“Are you telling me the subway system is broken? What happened?” Sam questioned, her voice cutting through the room like a knife. Frustration was etched onto her face, as she slammed her fists on the table, the sound reverberating through the room as well as the radio. 

The room went quiet for a moment, with only the noise of radio static filling the air. 

It seemed like John needed a minute to think of a response that wouldn’t add to the stress of the situation. “Well, as you know, there was a marsquake last night, with a magnitude of roughly 5.6. As you can guess, a marsquake of that magnitude is bound to cause some damage,” John responded, slightly muffled by the radio. 

“Let me guess. It caused debris to fall onto the track, damaging it.” Sam sighed. She looked over to a stone statue that was sitting at her desk. The lone desk lamp illuminated the metal room. Her desk was covered in paperwork and letters from her family. “How long is it going to take to fix the subway?” For a few moments, the sounds of pages shuffling were heard through the radio. 

“Hmmmm… it looks like it will take a few weeks, maybe a month. I’m sorry, Sam,” John apologized. 

Sam observed the statue more. It looked vaguely human and had engravings on the bottom in an unknown cuneiform language. There weren’t any linguists on the Martian base, so Sam had no idea what it meant. Another reason Sam desperately needed to use the subway. Sam solemnly said, “This statue could change the course of human history. It could prove to the world that there was life on Mars. Earth needs to know this as soon as possible, John.” 

“I understand Sam. How are you planning on getting to the communication station?” John asked. 

Sam quickly stood up and took a deep breath. “John. I’m going to walk to the station.” 

John gasped, “That’s dangerous. An entire mountain stands between the research station and the communication station. Are you sure?” 

Sam grabbed the statue, along with some food pouches and water. “I’ll be fine. See you soon John,” Sam remarked. Sam turned the power knob on the radio down and turned the lamp off, letting only the early morning light illuminate the room. Before the door closed shut, she took one last look at her room. The last time for a while she would be in the presence of warmth and comfort. “Time for a little space walk.”

Sam approached the entrance to the space suit chamber. The walls were covered in posters full of safety rules and space-themed motivational quotes. As the door to the chamber slid open, air was expelled from the hydraulics. Sam was never a fan of the research station's constant noise. She approached one of the many lockers that covered the wall. Hers was locker number three. Inside was an oxygen tank that could keep Sam alive for roughly three days. Above that was a company-issued space suit. It would keep her warm enough from the below-zero temperatures of Mars. There was also a backpack, to carry all of her stuff, along with a tent so she could camp if need be. Sam took hold of the sleek space helmet. She admired how appealing it looked. Way better than what space suits used to look like. She fit it onto her head and switched the systems on. Information flooded the visor, showing Sam everything from the date to the temperature of the circuits in her helmet. 

Suddenly, a graphic of a little phoenix perched on a tree branch appeared on the bottom right of her visor. Sam groaned. “Hello! I am your Service Technician and Internal Network Engineer, but you can call me S.T.I.N.E.!” the Phoenix said. His voice sounded vaguely real, but you could tell it was an AI voice. Stine was an AI made by Phoenix Corporation, her place of work. Everyone in the labs hated him. “The weather today is -37 degrees Celsius. The wind speed is 40 kilometers per hour. The chances of a dust storm are minimal. Your suit is in perfect working order. What a nice day for a walk!” Stine instructed. 

Sam zipped up the rest of her yellow space suit. It was warm inside, but the helmet was heavy and the suit lacked maneuverability. She stiffly shuffled over to the keypad on the door. She pulled out her red keycard and swiped it across the scanner. The door slowly slid open, revealing an ominous red room. Sam nervously looked around the room, as the door closed behind her. A red light on the ceiling moved towards her. 

“Please stay still as we decontaminate you! It will only take a moment!” Stine comforted. Suddenly, all of the lights shut down. The lone red door at the end of the room clicked as a green light blinked. 

Sam slowly stepped towards the door to the outside world. As she pushed the door open, she closed her eyes. “I am going to get the statue to communications. I have to.” She affirmed herself. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a sea of red sand. Sam found it beautiful. It was one of the reasons she was willing to go to the red planet. She then took the first step on the rocky Martian soil. It was rough and unpleasant to walk on. Ahead of her, she saw the challenge that faced her. The mountain was large and radiated an aura of intimidation. As she walked forward, Sam estimated that it would take roughly a day and a half to get to communications.

