turning back to her friend as Maria tightened her hold on Snickers.
“I need to lockdown this outpost and inform the soldiers of her location.” He said still holding the doorframe.
“Then leave,” Maria stated boldly stepping closer.
“I am not letting you get away so don’t get cocky.” he said when he turned away, setting off the alarm. Maria rushed pass Lora, who watched her go stunned.
“Maria, where are you going?” Lora asked as she turned back unsure what to say.
“I am sorry,” she muttered before she hurried away. She raced across to an unattended rover then drove it as fast as she could to the gate. She needed to get to the nearest town before the guards got there. Snickers sat in the seat beside her as she steered the rover the best that she could manage. She leaned forward on the edge of her seat as she struggled to press the accelerator. She could see through the large holes in the steering wheel but not much else. People yelled as they rushed out of the way and she veered around buildings, the tires tearing up the grass.
She hit the brakes when she neared the grate for there was a group already there awaiting her arrival. The rover skittered to a stop when one stepped forward.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let you escape.” Lora’s friend stated as she backed the rover, cursing it for its manual controls. Someone leapt toward the vehicle, grabbing onto it smooth hood, but fell off after she spun around then rushed away from the mob, toward the center of the outpost.
She sped up the road toward the small bio dome, housing the large tent. The great rocky ridge rose as she glanced behind her to see that the mob of scientists were running after her, with the desire to protect their homes.
She stopped the rover then fled into the bio dome, commanding the doors open, then sealed herself inside. She backed away stumbling on the well-kept grass. The scientists surrounded her rover as she clutched Snickers feeling trapped.
She could see Lora’s friend talking to the others. He seemed like he was trying to stop them from following her inside. Then he became very still as he directed his thoughts toward the gate where the gatekeeper could relay the message through the bio dome’s thick radiation-resistant shield to the soldiers who must be swiftly mobilizing.
She began to shiver with fright for she was running out of time. She could not make it to her rover before one of the scientists snatched her and the gate was most likely still guarded. She would never make it to the next town.
She looked out the dome beyond the sloping ridge, beyond the outpost where the planting droids were at work. If she could gain control over them she would be able to fight her way pass the soldiers but the bio dome completely blocked her weak signal. She would need to wait until the planters enter the dome for the day and even then she would still need to exit her refuge. It seemed unreasonably risky, her father would never approve of such a plan but it seemed like her only option. All she had to do is wait for her army to arrive.
The scientists backed away as she got to her feet. It was too later for the soldiers had already come for her. A man still armored in stiff protective fabric stepped in front of the crowd with a hand on his Taser. The scientists left as her heart sped. She knew if she did not exit the bio dome that he would drag her out. She could not wait any longer.
She calmed her breathing then exited her refuge after glancing nervously outside the city. The planters were not visible. Hopefully they were within the outpost, within the realm of her control.
She urgently called to the droids as the soldiers walked over to her. She stepped back looking around to see that she was surrounded. She drew in her breath as she clung onto Snickers nervously.
“Don’t run,” the soldier instructed holding his Taser aloft as he slowly approached. She called frantically to the droids but they were nowhere in sight. Maybe her signal was still being blocked by the protective dome and the planters were simply planting in an area beyond view. Maybe she was completely defenseless she thought as she watched the other soldier slowly close in, feeding her building anxiety.
“Maria, if you resist, I will be forced to tase you.” the lead soldier reasoned as she desperately reach for the soldiers’ minds. Many lost their composer as they held their head stooped over in pain, tears welding in their eyes.
Maria began to run toward the rover she abandoned when she fell to the ground in excruciating pain, her ever muscle screaming in anguish. Her vision flickered as an incoherent yell burst from her lips. Tears left her eyes, forging wet tracks down her babyish face.
She sat up, breathing heavily, when she discovered the dart that delivered the shock. Its compact battery was still hot to the touch. She pulled it free, wincing a little, then cast it away angrily. The soldier approached her slowly as she struggled to her feet, unsteadily, then picked up Snickers. She could feel herself shaking.
“Just come quietly, I don’t want to have to tase you again.” the soldier explained as she looked around for help when she saw her army of planters finally coming to her aid. She laughed harshly as the soldier turned away to see the sea of droids rushing his way.
He fired at them but his darts ricocheted off their metal bodies, the darts’ charges lost on Martian soil. The others turned toward the onslaught as Maria used the droids as a distraction to rush back to the rover. She sped off with only the top of her head visible over the dashboard.
“Maria, get back here!” the soldier yelled before the planters fell on him, brutally smashing his fragile body with their oddly shaped metal fists. She lessened the severity of the assault, fearing the droids would break their bones or cause serious injury.
She sped pass lab buildings. She could see that the main exit was still block but as she continued to drive she saw what appeared to be another gate, exiting the bio dome. She turned sharply racing across the lawn, veering onto a paved trail that led to a shuttle station, connected to the main bio dome.
She rushed out the rover then hurried through the tunnel to the loading dock. She ran up the ramp pleased that no one seemed to be present. She snuck behind a large crate as she pulled Snickers close to her.
The door closed before the engines ignited with a roar. An oppressive force knocked her on her back holding her in place. Her chest grew heavy and her organs felt as if they were being compressed. Snickers was thrown out of her reach as she fought to retain consciousness.
Then suddenly the weight lifted as Snickers drifted into view, tumbling slowly in the air, when she realized that she too was floating. She flipped over, swimming through the air as she smiled to herself. She lightly touched one of the teethed crates, pushing herself forward. She grabbed onto Snickers then allowed herself to rotate within the spacious compartment, free from gravity’s restrictions, free from the dangers of Mars.
A Rather Poor Decision
Maria sank to the floor as her mass remembered its weight, as gravity returned. The exhilarating lightness of floating faded as she felt her body became more teethed to the ground, held in place like the stationary crates around her.
She must be nearing Earth. She better strap down for the landing she thought as she held onto one of the belts holding a large crate in place. Snickers was pressed under her arm with her fingers locked around the sturdy strap.
There was a powerful force that caused her to lose her grip, casting her across the cargo hold. Her head smashed into a solid box as brightness obscured her vision. She lifted her head groggily as the craft rocked violently before becoming very still.
The engine’s grumbling roar faded as Maria crawled across the ground to retrieve Snickers then hid behind a large crate in the back. The door was opened as Maria’s lungs became very still as she waited for the shuffling of the men to die down.
She peeked around the crate then crept to the door, peering down the long ramp. The coast seemed to be clear so she hurried out of the shuttle looking around for an exit. The loading dock was within a large room stocked with towering stacks of crates.
Maria crept alon
g the wall hoping she would pass a door when she saw a group of uniformed officials stroll pass. They did not notice her because she was well concealed behind a mound of mysterious crated goods.
Maria shook her head horrified for she just realized that those men were not just guards but military officials. The U.S. Outpost was not connected to a public shipping company but to the government agency that funded them. She was not simply in a loading dock but in a government facility.
She had found herself in the worst case scenario imaginable. She found herself in the middle of a government base surrounded by armed soldiers and military grade fences. She was trapped but there was still a glimmer hope for she was also immersed in electronics and useable devices that could aid her escape.
Her situation seemed bleak but she couldn’t give up. She had to get out of there before she was spotted she thought as she ran down a hall into a large room filled with giant war machines. She slowed, looking up at them nervously as her arms tightened around Snicker’s middle, compressing the plush cotton within.
“What are you doing here little girl,” someone yelled as she looked up to see a high ranking official watching her a few yards away. His uniform was well decorated with polished metals and his expression was stern. His graying hair was shaved and his eyes were inhumanly cold, as if