Terraforming Mars ...A short sci-fi story by Chuck Keyes

Terraforming Mars

A short sci-fi story by Chuck Keyes

          On her way to the main project control room, Lucinda Martinelli paused at a curved window to watch Phobos slip behind Olympus Mons, which towers twenty-four kilometers, casting a vast shadow over a dried ocean of lifeless land, pitted with rocks and craters. She ran along the passageway, entered the large control room, and sat down at monitoring station number ten. Lucinda quickly checked the terraforming core drill readings on the screen to make sure everything is running efficiently, and then she spun her chair around to face one of her co-working team leaders. The last person she needs to give her a unanimous vote. "Sweeny, have you been having any strange dreams?"

          "I don't dream very often, which obviously means I'm crazier than a terraforming atmospheric engineer who's stationed on Mars."

          "But you are a terraforming atmospheric engineer who's stationed on Mars."

          "Wow!" Sweeny rolled his eyes, jokingly showing Lucinda just the lower white portion of his eyeballs. "Do you know what this means?"

          "What?"

          "I must be crazier than I had figured."

          "Sweeny, I'm being serious!"

          "You're serious about having weird dreams?"

          "Yes!" Lucinda nodded her head. "For the past nine nights, I've been having dreams about Mars, and I'm not the only one having these dreams. So far, I've spoken to fourteen coworkers, and they've been having similar dreams, but unlike my dreams, theirs don't turn into a frightening nightmare."

          "What are you seeing in these Martian dreams?" asked Sweeny while displaying a mystified expression.  

          "A mental movie of Mars, far into the Martian future, perhaps centuries beyond our fifty-two year terraforming project. A beautiful earth-like Mars with forests, green mountains, blue oceans, flowing rivers, huge crop fields, and magnificent cities consisting of many tall buildings. After seeing this magnificent Mars, my dream transforms into a terrifying nightmare, showing me millions of mangled bodies scattered amongst a global wide annihilation, and then I wake up screaming and sweating like an overweight jogger."

          "Oh, I always thought you sweat like an overweight jogger."

          "Yeah, and you're funnier than a bucket full of severed chicken heads. I believe my dreams are somehow connected to Mars."

          "Maybe you're being haunted by a ghost from the future of Mars," Sweeny voiced along with a giggle. "Besides, we've been working here on Mars for over seven years, so why would these dreams just all of a sudden occur?"

          "Nine days ago, at our new one hundred and sixteenth drill site, at a depth of forty-four feet the drill used almost zero amperage to move thirty-seven feet downward. The readings indicate the drill passed through a cavern, and that's when my dreams began."

          "So you actually believe your dreams about the future of Mars are related to passing a drill through a cave."

          "Yes, and you’re the last team member I need  to approve my requests."

          "What requests?"

          "I need to move our one hundred and sixteenth drill site to a new location, and I want to locate an entrance to this cave so I can explore it."

          "Why?"

          "Because I feel drawn to this cave, as if something within the cave is calling me."

          "Ryan, Bruce, and Kanisha have already approved your requests?"

          "Yes." Lucinda answered along with a quick nod. "They are also having the Martian dreams that started nine days ago."

          "Moving the drill is a setback."

          "Yes, but we're more than four months ahead of schedule, and the workers have offered to work harder to relocate the drill site."

          "So what costly incentives did you offer them?"

          "None!" snapped Lucinda. "All our workers like me."

          Sweeny blinked. "Are you saying they don't like me?"

          "Sweeny, I would never waste my time implying that which is so obvious." Lucinda smiled as her words flew over Sweeny's head.

          "Yeah, I'm a likeable guy when I'm in a good mood." he paused to alter his thought. "Okay, let's say you do locate an entrance into this cavern, what are you expecting to find?"

          "I don't know, but I do know I have a strange feeling there's something there waiting for me."

          "Against my best judgment, I'll make your request anonymous, so you can go hunting for your futuristic Martian ghost."

          "Thanks, Sweeny, I really appreciate this."

          "Are you going to the Galaxy Theater tonight?" They're showing a famous sci-fi triple feature that was filmed over eighty years ago…'Apollo the Trilogy'.

