“You don’t seem as excited as we are,” Dmitry said, his voice changing to concern. “Are you ill?”
“No, sir,” Vlad lied. “I thought perhaps that ... well, you know how Minister Sokolov can be. I thought he’d be ... upset at Ruscosmos.”
“Ah, that is what weighs heavily on you. I understand now.” Dmitry’s voice softened. “It was a bold move, Vlad, but the results outweigh the circumvention of protocol in this case. Minister Sokolov can’t be anything but ecstatic at the way our forces have secured the alien compound, though come to think of it, he’s at a loss for why the Americans vacated so easily.”
“I thought that was in the report,” Vlad asked, confusion in his voice.
“Da, da, it was, but what’s a few injuries when compared to the glories of securing this technology for one’s Motherland? Perhaps the Americans aren’t made of the same stuff that we are, eh?” the older man chided.
“Stuff, sir?” Vlad was now pulling at his collar and trying to breath quietly, sure that his rapid intakes were audible to his old mentor.
“They love their cream too much, soft they can be. Did you see the clip where the American shuttles departed the surface and the camera panned down to see the Soviet flag fluttering over the Martian terrain? It was magnificent. In fact, the minister of internal communications wants that video run each and every hour on all channels. It was brilliant, I tell you.”
Vlad almost gagged. “He does?”
“Yes, and the premier approved it for the next two days. I’ve been invited to a special gala tomorrow night to celebrate our victory.”
“What did we win?”
“Come now, you jest.” Dmitry coughed to clear his throat after so much talking. “Enough of your modest behavior. I’m sure you have much work to do, so I’ll leave you to it. Don’t leave your office till after the premier calls, understood?”
“I’ll wait for his call, sir.”
“It won’t be long,” Dmitry said. “He’s in his morning meetings and then he’ll call before lunch.”
The time difference was several hours, so Vlad wasn’t looking forward to the wait, but he had no choice. “Sounds good, sir.”
“Until then,” Dmitry said, hanging up the phone.
Vlad put the phone down in its cradle and kept his head down between his knees. He breathed heavily and started to feel a tad better when the clicking of high heels gave his heart and lungs another kick.
“All done, sir?” Irina asked from the doorway.
“Please, no,” Vlad said to her.
Irina looked around and, seeing no one, she entered his office and sat on his desk despite the fact that he had asked her not to do that on more than one occasion. She saw him look up at her in disapproval and she said, “You look terrible.”
“Really?” he said, leaning back to put some distance between them in the office, and he noticed she had managed to hike her skirt halfway up her thighs again. The soft sheen of her nylon beckoned to him and he continued his laborious breathing.
“You hurt me.”
“I don’t mean to, Ira. Really, I don’t, but I can’t handle this stress any more. Things have gotten way out of control.” Vlad closed his eyes and held a hand up to his forehead while leaning the same elbow on the arm of his chair.
“Perhaps the Americans made a mistake?”
“Shhh, don’t speak like that—especially not here,” Vlad hissed.
Irina put both of her hands on her belt and tucked her thumbs inside on either side of her buckle. It was purely decorative, but she opened her mouth without saying anything, wide enough to flash her teeth as she tilted her head, all the while presenting it to him as if he had won something special on a game show. “We’re protected.”
“Don’t put so much trust in those ... gadgets of yours. They will be your undoing if you’re not careful.”
The buckle carried a white noise maker as well as mini-bug detector that would vibrate like a pager should it detect RF signals, no matter how passive, but Vlad worried that the newer models the KGB used would circumvent this detector by using higher frequencies outside detection range. For him it was a curse of sorts, as he was so intimately involved in the scientific aspects of their space program, including communication bands and radio-frequency interception and tracking.
“We’ll be fine; besides, the news is amazing. I think either the Americans have lost their minds, or our KGB is more effective than anyone thought possible.” Irina smiled at him but he barely opened his eyes in time to see it.
“Don’t you understand what happened?”
“Yes, we have control over the alien base,” she said.
“No.” Vlad was beside himself. “This entire operation has been compromised in some fashion. Why would the Americans order our units into the alien construct while their own units...?”
“Vlad, what’s wrong?” Irina asked, watching the man suddenly arch his spine back into a ramrod straight posture as he suddenly took to his feet, his eyes wide in shock.
Vlad paced for a moment, kicking his chair back, and then came to rest in front of Irina again, addressing her in a conspiratory whisper. “What if they’re setting our troops up for failure, or worse ... destruction.”
“Are you serious? Why would they do that?”
“Make us pay for their early failures? Who knows. I can’t believe they engineered the entire incident to play out with them vacating and us taking over unless there was certain danger or risk involved in staying.”
“What will you do?”
Vlad thought for a moment, bringing a finger up to his lips. Then, after a moment, he snapped his fingers. “We must also get hold of Yuri and see to it that the alien device that has disabled our ship is destroyed. Once we’re sure our crew are safe, then we can explore the alien construct thoroughly, but most importantly....”
