Dead on Mars

Chapter 157 - Sol Two Hundred and Eighty, Crash
That very night.

Tang Yue rolled about in bed as he suffered from insomnia.

Outside, he could hear Tomcat typing and banging on the desk. It was filled with all kinds of profanities that Tang Yue didn’t understand. Unsurprisingly, the computer was bugging out again.

It really is a fiery-tempered and profanity-filled robot cat.

Tang Yue thought silently.

Recently, Tomcat had often worked overnight. It would send Tang Yue to bed as it stayed in front of the workstation to handle the data.

Tang Yue was always sent back when he got up to help. In Tomcat’s words, not exhausting himself to death was the greatest help.

“Lass, are you asleep yet?” Tang Yue whispered.

“Not yet,” Mai Dong replied from the earpiece. “It’s not sleeping time. The sun outside is still bright, so I’m eating something.”

“Every time I talk to you, you are either eating or finding something to eat.” Tang Yue adjusted the earpiece’s angle and used his arm as a pillow while staring at the white ceiling of his living quarters.

“It’s because I’m hungry.” The girl’s voice was unclear, a result of her chewing on something. “To ensure sufficient strength, I need to replenish my energy when hungry. That’s what Mr. Cat advised.”

After Mai Dong said that, she gulped down a mouthful of water.

It left Tang Yue envious.

“Where’s Mr. Cat? Is it sleeping?”

“Not yet.” Tang Yue turned to look through the curtains. The light was seeping from the gap. “It’s still fighting with the computer. Recently, Tomcat has been working until daybreak with the power cable connected to it. For Orion II to have a safe atmospheric entry, the difficulty involved is just too great. There’s so much data involved. The HP workstation breaks down because of all the calculations.”

“Tang Yue, I watched a movie today,” Mai Dong said. “Roman Holiday.”

“Is that the movie with Audrey Hepburn?” Tang Yue knew little about the old, artistic movies from the previous century. He was more of a fan of thrillers and films with special effects. For example, he liked the constantly rebooted Transformers franchise and the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that were beginning to turn into fantasy. However, he knew the famous Audrey Hepburn. This actress had astounded the entire world for a century and was one of the few western actresses Tang Yue knew by name. The others were Marilyn Monroe and Vivien Leigh.

Tang Yue could remember the names of actresses, but he couldn’t remember any actors. To be frank, he felt that all the western actors from the previous century looked like Clark Gable.

“That’s right,” Mai Dong said. “The female lead is Audrey Hepburn.”

Reading and movie-watching were two of the few forms of leisure for the two of them. Compared to reading and watching movies, games expended more time and energy. Mai Dong wasn’t too interested in games, and after Tang Yue had completed The Elder Scrolls V Definitive Remake Edition, he stopped playing games.

As there wasn’t anyone else, all Tang Yue and Mai Dong could do after watching a movie was to share their thoughts about it. Mai Dong would tell Tang Yue about My Fair Lady and The Shawshank Redemption, while Tang Yue would tell her about Transformers: Optimus Prime vs Primus and Resident Evil: Leon S. Kennedy’s Revenge. All they would do was nod and tersely acknowledge.

“How was the movie?” Tang Yue asked.

“I didn’t pay attention.”

“Didn’t pay attention?”

Mai Dong nodded. “I wasn’t paying attention to the movie’s plot.”

“If you weren’t paying attention to the plot, what were you paying attention to?”

“Sunlight, air, streets, trees, cities, and the pedestrians,” Mai Dong replied. “Rome is a really pretty city.

Tang Yue had never been to Rome, nor had he watched Roman Holiday. He wasn’t sure if Rome was pretty, but he knew that Audrey Hepburn was pretty.

“At times, I wonder if I became a tree, growing in a valley covered in lush green grass and bathing in sunlight, would it really be a satisfying feeling?” Mai Dong said. “Do you know that poem from San Mao? If there’s a next life, be a tree. Stand there for eternity without happiness or sorrow.

“Half of it buried peacefully in soil,

“Half of it flying freely in the wind.

“Half of it providing shade,

“Half of it bathing in sunlight.

“Very silent, very proud.

“Never relying on others, never searching for others.”

The girl’s voice was very light, as though she was a soul that had nowhere to go in the wind.

“Such movies are too artistic, so they don’t suit me,” Tang Yue quipped. “I enjoy something thrilling. Mai Dong, have you watched ‘Saw?’”

“A horror film?”

“Not really. It’s a rather old franchise. However, a new one was produced just two years ago. Mai Dong, I’m telling you that this movie is really the best!” Tang Yue said. “In this franchise, there are many scenes that are filmed as though tomato ketchup is free. It splatters everywhere!”

“Tomato ketchup?” Mai Dong was taken aback. “There’s a lot of tomato ketchup?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’ll watch it later.”

…

Tomcat was cross. “You tricked that lass into watching ‘Saw?’”

Tang Yue nodded.

“And then?”

“She keeps saying that she feels like she’s not alone in the space station.”

…

“Mai Dong, are you asleep?”

“No, what about you?”

“It’s the same for me.” Tang Yue opened his eyes. “I’m probably suffering from insomnia.”

The moment Tang Yue closed his eyes, the scene of the approaching comet and plummeting Orion II would surface in his mind. He didn’t dare to raise flags, but Tang Yue wasn’t able to stop his mind from having wild thoughts. He even dreamed of a burning Orion as it plummeted. In the dream, Tomcat had made a calculation mistake, and the engine had malfunctioned. The propellant reservoir tank had leaked and exploded, and despite Mai Dong’s pleas for help through the comms, there was nothing he could do.

He could only watch helplessly as the flames engulfed the spacecraft and the comms became silent. A gigantic ball of flame disintegrated as it plummeted, its fragments scattering across the Martian desert.

Finally, he awoke from his nightmare, his body covered in a cold sweat.

Every time, Tang Yue would subconsciously cry out for Mai Dong, only feeling at ease when she replied.

“I slept for a short while, but I woke up in terror,” Mai Dong said. “I had a dream.”

“What was it?”

“I… I dreamed that our plan failed. Orion crashed.” Mai Dong was silent for a few seconds. “I was sitting in the Eagle lander, and there was fire everywhere. I saw Orion’s engines burning as it plummeted outside the window… I tried to establish communications with you and Mr. Cat, but the communications were severed. I couldn’t contact anyone. I didn’t know what to do and could only keep plummeting.”

The girl’s voice was filled with a deep sense of fear.

“It was only a dream.” Tang Yue tried to placate her. “It’s fine, lass. It’s only a dream. Have a good sleep. You still have work to do tomorrow when you wake up.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mai Dong didn’t speak further as she tried to fall asleep.

Tang Yue had his eyes open as he tried to coax Mai Dong to sleep. However, he wasn’t able to sleep himself as he glanced outside the curtain. He could still hear Tomcat. “Hanging again!? Dammit! You are hanging again!?”