Oxygen Series Box Set: A Science Fiction Suspense Box Set

by John Olson

  “Fifty centimeters.” Lex’s eyes were glued to the monitor.

  Valkerie snuck a peek at Bob’s face. What was he thinking? Did he want to wait?

  “Thirty centimeters.”

  “Ten.”

  “Five.”

  The clang of metal locking to metal reverberated throughout the ship.

  “Lockdown!” Lex picked up the mike. “Houston, this is Lex. We have a bull’s‑eye on the Ares 5. Preparing to egress the MAV.” She unlatched her seat belt.

  Bob did the same.

  Valkerie fumbled with hers. This was it. She pulled herself behind Lex and waited with pounding heart for Bob to test the atmosphere in the ERV.

  “Okay, atmosphere looks good.” Bob floated back from the hatch. “After you, ladies.”

  Lex threw open the hatch and disappeared inside with a shout. “You guys won’t believe how good it smells!”

  Valkerie went in next.

  Bob followed on her heels. “And clean! No grit, no dust, no more sewer water to drink!”

  “Hey, Valkerie, champagne!” Lex called back.

  “And Twinkies!” Bob grabbed a packet and started tearing into the wrapper.

  “No!” Valkerie lunged for the Twinkies. “Don’t touch it. Any of it!”

  Bob and Lex turned on Valkerie with wide questioning eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Bob asked.

  “You’re not thinking Houston would try to poison us?” Lex looked at Valkerie in disbelief.

  “Of course not,” Valkerie said. “I just thought that ... seeing what day it is ...”

  “Oh!” Bob started laughing.

  “What?” Lex threw her hands in the air. “Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?”

  Bob grinned and held up a package of Twinkies. “Wedding cake.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Saturday, May 9, 7:00 p.m., CST

  Josh

  JOSH TUGGED AT HIS OVERSTARCHED collar, trying to restore circulation to his brain.

  A burst of laughter echoed from the back of the Flight Control Room. At the front, six engineers stood in an uneasy cluster, stiff and unnatural in their ties and ill‑fitting suits. The monitor overhead showed the bustle of activity in Teague Auditorium—florists setting out flower arrangements, technicians positioning lights. Facility managers were everywhere, attaching white bows to anything that didn’t move.

  “Birdseed, Mr. Bennett?” Nate’s administrative assistant, Carol, held out a white basket filled with dainty gauze‑and‑lace birdseed packets.

  “Thanks.” Josh took a packet and stuffed it in his tux pocket.

  “See ya over in Teague, Josh,” the daytime MMACS called from across the aisle. “I’ve got to go home and change. I’ve been here since the bachelor party.”

  “Better hurry. You’ve only got an hour.” Josh waved him out and shuffled down the aisle to the CATO station. Cathe was sitting next to the Gold Team CATO, typing away at a keyboard.

  “Hey, how’s the best man’s best woman?” Josh leaned down and kissed Cathe on the cheek.

  She swatted him playfully. “Don’t you have work to do? Honestly. Dress these boys up and you can’t take them anywhere.”

  “You think it’s bad now.” Josh grinned. “You should have been here for the bachelor party.”

  “I’m glad I missed it.” Cathe gathered a stack of papers and rose to leave.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To finish my work.” Cathe blew him a kiss and sidled toward the aisle. “There’s only an hour till the big show starts, and I don’t want to miss it. I hear the best man is gorgeous.”

  Josh watched her push past a glowing semicircle of managers. Somehow a cameraman had gotten in and was taping an interview. Josh couldn’t believe it. Had Nate given CNN permission to come into the FCR? No way. What had happened to security? If he were a terrorist, this was exactly the time he’d choose to—

  Josh froze.

  Wait a minute ... How had EECOM known to set up her attack on the Hab exactly during the bachelor party? It was the perfect time—when the whole FCR was distracted, when a ton of comm packets were flying back and forth to Mars. When a rover script could easily slip through undetected.

  But the wedding hadn’t been announced until last Saturday night. Two days after EECOM was arrested. Josh strode out of the FCR and down the hall to the nearest exit. For that matter, why had EECOM bothered with such a long delay time for her sleeper process? Why not send the commands with a short delay? The only thing a long delay did was increase the chance of detection.

