Death in Pod Eighteen

by John Stevenson

Matt said in relief as he looked at the pile of female limbs.

  Andrew sounded relieved too. “Get the clamps working, hopefully it should solve the problem?”

  Matt looked at Alexandra; she nodded back at him. “Will do.”

  Alexandra connected a cable they had dragged behind them. “Stand clear; it’s going live.” Several loud metallic thuds sounded as power was restored to the clamps.

  Almost immediately Andrews voice sounded over the intercom. “We are getting green lights.” He sounded happy, as did the clapping in the background.

  As the celebrations died down Andrew turned his attention to the other rescue party. The seconds ticked away as he plotted the team’s progress through the array; since he last checked they had definitely begun to slow down. Andrew tried to remain confident. The team were picked for their proven endurance, and some were experienced space walkers, even so it was clear that they would be pushing that experience to the limit before all of them were back.

  He knew that even though respirators were stored in every pod, each of the rescue party carried two extras. As he watched them slow, he understood that even in space the fifty-kilo slung over their backs would be feeling heavy. They would have to wait and rest on the other side. But that was still in the future. The present showed that although for fifteen minutes their body functions had been fine, for the last five signs of stress had begun to show. Communications to them were now constant, not only to monitor them but also to keep their minds focused.

  Second after second passed; Andrew pictured each reported location in his mind. Willing them forward when they made good time, and cursing them when they dropped behind what he felt was where they should be.

  Again Matt began to pump and less than a minute later pale light shone through the gap. This time it was easier and Matt realized that someone on the other side was complementing their pumping. After only a short time he saw movement: then a face, even with it covered with a respirator he recognized the hair: it was Alisha. Barely forty minutes after he had started they were through and the lost crewmembers were milling around him and the others.

  “What’s happening?” Alisha said anxiously.

  “A lot’s been happening, but it’s under control,” he lied. “There was an explosion in eighteen…”

  “Was… Is there anybody?"

  “Yes; I don’t know who for sure: how about here?”

  “One dead, he was knocked off balance and hit his head.”

  Matthew could see the man being strapped stretcher.

  “Who is it?

  “Izyan.”

  Matt nodded: one of the guests, he remembered him as being very reserved and quiet. Met felt a little guilty that he had never made any effort to make conversation. It suddenly occurred to Matt why Izyan was on the stretcher. “Your not going to carry him back?”

  Alisha looked at him in surprise. “Yes, why?”

  “We can’t.”

  “We’re taking him with us.” Alisha stared at him defiantly.

  “Alisha we can’t, it was hard enough getting through eighteen?”

  “We’re not abandoning him,” she said adamantly.

  Matt knew it was a mistake, but since they left Earth morale was suffering, everybody needed to know they were important, especially if they were dead. Andrew’s call gave him the chance to back down under her stare. “Go ahead?”

  “I’m sending a recovery crew into eighteen.”

  “Okay.”

  “Emma is leading, but they could need help?”

  “We’ll do what we can?”

  “Good… everything is okay there?”

  “Yep: the one dead: of course, and a few minor injuries, but otherwise no serious problems. We’re just getting ready to return?”

  “If your okay there I’ll leave this end with you; I’m going to meet Clive and bring the others back?”

  Two crewmembers we’re setting up emergency lighting when Matt began his return through eighteen. The temporary lights had chased the darkness away, and the unsympathetic brightness starkly delineated the damage in light and shadow. Before it had looked threatening, now it just looked like the disaster it was. Electricity was Alexandra’s domain and she quickly became frustrated and began re-arranging and giving orders.

  He could see Emma, and a couple of others searching to the side of the pod. She was speaking into a microphone at her cheek. Her voice was calm: though terse, following procedure to the letter. Matt didn’t interrupt her audio report as she described the condition of one bodies. Her description was clinical but here was emotion in her voice. After a while she moved out of sight behind the Induction coil; then she gave an audible gasp.

  Matthew followed, but the sound had not gone un-noticed, as Andrew spoke first. “Emma is everything okay?”

  “Yes…yes… it’s Kyle. He’s: he’s still stood up… He’s still holding onto the diversion relay.”

