by J. G. Martin
The tech hooked him up to all sorts of devices including a mask with hoses attached that were put over his face. Then he was instructed to run on a treadmill while still hooked up. Derek shrugged and began running. The treadmill started out slow, but after a few minutes began to speed up. Eventually he was at a full sprint to keep up with the machine. It wasn’t a big deal; he was capable of running full out for long distances so he just kept running. After a while though he started getting bored, running in place wasn’t very interesting, so he turned to look at the tech.
Two other techs had joined the first one and they all had their mouths hanging open in shock. Then they started talking to each other very animatedly in what seemed to be some sort of argument. Derek couldn’t make it out over the noise from the treadmill. When they noticed him watching them they got very quiet and just stared at him. He gave them a gesture to ask if he was done yet and they looked startled. The first tech turned off the treadmill and unhooked him, while the other two began examining the devices.
“Is there a problem?” Derek asked the tech.
“Uh, no problem.” The tech replied. “The devices might be out of alignment that’s all.”
“Shouldn’t you keep your fancy gizmos in alignment before making me run?” Derek asked.
“Well, we thought they were in alignment; but the results cannot be right so something must be wrong with them.” The tech answered.
“What was wrong with the results?” Derek inquired.
“Your oxygen levels were abnormally high and the machine didn’t register any lactic acid buildup in your muscles. Your results were outside the norm, some were even beyond the machine’s ability to measure.” The tech explained. “You ran on the treadmill so long it may have compromised the results.”
“Is it possible that the results are correct and the genetic alterations to my body allow me to perform that much greater than a normal man?” Derek wondered.
The tech considered that before replying. “It’s possible, but the results were so good that we find it hard to conceive that. We will double check the machines and review the results. You obviously are fit enough to start the training.”
With that he was handed a blue jumpsuit and the techs dismissed. He was directed to what appeared to be a classroom along one wall of the building. It had several mobile white boards, a projection screen, and podium at the front. Metal folding chairs were lined up in four rows of four in front of the projection screen. A tall middle-aged man in a blue jumpsuit stood at the podium and gestured for him to sit in the chairs. He had close cropped dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His bearing indicated ex-military. Rora arrived shortly thereafter looking a little winded and slightly sweaty, also wearing a blue jumpsuit. She sat next to Derek and tried to catch her breath.
“Have a good run?” Derek asked her mischievously.
“Some of us don’t heal as quickly as you or have monkey DNA, you baboon.” She wheezed in reply. “Nice haircut by the way.”
“Yeah…it’s short…” Derek replied as he rubbed the close cropped stubble on his head.
They had forced him to get a haircut in preparation for wearing the space suits. His beard had been removed also, and it felt weird. He felt naked. He had hidden behind that unruly mane and beard for years. They had almost become a part of him.
Two more men and one woman in blue jumpsuits entered the classroom and sat down behind them. Derek gave them a quick once over as they came in. They were presumably the rest of the shuttle crew and the man at the podium was the commander. They obviously knew one another and were chatting quietly as they came in. But as soon they reached their chairs they stopped talking and focused on the man at the podium.
The woman was young, mid-twenties probably, and was fit and attractive with short red hair. With makeup and styling she would be a knockout. She must be very good at what she did to be on the crew at such a young age. She completely ignored Derek even though she saw him looking at her. The men with her were also both fit and had buzz cuts like the man at the podium.
The older of the two was black without a hint of gray in his hair. He was thin and had a wiry build. His hairline was receding but he looked young, although he had to be mid-forties based on his hands. Derek wondered if the Society people had access to the longevity treatments. He noticed the man seemed nervous since he continually drummed his fingers and couldn’t sit still. He acknowledged Derek with a nod.
The younger man was white, had blond hair, and a very average appearance. The man had a muscular build and stood about six feet tall. He looked like every jock Derek had ever known. He also acknowledged Derek with a nod as he sat down. He crossed his hands on his chest and sat almost motionless waiting for the man at the podium to start.
“Okay.” The man began with a slight Russian accent. “Now that everyone is here let’s get started. This is going to be the mission briefing for our trip to Olympus Station.”
That statement elicited small gasps from the shuttle crew. They were apparently not in the loop on what was going on. That didn’t surprise Derek; so far the Society seemed to have pretty good operational security. They kept everything need to know and close to the vest, except for the pesky issue of the mole. Someone in the Society was giving out information on their operations, specifically when it came to Derek’s movements. At least this time, no one could follow them into space.
“We have two, I’ll call them payload specialists, joining us for this mission.” The man continued. “Major Derek Storm, formerly U.S. and U.S.T.G. special forces, and Rora Carter, daughter of Dr. Andrew Carter, will be part of the crew for this mission. They are conducting a crash training right now to be ready for our launch in three days.”
This news caused louder murmuring from the crew and Derek could feel them staring at the back of his head. There was no love lost for the U.S.T.G. here, and the killed soldiers may have been friends of theirs. It was also possible that his reputation had preceded him, and not in a good way. It probably didn’t help that two people with almost no training and no experience were going on the first space mission in sixteen years.
