“Doctor, I have a job for you. I want you to talk to Private Penwill and come up with a plan for rationing our food. We still have plenty of supplies, but they won’t last forever. Work out how long we can make the supplies last in the worst-case scenario, and report back to me tomorrow.”
The furrowed his brow. “Are we really already at the stage that we need to start rationing? Have you also given up hope?”
Wolfe shook her head vigorously. “I haven’t given up anything. But it won’t harm to be prepared for all eventualities.”
Dr. Lindwall reached for a coffee cup. Only now did Marlene notice that his hands were shaking. Some of the black brew slopped over the edge of the cup and left dark stains on the papers.
“For God’s sake, Doctor. What’s wrong with you? You look exhausted. Something’s up with you and I want to know what it is. I can’t afford to have a sick team.”
The doctor put down his cup and stared at the floor. Whatever it was, he obviously found it embarrassing.
“Speak up, Doctor. Can I help you in some way?”
Lindwall looked her in the eyes and shook his head. “I’ve run out of cigarettes,” he said sheepishly.
Now Marlene understood. Usually there was always a cigarette glowing somewhere within his reach. He couldn’t even stop himself from smoking in the hospital. She smiled. “Well, then you’ll have to learn to get by without nicotine. The withdrawal symptoms will pass. See it as an opportunity to give up smoking. You’re actually the only one here who was still smoking.” She stopped short and looked at the still smoldering bowl on the table behind him. “Is that why you were burning the grass? Did you hope there was something in it that would give you a kick?”
The doctor turned red.
Busted!
Marlene grinned. “I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. I’ve read Dr. Baldwin’s report. There are no active substances in the stuff.”
“Too bad,” murmured Lindwall.
“I expect your report about rationing supplies by tomorrow evening, Doctor.”
Without waiting for an answer, Captain Wolfe turned on her heels and left the tent.
She walked along slowly between the crew tents. There were two expedition members per tent. Only she, Lieutenant Hawke, Dr. Dressel, and Dr. Lindwall, as leaders of the expedition, had their own tents. Most of the soldiers and scientists were still very young; hardly any of them were over thirty. The team of scientists included several students who were financing their studies with a military scholarship. One of the conditions of the scholarship was that they could be called to take part in a military mission. Marlene wasn’t surprised that the teams were anxious; but the fact that they were already discussing their concerns with the doctor suggested that the situation was coming to a head—usually they vented their frustrations on each other first. She knew it hadn’t reached a critical stage yet, but if they had to wait much longer for contact with Earth, there was a real danger it might. Then the men and women would follow someone else; someone who offered them an apparently simpler solution.
She pushed aside the opening of the command tent and saw Lieutenant Hawke sitting at one of the two desks. Marlene’s second-in-command was tall and strongly built, and had a pointy nose. He was leaning back in his chair with his spotlessly clean boots on the table, carefully squirting gun oil on the slide of his pistol. He acknowledged her arrival with a nod, placed the little bottle of oil on the desk and picked up a white cloth, which he wiped almost tenderly over his weapon. Although there were no enemies here far and wide, Ben always had his pistol on him. Marlene thought it was ridiculous; she hadn’t taken her pistol out of the cupboard for weeks now.
“You took too long, Marlene,” said Ben in a high-pitched, crotchety voice, which jarred with his brawny physique. She knew that beside his burning ambition to lead his own company, he had a problem with her because she was a woman. She could have requested that he be transferred, he’d given her enough reasons to do so, but it just wasn’t her style to solve problems that way. “You wanted to speak to me, Ben. What’s up?”
Ben smiled coldly. “We’ve been here for three months now. We were supposed to be relieved two months ago. We should start talking about possible alternatives.”
Marlene sat down at her desk and took a weighty document out of a drawer. Then she stood up again, walked briskly over to the big whiteboard, and affixed the document to the pale metal surface with a magnet. She turned around, looked Ben in the eyes and tapped purposefully on the document.
“This is our order with the parameters of the mission. To set up a base, support the scientists in their work, and hold the fort until we are relieved after approximately three weeks. Approximately!
Back on Earth, they seemed to have known there might be setbacks. That’s why we were sent here with so many supplies. It also says here that we should not conduct any experiments with the transporter technology, and that under no circumstances should we select a destination other than Earth. We have supplies to last us at least six months, perhaps even a year, if we ration. I think it’s premature to start disobeying orders. It also wouldn’t make much sense. But it might reassure you to hear that I’ve asked Dr. Dressel to come up with some options for Plan B.”
Hawke’s jerked his head forward. He laid his weapon and the cloth on the table and stood up. He came menacingly close to Marlene and pointed at the list. “This no longer applies.”
Wolfe didn’t budge an inch. “And now you make the decisions?”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing to decide. It’s obvious. We’ve lost contact with Earth, so we are no longer bound by their orders.”
Marlene guessed that he had come up with an idea. Despite his blatant disrespect, she was curious. “Okay, so what’s your suggestion?”
“Let’s start by summing up what we know: We can’t get back home. We’ve had zero contact with Earth, and we can’t select it as a destination. We also can’t assume that the situation will change.”
