He watched as she disappeared into the crowd then lay his head in his hands again. Suddenly he was feeling very tired. He looked up in time to see Alex Koenig approaching with Jorge Martinez in tow. Alex slid in beside Alan and Jorge inserted himself in the seat across the table.

Alex smiled broadly as he slapped Alan on the back. "When do you leave for C-2?" He grinned cryptically.

Alan gave him questioning look. The joke was lost on him until he glanced over at Jorge who could barely contain his amusement.

'I heard you like to live dangerously, but isn't this a bit extreme?" Alex continued.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see a petition going around Alpha demanding my removal right now." He gave his companions a rueful look.

"Hey, even Dad wouldn't want to take on Emma right now. Listen a group of us are teaming up for a game of darts and we are a man short. Want to help us out?” Alex pointed to a group of mostly young pilots lounging near a far wall.

Alan shook his head. “Not tonight, mate. I don't think I should hang out with any one wielding a sharp object. Not the way my luck is running."

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I really stink at darts." He caught Jorge's eye and jerked his head toward the others.

Jorge took the hint and stood to leave. He held his hand out to Alan. "Well, good luck, Mr. Carter. Look us up when you get back down to Dover."

As Alan watched Jorge make his way back through the crowd to his mates he sighed deeply. At that moment Jayne arrived with two drinks. She placed Alex’s in front of him then leaned down to whisper in Alan’s ear conspiratorially as she placed his on the table. Alan smiled for a second and winked at her as she left.            

            Alex who had taken in the episode silently gave Alan a puzzled look. “What was that about?”

            Alan reached down and held the drink up to the light. Other than an inordinate amount of fruit pulp it was quite unremarkable. “She said it was a pick me up to help me get through my wedding night.” He gave Alex a skeptical look before raising the glass to his lips. As the strange brew met his lips his eyes flew open wide and he shuddered. Resisting the urge to throw the offensive concoction from the nearest airlock, he sat it down gently on the table then pushed it as far away as physically possible.

            “That bad?” Alex asked without even trying to restrain his amusement.

            “Worse,” he replied after reaching for Alex’s drink and downing it in one swallow. “I don’t know why everyone is bent on concocting stuff like this. Isn’t it enough we have fresh juice and Vodka?” He shook his head as if to rid the last vestiges from his tastebuds. “Maybe that was Alpha’s first assassination attempt.”

            “Oh come on, Alan. You don’t have that many enemies.” Alex joked.

            “I’ve got at least two.”

            Alex smiled again trying to cheer Alan up. “I don’t know. Dad is definitely not your greatest fan, but Mom is doing OK with it. I think trying to reign Dad in is therapeutic for her.”

            Alan caught Jaynes attention again and ordered two beers. “I hate putting Helena in the middle of this, but I wasn’t thinking of her.”

            Alex sat back, a look of realization dawning on his face. “I take it your visit with Sandra didn’t go well.”

            “If she could, I think she would arm wrestle your dad for a chance to throw me out an airlock.”

            The image of his father and the frail Sandra Benes locked in battle for the opportunity to send Alan to his demise cause Alex to laugh aloud. “Well, I’m sure it’s only temporary. Besides, you could hardly blame her.” He looked around at the crowd. “You know, I’ll wager there isn’t a man in here that wouldn’t want to have two women madly in love with him. I always knew Emma was in love with you, she never tried to hide it. She even told me she was going to marry you. I only laughed at her once. Mom still thinks I got my cut lip at the gym.”

            Alan remembered the incident. Alex had come home with a bloody lip claiming to have slipped at the gym. Alan n suspected it had been a lie at the time.

“I remember.”

            “Now Ms Benes, Sandra, was never that subtle. She never mentioned your name, but if you came into the room while she was tutoring us or left a message you could see the change. She would stand a little straighter and smile a little more. Small changes, but even a kid like me could tell she was in love.”

            “I didn’t feel a lot of love earlier.”

            “You had just told her you were marrying another woman. It was only normal for her to lash out. Give her some time, then talk to her again.”

            Alan regarded Alex for a full minute. Almost before his eyes he saw the boy he had know all his life become a man. “How did you get so smart?”

            At that moment Alan’s slate went off. He pulled it from his belt and immediately recognized the image of Ben Artis, Alpha’s acting fire chief.

            “Sorry to disturb you Mr Carter, but we are getting fire alarms from the section near your quarters.”

            Alan’s face went slack. “Have you contacted Emma Koenig? She is supposed to be there.”

