CHAPTER 2: HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Welcome to Mars City – Union Aerospace's Premier Research Facility.
The message was heard clearly, after the ship had safely landed and the passenger exit was opened. The passengers went outside on the platform – some of them were freshly recruited civilian personnel, others were employees who returned after spending a month or two on Earth. The latter seemed somewhat morose – as if returning to the base awakened their own inner shadows.
A distinguishable smell in the air struck him from his very first moment on Mars – the unique smell of air that had been filtered and reprocessed many times, mixed with the smells of machinery, coolant, antiseptic additives, and chemical substances against rust and mould. He knew that space stations smelt like that, and so was the Mars colony. All human beings that inhabited it were confined within its steel walls that protected them from the harsh environment outside, which could kill the fragile human body within a minute.
Several security officers in black uniforms approached the newly arrived people. Harrison looked at them carefully – he would become one of them after the twelve required hours for new Mars personnel adaptation. Following the guards was a technician team, which had the duty of cleaning the space dust and other outer space-borne particles from the Shadow Dancer's hull, as required by the safety policy in force.
Several groups of civilian personnel moved around the cargo crates and entered data in their PDA devices – they were required for everyone in the base. Despite the early hour, the hangar seemed to be teeming with life – the ship carried a large shipment of scientific materials, spare parts, office supplies, and all of them needed to be processed and sent to their respective destinations within the colony. There were also several reinforced crates with "top secret" seals on them. Union Aerospace was rumored to be involved in several types of secret research. It was already known that the UAC made an amazing archeological discovery on Mars, although no specific details were ever announced to the public. Other rumors hinted at fantastic scientific creations, such as teleports, nearly infinite energy sources, genetic manipulations and mutations, and even dimensional gateways to other worlds.
Harrison was mostly skeptical about all the gossip among people – he knew science had its limits, and even the UAC could not do wonders, despite their unfathomably vast financial resources. No one knew exactly how much money and other resources the corporation had, but people often joked that if the Gates of Hell were opened, the UAC would be the first to be sucked through them. The thought succeeded in bringing a slight smile on Mark's face.
He finally stood in front of the entrance to Mars City. The doors slid open and revealed a very short darkish corridor with a locked door at its end. Two sets of meta-scanners class L4 were installed on the left wall, and two familiar-looking red squares were drawn on the floor. Two security officers were sitting in an even darker room behind an armored glass. One of them raised his eyes from the monitor and looked at Harrison.
"Welcome to Mars City. Before you enter, you will need to pass a bio-scan so that we are sure that you don't allow some kind of disease to enter the base. Understand, infections can spread quickly in a closed environment such as this colony... Now, step on one of the red squares on the floor. Believe me, it doesn't hurt."
Mark was familiar with the procedure for he had passed it before. He stepped in the square and waited patiently for the check to be performed.
"Alright, just hold still and it will be over in a few seconds."
The scanner ran through his body two times, and turned off with a soft beep.
"Very good – all looks clear. Come on in, and enjoy your stay on Mars," the officer said and pressed the button to unlock the door.
"So this is my new life," Mark thought bitterly and stepped through. The lobby was simple and austere in appearance – just a few benches and UAC posters with strange slogans on the walls. Two technicians were making repairs to the information panel to the right. One of the screens was not working, but the other one was lit and showed a schedule for departures and arrivals. According to the schedule, the "Shadow Dancer" would leave Mars after six hours with only two passengers aboard – "E. Swann" and "J. Campbell." The first name sounded vaguely familiar to Harrison, as if he had heard it in the news on TV.
Mark noticed the door labeled "Reception" and headed directly towards it. He found himself in a small office, where a man sitting behind a desk looked at Mark as if he had been expecting him for ages.
"Mark Harrison, welcome to Mars City. You can just leave your bag there, since the beginning of the year we deliver new employees' luggage to their quarters free of charge. Now, your personal and biometric data has been entered in the main computer – the systems throughout the base will recognize you. When you meet with the chief of security, he will explain you everything you need to know."
The clerk took out a PDA from under the desk and showed it to Mark.
