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Senator Johnson stepped meekly into Grayson’s office. Henry closed the door and stood between it and Johnson.
Grayson turned from his panoramic view of the ocean and faced the senator with a harsh glare. He crossed his thick muscled arms. “I’ve been calling you for days and you’ve not returned any of my messages. What have you found out about the state releasing more prisoners into my care?”
Johnson cleared his throat. “The decision was a resounding, ‘no.’”
Grayson watched the senator. Even though he didn’t meet Grayson’s eyes, Grayson detected a slight amused smile on Johnson’s face. “You think this is funny?”
Johnson straightened like he’d been pushed, and he was trying to regain his balance. “No, sir.”
“I’m under the impression that you didn’t put forth your best effort with the prison board.”
“I told you when we last spoke that they weren’t going to approve any more releases until you could provide definite proof of their safety and a full report of their health statuses.”
Grayson frowned. “You did little to sway them. All you did was agree with them and ridicule my project.”
“That’s not true.”
“Oh?” Grayson said.
Senator Johnson shook slightly.
“I have a recording of the meeting. Would you like to hear it?”
Johnson did meet Grayson’s eyes then. “What? How?”
“That’s not important. What angers me the most is how you can come into my office and lie to me, while thinking their denial of granting me more workers was humorous. How long have you known me, senator?”
“A long time.”
“Over two decades, right?”
“Correct.”
“What has generally happened to anyone who has gotten in my way whenever I’ve needed something?”
Johnson frowned and fought not to look away from Grayson. “Don’t threaten me, Boyd.”
Grayson chuckled softly, but his eyes blazed with indignation. “Log reports show that your son is presently aboard one of my shuttles and is on his way to Olympus Mons to inspect operations. Isn’t this correct?”
Johnson stood silently for about thirty seconds.
“Isn’t that correct?”
“Of course,” Johnson replied. “That’s his normal schedule. Nothing unusual about that. You even signed the contract that he was approved to do the inspections and report back to the government aviation committee.”
“Since your recent backstabbing and obvious avoidance of meeting me, I’ve taken it upon myself to reconsider that agreement.”
“What do you mean?” Johnson asked.
“I’ve revoked that contract, and now, it seems, your son is trespassing. I’ve placed an order for him to be taken into custody immediately, and he will be held in a cell when he reaches Olympus Mons.”
“What?”
“Turn your hearing aid up, if you didn’t hear me.”
“I heard you. Don’t dare threaten me, especially when it comes to the welfare of my son. You cannot expect to get your demands by holding my son hostage.”
“Hostage?” Grayson shook his head. “No. He’s trespassing, which means he’s breaking the law. He’s a criminal.”
“You can’t change the rules after he’s already left Earth’s atmosphere and thereby take him into custody. That’s unethical and illegal.”
“Illegal by whose statutes? The U.S. holds no jurisdiction aboard my vessels and certainly not at Olympus Mons.”
Senator Johnson’s face flushed crimson red. “Boyd, you cannot do this.”
“Seems I already have.”
“That’s it! I’m reporting you before Congress and you’ll be under full investigation. They’ll scour every transaction you’ve ever made. I’ll make sure of it.”
Grayson grinned. “Your threats are pathetic when you don’t have any ground to stand upon.”
“You’ve crossed the line.”
“Capital punishment no longer occurs in the U.S., but on Mars, I make the laws. Did you know that? I could enact a clause that any trespasser be put to death without prejudice. That would be on the books for months before your son even arrives, so it would be valid and not considered a spur of the moment amendment.”
Johnson’s lips quivered. The crimson on his cheeks paled. His desperate eyes searched Grayson’s for mercy that didn’t exist. “Please, Mr. Grayson. Don’t do this. I’m sorry for my outburst. If you can give me another month, I can approach the prison committee and make a new request? Or I could plead with a committee in a different state? But Joey, Joe’s my only child. My boy.”
“The outburst is not the issue,” Grayson said in a low tone that almost resembled the threat of a growl. “However, your defiant disregard is quite problematic. I thought when you last left my office that we had an understanding. An agreement. Do you think I spout words to hear myself talk?”
“No,” he replied in a near whisper.
“No, is correct. I addressed you. Right where you stand.”
Johnson nodded.
Grayson stepped around the side of the desk and sat on its edge, still crossing his arms. His gaze was colder than an angered cobra sizing up its prey. “You have one month to redeem yourself. One hundred prisoners, as I requested before. You fail, and there will be severe consequences.”
Johnson nodded nervously. Tears moistening his eyes. His lower lip trembled so he bit it.
