Avernus: Book One Read online

“Interesting, so what made you want to come on this mission?”

  “Just the opportunity to study Mars’ atmosphere in person. It’s a fascinating possibility. Who knows, maybe one day my discoveries will help humans live here. Call it a pipe dream but I think it’ll happen.”

  His positivity always seemed to stem from an unending source. It was amazing. Even his brown eyes seemed to have a glow to them. Hope resonated with his words.

  “Well I think the odds of that are pretty good.”

  The drive went on as the sun rose higher in the Martian sky. The longest part of the trip would be descending into the crater. Steep slopes necessitated a crawling pace. They could make out the other team’s rover sitting in the middle supposedly making headway. Nova watched Carl praying under his breath as they descended. One wrong turn would lead to inevitable disaster and this seemed to be his coping mechanism. She kept quiet so as not to disturb his focus. The vehicle swayed across the path clearing swaths of dirt. The slope to the left hung, at moments, mere inches from the tires. On the right hung a wall of dirt mixed with black streaks of minerals. After ages they finally reached the bottom of the crater.

  “You’re pretty good at driving this rig around.” Complimenting Carl’s work had proven to get the best response out of him.

  “And I got us here really quick. Shaved fifteen minutes off the drive easily.” The stress from the drive down, dissipated from his countenance.

  “My numb butt thanks you. You’d think they would have put better seats in these things. But I guess it does… oh look I can see the other team.”

  “Could you start activating the device. I need it up and running as soon as possible.”

  “Sure,” Nova released her restraints and made her way to the back. “Okay just tell me what to do.”

  “Flip the battery power switch to on. You should see a green light come on.”

  “Got it. It’s making a beeping noise.”

  “Good, that means it’s getting power. Next press down the button that says circulate. Hold it for ten seconds.”

  “Check.”

  “Now twist the knob to the right of the button from zero to four, this should start turning the cylinder on top.”

  “Okay anything else?”

  “Just make sure the straps are undone.”

  “We’re all set.”

  Nova clamored over the seats back up front and placed her helmet on. The rover came to a stop just as air began flowing into her suit. She headed out of the vehicle and opened up the back. “Rocco, Trent could you guys give us a hand pulling this thing out.”

  “Ten four little lady,” Trent chuckled over the intercom.

  A few tugs found the apparatus free from the compartment. Once setup it reached ten feet into the air. The whole system began whirring and the numbers on the display started turning over.

  “What’s this things function?” Trent asked touching the strange piece before him.

  “I want to measure air quality, CO2 levels, air pressure, and wind down here. It’s then going to be compared to the readings from the weather balloon Rocco is launching.”

  “Balloons in the air.”

  That was quick,” Nova muttered in amazement at the setup Carl had prepared. She had only come to observe the crew working together but her attention had been captured by the impending work. unsure of their purpose, Nova helped set up devices in a 50 yard perimeter around the device, excited to be able to help. They worked on and off for several hours. Trent sat converting figures for Carl. Rocco Monitored the balloon, while Carl kept wandering off randomly.

  “This doesn’t make any sense.” Carl’s mumbling over the speakers seemed out of place. “There’s…no.. check again. This thing broken or something?”

  “What are you rambling on about,” Trent mockingly replied as if Carl had been having a conversation with him.

  “What? Oh sorry, for whatever reason the sensors indicate high levels of Sulfur and Nitrogen accumulating near the crater floor. It doesn’t seem present anywhere else. This is probably what they were reading from Earth.”

  Nova had no idea what the significance of it was. Rather than keep up she just sat back and kept the crew company. Heavy eyelids presented too much of a challenge to overcome. I’ll close my eyes for a bit not like i’m doing anything. everyone else was so busy they wouldn’t notice.

  Just then Carl interrupted her attempt to nap, “Guys we’ve got a large dust storm approaching let’s head back before it hits.”

  “Hey I’m going to head back with Rocco if that’s alright with everyone. Trent would you mind riding with Carl?”

