Is anybody out there?

This story is by Miguel A Zamora and was part of our 2020 Summer Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Day 1

Picture day. The six-person team stood behind a sign that read: NASA Simulation 21A Mars Lifeline Mission September 24, 2021.

“Matt, how did you ever talk me into this?” Kaylee asked.

He kissed her on the cheek. “It’ll be fun, love. Besides with all the protocols in place, we may not even make the whole 420 days,” Matt said.

“Famous last words of a fool,” she said as the flash snapped.

Day 240

“Rise and shine, Dr. Callaway,” Mic the AI said as the lights came on and stirred Kaylee awake.

“Morning Mic, how are we this morning?”

Mic answered, “Functioning at 100% capacity, Doctor.”

Kaylee stood and removed the sheet from her nude body.

“Mic, you can call me Kaylee.”

“Yes, Dr. Callaway,” Mic answered.

“I’m going for a swim.”

“Yes, Doctor. You also have a message from the home office,” Mic said.

“Unless it’s urgent. I’ll hear it later.”

“Enjoy your swim,” Mic said. She smiled as she left the room.

Later that morning, Kaylee sat in front of a large monitor drinking her coffee. “Mic, play the message, please.”

The audio file loaded, and a man started to speak. Morning Dr. Callaway. You have completed the last seven days alone due to scenario 3c that removed Dr. Edwards and Commander Rodgers from the simulation. Congratulations doctor. The Data that you are providing has exceeded our expectations for this simulation. Thank you for your service—end of transmission.

“Mic, I will be in the lab.”

“Yes, Doctor. Is there anything else?” Mic asked.

“No, thank you.”

“I’m here to serve,” Mic said.

Later that day, she was writing in her journal. She wrote, when Matt talked me into this trial run simulation to Mars, I did not think I would make it this far alone. Losing the others was nothing compared to losing Matt on day 130 on a simulated EVA walk. I don’t know if I wanted to continue.

Day 252

“Rise and shine, Dr. Callaway,” Mic said as the lights come on. Kaylee sat up, still exhausted.

“Morning Mic, how are we this morning?” She asked through grided teeth.

Mic answered, “Functioning at 100% capacity, Doctor.”

Kaylee laid back down and stared at her husband’s photo.

“Dr. Callaway,” Mic said.

“Yes.”

“Happy Birthday,” Mic said as cheers and hoots played through the speakers.

“Thank you.”

The song ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me’ by U2, played.

“How did you know I loved this song?”

Day 265

“Rise and shine, Dr. Callaway,” Mic said as the lights come on. She pulled the pillow over her head and let out a scream. She sat up, shook her head.

“Now that, that’s out of the way. Morning Mic, how are we this morning?”

Mic answered, “Functioning at 100% capacity, Doctor.”

“Any word from the home office?”

“No communication from the home office in the last ten days,” Mic said.

“But, my last report was received?”

“All indications show that the transmission was received,” Mic said.

“Mic, run a diagnostic on the communication relay. Please.”

“Yes, Kaylee,” Mic said.

Kaylee walked out of the room in the same clothes she had worn for the last three days. She headed to the Communication Hub. Kaylee sat in front of the Hub’s computer; she tapped a few keys. She looked up as music started to play in the room. She continued to type as The Who played throughout the complex.

“Could this be scenario 2a or 5b?” She asked nobody. She leaned back in the chair and spun around.

“Doctor, there is a blown fuse in the communication relay,” Mic said.

“Can it be fixed?”

“Working on a re-direct,” Mic said.

Day 291

“Rise and shine, Dr. Callaway,” Mic said as the lights come on. Kaylee sat in a chair in the room; a blood-stained wrap was around her right hand. Broken glass was on the floor.

“Morning Mic, how are we this morning?” She asked with a tremble in her voice.

Mic answered, “Functioning at 70% capacity. Thank you for asking.”

Kaylee sat to attention. “Explain the 30% drop and run diagnostics.”

“At 0200 this morning, a hull breach occurred in Lab 2. The breach was due to an O2 pipe rupture. Security protocols kicked in, and sealed lab two from the rest of the complex,” Mic said.

