The Red Trap
The smell of Mars One Colony had changed.
Ye Mi stood in the central square beneath the dome, looking at a scene both familiar and strange. Three weeks ago, when she left here for Europa, the square was still showing the celebration of Dyson Cloud's successful construction. Now, all public screens loop the same announcement:
"According to the Seventh Starfield Security Regulations, temporary control measures are hereby implemented effective immediately. All residents must complete biometric re-verification within twenty-four hours. Those who fail to do so will be considered inactive citizens."
Below the notice was a constantly jumping number: number of completed re-verifications — 3,742,881. Total population — 4,100,000.
And 350,000 people hadn't gone.
Ye Mi lowered her hat and blended into the crowd.
There were half as many people on the streets as usual. Only a few shops remained open—automatic vending machines selling synthetic food and medical stations. More storefronts bore "Temporarily Closed" signs, with a thin layer of red dust on their windows—Mars dust was everywhere, like a mark of this planet itself.
"Turn right at the re-verification station," a voice came from behind her.
Ye Mi turned around and saw a middle-aged woman in a gray jumpsuit, holding an empty shopping bag. The woman's eyes fixed on her fake badge on her chest, with no kindness in her gaze.
"I'm not—"
"Doesn't matter," the woman cut her off. "That way. If you don't get there in three minutes, patrol officers will invite you for tea."
The woman left quickly, her footsteps fading around the corner.
Ye Mi stood still, sensing several gazes inspecting her. An old man sitting on a bench, a technician "repairing" a streetlight, a young woman walking her dog—all their eyes lingered on her for half a second before shifting away.
She turned and headed to the right.
The colony was divided into twelve districts, each with its own designated function. She was now in District C—the residential zone, which should have a population of fifty thousand. But the streets were deserted, with only occasional automatic cleaning vehicles humming monotonously as they passed.
The re-verification station was at the edge of District C, next to the industrial zone of District D. It was a makeshift white building, with a line of over a hundred people at the entrance, silent as a wall.
Ye Mi didn't queue.
She circled around the building and found an air vent, slipping inside.
The corridor was narrow, only wide enough for a person to bend through. She pulled up the structural map of the colony on Gu Zhou's data pad—something A Tie had sent her last night, obtained through unknown channels. The map marked several red dots: contact points for resistance organizations.
The closest one was in District D.
When she emerged from the ventilation shaft on the other side, night had fallen. The night on Mars arrived quickly; the artificial lights inside the dome dimmed automatically, simulating a real night sky. Hundreds of "stars" flickered on the inner wall of the dome—projected images meant to remind those born on Mars of the starry sky.
Ironically, the real starry sky was outside the dome.
District D was the industrial zone. During the day, machines roared; at night, it was dead silent. Following the map's instructions, Ye Mi crossed rows of silent factories and finally stopped in front of a rusted iron gate.
There was a symbol on the gate—painted hastily with spray paint, resembling graffiti of some person. But A Tie had told her: that symbol meant "Someone here."
She knocked on the door.
Three short knocks, then two long.
The door cracked open, revealing an eye.
"Who's there?"
"A Tie sent me."
The eye blinked, and the gap in the door widened slightly. Then suddenly—
"Get down!"
A hand shot out from inside the door, pulling her inside forcefully. At the same time, the roar of engines sounded behind her. Ye Mi was dragged to the ground, rolling behind a pile of debris. The iron door slammed shut behind her.
Through the crack in the door, she saw three black hovercraft parked at the factory entrance.
The doors opened, but what came out was not a person.
It was a biomorphic insect.
Those things that had killed Gu Zhou on Europa—fist-sized, with a metal shell and red eyes. They spilled out of the vehicles, like a swarm of mechanical cockroaches, scattering rapidly and slipping into every crack.
"Quiet," the person pulling her in whispered.
It was a young girl, less than twenty, with short-cropped hair, and a look in her eyes—something Ye Mi was familiar with—fear, but more often anger.
"How did they find us?"
The girl didn't answer, only stared at the entrance.
A biomorphic insect crawled inside through the door crack.
It paused at the doorway, its red eyes rotating as it scanned the factory. Ye Mi held her breath. Through the debris, she saw the insect's eyes sweep over her hiding place—
And stop.
Red light flickered across her face.
In the next second, the insect's body suddenly split open. Not exploding, but dividing—becoming four smaller bugs, each crawling in different directions.
"Fuck," the girl muttered under her breath, drawing a metal rod from her waist and pressing a button. The rod emitted blue arcs of electricity from both ends.
"Stop!" Ye Mi grabbed her hand. "They'll summon more!"
Before she finished speaking, more engine sounds came from outside the factory.
The girl's face changed.