe to kids born on mars what their air is like compared to that on earth is about like trying to explain how a fruit thats been extinct tastes to people who never put it to their palate.
In the doorway Darren's mother stared at him sternly, his face still flushed from losing his breath earlier. "Darren Michael James..." He waved to her to stop the tongue lashing "I know mom, but it looked like it was going to be a good air day." Her brow relaxed somewhat, her son's face and his sense of regret at the action calming her anger " Well that's why they have an air quality report young man, so you know if you have to use your breather of now." Serenity tried to speak up "He was fine until I knocked him over..." she looked her son's only friend for so many years of his life in the eye "Young lady you know he was wrong just as I do, so why try to cover for him now? Now Darren, go upstairs and get your bag. I'll be damned if I let either of you be late to school." Darren slipped the few tools they directed him to add into the bag. Some paper and pencils and a small tablet computer, lighter then the work a generations generation of children's children carried since the dawn of time. As Darren came down he thwacked Serenity in the back of the head “why did you do that?” he softly said into her ear. She looked at him “I was trying to cover for you with your mom...” he hit her in the shoulder “ i don't need you to protect me when I am owning up to being stupid ok.” she nodded as they slipped into the Hydrogen car
The old hydrogen car slowly worked itself to a start, the battery was largely unreliable but it was much more practical then using a gas engine on mars. The Gas car's had lottery days to determine when they could drive, but the hydrogen cell cars could drive whenever they wanted. And with the fuel cell manufacturing industry the cells that are made surplus to earths are amazingly cheap. The old Jeep had spent to many days tunnel driving in the old quads being now above ground and running in red soil it didn't know what to do with itself. The water vapors helped in the process of getting the soil ready for real planting, and in the forming of the nascent Martian atmosphere. But the Jeep formerly being a mole in the ground still struggled in the atmosphere that is a bit of a dirty mix from the old tunnel oxygen.
"I don't understand why these high schools are mandatory; couldn't we just finish it up like we did our old quad school system?" Darren's mother sighed
at his question "Son, we made a lot of sacrifices in how we educated our children. The process of school just doesn't teach you facts and figures it also teaches you about people. How to work and live with others, you know things that can't be taught over a vid screen." Serenity hit him in the back of the head and whispered to him in a hushed whisper "you ask this kind of a question then bitch to me that you have to spend all day locked in the house with her." Darren rubbed the back of his head, muttering only briefly in a soft voice "It would seem all the women near me are against me today." his mutter piped up “Your a young man, you have the rest of your life to learn that all women are against you. This is why your going to school to learn about people young man.”
The long road into Aries City was largely desolate from their outer settlement. Aqueducts and terra-forming equipment slowly reshaping the landscape of mars dot the red occasionally, breaking the monotony of the drive. As the approach to the city came closer signs started to mark the landscape;’ Future sight of Aries City Spaceport', 'Mars development plan progress', 'Water park coming in 2122', and a host of others. As the car comes near the memorial wall, signs of a real city begin to greet them. The technology of the Nano-machine based Terra-forming machines popped up very quickly after the hydro-carbon fuel reserves were first discovered on mars. The Nano-Machines made massive amounts of gas and liquid to begin reshaping the face of mars and working through some of the large Martian mountains. These machines rung the city first and allowed the small settlements which bore the first fruit in natural gas and oil, and then rang out to the far wells and mines. But Aries city was built because Humans build cities. The governments of Earth and the big corporations built Aries city to be the Rome, the New York, The Paris, The Tokyo, the fundamental and first city of Martian Civilization.
Advertisements, sloganeering, graffiti, and so may other signs of modern human civilization dotted the land scape as they came closer to Aries City. Aries City was built under a great dome of materials that were a miracle when they were built. Two gateways lead through the wall; on each is a simple list that causes everyone to pause as they enter the gate. The first is a list of people from all the earth countries who helped to build Aries city, and mars itself. The second gateway contained a list of all the disasters that killed ten or more people in the first decade of the cities existence. Ever car driving past the second came to an almost halt for a moment, less from a sense of reading it and more from a sense of a religious ritualism. Along the walk way flowers and letters mark the second gateway. And on down the walk way the preserved letters from people back to the first settlers of Aries city writing a short memorial to lost fathers, lost mothers, and lost children.
On earth this would barely count as a city. Little over 100,000 lived within its walls, and barely a quarter of a million lived within an hour and a half's transit time. But on Mars this city was a New York, or a Los Angeles amongst the much smaller population. It was the only Martian city to have competing broadcast television stations, and most of the satellite stations broadcasted from here. It was the only city to have any broadcast radio traffic, and all the satellite radio stations came from here. The Mars Herald, the only newspaper published on Mars ships itself out of Aries city, to those few who still enjoy the sense of ink and paper in their hands. Only the Bradbury, the seat of the Mars Authority lay outside the direct influence of the largest city on Mars. But, this mattered less as the only schools open to those outside their city walls lay here and it was only built when people started putting foot to the surface of Mars. And it was the seat of the only University on Mars.
"Ok Darren, Serenity since your now going to a real school I got you both a present." She hands the two kids small envelopes, they feel metallic and have a coppery tint to them. As they open the envelopes inside is a card, with a holographic image of Aries City on it and a magnetic strip. The Cards read in English 'Mars Transit Authority' "What's this mom?" Darren asks curiously "It's a transportation voucher card. It gives you to enough trips on the Maglev train to get home and go back to school for a month before it recharges." She then smiled "But if you don't use it all you carry over your balance, that means your going to be up one today.""Then why are you driving us today?" Serenity spoke up now, asking the silly question now. "Look, it’s an old tradition on earth that I wanted to start up now. That you take the kids to their first day in school and since this is the first school you actually go to away from home, I figured why not start the tradition now." Darren sighed "But Mom..." She replied almost by route "Mother's prerogative young man." His friend "Thanks for the cover brat" and then pounded his shoulder. While she stood and protected him, he stood up far more these days for her then she did for him.
They drove down Aphrodite Boulevard on their way to their final destination. They drove around the Statue of Mars at the entrance to the city standing majestically in a silvery glow flanked by a sign which reads “Welcome to Mars”. They drove through Founders Park and past the Smith Monument honoring the first man to place his foot on Martian soil. Then they traveled down Howard way till they say an area of better then a city block under a dome.
“Was that what a domed city was like mom?” Darren asked first. “Probably, I hear tale they have it domed because they are doing experiments at the school.” The kids walked out of the Car and Darren’s mother gave them both a firm hug “Mom, your embarrassing me.” Darren whined. She smiled a bit “I was so worried, that I’d never live to see the day my children’s lives would be normal. I feel very privileged that I was wrong.” a soft tear went down her skin as she hugged both of the kids. As they approached the Dome a security guard stood at the door “When you get into registration they will secure your breathers.” The man in the gray jumpsuit said. “No Breather’s” Darren commented “This is so cool.” Serenity smiled a bit. Breathers had been a part of their lives for so long, as it was very expensive to have atmospheric seals built for their houses. So for the first time the heavy equipment would be unnecessary. As they walked into the dome, the temperature was a very crisp feeling adding to the pleasantness of the experience.”
They were greeted by a young woman, who hardly seemed much older then themselves. “Hello, you guys must be so excited. You’re some of the last kids to have gone without normal schools on mars. Well, I hope I get to meet you my name is Chantal and I work for the principal. All new students need to assemble in the auditorium for their introduction.” Watching Chantal speak, you could see the almost rhythmic pattern of her movements. “She’s a hologram” Serenity said matter-of-factly, Darren just rolled his eyes “Duh Ms. Rocket scientist.” He leaned to her and whispered to her ears “probably an AI to.” He smiled some what self assuredly. As the two walked towards the auditorium they saw streams of kids approximately their own age joining them and forming lines. Much as they did you can see bands from the outer areas of mars clinging to each other out of some sense of familiarity. Other kids seemed more at ease on their own; these kids showed the inner resolve that this place, this setting itself was not some abnormality. The kids from the city and the slowly evolving suburbs seemed to divide themselves along the lines that make high schools seem as they always have been.
The room was less fitting in a high school, it seemed more like the college auditorium class rooms from the old movies of the 20th that were popular in the quad settlers homes. The chairs even had the sense of being caught like an insect in amber, preserving the sense of that other time. The room sat as a temple to some other era’s sense of education, a temple which would soon see its invocation. The chairs were stiff, small, and gave a sense of discomfort that just felt right in a school setting. The plastic felt like those old desks from the 20th century even though it was a different kind of synthetic material. As the last of the student’s was seated the Principal walked into the room. His white hair, still full of life and fire was like the top of some majestic mountain. His body still strongly built showed a man who very easily could have struggled working in some mine or in some field.
“My name is Dr. Henry Jordan. You are the last class I will be giving this particular speech to. If one thing can match the history of a first class in a program, it is the last class. You are the last group of youth to come up through a Martian educational system built on survival. But the survival of the days when we lived underground, dreaming of living under a free Martian sky is not the survival you will face after leaving this school.” He took off his glasses and walked to the front of the podium.
“Mars is a nation, true Mars and earth and all the human settlements of this solar system are confederated know well you are a nation. A nation is a group of people with a common history, a common heritage, and a common culture. In your veins is the blood of men and women who sewed the soil of this planet with their tears and made it their own. Nothing else then such labor and pain makes a nation.” He took a pause and took a long drink from his glass of water.
“Where will this nation find its poets: Its scientists, its leaders? Will we continue to import them from the earth? Or will they grow here, just as humanity has grown Strong on Mars? Their was a time when people feared a new nation gaining its identity, a new nation rising up to claim its own treasure. China at the close of the 20th and the dawn of the 21st built a national treasure out of iron, built it on the backs and sweat of people laboring under inhuman conditions. India during the same time built a national treasure on its intellect. We have built this Mars on the blood and sweat of our pioneers. So we reap the treasure of those pioneers we must build a nation of ideas, and a nation of people who will master their own destiny.” He smiled and put his glasses back on his face. “It is my hope as now we begin to bring people who lived isolated lives as laborers in the far fields of mars that we will begin to become more then the breadbasket for a humanity reaching the very vault of heaven. One where man shall by his will, beget an empire. We are a nation of such men, who with the tools can turn more then just our planet into an Eden but the stars themselves.”Student assistants handed out papers to each student by their name. “First we will set up some placement tests to see where you are in your education, and where your strengths lay. Then we will have a lunch break and an interview process. This will determine the “Plan” we want to set up for you. And this will determine how you are graded. And after that, you get to go home.”
The tests weren’t important to Darren; this place was like a whole alien world to him. He didn’t get questions wrong per say, he just really didn’t care to work really hard to get them right. He didn't pay attention to the camera's watching him. Serenity however, much as they had been their entire lives was the one focused and serious who labored hard on the placement exam. Darren out of the corner of his eye watched her struggle and wrestle with the angel on her paper. Darren never did a great deal worse then she, which in a sense gave her some degree of resentment to him. As she sat taking her battery of tests she could see him out the school window, reclining under a majestic earth tree. Darren sat their drinking the first soda he ever had in his life, not like one of those from a vending machine either. This was the kind made with soda water and syrup. The richness danced on his tongue as he waited for his only friend to get out of her test. The proctor of his test center made Darren wait while he evaluated his testing, he just smiled for a moment and shooed him off. Darren felt a sense of a kindred spirit in the proctor as he waited for Serenity to get out.
“So Brat, did you at least make it look like you made an effort.” Serenity said to him as she got out of her test, he simply smiled at her. 'that was like... Two, maybe three earth standard hours ago I think so.” She huffed at him “I swear, if they don’t prepare you to be president of mars I should hope the train you to be a janitor.” Darren laughed at handed her a small card “They supply us with a free meal today, after that it comes out of our meal credit plan.” The two made their way to the cafeteria. “Ok Brat what woman did you seduce with your silver lounge to get my card.” He laughed “ Who has to seduce people, she watched me and said it would make you less mad at me.”
The computer took their ID card’s and processed their vital information. Knowing their last medical checkups, knowing there metabolism, and knowing how they at home it presented a series of options on a 5 to 1 scale. 5 representing the best meal options for them to eat. Serenity picked a level 5 meal; Darren went with a standby level “3”. She scowled at him a bit “You men get away with eating like that…” he quipped back “you could to, if you give on the healthfulness you have to push somewhere else.” She started into her sandwich and rolled her eyes. “No A 3 for you is a 5, how do you manage to get the tests to work for you.... are you blessed by some Martian god?” They laughed heartily. The stories of old Martian civilizations written by generations of earth authors before brought a smile to those in the first civilization built on Mars.
As the two chatted next came the interview portion, something they thought was odd even for a school, though neither had experienced one. They were waiting for the committees together, luck of the draw they were assured would give them their answers. Darren walked into the office first. A young red headed female left in tears just before him, and a blond female was set after him. The office was very cozy, there were a series of bookshelves along the wall with leather sofa’s and chairs. Just as the auditorium was a sign of an archaic period, so to was this office. Behind an oak table sat the principal, a female slightly his older, and a male slightly his younger. “So, this is my star chamber huh?” Darren opened.
