text: Scott Hendrick was 15 but he was still afraid of the dark. He hated it. He didn't let on to anyone that he was afraid, but he was terrified. He was very neat and tidy, but not for the reason's his mom thought. He wanted everything put away so there were no where for dark things to hide at night.
  
  Every night his ritual was to check his closet thoroughly; check under his bed which he kept clean, and put away any cloths or items laying about. He then would plug his cell phone in next to the bed, and put his flashlight under his pillow. Next, he would turn the light out and run and jump into the bed so nothing could grab his feet Once in bed, he would pull the covers over his head while he retrieved the flashlight from under his pillow and flipped it on. lastly, he would peak out and shine the light around the room to make sure nothing had appeared in the darkness. The flashlight remained on all night sometimes. He went thru batteries rather quickly, so he kept a drawer full of new ones next to his bed, along with glow sticks and any items he came across that could illuminate in the dark. He used to keep his television on at night for the light source, but mom made him start turning it off every night.
  
  Scott disliked this quality of his a great deal. He felt it was as bad as wetting the bed. He was fifteen years old for God's sake. He figured he would never get a girlfriend being such a pussy. He couldn't risk his friends knowing, so he hadn't hung out over night at a friends house since he was 6 years old.
  
  It was the end of the summer 2014 break, and Scott had just started his freshman year at Copper Cove High School. Over the summer he had shot up and was now 5 foot 10 inches tall. He was glad he had mowed lawns over the summer, as it had afforded him spending money to save toward his first car. It also resulted in him becoming an Adonis with rock hard muscles, and a golden tan that complimented his light brown wavy hair, and deep blue eyes. He had gone from nerd to hottie overnight. So, far he had managed to act cool, and as if he hadn't noticed all the attention from the girls. His friends thought he was a rock star. So, no one could know his little secret. It would be social suicide.
  
  He was at his locker about to leave for the day, when Reagan Palmer appeared holding her notebook pulled to her chest, peering over at him with those big brown eyes that no one could resist. Brushing her long black hair back over her shoulder, she edged closet to him as if she was going to tell him a secret. He leaned down and she whispered, "When are you going to ask me out?"
  
  > Don't know
  "I don't know." Scott says glancing away embarrassed.
  
  "Oh." Reagan looks down at her shoes. She looks embarrassed too. Well, I am having a party this weekend. You can come if you want. I mean it's no big deal if you don't want to. It's probably going to be lame to be honest."
  
  "Why do you think it will be lame?" Scott inquires.
  
  "I don't know." Reagan glances down at here feet shifting here weight into her other hip. "It will be without you there for sure." She says demurely, the corners of her mouth curl every so slightly. She looks up at Scott with her best lost puppy look and bats her eye lashes.
  
  Scott grins and feels his face heat up. "Well, let me think about it okay? Maybe I'll go." He says as he opens his locker to put his books up. His nice cloths for job interviews is hanging up in the locker.
  
  "Nice gear. You should tote wear that to my party." She says.
  
  Scott, Glances at the cloths. "I said Maybe." He says teasing Reagan.
  
  "Maybe?" she says with a hurt tone as she quickly glances up at Scott in surprise.
  
  Scott chuckles, "Okay I guess I will go since you look so sad."
  
  "You guess!?" She laughs, "Wow! Really, because I am pretty sure someone else might want to go if it is too much to ask of you." she turns on her heel to storm off.
  
  "Oh Shit!" Scott says, lurching forward to grab Reagan's arm. "I am so sorry, I was only kidding. I want to go. Please don't be mad."
  
  Reagan giggles. "I'm not mad! Gotcha!"
  
  Regan continues to smile as she talks to Scott, but he doesn't hear her. His mind drifts off as his gaze wanders down from her mouth, to her neck and then her collarbone. Then it happened. His junk pitched a tent! The damn thing had a mind of it's own! The fucking wind would blow and it would stand at attention. Scott feels his face begin to heat up as she shifts his weight, then suddenly, his best friend Adam, appears behind him, grabs his pants and jerks down hard, revealing his Batman boxer shorts underneath. Scott scrambles to grab his pants and pull them back up while turning to punch Adam, but Adam's too quick. He is already halfway down the hall laughing hysterically. "VERY FUNNY ASSHOLE!" Scott yells after him. Oh God. Why Regan? Anyone but Regan he thinks to himself. He turns back to her awkwardly smiling at her. "Guess you got a show for free today." he chuckles as he presses his books in front of his crotch.
  
