Event Horizon

by Scott McElhaney

  Paige chuckled then rose from her seat. She ambled over to her file cabinet and opened the bottom drawer.

  “Sorry, I don’t have any passwords. I do have something that might help you though. It’s something my dad gave me a month before we left Earth,” she said, rifling through the folders, “I have to believe this is real and that my dad wasn’t even supposed to have it.”

  She pulled out a folder and held it out to Autumn. As Autumn reached for it, Paige pulled it back.

  “I need to tell you something, though. My dad… well, I don’t want you to think less of him,” Paige said.

  “What is it?” Autumn asked.

  “He was… he was part of the…” she paused, trying to summon the strength needed to finish the sentence, “Space Administration.”

  Only three people on any ship were actually employed by the Space Administration – the Captain, the XO, and the Operations Officer. There were always rumors of undercover members of the Administration aboard all the ships, but it had never been proven. Their jobs were supposedly to keep an eye on the overall operations of the ship and report secretly back to Earth occasionally. They were basically unwelcome spies, despised by all.

  “Really? I thought he was the Water Recycling Officer,” Autumn said.

  “Oh, he was qualified for the job he did, but he had other duties as well. But he worked for the Administration first and foremost,” she replied, handing the folder to Autumn.

  She opened it and discovered an 8x10 glossy photo of a foreign planet. It looked similar to Earth with the same kind of cloud cover. The main difference was that it appeared to be mostly blue oceans with only a few small green islands visible.

  “It’s the real thing taken by an unmanned probe sent to the Ceti system almost a hundred years ago. At least that’s what my dad told me. He was so excited about this trip. He handed me this and told me that’s where we were going,” she said.

  “But where’s the land?” Autumn asked.

  “Dad said that there were hundreds of other pictures. From what they could tell, the surface was covered with 88 percent water,” she said, “But that remaining twelve percent land was green and lush with plant life. The poles are frozen, so he didn’t count those as land.”

  “But why weren’t we all told about this trip? Why would they leave us in the dark?” she asked.

  “I don’t think we were left in the dark. The kids were, but I think all the so-called ‘important people’ knew what they needed to know. Do you honestly believe your parents would have brought you along on a journey based on a handful of hopeful guesses?” she asked.

  Autumn looked down at the photo again.

  “I suppose not. Can I borrow this?” Autumn asked.

  “Keep it,” Paige said, “I’ll see it with my own eyes in a few more months.”

  . . . . .

  “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Ed shouted from the front of the lounge.

  A quick glance around the room was all it took to see he might as well have been talking to himself. The lounge was designed as a recreational area for a maximum of thirty people. With two pool tables, an air-hockey table, six sofas, and three digital gaming screens, there was little room available for the crowd of people standing around.

  Stephen and Kyle were seated near the main viewing screen next to the XO. They could see Ed’s frustration as he tried to gather the attention of the crowd. Stephen stood up on the sofa and placed two fingers in his mouth. The shrill whistle that followed accomplished what Ed’s pleading voice could not.

  “Thank you, Stephen,” Ed said, nodding for him to sit back down, “Could I have everyone’s undivided attention? We have some important information to cover with you tonight. Before I turn it over to our Captain, I’d like to ask everyone to keep an eye out for two essential repair parts. One of these is very important to the final stage of our mission. We need a twenty-inch, 10 amp motor assembly for the flour mill. I’m not sure what other items run on this type of motor, but if anyone locates one, we need it as soon as possible. Another odd, but very crucial item is a digital viewing panel with six cable ports on the back. Without this, we have lost all visibility outside of the ship. Needless to say, we have no windows.”

  Stephen raised his hand like a kid in school. Ed tried to look past him, but Stephen stretched his hand even higher into the air.

  “Yes, Stephen?” he said.

  “There are two of those viewing panels in the aft emergency bridge,” Stephen said.

  “That’s common knowledge, Stephen. The only problem is - that bridge is located aft. No one can go back there,” Ed stated with an obvious sneer, “We need one that we could actually use.”

  “All the doors to the boneyard aren’t welded shut. There’s still an airlock in the medical bay,” Stephen replied.

  “And who would use this airlock?” Ed asked with a laugh, “Are you willing to go into the boneyard for some repair parts?”

  “Technically, it’s possible,” the doctor interjected from behind the XO.

  He turned to look at Paige who just walked into the room. The whole room remained silent

  “I mean, I personally wouldn’t go, but if he’s willing, we have two airtight Enviro-suits,” she said, pointing toward Stephen.

  Stephen began to cower back into his seat. Kyle snickered and patted him on the back.

  “I’m serious. If someone is willing to go aft, the decontamination sprayers are still operational in the airlock and the suits are totally safe,” she said.

  “Would it be worth taking us off toilet duty?” Stephen asked.

  “Toilet duty?” she asked, drawing some snickers from the crowd.

  Ed smiled and placed a hand on the doctor’s shoulder, letting her know he would handle this.

