Lies on Mars

Matteus couldn't remember the last time he was so excited. Six years into the program and finally, finally someone from the company would be on their way, travelling one-hundred-and-forty million miles to meet him. The landing site was only ten minutes from the station. He'd taken the rover. Well, it was a special occasion after all, and he was sure his guest wouldn't feel like walking after their long journey.

He'd received the notification a year ago - to say a supervisor would be visiting to assess his progress on the terraforming project. It had been a long and lonely mission, but if he'd done everything right, the next step would be to send the first batch of colonists, then he wouldn't be on his own any more. And, with him being the foreman on the project, that would grant him status, respect, purpose. He could be Mars' first mayor, or even its president! Fifteen years as a suck-up to a soulless trillion-dollar corporation who only ever saw him as a statistic would pay off - his patience and tolerance rewarded.

He drummed his finger against the steering as the ship broke through the atmosphere (an atmosphere that he'd created by the way). It was so classy! How could so much change in six years? Like something out of a Space Wars movie. It whipped up the dust as it touched down - softly, like a dragonfly on a stem of grass. As its engines cut off, Matteus stepped out, brushing down his suit in anticipation of his supervisor's arrival.

A woman appeared, no, a lady. He knew she was a lady by how she walked. Even in the suit, she could have been wearing heels, a skirt, and a blazer with powerful shoulders. She carried a small pack for her oxygen and fluids, while the rest of her things were brought by drones, ignoring them both and headed straight for the station.

"Matteus Holmström?" She asked as she approached, her voice clear as water.

"Um... Heh... Yes?" He gasped, shaking as he fought to hide his enthusiasm.

"Huh. An M4 suit?" She narrowed her gaze at him. Of course, the M4's would be ancient by now. They still had that issue with the radio when syncing with nearby receivers. Hearing his voice in her suit - it probably sounded like he was underwater. "Anyway, I'm Julietta Flores, your new supervisor, Rank E."

Matteus was but a lowly Rank J. "Lovely to meet you. The rover's all ready to go, I'll take you to the station."

She nodded and scaled the ladder into the vehicle, and he followed. The rovers were self-driving, yet Matteus set himself in the driver's seat by habit. The engine virred to life, moving silently across the plains.

Matteus was sure he should say something. "As you can see, if you just look up there, we're working our way to a suitable atmosphere. The sky is already blue. There's enough pressure that solar radiation levels are down, and the status suggests that within the next few days, we should have rain!"

"We? Are there other's here?" She wondered, craning her neck up to see the clouds in the sky.

"No... No, just me. I meant 'we' as in the company."

"I see..." She typed away at the keypad on her arm, though Matteus was too far from her to see the screen. "I'm guessing by the fact we still need these suits that the air isn't yet breathable?"

He forced a smile. "No... Not yet."

"Does the surface at least support plant life?"

"No..." He muttered.

"Hmm..." She continued to write up about his progress. "Behind schedule..." She turned her radio off for that, assuming Matteus wouldn't hear, but the suits weren't all that soundproof. He blushed behind his visor.

They said little else until they reached the station. Matteus was particularly proud of it. For a six-year-old flatpack, it was in remarkably good condition. They parked the rover, headed inside, and re-directed the oxygen supply back into the airlock so they could take their suits off. He dared hold his gaze on her for a moment longer than he'd planned. It was the first person he'd seen in years, he couldn't help admire her cropped hair, the deep sapphire tones of her tawny skin, even down to her manicure. She almost looked a little familiar, but he couldn't place her. Matteus graciously invited Julietta inside, with every inch of his body itching and raring to move. There was another human, taking a tour of his station! He couldn't wait to show her everything.

"And here's my workstation, the biodome is that way, the lab is over here, living quarters, storage, food production, the generators... What would you like to see first?" He fought to calm himself down.

"Actually, I could do with a bite to eat first. And somewhere to rest, if I may. The entry was rough - I'd like to sleep it off."

"Absolutely, of course." He cleared his throat, guiding her with his arm politely. "This way, please."