  Regan bursts out laughing. "I am so glad you have a good sense of humor, because that was classic. That made my entire freshman year of high school a success."
  
  "I am glad by sexy boxers and legs were appreciated then." Scott says as he takes a bow.
  
  "Your so fucking cool." Regan eyes him up and down as she shakes her head in approval. "I will text you the details for the party." She leans forward and kisses Scott's cheek. I can't wait." She turns and strolls away.
  
  Scott stands in the middle of the hall gaping after her as her hips sway back and forth. He can go straight home so he can call Regan and talk to her more, or he can go find Adam to square off about this little stunt, and hang out.
  
  > go home to call Reagan
  When Scott arrived home, he received the text message with the party details, including instructions to bring a change of clothes as he would be staying the night. Apparently, her father had given permission to have 4 guests stay out in the guest house. She had selected him as one of them and hinted in the text that she would sneak out and come hang out with him after everyone was asleep. 'I am about to become a legend' he thought smiling to himself.
  
  He presses the green phone to call her back. The other end rings but no one answers. He presses the red receiver to hang up the call.
  
  His stomach began to churn as he thought about sleeping in the dark in a strange place alone. "Fuck!" He blurted out loud. "What am I going to do?"
  
  "I don't know." Scott says glancing away embarrassed.
  
  "Oh." Reagan looks down at her shoes. She looks embarrassed too. Well, I am having a party this weekend. You can come if you want. I mean it's no big deal if you don't want to. It's probably going to be lame to be honest."
  
  "Why do you think it will be lame?" Scott inquires.
  
  "I don't know." Reagan glances down at here feet shifting here weight into her other hip. "It will be without you there for sure." She says demurely, the corners of her mouth curl every so slightly. She looks up at Scott with her best lost puppy look and bats her eye lashes.
  
  Scott grins and feels his face heat up. "Well, let me think about it okay? Maybe I'll go." He says as he opens his locker to put his books up. His nice cloths for job interviews is hanging up in the locker.
  
  "Nice gear. You should tote wear that to my party." She says.
  
  Scott, Glances at the cloths. "I said Maybe." He says teasing Reagan.
  
  "Maybe?" she says with a hurt tone as she quickly glances up at Scott in surprise.
  
  Scott chuckles, "Okay I guess I will go since you look so sad."
  
  "You guess!?" She laughs, "Wow! Really, because I am pretty sure someone else might want to go if it is too much to ask of you." she turns on her heel to storm off.
  
  "Oh Shit!" Scott says, lurching forward to grab Reagan's arm. "I am so sorry, I was only kidding. I want to go. Please don't be mad."
  
  Reagan giggles. "I'm not mad! Gotcha!"
  
  Regan continues to smile as she talks to Scott, but he doesn't hear her. His mind drifts off as his gaze wanders down from her mouth, to her neck and then her collarbone. Then it happened. His junk pitched a tent! The damn thing had a mind of it's own! The fucking wind would blow and it would stand at attention. Scott feels his face begin to heat up as she shifts his weight, then suddenly, his best friend Adam, appears behind him, grabs his pants and jerks down hard, revealing his Batman boxer shorts underneath. Scott scrambles to grab his pants and pull them back up while turning to punch Adam, but Adam's too quick. He is already halfway down the hall laughing hysterically. "VERY FUNNY ASSHOLE!" Scott yells after him. Oh God. Why Regan? Anyone but Regan he thinks to himself. He turns back to her awkwardly smiling at her. "Guess you got a show for free today." he chuckles as he presses his books in front of his crotch.
  
  Regan bursts out laughing. "I am so glad you have a good sense of humor, because that was classic. That made my entire freshman year of high school a success."
  
  "I am glad by sexy boxers and legs were appreciated then." Scott says as he takes a bow.
  
