Genesis (23 page)

Riley’s groaning brought her back to reality. She turned around. He did not look good.

“Painkillers,” he rasped.

She carefully wedged the oar in a crack between the containers and reached into her pack for the medikit. Her fingers met soggy protein bars. Yuck. But wet food was the least of her worries. Riley was very pale and lay half curled, his breathing laboured. Did people die of broken arms? She didn’t think so – something else had to be wrong. He might be bleeding inside.

She stuck the needle in his arm, pumping it quickly. He didn’t make a sound. Worried, she put the medigun away and pulled the geocompass out of her pocket. It was dead. The water had got in. Damn it! But at least she had an idea of how far they were from Genesis and what direction it was. Riley’s eyes were closed. He shouldn’t go to sleep.

“Riley,” she said. His lids opened. “The com, is it working?”

Slowly, he unzipped his pocket and pulled out the com. He inspected it, pressing some buttons and squinting. “Okay,” he said.

“How long till we can try to contact your friends?”

“’Bout an hour.”

“Right, um …” She tried to think of other things to say. She’d read it was best to keep people awake and talking when they were injured. Or was that just for certain kinds of injuries?

“Who are these people in the colony who might help us?” She picked up the oar again.

“Friends,” Riley said faintly. He scrunched his face as though in significant pain.

Rosie’s insides lurched. “What are their names?” she said loudly, steering them wide of a partly submerged rock.

“Jo and …” He opened his eyes, squinting at her. “Chris, her partner. They work in the colony.”

“Right, and what do they do there?”

“They’re scientists. Rosie, it’s okay. I’m not going to pass out. You don’t have to keep talking to me.”

“Maybe I’m just bored.” She glanced at him.

He gave a small cough that was almost a laugh. “Okay.” He exhaled slowly. “I’m going to sit up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t be so worried. I’m not going to die.”

“Not yet,” she muttered, but he heard her.

“Yeah? Well …” He paused as he pushed up to a sitting position. “I’m not dying today.”

Rosie pulled hard on the oar. “Let’s hope no one is.”

Riley didn’t reply.

They rode the raft in silence for a long time. The sun rose higher and light finally penetrated into the bottom of the canyon, bringing some welcome warmth.

Rosie turned her face up to it, still shivering. Putting down the oar, she spread her damp hair as best she could with her fingers. It hung past her shoulders in a tangled mess but at least it might dry.

Even when the sun hit midday she doubted it would be much more than twelve degrees. Mars was still a cold planet by Earth’s standards.

She picked up the oar again. The current was pulling to the left so she could sit almost comfortably in one spot now.

They drifted on and she ignored the hunger pains chewing at her stomach, wondering idly instead if the river water was safe to drink. She was just bending down to cup her hand when a burst of static came from behind her. Startled, she turned and saw Riley had the com out and was manipulating the controls. His face was tight with concentration. “Keep the raft steady, Rosie.”

“Sorry.” She turned back to working the oar. “Got anything?”

He was adjusting the frequency, the static growing louder, then softer until it faded altogether.

“What the …” He tapped the com on the edge of his hand. “Come on!”

Glancing back, Rosie saw a faint green glow reflecting on his chin from the tiny view screen. A sharp crackle sounded then a voice came from the speaker.

“Hello? Hello, who’s this?” It was a male voice, youthful and slightly high-pitched. “Riley?” He had a lilting accent. “I can barely see you. Is that you?”

“Chris,” Riley said, “yes, it’s me. I need you to–”

“Are you on Mars?”

“Yes,” Riley said impatiently. “I need you to pick us up.”

“How did you get here? When–”

“I don’t have time to explain.” Riley cut him off. “Just keep track of this signal and get some transport out to us.”

“Us?” Chris’s voice went up again but then he must have noticed the expression on Riley’s face. “Okay.” He became all business. “I’ll get Jo. I reckon you’re about half an hour away. We’ll find you.”

“Thanks.” Riley turned off the screen, switching the com to low power. His face was pinched and grey. Rosie thought the drugs must be wearing off. “We’ll need to get close to the wall when they find us,” he said.

She looked up at the high canyon walls.

“Closer? And how the hell are we going to get up those cliffs?” she said.