          "I've seen the epic trilogy more than once, and I love the little talking Chihuahua, along with Zeeper the alien."

          "Like the novels, each movie within the trilogy is better than the one before it."

          "It would be fun, but unfortunately, I plan to work late tonight, studying satellite pictures and maps to prepare my search to locate an entrance into the cavern."

          "Oh, I was hoping you'd sit next to me in the theater."

          Lucinda shot Sweeny a half smile along with a wink of her left eye. "Maybe someday in the future, when I have the time."

          Along with a loud shrilling scream, Lucinda's body sprang up to a sitting position in the middle of her bed. Droplets of sweat are rolling down her face, dripping down onto her bare breast, making them appear to be Texas size melons covered with early morning dew. Liken to a pretty shawl, her auburn hair is hanging down past her shoulders, ending a few inches below the middle of her back. She can feel her entire body trembling with fear, which is a reminding leftover from her Martian nightmare. The worldwide destruction of Mars occurred as if she was physically there to witness the horrid global event. Billions of human Martians were being instantly crushed and burned within an exploding eradication from an unknown origin.

          Lucinda glanced over at her alarm clock. The time is five fourteen AM, based on the length of a Martian day, which is thirty-nine minutes longer than an earth day. The sun will be up within an hour. Every morning, she sets her alarm clock to wake her up just before sunrise, so she can watch the sun slide up over the Martian horizon. When the sun's bright rays hit the red dust blowing around in the upper turbulent winds, multi-rainbows of beautiful colors are created. The thought of knowing the Martian sun is the same sun that rises every morning over Athens, Texas, her hometown, helps her to battle her homesickness. Although, Lucinda doesn't regret being chosen by NASA to help lead such an important mission. The terraforming of Mars is a magnificent gift for the human race, thus offering an earth-like planet to be colonized. The plan is to create a second earth having one republican government representing free humans from every race. Mars will become a fantastic new world without any hostility based on prejudicial creed, religion, or nation.

          What's more scarier than the blood and gore within her Martian nightmares, is the thought that in the future her terraformed paradise instantly ends in global destruction.

          She placed her bare feet on the heated floor, walked across the bedroom, and entered her bathroom. After adjusting the water valves, she stepped under the warm flowing Martian water that's being pumped up from an underground fresh water ocean. Each time she showers or drinks the refreshing Martian water, she feels blissfully closer to Mars. The water offers her a divine closeness in which she cannot explain.

          After dressing, she stood in front of her bedroom window and watched the dazzling Martian sunrise. As with every morning, the colorful morning sky rapidly turns into a flushed grayish red, but this will eventually change as the molten liquid from the core of Mars is pumped through the giant exhaust chambers, adding oxygen to the reinforced Martian atmosphere. She looked down to see the project workers departing to the many work sites within their designated Martian train-like vehicles. The vehicles are traveling along dirt roads with deep ruts. The train engines resemble giant bugs, waddling on enormous spiked spindles, each pulling more than a dozen sealed chariots filled with passengers and supplies. The Martian vehicles disappeared within the thick dust clouds they created.

          Lucinda entered the cafeteria. She walked along the buffet counter, choosing and placing her breakfast on a tray, and then she sat down at her favorite table in front of a doublewide window, offering a view of rippling valleys that were created from lava that once flowed from Olympus Mons, during mar's Amazonian Period. Off to her left she can see the Viking Grotto, running along the stony rim of Hercules' Plato.

          First, she took a sip of coffee, and as she was about to slice off a bite of her ham steak when to her surprise, Sweeny sat down at her table with his breakfast tray. "What brings your ass to my table?" she asked, followed with a sarcastic grin.

          "This morning, are you going to start searching for the cave entrance?"

          "Yes." she nodded. "I'm leaving right after I enjoy my secluded breakfast."

          "I want to go with you, to help you locate the cave."

          She shot Sweeny a peculiar expression. "Why would you, our renowned womanizer and jokester, want to risk your life crawling around in a Martian cave system?"

          "Last night, I had your Martian dream, including the futuristic global destruction of Mars."