  He pushed through the doors, whipped out his phone, and punched in a number.

  It answered on the second ring. “Harrington.”

  “This is Josh. We may have another emergency on our hands. Where are you?”

  “I’m in Teague Auditorium with Crystal.”

  “I’m at MCC. I need you both as quick as you can get here. I’ll meet you halfway. And if Ms. Yamaguchi’s got any other agents, bring ‘em.”

  “Josh, what is going—”

  “Now!” Josh hung up and called another number. The geeks in IS just might get a chance to be heroes.

  * * *

  Josh paced back and forth in front of Building 16 staring at the seven crape myrtle trees, now in full bloom, planted almost three decades earlier in honor of the seven Challenger astronauts.

  He spotted Nate in a tux. Running like a madman. Yamaguchi was behind him, looking rather put out, tap‑tap‑tapping at a very undignified pace. Josh strode to meet them.

  “Josh, what’s going on?”

  “Have you got more agents?”

  “On the way. This had better be good.” Nate yanked out a piece of tissue and wiped his face.

  Josh pulled out his phone and called again. He couldn’t wait any longer. “Hello, Bruce?”

  “Just got it started, sir.” The sys‑admin’s eager voice blasted through the earpiece. “I got the whole list entered. So far, so good. No logins outside of the FCR.”

  “Good. Don’t take your eyes off your computer for a second. Hear me? Let me know the instant anyone on that list logs in.”

  “You can count on me, sir.”

  Nate looked ready to wrestle a bear. “Josh, are you planning to tell me what’s going on?”

  Josh lowered the phone. “I think somebody’s going to make another try for the ERV. During the wedding.”

  Nate scowled. “And I’m assuming you have some kind of evidence to back this up?”

  Agent Yamaguchi arrived. “Mr. Bennett, I hope you intend to explain—”

  Josh held up his hand and began striding back toward Mission Control. “There’s not much time. Just listen. I got to thinking what an unlucky coincidence it was that the rover was programmed to attack the Hab during the bachelor party. When our guard was down. When we were sending a ton of packets back and forth. And then I asked myself how Margaret would have known the perfect time to set one of those cron job things to go off. We arrested her before anybody knew there was going to be a bachelor party last night. Before we even knew there was going to be a wedding.”

  “Go on ...” Nate looked grim.

  “That’s when I realized what’s been bothering me all this time. The DVD in Margaret’s office. Where did she get that? From Kennedy’s apartment? No way. From the evidence room? She doesn’t have access. So the only possibility is if she set up the video camera in my office and then planted a whole bunch of DVDs in Kennedy’s apartment. Why would she do that? And how would she know three years ago that she’d need my password? What’s her motive? Fear of back‑contamination? It doesn’t make sense. She didn’t put that camera in my office. You and I both know Kennedy did it. He’s the one who got me kicked off the mission—the psych journals are proof.”

  “So you think EECOM’s innocent?” Nate’s face had gone white.

  Josh nodded. “Somebody set her up.”

  “And the real hacker is going to strike again during the
wedding?”

  “Wouldn’t you?”

  “He’s got a point,” Yamaguchi said. “There’ll never be a better time to attack than right now.”

  Nate nodded.

  Josh raised his phone. “Bruce, how you doing there? Any nibbles?”

  “Nothing yet, but ... wait, somebody just logged on. Sid Reid. He appears to be on console on Shroeder‑xt.”

  “Sid Reid? The night‑shift CATO? Great job! Any idea how to find out where Shroeder‑xt is?”

  “In his office. Building 30A, second floor. Room 218.”

  Josh began walking faster, repeating the information for Nate and Yamaguchi.

  “What’s happening, Bruce? Keep talking. I want info.”

  “Just logged on to Yahoo!” Bruce said. “Checking his stock. Ouch. Looks like he has Microsoft. No wonder he’s turning to a life of crime.”

  Josh ran up the stairs three at a time and led the way out into the hallway at a brisk walk.

  “Uh‑oh. This could get interesting. Logging on to ChatConnection.com. Looks like your Sid Reid is too hot to trot.”

  “Say again?” Josh whispered into the phone with his hand cupped around it.

