The next upgrade was the focused laser pulse. This was our first weapon. It was incorporated into the guerrilla scenarios. We were to use it precisely, the culmination of the drill. It had a time delay for recharge. If we popped them off wildly, we'd be open for direct retaliation with a four second delay, denying any chance of weapon defense. We were trained in hand to hand combat, but that would prove little satisfaction against a giant dog. This then necesitated our exact control of the focused laser pulse. They taught us that dissabling the target on the first hit would also stop any civilian panic. Seeing a hail of laser pulses flying through the sky would cause undue stress on the outlay farmers and tenants. The focused laser pulse was enabled fully in marksman drills, but stripped of its lethal power in team drills. Any misfire during drills would result in severe penalties for up to a month. And being struck with a dissabled laser pulse still brought down us boys. It felt like getting struck with a tree, pure blunt force.

There were more weapon ugrades; rocket upgrades with physical ammo, rapid fire upgrades, stuff out of 21st century video games. Many of the boys forgot all about their past lives and why they were at the orphanage. I did not. Those boys loved the training, savored the chance to use their weapons against the dogs. They didn't hate the dogs, they just wanted something to kill.

Growing up at the orphanage, I didn't hate anything. I didn't hate the dogs, I didn't hate my life, the teachers, the orphanage. Neither did I love. Something inside of me had been missing ever since I closed my eyes on my mother. This had become my life. I lived it. I did what my teachers told me, I learned about the world, the two planets, the greatness of man, the glory of science. I learned how to fight, I was taught to kill. I had fun with my roommates, I cared for them, they loved me. I was quiet, I took what was given to me, I never said life wasn't fair.

I don't remember saying a word the rest of that evening. I must have, Samantha had us together to get to know each other. She told us about our training courses and where we'd be escorted tomorrow, what we'd learn and what to bring. I was exhausted. Cadmus and Balthasar were laughing and boisterous. We went to dinner and ate and were escorted back to our room. This was my first night sharing a space with anyone besides my family. I cleaned up and slipped into bed like an oil slick. My roommates asked me some questions, I don't remember answering them. I stared at the wall and let their words fall over me. I began to realize the impossibility of my vow not to talk to anyone.
"Goodnight." I closed my eyes as I said it, scared to see their faces.
"Goodnight Aaron." They said.

I fell asleep, and that was it. My training began the next morning. We went to class, like most children do. Our days were split between new limb training and traditional school. We learned history, literature, math, science. We learned how to use our new arms to grab things with neutral beams, to carve things toys out of raw material, how to get up after falling down. New children were admitted throughout the years, just like any school. We had our cliques, they were revolved around our roomates. Cadmus and Balthasar did become my best friends. We went everywhere. We would join with other groups, but they switched. We joked, we talked, we made fun of teachers.

It was terribly normal. There were quiet kids, goofy kids, pranksters and smart kids. I was quiet, Cadmus was goofy and Balthasar was smart. It didn't make us special. Our personalities may have played rolls in how we communicated, but the tragectory of our lives continued on course whether or not we talked, or made too many jokes, or knew all the answers. Life was incredibly unconcerned with how we related to it.

The scientists had built into our new limbs a series of upgrades to be initiated after successful and demonstrated control of all the previous functioning capabilities. At first, our arms were only capable of using the neutral beams to carry things, to lift things like we would with our normal hands, things of that nature. When we were comfortable with that, we were upgraded to use the carving tool. This is a low grade laser capable of carving soft materials like rocks, wood and most synthetic material. We could adjust the scope of the beam and width of it to dig trenches, or carve toys. We learned how to be dextrous with our limbs.

I must mention that most rooms had a dampening code built into them to dissable every function but the neutral beams. Being young boys, they didn't want any mistakes to happen as a result of heightened emotions. They didn't want anybody losing another limb, or dying. Certain rooms and areas and practice grounds were modified to allow use of more capabilities. Staging grounds and training fields were modifiable to allow a greater range of uses.

The upgrades continued with age and experience. Soon we began to hold mock dog encounter scenarios. Our drill teachers taught us guerrilla tactics from earth and how to deploy them in open spaces. We ran through these drills for hours, three of us at a time, moving as a team. Our teachers were tireless, any mistake resulted in a new start. Sometimes we'd train for the entire day, moving quietly, eyes hard. Those days were tiring. For Balthasar it was a welcome relief from the pressure of his advanced math work. For me it was just another day. Balthasar was smart, but he was too carefree for math. These drills gave him open space to use math. He hated being confined. Cadmus, he loved everything.