Matteus led her to the refectory. Since it was normally only used by one person, it was quite small, and instead of chairs, they simply had crates to sit on. He confessed to usually eating in bed, since it was more comfortable. In fact he shared many facts and feelings with her, things he wouldn't dare cover in his reports and usually end up crowding his personal diary. Many times, he feared to be boring her, though she nodded along, and occasionally shared a thought of her own, all the while eating her biodome-grown potatoes, beans, and mushrooms, with a drink of recycled water to wash it down.

"So... I suppose I'm the first human you've spoken with face-to-face in a while?"

"Six years!" He laughed.

She narrowed her gaze. "No one from the company videocalled you?"

"No... They said the signal wouldn't reach, and the call quality would be crap anyway." He brushed it off, though Julietta appeared deeply concerned.

"It's a long time to go without human contact... And they truly sent you here on your own?" She bit down on another fork-full of potatoes.

"Yes. We were originally a full team of five. We were together in orbit... But there was an accident, we lost a lot of our resources. There wouldn't have been enough to keep us all going and set up food production."

"You figured that out, huh?"

"The company figured that out. It was on their orders that I came down here alone. On our aptitude tests, I was flagged as least likely to experience chronic loneliness as a result of long-term isolation. They sent the others back home."

She wove her fingers together, resting her chin on top of them. "Remind me of your role in this mission?"

"Engineer - another reason they thought I was best suited to go it alone." He hummed. Any time she stared at him from that point, he felt rather uneasy. It was probably just butterflies. Then he got an excellent idea. "Hold on, I'll be just a minute." Matteus retreated back through to storage, returning with a beaming grin, and an old, dusty green bottle. "Ta-da!"

"Wine? I thought every pound had been allocated for the flight, how did you get hold of this?" She took the bottle carefully, inspecting the label.

Matteus sat back down, pulling their two now empty water cups close to him. "We were permitted one personal item that was factored into the weight limit. Marta Ozoliņa brought that instead. She wanted us to drink it to celebrate the completion of the project, but I think this is as good a time as any." He took the bottle and poured for two, gifting one back to Julietta. "Cheers!"

The plastic cups tapped together quietly, and they drank. "My god, this is delicious!" Julietta delighted.  "It's aged beautifully."

And they spent another two hours chatting while finishing the bottle. Conversation soon turned away from professional discussions to personal matters. She asked if he had family waiting for him back home, he asked her about all the everyday changes that'd happened on Earth. Pretty soon, night was coming around, and Julietta was reminded of her own exhaustion from the long journey.

"It's getting late, I really should go to bed." She stood, her fingers lingering on the table, and she tilted her head slightly in his direction. "Care to join me?"

Matteus almost choked. "Oh...Um..." He couldn't deny he had thought of it. She was exceptionally beautiful, and it had been six years. "Yes!" He leapt to his feet and opened the door for her, leading her to the sleeping quarters. She took his hand, gently, and a spark shivered down his body. His pulse hastened, flushing his skin with a fluttering warmth.

***

Matteus woke early. He turned to see Julietta sleeping soundly beside him, her hand pressed against his bare chest. Not wishing to disturb her, he peeled out from the covers slowly, quickly finding his trousers at the least. It may have been a special occasion, but he still had work to do.

He went through his routine. He monitored energy and radiation levels, checked the statuses of the biodome and the terraforming progress, then headed to the restroom before thinking about food production for the day. Passing by storage, he hovered back a moment to see that the drones had managed to bring all of Julietta's things, stacking them neatly in the middle of the room. Though it served a trip hazard, and kept him from the tools at the back, so he went to push them against the wall instead.

One of the cases had a broken latch. He thought to fix it - Julietta wouldn't be able to take it home in that condition. But checking inside to get a good look at the break, he couldn't help glancing over the folder inside, one labelled with the company name. It was probably a status logbook anyway - he should be well within his rights to read it.

