The Mist of Mars.

An Alien Encounter.

by Maree Collie. 

Good morning: I’m Dwayne Lowe…ABC News.

Can you hear me mission control? Yes? Good. 

Broadcasting live from Mars! Yes MARS! Look! Red sand, as far as the eye can see. A desolate, unforgiving place. And wind, always the cutting wind!  

Behind me: That’s the future being build. A subterranean city for Earth’s elite. A sanctuary to over winter the upcoming and now, imminent geomagnetic poles reversal. Me? I’m the embedded journalist bring you the NEWS as it happens. 

I’m standing next to the recharging station for the Bots. I’m out of the wind here.  This substantial triple-glazed transparent building is insulated and sealed against any imaginable dust storm.  

Here comes a Bot to recharge! Let’s go inside the station. This door being vacuum sealed lets us in one at a time. I’ll stand over here so as not to interfere. OK. See how the Bot swaps out its old pack, installs a new pack? Instantaneously.  The used batteries, see, it has loaded them into the recharging facility. State of the art engineering. All vacuum sealed. Just like my lunch. Thank you, caterers!

Now look over there, that’s The Mole. The machine that’s gnawing away at the sandstone. It’s creating vast spaces underground. The sand comes out the end of that long tube, see? The Bots add ash and some Earth chemicals to it, and the resultant slurry is processed into bricks for later use in the internal construction.   

Sorry mission control, I missed that question.

Living quarters? Well, they’re over the other side, see, over there, in that large dome. It’s the same dome that NASA has used on other missions. It’s very comfortable, and WARM! 

I’ll do the next episode from within that Dome. You will be amazed at technological wizardry that’s happens in there. How water is created, sucked out of the atmosphere. And the comfort. And the meals. Home away from home!

Wow!

Did you hear that massive rumble! 

What’s just happened?! The Mole –it’s gone! Pulling the tube down with it! There’s been an explosion! No—more like a collapse.  

The wind is hurling the dust everywhere. I can’t see clearly. It’s in my mouth! Getting through my air filter. I can taste it.  

Bots are rushing towards the scene, like moths to a flame. See the tube is still being dragged in. The Mole is still falling. Must be an enormous cavity.  

Now the Technicians are arriving…

It’ll take months for the dust to settle. All the dust in the air has caused the construction and dome lights to come on. The temperature is dropping. That’s a bit weird. Probably all the dust in the air stopping the sun rays… 

 Let’s get some specifics from the technos… 

‘Gavin, what happened?’

‘Well, it appears that the Mole breached the shell of a vast cavern. We’re about to abseil down to rescue it.’ 

Look at that! The Bots’ve run cables around the charging station, see there, to anchor the abseilers. And four Technos have just gone down!   

Look at the dust swirling in the lights –creating ghost like images. 

There’s Gavin coming out of the cavern. 

‘Gavin… what did you see down there?

‘It’s amazing. Very high smooth walls. Looks like it’s been built. Must rush, the Mole’s jammed.’ 

I have Project Leader Marc here…What can you tell us Marc?

‘Unexpected but fortuitous. Will save us a lot of time and money.  Press release later!’

But I am the Press! The only Press!… 

‘Must go it’s an emergency.’

‘OK’ .

Let’s go talk to Aaron he’s just emerged… 

‘Aaron what can you tell us…’

‘It’s amazing, the petroglyphs, carvings of unidentifiable animals, and even ones that look like aeroplanes or rockets… and here I picked up some…’

‘Look at these! Mission Control, can you make out the images? This one’s definitely a unicorn… thanks Aaron…’

Here comes Stewey…

‘What did you see down there Stewey? You look a bit concerned…’

‘There’s lots of tunnels and levels… carvings… it’s all a bit scary.  Something lived here once. Can you imagine that? Looks very dead now. And it’s weirdly cold down there.’

 What’s that noise? OMG look at that! What’s happening? What’s that? 

You getting this Misson Control? Can you see that?! That’s mist. A gigantic plume of thick white mist, erupting from the cavern.  Mist! Can you see it? 

Look at those pulsing tendrils and lightning. It’s twisting upwards   This is crazy! I can feel the cold seeping through my spacesuit. 

Those tendrils are groping towards the technicians. Hell, what’s happening? Those techno are hunching over, they’re choaking. They can’t breathe! They’ve collapsed! OMG!

I’m retreating into the recharging station- door sealed. I can see what’s happening from in here. This is bizarre. 

Can you see that? Those tendrils are sweeping up the artifacts. It’s dragging the robots into the cavern. How’s that possible… Well, I still have the unicorn. 

‘This is Mission Control: Dwayne, your signal’s breaking up. There’s too much static… Dwayne? Can you hear me?’ 

Help me! Help me! It’s coming for ME. 

The Mist is wrapping around the station. It’s getting thicker.  My visor is fogging up on the inside.

‘Dwayne? Can you hear me? What’s happening down there?’

It’s…
Wait. 

Something’s speaking.
A voice?
Not words. Memories. Thoughts…sounds from long ago. 

Of Earth…

It's… in my head.

The air’s thick. It's inside now. The Mist’s got in.

It wants something.  

It wants to be known.

It doesn’t want us here.

I…
I can't breathe.
Can’t…

‘Dwayne? Can you hear me?’

[TRANSMISSION LOST]

 

END.