2 Minutes to Midnight Read online

  With a single kick the door was knocked off its hinges, and the man with the shotgun was sent flying onto one of his slaughter tables. Scott leapt toward him as the man fired again. Scott grabbed the gun and wrapped the barrel around the man’s neck, cutting off his air. The woman working with him ran up the stairs, leaving the dying man and terrified boy in the basement with a creature from another world. Scott slashed again and again at the lifeless man and boy, hanging their torn bodies on meat hooks next to some of their victims. Then he began to climb the stairs. The door opened and he could see the woman with something round in her hand. She rolled it down the stairs and quickly closed the door. The hand grenade went off with a deafening roar, blowing Scott back against the basement wall, rendering him unconscious.

  When Scott awoke he was on the couch in the farmhouse living room, and had changed back to human form.

  “You saved me, mister. Thank God for you!” The woman said.

  Scott’s head pounded like a he had been on a three-day bender.

  “What?” He grumbled, sitting up.

  “My name is Cheryl. That man and his son killed my husband, and kept me here at gunpoint. The boy started calling me mom, and Wayne, the man holding the shotgun on you, said if I didn’t go along with it I’d end up in the basement, too. I don’t know why you turned into that thing last night, but I’m sure glad you did. I’ve been trapped here for three months and I thought they were going to kill me next,” she stared crying .

  “Oh yeah, you rolled a hand grenade down the steps on me. What the hell was that about?”

  “I’m sorry; I just didn’t know what else to do. You were killing everyone down there, and Wayne has an arsenal up here. I figured if I could stop you I might live through the night. After the hand grenade you changed back to a man, and well, I guess I owe you my life.”

  “Are you planning on doing that again?” Scott felt his sore head.

  “That depends, are you going to come after me as a werewolf?”

  “Look, I apologize, but when the moon is full I can’t help myself. I was poisoned by radiation and bitten by a woman dying from some unknown virus at the same time. This happens every full moon.”

  “Maybe we can help each other. I need a traveling companion, and you need someone to watch over you when this mutation occurs. Can you trust me?” Cheryl said.

  “Do I have a choice?” Scott asked.

  “You could walk that out that door, turn left, and never see me again.”

  Cheryl moved toward Scott ignoring his gore covered naked body, and held him until he returned her gesture.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to talk to anybody that wasn’t trying to kill me, or was getting ready to become my food. My wife died a few years ago, and since then I’ve felt like the last person on earth.” Scott said.

  “Well, it looks like we’ve got each other now. Where are you headed?” Cheryl asked.

  “They say there’s a safe haven in San Francisco. You’re welcome to join me.

  The two left together that morning, destined for California, and believing in the dream of a better life. Neither of them wanted to be alone, and although they had both lost so much of their former lives, their humanity was intact. Scott’s dark secret was safe with Cheryl, but just in case the wolf came back, she had brought a few more hand grenades in her bag.

  the mars tetrahedron

  When an ancient monument is discovered on Mars a crew of explorers is sent to investigate, but will what they find be worth the price paid?

  “It is suspected that Mars is the burial ground for a civilization lost over a million years ago, maybe longer. We know there are pyramids, and what appear to be apartment complexes, or factories from our satellite imagery, but what we don’t know is what happened to the Martian people, and why.” Tom Mardsen said.

  Tom was a scientific adviser, a former employee of NASA, hired by DSEC, the Deep Space Exploration Consortium, to help unravel the mystery of Mars, and find out if the planet could support human life in the future. Today, he was speaking before a team of handpicked NASA astronauts on a mission to recruit the right person willing to go on what may be a one-way journey to the red planet. Terry Redi, a three-time astronaut and biologist raised his hand.

  “Why isn’t NASA funding this? I mean, we’ve been trained for this kind of mission and I guess I’m trying to figure out why it’s been outsourced?” Terry asked.

