are in order.” She managed, knowing he would not buy into it.
“I see…" Arthur put more weight on the back of the chair, leaning closer to her. "Listen, I’m finishing in a couple of hours. Maybe we can grab dinner together. I have some great movies we could watch.” His face was at the same level with hers now, almost rubbing against her cheek. She couldn’t see him but knew that he was smiling.
“I’m not hungry,” she said, opening another document and pretending to go through a report on the screen.
“Okey-dokey, suit yourself. Although, I hear they are serving Mexican tonight." She felt the pressure on the chair disappear as he moved away. "Maybe then we could just skip the food and watch ourselves a movie or two? Seeing how you like reality TV and all." He spoke as he slowly walked to his desk. Rebecca's hands clenched into fists under the desk but she said nothing.
(•••)
Rebecca walked down the wide corridor towards the tram when the bracelet on her left wrist gave out a signal. She looked at the small screen. It was Lynn. She pressed the answer button and brought the hand to her ear.
“Hey, what’s up? Where are you?” Lynn’s voice sounded in the small speaker.
Before Rebecca managed to answer she heard a man’s voice in the background and Lynn continued, “James has already studied the menu of today three times. Won’t be able to keep him off the food for much longer.” Then Rebecca could hear Lynn giggle and say, trying to keep the speaker further away “Stop it, you!”
“Hi, Lynn!” Rebecca spoke into the bracelet. “I think I’ll pass tonight. Not very hungry.”
“Oh, come on, you sure?”
Rebecca heard James’s voice in the background, “James says hi. He’s saying they are serving Mexican today. Sure you want to skip that?”
“Yeah.”
She heard James yell into the microphone, “Hi, doctor!”
“Hi, James,” Rebecca said, a smile appearing on her face. She heard him say something else but could not make out the words.
“My ever-hungry husband is asking if he can take your ration if you won’t be needing it.” Lynn giggled and added, addressing James, “Oh, stop it now! I’m serious.” Rebecca imagined Lynn’s face right then, her almond-shaped eyes squinting at James, a smile on her lips. She never met a couple that seemed made for each other the same way these two were. Five years of marriage and still a relationship heated up by passion.
“Sure. No worries. You still have my spare card, don’t you?”
“Thanks! You’re a sweetheart, Rebecca!” She heard James in the speakers.
“Don’t mention it!” Rebecca reached the platforms and saw that the blue line was leaving in three minutes. She headed towards the open doors of the second car. Shifting noises came from the other end of the call.
“Hey,” she heard Lynn say, her voice sounding more somber. “Everything all right with you?” She could hear Lynn walking. “Yes, I’m coming! I’m ready! Yes, I am!” she must have covered the microphone with her palm but Rebecca still could hear what she was shouting at James.
“Sorry, that man simply loves his food,” she gave out a sigh.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Lynn, totally fine. Nothing to worry about.”
“You didn’t seem that good yesterday evening. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Yes. Just tired. That’s all.”
“I said I’m coming!” Lynn screamed, keeping the microphone away but the words still sounded loud enough for Rebecca to hear them. “God… Okay, honey, I’ve got to go now. Call me tomorrow, will you?”
“Will do.”
“Love you! Coming, for heaven’s sake!” She heard Lynn make kissing noises into the microphone and closed the call.
The voice announced that the tram was about to leave and then called out the stops. She had to get off at the third one, the Archive.
(•••)
She sat at the terminal, a large holoscreen glowing in front of her, the rest of the room submerged into semi-darkness. The line of light under the ceiling was dim and only a couple of other screens glowed with bluish light. There were other people sitting by the terminals but no one paid any attention to anyone else, everyone submerged in their own business.
Rebecca put her hand on the scanner and a text greeted her on the screen.
Welcome, Doctor Porter
Rebecca opened the search window and typed in Thalos. The search engine gave out results. Most of them were news clippings from more than twenty years ago. The headlines read:
A tragic accident on Thalos
Thalos - Death station
Ambiguity shrouds accident on Thalos
All the rest were similar in nature to the first ones. Rebecca scrolled down and opened one of the found items.
The unfortunate accident on Thalos, a space station located in the orbit around Empiria III, took the lives of more than four hundred people. The station belonging to the Sirius Corporation was considered one of the safest of its generation. The details of the malfunction of the life support systems remain undisclosed.
The Valkyrie, a military transporter vessel belonging to the Sirius Corporation, was the first ship to reach the orbit around Empiria III after the distress signal was sent. From the words of the official representative of the Sirius Corporation, the station was compromised and there was nothing that could have been done for the residents of the station, four hundred and seventeen people in total. Official reports state that the malfunction of the life support systems was the cause of the accident but fail to provide any further details. All the information remains classified until the investigation takes place.
Unfortunately, the seven members of the rescue party sent from Valkyrie had perished in the gas explosion; three more gained severe burns and died right after they were returned aboard the ship.
The spokesman for the Sirius Corporation informed that the whole thing was nothing but an accident and refused to add anything about the claim that the rescue party could have been sent earlier, declining the fact that the sensitive cargo aboard the spaceship played any role in the timing of the rescue operation. The official statement made was that the staff of the station was professional and there were no records of cases of negligence reported.
The captain of Valkyrie, Leonard Richards, refuses to give any commentary about the accident.
Rebecca picked at the hangnail on her right thumb.
Lower in the screen, there was a picture of the crew of the Valkyrie. She recognized the younger self of Captain Richards and in the next row next to him was Doctor Dawson. Even though he had no beard then he still had the same somber expression on his face. Below was another picture - one of the station. The left side of it had a large hole in the hull, the debris floating in the open space, a planet covered in purple clouds in the background.
Rebecca read a couple of other news articles, which repeated the first one, some adding more colorful details with pictures of the deceased, some of which were families with children. In some articles the reporters wrote about a ‘sensitive cargo’ the Valkyrie was hauling, guessing at the nature of it and supposing that that was the main factor which had played the crucial role in timing of the rescue operation, stating that the people aboard the station still had over eleven hours of air when the distress signal was received, whereas the rescue vessel was sent more than sixteen hours later.
Now the conversation she overheard made more sense. She rubbed the hangnail with the index finger. A small drop of blood came out on the nail where the skin had torn. She put it to her lips and sucked on it. For a moment, she felt uncomfortable as if someone was staring at her. Rebecca turned around but there was no one behind her. The archive now was almost empty, only one other person sitting by the screen at the farther end of the room. She felt goosebumps crawl over her neck as the feeling of being watched still lingered.
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