          "Yesterday, you said you don't dream."

          "No…I said I don't dream very often. Obviously dislike for me prevents you from fully listening to what I say."

          "Sweeny, I never said I dislike you. I just don't approve of your playboy jokester attitude, and for that reason I avoid you like a plague. You're jokester mannerism makes me see you as nasty little boy, but I do admire your engineering abilities."

          "My playboy jokester attitude helps to keep sane. I'm not an astronaut, and I never wanted to live my life on Mars, but NASA insisted that if I don't go they were going to call off the project, and I wouldn't allow that to happen. A week before I said my long goodbye to earth. My pregnant wife, the only woman who I've ever loved, left me for another man, that's because she didn't want to go with me to Mars. I don't even know the sex of my child. I feel like I gave up my life for the success of this mar's terraforming mission, and in the future, I certainly don't want to see what I've achieved for the human race to be destroyed. Therefore, I'm hoping whatever we find within this cave, will help us prevent this dreamed doomsday."

          "Wow, Sweeny, I didn't know," Lucinda said with a sad expression.

          "Please don't tell anyone. I don't want to lose my playboy jokester attitude, nor do I want anyone feeling sorry for me."

          "Why are you telling me your deep hearted secrets?"

          "Because I want to go spelunking with you, and I'm being drawn this cave."

          "Answer one question for me, then I'll allow you to go spelunking with me."

          "Okay…what's the question?"

          "Why do you use your last name as your first name?"

          "Because my first name is Izayah."

          "You're full name is Izayah Sweeny?"

          "It's actually Izayah Herman Sweeny."

          "Damn, your parents must've hated you."

          "No s***! Now can I go with you?"

          "Yeah, but I'm the boss, and if you don't obey me, I'm going to tell everyone what your real name is."

          "That's fine with me."

          After eating their breakfast, they boarded an elevator cab, traveling down and horizontally to the Ellis Depot, where they entered a Martian vehicle and journeyed half around the Tharsis Montes to the one hundred and sixteenth drill site.

          "When was the last time you've been outside?" asked Lucinda.

          "About two years ago," replied Sweeny.

          "Thanks to the work we've been doing, these new protective suits are lighter in weight, making them more comfortable," she said while standing behind a privacy shield.

          "Yeah, I recently heard that some of the workers have been going outside during their off duty hours, strolling around the Martian surface as if their taking a walk through New York's Central Park."

          "I'm one of those workers you heard about," Lucinda voiced while sliding her foot into her protective suit. "These suits are durable, but you do need to stay away from sharp rocks. Inside the red pouches strapped to your legs are some emergency slap-on puncture and  tear covers."

          "That's good to know," announced Sweeny. "I hate it when my body slowly implodes to become a human flavored slushy." 

          "Don't forget to turn on your helmet radio."

          They fasten their helmets and Lucinda said, "Sweeny, can you hear me?"

          "Loud and clear, sweetheart."

          "I'm nobody's sweetheart, so please reframe from calling me anything but given name!"

          "Okay, Lucinda."

          They entered the airlock. Lucinda pushed a bright red button and with a loud swish the oxygen was rapidly sucked out of the airlock. The outer hatch slid open and they stepped out onto the Martian surface. Lucinda took the lead, heading towards the outer edge of Arsia Mons, one of the smaller ancient volcanoes. The one hundred and sixteenth drill site is located on a minor lava base, which means they need to circle around to the lower cliff.  

          Almost an hour past by when they reached the outer rocky edge that circles around Arsia Mons. Lucinda removed a device from her utility belt, activated it, and began to scan along the bottom of the cliff."

          "What's that device," asked Sweeny.

          "This scanner measures the depth of matter, such as rock, soil, and sand. Hopefully, it'll save us time by locating a cave entrance, even if it's buried. I'm figuring there has to be more than one lava or gas vent along this rocky cliff. More than an hour past by when Lucinda screamed into her helmet microphone. "My scanner found a cave entrance."

          "Where? I don't see anything," moaned Sweeny.

          "She removed a folded shovel that was attached to the side of her oxygen backpack. "The cave entrance is right here, behind this slope of sand."

