Pestilence, Page 4

Mathew was tired and irritable. He had been working flat out since he got out of the bunk without a break. He needed to chill out and decided to watch a movie. Knowing that the guests at least would have time on their hands they had downloaded hundreds from the planet while they could. Matt had very specific tastes in films so of the hundred’s he could watch, what he would were less than a hundred, and he had already begun to see repeats. Nonetheless he would see something again, but as he entered the small cinema, it was dark and he saw a movie was already playing. He was disappointed, it wasn’t one that he recognized, but maybe it was worth watching. He sat in one of the chairs without glancing at who was already there.

  It was several minutes later that he heard the voice. “Am I being ignored Matvey?”

  Mathew turned quickly. “Yulia?”

  The reflected light lit her face only on the one side, but he could see the disapproving look.

  “Sorry?”

  “Jennifer: please?”

  “Jennifer.” He smiled.

  “You have been avoiding me?”

  “Avoiding?” He tried to say it in a surprised way, but failed. “I’ve just been busy.”

  “Yes… I told myself that that you would be with the commander?” She smiled. “Or maybe: I thought, that Pyotr had scared you away… I should not like that?”

  “No why should he? … I have had much to do with running the station… this is a busy time, but soon it will be over.”

  “I hope not… It is wrong thing to say: isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know about wrong, but I would have thought that guests like you and your husband, would find what we have endured quite enough already... I thought you would be glad to return to Earth?”

  The smile had gone and her voice sounded sad. “For some of us the unknown sometimes is not as frightening as what we know.”

  Mathew looked at her not quite sure how to respond.

  Suddenly she stood. “Pyotr, will expect me, I must go.” She went to walk away.

  “Jennifer... I’m sorry.”

  She stopped and looked at him across the chairs.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you, I don’t know what I said, but please don’t go.”

  She smiled again, but it was a sad smile. “It is not what you have said it was I am…”

  Mathew had no idea what she meant. “I don’t understand?”

  “Maybe one day… but now I must go.” She turned and left the theatre leaving Mathew wondering how had upset her.

  Although a death needed much more attention, the majority of Emma’s time was occupied in dealing with very minor medical procedures, including acting as unqualified dentist. Processing samples between first aid, and paperwork left her four days later with the results of the tests. Other than a high white blood cell count, they were all perfectly normal; it was just that one: relatively minor, abnormality. Taken on its own it wasn’t such a problem: it could have even been caused by stress, and she knew they were all suffering from that; still it puzzled her. A few weeks ago Josh would have had to have an exhaustive pre launch medical. She knew for a fact that nobody left the surface unless in absolute perfect health, yet now the white blood count had risen enough to indicate a serious infection: but he hadn’t been sick, if he had she would have treated him.

  Without asking permission she drilled through Josh’s skull to take a sample of brain tissue.

  “You did what?” said Andrew, part in surprise part in what could be described as revulsion.

  “The procedure sounds worse than it is?”

  “I will have to take your word for that, nonetheless it’s extreme to desecrate the man. Heaven only knows what I can tell the relatives.”

  “I’m sure that they want to know what happened to him as much as we do?”

  Andrew shrugged so she carried on.

  “I took more blood samples; ear and nasal swabs and found that there was a pattern through the body. From the feet up, every sample showed an increased white cell count. I had to know what ultimate effect that had?”

  “Surely you would expect it throughout body?”

  “Yes, but mainly in the site of infection, but there wasn’t any infection, and the greatest count was in his brain; in the areas related to motor functioning, memory and processing.”

  “Isn’t that the whole thing?”

  “These are the areas that relate to what we do and what we have experienced.”

  “So?”

  “Procedures we have to do or have done are stored in the memory, it’s also where we store our experiences of those procedures.”

  “Your implying that somehow Josh forgot he was outside?”

  “No, but its just possible he could have forgotten that he had to get out of the way of the arm, or of the consequences if he didn’t?”

  “Emma he was one of the most experienced spacefarers on board, he wouldn’t just forget?”

