Chief Engineer Merlock lifted his gaze from the airlock and turned slightly to look at the scene around him.
The room was, as all compounds in the base were, a stark, blinding, white. Except for the thick circular window on the ceiling and the dull grey handholds on the walls, the room was absent of all color.
A large circular door took up most of one wall. Ringed with a thick layer of clear plastic and metal, it hummed with electricity. A small keypad occupied the center. There was no handle.
The room was, as all compounds in the base were, a stark, blinding, white. Except for the thick circular window on the ceiling and the dull grey handholds on the walls, the room was absent of all color.
A large circular door took up most of one wall. Ringed with a thick layer of clear plastic and metal, it hummed with electricity. A small keypad occupied the center. There was no handle.
A neat row of lockers lined another wall. Each one, like the airlock, had a small keypad and no handle. Had the lockers been opened, a large amount of plastic bags, each with a small cube of condensed nutrients and vitamins would be visible.
But it was not the airlock or food stores that Merlock was here to see. It was the three pale, glowing, and very, very, dead bodies that lay on the ground a few feet in front of him.
“Death cause?” Merlock asked the doctor, who was hunched over the bodies.
“Oxygen deprivation.” The doctor was a short, slight, man with a thin frame and thick glasses. He had been in the job for seventeen years and was frankly used to accidents of this type.
Merlock made a note on his tablet.
“And how long ago was this?”
“Seven and a half hours,” the doctor answered, taking a sample of skin with a small device. Merlock made another note and slid his tablet into his belt.
“I'll send you some bots to deliver the bodies to your office. Get them on the next ship Earth,” Merlock said.
The doctor nodded and began to gather his equipment.
“And doc?”
The doctor turned his head slightly to look at the engineer. The bright white light glinted off his glasses.
“If you see Ramsey, send him over here.”
The doctor nodded again and walked off into the long corridor, the clack of his boots echoing loudly off of the white walls.
_+_
Ramsey arrived in thirteen and a half minutes. The tall engineer-in-training burst into the room, and, breathless, opened his mouth to speak.
Merlock saw the gesture and cut his protege off.
“What's the matter, Ramsey? Something chasing you?” the stocky engineer questioned, his gray eyes twinkling with amusement.
“No, sir. Nothing chasing me.”
“Good. But what's all this rush about?”
Ramsey's hazel face darkened.
“There's been an accident. They-”
“Of course there's been an accident. Why do you think I'm here?”
Ramsey's brown eyes swept the room and he seemed to notice the three bodies, now loaded onto cargo bots, for the first time.
“Oh, not this. Senior Quartermaster Johnson's been found dead in his bed.”
Merlock's eyebrows rose at that. Johnson was an influential member of the board and was in charge of the many food stores situated around the moon base. He wasn't a particularly likable man, but he was a very powerful one.
“What the hell happened to the man?”
“That's the thing, sir. No one really knows. The doctors are saying he's been electrocuted, so-”
“But surely you have footage of the scene?”
“No, sir. We can't access the records. I've been told to get you.”
“I'll come along later. But first, I need to show you something.”
Merlock led Ramsey to the airlock.
“These men died because this airlock malfunctioned and let out the oxygen from the room. They were no doubt raiding the food stores. Take a look at the lock.”
Ramsey nodded and opened the large panel on the wall. Hundreds of red, green, blue, and purple wires were revealed, all of them intertwined in a seemingly random pattern.
Ramsey took a few minutes to examinge the panel before speaking.
“It's as good as new. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the circuit or motherboard,” the apprentice stated, his brow furrowed.
Merlock nodded. He had, of course, seen the panel before Ramsey had come, but he wanted his student to see it for himself.
“And what does that mean?” the engineer asked.
Ramsey answered without hesitation.
“It means it was opened by force or remotely by someone with high enough security clearance.”
“Exactly. Now, it doesn't look like it was opened by force, does it? That means that the airlock didn't malfunction or was tampered with, but it was rather delibarately opened. And these fellows,” Merlock said, indicating the bodies, “happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“But the airlock doesn't open if there's a thermal signature in the adjoining room-”
“Something tells me that the person who opened the airlock would've opened it even if the Commander in Chief was standing there,” Merlock said, grimly. “Now let's go look at that footage of yours.”
_+_
The woman in security was baffled. She had been trying to access the records to the compound's cameras' footage for hours, but seemed to have disappeared.
It took the short, middle-aged, man less than thirty seconds to understand what was going on.
“The system's fried.”
Indeed, the computer's hard drive, when removed, was visibly damaged.
“This, of all things, is not an accident. Someone wanted the footage gone, and they got rid of it. Furthermore, a new hard drive's gonna take at least three weeks to reach us.”
