Seth scanned a third incident, spotting his brother once more. Again, moments before the blackout. As he went through the tapes—nearly three dozen blackouts across the ship—he found Cain on over a quarter of them.
In the incidents where Cain didn’t appear, only an occasional shadow surfaced. Seth cross-referenced the locations with his brother’s work assignments, but the results were mixed. Most of the time, Cain was working on another deck, far from the incident. Usually with several other engineers, too.
Seth didn’t know what to do. There was enough evidence here to arrest Cain on suspicion alone, but doing so would destroy his reputation. Seth couldn’t do that to him, not if there was room for doubt. Their father would be crushed.
I need more evidence, thought Seth, staring at his brother on the screen. I have to keep digging.
* * *
Seth sat in his apartment after taking a warm shower, finally feeling clean. He needed to relax—calm his mind a bit before returning to work tomorrow. He wanted to get some distance between himself and the video footage. He needed time to dissect what he’d seen.
He propped his feet on the sofa and closed his eyes. Within moments, his eyes had closed and he faded into sleep.
A loud buzz woke him, nearly an hour later. Wiping a bit of drool from his lip, he felt dazed and foggy. Who could be at his door? Was it Azura? No, she had her own key.
He got to his feet and checked the monitor. As he touched the pad on the wall, Abel’s face appeared. What was his brother doing here? “Seth, you there?”
“Hold on,” he said, hesitantly.
“I need to talk to you,” said Abel.
“About what?”
“Just let me in,” he insisted.
“I can’t talk very long.”
Abel stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Thanks. Sorry if I woke you.”
“It’s fine. What’s going on?”
“Uriel and I had dinner a little while ago. She told me about the investigation.”
“I’m looking into it. We don’t know anything yet.”
“She said Cain was involved.”
“She shouldn’t be telling you anything,” said Seth.
“Still, what do you know about it? Do you think he’s the one responsible for what happened?” he asked, a little exasperated.
“Which part?” asked Seth.
“Don’t play dumb with me. You know what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t know a thing,” said Seth. “I’m still investigating.”
“What did you find in the video files? You have to tell me.”
“I can’t give you that kind of information. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
Abel scratched the side of his head, staring at Seth. “Tell me or I’ll go to Father. I’m betting you haven’t said anything to him yet. Imagine what he’ll do when he finds out.”
Great, thought Seth. This is the last thing I need right now. “Go home, Abel.”
His brother scoffed. “There could be a terrorist running around on this ship, but you’re just sitting here in your room doing nothing. You need to arrest him. I don’t care if he’s our brother.”
“I can’t do that,” said Seth.
“Why not? What are you waiting for?” asked Abel. His voice was growing more annoyed.
“We need more evidence. Ask your wife and she’ll tell you the same thing. You can’t just go arresting people for no reason.”
Abel pursed his lips. “What did you find on the tapes, Seth?”
He said nothing.
“That’s what I thought!”
“Cain wasn’t present at most of the blackouts. He may have alibis for the others. You’re overreacting, based on something you know nothing about.”
“What about the last one?” asked Abel. “Does he have an alibi for that?”
“I don’t know yet,” admitted Seth. “I haven’t questioned him yet.”
“Why the hell not?”
“It took me ten hours to go through those tapes today. I’m only one person.”
“Fine, then do it tomorrow. Stop waiting. Cain might be our brother, but lives are at stake.”
“I understand that, but—”
“I don’t think you do, Seth. It sounds to me like you’re too afraid to admit what’s going on here. Wake up! Our brother fits all the criteria, or haven’t you noticed how he’s always by himself, has no friends, avoids his family, and hates everyone?”
Seth went to the door and opened it. “Go home to your wife, Abel. I’m the ranking security officer. Let me do my job.”
Abel grunted something under his breath as he left. “You’d better get your crap together and fix this.”
“Later,” said Seth, shutting the door in his brother’s face. He went to the sofa and buried himself in a pillow. The whole world felt like it was falling apart, like everything was spiraling out of control.
Someone help me.
* * *
The next morning, Seth and Uriel met in the Security Office to discuss the day’s agenda. A few minutes into the meeting, an alert came through from the bridge. Lilith appeared in the com, wearing her standard uniform. “Seth, please report to the bridge,” said Lilith. “There’s been two more incidents.”
“Blackouts?” he asked.
“Worse,” said Lilith.
“Dammit,” said Seth. “I’m on my way.”
“I’ll let your father know,” she said, and the screen went black.
Uriel got on the computer and pulled up the feeds from where the accidents had taken place. “Shit,” she muttered.
“How’s it look?” he asked.
“Camera feeds went down, the same as before, so we’re working with limited information here.”
“As usual,” added Seth.
She nodded. “From what I can tell, one happened in an isolated storage area. Looks like a fire broke out in a supply room, but luckily a crew member managed to stop it. No injuries, but it destroyed a fair amount of food.”