  “It’s his handle. One word. 2‑H‑o‑t‑2‑T‑r‑o‑t. Here we go. Looks like he’s makin’ a move on Starla Bright. No. ASL ... crashed and burned. Asked her stats too early. Rookie mistake.”

  “ASL?”

  “Age‑Sex‑Location. Way overeager.”

  Josh stopped and motioned to Nate and Yamaguchi to gather around.

  “Now he’s changing rooms. Tango room—fifteen people. This is one not‑intimidated dude.”

  “Sorry, guys.” Josh gave the others an apologetic shrug. “He’s in some kind of a chat room. Doesn’t look like he’s our man.”

  Yamaguchi straightened her pearl necklace. “What about—”

  “Got another one!” Bruce hissed.

  Josh silenced Yamaguchi with a raised hand. “Talk to me, Bruce.”

  “Roger Abrams just logged on to Godiva‑j2s.”

  Josh switched his phone to speaker mode so the others could hear.

  “That’s Building 1, fourth floor, in case you’re wondering.”

  Nate and Yamaguchi looked at each other.

  “Incoming!” Bruce said. “Got another one. Hadley on Tennyson‑14s. Hold on! Frye on Melville‑14s and Weinberg on Kanga‑j2s. Can I stop recording 2Hot2Trot now? He’s blowing it big time. Wait a minute! Got another one!”

  “This isn’t working,” Yamaguchi said. “We should be getting reinforcements in about fifteen minutes. I called the office and asked them to send out a team.”

  “Mr. Bennett! Mr. Bennett?”

  “Sorry.” Josh turned off speaker mode and raised the phone to his ear. “Go ahead, Bruce.”

  “Sir, may I ask where you are right now?”

  “What?”

  Nate and Yamaguchi turned to listen.

  “Where are you? What’s your location?”

  “I’m on the second floor of Building 30A. Why?”

  “Well, I just noticed a login. It ... um ... wasn’t on the list you gave me, but I thought you might like to know about it anyway. You know, just in case it was—”

  “Bruce, just give me the login.”

  “It’s you, sir. JoshBennett.”

  “Where?”

  “You mean, where’s the computer?” Bruce said.

  All of a sudden, Nate and Yamaguchi were talking very loud.

  Josh put a hand to his ear to block them out. “Bruce, where’s the computer? What’s its name?”

  “Building 30A, third floor, room 353. Banyo‑j2s.”

  Josh repeated it out loud as he dashed for the stairwell.

  “That’s EECOM’s old office!” Nate said.

  Josh raced up the stairs. “Bruce, I want to hear you talking!”

  “Sir, you’re connecting to a computer called Berkelium, somewhere in Australia, I think.”

  On the Deep Space Network. Josh reached the third floor and rammed through the door into the hallway.

  “Sending a short, encrypted message. Only 128 k. Too long for a password.”

  “Take a ... recording. Keep ... a ... record!” Josh hissed as he padded down the hall as silently as he could in his hard leather shoes.”

  321 ... 339 ... 353! He stopped ten feet from the door. What was the combination?

  “More traffic, sir,” Bruce said. “Sending another encrypted message. This one’s a lot longer.”

  “Bruce, block those packets on the DSN. Then get hold of the Gold Team CATO down in the FCR and tell him what’s going on. Have him call the ERV and tell them to shut down incoming data.”

  Nate and Yamaguchi still hadn’t reached the floor. Josh tiptoed to the door and punched in the combination, 3‑5‑3‑5‑3. He took a deep breath, shoved open the door, and charged inside.

  And stopped.

  A blond head spun to look at him. Cathe Willison’s perfect face. Ice‑blue glaciers melting into cold streams of tears.

  Josh staggered back against the wall. “No!”

  “Josh, I can explain ...”

  An arctic blast stormed through his senses, numbing his soul to the core. No! It couldn’t be happening. Please, God, no! It wasn’t true. Couldn’t be ...

  “Josh, please ... talk to me.” Cool hands pressed against his face, forcing him to focus. Large liquid eyes. “Josh, I did it for you. For everybody, don’t you see?”

  “No ...” Josh shook Cathe off and stepped toward the computer. It was a mistake. Had to be.

  She grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Josh, please. I can explain.”

