INT. MARS EXPLORATION VEHICLE, COMMAND MODULE - DAY

Varon charges into the high-tech room.  The computer talks in a creepy digital voice

                          COMPUTER VOICE (FILTERED)
             Begin countdown to nuclear ignition.
             Ten…

Green lights flash on.  Varon looks over the imposing array of controls, lights, and digital read-outs.

                          COMPUTER VOICE (FILTERED)
             That's a "Go" for nuclear ignition.
             Nine, eight…

Varon goes to Janie’s microphone.

                          VARON
             No!  This mission is cancelled. 
             Do you hear me?  Turn this thing 
             around, we're going back to Earth!

                          COMPUTER VOICE (FILTERED)
             Unauthorized voice, ignoring voice 
             command orders.  Seven, six, five…

                          VARON
             Stop!  No! 

The computers ignore him.  Varon desperately searches the control panel. 

He doesn’t find what he’s looking for.

                          COMPUTER VOICE (FILTERED)
             Four…  Ignoring unauthorized random
             commands, three, two, one…

More lights flash on. 

                          COMPUTER VOICE (FILTERED)
             Nuclear trigger detonation procedure 
             activated; fusion secondary and
             plasma generator ready.

A brilliant flash and a major shock.  Varon’s thrown off his feet by the detonation of a small atomic bomb.
 

INT. SPACEPLANE – CABIN - DAY

Col. Selac looks out the window at the still faraway moon and the orbiting "Mars Exploration Vehicle". An extremely bright flash almost blinds him.

                           COL. SELAC
                   (covers his eyes)
            That’s the nuke igniter, they’re off 
            to Mars.

He looks again, just in time to see the secondary fusion reaction begin.  First, a purple glow, then a beyond white-hot plasma jet blasts from the distant giant spacecraft.

He sees the “Mars Exploration Vehicle” ride its tail of fire out of lunar orbit.