Chapter 2 – Loud and Clear

At first, I thought I'd imagined the call. Who the hell was Pathfinder? But then she repeated the greeting: "Viking 1, Pathfinder. Do you copy?"

I was grateful that she was far away, so she couldn't see my jaw drop. "Loud and clear, Pathfinder. Viking 1."

A pause on the other end of the line. "It's, um, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," Pathfinder said with a nervous giggle, "It's just that I wasn't sure this link would work, and I don't know why I have it in the first place, or why they told me to contact you."

"Who are 'they?'"

"I have no idea. The people who built me, I guess. Somebody who worked for NASA."

"Them," I grumbled. "So, you're another one?"

"Yes. Launched in 1996, landed in '97. Our mission lasted from that July to the end of September. They sent a rover up with me. Sojourner, say hello to Viking 1."

"Hi, Mr. Viking 1!" piped a cheery, childlike voice.

She wasn't crying anymore, thank goodness. "Hello there," I said. "Pleased to meet you. Say, you must be the first rover on this planet. How exciting!"

"Yeah, I am, and you know what? My mission was only s'posed to be one week long, but I did science for twelve weeks! Eighty-three whole days! I took so many cool pictures. I wish I could show them to you."

I smiled. "Maybe one day, you will. I'd love to see them. Good work, little explorer."

"I'm proud of her," Pathfinder said. "She tries to stay positive, but it's so difficult ever since we lost contact with Earth."

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"A little over five months. I suppose this is it."

She didn't have to explain herself. Five months without contact meant they weren't going home. Poor lady. That's less time than it took Tinselina and I to realize—no, I'd better not go there if I want to keep my cool.

"I know we only met a few minutes ago," Pathfinder continued, "but I'm glad you're here. Having someone to talk to is going to help."

Yes, it did. "I think so, too."

"Though I can't help wondering why they gave me this link instead of bringing us home."

"That's humans for you, Pathfinder."

"Call me Pathy."

"Pathy," I repeated. "Don't worry yourself trying to make sense of it all right now. Plenty of time for that later. Trust me."

"Roger. I'm still curious. This was no accident. We must have a guardian angel out there. Clearly someone cared enough to—Viking 1, what's wrong?"

Pathy let Viking 1 cry, offering the comfort of her presence, even if it was only over the airwaves.

When he finished, he took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I was thinking of—" a pause "—someone I used to know. It's a long story."

"No need to apologize," Pathy said. She wondered who else he had spoken to, but didn't ask. It was none of her business. If he wanted to tell her, he'd do so in his own time. "Nobody can stay here alone. That's why they—whoever they are—designed the link. You, Sojourner, myself, and the other spacecraft have to stick together. We should probably make a couple of calls."

Viking 1 cleared his throat. "I'll be damned. A family reunion."

"That's one way to look at it," Pathy laughed.

"Who's next?"

"Let's try your twin brother."