part0142

Leroux sobbed over Titov’s bunk. With Spixworth and Stratton preceding him, Titov’s room was empty now and was the logical spot for a makeshift infirmary. But it didn’t help Alice’s guilt. Neither did Leroux’s noisy weeping. She angrily cranked the wrench as she began unbolting Spixworth’s old bed. They had to make more room. “Should I call Dr. Cardiff?” she asked, trying not to snap at Leroux.

“No,” said Leroux, clearing her throat. “I don’t want to talk about it with her. Besides, she’s intoxicated. She should stay put.” She slid an arm over her face and tapped her feed to check on Cardiff’s blood acidity. It had been a close thing, formic acid had already begun building in Dr. Cardiff by the time Issk’ath had shown them what happened to Titov. No infirmary meant no drugs, no tools, no easy treatments. Leroux had been limited to the pitiful emergency kits scattered through the Wolfinger and a dubious bottle of cosmic glug stashed in Captain Stratton’s belongings. She still wasn’t certain if Dr. Cardiff would lose her sight. She clicked off the feed and began loosening another bolt. They were quiet for a few moments. “He was a good chemist. He always followed protocol,” Leroux muttered, “Always. Why didn’t he check what it was first?”

“He probably thought it was water. Looked like water on the feed. I’m not even sure he had time to realize what it was before it ignited,” said Alice. She bit the tip of her tongue. She hadn’t meant for Titov to go like that, but she told herself it was too fast to be painful. And it saved her a great deal of trouble. The last bolt came free. Alice pulled on the bunk and it slid easily from the wall. Leroux helped her tilt it down and they guided it out into the corridor. They brought it to Blick who was rearranging the equipment lock’s crowded storage.

Leroux stared vacantly at her for a moment. “But how did the container of methanol get a hole in it?” she asked.

“And why didn’t the lab sensor trigger?” added Blick.

Alice’s ribs seemed too tight. “Maybe he disabled it,” she said, trying to sound casual. “You know he’s done it before.”

Blick shook his head. “That blanket was soaked. You saw the feed. That much methanol would have set off the alarm long before he walked into the lab.”

“Maybe the sensor was faulty,” called Martham from the hallway. She pushed past Alice into the lock and twisted off her suit’s helmet. She glanced back toward the bridge and lowered her voice. “Maybe that thing shut it off.”

“It was in here the whole time—”

“That doesn’t mean it couldn’t have, Lionel. It’s got access to all of our systems, remember?”

“Sure,” he whispered, his eyes flicking nervously toward the doorway, “but why would it? It couldn’t have made the hole in the methanol. It wouldn’t have known what would happen.”

“Maybe it had help,” whispered Martham.

Leroux shook her head. “From who? And why? Who’d agree to kill Titov?”

Martham raised an eyebrow. “You think the target was Titov? No, he was an accident. Who knew he was going to be in there?”

Blick crossed his arms. “I did. You want to make this about me?”

“You knew hours before that he’d be in there? And when?”

“No, about ten minutes before he went in.”

“See? He was an accident.”

“So who was the real target?” asked Leroux. “Dr. Cardiff?”

Alice let out a short laugh. “Who’d want to kill her ? She’s useless, but she doesn’t exactly inspire raging passion.”

Martham shook her head. “Not Cardiff either. Someone’s been picking us off one by one—”

“Oh, give it a rest,” said Blick, “You keep saying that but why would any of us do that? And how? The others were all accidents.”

“Maybe,” she admitted, “or maybe they just look like accidents. This one was meant to. That is, whoever did it meant it to appear accidental, just in case it failed, which it did.”

“How did it fail?” asked Leroux. “Titov’s dead and Cardiff is dangerously ill.”

“Because they weren’t the targets. Well, not the only targets. The methanol was meant to blow a massive hole in the Wolfinger and suck us all into space. We were never meant to get back to the Keseburg at all.”

“That’s insane. Whoever did it would die along with the rest of us. Why would anyone risk that?” asked Blick.

“You heard Emery in the kitchen. She doesn’t want anyone to know about the planet. That robot thing has her— hypnotized or brainwashed or something. It did something to her when she was alone with it. It probably told her to cut the methanol container,” Martham hissed.

