solis

Here's some more of my not-so-short short story:

2.

On Earth, roads were built according to routes of trade. On Mars they were built for entirely different reasons, primarily to link major centres of research and exploration. The Bytell Corporation Archive was one such centre.
Located near the equator, the facility was one of the newest constructions on the planet. Its foundations began deep underground, much deeper than those of a comparable building on Earth. The continually shifting surface rock on Mars was considerably thicker than Earths and engineers had to take this into account when assessing the required depth for support columns. They had to reach stable rock to ensure that gradual movements in the planet's outer layer did not affect the building's structural integrity.
The Archive's expansive foyer was still incomplete, though the facility was fully functional. The unfinished details were largely aesthetic and unimportant to the day-to-day running of the complex.
Above the foyer's wide open floor was a great space which was to be filled by a huge scale replica of the planet. The hanging wires were in place, bolted to the high ceiling. They hung straight and perfectly still, ready to hold the weight of the model world.

Jack Vale twisted open a bottle of water and poured himself a small glass. Water would be precious, they told him. On Earth, he thought, water is the most abundant substance on the planet - on Mars, the most valuable. What if he could somehow build a secret pipeline from Earth? He would be the richest man on Mars. He would control the supply and adjust the price in order to achieve the maximum rate of profit. Too much supply would devalue the water. But set the price too high and people might choose to go without.
Vale reached across his desk and set into motion the set of Newton's Balls that he had brought with him from Earth. On the front of the wooden base was a brass plate with the inscription "Every action has an equal but opposite reaction."
The steel spheres clattered together and came to rest. Sipping his water, Vale stood up and walked the length of his office to a carbon-steel glass window which looked out over vast fields of red dust. Special layers of oxides on the glass shielded him from the harmful radiation of the sun. The window was made to withstand enormous pressures and impact forces. In fact, Vale thought ironically, the window is stronger than the surrounding wall. Why didn't they make the whole building out of the stuff? Vale's economically trained mind could infer the answer - it was more expensive.
Far in the distance, Vale could see the tiny shimmering dots of space cars moving over the flat terrain. They were a dangerous mode of transport but convenient and a lot cheaper than off-land vehicles. Another benefit was that the exhaust water could be harvested, which was impossible to do with air-borne spacecraft.
Vale heard a knock at his office door and turned around as a young woman entered the room. She seemed in a hurry and unconcerned about waiting for him to answer.
"Hi, Brooke," he said.
"Have you seen the revised Code of Practice?" she said sharply.
"The what?"
"This." She held up a glossy mauve booklet.
"What is it?"
"It's something you should read," she said in a tone which seemed accusatory.
"Why?" Vale asked.
"There are laws which are contravened." Brooke opened the booklet to a page she had marked.
"This new revision makes a mockery of the Financial Practices Act."
Vale was quiet and sipped his water. "That's not my concern," he said.
"I think you'll find it is," Brooke said confidently.
"The Financial Practices Act isn't relevant here," Vale said as he finished his water.
"Why isn't it relevant?"
Vale turned away from her and stared out of the window again. The cars were closer now and he could see the cloud of red dust behind them.
"What good is a law if it can't be enforced?"
"It's a matter of principle," Brooke said. "We have a duty to maintain it - out here more than anywhere."
"Don't be silly."
Vale turned to face her again. He liked her strong sense of responsibility and moral duty, even though it did make her seem a little nave. He knew she wasn't nave and was extraordinarily smart. Her intelligence had obviously been a factor in her recruitment.
"You know as well as I do that matters of principle are not involved in economics," he said.
"Stop being so professional," Brooke said scornfully. "Haven't you thought about the possible effects on Earth?"
"There won't be any effects," Vale said, dismissing her concern. "Trust me. I know more about this than you do. Go and talk to Janes if you want."
"Janes doesn't know anything. He's more interested in getting off on his pathetic fantasies in that game. And that's your fault - so leave him out of this."
Brooke walked to the desk and started flicking through a pile of documents.
"You're not authorised to look at those."
"Get fucked."
Vale hated the fact that Brooke was sexually attractive. He didn't know why it bothered him so much. Something to do with her abrasive personality, he suspected. She was cold to him and seemed to lack the ability to express warmth. Perhaps it was just him she was cold to. But he could recall Janes saying something similar. She could be like "carbon-steel glass," he had once said.
Brooke turned around. She had removed a document from the pile and was holding it in one hand.
"You can't stop me from reporting this," she said.
"Go ahead. You'll be wasting your time. People aren't interested out here."
"We'll see about that."
Brooke started to leave.
"Can I have that back?" Vale called out.
"When I'm finished with it," she said, leaving the room.
Vale took out a cigarette and lit it. He always wanted to smoke after seeing Brooke. Why was that? She gives me anxiety, he thought. She's smarter than I am.
He exhaled slowly.