Max’s shoulder was enough to persuade the rabble that they were better off complying. They shuffled off, muttering amongst themselves.
Max closed and locked the door. “We need Jake. He’s had a couple of hours to rest, we can’t wait any longer. We need some decisions, and to get word out about what we’re doing.”
“I’ll go and wake him,” Lucya said, jumping from her chair a bit too enthusiastically. “There’s not much I can do here anyway. I’ve set up a couple of radio scanners to sweep the main channels. If they pick up any signals they’ll lock onto them and you’ll hear it.”
“Silvia, can you go and fetch Martin?” Max said. “We need his input too.”
“Sure. What about Doctor Lister? Anyone else?”
“No, the doctor is busy enough looking after the wounded. They need him more down there than we do up here.”
Max opened the door again and checked that the passageway outside was clear. The two women slipped outside and headed for the stairs. Max remained on guard outside the bridge.
Fifteen
“D ID YOU SEE him? Did you see the captain?” Flynn asked.
“No. I got a good look inside when the guy with the gun came out. There were two women in there. I didn’t see anyone else.” Eileen looked pleased with herself. She had carried out her husband’s instructions perfectly. He would be pleased with her, and that meant life would be a bit easier. For the time being, at least.
“Something’s going down, Eileen. For the captain to leave the bridge at a time like this, something ain’t right, I tell you. Only reason he wouldn’t be there is if he was out touring the ship, and we ain’t heard of no tour going on. So that means either he’s injured or he’s dead. This is it, Eileen, this is my chance already. I didn’t think it would happen this quickly, but God must believe I’m ready. I need to get me to the bridge. I’ll be ready. The people need a leader, and I’m going to show them a better way to live.”
Sixteen
J AKE HAD DRIFTED in and out of consciousness several times over the last couple of hours. He saw visions of his wife, but every time she appeared she would be blasted to atoms by a giant asteroid. When he slept, he dreamt of a burning planet, a molten ball floating alone in space. After a particularly upsetting dream, in which the world exploded, he realised he wasn’t going to get much more sleep. Easing himself out of bed, he wobbled to his feet, stepped into the bathroom, and caught sight of himself in the mirror. The light from the small porthole was not bright, but he could see that the side of his face had turned blue, and that his hair was matted with blood.
He tried the shower, unsure of whether or not the flow of water relied on electric pumps. Miraculously a jet of water spurted out. It was freezing cold, but Jake didn’t care. Using only his good hand, he wriggled out of his clothes and stepped under the icy flow. The chilled liquid on his skin jolted him awake and brought with it a new clarity. As he watched the grime of the ash and the blood of his captain wash off his body and mix with the clear water, turning it a muddy brown, he resigned himself to his fate. He was in charge now, effectively the captain of this ship. The job he had never wanted. The responsibility he had always feared. He had nearly been killed three times. He should have died; the passengers deserved better. He was no leader, he had no idea what to do. If he hadn’t survived, Lucya would probably be in charge as the next most senior officer on board. Or maybe Max. There was a man who people would respect, look up to. If Max told you to do something, you would do it without question. He inspired confidence. He would make a great captain. He would know how to lead these people to safety.
Could he pass up his duty? Appoint Max captain? Or even Lucya? Did he have the authority? He hadn’t even begun his staff captain training. He didn’t know what he could or couldn’t
Max closed and locked the door. “We need Jake. He’s had a couple of hours to rest, we can’t wait any longer. We need some decisions, and to get word out about what we’re doing.”
“I’ll go and wake him,” Lucya said, jumping from her chair a bit too enthusiastically. “There’s not much I can do here anyway. I’ve set up a couple of radio scanners to sweep the main channels. If they pick up any signals they’ll lock onto them and you’ll hear it.”
“Silvia, can you go and fetch Martin?” Max said. “We need his input too.”
“Sure. What about Doctor Lister? Anyone else?”
“No, the doctor is busy enough looking after the wounded. They need him more down there than we do up here.”
Max opened the door again and checked that the passageway outside was clear. The two women slipped outside and headed for the stairs. Max remained on guard outside the bridge.
Fifteen
“D ID YOU SEE him? Did you see the captain?” Flynn asked.
“No. I got a good look inside when the guy with the gun came out. There were two women in there. I didn’t see anyone else.” Eileen looked pleased with herself. She had carried out her husband’s instructions perfectly. He would be pleased with her, and that meant life would be a bit easier. For the time being, at least.
“Something’s going down, Eileen. For the captain to leave the bridge at a time like this, something ain’t right, I tell you. Only reason he wouldn’t be there is if he was out touring the ship, and we ain’t heard of no tour going on. So that means either he’s injured or he’s dead. This is it, Eileen, this is my chance already. I didn’t think it would happen this quickly, but God must believe I’m ready. I need to get me to the bridge. I’ll be ready. The people need a leader, and I’m going to show them a better way to live.”
Sixteen
J AKE HAD DRIFTED in and out of consciousness several times over the last couple of hours. He saw visions of his wife, but every time she appeared she would be blasted to atoms by a giant asteroid. When he slept, he dreamt of a burning planet, a molten ball floating alone in space. After a particularly upsetting dream, in which the world exploded, he realised he wasn’t going to get much more sleep. Easing himself out of bed, he wobbled to his feet, stepped into the bathroom, and caught sight of himself in the mirror. The light from the small porthole was not bright, but he could see that the side of his face had turned blue, and that his hair was matted with blood.
He tried the shower, unsure of whether or not the flow of water relied on electric pumps. Miraculously a jet of water spurted out. It was freezing cold, but Jake didn’t care. Using only his good hand, he wriggled out of his clothes and stepped under the icy flow. The chilled liquid on his skin jolted him awake and brought with it a new clarity. As he watched the grime of the ash and the blood of his captain wash off his body and mix with the clear water, turning it a muddy brown, he resigned himself to his fate. He was in charge now, effectively the captain of this ship. The job he had never wanted. The responsibility he had always feared. He had nearly been killed three times. He should have died; the passengers deserved better. He was no leader, he had no idea what to do. If he hadn’t survived, Lucya would probably be in charge as the next most senior officer on board. Or maybe Max. There was a man who people would respect, look up to. If Max told you to do something, you would do it without question. He inspired confidence. He would make a great captain. He would know how to lead these people to safety.
Could he pass up his duty? Appoint Max captain? Or even Lucya? Did he have the authority? He hadn’t even begun his staff captain training. He didn’t know what he could or couldn’t
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