No... It wasn't about his progress... It was about him. Newspaper clippings and employee manifestos... Listing him as deceased. Some dated back - he'd been declared dead for a year. His heart quivered as he pieced through the rest. A shadow crept over him, and he turned to see Julietta in the doorway, with a gun in her hands.

"What... What is this?" He mumbled, his lip trembling.

She sighed. "You were supposed to be asleep." Pinching at her brow, she softened her posture slightly. "The company's gone, Matt. It went bankrupt."

He shook his head. "Bankrupt? But... You... They..."

"They were planning on sending a backup ship with more crew and supplies, but that would have set them back over a billion dollars. The company faced a lawsuit for leaving you stuck out here alone. The worlds' governments united together to sue in your favour. The company lost everything. It ended a year ago. The project was terminated a year ago."

He could barely believe it, though he was more concerned for the firearm pointed at him. "But... I've been giving reports, and getting feedback..."

"It's all automated, Matt. Every email. After they lost their case, they severed all ties to you - making it look like you'd gone radio silent, that you'd died..." She gazed down at her feet. "And as a precaution... They sent me. Eventually another company will turn their efforts to Mars, and they'll find you. When that happens, you can't be alive... They were up for sabotaging the network, or sending space debris hurtling into your generators. I thought this would be kinder. It'll be quick, and you won't feel a thing."

"And when someone finds me with a bullet wound in my head?"

She stared blankly through him. "You have a processor for fertiliser, for the biodome."

"So that's it? Kill me and turn me into plant food?" He shook his head, with pain and fury biting down on every thread of his being. "I gave my life to the company. I gave my heart to you. And it was all lies?"

Julietta turned away, her expression contorting with regret. "That wasn't part of the plan... That was my idea... I thought... I was supposed to just deal with you when we got back to the station... But you've been here for so long, all alone. You deserved at least a little kindness."

"What, you thought it was charity? Giving me one last moment of happiness before killing me in my sleep? That's not kindness, that's evil!"

She lowered the gun. "I know, I know." Then raised it again, her eyes glossing over with tears. "I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have led you on. I'm sorry. Honestly, I... I used to be just like you, a Rank J. I was in the running for being chosen for the project. You never noticed me, but I noticed you. I wasn't picked, I was on your support team instead. When the company said they weren't sending anyone to come and get you, I was heartbroken. But I stayed with them, so I could keep an eye on you and make sure you were okay. I was promoted, and my devotion seen as loyalty. When they lost the lawsuit, and tasked me with... And ordered me to come and kill you..." She shook her head. "I thought... At least it would be me. Someone who still cared about you. Someone who could make sure you didn't suffer." Her hand shook, the barrel of the gun jittering back and forth between either side of his skull.

Matteus cautiously took a step forward. "You don't have to do this. Forget the company..."

"If I go back... And you're not dead... I will be."

"Then stay. We've got everything we need right here! We can finish the project. You said so yourself - the company is bankrupt. You think they could afford to send more assassins for the both of us? We're safe here, together. We can make this planet our own." He moved closer. "Just put the gun down, please."

"My... My family... My friends..."

"We can reach out to them. With a few adjustments, we could use the communicator."

She grew more resolute. "No. You don't get it. We might be safe here, but they're not. They'll kill them if I don't come back. If I don't do my job."

"We'll find a way. If we get in contact with those who defended me, they might be able to send protections for them. But the Earth deserves to know we've done here. Humanity needs to know. And one day, others will come here. We'll both have done something great for the sake of our species. You don't have to be afraid of the company. You don't have to become a killer."

He stood near to her, as close as he dared - arms outstretched. After a moment, hers fell to her sides, the gun slipping from her fingers and clattering to the floor. Matteus embraced her as she sobbed into his chest, his heart still pounding from it all. He felt her warmth against him, the trembling of her body as she let go of years of pent-up fear and pain. He kissed her softly on the head, keeping her close. Though the agony of her lies tainted what could have been, he was determined to offer her a sense of comfort, of kindness. And in that moment, it started to rain outside.