  “No… so why then didn’t he get out of the way?”

  “For some reason he was distracted, he couldn’t just forget years of training.”

  Emma looked at Andrew: she had expected him to at least consider the idea but he was totally dismissive, there was no point in bringing up the memory fails that she put down to the other deaths without more proof.

  “They are just my thoughts before I finalize the report commander.”

  Okay, you do that…” He looked at her seriously. “I think we should leave personal presumptions out, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  It was fifteen minutes later she found Mathew: he was deep in thought at a control panel. “Problems?”

  “Potential to be… a relief valve on one of the poisoning thrusters wasn’t completely shut off. We’ve lost fuel.”

  “That doesn’t sound good; has much gone?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to work out, I have to find out the remaining pressure, but I can’t, I don’t know why right now?”

  Emma went to walk away.

  “There something you wanted to say?”

  “Yes… but your obviously busy, so I’ll leave you to whatever you have to do?”

  “No, it’s okay; my minds gone blank: I must need a break: you fancy a coffee?”

  “I think in that case, a coffee is a very good idea.”

  The restaurant was quite busy, mostly with guests. They had almost taken over the room as a communal meeting place where they spent the day talking, or playing cards and games.

  Andrew followed Emma to a corner of the room: apart from everybody else. It was obvious she wanted some privacy in a public place.

  “So what is it, top secret?”

  “No… but maybe only for your ears?”

  “Then you have my attention.”

  Andrew…” she began slowly, “Said something about you having a theory about the deaths?” she avoided adding that it was presented more as an accusation.

  “He thinks I’m paranoid, maybe I am. I don’t know whether it’s a theory or just a feeling, but I don’t think they were all accidents... Okay,” he added quickly, thinking it was actually harder to put something to someone who didn’t think you were crazy; suddenly he felt like an idiot. “…Accidents can happen but there are coincidences and there are more than coincidences?” he was surprised she didn’t laugh at him.

  “You think there is something connecting them?”

  Mathew looked about the room. “I know it sounds stupid, and maybe I’ve spent too much time reading crime novels recently, but… I was beginning to think, maybe one… or two… could have been murder?” Now she would laugh, or shake her head in amusement, but she didn’t.

  Emma dropped her voice low. “Your saying there’s a murderer on board?”

  “We have a lot of rich people on board, who we know nothing about, other than people don’t get that rich by being nice to their competitors?”

  “Mathew!” Emma said in an exasperated way. “Just because someone has a lot of money it doesn’t even make them a bad per
son, never mind a murderer.”

  “I know, so maybe it’s a crew member,” he smiled trying to frame what he had said as a joke. “And yes I know everyone has to pass a personality test, and something like that would have shown up then?”

  Emma’s looked over her shoulder and her voice sank even lower. “But you think its one of them?”

  “I don’t know, but lets just say I have a very short list?”

  “You have suspect, then what’s his: I’m assuming it’s a him?”

  Mathew said nothing.

  She looked at him with raised eyebrows, “It’s a her?”

  “No it’s a him.”

  “Then what’s his purpose?”

  “To survive, it’s common knowledge that our supplies are finite. If we can’t get more, then we need to use less.”

  “That’s a reasonable assumption, but it has a flaw, a big one.”

  Mathew had convinced himself he was right and didn’t want to hear a way it could be wrong. “And that is?”

  “With one exception, everyone who has died has been crew. To have food to survive is one thing, but you also need to get to the end alive; so rather than killing the crew: people who he will need to get him home, wouldn’t it make more sense to kill off the guests?”

  It did make more sense but Mathew didn’t want to admit it. “None of the essential crew has died?”

  “Carl?”

  “Well except Carl.”

  “Personally I would have left a doctor to be one of the last of my victims?”

  “Point taken, but it’s still possible?”

  “Of course what your saying assumes the killer wants to get to Earth, and you’d really would have to be out of your mind to want to stay in space any longer than you had to?”

  Mathew was stunned as Jennifer’s words came back to him;