Martian Jones

By Dan Boulet

"But it's not nowhere""it's our Mars." Adam Jones hits the ground with a jarring thud. He springs to his feet and peers back along the country road down which he has sped. The black van with the dark windows is still coming on. Adam scoops up his bike and flees for the safety of his house. What a crazy last day of school: first that rumor about NASA discovering a strange structure on Mars and now this van! But these events are merely the thinning of a mist that has confused Adam's understanding of his family. A wind is coming that will sweep away his petty dissatisfactions and launch him on a life-changing journey. Later that evening, Adam is stunned to learn his family is hiding a great secret. Adam's father and mother invite him to travel to the Red Planet to help them hide an extraordinary family treasure and the story it would tell. To accomplish their mission, the Joneses must brave the unforgiving laws of nature and escape the clever plans of a ruthless organization bent on terminating their undertaking by any means possible. During this science adventure, Adam experiences God's mercy as personal humiliation and close encounters with death transform him from bystander to valued rocket-ship crew member. He also discovers that he is a special object of his family's care and the very symbol of what they have achieved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641406802

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Martian Jones

Dan Boulet

Copyright © 2018 Dan Boulet

All rights reserved

First Edition

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc

Meadville, PA

First originally published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64140-679-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64140-681-9 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64140-680-2 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To Rebekah Jewel Boulet Kerstetter,

for speaking the truth in love

Chapter 1

Family Secrets

Adam hit the ground with a jarring thud. He sprang to his feet and peered back along the country road down which he had sped. The black van with the dark windows was still coming on. If he hurried, he could get to his house before his pursuer reached the gate. He scooped up his bike and made short work of the long driveway that led to the back porch. Then he noticed something that made his heart sink. His mother’s car was nowhere to be seen.

Of all the days for Mom to be gone! he shouted. She’s got to be here.

Adam skidded to a stop and glanced over his shoulder. The black van with the dark windows was slowing as it approached the gate.

If it’s not following me, they’ll think I’m an idiot, thought Adam. But the van had to be after him. It had mimicked every turn he had taken since he left his friend’s house, even the unnecessary ones he had thrown in as a test.

Adam let the bike clatter to the ground and darted for the tall steps leading to the screened porch. He bounded up two steps at a time, shouting, Mom! Mom! But there was no answer. The van now lurked at the gate, watching him.

Adam fumbled with the screened door latch and hurried into the kitchen, locking that door after him. He rushed up the long stairway to his attic sanctuary to spy on his nemesis from an upper window. But when he looked out, the van was not in sight. Adam spun around and headed for his bedroom to get a better view of the path he assumed the vehicle had taken. But when he reached his windows, the black van was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it had traveled farther down the road behind the line of trees.

Maybe I’m making something out of nothing, thought Adam. Maybe the van people were just concerned that I hurt myself when I hit the post. But he shook his head and said aloud, No! No! They had to be following me. And where’s Mom? It’s weird.

Adam stepped back from the window and plopped on his bed. What a crazy last day of school. All that yammering about a pyramid on Mars and then that van. He tossed his book bag onto the adjacent bed. And I wonder who was in the van.

Adam laid his head on the pillow and stretched out. He kicked off his dusty shoes and let them tumble to the floor. One bounced toward the bookcase and destroyed the great tower of empty soft-drink cans that stood in the corner. The crash brought Adam’s head forward with a jerk. He stared in the direction of the noise and noticed something that reminded him of happy times. There, framed between his socks, the late-afternoon sun spotlighted his old toy rocket ship poised on the bookshelf. Grandpa had presented it to him on his seventh birthday. Adam chuckled. Almost eight years had passed, but he still recalled what Grandpa had said, This is what a real rocket ship looks like. Forget those bumpy ones you see in movies.

Its classic design was appealing—a simple stubby bullet standing on three stout fins, with a round door just above one of the fins. There was a porthole above the door, up on the flight deck level. And two others were equally spaced around the curve of the hull. Grandpa always called its control room the flight deck. You fly this spaceship, he would say. You’re not just trapped in a capsule. Adam felt honored that such an important scientist had taken time to talk with him about everything from faith to fishing. Grandpa had been a good friend. But Grandpa had died.

Adam also loved his parents and big sister, Jane. But he didn’t feel as close to them as he had to his grandfather. In contrast, his parents and sister seemed to share a friendship forged by some mutual experience unknown to Adam. Furthermore, his father and mother were already in their fifties, and Jane was married. Jane acted more like a junior mother than a sister.

Lots of things must have happened before I came along, he thought. I know it’s crazy, but it feels like I showed up at the end of my history rather than its beginning.

Adam lay back on his bed and rolled to his side so he could enjoy the relaxing view his windows afforded of the world beyond his room. Anyway, he thought, some things are good.

Adam liked living in the bayou country of Louisiana, close to the Gulf of Mexico. He could go boating and camping all year round. He also liked his big old-fashioned house in the country and his bedroom in the attic. He had his own bathroom, and the other rooms overflowed with piles of strange family artifacts and old books. Furthermore, his mother rarely visited this part of the house because she disliked climbing the steep stairway.