“You need to realize that I have eyes and ears planted all through the world in the places where you’d least expect it. I’ve a good mind to release that video to the public of your little imprudence. Not only would that put you in new light to your wife, but I also imagine it will draw major skepticism by your counterparts in Congress. They are like jackals when they smell fear. Regardless of what side you’re on in politics, there are always those without your own party that seek to remove the weaker. So never step into my office making threats. Understand?”
Johnson nodded.
“I don’t think you do. Take a look behind you.”
Johnson’s eyes widened. Slowly he turned and Henry pressed a 9mm to Johnson’s forehead. The cold barrel caused him to take a deep breath. The senator swallowed hard and piss ran down his legs.
Grayson had made threats before, but never had one of his men ever pulled a gun on him. Johnson’s eyes crossed as he stared up at the gun barrel. He also noticed the wide grin on Henry’s face and the gleam in his eyes. There was a hunger in the guard’s eyes he’d never seen before. Johnson had never seen the man smile before, and now, he wished that he never had.
Johnson knew that Grayson wasn’t a part of any mafia, but he was something more powerful and far worse. He questioned why he had decided to challenge Grayson after all this time instead of acquiescing Grayson’s demands like normal.
Henry lowered the gun and stepped aside.
Slowly, Johnson turned to face Grayson again. Johnson’s pants legs were hot with wet lines running down the inside seams. The smell of urine lofted. Grayson seemed to ignore it and the slight puddle on the carpet.
“I can make you disappear,” Grayson said. “Don’t think I cannot replace you with another senator. Someone younger and more power-hungry. Someone with the incentive and ambition to get the job done properly. Now get the hell out of my office.”
***
Jonas stood at the shuttle door until each member he had chosen to return to Earth had boarded. Oddly, Matthews had not made his presence known. Jonas had expected him to at least make an appearance at the landing bay, but in a sense he was relieved that Matthews hadn’t.
Jonas boarded and motioned the pilot to seal the door. He took a seat beside Boony.
She smiled. She had put on makeup and fixed her hair before boarding. She didn’t look like she normally did.
“I guess you made the right decision?” Jonas asked.
“Why?”
“You look happier and more relaxed.”
Boony nodded. “I suppose so. What about you?”
“Ask me in seven months.”
She laughed.
“Everyone I chose to return to Earth showed up.”
She nodded toward the seat across the aisle. “Is that Norm Schrader seated over there?”
“Yes. Since he wants to kill Matthews, I thought it best he board. My guess is Matthews would have killed him had we left Norm behind.”
“He probably would have.”
“Clark came too, but only if I let him bring the insects.”
“You let him?”
“Of course.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He nodded. “Not to worry. These three insects eat the ferret food. And besides that, Derek’s two robots are guarding them inside an enclosed room.”
“I suppose that is safer.”
Jonas nodded. “Yes. I can’t deny a young scientist’s ambition.”
“Even if it endangers the lives of others?”
“Unraveling the mysteries of science isn’t always a safe endeavor. But since it’s unlikely that any of us will ever make the voyage back to Mars, I wouldn’t want Clark to spend the rest of his life living with the regret of abandoning his greatest discovery. If these insects prove to be the only docile ones to emerge from their hive, they can contribute a vast amount of understanding about their hive and possibly give us more information about the history of Mars.”
“Do you think Grayson will attempt to steal Clark’s glory?” she asked.
Jonas shrugged. “It’s possible, if Grayson finds out about them. But, I don’t plan on letting him know. I’ve told Clark not to say a word about bringing them back. There are countless scientific labs in the U.S. that would secretly grant him access to their labs for secondary recognition.”
“Grayson will sue once the knowledge is released to the public.”
“I was serious about the class action suit, Boony. He’s going to be so tied up in court and dealing with legalities about violating human rights, the insects will be the least of his problems. If justice is served properly, he’ll spend a long time in prison.”
Boony grinned and shook her head.
“What?”
“People like Grayson don’t get time in prison. They seldom do.”
“That’s true some of the time, but Grayson has a lot of enemies in the political world and with the public in general. There will be protests. People will insist that he pay for his crimes, especially family members of the prisoners on Mars.”
Boony laughed softly. “And all this time I thought you liked Grayson.”
“I had a job and a duty to perform. I did what I had to in order to protect Derek, but even I have my limitations. No amount of money can override my true morals. What Grayson didn’t know was that I’ve kept a journal about what he’s been doing, and what the prisoners have endured. I have kept thorough documented records of their shifts, sicknesses, and the use of the Sleeper Chips. The Sleeper Chip technology is the most damning evidence against Grayson because their use in humans violates all human rights.”
“And this is why you don’t mind allowing Matthews to take control of Mars?”
“Let the two egotistical monsters battle it out. I’m too fatigued to make this my fight, and with all the evidence I can present in court, making my exit now is in my best interest as well as everyone else’s.”
