Paul performed the Bio-Scan which showed that Bonnie’s ankle was not fractured. It was merely sprained.
“How did you twist your ankle?” Paul asked.
“Gee, Dr. Paul, I feel really dumb,” answered Bonnie. “I was distracted when I got up from my station on the Bridge and I tripped over the legs of my seat.”
“What distracted you?”
“Well, I was thinking about something Lieutenant Commander Pearson and his wife said, and I wasn’t paying attention when I stood up.”
“And what may I ask did they say?”
“They said that Commander Andrews may be a spy.”
“What?” said Dr. Loring and Nurse Rugan at the same time.
“Well, Lieutenant Commander Pearson said he was only kidding, but the way he said it, gave me the feeling that he actually meant what he said.”
“Officer Shea, I assure you Lieutenant Commander Pearson was joking,” Paul told her. “Please dismiss that from your mind and do not spread a rumor of that kind around.”
“Yes, sir,” responded Bonnie. She was feeling sorry that she had mentioned the incident at all. I should have just said I tripped because I was clumsy, she thought.
“Nurse Rugan, please wrap Lieutenant Shea’s ankle. She can then be released back on duty.” Paul turned, removed his medical jacket, and left Sick Bay.
The tunnel came to an abrupt end. Josh halted just in time to stop himself from walking straight into the wall. However, Keith did not realize fast enough that Josh had stopped advancing. Keith pounded into the Captain propelling him into the hard metal wall in front of them.
“Oh, no. Are you all right?” gasped Keith Hampton. “Captain, I didn’t mean to bump you. I am so sorry.”
“It was my fault. I should have told you I was stopping.” He reached his hand under his shirt and touched his forehead. When he held his hand in front of his eyes, he saw blood on his fingers. Peeking down at his feet, he could see the ground. The air around his ankles looked clear. The blue mist must have evaporated. “We can open our eyes. I think it’s safe now.”
They unhooked their shirts from over their heads. The air indeed was free from the blue gas. The reflection from the silver walls hurt their eyes for almost a full minute. Through squinted eyes, Keith saw the blood on Josh’s forehead.
“Did I do that?” he asked.
“No, the wall did,” answered Josh.
Keith untied the canvas bag from around his waist. He had stuffed the bottle of peroxide in his bag along with some bandages and gauze. He tore off a piece of gauze and soaked it in peroxide. Then he washed out the wound and placed a bandage over the oozing gash.
Keith examined the bloody gauze pad. I’d better take it with me, he thought. I’d hate to leave a trail behind us. He crumpled up the blood stained pad and stuffed it down into the bottom of his canvas bag. Then he tied the sack back around his waist
The tunnel going straight ahead to the west had ended, but there was a corridor going to the north. They turned right and headed cautiously down the long tunnel.
Josh wondered where the guards were. It seemed odd that they had not caught up with any guards since leaving the Medical Lab. He was sure the guards were still searching for them. He looked over his shoulder and saw Keith Hampton trotting behind him. I am even more impressed with Hampton then I was before we got to Brisula, thought Josh. I am relieved to know that my hunch was right that Keith is not a traitor.
Keith noticed that the Captain had looked over his shoulder at him. He probably thinks I am inept and can’t even follow along without getting lost. How could I have been so clumsy to bang into him?
After a while they came to another fork in the road. This time the sign said:
“Let’s continue west,” said Josh. “Hopefully there will be another corridor going north before we reach the Silver Mines.”
They took a left turn and headed west.
They were back in the Conference Room again. Amanda wheeled in a cart loaded with food and beverages. There were sandwiches: bologna and Swiss cheese, salami with cheddar cheese, tuna fish on rye, and chicken salad on wheat bread. There was coffee, lemonade, Coca-Cola, both regular and diet, and bottled water. Also there was a tray of chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and oranges.
“Did you fix this lunch all by yourself?” kidded Paul. He went over to the cart and picked up a salami sandwich.
“Funny,” laughed Amanda.
“Looks like she raided the kitchen,” remarked Dennis grabbing a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of Coke.
Dave Andrews didn’t have much of an appetite and couldn’t even remember when he ate last. He knew that wasn’t good. Looking over at the food cart, he got up and took an orange and a cup of coffee.
Dave called for order. “We can work while we eat,” he said. “I think we need to concentrate on identifying the informant.” Dave purposely averted his eyes from Dennis Pearson. Concentrating on the notes in front of him he said, “Does anyone have any ideas on who the spy might be, or how we should proceed?”
Dennis Pearson shook his head. Andrews was obviously avoiding making eye contact with him. He doesn’t want to have to admit to everyone that this was my suggestion. And that I am right. “I have prepared a summary of what we know so far,” said Dennis looking straight at Andrews.
Still not looking directly at Pearson, Dave responded, “Please share your notes with us, Lieutenant Commander.”
Dennis stood up and lifted the yellow lined paper he had written his notes on. He had penciled in the newest information on the original list. Dennis began reading.
Dave Andrews: Refused to take bio scan, could be trying to take over command of the Gladiator, is stalling on trying to rescue Captain and the others. Transmission sent to UGC found on Diane’s workstation computer, message signed DA.