            “I tried but I can’t reach anyone and the comm system in you quarters is down. As a matter of fact, we read a power outage in that entire sector. Could just be a short I guess. We’re working on it now. We should know something soon. I’ll keep you informed.”

            The tiny screen went blank. Alan looked to see his anxiety mirrored in Alex’s face. Emma and Dinah were in Alan’s quarters together. Alan prayed it was just a harmless short in the wiring and nothing more as he raced toward the exit with Alex on his heels.

            “I know if you had your way you would show up in a pair of work coveralls, but please work with me.” Dinah said with exasperation after Emma had scrunched up her face at the fifth dress she had shown her. All were borrowed from friends, but with some minor alterations could be made into unique ensembles. Or at least that was the way Dinah saw it.

            Emma sighed and sank down in a nearby chair. “I’m sorry, Dinah. I just don’t want Alan to think I’m someone I’m not and this just isn’t me.”

            “Em, Alan has know you since the day you were born. I think by now he knows exactly what you are and what you’re not. And if we can ever decide on one dress, then we can start making a few alterations that give it more your style… as long as you don’t insist on a tool belt.”

            Emma looked thoughtful for a moment then went over to the pile of discarded dresses and began sorting them. She held up a mid-length green dress made of Shermeen Flax. It almost shimmered in the light. After closer examination she tossed it to Dinah. “Ok, what next?”

            Dinah took it and smiled. It was one that she had favored earlier. Her mind raced with a multitude of ideas, but before she could reply the lights went out. “Wha---?” She could hear Emma scrambling in the darkness.

            Emma blinked in the harsh darkness, but still could see nothing. Instinctively she reached for her slate, but she had left it in the bedroom when she had changed. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to recall the layout of Alan’s quarters. Though she had moved in several days ago and had visited many times before it was all so alien to her now. She tried in vain to remember where he had stored the flashlights. Then she realized that something else was wrong, seriously wrong. “Dinah?”

            “Yeah?” came the tense reply.

            “Something’s wrong.”

            “You noticed.”

            “No, seriously. The emergency lamps should have come on. Even with a damaged circuit.” Though she couldn’t see anything she could feel her eyes straining in the darkness for any familiar landmark. “Do you have your slate?”

            Dinah searched her belt. “No. I must have dropped it in the bedroom.”

            Like a person who has lost sight, Emma’s other senses went into overdrive. “Don’t be alarmed, but do you smell smoke?”

            Many of the travel tubes had been shut down to contain the threat if it was a real fire so it had take Alan and Alex several minutes to reach the junction to Alan’s quarters. At the end of the corridor a security guard stood by a sealed bulkhead near Alan’s apartment. As the men approached he stepped up to block access to it. “I’m sorry Mr Carter, this section is sealed off.”

            “I’ve got to get in there. Emma is in there.” Alan said between gasps.

            “I’m sorry , sir, but no one goes in until it’s secure.” The guard was determined.

            “By who’s authority?” Alan asked

            “The Commander’s, sir.”

            Alan looked back at Alex who was already activating his slate.

            “Smoke?” Dinah asked with more than a little tremble in her voice.

            “I think so. Wait here.” Emma slid to the floor and crawled in the direction of the door. Twice she ran into odd objects that she or Alan left laying about since her move, but soon she felt the hard contour of the door. She tried hard to recall her fire drill training her father had made her endure during her childhood. It came back to her in bits and pieces and she hoped that it and common sense would keep her from making a tragic mistake. Taking a deep breath she ran her hand up the door feeling for any changes in temperature. She didn’t feel any so she decided to try the switch. After a couple of seconds of searching she tried it. Nothing. She really wasn’t surprised since it seemed that this area, at least, was electrically dead. She raised to a half crouch and tried to open the door manually, but it was stuck fast. She gave up and crawled back toward Dinah.

“We aren’t going out the door, it’s stuck.”

            “What now?” Dinah asked nervously.

            “I guess we go to the bedroom and try to find our slates. Since I can’t access your slate without your password I think we should both go.” She knew it would also give Dinah something else to focus on. She took Dinah’s hand and put a piece of cloth into it. “Here hold onto this so we don’t get separated. I’ll go slow.” She hesitated for a moment trying to direct her bearings toward the bedroom.

            As Alan waited impatiently for Alex to reach John he tried reaching Emma with his own slate. He wasn’t surprised when he couldn’t reach her, the comsysop had been trying since the crisis began. Frustrated, he clipped his slate back to his belt just as John appeared.

            Koenig pointedly ignored Alan as he walked directly to Alex. “Has anyone gotten through yet?”

