Precipice: The Beginning (26 page)

52

A
ndrews didn’t want to let his guard down, not for a second. Things were getting out of hand and the last thing he needed was for his own men to lose confidence in him. Dress sharp, look the part. Andrews gave himself a hard, focused look in the mirror. This was a confident man. A leader. He dipped a cloth into a glass of water and rubbed out a few stains on his uniform. The urge to take off his uniform and sit around in nothing but his underwear was hard to resist, but what message would that send? The prisoners would see that he’s gotten soft. Next there would be a revolt, ending in his death and complete anarchy. He wouldn’t let those savages win. Oh hell no, not on his watch. Because that’s what they truly were. Prisoners. Savage monkey fuckers that would eat his heart if he let them.

“I am the Lord,” Andrews muttered into the mirror, completely unaware he’d spoken a single word.

He set his cloth down and took a seat, spinning slowly in his chair. He hadn’t left the communications room in two days and had no idea of the status of the facility. There were more important things to attend to. Andrews put his feet on the ground and leaned forward, running a loving hand over the monitor. Christina’s face filled the screen, sleeping peacefully. She was his only real concern. She should be everyone’s concern, if anyone was smart enough to realize the situation they were in. Since his last communication with Yuri, he’d turned his focus on her. His beautiful Eve. He’d have to rename her once this was all said and done.

The comms link blinked red, an incoming message. Andrews turned in his chair and eyed the blinking light, irritating him. He closed his eyes and slouched in the chair, ignoring the light. But there it was, over and over again. Beeping continuously. Didn’t these assholes know he was busy?

“What?” Andrews hit the button, his tone irritated.

“Mr. Andrews?”

“Yes, now state your business.”

“This is Dr. Zatzkin at the third facility.”

“I know where you are!”

“I need Daniels and his men sent to me as soon as possible.”

Andrews furrowed his brow, leaning toward the speaker as he tried to comprehend the request. “Why specifically Daniels and his men?”

“For one thing, we have a ruptured coolant valve on the atmospheric processer relay system. I have a list here of all those trained on rewiring and patching such equipment, and Daniels and his men are all we have.”

“Fine,” Andrews snarled, biting his lip to keep back any unprofessional words. “But you can’t have Christina; she’s been injured.”

“Understood. Please, send them immediately.”

Andrews severed the link and slammed a fist down on the table. “Little prick!” He screamed, rocking back and forth, feeling violated. The science division was needed, whether he wanted them or not. In terms of survival, they provided the air they breathed and one day a workable atmosphere. Until that day came, he’d have to bend over and take it. But at least their request might play out to his advantage. Andrews leaned back with a dark smile, nodding along with the most ingenious plan his dark heart had ever concocted. On Earth they’d look at him as a monster, if anyone were left to do so, but here on Mars he’d be dubbed their savior. The one to pick his chosen few while casting the unnecessary out. Andrews leaned forward and pressed the overhead communications link.

“Kirsch, please report to the comms room immediately.”

53

“Y
ou are a sight for sore eyes.” Travis hopped off his cot with eager determination.

“I’ve missed you too.” Alvin had meant to be funny, but there was no humor about him. “We need to get moving.”

“What’s happening?” Travis laced up his boots and joined Alvin in the hall.

“Like any of us peasants know,” Jerome said with a smile, hugging Travis.

Travis laughed, moving from Jerome to TJ, then Morgan. He pulled free and hesitated, looking at Sean’s back. He looked to the others and they raised their shoulders in unison.

“So what’s going on here?” Morgan asked, wincing from the pain in his shoulder as he tried to keep up with Alvin.

“Dr. Zatzkin has requested all of you.”

“Why?”

“Something about fixing a coolant valve.” Alvin wasn’t entirely sure he was saying it right.

“What the hell do we know about a coolant valve?” Jerome wasn’t entirely sure what a coolant system even looked like.

“Nothing,” Travis said, thinking why such a task would call for his entire unit. “I’m just glad to be out of that damn cell.”

They kept silent as they walked through the cafeteria and through the door at the opposite side. Their heads dropped as they passed clusters of security officers, their arms folded about their chest and a scowl on their faces. They watched them pass with a smirk, as if they knew something they didn’t. Travis never felt more like a prisoner than he did at this moment. Being locked in your cell was one thing; no one but your own mind to pass judgment. But passing these men, the tension coming off them in waves, sent a cold shiver down his spine. He didn’t dare look them in the eyes, not after witnessing the brutal beating in the cafeteria.