  “What are you trying to set me and Carl up? You know these rovers aren’t very romantic.”

  Rocco joined in. “You crack yourself up don’t you Trent. I guess someone had to laugh. let’s get moving. Get in Nova. Carl how long till the storm hits?”

  “Just over an hour. If we leave now we’ll just make it back in time. This looks like it could be a long one.” in the distance, a wall dark red climbed high into the sky, the sun struggled to shine through it’s apex, only managing to appear as a lighter circle of red in the dust. For a brief moment, lighting flashed inside the could, illuminating it from the inside.

  “That’s what your mom said,” Trent began hooping and hollering.

  “Nice one bud,” Carl words dripped with sarcasm.

  “What about the tower?” The thought of leaving the expensive equipment out here seemed unfathomable to Nova. The massive mountain top that had been visible over the top of the crater disappeared inside the cloud as she spoke. Soon the tall crater walls would be gone too. There was no future that she could see in which the floor on the crater didn’t get buried in dust, and in turn the machine along with it.

  “Don’t worry about it. The winds aren’t strong enough to do anything. The sensors will continue to collect data and once the storms clear it can relay it up to the MOS.”

  “Okay then. See you at the top.” Rocco jumped into the rover. “Oh and one more thing. Try not to get to far ahead.”

  “Rodger Dodger.” That was the last com from Trent before his door shut and Carl took off. Rocco waited patiently for Nova to buckle up before leaving.

  The drive out was fairly routine. Nova watched Carl and Trent Disappear over the crater’s edge. They soon followed suit and came face to face with a magnificent black wall of dust. The sun turned blood red and then began to fade into darkness. Light evaporated away. The crew became enveloped in a blanket of dust, the headlights shining no more than twenty feet ahead.

  “Carl how far ahead of us are you?” the concern in Rocco’s voice was obvious. Broken words amongst static were the only response he got.

  “Rocco, you’re going to have to get us out of this mess.” Nova knew he could do it. She spent a week reading over his files from the Saudi war. His team getting trapped in impossible situations only to blow the odds away. It’s why she had chosen him. She knew his problem solving skills were unparalleled. “You’re the best we’ve got.”

  “Okay give me a moment to think.”

  There Nova sat, the only thing she could do was count on Rocco to get all four team members back to the Habitat.

  He reached down into a bag next to his seat and threw a strange object Nova’s way. “I had Joseph concoct a device designed to pick up a high frequency pitch being produced by the habitat, on the off chance we got stuck in a storm just like this.”

  The dials were confusing but Nova watched as the needle bobbed left and right depending on the direction it faced. “Looks like the strongest signal is coming from over there she pointed out to the right.” she held the device, impressed that his mind was able to think up such a masterful plan ahead of its need.

  “Now you keep pointing that towards the signal and I’ll follow the remnants of the other tracks to meet up with Trent and Carl.”

  Slowly they traveled along in hopes the other vehicle had remained in place. They searched through the darkn
ess until, finally, their headlights illuminated the unmistakable bright green paint of the other rover.

  Nova tested the intercom hoping the range was close enough. “Are you guys there? Can you hear me?”

  “You found us, Thank God.”

  “Don’t you mean Thank Rocco, that rugged bastard.”

  “Really Trent?” Carl retorted in frustration.

  Nova hoped she could get them to remain focused on the task at hand. “You guys let’s not bicker. Rocco has a plan to get us out of the storm but you have to follow us.”

  “Lead the way,” both men said in unison.

  The storm raged around them. Sparks of electricity shot through the dust bringing bursts of light to the otherwise dark world, and leaving behind an ear splitting crack. For a brief second the wall of dust came to life. Just as quickly as it’s animation began it’s spark died out and blackness overtook the vehicles again. A slow pace ensured the rover found good footing. The signal was getting closer.

  Monitoring the device and keep trying to keep the team company kept Nova busy. “Everyone doing alright?”

