Chapter 2
Carolina blinked. There was a wall here, buried into the hillside.
This was interesting, she had discovered a new place or something. But then Carolina’s face grew puzzled. She thought they said no one else had ever been here? She was certain they said that. Didn’t they? Wasn’t that the point of coming here?
Carolina blinked again, trying to remember what the grownups had talked about. She was certain they said something like that. She went to scratch her head, but her breath froze when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Carolina whipped her head around, frightened by the suddenness of it. But nothing was there, just trees and bushes, unless the forest had eyes. Carolina took a moment and tried to relax. She was just a kid, she knew there must be a logical reason for what she found. Obviously someone had been here before, or the wall wouldn’t be there. She would just have to go ask her dad, assuming she wasn’t going to be grounded for traveling this far.
When her fear subsided she followed the long stretch of black steel to see where it went. The hillside had mostly grown over it, giving it natural camouflage, and there wasn’t a window or door. She climbed around long gnarled tendrils of foliage, it reminded her of ancient ruins from Earth. She didn’t understand why they hadn’t seen this before landing, she thought they had different satellites that could read building materials and stuff. Now she knew she would have to ask her dad. He always had the answers, he was the scientist.
This felt like trespassing, and she still felt like someone was watching her. She continued to walk along the ominous black wall another thirty meters, wondering when she would reach the end. The more she walked the farther she felt from home. Finally the wall disappeared completely into the dirt and it didn’t resurface. She stopped for a moment to notice her reflection in the wall, surprised at how messy her hair looked. She was much farther beyond the second perimeter than she was supposed to be. Carolina bit her lip disappointingly. With a huff she realized it was time to tell her dad about it and walked back to the quadrohuts.
The walk back, a few kilometers it must have been, offered no greater relief from the feeling that she was being watched. She stopped and turned her head at so many shadows, so many branches swaying in the wind, each of them a looming figure in her imagination. If something else moved out of the corner of her eye she was likely to break out into a full run.
Finally she approached the quadrohuts and waited for the door to open. Upon entering she found the crew inside, all looking ill as they listened to Dmitry speak. Muster, they called it. Apparently Dmitry wasn’t happy with their progress, they were running out of time to make good on key projects that the company had commissioned them for. So many big words, being an adult didn’t seem very fun. Carolina didn’t understand why they couldn’t just stay until the job was done, not that she wanted any delays in their return home. Daddy mentioned something about a schedule, something about a launch window, gravity, alignment… he was never good at explaining simple questions with simple answers.
Carolina paced, wanting to interrupt, but daddy noticed and glared, so she waited. Dmitry was long winded tonight. Carolina sat down and out of boredom began to draw little circles and shapes on the wall next to her. Then, realizing what she was doing, she quickly put her markerpen away. All she could think about was what she had found. She wanted to go back but it was getting too late for today. She could at least go back tomorrow with her photolense and take some pictures this time. Dmitry’s voice drawled on. She was excited, knowing something that the others didn’t know, she wondered what else she might find. When muster was over Dublin and Athen sat at the tiny table they called the mess hall and ate, Austin and the others took their meals to their own rooms. Carolina decided to follow him, she grabbed a packaged ham slice and a juice. They ate in silence on the bottom bunk bed, she had a feeling even if she did say something he wouldn’t hear her. He had a far away gaze that didn’t break for many moments.
“Did you get enough to eat?” he finally asked Carolina.
“Yeah,” she said. He smiled. Carolina forgot that she had been giving him the silent treatment for two days now, not that he had noticed.
“How was your day? Did you take any pictures?” he asked.
“No, I forgot to bring my camera,” Carolina said.
“We get to leave soon,” he said scooting closer to her. He smelled like sterile lab equipment, and his eyes were sunken under large dark circles. He had stayed up late. She knew he had to redo a long experiment because he contaminated something. She had almost changed her mind on giving him the silent treatment earlier out of pity, but through determination she stayed firm.
“Yeah, I can’t wait. Guess what I found today,” Carolina said.