Paul Loring: Obtained Diane’s password, used Diane’s computers on at least two occasions. Transmission sent to UGC found on Diane’s workstation computer, message signed PL.
Jackson Greene: New, belongs to a radical group that could have an interest in mind control.
Joshua Stoner: Disappeared, on purpose?
Wayne Shasta: Disappeared with Stoner.
Keith Hampton: Captured by Brisulans at the time the original information was leaked.
Beverly Glenna: New, captured by Brisulans at the time the original information was leaked.
Diane Pearson: Two transmissions found on Diane’s computers, one message signed DP and one message sent to General Platt. New transmissions sent to General Platt and UGC found on Diane’s workstation computer, messages signed DP.
Dennis Pearson: Used Diane’s workstation computer, one message found on Diane’s computer was signed DP. Transmission sent to UGC and one to General Platt found on Diane’s workstation computer, message signed DP.
“Very nice,” commented Andrews. “Does anyone have anything to add?”
“I do,” said Paul, raising his hand as if he were a student in school. “I found Dave Andrews trying to hack into the medical computer in my Sick Bay office.”
“Is that true?” asked Dennis.
Dave finally looked up at Pearson. “I was simply trying to access the genetic files.”
“I see,” remarked Dennis. “Surely you know that only Paul and Josh have the passwords to that computer. So, that would mean that you were trying to hack in.” Dennis picked up a pencil. “I will add that into the list.” He wrote on his notes next to Dave Andrews’ name:
Caught trying to hack into medical computer.
Paul raised his hand again. “I have something else to add.” He glanced around the table before continuing. “Dennis and Diane are trying to spread a rumor around the ship that Dave Andrews is a spy.”
“What the heck are you talking about?” yelled Dennis. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Lieutenant Bonnie Shea said that she heard you and Diane saying that Dave Andrews was a spy,” responded Paul.
“I told her
that I was joking.”
“Well, she said that it sounded like you really thought Dave was a spy.”
“I guess you need to add that to the list,” put in Dave.
“This is outrageous,” insisted Dennis. “I’m not going to put down something so silly.”
“It wasn’t silly to Bonnie,” remarked Paul. “She was so unnerved by your comment that she sprained her ankle.”
“Oh, all right. I’ll put that on the list,” conceded Dennis. He wrote next to his and Diane’s names:
Joked that Dave Andrews is a spy.
“Any thing else to add?” Dave asked. Everyone at the table shook their heads. “Fine. I want us all to study the list that Dennis has prepared and try to develop ideas on the following themes.” Dave walked over to a white board and scrawled out a number of questions for everyone to work on.
1. Are all the clues valid? Which are valid and which are not?
2. Who can be eliminated from the list?
3. Are all the transmissions sent and received authentic?
4. If they are not authentic, why were they sent?
5. Is the person who sent the transmissions the same person who is the spy?
6. Is there only one spy?
7. Is the spy aboard the ship or on Brisula?
8. What is the spy’s motive?
9. How can the spy be identified?
10. Who is the spy?
“We will reconvene after supper,” announced Dave. “Dennis, who else heard you say that I was a spy?”
“Ensign Saad and Ben Rubin were also on the Bridge at the time I made that joke,” answered Dennis.
“Oh great. By now it is probably all over the ship,” sighed Dave. “We will need to squelch that rumor.” He got up and left the room.
The sound of hammers striking metal began floating down the tunnel as Josh and Keith approached the Silver Mines. They had not come across any corridors going north as they had hoped. Walking very gingerly they made their way to the entrance of the mine and flattened themselves against the wall. A quick peek into the mine revealed a large group of slaves in the far upper end of the mine sorting through the mounds of dirt and gravel brought to the area from the gravel pits. They were picking out nugget shaped ores. Another group in the center of the mine were washing the ores and then placing them in oven-like structures. Other slaves were flattening out the silver that had been extracted from the ore. At the front of the mine a group of slaves were pounding nails into sheets of silver metal to form larger sheets. Several guards monitored the slaves. Two very large guards were leaning on a pile of silver panels near the front entrance. Josh and Keith were able to hear their conversation.
“Those escaped slaves are still loose somewhere in the tunnels,” one guard was saying. “I heard that the search was called off. General Platt didn’t think it was worth the manpower to go after them. He thinks that they will eventually turn up dead from starvation, or they will crawl back to the Cages and beg to be allowed to go back to work.”
The other guard laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I heard too. I also heard that Platt thinks that by letting them get lost in the tunnels it will weaken them so much that they’ll squeal like pigs when he then demands that they answer his questions.”
Both guards laughed heartily. “Although many have tried, no slaves have ever escaped from here,” the first guard said.
“And none ever will,” concluded the second guard.
“Lets go,” Josh tapped out in Morse Code.
“OK,” Keith coded back.
Josh motioned for them to go back the way they had come. They retraced their steps back to the fork in the road. This time they continued east until they came to another sign.
