Luke Marusiak - Lifeboat Moon

“Look at that.” Zeke noted an opening in the wall. It was as if a large caliber bullet was fired from the inside and ripped a gaping hole through the double-hulled curved wall. It was the curved wall of Director Collier’s living quarters.

Mark and Zeke pried the hole to open wider and in moments they were standing in what remained of Constance Collier’s living and command quarters. A wave of emotion swept over Mark. This strong leader faced wars, discrimination, and the destruction of her home planet. She came through it all unscathed but then was destroyed by a ridiculous accident. He controlled his breathing to keep from sobbing.

Mark moved with somber respect and looked at a mound of moon rock where her bunk was located. The contactor locator showed that the ArmCon was under that mound as well. What were they doing when the pod crashed? Did they have a chance for one last embrace? Did they feel terror or was it over in a blink?

Mark looked to the opposite side of the quarters. He saw the spot in front of Director Collier’s command desk where he himself stood from time to time. A flashing light under some moon debris caught his eye. He pointed. “Zeke, do you see that?”

“Yes,” Zeke answered. “That’s odd.”

Mark and Zeke dug a flashing device out from the debris of the late commander’s desk. As Mark scraped dust off of the peculiar device he saw that it was a beacon duct taped to an electrical box. “Look at this.”

“It’s still flashing,” Zeke said.

“I see that. The beacon’s showing it’s locked on to the pod by flashing green.” The moment Mark said that he dropped the device in horror. “Oh my God! Someone put this under the commander’s desk.”

Zeke lifted the device. He twisted it around examining the construction. “This looks like a remote with a power supply hooked to the beacon.”

“What’s going on over there?” Thad’s voice came over the link.

Mark tried to breathe. “This was put here before the crash.”

Thad slid down the bank and bounded next to Zeke. “This was sabotage? That’s why the pod crashed off target?”

“The crash wasn’t off target to whomever planted this beacon. They wanted to make sure the pod took out the director,” Zeke said.

“And the ArmCon,” Mark added. He felt rage building. “Someone plotted to kill the director and ArmCon and they used the pod as a bullet.”

“Someone killed our leadership just as they were building hope after the gamma ray burst?” Thad was incredulous. “Why? Why would someone do that?”

“Despair,” Zeke answered. “The dark force of despair had to strike against hope.”

Mark’s rage bubbled. “We will find the murderer. We’ll find them and we’ll survive.” Thad and Zeke stared at Mark as he faced the mound that covered the director and ArmCon. He turned. “Zeke, put the recorder and this beacon in a bag that we can hide.”

“Both the beacon and recorder will fit into our spare air container cover,” Thad offered.

“Good, good.” Mark’s voice was a laser beam of retribution. “I’ll drive the buggy to the hangar entrance and signal for a work team. I’ll put the buggy with the trailer full of supply containers into the large section of the load lock.”

Thad nodded. “You want a bustle of activity when we get back.”

“Yes I do. Thad, the moment we get the trailer in the hangar loading dock, you get everyone who’s manning the control room unloading the supplies. Zeke, you keep the beacon and recorder hidden in this bag. I’ll contact Sally and we’ll take the bag to her quarters where we can examine it further.”

Zeke was disturbed. “We don’t know who caused this crash and they’ll be suspicious when we get back. I’ll do what you ask but then what?”

“Then we figure out who’s trying to wipe us out. Then we figure out who’s trying to destroy humanity’s last chance.” Mark turned back to the mound, balled a gloved fist, and slammed it into his open palm. “This will not go unpunished. This will not destroy us.”

Sally stared at the monitor in her living quarters and waited for the group to return from the back of the crater. She wished she’d have gone with them. Her hopes of survival were whipsawed between the discovery of the cave and the pod crash. There had to be something else, something firm and solid to hang onto. The unremitting reactions to emergencies during her shift combined with the dark pall of dread over their lost leadership had worn her raw.

The monitor flickered, showing action. Sally watched as the moon buggy with attached trailer entered the hangar. She stood and noted that only Doug was in the control room to meet them. I wonder where Art is. Doug had dressed in his spacesuit as a precaution.

The few times the moon buggy did drive into the hangar there were extra precautions as, with the inner hatch open, there was only one sealed wall that separated the hangar from the moon’s vacuum. She watched the hangar doors close and saw all wait for the green light indicating that the inner hatch was sealed. I should go to the hangar and help.

She pulled on her NASA jumpsuit and was about to depart her quarters when her contactor beeped. She flicked her earpiece to answer the call. “This is Henderson,” she answered.

“Sally, this is Mark. Are you alone in your quarters?”

She frowned and noted this was a private one to one call. “Yes. Why?”

“Zeke, and I are going to bring something we found to your quarters. Stay put.”

That made no sense. “Okay.” She looked at the monitor and noted supply containers being unloaded. “I don’t have room for a full container.”

“It’s not a supply container. We’ll show you when we get there.”

Curiosity piqued, Sally watched the hangar activity over the monitor. A work team had entered the hangar to unload and there was a lot of activity. The crew from the backside of the crater got out of their spacesuits. Mark gave directions to Thad and grabbed a small air container bag from him. She watched Mark and Zeke bound toward the Nexus as Thad continued unloading.

After what felt like an interminable wait, Mark and Zeke entered Sally’s quarters. “What’s going on?” She asked.

“Katsumi was right,” Mark answered. He pulled an electronic box assembly from the air container storage bag. “We have a disease in Moon Base Armstrong and it threatens to destroy us.”

“What are you talking about?”

Zeke took the box and turned it over for Sally to see. “We found this under Director Collier’s desk.”

Sally looked at the battery-beacon assembly and gasped. “You found this in the director’s quarters?”

“Flashing green. It guided the pod right on top the director and ArmCon,” Zeke said.

Sally felt as if she were slapped across the face. “Someone intentionally crashed the pod into the director’s quarters?”

“And damn near took the base out.” Mark’s expression was one of bubbling rage. He noted his contactor signaling a call and he answered. “Thad, come to Sally’s quarters. We’re discussing our find.”

Sally tried to process the information. “Someone sabotaged the pod decent to murder the director and ArmCon?” She shook her head. “What kind of psychopath does that? Who in this crew is a murderer?”

“Someone who succumbed to the darkness of despair,” Zeke answered.

Thad entered and went straight to the battery-beacon assembly. His face was flushed red and he panted in excitement. He picked the assembly up and examined the connections. “I got Doug and the team interested in the food in the supply containers. He’s probably wondering why we’re not in the control room.”