Red Mars

The Martian Revolution is 14 days old. Arkady has dreams in which he sees his father. He’s woken by an alarm. Janet arrives to tell him that Nemesis—an asteroid that the revolutionaries launched at Earth as an offensive tactic—has been blown up. The asteroid is now destroyed, as they see on the video monitor. Arkady didn’t agree with the asteroid launch; he favors a more Swiss-style approach. He passes through the town, acknowledging his fellow revolutionaries. Phyllis calls him, demanding that he surrender. He refuses. The call ends. Arkady learns that the town’s oxygen supply has been sabotaged. As he ventures back to his office, he sees a light in the sky. Suddenly, people around him are “burning like torches” (557). The oxygen levels have made everything flammable. Arkady looks down at his own burning arm.

Nadia has realized how fragile the Martian towns truly are. They can be destroyed easily, like popping a balloon. In Lasswitz, she saw how the transnationals could pierce an atmospheric tent with a missile. She and other inhabitants huddle inside buildings. They try to repair the tent, piecing together what happened from jumbled reports on the news. Sasha calls Nadia, telling her about a damaged water station nearby.