(4)
Although he could be of very little help where the Meta probe was concerned, knowing as little as anyone else as to why Alpha lost contact with the planet and probe, Professor Bergman had a couple of unrelated theories he wanted to pass by the Commander. In this case, it had to do with nuclear waste and why there was apparent radiation sickness where there could not possibility be radioactivity.
"One conjecture is as preposterous as the other." Victor said, still reclined in his bed, with a tired smile. "But worth a listen."
Koenig might have asked him what he had in mind, despite his fatigue, but the Commander received a summons on his comlock, requesting his return to Main Mission. "Get some rest, Victor. We will talk all about it first thing in the morning. I'm calling a meeting." He then looked at the approaching Dr. Mathias, who was holding a hypodermic syringe in this hand. "He can be released tomorrow. Correct?"
"Yes, Commander. After a good rest."
"It will clear your mind for what is ahead." Helena reassured her friend and colleague. "Tomorrow you will be as good as new." She then watched Mathias apply the hypo shot. Smiling but feeling unspoken trepidation, Dr. Russell told the men she was going to observe the ill Eagle pilots. Perhaps she could develop some theories of her own.
Koenig stretched a little as he walked to his new quarters. Only his first day back on Alpha and his mind and body felt extraordinarily weary.
Briefly, almost imperceptivity, Main Mission thought they received a signal from Alan – even heard a voice that was patently Australian – but it was gone as soon as it was heard. "We're receiving …." Two words was all they could make out. Koenig and his team hoped it was Captain Carter, telling them he was hearing their signals and understood Alpha was attempting - with everything they had in their power - to communicate.
When Koenig entered his quarters, he did so quietly, thinking Helena might already be asleep. However, she was quite awake, wearing pajamas but sitting on the sofa in their living area, papers scattered about on a coffee table. She appeared to be studying something and he wondered if there was a break-through in Medical Center.
"Sorry, no." She said when he asked. "I'm just looking through my old notes and comparing them to the new ones Bob has taken."
"Anything interesting?" he asked.
"Not really. But there are certain astronauts that have been flying over Areas One through Three frequently and I've recommended grounding them. If it's an accumulative affect we do not want these men becoming ill. Dreardon and Hawthorne were clocking too many hours. No wonder they became infected."
"And Victor?"
"Only twice and he was quickly decontaminated. He is lucky."
Thoughtfully, John nodded and moved into their bathroom to wash up and change. Alpha only had so many Eagle crews, men specializing in the maintenance of nuclear waste containers, many who had already made that run more than once. If more exploration or upkeep was needed he might have to do it himself. Helena would hate that idea but, if matters esculated, they might not have a choice.
When he came out of the bathroom John noted that Helena had turned off the common area light and was waiting for him in bed. She folded down the sheet on his side and, looking about, noticed Helena or someone must have already unpacked their luggage and stored the bags in a closet. The framed photo of the two of them at the courthouse, after having wed, was sitting on a side table.
"It's not the penthouse," he commented, crawling into bed. "But it's larger than either of our two quarters last time we worked on Alpha."
"Couples always get larger quarters, particularly if one of them is the Commander of the moonbase." She spoke humorously. Helena turned off the light and they both laid back comfortably, quiet, and thoughtful.
After a moment Koenig said, "This is not the honeymoon I had envisioned for us a few days ago."
"You cannot get much more exotic than the moon, John." She replied, tone practical.
"Maybe. But I think a Mediterranean cruise would be nicer. Let's indulge in one when we get back."
Helena turned over to look at him, taking in her beloved's strong profile in the dim light. He seemed a bit pensive with the heaviness of command and if she did not do something he would not sleep well this evening. Besides, this was the first time they had any alone time together since entering Eagle 6 to come to Alpha. "Do you know what we have not done since we've been married?" Her hand very gently touched the exposed bare skin where his pajama top parted. Helena paused, trying to gauge the expression on his face. It seemed vaguely interested but also somewhat brooding. "But if you're not on the mood or too tired …" Her fingers lifted.
