Red Horizon (The Martian Fanfiction)

Chapter 14

Mark worked tirelessly, hanging the plastic sheets that would serve as the greenhouse walls inside the Hab. The makeshift room was coming together, but it was a tedious process—one that required meticulous attention to detail. Each plastic sheet had to be secured just right, creating a controlled environment where they could eventually grow food. As he moved, his expression was a mixture of determination and exhaustion. The air inside the Hab was warm, heavy with the constant hum of the systems working to keep them alive.

Olivia watched him from where she sat, grateful for the fact that they'd managed to rig up a solution so she could help in small ways. The office chair she was now rolling around in had been modified, a platform built on the side to keep her injured leg elevated. It wasn't perfect, but it allowed her to move without putting weight on her leg, and for the first time in days, she felt like she could contribute again. She wheeled herself closer to him, the sound of the chair's wheels faint against the floor as she approached.

"You missed a spot," Olivia teased, pointing to one corner where the plastic wasn't quite as tight as it should be.

Mark shot her a look, his lips quirking into a faint smile despite his fatigue. "Yeah, well, if you weren't busy lounging around in your luxury rolling chair, maybe you could've helped me sooner."

Olivia snorted, her laughter cut short by a sharp twinge in her ribs. "If I could stand, I'd be all over it," she said, shaking her head. "But I think my job is to supervise, maybe hand you some juice when you're about to pass out."

Mark chuckled, his focus returning to the plastic. After a few more adjustments, he stood back, surveying his work with a sense of accomplishment. The makeshift greenhouse was done—or at least as done as it could be for now. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, his body aching from the effort.

"Looks like a greenhouse to me," he said, stepping back to admire his work. "Now comes the fun part."

He disappeared outside, the harsh Martian wind rattling the door as it opened and closed behind him. Olivia knew he was out there shoveling dirt, bringing it inside two buckets at a time to fill the greenhouse space. Each trip was a grueling task, the effort clear in the way his shoulders slumped slightly when he re-entered the Hab, covered in dust and sweat. But Mark kept at it, determined, relentless in his goal to make Mars bend to his will.

After several more trips outside, Olivia rolled herself closer to the small kitchen area, rummaging through the supplies until she found something cold—grape juice. She poured it into a bottle, screwing the cap back on before rolling over to where Mark was setting down the last two buckets of dirt.

When he looked up, his face flushed and eyes heavy with exhaustion, Olivia extended the juice to him with a small smile. "Thought you might need this," she said, holding it out.

He took it gratefully, twisting the cap off and chugging half the bottle in one go. The cool liquid must have felt like heaven after all the work he'd been doing. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing heavily before giving her a lopsided grin.

"Fuck you, Mars," he muttered, twisting the cap back on and setting the bottle aside. His voice was laced with equal parts exhaustion and triumph, a declaration that no matter how hard the planet fought back, he wasn't giving up. Not now. Not ever.

Olivia smirked, shaking her head as she leaned back in her rolling chair. "I'd say you're winning, though. Mars doesn't stand a chance."

Mark looked at her, his expression softening slightly as he nodded. "We're getting there," he said, glancing around the greenhouse area they'd created together.

There was a brief moment of silence between them, the weight of their efforts settling in. Olivia felt a sense of quiet pride in what they had accomplished so far. It wasn't much, but it was enough to remind her that they still had a fighting chance. And, more importantly, they had each other.