“Sergei Karpov, the soft city boy.” I grinned. “I can’t imagine that.” The others laughed.
“Well, I for one, think that no matter what we find, we should stick together, at least for a while.” Aki told us, floating over to some footholds and hooking herself into them. “I don’t want to be alone down there.”
“You’d probably be much in demand.” I told her with a smirk. “After all we’ll…”
“…have to repopulate the Earth.” Aki finished with a passably droll impression of my English accent before rolling her eyes. “The classic post-apocalyptic male fantasy. How predictable!” We all laughed, though I didn’t like the leery look Flynn cast at Natalya and almost subconsciously slipped a protective arm around her waist. Natalya shot me a surprised glance and remembering my conversation with Karpov, I let go of her.
“Even though it will be hard, it will be good to get back to Earth.” Morrison said wistfully. “This tin can is starting to feel like Purgatory.” Though we all nodded our agreement, I wondered, extending the metaphor further, whether it was damnation that ultimately awaited us on the surface.
Day Sixty-One
I awoke, the comforting warmth of Natalya pressed against me in the total darkness of the sleeping compartment. We were both squeezed into a sleeping bag to keep us together while we slept. I switched on the small light on the wall of the compartment. Natalya stirred, her eyes flicking open.
“Good morning.” I smiled.
“Good morning.” Came the sleepy reply. “What time is it?”
“Not quite time yet.” I replied. Natalya wrapped her arms around me, her head resting against my shoulder. I returned her embrace and we held each other close for a few moments.
“Do you ever feel guilty?” she asked me.
“Guilty? What for?”
“You and I.” she replied. “Only two months ago the entire planet was devastated, billions killed including our own family and friends and yet we have somehow put it all behind us and started a relationship. It seems selfish, disrespectful.”
“You feel we should have a respectful period of mourning before allowing ourselves to find any enjoyment again?” I replied thoughtfully. “You might be right. But personally, and I don’t want to sound callous, but I think that we need to worry about ourselves first. If we spent all day thinking about how bleak the future looks, we’d end up in the depths of depression like Flynn. I think there is precious little to enjoy left in the world and we need something to live for, some glimmer of light in the darkness. I haven’t forgotten about my family and friends. I think about them every day, but I’m sure wherever they are, they would rather see us happy.”
“I’m not sure my family would be so happy to see me in the arms of a foreigner.” Natalya smiled. “They were very traditional.”
“Well, in that case you have an obvious alternative.” I quipped. Natalya chuckled and playfully elbowed me in the ribs.
“Time for me to go.” She announced, unzipping the sleeping bag and sliding her lithe frame into her flight suit.
“Time for the float of shame.” I smiled as she eased open the door of my compartment. Natalya smiled back, before putting her finger to her lips and silently closing the door behind her.
Day Sixty-Three
I moved towards my sleeping cubicle and noticed that Flynn’s door was open. The American was watching a video on his laptop inside. I could hear singing from the video.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…” I glanced in the direction of the laptop.
“Can I help you with something, Carter?” Flynn’s eyes were still fixed on the screen.
“Sorry to intrude, Chuck.” I replied. “I can see this is a personal moment. I’ll give you some privacy.” Flynn finally glanced in my direction and I could see his eyes were red and puffy.
“It’s okay, Carter.” He said after a moment. I nodded and reached for my own door before pausing a moment and turning back to the American.
“Your wife and daughter?” I finally asked. Flynn nodded.
“Caitlin and Sarah.” He replied. On the screen in front of him, I could see a blonde woman and a little girl, perhaps seven or eight years old, fair haired like her mother. They were holding a cake decorated with an astronaut on top and ringed with candles. They looked like they were standing outside what was presumably Flynn’s house on a bright summer’s day.
“Sorry you can’t blow out the candles yourself, but Sarah said she’ll do it for you.” His wife smiled. The little girl beamed at the camera and after a few breaths, blew out all the candles.
“Happy birthday, daddy.” She smiled.
“They recorded a few videos for me before I left.” Flynn told him. “One for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, one for Valentine’s Day from my wife and this last one for my birthday.”
“So it’s your birthday today?” I asked.
“Forty-three today.” Flynn smiled humourlessly. I acknowledged that fact with a nod, knowing that to wish Flynn a happy birthday would have seemed rather hollow under the circumstances. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something sympathetic, but coming up empty. Flynn must have read it in my expression as he nodded. “I envy you, Carter. Sure, you lost friends and relatives, but you weren’t married and have no children. The woman you love is right here on the station. Varennikova’s a beautiful woman, Carter. She reminds me a little of Caitlin when we first met. You’re very lucky.”
“I know I am, Chuck.” I replied. “I can’t imagine the pain that the rest of you must be feeling.”
“And you should be forever grateful for that.” Flynn told him. I nodded and pulled myself into my own cubicle, for once pitying the big American.
Day Sixty-Six
I pulled myself into the Columbus lab, finding Natalya muttering darkly at her experiment rack. Swinging a foot at it, she succeeded only in sending herself crashing into the wall behind her. Clutching her toes, she let out an angry tirade of Russian as she pushed herself back off the wall.
“Bad day?” I grinned. Natalya’s head jerked in my direction.
“I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing, wasting my time on this!” She snapped, gesturing wildly at her experiment rack. “This is supposed to be providing valuable data for a future expedition to Mars!” She laughed humourlessly. “If anyone’s even still alive down there, they’ll be back to the dark ages, wondering where their next meal is coming from. This nonsense…” She glared at the rack, “…will be furthest from their minds. Seriously Max, what is the point?”
“Natalya…” I reached for her, but she pulled away, her eyes blazing.
“I don’t need a damn hug right now!” She snarled.
“Okay!” I threw my hands up defensively. “Look, I think we all know that Karpov has you and the others carrying on your routine to keep your minds off our bleak situation but perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it is just a waste of time. But then again, perhaps not. If history tells us anything, it’s that the human race has an indomitable spirit. We will struggle through these dark times and while it may take us a few generations, we will conquer space again. When that happens, maybe, just maybe, the research you and the others are doing will be invaluable.” Natalya slowly nodded, her temper cooling.