"No … always in the mood and not tired at all." John suddenly smiled and smoothly but quickly took her into his arms. He turned Helena over onto her back and kissed her neck eagerly. Her surprised giggle, its delight at his playfulness, made his heavy heart lighten like nothing else ever could. He needed her and if ever he did anything foolish in his life John Koenig knew the one smart thing he did do was say: "I will." to Dr. Helena Russell.
The couple came together for a sweet, profound, and very much desired kiss. At a time like this, when their and Alpha's future was so uncertain, who needed a fancy penthouse in New York? Or, for that matter, a Mediterranean cruise.
In the morning he had hoped for good news regarding the Meta probe and its crew but there was nothing fresh to report from Main Mission. There was still no word from Alan or any of the space professionals inside the craft. It was disheartening but Alpha's communications did continue to try. If they heard from them once, as brief as it was, they may be able to reach them again.
But, for now, Koenig had to put Meta on a back burner. There was nothing further he could do for the probe and a threat much closer to home was rearing its ugly head. Mathias reported that astronaut Simon Keith was brought in on a stretcher less than an hour before their meeting. He was showing every sign of magnetic radiation and, like the others, was now in isolation.
Bob asked Helena to attend the meeting in his place while he ran further tests. She agreed but, with an unexpected slap of misplaced expectation, Helena automatically thought she was going to attend the meeting anyway. It suddenly occurred to her that because she was no longer the CMO of Alpha, it would not necessarily be her place to attend such conferences. This was entirely Dr. Mathias duty – not hers. In the future, Helena thought, she would have to remember what she was – an consultant - and not what she felt she should be – in charge.
In attendance were Professor Bergman, appearing energetic and accommodating, David Kano, Paul Morrow and Sandra Benes. The men and women were seated around the white circular table in their Commander's executive office, off to the right of the big room, and – with good reason - they all seemed a little apprehensive.
"I know you have all heard about the astronauts currently in critical care." Koenig said, "It seems Alpha is experiencing a sad form of déjà vu. But this time there are no simple answers. As a matter of fact, the situation is even more dangerous because, it seems, this radiation could not possibly be coming from Areas One, Two, or Three." Koenig then asked, even though he already knew the answer: "Did Commander Gorski have any assumptions as to what was happening before he left?"
Morrow said, "He felt it was a run-off from our original problem and that the radiation levels would dissipate the longer the containers were free from the disposal area. Unfortunately, the astronauts are still becoming ill."
"And when this was not the case," Helena spoke, and tried not to sound bitter. "Did Commander Gorski have another concept, perhaps an idea he could actually back up?"
"No." Kano replied, nearly caustic. "He merely had us do research."
Morrow glanced at Professor Bergman before he added, "Our science department, I feel, was close to finding what was going on but when certain parties started to ask difficult questions they were dismissed by Commander Gorski."
"Why?" Helena asked, confused.
"We're not certain why. He seemed to be in communication with his superiors but later we learned Commander Gorski acted alone. Space Commission could see where he over-stepped his command, especially with the dismissal of Professor Bergman, and that was when he was asked to return to Earth."
"That works into one of my theories." Victor commented, tapping fingers on the table-top and appearing a little sad. "Gorski may have had good reason to keep certain parties from getting too nosey."
John nodded, "The containers. I suspected they were not as retrofitted as Space Commission claimed. If you remember, I was going to …."
"On the contrary, John." Bergman interrupted, "The new containers are fine. I checked them many times myself and they are not just adequate but well-constructed, to last a millennium or more. When it comes time to redeposit them in the ground Alpha should have no further problems."
Koenig suddenly looked perplexed but not hindered, "Go on, Professor."
"Allow me to give you my first theory before I get into it."
Koenig nodded.
"Our moon is not much younger than Earth. We all know it but that makes the satellite very old. Older even than human kind at our very beginning of existence. We now suspect there is life out there in deep space. We would not be sending men to Meta if we did not think we would find life, in whatever form, there …" Victor leaned forward in his chair, "Now what if, long before man, aliens visited Earth and our moon and stored their own version of waste on the moon … A substance so alien our instruments cannot pick up the contamination. We cannot read it because we do not have the ability. Either by accident or design."