“An elephant?” he asked.
“No!” she laughed.
“A pizza shop? I’m sick of space meals,” he said.
“Da-aad,” she said.
“Okay, what did you find?”
“I found a wall, at least I think, I don’t really know what it was,” she admitted, using her hands to try to explain what she saw.
“Oooh, that’s neat,” he said stifling a yawn. Austin rested his head against the wall and momentarily closed his eyes. His lack of interest hurt a little.
“Yeah,” she said, her excitement gone. Perhaps it wasn’t very important after all. “I thought you said no one was here before us,” she said a little glum.
“Yep, that’s true, it’s just us, we are the first,” Austin said.
“Then who made the wall?” she asked.
Austin blinked his eyes open. “Well, no one, it’s just a rock formation or something,” he yawned.
“It’s not rock, dad, there’s a wall just past the second perimeter,” she said and suddenly bit her lip shut.
“You went past the second perimeter?” Austin asked, instantly awake.
“… and I found a wall!” She exclaimed. Carolina had thought finding the wall would excuse her breaking the perimeter rule.
Austin stared quietly for a few moments, he was mad at her, but what little father skills he had told him something here was important to Carolina. “It can’t be a wall, must be a natural formation, I’ve seen some strange things on other planets,” he said.
“I’m not stupid! Can’t I just show you tomorrow?” she asked.
“I can’t go running around in the bush honey, I’m way behind on my projects,” he said, trying to garner some understanding from her. “And I don’t want you going past the second perimeter again. Okay?”
“Fine!” she shouted and threw herself into the pillow. The silent treatment was back on!
Austin stared at the back of her head. She was going to bury her face in that pillow until he said something, she was stubborn enough to go for days. “I’m sorry…” he said, it was all he could think of saying. She ignored him until he finally went to his own bunk. It wasn’t quite bed time but it was late enough that she just stayed put and thought to herself. Deep down she knew her wall was important. She was going to take pictures of that building tomorrow, and she didn’t care about breaking the second perimeter at all.
When morning came her eyes opened abruptly, she was out of bed and dressed faster than any other morning here. She bounded from her room and suddenly stopped when she saw Dmitry blocking the hallway. She didn’t like him. He wasn’t ever mean to her, but he wasn’t nice either. He seemed so serious, and he was even more serious than usual lately. He talked about money, he was always concerned with it. She guessed he was that way because he was the boss and bosses were mean.
“Good morning,” Dmitry said, nursing the rim of his coffee. Carolina didn’t reply. “You are awake early,” Dmitry said. Carolina wondered what she was supposed to do, she didn’t mind the others but Dmitry was scary to her. Dmitry smiled, holding his coffee cup, and waited.
“Excuse me,” she said wa
lking past him. She felt his eyes following her, but luckily he didn’t say anything else. She walked stiffly past the mess hall and waited impatiently for the outside door to open. She felt his gaze all the way until she was outside and the door was closed again, where she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Carolina double fastened the latches on her boots and adjusted the belt around her waist, she checked the half full water pouch. “Yep,” she said. She felt ready. With a determined look she began her hike. The journey to her wall took less time than yesterday, she figured it was only about two kilometers. There were no trails but the terrain had easy markers to remember; a small river, some unique finger branch trees, a large mossy rock. Unfortunately it was mostly uphill.
Carolina found her wall. “Hi wall,” she said as if it had been waiting all night for her to come back. It looked different today, she didn’t know how, perhaps because of the early morning light. She pulled out her photolense and took a picture. She took several pictures in fact, before deciding to try to find the door again. There were occasional grooves, but no door despite her efforts. When that became boring she picked up a stick and pretended to be a wizard protecting her castle. She spent all day there until lunch came and she heard her name on a very crackly radio. Austin was calling her to come for lunch. She hadn’t eaten breakfast out of excitement, and she just now realized it, because the thought of lunch sent her stomach into a tangent. Starving and guilty, Carolina sped back to camp dragging her photolens with her. Austin was waiting for her at the door to the quadrohuts.
