Martians Never Die

In a dim, circular brick building, a weary reporter meets Stern, the stoic protector of an audacious experiment. Dr. Curtis has built a machine that promises a trip to Mars through an interdimensional corridor, but the journey can only be attempted when rare stellar currents align—once a year, at an exact moment. The atmosphere crackles with anticipation as Beryl, Curtis’s widow, clings to hope while Stern balances practical concerns and hidden motives.

The scene is set with nervous banter, cigarettes tossed aside, and a looming doorway whose mysterious vents will signal the traveler’s return. As the clock ticks toward the appointed second, the characters wrestle with the weight of unfinished business, financial stakes, and the fragile promise that someone might actually make it back from the impossible. The stage is poised for a moment that could change their lives forever, leaving listeners on the edge of that precise, breath‑held instant.