"Aaron, I'd like you to meet your new roommates." Across from me were two boys.
"Aaron Aadi, Balthasar Addo." A lanky boy with big blue eyes. He was skinny and had longish wavy dark hair. A lock of it kept falling into his right eye. He smiled at me like a wild animal, all teeth and mouth wide open. His glinting arm seemed like it should be dragging him down. He was much taller than me, almost as tall as Samantha. He reached out his hand, I took it. It was delicate, almost too small for his proportion.
"Hi, Aaron." I nodded. I didn't have to say anything to him. Samantha put her hand on his shoulder, he looked at her and laughed. It was sudden and jarring, loud like a seal braying. I flinched. The other boy giggled.
"Aaron Addi, Cadmus Akuji." He was my height, pale, with blue veins by his eyes. A wide face and soft, like he'd never been outside. He was behind Balthasar and walked toward me like he wasn't going to stop. Thick stumps for legs, pumping like pistons, comical in their single purpose. He had wispy, blonde hair, as if there wasn't enough of it on his head. He stopped in front of me and raised his new arm at me. He put his natural hand on top of it and yelled.
"Bang! Bang!" He made shooting motions. I didn't know what to do. Cadmus giggled. His head moved like a buoy in water. I laughed nervously, it sounded like a sigh.
"Now, Cadmus. Be kind."

Samantha took me into a bright room. There were clear lights all over the room. The light seemed to just be light. Not eminating from anywhere, as if the bulbs were auxillary, just an unlikely coincidence that the light happened to be inside of them. There was a heavy chair in the middle of the room. What looked like a giant upside-down tuning fork was suspended above it, heavy wires wrapped around it like jungle vines. Close beside the chair was a table with doctor's instruments on it. In one corner was a halfcircle console station with lots of colored lights and buttons. I wanted to touch them. Samantha greeted another doctor that approached us. One was sitting behind the console.

"Samantha, hello. This must be Aaron." He patted me on the shoulder. He didn't look much different from any of the doctor's I'd seen in the last few days. Tall, clean features, perfect hair. He smiled at me.
"Ready, Aaron?" I shrugged and stared at the console. I was nervous.
"Okay, Aaron. This is a great moment for you. Now, you're going to sit down here. Then I'm going to give you a shot with a needle. Don't worry, it will only be a small prick. Then the vector plates are going to start to spin around you. You'll see lights spinning. That's okay. When it is done spinning, I'm going to program your left arm. And then, Aaron, you'll be able to move your new arm. Simple, isn't it?" He was crouching on his knees, and when he said this his face exploded into a smile. I laughed, I couldn't control it. I didn't want to. But it came out.
"Okay, Aaron, sit down." I sat down in the chair. He took a needle from beside the table, swabbed my arm with something cold and orange, and looked at me.
"This will only tingle for a minute. I'm giving you something that will help your body understand your new arm. Ready?" I nodded.
"Look at those big eyes. You'll be fine."

He put the needle in my arm and I watched the small amount of clear liquid dissapear behind the needle's plunger. I felt it in my body, my shoulder felt cold where he put it in. The chill moved through my body.
"I feel cold."
"It's okay, Aaron. You'll be fine. Just relax. I'm turning on the vector plates now, its important to stay still, okay, Aaron?"
"Okay."
There was a slight noise and the giant arms began to spin slowly around me. In a moment, they were moving so fast that all the light in the room was caught up like cotton candy and spun around the vector plates, wrapping me in a cocoon of light. I could see my reflection in it. A heavy hum surrounded me. I couldn't hear anything except my breath. I couldn't see anything except a flickering reflection of my face. My eyes looked huge. I was panting. A red light streaked across in front of me. Then two, and it looked like it came out of the reflection of my eyes. Soon, blue and green streaks joined the red ones. It was scary. I started to squirm in the chair. I couldn't remember how long I was sitting there. It felt like forever. I began to think that they forgot about me. That I was stuck forever in this. The lights were swirling everywhere, they were moving so fast it seemed like they were making noises. I lifted my right hand in front of my face and it was a blur. I couldn't make out any fingers, any discernable shape. It looked like a blurry, too up-close picture. I put it back down frantically and sat on it. I shut my eyes. I could see the colors passing even through my eyelids, faint and viscous. I let out a hesitant yell. I couldn't hear it.

And then I heard the hum slow down. And in a moment the arms wound themselves down and stopped spinning. The cocoon dissipated into the rest of the room, and I was staring at Samantha and the doctor. I was sweating. I was breathing heavy. The doctor laughed.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Aaron." I gulped a breath of air.
"You're all right, Aaron. You're fine. Beautiful, wasn't it? Like travelling through space. Although, you were probably asleep during that. Beautiful." I stared at him. He was looking above me. I pushed my hair out of my face.
"Okay, Aaron. Now I'm going to program your new arm. Brace yourself like I was going to push you, okay? It won't hurt, but your body will be excited to use its new arm. Stay calm. Can you do that, Aaron?"
"Okay."

He grabbed my left arm and moved his hand over the shiny surface, searching. He lifted a panel.
"Okay, Aaron. On three. One. Two." He looked me in the eyes, "three." And suddenly a thick, heavy pulse dropped into my left arm. Like a giant raindrop slipped down my arm and pulled me with it. It took me halfway over the side of the chair. Then I felt a pain in my head and I pulled myself back into the chair.
"Ouch." I rubbed my head with my right arm. The doctor laughed again.
"Look at that, already using your new arm. Careful, Aaron. It is metal."

