Twenty-four hours had passed since they had sat around the table and decided to “blow up the station slowly.”
Everyone was back at the same table, surrounded by packaged breakfasts and bottles of water mixed with powdered orange juice. No one had touched much of it.
Joe sat next to Carolyn, smiling and obviously happy to be there.
“So let's talk about what we have come up with,” Frankie said. “First, Joe and Rob have information about what is going on in the next few days at the station and also ideas about how we are going to get our people up there.”
Rob nodded at Joe, who stood up.
“First, let me just say how happy I am to be here and meet everyone, and I hope I can be an asset in helping us formulate and carry out this plan.”
Everyone nodded and said how good it was to meet him too.
“So,” he continued, “Rob and I were able to get into a completely different section of information last night. It looks like there is going to be a mandatory two-day break starting tomorrow where there will be no new affected brought to the station. There will probably be very few affected to rescue, which is what we are hoping for. But the high-ranking members of the military are also coming to the station for meetings and informational updates. And while we were worried about that at first, we realized it may be the perfect cover for how we are going to get there. We're still working it out, but should have a better idea by the end of the day.”
Frankie nodded and thanked him.
“Now let's hear about what we can do to disable the station.”
Ethan stood, already holding a pointer.
“Kyle and I have been working on a number of ideas. Our first line of offense is going to be shutting down their cooling system.”
He tapped the diagram on the whiteboard.
“It appears there is a network of pipes that run along the outside of the station. They carry liquid used to cool the machinery. It goes in one end, cools off as it travels through the pipes in open space, and then returns back into the machines via the other end.”
He pointed to several marked access panels.
“There are panels where you can access the pipes and turn them off and on for servicing. We can shut them down and also reverse the flow of the liquid.”
“That will start to put a crimp in things if their engines start overheating,” Kyle added. “If we do this in a number of places, it will be harder for them to find and repair all of them quickly.”
“But we have other things going on as well,” Ethan continued. “We want as many of them as possible to get pulled into repairs so we can go about our plans with less and less fear of getting caught.”
“So the next thing on the list will be to shut down communications.” He circled a room near engineering. “It appears all lines of communication get routed through this one juncture, probably for ease of maintenance, which is both good for them but great for us. We can go in there and disable the whole thing in a couple of steps.”
“So the engines will be overheating and they won't be able to communicate,” Kyle added. “So not only will workers have to be running around fixing both things, others will have to be running around delivering messages about what's going on.”
“So now we’ve got overheating systems and no communication,” Frankie said. “That spells chaos.”
“Exactly,” Ethan said. “Then we can use this time to get to the affected and herd them into the hangar bay and get them out of there.”
“We had a discussion about whether or not we should turn off the gas that keeps them ‘affected’ and decided it's probably best to keep them under the influence as long as possible so they don't wake up, panic, and make things more difficult than it has to be. Apparently, if you tell them they are going to get something to eat, they will follow you anywhere.”
Lucas nodded. “I've seen that firsthand.”
“We’ll need a dedicated team already in the hangar,” Kyle said. “Prepping a transport for immediate departure. We're counting on there not being a lot of people to rescue so hopefully we will be OK with whatever transport we go up on”
“Once evacuation is underway,” Ethan continued, “we trigger phase three, which will be to permanently disable one or more critical systems. That should trigger the cascade failure we're hoping for, but slow enough for anyone still on the station, including our own people, to get the hell off of there before it becomes uninhabitable or explodes. Whichever happens first. We're going to need several groups of people for this to all work, even though each group can be assigned multiple tasks.”
“Just tell me who I'm with,” Jilly said. “I can do any of that stuff!”
She turned to Lucas just as he was opening his mouth.
“And you can't tell me I'm not going. We need lots of people, and I don't intend to sit around while you get to do all the fun stuff.”
Lucas scowled at her.
“Getting back to the point at hand,” Ethan said as he handed out some Xeroxed papers, “here is how we worked out the jobs. As you can see, once one job is done, the person or group will move on to the next one on their list.”
Assignment A
– Reroute two cooling pipes
– Place two bombs at predetermined locations and set timers
Assignment B
– Reroute two cooling pipes
– Help free affected from cages and herd them to the hangar bay
Assignment C
– Dismantle communication wiring
– Help free affected from cages and herd them to the hangar bay
Assignment D
– Stay in the hangar bay and prepare transport
for return to Earth
“Oh, bombs! Cool! I'm going to be in one of those groups! I can be a great bomb setter!” Jilly announced.
“Whoa!” Rob said. “I didn't think we were going to blow anything up.”
“These are going to be small bombs,” Ethan said. “Frankie found some munitions left behind in one of the bunkers that can be modified to what we need, and they are small enough to be carried in a backpack. It's just to more fully disable a couple of things that will set cascade failure into motion. No one should get hurt because of where we are planning on hiding them.”
