Discovery

by Paul Rix

  "If you don't mind. I'd prefer it if I knew where you were for the time being," he said, waving his knife to indicate he wanted her to take the steps down to the space below.

  Bewildered, she looked around at Anders for some support. She was sure this wasn't what he wanted.

  "I'm sorry, Georgia," he said resignedly. "You should do as Tom says. I promise you won't be harmed but we need time to prepare the jetcopter."

  Outnumbered and with little option, Georgia reluctantly stepped through the access door and down into the engineering section. As Redmayne closed the hatch behind her, she switched her helmet light on and found somewhere to sit to contemplate her fate.

  Chapter 59

  Back inside Alpha Base, the chief entered the control room in search of Captain Winter. Mancuso was laid on the floor under a desk, running cables while Emily, still on crutches, stood over him holding the cabling layout. She turned and asked, "How bad is it down there, Jim?"

  "Not as bad as it first looked. The soot and melted plastic were quite dramatic, but it's a simple job of swapping out the box. Rashid will get it done in the next few hours."

  Mancuso stopped what he was doing and sat up. "I feared the worst when I heard the alarms going off. Thank goodness no one was hurt."

  The chief agreed. "You can thank the designers for implementing many safety measures. Have you seen the captain?"

  "He's in his quarters."

  Jim headed down the corridor and knocked on Winter's door.

  "Good timing, Jim. Come in and take a seat."

  "Thank you. I can confirm that the fire was caused deliberately. Someone planted a small chemical device on a timer. The chemicals were highly combustible when mixed. There's no way this was an accident."

  The chief noted that the captain didn't appear shocked by the news. "That confirms the report I've just received from General Stockton in response to this matter. Ground Control picked up some encrypted transmissions between this base and the Andropov. Not through our own communications equipment. Someone here has their own device to communicate directly with the Russians or Chinese."

  "We have a traitor?"

  "Apparently so. But we don't know the identity or their intent."

  "The fire was never designed to cause extensive damage other than disrupting power to the biodome. Whoever planted it knew what they were doing and that we would be able to repair the damage."

  "They must also know that we'd realize it was sabotage. They're therefore willing to accept discovery. It only requires a process of elimination among the twelve of us."

  "Which means they must have a plan of escape. But where? And why reveal their hand now?"

  "I was giving it my attention just before you entered. I doubt the person responsible is still on the base. The fire was a distraction to allow them to get away and carry out whatever their real plan is. It's the only reason that makes sense."

  "Commander Anders and Georgia are at Aquarius. Could it be one of them?"

  "I can't see Georgia or Anders behind this. They're not spy material. I would bet my career on it."

  "Is anyone else missing?"

  Captain Winter coldly replied. "Tom Redmayne."

  Chapter 60

  Redmayne was becoming increasingly frustrated at the time it was taking to set the jetcopter up for flight and was struggling to control the anger rising inside him.

  He looked at his watch for maybe the twentieth time. He had no idea how effective his pyrotechnic display had been back at the base. What he could be sure of was that the captain was aware not only that there had been deliberate sabotage on the biodome but also that he was the most likely culprit. It was unlikely that Winter had established a motive, but it wouldn't be long before the captain sent out a search party to apprehend and return him to Alpha Base.

  He was pleased that he'd had the foresight to plant a radio jammer near Challenger which was preventing communications between the base and Aquarius. The last thing he needed right now was for Anders to discover what he'd done.

  Pausing briefly, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, which had reached the highest point in the sky. Peering into the distance he could see a cloud of dust, confirming his suspicions. "Lars, we need to hurry up. We're going to have company soon. If we can't take off in the next ten minutes, we may never get the opportunity again. And you'll find yourself confined to quarters for the rest of the mission."

  Anders was feeling dispirited. The situation had escalated badly as soon as Redmayne had arrived at Aquarius. The realization was dawning on him that Redmayne had manipulated him, and it shocked him that he could have been so stupid. Locking Georgia away had not been part of his intentions. He'd been naive to think she would agree to their plan.

  His career was now hanging by a thin thread. The only way to redeem it now was to follow through, achieve contact with the Sentinels and be seen as a hero. That appeared more unlikely as the minutes ticked away.

  Unloading the jetcopter and lowering it to the ground had been the easy part, especially with two of them to move the machine into place. But they lacked the technical knowledge of either the chief or Rashid to make sure all the equipment was properly connected and flight worthy. Like Redmayne, Anders had read the manual during training on Earth, but had not expected having to assemble the jetcopter.

  H stood back to take stock. The jetcopter looked complete. Its jet-black structure comprised a small oval platform that could carry two astronauts standing up. A pair of tall thin jets on either side used compressed nitrogen to power the machine into the sky. An avionics system that kept the vehicle vertical and even allowed for it to be piloted remotely, if necessary, enhanced fundamental controls.

