Luke Marusiak - Lifeboat Moon

A klaxon alarm sounded throughout Moon Base Armstrong. “All Moon Base Armstrong crew,” Sally said over the intercom, “this is an emergency. Suit up, get your emergency air tank, and assemble in the Nexus. We’re doing a full evacuation. No exceptions!”

Mark watched through the hatch window as those in Habitation Tube Three exited their quarters. “This hatch is designed to be overridden from that side. They should be able to open the hatch so we can get them out.” He turned to Chuck. “Start stringing that net.”

The alarm did the trick. The double hatches for both Habitation Tube Two and Habitation Tube Three opened and streams of people — the bulk of Moon Base Armstrong’s crew — came into the Nexus. Sally directed them to assemble into lines three columns wide.

Mark ran into Habitation Tube Three and bounded to the end where Shift Manager, expert software coder, and potential destroyer of humanity Douglas Graham slept. There was no way he would’ve missed the klaxon alarms and Sally’s announcement but his hatch was closed.

Doug’s windows were set to opaque and Mark couldn’t be sure Doug was inside. Mark inserted the master barrel key into the identification panel of Doug’s quarters and turned it clockwise. The metallic sound of three inch pneumatic deadbolts engaging the lock told Mark the quarters were permanently sealed. He panted in realization that he had just sentenced to death someone he once called friend.

“What’s going on Major?” One of the last of the Habitation Tube Three crew said as he stopped in the hallway next to Mark.

“Pod crashes are about to shake this moon base and we’ll lose seal integrity in several places. The cave is stable and will save us.”

“What about Doug? Did you just seal his quarters?”

“Doug caused the crashes. Assemble in the Nexus and let me take care of this.”

The crewmember frowned and continued down the hall. When the double hatch to the Habitation Tube opened for the last crewmember Mark could clearly hear Sally lining everyone up for a roll call before departing. She was organized and decisive, no doubt about that.

It was only then that Mark noticed one of the opaque windows became clear and a shadow of a man filled the window frame. Major Mark Martelli turned and faced the saboteur that had caused all of post gamma ray burst tragedy — Douglas Graham.

“Aren’t you going to invite me to the party?” Doug asked. He used the quarter’s intercom as if this were just a normal visit.

“Why Doug? Why are you trying to kill us?”

“Why not? Director Collier also had a plan to kill us. Mine’s much more dignified.”

“There’s no dignity in a suffocating death.”

“There’s no dignity in living like this. My actions will liberate all from this needless suffering and turn humanity into what it deserved all along — a forgotten blip in the history of the universe. It’ll be like our miserable species never existed.”

“That was never Director Collier’s plan. That was never Japan Station’s plan. We’re going to do whatever it takes to preserve humanity.”

“You’re too late. Fate decreed that the smartest among you — me — had a different idea and the means to carry it out.” He snorted. “I figured Chuck was plying me for information. What did you do to my remote?”

Mark almost blurted out that they shielded it from Bluetooth signals but stopped. Whatever Doug initiated with the supply pods, he did from his quarters. And he was the most clever coder and hacker left. “What remote?”

Doug laughed. It was a jocular laugh of someone playing cards who was surprised at the trump suit. “You wouldn’t have locked me in here unless you found it. There’s no place to run. The crash or even the vibration from the crashes will rupture this base. You’ll be gone in moments without air and power.”

Mark stared at his nemesis. He doesn’t know we pressurized the cave. He doesn’t know about the RF shielding. Doug may be the smartest person in Moon Base Armstrong but he wasn’t all knowing. His lack of character made the permanent sealing of his quarters an act of justice. “Go to hell Doug. I’ve got work to do.”

“I can’t go to hell. I’m already there. So are you.” Doug’s voice came over the intercom as Mark bounded toward the Nexus hatch.

“That’s 108,” Sally said to the Moon Base Armstrong crew who were in three columns that filled the Nexus. “You all have two partners. Keep track of your partners for the evacuation. We’ll engage our emergency air when we get into the hangar. Shift Supervisor Jim Staid will lead the head of the columns through the pressurized tubes all the way to the cave. I’ll bring up the rear.” Sally saw Mark’s entrance into the Nexus and nodded. “We’ll call roll again once we get to the cave. Mark and Chuck will stay behind to finish the work here.”

“Are we sure we have to leave?” A crewmember asked. “Are we sure the cave is safe?”

“The cave is far more stable than Moon Base Armstrong,” Mark said. “It’ll be our new home.”

“Go ahead Jim,” Sally directed.

“Everybody follow me,” Jim said. “I’ll tell you when to engage your air.” He opened the hatch to the hangar and the three columns began to move out of the Nexus.

Mark looked at Chuck who had strung one side of the Nexus ceiling with RF shield netting. The bulk of the netting lay crumpled on the floor. Chuck was waiting for the crew to vacate. Mark glanced at the clock and broke into a sweat. We need more time. We need more time or Doug will succeed in killing us all.

Chuck scrambled behind the evacuating crew with his bundle of RF shield netting. Mark wondered if the assumption of a beacon signal was correct. The pods acted like they were vectoring to a signal but, knowing Doug and his resolution to destroy, he couldn’t be sure.

“Give me that end of the net,” Mark said. “I’ll help you string it.” Mark grabbed an end opposite Chuck and together they pulled it across the large, recently evacuated Nexus. The netting bundled into a large tangle in the middle. “Dammit!” Mark went to the middle and pulled at a knot.

“No, the netting is caught from this end,” Chuck said. He went to the middle, pulled out a metal hook, and unraveled the knot. “I got this.”

“Good. I’ll see if Thad found the beacon for the air reactor and divert that pod first. Then I’ll divert the pod headed for the Nexus. I want to divert them as far away as possible — even if we lose the supplies.”

“Makes sense,” Chuck said as Mark bounded to the hangar hatch.

Mark entered the hangar and closed the Nexus hatch. He noted Sally and the last of the Moon Base Armstrong crew heading into the portion of the lock that separated the hangar from the plexiglass tube. Sally saw him. “We’re going in groups of nine,” she explained. “We’re down to two groups left. With the air transfers section to section, the plexiglass tube is at 500 Torr at this end and 700 Torr next to the cave. It’ll feel like climbing down a mountain to everyone.”

“Good.” The crew was getting to the cave but all of that work would be for nothing if they lost their air supply and main power. “I’m going to see if Thad found the beacon at the air reactor and solar array.” Mark bounded up to the control room and flicked to Thad’s communications channel. He flashed him a call signal.

“This is Captain Rudzinski,” Thad answered.

“Have you found the beacon?” Mark asked. He looked as the last group of nine entered the lock. Sally stopped at the hatch, waved to Mark, and put her oxygen mask on.