The woman smiled “Oh I like this one.” She started off before the principal began his second monologue. “Well Darren, don’t think of this as a Star Chamber. In the past education systems have been very assembly line based. But, producing the right student is less a mass exercise as it is helping direct the natural forces of our students. So this is part of that process, we get a sense of whom you are and where your going.” The Young man spoke up next “It’s a process we do redundantly, so we are assured the highest quality output.” Darren Adjusts himself in the chair uncomfortably “ So, I’m only putting myself up for judgment to myself. I guess that makes you disembodied voices. Either that or I am am the block of Marble and you three are Michaelangelo.” The Woman let out a light laugh, smiling a little, “Oh Darling, If only I were a few decades younger, your simply perfect.”
He smiles, less nervous then before and speaking with a greater sense of confidence “So when does this process start?” the Younger man smiles “Oh it already has. So tell me Darren, just how bored where you?” he cocks an eyebrow “Excuse me” Darren was caught off guard by the accusation “Your scores are adequate, but in watching the tape of your performance its clear you were more interested in exiting. So, how bored were you?” Darren regains his composure quickly “Well I know Doctor Jordan here, but how can you interrogate me if I don’t know whom you are?” the woman quickly volunteers “My name is Dr. Minerva Wong. I run the social sciences department; our junior associate is Dr. Leo Kohen.” Dr. Kohen’s eyes scowl. “Since this triviality is done, now to my question.” Dr. Kohen curtly interjected.Darren resumes a tense position in his chair “Well, I just always at home wanted to get done quicker so I could do something else?” Minerva spoke next “And what was it you liked to do? I am sure your not of a mine to toil away in some mine or on some well.” Darren looked for some mental exit, something in the room he could hide his mind in while they talked.Dr. Jordan cut in “You see Darren, you’re a day dreamer. You’re more in your mind then in your body, while this has been a great strength for you; this is also your clear fatal flaw.” Darren drooped his head, he felt as if he was some kind of lab rat in a cage. The younger man spoke up “So, tell us about your father.” This removed him from his depressed state rather quickly. “Dad lost his way, he fought the Martian Defense Corp system and it ate him alive. Once we went above ground he left mom.” The young man moved in more, sensing blood in the water. “Is that what you’re trying to run away from?” Darren just smiled “everyone has their escape from the world.” Dr. Kohen digs in more “But life isn’t about escape, it’s about living.”
The woman now gets uneasy “Look these interviews are just designed for freshmen as an introduction to the system; I don’t want you to break another student. It scares the rest of the body.” Darren watches the interplay for a few moments before he speaks. “So this is more about seeing who I am and what I can do?” She smiles “well, it’s almost a metaphysical thing. It’s a test to see how you handle your mind.” At this point Doctor Jordan speaks up with his question. “Darren, where are you going from here? Where are you taking your life?”
He shrugs “I’m a teenager, aren’t I supposed to be a bit clueless on that front?” the older man smiles. “That’s one of the things of the old earth culture we never really had a good handle on killing. Your body isn’t finished developing but you’re equipped to move forward, so where are you going?” he shrugs again “ I mean, we don’t need as many back breaking laborers right so , maybe I can get another kind of job.” The principal smirked “come on now, from you that’s a bigger cop out then the last answer.” He closed his eyes Darren seems to pull in some confidence before he spoke “I just want to be able to make a bit of the firstness of mars my own. I’m not sure much pas that.” All three simply nodded Minerva spoke next “Thank you for not disappointing, we are finished here.” As Darren gets up and heads for the door Dr. Kohen speaks up. “You have a spirit of a pioneer but I am not sure you have the discipline to make it happen. I'm not going to be as easy on you.” Darren smiled “So be it devil's advocate, do you wish to be a nemesis or is this a mere sales speech?” he says nothing as Darren exits the door.
It’s a good half an hour before Serenity finds him. She seems to be a bit long faced “So how did it go?” he said with an inquisitive look? “The woman in that panel was a real bitch; she laid into me for almost 20 minutes.” Darren looks at her slightly confused “On mine she was the nice one, did the younger guy play it soft with you?” she nods and he begins to get a sense of awareness “ I think they are going to make you more science oriented.” He said with some degree of confidence “what makes you say that?” she asks her demeanor picking up. “It’s a hunch, but tells you what. I’ll bet you a bonus water credit hour that I’m right.” She smiles “well, I could use an extra hot bath.” He laughed and patted her on the back “that’s the spirit.” As he through his charm brought her spirits up they both walked for the air chamber to pick up their breathers.
As they walked out of the Breather room and into the airlock they saw some students harassing a smaller boy. Two boys dressed in their breathers were holding a boy with some red hair and a much more slight frame while a third boy the size of an ox was pounding into his gut “Listen Terat scum, you don’t own me and you don’t own shit here.” Darren clutched his hands watching the Scene as Serenity looked at him “Look there are three of them, there isn’t anything good going to come of you trying this.” He smiled “Look, this is an easy problem to solve without any violence.” The young man slipped on his breather and walked into the airlock. Making sure to trigger it shut. His female companion ran to get help.
Darren looked at the huge mountain of a teenager “Man you tube baby’s sure get big when you’re inbred, and stupid to. I mean you’re in the airlock they have to have gazillion cameras here. If you kill this guy, they’ll fry you on the firing range for sure.” The large boy turned to him. “Hey, my mother and father had me natural punk, now take it back or I’ll pound your face.” Darren smiled “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your parents were the tubes. They probably were brother and sister from the look of your genes.” The large teenager and his cohorts turned now to the new target for their rage. Darren didn’t even see his breather get smashed by the large ham handed fists of his assailant. He groped and gulped for air wildly as an alarm went off “oh boot me, we need to get out of here Hector.” One of the smaller boys said “Shut up Norman, there is no way to escape. They had us all on the cameras.”
Darren woke up a few hours later; he was in the school’s infirmary. “Man you are pig headed brat.” Serenity shakes her head at him.” You tried to get the oaf to beat on you instead, what sense was there in that?” he lifted his head up a bit and looked at her, half smiling “ I figured you’d have the cavalry by then, I was just buying you some time.” She huffed and put her hands on her hips “Darren, you risked your life assuming I’d have the cavalry to save you what would have happened if I was a minute later?” He just laughed “I’d have been dead probably, which is why I knew you wouldn’t be late.” She got a small drink pack and put the straw in his mouth. “You know you scared your mother half to death with this stunt, she’ll probably ground you.” As he kept sipping she just laughed “Or hug you to death, I’m not sure she has decided which.” He coughed a little bit “I’m sorry it’ll be late when we get home, I really didn’t plan on getting my breather cracked open.” She smiles and brushed the hair out of his face “Dar hun, you didn’t plan this out at all. Don’t lie to me; we were stuck underground together for to long for me to know you any different.” He closed his eyes “Well, I thought I could stop him some how, I just figured I’d do it on the fly.” She gently hit him in the shoulder “Well, when your doing something like this that could get you killed, maybe you should plan it out just a little bit huh?” he coughed and wheezed “Ok, next time I am going to risk my life, I’ll try to plan it out a little bit. What’s happening to that Ox of a Kid?” she smiled a bit “Hector, well the boy whose life you saved has decided he doesn’t want any charges pressed, your mother and the school are haggling over that.” He muses “So does mom want a pound of Flesh?” Serenity shook her head “No, the school does. Messing with breathers and nearly killing some one like that is something that puts the school in real jeopardy.” The Nurse walked in and looked at the youth in her sick bed “Your a lucky young man, there wasn’t any brain damage.” Serenity chuckled “He’d have to have a brain for it to be damaged.” The nurse smiled “Your lungs also weren’t damaged. I think the fact he knocked you out may have helped things.” As she looked at the clip board she added a few lines. “Your mother will after signing some forms be ready to take you both home.” As the Nurse left the Principal came in and looked at Serenity “Young lady can you leave me and your friend here for a moment?” She nodded and walked out of the infirmary.
“Well, it seems you put a much more profound test of your character up for us to see young man.” Darren looked over at Doctor Jordan “well I didn’t plan to….” Dr. Jordan smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “That’s the problem in life, the true tests of character are rarely planned.” Dr. Jordan opened “we rarely choose the moments that show our better natures to those who need to see them. We can just hope we have enough of them.” Darren looked down now “So am I in trouble?” Dr. Jordan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, have you done something that would get you in trouble? No I don’t think you have. You did something that may be a little suicidal perhaps, but not in trouble.” Darren smiled at that.
“But” the older man added “You have earned your share of consequences, some which you will know shortly. And others, that you may never know.” Darren simply nodded as Dr. Jordan continued. “Every choice kills a potential life, the person you are when you die has killed untold tens of thousands of other yous that could have been. So, are their any questions that burn in your mind right now?” Darren nodded quickly “Who was the kid I saved?” Dr. Jordan smiled “That’s a fact you’ll come to learn rather shortly, his father wants to see you. That’s one of the consequences you have brought on your head.” Darren tried to laugh but started coughing the Professor helped him sit up “So I won’t step on a father’s prerogative.” Darren now, his voice feeling more alive responded quickly “And the three boys who were doing the bullying?” Dr. Jordan leaned back taking a more authoritarian pose. “Detention for the lot of them, the maximum 3 weeks worth. Anything more would have required your mother’s ok. She didn’t want them to go to jail, and to an extent that was helpful. But if they screw up with you, or anyone else like that again they’ll be in the deepest darkest cell I can stick them in.”
“Well, any other consequences you can tell me about?” Darren inquisitively looked at his elder. The principal smiled “ oh certainly, but I’d be a poor educator if I just told you things and didn’t let you learn them on your own now wouldn’t I.” the laughter from the older man soon inspired the younger man to follow suit. “Just, if you can promise me one thing. Try to have a less eventful second day then your first. I can scarcely handle such a trend as an administrator.” Darren laughed “Ok sir, I promise to keep my second day relatively peaceable.”
Hector entered in with his mother, a woman every bit a mountain of flesh as her son. From the look of her she worked out in some of the coal mines in the far reaches of mars, but even that was pure speculation. The Woman slapped her son firmly on the head “Say it Hector, say it now.” Hector rubbed the back of his head “why ma?” she smacked him again, this time harder still. “Because, you’re not going to jail stupid. An apology is the least you can do to show your gratitude to his mother. ”Yo man, I’m sorry.” The look in his eyes showed the clear insincerity of the gesture. Darren nodded his head “Well let’s just not do anything like that again.” Hectors lips formed an almost feral grin “Oh, that’s something we can most certainly agree upon.” His mother gave him a slap to the back of the head again, for good measure as the two walked off. Darren sighed, it was clear this was not going to be a problem which would go away easy in his schooling.
The next person of “consequence” to enter the room was a some what dashing figure. He had a fiery and curly mane of red hair. It was well styled and probably by some one whose salary dwarfed anything his mother or father combined would have ever made. His suit was a fine silk and synthetic blend, in the style of a pinstripe suit out of the 1930s. It wasn’t common place to see anyone on mars, native or terran wearing earth clothes. He was trying to “show off” his wealth. On his right ring finger was affixed a large opal encrusted ring, something unusual to attract the eye. His eyes however showed a man of a most reptilian and predatory mind, taking apart the boy in the sick bed as if he was some target to be acquired, or neutralized. The dress was there for show, but the green eyes were the real man who walked into the room. His playing the role of the fancy man was to try to fool people it would seem to be.
“How are you doing my boy, I am quite in your debt.” The man took his hand firmly withdrawing his right hand quickly “You saved my son, I am sure as you were that those ruffians were going to take his very life. To me, this makes you and your friend my family now. Your mother also.” Darren piped up “It wasn’t anything really. I just did the right thing.” He smirked at the youth “Nonsense, you saved the Son of Hiram Stone and as such I won’t soon forget it or you.” Darren just smiled “Now, your friend and your mother are both ambivalent to my request, but when I set my house up here in a week or so I would like you all to come to my estate as my guests. Would you mind the hospitality?” Darren coughed a bit ‘Well, why not. I enjoy meeting new people.” Hiram clapped his hands together firmly “excellent my boy, I look forward to entertaining you all and welcoming you as a part of my family here on mars.”
Dr. Jordan leaned over as Mr. Stone exited the room “The wealthiest man on Mars, perhaps one of the wealthiest human beings has just opened his home to you. This is one of the consequences you will have to endure.” Darren looked at him “That guy?” Dr. Jordan nodded “Prior to his moving to Mars he gave me some of the seed capital to work on this school.” Dr Jordan rubbed his Chin “His eyes tend to rip into a man, break him down to his base elements. I think he saw more in you then just that you saved his son. You seem to have impressed him, hope that works out well for you in the end.” Darren’s mother entered into the room and shook her head at him. Her silvery blond hair and hazel eyes affixing blame, anger, and relief. “So young man, do you plan to give me any more heart attacks today?”Darren looked at his feet and his mother bent down beside him on the bed.” You know I am not sure if I should be proud of you or I should strangle you.” The tired voice she had revealing her exasperation at her son’s actions that day. “Well mom if it’s any consolation, this wasn’t what I planned to have happen.” Darren strained a weak laugh. She then began to laugh herself “No, it isn’t really. But I think you get to go without any form of punishment today young man.”