Frankie looked over the list.
“You look like you've put some real thought into this. What do you think the odds of this working out?”
“If everything goes as planned, I give it about ninety-five percent. There are a lot of factors we can't account for because we just don't have enough information. A lot of what we are doing is based on extrapolation from the schematics and diagrams.”
“So now we need to assign people to each of these tasks. We'll start with volunteers.”
Frankie held up her hand toward Jilly.
“I know what you want to do, sweetheart. I'll keep that in mind when we finalize who is doing what.”
Jilly twisted her mouth to one side.
“Alright,” she said and leaned back in her chair.
“I think I should stay with the transport,” Carolyn said. “I know more about them than anyone else. But that's not saying much.”
“I agree,” said Frankie. “I mean about you knowing more than anyone else.”
“I'll reroute one of the cooling pipes,” Joe said. “And set a bomb.”
“So will I,” said Lucas. “Even though I can't believe I'm volunteering to go back there. I know very little about bombs, but at this point I guess I can learn.”
“I guess I can dismantle the communication wiring,” Ethan said reluctantly. “I probably know more about that than anyone else.”
Kyle looked at him in horror.
“You're seriously going to go up there?”
“I want to make sure it's done right. I want this whole thing to go as smoothly as possible and just be over and done with, and if it means I have to fly to an alien spacecraft for the purpose of sabotage, then so be it.”
“Oh lord.” Kyle swallowed hard. “Should I go too?”
“That's totally up to you. I can do it by myself, but sometimes two are better than one.”
Kyle looked a little like he was going to be sick.
“We've still got one spot open for volunteers,” Frankie pointed out.
“Me. I'll do it,” Sylvia said, raising her hand.
“Wait, what? No, you can't do that. She can't do that!” Rob jumped to his feet.
“And why not?” Sylvia asked, staring at him. "Don't you think I can do it?"
“NO, I mean yes, yes, of course I think can do it,” he stammered.
Sylvia was staring at him. Everybody was staring at him.
“I mean... um, well, what I meant to say was, um... I... well, it's just that... oh, I just don't want you to go is all.”
He sat down looking completely crestfallen.
Sylvia was staring at him.
“I don't want to go either,” she said, reaching out and touching his arm. “But we need as many people as possible to make this thing work, and I would be forever hating myself if I didn't step up to the plate and do as much as I could.”
“Then I’ll go too,” Rob said suddenly, though his voice did not hold the same determination as his face.
“No, Rob,” Frankie said. “We need you here to monitor the computers and communications. You will be helping us stay in communication with each other.”
“But someone needs to be with Sylvia. She can't go alone.”
“Can't I take care of myself?”
“No, I didn't say that. I mean, I didn't mean for it to sound like I said that. Oh crap, I just shouldn't open my mouth at all.”
“I’ll go with her,” Pat offered from the far side of the table. “I think it's a good idea for us to have a partner like Ethan said. And I'm quick on my feet.”
“I'd love for you to be my partner,” Sylvia said as she stopped scowling at Rob and smiled at Pat.
“OK, then,” Frankie said, standing up. “It looks like we have our volunteers. Now we need to have everyone learn exactly what needs to happen to carry out each plan and prepare as best as possible. Please break into groups and start planning. Being that the meeting aboard the station is tomorrow, I would say you have less than 24 hours to fine-tune what needs to happen and get it all together. Does anyone have any questions?”
“Yeah, ME!” Jilly said. “Who am I going with? And no one tell me I'm not going because I AM! I'm capable and willing, and I never get to do anything, so it's my turn now.”
She turned to Lucas, who was gearing up to tell her to sit down.
“And don't you tell me to sit down.”
Lucas closed his mouth.
“If you're worried about me, I'll go with you and you can keep an eye on me.”
Lucas looked around helplessly, hoping someone was going to come to his rescue.
“It's up to you,” Frankie said. “As Ethan said, it's not a bad idea to have a second person with you as backup.”
“Uh huh! See!” Jilly stared at Lucas, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Are you going to let me come with you or not?”
“Oh, for heaven's sake,” he finally said, grimacing. “You can come, but I swear to God I'll be the first one to shoot you if you put this mission in danger by not following every single instruction that is given to you.”
Jilly was practically bouncing out of her chair. She threw her arms around him.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret it. Not for a minute.”
Lucas tried to extricate himself from her.
“I already do.”
*******Before the sun was up, everyone was awake and bustling about trying to get the last-minute things ready.
The day before had been spent getting each step of the operation planned down to the minute. Frankie had sent George and another one of her guards out to the bunkers to collect the small explosive charges that were stored there and to make sure they were still functional. Then she had them instruct Joe and Lucas on how to set them properly.
No one had slept much even though they knew it was important to be well rested. There was far too much adrenaline pumping.