Riley closed his eyes briefly. “Don’t worry. Chris will think of something.” And with that he crumpled over onto the raft.

Rosie stared at him for a moment in surprise then saw the com slipping out of his grip. She lunged towards it, catching it before it bounced into the water. She clutched it to her chest. That was close. Heart hammering, she lay with the oar in one hand, the com in the other. She had to check Riley. She sat up and leaned over him. He was still breathing, if unsteadily. She zipped the com into the top pocket of her suit and began directing the raft towards the wall of the canyon.

The canyon become wider and the current swifter, as they travelled closer to the junction with the Marineris River. Riley was still unconscious and she watched him closely while she waited for his friends. After a while the com started beeping at her.

She clamped the oar between her knees and answered it, activating the screen. “Hello, Chris?” she said.

The screen wavered and a fuzzy image of a man with black hair appeared. “Who’s that?”

“Rosie. I’m with Riley – he’s passed out.”

Chris turned and she caught snippets of conversation with someone else. “Riley … some kid …”

“Hello?” Rosie raised her voice, annoyed. What the hell were they doing? “Hey,” she shouted into the com, “where are you?”

He turned back to her. “Sorry, what happened to Riley?”

“I think he’s got a broken arm. Where are you?”

“Not far. Look up.”

About twenty metres ahead she saw a figure on the lip of the canyon high above her head.

“Can you get the raft to the wall?” Chris said.

“I’ll try.” She shoved the com back in her pocket and began to direct the raft. The water was moving fast and her muscles ached with the effort of trying to make the raft swing over. How she was going to keep them against the wall when she got there was another question. She couldn’t see any rocks that would provide an anchor point. The wall was just one long angled slope. There were some narrow cracks higher up but at the waterline it was mostly smooth with no bank to speak of.

She got as close as she dared, the wall rushing past her, water foaming against the sides of the raft as the current pulled them along.

“Rosie,” the com crackled, “look for the cable.”

Struggling to keep the raft from crashing into the rock, she glanced up and saw a steel cable dangling down with what appeared to be a hook at the end. Did he want her to try and hold onto the cable? She’d never be strong enough.

“Hook it onto the ropes.” Chris’s voice was muffled over the sound of the water.

More than a little scared, Rosie kneeled on the raft, dragging the oar to keep the raft going towards the cable. If she missed, they’d shoot straight past. And what if Riley rolled off? She dropped the oar onto the raft. Riley stirred, groaning.

“Riley, hold on!” she shouted and reached for the cable. She pulled it down and slipped the hook under the strap across the top of the raft. The hook locked itself and as the current pulled them further along, the cable snapped taut. The raft spun around and jolted, bucking in the swift current, and Rosie lost her balance. She tumbled backwards, bumping into Riley, who had heard her shout and was hanging on to another of the straps. He stuck a leg out, stopping her from falling into the water. The com crackled. “You okay?”

Panting, Rosie shuffled back to the cable. The raft was tilting as the cable held it partly up out of the water at one end. She pulled the com from her pocket. “Okay.” She squinted up to the lip of the canyon.

“Right, we’re coming down to you.”

A harness, equipped with anti-grav thrusters, dropped slowly down on another cable. Riley insisted she go up first and Rosie didn’t argue. The ride up was quick. The light became brighter at the top where a tall thin man and a startlingly beautiful woman were waiting for her. They detached her from the harness and the woman took her to a rover parked facing the canyon.

“Are you all right?” she said, as she opened the back door. “You’re soaking.”

Too exhausted to talk, Rosie mumbled something positive and pulled herself into the vehicle. The woman, who had to be Jo, shut the door and went back to helping Chris get Riley.

Rosie slumped against the padded seat. Every muscle in her body ached and it was such a relief to sit down in a warm, quiet spot. The rover had its own air supply so she could take off her breather. She stared out the window, watching as Chris unhitched Riley from the harness. He looked terrible: pale and grey-faced, and she wondered how he’d managed to hang on to the raft for so long.

She pulled the one remaining glo-tube out of her pocket, then unzipped her suit and peeled it off, kicking the wet material away. Her jeans were spotted with dirt and the red T-shirt was musty with the smell of her own sweat, but it was a relief to have the suit off. She was sorry she’d left the jacket Aunt Essie had given her on the pod, which would be well underwater now. Her aunt would kill her. If she was still alive. She rested her head back on the seat. She was alive. Riley was alive. Exhaustion washed over her. All they had to do now was break into Helios and rescue everybody. Easy. With a soft groan she closed her eyes.