“Where were you?” he asked as soon as he saw her. She didn’t respond.
“I asked you a question,” he asked again.
“I went to see my wall, that’s all.”
Austin angled his head at her in disbelief. “I told you to stay in the perimeter. Now I have to ground you,” he said.
She picked up her photolense and turned it on. “Don’t you want to see it? I’m not lying!” she pleaded.
Austin snatched the photolens from her. “Nothing changes the fact that you did not listen to me, miss, and for the last time… ” the words faded as his eyes took in the picture on screen. After a moment he looked at her again. “What is this?”
“Da-aad,” Carolina said.
Austin grew very serious. “Did you do this? Did you make this photo up?” he demanded.
“No, I can show you,” she said.
Dmitry walked by. “Show him what?” he asked. Austin went very stiff. He didn’t need Dmitry involved in this, and if this picture was something real, he didn’t want Carolina involved in it. Still, Dmitry was expecting an answer.
“Just some phony picture,” he said showing Dmitry the photolens. Something flared in Dmitry’s eyes, but was gone the next instant.
“Phony?!” Carolina stomped.
“Take us there,” Dmitry said.
“What about lunch?” Carolina asked.
“It can wait,” Dmitry added.
“Here,” Austin said grabbing a granola roll from the table, “… we can eat on the go.”
And this time the walk did feel like a very long walk. Carolina was excited that Dmitry listened to her, but it didn’t take long to feel unsettled by him again. He walked in utter silence, while Austin offered several excuses about why this was a waste of time. Maybe he was afraid of being embarrassed.
Carolina ate her snack on the way and finished her water, wishing she had brought more. Austin noticed and handed her his hydropouch. She stopped to take a clean drink without having to worry about splashing, and also to catch her breath. Between the way there, back, and there again her feet were getting tired. Austin noticed that too, and he hoisted her up on his shoulders. Dmitry looked relieved that they were moving again. Carolina could see from way up high now, and held on with a smitten look. Maybe she wouldn’t give him the silent treatment after all. She forgot how much she liked riding on his shoulders.
“Where did you say this building was?” Dmitry asked, the look on his face had become one of doubt.
“Uhm, maybe we passed it,” Carolina said looking around.
Austin exhaled. “I said not to look into it…” he sighed as they hiked around the corner of a hill, stepping carefully around an orange tree root that had long since died. When they cleared the bend they saw something that stopped them dead in their tracks, something that froze their very breath. Carolina was right. There was a wall, just like she said.
“NOW do you believe me?”
“I…” paused Dmitry. “…I never doubted you.”
Austin was wordless, excited, and terrified. Deep down he had the sudden foresight that this changed everything. Absentmindedly he lowered Carolina from the top of his shoulders.
Dmitry’s face betrayed his excitement as he approached the wall, but he said nothing. Austin followed him, fixated on this impossible thing. Dmitry stopped right in front of it and touched it, as if it were a test to see if it was real, if he was dreaming.
“Is this a good thing, daddy?” Carolina asked, confused at the seriousness.
Austin was silent. It’s definitely something, he remarked to himself. As a scientist he had great reason to be excited, but he wasn’t. He was scared. He looked at Carolina and offered his best smile, she couldn’t be happier, she was so beautiful when she was happy.
“Well I found it first, so it’s mine, I get to name it,” she said crossing her arms. Dmitry stood without moving, his hand frozen to the wall.
“Dmitry… ” Austin said, interrupting him. “Dmitry!”
“Yes?” Dmitry jolted, shocked as if he forgot he wasn’t alone.
“We need to call the group together,” Austin said. Dmitry nodded and activated his radio, as he did Austin found himself looking at the wall. Dmitry’s orders to assemble beamed through the team’s headsets. This really was incredible, but he didn’t know how he felt about it yet. Maybe when the rest of the team arrived they could all discuss it, maybe that would put him at ease. This could be proof of intelligent life outside Earth. Still, something weighed in his stomach.