The Aquifers of Mars

The Assignment

The hovercar slid up in front of a tall steel and glass building, glistening in the sun, coming to a stop behind a line of other cars dropping off and picking up passengers. As Gareth waited to reach the front of the queue, he sipped his tea and finished reading the news. There was more unrest in Australia, something about forced relocation to make room for spaceport upgrades. He took another sip but his tea was already going cold, so he sat in silence with his eyes closed until a soft tone announced he had reached his destination and the door slid open. Stepping out onto the walkway, he paused a moment to take in the fragrant smell of the lilac trees lining the path toward the Office of the Interior, then proceeded inward.

"Good morning Mr. Wells," said Jake, the skinny security guard manning the scanner.

"Where's Farad?"

"Sick. He called in from the hospital, won't be back for a few days."

Gareth gave a curt nod and stepped forward onto the milky white platform, sighed, and waited for the scan to complete. Farad usually waved him through, even though diplomats aren't supposed to be exempt from scanning procedure. Gareth hoped it was nothing serious; he wasn't looking forward to doing this every day.

A green light winked briefly and Jake waved him on. He moved past the security station, toward the bank of elevators that would carry him up to the 75th floor. Reaching out to touch the call button, he hesitated for a moment, then jabbed his finger at it. As usual, a quiet snap broke the silence as a tiny arc of static electricity attacked his finger, and he cursed under his breath. It had been doing this for weeks and the incompetent apes in maintenance still hadn't figured out how to fix it. Maybe he would start wearing cotton gloves. He made a mental note to talk to his tailor about putting together an outfit to go with them as the doors slid open with a hiss of escaping air.

The ride up was uneventful and he was pleased to see his usual secretary waiting for him. Tim was well kempt, kept his desk free of personal items, didn't talk needlessly, and had no family to distract him from his duties. He was exactly what Gareth wanted in a secretary, even if Tim occasionally scheduled overlapping appointments or forgot to return calls.

"Good morning Mr. Wells, Ms. O'Malley would like to see you when you have a minute."

This brought him to a full stop. Kate rarely asked to see him and, when she did, it was never at his convenience. A knot formed in his stomach and his mind raced to guess what she wanted.

"I'd better see her now. Hold my calls and if I'm not back in time, tell my first appointment... you know..."

"Very good sir."

He headed out to the corridor and walked swiftly back to the elevators. The seconds crawled by and he nearly knocked a short man over charging into the capsule when it finally arrived. Moments later he emerged onto the 90th floor and made a beeline for Kate's office. A smart looking woman with hair tightly knotted in a bun greeted him as he burst through the door and he had to pause to collect himself before he could answer her inquisitive look. Smoothing back his hair, he said as calmly as he could, "Gareth Wells, here to see Ms. O'Malley."

"You can go in. Ms. O'Malley is expecting you."

Gareth strode past her desk and stood in front of the large mahogany door at the far side of the office. Straightening his back, he took in a sharp breath, turned the handle, and stepped through. Kate was seated at her desk, reading a tablet through a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose, a strange affectation she had picked up despite perfect vision. She glanced up at him, removed the glasses, and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Gareth."

She certainly didn't waste time on pleasantries. He took a seat and folded his hands in his lap.

"I have good news for you," she continued. "You're being reassigned."

A wave of relief passed over him. In the elevator, he'd suddenly remembered an incident two months ago when he'd accidentally insulted the daughter of a prominent hydrogen magnate after a cocktail too many, mistaking her for a fellow diplomat from the Federated States of Brazil and delivering an off colour greeting. He'd managed to smooth things over but he suspected a breakdown in negotiations with the Lunar Colony had been a direct consequence of losing corporate influence from the moon's mining companies.

"That's wonderful! And where am I off to next?"

For the past year he'd been hinting that he'd be the perfect fit for West Russia. There was also an opening in Norway that would be easy work, even if he didn't care for the scenery. Kate leaned back in her chair and pressed her fingers together in front of her, looking down for a moment before she placed her hands back on the arms of her chair. Her response was as brief as it was devastating.

"Mars."