Jason kicked the next door open, his right sleeve doing double time as a nose filter.  There was a rush of air at the threshold, and they were free of the stink.

 Sally sniffed and noticed that her clothes had been adversely affected. They stunk.  “Good one, Jason.”

“It’ll be okay, come on, we’re almost there.”  As they rounded a corner in a section of the hotel that seemed to be offices for some of the staff.  There was a line at one of the doors, and voices were being raised.

 “Damn.” Jason strode down the hallway and pushed his way through the small crowd.

His idea had been to hitch a ride on one of the many garbage scows that constantly ferried waste from the orbiting hotel down to the planet for processing.

Processing in this case meant burning, which helped to develop a new Martian atmosphere via the greenhouse effect.

Jason had many contacts throughout the solar system, most of them owed him a favor or two, and Charlie MacKay, the head of the Ritz Waste Reclamation Facility, was no exception.  When Charlie saw Jason, he knew what to do.  He addressed the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please.” He said.  This is Jason Argon from Solar System News.  Our hotel has an agreement with SSN, that in an emergency every effort should be taken to facilitate the dissemination of news to the public.  It was an industrial accident; there is no danger to this station.  Please return to the hotel, or I will call security.”

Jason and Sally closed the door on the disgruntled mob.  Several made comments that need not be reported here.  Charlie slumped into his chair. Jason introduced Sally and they spent a few moments catching up with small talk.  Finally, Charlie mentioned the obvious.

“I’m guessing that you want a ride down-side.”

“Good guess,” said Jason.

“Well, I sure owe you one from last year.”

“I remember.”

“Okay, will this make us even?”

“Yes. Especially after all those lies you just told to those frightened people.  I’ll have to remember that one for future use.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s true.  I’m happy to be able to return the favor.  The next transport is waiting for my signal, and it’s late all ready.  Get onboard, and you’ll be down-side in no time.”

“Thank you, Charlie.”  Sally smiled and winked a quick pic with her right eye.

“Until next time, MacKay.  Keep It Flowin’”

“Will do.  I’ll watch for your story.  You might mention the Hotel..., but not my name.”  Charlie had to raise his voice at the end, as Jason and Sally were out the door.

The flight down was uneventful.  Sally did ask what the favor was that Charlie owed him, and Jason explained that during the Rachel Niaz scandal, Charlie had been set up as a scapegoat in the stolen jewels aspect of the case.  Jason was able to prove otherwise, and Charlie had been promoted.

“So this little trip ‘down-side’ evens that score?”

Jason smiled.  “He knows it doesn’t”

A vehicle registered in Jason’s name was waiting at the hotel in Mars City. The aerocab from the dump had provided a grand view of the dome city as the sun was setting in the east, and the night lights came on in waves.

The city had been designed by the great architect, Sir Bartholomew Strorensen, famous for the igloo type living modules widely used on Venus.  Mars was one of the first cities to be created after the invention of anti-gravity genotrons, which allowed for magnificent floating buildings that swayed in the wind.

 Jason and Sally were stopped near the site of the massive explosion by Mars Police.  Jason flashed his Network Press card, and they sped toward the smoldering remnants of the Atmosphere Generator.

Jason's collar-phone beeped. Jason spoke: "Jason here."

 A strange robotic voice said: "Forget the old news. Get the scoop at 30°45' north latitude and 9°26' west longitude."

"Hello? Hello." No answer.

"Who was that?" Sally asked.

"Change of plans," Jason said, as he veered the hovercar in a northely direction. "We have a meeting at Cydonia."

Please stay tuned for Part III, coming soon.

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