  "Your so fucking cool." Regan eyes him up and down as she shakes her head in approval. "I will text you the details for the party." She leans forward and kisses Scott's cheek. I can't wait." She turns and strolls away.
  
  Scott stands in the middle of the hall gaping after her as her hips sway back and forth. He can go straight home so he can call Regan and talk to her more, or he can go find Adam to square off about this little stunt, and hang out.
  
  > go find Adam
  Scott Grabs his cloths for the party and throws them in the backseat of his black, Honda Civic. The drive to Adam's house takes a windy road thru thick woods. Scott hated making the drive at night but he waited to late with the extra stuff he had to do after school, and now it was dark. He tried to drive as quickly as he could without getting pulled over or having a wreck.
  
  There is suddenly a soft sound like someone is chucking in his back seat. Scott looks into his rearview mirror but sees no one in the seat behind him. "I am losing it." He says as he makes his way down the windy dark country road. The wind was blowing particularly hard, and he was fighting it to stay between the lines.. He hears a chuckle again, but this time he is sure of what he heard. "Adam! You fucker!" he says trying to turn to look behind his seat. "he must be ducked down behind the seat." Scott said.
  
  Scott reaches behind him trying to feel for Scott. The chuckle gets louder. "Adam for real man your going to make me have a wreck."
  
  "Adam is not here" A sinister voice whisper back and cackles.
  
  It feels like ice shoots thru his veins. He looks wide eyed into the rear view mirror again. and sees his cloths he had thrown in the back seat with two eyes and a white pointed tooth smile. "Oh my God!" Scott says as he tries to pull his hand away and suddenly feels something cold slice across his arm and something wet begin to drip down his arm.
  
  "Surprise!" The cloths whisper as it lurches over the seat at Scott.
  
  Scott loses control of the car and it launches off a cliff into the air diving straight down. Scott could be heard screaming for miles. Then the car smacks into the rocks below, and Scott's scream is silenced.. The sinister chuckling is the only thing anyone can hear.[Themes: sci-fi, science fiction]
  
  After 3 months of travelling on a high-speed spaceship, you have landed on the surface of the Red planet. You are in a landing craft, sitting next to your friends that have enured the same trip as you. Your crew begins to get ready to step out. After contacting control center at Houston, you step out.
  
  [Author's Note: Welll, I made this for fun, and for one specific person. I'm quite new at this, so please pardon my mistakes. I hope you enjoy reading!]
  
  > leave the lander
  Upon leaving the lander, you are greeted by an unfamiliar landscape. Mars missions have become a routine by 2035 but they have only used a single spot for landing: the base of Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the Solar sytem. For this expedition, however, NASA has decided to switch things up a bit. The reason for this change was due to the fact that liquid water was discovered here, at the least in the summer. Because its not summer on Mars, the crew won't be examining water, but rather more usual stuff, such as drilling and gathering rocks from deep underground, etc.
  
  "Joel, can you come here and see this?" - Diana called you through the radio.
  
  "I'm coming" - you replied.
  
  You come to Diana by jumping, because who wouldn't like the ability to jump high? And now when you have that ability, why not use it to the full potential? You come to the dry riverbed, and see Diana, lost in her thoughts.
  
  "Why did you call me?"
  
  "I was wondering what effects would finding alien life in water that runs on Mars have on us, Earthlings. It sucks that we didnt come here during summer, that way we could be the first ones to analyze liquid water from beyond the Earth."
  
  "Well, the water discovery was only made recently, and NASA wasn't allowed to change the date for the expedition. But the effects of potential alien life findings would be huge. How would religions explain that? It would mean for a fact that life is plentiful in this vast universe."
  
  "Hey, you two, stop chatting, we got work to do!" - Steve warned us
  
  "Do you want to collect samples here, or by the crater over there?" - Diana asks
  
  You look at the pile of rocks here, and then at a similar pile near the big meteor crater about 50 meters from the lander.
  
  > stay here
  "I think I'll stay here"
  
  "Fine then" - Diana replied and jumped her way to the other rock pile.
  
