Page 58 of The Red Woman on Mars

“State your purpose,” an official voice sounded through the cabin.

Xavier gave two false names. “We are traveling to Catena on business. Our line of work is terraforming consulting.”

“Please be aware that Arcadia has issued a travel advisory. By entering the Catena dome, you assume an increased risk of fraud, theft, injury, and death. Outsider political activity and activism are strictly prohibited by the Catena authorities.”

“Thank you. Your warning is noted.”

The ship passed through the barrier onto a holding deck. The dome wall rotated and the ship was suddenly outside the dome and in the thin Martian atmosphere.

“Death?” Vivian demanded.

“We’ll be fine.” He said no more.

Uneasily, Vivian looked out the window at the barren Martian landscape. The ground was a rusty red, and the aircar stirred dust in its wake. Since she and her family arrived at Sumter, Vivian had never gone anywhere at all, except in her imagination. She had a greater range of motion on Mars, but her life was still constrained and full of rules. Now, in a single afternoon, Xavier Dorsey had taken her further than she had ever dreamed.

As they rose, Vivian had a full view of Arcadia. The dome glittered in the blazing sun. She could see linked rail lines to other domes, a spider web of connections that grew more and more complex as her view zoomed out.

There were no rail lines to Catena.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

4 Sols to Presentation Day

Stepping down into the shuttleport at Catena was as disorienting for Vivian as the day she’d first landed on Mars. In Arcadia, the open plaza had been full of well-dressed Martians with elaborate headwear, with only a few Earthers serving as porters and bodyguards. Here, Martians and the occasional Earthers freely mingled, clad in form-fitting black outfits. If Xavier hadn’t known to bring alternative clothing, they would have stuck out immediately. She hoped the rest of his knowledge would prove effective.

In the gathering darkness, the port was dimly lit and disorganized. A long line snaked around as people waited for a single human ticket seller. Empty cups and papers littered the dusty ground.

One food merchant sold an unrecognizable brown stew, and Vivian mentally thanked the Dorsey staff for the cultured roast beef sandwich she’d eaten in the aircar. Even if the stew did give her a sort of anti-nostalgia for her mother’s cooking at Sumter.

“Come on.” Xavier lengthened his stride, and Vivian hurried to catch up.

They arrived shortly at a four-story building with a brightly painted mural of a jungle under an orange sky on the outer wall and a single sign above labeledHostelry. At the desk inside, Xaviertold the human attendant brusquely, “One room with two beds.” He’d dropped his usual refined manners.

“Only one bed per room in these parts, so close to the port. I can get you two rooms if you’d like,” the bored clerk drawled.

Xavier glanced at Vivian, and she gave a slight jerk of her head. She didn’t want to be separated from him in this strange place. “One room is sufficient.”

The modest rented room was simply furnished with an en suite bathroom, side chair, and a built-in platform bed with two pillows. Xavier held up one finger to her and pulled a silver rectangular handheld device out of the bag. He moved the device deliberately along the walls.

“All done,” he said finally. “The room isn’t bugged.”

Bugged? Such a possibility hadn’t even occurred to Vivian, and she was grateful once again for Xavier’s willingness to help her. She wouldn’t be able to do this on her own.

Vivian moved to peer out the window at the street below. Mopeds flitted through the narrow street around larger vehicles in a maze of traffic so different from the wide, pedestrian-friendly streets of Arcadia. Two Martian men argued on a street corner under a flickering yellow light. A cacophony of noises—music, honking, shouting, and laughter—penetrated the thin windowpane.

Xavier gently steered her from the window. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve seen a single child since we’ve landed.”

Xavier activated the window’s blackout screen. “Not many children are born here.”

Vivian thought of Delilah, pregnant and alone. “How does the population grow then?”

“Through defections from the other domes. People dissatisfied with their current situations and looking for a change.”

Vivian rubbed her arms. An entire dome full of people who disliked the status quo on Mars enough to uproot their lives. “What do we do now?”

He returned the detection device to their shared duffel. “We get some sleep. In the morning, we call on my old friend.”