  “Trent keeps telling me he could drive this rig better than me, but yeah we’re good.”

  “Well at least everything seems normal on your end.” Nova said knowing she was going to have her work cut out for her later. “Rocco, you’ve been pretty silent you all right?”

  “Yes mam just focused on the mission at hand. it’s like driving in Saudi Arabia only with less explosives to worry about.”

  “Can’t argue with that one.” It was amazing to watch Rocco in his element.

  “Research..hiss..plea…shhh… over.”

  Answering the line nova messaged back to base. “On our way lab. I repeat, on our way lab.” They were close.

  Finally the lab could be seen through the cloud of black ahead of them. It’s outside coated in a fine layer of dust. They exited the vehicles and made their way to the door. Nova brushed away the fine powder caked onto the airlock handle. Four people crammed in like sardines. Bursts of air flooded the room, allowing Nova to pull her helmet off. Her dark hair clung to the inside of the helmet, and stood on end loaded with static electricity. The door opened.

  Before anyone could step foot back inside the habitat, Taylor was waiting to greet them with what could be considered frustrating news. “NASA got ahold of us before the storm hit. We’re stuck inside for the next three weeks till the storm lets up. Time to get comfortable.”

  “At least give us a chance to get in before you crush our spirit.” Trent whined from behind Rocco.

  “Where’s the fun in that? Guess you can help me check dirt samples with Sophie.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Glancing around the room Nova spoke to everyone, “Guess that leaves me to my notes. I’d like to have a one on one with all of you since we don’t have anything better to do.” The team was already getting tense. Nova could only imagine what would come of the next few weeks. The crew split and went their separate ways.

  That night she enacted her first of many group activities to try and lift their spirits and kill the boredom. A night of charades brought out a lively side to the group. On one team Nova placed Trent, Zea, Joseph, Taylor and herself on one team, and Addison, Sophie, Diego, Carl, and Rocco on the other.

  Taylor started the round off swinging his arms wildly in the air. He then started scratching himself under the arms and banging on his chest. He followed it up by pointing at the ground and making a circle with his hands. The room filled with people shouting out random answers but the timer ran out.

  Taylor let out a huff of displeasure. “Planet of the Apes. Man you guys suck at this.”

  The next round Rocco sat down on the ground. His hands pretended to be gripping something as they moved together in circles.

  “Rowing!” Sophie shouted out.

  In response Rocco touched his nose with his finger. He then stood tall and raised one foot in the air as if standing on something. As answers of rum, and Captain Morgan rang out, he just shook his head and held his position.

  From the side of the room Diego could barely be heard talking. “George washington crossing the Delaware.”

  Rocco gave an emphatic point in Diego’s direction. He then held up two fingers but the timer buzzed.

  The game ran on for hours before everyone found themselves worn out from too much laughter. A good thing by Nova’s standards. It seemed as if they had all forgotten about the dust storm outside.

  With the game over, the group headed back to their duties. Zea followed Nova out of the room. “Mind if I had a chat with you?”

  Of course come on in. Nova led Zea into the the girls bunk room and closed the door. Some classical music helped to set the mood. “What’s up? Everything alright?”

  “It’s just that I don’t really feel like I fit in well. I thought it might get better once we were here but the whole age difference is too much to handle. On top of that I just don’t feel like I’m of any actual use here.”

  Nova touched Zea’s knee. “Listen you’re an amazing Doctor. Just because we don’t see your work doesn’t mean you aren’t doing anything. You help maintain the oxygen levels, check our radiation uptake, plus you keep an eye on what we eat, and make sure we are exercising. That doesn’t sound like nothing to me.”

  “You’re right. I mean Addison gets me. She’s been extremely kind. But I have no idea what to talk to the others about.”

  “You seemed to do a good job tonight during the game. You really came out of your shell.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad I have you to talk to. You kind of remind me of my mom. It’s been five years but I still miss her.”

  I’m here anytime you need me.”