"This is your personal data assistant – a very important tool for your work here. It contains all of your messages, audio logs, information, and – most importantly – your security clearances for the areas you are authorized to enter. It goes without saying that you must not lose your PDA. If you find any lost devices, you should take actions to return them to their owners as soon as possible. If you need to update your security clearances, you will be instructed additionally. Everything clear?"
"Yes," Mark uttered, "Understood."
"Then... from this moment on you are, officially, an employee of UAC Mars Facility. Congratulations."
The last sounded slightly ironic, as if the clerk was not satisfied with something about working in the colony. Mark did not care – he had lived and worked in far worse conditions, where you can easily forget that you are still on Earth. He was trained to adapt to his situation without complaining. After all, he thought, he was in a convenient corporate facility, not in a hastily made-up camp somewhere in a cave deep underground. That was a training mission Harrison would rather not remember, yet he was annoyed by the attitude of the people he had seen so far. Would they prefer to live and work outside?
The PDA showed Mark the shortest route to his quarters. Indeed, when he arrived the bag was there, as well as a thin briefcase, which turned out to contain various instructions and rules about the colony. There was also a small book that described security officers' duties, authority, and priorities. The room was well lit and air-conditioned. The bed was better than the ones in the marine camps, and the small closet in the right wall contained his new black armored uniform, the protective goggles guards wore, and a metal box locked with a fingerprint lock. Mark pressed his thumb against the lock, and the box opened, revealing a standard-issue pistol, some ammo for it, and a flashlight.
The device that looked like a laptop was actually a workstation, from which Harrison could submit his daily security reports. The device also allowed communication with the Marine HQ, and all security stations throughout the base. Mark was pleased by the technological facilitation of his job. Perhaps he would finally shake off the oppressing memories and start anew, returning triumphant to Earth after the four years passed.
The PDA already contained four e-mails. The first was from Director William Banks – a useless introduction about the great benefits and opportunities of working in the UAC, and all the "home away from home" stuff he had already heard. The second was from the sector's security chief, who wished to meet Harrison for his first briefing after just a few hours. The third was a message from the colony's central computer administrator – it notified him that his professional e-mail was .com. The last letter was sent by Dr. Elizabeth McNeil – the same that had shown interest in him, and could possibly offer him a high paid position. She wanted to meet him in the evening in Mars City, in case he was interested in discussing a special assignment. He was. He needed the money, and he was ready to work hard for it.
The PDA also contained a short video, which explained him the responsibility and importance of serving as a security officer. The overly kind and friendly voice from the clip filled the air of his room:
"Welcome to the UAC security division. You were chosen for this position among many others because of your skill and reliability. Your position bears great responsibility, and you must be able to handle it. Your first and main priority is to ensure the safety of all personnel within the UAC Mars Facility – administrative, maintenance, scientific, military, and even security personnel that you belong to. Your second priority is to prevent any damage to UAC equipment, scientific specimens, or anything else that might threaten the integrity of the base. Handle firearms with extreme caution, and never use them near sensitive machinery. If necessary, you should apply physical force and even cause injury to another employee, in order to ensure security and prevent accidents. In such cases, try to keep minimal any physical harm you inflict to another human being. Under no circumstances is it acceptable for your actions to cause the injury or death of a UAC employee, and such cases are grounds for criminal prosecution. Good luck on your job, and enjoy your stay on Mars..."
Mark frowned – they put personnel safety first, yet he was sure that the UAC valued their precious equipment more than the lives of the people who worked in the base. That was typical for large corporations, and a great basis for serious problems in the future. "Money is the root of all evil" – Mark remembered the old saying, and its meaning in the current situation meant that he was deep in it. However, he needed that evil, after everything else failed.
"I sold my soul... And I am still not convinced that I will be redeemed for my mistakes..."
He sat down and stood still for a minute – he was calm, and the bad memories and guilt seemed to have vanished, at least for the moment. He still needed his solitude, and it was easier to achieve here, away from his friends and relatives, in a place where no one knew him. He knew how to remain unnoticed, and he was happy to be unnoticed.
Eventually, everything would be fine. All he needed in the long run was patience. As for the current moment, he needed some sleep and solitude...