Station Breaker

76 Stalker

I work my way up the docking spire towards the underside of the module where the EVOs are stored. From my perspective, through a gap between the panels and the station, I can see the tubes where they're launched.

As hiding places go, it's not exactly the best. Technically speaking, with Asia below me, I'm actually trying to hide in plain sight of about 4 billion people. Let's just hope none of them look up.

Laney's voice shocks the hell out of me. "How's it going?"

"Quiet, I'm trying to hide."

"You're in space. There's no sound."

"Then why am I hearing you?"

There's a long silence. I guess they decided to stop transmitting.

"Okay, I'm here. Put Laney on."

"Now you want to listen to me?"

"Obviously. What happened to Baylor?"

"She's right next to me. I'm moral support and technical. She's operations."

"Wow, you guys have an org chart and everything. When is the company picnic?"

"We don't know when yet, but my money is on Guantanamo for the location."

"Great. I love Cuban food."

"Noted. So we haven't noticed any large explosions in space and the end of Western civilization, yet. So that's good."

"We've come closer than I care to think a couple times. The commanders hid the crew helmets."

"We heard. Then things went silent."

I forgot about the open channel. "Right. A cosmonaut named Sonin is in the other craft. I used Ivanka as an airlock. Now I'm hiding here waiting for the commanders to shove the nuke into the EVO unit."

"Then you're going to do the switch. Right?"

"Something like that."

"You know they probably have a camera aimed at the EVO launchers."

"Yeah. I guess that would make sense."

"That means you need to move your ass quickly as you can to retrieve the bomb because if they see you on the monitor…"

"Boom goes David."

"Boom goes my satellite television."

"Got it. It'll take them a few minutes to cycle through the airlock. And they might not even have a dead-man switch."

"Or they might. Want to take that chance?"

"No, ma'am."

There's a flicker of light on my face shield. At first I think one of my instrument lights is acting up. Then I realize on the stealth suit none of them are all that bright. In fact, I think you can only see them from my point of view.

"Something wrong?" asks Laney.

"There's a flickering of light hitting my helmet."

"Where did you leave Sonin?"

"Right!" I look down and see her spaceship. The light is coming from her porthole.

At first I think she's making some kind of Morse code signal, then I realize it's just frantic flickering as she tries to warn me about something. I wave a hand at her and the light stops.

I point upwards towards the EVA airlock. She flicks the light on and off.

"Is it aliens?" asks Laney.

"I wish." I see a glint of light from overhead. "Hold up. I think they're on the move."

I slide my helmet's black visor into place. According to the manual, it's supposed to reduce the amount of light reflected from the suit to almost nothing. It does a fairly good job without rendering me blind.

Since we're on the night side over Earth, I risk poking my head over the edge to get a better view of what's going on above me.

One of the commanders is working his way around the rails. There's a tether fastened to his belt leading ten meters back to the waist of another astronaut holding a large hardshell case. Copious amounts of red duct tape are stuck to his free hand — which I assume is the dead-man switch.

It's practical, but rather absurd. Yablokov, the one I assume is holding the bomb, looks like a balloon tied to Domnin as he makes his way to the EVO.

Rather than have both men with only one hand free, they decided to have Domnin pull Yablokov over to the EVO.

The fact that they have a dead-man switch out here tells me how paranoid they are about having someone try to stop them — even 200 miles up.

I keep a watch on them, but remain motionless. While I might blend in as a shadow, quick movement on my part might get me noticed.

It takes them several minutes, but they finally reach the EVO tubes. Domnin pulls in his fellow commander and they both use their waist tethers to clip to a rail next to the launchers.

I duck under the module above me when they're looking the other way.

After securing themselves, they open the release doors to the EVO and place the case inside. Domnin makes some adjustments to the EVO then shuts the panel.

I watch as they return to the airlock and count off the seconds it'll take for them to enter and shut the door.

Once I'm sure they're inside, I slide out from my hiding position and move as quickly as I can, hand over hand, to the EVO tube.

In my head I count off the seconds as they go through the airlock cycle and pumps fill the chamber.

Satisfied they're not coming right back out, I pull open the release on the top of the EVO, take the suitcase, then shut the door.

Moving back down to my hiding spot is difficult with just one free hand. I'm too afraid to let go of the suitcase and don't dare let it dangle from a tether where it could serve as an atomic anchor ready to bash into the K1 or me.

Finally, back under the shade of the module, I call down to earth. "So… um… I think I have a nuclear weapon. Um, now what?"