  “DSEC has better technology than NASA, and an unlimited pool of funds from private industries looking for the next planet to colonize. Earth’s been turned into a trashcan by the modern man, and for DSEC, space exploration and discovery of a habitable planet elsewhere would be cheaper than fixing the mess here on earth. We may need to move our home within the next thirty years if earth’s biosphere continues to deteriorate.” Tom said.

  “Holy crap! Don’t pull any punches, Tom.” Terry chuckled.

  “We think human life on earth may have evolved from descendants who escaped some kind of cataclysm on Mars. What we can’t do is prove it. DSEC wants to send a team to Mars to not only find out what happened to the civilization there, but to find out whether the red planet can sustain life today. We’ve only done a fly-by at this point.” Tom finished.

  “Well, what about Curiosity? That rover should have been able to detect something by now, right? It’s been up there for years.” Terry asked.

  “Classified information, sorry. I can tell you the Opportunity and Spirit rovers have found fossilized life on Mars, and those aren’t just worms either.” Tom replied.

  As Tom paused for a drink of water the room came alive with low chatter, grumbles, and some laughter by several in attendance as Tom scanned the room for a serious expression. He stopped at stone-faced James Easton, a veteran who stood on the moon three times. James and a team of scientists and drillers had helped establish a helium three moon mining facility for alternative fuel production.

  “What do you think Mr. Easton?”

  “Well, I think the mission sounds interesting, but I’ve got a question.” James said.

  “Shoot. I’ll answer what I can.”

  “How in hell are we going to get there? The Mars Science Laboratory took two hundred and fifty four days to reach Mars. Seven month’s is a long time for humans to be sitting around, and the MSL didn’t have to worry about feeding a crew.” James said.

  Chatter stopped as everyone in the room waited for an answer.

  “A great question, and since you’ve been sworn to secrecy, and signed your life away in case you talk I will let you in on how we are going to get there.” Tom said.

  He hit a button on the laser pointer in his hand and motioned for someone in back of the room to dim the lights. Pictures of a wrecked disk in a desert backdrop appeared on the screen as Tom spoke.

  “Electrogravitic spacecraft have been secret technology coveted by private industries since a flying saucer crashed in the desert of Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The Army was first involved in covering it up, because at the time the United States couldn’t trust the Russians, and if this technology fell into their hands it could have meant the end of Democracy. Army officials turned this technology over to American corporations allowing them to patent it, which took the heat off the United States government, and allowed capitalism to prosper though the fifties, up to today. Fiber optic cables, Velcro, night vision goggles, and even your cell phone are advanced technology reengineered by earth’s best and brightest.” Tom said.

  The room was dead quiet.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the new era of space travel. I present Endeavor. She has six one million watt capacitors powered by a helium three fiber optic system. This craft generates her own gravitational field, and will go up, down, lateral, and diagonal with zero inertia impact to the pilot and crew. And it can travel close to the speed of light. We’ve tested Endeavor with military personnel and have confirmed she’ll reach Mars in less than a day.”

  The craft was a metall
ic oval disk with a clear glass canopy and in this picture it hovered about two feet off the floor in an unidentified hangar.

  “This is serious business, a lot of money has been spent by important people, and full disclosure of the mission agenda will be forthcoming to the person selected to command Endeavor.” Tom finished.

  After a bureaucratic weeding out process, James Easton was selected for the mission. His crew would consist of a linguist and geologist for the trip to Mars.

  Four months later, James Easton, Mars mission commander, sat in quiet contemplation as the red planet grew larger before his tiny spacecraft, Endeavor. He was unclear about their objective when touching down, and knew only that Mars was rich with artifacts. Breaking his trance, a transmission from CAPCOM came in over the video screen on his control panel. It was Tom Mardsen.

  “Hi James, it looks like you’re almost there. The coordinates of your landing zone have been preprogrammed into the computer. It should appear as a blinking red light on your terrestrial map soon.” Tom said.

  “Where are we headed, Tom, or are you going to continue with the cloak and dagger act?”