I still felt the throbbing in my left arm. It was like a new heart was growing in me, calling for attention. I lifted my new arm slowly in front of me. It moved. I bent it at the joint. The light slid over it like water. The throbbing dissipated. A calm numbness came over me. I couldn't stop staring at it. It moved like it was part of me.
"What does it do?"
"Well, Aaron. I think thats what you're going to find out next."

I didn't feel that when I left the operating room. I couldn't feel the left side of my upper body. The doctors lead me to another room. A woman with a computer was sitting down at a table. There was an empty chair and a glass of water with a prescription bottle beside it on the table.
"Aaron Aadi, weclome. My name is Samantha. Please take a seat. We have a lot to talk about. You can't feel anything on your left side right now. You were given local anesthesia to numb you during the surgery. Please, take this pill and drink the water."
"I don't want to sleep."
"Oh, no Aaron, this is only a painkiller. You won't sleep. Soon, the anesthesia will wear off and without this pill you will be in a lot of pain from the surgery. This is to prevent that pain. You will need to take one every four hours today to prevent any lingering pain. Don't worry, this is a very good thing. You have a new arm! I'm sorry you don't remember this morning, it was a very exciting time for you."
"It doesn't look like an arm."
"Yes, we have a lot of explaining to do. You are a very courageous and strong boy, Aaron Aadi. You have gone through more than many people will go through in their entire lives. To have survived proves your courage and strength. That is why you are here. You are one of the first groups of children to make the Mars Children of Strength Orphanage their home. We are honored to have you. In fact, we chose you because of how strong you are. And with our help, you will become even stronger.
Now, about your new arm. You told our agents that you would protect the Colonies of Mars against any threat of harm or violence from the dogs and any other percieved eminent danger. We accept your humble and courageous sacrifice for the protection of the Colonies of Mars. For this, we are very honored to have you. And for this we want to help you as best as you can. That is why we have given you this new arm. If the times were not as they were, if there was no danger, this would not even be an option. But time is not changing, and through your consent, you recognize the need for your sacrifice. For this, you have much greater wisdom than any other six year old outside of this orphanage. It truly is an honor to be able to teach you and watch you grow.
Your new arm is capable of many great things. It will become a great asset to you. In time you will learn how to use everything it is capable of. But for now, you will need to learn how to do the most rudimentary tasks using your new arm. In fact, as soon as we are done here, we will go to the programming center and activate your arm."
Her words were waves over me. They put me in a sort of trance. My eyes were fixed upon my new arm. It was marvelously shiny. It was hideously out of place. My left side of my body began to tingle and wake up as the anesthesia wore off. I could feel sharp tingling waves washing over me, washing down the curve of my left arm. My arm felt alive. It felt alive apart from me.
"The surgeons and scientists on Mars are capable of great works. Through their skill, your new arm, upon activation, will connect with your neurotic parambular nervous system. Almost immediately you will begin to use your left arm for balance and motor functions just as naturally as you now use your right arm.
"After your activation, we will then meet your new roommates. You have three roommates very much like you. They will be in every one of your classes. They will become your new friends, friends that you will be able to trust and rely on for the rest of your life. You will have the opportunity to get to know them and recieve your first assignments today before supper and bed. Tomorrow, you will begin your classes. You will begin to learn how to use your new arm. You most likely went to school before. You will have curriculum similar to your old classes along with your training. We want you to learn not just about your new duty, we want you to know about the world, just as your parents wished for you; to give you every opportunity to grow in strength and success.
"Now, I know I've covered a lot of ground. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Why do I have a new name?"
"Yes. We believe that the trauma of the events that happened to you--to all of the children here at the orphanage--was so great that when you woke up after the events, you woke up new. In essence, Aaron Aadi, your life started over again. Your new name reflects that change. Your new name is a symbol of hope. Hope for you. Hope for Mars. Hope for the future. And your new name also serves a practical purpose. Your decision to serve is such a great commitment that we hold ourselves greatly responsible to keep you safe. All of the names for the children here help us keep track of where you all are. Your name is Aaron Aadi because you are one the first to come here."
"I don't understand."
"Yes. That's all right. You will someday, Aaron. Aaron, do you notice any tingling on your left side?" I nodded.
"Good. That's the anesthesia wearing off. You probably feel the tingling in your new arm? Yes? You won't understand, but that means your neurons are connected. It is a part of you, don't be afraid. But the neurons aren't mapped out yet. They don't know how to make your new arm work. So now, we are off to the programming center. And when we get there, we'll show your body how to use your new arm. Are you excited, Aaron Aadi?"
"Yes. I think so." The tingling feeling was going through my entire body. It was coursing through me. I wanted to shake and run and jump. We stood up and Samantha took my hand. I could hardly keep still to walk quietly beside her. I felt this way when I watched the storms from inside of our house in the outlays. Like I could see out every part of my body.