            Alex got straight to the point, “Why is this section completely sealed off? We need to get firefighters in there don’t we?”

            “It’s to keep the secondary systems from initiating,” Koenig offered with a sympathetic voice.

            Alan chose this moment to make his presence known. “Alpha’s built with built in redundancy systems designed to kick in when the primaries failed, why would we want to prevent it?”

            Koenig cast Alan an irritated look. “I’m not talking redundancies here. This is one of the first sections designed and built on Alpha. Originally they operated by a different fire control system. The population of the base was a fraction of what it is now so it wasn’t an issue. However, since then no one bothered to update the system.” Koenig sighed long and looked from face to face. “If certain conditions are met and the primaries fail, the secondary system will purge the section.”

            “Ouch!” Dinah cried.      

            “Sorry, I forgot about that lamp,”Emma replied sheepishly. Groping in the dark for her slate she had bumped a table knocking the lamp over onto Dinah’s head. She sat back and sighed in frustration. “I know it’s here somewhere. It’s not like this is a huge room.”

            “It is when you have to explore every inch of it in the dark,”

            “Okay, let’s get organized. You go left and follow the wall and I’ll try this side. One of us has to run into it.”

            They searched for several seconds before Emma heard a loud crash and a tinkling sound. Resisting the urge to race in that direction she sang out,”Dinah, you okay?” There was no immediate reply, instead she heard a scraping sound followed by a soft curse. “Dinah?”

            “Uh, Em?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Well, there’s good news and bad news.” Dinah paused a second. “The good news is I found your slate. The bad news is I don’t think we will be able to use it. When the table fell over I backed up, right over it.”

            “Okay, where’s yours?”

            “Well, that’s another thing. I’ve had time to think about it and I think I left it at home. Seems I have been doing that a lot lately. Alex is quite put out, he says he’s going to tie it around my neck.”

            “I wish he had,” grumbled Emma. “Stay put, I’ll be right there. Maybe it isn’t so bad.”

            “How about an override? Couldn’t we link Kano up to computer---”Alan queried

            “It doesn’t run through the main computer... and Kano is on Loki.” Koenig explained. “The real problem now is time. As we speak CO2 is being pumped through in effort to suffocate any smoldering material of course with life support shutdown I don’t need to tell you what that means.”

            Alex swore the slipped his slate back on his belt. “Dinah left her slate at home again,” he shook his head. “Now what?”

            Koenig rested his hands on his hips in a classic pose. “Well, we need someone who can work with these systems and try to get them off-line. I can really only think of one other person for the job.”

            “Sandra,” Alan spoke her name with defeat. “You’d better send someone else to plead our case because she has a lower opinion of me than you do.”

            Koenig gave Alan a dark look before turning back to his son. “Get going, son.” He turned back to Alan. "I suggest you get with Ben and see if there is a way we can get to them before it’s too late.”

            Alan nodded and turned to leave but John grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back to face him. His eyes fixed Alan’s with an icy stare. “If anything happens to her---”

            Alan held up his other hand to silence John as he met his gaze. “If anything happens to your little girl, I’ll toss myself out the nearest airlock.”

            A moment passed between them as neither had the courage to add to the argument. Then for an instant Alan saw Koenig’s face often slightly as if he understood that Alan had meant every word. The moment passed and Koenig’s stern demeanor returned, John was all business once again.  He had the air of a man not to be trifled with, and that was something Alan had no intention of doing.

            Emma sighed heavily as she examined the useless mess of electronics that had once been her slate. At least fortune had not deserted her completely, on her way over to Dinah she had come across her crumpled flight suit with her survival light and miniature tool kit in one of the pockets. On the down side, the smell of smoke was getting stronger.

            “So what do you think?” Dinah asked.

            “Optics are gone and we won’t be sending voice messages either. Sending unit is really smashed.” she replied as she prodded the wires, examining connections.

            “So, no communications and we can’t get out. Looks like we’re trapped.”

            “I didn’t say that!” Emma snapped back. She regretted it immediately as she realized that she was the only thing keeping Dinah on this side of despair. “I’m sorry Din, she said scooting closer in the dark. “At least the power supply is still intact and I think if I can find the right connection I can send out pulses to at least let them know we are okay.” She didn’t add what a long shot it would be since it would be broadband, but she had to gamble that someone somewhere would notice.

            “How?”

            “Alan taught me and Alex something called Morse Code. They used it a long time ago back on Earth. If I can get someone to pick up the pulses and recognize them...well, just cross your fingers.” Emma smiled as she noticed her friend had taken her advice. “Well, here goes.”