“Yes, go on,” she said.
“We must find out what the Americans want. It’s not enough to simply help them if they’re up to no good.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“You must ask your contact what is going on. Tell her the risk is too high and that you want an explanation.”
“I can do that.”
“Good, I would hate to think that we chose the wrong course of action.”
“Vlad, you committed with me already on what we must do. We can’t continue to place lives at risk and maintain this conflict further with the Chinese and Americans. Trust me on this and let us benefit in the process. We must leave here sooner or later. This is no longer our country.”
She reached out and held his hand. He felt torn between her and his old mentor, Dmitry. He didn’t remember a time when the old man had been so joyful—and successful, for that matter. Who would have thought that his one and only act of treason would somehow result in the entire situation on Mars turning in their favor?
He sat down in his chair and kept her hand in his. He wondered if there was still time to turn this around. He didn’t know what the KGB knew, only what had happened and what his boss had told him. Even now, he worried he’d see Colonel Ivanov coming to take him and Irina away, and that would be that.
“Perhaps you’re right,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “Don’t you want to see our crew succeed though? Can’t we do both?”
Irina smiled at him. “I don’t see why not. We did as we were asked, and when the time comes, we will leave here and go somewhere far away. We can make a life for ourselves. That much I know does matter.”
Vlad nodded. “I agree, as long as we aren’t executed first.”
Irina frowned at him. “My, how you know how to ruin a good moment.”
“That I do, my love. That I most certainly know how to do.”
RED HORIZON
Mars orbit
In the near future, Year 4, Day 183
“IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY, Doctor?” Carter asked.
“It was the prudent course of action, considering the alpha patterns on
the EEG and her CAT scan,” Hill replied.
“Is there brain damage or not?” Jules asked.
The three stood in the cramped quarters that acted as the doctor’s office on board the Red Horizon. The wings of the rotating drum were deployed and active again, and they had some semblance of gravity, despite being back in space. “I’d say no, but her brain pattern is unusual for someone unconscious. I’m not sure how to read it.”
“Has Houston responded yet?” Carter asked.
“No,” Hill said, leaning back in his chair, which was bolted to the floor. “They have all the data now that we’re back online, but that was yesterday. It may take them a day or more to analyze it with the proper medical experts and recommend a course of action. To that end, I think it best to let her rest. There’s no harm being done to her body, as far as I can tell.”
“We need to know what hit us,” Carter pressed. “She may very well have the answers we need, and we’re wasting time while the Soviets are exploring the construct.”
“I’d hardly call sitting on the front porch exploring,” Hill said, sarcasm in his voice. “They haven’t moved from the outer control room despite having access to the place.”
“You understand what I meant,” Carter said. “You said something interesting, a moment ago.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you mentioned her brain waves were unusual and you weren’t sure how to read them. What did you mean by that?”
“Well,” the doctor started, feeling very much in his element, “her current waves indicate something close to an alpha pattern, which would mean she should be awake or close to it. The fact that she’s not means that something significant has happened to her brain.”
“Like what?” Jules asked, absentmindedly rubbing the bandage over her leg wound.
“Her brain is active, as if she’s thinking, using it to do things, perform simple motor actions—these types of activities. But we know by her physical state that she isn’t moving; there is no cognizant thought or process manifested by her. So, we ask ourselves, what is happening in there now?”
“You think NASA can answer that for you?” Carter asked skeptically.
“Of course not,” Hill sounded slightly offended. “They can, however, give expert advice on the timing for an attempt to bring our good science officer back to consciousness. We aren’t even sure that can be done. It’s assumed, based on her brain waves and lack of physical damage to it, but from what you told me, it sounded like her experience would be classified as traumatic at best.” Hill pointed at Jules when he spoke his last sentence.
“So, Doctor, what do you make of the lack of quarantine with her ... and us?”
“If you refer to the manual, I’d remind you that it falls under the medical officer’s purveyance, and we have procedures for contact with an alien species. From what I’ve seen, this hasn’t happened yet.”
“Though we’ve been exposed to their atmosphere, their materials and constructs, and even their mechanical ... fluid, I guess, for lack of a better word,” Carter said.
“Quite right, but nothing to indicate a biological presence. One would hardly be quarantined for being exposed to motor oil, so I think their orbs, or whatever you want to call them, don’t count as far as biology is concerned. Still, you both miss the point, which is, primarily, that we are quarantined. All twelve of us on board this ship. We don’t get to step off of it till the real doctors back home have had a chance to examine us thoroughly.”
“I don’t relish the thought of that,” Jules said, smiling.
“I’m sure they’ll make anything I do here seem less-than-intrusive,” Hill said good-naturedly.
“How’s the cosmonaut doing?” Carter asked.
“You mean our Chinese guest?”
Carter nodded. “None other.”
“He’ll make it. I have him on an oxygen treatment right now and probably for the next few days—that and no exertion. He should be able to transfer to the other Chinese ship when it arrives.”