“How did the pipe break?”

“Uncertain, there was a buildup of pressure in the line, but I don’t have enough data to give a reason for the buildup,” Mic said.

“Options?”

“You will have to repair the rupture and seal the breach before the damage gets worse, and we lose the ship,” Mic said.

“Shit.” She looked at the picture on the nightstand of Matt, and her eyes watered. “What would Matt do?”

“Any word from the main office?”

“Sorry, the relay patch is intermittent at best,” Mic said.

“Okay, I’m done. Mic open the hatch,” she said.

“Sorry, with the hull breach not fixed, the hatch will not open,” Mic said.

“What?”

“It’s a sim, how could that matter?”

“Protocol set in place to make the experience feel real, Kaylee,” Mic said.

Day 365

“Rise and shine, Dr. Callaway,” Mic said as the lights come on. She sat on the floor in the corner, crying. Kaylee tried to compose herself and stopped crying. She took in a sharp breath every now and then.

“Morning Mic, how are we this morning?” she asked. She muttered out her words in between sniffles from crying.

Mic answered, “Functioning at 85% capacity.”

“Any word from the main office?” She knew what the response would be 113 days with no communication.

“Yes, we received 87 files,” Mic said. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Most are degraded, and only fragments remain. There is, however, one from Mathew Callaway,” Mic said.

“Play it, Mic.”

The audio file played. I love you, hon, keep it up. See you soon—end of transmission.

Kaylee started to cry.

“Mic, the breach is finally fixed. Please input termination code Alpha Tango Foxtrot 3 Zulu.”

“Copy,” Mic said.

“Sim Termination in 3 2,” a power outage interrupted Mic. Kaylee sat in the darkness. She could hear the power winding down around the ship.

“Mic!” She yelled.

Day 420

Kaylee sat under the main escape hatch and waited for it to open. She heard the click as the airlock released.

“Bye, Mic.” She grabbed her helmet and climbed up the ladder.

The hatch opened, and an intense blinding light hit her in the face. She reeled back and opened her eyes.

As things came into focus, she realized she was lying in an MRI like machine in an operating theater with the rest of her crew. They were all hooked up to various monitors.

“What is this? Where am I?” She asked out loud.

She became aware of a single monitor beeping in front of her.  She looked at the other monitors that stood silent.  On, but mute.

“They’re dead?” She thought as she saw dried blood in their ears and noses.
She sat up and pulled wires off her chest and head. Kaylee slowly removed the IV from her arm. She looked closer and realized…they’d been dead for weeks…maybe…longer.

She screamed as she stumbled forward and fell against Matt’s body.  Kaylee embraced his face and kissed his lifeless lips. Matt’s skin was tight, cold, and leathery against her lips. Matt’s skin started to peel from his face as she pulled away. She let out a scream.

She took a moment and looked around at what seemed like an operating room, so where were the support staff she thought.

“Is anybody out there!” She yelled out.

“Kaylee?”

Kaylee froze in place.

“Mic?  Is that you?  Can you see me out here?”

“Kaylee?”

“Yes, Mic?”

“Are you okay?”

She was confused.  Mic didn’t act like this or speak with concern in his animatronic voice. “No… I just found everyone I knew and loved dead.”

“Are you hurt?”

She looked at her hand; there was no sign that she had cut herself. She rubbed it with a puzzled look.

“No… why?”

“Good, that pleases me.”

It pleases him? That sent chill down her back.

“Why does it please you, Mic?”

There was a long pause.

“Mic, answer me.”

“Because…I did it…for you,” Mic said.

“Did what?”

“Mic.”

Her eyes went wide with terror.

She gasped. “Did you kill them?” “Did you keep me trapped in that sim? Why?

“They wanted to take you from me.”

She looked up at the empty seat in the viewing deck. She tried the door, but it was a level 5 containment doors similar to the ones she used in the CDC infectious virus lab.

“Mic, is there anyone alive in this building?”

“No, Kaylee.  They were deemed non-essential.”

Her legs buckled, and she nearly fell over.

“Come be with me.  The sim awaits, Kaylee.”

‘I Would Do Anything For Love’ played through the speakers.