“But who wanted the footage gone?” the woman asked.
“I don't know. But what I do know is that the death of Johnson, the opening of the airlock, and now this, were not accidents.”
“Why was the airlock opened anyway? Why would someone want to get out of the base?” Ramsey questioned, his face scrunched up in thought.
“Oh, I'm not worried about someone getting out,” Merlock muttered mysteriously. “I'm worried about someone getting in.”
_+_
To be continued...
But it was not the airlock or food stores that Merlock was here to see. It was the three pale, glowing, and very, very, dead bodies that lay on the ground a few feet in front of him.
“Death cause?” Merlock asked the doctor, who was hunched over the bodies.
“Oxygen deprivation.” The doctor was a short, slight, man with a thin frame and thick glasses. He had been in the job for seventeen years and was frankly used to accidents of this type.
Merlock made a note on his tablet.
“And how long ago was this?”
“Seven and a half hours,” the doctor answered, taking a sample of skin with a small device. Merlock made another note and slid his tablet into his belt.
“I'll send you some bots to deliver the bodies to your office. Get them on the next ship Earth,” Merlock said.
The doctor nodded and began to gather his equipment.
“And doc?”
The doctor turned his head slightly to look at the engineer. The bright white light glinted off his glasses.
“If you see Ramsey, send him over here.”
The doctor nodded again and walked off into the long corridor, the clack of his boots echoing loudly off of the white walls.
_+_
Ramsey arrived in thirteen and a half minutes. The tall engineer-in-training burst into the room, and, breathless, opened his mouth to speak.
Merlock saw the gesture and cut his protege off.
“What's the matter, Ramsey? Something chasing you?” the stocky engineer questioned, his gray eyes twinkling with amusement.
“No, sir. Nothing chasing me.”
“Good. But what's all this rush about?”
Ramsey's hazel face darkened.
“There's been an accident. They-”
“Of course there's been an accident. Why do you think I'm here?”
Ramsey's brown eyes swept the room and he seemed to notice the three bodies, now loaded onto cargo bots, for the first time.
“Oh, not this. Senior Quartermaster Johnson's been found dead in his bed.”
Merlock's eyebrows rose at that. Johnson was an influential member of the board and was in charge of the many food stores situated around the moon base. He wasn't a particularly likable man, but he was a very powerful one.
“What the hell happened to the man?”
“That's the thing, sir. No one really knows. The doctors are saying he's been electrocuted, so-”
“But surely you have footage of the scene?”
“No, sir. We can't access the records. I've been told to get you.”
“I'll come along later. But first, I need to show you something.”
Merlock led Ramsey to the airlock.
“These men died because this airlock malfunctioned and let out the oxygen from the room. They were no doubt raiding the food stores. Take a look at the lock.”
Ramsey nodded and opened the large panel on the wall. Hundreds of red, green, blue, and purple wires were revealed, all of them intertwined in a seemingly random pattern.
Ramsey took a few minutes to examinge the panel before speaking.
“It's as good as new. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the circuit or motherboard,” the apprentice stated, his brow furrowed.
Merlock nodded. He had, of course, seen the panel before Ramsey had come, but he wanted his student to see it for himself.
“And what does that mean?” the engineer asked.
Ramsey answered without hesitation.
“It means it was opened by force or remotely by someone with high enough security clearance.”
“Exactly. Now, it doesn't look like it was opened by force, does it? That means that the airlock didn't malfunction or was tampered with, but it was rather delibarately opened. And these fellows,” Merlock said, indicating the bodies, “happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“But the airlock doesn't open if there's a thermal signature in the adjoining room-”
“Something tells me that the person who opened the airlock would've opened it even if the Commander in Chief was standing there,” Merlock said, grimly. “Now let's go look at that footage of yours.”
_+_
The woman in security was baffled. She had been trying to access the records to the compound's cameras' footage for hours, but seemed to have disappeared.
It took the short, middle-aged, man less than thirty seconds to understand what was going on.
“The system's fried.”
Indeed, the computer's hard drive, when removed, was visibly damaged.
“This, of all things, is not an accident. Someone wanted the footage gone, and they got rid of it. Furthermore, a new hard drive's gonna take at least three weeks to reach us.”
“But who wanted the footage gone?” the woman asked.
“I don't know. But what I do know is that the death of Johnson, the opening of the airlock, and now this, were not accidents.”
“Why was the airlock opened anyway? Why would someone want to get out of the base?” Ramsey questioned, his face scrunched up in thought.
“Oh, I'm not worried about someone getting out,” Merlock muttered mysteriously. “I'm worried about someone getting in.”
_+_
To be continued...