Death in Pod Eighteen

by John Stevenson

to be a lot of debris, but it’s worth a try.”

  “We need to check first that the fires don’t re-ignite when we fill it with air?”

  Mathew nodded.

  “Even then we don’t know how safe eighteen is. There’s the lose anchor points, and we don’t know where the leak actually is?”

  “That’s all the more reason for me to go?”

  “Me… your suggesting you go?”

  “I’ve had the most time on Earthrise; it’s logical that I can find and fix it?”

  Andrew knew it made sense. “What about tools?”

  “Four of us will be able to carry enough for a look?”

  “Without proper equipment it could be impossible to fix?”

  Matt shrugged. “We’ll find out when we get there?”

  “It’ll almost certainly be longer than it will take us to get anyone back?”

  “Who’s the senior on the other side?”

  “Alisha is the most senior officer of the five; that’s assuming she’s not…”

  “Choose those who can make the best time, and take nothing that you don’t have to, you need to travel light and fast.”

  Matthew stepped through into the pod: in the shadows it looked even more chaotic than he had imagined. It was a strange feeling being here: emphasized by the sound of his breath as the diaphragm flexed in and out. It shouldn’t be strange; he had walked through this and all the other airlocks on the array when they were just passages to somewhere else. Now in the sharp contrast between light and dark, the familiar looked alien. He was in a strange dark place pierced only by the tight beams of the flashlight strapped to his wrist. Matt thought of the blackness that closed behind him. “Dammit,” he muttered a promise to himself, “I’ll never watch another Alien movie again as long as I live.”

  Suddenly lights up ahead stopped scanning side to side and bathed an object in light. Mathew looked at the illuminated circle. There was torn metal and broken machinery everywhere but something dark and misshapen caught his vision; it looked odd.

  Bethany’s voice came of the communications link. “I have remains?”

  Andrew sounded somber. “Who is it?”

  “I don’t know, what I can see is badly burned.”

  There was a sigh. “I’ll organize a recovery team to bring them back.”

  The lights moved on. Matt had never seen a charred body before, but instantly he knew it was a human leg; mostly because the remains of a shoe hung off the foot: he couldn’t see the rest of the body. For a second he stared, wondering if they had anything in the science section that they could perform a DNA analysis with? Matthew forced his eyes and mind onwards.

  The air in the abandoned area had been reduced to being un-breathable, but not to a vacuum, so the airlocks they would encounter should not remain automatically locked shut and delay them, but as they approached the far end of pod eighteen Matthew could clearly see that the airlock control panel indicator was black: it should have been green, or even red, but there was nothing. In front of Alexandra he could see a large storage unit had collapsed and torn off the front of the panel: the rest of the cabinet was propped up against the airlock sealing it shut.

  Matthew heard a female voice over the communication line they were laying out as they moved. “Airlock eighteen- seventeen, control panel inoperative and door obstructed.”

  He recognized it as Alexandra’s. She was an electrician with the construction crew, and at the front of their tiny line.

  “Can you open it manually?” came back Andrew’s voice.

  “Possibly, but we need to clear the obstruction first?”

  “What’s blocking it?”

  “A cabinet. It looks like it’s torn some of the electrical reticulation down with it… It could be the problem why all the circuits are shut down?”

  Mathew was grateful she had been put at the front.

  “I’ll see if I can do some re-routing?”

  Andrew seemed less pleased. “Be careful there’s a lot of juice in those cables if one is still alive.”

  “I know that.” Alexandra’s voice didn’t seem offended. “I may need help with the schematics?”

  “Getting them now: but be cautious?”

  “I intend to.” Alexandra went quite as she investigated.

  After what seemed a long time Alexandra spoke. “I have no indication of live current?”

  Andrew sounded relieved. “Can the cabinet be moved?”

  “It’s full of bits and pieces of equipment, it’s a mess but there doesn’t appear to be anything we can’t handle.”

  “Okay…keep me informed.”

  Matt was already being handed a box; he stacked it to the side of the pod. Forming a line it took some minutes to pass everything back where it could be piled at the side of the passageway. Then they all helped lift the cabinet back into its original position. It was bent and wouldn’t fit back properly, but it was enough that it was out of the way for Alexandra to try the door.

