Prime Suspect

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This is dedicated to my grandson.

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The solar panels stretched out as far as Ray's eyes could see. One, somewhere to the left, had failed, marked in angry red on Ray's tablet.

No big deal but this was the one, two, three... seventh in as many days. He squinted at the picture on the screen, a little puzzled. It was panel 'G' in the row. Ray realized the number of the failure matched the letter.

He got a little excited. His right hand waved back and forth in front of his face. He told the map to display the previous problems. He scowled at the result.

The first three made a diagonal line, then a row of panels was skipped. An issue, another skipped row, three skipped rows and then this one. This was the thirteenth row. He couldn’t figure out where the next one was going to fail.

Ray adjusted his rebreather hood, checked his shoes and put his tablet into the toolbox. Adjusting his grip on the long handle, he marched off the cement pad and onto the crunchy red sand. There were some special plants along the way, a new one with tiny purple flowers. He dropped down to study it, to make sure he drew it right later. An alarm went off, to remind him he was in the middle of doing something.

Momentarily confused, he remembered the panel and picked up the toolbox to go fix the problem. He had to hurry. He had to call his primary caregiver to check in and let them know he still wanted this job. They tended to get a little upset if he was late.

He counted down the rows to the right one and turned to march along the length until he got to the panel in question. A glance revealed the problem. The superconducting cable that was supposed to connect to the converter was missing. Just gone, all the way from the panel to the coupler on the ground where the main power cable ran.

At least this one was easy to fix. He usually had to open up the different boxes on the panel and check each one. There had been something missing each time. The first few times, he went back to his station and picked up the piece. Now he carried spares for the components that were replaceable, to save time. He could almost rebuild the entire controller if he had to.

He was done in record time. Tablet came out and his gloved hand navigated the choices to his favorites. He selected one and pressed it several times.

"Happy, happy, happy," rang out in the cold, thin air.

* * *

After Ray unbundled and hung up his hoodie, he filled his water bottle and sat down at the dining table to wait for his wellness call, tablet propped up on its legs.

He swirled the water, watching the liquid go round and round up along the sides in an inverted cone. There was something about how the rows were spaced...

Ring, ring.

Reluctantly, he put the bottle down and answered the call.

"Good afternoon, Ray. How are you?" Dr. Sandra's face filled the screen above the keyboard.

Ray thought about what to answer. It was always tricky. People usually wanted a simple answer. "Am fine." His fingers keyed what he hoped was the proper response.

"Good. Been taking your supplements?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"I'm glad." There was a pause. The doctor's lips were pressed into a tight little circle. "Ray, are you alright being there by yourself?"

This was a new question. He groaned. One hand formed a circle. He pushed it into his forehead with the other hand. Breathing exercises, this is what they were for. Smell the warm cookie, blow on the cookie.

Finally, "Yes."

The doctor had a look on her face. Ray wasn't sure what it meant. He searched his memory.

"We just want to make sure you're OK. You have an important job, tending the power for the settlement. We can't afford to have something keep happening to the panels. We don't want you to be ... I tell you what. We'll send somebody out to be with you for a bit."

"No, no, no."

"It would be Grace. You know Grace. You liked..."

Of course! Ray knew where the next one would be! He hung up on the doctor.

* * *

Ray stood a little distance away from the eighth panel's controller on the seventeenth row. He scanned the surroundings and the machinery of the panel, his toolbox at his feet. There was nothing, just a big rock at the foot of one of the support trusses. Cold seeped in. He had been here a long while. He wondered what would go missing. Maybe it had already. He checked his tablet. Nope, everything was still green. He would have to wait.

His eyes wandered over the scene in front of him again. None of the special plants were growing here. Just red sand. And the big cool looking yellow rock. It was about half his height and very thick, like three or four times as thick as he. It had flat ends and rounded in the middle, like a barrel. It had lines on the outside, straight lines evenly spaced. Like a barrel. Ray squinted at it and put one hand up, fingers pinched together. Was it a barrel?

The would-be barrel rose into the air on four spindly spikes growing under it. It got as high as the main power coupler, flat surface facing it. Two more protuberances grew from the sides toward the power supply.

"Hello, hello, hello."

The creature's legs twisted on themselves, turning it around. There were two large black circles over a thin, flat line on a yellow surface. It studied Ray.

Ray studied it back. Then, with his boot, he pushed his toolbox closer to the alien creature.

The line on the face became an upturned semicircle.

Ray smiled back.

"Happy, happy, happy."