The Oceans of Mars

by Tiffany Weems

  14

  Awake

  John had tried every way he knew to get Troubalene to tell him what was in the vial, however, she was quite persistent in her evasion of the question. So, with an uneven attitude on the matter, he decided to let it be. Troubalene stood up from the desk first and grabbed the two objects. John grabbed her arm.

  “Leave the tablet. That has nothing to do with Patricia’s incarceration and I need it.”

  “Fine,” she said. “But if you get caught with it, it’ll be your own undoing.”

  “That is duly noted. And if you decide to tell us what is in the vial, we might prove to be of some assistance and not just the hindrances that you seem to think of us as.”

  She didn’t respond.

  John waited until she was gone before turning to Xana. “What did you think it was?”

  “A very potent biological disease that could easily wipe out at least half the ship, if used right.”

  John leaned back. “So he plans on killing people. I mean, I had expected something a bit more original.”

  “We have the vial so I’m sure that whatever it is they’re planning has now been postponed. John, if they try something, I highly doubt our medical staff is equipped to handle an outbreak of any kind. We will lose passengers at far too rapid a rate. If the ship population drops below a certain point, the likelihood of us being able to start new on the planet will diminish significantly.”

  “Was there supposed to be a positive message in there? Because I struggled to find it.”

  Xana smiled. “Why don’t you try to decode the tablet? That seems to be a better use of your time.”

  John grabbed it off the desk and stood up. “I will when I have a moment. Xana, be careful.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  John was out the door. He had to report for duty; pretend everything was normal like he always did. But John knew that it wasn’t normal. He entered the elevator with apprehension. No one followed him in, despite there being a line of people in the hall. That was fine. He wanted to be alone. So, with a second to think it over, he decided to go down to his room first. The tablet needed to be hidden. Just in case. And he couldn’t very well take it to first floor. The captain would notice.

  John smiled at the thought of the captain. He couldn’t wait for him to find out that his wife was indeed the culprit, or one of them, and not Patricia. That ought to bring some justice. He rounded the corner and ran right into the captain.

  “What do you think you are doing, Mister Meyer?” the captain asked.

  “Just going to my room for a quick moment.”

  “While on duty?”

  “I’ll put in an extra fifteen minutes later if that would ease your mind on the matter.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “If you are not up on the first floor in five minutes, I will personally see you demoted on board this ship.”

  “Duly noted.” John waited for the captain to disappear around the bend before making an obscene gesture. He darted into his room and hid the tablet under his pillow. Then, without much time to lose, he immediately returned to the first level. It was clear when he walked on deck that the captain had been counting down to the moment he entered the room. John rolled his eyes as he took his seat.

  Ellis was addressing the room about concerns he had with approaching the planet. “There is a barrier surrounding the planet. A field of satellites that appear to be connected to each other with a strong enough connection that we will be unable to break through. It appears that we may need to contact the planet before entering.”

  “Preposterous,” Captain Creighton said. “I will not condone such a risk to the crew before we have ascertained the extent of any possible hostility.”

  John hated to admit it, but he had to agree with the captain.

  “We’ll need an alternative way through the barrier.”

  Ellis cleared his throat. “Very well, sir. We had thought as much, so scans have been taken of the planet. Each one of the satellites provides images. They’ll see us coming long before we even arrive.”

  “What are the satellites like?” John asked.

  “Basic. Despite the technology that seems present, we believe the satellites are rudimentary.”

  “Then my team can handle it. If we are able to bypass the systems and loop footage, we can cover ourselves on the journey. Once there, if it is rudimentary, it should be a rather simple process to turn off just a small part of the field, large enough for us to squeeze through.”

  “Do you really think you can do that?” the captain asked.

  John turned slowly and made sure that he looked him in the eye. “My team can and will do that.”

  “Then you better get started. I expect results.”

  John stood up; his fists clenched down at his side.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have work to do,” Troubalene said. “I think we should all be working as diligently as possible while we make this final leg. Let’s not lose focus folks.”

  John glanced at Troubalene and tried to angrily stomp out of the room, but she placed a forceful hand on his chest.

  “I need you to stay a minute.” She spoke softly out of the corner of her mouth. John really had to strain his ears to hear her. “Just don’t move.”

  John sighed.

  Troubalene then addressed the room. “Everyone is dismissed. Please keep us updated on any progress.”

  The other officers began to filter out until only the captain, Troubalene and John were left. John crossed his arms in front of his chest. He didn’t know what she was planning, but he had a guess.

  “Take a seat John.”

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t have to include you in this. Just count your blessings. Now sit.”

  John took a seat.

  “What’s this about?” the captain asked. “Why is he here?”

  “This pertains to him as well. Now please just hold all your questions until I’ve finished.” John was sure that Troubalene was the only one on the ship who could talk to the captain that way. “You are not going to like this. Earlier today I stumbled upon the vial.”

  “The vial? As in the vial?”