  You start to collect rocks and putting them into a wheelbarrow of some sort. Rocks collected from the dried riverbed can contain microscopic life, so you collect as much of it as possible. You also break some rocks in half, doing various chemical tests on the site, to find out the chemical composition of the material, and compare it with the composition of the material on the Olympus Mons site. You start to think about your family, and how much you miss them. After all, you have travelled for 3 months without stopping. They will sure be excited for any Mars rocks you might bring back. You have started to like Diana, you've gotten to know her better in these last 3 months.
  
  "Even though I like her very much, I can't cheat on my wife, I have kids for the love of God!. I mean, we can always be friends I'm sure she will find someone for herself" - You start to think.
  
  After 5 more minutes of collecting samples, and thinking about various stuff, a surprised female sound is heard:
  
  "Holy fuck!"
  
  "What's going on?" - You and Steve say that sentence at the almost exact time.
  
  "You HAVE to see this"
  
  "See what?" - Steve asks
  
  "I can't explain, you need to see this for yourself, come here now!"
  
  > run to Diana
  You and Steve rush to see what's going on, even though you thought it probably isn't a big deal, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Various things were going through your head at those moments. Did she got injured? Maybe she saw something unbelievable? Those kinds of thoughts were racing through your head. You arrive with Steve only to find Diana at the edge of the crater, looking down in disbelief.
  
  "What did you call us for?" - You ask
  
  "Just look at the bottom of the crater!"
  
  You and your buddy look down to see the most unexpected sight you could imagine at that moment: A crashed lander with a flag planted next to it. The flag appears to be red from afar, but it has been bleached by the sun quite a bit.
  
  S "What the hell happened down there?"
  
  J "They appear to have landed without any major problems, because there is a flag next to it"
  
  S "NASA never sent an expedition here, at least none that I know of"
  
  D "We need to contact Houston about this, perhaps they will know something more about it. They can check satellite imagery of this area".
  
  S "I don't think so. If we inform them, they will send us down there, and God knows if that thing even came from Earth."
  
  D "They need to know about this"
  
  S "We are almost finished, we should report back and start the way home! I don't want to be here any longer than I need to. Our oxygen levels are depleting, we may run out of oxygen if we get stuck there, that's a fucking crater we're talking about!"
  
  D "I guess that leaves you Joel, to be the deciding factor here."
  
  S "Whatever you choose, I will respect it."
  
  D "Me too"
  
  All of a sudden, you find yourself in the position to choose and what to do. They both said they will respect your decision, but will that be really the case? There is only way to find out.
  
  > Don't tell Houston [Side with Steve]
  J "I agree with Steve. We should shut our mouth and be done with it."
  
  Diana is shocked for a second, she thought you will take her side, but after few seconds she calms herself.
  
  D "It's a 2vs1, there is nothing I can do."
  
  S "Fine then, lets finish up in here and get going."
  
  A thought races through your mind. If we dont tell anything and we get home safely, whatever we might say about the lander, won't be taken seriously. But you have made a decision and you are ready to face any potential consequences. After collecting more samples and doing some more chemical experiments, a familiar noise is heard inside your helmet.
  
  It's Houston. They are calling us.
  
  "What a weird time for them to call us, right when we were about to leave." - You think to yourself All 3 of you answer.
  
  H "How is it going up there?"
  
  S "We were just finishing up, we are almost ready to go back into the lander and finish this thing"
  
  H "I'm afraid you'll have more work to do"
  
  The 3 of you look at each other. They might know.
  
  H "We have just made a discovey that will change the history textbooks all over the world. We wonder have you seen it yet?"
  
  J "Seen what?"
  
  H "A crashed lander-like vehicle in the meteor crater near your landing spot. A shade in the shape of a pole is also seen, we assume it's a flag."
  
  Again, the 3 of you exchange looks. You are connected and everything you say will be heard loud and clear on Earth, so you cannot communicate by voice about what to say. Steve walks up to you and writes in the Martian dust: Lie - YES or NO? He then adds an X next to the NO section, signalling that he is for telling the truth to Houston, despite him being opposed to it. Diana also proceeds to add an X at the same spot. Its your turn now.
  
  You know that your vote doesn't matter all that much, because your friends outnumber you. So, you crouch and add the final X at the NO section. Steve quickly erased the markings with his boot, so it won't be seen by any future expeditions.
  
