by Chris Hechtl
No, if she did a psych exam it would have to be on her shoulders, and she could see someone pitching a snit over that. She had an associates in psych, not the required BA or masters to administer the exam. And, there was no way the company would want to ship someone in on one of the monthly supply runs either.
“What to do, what to do,” she murmured in her contralto softly.
~~~(>O<)~~~
“Since it seems you are staying on, at least for a month,” Turner grinned slightly at her discomfort, “welcome, Miss Darling, to our small family. Getting smaller by the minute,” Turner said wryly once the supply ship had departed. He hadn't been the only one to watch longingly as it departed. Anna had been there, and they'd shared a moment.
Increasingly he'd had feelings for her. She was rubbing off on him, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Was the lack of options, the confinement, the desire for comfort and some sort of sympathy from a kindred soul driving them together? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he'd let nature take its course.
“What a greeting,” Addison laughed. “Call me Addison please, since we're so close.”
“And getting closer. The company wants us to shut down quarters not in use. You've got the pick of the quarters first of course. If you don't like the old security quarters, I'm sure we can whip something up,” Turner said.
Addison nodded. “I'll stand pat, thank you.”
He nodded. What he didn't know was the security quarters had links to the systems as well as a small arsenal. There was no way she was going to give that up.
“Well, I tried to get the powers that be to let us open up some of the walls and double our suites. Give us a mansion-like feel or something, but they nixed it,” Turner said with a scowl.
“They probably don't want you doing damage,” Addison replied smiling politely as they walked to OPS.
“They are internal walls for crying out loud! We can move them, it's all modular. Nothing structural or load bearing.”
“Well, if the walls feel like they are closing in on me, I'll second the motion.”
“Thanks,” the scientist replied with a smile. “We're having a dinner tonight; you are the guest of honor.”
“Um, thanks.”
“Unless you prefer to dine alone. But it's more fun as a group,” Josh replied, clearly checking her out.
“I … thank you, Doctor. I might enjoy some company,” Addison said. “Is Miss Bright single?”
“She's … yes. Um …”
“But I take it she doesn't swing my way?” Addison asked, smiling coyishly. She wasn't a lesbian. She'd dabbled a bit, but she just wanted to put Turner off. He was a nice sort but not her type. The hint was a good deflection for her. Besides, she didn't want any entanglements. “Pity.”
“Um, ah, yes,” Turner said now uncomfortable.
“I was told this was the forefront of research. Hyperspace, the next big thing in power. What gives?”
“Well, it seems we are the victims of our own success,” Turner chuckled as they walked. “Star Reach's scientists said mankind would need antimatter to power the ships of the future. So, when we got into the starship competition …”
“It's a competition now? What's the prize? Oh, the stars?”
“More like the planets. That and being in the history books and selling ships I suppose,” Turner replied with a shrug. “But as I was saying, we were up there, but then the math geeks came up with a hypothesis that we wouldn't need as much power as they had initially thought. The new blood, Doctor Castill and others worked out some pretty incredible changes in force emitters and such. Our limited research here backed up his data and provided the starship design team the real world proof they needed.”
“Okay … but still. I mean, I know antimatter is supposed to be the next big thing.”
“And it is. And it's cool. It's also unstable, and very hard to make and contain.”
“Okay … and I heard dangerous, which is why I'm here.”
“Yes well, the only way it can go off is if it contacts deuterium. It's antideuterium; you'd need a reaction chamber for that. Really, a ram like the old nuclear bombs to mash it together.”
“Doc, you aren't helping my confidence levels here,” she replied dryly.
“Sorry. But if it makes you take your job more seriously …,” he eyed her.
“Oh it does. It does indeed,” she said softly, nodding.
“Anyway, the latest fusion reactor generation is proving pretty efficient. And we found some new energy strings in our research. The scientific community is still wrapping their collective heads around it. The little bit we let out I mean,” Turner said with a grimace.
“Little bit you let out?”
“It's proprietary. I slipped up and told someone on my last vacation. We can't publish and well ...” He shrugged helplessly as she glowered at him. “Yeah, I know, I've been read the riot act. All of us have,” he gave her a long suffering sigh. “We know, believe me,” he rolled his eyes. “I love my job, or did. Now I'm not so sure,” he said indicating their surroundings.
“Oh?”
“Without the need for fuel, they want to take us in a different direction; the brass just isn't sure where. So, in the meantime, we're in caretaker mode. Producing antimatter, and shelving it.”
“Okay.”
“But, I digress. I was inviting you to dinner tonight in the galley. Most of the staff would like to meet you.”
“Deal,” she said with a nod. Meeting in the galley would be a good place to socialize, observe, let them observe her in a nonthreatening environment, and let her get to know some of them. Spot the hot heads and troublemakers if possible. She didn't want a repeat of Paul the prankster.
~~~(>O<)~~~
“So … why are you here?” Anna asked Addison over dinner in the galley. The small crew had taken to eating meals together whenever possible. The last resupply shuttle had taken most of the interns off. The station was starting to look like a ghost station. Dark eerie corridors only lit when the computer sensed someone walking down them.
