Prisoner Six

Part 13

Day 744 7:50 hours

Retrofitting the lander took longer than expected. Another EVA was required to add the cargo extendable, since attaching it with automated systems would take too much power. Sam watched Dave complete the attachments from inside the lander, trying desperately not to let her mind drift to her final encounter with Vox...

... and to Margaret's messages.

Now that she knew her niece had been trying to contact her, Sam felt an even greater sense of urgency and determination to succeed-to survive. Which is why her next thought inevitably turned to Vox's final calculations:

4.3 months of food rations. 5.2 months of travel time to Sedna station.

Enough for six passengers. Not seven.

Where would they get the extra month of food? Would one of Dave's crew gallantly give up their seat? Or their rations?

With a steady eye on Dave, Sam accessed the readouts on the stasis containers. The prisoners' wake cycles were nearly complete; they should be stirring at any moment. Turning her attention to the power readouts, Sam was encouraged to confirm that the power draw on the stasis containers were quite low. A single pod could easily run for more than five months on standby mode.

Could she convince Dave to leave someone in stasis to conserve rations? Could they somehow transfer a pod to the lander? Or must they be left... behind?

"Commander?" Dave's voice interrupted on the intercom. "I think I've got the cargo extendible secured."

Sam swiped the stasis readouts from the computer, along with the remaining questions from her mind. First things first. There was work to do.

Eventually, she and Dave managed to place all of the remaining rations inside the cargo extendible, and refashion the lander's cockpit and life-support systems to accommodate seven people-albeit, in cramped quarters. Whether they all made the journey or not, it was going to be an extremely uncomfortable five months.

Sam's body protested the efforts as she powered down the systems. She had hoped they could sleep in two four-hour shifts before the crew woke; but they now had only three hours left. One of them needed to be awake to maneuver around the asteroid, and that person should be Sam, but she could barely stand after the depressurized beating her body had taken. Sensing this, Dave approached.

"I could stay awake and make sure there's no hiccups in the systems while we wait."

"No," said Sam. "I've set alarms for that, as well as a timer for when the crew wakes." She looked at Dave uneasily. If she was going address this, now was the time.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked.

Sam took a deep breath. "Before Vox powered down, it told me something."

"What?"

"While I was unconscious, Vox said you asked it to calculate power and ration estimates for six passengers to Sedna station. And it told you there was enough."

Dave didn't look pleased, but he didn't look guilty either. He stared straight at Sam. "That's right. I wasn't sure whether or not you would recover at that point. But, as I said before, anything is possible. The meteoroid storm, your waking me, surviving the reactor detonation. If you had calculated the odds on all of that, what would they be?"

"One in billions."

Dave laughed. "Well, there you have it. I feel more optimistic the seven of us can survive, now, don't you?"

Sam couldn't say that she did. "Please don't mock this," she said. "In all of my training for this mission, there was only one rule: nothing must be left to chance. Now, everything looks like a gamble. Even if we reach Sedna station, what happens then?"

Dave stepped closer to Sam with a look of certainty. "It will all work out, I promise. We just need to work together."

Sam stared into his eyes, wanting with all her heart to believe him. To trust him. But, she decided not to reveal her idea about the stasis container.

Not yet.

"Perhaps you're right," she said, her mind and body growing more stiff and groggy with every passing moment. "We can discuss more options with your crew once they wake. First, we should rest."

"Where?"

"Here," said Sam, indicating the cramped landing module they were working in. "We're going to have to get used to it. And it's the only place with any heating left."

Sam removed her outer jumpsuit, bundled it up, and lay down on one of the mats they'd fashioned in the back of the module for sleep. Dave did the same. After a few moments, it was clear that the minimal heat Sam had programmed wasn't nearly enough. Yet another calculation that was insufficient for their needs. As she contemplated whether emergency foil blankets or a small change in the power allotment would be more sufficient, Dave slid next to Sam and draped his arm around her.

Sam's whole body tensed. After two years, she was unfamiliar with the sensation of another person in such close proximity. She barely moved or breathed until; at last, she felt his breathing slow beside her. A moment later, she relaxed into him; surprised not only by how much warmth he gave her, but how much peace she felt.

Could it really be this simple? Could trusting Dave actually ease her burdens and provide new solutions? Anything is possible, she thought drowsily. Her mind eased as she held Dave's arm... and dropped off into a warm, dreamless sleep.

***

Day 744 12:31 hours

Cold. That was the first sensation Sam felt as she woke. That, and the faint sounds of chattering and buzzing. Opening her eyes, Sam was alarmed to find that the chattering sound was her own teeth, shivering against the cold. The strangeness of this fact was followed by the sudden realization that she was now on the prisoner observation deck...

...and Dave and the prisoners were gone.

****

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for reading Prisoner Six! I've been so grateful for your support and feedback thus far. If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving a vote or comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts on the latest episode!