Season of Passage, The (41 page)

circular summit looks almost as if it were built. I am reminded of our purpose in coming here, but would stil be surprised if we find any signs of life. I

have always felt Moscow overreacted to the red lights the Inspector spotted from orbit on this plateau. Nicholas is stil of the opinion that the lights

were volcanic flares and nothing else. Yet if the flares only served to bring us here, then I am content.

I received a special note from Anna today. She says there is great celebration at home. Alex has become a hero at school for having me as a

father. Katherine is also getting much attention. Here we have been too busy to properly celebrate our accomplishment, although Ivan did say

before he went to bed tonight that we ought to have a toast. To my surprise, he said that he has smuggled two bottles of vodka aboard for the

occasion. I can't reprimand him. I stil have my bottle of 'eighty-nine French wine. Perhaps we can have a toast of wine and vodka when we have

successful y completed our exploration.

10, 29: Today we spent the bulk of our time unfolding and setting up our solar panels. They are working as wel as our scientists promised. It is a

relief not to have to depend solely upon our fuel for power.

This landscape often reminds me of my days at Uralski Khrebet, where I did my geological training. The ruggedness is similar. The sunset this

evening was beautiful, a deep red sky cut with tunnels of purple and gold. Anna says we are the most popular show on TV.

We made an exciting discovery today. There is a cave at the eastern end of the plateau that has remarkably smooth wal s. It appears to go back a

long way. Tomorrow Ivan wil head an exploration to see where it leads.

I slept poorly last night. I am feeling tired now. I must go to bed.

10, 30: Ivan has found that the cave goes down into the

mountain for a great distance. Nicholas reports that its wal s are remarkably smooth. Natural y he refuses even to consider that the cave is the work

of intel igence. Ivan had to cut short his exploration - we had begun to lose his radio signal. Tomorrow we plan a more intensive exploration of the

place using relay beacons and the tractor. There appears to be room for the vehicle, if we can but overcome a smal hil that stands at the mouth of

the cave.

I visited the Karamazov today. Alyosha had reported feeling il , and I went with Gregory to have him examined. Gregory says Alyosha appears only

fatigued. He prescribed sleeping pil s. 1 may take a pil tonight, myself. I have been having an unusual amount of bad dreams. But I can never

remember them when I wake up.

Carl cal ed several times today. He says he is lonely, which made me smile. Carl seldom spoke on the journey here, and appeared anxious to have

privacy.

I find myself missing Anna tonight. I wil tape another message for her before I go to bed.

10, 31: There are canals on Mars! Ivan and Nicholas took the tractor three miles into the cave and discovered a tunnel ful of water.

I was surprised at first when they told me what they had discovered. I thought they were joking. Nicholas explained that the atmospheric pressure

had mounted steadily the deeper they went. The pressure is approximately one-tenth Earth's where the cave ends above the canal.

Moscow has ordered us to explore the cave using one or both of our hovercraft. I just returned from the Karamazov after inspecting the vehicles. I

am not pleased with the order. I feel it is dangerous - I want to move more slowly. Since Moscow wil not al ow me personal y to explore the canal,

Ivan wil go in my stead. I wil choose his partner tomorrow.

Despite our exciting discovery, the morale of the men is

low. We are al having trouble sleeping. Tensions are increasing. Twice today I had to break up arguments. My men are clinging to each other, and

at the same time pushing each other away. I reported the trouble to Moscow, but they did not seem interested.

I find myself longing to see blue sky again, or even the starry black of space. The Martian scenery, although stil beautiful, has begun to depress me

for reasons I don't understand.

Thankful y Alyosha is feeling better. Perhaps I wil send him with Ivan tomorrow.

11, 1: I spent the day supervising the fueling of the hovercraft at the end of the cave, beside the canal. This was my first direct experience with the

watery tunnel. It is massive, and I had trouble believing it was real y there.

I have been wondering if our solar panels were working properly. I have been cold lately, even though our thermostats report a normal range of

temperature. Several of the men have also reported a chil . I discussed the matter with Gregory, and he is worried we might have caught an

infection. This has given me cause for anxiety. We also seem unreasonably thirsty, although we drink more liquids than we need. I have ordered

Gregory to examine everyone closely. At present he is in the laboratory below me, conducting his tests.

I had a strange hal ucination just now. I glanced up from my diary, out the porthole, and thought I saw something walking in the dark. It appeared a

foot shorter than a man, but with a wide snouted face and eyes that shone with a dul red light. I was on the verge of cal ing for Ivan when it vanished.

But I know it was a hal ucination. There are no footprints in the sand outside my window, and the thing I saw reminds me of the creatures in the

nightmares that have been bothering me since we landed. So I know it was only in my mind.

11, 2: Today is very sad for al of us. Ivan and Alyosha went up the canal in the hovercraft and never returned. They · must be dead by now. Their air

supply would have run out two hours ago.

After traveling for several miles over the water, they came to a huge cavern. I told them to stop and send up a flare. In the brief light we saw a land

mass approximately two kilometers distant, surrounded by water. I had no choice but to fol ow my superiors' orders and send them forward.

Somehow their communications jammed, and we were unable to reach them. Ivan should have turned back, but he was always the adventurous

one. I sent the second hovercraft to look for them, but it was hours behind; it had to refuel at the end of the cave before it set out over the water.

Nicholas led the second expedition, and he was able to find and retrieve the first hovercraft, but he discovered no bodies.

I can't help feeling bitter over what has happened. Had Moscow been in less of a hurry, we could have undertaken a more systematic exploration of

the canal, and minimized our risks. Ivan was a good friend . Thankful y, he has no family. I doubt if the message I sent Alyosha's wife wil be of much

comfort. I doubt if she wil even receive it.

