“You’ve been thinking about your family?” I guessed. The American nodded.
“In my darkest moments, I think it would be easier to volunteer to stay behind on the station. That way, I know in a few months, I’ll be reunited with them.” I nodded but remained silent, admiring Morrison’s faith, even after everything that had happened. “I try to keep my mind occupied, but I miss them. They are in my thoughts when I close my eyes to sleep, I dream of them at night and I think of them the instant I wake. Every moment my mind isn’t tied up with other things, they just pop in there, the feel of my wife’s kiss, my son’s smile, my baby girl’s giggle.” Morrison’s voice began to crack. For months, I had considered Morrison the strongest and most resilient of Expedition 79, so I found it deeply disconcerting to see the normally stoic American in the depths of despair. Natalya and I had had plenty of low moments before and Flynn just a few weeks previously. If even Morrison was starting to crack, how long would it be before we all fell apart? I reached out a consoling arm, patting Morrison on the shoulder. I felt awkward, not really knowing what to say or do.
“You and Natalya are lucky to have one another.” Morrison said finally. “I envy you, having that emotional intimacy with someone at a time like this.”
“Flynn said something similar a while back.” I nodded.
“He’s right.” Morrison smiled weakly before gazing back at the blackened planet beneath us. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to talk to my wife, if only for just five minutes.”
Day One Hundred and Twenty-Five
I looked up from my e-book at Natalya, who was sitting opposite reading her own paperback. We had settled into the vacant Columbus lab, away from the others.
“Look at us.” I smiled. Natalya looked up from her book. “We’re like an old married couple, sitting here together and reading in silence.”
“It’s nice.” Natalya replied. “I think it shows how comfortable we are together.”
“I don’t know.” I feigned a grimace. “Perhaps the romance is dead…” Natalya’s eyes widened in mock horror and she hurled her paperback at me. In the zero gravity environment, it spun towards my head in a dead straight trajectory. I quickly threw up a hand and caught it. “No need for the domestic violence!” I quipped. I glanced at the book. The title was in Russian so I couldn’t read it, but judging by the picture of a man and woman in a passionate embrace on the cover, it was a trashy romance novel. I spun the book back towards her, Natalya catching the book and glancing at the cover for a moment.
“Do you think we would have formed a relationship if everything had continued as normal on the surface?” Natalya asked me. I considered for a moment.
“I’d like to think so.” I finally replied. “Personally, I was certainly attracted to you even before everything went to hell.”
“Well you certainly made quite a first impression on me.” Natalya raised an eyebrow. I winced, remembering the day I had first arrived on the station. The hatch between the Soyuz capsule and the station had opened and Natalya, Karpov and Flynn had greeted us. I had pushed myself through the hatch, but my inexperience in zero gravity had told and I had propelled myself straight into Natalya, sending us both careering across the FGB module and ending up in a tangled heap against the ceiling.
“Not the most auspicious of arrivals.” I replied wryly.
“I think to begin with, I certainly found you intriguing.” Natalya replied. “I suppose I found you good looking and charming but the stronger feelings followed later. Honestly, as you were scheduled to leave the station after a couple of weeks, I think we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become more than friends. So I suppose you could say we caught a break with the world ending.”
“It is strange how things have worked out.” I nodded thoughtfully.
Day One Hundred and Thirty-Seven
I ran briskly on the treadmill in Zvezda module. Of all the exercise equipment on the station, this one had taken the most getting used to, but I quite enjoyed using it now. I had my earphones in and was listening to a compilation of guitar bands that took me back to my student years. It had always seemed strange to me, how a song can take you right back to a specific time and place. I smiled as the latest track reminded me of a particularly raucous house party, a copious amount of beer, a can of whipped cream and a pair of blonde, tanned Australian girls. Aki suddenly appeared in my field of vision, emerging through the hatch from the direction of the American Segment. She began frantically waving her hands at me, obviously desperate to catch my attention. Alarmed, I pulled the earphones from my ears. Straight away, I realised something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
“Couldn’t you hear me?” Aki shouted at me. “We need your help. Flynn’s gone berserk! He’s attacked Karpov! He’s unconscious!”
“What happened?” I asked, quickly detaching myself from the treadmill.
“Flynn started ranting at Karpov, accusing the Russians of starting the war down on Earth. He told Karpov that he suspected that he knew already. He was crazy, eyes wide and babbling about ‘cowardly red bastards’, how Russians should not be allowed in American territory on the station and how you and I were probably in cahoots with them too. Then he took a swing at Karpov, taking him by surprise. When Wes tried to restrain him, Flynn threw him into the Tranquillity Node and locked him inside. Then he had Karpov by the throat, cracking his head against the side of the airlock hatch until he was unconscious. I tried to drag him off, but he was too strong…” At that moment, a dull metallic thud echoed through the station.
“What the hell was that?!” Aki spun around towards the hatch into the FGB module.
“Come on!” I told her, setting off towards the hatch. “Where is Natalya?”
“I don’t know.” Aki replied anxiously. “She was in the Columbus lab at the other end of the station last time I saw her.” We passed through the hatch into the FGB module and quickly pulled ourselves towards the narrow tube connecting the Russian segment to the Unity Node. We found our way blocked by the unconscious body of Karpov and behind him, the closed hatch, preventing us from moving any further into the station.
“Karpov!” Aki cried out in dismay. We pulled Karpov into the more spacious FGB module.
“Karpov. Karpov!” I shook him by the shoulders. There was a large swelling on his left temple, which had turned an angry purple colour. The big Russian remained motionless. I shook him harder, yelling his name louder until he finally groaned and his eyes opened a crack. I felt relief wash over me and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God for that.” I smiled at him. “You had us worried there for a moment.”
“Let me take a look at him.” Aki peeled back his eyelids. “He’s concussed.” She said after a moment. “Let’s get him through into Zvezda and I’ll get the medical kit.” We dragged him into the service module and Aki pulled a green medical kit from the wall. She pulled out a dressing and a cold compress before bandaging it to Karpov’s head. He groaned again as the dressing was pressed to his temple.
“You’ve suffered a concussion.” Aki told him, her voice calm and reassuring, though I imagined that she felt anything but. “As far as I can see, you haven’t suffered a skull fracture, but we can’t be sure. That was quite an impact.” She paused for a moment. “Mission Commander, I wish I didn’t have to burden you with this, but Flynn’s locked us in the Russian segment. He’s closed the door into the Unity Node. Wes and Natalya are trapped on the other side.” Karpov looked at Aki dumbly for a moment and I wondered if the big Russian had suffered some form of brain damage.