“Flaming Core, Beatrice! What has Emery ever done to you? You’ve had it out for her since training, but this is too far,” snapped Blick. “All she said was that we should be careful. That it was going to take more than just dumping our luggage to settle the planet. Why would she kill us? And the robot is just as lost without the ship—”

“Maybe it doesn’t care,” said Leroux. “If all it wants is to keep us from the planet, maybe its own— death, or whatever you want to call it, maybe that’s an acceptable price.”

“Look, if that’s what it wants, why don’t we just— why don’t we consider it?” asked Alice. She felt a pang of guilt for not overtly defending Rebecca, but it was a short jump from Rebecca to herself, and Alice couldn’t afford to be exposed yet. Not until they agreed never to speak of the planet. Until they agreed their place was aboard the Keseburg. The others turned toward her. “I’m not saying we— promise anything, just let it think that we’re on its side,” she said. She needed to get them partway there. Needed time to convince them, rationally. With Titov gone, her biggest obstacle had been removed. Cardiff was still a problem, but if she could turn the opinions of the others, Cardiff might cave. It left only Al Jahi. Her children made her unlikely to shift, for the same reasons as Titov. But Al Jahi was outside. If Alice could get rid of Issk’ath and Al Jahi at the same time, Rebecca might be an acceptable loss. She regretted it, but her friend would be dying for a good cause.

“So we’re just supposed to be held hostage here while that machine and Emery decide which of us is convincing enough?” snapped Martham.

“No, shhh,” said Alice, glancing over her shoulder toward the bridge. “Rebecca is outside right now . For all we know, she could be doing worse things to the ship even as we speak.”

“But Captain Al Jahi is with her,” said Leroux.

“Then she’s next,” said Alice, “unless we get rid of Issk’ath first. If we can persuade it that we’re on its side, it won’t want to destroy the ship.”

“Why would it care?” asked Martham, “It’s just a hunk of metal.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Sure, we can shove it out of the lock. Or bash its processors in. Or find its power supply—”

“Oxwell has a point,” Leroux said, “Last time we tried physical force it only made that thing angry. But if we can trick it, if we can make it think that it’s in its best interest to help us, we might be able to get it outside. But how do we get it out and the others back in ?”

“We’ll get Liu to help,” said Alice, “We’ll make a— a transfer at the door. It’ll have to be fast.”

“Are you certain you want Emery back?” asked Martham, “We still don’t know if she’s following its orders. We get it out there, she’d just let it right back in.”

“Stop it! Do you even know what you’re saying? Any of you?” Blick said. “This is Rebecca we’re talking about. Her purpose this entire mission has been to help the people of the Keseburg. All she wants to do is prevent them from getting hurt. Why would she do this? It makes no sense.”

“Maybe,” said Martham, “But we don’t know what that Issk’ath thing is capable of. It was alone with her for hours in the nest. It could have scrambled her brains. Used chemicals or electrical impulses. Or it could have just convinced her that killing us off would save all the other people on the Keseburg. She’s weak, Lionel, she has been from the beginning. And that makes her vulnerable to suggestion. It makes her dangerous.”

“You— you soil shoveler— Rebecca’s not weak , she’s kind and compassionate. She has empathy for the people around her. You should admire her, not—”

“You can hate me all you want. But it doesn’t change what’s happening here. We already have four dead. We know Issk’ath couldn’t have done it alone, so that means someone’s helping. Are you willing to bet your life that it isn’t Emery?” Martham fell silent and Blick fumed but didn’t answer. “I didn’t think so,” she said after a moment. “It’s settled then. We pull Liu away and explain things to him—”

“I didn’t say I agreed!” shouted Blick.

“Hush!” warned Alice.

“No, I’m not going along with this—”

Martham floated out into the hallway. Blick tried to push past Alice and Leroux to stop her but they held him back. “You can’t do this!” he yelled.

“Shh,” said Leroux, “or I’ll have to sedate you. I’d rather not. Our supplies are so limited and I don’t want to do that to you, Blick, but I will. Help us get the robot out. We’ll get Emery back. If I have to, I’ll knock her out for the rest of the trip and we’ll figure out how to undo whatever that thing did. But I can’t fix the robot.”