While Sam was thinking, Stine barged in and said, “Phoenix Corp. wishes you a happy walk. Remember, while a phoenix may be able to resurrect itself, you can’t. Be safe on your job today!” Sam rolled her eyes, as she began on her hike. 

****

Even with the space suit, Sam was cold. Mars felt like it was always in a perpetual winter. The sky was an eerie reddish hue, and the air was filled with kicked-up dust. Sam felt lucky that there wasn’t a dust storm on the way anytime soon. She was about three hours into her walk, and her feet were tired. “How can I be tired already? I am only at the base of the mountain?” She thought to herself. “Maybe I just need to get my mind off the hike.” 

Sam looked around at her surroundings. The rusting red sand stretched on for miles. The wind carried it for miles longer. Sam tried to envision what the planet would look like with life. Maybe a lush tropical forest, with all kinds of creatures that no one could ever imagine. And at the base of the mountain, there was a rushing river, providing liquid water to all life here. Sam smiled at the thought. Perhaps at the top of the mountain, there was a beautiful patch of flowers. Sam enjoyed the fantasy for a bit but soon started to feel her feet ache. She was quickly pulled out of the world she made and thrust back into the harsh reality. The reality that ordered her to march onward. 

Sam fell to her knees for a bit, trying to catch her breath. The rocks scraped against her knees, and the sand clinked on her helmet. Sam started feeling the choices she made weighing on her mind. “I can’t do this. I am way in over my head. I am only a few miles in, and I feel like my legs are going to snap. I should just turn back.” Sam doubted. The feeling of self-doubt filled her brain. Giving up felt more and more like a viable option as each second passed. 

Sam looked up at the sky. Suddenly, memories of her time in the space program came back to her. She remembered all of the rigorous exercises and the physical training she had to do to prepare herself to be able to handle the flight to Mars. Memories of her splitting headaches and jelly legs filled her mind. Sam was reminded of all the painful moments in her past, but she also was reminded of why she did it. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always wanted to go to Mars. She would make believe with her friends that they were all astronauts, and were on Mars fighting aliens. As she got older, she wanted to research Mars and learn all about its history. Once the Phoenix Corporation announced its exhibition to Mars in 2145, Sam’s passion for Mars turned into a goal. In class, during the mundane lectures of her teachers, her mind and her gaze were fixed on the distant planet. The dream of Mars, nurtured since childhood, firmly took root as an unwavering ambition.  She knew as soon as she graduated high school, she would join the space program. Now here she was, on Mars, supposedly living her childhood dream. 

“I...can't…I won’t let this stupid mountain beat me!” She yelled, slowly getting up. Sam, standing amidst the red rocks and swirling dust, took steps forward, feeling invigorated. Her eyes, reflecting the glint of the distant sun, were fixed on the mountaintop. “This is my dream, and I won’t let anything stand in my way!” Sam proclaimed to the mountain, her voice reverberating in her suit, sounding as if a hundred voices were crying out the exclamation of her unwavering spirit. She marched forward, up the strenuous mountain slope, filled with determination, ready to conquer any challenge in her way. 

That is when Stine activated, and asked, “Sam, would you like some music to keep you occupied?” Sam thought about it for a moment. 

“Yes, Stine. Music would be nice,” she answered. She then continued on her walk, to the relaxing sounds of jazz.

****

The warm afternoon sun felt nice on Sam, as she put away her food pouch. She was never a fan of drinking liquid through a tube in her suit, but it was what she had to do to survive.  It was a much-needed break from the seemingly endless walking. “Well, time to get moving,” Sam said. She continued up the mountain, listening to her music, as she navigated the rocky terrain. She had to be careful this far up the mountain because if she wasn’t careful, she could trip and break the oxygen tank on her back suffocating her. 

As she was carefully stepping over rocks and ditches, she thought about her colleagues. Since Mars was so isolated from the rest of society, everyone got along very well on the base. It was like one big family. She wished for the entire hike so far that one of them would show up and give her some company. The isolation of Mars was starting to get to her. The mountain was barren and lifeless; its only inhabitants being the sand and rocks. Nothing had lived here for a long time, and the planet would still be lifeless for many centuries to come. 