In a short time they were all standing on the train’s platform. Travis felt as if they were stuck somewhere after hours, no one out and about but security. The technician behind the podium didn’t even pay them attention. Travis waited for the technician’s automated tone to tell them to keep clear of the track, but the train pulled up before them without a single word of warning. Travis watched the man, unable to see his face as he read something across the top of the podium, some kind of book maybe. No need to worry about job security when they’d been cut off from Earth and there were no more rotations. Travis just kept his mouth buttoned tight and entered the train, keeping his eyes to the floor until the train began moving up the incline, emerging from the dark tunnel to the red surface of Mars.

“Okay, what the hell is happening here?” Travis broke the silence, feeling they were far enough from the watchful eyes of security personnel.

“I honestly don’t know. Andrews doesn’t tell us anything anymore. I never even see him.”

“You must have heard something,” Morgan asked.

Alvin leaned back, rubbing the tension from his neck. “Andrews barely spoke to me before all this shit went down. Now, he spends all day and night in that goddamn comms room, speaking with that fucking Russian, one of the astronauts in the space station.”

“Surely they must have some clue as to what’s going on. Some kind of communication with Earth.” Morgan shook his head, trying to grasp the isolation as it seemed to wrap itself about him, smothering him. Information used to be as simple as picking up the telephone or buying the newspaper. But there were none of those things on Mars.

“Some of the other officers, those on Andrews’ good side, have heard a little more. Like there’s been no contact with TransWorld for over a week. No incoming messages. Nothing. I’ve been in the comms link only once in the past week, and there are no open links to the Earth facility. No incoming updates or duty rosters. No status requests or progress demands.”

“I don’t think they’d just toss us out like garbage.” TJ lowered his head into his hands. “Why the hell is this happening?”

“I don’t think they left us up here on purpose. You don’t just abandon a multitrillion dollar facility.” Travis looked out the window to the red surface, watching the soil lift off the ground in a swirl of wind. The dirt blew against the heavily shielded windows, something so similar to what might happen on a train trip through the Nevada dessert. Their worlds weren’t so different.

“What’s on your mind, Travis?”

Travis heard Morgan, but he ignored the question. The sad reality was that this was their home, whether they wanted to accept it or not. Being told they may leave when the atmospheric processors were fully active and automated was a joke. The planet was billions of years old as it was and there was no atmosphere. At the very least, working with the smartest minds and the best machines, they could hope to achieve this in a few hundred years. Travis kept in shape, but he wasn’t going to be around for the breaking of a champagne bottle. Bottom line, what was happening on Earth really had no bearing on them.

“Travis?” Alvin cocked his head, reading the curious expression. “Are you okay?”

“As good as I can be,” Travis said softly, turning back from his unit to the window. His previous joy of being freed from his small cell forgotten. A dark depression stretched out as far as the red landscape. Anger and sadness that whatever hell Earth was experiencing, was also affecting his family. And worse, he was helpless to protect them.

54

“N
o questions until I’ve finished this briefing. Understood?” Andrews waited until all his officers gave him a nod. He wouldn’t utter another word unless he had their utmost attention. He took a seat on the desk at the front of the room, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. This was important. He’d put on his best, cleanest uniform to keep the presentation professional. “I need each and every one of you to hear what I’m about to say. To take in the gravity of what we’re up against.”

The officers nodded, bracing themselves for the oncoming bad news. They all knew that Andrews was the only one that has had any communication outside the facility in days, and therefore his information was vital. Officer Rodriguez tightened his stomach muscles to keep his nervous stomach from grumbling. Last thing in the world he needed before hearing what could be life-changing news was a bout of the shits. Too bad you couldn’t leave some things back on Earth, such as the runs.

“Earth is not going to come back on line.”

“What’s happened?” Gomez spat, looking down into his lap as he received a heavy scowl from Andrews.

“The planet has been overrun with some kind of creature. Its origin is unknown. Subterranean monstrosities, alien invaders, or possibly demons. Sounds like a goddamn joke, I know, but this is the truth of it.”

Andrews gave his men a moment to digest the oddness of what he’d told them. To turn to the man beside them to softly mutter confusion and disbelief. They wore shrouds of shock and terror, tears welling up in their eyes.