“Major, Rora; I am Mikhail Khodorov.” The man went on ignoring the reactions. “I am the Commander for this mission. Let me introduce the rest of the crew to you.”
Derek and Rora turned around to look at the crew members. The three crew members looked back at them with some disinterest. They must have already been briefed on who Derek and Rora were and they didn’t seem impressed. He wasn’t impressed by them. They looked soft. They had probably been living here in comfort while Derek and the rest of the world struggled to survive.
“The tall gentleman on the right.” The commander began, pointing at the older black man. “Is our pilot, Colonel Lucas Brandt, USAF ‘retired’. He has plenty of combat experience and has been training for years on the simulator in case we ever got the shuttle back.”
The man nodded to Derek and Rora and held his hand out. “Pleased to meet you.” He offered in a Texas drawl.
Derek took the offered hand and shook it with a firm grip. “Likewise.”
“The other gentleman is Johnson Thomas, one of the mission specialists. His job is to make sure we dock and board the station without any mishaps. He is also the expert in extra-vehicular activity, or EVA. That is to say, that if we have to spacewalk he is in charge.” The commander continued.
The specialist stuck his hand out to Derek as well and Derek took it. Unlike the other man, Johnson decided to be the jock that he was and test Derek. He kept the grip after the handshake should have ended and squeezed. Derek sighed, another Alpha male trying to mark his territory. He hated that kind of thing and usually would have taught the man a lesson by breaking his hand, but he restrained himself and merely squeezed hard enough to make the man let go.
The man’s eyes got wide as Derek’s grip slowly crushed his hand. He gasped involuntarily and pulled his hand back. Derek let go and gave him a slight smirk as the man rubbed his injured h
and. He gave Derek an angry stare as the redhead watched the exchange with interest and a slight smile. The pilot covered his laugh with his hand and shook his head.
“Now that we have established the pack order, let me introduce the young lady.” The commander said sarcastically. “Anna Cadieux is the other mission specialist and one of our resident computer geniuses. She was already in MIT at age thirteen when the Collapse began, and we are lucky to have her on board. She operates the shuttles computer systems.”
The redhead blushed at the compliments from the commander. She offered her hand to Derek. “Welcome to the team.” She said with a slight French accent.
Derek took her hand and looked into her deep green eyes and said as charmingly as possible. “It will be a real pleasure being with you.”
Rora snorted and stuck her hand out to the computer genius and maneuvered Derek aside. They exchanged pleasantries and obviously hit it off. The other mission specialist continued to give Derek a dirty look until they turned around. Derek had embarrassed him and tried to move in on what he saw as his territory. There would probably be trouble later, but for now Derek needed to focus on the mission.
“Okay, time to get to the actual mission.” The commander said, bringing the focus back to him. “In three days we are going to launch this shuttle and deliver Major Storm and Rora to Olympus Station. Once on board they will complete their delivery and then we will return to Earth. We believe that the defensive systems will be disabled and that we will be able to attach to the station, but that we will have to breach the outer hull or hopefully an airlock. It’s pretty simple really. Any questions?”
“How are the defenses going to be disabled?” The blond mission specialist asked with a Southern accent.
“That is need to know, Johnson.” The commander replied. “And unfortunately you don’t have a need to know. You just have to trust me on this one.”
“I have a need to know if I’m going to get blown out of the sky!” Johnson replied angrily.
“Let it go.” The pilot instructed him, placing a hand on his arm.
Johnson snatched his arm away from the pilot and glared at him and the commander. Rora stifled a laugh and Anna was shaking her head in bemusement. Apparently, angry outbursts from the blond mission specialist were nothing new. Derek wondered why they kept this guy around, he seemed like a hothead. Derek had sacrificed a lot for this mission, it had better succeed.
“I’m more concerned about where we will we be landing?” Colonel Brandt asked. “The normal shuttle landing spots are in Texas and L.A. None of which are exactly friendly territory.”
“That is an excellent point.” Commander Khodorov agreed. “We will probably land in Texas, but we cannot negotiate with them until the mission is finished. We don’t want to take the risk of the Collective finding out our plans.”
“And if they won’t let us land or want some ridiculous concessions?” The pilot pressed.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” The commander informed him. “This is a very crucial mission; our entire future depends on it. You three were picked because you are the best. If you want out we can go with your backups…”
As the silence stretched, Anna jumped in and finally spoke. “We are in Commander. Whatever it takes. After all, we are the best. Right guys?”
Derek was impressed. She had managed to force them into agreeing. If they backed out now because they were afraid and she went, they looked very weak and their reputations would suffer. Their pride would force them to go through with the mission. Colonel Brandt still looked unconvinced, but nodded his head yes. Johnson must have been trying to impress Anna, because he gave a loud resounding yes. The commander smiled and then started to hand out assignments.