          "Oh, we have to physically dig," Sweeny said as he grabbed his shovel."

          "The sand slopes down into the cave entrance. All we need to do is dig out a crawl space, and then we can slide down into the cave."

          "Oh joy."

          They crawled up on the sand, knelt down side by side, and began to dig. Sure enough, they broke into a h***. With excitement in their hearts, they dug faster, until the h*** was large enough to accept their bodies.

          Sweeny giggled. "This is like entering an Egyptian tomb."

          Lucinda shined her flashlight beam into the h***."

          "What do see?"

          "Sand, a rocky ceiling, and no King Tut." She slid into the h*** on her stomach, feet first, and the cave became larger as she glided downhill on the powdery sand. When she reached the bottom, she stood up on a flat rocky surface.

          After entering the h*** the same way Lucinda did, Sweeny slid down and stood up next to her. He shined his flashlight beam around. "This place is spooky."

          Lucinda waved her flashlight. "Come on."

          The cave ran downhill, making their walk easy, and Lucinda has been monitoring the environment within the cave. With every ten steps, she's surprised to see the oxygen levels rise along with the temperature. The further they traveled downward, the cave became larger, and they can see moisture on the walls. In a few places, water is actually trickling through cracks.

          "Look, Lucinda," Sweeny announced, "there's where the drill bored into the floor."

          She shined her flashlight beam up towards the ceiling, expecting to see the drilled h***, but it's been patched. "Holy sox, somebody covered the h***."

          "Somebody!" Sweeny nervously spun around. "That's impossible…there's no life on Mars…it's a dead planet!"

          "I agree, but I'm looking directly at a patched h***."

          They continued their journey downward, heading toward Arsia Mons. More than an hour passed by. Lucinda stopped, disconnected her helmet, and removed it.

          "What the hell are you doing?" screamed Sweeny.

          She took in a deep breath of Martian oxygen, and then she shrugged her shoulders.

          Sweeny nervously removed his helmet. After taking in a long breath of air, he said, "Lucinda, this is unbelievable."

          "Yes, but it's real. This cave is being fed oxygen and heat, and I think it’s a natural process occurring from deep under these volcanic mountains. The process is most likely similar to our terraforming method, but on a smaller scale. We've known for a long time that there are traces of oxygen within the Martian atmosphere, and I bet it's been seeping up from this cave system."

          Sweeny walked over to the cave wall to set his helmet on the floor, and that's when he noticed numerous three to four inch diameter holes in the wall. "There are perfectly round holes in the walls."

          "Yeah, I'm just noticing them now," voiced Lucinda. She walked up to the wall, and for a brief second, she thought she saw light emitting from some of the holes. "Sweeny, come stand over here next to me."

          "On my why."

          He positioned himself close to her. "I knew you couldn't resist me. Are we going to hug and kiss?"

          "Hell no! Let's switch off our flashlights."

          "Oh, you want to do it in the dark.?"

          "Just do it!"

          Total darkness wrapped them, but it didn't last long. From every round h***, small bright lights appeared, moving about, and the cave lit up.

          "Alien creatures," cried Sweeny, thousands of them, and their eyes are glowing like headlights!"

          The alien creatures somewhat resemble lizards; however, their lighted eyeballs are mounted on flexible shafts, just like hermit crabs. Their bodies are long and slender with eight limbs. Six legs, two arms, and long human-like hands and feet, with round pads at the end of their toes and fingers, which somehow gives them the ability to walk on the walls. Their smooth skin is yellow and their rear ends are blunt. Sticking out their blunt rear ends are what appears to be two long insect antennas. 

          "Look," said Lucinda, "I think these two creatures are eating."

          "Eating what?"

          "They're using their long flat tongues to dissolve the rocky walls. That must be how they made all these holes."

          "They eat rocks?"

          "They most likely digest the minerals. This is amazing. These alien creatures have evolved to live within this cave system."

          "Chuck Darwin would be proud of them."

          "I can hear the aliens within my mind. They must use their ass antennas to telepathically communicate."

          "Many humans I know talk out their ass," grunted Sweeny along with a giggle.