  “It’s clear but it won’t open?”

  “Any ideas?” Andrew questioned her.

  “I can’t see any deformation; I suspect it’s just power?”

  “Can you hook up the emergency cable?”

  “We would have to move more stuff… I can connect it the other side?”

  It didn’t make much sense. “But you will already be through?”

  “We can connect to operate the clamps from either side? The hydraulic pump is clear… I’ll do it manually, if it opens we’ll know it’s supply?”

  “Okay… your call.”

  “I’ll take first turn,” said Bethany, in an almost demanding tone.

  Matt watched as Alexandra reached for the bar and gave it to Bethany. She began the laborious job, thrusting her arm forwards and then pulling backwards.

  Unless he was taking a short turn at pumping Matt almost continually had his eyes down now watching the clock set into his armband. He was doing just that when to his surprise he saw particles moving in the flashlight beam: a breeze had begun blowing by him. He looked up to see that small and light things had begun to move, instantly he knew the air was being sucked out of the pod and into the passage. “I’m releasing smoke?” He called out almost too quickly. Tearing off the tab the smoke billowed, and then it streamed off towards the airlock. “Looks like the leak is in the airlock?”

  Andrew sounded anxious. “You guys need to be extra careful. Indications are we have the potential for separation?”

  Andrew didn’t elaborate beyond the warning, but they all knew what he meant. If the link between the two pods opened any one or all of them could be sucked out into space.

  Matt looked at the way the smoke was moving; it was too fast. “You need to seal us in?”

  “You need air,” Andrews voice protested.

  “We’ve got respirators, shut the air down or we’ll empty the station.” The urgency had them all pumping faster, until at last the airlock was open enough for Alexandra to slip inside. Matt had stepped out of the way after his turn at pumping. “Let me go?” he protested.

  “Your too fa…” As her body filled the opening the flow of air eased, but with a surprised yelp of discomfort she was literally sucked into the passage. Matt tried to get forwards but Bethany’s body filled the gap as she went to hand, but inadvertently threw, a tool bag at Alexandra.

  Bethany was full of concern. “Sorry Alex… are you okay?”

  “I’m… okay,” The reply was unconvincing.

  Mathew grabbed at the lever and began pumping as his eyes went to the smoke canister; it had stopped streaming and was billowing into a slowly swirling cloud.

  “What’s happening?”

  “I’m okay commander,” replied Alexandra again. “…A bit un…comfortable,” her voice sounded strained.

  Andrew sounded even more anxious. “What’s happening there?”

  Matt was pumping furiously so Bethany answered him. “Alexandra is using her body as a plug?”


  “She’s doing what? What the hell did she do that for?” gasped Andrew.

  Alexandra sounded just as unpleased. “It wasn’t a choice.”

  The hatch was open enough for Bethany to go through; and now running out of strength Matt handed over the pumping to their last man He pulled himself through and pulled a roll of quilted material from the tool bag “How big?”

  Alexandra held up two fingers. “I think?”

  “Can you lift up?”

  The fingers split to form a V as she looked at him mockingly.

  As Matt cut a piece of the material Alexandra brought her elbow to her side, and tucked her knees against her body.

  Matt was pummeling the material: releasing and mixing the chemicals inside.

  “Whenever your ready?” she said in a sarcastic tone.

  Matt smiled as he smeared more chemical onto one side. “Ready when you are?”

  Alexandra grunted and pushed against the hull. Her face turned red and she groaned as she tried to lift. Bethany was besides her now adding her strength. Matt wanted to, but he needed to get the patch over the hole as soon as he had space. Suddenly he felt the air move over his fingers. There was a gap between the woman and the hull, not much but enough for Matt to reach under her body.

  The air was screaming through the hole and Matt felt he couldn’t breathe. He gripped the patch tighter as he felt it being torn from his fingers. Then suddenly the wind had gone and both Bethany and Alexandra fell over into a heap of leg’s and arms. Matt checked the patch; she had underestimated: it was slightly too small, and already a depression had formed in the middle where it was partly sucked through, but it was holding, and hardening. It would need a proper fix, but it would be okay. “Sealed,”