that it was a simple matter to flee the compartment, make his way through the now blinded corridors, and dump everything into an ejection chute.
The worst part was the journey from the ejection chute to the suspension chamber. Frank cried, Norma bitched, Morey laughed, Kathy was silent, and Susy told everyone that things were fine.
Well, things weren't fine, and Otis knew it. Corvan was alive, he still had the notebook, and the ship's computers had come close to canceling his ticket. The process was far from pleasant, especially the catheterization, but he got it done. Sleep came as a blessed relief.
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Chapter Eight
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Like most computers, Martin had a tendency to view time as little more than a performance parameter.
But Martin was acutely aware that nine months had passed since Rosemary's death. The Outward Bound was in Mars orbit now, and he had very little to do but remember what had occurred and wonder if he'd done the right thing.
What if he had notified Big Dan? Would the Big Guy have listened to him? Taken action to stop the killer?
SIS, LES, and MOMS said no, but they were biased. They were on the Big Guy's shit list too. What would Kim say? Would she be disappointed in him? Wipe his memory so that he ceased to be? It would be a relief in a way. Better than the guilt that continued to haunt him.
Damn! Damn! Damn! If only Hydro's presentation had run five or ten minutes longer. If only Big Dan had given him a chance to explain. If only Rosemary was still alive. But she wasn't, and that was that.
And so it was that time passed and Martin waited.
Rex Corvan drifted slowly upward, like a feather borne on a light breeze, floating toward the light. And there was sound, too, like a great ringing of bells, filling his head to overflowing.
This seemed to go on for some time, with the light gradually becoming more intense and the sound dying away. Then, when the light was so bright that it seemed almost certain to burn a hole through his head, Corvan opened his eyes. A rather attractive woman looked down at him and smiled. She wore the jagged line of a life support tech over the left breast pocket of her ship-suit. A stethoscope drifted sideways from her neck.
"Welcome to Mars orbit. Stay where you are for a while. You may feel some nausea."
The woman's words quickly came true. The chemicals used to resuscitate him had some powerful side effects. A series of dry heaves convulsed his body. They seemed to last forever. But time passed and so eventually did the discomfort.
Corvan waited awhile to make sure that the nausea was truly gone, hit the harness release, and floated upward like a spirit departing for heaven. He saw that others, Kim included, were doing the same thing. He used the suspension chamber to pull himself vertical.
His wife looked thin and pale. Her previously short hair hung down around her shoulders in waves of black. Her nails were long and twisted. She held a hand up in front of her face.
"Yuck!"
Corvan grinned. "You look like hell."
Kim made a face. "Look who's talking!"
A quick check revealed that Corvan's hair and nails were as long as hers. Not only that, but he had a beard that touched his chest.
Corvan laughed, started to record what Kim looked like, and stopped when he saw her glare. "Don't you dare! Not unless you want to sleep with your robo cam for the rest of your life."
The reop held up both hands in mock surrender. "Yes, dear. No, dear. Whatever you say, dear."
Kim smiled. "That's better. Come on. Let's do something about the way we look."
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"You're sure you don't know what this is all about," Corvan said, pulling himself down-ship toward the B-deck conference room. Most of the colonists were still sealed inside their chambers so the corridor was nearly empty. The two of them had just taken some much needed showers. Corvan's hair was still wet.
"Nope," Kim replied, "but Jopp was even colder than usual. I think we're in some kind of
The worst part was the journey from the ejection chute to the suspension chamber. Frank cried, Norma bitched, Morey laughed, Kathy was silent, and Susy told everyone that things were fine.
Well, things weren't fine, and Otis knew it. Corvan was alive, he still had the notebook, and the ship's computers had come close to canceling his ticket. The process was far from pleasant, especially the catheterization, but he got it done. Sleep came as a blessed relief.
Â
Â
Â
Â
Chapter Eight
Â
Â
Like most computers, Martin had a tendency to view time as little more than a performance parameter.
But Martin was acutely aware that nine months had passed since Rosemary's death. The Outward Bound was in Mars orbit now, and he had very little to do but remember what had occurred and wonder if he'd done the right thing.
What if he had notified Big Dan? Would the Big Guy have listened to him? Taken action to stop the killer?
SIS, LES, and MOMS said no, but they were biased. They were on the Big Guy's shit list too. What would Kim say? Would she be disappointed in him? Wipe his memory so that he ceased to be? It would be a relief in a way. Better than the guilt that continued to haunt him.
Damn! Damn! Damn! If only Hydro's presentation had run five or ten minutes longer. If only Big Dan had given him a chance to explain. If only Rosemary was still alive. But she wasn't, and that was that.
And so it was that time passed and Martin waited.
Rex Corvan drifted slowly upward, like a feather borne on a light breeze, floating toward the light. And there was sound, too, like a great ringing of bells, filling his head to overflowing.
This seemed to go on for some time, with the light gradually becoming more intense and the sound dying away. Then, when the light was so bright that it seemed almost certain to burn a hole through his head, Corvan opened his eyes. A rather attractive woman looked down at him and smiled. She wore the jagged line of a life support tech over the left breast pocket of her ship-suit. A stethoscope drifted sideways from her neck.
"Welcome to Mars orbit. Stay where you are for a while. You may feel some nausea."
The woman's words quickly came true. The chemicals used to resuscitate him had some powerful side effects. A series of dry heaves convulsed his body. They seemed to last forever. But time passed and so eventually did the discomfort.
Corvan waited awhile to make sure that the nausea was truly gone, hit the harness release, and floated upward like a spirit departing for heaven. He saw that others, Kim included, were doing the same thing. He used the suspension chamber to pull himself vertical.
His wife looked thin and pale. Her previously short hair hung down around her shoulders in waves of black. Her nails were long and twisted. She held a hand up in front of her face.
"Yuck!"
Corvan grinned. "You look like hell."
Kim made a face. "Look who's talking!"
A quick check revealed that Corvan's hair and nails were as long as hers. Not only that, but he had a beard that touched his chest.
Corvan laughed, started to record what Kim looked like, and stopped when he saw her glare. "Don't you dare! Not unless you want to sleep with your robo cam for the rest of your life."
The reop held up both hands in mock surrender. "Yes, dear. No, dear. Whatever you say, dear."
Kim smiled. "That's better. Come on. Let's do something about the way we look."
Â
"You're sure you don't know what this is all about," Corvan said, pulling himself down-ship toward the B-deck conference room. Most of the colonists were still sealed inside their chambers so the corridor was nearly empty. The two of them had just taken some much needed showers. Corvan's hair was still wet.
"Nope," Kim replied, "but Jopp was even colder than usual. I think we're in some kind of
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