Marsiana 2-16
CHAPTER 16
Astronaut Michael Johnson filmed readings in the engine compartment of the space station. Suddenly he started, and as if listened to something, turned his head slightly. Then he nodded and turning on the internal radio.
‘Sir, we have a problem,’ he said a worried voice referring to the commander of the station. ‘What problems? What is it, Johnson?’ on the screen appeared the anxious face of Commander Hopkins. ‘Something serious?’ ‘No. Not yet. In one of the compartments increased levels of carbon dioxide. Probably something happened with air conditioning. I'll check.’ ‘Okay, Johnson. Check and report.’ ‘Yes, sir,’ Johnson, something shifted, made a note in his journal. ‘Sir, for yet the unknown reason, the pressure drops in some chambers. I would advise you to go with the guys in the landing module, while I'm here all not check.’ ‘Fine. I'll send Parson to help you.’ ‘I don’t need it, sir. I do it himself. In the end it is my responsibility to monitor the climate of the station.’ ‘As you want. When you're done let me know.’ 'Of course, sir.’ Making sure that all the astronauts are safely moved to the landing module, Johnson blocked the door leading to the central living space station. Now all crew was out of danger. They were in complete safety. ‘Johnson how all is going there?’ Hopkins asked from the screen. ‘Did you find the cause?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘And what it was?’ the commander Hopkins asked. ‘You fly home, sir,’ Johnson said, without looking at the screen. ‘What?’ Hopkins said in disbelief. ‘What do you mean home? What are you talking about, Michael. This is a joke?’ ‘Sorry, sir. But I need the station,’ Johnson said. Face of commander of expedition Hopkins got strongly pale. ‘What are you talking about, Michael? Come to your senses. If this is a joke, it's not funny any more. It takes too much time’ ‘Sir, I have already told you that it's not a joke,’ Johnson replied adamantly. ‘You return to Earth, and I'm flying to Uranus.’ ‘On ... Where???’ Hopkins seemed that some of them went mad. ‘On Uranus, sir,’ Johnson repeated. ‘I've got a case. Somebody is waiting for me there.’ ‘Guy got crazy,’ Rodney said softly behind Hopkins. Johnson heard him. ‘I'm not crazy at all. I just have a business there,’ he repeated. ‘Business on Uranus!?’ Hopkins exclaimed. ‘What the hell business you can have on Uranus? You do not reach to Uranus. The station is simply not designed for such flights. You do not have enough no air, no food, nothing! Do you even understand it? Michael, what's wrong? Wake up?’ the commander Hopkins shouted. Johnson stubbornly kept silent and did his job. Activated the software of automatically undock the landing module, inside of which were his friends. Commander Hopkins perfectly saw what he was doing. ‘Johnson, stop until it's not too late. I order you, I insist! Can you hear me, Johnson? I demand to immediately open the door and let us out! I, in turn, will pretend that nothing happened. You understand me? I ask you. Do you understand me know?’ Hopkins shouted, though not really aware of it. ‘I understand you, sir. But I can’t let you out,’ astronaut Johnson pressed the button. The automatically reverse countdown time had begun. A minute later started the procedure of detaching the landing module from the main station. In order not to hear the cries of his comrades and threats of Hopkins, Johnson simply shut down the communication, and looked out the window. When the lander with a crew on board began to move away, Johnson heard behind him a woman's voice. ‘Michael, are you ready?’ the voice asked him. Johnson turned slowly. Lena Gushchina stood behind him. She was no longer wore a damaged spacesuit anymore. The skin of her face gently lit from within. Down of her heir some luminous substance was flowing. From left eye rolled the yellow tear and seemed frozen in amber on girl’s cheek. She looked very unusual. Johnson was not afraid of her visit, he seemed to be waiting for her, and knew she would come to him. Like an old friend, he nodded in greeting. ‘Yes, ready,’ he said firmly. They spoke to a completely unknown and foreign to both of them a language which, however, they understood. ‘Are you sure?’ she ran a hand through her hair, and in the weightless of station hung the yellow balls of light. Johnson looked curiously at them. He even didn’t have in his thoughts to ask her what it all means and why she looks so weird. She seemed quite natural to him. ‘I always ready,’ Johnson repeated. ‘When we have to go?’ ‘Now. She is waiting for you.’ ‘Marsiana?’ ‘Yes, Marsiana,’ Lena said affirmatively. ‘They now just make a launch from the Cape Canaveral. Marsiana will pick you at the orbit of Mars. Johnson thought for a moment. ‘A Lot of them is there?’ Lena shook her head. ‘That should not be of your concerns. You serve Marsiana. You understand me?’ ‘I see.’ ‘Excellent,’ Lena sighed, looked around the station. ‘I have to go, Michael. Good luck on Oberon.’ She disappeared just as suddenly as she had appeared. ‘Thank you,’ Johnson said slowly after her. He with a confident movement activated the self-destruct system of the station. When the space station disappeared in a blinding of the nuclear flash he was already far away.
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