I am exhausted. Today has been a great strain. I hope for once that I am able to sleep without nightmares.

11, 3: Ivan is alive! Nicholas found him while exploring the island today. Right now my dear friend is again sleeping on the bed beside the desk on

which I write. My joy is great. If only Alyosha had survived, too. Ivan says Alyosha accidently fel into a volcanic fissure they had discovered. Ivan is

anxious to show me the place where our comrade was lost. Of course, I won't be permitted to go for the time being, but I wil send Nicholas with Ivan

tomorrow. Ivan cannot stop talking about how amazing this place is. It is odd, though. He talks about it constantly but he doesn't seem to

say anything. I can't understand how he can be so enthusiastic about a place where Alyosha lost his life.

Gregory also reminded me of something else that has been bothering me. Ivan's air supply should have run out. He should be dead. Gregory

suggested that Alyosha sacrificed his oxygen for Ivan to live. But when I asked Ivan if this had been the case, he got angry, for a moment. Then he

quickly smiled and said that Alyosha hadn't sacrificed a damn thing.

11, 4: It is the middle of the night. Ivan and Nicholas explored the island today and returned safely near sunset. They hinted that they had found

something remarkable, and I was excited. I quizzed them at length for my report to Moscow, but they were vague about what they had seen. They

just kept saying I had to see the place for myself, when they know it is against my orders to go down there.

Yet Moscow seems pleased with the progress of our mission. They suggest that I send two teams to the island tomorrow. I discussed the idea with

Ivan and Nicholas, but they were against it. They said it would be too risky. But they did suggest that they be al owed to continue with the exploration

themselves, with the addition of one, maybe two, men. Since they are familiar with the island, I agreed.

I am tired now, but can't sleep. I don't want to sleep. Every time I doze off, I feel a weight on my chest and have difficulty breathing. Gregory says he

can find no signs of infection in our blood. Nevertheless, everyone is complaining of chil s and thirst. We have set the thermostat at eighty-five

degrees and we are stil cold.

Gregory asked if he can accompany Ivan and Nicholas tomorrow. He told me he suspects our problems may somehow be related to the canal

water. That does not seem logical to me. We had a host of symptoms before we discovered the canal. Plus Ivan is the only one who is sleeping

properly, and he has spent more time down there

than anybody. Even as I write these words, he is fast asleep on the bed beside me. In fact, he doesn't even snore anymore.

11, 5: Again my men returned from the island without incident. I should be relieved, but if anything my anxiety is increasing. When I questioned them

about what they found, they just say I must visit the place and see for myself. I keep hearing the same story.

Somehow those who return from that dark place are different. For example, Ivan is always smiling, but he does not seem happy. Plus they al stay

together, and talk in whispers among themselves. Gregory, who accompanied Ivan and Nicholas today, laughed when I tried to reopen the

discussion on the possibility of infection. Something terrible is happening to my crew, but I do not know what it is, or how I can stop it.

I hesitate to tel Moscow of my fears. I have no proof to substantiate what I am feeling. Anyway, Moscow is pushing for further exploration of the

island. It would not matter what I told them. They are not as pleased with us anymore. They are becoming irritated with the lack of information my

men are returning with. They have ordered me to send different people, along with a couple who are experienced with the island. I think, for the first

time in my life, I am going to disobey an order.

Carl has been on the radio al day. He says he is lonely and wants to go home. He even began to weep while talking to me. He is suffering from

nightmares, too. He says he hates having Mars outside his porthole al the time. He says the red is hurting his eyes.

I received a message from Anna today. I am beginning to doubt I wil ever see her again.

11, 6: We have lost contact with the Gorbachev, and therefore with Earth. Both the Katarina's and the Karamazov's

communications systems have been overloaded by a sudden power surge from our main generators. Repair is out of the question. This could not

have happened by accident. I haven't slept in two days. I feel I wil be murdered if I do. I know Ivan and those he has taken to that forsaken place are

responsible for the sabotage. I am reminded of how Ivan survived without air. How easily I accepted that impossibility! I write these words sitting up

in my bed, and I listen to Ivan sleeping below me. Not only does he no longer snore, he no longer breathes.

When I was young, my grandmother told my sister and me ghost stories. Some of these tales were of people, or things, that came back from the

dead. Of course, she was very old at the time, and a little senile, but as a child I believed her stories. Now tonight, on this alien world, I believe her

once again.

If only I had told Moscow of my fears. Now there can be no warning for those who should fol ow us here. I feel sorry for those people.

Lauren stopped translating, afraid to go on, perhaps afraid to discover her own fate. Good old Ivan - he had been the first as wel as the last.

She glanced in the direction of the haunted cave and opened a circuit to the basement.

'How are you doing?' she asked.

'I have the bomb free,' Gary said. 'It's not too heavy to carry around, not here on Mars.'

'Can we go? I'l be right down.'

'No. I have to put a second timer on it. The original one is too easy to tamper with. Plus it can't be set for anything above ten minutes.'

'How long wil al this take?'

'I'm not sure. A few minutes.'

'Where in God's name are you going to find a timer that you can just hook onto the bomb?'

'I have one already. It's not as complicated as it sounds. I've already triggered the code, but I've prevented the circuit from being completed.

Honestly, I should be done in five minutes. What does Dmitri have to say?'

'Al his men that traveled to the island turned into monsters that didn't have to breathe. Except for Alyosha. It seems he didn't take to the new

brotherhood. Jim probably didn't, either. There's only one entry left. Should I continue to translate or do you want me to stop and help you?'

'You can't help. Finish the translation. Have you found out anything that gives us a better idea of what we're facing?'

Lauren considered a moment. 'No.'

'Wel , I guess it'l be good to know what happened.'

'I guess so,' she agreed. 'Hurry with your work.'