  H "What's taking you so long?"
  
  S "It's nothing, we were thinking how to describe the epic proportions of this discovery."
  
  H "Well, to do that, you will need more info about it. The President has been informed and we are certain that that thing down there is not of USA origin."
  
  J "How did you find out about it anyway?"
  
  H "We got updated satellite images of the site. The old ones were taken during a sandstorm, so the crater was not very visible. We have only gotten it about few minutes before you landed. We waited to see will you notice it, and more importantly, will you inform us about it.
  
  S "We were just about to..."
  
  H "It doesn't matter now. The President has ordered for you to get down and investigate that thing. Take spare oxygen tanks, and make sure you dont run out of it. You will be able to jump down smaller cliffs without injuring yourself, but you will need ropes to get back up. That's what our calculations are saying. Take plenty of photos, and bring some of the stuff back for analysis. Good luck, you'll need it."
  
  The 3 of you are now alone, faced with an order to get down there and investigate the unknown vehicle.
  
  S "I'm sure as hell not going down there!"
  
  D "You heard the order"
  
  S "I don't care, I'm not risking my life over some old lander"
  
  D "This will change history!"
  
  S "I know, but I'm staying here. I can help you get down and secure the ropes when you decide to go back.
  
  D "You are stubborn as hell Steve. Joel, what about you? Are you coming? Diana looks at you with a trace of hope in her eyes that you will go with her. And yet again you are the deciding factor.
  
  > go with Diana
  J "I'm going with you, Diana, you can't go in there alone."
  
  D "Great, let's get ready then."
  
  You and Diana go back to the lander, you both take a 30 minute break to eat and figure out how are you going to do this.
  
  J "We don't have parachutes, but the gravity is so weak, the terminal velocity isn't high enough to injure us, so it's safe to jump down there."
  
  D "The crater has a staircase-like structure, with lots of smaller cliffs, all the way to the bottom."
  
  J "Yeah, if needed we can also take a break there."
  
  D "Steve will secure the rope at the edge and we will carry it down with us to the bottom. We won't have problems getting back at all."
  
  J "Sounds like we have a plan on how to get there. But what do we do when we actually get there?"
  
  D "I have no idea. We take photos, and take some samples of it, the door might be open... We know nothing about this thing." J "Yeah, is suppose we will figure things on the go once we get down there."
  
  Steve knocks on the window, signalling that it's time.
  
  D "Let's do this."
  
  J "I've gotten the emergency oxygen tanks, we are ready."
  
  You and Diana step out of the lander, and get to the edge. On the count of 3 you 2 jump down. The gravity is so much lighter that a 15 meter drop takes like 5 seconds. You jump down off the smaller cliffs while having the rope connected to you. Diana does the same. Its only when you are actually inside the crater, you realise how big it actually is. To think that all that was made by a meteor about 5 meters in diameter, is crazy. As you get closer you begin to uncover new details about the lander, such as windows, meaning it was an expedition with human crew. You already figured that out when you saw the flag earlier, but it looks amazing that, whoever sent this, had windows strong enough that they didn't crack, even in space.
  
  You get down after 2 minutes of jumping. Diana secures the ropes and you 2 go for the lander. You can see Steve up on the top, waving to you. The flag was behind the lander, so the part that you saw was only to top, because the rest was obscured by the lander. What you and Diana see, blows your mind away. You see a gray swastika in the middle of white circle.
  
  D "What in the hell...?"
  
  J "That's a Nazi flag, the black swastika has been bleached by the sun, just like the red color."
  
  D "I can't believe this. This can't be real."
  
  J "I doesn't matter now. We must keep going:"
  
  You and Diana walk around the lander, closely examining it. Lost of photos are taken so they can support anything you 2 say to Houston later. Diana decides to go in. You see that the interior of the lander is filled with air, meaning the lander will explode when a hole is breached.
  
  Diana stops just before breaking the window.
  
  D "Why?"
  
  J "The interior might be filled with air, it's sealed, Any hole will result in a sudden depressurization, an explosion, if you will."
  
  D "How do we release that air, if there is any inside?"
  