Serenity joined with them very shortly “Ok kids, lets get home before it gets really dark.” They quickly get dressed to go to the thin atmosphere outside. Darren turned on the internal heater in his suit, feeling still a little weak from his earlier experience. “Serenity you mother called, she has some good news, your father’s ship is going to be coming into port early. We expect to see it here tomorrow.” Serenity’s heart skipped a beat “Daddy is getting home early, this is great. Did anything happen to his ship? Why is he getting home early?” Darren’s mother smiled “They took care of the transaction back on earth early your mom said.” Darren smiled, his friend was always way to serious about things, except when it came to her father. Her father ran a tanker ship carrying oil, natural gas, and other commercial products from Mars to earth. And on earth they loaded up his ship with a variety of products to be sold to the Martian populace. They whole trip ended up taking about 4 years, this time he has returned a full year early. One had to question why his ship came back at the first launch window, but the joy in Serenity’s voice made that question seem most out of place. The Car ride home was a lot longer. Darkness fell over the Martian landscape quickly, the few signs of civilization there were soon became shrouded in night. Only the aqueducts broke the night sky shimmering in semi luminescent silver light.
The old jeep’s heater blew a fiery temperature and made the suits nice and toasty feeling. At this point in the drive serenity breaks the silence which has almost put everyone to sleep “So has my mother gotten back from the field yet?” Darren’s mother shook her head. “She is with an oil crew so deep out there it’ll be another 2 weeks before she can just get the papers processed to get home early. You know dear you are more then welcome to use our guest room till your father gets home.” Serenity thought about it for a while. “No thanks Ms. King, I can handle it in the house on my own.”
They slowly pull into their development as Serenity turns to Darren “Now Brat, no sitting out in front of the reservoir with your breather off tomorrow you got me? I actually need you alive for a change.” Darren struggled a laugh “I guess it is nice to be needed for something.” Serenity ran to her house, like a kid running down on Christmas day. Darren and his mother walked toward their home. His mother smiled a bit “So, you end up saving the life of son of the richest man on Mars. I guess that’s an ok reason to nearly get yourself killed.” Darren groaned as they entered into their home. He took off his suit and breather and went to bed, his mother got their old oxygenator out for him to use while he slept.
Chapter 2
The Next day
The day at school seemed a blur to both Darren and Serenity. She hated the fact he won a ration card off of her, but there were other things to keep her focus that day. And she knew he would keep the card for a while and she could talk him out of it, or at the very least trick him into a bet she would win. Darren had to wear one of the old surface suits in class, and just about everyone knew why. The truth was that his fight had already become a matter of rumor and urban legend before he got home. And most of the folks seemed to look approvingly at his beating the bully at his own game, though honestly he didn't think it anywhere near that through. The boy whose life he saved just the day before ended up being in a few of his classes, but neither of them spoke much until the lunch break, indeed the whole day before the lunch break seemed more of a phantasm.“So Brat, what level of disgusting biology are you afflicting yourself with? You’re still not well enough to tax your body like that.” Serenity came over him like a mother hawk. She was happy that her dad would be coming home, but she was clearly still upset with him. “Hey a Level 2 meal is perfectly fine… so long as I don’t need my blood to work to hard.” He said with an impish grin which got him another swipe to the back of the head. “If you suffer from O Deprivation , I am so not going to be the one to explain to your mother why you’ve turned into a vegetable.” She however was eating a 3 meal. The meal had a host of comfort foods in it, the inner child acting along with her excitement.”We are arguing over whats bad for us while we are eating manufactured synthetic foods. Does that seem a little crazy to you?” she just rolled her eyes at him “You always try to ruin the fun of things.” as they continued with their usual banter the boy from the other day walked over to join them. “Pardon me, can I sit here?” The red haired youth was in an old mars suit much like Darren’s. It was usually advised for new Martians or sick ones.
Darren smiled “You know I never did catch your name?” his face reacted quickly, the response of some one who has spent too many years reacting to another’s whims Darren thought to himself. Devin Stone, but my friends back home used to call me Dev. “So we’re friends huh.” Darren said in a half serious chuckle before he was given a stern smack to the head. “Ahru Buddha Serenity; it was just a joke….” Serenity smiled at Dev “Don’t mind him, he just doesn’t know how to react around normal people. Or even people of any class.” Darren muttered “yeah… we grew up underground together…” before getting another smack. “Does she hit you all the time?” Dev asked Darren. “I suppose she only hits me when she is trying to vent out the urge to gut me like a tilapia.” Serenity just laughed. “I suppose you can take that for something passing for a degree of normalcy.” he chuckled again “she hits because she cares.” she smiled and hugged him “Some one has to keep him in line, or he may do something stupid that actually gets himself killed.”
Dev smiled at all this, seeing these two intermix as they do in his presence made him feel more at ease. “So umm, what are you doing today after school?” Serenity smiled “My dad is finally back from one of his shipping missions. So I’ll probably skip my homework and just frolic after he gets home.” Her face lit up very brightly at the thought of her dad, she missed him terribly on these long missions just as she missed her mother when she had to work out in the far fields of Mars. Kids on Mars outside the cities rarely had the luxury of enjoying their parents. This was why when they designed the quads of homes underground they kept families together, and families with children around the same age were moved together.“Well Serenity you could give me your homework and I could finish a lot of it.” He realized he was going to get it from her as soon as he said the line. “Why wouldn’t you be doing your homework oh Wise Bratty one? Could it be because you did your homework in class and ignored the teacher?” Darren stood with his jaw open in shock. “Yeah, the teachers were talking about that in their lounge today. I got to over hear them talking about you.” Darren shook his head. “I mean, it was really boring and I...” Serenity cut him off “Good lord Darren, the least you could do is feign paying attention before you went to the board to do the problems.” Dev now piped in “Umm, what class is this?” Darren and serenity both spoke almost in unison “Pattern recognition” Dev chuckled at their harmony of words. Pattern Recognition was an unusual class for a student on a non science and non technical track but Darren seemed to be doing well in it, even though the class often confused him.
“We don’t have anything like that back on earth.” Dev chimed in now. “It’s a fascinating class.” Darren began to explain “It’s kinda like logic in the sense that it teaches you how to think. But this teaches you true, but utterly illogical things.” Serenity shook her head “It teaches probabilities of Chaos mathematics, frankly I don’t even know how he got into the class.” Dev looked at her with a curious eye as Darren defended himself. “Come on Serenity, I just took the classes they put me in.” She laughed at him “That is always your sort of answer kid.” He smiled at her “ their isn't much of an answer I can give beyond that.” he poked her lovingly in the shoulder “Lets not talk about verbal obfuscation here. I'm at least honest with my dueling with you in a battle of words.” she smirked at him “what ever brat.”
Dev turned to her for a moment “So, do you have a transport to the Star port?” Darren turned to her “Does the Transit line go out to the port?” Dev smiled for a moment “Well my dad does have a private car he has pick me up from school. I am sure Dad would probably have my hide if I let you both struggle up to the port using the transit line.” Serenity spoke up “That really isn't needed honestly....” before Serenity could Finish Darren took her by the shoulder “Your turning down the offer of a golden chariot silly princess, what is wrong with you.” she blushes and laughs Devin follows suit taking her other shoulder “It's the least I could do for you after all you did for me, and my father wouldn't even consider it an iota of repayment for your good will.” she blushed at that and muttered quietly “well....ok.” Darren smiled “I guess we are three musketeers now.” Serenity grinned as they broke off from their lunch break. Darren and Serenity had both formed a bond with the boy from earth quickly by circumstance but it in the end felt right, felt like he was always the third leg of the stool.
As Darren walked back towards his class a tall student approached him, he placed his hand on Darren’s shoulder. “You are walking pretty good for some one who nearly died.” His voice was almost melodious as the words rolled off his tongue. “Well, I think the reputation of the fight may be a wee bit overstated.” Darren replied to the tall stranger. He wore a Gray tunic with a duster and slacks. “Pardon me, I’m Toby and I run the fight club here.” Darren cocked an eyebrow at him “Fight Club? Like the old movie from the 21st?” Toby snickered “Sort of. This school labors to build the future citizens of mars; and needing a strong basis in the martial arts helps in that regard. As well as the character and discipline of competitive sport.” As Darren stood outside his Human History class looking Toby in the eyes he saw something in his gray eyes, a spark that he couldn’t identify. “So, pardon me for asking, but what do you want?” Toby’s presentation changed for a moment. A face of politeness faded and was replaced with an animalistic grin “Well, you’re a direct one. I think I like that about you.Hector’s return to the school is tied into his ability to make it through me and fight club. And, after hearing the story, you and he will both be given a try out. Now, if you refuse he gets sent away to a home school . If he schools at home, his friends will take a pound of flesh out of you.” Darren shook his head “So what exactly did I do to tick you off?” Toby smiled “Oh nothing, it’s more a case of trying to give you a chance for revenge on the oaf.” Darren shook his head again “Listen, I have class to attend here … Can I think about your offer?” Toby nodded “of course, have fun in your classes. If you take me up on my offer, you’ll be doing this tomorrow. And we use an artificial gravity system to even out any flaws in combat skills you may have.” Darren nodded “Look ok, if I am going to do this I'll just show up. If not you'll see me in the infirmary ok?” Toby laughed and looked at the younger man “Fair enough, I hope its the former and not the later.”
“Who was John Smith” the teacher intoned to the students in the Martian History class. She took one of those old fashioned pointers and applied a thump to the picture of the first man to set foot on Mars.“He was the man who discovered Mars?” a young woman with a deep purple hair commented and the teacher shook her head. “ I did not ask you what he did, I was asking you who he was. Anyone can remember a historical event based on a recitation of fact.” Serenity raised her hand “He was the first pioneer, the man who was willing to put the hard work to make this all possible.” the teacher made a notation on her tablet “Better, but not sufficiently better.” She then turned to Darren who muttered out the words “an avatar...” not looking up from his tablet PC which was undoubtedly not working on the subject for this class the teacher chuckled. “Do you care to expand on that to get the grade you deserve young man?” Darren looked up and the teacher repeated again “ You sound like you might have the right answer, but I want to hear your reasoning to see if you get a plus or minus for the effort. Or I could just give you a minus and have the teacher for who's class you are doing homework also give you a minus.” Darren looked up at the teacher now “Well I don't think great men of history are the things they do, because that takes away from what makes them do what they do. But I think men at the cross roads of history become shibboleths that tell us more about ourselves then anything else. John Smith to some one who has had to live in the tough existence of mars can be a hero, a saint or he could be a man whose cursed them. To some one who has enjoyed luxury he could simply be a man who is viewed as eccentric and a little crazy because he pushed to do what no man before him or after him did, set up a truly private foothold on Mars. But in the end the man is gone, and he speaks more about us then he does about himself.” The teacher nodded approvingly “ Very good Mr. King.” As they left the History class Darren whispered to Serenity “Ms. Desmond is a big believer in the great man theory of history, so thats going to impact whats the right answer.” She rolled her eyes at him “And how did you learn this silly man child?” he smiled and held up his tablet “They have all kinds of books on the computer these days, you should try looking them up by Author.” She groaned at him as he walked towards his next class and she turned to Devin “Don't mind him. He always thinks outside the box like that.”
The classes soon worked into a blur, Darren was as excited as Serenity about her father’s return. Many of the early years in his life he grew up in their quarters. He also saw happiness in her that he hadn’t in a while. She was often that way when her folks were gone. He felt somewhat guilty having his own mother freely about. But then he some times thought about his Dad and felt a common bond in empathy and understanding with her pain. That however wasn’t important now he reminded himself. He packed his school bag Serenity joined him “So Brat are you ready to rock and roll?” he gave her a hug “Yes milady lets get this done.” She giggled at him “What has changed your mood?” he smiled for a moment. “Being utterly and totally doomed I guess helps.” She smirked at him “Oh and how my lord, did you doom yourself this time?” he shakes his head at her. “Apparently they have something here called fight club, and that’s the only way that Hector Kid can come back into school, so I have to try to join or his friends will pound me into hamburger.” She laughed as they both went into the breather room. “They are trying to get it in as a kind of sport you know?” she said as she helped him into the other parts of his old suit. “what? Why do they need to do that.” she laughed at him “ because Brat it provides useful social interactions between people.” he nods “So being a jock actually serves a purpose other then attracting women with some sort of residual cave man impulse?” she laughed at him “As if you could attract a woman by being a cave man you little rouge.”
The Private car was an extreme luxury. The carpeting was a soft fine fiber, feeling almost natural. The air inside was cool and thick, almost intoxicating to two Martian born humans. They take slow breaths to try and not over work their own lungs. “Remind me, in the future to be rich serenity.” Darren said with a sense of bliss and comfort in his voice. Serenity’s mind was a million miles away from the car. The closer to the port they got the more the needle loomed in the sky. The needle was the commercial space elevator and was hyper thin and built of the toughest carbon nano-fibers ever made. The structure that linked into the port had a 20 story high sky scraper built into it. But even with the angular construction at the right time of the day the needle cast a thin dark shadow over the landscape. That could even be seen in Aries city. All three put on their breathers as they walk into the port. The air was thin and smell of fuel and petroleum haze carried over the whole area. The air was stuffier around the port because this was where much of the factory district was. Once the fuel cells started being manufactured there, they next moved on to plastics and synthetic hydrocarbon fibers. Now that a real atmosphere exists on mars more of the factories have began to work on other low end manufacturing.