“Go on.”
“Second: Although we have a lot of supplies, we won’t be able to survive on Russell’s Planet in the long term. All there is here is that inedible grass, and our attempts at sowing seeds have all failed, because there is no topsoil.”
“I know all that, we’ve been through it a million times.”
“Ergo, the only solution is to find another planet on which we can survive and that offers us a perspective for the future.”
Marlene nodded. “That’s true, but unfortunately we don’t have any information about the other destinations. You were at the meeting. We can’t just try out any old code—that’s how several people ended up dead when they experimented with the transporter last time. It took them to destinations with higher gravity or lethal atmospheres. There’s no way of knowing in advance where you’ll end up.”
Hawke stalked over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper. “That’s why we need people, guinea pigs, who we can send in the transporter. We’ll do that until we’ve found a suitable planet.
Marlene laughed. “As far as I know, Russell’s Planet is the only one they found that at least had a breathable atmosphere. Many people would die in the process of finding another one—that is, if we even find another one. It would be a death mission. How would you go about it? Look for volunteers? Draw lots?”
Hawke folded his arms. “This is a military operation. Sure, we have civilians with us, but they’re superfluous to our mission. We will explain the emergency on the base, intern the civilians and send off the most expendable ones first. I’ve already made a list, which ranks the scientists in order of usefulness. Starting with assistants like Radinkovic, Grant, and Young.”
Marlene’s face flushed with anger. She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her deputy’s mouth.
Ben continued before she had a chance to respond. “It’s the only way. Extraordinary problems require extraordinary measures.”
Marlene’s voice trembled. “You’ve clearly lost you
r mind. I will never approve such an inhuman idea.” She stepped forward and ripped the list from his hand. “Well that says it all: the people you can’t stand are right at the top of the list.” She crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in a high arc into the wastepaper basket.
Ben’s expression was steely. “What do you suggest instead, Captain?” He spat out the last word with undisguised contempt.
“First of all, we won’t jump the gun if it isn’t absolutely necessary. Then we will talk to the scientists, in particular, to discuss our options and reach a decision together. And I will not listen to any more of this. I can assure you that what you suggest is not going to happen.”
Hawke opened his mouth and closed it again, his fists clenched.
Marlene continued. “Your attitude really gives me cause for concern. We’ll have to talk about this again soon. Do you have any idea what would happen in the camp if word of something like that got out? You must be out of your mind.” She was whispering, because she didn’t know who might be passing by the tent at that moment.
Had he already talked to other soldiers about his idea? Maybe with Ernie Lawrence, who was known for shooting his mouth off? It couldn’t go on like this. Hawke’s suggestion was so beyond the pale that she had to deal with it. She could discharge Ben as her deputy, but that would only set the rumor mill buzzing. No, the best thing would be talk to the team right away and find out what ideas they had come up with. Above all, she had to make it clear that drastic measures like Hawke’s plan were out of the question. It would be wisest to also involve Ben and give him a task—one he couldn’t wreak any havoc with.
“Ben, by tomorrow evening I want you . . .” She pricked up her ears. Outside she could hear hurried footsteps and Rhonda’s shrill voice, although she didn’t catch what she was saying. Shadows glided across the wall of the tent.
“What’s going on?” muttered Ben. He stood up just as the tent door was ripped open and Corporal Grant stormed into the command post. He was wide-eyed and completely out of breath. He didn’t even make an effort to salute. “Sir, they’ve come. They’re here. . . .” He stumbled over his own words.
Marlene raised her arms. “Calm down, Dillon. What’s going on?”
Corporal Grant took a deep breath. “The transporter. Two men have come out.” He was grinning from ear to ear. “We can go back home.”
Marlene looked at Hawke, who also couldn’t hide his amazement. “Let’s wait and see.”
She hurried after the corporal. Others had noticed the commotion and were looking out of their tents to see what was going on. Obviously there was a better view from the lab container, because the scientists were already running out of the lab toward the transporter. That could only mean one thing! She hoped that they weren’t mistaken. Please, please! Finally the alien object came into view.
The transporter was open. Two strange men were standing stock still in front of it and looking around. They were wearing combat uniforms, like everyone else in General Morrow’s unit. Their saviors had come at last. Almost immediately, the two men were surrounded by a clapping, cheering throng of people. Camille Ott, the young soldier who had only been assigned to her unit recently, jumped up and down and screamed like an excited child. Two scientists in lab coats hugged each other in relief.
“Finally.”
“Home! We’re going home!”
“What took you so long?”
Marlene reached the transporter, and pushed herself between Dr. Potter and Sergeant Grazier. One of the new arrivals noticed her rank and sprang to attention. He was a little taller than Marlene, and had short brown hair and grey eyes. A thin, jagged scar ran down his face from his temple to his smoothly shaven jawbone.