My father, on Earth, fished a lot. I would go with him. There was a river on our land on Earth. I made myself a pole out of a young maple branch and wax-coated string. I told my father I was going fishing by myself. I tied a hook and a red and white buoy to the string. I put a worm on the hook. My father tried to help me, but I made it all myself. I walked to the bank of the river and held my pole over the river. The worm fell into the river immediately. I had draped it around the hook. I didn't want to hurt it. It didn't matter. I sat there for an hour. I was calm. Content. I sang songs to myself like my father did. He sang so softly that I never heard the words. I made them up as I went. Geese flew overhead. The river was my rhythm.

I saw a fish on the river bed. I didn't expect it. I think it must have been a bottom feeder. All I remember is that it was brown. My hands shook as I held the pole so the string dropped above the fish's head. The byoy held the hook too high. I started shaking the pole to get the fish's attention. The buoy moved. The fish stayed in place. It moved its fins slowly.

My heart began to move inside of me. I remember that I had to go pee very badly. I moved down the bank and tried to get the hook in front of the fish's eyes. I thought that fish would bite hooks. I thought the worm was for decoration.

I started to hop nervously. I was sure that any minute the fish would swim away. I became frantic. I didn't know what to do, so I just held the pole over the water, the waxstring made a dimple in the soft current of the river. I was in agony. I was panting. I decided to try to put the pole in the water, but the buoy held the hook in the same place, a foot above the fish's head. And the fish stayed there, in the same place, undulating.

I stayed there, hopping, wishing I could pee, terrified that the fish would swim away. My heart was jumping all around inside of me. It was hot, and it itched. I swear it wanted to jump out of my body and tear in half.

Finally, frantically, I tried to poke the fish with my pole. It darted away in a cloud of silt. I thought that anything inside of me that was in place had fallen. I sat down and cried. I stood up, stared at the river with growing determination and anger and threw my fishing pole into the river. I turned around and ran home.

I remember my father holding me in his arms. He was always warm. When he held me, everything that was wrong, everything that fell apart, was in its right place.

I dreamt that I was at my house, it was night, and I was outside. I was bringing water to my father in the shed. There were terrible noises coming out of the shed, it sounded like someone was frantically searching for something. I came around back to the door, it was slightly ajar and the light spilling out the cracks looked like it was trying to get as far away from the shed as possible. I heard someone grunting. I wasn't scared. I didn't have any feelings. I moved like a robot. Robots have this fluid, singleminded movement--an efficient, wasteless purpose. They move like time, nothing bothers them, nothing will stop them, and whatever they are doing will be accomplished.

I opened the door and stepped inside. There were overturned tables with bolts and wrenches and scrap metal strewn across the floor. My father was hunched over in one corner, holding something close to his chest with one hand while fanning his other hand in circles along the dirty floor, scrabbling and picking at anything that was within reach. He was grunting words. He kept repeating, where is it. And it was a statement, not a question. Dad, I brought you water from the house. Where is it. I have it right here. Where is it. Are you looking for something? Where is it. I don't know.

He straightened and stood up. His free hand went still. He turned and looked at me and mouthed the words. Where is it. I looked at what he had clenched in his hand. It was a bleeding, pulsing heart. Where is it.

Where is it. Where is it. My father was no longer moving his mouth. Where is it. The words were coming out of mine. I reached out my hand to give him the water. He grabbed my hand. It shuddered like an old engine. I dropped the glass. I looked down, there were glittering shards everywhere. My father tugged violently at my arm. I nearly fell over. That's when I noticed.

There was a gaping hole in my chest. Where is it. My father grabbed my chin, and looked me in the eyes. Where is it. His other hand was raised. There was a beating, spitting heart in it. A siren was tearing through the shed. It was coming from inside of me. Rushing out of the hole like a newly dug well. Shattering the glass pieces into sand. Blowing the hair off my fathers head. Tearing down the walls. Where is it.

I opened my eyes and screamed into an iridescent light above me. I was uncomfortable and I couldn't move my head.
"Do you feel anything?" A man wearing a white mouth mask appeared in front of my face.
"No. I heard a noise."
"Good. Congratulations." I stared at his face. Two more masked faces appeared beside and across from his.
"Aaron Aadi, you have a new arm." I didn't believe them. I couldn't move my head anyway. And I really couldn't feel anything.
"Where is it?" I shuddered.
"Have a look." The doctor took off the head strap holding me down and lifted me up.