The sign was lit up for the incoming ships Serenity looked for her father’s ship. The Excelsior was pulling into the port. Darren looked at the display which was reading an empty manifest but Darren also decided to keep that bit of information to himself as serenity ran to the transit gate. Her father walked out last as his crew all preceded him out the gate. His hair was a blond that had almost turned to a white now, looking almost ghostly today. His right brown eyes seemed almost tarnished now as his face and body were slumped over until he saw his daughter. Then a surprise gripped him as he hugged her. “Princess…” his arms wrapped around her “I didn’t expect to see you here.” The tension relieved itself from his person “Would you like to go out to eat before we go home sweetie?” she looked at Dev and Darren, Darren was the first to speak “Heck you’re dad got home early… I mean you have a dad. Go have fun.” Dev nodded with him in the affirmative as she gave them both a light hug “thank you guys” as the three musketeers separated from each other as Dev and Darren pulled out in the car “Would you mind coming over to my house?” Dev turned to Darren he shook his head for a moment “Thanks no, I have to get ready I have a fight coming up.” Dev looked at him “A fight? Is that allowed?” Darren laughed “I guess so; It’s a sport here apparently.” Dev looked aghast at him “Is this normal here?” Darren just shrugged because he himself was unsure. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do ultimately. “Seems to me more parts of the educational process designed to help form us into the kind of adults that they deem society needs.” Darren seemed more unsure about the whole process, but Dev smiled at him. “My father tells me the warriors of ancient times and the athletes were often rewarded by society. If your going to do it why not come and visit my place?” Darren laughed, as he was going to fight a man who would probably try his level best to kill him this seemed to make all the sense in the world. “So I guess Caesar we must go off to find my reward then huh?” Darren remembered something about boxing and some of the other forms of fighting as sport being common among the old pioneers in the Americas so he thought perhaps this fight wouldn't be so strange.
The house on the outside didn't look much different then the smaller Martian homes dotting the landscape as people came from under the surface. The home was reminiscent of hills themselves. Acrylics and a sort of mud brick seemed to form the outer walls. The outer walls looked to Red, more like a Georgia clay then the soil of mars, but still not a bad attempt at matching the soil. What made it stand out differently was a large metal gate surrounding it with a guard turret out front. It was like some ancient temple, cold and sterile stone. Pillars supporting the ceiling all that was missing was an alter to some long lost god to complete the image. Benches that looked like they were more fit for statutes then they were for men. Before Darren could interject Devin spoke to him.
“My room looks better.” Devin said almost reading the mind of his new friend. As they walked down a hall way he saw two larger domed rooms with guards out side them. The Guards watched the kids but were clearly not considered as the son of their boss was one of the two. “Those are where my dad keeps his collections of things.” the first of the rooms contained old letters and books from the 19th century in display case, and it contained items from the height of the American culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. The prize of that collection was a tattered and old copy of the Martian Chronicles signed by Ray Bradbury with a letter from John Smith in the case. An old folk tale was that he read from that book every day while he was waiting for the first oil well on Mars to bear any fruit. In the other room was a collection of the first items of the Martian pioneers and a case thats solid black and metal and surrounded. The voice of Hiram Stone booms from the back. “Do you want to see the prize of my collection?” The two kids turn around and Hiram Stone smiles motioning to the two guards. “Its a shame really, the way the drilling and mining protocols work their may be more samples like this to be found. The cut of coal was small but in it was the impression of something that looked kind of like a barnacle attached to something which seemed like an old reed, but with a spiral formed in the familiar golden ratio. “Officially of course things like this are believed to be an urban legend. But my father had worked selling on enough of the mining stations that he knew it was real and with a little trading got one of these fossils. I always keep an ear out for more though I can't get out to the mining and drilling stations anymore.” The two boys took their leave of the master of the house who put his prize back in its case. Darren wondered to himself if it was real, and not some old miner trick on a rich old man. But he wasn't here to learn anything so boring as who was on mars first, he was here to have some fun and lift his mind from the difficulties of his school dilema.
Devin's room seemed normal, although much more elaborate then Darren's The room also had another luxury for most folks on mars a nice soft layer of carpet fibers. “ I thought your room might be a display case to.” Darren laughed as he reclined on the bean bag chair. Devin smiled a bit “ i think this is his way to make up for my being born on earth.” Darren looked at his new friend strangely “You mean he wanted you to be born here?” Devin nodded “ He wanted to be born here, but Grandfather didn't even let him come to Mars till he was old enough to manage the family business here. I think he always regretted he fell in love with mom over the video, so he had to come back to Earth to start his family. And then grandfather's death took him longer to come back here.” Darren picked up the video game controllers “Oh wow, this is cool what kind of games do you have on here?” Devin smiled “ I tend to keep retro games mostly, they were actually my Dad's when he was my age. He wanted to pass them on.” The two started to crack into the pixilated world of the Video game system. The sound of video games marked a few moments of mindless fun before Darren went to ride the mag-lev train home. Devin like his father indulged in a bit of nostalgia for the old days, with a simple controller and basic graphics rattling over the computer monitor. The games tended to be more based on the old role playing format. Games building skill through repetitious actions of the characters, tied to an AI engine to give the illusion of the old networks these games were once played on. The drive in the car to the Mag-Lev station was very quiet as the car rode smoothly down the road into the station, where the sounds themselves made a change of their own. The sounds of music played throughout the train and a few people holding old ink and paper news in their hands made a trip that was isolated and nice as a way for you to be alone in a crowd. Darren kept having a unshakable feeling on the train ride back that something was wrong with Serenity's father. He barely remembers him but he remembers a man more sure of himself, a man more who carried himself like he commanded a ship with billions in assets on it. Darren worked to tune those thoughts out and focus on the landscape as the train journeys closer to his home. At the speed of travel the landscape decoration of Terra-Forming equipment and the mines formed an almost hypnotic pattern of the trip which allowed the young man's mind to drift back outward again.
It was a brisk walk in the Martian evening, the suits warmth was needed for most people to be able to survive outside with the limited heat caught in the infant ozone layer. Serenity's father sat on the edge of the reservoir “Sir, are you ok?” Darren spoke softly. The older man looked up and took Darren firm by the hand. “Son I want to ask you a question.” The Captain spoke with a voice very gravelly.”Do you love my daughter?” Darren took an awkward gulp “ I mean...she's my oldest friend... I'd die for her if need be sir...” The Captain smiled at him and grasped him by the shoulder. “I want you to promise me something, should something happen to me you'll always keep watch over her.” Darren shook the cobwebs out of his head “Sir?...I ..... Of course sir.” A crack of thunder goes off in the background and a bright light discharges, rain drops to the ground but the rain isn't cold but it felt very warm. A second crack of thunder cried out and Darren jolted back into his seat.
The Noise of the Mag-Lev hitting its last stop blared quickly over the intercom. Darren looked around. “I was dreaming......” The conductor shook his shoulder. “Hey kid its your stop.” Darren started to run back the road to his home the cold seemed much less in his dream then the real trip was. Each step of his feet the bulky suit seemed to weigh less and less as he began to run faster and faster to the reservoir 'It can't be real, it is just a dream.' he said to himself repeating the words over and over in his head. He remembers tripping walking this road before but in his mind that doesn't matter right now and his feet seem to take the importance to heart as they surely strike the ground. He nearly loses his breath as he reaches the reservoir. Serenity is standing out looking towards the water her mouth is open and agape and where his flesh nearly gave out on him before it finds new purpose as he runs to her. He grabs her from behind pulling her back to her house. His eyes only catch her father's body laying upon the ground. The explosive force that ripped off the captain's skull didn't register to him right there and then. Only getting her back in did.
He quickly stripped her clothes off of her, looking at her body blossoming now as a woman but even those parts of his mind couldn't react just yet. He activated the tub and put the hot water credit he won off of her in the bet just the other day. And fumbled putting more available ones on the counter. He reached for the Video Phone “Mom, Serenity went outside without her suit on. Her dad's dead to....” His mother came to the house quickly and attended to Serenity's needs in the tub and keeping her from dying while Darren passed out on the sofa in the living room. His mother shakes him a bit “Do you know what happened?” He shook his head. “All I know is he seemed strange when he got off the ship. And.... I had this dream where he told me to take care of her. What does that mean momma?” Darren clutched to his mother now as she stroked his hair “ Your a good friend. And your going to need to stay a good friend to her for a while, ok?” The Martian Defense officer who came to investigate was Darren's uncle, something which brought comfort to him and his mother both who talked to the Major Jerome almost exclusively. The Major had a heavy worn face from years policing in the Martian mines with Darren's father. However Major Jerome now in the years above ground has begun to grow a distinct rotund belly that many of the Police officer corp began to grow. The Major then turned to Darren “You said he seemed strange?” Darren nodded his head “He seemed almost haunted. “ the major nodded in the affirmative “Unofficially, their was a suspicion that earth hasn't shared something about his cargo with us. The ship came back light on cargo, and their has been an investigation out of the port if it left with as much cargo as it was supposed to, or possibly more. I think your friends father got in the middle of something bad, and killed himself to spare his family from dealing with it.” Mrs. King spoke up now “Jerry, can you promise to keep us informed.” He nodded his head “Yeah, I can do that. Will she be alright?” Darren and Mrs. King both nodded their heads. The Major paused for a moment “If she says anything that her father might have told her, which could be relevant to thinks you.... If you hear anything don't be a stranger and give us a call. I'll see if I can kick my brother's ass and make him call you two.”
As Serenity was pulled out of the tub and dressed for Bed Mrs. King looked at her son. “I want you to stay with her tonight in her room. If any of her bio-monitors go off I want you to get me all right?” Darren nodded and his mother continued “ I know some times you sleep like the dead, but that can't happen tonight ok? She should be fine but I don't want to take any chances ok?” Darren Nodded and went to her room he lay beside her on the bed, his weight transferring onto the bed and shaking her awake. “Hey Brat, I don't feel good you shouldn't be here.” her voice still quivered and shook from under the covers. He laughed slightly impishly “Oh, so do you have me ending up in your bed before you go to sleep.” Her face went flush, but the bio-monitors didn't make a single alert “Well...Thats not what I...What are you doing here?” Her attention seemed to raise as he put his hand to her forehead “Do you remember what happened?” She shook her head and he kissed her on the forehead. “Just get your rest, we'll have to talk more about it in the morning ok.” She blushed again and then gave him a quick kiss, that was a bit more then merely friendly and rolls over to sleep. He now is blushing and lays down looking up at the celling his last words before he went to sleep “I so will get you for that.” He shakes his head. As much as he wants to he get back at her right now, she needs a friend and his arm wraps around her as he closes his eyes and enters into his own sleep. He feels her body turn in his sleep and wrap her arm around his.
By Larry Austin Bernard
Editing by Luke Melendez
Chapter I:
The Reflecting Pool
The stone skipped across the reservoir 3 times, sending out ripples before it sunk to the bottom. The voice from behind him cut into him "You know we all have to drink that water." The young man didn't turn around. His long brown hair flipping in the wind, in the direction of the accusing voice, his lip began to smirk. "Rocks don't pollute much considering they periodically do enter the reservoir Serenity." The girl knocked him down and he started gasping and groping. In short order she put mouth piece between his teeth. He took long and labored breaths "Jesus Darren, why did you have your Breather off?" Her eyes were not accusatory but they were clearly upset as she moved to ensure she wasn't laying against him to hard so he couldn't breath.
"The air quality index was going to be high." He mouthed before retaking the breather into his mouth. The girl simply shook her head at him "They had the alerts on, but you were probably to busy daydreaming here to listen to anything but your own thinking." As the boy regained his breath he looked up at the figure pinning him down. The Strawberry blond with green eyes and the faintest of tans on a world where tans are usually a sign of being from another planet was his best friend, for the longest time the only other child in his parent's quad. But then there was enough of an atmosphere for real neighborhoods to be formed, and they remained cronies ever since.
"Well Serenity, if you must know I was here reflecting on my dreams."
The girl rolled off him and lay back against the wall of the reservoir complex. "You know, dreams shouldn't trouble you as much as they do. Dreams are just a jumble of information the mind spits out like a blender." She looked on the one whom till just last year had been the smaller of the two. As long as she can remember Darren was the weaker and she had to keep a watchful eye on him in school. He had trouble breathing when they lived bellow the ground, and he had allergies often. But now he was blossoming on the vine and becoming a young man. His hair grew long and he grew tall when they started to actually live in the sun on the surface of Mars. He has been known to wander off and roam around their homes now that he can, an idea still a bit strange during the current stage of Terra forming.