          Lucinda reached her hand out to the nearest alien. It stepped off the wall and proceeded to walk up her arm.

          "Lucinda, do think this is wise, letting the alien creature walk on you?"

          "He's trying to communicate with me. I can hear him within my mind."

          When the alien reached her shoulder, it spun around and placed the tips of its antennas against her bare neck.

          Lucinda tilted her head and closed her eyes.

          "Are you alright?" asked Sweeny, looking worried.

          "Quiet! I'm mind melding with the alien, and I understand him."

          "His name must be Mr. Spock," whispered Sweeny.

          The mind link lasted for thirty-six minutes. Lucinda extended her hand to allow the alien creature to return to the wall.

          "What…did…the Vulcan say to you?" Sweeny asked, using a good impersonation of William Shatner's voice.

          She grabbed Sweeny's hand and pulled him to the center of the cave. "Sit down, and I'll tell you a Martian history story that'll blow your mind."

          They sat down on the cave floor, side by side, leaning against each other for support. "What we've been witnessing within our Martian dreams, occurred perhaps a half billion years ago, when Mars was our first earth. A beautiful earth that was destroyed by powerful weapons of mass destruction. The first human race foolishly eradicated themselves, all because of hatred, prejudice, politics, religion, and greed."

          "So this is our second time around?" chimed Sweeny.

          "Yes, and these little Martian aliens evolved from what was left over from the first human race."

          "It's hard to believe these lizard-like creatures are related to us."

          "Evolution obviously did what it had to do to help them survive within a harsh situation. I think it's remarkable that they have the ability to manufacture their own light."

          Sweeny giggled. "Who'd of thought of headlight eyes."

          "They call their race, hunogs, and they're extremely intelligent, but they can't improve their lives while being imprisoned underground. They're happy that we're repairing Mars. When our terraforming is complete, like their human forefathers, they can return to the surface, although it may take awhile for their eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine."

          "Being an engineer, dealing with realistic science every day, I'm not into religion. Do you think this first earth Martian story is going to mess up everyone's religion?"

          "I doubt it," said Lucinda with a wave of her hand. "The story doesn't alter our earth. The hunogs are warning us to stop bickering and peacefully get along with each other."

          "Maybe your right, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea for somebody to slip a foot note into the Old Testament, saying: 'If you don't succeed the first time, try, try again'."

          Lucinda laughed. "That's hilarious." She paused in thought. "Okay."

          "Okay what?"

          "Tomorrow night, I'll sit beside you in the Galaxy Theater."

          A wide smile exploded on his face. "Awesome! I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

          "Just be yourself."  

          "Okay. I'm curious as to how they made us have the same dream?"

          "After the drill passed into the cave, millions of them gathered together to increase their telepathic abilities. Their hearts were set on making first contact."

          "Oh, chicken balls!" sputtered Sweeny. "Nobody is going to believe us. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. They'll probably ship us back to earth and put us in a loony bin. We'll have joining rooms with Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny."

          "The hunogs have that covered."

          "What do mean?"

          "Here they are."

          Two hunogs crawled up on Lucinda's lap.

          "A male and female are going home with us. They want to help us spread their warning to earth, and to negotiate for a section of Martian land, so they can construct homes."

          "Awesome! How are we going to safely transport them?"

          "They can ride in our protective suits. Because of the attached plumbing and waste pouches, there's a lot room in our crotch areas."

          Sweeny whispered in Lucinda's ear. "They both look alike, and I think it would be best for the male to ride with me."                            

          Lucinda giggled. "You are funny?"

          "Hey, there's a lot of extra room in our helmets. They can ride on top of our heads, plus it would be safer."

          "Okay…that was my first thought, and it is a safer place for them to ride."

          Lucinda stood up, holding the aliens. "Oh, they're warm-blooded, just like us."

          One at a time, they sat an alien on their head, followed with their helmets.

          On their way to the surface, Sweeny asked, "Lucinda, why did you switch to the crotch riding idea?"

          "Think about it, Sweeny. It's a long trip home, and nature can be uncontrollable."

          "Oh s***!"

The End!

© October 2011