“We’ll discuss that later,” Carter said.
“You can’t very well keep a prisoner here for any period of time,” Hill started, his facial expression turning sour rather quickly. “He needs to be with his friends and those he feels care about him.”
“With all due respect, Doctor, leave the disposition of our prisoners to us. You simply need to ensure the man’s healthy and that he doesn’t expire due to neglect or other causes by us.” Carter’s voice was firm.
Hill looked at Julie. “Who’s in charge here? Him or you?”
“I’m the commander of this ship,” Jules said without hesitation, “however, the major is correct regarding the Chinese commander. It should be up to him how we decide to proceed further.”
“You can’t be serious,” Hill contested.
“I am,” Julie said. “It was his man that lost his life our here. I think operational security is within the scope of his duty.”
Carter gave the slightest of nods to acknowledge her, but Hill frowned and folded his arms.
“Fine. I’m sure the man is considered armed and dangerous on his respirator. God forbid he should escape and roam free around our ship, or worse, make it to his own ship.”
“His ship was destroyed,” Carter noted for the record.
Before Hill could retort their intercom came alive. “Dakos here, Commander. Incoming from Houston. Looks to be rather large, from the data size.”
“Probably a video file,” Monroe said. “Be sure we can access it ship-wide. We’ll take it down here.
“Roger, uploading now. Should be less than a minute.”
Hill looked at Carter. “Did you receive orders from your superiors?”
“The same as yours. Namely, to sit tight until new orders arrive.”
“Perhaps this packet has news for you?” Hill said hopefully.
“Let’s put it up on the wall,” Jules said, wanting Doctor Hill to open it on his console and feed it to the wall monitor where they could all watch it. It took a minute, but the feed came through, and as Julie expected, it was a video.
Richard Crandon appeared—definitely not normal, since they were used to seeing and hearing Doctor Marjorie Jones. Rock’s voice was firm and even.
“Red Horizon, we’ve received and analyzed your latest. We’ll address the issues one by one.
“First, Major Carter, be advised that your next communique will be sent within the next twenty-four hours. For now, I’m authorized by Admiral Nicholson himself to inform you that your current stand down orders are valid and remain in place. We’re monitoring the Soviet activity at Bravo Target and our intelligence agencies have informed us that they are implementing plans to rectify the current situation. He did pass along his continued support and acknowledgement of your hard work, and we all give our latest condolences for your loss and those on your team that are injured.
“Doctor Hill. The medical panel convened and have performed a thorough and exhaustive analysis and diagnosis on the data you have provided to date. If you still are in agreement, and concur with the assessment report that is attached to this communication, then you are authorized to take the appropriate steps necessary to revive Science Officer Maria Mayer and assess her condition and state of mind.
“The team here concurs with the assessment of Major Carter that all attempts to question Maria should be made in a timely manner, and a full report from this interview should be filed with due haste so that we may assess her experience and provide your team with a new hazard analysis. For the record, we have noted the details provided by Commander Monroe of the potential trauma suffered by Officer Mayer, and this was taken into account in our recommendation.”
Rock seemed to turn a paper over that was not visible below the screen, but it was clearly audible as the man appeared to be reading from several talking points.
“A lengthy discussion took place regarding the decision by the crew of the Red Horizon to boost to a geosynchronous orbit around the p
lanet. At this time, Houston concurs with the threat assessment and actions taken to mitigate this risk. Working with our military and intelligence colleagues, we’re ascertaining options to neutralize the latest threat by Alpha Target on you and your ship. We will advise once a course of action is recommended.
“Authorization to continue with secondary missions and objectives is granted with special emphasis on the weather and thermodynamic properties on, around, and near both targets. Further actions within prespecified parameters may proceed as usual. Status reports and shift logs are expected at the appropriate timely intervals.”
Rock then peered intently into the camera, seeming to have finished with the relevant and necessary business at hand.
“Commander Monroe. You have our support here, and the stress that you and your crew are experiencing is understood. We’re counting on your continued good judgement in light of the facts and current dynamics involved.”
“Finally” —and his voice seemed to sound more stressful— “this is an official notification that we’ve been given orders to prepare Black Infinity for boost to your location to provide logistics, medical, strategic, and tactical support. Details will be forthcoming as we arrange them. Help is on the way. Good luck. Houston out.”
There was silence as the screen went dark to be replaced with the official logo of their ship and space mission. It took a moment for the information to sink in, and since the communique hadn’t been classified in any manner, it had been viewed by everyone on the ship—everyone except their Chinese guest.
Hill spoke first. “Did he say they’re sending another ship here to support us?”
“That’s what it sounded like to me,” Carter said, looking at the civilians intently.
“How is that even possible?” Hill asked.
Julie sighed and leaned back in her chair, eyes looking up at the ceiling. “Obviously, the devil is in the details.”
“What devil?” Carter asked.
“One that’s evil enough to perform an impossible mission,” Jules noted wistfully.
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