The three afternoon suns shone down on the red metal surface of a 239 year old Cadillac as D'tello stepped out of the hydration room. He yawned, stretched his legs and scratched his head, looking over the harsh landscape. It was fimilar, like a cherrished yet almost forgotten dream, just saved from melting away... But it shouldn't have been. At least not legally.
He whistled an old tune, one he had loved when he first got Earth's radio transmissions. Sure, they were a couple hundred years off, but Under Pressure is the same at any time. At least it should be. And for anyone. Any sentient bipedial primate.
He sniffed the red earth, kneeling to pet the red-green moss on the surface of the lonely planet. Sighing, he stood up, smoothing back his hair. "It is natural, but you wouldn't know that, would you my darling king of the-" He stopped his tasteless rant to fall to the ground at a foreighn sound. It was nothing but the decaying automobile half way loosing its door handle, the only one left.
"I'm alone... All alone..." He sighed again, resuming the smoothing of his hair, red at the roots until it faded out into a lifeless white. "What? You'd be startled too, no one can see me out here without my adaptation gear. No organic life has ever set foot here, well, except for you." He said to a carcass of an old scorpion who was unlucky enough to be trapped in the old car before it's send off. He could see the man's ashes in a small container, built into the front seat. He bowed his head, him and the dead creature paying respects to a mortal man, a wonderful man. At least he thought so. Well, he resumed his hiding, deciding to move back into the hydration room, hoping nobody was in there.
He looked though the heavily coated glass, making out various machines, no people. He slowly stepped inside, getting rejuvinated, like he was used to on the blue planet. It was warm and damp compared to the outside. The fake photosynthesisers seeked to be anything close to the real thing, but never could even spark a memory from the things he had seen. It was all nearly dead now, all except the homo sapiens, they were everywhere. But, as Bowie once said, got to make way for the Homo Superior. He laughed, laughed loudly, if anything he was inferior. Well, only in productivity. You don't need it with extended conciousness, really. It wasn't any where near the complexity of Bradbury's martians, but it was a little step nearer, making a mind a bit clearer. And giving you about 85 extra IQ points.
"You're going to shave it off once everybody lands, right?" You're typical strong, tall, broad shouldered man walked in. I never found it attractive. I didn't answer, either.
"Earth to space boy, this is a professional venture, not just a little vacation. You're going to have to chop it all off-"
"Space boy to 'earth', when are you going to get to build your brain power? I see no complaints there, but really, military personel? That's so... Government, isn't it? So... Earth. This is Mars, we can start over- I can have my hair as long as I maintain my brains, I'm sure."
"Not if I have a say in it." The man grabbed the back of my mullet, tugging it, and pushed me away.
"What half-wit decided to leave you out of adult supervision?" I rubbed my head, then folded my arms. "Unprofecional, I must say, dear."
"Just stay outta my way."
"You're here for the mining. You all are in the fifth sector."
"Do as you're told, and you might not have to give up your precious hair dye."
"I- Just don't harm anything, and maybe you won't have to give up your humanity." I turned to sit down, getting a cup of water. Suddenly a third creature entered the room, to my relief.
"Ah, didn't know I'd be beat here- When did you two get in?" The person, who I now knew from the long trip, brushed back auburn hair from a bright face.
"'Ello, just having a little chat with Clayson." I waved, with a smirk.
"Surprised you're still on your feet, Starman." she smiled, sitting down.
"Hey, I could take 'im on, once you get past the arrogance they fall like you're common blockhead."
"And you, Clayson?"
"Convince him to cut that mop off, getting on everybody's nerves." He muttered, giving me a disaproving look. I just licked my lips and flipped my hair, like in the academy. It annoyed him nearly as much as my two and a half inched nails.
"I don't know, gives the place some flavor." She said, eyebrows raised as usual.
"Flavor... I like that, darling!" I laughed, giving Clayson a wink.
"Don't flatter yourself, never said what kind of flavor it was."
"Yes... But it's my hair, you can't control it, no matter what taste it gives you. Now what about your hair, What about her hair, Clayson?"
"We should be getting to work." clayson turned to the screens on the wall, pretending he could decifer the intricate maps. I could without a blink.
"It's all fine, really. A bit boring."
"Wait- D'tello- There's a warning light- look there- Near where we are-" She said, getting up.
"Oh, probably just a mere error... That happens." I quivered.
"No- This door opened in the last hour. You two didn't have anything to do with it, did you?"
"Not me." Clayson turned to me, still in my seat. "It wasn't you, was it?"
"Well... The weather gages were fine and I..."
"You didn't- You know training for even simulating an exit starts march, right? What were you thinking?"
"It was fine, all fine, really-"
"I bet it was that piece of junk out there- the shrine to that guy he always rambles on about-"
"No- I went to see the landscape. It's gorgeous out there- I've gone through enough physical training to withstand-"
"We'll let this slide, just this once."
I GOT TIRED.
