Second Generation by Chris Gregory

Author:Chris Gregory
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: family drama, dystopia, conflict, discovery, survival, exploration, rescue mission, climate crisis, mars and earth
Publisher: Chris Gregory

Demetria woke in her hammock. Had Chen lifted her into it? She heard gentle background noises of voices from outside the shuttle against that lapping of the waves against the shore. She stretched and rolled out onto her feet. There was a moment of disorientation and nauseating heaviness before she realised that she was still being dragged down by Earth gravity. She struggled into her exoskeleton and stumbled outside.

She was almost blinded. The sunlight hit her with physical force, making her reel like a drunk. She grabbed the frame of the door and rubbed her eyes.

“Good morning, D.” She recognised Chen’s voice before her eyes could adjust to see him. “Put these on,” he said pressing something into her free hand.

She squinted at it, “Oh! Sunglasses.”

Martians never had need of sunglasses. Some technicians wore eye protectors when welding, but the sun was never bright enough to trouble their eyes. Leo had warned the team that the sun on Earth would seem uncomfortably bright, but few had taken it seriously because of all the cloud cover. He had designed the sunglasses with Demetria anyway and printed off one for each the landing team. Demetria put them on, immediately feeling more comfortable. She marvelled at the blue shimmer around reflections from other people’s glasses and off the cups of tea they were holding. Polarised glasses were fun.

“We are over twenty kilometres from the location of the signal,” said Leo, pointing east along the shore and into the sun. “I propose we make three groups today. I’d like Chen, Ursula and Demetria to help me search for the signal. I’d like Feng and Katya to keep working on ideas to raise the shuttle, sorry guys.” They smiled and waved his apology away. “Georgia, I know you want to continue your studies on the trees. I suggest Phoebe and Samaira go with you to continue meteorological measurements and you all stay in contact on the open channel.”

Everyone seemed satisfied with the arrangement, though there was a slight frown from Georgia, “Look after yourselves,” she said, looking at Demetria and the others in the search team. Perhaps she was thinking of the shadow Demetria saw in the forest the previous day.

Leo and Feng had already unpacked one of the mini rovers from the shuttle. As well as battery packs, it had its solar panels unfurled, soaking up the sunlight like a basking creature. There was just room for the four search team explorers and a pair of inflatable dinghies stowed at the back. Leo reminded them the signal was just offshore, so they’d need to sail out to find it. They set off, along the beach. The wide rimmed wheels threw arcs of mud up behind them as they rumbled along at a stately fifteen kilometres an hour. Faster and less tiring than walking. Slow enough to look around.

Sunshine, sunglasses, sitting in the back of the rover beside Chen, Demetria had the odd sensation of being a tourist in one of the enormous theme parks that she had seen on old vids.

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