The other man was a little smaller, but still taller than Marlene. He was hopping agitatedly from one leg to the other. They didn’t react to the cheering going on around them. One of the men stepped forward and came to a halt two steps away from her. His face was devoid of emotion, and instinctively Marlene knew that the two guests had not come to bring them back to Earth. Something about the situation was wrong. She saluted and introduced herself. “Captain Marlene Wolfe. Welcome to Russell’s Planet.”
They shook hands; the man’s face remained rigid. “I’m Russell Harris, and this is Christian Holbrook.”
“We’ve been waiting a long time,” said Marlene.
“I know, I’m sorry,” answered Harris.
“What happened?”
The man’s voice was loud enough for everyone to hear him. His words came out smoothly, as if he’d been rehearsing what to say for some time.
“I’m one of a group of former prisoners who were selected for experiments with the alien transporter. Some of us died in the process.”
“Prisoners?” asked Marlene. Morrow only mentioned volunteers.
“Yes. I myself am a former officer of a special forces unit. Christian is a former astronaut and trained our group. I remember when you left for this planet; in fact, we met at the time.”
“I can’t remember. Continue!”
“We found out that the transporter had an artificial intelligence and we made contact with it through telepathy. As a result, we found the remains of the aliens who built the transporters and who distributed them throughout the galaxy.”
“The remains?”
“Yes. The aliens wiped out their own planet with their technology. Earth would probably have succumbed to the same fate if we had continued to experiment with the transporter. That’s why I and several others destroyed the transporter on Earth with a nuclear bomb after escaping to another planet. We know you can’t survive here, which is why we decided to find you and invite you to our planet, which offers good living conditions for a colony.”
She didn’t follow the last few sentences. In her head she could only hear the same words, over and over, which were the essence of what he had said:
The transporter on Earth has been destroyed. I will never go back home!
Harris continued talking, but his words didn’t register. From the crowds of soldiers standing around them she could hear screams. She looked into Sarah Dening’s horrified eyes. Beside her, Travis Richards had slumped together, and behind her, Ben Hawke was giving free rein to his fury. He wasn’t the only one.
“Bastards!”
“. . . Never go back home?”
“Please, no!”
Harris had finished his speech. He looked at Marlene with an expressionless face. He knew exactly what was coming next. Private Lawrence grabbed Holbrook by the collar and swung him round.
“I’m sorry,” said Harris quietly.
Marlene shook her head slowly. “I just can’t believe . . .” Her voice faltered as the magnitude of the situation dawned on her.
I will never go back home!
A surge of violent anger welled up inside her. Without being fully aware of what was happening, her hands balled into fists—she could feel the adrenalin coursing through her body. Suddenly, one of her fists was flying into the broad face of the traitor. Pain seared through her hand. She must have broken at least one finger. Blood sprayed in her face and into the air. There was a crunching noise, and then Russell’s head flew backward, pulling his body with it, before hitting the black outer wall of the transporter with a thud. He slumped like a bundle of wet clothes to the ground, unconscious.
Chapter 2
“Damn it,” Russell swore. He had completely disengaged the clutch, but it still made a grinding noise as he changed from third to second gear.
“The transmission again?” asked Marlene Wolfe, who was sitting beside him in the jeep’s passenger seat.
“Yup.”
“I thought Albert repaired the thing last week.”
“He did, but it looks as if the gear train is coming apart again.”
“Our little fleet spends more time in repair than on the road these days.”
Russell gave her a sideways glance and grinned. Her laconic remarks during their joint excu
rsions had become something of a tradition. He liked Marlene, and knew that the feeling was mutual. Their relationship had been frosty in the early days, after she’d broken Russell’s jaw at their first meeting. He had guessed that the repair to the jeep wouldn’t last long. The quality of the steel that Albert and his helpers produced in their forge was improving all the time, but they would never be able to produce parts to the same standard as the industrially manufactured ones they were used to from Earth. The seven jeeps they had brought with them from Russell’s Planet were in bad shape, so that never more than four or five vehicles were roadworthy at the same time.
“The word ‘road’ doesn’t quite hit the mark.”
The rudimentary lanes that they had created in the area surrounding their settlement were not exactly easy-going on the vehicles. The roads running through the foothills of the nearby mountains were impossibly bumpy, while the one in the marshy lowlands, which they had built to get to the oil spring and refinery, was more of a muddy track.
“Hopefully the jeep will hold out until we get back to the camp,” said Marlene.
“I reckon it will. But then this bucket of bolts really needs to go to the garage. That clattering noise at the back can’t bode well for the axle bearing.”
“We should have walked.”
“Then we would have been gone the whole day,” responded Russell.
“Exercise is healthy.”
Russell nodded. He had never shied away from physical exertion. But today he was glad they had the jeep at their disposal. He felt tired and sluggish. He blamed it on his age. Last week he had celebrated his sixty-second birthday. Or rather, Ellen and Albert had forced the celebration upon him. He hadn’t been in the mood for it. Birthdays and holidays were things that he had left behind on Earth. But others desperately held on to old traditions and meticulously maintained the terrestrial calendar alongside the New California one, which—due to the different duration of days and years—was far from simple. “I’m glad that we could spare ourselves the hike today.”
Transport 2_The Flood Page 2