Space Case

by Stuart Gibbs

  “How?”

  “Like I said, we were friends. We’ve been talking a lot lately.”

  I sat up, struck by a thought. “I overheard Dr. Holtz in the bathroom the night before he died. He was speaking to someone on the phone about a new discovery. Was that you?”

  Zan met my eyes again, surprised by this piece of information. “No, I wasn’t on the phone with him. Did you hear what the discovery was?”

  I shook my head. “Dr. Holtz didn’t say. But he was extremely excited about it. He said it would make history. He and whoever he was talking to planned to announce it first thing this morning. That’s why I don’t think his death was an accident. Why would he do something so dangerous before the announcement?”

  “I don’t know.” Zan held my gaze. “But I want to find out.”

  I nodded, pleased that someone with authority was finally willing to listen to me, but then I thought of something. “If you didn’t know I’d overheard Dr. Holtz’s call, how did you know to come to me?”

  “Nina reported you were making waves,” Zan said. “Asking too many questions about Dr. Holtz’s death. She thought maybe I could keep an eye on you while I was here.”

  “But she didn’t ever think you might agree with me.” I smiled, pleased by the idea of Nina’s plan backfiring.

  “No, she didn’t,” Zan said. “Unfortunately, Nina isn’t the only one who’s concerned that a murder investigation would be bad press for MBA. My superiors agree with her.”

  “Even though they run security and we’re talking about a murder here?”

  “None of them knew Ronald like I did. And since they were responsible for vetting the Moonies, they don’t think it’s possible that one of you committed murder. Instead they think the real problem here is you saying there was a murder at all.”

  I put another piece of tangerine on my tongue. Somehow it didn’t taste as good anymore. “So . . . they don’t want you to investigate?”

  Zan turned away, as though ashamed. “My official orders are, if anything, to make sure that there isn’t an investigation. I’m to quash any suggestion that there was a murder.”

  “That’s why you’re here?” I asked, upset.

  “No. Those are my official orders. But as a member of the security division, I feel it’d be a dereliction of duty to not look into this matter.”

  I relaxed, feeling better.

  “However,” Zan continued, “given that my superiors—and their superiors—don’t want me to do this, any investigation will have to be conducted secretly. Which is where you come in.”

  “Why?”

  “I can only do so much. As a temp, I don’t have all the privileges you do. Therefore, I need your help.”

  “Sure.” I was surprised by how quickly I agreed, given that there was certainly some potential for trouble. But then I figured that if there was a murderer on the loose at MBA, someone ought to be trying to find them. I would have preferred that somebody else do it—but at least I wouldn’t be working alone. If trouble cropped up, Zan would be there for me.

  And, truth be told, I was out for more than justice—or my own safety. I was bored out of my skull at MBA. Being asked to aid in a murder investigation was the most exciting thing that had happened to me since I’d arrived on the moon.

  “What do you need me to do?” I asked.

  Zan smiled, pleased by my response. “If Dr. Holtz didn’t walk out that air lock on purpose, then someone forced him to do it. I need to see the security footage of that event.”

  “But that footage is exactly what Nina says proves he wasn’t murdered,” I countered. “She says it’s just him, going out the air lock solo.”

  “How well do you think you can trust Nina on this?” Zan asked.

  I frowned. “Not much.”

  “Exactly,” Zan agreed. “I’m not saying Nina had anything to do with Dr. Holtz’s death. But I’m well aware that she’d rather sweep this whole mess under the rug than look into it. I’ll bet there’s far more in that footage than she says there is.”

  I set another piece of tangerine in my mouth. “Since you’re in security, why can’t you get the footage?”

  “Because this is way out of my jurisdiction. In fact, my being in security actually works against us. I made the mistake of raising the issue en route here and was shot down by my superiors. Now I have direct orders not to get involved, and I guarantee you, they’re keeping a very close eye on me. If I try to access the footage, they’ll know.” Embarrassment reddened Zan’s cheeks. “That’s why I’ve been forced to make the . . . well, let’s say ‘unorthodox’ decision to come to you for help, rather than anyone else. I suspect NASA is far less likely to be monitoring your computer activity than that of any adult.”