"You are saying aliens came and purposely poisoned our moon millions of years ago?" Sandra wondered, appearing somewhat skeptical.
"Possibly." Victor backslid slightly, "Even if our caveman ancestors were alive when they visited, the observation such advanced lifeforms were giving our populace was probably rudimentary. They might not have been able to conceive that such lowly creatures would someday visit their moon. And, if they did believe we would evolve the aliens might have assumed we would know a way to neutralize the threat they place at our doorstep."
Kano said, "Let me get this straight, you think because we are digging deep into the moon surface we are uncovering alien radioactivity?"
"It does make sense in a strange way." Morrow spoke thoughtfully. "This is why none of our instruments or experiments are picking up the fallout. We can only see what we have been educated to identify. If it's too alien for us to pin point how could we possibly know how to combat it? Perhaps, this is why a guilty Meta has ceased to send signals."
"Or why they made themselves known in the first place." Koenig offered.
"If it is Meta, as you are suggesting, then they better get back into contact with us and do it soon." Kano exclaimed, "Or we are all doomed!"
There was a alarming quiet in the room for a count of twenty seconds.
"But If that is not the case," Koenig reminded. "What is your other theory, Victor?"
"I always felt it was a little odd that Commander Gorski appeared to be hindering our attempts to find answers. Admittedly, what we were doing was experimental and expensive – but also vital. No amount of Space Commission telling him we had to cut cost would make a conscientious or even marginally intelligent Commander not believe there was danger if he did not act quickly and logically. It was his job to convince the powers that be that Alpha and Earth was in danger - but he was entirely unwilling to cross that line."
"The symptom of a bad commander." Paul Morrow murmured, bitterly.
"Maybe," Victor continued, "but he was not a stupid man or he would not have become Commander, not matter how much Commissioner Simmonds was pushing him in this direction. Gorski saw and was seeing the sickness and body count." Victor looked at Helena, "Yet, he held your reports and made science on Alpha sound like an annoying hinderance."
"Are you saying he had another agenda, Professor? That he was getting his orders from someplace else?" Sandra asked, looking up from where she was making notes.
"Who were amongst the top countries who were planning to store nuclear waste on the moon – even before Alpha was built?"
"The United States, most of Europe, China … and the Russians." Koenig saw where Bergman was going with his train of thought.
"The Americans may have been the first to land on the moon but the Russians were a very close second and many believe they continued to man secret missions to the moon long after the nineteen sixties and seventies. As a matter of fact, when plans were coming together in the nineteen eighties to build Moonbase Alpha, the Soviets were initially against it – until they were given a promise of inclusion after the war."
"Say it Victor." Koenig wanted to hear his wrap-up out loud.
"I believe long before we started to store waste on the moon – the Russians were doing it without ever notifying any of us of their objective. If I'm right, and if it's as large a deposit as I think, what they were doing was prohibited world-wide and if they were to keep their secret they needed men and women on Moonbase Alpha to make certain it never came to light."
"You are saying, Victor, that there is more undetected nuclear waste buried under the moon?" Helena's eyes were wide but troubled.
"It can't be." Kano nearly shouted in frustration, 'We are not detecting it. How can we not find that much nuclear waste?"
"Because," Koenig conclude, "We are looking in the wrong place."
Bergman nodded slowly, "Somewhere out there in the moon there are more waste containers, nothing ever sanctioned by Space Commission or any of the other world powers after Alpha was designed and built. And if we do not find them – more men are going to die."
"Or worse." Koenig thought aloud and met Helena's frightened eyes. They knew the score. If Victor was right, those containers could be almost anywhere. The moon was a big place and the manpower to search for them would be monumental. They needed to find a correlation, something accurate to pin point the containers and do it quickly or the nuclear waste on the moon, as the Commander had said once, might cause an explosion unlike the world has ever seen!
Chapter 5 coming soon.