            Alex tried the door buzzer again but there was no response. Computer said she was in her quarters, but why wasn’t she answering? He pulled his slate from his belt and tried to page her...no response. Alex was getting a very bad feeling about the whole thing. It wasn’t like her to ignore anyone- avoid yes, but never ignore. He activated his slate again, “Mom, I’m outside Ms Benes quarters and I don’t know why, but I think she’s in a lot of trouble. I can’t reach her.”

            Helena’s face shadowed with concern. “Maybe she’s sleeping. Did you try her slate?” As soon as she said it she realized he had or he wouldn’t be calling her. “Nevermind, I’m sending an override code to your slate. Try again and call me right back.”

            Alex input the code his mother had sent and the door opened silently. The room was dark and appeared to be empty. His eyes adjusted slowly to the dark and he was just about to reach for the light controls when he noticed a shape in the corner that could only be human. He raced to Sandra’s side and checked for a pulse. It was there, barely. He grabbed his slate again. “Mom, I found her. Please hurry!”

            Alan slammed his fist down in frustration. The options available to them were very limited and even if he had a plan he didn’t know if Em was okay.

            “Hello, what’s this?” a technician that was standing near a post said.

            Alan turned and quickly saw the blinking light in the compost that had only been inches from his face. The blinking was irregular but familiar. He felt the butterflies in his stomach turn to rocks. “My God,” it was barely audible.

            “Is that...” asked John from his side.

            “Morse. I taught it to Em on our trips to Loki.” He studied the long and short pulses trying to sort them into a meaningful message. “EK to AC, it keeps repeating. It has to be Emma! Okay, how do we respond?”

Within minutes they had a system that would send electronic pulses to Emma’s slate in two varying lengths that would simulate dots and dashes. Alan sent his reply three times then waited. Time was running out quickly.

“Got it!” Emma exclaimed as she looked at her broken communicator with wonder. It was a miracle, not so much that she made it work, but that she had reached Alan. Slowly, for her grasp of the code was reliant on a faulty memory, she transmitted their situation to Alan. It took only moments for the reply to come; she had to check the door again. Handing off her slate to Dinah, she clutched the flashlight tightly and moved toward the door.

            Alan concentrated on the jumble of lights coming from the compost. He and John shared a knowing look.  He announced the results to the rest of the crew. “The door is still cool but the walls are heating up a bit. She tried to open the door earlier but it was jammed tight.”

            John looked around at the group of experts. “Is there another way in?”

            “There is a ventilation shaft, but I seriously doubt either of them could maneuver the tight bends and dips. Besides, it’s likely pretty warm as well.” Ben shook his head in resignation.

            “Then its got to be the door,” John said less than hopefully. “But how do we get it open without a power source?”

            Alan drummed his fingers against the wall impatiently. He knew the answer had to be in the apartment, but there wasn’t a power source that strong. The current had to be much greater than that of a slate or flashlight.  It would have to be strong enough--- “Wait a minute! It wouldn’t have to be a prolonged charge would it? A burst would do? Just enough to open the door part the way?” He looked from face to face. Though they didn’t understand they all stood in agreement. He instantly set to work composing a message to Emma. When he was done he checked it twice then transmitted. There were so many ways his plan could go wrong, but at least it was something.

            John watched with interest until it occurred to him he had not heard from Alex. As he was about to page his oldest son a Helena’s face appeared on the tiny screen. “Helena?” It was at that moment he realized he had not told her about Emma. It would have to wait now though he would pay hell later. “Honey, I can’t explain right now--”

            “I know, John. Alex told me when he brought Sandra in. John, I think she may have tried to commit suicide.”

            John’s eyes flew open wide and he looked at Alan who had overheard. “Is she going to be okay?” Obviously there was no such thing as one crisis too many.

            “She’ll recover but it will take some time.” There was no mistaken the tension in her voice. “It will be all right won’t it John?”

            He wasn’t certain, but he knew there was only one answer she wanted to hear. “I’ll see to it.”

            Emma’s face was a mask of bewilderment as she decoded the latest message from Alan. Did she remember the model rocket they used to take to Loki and fire? Sure she did, it was an old replica of a Saturn rocket she had helped Alan build. They took it to the beach on vacation and fired it. The battery weighed a ton. “Of course, the battery!” She went to the closet and fumbled around a few seconds before dragging it out behind her. It was heavy and cumbersome, but Alan explained it had to be to deliver the wallop of a charge needed to launch the big rocket. She didn’t know how it would work but she had faith in Alan’s plan. After responding she awaited the next transmission.