“In other words, who did you piss off to earn a trip to hell?” Turner asked, smiling politely to her.
“Heh. They told me it was a promotion. I know better but still,” Addison replied, picking at her salad. The lettuce tasted wilted. Probably too much sun she thought.
“At least it's not Europa,” Albert said.
“Can you believe they are still cleaning that mess up?” Anna demanded. “How many years and they can't get it straight?”
“The radiation is gone. It was never there to begin with,” Al said looking up to her.
“Oh?”
He turned to the newcomer with a slight smug smile. “I figured it out a long time ago. A fusion reactor has to have the right, or in this case, the wrong fuel mix to produce neutrons that create radiation. The reactor there couldn't have produced the radiation; the fuel supply was deuterium and helium-3!”
“I wondered about that. It didn't make sense,” Anna said. “But I never looked into it.”
“I did. A buddy of mine was an intern there. He was seriously shaken up by it. We talked a lot. I did the math; it never made sense.”
“Still doesn't,” Turner said, picking at his salad. He wasn't sure where Al was leading this. From the look he snuck Addison, he was sure she wasn't happy about it either.
“It's simple. It was all faked. All staged. I don't know why, but …,” Al shrugged theatrically.
“Staged?” Allison demanded, eyes wide. “Why would the company shoot itself in the foot like that? To get bad press?”
“Enough Doctor Russell,” Addison said sharply as Al opened his mouth. He turned accusing eyes on her. “I said enough. The subject is classified and closed,” she warned him.
“I see,” Al said in a strangled tone of voice. He got up and policed his tray. He hadn't finished eating half of the meal but apparently didn't like the company. He tossed the tray into the recycler and stalked off.
“He's just being paranoid,” Turner muttered.
“Is he?” Anna asked, looking at Addison. “You sure shut him down in a hurry there.”
“Perhaps I did. It is a part of the job. Let's change the subject, shall we?” Addison asked, smiling as she tried to recover a part of the good humor and rapport of the evening. “Anyone have any decent movies I haven't watched? Anything to recommend?”
“You never did answer the question on why you were here—other than a supposed promotion,” Charlie said with a grin.
“You would remember that,” Addison replied with a moue.
“Just wondering if there is a bit of juicy gossip there,” Charlie said wickedly. She laughed.
~~~(>O<)~~~
Albert seethed as he stalked through the corridors to his quarters. That bitch! She had shut him down, threatening him like that. And like a good lackey he'd been too scared not to obey. Well, he knew the truth. It had indeed been faked. Someone had sabotaged the entire thing; he'd heard some of the mutterings on the net about the cleanup crew. The United Nations insisted on yearly inspections for damage, but the company had waved it off. They'd rebuilt the facility using the shell of the old, which told him there was something off about the mess.
And why would she shut him down like that? It only proved his point! He smirked at himself. She didn't contend with that idea, now did she? Now Anna knew he was telling the truth. He'd have to look her up to talk with her again. Maybe she'd be more receptive? He hoped so.
~~~(>O<)~~~
The next morning Albert checked Anna's office, then the lab. She wasn't there, so he inquired with the computer and then tracked her down.
He rounded a corner and stopped in shock and dismay. He heard the kissing and stared, then turned away in time for Anna and Turner to realize they weren't alone.
“Al!” Turner said, surprised. “Um …”
“This um …,” Anna wiped at her face, clearly embarrassed.
“Well, you two are getting along well,” Al growled, clearly angry. His fists clenched and shook. He realized what he was doing and hid them behind his back.
“You needed something?” Turner asked, voice cooling.
“Just … passing through,” Al replied, brushing past them. He bumped Turner as he moved between them. Since he was facing Anna, she could see the cold rage in his face.
“Al,” she murmured in dismay, “wait …,” but he was gone.
“Oh I see how it is,” Turner said, eying her.
She rounded on him. “What's that supposed to mean?” she demanded, now hurt.
“You know. Using me to get back at him!”
“That's not it! Not it at all!” she replied, eyes wide in surprise. “I … it's over between Al and I. He knows that, I did too! We've gotten over it and moved on!”
“Apparently not,” Turner replied dryly, brushing past her. “I've got to get back to work,” he said gruffly.
Anna watched him go, forlorn.
~~~(>O<)~~~
“Look, Eathen, Al's soured. You know I've been dropping hints about it. He's a good scientist, but the climate …,” Turner shook his head.
“I don't have a place for him. He has some skills we can use, but he's not up to speed with the hyper physics department. Nor anything else I can think of. Anna has put in a transfer request.”
“Anna?” Turner said, now surprised.
“I've been sitting on it for a couple of quarters,” Eathen admitted a few minutes later. “Look, Josh, this call isn't cheap. If you want to let Al go, say the word.”
“I'm … I'll give it some thought,” Turner admitted. Albert had been passing by the open doorway when he heard the tail end of the conversation. He froze.
A minute later Eathen replied again. “Well, figure it out. Your interpersonal issues need to be resolved. I know I told you one of you was going to have to go, but …”
“I'll … give me a day or two.”
“Till the end of the week.”
“Roger that. Signing off.”
