Rabbit Hole on Mars - Day 30 (Nov 30) 622 words

Chapter 30

Opportunity's controls fully returned to Scott. He was zooming in on the smashed pieces of three rovers. A month of threats and danger, over in a split second. Donna sat with him quietly in the room at NASA.

Brian walked back into the room, “What should we do now?”

Scott laughed to himself, “This might sound a little weird, but we could finish the labyrinth.”

“Let's do that,” Brian said.

Just Joe and Kantpis were frantically making calls to the state patrol, sheriff's departments and police departments in Arizona. Don being arrested could become a media nightmare.

People began to gather on the road looking down on the ditch. Many of them with cell phones live streaming.

“Sam!” Don yelled as he took off his VR Goggles.

She had buckled him into his seat during the chase instead of herself.

“SAM!”

The van had bucked when it crashed into the ditch. Samantha's head had hit the ceiling. She was unconscious in Don's arms. Adam was slowly moving in the driver's seat, he had worn his seat belt on.

Don gently laid Samantha on to the bench seat. He was shaking.

The sound of a dented car door opened outside.

Holding onto Samatha's hand, Don whispered, “Sam, I'm sorry.”

Samantha's chest rose and fell at a steady pace, but she wasn't waking up.

Anger overtook Don. His mind and body switched to some kind of auto-pilot. He pulled open the side door on the van. Outside he found Jason standing outside the Mini-Cooper. The two approached each other for one final confrontation as various law enforcement officers lined up on the road, aiming down into the ditch with guns drawn.

One officer kept yelling, “Put your hands up! Both of you.”

None of the officers would descend down into the ditch to take control of the situation.

Jason threw the first punch at Don.

Don took the punch, because that would be the last punch Jason would get to throw at Don. The first punch Don threw connected hard enough it knocked Jason backwards. Jason to regained his balance. Approaching Don again, the next punch was faster and harder than the first.

Another officer yelled, “Put your goddamn hands up, NOW!”

Jason began to fall over. Don landed more punches. Punches hard enough that Don's knuckles began to crack and bleed.

There came a point where Don realized he was a few punches from murdering Jason. Every punch only tenderizing the brain inside Jason's skull. Don couldn't wake himself up from the rage. He kept swinging.

“Don!”

Don stopped immediately and looked back at the van. There stood Samantha, struggling to stand up.

Don stood up as if Jason wasn't even there and rushed to Samantha.

“Don, let's get out of here,” Samantha said as she hugged and held onto Don.

One of the officers received a sudden phone call. He holstered his pistol and told the other officers to holster their guns. Ambulances arrived and began to give medical attention to Adam, Jason and the driver of the Mini-Cooper.

Don and Samantha were sitting on the back bumper of an ambulance. A reporter approached them with a microphone, “Is it true you are the mastermind behind these rogue rover's on Mars?”

Don simply nodded his head.

“Do you feel like it was all for nothing since you have nothing to show for your time on Mars now?”

Don looked into the camera, “We still have Opportunity on Mars.”

“But I mean, what about you personally. What are you going to do?”

Don put his arm around Sam and pulled her close, “We're going to Mars.”