“I really need someone to talk to,” Sam thought to herself. “Maybe I can talk to Stine?” She pondered this for a good minute. Ultimately, she decided it would be more worthwhile to think about when she was talking to people than try talking to Stine. Stine was not designed for human interaction and relationships. His main job was to keep the suit’s systems up and running and to provide quick updates on the weather. He was also connected to the Phoenix database, through which he could run data calculations, send emails between scientists, and inspect damaged areas of the base. But when it came to human interaction, he was programmed to spout out corporate platitudes and motivational quotes. 

As if on queue, Stine randomly activated and spouted out, “Motivational quote of the day: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal-Henry Ford. That's why we here at Phoenix Corp. want you to stay focused on our goal of improving and expanding our understanding of our next home!” 

Sam sighed, feeling a great sense of loneliness. Never before had she missed her colleagues this much. This feeling reminded her of all the times as a kid when she was alone. When she was picked on in high school for being a nerd. In middle school, where she struggled to fit in with all of the social groups. In elementary school, where she had difficulties making friends. All of these lonely memories washed over Sam like the red sand of the Martian surface. Then, Sam remembered one more detail. In all of these parts of her life, she always had her dad. When she would come home from school crying, her dad would be there to wipe her tears and tell her everything was going to be okay. When she graduated high school and university, her dad was always there to support her. When she was getting ready to go to Mars, it was her dad who was there to say goodbye and to tell her that he loved her. The coldness of Mars seemed to disappear as Sam felt a warmth wash over her. Although her dad wasn’t with her right now, she knew that he was with her always. “I love you, Dad. I know it wasn’t easy raising me by yourself, but I promise to make you proud.” Sam reassured herself. She felt less lonely now and felt ready to continue forward. 

“I don’t see a ‘Dad’ in your contact list. Would you like to send this recording to someone else?” Stine asked, completely interrupting Sam's train of thought. Sam burst out laughing, her tears of sadness turning to tears of laughter, as she continued on her path.

****

The mountain peak was only a mile or two away but was barely visible through the thick darkness of the Martian night. The tent stood strong against the wind and was firmly planted in the ground. The tents used a very strong, tight fabric that would block air from getting into the tent, keeping her warm. Sam was exhausted after a long day of hiking. 

She sat in her tent, observing the condition of the statue that she had been carrying. The imprints seemed to be carved along the base of the statue. She sat there, thinking about what it could mean. “Does this mean there was once life on Mars, or does it mean that extraterrestrials once visited this planet when it was alive?” Sam pondered.  If this statue is approved, it would mean that there was once a civilization on Mars, and they looked almost exactly like people. That would be a revelation. A discovery that would change the course of history. This would be her shining moment. Her proud mark on the science world. She would make her family and friends proud. She gently set the statue back in the case she had it in. She then slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

That night, she dreamed that giant birds attacked her and took the statue. They then surrounded her and started groaning in pain, like a human. She jumped out of bed, terrified, to find that it was early morning. Unable to go back to sleep, Sam decided that it was time for her to finish her mission.

The peak of the mountain was freezing cold. The wind that high up chilled Sam to her very bones, but she couldn’t deny that it was stunning. Below her was a sea of red. The wind carrying the course red sand looked like waves on the ocean. She could see communications up ahead. She was almost there. All she needed was a few more hours. She estimated that she would be able to reach it by dinner time. She felt energized and ready to be able to sit down and relax. All that needed to be done was for her to descend the mountain. Sam took her first few careful steps down the mountain, trying to be cautious of any rocks that may have made her trip and tumble down the mountain. Sam’s focus was entirely dedicated to her careful movements over rocks. 

“Would you like me to turn your music back on?” Stine asked abruptly. Sam jumped, not expecting Stine to activate this early. 

She felt her foot get caught on one of the rocks. Down and down she tumbled, rolling over rocks and sand. She felt the rocks stab into her, and the sand covered her helmet, preventing her from seeing. 

“Damage to suit detected! Requesting hel…” Stine attempted to say, but as Sam was falling, a rock hit a specific part of her helmet and pierced the chip with the AI inside of it. The image of the Phoenix started glitching out, and loud buzzing sounds burst through Sam's ears. 

Suddenly, Sam ran into a large boulder that stopped her from rolling. Sam groaned in pain, as she tried to stand up. She quickly checked on the case the statue was in. Worry washed over her, but was then quelled when she found that the statue only received a scratch from the tumble. As she fully stood up, she heard a faint hissing sound. Her eyes narrowed. She reached for the air canister on her back and felt the air escaping. Panic began to set in, as she realized that there was a puncture in her air tank. She had mere minutes before she would lose enough air that she wouldn’t be able to make it to communications. 