Boony marveled. “Honesty, I never viewed this to be your stance. You seemed so devoted to keeping order on Mars.”
Jonas nodded. “Of course. Without the prisoners being under control of those chips, everyone’s life was endangered. But, Boony, I worked for the CIA for many years enforcing the law and protecting the innocent as best I could. That’s something I cannot dismiss, even after I retired. I kept the best poker-face possible. Grayson was none the wiser.”
“None of us were.”
“Once Grayson receives news about Matthews taking over Mars, he’s going to try to contact me.”
“Will you talk to him?”
Jonas shook his head. “No, We’re going to be in Hyber-Sleep in a day or so. We could all use the rest.”
She smiled. “I was apprehensive about undergoing that on my flight to Mars. Other than the intense grogginess for the first few hours after being brought out, I did feel better. Will we be awakening each month like before?”
“I think that’s safer.”
“Probably. But with us asleep, Grayson will be pissed when he cannot talk to you.”
“I know. I’d love to be a fly on his office wall when Matthews gives him the news.”
Boony winced. “Oh, I imagine there will be a great deal of outrage.”
“Unlike anything another human has ever witnessed. But, there’s not much Grayson can do about it from Earth. He has weekly ships arriving, but more are empty ore vessels than passenger shuttles. He might send more trained guards to Mars, but it will take seven months for them to arrive. There’s no way to predict exactly what Matthews will do. He might make good on his promise to release the prisoners from the Sleeper Chips.”
“You think he’d be that desperate?” she asked.
Jonas shook his head. “It’s not desperation. You’ve read each prisoner’s records, haven’t you?”
“A lot of them.”
“These are people who have no conscience under a madman’s control. Even if Grayson sent the best tactical squad he has, a lot of people will die. It’s a no win situation for Grayson. If his soldiers kill the prisoners, there will be less miners and less work. There’s a greater chance that his men suffer failure rather than succeed.”
Boony sighed. “You’ve thought this out for quite some time, haven’t you?”
“I calculate circumstances all the time. I never had any reason to until the Sleeper Chips began malfunctioning.” Jonas turned slightly in his seat so he could look Boony in the eyes. “Can I ask you something and get an honest reply from you?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“You helped Magnus escape, didn’t you?”
Boony swallowed hard and looked away.
“Look, I’m not going to reprimand you or report what has happened to Grayson now, okay. I want the truth.”
“I did, but I had legitimate reasons for doing so.”
“I imagine you did. I’ve worked with you long enough to know that you never deliberately act outside the law. But, if I may ask, what about Magnus led you to believe that he’s innocent?”
Boony pursed her lips. After a few moments of thinking, her eyes peered into his. “Some things in his records didn’t seem right.”
“You think he was framed?”
“The evidence against him was sketchy at best, and the warden in Texas was hasty to offer Magnus to Grayson for the prisoner-release Mars program. Even if Magnus was guilty of the murder, he doesn’t have a record like any of the others.”
Jonas nodded. “I read through his file. I agree. Something wasn’t right, and I can see why Magnus wouldn’t return even with my assurance that I’d see he got a fair retrial. Hell, it would be difficult to trust anyone after you abruptly awakened in the Martian mines. I’d take the first chance back to Earth myself. But I do have connections on Earth. If we can find him when we arrive, I might be able to help him. The problem is that they have a few weeks’ head start.”
“I know. I’ve thought about that, too.”
“One more question.”
“Okay?”
“Did you let him into the gem vault?”
Boony’s face flushed red. “I did. I’m sorry for lying about that.”
Jonas shrugged. “I thought you did, and that’s what gave me the inspiration for getting those gems I handed out to everyone aboard. Even if a class action against Grayson guarantees we keep our pay and pensions, they all deserve an incredible bonus for their service.”
“And their retreat?”
Jonas laughed. “With the dangers on Mars, we’re all safer aboard this shuttle than on Mars.”
“What about the Chinese robots?”
“According to Derek, Bradbury and Isaac used the EMP to knock all eight out of commission.”
“So Matthews doesn’t need to worry about them?”
“No. Their biggest living nightmare is the thousands of bloodthirsty insects. I hope the ones I assigned to seal off Mineshaft 15 were capable of doing so. It doesn’t guarantee they won’t be attacked later, but it keeps them safe for a little while longer.” He leaned back in the soft seat, rested his head, and closed his eyes. “I suggest finding something to read from the computer library or streaming a good movie.”
“I’ve been browsing. It’s hard to make a decision. Are you going to nap?”
Jonas chuckled. “Let an old man have a few moments to rest. I think with the stress I’ve endured, I deserve it.”