  “Even though I already told Nina I was suspicious?”

  “Nina’s given you an order to back off. You’ve never disobeyed her before. Your reputation around here is sterling. I’ll bet she’s already forgotten about you. She has a lot of other things to deal with right now.”

  “There’s only one problem,” I admitted. “I don’t have the slightest idea how to access the security footage.”

  Zan laughed. It caught me by surprise. It was a light, infectious laugh that brightened the whole room like a ray of sunshine. “I figured as much. However, I can be of some help there. And I suspect your friend Roddy might be as well.”

  I thought back to my recent conversation with Roddy in the toilet stall. “Maybe. He knows how to hack the base computer, but that doesn’t mean he’ll help me do it.”

  “Well, see what you can do. Once you can access the computers, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the footage we need.”

  I started to peel off another tangerine section, then noticed that my palms were sweaty. It was all well and good to talk about hacking the base computers to conduct an unauthorized murder investigation; doing it was an entirely different story. “I’ll try my best,” I said.

  “I appreciate that,” Zan told me. “I truly do. I know I’m asking you to take a big risk here.”

  “Maybe not,” I said, trying to lighten things up. “If I get caught, maybe they’ll be so upset, they’ll ship me back to earth again.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it. I think your parents are too vital up here.”

  “Then maybe I ought to break the rules more often.”

  Zan smiled, but quickly grew serious again. “Just so you know, we don’t have much time to do this. The rocket returns to earth in two days. If we haven’t caught the murderer by then, you’ll be stuck here with whoever it is for another month. Or more, if the next rocket is delayed.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “Is there even any way to lock someone up here?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.” Zan sighed. “I don’t think it ever occurred to anyone. I suppose there’s a way to barricade someone in their room, but you’d have to let them out anytime they needed the bathroom. On the whole it’d be much better if I could escort our killer back to earth.”

  “But if you’re not supposed to investigate, won’t NASA flip when you suddenly arrest one of the Moonies?”

  “If and when we have proof, I think they’ll change their tune—no matter how bad the PR is.” Zan glanced at her watch and stood. “Sorry, but I’ve spent too much time here as it is. People are going to start wondering where I am.”

  I got to my feet and met her by the door. “Thanks,” I said.

  “For what?”

  “Wanting to find out what happened to Dr. Holtz.”

  “I should be thanking you for that.” Zan reached for the door, then seemed to think of something and turned back to face me. “I hate that I have to say this, but for your safety we need to keep our alliance a secret. You can’t let anyone know we’re working together—or that I’ve even come to you. In fact, it’s probably best if you don’t even let on that we’ve met at all. Don’t mention my name to anyone. If anyone asks you about me, say you haven’t met me yet.”

&nb
sp; “Even my parents?”

  “Even your parents. This is a very small community, and gossip will travel through it quickly. If there is a murderer, I don’t want them having any idea you’re involved in this. To that end, don’t come to me with anything. I’ll come to you.”

  “But what if I find something important?” I asked.

  “I’ll be keeping a close eye on you,” Zan told me. “It won’t be hard to do in quarters as tight as this. Though be aware, our target will be able to keep a close eye on everyone as well. Both of us need to exercise extreme caution. Speaking of which, no one should see me leaving your room.”

  “Right.” I opened the door and checked the catwalk. No one was outside. “Coast is clear.”

  “I’ll be in touch.” Zan gave me a wink, then slipped out and quickly ducked around the corner.

  I closed the door behind her, wondering what I’d gotten myself into.

  Excerpt from The Official Residents’ Guide to Moon Base Alpha, © 2040 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration:

  VISITORS

  As a lunarnaut, you are probably aware that there will occasionally be visitors at Moon Base Alpha. In fact, there would be no MBA without the funds provided by space tourism!I Be aware, our visitors’ commitment to MBA is just as strong as yours. So don’t think of them as tourists; consider them investors in the international space program. And though our guests are not official employees of NASA or their families, remember: They still have undergone a rigorous selection process and extensive training for their visit, just like you.

