The Rock

Adam Abara woke with the same sore back he had been struggling with for almost a week and had every intention of avoiding anyone finding out. He only had one more day to go before heading back to Mars and he could push through the pain as he had many times before. The doctors on Mars were some of the best Earth could afford to send, but they weren't attached to the rock and he wasn't about to let the butchers anywhere near him.

He groaned as he got out of bed and could hear his Ivan's snores, which seemed to louder as his pain grew worse. The brute of a man he was forced to bunk with had almost been smothered on any number of occasions from his nightly mimicking of a bear. Adam kicked the bunk hard and heard a mumbled response, which meant he wasn't going to need any more encouragement.

Ivan never gave a last name, nor had he ever bothered to ask. Everyone there was using false names, including Adam, and the company really didn't care. No one worked the rock if they had anywhere else to go. There were far too many things that could go wrong and even those who were a little crazy avoided what his fellow crewmen did for a living.

The company paid well and did nothing to hide the risk from anyone looking for work. There were plenty of men that signed up, which did include some who weren't even hiding and were drawn to the pay. Most never reached the rock, since seven months in space took a toll on just about everyone.

Even after the seven months of looming madness, there was the rather nasty part about descending to the surface of Mars and hoping they would survive. Despite all of the resources that had been placed on the crafts to ensure as little risk as possible; landing was far from guaranteed and there was no shortage of corpses that had been taken by the winds. They had made advances and the odds were more favorable of surviving than they were a few years back, but not by much.

If they happened to get to the surface, without getting killed in the process, the company gave everyone a thorough psychological exam and a choice for those who were deemed sane enough to do the job. The men, at least those who were still mentally stable after the journey, could work the rock or return to Earth.

There were ships going to Earth on a regular basis and the cost was very limited to the company. Adam had never come across anyone who stayed for money, which left only those like himself. It was better to live and die on the rock, then face personal enemies on Earth. Mars offered a quick death compared to the alternatives of home.

Ivan was grunting out something in his Eastern European tongue, but Adam had no idea what his bunk mate had said. When he was fully conscious, Adam could determine most of what he was trying to get through, which was enough for the two of them to get along just fine. In anything other than a wakeful state, Ivan was impossible to decipher. Adam knew he could pick up a little of the language, but that would have required an interest in getting to know his bunk mate more than he already did.

He left his quarters and made his way to the only dining facility the rock had. There was a time when he wished to be able to look out a window, but that time had long since passed and couldn't recall much of those early days. Adam had seen more than enough of what lay outside on those maddening journeys to Mars and wished they were just as void of windows as the rock.

Everything within was gray and it did seem to capture the mood of the men. He heard steps echoing off of the metal all around and didn't bother to look for the source. It took time for him to reach this point and no longer cared much if his enemies found him. Adam would risk a knife in his back, since that was a decent way to die. Then again, had his enemies found him, they would be more creative than a simple stabbing.