  “Ha, ha, ha! Your target is Mount Sharp, a three mile tall structure buried under red dirt. The Curiosity rover located an entrance when she was investigating the south side, and what appears to be a stone biometric palm reader to the right of the doorway. Since she has no hands, Curiosity is stuck, and that’s why we need you and your team. Once you get inside we want you to locate the libraries of Martian history, if such a thing exists.” Tom said.

  “OK, sounds exciting. You told us about how this craft works in a briefing but you couldn’t tell us about Curiosity’s findings?” James asked.

  “Commander, this is the biggest archaeological dig in human history. We were not going to allow anyone outside the landing party know about it. Everyone knows we have electrogravitics, but our enemies, both domestic and abroad don’t know about this door—yet.”

  “Hi Tom, how are you?” Kate Harlon said.

  Kate Harlon was sitting beside James in right seat. She was a linguist fluent in five ancient languages, including Sanskrit, Sumerian, and Arabic, and over thirteen others used by humans today.

  “It’s a pleasure, as always Kate. I guess you know why you’re there now.” Tom smiled.

  “You want me to translate Martian texts?”

  “If there are books, movies, newspapers, whatever, I want you all over those. You can’t bring it all back with you, but at least try to translate anything you see, and take lots of pictures.” Tom said.

  “Got it.” Kate said.

  “Where’s John?” Tom asked.

  John Shoch, an alternative archaeologist and expert in geology sat behind Kate. He and his partner Robert Anthony had become famous for discovering many of the monolithic structures from humanity’s past that was dated much older than modern archaeological records.

  “John, your job will be to examine the geology of Mars and determine how long ago water has existed on the planet’s surface. We hope you can also interpret how old the tetrahedral structure is.” Tom said.

  “OK, sounds like a plan. What happens if I don’t know how old any of this is?” John asked.

  “Oh, nothing, there will be more teams up there in the future; we needed initial boots on the ground to see what we’re dealing with. That’s all from me for now. Have fun, and let us know when you find something. Oh, and watch out for the dust storms, they can get pretty bad down there.” Tom ended the transmission.

  James removed the mp4 player from his right breast pocket and set it to play Orion, by Metallica on a small portable speaker, as Mars grew larger. While the instrumental masterpiece built up to a frenzied climax, James thought about the treasure trove of lost secrets waiting for them below. Moments later, Endeavor entered the red planet’s atmosphere and the astronauts glided over the ruins of an ancient civilization littered across Mars surface.

  The tiny red blip appeared on their map showing the location of Mount Sharp not far off.

  “We’re almost there you guys,” said John.

  Mount Sharp Loomed over the horizon, a three-mile high mystery rising into the Martian sky, submerged in red dirt and large boulders.

  “Mount Sharp could be the largest time capsule in existence, and we’re going to be the first people to see it in a very long time. If mission control was right, that is, and there were people on Mars.” James said.

  Endeavor raced toward the mountain, touching down no more than twenty yards from where Curiosity sat in a stalemate against the massive stone door. James and his crew donned their protective helmets, lowered the ramp and walked out into sunny Mars afternoon.

  “It looks like Arizona out here.” Kate said.

  “Yeah, the sun’s just not as bright.” James replied.

  James and his crew wore protective suits with seals between their hands and arms, allowing their gloves to be removed while simultaneously preventing oxygen from escaping their suits. They would need the ability to place a human hand on the carved stone plate.

  “The only question now is what happens to our skin when exposed to the Martian atmosphere.” Kate said.

  They gave each other a cautionary glance and James shrugged and removing his right glove. To his surprise the environment was dry, and cool.

  “Well, here goes. Let’s see if this trip was all for nothing,” said James.

  James placed his hand on the panel, and a wave of nausea suddenly washed over him, accompanied by the feeling that he had been hit in the stomach hard. It dropped him to his knees.

  “James, are you OK? John Grab his arm.” Kate said.