  “I did ask that you not speak until I’m through. It was discovered stuffed inside a desk. The problem is that you’re not going to want to hear this information. So I’ve taken the opportunity to provide you with actual evidence of whose prints are on the vial.”

  John craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the tablet as Troubalene passed it to the captain. Susanna’s name was definitely on the screen with her DNA results, but he couldn’t make out where Lance’s name was, if it was there at all.

  “What the hell am I looking at?”

  “Sir, your wife was the only one, beside myself, to handle that vial. It was found in your wife’s desk.”

  John bit his tongue.

  “She stole it. Not Patricia.”

  The captain rose from his seat. He straightened his suit, smoothing it out over his little belly. “First Mate Katherine Troubalene, you are hereby suspended from duty until further notice.” Then he left the room.

  John shuffled over to Troubalene. “I bet you saw that going differently in your head.”

  “Just slightly.”

  “I hate to say it, but you probably shouldn’t have done that yet. And, though I’m sure you have a perfectly good reason for it, why in the great auspicious eye in the sky’s name would you only go after his wife? What about Lance?”

  “John, there is a lot more at risk here than just getting Patricia unfrozen.”

  John looked around the empty room. “And now what are you going to do?”

  “Now, we’re going to meet Xana.” Troubalene turned and walked out of the room.

  John shook his head as he followed. “Why? What could she possibly help us with?”

  “You’ll see.”

  When they reached the second level, they didn’t go to Xana’s office. Instead they made their way straight to the cr
yogenics lab.

  John looked around the hall. They were alone, amazingly. Troubalene activated the door. “Good thing he hasn’t pulled my credentials yet. This would have taken a lot longer.”

  John shook his head with another glance in each direction. Xana was hustling toward them. She motioned for them to get inside.

  “Open the door,” John said.

  “No problem.” Troubalene entered the room first. John slipped in behind her and then Xana entered. The door shut behind them. “Were you followed?”

  Xana shook her head. “No. Just finished with a patient, but they went in the other direction. Now what’s this about? Is she free?”

  “No. He has suspended me. So, instead we’re doing this against all regulations.”

  “How long before he notices she’s gone?” John asked. “Will he come down here to check?”

  “Not likely,” Troubalene said. “He’s more likely to run into her on the ship. We’re still a week away from our new home. You live right next to the captain and his betrayer of a wife. The odds of Patricia being able to avoid him forever are astronomical.”

  “Then why are we doing this?” Xana asked.

  “Because we need her. I need her.”

  “For what? She’s been frozen for years. She has no clue where we are or what we’ve been doing. How is she going to be of any use?” John asked.

  “Do you want to see her again or not?” Troubalene asked.

  John looked at the floor.

  “Then just shut up. Xana, are you ready?”

  “Anytime you are.”

  John looked up at Patricia. He then glanced at Xana. She was entering a few controls. The tube was changing and his wife’s appearance was altering. She was regaining some color. Then, he saw something injected into her. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as though she’d had only a couple hours sleep and someone had turned on a light unexpectedly.

  Patricia said something that just sounded like a gurgled mess.

  “She’ll need a little bit to get back to a normal state,” Xana said as she opened the tube and helped to get Patricia out. Xana made Patricia lean against her. “I’ll take her to a quarantine room to recuperate. You two should get out of here. Put as much distance as possible between her and you just in case anyone comes to check.”

  John nodded. “I have work to do anyway. Where are you going to go?”

  “I guess I’ll hang out in the cafeteria until I’m bored or maybe go to the recreation center. I haven’t had a chance to enjoy that yet. Too much work to do. There was always something.”

  John then turned to Xana. “Could she maybe stay with you? It’s just that we are too close to the captain for her to come to our room. Not until he admits he’s wrong.”

  “I would love that. It gets lonely sometimes. It’ll be nice to have someone to talk to.”

  “Thank you.” He then left the room alone. He didn’t know if Troubalene had followed him out or not, but he ran through the hall to the nearest elevator and boarded, being sure he was by himself. He needed to get to the programmers and give them their new assignment. John was confident in his ability to handle the planet’s defense system on his own, but he was surrounded by several people who could help him, if he needed it. He wouldn’t.

    

  The world was a little fuzzy. Where was she? How long had she been there? Someone was in front of her. Who was it? Were they talking to her? She could feel the person grab her arm and pull her somewhere. Where were they going?

  She closed her eyes until she felt herself being sat down. Her vision was a little better. It seemed to help. So she closed her eyes again and reopened them. The room swam into focus. She was sitting on a sterile bed in a plain room. She couldn’t see beyond the glass that surrounded her. She looked around until her eyes met the woman who had been helping her. She looked familiar, but at the same time not that familiar.

  Patricia took a deep breath. “Where…am…I?”

  “Patricia, I need you to stay calm. What do you remember?”

  “I don’t know.” She squinted, racking her brain. As she spoke, her words were far apart and breathy. “They accused me of something and then I was put into a tight tube and then nothing. What happened?” Patricia paused. She stared at the woman and then it seemed to click. Her eyes widened. “Xana?”

