Rabbit Hole on Mars - Day 6 (Nov 6) 735 words

Chapter 6

News media vans with television crews lined the road up to the NASA facility. All wanting an interview with anyone willing to talk to them. Brian had been interviewed before and enjoyed sharing information with the public. As he neared the NASA facility, Brian kept his eyes fixed on the road instead of waving at Kim from Channel Eight or Jordan from Channel Three. He repeated to himself that he was a nobody and it would keep anyone from noticing him. The only problem were the reporters yelling at him as he waited to have his badge checked at the front gate.

“Brian Creek, what can you tell the American people about this martian rabbit?”

“Mr. Creek, is it true the rabbit plans to hold Opportunity for ransom on Mars?”

“Brain, it's about time you tell the American people what you're hiding from them!”

Brian's vehicle passed through the check point.

The last reporter's comment felt like a painful jab. What was he hiding from the American people? He thought about it. He's been running the Opportunity rover successfully for over a decade on Mars. Of course the rover is operated by a team of people, but within each of those team members is a hint of loneliness. As that rover moves across the Martian surface, each person involved takes moments to feel as if they are the rover. As if they are looking around for someone else. All the accomplishments on Mars, still give everyone a sense of sadness. Travel all that way, no one waiting for you.

Someday, humans will travel farther than Mars, farther than our solar system. You have to accept the fact that there might never be anyone waiting for you out there. You have to be okay with that, because ultimately the pioneers become the welcoming committee. But all those who arrive after the pioneers and feel that sense of excitement to have been waited on will never understand what the pioneers know. Beyond where humans have expanded is more loneliness repackaged to the rest as progress.

On top of all that, Brian knew that his time with NASA might be coming to an end if this rabbit situation didn't play out well. Even if it did, one day Brian would be told to retire. To stop looking out into space with the rover. It's one thing to go out and not find anyone waiting for you outside your planet. It's another to be told on your own planet, your time exploring space has come to an end. Thanks for the help, now go find something else to do until your body expires.

So what was he hiding from the American people? His feelings about loneliness in the universe.

Scott sat down at the rover control station and fired up all the computers. He checked Opportunity and saw it had successfully downloaded the Bluetooth software. The optics opened up and as others began to filter into the room, Scott took a look around for Frankie the rabbit. Pan left, pan right, no rabbit.

“Are you kidding me?” Scott said to the screen. Ready to connect. Ready to lift the veil of mystery from this person controlling a rogue rover on the surface of Mars.

Panning down to inspect the solar panels, Scott smiled to himself. They had been dusted off.

“Coffee,” Agent Kantpis offered a cup to Scott.

“Thanks.”

“Any sign of the rabbit?”

“Nothing. He dusted us off at some point and left.”

Brian entered the room, “I don't see a rabbit on the screen.”

“He's no where to be found,” Scott said.

“Donna can you pull up some satellite images to show us what our friend has been up to.”

Donna opened a close up image of the rabbit on a side screen, “Two things. The rabbit is pretty damn far away from us right now, but it's been very busy all night long. Pull back to this image and we see that Frankie has been busy stacking more rocks. It appears he is in the beginning phases of building some sort of labyrinth out of the rocks.”

“What's the purpose of a labyrinth?” Just Joe asked.

“Meditation,” Donna replied, “To be alone with your thoughts. Whatever Frankie is building, it appears it's going to take him several days to accomplish it.”