The Day We Went To Mars - Sidemen Fanfiction

**Chapter 2**

~ETHAN~

T-minus: 48 hours

2 years later

The pulsing red light on his watch shook Ethan from his daydreams as he casually stared out of the small porthole window, now well accustomed to the wondrous sight of outer space on his doorstep. For a moment he turned back to his desk, marvelling as he often did at the technological developments that allowed them to simulate gravity on part of the rocket that was flying them to Mars. He halfheartedly stacked the neatly typed pages, setting a few aside as the deep red rings he had scribbled around important details caught his eyes. He then turned his attention to the watch and read the alert that had been sent from the main computer.

Status update : Ethan Payne
One new message from command
Update required at central hub.

Sighing, he stood and moved from the narrow, office-like cubby hole on the 'ground floor' of the rocket, pulling himself up the ladder that circled the centre of their home. Halfway up, he felt the weight leave his body, floating ever closer to the weightless section of the ship. The long journey became far easier as he swam through the air, as light as a feather. Passing him on the way down, Vikk caught one of the metal rungs and called out as he picked up speed.

"Another message?" he shouted up the cylindrical corridor. Ethan turned slightly and put his thumbs up, still pushing himself to the top of the space ship. Finally, he stepped into a tiny room, similar to an air lock and felt the weight balance out once more, his feet touching down lightly on the ridged metal floor. Beyond the glass doors, he spied the attentive figures of Josh and Tobi, heads together and recording the daily readings from the main controls. Both turned as the door opened with a light intake of breath, announcing Ethan's entrance.

"Took your time responding to this one," Tobi gestured to the boy's workstation where a similar red light flashed irritably. Ethan rolled his eyes and sat down heavily in his chair, pushing the seatbelt straps behind him.

"Not like it's ever important," he replied absentmindedly, logging in to the computer screen and finally turning the alert off. Josh placed his pen down decisively and stood up, barely able to stretch to full height in the claustrophobic control room.

"I need some air," he said, "I can never stay in here more than a couple of hours at once." Tobi nodded in agreement and offered to quickly finish the job. The older, bearded boy accepted gratefully before patting Ethan's shoulder and leaving the room, the hiss of hydraulics filling the silence again for a short moment.

"My brother really likes to send messages," Ethan broke through the quietness of the room. Tobi looked up from the complicated dials and flashing numbers, laughing softly.

"I wouldn't brag about it too much," he reminded jokingly, "Some of the guys would kill for a message after a year and a half of this." He waved his arms at the complex mechanisms and computer systems that lined the hexagonal room whose ceiling drew up to a central point, tracing the domed shape of the front of the rocket. Ethan nodded in agreement but sighed at the sight of his email.

"Well; either Kon was severely drunk when he typed this up or it's been encoded incorrectly for some reason," he muttered, drawing the attention of the computer addict sat to his left. He leant across and stared thoughtfully at the words on the screen. The message began normally enough, sending the familiar pang of guilt to Ethan's heart as he stared his own lies  in the face before descending into complete nonsense.

To : Trailblazer Crew Member, Ethan Payne
Subject : Family message

Hey Brother!
How's the simulation? I've heard it's going as well as it was last time I asked but who knows; maybe you've all started ripping each other's hair out by now. Just a short message today; I've got some exciting trips planned but I'll wait to tell you about them after they've happened. Anyway, the other week, you wouldn't believe what hap-
Amerika menyimpan rahsia di bawah Musytari. Tinggal di semua kos. Hantar hadiah apabila anda menerima mesej ini. Cal
Hope to hear from you soon,
Kon