Episode 9: First Reunion on Mars

The Underground Red City

23 February 2301 — XE-1 Main Transport Line

The shuttle doors open. A dry, cold current of air flows in — not Earth’s wind, but artificially processed air passing through countless filtration systems. Passengers step out quietly onto Martian ground. The Mars terminal glows with soft blue-white lighting. Massive transparent pressure walls surround the entire arrival sector. Outside, red dust flows through a distant storm.

Vera stops almost immediately after stepping out. “Krass…” Even her voice goes quieter. The entire space carries a strange silence — none of the chaotic noise of Earth cities, only low mechanical vibrations and the distant sound of magnetic rail trains moving through tunnels. Gigantic underground transport corridors stretch into the distance. The ceilings are astonishingly high. Massive glowing pipelines and oxygen circulation systems run along every wall.

XE-1 — the main Martian colony city — is an underground city, not unlike Underground Paris, but far larger and far more deliberately designed. Its scale is vast. Its industrial infrastructure is visible everywhere. Mira, the XE-1 AI guide system, drifts calmly through the station: “Residential transfer completed. We wish all citizens a pleasant new life within XE-1.”

In the distance, the Villa Dome transport gate glows with warm golden lighting — a separate, elite district, completely different from the industrial underground city surrounding it. Anaïs and Evie are assigned to the Villa Dome sector. Firo moves through the lower transit areas quietly, watching the armored ARES convoys moving through the tunnels. He does not speak about what he sees. That evening he goes directly to the UN security sector to report to his supervisor Johnny — the military cargo, the ARES emblem, the armed convoys. Johnny listens without interrupting, then says: “Dig into the cargo. Quietly. Don’t let anyone know you’re looking.” Firo nods once. It is not until the following morning that he finally returns to his apartment.