FIRE AND ICE

FIRE AND ICE
by Cathy Colston
The mission was clear. The men, all scientist from various different backgrounds in the United States would travel to the Red Planet. The forth planet from the sun and, although small, the seventh largest to be exact, this crew had reason to be extremly interested in it.
For years they had studied its red hue with ground based telescopes, although even the largest still sometimes proved to be a difficult target for Mars was a tiny planet indeed. To these men of science and men of intrigue, this Red Planet over 227,940,000 kilometers from the sun was the most favorable for habitation than all the planets since the earth itself. For years probes had been sent with excitement growing on each occasion information was gathered. They had seen its canals and were overehelmed with joy when geological data and pictures were returned by various unmanned spacecraft.
They had studied and knew about the temperature variation within the depths of the surface. They knew that its weather was extremely unpredictable. One week the sky was a cloudless pastell pink with no blowing winds that raised from the rusty brown Martian surface. By the standards of Mars,a day is warm at about minus forty degrees fahrenheit. Then suddenly,in just a matter of a few whimsical days,the dust from the atmosphere plummets forty degrees and brilliant water ice clouds appear against a luminously dark blue sky.
It is what lies beneath the Martian surface that tweeks the interests of this eight man crew. The evidence of large blocks of water,now frozen exists near the equator. An excellent source of evidence for previous life on the planet. Now barren for over 65 million years
Apprehension and excitement aligned the faces of each man. For this occasion would be an historic event. They envisioned their names on plaques. The books they would sell. The special appearances they would make and some even envisioned schools or hospitals being named in their honor.
They had come well equipped with expensive equippment. The very best that money could buy. All of the tedious work would be done by the mechanical hands of these massive creations. They would chip away at the ice and reveal the evidence lurking beneath. Evidence that had to this day been undisturbed for million of years.
They each wore special suits that would enable them to breath due to the lower atmosphere on the planet, composed of more carbon dioxide than that of the Earth's and less of all other chemicals and was thereby unbreathable. They planned to finally answer the question that had been on everyone's mind since the beginning of times. Did an asteroid, similiar to the one that collided with the earth and killed the dinosaurs, wipe out all the life on Mars? The answer to this question was not a simple one and each of the men was very anxious and hopeful for the results. The outcome of their mission,if successful,would make their careers. However,if the mission proved to fail to bring about the results the wished then they could return home as failures. This would make them each a laughing stock in their field of expertise. Alot depended on the outcome of this events, grants,funds, further research.
The men began their work diligently. Each corresponding well with the other. Lieutenant Colonel Geral Paul Carre of the United States Marine Corps was the leader of the mission and had spent well over 715 hours in space. It would be his duty to ensure that the men arrived on target to the mission. However, Sean O'Keefer a physists from Arizona,along with Sgt Peter Gavin,and John Grunsfield all with M.D's in biological science and engineering would take bacteria samples. The others,Overmyers, Simms, Franklin and Heinze with degrees ranging from aerodynamics, to astronomy,and nuclear physiology would drill through the surface of the massive lays of ice.
The drilling process took the men roughly four hours. Then they carefully placed the displosive devices. After this, they had suddenly broken through a few of the barries of ice and the tiny probes of the machine began the work of extracting the putrifying liquid from the surface located hundreds on kilometers beneath. They each looked at eachother feeling triumphant. They machine did the hard work for them. Their hands neither felt or saw the substance that was ommitted into the highly innovative containers, this was so that the substance would not contaminated in any way. The probe searched its way through the icey murky waters and found its target many times until finnally satified it ceased.
It was while the men were gathering their equipment that the rumbling began. Small and suttle tiny trembling. So much so that neither seemed to notice. It was Overmyer who felt it first. Then the others simotameously. They looked at eachother in a look of bewilderment,each contemplating the ideas of a Mars quake similar to the ones felt many times on Earth. But then in a look of emmense horror they saw the creatures. Thousands of them. They resembled black beetles but larger,with numerous legs moving fastidiously toward them. Neither men had a chance to escape. They creatures were much too fast. They attacked and devoured Grunsfield first,leaving not a trace of evidence behind, no bones or blood. The others tried to gather themselves quickly to the safety of their ship but this proved to be a useless task. For more of the tiny beast-like creatures attacked. They were each quickly devoured into nothingness at the bellies of the creatures.