[ WP ] You land on mars , and find a home in a cave that looks exactly like your house on earth .

`` Mission control, this is Commander Gordon. We have detached from the *Huygens* and are now in controlled descent towards the surface. ETA twenty-seven minutes to the surface. Four onboard the lander, three remaining in orbit.'' 
 
 `` This is mission control, copy that Red-1. Acknowledge four in landing party, three in orbital party. Relay safe landing to *Huygens*. Good luck.'' 
 
 I turned to the other three that were in the landing party and the only thing that met my gaze was the glow of excitement in their eyes and smiles. In my heart I knew why - my crew had already traveled farther than any other group of humans in history, and in a matter of minutes we would add an extra rung to the ladder of space exploration. Of the seven of us on the *Huygens*, myself, chief scientist Mikayla Krasinski, engineer Zachariah Newman, and medical officer Pierre Dupree were to land at a specifically designated spot on the surface of the Red Planet, obtain samples from the soil and atmosphere, administer a few basic tests, designate the optimum spot for what would be the first human science lab on Mars, and return to orbit. 
 
 Hundreds of miles above, our pilot, Miko Matsumoto, along with engineers Sven Lindquist and Peter Wellington, would maintain comms with mission control as well as inform us of any changes in atmospheric patterns. An optimal time in the Martian summer had been picked for our landing, but considering this planet was nine months travel time away and no other human had ever been on its surface, things could go south at any second and we would have no clue. 
 
 `` *Huygens*, this is Gordon, we are entering atmosphere. ETA twelve minutes to landing,'' I said into my headset as the Mars lander began to enter the unfamiliar atmosphere. Our craft began to shake as friction from the atmosphere began to envelope our tiny lander. I glanced at the three souls with me. In their eyes I could see a mix of fear and excitement - I am not sure which feeling had more presence, but for me the excitement of venturing into the space no man ( or woman ) had ever been sent my heart racing faster than any atmospheric entry ever could. Then we were through the atmosphere, and the Martian landscape splayed itself before us. 
 
 Vast mountain ranges spread into the distance with mountains far taller than Everest, rolling red plains that could fit the entirety of the US, and trenches that would swallow entire regions were below us. The first eight eyes in human history were viewing this extra-terrestrial landscape, and I was in their midst as the leader. `` *Huygens, this is Red-1, we have cleared re-entry. Nav shows ETA of six minutes. It's beautiful down here.'' 
 
 `` Acknowledge, Red-1. Take some pictures for us. We will relay to mission control.'' Miko's voice was calm and collected, and did a number for my racing heartbeat. Our nav system was showing we were swiftly approaching the landing coordinates. I directed Newman to fire our air brakes to slow our approach, then assumed manual control once the lander's speed became manageable. 
 
 `` Assuming manual control. Sixty kilometers from destination. Firing thrusters. Acceleration at twenty percent. Thirty kilometers. Ten percent. Eleven kilometers. Five percent. We are at hover above designated landing spot.'' I used our external cameras to guide the landing craft to the flattest spot I could find. Our landing gear gently touched down. 
 
 `` *Huygens*, this is Red-1. We have touchdown, approximately one-zero-seven meters from target landing zone.'' A small applause came from the three crewmembers with me. 
 
 `` Copy that, *Surface-1*.'' By mission protocol we were to be designated *Surface-1* as soon as we landed. `` Commencing surface countdown, time now. You have six hours on the surface. Check in hourly and begin liftoff sequence in five hours, forty-five minutes. We will continue atmospheric monitoring. Good speed.'' 
 
 `` Acknowledge all,'' was my only response. I removed my helmet and turned to the crew. `` Well, we did n't come this far to sit in this lander. Who wants to make history?'' I was greeted with an enthusiastic round of cheers from the landing party. `` Newman, you're with me. We will locate potential spots for the M-Lab. Krasinski, Dupree. You two obtain all the samples we need. Document whatever you can.'' I received nods and `` yes sirs'', then we went about getting our surface craft ready. 
 