  The conversation drifted on for a while before Zea decided she was tired. Nova left the room to let Zea get some sleep. Laptop in hand she headed for the common area to work on her report some more.

  ROCCO

  Weeks had passed since the dust storm settled. Outside the habitat, the surface remained stagnant from one day to the next. Dirt accumulated in fine layers over all the equipment. As part of a morning routine, Rocco found himself outside in his suit brushing off both the solar panels and rovers. No one else was dedicated enough and for him it brought a certain level of comfort having the stability of repetition to make life in cramped quarters more bearable. It was one of the biggest takeaways from his time spent in Saudi Arabia. Large stretches of time there were spent huddling in vehicles or scouting locations for days at a time. A boring yet necessary job at the time much like his excursion now.

  Rocco pulled the duster out from his pack, and began making his rounds. Each step sent him bounding through the air. Off in the distance were the first clouds he’d seen since reaching the surface. Their consistency was rather thin and wispy, but they were there nonetheless. The trip came to a brief halt while he stopped to admire the Martian sky with it’s faint red hugh over head, and drifting into blue towards the horizon. High above his head snowflakes drifted through the atmosphere only to melt away long before reaching the ground. The amazing sight would soon be seen around the world, relayed by the camera built into Rocco’s helmet. “Back to the dusting,” he told himself heading to the large panels beside the structure. “God I’m getting sick of sand. Can’t wait to get out of here. Huh, never thought I’d say that.”

  Soon enough the first set of solar panels were cleared. Next on the list were the rovers. Yesterday’s trip out resulted in a lighter layer of dust buildup. This’ll be a cakewalk, and after today I won’t have to… his thoughts strayed from the task at hand as he found himself tripped up by a rock, his body falling gracefully towards the ground. Reflexes, finely tuned in combat training, kicked in. Without thinking, Rocco brought his left shoulder towards the ground but with the slower fall his body over spun landing him directly on his back. He pulled himself up in the clunky suit. Directly in front of him was the object of his downfall. The sun glinted off the rock. The hell is this
? His mind flashed back to the moment his subordinate stepping on a mine. For an instant the only thing he could see was the smoke along, the only sound, unrelenting screams. A shake of his head brought him out of the nightmare. “I’m on Mars.” He stared down at the ground then up to the sky. “The dirt is an orangish brown. The sun is faint in the red sky. The habitat is silver, white and black. The rover is bright green…” He took a few deep breaths. “I feel the soft inside of my gloves. The suite is hard against my back and feet. I can feel sweat on my face.” He stood up still taking deep breaths. “I can hear my suit’s mechanisms running and the generator from the lab. My voice is loud inside the helmet. I smell sweat and recycled air.” His head now clear, Rocco returned his focus to the object in the ground.

  Rocco’s hands dug the dirt away to reveal an unlabeled metallic sample canister. “Where’d this one come from?” He had no recollection of anyone dropping it during the surface outings. In fact this was the first time he’d seen it during all his outings. “Maybe someone else will know if one’s missing.” A switch brought the intercom online. “Come in lab, this is Rocco.” No response. “Lab please come in. I found something out here.” still complete silence from the other side. He slipped it into his pack and headed back to the lab.

  Pressure inside the airlock stabilized and released the inner door latch. Without a word, Rocco removed the canister from it’s holster and strolled into the lab. “Did anyone misplace a sample?” he inquired of the team, but no one could hear him past the helmet. In a moment of extreme focus on a solitary goal, he had forgotten to exit the suit. Off went the helmet but he left the rest on for now. “Okay now that you can actually hear me, anyone here remember misplacing a sample?”

  “Let me see….No everything’s here.” Sophie seemed perplexed.

  “I found this one outside. It must have fallen before the dust storm hit.”

  “All my numbers are accounted for. What’s the label say?”

  Rocco showed off the container. “There isn’t one. At least as far as I can tell. Unless you etched something or wrote in invisible ink.”