Turner sat back, scowling. “Frack me,” he muttered.
Albert heard that, then crept away. His mind whirled with the implications. If he left, he'd be destroyed. No future … there weren't a lot of calls for his line of work, not with everyone now scaling back the antimatter push! So then what?
Could they be on to his misgivings? That had to be it. The new lady, the new bitch security dog. Well, not dog, she … he shook his head angrily. Okay, she wasn't a Neomutt. He shivered. Another thing, Lagroose was making his own army of supermen. Animals, all designed to rule the world.
Well, if he was going to get canned, he was going to go out with a bang he vowed. A bang, not a whimper, no tail tucked metaphorically between his legs. He'd awaken the universe to what Lagroose was up to, and pay Turner and Anna back for the humiliations they'd put him through he vowed.
~~~(>O<)~~~
It was dead easy to get the fuel. He only needed a couple grams, so when it was his shift he carefully transferred the required amount to a storage container then wrote the loss off in his log as an unfortunate run. That still happened from time to time. Antimatter was unstable, after all. Any contact with matter and it was lost.
But Albert found that he couldn't get the other half of the bomb's fuel, the deuterium from storage. They didn't have enough in the lab, or actually, none at all. That bastard Turner had used up the last in his previous experiment and hadn't resupplied the stockpile. According to the log, he was either going to wait until the next resupply … well, Albert was impatient and couldn't wait. He had to get it done before he lost his nerve or that Darling woman came sniffing around and ruined everything.
The lack of readily accessible fuel forced him to rethink his options though. He could make it, after all it was just heavy water. Any physicist with the right equipment could do it.
But, there was a source close at hand, but it incurred risks. He sat back and spent the evening doing his normal routine of monitoring the production lines.
Finally near the end of his shift he hatched a plan. He waited until the sleep phase of the station's cycle to draw the deuterium from fusion plant 1's fuel supply. The breach was noted by the computer, but he had overridden the alarms. He reset the log, overwriting the clock to hide his theft, then wiped the video records with a worm in the buffer. He assumed the door entry logs were in the buffer as well but couldn't be sure without checking, which might set off further alarms.
He tucked the cold container under his arm and did his best to act normal as he returned to his office. Destiny awaited.
~~~(>O<)~~~
When Athena did her daily audit of the complex's logs, the A.I. noted the discrepancy in fuel levels from the previous day. She checked the logs, but there was nothing mentioned, no wastage reported. She checked the logs of reactor 1 thoroughly and came to the conclusion that they had been tampered with. She found the access card of the person who had accessed the fuel room last and routed an alert to security.
~~~(>O<)~~~
Addison was awoken by the insistent buzzing of her message center. She blearily swatted around, hitting only air and bed sheets until her mind woke enough to get her bearings. When she opened her gummy eyes, the bright light from the vid screen made her pull the covers up. “What is it this time?” she demanded.
The computer kept beeping. She sighed and pulled the covers down in a huff. “What??!?” she demanded angrily. “This had better not be some damn unscheduled drill!” she snarled, flipping the silk sheet off. She tucked her feet into slippers, belted on her red kimono, and stomped over to the wall while running a frustrated hand through her hair to finger comb it into submission. “Yes? What?” She tapped the screen then frowned at her inbox. “You woke me for a blasted email?” She wanted to rave at the stupidity of the universe.
Since it had a high classification level, she tapped at it. She frowned thoughtfully as she read the email. She wasn't sure of the content though. After a moment sh
e shook her head and tapped the station's internal communications network. If she had to get up, other people could as well.
~~~(>O<)~~~
“So, what's this about?” Turner asked. He couldn't help but yawn.
“I'm not sure. Someone somewhere did a remote audit of our log it seems. A security alarm was tripped,” Addison explained. “Apparently Doctor Russell took some fuel from reactor 1. He, then it seems, tried to cover his tracks.”
“Fuel?” Turner asked, frowning thoughtfully. “Why … oh,” he snapped his fingers. “I used up the fuel in the lab.”
“You have fuel in the lab?”
“Of course! It is an antimatter lab after all; we have a prototype matter-antimatter reactor. We've been working on improving the efficiency, but when the latest research about hyperdrives, force emitters, and fusion reactors came about, the project got shelved when the company cut funding. I had an idea on squeezing a bit more efficiency out of the injectors by reshaping the frequency of the stream but …” he could see her eyes glassing over. “I used the fuel we had. That's probably it,” he finished lamely.
“Okay, so why try to hide it? I mean, three grams of hydrogen …. It's not a big deal, right?”
“Three … did you say three grams of hydrogen? Or deuterium?” Turner asked carefully, now tense.
“The other stuff. Deuterium,” she said. “Why?”
“We never used that much. Not ever.”
“So …”
“So something is wrong. Very wrong.”
“Crap,” Addison muttered, punching up the security system. “Computer, find Doctor Russell. Now.”
~~~(>O<)~~~
Anna noted Al carrying a package. “What've you got there, Al? Something I can help you with?”
“Anna!” He said, eyes wide in surprise. He licked his lips, looking about him. “Why are you here?”