mars

Davin has been waiting for this day his entire life. On his ninth birthday, his parents took him to see Alien and Aliens back to back in IMAX 3D for the Alien franchise’s 70th anniversary. Since then, he’s wanted to explore the vast reaches of outer space. Now, after a two-month flight, he’s one step from being the first person to set foot on Mars, a real step toward inhabiting the livable planet.

 ——

“Hey, NASA. I’m here. Permission to go outside? Over.”

Hey, Dav. Not yet. Over.

“What’s the holdup? Over.”

Tech determining safety of ground. Over.

“Okay. Well, how long will it take? Over.”

Couple of minutes. Are there any visible threats? Over.

“Nope. A whole lot of orange, orange, and orange. Over.”

Any signs of water or life? Over.

“Nope. Nothing but oranges. Over.”

There are oranges there? Over.

“No, just orange everything. Also, do we need to keep saying over? Over.”

Yes. Over.

“Seems unnecessary.”

… 

Are you finished? Over.

“Yes, I am over. Over.”

Hey, Dav. A bit of tough luck. Tech scanners indicate Mars surface is all quicksand. Over.

“What? What does that mean? Over.”

It means you’re not setting foot on Mars. Not safe. Prep for journey back please. Over.

“What? I didn’t fly all the way here to just look at Mars! I’m going out. Over.”

Dav.

…

Dav.

…

Damn it, Dav.