Stopping under the sign, they leaned against the tunnel wall resting for a moment. Josh rubbed his chin. It still stung from Keith’s punch. The cut on his forehead was smarting. His back was throbbing from the welts. He wished he could head into the Hospital and find Paul Loring. Paul would know what to do to take away his aches. Boy, do I miss Paul.
“Should we head north to the Hospital, sir?” asked Keith.
“I’m thinking that it could be pretty busy at the Hospital during the middle of the day. It would be hard for us to hide. Perhaps we should continue east for a bit,” decided Josh. “I wonder what Dispatch is?”
They followed the tunnel going straight ahead. Suddenly the corridor began to get very noisy. They could hear many voices. Bells were ringing and buzzers were buzzing. Soon they were outside of the Dispatch office. The sign above the door read
Two Brisulans dressed in police uniforms came out the door and luckily turned to the right. They did not see Josh and Keith hugging the wall to the left of the front door. There was a small hatch halfway up the wall across the tunnel from where Josh and Keith were standing. Josh lunged for the door. He managed to open it and heaved himself up into the chamber. The wooden walls inside the chamber were painted lime green. Along the walls were shelves loaded down with bright orange rubber items tied with ropes that formed oblong packages. It was a storage room for inflatable dinghies.
Josh leaned out the hatch door and signaled Keith to climb up. Once Keith was in, Josh closed the door.
“Well, now we know what Dispatch is,” he told Keith. “We should have headed to the Hospital.”
Keith nodded in agreement. “Maybe Dispatch will slow down at night,” he suggested.
“You’re probably right,” Josh agreed. “We can use some rest anyway. Let’s catch a few winks.” They made themselves comfortable using the rubber dinghies for pillows.
Commander Andrews studied the list of questions he had complied. He also read over Dennis Pearson’s notes. Were those all the possible suspects? Was someone in that listing the spy? I am fairly certain there is only one informant, he thought as he reread the suspect list for at least the tenth time. I know I am not the traitor. It is unthinkable that the Captain is behind all this. There is nothing suspicious about Wayne Shasta. Other than belonging to a radical group of blind people there is no reason to suspect Jackson Greene. The timing would seem to eliminate Keith Hampton and Beverly Glenna. I just cannot imagine Dr. Loring betraying the Captain. They are like brothers. That leaves the Pearsons. If Dennis is our spy he sure has been putting on a good act. Could Diane really be the spy without her husband knowing it? Are they accomplices? Both could easily have access to Diane’s computer and to the communications system. Was that transmission on June 1 meant to throw us off track by shifting suspicion to me?
Dave was convinced. Either Dennis or Diane was the spy. Or they were both spies working together. He had almost hacked his way into the personnel files. He twisted his chair around to face Josh Stoner’s computer. He turned off the flashlight he was using to read the lists in the pitch dark room. He didn’t want anyone to see him in Josh’s office. Dave switched on the computer and dimmed the monitor screen. He entered the Captain’s password which he had been able to skillfully retrieve. He brought up the folder of personnel files. After trying several back door commands the screen blinked and up popped a dialog box announcing “Welcome Captain Stoner to the Confidential U.S.S. Gladiator Personnel Files. Please enter crew member’s name.” He typed in Dennis Pearson.
The chatter in the Messdeck was lively. Everyone was getting their two cents in on the latest gossip. Commander Dave Andrews was a spy. Some were laughing at this ridiculous rumor while others were commenting on how they always thought there was something strange about Dave Andrews. Still others were contemplating the faith of the Gladiator.
Dr. Loring and Nurse Rugan walked in together. The Messdeck was always a busy place. Crew members were served three meals a day. Between meals it was a place to hang out. There was a bank of arcade games including the latest video games along with the old classics like PacMan and Angry Birds. For the really nostalgic there was a corner with the very old-fashioned machines like pinball and Skee-Ball. Another bank of machines consisted of the antique movie and mu
sic rental kiosks for those that preferred the old Blu-Rays and CD’s instead of downloading movies and music. And yet another row of machines offered beverages, snacks, old-time paperback books, and sundries.
Paul and Amanda used one of the vending machines to purchase some coffee. They carried their cups of black Columbian Roasted Java over to a table against the back wall. Some of the chatter around them died down to hushed whispers. But Paul was able to catch some of the conversation.
“Looks like Dave was right,” he told Amanda. “The rumor has spread like wildfire.”
“Shouldn’t you say something to set the record straight?” asked Amanda.
“Nah. A little gossip is good for morale,” answered Paul. “Besides, for all we know it could be true.”
“Dr. Loring,” remarked Amanda giving Paul a shocked look, “how can you even suggest that?”
“Look at the facts, Amanda. Dave is doing practically nothing to find the Captain.” He paused to blow on his coffee before continuing. “Even though Dave has always denied that his goal is to be a captain, we all know that is what he really strives for. What better way to fulfill that ambition than to lay a trap for Josh. Without Josh around, Dave is in a great position to be promoted to captain.”
“I have a hard time believing that Commander Andrews would go to such extremes to become the captain.”
“Well then, why is he not doing more to find Josh?”
“Yes, he is taking it slow, and it looks like he is stalling, but I think he is just being overly cautious.”
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