  “I wondered if you recognized me. I’ve not changed that much.”

  “You’ve changed. You’ve aged. What happened?”

  “They froze you, slowed down your metabolic rates. You’ve aged too, just far more slowly. Probably less than a couple months from when you were placed in the tube.”

  “How long?”

  Xana bit her lip. “Twenty years.”

  “You’re kidding, right? How could it possibly have been that long?” She looked deeply at Xana. She could see the bags and the few wrinkles. The gray hairs that had started to grow. Then Patricia lifted her hands and touched her own face. It didn’t feel different.

  “You’ve not aged, not really.”

  Patricia could feel her eyes welling up. She tried to choke them back. “But everyone else did. And I’m supposed to somehow go on like things are normal.”

  Xana shrugged.

  “Where’s John? I want to see him.”

  “You can’t. Not right now.”

  “Why not?” Patricia shot up from the bed.

  “Patricia, I need you to remain calm. Sit back down. As of right now, you are still a fugitive. We know who really did it, but apparently the captain is unable to accept that. So you are supposed to be still frozen.”

  “Then why am I awake?”

  “Because First Mate Troubalene needed your help with something. I don’t know what yet. Patricia, it is imperative that you remain out of sight until we are able to get the captain to see reason.”

  Patricia scoffed. “Good luck; that man’s bull headed.” She stood back up. “Can I go? I’ll stay out of sight.”

  “Not yet. I need to check you out.”

  “You’ll have to buy me dinner first.”

  Xana pretended to laugh. “We need to check to see how the process affected your pregnancy.”

  Patricia collapsed back onto the bed. She looked down at her stomach a little worried. “I forgot.”

  “That’s perfectly fine. You won’t remember everything straight away. But the longer you’re up, the more things will come back to you.” Xana pulled out a scanner and ran it along Patricia’s stomach. Then she buried her head behind a tablet.

  Patricia looked around again. “I’m in a quarantine room.”

  “Yes.”

  “When can I see John?”

  “You’re going to stay with me, but I assume he’ll be by later this evening to check on you. Hopefully with some food. You’ll need to build your strength.”

  “I’m not that hungry.” She then tried to see the tablet as well, but Xana tucked it away inside her suit before she could see anything. “Well? What does it say?”

  “Everything appears to be normal. We’ll…I’ll monitor you closely to catch any complications as they arise. But overall, I believe you may still have the child.”

  “I’m not sure what good that will do if I’m a fugitive. So how much did I miss?”

  “The entire jump.”

  “So we’re out of it already. That was faster than they expected.”

  “Yeah. A lot faster.” Xana lowered her voice. “We’re not going to where we’re supposed to be going.”

  “They changed destinations?”

  Xana nodded. “I’m not supposed to know this, only the captain and the main officers on board know. John told me when we were conspiring against Lance.”

  Her stomach tumbled over when she heard the name. “He’ll pay for all of this.”

  “Glad you remember that. You can’t go after him. Not yet.” Xana placed a hand on Patricia’s shoulder. “I know you’ve missed a bit of time, but since we’ve all been stuck on this ship, there’s really
not much you can’t catch up on in one evening. I’ll talk to you after my shift.”

  “You’re just going to leave me in here?”

  “Yes, and don’t you dare think of leaving. I’ll be back at the end of my shift to take you to my room. Then we’ll catch up. And I’ll tell you more about the new planet.”

  “How much more could there be? It’s got water and land. Ooh, ahh.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know. Just stay here.”

  Patricia sighed. “Alright, but just know I’m not happy about it.”

    

  “John will you please just move over and let me try.”

  John looked back at Mander with a scowl. “Do you understand these systems?”

  “Not in the least, but you’re getting frustrated. I thought maybe if you watched me screw around for a while, you might get an idea what to do.”

  He turned back to the computer screen, as frustrated as ever. “These systems are the furthest thing from rudimentary and if Ellis ever tries to tell me otherwise again, I will personally ship him out an airlock.”

  Someone laughed behind him.

  John typed, stopping a few times to swipe at the screen and pulling things up for a closer look before throwing them away. He couldn’t seem to bypass their system, not without them noticing. It didn’t matter what he tried. Everything was highly protected, with thousands of different encryptions. He let out a frustrated yell.

  “Maybe you should take a break.”

  “I don’t need one. I can figure this out.”

  “John, I’ve worked with you a while. You are beyond being helpful at this point. Just take a break. Start over tomorrow.”

  He spun around again so he could look Mander in the eye. He wanted her to fully understand. “We have less than a week before we arrive at the planet. I’d say less than twenty four hours before we pop up on their radar. This is high priority and must be taken care of now.”

  “Then at least go eat something. You’re useless on an empty stomach. I’ll mess with it a while. And if Lance ever shows back up, I’ll be sure to have him take a look.”

  “No,” John quickly said. “Don’t tell him about this. We don’t need him helping with this project, okay?”