There was what looked like a shiny, jointed rocket launcher attached to my shoulder. It was the same size as my arm, it had no hand, it ended in a nozzle. There were overlapping pieces in odd symmetry, like ancient armor covering the length of it. It all looked on the verge of flying into pieces. It looked like it was moving--it looked like it wanted to move.
"What is it?"
"Your new arm. Pretty, isn't it?"
"Not really."
"You'll get used to it. Plus you can do much, much more with it. Just wait until you see what you can do. If only I were your age." The man in the mask shook his head. His eyes were wrinkled in a smile.
"Come on, get up. We'll help to the next room. Someone will be there to take care of you and get you ready. Don't worry, its deactived right now. Just try to get used to the way it feels."
The helped me up. I didn't think I'd be able to stand with that much metal on me. It looked impossibly heavy. They let go and I didn't fall over.
"Light, isn't it? It gives a little tug, sure. But you'll get used to it. Nothing your body won't be able to compensate for. Especially with the shape you'll be in and the extensive work we've done with your kinetic neurons. Oh, of course, nevermind, I'm sure I'm only scaring you. Your helper will be able to explain it all so you can understand. Let's go, Aaron Aadi."
"I don't know who that is."
"Of course not, Aaron. Come along" The man winked at me.

The door shut behind us in the hallway.
"I'm taking you to your room. You're going to change there and give me your old clothes. Don't need anything holding you back now. Do you understand? I'm sure you'll appreciate the change, they keep you boys very well fed and clothed here, much better than a lot of gentlemen I know in newer Roanoke. Of course, that's just an old man's opinion, and I'm sure you don't really care about an old man, do you? Of course not, you don't even know what I'm talking about. At any rate, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay here, in fact, I hope you do, because you'll be here a long time. There's a lot for you boys to learn. How to play with your new toys. Quite a toy, quite a toy. Not so sure it makes me comfortable seeing children running around with those things attached. Nothing anyone can about that now, is there?" We approached an elevator. I had been staring at the shiny black walls of the hallway, they were so smooth. I'd never seen anything like that. I reached out my hand.

"Cleaning ladies won't take kindly to you groping the walls. Keep your hands to yourself. Step quick! The elevator won't wait for you." I stumbled over the old man's feet into the elevator.
"Oh young man, so clumsy. Hope you won't be another mistake here. We don't need anymore mistakes. One is enough. Two is trouble. One is an anomoly. Two begins evidence to the contrary. I would like to keep my job here. No need for mistakes. Keep a move on, child. Let's go." He started quickly down the new hallway. These walls were a muted green. The old man for the next few moments kept his thoughts to himself. He was chewing on his lip. I was looking all around. There were doors every few feet, all painted red with a gold letter and a gold number printed on each. The old man abruptly stopped and turned in front of one of the doors.

"But despite that, child, we're here. Room 2C, that's yours. Here's the key, get in, change and come out with your old clothes. Don't bother looking around, you'll have plenty of time for that. I'll show you what to do after you get out of those old clothes of yours." The old man dropped the key into my hand, I fumbled with them and almost dropped it. I was terrified of making a mistake. I missed the lock on the first try and heard the old man sigh. I was so anxious to be quick that I slammed the door behind me. There were two sets of bunkbeds, a window and a dressing room. I started to take my clothes off. Something wasn't right. I fumbled around with the shirt over my head for a minute until I realized that I only had one arm. I was overwhelmed with grief. I let out one long sob and sat down. My arm was stuck above my head and my head was underneath my shirt. I couldn't move. I heard the door slam again.
"Oh, child. What have you done. Here." The old man pulled the shirt off of me and lifted me to my feet with my one arm.
"Not long since you've been without an arm? I'll turn around. Take it slow with your trousers."
I thought about how I was going to get them off, and put the new pants on. With only a bit of struggle and a rising sense of desperation was I able to get the new pants on. The shirt was a bit easier.
"Okay."
"All right, child. Let's go."
"There are bunkbeds."
"You'll have roommates shortly."
"Oh."
"Well, you'll have to get used to them. No use fighting it. Now it's time for lunch. You must be hungry."

After lunch, the rest of the day was blurry. The food was better than I'd had at our house. And there was much more of it. I remember eating everything I could. I ate until I felt like I couldn't stand up. I didn't know that I could eat that much. I followed the old man around the rest of the day, he showed me where everything was. Where the washrooms were, I needed to pee. He showed me where the recreation room was, where the nurses office was. He showed me how to use the elevator and how to interpret the color codes of the floors. He told me what floors I was allowed on and which floors I was never to go to unless summoned. My feet were hot and I was tired. I hadn't heard so much talking in my entire life. I had never been in a building for so long before. The walls were making me tired. His voice was making me tired.
"I want to go to sleep."
"I haven't showed you everything you need to see."
"I don't care."
"Neither do I. Follow me. Not much left to see. Johnson said you were strong. Show me."
"All right." I didn't want to. I wanted to go to sleep.