  “Yes, if you get us the panel and also do a search for the motor, I’ll personally see to it that you won’t be cleaning bathrooms for say… three months,” he said.

  “Done,” Stephen said, turning to Kyle, “And you’re coming with me.”

  Ed nodded then turned to Autumn who was still standing near the door.

  “And now I’ll turn it over to our Captain,” he said, waving her over.

  She looked down at the ground as she approached the main viewing screen. Then she reached over and tapped the button to turn it on. The screen lit up, then displayed a picture of the stars.

  “It has come to my attention that morale aboard this ship has been a little low. And to bring it lower, rumor has been spreading that we are all part of a suicide mission. I decided that it’s time to put an end to these rumors,” Autumn said, pointing to the large screen beside her, “That bright star in the middle is Tau Ceti. You’ve learned plenty about it in our schools. It’s a class G star which means it’s identical to the sun. In 2563, we focused some of our new ‘planet searcher’ scopes at this system and discovered the spectral fingerprints of oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, and water vapor.

  “Water vapor doesn’t exist on any planets or moons in the known universe unless that planet is in a very defined orbit around the star - the same type of orbit as Earth. If the Earth were a million miles further from the sun, the water would be frozen. If Earth were a million miles closer, the water would evaporate. It is nearly impossible to find a planet with a permanent trace signature of water vapor and ozone.”

  She turned to look at the crowd of teenagers and little children. Their attention was focused on her.

  “I learned something disturbing today. It seemed that this was all we had to go on, but apparently that isn’t true. There were unmanned probes sent to the Ceti system in the 2800’s that no one saw fit to tell us about. Here is one of the pictures that was sent back,” she said, changing the picture on the screen.

  There was a collection of gasps that rose from the room. The noise level rose as people started whispering to each other.

  “The government of our ship knew about this previous mission. Although we only have this picture and the
words of a witness to this story, we can safely assume that the probe sent back data of a breathable atmosphere. This is not a suicide mission, people,” she said, turning back to the crowd, “We need to take the rest of this mission seriously, and by that I mean we need to work together as a community. A community acknowledges that people need each other and that people will need to rely on each other’s skills in order to survive.

  “I can’t farm, so I need to rely on others. I can’t fix broken flour mills, so I need to rely on others. It’s time to start thinking like the pilgrims of ancient history. It’s time to start looking at our future, and that future is not here on this ship and it’s not on Earth. It’s there.”

  She pointed to the screen again. The room was silent.

  . . . . .

  The lights came on as he entered the common room. All the apartments on the ship consisted of a centered common room or “living room” with a bedroom branching off to each side. As Chasen paused in the common room, he could hear movement in the room to his right. The doors were open to both of the bedrooms.

  “Jenny?” he said, watching the light suddenly turn off in her room, “Too late, little girl.”

  He stepped into her room and turned the light back on. She was lying in her bed smiling at him.

  “You were supposed to be in bed a half hour ago. What are you still doing up?” he asked, walking over to her bed and sitting down.

  “I just got to level seven on Space Warrior. It took me a while to get to a point that I could save it,” she said, sitting up and grabbing her stuffed elephant.

  He chuckled and shook his head.

  “I don’t understand you sometimes. You’re better at those games than anybody I know.”

  “I always told you that I’ll never be the princess who waits to be rescued. I’m the knight in shining armor. Donny’s the princess,” she said.

  With that, he burst out in laughter. He pushed her down onto her pillow and covered her with the blanket.

  “I’m sure Donny would love to hear you talk about him that way,” he said.

  “He knows. The boys were making fun of him the other day. They said that all he does is play with girls. They’re mean to him,” she said, “So I punched Brandon in the lip and he started bleeding.”

  “You what?” Chasen shouted.

  “I punched him and it was a good one too. He even cried,” she said with a hint of pride in her voice.

  “No. You do not punch people. I don’t care what the others do, you are not to be hitting people,” he said, grabbing a hold of her shoulders, “Do you hear me? If they make fun of Donny, you go tell a tenner.”

  Tenner was the term used for someone ten years old or older. With the limited amount of adults remaining on board, the age of responsibility had to be reduced to ten. Tenners were held accountable for all the laws and they were required to join in the workforce.

  “Donny’s brother is a tenner and he even says mean stuff to Donny. I don’t trust anyone. If I have a problem, I handle it,” she affirmed.

  “No, if you don’t trust anyone, then come to me or Autumn. Have I ever let you down?” he asked.

  She looked at him then slowly shook her head.

  “I want you to grow up to be a little lady. You’re a tough girl and that’s okay sometimes. But I don’t want you to be out there beating up everyone that makes you mad,” he said, “Will you please come to me next time?”

  She nodded.

  “But when me and Donny get married, he’s staying home with our baby while I go out and fight the aliens on the new planet,” she said.

  Chasen started laughing again. He stood up and started for the doorway.

  “I don’t want you to be talking about marriage until you’re twenty. And I have a feeling that we won’t be running into any aliens out there,” he said with a chuckle.