 The lander was equipped with two disposable, two-passenger surface M-ATVs. Essentially they were high-tech, battery-powered four-wheelers. Each had juice for ten hours of straight transport, although we would only use each for roughly three hours. Hell, we spent billions coming to Mars, why not sacrifice a few hundred grand on some fancy toys. Newman and I would head north, towards the slopes of one of the mountain ranges. This particular range would provide cover from high-powered storms that trended from the east. We hoped to find a spot to deploy our M-Lab, or Modular Lab that could provide long-term life sustainment on the Red Planet. Krasinski and Dupree, meanwhile, would head west and find one of the several dozen pre-designated spots for grabbing samples. At five hours in, we would rendezvous back at the lander to begin prep to return to orbit. 
 
 Our trip to the northern mountain range lasted twenty precious minutes. Upon arriving, we disembarked and began surveying areas to ensure that the M-Lab could be deployed in certain areas. All was going well: comms between the two surface teams and the *Huygen* were constant, the weather held up, and we had no problems with our Martian EVA-suits. About an hour before we were to return to the lander, Newman's voice crackled over my internal headset. `` Commander, do you see that cave?'' I had n't seen anything along the base of the slopes, but then again I had n't paid too much attention. My focus was on surveying. I looked to the north. Several seconds later, I spotted the unmistakable dark outline of the mouth of a cave. 
 
 `` Now I do,'' I replied to Newman. Our surveying was essentially done and we were just double-checking the sites. We had time to take a look, although we did n't have the necessary equipment to retrieve any samples as did Krasinski and Dupree. `` We've got about forty-five minutes. Want to investigate?'' Of course, his answer was yes. How many times in your life can you see you were in the first survey party on Mars? It took roughly a minute to get there on the M-ATV. `` Surface-2, this is Surface-1. We have discovered a cave on site, we are entering time now. Comms check in one-five minutes, over.'' Once Krasinski acknowledged I nodded towards Newman. *In the name of exploration*, my thoughts echoed. 
 
 The first few steps within the cave were lackluster. It appeared dusty and windblown from the storms that ravaged the surface. Approximately thirty meters in, there was a fork, left and right. `` Newman, go left. I'll take the right. No more than fifty paces if you do n't come to a dead end. Note your findings, and meet me back here. We have thirty minutes before we need to head back to the lander.'' He gave me an affirmation of understatement, and journeyed into his passageway. For some reason, an unsettling feeling had taken over my stomach. I took a deep breath and ventured down the right fork. 
 
 Less than ten steps in, I came to another fork. *Fuck. Well, if I keep going right, I'll have to make all lefts on the exit. * I took the right. The ceiling of the cave started to slope downwards. Astronauts ca n't really be claustrophobic, but the fact that I was millions of miles from home on an alien planet clutched at my heart like a plague. I was n't sure if the cave was going to deadend or just continue to shrink until I could go no further. Since I had yet to reach my self-established fifty pace limit, I continued. I was at twenty-seven when I rounded another corner under the ever-shrinking ceiling of the cave. That step took me somewhere I never expected. 
 
 *The fuck... * I was in the guest bathroom of our house....our house back on Earth. There was no way I could be in any other place. The colors, the shower curtain, the window. Maybe my adrenaline was getting the best of me. I closed my eyes and opened them after ten seconds. When I opened them I was greeted with the same scenery. Whatever the fuck was going on, I had no idea. I keyed my comms `` Newman, this is Gordon. Do you read?'' No response. Not the first time, not the second time, not the third time. 
 
 Considering I was in a location that I was very familiar with, my guest bathroom, I opened the door. My first floor hallway greeted me. Now I was really thrown. For a sanity check, I looked at my wrist. I had set an automated timer once we started the mission. It showed -54:27. That meant I had just over fifty-four minutes before I had to return to the Mars lander with Newman in tow. How the hell was I just on Mars, but now in my house, wearing this EVA-suit, and somehow on a timer for the first Mars surface mission in history, and to top it all off, unable to contact any of my surface crew? Looking left, the familiar sight of my kitchen and dining room were present. To the right, the living room and garage door. I moved towards the kitchen. 
 
 -- Saved --
