happened to cascade across the bottom of one of the stalls. Eddie saw a pair of feet—someone was sitting on the toilet.
He felt his heartbeat thump in his chest. Could it be someone from the Zephyr ? “Yo, who is that?”
There was no response.
“Brody, is that you?”
He knew it wasn’t, but it seemed more comforting to go through the ritual of asking. 8-Ball crept toward the stall door and pulled it open. He jumped back, shocked at what he saw.
The dead body of a man in his late 20’s was sitting on the toilet. He was freshly dead. He couldn’t have been there for more than a month. Though, it was possible the lack of atmosphere had preserved the body for the last 25 years. But where was the rest of the crew?
The tile wall behind the man was splattered with bloodstains. This man had obviously been shot while taking care of business on the toilet. His body was puffy and distorted, and his eyes had exploded from the lack of atmospheric pressure.
8-Ball stumbled back from the stall. He grabbed the upper torso assembly from the sink and spoke into the comm system. “Hey guys, I think you need to come in here and see this.”
“Gross,” Zoey’s voice crackled back.
“I’m serious. I ain’t talking about a deuce I left floating in the bowl.”
A moment later, Zoey and Declan entered. Their eyes went wide at the sight.
“He’s not in uniform,” Zoey said. “Doesn’t look like he was part of the crew.”
“We might not be the first people aboard this ship,” Declan said. “Somebody may have tried to salvage her previously.”
“Doesn’t look like that turned out to well for them,” 8-Ball said.
“How recent do you think this is?” Zoey asked.
Declan pursed his lips. “Hard to say. Let’s keep moving.”
8-Ball grabbed his gear, and the trio shuffled out of the head.
In the hallway, the emergency lighting flickered and came back on. The trio continued to the reactor room, but found no trace of Brody along the way. There were four main thrusters, and four reactors. They checked them all. The reactor room and the engine compartments were empty.
“It’s not like Brody to just disappear,” said Declan.
“Maybe he went back to the Zephyr ?” Zoey said.
“Let’s split up and sweep the ship.”
“Oh, hell no,” 8-Ball said. “I ain’t walking around this place by myself. No wonder they kicked you out of the military. Poor ability to make command decisions. ”
Declan glared at him. “They didn’t kick me out.”
“If you say so.”
Declan grumbled under his breath. He spoke into his comm system. “Brody, are you out there? Can you read me?”
The line crackled with static.
Finally, Brody’s voice distorted through the speakers. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“I’m back on the Zephyr .”
“What are you doing there? Getting tools or equipment?”
“Nope.”
“Okay. Want to tell me why you left?”
“Not particularly,” Brody said.
“I need you back on board ASAP.”
“Not going to happen.”
“I need this ship fully operational. We’ve got 45 hours left.”
“Sorry. I’m not stepping foot back on that ship. You can have my share.”
“This is unlike you, Brody,” Declan said. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Brody said.
Declan’s face tensed. “I’m coming back to the Zephyr , and we’re going to have a little talk.”
Brody started to say something, but then his voice cut out and static filled the line.
Declan clenched his jaw. He wanted to throw his helmet across the compartment, but he resisted the urge.
24
Zoey
“ Y ou saw who ?” Declan asked, incredulous. He sat in the cockpit of the Zephyr with Brody.
“Sara. It was her, man. I swear.” He was three sheets to the wind. He was clinging to a bottle of whiskey that was well below the label. It sloshed in his hand as he gestured wildly.
“I don’t have time for this nonsense,” Declan said.
“I heard her voice, plain
He felt his heartbeat thump in his chest. Could it be someone from the Zephyr ? “Yo, who is that?”
There was no response.
“Brody, is that you?”
He knew it wasn’t, but it seemed more comforting to go through the ritual of asking. 8-Ball crept toward the stall door and pulled it open. He jumped back, shocked at what he saw.
The dead body of a man in his late 20’s was sitting on the toilet. He was freshly dead. He couldn’t have been there for more than a month. Though, it was possible the lack of atmosphere had preserved the body for the last 25 years. But where was the rest of the crew?
The tile wall behind the man was splattered with bloodstains. This man had obviously been shot while taking care of business on the toilet. His body was puffy and distorted, and his eyes had exploded from the lack of atmospheric pressure.
8-Ball stumbled back from the stall. He grabbed the upper torso assembly from the sink and spoke into the comm system. “Hey guys, I think you need to come in here and see this.”
“Gross,” Zoey’s voice crackled back.
“I’m serious. I ain’t talking about a deuce I left floating in the bowl.”
A moment later, Zoey and Declan entered. Their eyes went wide at the sight.
“He’s not in uniform,” Zoey said. “Doesn’t look like he was part of the crew.”
“We might not be the first people aboard this ship,” Declan said. “Somebody may have tried to salvage her previously.”
“Doesn’t look like that turned out to well for them,” 8-Ball said.
“How recent do you think this is?” Zoey asked.
Declan pursed his lips. “Hard to say. Let’s keep moving.”
8-Ball grabbed his gear, and the trio shuffled out of the head.
In the hallway, the emergency lighting flickered and came back on. The trio continued to the reactor room, but found no trace of Brody along the way. There were four main thrusters, and four reactors. They checked them all. The reactor room and the engine compartments were empty.
“It’s not like Brody to just disappear,” said Declan.
“Maybe he went back to the Zephyr ?” Zoey said.
“Let’s split up and sweep the ship.”
“Oh, hell no,” 8-Ball said. “I ain’t walking around this place by myself. No wonder they kicked you out of the military. Poor ability to make command decisions. ”
Declan glared at him. “They didn’t kick me out.”
“If you say so.”
Declan grumbled under his breath. He spoke into his comm system. “Brody, are you out there? Can you read me?”
The line crackled with static.
Finally, Brody’s voice distorted through the speakers. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“I’m back on the Zephyr .”
“What are you doing there? Getting tools or equipment?”
“Nope.”
“Okay. Want to tell me why you left?”
“Not particularly,” Brody said.
“I need you back on board ASAP.”
“Not going to happen.”
“I need this ship fully operational. We’ve got 45 hours left.”
“Sorry. I’m not stepping foot back on that ship. You can have my share.”
“This is unlike you, Brody,” Declan said. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Brody said.
Declan’s face tensed. “I’m coming back to the Zephyr , and we’re going to have a little talk.”
Brody started to say something, but then his voice cut out and static filled the line.
Declan clenched his jaw. He wanted to throw his helmet across the compartment, but he resisted the urge.
24
Zoey
“ Y ou saw who ?” Declan asked, incredulous. He sat in the cockpit of the Zephyr with Brody.
“Sara. It was her, man. I swear.” He was three sheets to the wind. He was clinging to a bottle of whiskey that was well below the label. It sloshed in his hand as he gestured wildly.
“I don’t have time for this nonsense,” Declan said.
“I heard her voice, plain
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