  The visitors have strict instructions not to get involved in—or interfere with—the day-to-day workings of MBA. It is requested that all lunarnauts return the favor and provide our guests with the highest-quality lunar experience possible. To that end, please do not:

  • Bother, harass or pester the visitors in any way

  • Ask the visitors for money or employment after your stint at MBA ends

  • Enter the visitors’ quarters without their express permission

  • Spread gossip, rumors, or idle hearsay about the visitors

  Thank you for your cooperation!

  * * *

  I. Currently, tourism is slated to provide 51.2 percent of the working budget for MBA. That adds up to billions of dollars a year coming from the private sector—rather than taxes.

  SPACE JERKS

  Lunar day 188

  Afternoon

  I had to find Roddy. I didn’t know how to hack the computer and dig up the security footage on my own.

  Now that Nina and everyone else were distracted by the arrival of the new Moonies, I figured Roddy would probably have returned to the rec room to play veeyar games. Sure enough, I found him there, jacked in as usual.

  Unfortunately, I also found Patton and Lily Sjoberg.

  The Sjobergs and their parents were the first lunar tourists. Since Moon Base Alpha ended up costing more than five times what NASA had originally projected, the agency was forced to get additional financing from space tourism. Maximum Adventure Travel ponied up the money in return for two concessions: 1) A residence at MBA would be converted into a “deluxe lunar hotel suite.” 2) Maximum Adventure had the exclusive rights to charge incredibly wealthy people staggering sums of money to come stay at Moon Base Alpha.

  In truth, the “deluxe lunar hotel suite” isn’t that deluxe. There was no way to deliver anything particularly fancy to MBA, like nice mattresses or Jacuzzi tubs. The suite has an actual window, and the SlimScreens are slightly higher quality than ours, but other than that it’s as lame as every other room at MBA. The tourists still have to eat the same awful food we do and use the same sadistic toilets. And yet MBA is the only place for tourists to stay on the moon, so incredibly rich suckers are lining up to shell out big bucks to come here. The Sjobergs outbid hundreds of other elite families in a silent auction, spending what’s rumored to be more than half a billion dollars to be the first lunar tourist family. The money bought them a four-month stay at MBA, which they were already four weeks into.

  Hard as it is to believe, half a billion isn’t much money for the Sjobergs. They are some of the richest people on earth. Lars, the father, made his fortune in deep-sea oil drilling. Sonja, the mother, inherited half of Norway. Together they have so much money, they’ve run out of ways to spend it. They have more homes in more countries than anyone can count, a fleet of private jets, a solid gold bathtub, and a pet snow leopard named Schatzi. They’ve already visited every place on earth, so when the chance came to go to the moon, they jumped at it.

  Unfortunately, just like the rest of us, they discovered Moon Base Alpha wasn’t what they’d hoped. But even if MBA had been absolutely incredible, with fancy suites and gourmet meals, I still doubt the Sjobergs would have been happy. They’re spoiled rotten. Back on earth, servants did everything for them. And I mean everything. They had cooks, gardeners, butlers, dog walkers, maids, doormen, barbers, decorators, masseuses, stablemen, pool boys, and art curators. But since there were only four seats available on the rocket, there was no way for them to bring even a single butler to MBA. So, for the first time in their lives, the Sjobergs have to do things for themselves. And they hate it. They’ve been so pampered; none of them has the slightest idea how to work anything, no matter how simple. On the first night at MBA, Lars Sjoberg nearly lost a finger trying to use a can opener.

  Once they learned they were incompetent without servants, the Sjobergs came up with a new plan: Try to make everyone else at MBA do things for them. This didn’t work out so well either. In the first place, they never asked us to do anything. They ordered us to do it. Second, all the adults had plenty to do already. They couldn’t just drop everything to make breakfast for a bunch of helpless rich people. So everyone told the Sjobergs they’d have to handle things on their own. (Except Chang Hi-Tech, who bluntly informed Lars Sjoberg that he should get off his lazy butt before Chang drove his foot up it.)