“People used to put a lot of stock in dreams you know Ms. Smarty pants." The young man sitting up and looking at her, the breather out of his mouth again his lungs full enough of air. "Heck, men for centuries dreamed of the people who lived on mars, and here we are talking about how dreams are meaningless."
She stood up and ruffled his hair, resisting the urge to pound him in the shoulder. "Well Mr. Philosopher, were going to be late for our first day of high school if we don't get going here soon." He laughed a bit from behind his breather. "Was that why you came to get me? Trying to keep me under your wing like a little ducky?" his eyes revealed a great deal of relaxation. She popped off her fist into his shoulder. "No goofus, your mom is taking me to school the first day to remember." He nodded, not wanting to laugh in his breather as they both walked back to their homes.
The soil here was not yet ready for planting, but the terraces of hydroponics made up for what an earlier generation on earth would seek in a yard. Flowering plants and a little garden sitting in wait for the day they could grow strong in red Martian soil. Darren wondered when they were kids if the food plants would grow red if they were ever in the soil, Serenity just laughed at him. The Orange color of the house, looked almost red against the contrast of the sky. The shape of the house looked like it had been cut into the side of a Martian hill. When looking at the face it seemed almost reminiscent of the Anasasi cliff dwellings. But the pattern of the houses and lots bears the most American of handiworks a new Levittown on a new world. The new Generation on Mars was walking out on the surface that they would some day plant in as their parents pulled tentatively out from under the planets surface. Most of them had seen an Earth Sunrise as children, but now they look at a Sunrise which is alien to them, but is the only star their children had ever seen. The kids grew up watching the two small moons in the sky, something their parents themselves only experienced for the first time not so long ago. The children of mars who saw a earth son on videos and earths moon will only be able to compare it to their children to the dual moons in the sky. The air is richer then earths. The children of mars would know a carbon that only the worst of earths pollution would have made known to their parents. But the carbon is growing less and less every year. The nitrogen sits at the upper end of the human norms and Earth Born people still have problems with it in the first few years. Trying to describe to kids born on mars what their air is like compared to that on earth is about like trying to explain how a fruit thats been extinct tastes to people who never put it to their palate.
In the doorway Darren's mother stared at him sternly, his face still flushed from losing his breath earlier. "Darren Michael James..." He waved to her to stop the tongue lashing "I know mom, but it looked like it was going to be a good air day." Her brow relaxed somewhat, her son's face and his sense of regret at the action calming her anger " Well that's why they have an air quality report young man, so you know if you have to use your breather of now." Serenity tried to speak up "He was fine until I knocked him over..." she looked her son's only friend for so many years of his life in the eye "Young lady you know he was wrong just as I do, so why try to cover for him now? Now Darren, go upstairs and get your bag. I'll be damned if I let either of you be late to school." Darren slipped the few tools they directed him to add into the bag. Some paper and pencils and a small tablet computer, lighter then the work a generations generation of children's children carried since the dawn of time. As Darren came down he thwacked Serenity in the back of the head “why did you do that?” he softly said into her ear. She looked at him “I was trying to cover for you with your mom...” he hit her in the shoulder “ i don't need you to protect me when I am owning up to being stupid ok.” she nodded as they slipped into the Hydrogen car
The old hydrogen car slowly worked itself to a start, the battery was largely unreliable but it was much more practical then using a gas engine on mars. The Gas car's had lottery days to determine when they could drive, but the hydrogen cell cars could drive whenever they wanted. And with the fuel cell manufacturing industry the cells that are made surplus to earths are amazingly cheap. The old Jeep had spent to many days tunnel driving in the old quads being now above ground and running in red soil it didn't know what to do with itself. The water vapors helped in the process of getting the soil ready for real planting, and in the forming of the nascent Martian atmosphere. But the Jeep formerly being a mole in the ground still struggled in the atmosphere that is a bit of a dirty mix from the old tunnel oxygen.
"I don't understand why these high schools are mandatory; couldn't we just finish it up like we did our old quad school system?" Darren's mother sighed
at his question "Son, we made a lot of sacrifices in how we educated our children. The process of school just doesn't teach you facts and figures it also teaches you about people. How to work and live with others, you know things that can't be taught over a vid screen." Serenity hit him in the back of the head and whispered to him in a hushed whisper "you ask this kind of a question then bitch to me that you have to spend all day locked in the house with her." Darren rubbed the back of his head, muttering only briefly in a soft voice "It would seem all the women near me are against me today." his mutter piped up “Your a young man, you have the rest of your life to learn that all women are against you. This is why your going to school to learn about people young man.”
The long road into Aries City was largely desolate from their outer settlement. Aqueducts and terra-forming equipment slowly reshaping the landscape of mars dot the red occasionally, breaking the monotony of the drive. As the approach to the city came closer signs started to mark the landscape;’ Future sight of Aries City Spaceport', 'Mars development plan progress', 'Water park coming in 2122', and a host of others. As the car comes near the memorial wall, signs of a real city begin to greet them. The technology of the Nano-machine based Terra-forming machines popped up very quickly after the hydro-carbon fuel reserves were first discovered on mars. The Nano-Machines made massive amounts of gas and liquid to begin reshaping the face of mars and working through some of the large Martian mountains. These machines rung the city first and allowed the small settlements which bore the first fruit in natural gas and oil, and then rang out to the far wells and mines. But Aries city was built because Humans build cities. The governments of Earth and the big corporations built Aries city to be the Rome, the New York, The Paris, The Tokyo, the fundamental and first city of Martian Civilization.
Advertisements, sloganeering, graffiti, and so may other signs of modern human civilization dotted the land scape as they came closer to Aries City. Aries City was built under a great dome of materials that were a miracle when they were built. Two gateways lead through the wall; on each is a simple list that causes everyone to pause as they enter the gate. The first is a list of people from all the earth countries who helped to build Aries city, and mars itself. The second gateway contained a list of all the disasters that killed ten or more people in the first decade of the cities existence. Ever car driving past the second came to an almost halt for a moment, less from a sense of reading it and more from a sense of a religious ritualism. Along the walk way flowers and letters mark the second gateway. And on down the walk way the preserved letters from people back to the first settlers of Aries city writing a short memorial to lost fathers, lost mothers, and lost children.
On earth this would barely count as a city. Little over 100,000 lived within its walls, and barely a quarter of a million lived within an hour and a half's transit time. But on Mars this city was a New York, or a Los Angeles amongst the much smaller population. It was the only Martian city to have competing broadcast television stations, and most of the satellite stations broadcasted from here. It was the only city to have any broadcast radio traffic, and all the satellite radio stations came from here. The Mars Herald, the only newspaper published on Mars ships itself out of Aries city, to those few who still enjoy the sense of ink and paper in their hands. Only the Bradbury, the seat of the Mars Authority lay outside the direct influence of the largest city on Mars. But, this mattered less as the only schools open to those outside their city walls lay here and it was only built when people started putting foot to the surface of Mars. And it was the seat of the only University on Mars.
"Ok Darren, Serenity since your now going to a real school I got you both a present." She hands the two kids small envelopes, they feel metallic and have a coppery tint to them. As they open the envelopes inside is a card, with a holographic image of Aries City on it and a magnetic strip. The Cards read in English 'Mars Transit Authority' "What's this mom?" Darren asks curiously "It's a transportation voucher card. It gives you to enough trips on the Maglev train to get home and go back to school for a month before it recharges." She then smiled "But if you don't use it all you carry over your balance, that means your going to be up one today.""Then why are you driving us today?" Serenity spoke up now, asking the silly question now. "Look, it’s an old tradition on earth that I wanted to start up now. That you take the kids to their first day in school and since this is the first school you actually go to away from home, I figured why not start the tradition now." Darren sighed "But Mom..." She replied almost by route "Mother's prerogative young man." His friend "Thanks for the cover brat" and then pounded his shoulder. While she stood and protected him, he stood up far more these days for her then she did for him.
They drove down Aphrodite Boulevard on their way to their final destination. They drove around the Statue of Mars at the entrance to the city standing majestically in a silvery glow flanked by a sign which reads “Welcome to Mars”. They drove through Founders Park and past the Smith Monument honoring the first man to place his foot on Martian soil. Then they traveled down Howard way till they say an area of better then a city block under a dome.
“Was that what a domed city was like mom?” Darren asked first. “Probably, I hear tale they have it domed because they are doing experiments at the school.” The kids walked out of the Car and Darren’s mother gave them both a firm hug “Mom, your embarrassing me.” Darren whined. She smiled a bit “I was so worried, that I’d never live to see the day my children’s lives would be normal. I feel very privileged that I was wrong.” a soft tear went down her skin as she hugged both of the kids. As they approached the Dome a security guard stood at the door “When you get into registration they will secure your breathers.” The man in the gray jumpsuit said. “No Breather’s” Darren commented “This is so cool.” Serenity smiled a bit. Breathers had been a part of their lives for so long, as it was very expensive to have atmospheric seals built for their houses. So for the first time the heavy equipment would be unnecessary. As they walked into the dome, the temperature was a very crisp feeling adding to the pleasantness of the experience.”
They were greeted by a young woman, who hardly seemed much older then themselves. “Hello, you guys must be so excited. You’re some of the last kids to have gone without normal schools on mars. Well, I hope I get to meet you my name is Chantal and I work for the principal. All new students need to assemble in the auditorium for their introduction.” Watching Chantal speak, you could see the almost rhythmic pattern of her movements. “She’s a hologram” Serenity said matter-of-factly, Darren just rolled his eyes “Duh Ms. Rocket scientist.” He leaned to her and whispered to her ears “probably an AI to.” He smiled some what self assuredly. As the two walked towards the auditorium they saw streams of kids approximately their own age joining them and forming lines. Much as they did you can see bands from the outer areas of mars clinging to each other out of some sense of familiarity. Other kids seemed more at ease on their own; these kids showed the inner resolve that this place, this setting itself was not some abnormality. The kids from the city and the slowly evolving suburbs seemed to divide themselves along the lines that make high schools seem as they always have been.
The room was less fitting in a high school, it seemed more like the college auditorium class rooms from the old movies of the 20th that were popular in the quad settlers homes. The chairs even had the sense of being caught like an insect in amber, preserving the sense of that other time. The room sat as a temple to some other era’s sense of education, a temple which would soon see its invocation. The chairs were stiff, small, and gave a sense of discomfort that just felt right in a school setting. The plastic felt like those old desks from the 20th century even though it was a different kind of synthetic material. As the last of the student’s was seated the Principal walked into the room. His white hair, still full of life and fire was like the top of some majestic mountain. His body still strongly built showed a man who very easily could have struggled working in some mine or in some field.
“My name is Dr. Henry Jordan. You are the last class I will be giving this particular speech to. If one thing can match the history of a first class in a program, it is the last class. You are the last group of youth to come up through a Martian educational system built on survival. But the survival of the days when we lived underground, dreaming of living under a free Martian sky is not the survival you will face after leaving this school.” He took off his glasses and walked to the front of the podium.
“Mars is a nation, true Mars and earth and all the human settlements of this solar system are confederated know well you are a nation. A nation is a group of people with a common history, a common heritage, and a common culture. In your veins is the blood of men and women who sewed the soil of this planet with their tears and made it their own. Nothing else then such labor and pain makes a nation.” He took a pause and took a long drink from his glass of water.
“Where will this nation find its poets: Its scientists, its leaders? Will we continue to import them from the earth? Or will they grow here, just as humanity has grown Strong on Mars? Their was a time when people feared a new nation gaining its identity, a new nation rising up to claim its own treasure. China at the close of the 20th and the dawn of the 21st built a national treasure out of iron, built it on the backs and sweat of people laboring under inhuman conditions. India during the same time built a national treasure on its intellect. We have built this Mars on the blood and sweat of our pioneers. So we reap the treasure of those pioneers we must build a nation of ideas, and a nation of people who will master their own destiny.” He smiled and put his glasses back on his face. “It is my hope as now we begin to bring people who lived isolated lives as laborers in the far fields of mars that we will begin to become more then the breadbasket for a humanity reaching the very vault of heaven. One where man shall by his will, beget an empire. We are a nation of such men, who with the tools can turn more then just our planet into an Eden but the stars themselves.”Student assistants handed out papers to each student by their name. “First we will set up some placement tests to see where you are in your education, and where your strengths lay. Then we will have a lunch break and an interview process. This will determine the “Plan” we want to set up for you. And this will determine how you are graded. And after that, you get to go home.”
The tests weren’t important to Darren; this place was like a whole alien world to him. He didn’t get questions wrong per say, he just really didn’t care to work really hard to get them right. He didn't pay attention to the camera's watching him. Serenity however, much as they had been their entire lives was the one focused and serious who labored hard on the placement exam. Darren out of the corner of his eye watched her struggle and wrestle with the angel on her paper. Darren never did a great deal worse then she, which in a sense gave her some degree of resentment to him. As she sat taking her battery of tests she could see him out the school window, reclining under a majestic earth tree. Darren sat their drinking the first soda he ever had in his life, not like one of those from a vending machine either. This was the kind made with soda water and syrup. The richness danced on his tongue as he waited for his only friend to get out of her test. The proctor of his test center made Darren wait while he evaluated his testing, he just smiled for a moment and shooed him off. Darren felt a sense of a kindred spirit in the proctor as he waited for Serenity to get out.