We walked around for a while more, what seemed like hours. I saw more floors and more doors and more signs and hallways. Eventually we stopped in front of a door.
"What door is this?" I decided to seem interested. The old man stared at me like I was stupid. I felt stupid.
"What does it say, child?"
"Two Cee."
"Well then, I suppose you know what door this is."
"Oh." I didn't. He looked at me for a few seconds.
"Here's your key back. Here's a pill. You must take this with a glass of water. Let me in and I'll show you where to find a glass."
"Oh." It was my room.
We went inside and he filled up a glass of water, and I got into the first bed I could.
"Take this and put it in your mouth." He gave me a pill and I put it in my mouth.
"Now, drink this water and swallow it. It will help you sleep. You have a long day ahead of you. Someone will be here to wake you up in the morning. Make sure to answer the door and don't keep them waiting. Everyone here is busy and no one likes to wait. Goodnight."
At that, the man left the room. I was scared. I didn't think I could sleep. I put myself under the covers and stared across the room. Soon a thick blackness fell over me. I wasn't sure if the lights went out or not. But it was warm. And I was asleep.

"Son, you've made a good decision. Your parents would be proud." I just wanted to leave.
"We're going to take you to a camp now, with a lot of kids like you. You'll have a lot of fun and learn a lot of new things." He looked at his colleague shutting his briefcase.
"Ready?"
"Yeah. I'm just glad we didn't have to show the video." I used to like it when my dad showed me videos.
"Okay then, lets go."
"When will I get a new arm?"
"At the camp. There are a lot of nice people there who are going to help you and show you how to do everything you said you wanted to do." All I remembered was wanting a new arm.
"Okay."

We left the hospital. The doctor nodded at me as I left. I saw the nurse with her arms folded looking just above my head. I waved. She nodded and turned down the hallway. The doctor waved.

They took me into their car, well, thats what we call them for convenience sake. Much different, but the same idea. It holds 6 people and gets you from one end to the next. Really a magnetic conversion that lifts the car along the ground and propels it forward. Its all based off the magnetic pull of Mars' core, but I barely understand the concept so I won't try to explain it. It goes fast.

They took me in their car and drove me to the camp. It was in the middle of one of the larger parks in Roanoke. One in the inner sector in the goverment subdivision. We pulled up to a check point where a man looked at the two men's ID cards. we were let in and drove down a well shaded drive. The sun shone dappled on the ground. All shades of green were on display.
"Its pretty here."
"You'll love it, son." The two men looked at each other.
"Son, we're going to drop you off when we get inside. Don't worry, they'll know who you are. You'll be welcomed. But you'll have to wait in a line to get your ID card and new clothes. Then you'll get a chance to meet all of your new friends. Okay?"
"Okay." I was scared. I had never been around more than 5 people at a time since I'd been on Mars. And I was in cryo-sleep the whole shuttle ride over from Earth. I didn't want to meet anyone like me. I made up my mind that I wouldn't talk to anyone unless they were an adult. And then only if they asked me a question.
"All right, son. Here we are. Are you ready?"
"No. I don't want to go." The two men looked at each other again.
"Okay, we'll wait here for a couple of minutes until you're ready. You have to be strong. Your doctor told us you're very strong. I'm sure he wasn't lying to us."
"I don't want to meet any new kids."
"You'll love them. They're all waiting to meet you." Children waiting to meet me was even more frightening than them not caring I was there.
"How many are there?"
"Oh, a dozen or so. But don't worry, stay strong and you'll be all right. You'll become fast friends with them."
"Will you come in with me?" The two men looked at each other again. The passenger turned and put his hand on my right shoulder.
"Okay, son. As long as you promise us that you'll stay strong. No matter what."
"Okay." The two men looked at each other again. They grinned and looked at me over their shoulders.
"Ready, son?"
"I guess so."
"Okay, lets go."

They took me out of the car and walked me toward the front of the building. It was giant and shaped like a broad, upside down pyramid. Sort of like the pyramids in South America, but turned on its head. It made me look up. The two men walked with their hands on my shoulders.
We came to the door, a new man greeted my two drivers.
"Johnson. Johnson."
"Bill."
"You two didn't need to come here. You know you can just drop the boy off."
"We wanted to see him off. He's a brave young boy."
"They all are. He's no different."
"Well. we're here. And he's ready. Ready, son?"
"I guess so." The man at the door looked at me critically. He was old and had white hair and a broken nose.
"Come on in, child." The old man said.
"Bye, son."
"Bye." I missed Johnson and Johnson.

The old man led me toward a desk. A middle aged woman wearing a gray dress sat behind it. There was a computer in front of her flat along the desk.
"Hello, child."
"Hi."
"Would you like to know your name?"
"I know my name."
"Well, I'm going to give you a new name. Wouldn't you like that?"
"No. I like my name. My dad says its a strong name."
"I'm sure it is. But we need to give you a new name so that we can better keep track of you while you're here. Don't worry, you'll like it, I promise." I didn't think so. But I didn't say anything.
"Okay. Well, Aaron Aadi, nice to meet you." She tossled my hair. I tried to straighten it.
"Here's your card. You'll have to keep good track of this. And here is your first pair of clothes. Change into these when you reach your room. They'll be much more comfortable than your hospital garments." I forgot I was wearing hospital garments. My new clothes were gray and smooth. They looked nice. The old man started to lead me away. I turned back.
"Lady, I forgot my name."
"Aaron Aadi. Your name is Aaron Aadi."

