Station Breaker

77 Super Power

Earth is a giant half blue, half black marble below me and I've got a nuclear weapon in a suitcase…

Holy crap — I have nuclear weapon. I mean, it's scary and all, but wow. I'm like a one-man nuclear power.

If I ever had any plans of super-villainy, now is the time to pursue them.

And… I got nothing.

I'm interrupted by the slightly more sober responsible people back on Earth. "David, this is Baylor. We're getting someone on the line to help with this."

"Uh, great. Why didn't we think about that before?"

"We did. We're not all just sitting around down here waiting for you."

"Is this the man with the nuclear device?" asks a male voice.

"Yes?" I say hesitantly. "Who is this?"

"I'm Major Lewis with Army Ordnance Disposal. Is the device in a container?"

"Yes. It's a large plastic box."

"Okay. I need you to set it down on the floor and check the sides for wires."

"Um, Major, there's no floor here."

"The ground, whatever. We just need to make sure that it's not rigged with some kind of anti-tampering trigger."

Did they just call the guy in the middle of the night without telling him what was up?

"I'm in space. So we'll have to make do. I'm betting they didn't put a booby-trap on the case."

"We need to be sure before we open it."

I don't think he understands the kind of time constraint we're working under. I undo the latch and feel my scrotum shrink to nothing.

"Nope. No hidden triggers."

"What? How do you know?"

"Because I just opened it." I stop squinting and stare inside the case at the round device with a cord running to a smaller black box.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"Right. Next time I'll remember."

"Okay, Dan, I need you to describe to me what's inside the case."

I don't bother correcting him about my name. After I explain what I see, he asks me to check a serial number and confirm some details.

"Alright, Dan. You're looking at an NK3 nuclear package that would normally be the payload of an air to ground missile. It sounds like they've modeled the detonation system on an old Soviet mobile delivery system. The small box — that's the detonation trigger. It can either activate a timer or go off immediately."

"Got it. So now what?"

"See that yellow cable that runs from the box to the cylinder?"

"Affirmative."

"I need you to pull that from the cylinder connector. Let me know when you've done that."

I reach a nervous hand to the cable, afraid I'll screw up and grab the wrong one.

Slowly, as if the fate of the whole world, not just half, depended on it, I unplug the first cable. Beads of sweat drift off my face and splatter on the inside of my helmet.

"Done. Okay, now what?"

"Did you detach the cable?"

"Yes." My fingers are starting to shake. "What's next?"

"There is no next. You disarmed the device."

"Just like that? Huh, I was expecting more…"

"Yes. This isn't some Hollywood movie, Dan."

"David. My name is David."

"Okay. Anyway, this hardware was meant for Russian military to operate. With the exception of the potential booby-trap on the case, they don't really expect any other party to actually get this close to their bomb."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

A green light flashes on the smaller box. "Hey, there's a light that just turned on."

"Does it say 'Zaryad' or 'Taymer'?"

"Zaryad. That's Russian for "charge", right?"

"Well, fuck," he replies, sending my testicles deep into my chest.

That's one word you don't want to hear coming out of the mouth of the nuclear weapons expert who's supposed to talk you through the most critical bomb defusal ever.

"What's wrong?"

"That means they just tried to blow up the device," he replies.

WTF? I stare down at the cylinder that was just seconds ago plugged into the receiver.

"This could have been ugly."

"No shit. Good thing I didn't wait to see if the thing was booby-trapped."

"Yes, but normally that's advisable," Lewis says defensively.

"David, this is Baylor. Did you just say that they tried to blow up the bomb?"

"Yeah. Crazy. Huh? Did things just go south down there?"

"This is Markov. We haven't had any changes in developments. Precisely where are you over right now?"

"The Indian Ocean."

"Interesting. I do not think that was a strategic target."

"No?"

"No. I think the commanders set off the device because they know that you have retrieved it from the EVO."

Shit. They probably spotted me in my hiding spot from one of the cameras around the station…

"Baylor here. David, ditch the receiver and get out of there as quickly as you can!"

I grab the detonator box and fling it in one direction and the cable in another. They sail off into space and vanish. "I just got rid of the bomb parts."

"Great. But don't throw away the bomb. They might be able to retrieve that. And if they don't, the casing could burn up in the atmosphere and poison millions."

Wonderful. I hold the handle tightly. "The thought never crossed my mind." Um, sort of. "When you say get out of here?"

"Get back to the DarkStar. Now that Yablokov and Domnin know you have the device they'll be coming for you."

Damn it. I kind of thought once I had the bomb it would be game over.

Guess again, Dan.

I grab a tether from my belt, lay it across the open case then shut it over the strap so I can sling it around me like a backpack.

With both hands free, I quickly pull myself up the docking column and past the junction module.

Although the Russian escape craft are directly below me, something tells me that Yablokov and Domnin have already cut off that escape route. I just hope Sonin and the others are okay.

I make it over the junction and start sliding up the spire to where the DarkStar is tethered.

I never heard the gunshot.

In fact I don't even know what just happened until there's a loud popping sound on my suit, a sharp pain in my side and I lose my grip.

I'm knocked off the spire and air hisses out of my suit making me spin around like an out of control balloon.

"FUCK!" I scream as I fly away from the station and feel everything get cold.

Darkness starts to creep in over the corner of my vision as I lose oxygen.