“Stine! Can you hear me? Call for help!” Sam yelled desperately, as she moved farther down the mountain, determined to not let this stop her. 

“H-h-hello! I-I am PhOeNnnnnix! The wEAAtherr todaY is -400 degrEEEs cel-cel-Celsius.” Stine sputtered out, attempting to say something coherent. Sam realized that Stine would be no help. 

She needed to think fast about what she would do. “How can I fix this? Think Sam, think!” Sam thought to herself out loud. She tore the backpack off of her back and dug inside desperately. Her breathing was becoming more strained, and laborious. She couldn’t find anything sticky in the backpack. Not even duct tape. 

She then remembered a memory from when she first got to the space station. John, Sam, and another scientist named Edison were working on repairing their spaceship after the flight over to Mars. They were working, joking, and reading the instructions when Edison fell over onto some metal pipes, where they stabbed directly into his leg. She remembered that at the time, they didn’t have a first aid kit nearby, so they just tied one of their tents to his leg to stop the bleeding. 

“I can use the tent to stop the air from leaking!” Sam realized. She swiftly located her rolled-up tent, and pulled it out. Sam thought that if the tent fabric could stop the air from getting in, it might also stop it from escaping, or at least slow it down. She wrapped the fabric carefully around the hole in the canister. She then took the rope she used to stake the tent down and used it to tie the fabric in place. She heard the hissing stop. She felt around the fabric. No more air was escaping. 

Sam started laughing, exclaiming “I’m alive! I did it! Thank God,”. She took a moment to sit down and relax. Sam looked behind her to find that she had rolled a surprising distance. The space suit's yellow color was tainted with red dirt and scrapes. Her helmet had so many scratches, it made it harder to see. But Sam was alive, and she survived. Now all she had to do was finish the hike. Sam got up, strapped on her backpack, and continued the hike. She was nearly there.

The communication station was within sight. She felt relieved that she had made it through this entire journey in one piece. 

“Re-re-re-remember! We HEre at PhoeniiiX Corp. wish you a High-high chance of dust StormSSSS.” Stine said, trying to speak to Sam, but coming off as incoherent. Sam found it quite entertaining. 

She looked forward. Across the vast redness of Mars, she spotted John, standing outside in his assigned vermillion space suit. Sam smiled giddily and waved. John jumped up and down while waving. It seemed like he was trying to yell something, but she couldn’t hear him. She started running across the smooth sand at the bottom of the mountain. The sand was kicked up into the air behind her, as she bolted to the finish line. She saw even more people walk out in space suits. They were all waiting for her. 

“Would YOu like Music S-saaam? Now playinggggg your Faaaavorite Classic-c-cs from the 1980s.” Stine glitched out, as some old song about tigers started playing. Sam didn’t like the song. It was so old-fashioned to her, and the metal guitar wasn’t her style, but she didn’t let it bother her, now that she arrived at communications. She ran up to John and held him tightly. 

“S-Sam! You’re kind of crushing my spine,” John alerted Sam, as he awkwardly hugged her back. 

Sam let go and apologized, telling John and the others, “Oh. Sorry. I have had a very long and stressful walk. It’s just so nice to see you again. All of you.” John and the others smiled. 

“Well Sam, it’s nice to have you back. Is the statue okay?” John asked. Sam pulled the statue out of her suit and showed it to the others. Many of them gasped at the sight of the statue. Edison, sporting a red-striped space suit, stepped forward and pointed at Sam. 

“Hey, not to be rude or anything, but why do you have your tent wrapped around your oxygen tank?” Edison questioned. 

Sam laughed and replied, “That’s a long story for a later time. We should contact Earth about the statue. I didn’t bring it here just to show it to you.” The scientists all nodded their heads. They all one by one entered the decontamination chamber. As Sam waited at the end of the line, she looked back at the mountain. 

It still stood tall in the Martian landscape. An intimidating tower of red rocks and sand. Sam smiled, knowing she had conquered the mountain. The last thing she saw before she stepped into the dark chamber was a beautiful sea of red sand, being carried across the surface of Mars like waves on a beach. Sam thought it was beautiful.