"Son, some men would like to talk to you." I woke up to the doctor's voice. I looked and saw two men in government suits. Men like these came by every quarter to assess the growth of our settlement. I looked at them, they grinned.
"We'll go down to another room, doctor." Said the man on my left. He had a satchel.
"Why don't you come with us, son." I looked at the doctor, he nodded. I got up. It was about a week after the doctor had told me about my family. Since then he had been stopping by during my walks. I got up and walked whenever the nurses told me too. And when I was done I would lay back down on my bed and stare. I liked the doctor. He didn't say much. I liked how he called me son.
"Okay."

I walked with them into a room down the hallway. It had a desk and a video monitor.
"We've heard about your situation, son." Everyone called me son at the hospital.
"We want to ask you a few questions." I thought that I could answer their questions. I looked at the one talking. Government attire is a cross between a suit and working clothes. Easy moving gray colors layered with light overcoats and black shoes. Almost like country clothes you'd see in the American Midwest, but without the flannel patterns. The material is light and sturdy, they have shiny buttons, and everything seems polished. I always liked their clothes. They seemed mysterious and comfortable.
"How would you like to have your arm back?" Their questions were easy.
"Okay."
"Would you like to have your parents back?"
"Yes."
"Do you think you can?"
"No."
"Then what instead would you like to do about it." I hadn't thought about that yet.
"I don't know."
"Would you like to kill dogs?" I was scared of the dogs. I didn't even know what they looked like. I couldn't remember them.
"No."
"Why not?"
"They're scary."
"What if you scared them?"
"I hate dogs."
"They hate you. Wouldn't you like to hurt them, too?"
"I'm not supposed to hurt anyone."
"What if it was okay?" I hadn't considered that as an option.
"After all, they killed your parents." I started to cry again.
"I want my mom."
"Your mom is dead. The dogs took her away from you. They killed her and your father. They would have killed you, too if your neighbors hadn't scared them away." I wanted my mom back.
"I want my mom back!"
"You can't have her back. She's dead. Now what are you going to do about it?" I put my head down and kept crying.
"Son, you can have a new arm. You can kill the dogs that killed your parents. You can take away all the dogs so no one will have to hurt like you do anymore on Mars. You can be a hero. And we can help you." I liked heroes. I liked my arm. I wanted mine back. Everything else was confusing. I didn't want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to leave.
"Do you want this, son?" I thought so.
"Yes."

I woke up on a hospital gurney in Roanoke. It had been the center of the terraforming mission long enough that it was now a bustling city. Or the closest thing on Mars to a city. There were plenty of people, just a different layout than you'd ever see on Earth. The city, from an aerial view, looked like so many clusters of water bubbles. There were thousands of parks in Roanoke. The city blocks circled them. The emphasis originally in Roanoke was expansion and organic growth, just like the outlays, so each cluster represented a new arm of growth. And as each cluster was established over the years, and new terraformers came in more frequently, each new cluster was populated by a newer group of terraformers.

This then makes for an interesting dynamic. The more cerebral, academic and technically saavy people on Mars are all located within the center of the city. And as you journey farther to the edges of the city, you find more of the menial workers and laborers. And as more terraformers came with more advances in terraforming technology, the new people of Mars were able to move farther and farther away from Roanoke. Which is, as you can guess, the outlay area. And where I had been living since I was four.

I didn't remember Roanoke at all. And for that matter I didn't even know I was in Roanoke. I only knew I was on a gurney, and there were doctors bustling around me. One was sitting beside me when I turned my head to look for a window. My arm itched.
"I have some news for you, son." The doctor said. I was thirsty.
"Can I have a glass of water?" I said. The doctor nodded beside my bed. There was a glass of water on the table beside me. I reached for it, but nothing happened. I couldn't move my left arm. I reached over to get the water with my right hand. I looked down. I had no left arm. I was scared. I started to cry.
"My dad says I'm left handed!" I yelled. I noticed a nurse making comforting noises on the other side of the bed. She smelled like clean sheets.
"Now son, I have some difficult news for you." The doctor said. I was still crying.
"You'll have to be strong."
"I thought I found out the news." I cried. The nurse was stroking my hair and making noises. I was getting angry, my mom did it differently, nicer. Then I remembered my mom's face. I was scared, I was angry, and I was sad.
"Son, your mother. Your father." He looked me in the eyes. I wanted to know where my mom and dad were waiting for me.
"Your mother and father are dead." I didn't feel anything but pain. I felt like something had fallen on me and I couldn't breath. I felt like my lungs had filled with cotton, and it was starting to burn. I desperately let out a yell.
"Dogs killed them!" The doctor yelled over me. I remember that. And the warm arms of the nurse. And my arm itching. And my nose running. And then I don't remember anything for a little while.