“I’ve seen these creatures. It’s disgusting, horrible footage. But I will gladly show anyone of you that may have doubts. It’s that important that you believe me, because what lies ahead will take all of us.” Andrews cleared his throat and stood from the desk. He wanted to stand before them as not just a man with a good idea, but as someone with a way out. He wasn’t selling real estate, but providing salvation. “We have a chance to fix things before they have the opportunity to get out of hand. A real chance to save ourselves from a slow, agonizing demise.”

“What are you talking about?” Edgar Reece asked from the back of the room, his tone shaking from the previous news.

Andrews looked at his men, seven good men that had never let him down, men he had been pleased to work with and felt confident to carry out his orders.

“Our survival depends on our abilities to increase longevity.” Andrews took a breath and folded his arms behind his back. “We need to dispose of the miners.”

There was a moment of silence, hanging over them like a soundproof bubble. The men wanted to lean back and let out sighs of relief, laughing amongst each other at the odd joke their superior had played on them. Monsters destroying their home world, indeed! But there was no humor in Andrews’ eyes. Just a solid glare, focused eyes weighing on them.

“You’re not serious?” Gomez asked softly, hoping to be reamed for being so foolish.

“You must all come to terms with the fact that there is no help coming. The supply ship still sits in the hangar, collecting dust. We will no longer be receiving food rations, supplies; no rotations home. This is our new home. Like it or not, we’re stuck here. But that’s not what you should be upset about.” Andrews waved his finger at them. “You have just over three hundred miners; rough, tough assholes locked up with only nine of us. Breathing our precious air. Eating our limited food and drinking your water. Three hundred men –” Andrews paced before them, nodding with the statement. “With them devouring our resources we’ll be lucky to last a year. Without them, we may have a chance.”

“Kill three hundred men?”

“How many men would be acceptable before you lay on the ground, grasping your throat for that last gasp of air? Ten? Twenty? Two hundred?” Andrews gripped Gomez by the shoulders and squeezed, frightening him. “How many men, Gomez? What is your life worth?”

“He’s right!” Adams stood, turning toward the other officers. “We weren’t put up here to police three hundred men.”

“That’s exactly what we were sent here to do.” Oliver Hildebrandt folded his arms, shaking his head at such a savage notion. “We’re here to keep the peace, plain and simple.”

“What kind of peace will there be when three hundred men start to get hungry? Start running low on water?” Andrews forced Hildebrandt back into his seat with the weight of his glare. “These men are docile and tame for the moment, but how long can we keep them locked up? This is our only solution. Sacrifice some, for our survival.” Andrews took a seat on the desk and let them murmur.

“They outnumber us thirty to one!” Adams shouted. “Who will they turn on first when they discover the truth?”

“We need to defend ourselves,” Gomez spoke up.

Andrews let them rally, sitting there with his arms folded and a widening smile. They were beginning to turn, seeing things for how they really were. But four of his officers sat with their heads down. Three men wore heavy expressions of doubt and conflict.

“I need you with me on this. Hildebrandt? Jules? Stevenson? Are you not listening to what we’re saying?”

“Killing three hundred men is not going to happen.” Stevenson shook his head. A very large man, two hundred and fifty pounds of muscles. “This is not what I was hired on for, and I will have no part of it.”

“I agree. I’m not an executioner.” Max Jules was close to tears, disturbed by what he was forced to deal with. Never once in his forty-seven years did he feel as disgusted as he did right now, listening to men he’d once respected and called friends. “Where is your humanity?”

“Do you understand that we’ve been given a chance for salvation?”

“What’s it worth? A few extra years until we all die? Alone and hell bound.”

“You haven’t seen the whole picture here, Max. We’ve been given a new home to start over, to cast off the shackles of the old way and live as free men.”

“Ten men aren’t a future.”

“No, but we have Christina. A woman. Someone that can move us forward.” Andrews rose from the desk and lifted his arms above him. “We will grow this society from Christina. She can be our Eve.”

“You’re insane.” Jules stood from his seat and headed to the door. “And there is no way I will be a part of this lunacy. You can have my resignation or whatever, but I’m going back to my room.”

“I hope you think this over.” Andrews turned toward him as he left. He nodded to Stevenson and Hildebrandt as they joined Jules at the door. “Just make sure you make the right decision.” Andrews gave them a cryptic smile, one that fell quickly as they left the room. He turned to the four officers that remained. “Now, we have some very difficult tasks ahead of us and we need to move quickly.” Andrews folded his arms about his chest and gave a dark grin.