  Anders looked at the machine doubtfully, still attempting to guess what Redmayne's plans were. If there was only room for two, what would happen to Georgia? There was no way that he would let the jetcopter take off without him. He wasn't going to be left behind to face the music with the captain. As commander, he was second in command and should give Redmayne instruction. He knew he had to re-assert his authority and take control of the situation, although the oncoming dust clouds were worrying him. Too late, he knew he should have thought this through properly.

  Grudgingly accepting his fate, he said, "Tom, all the struts are locked in place and the jets are fully primed. It will be airborne in less than five minutes. What are we doing with Georgia?"

  "She's coming with us. It may be a tight squeeze, but the jetcopter has enough power to carry three people. Or you can stay here if you'd prefer. I'm going to get her now and persuade her to do the right thing. Just make sure you're ready to go."

  Anders didn't appreciate being given orders. Especially by an arrogant civilian scientist. If this plan was successful, he would make sure he would never have to follow orders again. He stared at the cradle as it carried Redmayne back to collect Georgia, wishing he could turn the clock back twenty-four hours.

  ***

  Georgia was using her time in captivity wisely. After she'd recovered from the initial shock of her situation, it didn't take her long to come up with a plan of escape. Although she had never been in this part of the ship before, she remembered the schematics, or at least the main parts. She was sure that there were some narrow access tubes behind one of the consoles in the engineering section.

  The design of the supply ships meant that the huge fuel tanks took up all the available space to allow for the maximum amount of fuel to be loaded for take-off. There were, however, two tunnels that could be crawled through to inspect the fuel tanks for cracks and to swap out sensors. She was positive that one of the tunnels ran the full length of the ship down to the rocket motors and that there was an access panel at the base of the ship. She wished Jim was there because he would know for sure. If she was right, when she reached the bottom, she would need to jump twelve feet down to the ground, but that wouldn't be a problem in the reduced gravity.

  Georgia quickly began to reach around the console u
ntil she found what she was looking for, a small pressure door. Wedging her feet against the upright, she found enough leverage to move the console far enough to wriggle her body around and through the door. Peering past the door, she saw a vertical shaft with a series of rungs in the wall opposite. Looking down, all she could see was darkness. But she knew the bottom was no more than about sixty feet below. It was a better option than waiting for Redmayne to return and take her with him to meet the Sentinels.

  ***

  So it was that when Redmayne opened the access panel in the hold, he vented his anger in an almighty scream as he found she had disappeared. He rushed down the steps to see if she was hiding in a corner, before spotting how she had escaped. "Damn you, Pyke. You didn't need to make it hard for yourself."

  Still in a rage, he headed back to the cradle, pausing briefly to set another one of his little traps. After all, he had no intention of ever returning.

  ***

  Several times on the climb down, Georgia thought she would become trapped. The shaft was incredibly narrow and was never designed for someone in a cumbersome spacesuit. The protective insulation covering the air supply on her back kept snagging on the joints where the sections of the spaceship had been welded together. This was a part that the public never saw and so the attention to detail wasn't the same as the external skin of the ship, where the joints were seamlessly welded.

  She cursed yet again as she struggled to free herself before continuing the slow climb down. As she neared the bottom, she would stop every couple of rungs and extend a leg, reaching out for the floor. Because the shaft was so tight Georgia had found it impossible to tilt her helmet forward. She was reliant entirely on touch. But it couldn't be much further to go.

  Eventually, her outstretched boot touched something solid and she knew she'd gone as far as she could. Fortunately, the shaft opened out and she was able to kneel down and find the escape hatch which was secured in place by two sturdy levers.

  Georgia gripped one of the levers and pulled with all the strength she had. The lever didn't budge and after a minute of exertion, Georgia was panting hard. She stopped and sat back to take a break, realizing she needed to try a different approach.

  Wedging herself against the wall of the shaft, she found she could push the lever with the sole of her boot, allowing her to put all of her weight behind her effort to loosen the lever. After plenty of grunting and exertion by Georgia, the lever slowly started moving. After pausing again to get her breath back, she gave one final effort, and the lever shifted to the 'open' position. Georgia repeated the exercise on the second lever and the door of the hatch finally swung open on its hinges.

  Looking down, Georgia could see the ground below between three huge rocket motors. They would hide her until she reached the ground, but then it would be pure luck if they spotted her before safely making it to the MEV. She slid out feet first, lowering herself as far as she could and controlling herself with her arms. When she could slide no further, she counted to three before dropping to the ground, flexing her knees for the landing.

  She stayed on her feet but, as she stood upright and turned to see where she was, she came face to face with Anders who was staring directly at her.

  "You are very resourceful. I'll give you that," he said. "You could have waited and taken the cradle with Tom."

  With Redmayne not there, Georgia thought she may have a chance. "Lars, you don't need to do this. Don't let Tom ruin your career or get you killed. This is all about him. He wants the prestige and fame. He doesn't care about you."

  Georgia could see hesitation in the commander's eyes, so she continued, walking slowly toward him, but also closer to the MEV. "You saw what he did with me. He was prepared to force me at knifepoint to do what he wants. Is that the person you want to be associated with? He's lost his perspective. Please don't do the same."