“So Brat, did you at least make it look like you made an effort.” Serenity said to him as she got out of her test, he simply smiled at her. 'that was like... Two, maybe three earth standard hours ago I think so.” She huffed at him “I swear, if they don’t prepare you to be president of mars I should hope the train you to be a janitor.” Darren laughed at handed her a small card “They supply us with a free meal today, after that it comes out of our meal credit plan.” The two made their way to the cafeteria. “Ok Brat what woman did you seduce with your silver lounge to get my card.” He laughed “ Who has to seduce people, she watched me and said it would make you less mad at me.”
The computer took their ID card’s and processed their vital information. Knowing their last medical checkups, knowing there metabolism, and knowing how they at home it presented a series of options on a 5 to 1 scale. 5 representing the best meal options for them to eat. Serenity picked a level 5 meal; Darren went with a standby level “3”. She scowled at him a bit “You men get away with eating like that…” he quipped back “you could to, if you give on the healthfulness you have to push somewhere else.” She started into her sandwich and rolled her eyes. “No A 3 for you is a 5, how do you manage to get the tests to work for you.... are you blessed by some Martian god?” They laughed heartily. The stories of old Martian civilizations written by generations of earth authors before brought a smile to those in the first civilization built on Mars.
As the two chatted next came the interview portion, something they thought was odd even for a school, though neither had experienced one. They were waiting for the committees together, luck of the draw they were assured would give them their answers. Darren walked into the office first. A young red headed female left in tears just before him, and a blond female was set after him. The office was very cozy, there were a series of bookshelves along the wall with leather sofa’s and chairs. Just as the auditorium was a sign of an archaic period, so to was this office. Behind an oak table sat the principal, a female slightly his older, and a male slightly his younger. “So, this is my star chamber huh?” Darren opened.
The woman smiled “Oh I like this one.” She started off before the principal began his second monologue. “Well Darren, don’t think of this as a Star Chamber. In the past education systems have been very assembly line based. But, producing the right student is less a mass exercise as it is helping direct the natural forces of our students. So this is part of that process, we get a sense of whom you are and where your going.” The Young man spoke up next “It’s a process we do redundantly, so we are assured the highest quality output.” Darren Adjusts himself in the chair uncomfortably “ So, I’m only putting myself up for judgment to myself. I guess that makes you disembodied voices. Either that or I am am the block of Marble and you three are Michaelangelo.” The Woman let out a light laugh, smiling a little, “Oh Darling, If only I were a few decades younger, your simply perfect.”
He smiles, less nervous then before and speaking with a greater sense of confidence “So when does this process start?” the Younger man smiles “Oh it already has. So tell me Darren, just how bored where you?” he cocks an eyebrow “Excuse me” Darren was caught off guard by the accusation “Your scores are adequate, but in watching the tape of your performance its clear you were more interested in exiting. So, how bored were you?” Darren regains his composure quickly “Well I know Doctor Jordan here, but how can you interrogate me if I don’t know whom you are?” the woman quickly volunteers “My name is Dr. Minerva Wong. I run the social sciences department; our junior associate is Dr. Leo Kohen.” Dr. Kohen’s eyes scowl. “Since this triviality is done, now to my question.” Dr. Kohen curtly interjected.Darren resumes a tense position in his chair “Well, I just always at home wanted to get done quicker so I could do something else?” Minerva spoke next “And what was it you liked to do? I am sure your not of a mine to toil away in some mine or on some well.” Darren looked for some mental exit, something in the room he could hide his mind in while they talked.Dr. Jordan cut in “You see Darren, you’re a day dreamer. You’re more in your mind then in your body, while this has been a great strength for you; this is also your clear fatal flaw.” Darren drooped his head, he felt as if he was some kind of lab rat in a cage. The younger man spoke up “So, tell us about your father.” This removed him from his depressed state rather quickly. “Dad lost his way, he fought the Martian Defense Corp system and it ate him alive. Once we went above ground he left mom.” The young man moved in more, sensing blood in the water. “Is that what you’re trying to run away from?” Darren just smiled “everyone has their escape from the world.” Dr. Kohen digs in more “But life isn’t about escape, it’s about living.”
The woman now gets uneasy “Look these interviews are just designed for freshmen as an introduction to the system; I don’t want you to break another student. It scares the rest of the body.” Darren watches the interplay for a few moments before he speaks. “So this is more about seeing who I am and what I can do?” She smiles “well, it’s almost a metaphysical thing. It’s a test to see how you handle your mind.” At this point Doctor Jordan speaks up with his question. “Darren, where are you going from here? Where are you taking your life?”
He shrugs “I’m a teenager, aren’t I supposed to be a bit clueless on that front?” the older man smiles. “That’s one of the things of the old earth culture we never really had a good handle on killing. Your body isn’t finished developing but you’re equipped to move forward, so where are you going?” he shrugs again “ I mean, we don’t need as many back breaking laborers right so , maybe I can get another kind of job.” The principal smirked “come on now, from you that’s a bigger cop out then the last answer.” He closed his eyes Darren seems to pull in some confidence before he spoke “I just want to be able to make a bit of the firstness of mars my own. I’m not sure much pas that.” All three simply nodded Minerva spoke next “Thank you for not disappointing, we are finished here.” As Darren gets up and heads for the door Dr. Kohen speaks up. “You have a spirit of a pioneer but I am not sure you have the discipline to make it happen. I'm not going to be as easy on you.” Darren smiled “So be it devil's advocate, do you wish to be a nemesis or is this a mere sales speech?” he says nothing as Darren exits the door.
It’s a good half an hour before Serenity finds him. She seems to be a bit long faced “So how did it go?” he said with an inquisitive look? “The woman in that panel was a real bitch; she laid into me for almost 20 minutes.” Darren looks at her slightly confused “On mine she was the nice one, did the younger guy play it soft with you?” she nods and he begins to get a sense of awareness “ I think they are going to make you more science oriented.” He said with some degree of confidence “what makes you say that?” she asks her demeanor picking up. “It’s a hunch, but tells you what. I’ll bet you a bonus water credit hour that I’m right.” She smiles “well, I could use an extra hot bath.” He laughed and patted her on the back “that’s the spirit.” As he through his charm brought her spirits up they both walked for the air chamber to pick up their breathers.
As they walked out of the Breather room and into the airlock they saw some students harassing a smaller boy. Two boys dressed in their breathers were holding a boy with some red hair and a much more slight frame while a third boy the size of an ox was pounding into his gut “Listen Terat scum, you don’t own me and you don’t own shit here.” Darren clutched his hands watching the Scene as Serenity looked at him “Look there are three of them, there isn’t anything good going to come of you trying this.” He smiled “Look, this is an easy problem to solve without any violence.” The young man slipped on his breather and walked into the airlock. Making sure to trigger it shut. His female companion ran to get help.
Darren looked at the huge mountain of a teenager “Man you tube baby’s sure get big when you’re inbred, and stupid to. I mean you’re in the airlock they have to have gazillion cameras here. If you kill this guy, they’ll fry you on the firing range for sure.” The large boy turned to him. “Hey, my mother and father had me natural punk, now take it back or I’ll pound your face.” Darren smiled “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your parents were the tubes. They probably were brother and sister from the look of your genes.” The large teenager and his cohorts turned now to the new target for their rage. Darren didn’t even see his breather get smashed by the large ham handed fists of his assailant. He groped and gulped for air wildly as an alarm went off “oh boot me, we need to get out of here Hector.” One of the smaller boys said “Shut up Norman, there is no way to escape. They had us all on the cameras.”
Darren woke up a few hours later; he was in the school’s infirmary. “Man you are pig headed brat.” Serenity shakes her head at him.” You tried to get the oaf to beat on you instead, what sense was there in that?” he lifted his head up a bit and looked at her, half smiling “ I figured you’d have the cavalry by then, I was just buying you some time.” She huffed and put her hands on her hips “Darren, you risked your life assuming I’d have the cavalry to save you what would have happened if I was a minute later?” He just laughed “I’d have been dead probably, which is why I knew you wouldn’t be late.” She got a small drink pack and put the straw in his mouth. “You know you scared your mother half to death with this stunt, she’ll probably ground you.” As he kept sipping she just laughed “Or hug you to death, I’m not sure she has decided which.” He coughed a little bit “I’m sorry it’ll be late when we get home, I really didn’t plan on getting my breather cracked open.” She smiles and brushed the hair out of his face “Dar hun, you didn’t plan this out at all. Don’t lie to me; we were stuck underground together for to long for me to know you any different.” He closed his eyes “Well, I thought I could stop him some how, I just figured I’d do it on the fly.” She gently hit him in the shoulder “Well, when your doing something like this that could get you killed, maybe you should plan it out just a little bit huh?” he coughed and wheezed “Ok, next time I am going to risk my life, I’ll try to plan it out a little bit. What’s happening to that Ox of a Kid?” she smiled a bit “Hector, well the boy whose life you saved has decided he doesn’t want any charges pressed, your mother and the school are haggling over that.” He muses “So does mom want a pound of Flesh?” Serenity shook her head “No, the school does. Messing with breathers and nearly killing some one like that is something that puts the school in real jeopardy.” The Nurse walked in and looked at the youth in her sick bed “Your a lucky young man, there wasn’t any brain damage.” Serenity chuckled “He’d have to have a brain for it to be damaged.” The nurse smiled “Your lungs also weren’t damaged. I think the fact he knocked you out may have helped things.” As she looked at the clip board she added a few lines. “Your mother will after signing some forms be ready to take you both home.” As the Nurse left the Principal came in and looked at Serenity “Young lady can you leave me and your friend here for a moment?” She nodded and walked out of the infirmary.
“Well, it seems you put a much more profound test of your character up for us to see young man.” Darren looked over at Doctor Jordan “well I didn’t plan to….” Dr. Jordan smiled at him and ruffled his hair. “That’s the problem in life, the true tests of character are rarely planned.” Dr. Jordan opened “we rarely choose the moments that show our better natures to those who need to see them. We can just hope we have enough of them.” Darren looked down now “So am I in trouble?” Dr. Jordan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, have you done something that would get you in trouble? No I don’t think you have. You did something that may be a little suicidal perhaps, but not in trouble.” Darren smiled at that.
“But” the older man added “You have earned your share of consequences, some which you will know shortly. And others, that you may never know.” Darren simply nodded as Dr. Jordan continued. “Every choice kills a potential life, the person you are when you die has killed untold tens of thousands of other yous that could have been. So, are their any questions that burn in your mind right now?” Darren nodded quickly “Who was the kid I saved?” Dr. Jordan smiled “That’s a fact you’ll come to learn rather shortly, his father wants to see you. That’s one of the consequences you have brought on your head.” Darren tried to laugh but started coughing the Professor helped him sit up “So I won’t step on a father’s prerogative.” Darren now, his voice feeling more alive responded quickly “And the three boys who were doing the bullying?” Dr. Jordan leaned back taking a more authoritarian pose. “Detention for the lot of them, the maximum 3 weeks worth. Anything more would have required your mother’s ok. She didn’t want them to go to jail, and to an extent that was helpful. But if they screw up with you, or anyone else like that again they’ll be in the deepest darkest cell I can stick them in.”
“Well, any other consequences you can tell me about?” Darren inquisitively looked at his elder. The principal smiled “ oh certainly, but I’d be a poor educator if I just told you things and didn’t let you learn them on your own now wouldn’t I.” the laughter from the older man soon inspired the younger man to follow suit. “Just, if you can promise me one thing. Try to have a less eventful second day then your first. I can scarcely handle such a trend as an administrator.” Darren laughed “Ok sir, I promise to keep my second day relatively peaceable.”
Hector entered in with his mother, a woman every bit a mountain of flesh as her son. From the look of her she worked out in some of the coal mines in the far reaches of mars, but even that was pure speculation. The Woman slapped her son firmly on the head “Say it Hector, say it now.” Hector rubbed the back of his head “why ma?” she smacked him again, this time harder still. “Because, you’re not going to jail stupid. An apology is the least you can do to show your gratitude to his mother. ”Yo man, I’m sorry.” The look in his eyes showed the clear insincerity of the gesture. Darren nodded his head “Well let’s just not do anything like that again.” Hectors lips formed an almost feral grin “Oh, that’s something we can most certainly agree upon.” His mother gave him a slap to the back of the head again, for good measure as the two walked off. Darren sighed, it was clear this was not going to be a problem which would go away easy in his schooling.
The next person of “consequence” to enter the room was a some what dashing figure. He had a fiery and curly mane of red hair. It was well styled and probably by some one whose salary dwarfed anything his mother or father combined would have ever made. His suit was a fine silk and synthetic blend, in the style of a pinstripe suit out of the 1930s. It wasn’t common place to see anyone on mars, native or terran wearing earth clothes. He was trying to “show off” his wealth. On his right ring finger was affixed a large opal encrusted ring, something unusual to attract the eye. His eyes however showed a man of a most reptilian and predatory mind, taking apart the boy in the sick bed as if he was some target to be acquired, or neutralized. The dress was there for show, but the green eyes were the real man who walked into the room. His playing the role of the fancy man was to try to fool people it would seem to be.