  “Explain?” A sudden rage welled up inside him. He stepped toward her with tight jaw and clenched fists, spitting his words. “Go ahead. Explain.”

  “I did it for you. For us.” She looked up at him with tremulous eyes. “The crew’s sick with a Martian fever. Millions could die if we let them come back. Billions. I had to do something. Don’t you understand? Valkerie had a fever of 104. Hallucinations. She was seeing things, hearing things. It turned Kennedy into a monster. He tried to kill Valkerie—twice. And Lex was losing her grip too. I heard her talking to her husband in an empty room.”

  “You heard her?” Josh grabbed Cathe’s shoulders and shook her. “How could you have heard her?”

  “Not just heard. I saw them too ... with the CamBot. I used it to search the Hab—and I found a bunch of bacteria cultures in the lab. Martian bacteria. I knew weeks ago that they were lying to us.”

  A dull ache settled over Josh’s heart. “You could control the CamBot? And the rover too? How? There weren’t any robot commands sent from here.”

  “I’m sorry, Josh. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know you then like I do now.” Cathe’s eyes pooled with tears. “Remember all that stuff about getting Doppler info out of the comm data rates? CATO was right—it would never have worked. I needed the CommSats to get access to the robots.”

  Josh closed his eyes, feeling a knife go right through his soul. She’d lied to him, used him—just like EECOM had said. “But ... we checked the logs for rover commands. There weren’t any.”

  “It’s called steganography. I encrypted the rover scripts and hid them in the phony data streams I was exchanging with the CommSats. A program on the satellites decrypted them and piped them down to the robots on Mars.”

  “So it was you all along? You were creating the static.”

  “No, I think that was really the Russians piggybacking on our comm, but I was never sure.”

  “And you didn’t care, did you? As long as—”

  “Josh, don’t you understand? I had to—”

  “Had to?” Fury cut through him. “You had to?”

  “Somebody had to. They were lying to you—lying to all of us. They were infected, and they knew it, and they weren’t telling us, and ... I couldn’t let them be my father’s dentist. And they’re lying right now. They’re still infected and they’re g
oing to contaminate us all when they get back to Earth. It’s three people versus seven billion. Do the calculus of suffering, Josh, and then tell me what’s the moral thing to do.”

  “And you burned up the Hab with Kennedy in it, didn’t you? Was that moral too?”

  Cathe’s voice sounded cold as steel. “I had to. He was an animal by then. He tried to kill them all. Mars Madness is real, and they’ve been lying about it the whole way.”

  “Right, so you just elected yourself judge and jury? If you knew they were lying, you should have told somebody. Should have told Nate.”

  “I couldn’t!” Cathe screamed. “You still don’t get it, do you? You lied too! You told Nate they were sick with that Antarctica bug when you knew it was harmless. You forced my hand. If I told Nate the truth about that, I’d get you in trouble. Nate was ready to throw you in jail. I couldn’t let them.” She threw her arms around him. “Josh, I love you. I love you so—”

  “You loved me so much you used my computer to hack that Russian computer. You set me up!”

  “No!” She leaned back and looked up at him, and there were real tears in her eyes. “Josh, I needed that Russian machine for a cutout, and you had the password. I gave you an alibi—sent you that e‑mail so you’d go to the cafeteria where a thousand people could vouch for you. Why didn’t you just stay there? I gave you the perfect alibi and you blew it.”

  “You were using me.” Just like you’re using me now. You’re confessing all this just to stall for time. Only you don’t know your script is blocked, you reptile.

  Josh tried to push her away, but she pulled him to her heart. “Josh, we’re in this together. We’re both in up to our necks. Either we both sink or we both walk on water.”

  Movement at the doorway caught his eye. Agent Yamaguchi stood just outside with a finger to her lips. Nate reeled his hand in the air. Haul her in.

  Josh’s heart pounded in his throat, but he forced his voice to be calm. “And EECOM pays the bill, is that it? Cathe, you and I sent an innocent woman to jail. That’s ... wrong!”

  Cathe shrank back from him. “Josh, please don’t be mad. I did it for you. I couldn’t let you go to jail. I didn’t want to bring her into it, but it was your idea. You were so convinced, and it was just ... so easy. It was the only way.”