EarthFall

Chapter 2 Whatsup Doc?.

Carson sat impatiently through the last round of tests in sick bay. He was of course, in Excellent physical condition. At 28 years old, He had trained his whole life for this mission. Their expedition came to be known as "Project Adam". A specialized task force of individuals specially and eugenically chosen at birth and trained in the art of classical warfare.

His specialty, Botany. His Crew's mission, to return to Earth and scout locations for potential colonization.

"Something on your mind?" The doctor asked

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Your heart rate just went up .4 degrees from standard deviation. What were you thinking about?"

"I thought I left the coffee dispenser on."

The doctor, who was also happened to be his psychologist, eyed him sternly. The truth was, the thought of returning to the blackened hellscape of Earth terrified him. And it wasn't the toxic rain, the radioactive swamps or the rumors of mutated abominations roaming the land that scared him so much.

It was the fact that that's where the monsters of humanities past had lived. The monsters who had destroyed the human species with a brutal, swift armageddon. The monsters who had chased his ancestors to this rust stained, underground world.
"It's nothing Doc, I'm fine."

Senior staff member Henry Bowers slowly put his papers down, took his glasses off, and pulled up a seat next to Carson.

"What is it Sir?" Carson asked. He wasn't used to seeing Bowers act so solemn. He was a man

characteristically of spirit, active and busy.

"I'm fine, Cadet. What you need to worry about right now is yourself."

"I've been properly trained and certified sir. My allegiances to the HUD are unquestionably--"

"Carson. Listen to me. I'm not talking about that. There's things you don't know about earth. And I'm not talking about the gravity or the radiation."

"What?"

The doctor paused, as if considering his words carefully.

"You're not like the others, Carson..." He began, but Carson cut him off.

"The hell's that supposed to mean? I've been trained for--"

"I'm not talking about your capabilities god damnit Carter! I'm just..."

The doctor sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. "Never mind. The last few missions have just started taking their toll. I'm not thinking clearly. What I meant to say was I think your botanical training will prove to be more practical than you or your teammates currently think. There's a whole host of medicinal plants from earth that we don't have access to anymore and even a small sample could put the field years ahead of--"

"Doc. You don't need to baby me. I'm an adult. No one bullies me anymore for having been given the most boring, unscientific curriculum."

"Your heart rate seems to suggest otherwise. Now I wish you a safe journey, godspeed and all that. And if you do happen to find any Rosaceae, please do remember to bring me back a sample. I've been trying for years to clone one for my wife, but we've ran out of materials on that particular genus."

"Sure. Yea. See you in 14 months, if all goes well."

The Doctor paused again.

"Sure. See you around Cadet." Then he abruptly saluted him with the signature Martian motto:

"Learn to adapt and learn to live."

That gave Carson a chill. But he had already disconnected the electrodes so the doctor wouldn't see how much it spooked him. He grabbed his coat and marched to the mess hall.

A good cadet wasn't supposed to be afraid.