Not gonna lie, terraformed or not, that cold night trekking through the desert of Mars was fucking freezing.

I could feel Boom-Boom shivering in my arms. Were it not for the warmth her thick coat gave snuggled up against my chest, I'd probably've been shivering too. But we quickly crept in the darkness through the red sand of the planet just outside of the New Earth One perimeter, doing our best to make it far away from anywhere Cleetus might be able to find me. I had no doubt of what would happen if I was caught. Poor Boom-Boom didn't need to see such violence.

I'm a poor judge of time but we must have walked around the perimeter for an hour. New Earth One wasn't huge, but it DID have to accomodate quite a few settlers. As we moved I checked over my shoulder periodically for signs of my former bodyguard- I never saw him, but I never let down my guard should Cleetus be close by. The cold, however, was beginning to get to me and I could tell from poor Boom-Boom's mews she was not doing well either. We either needed to risk going back into the settlement and being spotted, or find somewhere warmer out in the desert to hide the night out.

Then, as if fate was on our side, I spied the outline of a tent up ahead. It was pitched just beyond the city limits, and it appeared as if it had been there for some time. A larger tent model, I imagined it could accomodate six to ten normal-sized people. I was hoping it was abandoned as we approached, but to my chagrin a flashlight flickered on from inside. With nowhere to go, Boom-Boom and I merely stood still as the tent inhabitant opened the flap that made its door.

"Who's out there?" The inhabitant asked, in a voice that resembled a sea captain. It was an older man, and though his hair was ruffled and beard scraggly, he wore what looked like the remains of a lab coat and suit. It wasn't hard for him to spot us.

"Hey," I waved, not knowing what more to say.

"Meow," said Boom-Boom politely, though I could tell she was feeling shy.

"That...you didn't really answer my question," the man replied. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Cole," I answered, "this is Boom-Boom. I'm the hermit from Lot 199. Long story, but I'm cold and probably being hunted. Can we come in?"

The man looked me over a second. "So, you're the hermit," he said, "I thought I had that role covered but I'd heard about you being on the job for, what, ten years now?"

"Fifteen," I corrected.

"Fifteen. Still got me beat. Only been a hermit for eight years. Come on in." He motioned us over. With the chill in the air, I hardly waited as I rushed into his structure.

Inside, the tent was in shambles. But it was adequately warm and pleasant enough, apart from a lingering odor. "I've been farting up the place,' the man said apologetically, "hadn't been expecting company."

"I didn't catch your name," I tried not to gag as I set Boom-Boom down. Beggers couldn't be choosers.

"Dr. Sherman Snively," the man answered matter-of-factly. He seemed to watch me for a reaction. "Oh right, you're a hermit. You probably never heard my story. It was in the local news. Well, I was a lead scientist over at Super Labs for some time at the beginning of human occupation here. But I made discoveries about this planet that made my higher-ups unhappy and contradicted their findings. They called me mad, and unprofessional... more or less chased me out of the job. Anyway, I retreated out here to the edge of New Earth One and guess I'm staying in this spot until my theories prove right."

Not at all subtly, Dr. Snively let a fart rip.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, "l haven't had to control my body functions for awhile. Not often I get visitors." He quickly changed the subject. "You said you're being hunted?"

"It's a misunderstanding," I replied, though I struggled to get the words out. I knew that wasn't entirely true and that Cleetus was justified for wanting me dead. But I had just found this stinky shelter from the elements- I did not need to be thrown back out into the cold so soon.

Dr. Snively, however, didn't pry. "I know what that this like," he sighed, "my colleagues misunderstood me too. Thought my theories were just to get attention, not honest warnings for humanity's success on this red rock. I may not have had empirical evidence, but I had the strangest feeling I was right. A sixth sense, you could say. And then I saw them- large forms in the sky! But always at night, and I could not convince the other scientists to lend me the equipment to record-"

"-Wait," I cut in, "you saw forms in the sky?"

The doctor nodded, then hung his head. "I know I did. But I'm sure you're here to tell me just like everyone else: 'Sherman, there are no birds on Mars', 'Sherman, you're working too hard and imagined it', 'Sherman, you don't have to dress like it's the 1950s, no one takes you serious anyway as it is'-"

"-You don't understand," I interrupted, half-excited, "I just saw a form in the sky. Well, earlier tonight. It was spraying fire."

The doctor's eyes lit up. He let out a happy little fart of joy. "YOU'VE seen the forms too? And with fire? Incredible!"

"Yeah, kind of. 'cept that, like, thirty people died because of that fire."

"No matter," Dr. Snively waved his hand, "so, then are others! You can confirm my theories from years ago! There ARE forms in the sky here, it's not a trick of just my mind!"

"Yeah." It was nice to hear I hadn't been alone in my sighting.

"Did you tell others?" The doctor inquired, "about what you saw?"

"Yeah." I paused. "Bad news- they didn't believe me."

Some of the color drained from the doctor's face. It was obvious that made him disheartened.

"-but, I mean," I looked to Boom-Boom who had curled into a ball, "if we both saw it- something in the sky or whatever- maybe we can find other settlers who have too. It literally just burned a restaurant of people to death. It's out there."

The doctor said nothing. He just laid down on the tent floor and curled into a ball not unlike Boom-Boom's position. "I am tired, tired, tired," he murmured, "I know I have seen a form, and you know you have seen a form, but how do we show others?"

I shrugged. "That we're both hermits probably doesn't help win us public opinion."

The doctor nodded, and then farted once more. He had some serious digestive issues.