Sindri paused, grinning crookedly. “So, as I hope you understand, regardless of the current conditions on Earth, they are far and away superior to that of Mars.”
Kane tore his eyes away from the vast panorama of desolation and focused them on Sindri. “All right, we understand you want to leave. You claimed you needed to leave.”
Sindri’s grin twisted, molding itself into a grimace. “I also said my reasons defied the limitations of descriptive language. Do you three feel strong enough to undertake a little walking tour?”
Before any of them had the opportunity to respond, Sindri flourished his cane in a grand gesture. “Excellent. Let us be off.”
Chapter 22
Flanked by the retinue of trolls, they followed Sindri out into the tunnel-like passageway. Walking backward, facing them, he said, “I know what you want to ask.” Affecting a childish, ingenuous falsetto, he stated, ‘”But, Perfessor Sindri, if we is on Mars, how come we can breathe so good an’ we ain’t floating around, losin’ our breakfasts on the ceiling, how come?'”
Reverting to his normal tone, he announced, “This section of the compound is equipped with a network of small, synthetic-gravity generators. The field is created by a controlled stream of gravitons. That hum you hear is produced by the generators.
“Atmospheric processing units are located throughout the compound, maintaining a breathable mixture by removing carbon dioxide and other waste gases. It is recirculated through the system of processors.”
He darted into a wide, outward-bulging niche in the tunnel wall, touched a button and a shutter slid up, affording them another view of the compound. It was just as dreary as the first one. Rust-hued sand spread listlessly, piling up in drifts at the bases of the domes. A few of the habitats were larger than others, their exteriors faintly etched with window lines.
Sindri said, “There are the barracks, the manufacturing facilities, the nurseries.”
“Nurseries?” echoed Kane. “For what?”
“Children,” Sindri replied disdainfully. “Not plants.”
Lowering his gaze, Kane saw a small object squatting on the ground between two of the tube tunnels. Flat topped and suspended by an assembly of tread-enclosed rollers, it looked vaguely like a toy version of a Sandcat.
He pointed to it. “What’s that? One of the children’s playthings?”
Sindri chuckled. “Actually no, but it became one. That is the Mars Pathfinder, landed here by NASA in the late 1990s. It was quite the public-relations coup for them, since it helped to quell rumors they were deliberately concealing facts about Mars from the American citizenry.”
He sighed a little sadly. “As a child, I spent many a happy hour romping around with the old Pathfinder. I’d put on an environmental suit and sit on it for hours, imagining it was taking me to all sorts of exciting places. Like Earth.”
“That’s what you brought us to Mars to see?” Grant growled.
Sindri barked out a laugh, turning around and leaving the niche. “Hardly. Come with me. We’ll start out slow, just for you, Mr. Grant.”
As they followed Sindri down the tunnel, Kane stepped close to Brigid. “You okay, Baptiste?” he whispered. “You haven’t spoken a word.”
She shook her head. “Not now, not while he’s around.”
He didn’t argue. Her entire stance telegraphed tension and a barely leashed fear. When she said “he” there was no disguising the loathing in her voice.
They passed many of the irislike hatches. More than one bore plastic signs red-imprinted with the exclamatory notice, Warning! Low Grav And Atmo Conditions Beyond! Transadapts Only!
After seeing several of the sign-adorned hatchways, Kane asked, “What are transadapts?”
“A euphemism,” retorted Sindri.
“For what?”
“For my people. Those doors lead to their living areas. You would find them most uncomfortable, not very far removed from the worst conditions aboard Parallax Red .”
He walked a few more yards down the passage and stopped before a hatch on the right-hand wall. It opened, and he stood by expectantly ushering the three outlanders and the trolls through with waves of his cane. After the last troll had entered, Sindri stepped in and the iris sealed behind him.
They found themselves in a room like a small theater, with two dozen chairs grouped in a double circle around an elevated stage. An array of what appeared to be light fixtures hung above it.