“How are you doing my boy, I am quite in your debt.” The man took his hand firmly withdrawing his right hand quickly “You saved my son, I am sure as you were that those ruffians were going to take his very life. To me, this makes you and your friend my family now. Your mother also.” Darren piped up “It wasn’t anything really. I just did the right thing.” He smirked at the youth “Nonsense, you saved the Son of Hiram Stone and as such I won’t soon forget it or you.” Darren just smiled “Now, your friend and your mother are both ambivalent to my request, but when I set my house up here in a week or so I would like you all to come to my estate as my guests. Would you mind the hospitality?” Darren coughed a bit ‘Well, why not. I enjoy meeting new people.” Hiram clapped his hands together firmly “excellent my boy, I look forward to entertaining you all and welcoming you as a part of my family here on mars.”
Dr. Jordan leaned over as Mr. Stone exited the room “The wealthiest man on Mars, perhaps one of the wealthiest human beings has just opened his home to you. This is one of the consequences you will have to endure.” Darren looked at him “That guy?” Dr. Jordan nodded “Prior to his moving to Mars he gave me some of the seed capital to work on this school.” Dr Jordan rubbed his Chin “His eyes tend to rip into a man, break him down to his base elements. I think he saw more in you then just that you saved his son. You seem to have impressed him, hope that works out well for you in the end.” Darren’s mother entered into the room and shook her head at him. Her silvery blond hair and hazel eyes affixing blame, anger, and relief. “So young man, do you plan to give me any more heart attacks today?”Darren looked at his feet and his mother bent down beside him on the bed.” You know I am not sure if I should be proud of you or I should strangle you.” The tired voice she had revealing her exasperation at her son’s actions that day. “Well mom if it’s any consolation, this wasn’t what I planned to have happen.” Darren strained a weak laugh. She then began to laugh herself “No, it isn’t really. But I think you get to go without any form of punishment today young man.”
Serenity joined with them very shortly “Ok kids, lets get home before it gets really dark.” They quickly get dressed to go to the thin atmosphere outside. Darren turned on the internal heater in his suit, feeling still a little weak from his earlier experience. “Serenity you mother called, she has some good news, your father’s ship is going to be coming into port early. We expect to see it here tomorrow.” Serenity’s heart skipped a beat “Daddy is getting home early, this is great. Did anything happen to his ship? Why is he getting home early?” Darren’s mother smiled “They took care of the transaction back on earth early your mom said.” Darren smiled, his friend was always way to serious about things, except when it came to her father. Her father ran a tanker ship carrying oil, natural gas, and other commercial products from Mars to earth. And on earth they loaded up his ship with a variety of products to be sold to the Martian populace. They whole trip ended up taking about 4 years, this time he has returned a full year early. One had to question why his ship came back at the first launch window, but the joy in Serenity’s voice made that question seem most out of place. The Car ride home was a lot longer. Darkness fell over the Martian landscape quickly, the few signs of civilization there were soon became shrouded in night. Only the aqueducts broke the night sky shimmering in semi luminescent silver light.
The old jeep’s heater blew a fiery temperature and made the suits nice and toasty feeling. At this point in the drive serenity breaks the silence which has almost put everyone to sleep “So has my mother gotten back from the field yet?” Darren’s mother shook her head. “She is with an oil crew so deep out there it’ll be another 2 weeks before she can just get the papers processed to get home early. You know dear you are more then welcome to use our guest room till your father gets home.” Serenity thought about it for a while. “No thanks Ms. King, I can handle it in the house on my own.”
They slowly pull into their development as Serenity turns to Darren “Now Brat, no sitting out in front of the reservoir with your breather off tomorrow you got me? I actually need you alive for a change.” Darren struggled a laugh “I guess it is nice to be needed for something.” Serenity ran to her house, like a kid running down on Christmas day. Darren and his mother walked toward their home. His mother smiled a bit “So, you end up saving the life of son of the richest man on Mars. I guess that’s an ok reason to nearly get yourself killed.” Darren groaned as they entered into their home. He took off his suit and breather and went to bed, his mother got their old oxygenator out for him to use while he slept.
Chapter 2
The Next day
The day at school seemed a blur to both Darren and Serenity. She hated the fact he won a ration card off of her, but there were other things to keep her focus that day. And she knew he would keep the card for a while and she could talk him out of it, or at the very least trick him into a bet she would win. Darren had to wear one of the old surface suits in class, and just about everyone knew why. The truth was that his fight had already become a matter of rumor and urban legend before he got home. And most of the folks seemed to look approvingly at his beating the bully at his own game, though honestly he didn't think it anywhere near that through. The boy whose life he saved just the day before ended up being in a few of his classes, but neither of them spoke much until the lunch break, indeed the whole day before the lunch break seemed more of a phantasm.“So Brat, what level of disgusting biology are you afflicting yourself with? You’re still not well enough to tax your body like that.” Serenity came over him like a mother hawk. She was happy that her dad would be coming home, but she was clearly still upset with him. “Hey a Level 2 meal is perfectly fine… so long as I don’t need my blood to work to hard.” He said with an impish grin which got him another swipe to the back of the head. “If you suffer from O Deprivation , I am so not going to be the one to explain to your mother why you’ve turned into a vegetable.” She however was eating a 3 meal. The meal had a host of comfort foods in it, the inner child acting along with her excitement.”We are arguing over whats bad for us while we are eating manufactured synthetic foods. Does that seem a little crazy to you?” she just rolled her eyes at him “You always try to ruin the fun of things.” as they continued with their usual banter the boy from the other day walked over to join them. “Pardon me, can I sit here?” The red haired youth was in an old mars suit much like Darren’s. It was usually advised for new Martians or sick ones.
Darren smiled “You know I never did catch your name?” his face reacted quickly, the response of some one who has spent too many years reacting to another’s whims Darren thought to himself. Devin Stone, but my friends back home used to call me Dev. “So we’re friends huh.” Darren said in a half serious chuckle before he was given a stern smack to the head. “Ahru Buddha Serenity; it was just a joke….” Serenity smiled at Dev “Don’t mind him, he just doesn’t know how to react around normal people. Or even people of any class.” Darren muttered “yeah… we grew up underground together…” before getting another smack. “Does she hit you all the time?” Dev asked Darren. “I suppose she only hits me when she is trying to vent out the urge to gut me like a tilapia.” Serenity just laughed. “I suppose you can take that for something passing for a degree of normalcy.” he chuckled again “she hits because she cares.” she smiled and hugged him “Some one has to keep him in line, or he may do something stupid that actually gets himself killed.”
Dev smiled at all this, seeing these two intermix as they do in his presence made him feel more at ease. “So umm, what are you doing today after school?” Serenity smiled “My dad is finally back from one of his shipping missions. So I’ll probably skip my homework and just frolic after he gets home.” Her face lit up very brightly at the thought of her dad, she missed him terribly on these long missions just as she missed her mother when she had to work out in the far fields of Mars. Kids on Mars outside the cities rarely had the luxury of enjoying their parents. This was why when they designed the quads of homes underground they kept families together, and families with children around the same age were moved together.“Well Serenity you could give me your homework and I could finish a lot of it.” He realized he was going to get it from her as soon as he said the line. “Why wouldn’t you be doing your homework oh Wise Bratty one? Could it be because you did your homework in class and ignored the teacher?” Darren stood with his jaw open in shock. “Yeah, the teachers were talking about that in their lounge today. I got to over hear them talking about you.” Darren shook his head. “I mean, it was really boring and I...” Serenity cut him off “Good lord Darren, the least you could do is feign paying attention before you went to the board to do the problems.” Dev now piped in “Umm, what class is this?” Darren and serenity both spoke almost in unison “Pattern recognition” Dev chuckled at their harmony of words. Pattern Recognition was an unusual class for a student on a non science and non technical track but Darren seemed to be doing well in it, even though the class often confused him.
“We don’t have anything like that back on earth.” Dev chimed in now. “It’s a fascinating class.” Darren began to explain “It’s kinda like logic in the sense that it teaches you how to think. But this teaches you true, but utterly illogical things.” Serenity shook her head “It teaches probabilities of Chaos mathematics, frankly I don’t even know how he got into the class.” Dev looked at her with a curious eye as Darren defended himself. “Come on Serenity, I just took the classes they put me in.” She laughed at him “That is always your sort of answer kid.” He smiled at her “ their isn't much of an answer I can give beyond that.” he poked her lovingly in the shoulder “Lets not talk about verbal obfuscation here. I'm at least honest with my dueling with you in a battle of words.” she smirked at him “what ever brat.”
Dev turned to her for a moment “So, do you have a transport to the Star port?” Darren turned to her “Does the Transit line go out to the port?” Dev smiled for a moment “Well my dad does have a private car he has pick me up from school. I am sure Dad would probably have my hide if I let you both struggle up to the port using the transit line.” Serenity spoke up “That really isn't needed honestly....” before Serenity could Finish Darren took her by the shoulder “Your turning down the offer of a golden chariot silly princess, what is wrong with you.” she blushes and laughs Devin follows suit taking her other shoulder “It's the least I could do for you after all you did for me, and my father wouldn't even consider it an iota of repayment for your good will.” she blushed at that and muttered quietly “well....ok.” Darren smiled “I guess we are three musketeers now.” Serenity grinned as they broke off from their lunch break. Darren and Serenity had both formed a bond with the boy from earth quickly by circumstance but it in the end felt right, felt like he was always the third leg of the stool.
As Darren walked back towards his class a tall student approached him, he placed his hand on Darren’s shoulder. “You are walking pretty good for some one who nearly died.” His voice was almost melodious as the words rolled off his tongue. “Well, I think the reputation of the fight may be a wee bit overstated.” Darren replied to the tall stranger. He wore a Gray tunic with a duster and slacks. “Pardon me, I’m Toby and I run the fight club here.” Darren cocked an eyebrow at him “Fight Club? Like the old movie from the 21st?” Toby snickered “Sort of. This school labors to build the future citizens of mars; and needing a strong basis in the martial arts helps in that regard. As well as the character and discipline of competitive sport.” As Darren stood outside his Human History class looking Toby in the eyes he saw something in his gray eyes, a spark that he couldn’t identify. “So, pardon me for asking, but what do you want?” Toby’s presentation changed for a moment. A face of politeness faded and was replaced with an animalistic grin “Well, you’re a direct one. I think I like that about you.Hector’s return to the school is tied into his ability to make it through me and fight club. And, after hearing the story, you and he will both be given a try out. Now, if you refuse he gets sent away to a home school . If he schools at home, his friends will take a pound of flesh out of you.” Darren shook his head “So what exactly did I do to tick you off?” Toby smiled “Oh nothing, it’s more a case of trying to give you a chance for revenge on the oaf.” Darren shook his head again “Listen, I have class to attend here … Can I think about your offer?” Toby nodded “of course, have fun in your classes. If you take me up on my offer, you’ll be doing this tomorrow. And we use an artificial gravity system to even out any flaws in combat skills you may have.” Darren nodded “Look ok, if I am going to do this I'll just show up. If not you'll see me in the infirmary ok?” Toby laughed and looked at the younger man “Fair enough, I hope its the former and not the later.”
“Who was John Smith” the teacher intoned to the students in the Martian History class. She took one of those old fashioned pointers and applied a thump to the picture of the first man to set foot on Mars.“He was the man who discovered Mars?” a young woman with a deep purple hair commented and the teacher shook her head. “ I did not ask you what he did, I was asking you who he was. Anyone can remember a historical event based on a recitation of fact.” Serenity raised her hand “He was the first pioneer, the man who was willing to put the hard work to make this all possible.” the teacher made a notation on her tablet “Better, but not sufficiently better.” She then turned to Darren who muttered out the words “an avatar...” not looking up from his tablet PC which was undoubtedly not working on the subject for this class the teacher chuckled. “Do you care to expand on that to get the grade you deserve young man?” Darren looked up and the teacher repeated again “ You sound like you might have the right answer, but I want to hear your reasoning to see if you get a plus or minus for the effort. Or I could just give you a minus and have the teacher for who's class you are doing homework also give you a minus.” Darren looked up at the teacher now “Well I don't think great men of history are the things they do, because that takes away from what makes them do what they do. But I think men at the cross roads of history become shibboleths that tell us more about ourselves then anything else. John Smith to some one who has had to live in the tough existence of mars can be a hero, a saint or he could be a man whose cursed them. To some one who has enjoyed luxury he could simply be a man who is viewed as eccentric and a little crazy because he pushed to do what no man before him or after him did, set up a truly private foothold on Mars. But in the end the man is gone, and he speaks more about us then he does about himself.” The teacher nodded approvingly “ Very good Mr. King.” As they left the History class Darren whispered to Serenity “Ms. Desmond is a big believer in the great man theory of history, so thats going to impact whats the right answer.” She rolled her eyes at him “And how did you learn this silly man child?” he smiled and held up his tablet “They have all kinds of books on the computer these days, you should try looking them up by Author.” She groaned at him as he walked towards his next class and she turned to Devin “Don't mind him. He always thinks outside the box like that.”