This is when things get a bit fuzzy. Either that worker shot the dog, or the dog ate that worker and the rest of the workers killed the dog, or the dogs started messing with the hydrogen towers enough that they became pests and the workers started leaving traps and killing them. I mentioned that the dog may have eaten the worker. That may seem gruesome, but the plain truth is that they will eat humans. But whatever the case, and for whatever reason, the humans started killing the dogs, and the dogs became aggressive and lethal towards the terraformers.

Initially the theories were tame and based on scientific reasoning. But as the years passed, and the fourth and fifth waves came with less studied and academic thinkers, and more laborers and menial workers, combined with the ever present yet rare threat of attack from the dogs, the theories started to become myth and folklore. Some believed they were indeed martian, others believed they were genetically linked to the original terraformers who were lost, others believed they were planted by the NASA for some sinister alterior motive, and even some believed they were intelligent space travellers. Of course, most of these myths and conjectures were ridiculed. And most held claim to the belief of the original second wave of terraformers. That some tragic disaster befell the original terraformers and somehow their pets were able to survive and mutated under the Martian sun.

So, every terraformers farm had a warning siren to alert nearby farms and family of immediate danger. This could be anything from a sudden Martian windstorm to a dog attack.

What I remember is the high wail of the siren grinding out of our house like the wind was trying to tear itself in half. I was in the outlays seeding. I was immediately filled with excitement, anxiousness, and fear. This usually resulted in a trip into the house to watch the cascading corrugated windstorms of Mars. I hurried back home, and about halfway there the wailing slowly bled away into nothing. There was no noise. I was confused and continued home. I drew near to the house, things came into clear focus. I saw a movement on the front porch, and heard a banging behind the shed, as if someone in a rage was searching for a lost tool. I continued closer. They say that the natives of South America may not have even seen the conquistadors when they first arrived because their brains were unable to comprehend something so foreign as the Europeans. This can explain why I only felt the sharp pain in my shoulder and felt the cold dirt rise into my side. Why I never saw the dogs tearing past me in a frenzy, tossing me aside like a dead animal. What I could see, sideways, like a video-recorder recording after the cameraman dropped it, was my mother strewn across the front porch, bloodied and ragged, eyes staring up toward the sky. I tried to move to see the shed, but my body held to the earth like a root, sending sharp waves of pain prickling through my being when i made any slight movement. I saw my mother's head loll downwards, I saw her look me in the eyes. I felt so hot and wet and in pain that I thought I must have been drowning. She mouthed my name. I tried to reach out my arm, I felt it move toward her, but I never saw it reach out. I only felt pain. I closed my eyes and felt the sky fall on me.

Terraforming, applied to my family, was really just a grand word for farmer. By the time my father took us, all the heroic, glorious stuff had already been done on Mars. Not that it wasn't still dangerous, just mundane dangerous. Not exciting dangerous. My dad had a small farm in the outlay area. The thing about farming on Mars, you aren't just responsible for keeping your family alive, you have to meet a goverment quota of land subduction per quarter per year. Roughly a fiscal quarter in business terms. This meant you had to grow outwards constantly. I didn't know any of this, of course, I was only 6. All I knew was that I had to work my butt off constantly. There were no summer vacations. There isn't strictly a 'summer' on Mars. But anyway, its not like you don't know this.

The danger to this whole project mostly came from the weather. The hydrogen towers pacified the weather, but pacifist weather on Mars is destructive on Earth. There was also the chance of dog attacks, which were rare. I suppose I should explain. The dogs, no one really knows where they came from. Dog is actually a terrible understatement. They look like terrestrial dogs, but they are enomrous. Roughly the same size as a horse, more compact and definitely more aggressive.

A bunch of theories surfaced, but the most probable, and the one that stuck in the conscience of the Mars colony is as follows: The first terraformers that settled on Mars were able to erect an infrastructure for the hydrogen towers, reservoirs, and irrigation system. And of course their base camp. These workers were all without family; the risk of death was near 100%. But they were allowed to bring any pets along with them.

When the second wave of terraformers arrived on Mars, 20 years later, there was no trace of any human life on Mars. The infrastructer was intact, everything was set as it should have been, even a bit ahead of schedule according to the records, but there was no one present. There were not even any human remains. Nothing was alive. There was no trace that anything had been alive for the last five years. The second wave searched for a while, but found nothing. And being that lots of hard work had to be done before the third wave arrived in 10 years, they stopped worrying, commemorated their lost fellow humans, named the home base Roanoke, knuckled down and got to work on the technical details of creating a functional atmospheric pressure system for Mars.

It wasn't until another five years before the first dog was spotted. A worker noticed rapid movement near the horizon, drew his military issued low gravity gun, and waited to see what came. Soon the first life form on Mars was recored: a giant dog.