Chapter 26
It was a tight squeeze for three people, but I'd been in smaller.
Flynn gave us a rundown of all the controls.
After we went through all of the systems and safety checks, we launched from the moon pool and exited the habitat into the abyss.
Powerful spotlights cut the darkness.
"How cool is this?" Flynn asked with a grin as he pulled on the joystick and banked around the habitat. Life was just one big video game to him, and this was a hyper-realistic simulation.
I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous with Flynn at the helm. How much training could he realistically have had with this thing?
He angled the craft around until we were facing the hull of the habitat. The futuristic structure could have been a space station or a moon base. We might as well have been on an alien planet down here. A world that few had seen.
With onboard AI, the cameras would survey the exterior of the structure, and the system could detect anomalies.
We made a grid and checked section by section, the computer doing the heavy lifting. We examined the porthole that leaked. So far, the repair had held, but it would need a more permanent solution.
To my surprise, Flynn navigated us around the habitat like a pro. I think he approached it like taking on a role. He threw himself into it and had become a capable mini-sub pilot in a matter of weeks.
The structure appeared to be in good shape, at least as far as I could tell. The AI didn’t flag any damage in the sections we surveyed. It took several hours to complete, during which time we kicked around more theories. But we were no closer to solving this case.
“Do you want to take the helm?” Flynn asked me.
“Hell yes!” I wanted to get some seat time.
I cruised us around and got used to the controls.
By the time we got back to the habitat, I was ready for lunch. Those powdered eggs didn’t last long.
The lunch option was equally as bland—chicken with rice and vegetables, saltine crackers with cheese spread. I shoveled down carrots, green beans, and peas, and loaded up on crackers, though it was probably some type of artificial cheese.
Ross approached me after I ate. He glanced around to make sure we were alone. The habitat was large enough to almost feel like you had some privacy. Almost.
With a nervous expression, he said, "Hey, can I tell you something?"
"You can tell me anything you want."
He glanced over his shoulder once again. "I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus, but I saw Marston go into the engineering compartment not long before Weyland got zapped."
I lifted a curious brow. "You're sure about that?”
Ross nodded.
"Why didn't you say anything before?”
"I wasn't sure before. It kind of slipped my mind. I’ve been thinking about it all morning. I was like, yeah, he did go in there."
I regarded him with a degree of skepticism.
"I'm not lying. Ask him. Tell him there's video of it and see what he says."
"I thought the video was down.”
"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
"You think the video cameras were intentionally sabotaged?" I asked.
Ross shrugged. "How hard would it be to take them offline or write some malicious code?” He leaned closer and whispered, "I mean, think about it. The technical officer aboard this habitat is Marston’s wife. If anybody could make cameras glitch, she could.“
"What would Quinn stand to gain by protecting her husband if she was having an affair with Weyland?”
Ross shrugged and said in a hushed voice, “I don’t know. Maybe she feels responsible. Maybe she still loves her husband, but she was just getting a little sausage on the side.”
He was just grasping at straws.
There was a good possibility Ross was high.
I thanked him for the info and set out to find Marston.