A muted thump from downstairs snapped Adam out of his reverie. The sound gave him a chill. The front door! I hope it’s locked, he whispered to himself as he slipped off his bed and gently rested both feet on the floor.

Adam tiptoed from his room into the hall and crept down the stairs, being mindful not to pick up any splinters from the old planking. His ears went before him, seeking the source of the disturbance. When he reached the bottom step, he leaned forward and peered into the dining room. Empty. But wait—the big sliding doors leading to the front room were closed. Very strange, he thought. The only time they’ve been closed was for Jane’s wedding.

Suddenly, from beyond the doors came the muffled sound of the television and some deep voices. That sounds like Dad and Uncle Albert! exclaimed Adam in surprise. But they’re supposed to be offshore on Cajun Coastal business.

In a few strides, Adam stood before the heavy doors. They parted from the center as he pulled them open. A glance convinced him that the other members of his family were up to something. They’re trying to watch some TV program without me, he concluded with some annoyance.

Mom, Jane, and Jane’s husband, Jack, were lined up on the couch facing the television, their backs toward Adam. On the right, Dad perched on the edge of his big chair, leaning forward to hear the program. Uncle Albert, his father’s older brother, stood on the left side of the television set, bending over, fingering the little buttons on the top of the big screen.

Then his sister exclaimed, Dad, I just know they’ve found it!

His father turned toward the couch, motioning for silence, and noticed Adam standing in the doorway. Adam, there you are. Hurry up and find a seat, he said in a tone of impatience.

Adam glanced at Uncle Albert, who returned a kindly smile and a quick wink that wrinkled up the lines at the outer corner of his eye. He turned his weathered face back to the television.

Beef jerky, thought Adam, a little ashamed of himself. I can’t help it. Uncle Albert makes me think of beef jerky.

Adam, baby, come sit by me, said his mother.

Adam cringed. He hated it when his mother called him a baby, and saying it in front of other people made it worse.

Jane shoved over toward her husband to make room for her little brother, patting the spot on the couch where she decided he should sit.

As soon as Adam sank into the cushion, his mother leaned close to him and whispered, Where have you been? We were all out looking for you. We just got back.

Adam, now ashamed of how he had misjudged their motives, replied in a low voice, Sorry, Mom. I was at Danny’s house. But something happened I need to tell you about.

Shh, said his mother, putting a finger to her lips. Not now—listen.

Adam saw that everyone’s attention was again focused on the television set. A special news banner ran across the bottom of the screen, and an announcer with dark rimmed glasses was talking:

—a confidential source within the administration has informed our network that NASA has found an unusual object near the Martian prime meridian at about twenty-three degrees north latitude—

That’s it for sure, said Jack. We have no choice now.

The announcer was still talking, —on condition of anonymity, that the object casts a shadow in the manner of something projecting up out of the ground. Details are not clear, but analysis of the shadow indicates that it’s about sixty feet tall and may be shaped like a narrow pyramid or cone…

A large globe of Mars popped up on the screen. An arrow marked the spot where the mysterious object was located. Furniture creaked as the other members of Adam’s family leaned forward in their seats to examine the image. One after another, they began pointing and making various comments.

This is amazing! exclaimed Adam. It’s just like the map in Grandpa’s book. His statement produced a sudden hush in the room, followed by a storm of questions.

His father stood and held up his hands. Everyone settle down, please. Adam, what made you say that?

Well, Grandpa used to tell me stories, but the main thing is that it’s like the drawing in his old notebook.

Hold it! You mean you have been hiding his book without telling anyone! exclaimed his father.

Adam stole a glance toward Uncle Albert and saw an expression of surprised interest.

His sister turned and gave him a what-has-my-little-brother-done-now look.

Jack put his hand on Jane’s arm as if to say, Wait, give him a chance to explain.

His mother took hold of his hand.

Sure, I have it, but I haven’t been hiding it, said Adam, greatly bewildered. What’s the big deal, Dad? It’s in my room.

Go get it now! barked his father.

Adam leapt off the couch and bounded up the stairs to his room. He ran straight to the little nightstand between his two beds, opened its one drawer, and pulled out his grandfather’s beat-up notebook. This was one of Adam’s treasures. He believed it consisted of notes for a story his grandfather had planned to write one day—one of the many Grandpa had told him.

Book in hand, Adam hurried back downstairs, catching a splinter in his foot during the process. He slowed to a walk as he passed through the dining room and reentered the front room. He approached his father and held out the notebook.

Dad, I didn’t think it was valuable. It’s old and dirty. I just never imagined—

Adam, it’s OK, said his mother quickly. Ed, please calm down. How could Adam know the book’s importance?

His father put a hand on Adam’s head and tousled his hair. Considering what we feared, I suppose I should thank you for keeping it safe and not throwing it away. Now, where in the world did you find it?

It was in the pocket of an old overcoat Mom gave me a couple of years ago, Adam replied.