“What about the other one?”
“In the mess hall,” she muttered. “The fans and ventilation system shut down for nearly an hour. Several people passed out.”
“How are they?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. We’ll have to check with Medical. Do you think…do you think someone actually did this?”
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions. Check the feeds on those locations. See if anyone was present before the cameras went dark.” He paused, briefly. “Go ahead and see where Cain is while you’re at it.”
“You want me to call him?” she asked.
“No, use the com tracker. Once you have him, keep the program running.”
“You think he’s responsible?”
“No, and that’s why I need you to do this. If Cain didn’t do anything wrong, we have to get the evidence to prove it. The last thing we want is a mob of angry personnel trying to lynch my brother.”
Minutes later, Uriel had the feed going. They watched it together, until a figure appeared in the corner, wearing an engineering uniform. It was Cain, carrying a box of tools. He disappeared behind a wall shortly before the feed went black. “Oh, my,” muttered Uriel.
“Let’s see the other one,” said Seth.
“There’s too many people,” said Uriel, once the footage from the mess hall began.
Seth scanned the screen, trying to sort through the dozens of moving crew members before the screen went dark. “Is this the only camera?”
“Yes, unfortunately,” she said.
Dammit, he thought. So far the only suspect he had was Cain. No matter what Seth might think, the evidence was piling up.
“What do we do?” asked Uriel.
“We investigate,” said Seth.
“Are you going to tell Adam?”
“No, he’s got enough to worry about,” said Seth. “We need more evidence, anyway.”
“What’s next?” asked Uriel.
“Go to t
he meeting,” he said. “If anyone asks where I am, tell them I’m looking into something. No need for specifics.”
“You have something better to do?”
He nodded. “It’s time I talked with my brother. Innocent or guilty, he has questions to answer, and I don’t think they can wait.”
As he left the office, he swallowed hard, his throat painfully dry. The last thing he wanted was to accuse his brother of sabotage or murder, but he needed more. An alibi, a reason. Something.
Anything.
Chapter 8
Adam sat in the conference room with each of the department heads. Today’s events had left him drained. Two incidents at different points aboard the ship, each happening within minutes of one another, with no indication as to the cause. It was like the fates themselves were conspiring against them, determined to wipe out what little remained of the human race.
Uriel had come today instead of Seth, much to Adam’s surprise. Apparently, he was investigating something, though she claimed not to know the details. Adam had little doubt Seth had asked her to keep things quiet in order to compartmentalize the information. He must have a suspect in mind, thought Adam. Perhaps he’ll bring good news.
Chief Codan cleared his throat. “Sir, should I begin?”
Adam nodded. “Go ahead, Chief.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Codan. “As expected, we’re seeing more power fluctuations across the ship. Despite our best efforts to repair the malfunctions, we just don’t have the manpower to cover everything. Even with all my teams working around the clock, there’s bound to be another incident before long.”
“Are there any differences between these two and the one from the population bay?” asked Azura. “You know, aside from them being a fire, an explosion, and a ventilation shutdown.”
Codan shook his head. “Frankly, if they weren’t happening so close to one another, I’d say there was no connection, but…”
“It’s too much of a coincidence,” said Azura.
“Possibly,” said the Chief. “We’ll have to look at each of them in detail before we draw any conclusions. Unfortunately, we’re short staffed.” He paused. “I could use more hands.”
“I wish I could send them to you, but we’re strained as it is,” said Adam.
“What about reallocating some personnel from the Garden?” asked Azura.
Dr. Raphael Preston raised her head. “I believe Garden can spare a few workers, but it won’t be much.”
“How many were you thinking?” asked Adam.
“Maybe three or four,” said Raphael.
“Anything will help,” said Codan.
“Captain, what about the colonists?” asked Azura.
Adam cocked his brow. “What do you mean?”
“Of those ten thousand colonists, I believe two hundred are engineers. We could thaw a few dozen and put them to work.”
Adam considered the idea for a moment. Would it really be wise to wake so many colonists in mid-flight? They didn’t exactly have the long-term resources to sustain a larger population. ““Lilith, is that possible?” asked Adam.
“Waking them prematurely shouldn’t be a problem. The real question is long-term sustainability.”
“Explain,” said Adam.
“There’s no risk to waking the crew. I could activate a dozen, a hundred, even a thousand pods, and most would be fine. A few upset stomachs here and there, but nothing serious. The problem is what comes later. How do you feed them? Clothe them? House them? The Garden’s stocked with vegetables, but not enough to handle twice the current crew. Most of what we have are seeds, meant for our future colony.”
“What about rations? Where are we sitting on those?” asked Adam.
“We have enough to last us another five years, but only with a crew of two hundred. The more people I wake up, the faster those supplies diminish.”
“We don’t have to keep them awake,” said Azura. “Maybe we wake them now and once we’re finished, we put them to sleep again.”