  J "I have an idea, but it is very risky. NASA has always included a rifle in our shuttles. I'm not sure if the rifle is in the shuttle orbiting us, or in the lander. If we get a shot in the window, the air, if there is any, will slowly leak out, thus, no explosion.
  
  D "Sound fair enough. Steve needs to check the lander for the rifle. Do know where is it?
  
  J "Someone told me it might be underneath the seat, and the buttstock is underneath the other seat."
  
  D "Steve, we need your help. Go inside the lander and search underneath all seats. You should find a rifle and a buttstock there.
  
  S "Why the hell do you need a rifle?"
  
  J "The lander might be under pressure from inside, and we need a safe way to release that pressure from afar."
  
  S "Shouldn't we contact Houston before doing something like this?"
  
  D "We will, just bring us that rifle."
  
  While Steve is looking for the rifle, you and Diana contact Houston.
  
  H "So, the lander might be pressurized?
  
  D "We are not sure, but we do have a plan how to release the pressure, using a rifle."
  
  H "Send us some photos over so we can see in detail if the lander is actually under pressure." Diana sends some photos of the crashed lander from all angles.
  
  H "Hmmmmm, our engineers are telling that the cabin is not pressurized. You are allowed to shoot through if you want. Inform us later again. Good luck. Steve has returned to the edge of the crater.
  
  S "How the hell do I get this gun down there?"
  
  J "Just throw it as far as you can."
  
  Steve takes some time to get ready, and then throws the rifle with all of his force. The gun flies through the air for a couple of seconds and lands on a cliff just above you. You climb up and retrieve it.
  
  J "Should I do it?"
  
  D "You thought of the rifle, you make the decision.
  
  > shoot the window
  J "I'm going to do it."
  
  D "Okay. Let's get behind cover."
  
  You and Diana go behind some rocks about 50 meters away and you set up the rifle. You lie down and take aim at the window.
  And then you fire. The gun is silent in space but you felt the recoil and saw a hole in the window. Nothing happens. No explosion is seen. J "The air must be leaking out right now."
  After 5 minutes you decide to go in. Your oxygen tank is empty, and you have replaced it with a new one. You use the empty tank to smash through the lander door. It takes some force, but you do it. The interior is in mess, stuff is everywhere. You see a portait of Adolf Hitler hanging. There is some paper that had something written on it, but it can't be read because of the bleaching by the sun. Then you notice a skeleton in a primitive suit. He looks like he's been there a while. His name plate says "Dr. Hans". You and Diana take pictures to support everything you say to Houston later on.
  And then Diana sees a manhole cover in the middle.
  D "Check this out"
  You walk up closer to it and you try to bust the lock, but it doesn't look like it's gonna open.
  J "Let me shoot the lock, take cover!"
  You get in position to shoot the lock and you do it. The lock shatters in lots of smaller pieces. Diana starts to open the door, revealing ladders going down into the darkness.
  J "My tank is leaking!"
  
  D "What, how... wait mine is leaking too!
  
  J "We need to go up now!"
  
  Both of you rush out and start to climb the ropes you set earlier.
  
  J "Steve, we need help, it's serious!"
  
  S "What's going on?"
  
  D "Our oxygen tanks are leaking for some reason, and I have little oxygen left."
  
  S "I'm coming down to help you"
  
  You and Diana climb up and you are almost at the top when Diana passes out. Steve starts to carry her and takes her to the lander. You start running to the lander, ingoring the warnings you have said to yourself about not running because its wasting oxygen faster. The insticts are more powerful than any warning I suppose. About 20 meters in front of the lander, you pass out. Next thing you remember is Steve contacting Houston.
  
  H "How did their tanks leak?"
  
  S "I have no idea. They were opening a cover and they saw ladders leading into the darkness. Then they noticed the leak.
  
  H "Without oxygen, we have nothing to do on Mars. Start the procedure for takeoff. You are going home."
  
  Steve is relieved that you are going home.
  
  J "Where are the samples we collected earlier?"
  
  S "I have loaded them all into the lander. We don't need to go outside anymore." Joel, start the ignition countdown."
  
  J "5, 4, 3, 2, 1"