  “You won’t let me grow up and you keep telling me I can’t move out yet. If you have your way, I won’t even be allowed to get married when I’m twenty,” she whined.

  “Jenny, when you’re twenty, I’m kicking you out no matter what kind of aliens are roaming the planet. If you want to get married at that time, then go ahead.”

  “Promise?” she asked.

  “I promise,” he replied, turning off her light.

  Week #696

  Ed placed the portable video display on Paige’s desk then sat down in her chair. Her attention was currently focused on Stephen’s Enviro-suit.

  “Am I gonna be able to see with this massive hood on?” Stephen asked, holding the hood out in front of him.

  “Yes, and we’ll also be able to see with the mounted camera,” Paige said, sealing the Enviro-boots, “Keep in mind that this is all just an unnecessary precaution. There is no air in the aft quarantine. We expelled it to further prevent any danger to us. You’ll have forty-five minutes of air in this suit. Your alarm will sound at forty.”

  Ed turned on the video monitor and observed the doctor moving on the screen in front of him. He looked up at Stephen and watched as he put the hood on.

  “Remember, I want you to check those two other areas while you’re there. But make sure to get the digital viewing panel first,” Ed said.

  “I still think it’s not right that I’m going alone,” Stephen said, “Why does Kyle get out of it?”

  “He’s our second victim if you don’t make it back,” Ed said with a laugh, “No, but seriously... he’s our second victim if you don’t make it back.”

  Paige turned to Ed and realized that he was glaring at Stephen. She shook her head and sealed the hood to the suit.

  “You don’t remind me of an XO with the way you act,” she said, “Do you even care about Stephen?”

  “Let’s just say that Stephen and I have a history together. He’s always sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and I don’t take too kindly to that,” Ed said.

  “But that doesn’t mean that Mr. XO doesn’t use the information I get him. Mr. XO likes it when I stick my nose where it doesn’t belong,” Stephen said, “Look, Doc. I’m ready to get away from this guy already. Are we set?”

  “Sure thing,” she said, leading him to the airlock door.

  She typed a long code into the control panel beside the door then drew the lever down. The door opened into what appeared to be a large closet. Stephen looked inside the airlock and then turned back to Paige.

  “Go on. We’ll be watching from here and we can hear you at all times,” she said.

  He stepped in then turned back to her. She offered him a confident smile then closed the door. She typed another code into the control panel. A sound of rushing air came from beyond the door followed by a loud click. She went back to her desk and peered over Ed’s shoulder to watch the video feed.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t hate that boy. I just like it when he thinks I do. It keeps him on his toes,” he said, watching the video footage of the door opening in front of Stephen.

  “I just think that you don’t realize the amount of enemies you’re making on this ship. I hear things, you know. When we get down to that planet, you’re not going to be the XO anymore. You’ll just be one of the many pioneers trying to start a life on a new planet. You’re going to need friends,” she said.

  “I have friends,” he replied, turning to her, “And what have you heard? If you’ve heard any talk of mutiny, it would be treasonous for you to keep it secret.”

  “I haven’t heard anything like that, but let’s just say I never hear anything good about you,” she said, keeping her eyes on the screen.

  Stephen was currently moving down a long passageway. They had already turned on the lights in the whole aft section, but only about half of the bulbs were still working.

  “So, what are you getting at?” he asked, grabbing a hold of her arm with a threatening grip, “Are you on their side also?”

  She looked down at him, suddenly becoming irritated with the arrogance he was displaying. She had heard rumors of how the XO would instantly
flip into violent spells, but she never witnessed it firsthand. He squeezed her forearm tighter and turned around in the chair to face her. Then he stood up and placed his other hand on her throat and started to squeeze.

  “I asked you a question, Doc. You’re nothing on this ship, you know. How many people come to you when they’re feeling alright? How many people care how you’re doing or how your day was? How many people care? So are you on their side – the same side of these people who don’t even care about you?” he said, grinding his teeth by her cheek.

  She stared defiantly into his eyes as his grip tightened on her throat. It was becoming harder for her to breath.

  “Go ahead and kill me,” she spat, “Explain that one.”

  He slowly released his grip but kept his face close to hers. She continued to glower at him. Just then, a retching sound came from the viewing panel.

  “Oh, man. This place is sick,” Stephen said.

  Ed turned around and looked at the screen. Stephen was currently walking through a room lined with dead bodies. Most of the bodies appeared to be well preserved in the vacuum of the aft section. Some of the people could even pass for being asleep since they had apparently died on makeshift beds. It seemed like the people must have longed for company in their final days, so they took their blankets and pillows and gathered together on the floors of these large rooms.

  “I think I passed up two suicides. This is so gross,” Stephen said, breathing loudly in the microphone, “The emergency bridge is up ahead.”

  He approached the door and opened it. The lights came on automatically in the small room. The original Captain could be seen sprawled out on the floor near the main control panel.