Derek had hoped Anna would be their teacher, but as luck would have it; Johnson was going to be their tutor. They were going to work on how wear the space suits, and practice EVA in the pool. The plan called for them to breach an airlock on one of the docking arms, but you always needed to be prepared. Rule #15. Derek was scuba certified and had plenty of experience with diving and underwater operations, so this part would probably be a breeze. Then maybe some time with Anna.
Chapter 29
June 23, 2029
Training Facility in the NASA Complex Cape Canaveral, FL
The next day and a half had been a blur for Derek and Rora. All their time had been spent in intensive training. They had spent the first day reviewing all the shuttle procedures and systems. Everything from what to do in an emergency, which boiled down to stay out of the way; to how to eat in zero gravity. Shuttle etiquette was discussed, including who got to sit in what seats. Derek was bored out of his mind and quickly became agitated. Rora on the other hand soaked it up like a sponge and was the star pupil.
He was relieved when they finally got to the underwater training. It might be boring but at least he got to move around. Johnson pushed them hard, but Derek skillfully completed every task without difficulty. His previous training for the Special Forces had included scuba instruction and advanced snorkeling techniques, along with underwater demolitions. That only served to make the blond mission specialist more hostile to him, and the man just couldn’t let it go. Rora did surprisingly well; her ability to remember everything she was told and learn quickly again made her the star pupil. Derek could see her having a home here when this mission was done. She fit right in.
All the training kept him from getting to spend any time with Anna, which was a huge disappointment. Even during mealtimes they were training, with the crew members peppering them with questions about their training. Rora answered every single one correctly and Derek was a little jealous. He was used to being the alpha; but while he was intelligent, school had never been his thing. It was good to see her happy, she had moped on the entire ride back to the complex. She had taken the death of her young soldier friend hard.
He had to admit it was very nice here. There was fresh food and clean water. A soft bed to sleep in and a hot shower every day. You could sleep and not worry about being eaten or having your throat slashed. He was going to get spoiled if he stayed here much longer. After this was over, he would leave; but he was pretty sure that Rora would stay.
At the end of the second day, the commander had approached Derek privately. “Major, I need to speak with you about an important issue.”
“Sure thing commander, what’s up?” Derek replied casually.
“We have a problem with the launch.” The commander told him very seriously.
“What kind of problem?” Derek asked slowly.
“The main command and control module is damaged.” The commander explained. “All the systems run through this module and we cannot launch without it.”
“How long will it take to fix?”
“That’s the problem, it cannot be repaired. Once they are damaged they have to be replaced.”
“So replace it.” Derek said quietly.
“Uh, that’s the real issue.” The commander told him cautiously. “They are very expensive and hard to damage so we don’t keep a spare just lying around.”
“So the mission is scrubbed? I made a lot of sacrifices for this. A lot of people died.” Derek stated angrily.
“Well, we could get a replacement. We know where one is…” The commander replied cautiously.
“Where?” Derek asked, already knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Right before the Collapse we had one shipped to the Langley Research Center at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.”
“Great, let’s go get it.” Derek interrupted.
“The problem is that there was a mix up in the shipping and it was sent to Langley instead.” The commander said nervously.
“As in the CIA, that Langley?” Derek asked incredulously.
“That is correct.” The commander stated.
“D.C. took several direct hits from nukes during the Aftermath.” Derek said loudly. “Hampton would have been b
ad enough, but you expect me to go into a serious hot zone and retrieve this module? We don’t even know if the building is even still standing.”
“The building is mostly demolished, but the main operations took place underground.” The commander informed him. “The CIA had a contingency plan to seal the building in case of nuclear, biological or chemical attacks. We have it on good authority that everything is still sealed in below, including the module.”
“Even if that is true, I will die within hours of entering the hot zone. Do you expect me to sacrifice myself? And if the building is sealed how do you plan to gain entrance?” Derek demanded.
“We have an experimental suit we have been working on that will protect you from the radiation and any other environmental hazards.” The commander explained calmly. “We also have an electronic key that will allow you to hack the seal.”
“Have you tested these suits and this key?” Derek asked angrily.
“Um, not exactly.” The commander said vaguely. “We have performed lab tests but no field tests. But we are sure they will work.”
Derek was not reassured. Washington D.C. had taken some of the heaviest strikes during the nuclear exchange that started the Aftermath. Most of the city was rubble and it was incredibly hot. Scientists had predicted it would be uninhabitable for over a hundred years. It was believed that some of the warheads had been dirty bombs intended for that purpose. Norfolk, near Hampton had been hit also, but not anywhere near as severely. The intent there had been to destroy the Naval Yard there and the ships in and around it.
“This mission has to succeed, and this is the only way we can launch. You need to do this for the good of humanity. Do you want to be a drone serving the Collective? Please do this.” The commander implored him.
“Wait. I thought the techs examined the shuttle when we collected it?” Derek pointed out.