  “Must…be some kind of defense mechanism. Don’t touch me or the same might happen to you.” James whispered.

  “Hey you guys, the doors moving. Looks like you got us in James!” John said.

  Kate was helping him to his feet as the wave of nausea passed and he removed his hand from the reader.

  “Thanks for the help.” He said.

  “Don’t mention it. It’s what we’re here for, to bail each other out.” Kate replied.

  “My God, I never believed we could do it. I mean, I wanted to but, this is…” James trailed off.

  The trio walked into the structure and as they did, lights miles above them began to click on illuminating a vast ancient city. What they were looking at resembled a cross between Czarist Russia, and modern day New York City. Skyscrapers reached high into the artificial daylight, while beautiful spiral building tops added an artistic, almost spiritual aesthetic. Their feet echoed between buildings, and somewhere music began to play.

  “This place is about a 10 on the creepy factor.” James said.

  “I like it, but what if this city is not as dead as they thought?” Kate asked.

  Aside from the eerie, unexplained music, still silence was their welcome from the Martian city.

  “It’s like we’re walking inside a tomb. I don’t think anyone is here.” John said.

  The entrance sealed itself again and James could tell by the O2 sensor on his wrist that there was oxygen outside their suits. After some debate, James took the lead and removed his helmet first. He breathed in air as fresh as a spring morning in the country back home on earth. Images of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall being blown out the airlock into a harsh, and oxygen free Martian landscape entered their minds, but James did not choke, and his face remained the way it was. The others removed their own helmets a moment later, and breathed with ease.

  A large hologram, like a street sign, appeared above their heads, displaying a map of the tetrahedron’s internal complex, and it was massive. Many towns existed under the angular walls of this gigantic structure, and as they began to walk along, technological evidence of how advanced Martian culture had been lay everywhere. Bicycles with no wheels hovered in front of small shops and bodegas, waiting for their owners to return. Strange vehicles lined the streets designed like a cross between nineteen fifties cars on earth
and hovercraft.

  “Aside from the fact that we’re inside a giant pyramid on another planet this could be ‘any street’ USA.” James said.

  “There’s a big building up ahead. It may be the library we’re looking for. Let’s go check it out,” said John.

  “We have time for our mission later; instead why don’t we go check out some of the houses. I want to explore. Who knows, our benefactors may never let us come back.” James said.

  “Yeah, I kind of feel like a kid in a candy store.” Kate smiled.

  “Looks like there were people here at one time and some of them are lying in the street.” John said.

  About a block away, bodies were sprawled on the ground. Kate knelt beside one of the corpses. The man was on his back and staring up with odd looking pustules on his skin.

  “I’m not touching this guy even with my gloves on. Yick” Kate said.

  “Their appearance is…human.” James said.

  “Get a picture of this. I think this is that something Tom said he wanted to know about.” Kate said to James.

  “I got it! You two ready to go look around? I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot more of these dead guys. This place looks like a war zone, and we don’t have a ton of time.” James said.

  “Hey Kate, check out the 3D graffiti on the wall over there. It’s amazing. Do you know what it says?” John asked.

  James pointed to a red brick wall covered in strange symbols. Kate paused for a moment.

  “It looks like an ancient Mesopotamian style alphabet. The end… is… nigh?” Kate said.

  “OK, so the apocalypse happened here. I’m ready, James.” John said.

  A humble trio, they walked along city streets, amazed at the complexity of Martin architecture. A restaurant, with a sign out front resembling a slice of pizza, had been constructed out of glass, and they could see through the entire structure all the way from the dining room to the kitchen.

  “It looks like they had a great diet. I’ve often thought pizza was an intergalactic food.” John joked.

  Brooms lay discarded in front of homes; children’s toys had been abandoned on the sidewalk, and they could almost hear the echo of laughter that had suddenly turned to fear. Strange markings on the ground resembling hopscotch had been scrawled in chalk. The silent emptiness of this city made them realize how alone and far from home they all were.