Station Breaker

70 Invader

I reluctantly slide out of my spacesuit. I have to take it off to get to the gas mask I strapped to my chest and the other tools I didn't want to expose to hard vacuum and freezing cold.

For a brief moment I consider leaving it on for the added safety factor it provides as lightweight armor, but ultimately decide it'll cut down on my mobility. Also, although the backpack has a slim profile, the last time I flew through the K1, I didn't exactly do it gracefully.

I shove the suit into a cargo net on Ivanka's bulkhead then put the tools into my thermal suit pockets. Afraid I'll electrocute myself, I shove the stun glove into a pocket by my ankle.

I take one more moment to adjust the radio over my ear and send a final message back to Earth.

"About to enter the K1. I'll be silent for a while."

"Go ahead and leave your channel open so we can hear you, David," says Baylor. Now that the technical part is over, she's taking point on the commando part of the mission.

Right now there's a room full of people listening in down there, silently passing notes.

I've been there. In stressful situations, like this, you choose one person at a time to help the astronaut through. This can either be a friendly voice or someone with technical know-how.

Back at iCosmos we have a couple of NASA veterans who'll get on the comm with people during extended spacewalks and tell you stories and jokes to keep you company.

It's incredibly reassuring to listen to someone who made it to space in a different era talk you through a complicated situation.

Right now I think I'd like Prescott to tell me some Navy SEAL tales that don't involve throat slitting or mission failure. Instead, I have to settle for radio silence and the constant hiss of the K1.

A space station is filled with hundreds of noises. The best description I've encountered is that it's like living inside an old motel air conditioner.

Besides the hissing sounds of the air vents, there's the variety of hums and knocking sounds coming from everywhere. Because a space station is free-floating, vibrations really don't have anywhere to go.

One of the virtual reality simulations we do is called "Knock Knock." The point of it is to see how quickly you can find a mysterious rattle inside the space station. More than a game, this could come in handy if someone's scientific spinny-thingy is going to vibrate loose an entire module.

I push Ivanka's hatch all the way open and slide into the docking module. Directly in front of me there's bright yellow tape across the hatch where the Unicorn was docked. I guess they don't want to take the chance that someone will try to use the damaged docking collar.

The hatch to the upper pylon is closed. I put my ear to the metal and listen to the hum of the station. Reasonably confident there's not a troop of Russian space marines on the other side, I spin the wheel and open the entrance to the next section.

Last time I was here, I was in a bit of a rush. Now I'm taking my sweet time. Nuke or no nuke, I don't want to run into the commanders or anyone else unprepared.

I reach the end of the lower pylon and stop myself before gliding into the junction that leads to the four different modules and the upper spire.

Everything is quiet. The emergency lights aren't flashing like last time, so there's that. But I don't hear people talking.

The secure section is at the end of the module to my left. At least one of the commanders must be inside there with the nuke.

The main crew section is directly ahead of me. This is where the kitchen and the sleeping quarters are located. Behind me are the laboratories. The other side is the storage section.

Which way?

If I want to get into the secure section I'll need one of the commanders to use as a puppet. I take the stun glove out, slide it over my left hand, then shove the combat syringe into that sleeve so I can get to it quickly.

Okay, all I need to do now is to just slip past all the other crew and paralyze a Russian combat-veteran.

Perfect.

Maybe it would have been a better idea if Prescott was here instead.