“Not possible,” said Lilith. “Due to the drain cryo-sleep has on the body, it takes at least sixty days before the user can be safely placed back inside a pod. Whoever we choose, we’re stuck with them for a minimum of two months.”
“What if some of the crew volunteered to take their place, once the job was done?” asked Azura.
“If you can find a few volunteers to take a nap in the bays after what happened the other day, go right ahead,” said Lilith.
“Codan, how many engineers would you actually need?” asked Adam.
“A few dozen. Anything more and we’d have organizational problems.”
“How’s that, Lilith? Can we handle a twenty or so new crewmates?” asked Adam.
“If we keep the number low, the impact on rations and supplies should be sustainable. Yes.”
“Good. Can you start the process?” asked Adam.
“Certainly,” said Lilith.
“How long will it take for the engineers to be trained?” he asked.
Codan scratched his beard. “Provided they still remember their schooling, I’d say less than a day or two.”
“On the contrary,” said Lilith. “They may need time to acclimate to the new environment. Roughly thirty percent of people who experience cryo-sleep undergo extreme grogginess and fatigue.”
Adam nodded. “Right. We’ll give them time if they need it, but everyone who feels capable needs to be put to work immediately. The rest can work when they’re ready.”
“Shall I go ahead and start?” asked Lilith.
“Yes, go ahead,” he said. “Unless there’s anything else, you’re all dismissed. Let’s get those engineers to work. Lilith, let me know when it’s done.”
“As always.”
* * *
Seth arrived at Cain’s door and knocked three times. When no one answered, he accessed the manual override. To do this, he had to pop open the hatch near concealed within the nearby wall. Every door on the ship had a manual override, including the escape pods, should the electrical systems fail.
Once he had the compartment open, he swiped his security access card. A green light appeared, allowing him to turn the mechanical crank inside. He gripped the handle, pulling it back, sliding the door open, inch-by-inch, until he could fit.
Cain’s quarters were dark, with the only light coming from the crack beneath the bathroom door. Seth could hear the shower running. “Cain?” he called, knocking.
No answer. The water must be too loud for him to hear, thought Seth. He turned on the lights, revealing a mess of tools scattered near the desk, and waited for his brother to finish. He sat on the bed and stared at the floor, still trying to figure out what to say. Would Cain be angry with him for coming here today? Would he feel betrayed? I’m just trying to protect him, thought Seth. He’ll understand.
The door opened, and his brother entered wearing nothing but a towel. Cain jumped when he saw Seth sitting on his bed. “Seth!” he snapped. “What the hell?”
Seth leapt to his feet. “Sorry!” he said. “You weren’t answering the door.”
“So, you barge in?”
“I had to make sure you were safe. The family hasn’t seen you since the explosion, and—”
“I’ve been working nonstop with Engineering. We’ve been swamped.” He grabbed some clothes and went behind the bathroom door. “You could have called first.”
“I know,” said Seth. “I’m sorry about that.”
Cain appeared, fully-dressed. “No, it’s fine. I should’ve messaged you.”
“Thanks, but that’s not the only reason I came by today.”
“Something else wrong?” asked Cain.
Seth wavered. “What do you think happened in the population bay?”
“It was a faulty power relay unit, I heard,” said Cain, shrugging.
“That’s what Engineering thinks, but—”
“You don’t agree with them?” asked Cain, curiously.
“Do you
think that’s all there was to it?”
Cain leaned against his dresser. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I’m doing an investigation,” Seth said. “Father asked me to look into the accident.”
“What for? Doesn’t he trust Engineering?”
“I’m sure he does,” said Seth.
“Then why are you involved?”
“Because there are inconsistencies, and we have to explore every possibility.”
“Possibilities? What’s that mean, exactly?”
“Human error,” explained Seth. “I’ve been asking questions, finding out who was working there.”
Cain paused. “I see. So, you’re here because you think I had something to do with it, because it’s my section.”
“I’m not saying you had anything to do with it,” said Seth. “I’m looking into everyone. You aren’t the only one.”
Cain didn’t say anything.
“I’m not saying you’re the one—”
“But you think there’s a chance,” interrupted Cain.
Seth sighed. “You were alone in the area right before the blast.”
Cain scoffed. “I left way before it happened.”
“It’s not just this incident,” said Seth. “You were also present before several other blackouts.”
“Huh?” asked Cain.
“We have you on video. There are at least a dozen instances where you were in one of the affected areas moments before they happened.”
“I’m an engineer!” Cain said, quickly. “I go all over the ship. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t—”
“That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.”
“You’re telling me I’m a suspect in a murder investigation, Seth. Don’t try to soften the punch. I’m not an idiot.”
“All you need to do is tell me where you were when the accident happened. Give me something I can use to defend you. Proof you’re not involved. If you weren’t nearby, where did you go?”
Cain’s eyes darted around the room, frantically. “I…”
“Come on, you have to give me something. Please!”
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