  Georgia could see that Redmayne was descending in the cradle. She was running out of time to convert Anders. But she knew she was close and finding his weak spot.

  "It's too late," replied Anders. "We've come this far now. I may as well see it through. If you come peacefully, I will tell the captain we forced you. You'll be in the clear. I'm prepared to take responsibility for my actions."

  Georgia shook her head. "I can't do that. It's not right. You're making a huge mistake." She then spotted two speeders in the distance, still several minutes away. At least rescue was on its way. "Look, the captain will be here soon. He's not going to let you fly off. You'll have to come back to the base and face the music. At least stand down voluntarily."

  Redmayne stepped forward brandishing his knife in one hand and a length of thin cable in the other. Georgia noticed the wild look in his eyes, and she was genuinely afraid. "Good try, Georgia, but all you've done is piss me off, which wasn't a wise thing to do. I really need you to come with us now and not cause any more trouble. We have destiny waiting for us. So, if you don't mind, I need to tie your hands and then we'll be on our way."

  As Redmayne bound her hands in front of her, Georgia could see the determined expression on his face through his visor. He was adamant that nothing would get in his way. It appeared she was out of options.

  Chapter 61

  Captain Winter and the chief were travelling as fast as their speeders could take them, with Mancuso about fifteen minutes behind. The speeders bounced lightly across the bumpy terrain and Winter held on as tightly as he could, a grim expression across his face as he concentrated on not falling off. This was his first experience on a speeder, and he wished he'd had more time to practice. He knew that Jim was keeping pace with him to one side, but he kept his eyes focused directly ahead at Aquarius.

  He had no idea what he was about to face when he arrived. While there was little doubt in his mind that Redmayne was the traitor, he was confused about Anders' involvement. Could they be working together? Whatever the answer, they had been very thorough so far, including jamming communications. He was going in blind and was sure that their approach would have been seen by Redmayne. He was not in a position of strength, but there was little alternative if he wanted to save Georgia.

  As if reading his thoughts, the chief said, "We should be here in the next five minutes if we can keep this speed up. What's the plan when we get there?"

  "Be cautious and take it one step at a time. Redmayne is cornered, which makes him unpredictable. As for Anders, I don't know what he's playing at. I have a bad feeling about why they've selected Aquarius and taken Georgia."

  "The jetcopter? You think they're making their way to the Sentinel craft?"

  "That's the only conclusion that makes any sense of the attack on the biodome. It was merely a distraction to give them a head start. Setting up the jetcopter will take some time. I just hope we're not too late to stop them. If they take off, then it's game over. And Georgia could be lost to us."

  As they drew closer to Aquarius, Winter could see the MEV and the jetcopter. Two people were on the ground and a third was in the cradle, coming down from the hold. If the jetcopter was ready to fly, then he was cutting this very fine.

  He tried communicating with Redmayne again but received no reply.

  His only hope was for Anders to have second thoughts once he spotted him and the chief. For sure, the speeders were kicking up enough dust and pebbles to be seen from a good distance. Their presence would either deter Redmayne from further action or cause him to press ahead with his escape. Most likely, it would be the latter.

  "Chief, stay at top speed until the last possible moment. I want you to disable the jetcopter while I deal with Redmayne and Anders. Hopefully, I can talk them out of doing something really stupid."

  "And after that?"

  "I don't know. But the focus is on stopping that jetcopter and saving Georgia."

  Chapter 62

  Anders' resolve was rapidly deserting him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the two speeders steaming in at top speed. It was now or never. But Tom's knife made him nervous
. He didn't want anyone to get hurt.

  "Georgia, please get on the platform. If you do as Tom says, then there's no need for anyone to get hurt."

  Redmayne waved the knife closer to her suit. Just one nick and it wouldn't take more than a few seconds to depressurize. He was looking like a desperate man. She was no longer sure what he was capable of and didn't want to find out. If only she could delay him long enough for the captain to arrive.

  She walked slowly toward the jetcopter, following Anders but with Redmayne behind her, pushing her forward roughly. Anders climbed on to the jetcopter's small platform and started strapping himself into the safety harness.

  Georgia protested. "There's only enough room for two. Leave me behind. I can talk with the captain. Explain why you're doing this."

  Redmayne gave her another poke in the back to encourage her forward. "It will be a tight squeeze. You can stand between the two of us. But hold on tight because there's no harness for you."

  Georgia stepped up on to the platform, immediately leaning forward and barging into Anders, causing him to lose his balance and fall off the other side. She tried to jump over him, but Redmayne quickly reached out and grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall to the floor hard. Instinctively, she kicked out with her left foot but failed to connect with Redmayne.

  "That's enough," he shouted. "Try that again and I'll tear your suit open. Now stand up, slowly."

  Georgia stood as Anders got to his feet next to her looking shaken, his suit covered in fine brown dust. He silently checked his own suit for any damage but there was nothing obvious. He climbed back on the jetcopter, cautiously avoiding contact with Georgia.

  As she stood in the middle of the jetcopter, Georgia hoped she had done enough to allow the captain to reach her in time.

  ***