Rob and Sylvia stayed up far into the night talking until Sylvia fell asleep cuddled up next to him. Rob woke her up at 4 AM, kissed her gently on the cheek, and decided he was going to be in the computer room because he couldn't bear to watch her drive away.
He assured her he would feed Felix and let him sleep on the bed with him while she was gone. She brushed a soft kiss on his lips and promised to be back safe so they could take that drive together, safely and with no cares. She rubbed Felix's ears and hurried out before she started crying.
Outside, supplies were being stacked beside the giant truck, which still carried the transmitter they'd need to get back through the barrier.
Everyone was dressed in military uniforms whether they fit well or not. Ethan, Kyle, and Jilly each had to cuff their pants and roll up their sleeves because there was nothing small enough for them. They hoped no one would notice. Jilly's hat kept falling down over her eyes, but she was too excited about going for it to dampen her spirits.
As backpacks and duffle bags were being thrown into the back, Frankie pulled George aside.
“I want you to go with Carolyn and stay with her while she guards the transport on the station,” she told him. “We are going to need all the well-trained help we can get.”
“Me?” George practically squeaked. “I'm not an astronaut. I never wanted to go to space! Can't you send someone else?”
“You are the one I trust. Will you do this for me?”
He winced, she scowled, he nodded.
Frankie motioned for Carolyn to come over.
“George has generously agreed to go with you, so you'll have someone to watch your back while you wait in the hangar bay,” Frankie said.
Carolyn punched George in the arm.
“My best chatty buddy,” she said, grinning. “My day just got brighter. But it's going to be a tight fit in the already full truck.”
George looked pained as he followed Carolyn. He glanced back at Frankie with one last plea for help, but she had already headed back into the building.
At the truck, Sylvia was trying to sort each person into their seat—and losing.
Every time she ushered someone through the passenger-side door, they emerged out the other side with a question or remembering something they had forgotten.
When Kyle appeared for his assigned seat for the third time, she walked around to the other side, slammed the door that was hanging open, came back around, hoisted herself up on the running board, and announced, “If one more person gets out of the truck from the other side, you will be sent back into the building and stay there. Enough already. Stay where I put you!”
She ordered Kyle to the third-row back seat.
Again.
He climbed in and sat between Ethan and Jilly, who were already there.
“I told you you would get in trouble if you got back out,” Jilly said.
“Yeah, well, I had to pee. I'm sure you didn't want that to be a problem if I was stuck here next to you for who knows how long.”
“Why didn't you go before you got in the first two times?”
“I did. I had to go again.”
“I'm sorry I asked.”
Lucas and Pat pulled themselves up into the truck and slid across the middle row of seats. Sylvia turned to tell Joe to get in the front seat when Carolyn appeared with George in tow.
“Sorry to throw a wrench into your well-thought-out seating chart, but we've got an extra passenger. George has been assigned to us, so he needs a place to sit,” she said.
“Oh my,” Sylvia said. “Um... well, OK, I gotta think about this.”
“If there's no room for me, I really don't have to go. It's not a big deal,” George offered.
Carolyn grabbed his arm as he turned to leave.
“Hold on, big guy. We'll squeeze you in even if someone has to sit on someone else's lap.”
Sylvia hopped up and down a few times, looking at each row of seats, and finally said, “Joe, you sit in the middle row here next to Pat, and I'll ride the hump in the front since I'm the next smallest. George, you and your extra-long legs take the passenger-side front seat. I think that'll work out OK.”
Looking even more miserable than before, George crawled up into the truck and closed the front door and stared out the front window. Carolyn walked around to the other side of the truck and pulled herself up into the driver's seat, and Joe climbed into the middle row behind George, gave Pat a fist bump, and closed the door.
Sylvia stood outside the truck with her hands on her hips.
“HELLO!”
Both doors on her side of the truck opened up. Everyone was looking at her.
“Were you all just going to leave without me?”
“You can take my place,” George offered.
“Just get out and let me in.”
As George got out, Carolyn warned him, “Don't you try to make a break for it. I've got my sidearm loaded, and I guarantee you can't outrun my bullet.”
As George made room for Sylvia, he noted that if he was shot, he wouldn't have to go.
“I'm an ace shot,” Carolyn said. “It'll only be a flesh wound that will sting like hell, and I've got band-aids in my pocket. Now get back in and let's get this show on the road.”
He hauled himself back into the truck and shut the door loudly.
Carolyn started the engine and tried to make eye contact with each person in the rearview mirror as she asked, “Are we ready to do this?”
“The back row is ready to go!” Jilly called out.
“I think I gotta pee,” Kyle said.
Jilly elbowed him.
“I can wait,” he said with a sigh.
“Middle row is ready to go,” Joe called out.
Carolyn leaned forward and looked at George.
“Front row ready to go,” he said sullenly.
“Then let's do this!”
She shifted into gear and the truck rolled out.
They had a plan. A good one.
Now they just had to see if it worked.