The classes soon worked into a blur, Darren was as excited as Serenity about her father’s return. Many of the early years in his life he grew up in their quarters. He also saw happiness in her that he hadn’t in a while. She was often that way when her folks were gone. He felt somewhat guilty having his own mother freely about. But then he some times thought about his Dad and felt a common bond in empathy and understanding with her pain. That however wasn’t important now he reminded himself. He packed his school bag Serenity joined him “So Brat are you ready to rock and roll?” he gave her a hug “Yes milady lets get this done.” She giggled at him “What has changed your mood?” he smiled for a moment. “Being utterly and totally doomed I guess helps.” She smirked at him “Oh and how my lord, did you doom yourself this time?” he shakes his head at her. “Apparently they have something here called fight club, and that’s the only way that Hector Kid can come back into school, so I have to try to join or his friends will pound me into hamburger.” She laughed as they both went into the breather room. “They are trying to get it in as a kind of sport you know?” she said as she helped him into the other parts of his old suit. “what? Why do they need to do that.” she laughed at him “ because Brat it provides useful social interactions between people.” he nods “So being a jock actually serves a purpose other then attracting women with some sort of residual cave man impulse?” she laughed at him “As if you could attract a woman by being a cave man you little rouge.”
The Private car was an extreme luxury. The carpeting was a soft fine fiber, feeling almost natural. The air inside was cool and thick, almost intoxicating to two Martian born humans. They take slow breaths to try and not over work their own lungs. “Remind me, in the future to be rich serenity.” Darren said with a sense of bliss and comfort in his voice. Serenity’s mind was a million miles away from the car. The closer to the port they got the more the needle loomed in the sky. The needle was the commercial space elevator and was hyper thin and built of the toughest carbon nano-fibers ever made. The structure that linked into the port had a 20 story high sky scraper built into it. But even with the angular construction at the right time of the day the needle cast a thin dark shadow over the landscape. That could even be seen in Aries city. All three put on their breathers as they walk into the port. The air was thin and smell of fuel and petroleum haze carried over the whole area. The air was stuffier around the port because this was where much of the factory district was. Once the fuel cells started being manufactured there, they next moved on to plastics and synthetic hydrocarbon fibers. Now that a real atmosphere exists on mars more of the factories have began to work on other low end manufacturing.
The sign was lit up for the incoming ships Serenity looked for her father’s ship. The Excelsior was pulling into the port. Darren looked at the display which was reading an empty manifest but Darren also decided to keep that bit of information to himself as serenity ran to the transit gate. Her father walked out last as his crew all preceded him out the gate. His hair was a blond that had almost turned to a white now, looking almost ghostly today. His right brown eyes seemed almost tarnished now as his face and body were slumped over until he saw his daughter. Then a surprise gripped him as he hugged her. “Princess…” his arms wrapped around her “I didn’t expect to see you here.” The tension relieved itself from his person “Would you like to go out to eat before we go home sweetie?” she looked at Dev and Darren, Darren was the first to speak “Heck you’re dad got home early… I mean you have a dad. Go have fun.” Dev nodded with him in the affirmative as she gave them both a light hug “thank you guys” as the three musketeers separated from each other as Dev and Darren pulled out in the car “Would you mind coming over to my house?” Dev turned to Darren he shook his head for a moment “Thanks no, I have to get ready I have a fight coming up.” Dev looked at him “A fight? Is that allowed?” Darren laughed “I guess so; It’s a sport here apparently.” Dev looked aghast at him “Is this normal here?” Darren just shrugged because he himself was unsure. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do ultimately. “Seems to me more parts of the educational process designed to help form us into the kind of adults that they deem society needs.” Darren seemed more unsure about the whole process, but Dev smiled at him. “My father tells me the warriors of ancient times and the athletes were often rewarded by society. If your going to do it why not come and visit my place?” Darren laughed, as he was going to fight a man who would probably try his level best to kill him this seemed to make all the sense in the world. “So I guess Caesar we must go off to find my reward then huh?” Darren remembered something about boxing and some of the other forms of fighting as sport being common among the old pioneers in the Americas so he thought perhaps this fight wouldn't be so strange.
The house on the outside didn't look much different then the smaller Martian homes dotting the landscape as people came from under the surface. The home was reminiscent of hills themselves. Acrylics and a sort of mud brick seemed to form the outer walls. The outer walls looked to Red, more like a Georgia clay then the soil of mars, but still not a bad attempt at matching the soil. What made it stand out differently was a large metal gate surrounding it with a guard turret out front. It was like some ancient temple, cold and sterile stone. Pillars supporting the ceiling all that was missing was an alter to some long lost god to complete the image. Benches that looked like they were more fit for statutes then they were for men. Before Darren could interject Devin spoke to him.
“My room looks better.” Devin said almost reading the mind of his new friend. As they walked down a hall way he saw two larger domed rooms with guards out side them. The Guards watched the kids but were clearly not considered as the son of their boss was one of the two. “Those are where my dad keeps his collections of things.” the first of the rooms contained old letters and books from the 19th century in display case, and it contained items from the height of the American culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. The prize of that collection was a tattered and old copy of the Martian Chronicles signed by Ray Bradbury with a letter from John Smith in the case. An old folk tale was that he read from that book every day while he was waiting for the first oil well on Mars to bear any fruit. In the other room was a collection of the first items of the Martian pioneers and a case thats solid black and metal and surrounded. The voice of Hiram Stone booms from the back. “Do you want to see the prize of my collection?” The two kids turn around and Hiram Stone smiles motioning to the two guards. “Its a shame really, the way the drilling and mining protocols work their may be more samples like this to be found. The cut of coal was small but in it was the impression of something that looked kind of like a barnacle attached to something which seemed like an old reed, but with a spiral formed in the familiar golden ratio. “Officially of course things like this are believed to be an urban legend. But my father had worked selling on enough of the mining stations that he knew it was real and with a little trading got one of these fossils. I always keep an ear out for more though I can't get out to the mining and drilling stations anymore.” The two boys took their leave of the master of the house who put his prize back in its case. Darren wondered to himself if it was real, and not some old miner trick on a rich old man. But he wasn't here to learn anything so boring as who was on mars first, he was here to have some fun and lift his mind from the difficulties of his school dilema.
Devin's room seemed normal, although much more elaborate then Darren's The room also had another luxury for most folks on mars a nice soft layer of carpet fibers. “ I thought your room might be a display case to.” Darren laughed as he reclined on the bean bag chair. Devin smiled a bit “ i think this is his way to make up for my being born on earth.” Darren looked at his new friend strangely “You mean he wanted you to be born here?” Devin nodded “ He wanted to be born here, but Grandfather didn't even let him come to Mars till he was old enough to manage the family business here. I think he always regretted he fell in love with mom over the video, so he had to come back to Earth to start his family. And then grandfather's death took him longer to come back here.” Darren picked up the video game controllers “Oh wow, this is cool what kind of games do you have on here?” Devin smiled “ I tend to keep retro games mostly, they were actually my Dad's when he was my age. He wanted to pass them on.” The two started to crack into the pixilated world of the Video game system. The sound of video games marked a few moments of mindless fun before Darren went to ride the mag-lev train home. Devin like his father indulged in a bit of nostalgia for the old days, with a simple controller and basic graphics rattling over the computer monitor. The games tended to be more based on the old role playing format. Games building skill through repetitious actions of the characters, tied to an AI engine to give the illusion of the old networks these games were once played on. The drive in the car to the Mag-Lev station was very quiet as the car rode smoothly down the road into the station, where the sounds themselves made a change of their own. The sounds of music played throughout the train and a few people holding old ink and paper news in their hands made a trip that was isolated and nice as a way for you to be alone in a crowd. Darren kept having a unshakable feeling on the train ride back that something was wrong with Serenity's father. He barely remembers him but he remembers a man more sure of himself, a man more who carried himself like he commanded a ship with billions in assets on it. Darren worked to tune those thoughts out and focus on the landscape as the train journeys closer to his home. At the speed of travel the landscape decoration of Terra-Forming equipment and the mines formed an almost hypnotic pattern of the trip which allowed the young man's mind to drift back outward again.
It was a brisk walk in the Martian evening, the suits warmth was needed for most people to be able to survive outside with the limited heat caught in the infant ozone layer. Serenity's father sat on the edge of the reservoir “Sir, are you ok?” Darren spoke softly. The older man looked up and took Darren firm by the hand. “Son I want to ask you a question.” The Captain spoke with a voice very gravelly.”Do you love my daughter?” Darren took an awkward gulp “ I mean...she's my oldest friend... I'd die for her if need be sir...” The Captain smiled at him and grasped him by the shoulder. “I want you to promise me something, should something happen to me you'll always keep watch over her.” Darren shook the cobwebs out of his head “Sir?...I ..... Of course sir.” A crack of thunder goes off in the background and a bright light discharges, rain drops to the ground but the rain isn't cold but it felt very warm. A second crack of thunder cried out and Darren jolted back into his seat.
The Noise of the Mag-Lev hitting its last stop blared quickly over the intercom. Darren looked around. “I was dreaming......” The conductor shook his shoulder. “Hey kid its your stop.” Darren started to run back the road to his home the cold seemed much less in his dream then the real trip was. Each step of his feet the bulky suit seemed to weigh less and less as he began to run faster and faster to the reservoir 'It can't be real, it is just a dream.' he said to himself repeating the words over and over in his head. He remembers tripping walking this road before but in his mind that doesn't matter right now and his feet seem to take the importance to heart as they surely strike the ground. He nearly loses his breath as he reaches the reservoir. Serenity is standing out looking towards the water her mouth is open and agape and where his flesh nearly gave out on him before it finds new purpose as he runs to her. He grabs her from behind pulling her back to her house. His eyes only catch her father's body laying upon the ground. The explosive force that ripped off the captain's skull didn't register to him right there and then. Only getting her back in did.
He quickly stripped her clothes off of her, looking at her body blossoming now as a woman but even those parts of his mind couldn't react just yet. He activated the tub and put the hot water credit he won off of her in the bet just the other day. And fumbled putting more available ones on the counter. He reached for the Video Phone “Mom, Serenity went outside without her suit on. Her dad's dead to....” His mother came to the house quickly and attended to Serenity's needs in the tub and keeping her from dying while Darren passed out on the sofa in the living room. His mother shakes him a bit “Do you know what happened?” He shook his head. “All I know is he seemed strange when he got off the ship. And.... I had this dream where he told me to take care of her. What does that mean momma?” Darren clutched to his mother now as she stroked his hair “ Your a good friend. And your going to need to stay a good friend to her for a while, ok?” The Martian Defense officer who came to investigate was Darren's uncle, something which brought comfort to him and his mother both who talked to the Major Jerome almost exclusively. The Major had a heavy worn face from years policing in the Martian mines with Darren's father. However Major Jerome now in the years above ground has begun to grow a distinct rotund belly that many of the Police officer corp began to grow. The Major then turned to Darren “You said he seemed strange?” Darren nodded his head “He seemed almost haunted. “ the major nodded in the affirmative “Unofficially, their was a suspicion that earth hasn't shared something about his cargo with us. The ship came back light on cargo, and their has been an investigation out of the port if it left with as much cargo as it was supposed to, or possibly more. I think your friends father got in the middle of something bad, and killed himself to spare his family from dealing with it.” Mrs. King spoke up now “Jerry, can you promise to keep us informed.” He nodded his head “Yeah, I can do that. Will she be alright?” Darren and Mrs. King both nodded their heads. The Major paused for a moment “If she says anything that her father might have told her, which could be relevant to thinks you.... If you hear anything don't be a stranger and give us a call. I'll see if I can kick my brother's ass and make him call you two.”
As Serenity was pulled out of the tub and dressed for Bed Mrs. King looked at her son. “I want you to stay with her tonight in her room. If any of her bio-monitors go off I want you to get me all right?” Darren nodded and his mother continued “ I know some times you sleep like the dead, but that can't happen tonight ok? She should be fine but I don't want to take any chances ok?” Darren Nodded and went to her room he lay beside her on the bed, his weight transferring onto the bed and shaking her awake. “Hey Brat, I don't feel good you shouldn't be here.” her voice still quivered and shook from under the covers. He laughed slightly impishly “Oh, so do you have me ending up in your bed before you go to sleep.” Her face went flush, but the bio-monitors didn't make a single alert “Well...Thats not what I...What are you doing here?” Her attention seemed to raise as he put his hand to her forehead “Do you remember what happened?” She shook her head and he kissed her on the forehead. “Just get your rest, we'll have to talk more about it in the morning ok.” She blushed again and then gave him a quick kiss, that was a bit more then merely friendly and rolls over to sleep. He now is blushing and lays down looking up at the celling his last words before he went to sleep “I so will get you for that.” He shakes his head. As much as he wants to he get back at her right now, she needs a friend and his arm wraps around her as he closes his eyes and enters into his own sleep. He feels her body turn in his sleep and wrap her arm around his.
posted by Karasoth at 6:04 AM
