Bloodlines

Gideon hadn’t been kidding when he said it was a long drive to wherever the hell Troy was. The bulk of the rover was taken up with the fuel cells and life support systems, leaving two very cramped cabins designed to hold at most three people. With only three fold-down bunks in the rear compartment, I volunteered to sleep in one of the seats while the rover continued along at night on automatic.

“Mr Drake?” Make Neilson, the National Geographic reporter, slipped into the seat next to me, “I know this is an unusual time, but I was wondering if I could as you a few questions.”

“I don’t do interviews.” I shook my head, “Nothing personal, but I’ve never liked being in the media spotlight.”

“Well you have to understand why we’re interested in you.” Neilson smiled warmly, “You’ve lived an interesting life, and your departure from the Special Intervention Unit is still clouded in mystery and roomer.”

“Okay, fine; if it’ll get the press off of my back, we’ll play twenty-questions.” I nodded reluctantly, “But remember, there are some things I can not or will not discus: I’m still bound by the Official Secrets Act.”

“That’s cool.” Neilson grabbed a notebook and pen, “Ok, first question: why are you on Mars?”

“Good question; truth is, I don’t know any more.” I admitted, “I came here to find my friend, and now all hell is breaking loose, and it looks like she might have ran rather then gone missing.”

“Question two: your wife.” Neilson moved back slightly, “There is a lot of controversy surrounding her past. What do you say to claims that she should be put on trial for crimes ranging from public disturbance to mass murder?”

“Sophie’s past is very complex: not everything has been made public, for various reasons.” I went poker-faced, “I really wish I could tell you more, but like I said, I’m still bound by the Official Secrets Act.” I shrugged, “That, and it is her story to tell, not mine.”

“Ok, what about the terrorist organisation you took down two years ago?” Neilson leaned forward again, “No other information on who they were, where they were from or what they wanted. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Truth be told, no.” I shook my head, “I have no idea just who’s behind the organisation anymore. I thought I did, but recent events have forced me to look at it again and reconsider everything.”

“So you don’t think there is a larger Conspiracy?” Neilson asked directly

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” I smiled weakly, “Let’s just say that investigations are continuing at this time: I have some leads that need following up before I have anything more to say about that.”

“A wise precaution.” Neilson nodded, “Now, your new job: how different is working at the Dark Side Cryo-Prison compared to your job at S.I.U.?”

“At S.I.U. I was basically a gloried policeman, dealing with any meta-human threats to England and its allies.” I sighed, “Working at the Cryo-Prison entails a two hours flight from Armstrong City in the Sea of Tranquilly to the Jules Verne crater. Then I sit and watch a bank of TV screens, and every hour or so make a round of the prison to make sure that everything is working as it should. About once a month my rotation changes and I spend a few days at the Tycho prison. That’s livelier, as the prisoners there are not in cryogenic suspended animation, but none of them are meta-human.”

“Indeed, the Tycho prison houses those prisoners who are deemed, for what ever reason, two dangerous to keep on Earth.” Neilson licked his lips slightly, “What are your views on the controversy of building an ultra-max prison on Luna?”

“I makes sense, I suppose.” I cocked my head to one side slightly, “I mean, even if they get out of their cells, there’s no where for them to go other than Armstrong City or the observatory on the rim of Copernicus crater.”

“There are many who consider the very existence of both the Dark Side and Tycho prisons to be a breach of the human rights of the prisoners held there.” Neilson held his pen at the ready, awaiting my response.

“Well, I personally think that the people who say that should have a closer look at the kind of prisoners both faculties house.” I lent back in my seat, “They hold the worst of the worst, people whose files read like a demons résumé. Would they rather they were held somewhere on Earth, where they could more easily escape?”

“Ok, moving back to a more personal area: your ex-wife, Charlotte Moreno.” Neilson looked a little uneasy, “You’ve been seen with her here on Mars. What do you have to say about that?”

“Charlotte is... a part of my life that never got any real closure.” I admitted, “There are sides to her that I never saw while we were married. And while I am very much in love with Sophie, there is a part of me that still cares for Charlotte.”

“And how do you think your wife is going to react to this?” Neilson smiled, “If her past history is anything to go by?”

“I’ll probably be sleeping on the settee for a while.” I laughed, “Sophie and I don’t keep secrets from each other: it’s the bases of our relationship. She was the first person I told when I found out that Charlotte was on Mars...”

“Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen; we’re there.” Gideon called back from the pilots seat before grabbing the radio, “Troy, this is Ajax; over.”

“Ajax, this is Troy.” A voice answered back over the radio, “Send security code, now.”

“Sending now.” Gideon’s hands flew across the controls faster than I could follow, and then he turned at looked at us, “Let’s just hope the codes up-to-date, or we might be relying on Mr Drake there’s amazing force-field to protect us.”

“Great.” I rolled my eyes, “Just Great.”

Evidently the code was the right one, as the rover was allowed to proceed into what at first looked like a natural cavern in a low cliff face. Without the dust and wind, it became possible to see outside for the first time, and it soon became apparent that it was no ordinary cave: conduits and sensors covered the unnaturally smooth rock walls that finally gave way to an airlock big enough to hold a vehicle twice the size of the one we were in. Gideon stopped the rover in the middle of the lock, and there was a dull clang as the outer door closed behind us, followed by the hiss of air as it slowly started to pressurise. Lights that had been red slowly turned to green, and the inner door swung open before us, revealing a massive space beyond, filled with a number of rovers, shuttles and technicians working on them.

“Welcome to Troy.” Gideon smiled.

To Be Continued...