  Matt came behind her and saw what she was looking at. He was expecting an unpleasant sight, but the mans remains looked grotesque. He was stood: as Emma had said, hands reaching inside the housing of the induction coil; still outstretched they had supported his body when he died. Almost all of his clothing had been burned off in the searing heat and his body was blackened and crisp. That it was Kyle there was no doubt because of the peculiar magnifying glasses he wore. Even though his shoulders were slumped and head hung forward; chin on chest, they still perched on the end of his nose.

  The voice replied urgently “Emma we can’t be certain that the circuits are safe? Don’t touch anything, do you copy?”

  “Understood…”

  Alexandra interrupted the exchange. “I think I can get it going again?”

  “Later, get back here and we’ll send in a fresh crew.”

  “I know what needs to be done: I can save time and get it going again now.”

  There was no reply and Matthew guessed Andrew was discussing it with whomever he could.

  Emma looked over to the stretcher. “You guys go through.” Everybody but Matthew and Alexandra moved on.

  “I’ll stay in case either of you need help?” said Matt

  Neither woman replied.

  Suddenly Andrews voice returned. “Before you do anything you have make certain the power is down. You have to re-route everything from the induction coils.”

  “Yes… yes I know.” Alexandra said impatiently.

  “Maybe you do but take your time.”

  “Kyle knew that?” Emma said curiously.

  Andrew sounded puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Kyle. He would have known not to touch anything without re-routing, everybody would?”

  “So you had better be extra careful.”

  Alexandra had already disappeared, Emma finished her observations and snapped a few images: Matt just waited.

  Several minutes later Alexandra came back. “Power is off, I need access to the relays.” She looked at Emma, and Emma looked at Kyle.

  Emma’s expression showed that she didn’t relish the idea of touching him, but she gently took one of his arms in her latex gloved hands. She looked at Matt. “There are spare surgical gloves in the bag. You will have to support his body?”

  Matt wanted Alexandra to say she would instead, but he couldn’t really expect her to, and she didn’t. He stood behind Kyle and reached under his armpits, careful to keep the corpse as far as he thought acceptable, away. Carefully he took the weight: his intention was only to support the mans body from crashing to the floor, but the balance was disturbed and Kyle’s left arm fell to the side of the corpse, over Matt’s own arm: as it did the head lollopped back to rest on Matt’s shoulder: Kyle’s lifeless face staring at him. The shock and revulsion made Matt move rapidly, as he did Kyle’s right hand snapped off. Matt staggered back into the wall clutching Kyle in a bear hug.

  As the shock passed Matt saw Emma was smiling at his dilemma.

  Her amusement didn’t last long “Yuck.” E
mma uttered the exclamation of revulsion repeatedly. “Yuck… “

  “Emma?”

  “Sorry commander… Oh yuck. Yuck.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Kyle. He wouldn’t let go. His fingers came off!”

  There was a further silence as they both considered their options.

  “Okay,” said Alexandra. “Status…” One after another she related the position or reading of every switch and readout. “It looks like there is a burnout in the induction universal outlet, can you confirm?”

  “No.”

  “I’m going to put it off line by switching discharge thirteen B to ground.”

  “Confirm that.”

  “If I create a bypass by linking induct thirteen A to station relay we can re-establish a working power link.”

  “Hold on a second Alexandra.” She could hear people talking in the background. Andrews voice was muffled. “...Yea, she’ll know?” Then clearly. “Alexandra… Go ahead, but link induct thirteen A to the station input instead.”

  “No, that’s the wrong way,” she said with utter conviction.

  “Wrong… are you sure?”

  “Positively; we need to route the power through the grid.”

  “And your reasoning?”

  “I’ve a suspicion a lot of our problems are down to the asteroid. If somehow it damaged an insulator, that could have flow on effects. Maybe that was Kyle’s thinking too?”

  “…Just a minute.” Again there was silence “Opinion is that you have a very creative sense of engineering! Do as you suggest, but first we need to run it though the computer so we know when to stop switching pods?”

  “Understood “

  Almost as Matthew heard the