  From there things only got worse. None of the Sjobergs had been very nice to begin with. Now, realizing they’d spent more than some entire countries made in a year to end up in their own private hell, they turned on us, becoming even nastier than before. Any encounter with them was a bad one. The only Moonie any of them remotely got along with was Cesar Marquez, and that’s only because Lily Sjoberg had a crush on him. And since Cesar didn’t like his little brother much, the Sjoberg kids were worse to Roddy than to anyone else.

  When I found them in the rec room, Patton and Lily had just swiped Roddy’s hologoggles and were playing keep-away.

  “Come on! Give them back!” Roddy whined as he haplessly ran back and forth between the twins. “I was just about to liberate Titan from the Pernicious Skrinks!”

  “Ooh!” Patton Sjoberg taunted. “If you’re such a big hero, why can’t you get your goggles back?”

  “Why do you guys have to be such jerks?” Roddy mewled.

  “Why do you have to be such a loser?” Lily shot back.

  Normally I might have hustled off before anyone noticed me. I didn’t like the idea of being on Patton Sjoberg’s bad side. In addition to being as mean as a rabid badger, he was also quite strong. He spent most of his time at MBA in the gym, bulking up his muscles. His biceps had grown by an inch in the last four weeks. And Lily was pretty strong herself, surprisingly tall and broad for a girl.

  But I needed a favor from Roddy, and Roddy wasn’t much for helping anyone but himself. So I figured I’d get on his good side.

  Roddy made a desperate lunge for Patton, who flipped the goggles over his head. Given the low gravity, they sailed high into the air.

  I cocked my legs and launched myself as hard as I could. On earth my vertical jump was about two feet. On the moon it’s four times that. I flew over Lily’s head and snatched the goggles before she could.

  Unfortunately, even after six months I was still mastering low gravity. I flew much farther than I’d expected, crashed into the wall, and tumbled back down to the floo
r. Still, I managed to keep a hold on the goggles. When I got to my feet, the Sjobergs were flanking me, glaring hatefully with their beady blue eyes.

  “Look who thinks he’s a hero now,” Patton scoffed. “Give them back, Dash.”

  He reached for the goggles, but I yanked them away. “They’re not yours.”

  “They’re not yours, either,” Lily said. “We’re trying to have some fun here and you’re ruining it. So why don’t you blast off and leave us alone?”

  “Why don’t you go instead?” I asked. “I’ll bet Roddy was here first.”

  Patton scowled. His muscles flexed, stretching the fabric of his shirt. “Hand over the goggles,” he said. “Trust me. You do not want to make enemies with me.”

  I turned to face him, and as I did, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the SlimScreen. Behind my back, Lily Sjoberg was coiling to strike. “You’re right,” I said. “I don’t. But that shouldn’t mean I have to give you whatever you want.”

  “Then we’ll just take it.” Patton sprang at me. At the same time, in the reflection, I saw his sister do the same.

  I was ready for them, though. As they both came at me, I launched myself again. I soared out of Patton and Lily’s path and they slammed into each other, clocking heads so hard that I could practically hear their tiny brains rattle around in their skulls.

  This time I stuck the landing, alighting perfectly by Roddy. “Here you go,” I said, valiantly handing over his goggles.

  He didn’t even say thanks. He was too busy watching the Sjobergs.

  Patton and Lily staggered a moment before regaining their balance, then wheeled on me. Lily’s nose had gotten bloodied in their collision, while Patton now had a fat lip. Patton put his fingers to his mouth, then pulled them away bloody. A tiny shard of white sat on one fingertip. “You chipped my tooth!” he yelled. Although with his fat lip it sounded like “toof.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” I countered. “You attacked me.”

  “You two are going to pay for this,” Patton growled.