[ WP ] Astronauts arrive on Mars . The only thing they see is dirt , for miles and miles , until they come upon a circular portal .

*The Red Planet* I mused to myself, silently observing the landing procedure the pilots insisted we follow to every stringent safety procedure. 
 
 
 We had left Earth twenty years ago, to this exact date. There was one generation that left, and in about an hours time, two generations will begin to live on Mars. There was the standard quarrels of space travel; bathroom priority, period issues, and whether or not the Satellite pointing towards the ISS would be able to receive the latest sports updates. Unfortunately for the men on the ship, the latter was not possible. The communications array, as far as all but myself and the captain were aware, was purely a relay between RP1 and the Intercontinental Space Agency. The real use? When we left, NASA were sure there were signs of intelligent life on Mars. Passing satellites kept picking up movement on the surface. Even though the ISA had removed NASA from a position of power, their claims still startled Mission Control. As such, three micro-nuclear warheads were stored among the Habitation Pods. If the signal was not kept with the ISS, the bombs would detonate. It was a grim prospect, but myself and the captain believed that if the crew were unaware, they were very much less likely to weaponise the warheads themselves and stage an internal power war. 
 
 
 I squeezed my son's hand firmly as the clunking of metal and the crunch of heavy objects crushing into coarse sand filled our ears. We had made it. As the only single mother on board, I was tasked with coordinating the children. Though, I say single. The captain and I still speak, we are civil, we just know there was no plan for us to be in a relationship. I am a Hydroponics Engineer. He, the captain of the greatest Expedition Vessel in the known universe, did n't need extra issues. He spent time with Henry enough, took his role as a father seriously, but there was no love between us. 
 
 
 I maneuvered the children into the first connected Hydroponics Pod, allowing the mix of artificial and natural oxygen to fill their lungs; the plantations already converting the harsh, toxic martian air into breathable, usable oxygen. 
 
 
 As the final segments of the structure were positioned, the slow beeping of the Oxygen detectors slowed, to a steady hum from the lighting. The families departed, however as the Hydroponics door slammed shut, we were plunged into darkness. A sudden shriek from the room beyond told us that they were too. But as my eyes met the captain's, we realised we had a bigger issue. At breakneck speed, we ran to the control panel. The Landing Craft was using most of the generators power, despite having its own onboard generators plus solar panels. We hastily switched off the connection, and were relieved beyond doubt when the Satellite showed no sign of signal interruption. As the lighting throughout slowly flickered back to life, we made an announcement on the tannoy, apologising for the blackout, and promising to make a heartily serving of cheese on toast for all inhabitants in preparation for the daily exploration missions. 
 
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 Life carried on in a fairly routine fashion for about six weeks. Three man teams would venture out, explore the surface, and place a clearly visible marker, normally a carbon rod, to display the point they had reached. However, on the anniversary of the 7th Friday on the planet, only two explorers returned. Both were out of breath, and visibly scared. 
 
 
 `` Theres.. pit..strange..'' one man struggled to say. 
 `` Quick.. weapons.. followed'' the other rasped. 
 
 
 
 Nobody knew what to make of it all, however the gravity of the situation dawned on us all when the third explorer's voice came on over the tannoy system. 
 
 
 `` Friends, please. Let them in. They only want to kill you''. 
 His voice echoed throughout the Habitat, but it was the slow sound of scraping metal and the hiss of escaping air that made us panic. 
 
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 Thought I'd leave it on a cliffhanger because who needs a complete story.