Pip sat at the table in the refectory and stared out of the windows, watching the red dust swirl in the garden.

The refectory was still very much the same. It was a long room with a high ceiling, a servery at the back and a collection of white tables and chairs. The only change he could see was a terrarium in the centre of the room filled with a scene of Mars in miniature, complete with the Genesis colony and the Enclave. He remembered that Tuesdays had always been spinach pie for lunch. Pip hated spinach.

Yuang sat opposite him stirring his tea and staring out at the garden. Finally, he took a sip and said, “You’ve been native too long, Pip; you look shocked. Surely you’ve seen those with the MalX before?”

Pip didn’t answer and a thin smile curved Yuang’s lips. “What we do here is important. You used to believe that.”

“I used to believe a lot of things,” Pip said. Anger was burning his insides and his voice came out choked, growl-like.

“Careful,” Yuang replied, “I might start to think you don’t appreciate everything I’ve done for you.”

Everything he’d done! Pip clenched his hands into fists under the table. “Did you infect Rosie’s dad?” he said.

Yuang put his cup down on its saucer and looked at him with eyes full of weary condescension.

“It is called the Genesis Project, Pip. How else do you think we can find the cure?”

“You told me that was done in the labs. You never said anything about infecting people.” Pip couldn’t reconcile this cold stranger to the man he’d known as a child.

“It is done in labs but perhaps differently to what you assume. The DNA and that special protein that defends against the MalX cannot be grown in a dish. We tried.” He shrugged. “This is the only way. Sacrifices are necessary. You seem to have forgotten the stakes of the game.”

It’s not a game, Pip wanted to shout. He was shaken by Yuang’s calm. How long had this been going on? Was Rosie’s dad only one of many? The other kids he’d known before, the ones who were dead now – had the same happened to them?

“I’m saving lives, Pip.” Yuang leaned forward, watching, almost earnestly. “Sometimes to save lives, you have to take lives.”

“Rosie’s dad wasn’t immune to the MalX,” he said.

“You know that for a fact?” Yuang raised an eyebrow. “Have you tested him yourself? Is that what you’ve been doing on Earth when I couldn’t contact you? Turned into a scientist, have you?”

Pip imagined ploughing his knuckles into Yuang’s face. “If he was immune, he wouldn’t be sick now. You’re only doing it to torture her.”

“That’s true. He isn’t immune,” said Yuang. “Neither, I suspect, is Miss Black. And you’re right, I didn’t infect him for purely scientific reasons. It’s called leverage.”

“You didn’t need to do it.” Pip glared at him.

Yuang smiled. “I’m not a monster – I won’t let him die. I can cure him.” His smile became indulgent and dangerous. “
You
can cure him.”

“What?” Was this a test?

Yuang sat back in his chair, a smug look on his face. “I mean
you
can cure him, Pip. You, it’s in you. You have the ability to stop him dying.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

Yuang’s eyes had a gleam to them now. “You’re special, Pip. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you developing such a strong immunity. And at your age.”

“What?” Pip felt a terrible gnawing at his insides.

“How else do you think you survived all those years on Earth, living in those MalX-infested areas?”

“You gave me antivirals.”

“All we gave you were vitamins and yet you survived. You are immune to the MalX, Pip. The last test we did on you a few months ago showed an astonishing development of your system. We can’t explain it.”

Pip was finding it difficult to breathe. “But you showed me tests, that I wasn’t–”

“They weren’t real.” Yuang surveyed him as if he was a special pet. “I needed you to be cooperative, willing to do anything to get back here where you’d be safe. And I needed to be sure you were as special as you are.”

Pip couldn’t speak. What he was saying was impossible.

“I see you’re shocked,” Yuang said. “But it’s true. You’re not just immune; you’re very special. We knew your parents didn’t have immunity, that’s why it was such a surprise to find out that you do. Your blood stops the virus literally in its tracks and unlike others with immunity, you can pass yours on. You should be pleased. It means no more Earth trips for you. You’re too precious now. We have so many tests we need to do.”