Ed, I know what happened! exclaimed his mother. That was a very cold January. You told Adam to clean up the dead branches, so I gave him Grandpa’s old coat to wear on top of his jacket. I pulled it out of the trash. I was about to throw it away.

Where’s the coat now? inquired Uncle Albert.

Hanging up in the front of the garage next to the rakes, replied Adam.

His father turned to Jack and said, "Jack, would you go out and get it. There might be something else in the pockets.

And, Jane, he continued, please get Grandpa’s briefcase out of the safe.

When Jack returned with the garment, a thorough inspection found nothing else of value. Jane entered with the briefcase and put it on the floor next to her father. It was a well-worn leather briefcase of the type that spreads open at the top. Adam’s father lowered the little book into the center compartment and closed it.

Adam opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was cut off by Jane blurting out, Dad, there’s another news bulletin! They switched their attention back to the television. The commentator was reading from a small sheet of paper:

—has just released a statement confirming that NASA scientists have been investigating a peculiar formation in the Arabia Terra region of Mars. At the present time, NASA analysts are gathering additional data to determine if the object is anything other than an unusual natural formation. NASA has agreed to make investigation of the object a priority for its future manned mission to Mars.

The commentator put aside his sheet of paper and said, We now return to our regular programming.

But, Dad— Adam’s words were interrupted by the ring of the kitchen phone. Adam checked his watch. Oh no! he cried. I bet that’s Danny calling about the camping trip. Mom, I don’t want to go. I want to stay here and find out what’s going on. What can I tell him?

His mother smiled but spoke in a firm voice, Your father and uncle have come in unexpectedly from working offshore. Tell Danny I want you to stay and visit with them. You will have to delay your plans until later in the week.

Thanks, Mom, replied Adam with a grin. He hurried into the kitchen, delivered the sad news, and rushed back to his place on the couch.

But his mother rose suddenly and proclaimed, We can’t think clearly on empty stomachs. I’ll pop some frozen pizzas in the oven. We can talk around the table.

I’ll get the glasses and plates, said Jane decisively. Jack, you get the silverware. And, Adam, you set the table.

For once, Adam didn’t mind his big sister’s bossiness—he was eager to get supper started so he could find out what was going on.

*     *     *

The Jones family cleared away the remnants of their simple meal and resumed their seats around the dining room table with the uneasiness of anticipation. Mr. Jones glanced at his wife and brother, who each returned a quick nod. Then he faced Adam and said, Son, you know how we’re careful with money even though our family is quite wealthy. His father paused as if waiting for a cue to continue.

Yes, yes, Dad, please go on, said Adam anxiously.

You also know, continued his father, that your grandfather, Robert Jones, was a gifted physicist and engineer. And your grandmother, Beatrix, was a fine mathematician who worked with him.

Yes, said Adam. They were both professors, and Mom told me we used to live with them in the mountains of Northern Nevada, before I was born.

Correct, replied his father. There were some abandoned gold and silver mines in that area, and Grandpa Jones set up a research laboratory at one of those facilities. The laboratory is closed now, but we still own the property.

Wow! Gold mines. Why didn’t you ever take me there? said Adam.

Adam’s mother patted his hand and said, Actually, you have been there once, but you were very young.

Yeah, and did you cause a stir! said Jane with a laugh. Everyone around the table chuckled in agreement, except Adam. He did not enjoy being the ignorant object of an inside joke.

Well, I’m not a baby now, he said with much annoyance. And I don’t think it’s fair that everyone knows all these things, especially Jane, and I’m left out. Sometimes I don’t feel like part of this family.

Adam, please don’t get upset, said his mother. We moved to Southern Louisiana, to this little community of Esther, so you and Jane would have a better chance to be happy.

Well, I’m happy, responded Jane. This is where I found my handsome computer genius.

Jack reddened with embarrassment.

And Jack is a great help to our business, said Uncle Albert. But it’s also great to have a couple of nurses in the family, he added, smiling at Mrs. Jones and Jane in turn, particularly when a person gets old and starts falling apart.

Adam’s face betrayed his rising impatience with these interruptions, so Jack, who sat to his right, leaned toward him and said, Take it easy. Your mom and dad have always planned to include you in everything, but things have gotten…um…complicated.

Adam’s father overheard Jack’s comment and said, Adam, what Jack says is true. Things have gotten more difficult and dangerous since you were born. Mom and I have been going back and forth about whether we should just get out of this whole business and let you and the rest of us lead normal lives.

But, Dad! cried Adam in frustration. What business? Everybody is talking, but nobody is saying anything. And maybe I don’t want to have a normal life. What does this have to do with Mars? And what does Mars have to do with us?

Adam’s father rose suddenly from his chair. Adam cringed. He feared his impolite outburst was about to produce a storm. But his dad merely walked back into the living room, retrieved Grandpa’s notebook from the briefcase, and returned to stand beside his son. He presented the little book to Adam, who received it carefully from his father’s hand.

Your grandfather Jones discovered a source of energy with so much potential for destruction that he chose not to publish his findings, began his father. "That was in the 1960s. Later, in the 1970s, with the financial backing of the family, Grandpa and Grandma used