            When she had her instructions they moved back to the door. She felt it again. It was a little warmer but not too bad. She hoped. Forcing thoughts of failure out of her mind she went to work dismantling the door panel.

            Within moments the battery was wired into the door’s controls. Emma carefully inspected it trying not to think of the long list of things that might go wrong. She trusted Alan and he had assured her this would work. She connected the contact switch that would either turn the wiring into a melted mess or give them an escape. "Okay, better back up." she told Dinah before scooting back as far as she could. There was no telling what would happen when the battery discharged. Taking a deep breath, she slapped at the switch. Immediately she was rewarded by a shower of sparks, and a very strong acrid smell of burning insulation as the smoke cleared she noticed the door had moved. The opening was a mere half of a meter, but after some struggle she and Dinah had it open enough for them to squeeze through. She struggled to catch her breath as she got a quick message off to Alan and the others.

            "She did it!" Alan whispered with a strained smile on his face. He and everyone else realized this was only a small step and time was running out fast. Co2 levels had risen significantly. Even so there had been reports of small flare-ups in adjoining corridors where there was nothing else to use up the increasingly precious oxygen.

John and Alex had poured over the blueprints trying to find the fastest and safest route to evacuate the area. Unfortunately they were not the same. After much consideration they chose fast over safe.

John showed the blueprints to Alan. "Here is where we have to get them. If they can reach this old Construction module they can suit up and we can evac them by Eagle."

Alan studied the plans for a full minute before speaking. "But John, we don't even know if there are still suits in that module. Even if they are, we don't know what shape they are in. Then we are asking two young women with very little EVA training to..."

            "Dinah hasn't had any EV training." Alex whispered as the thought occurred to him.                            

            Alan and Koenig stopped and looked at him.” How can that be?" John asked. Everyone on Alpha had been required to take at least one moonwalk incase of a similar emergency.

            "She's extremely claustrophobic, so Mom gave her a temporary waiver. We just never got around to doing anything about it.

            John exhaled loudly. He mentally calculated the options and came up very short. "First, I know there are suits still there. They are the old Centurion models and somewhat cumbersome, but we have no choice. Second, once they have access to the suits, they will have access to the suit radio. Maybe if she hears your voice, Alex, you can talk her through it. I know it doesn't sound like much, but we have to make this work. I think it would be a good idea to have a crew near the modules hatch to help out. And a medical crew."

            "I'd like to go on ahead and start on the Module hatch as soon as the last message is sent. If there are any problems I'd like to get started." Alan said as he reached for his transmitter.

            "Me too," Alex put in.

            John nodded. ”I thought you would. On your way, then. My Morse is a little rusty, but I think I can get the idea across."

            The two men nodded and hurried back down the corridor. "I hope I get to see my wedding day." Alex remarked as they ran side-by-side.

            Me too, mate. Me too." Alan realized he really meant it. Perhaps it all seemed mad, but the idea of losing Emma forced him to see that they were right to try to be together. What would he do if he never got the chance to tell her?

            "They want us to what?" Dinah yelled at Emma after hearing the translation of the last message.

            Emma bit her lip. Dinah was close to the edge and she didn't need to be pushed. But it was the only way, her dad had made that clear. "All we have to do is make it to this old module then it probably will just be a short space walk to an Eagle."

            "And there is NO other way? What if there is no fire? I mean, it's probably a mistake. We could wait for Alan and Alex or the fire team."

            Emma draped her arm across Dinah shoulders. "It's not a mistake and the way Dad explained it no one thought this would ever happen. No one can get in due to the safety lock out and we have to try to get out on our own." Emma didn't bother to add that if they didn't hurry they would be sucked into space. No, that wouldn't help matters at all. "Come on," she took Dinah by the hand and began to lead her. "By the time we get there it will probably be all over.

            Twice they had to stop to catch their breath. It had become increasingly difficult to breathe. Rivulets of sweat were pouring down their bodies from the build up of heat. Emma knew the noxious air was due to carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide build up. At the last rest stop she leaned back against a metal wall support and burned her hand. She suspected there was a fire smoldering behind the wall panels. No surprise, since she knew the wiring and insulation was many years older than she was.

            With waning strength she pushed herself back to her feet and reached OT to assist Dinah. "I think the entrance is just around the corner, lets see if we can find it."

            The light of the lone flashlight was dimming and they passed it a couple of times before Dinah grabbed Emma's sleeve and pulled her back. "Is this it?" she asked between gasps.

            Emma wiped the sweat from her eyes and squinted at the identification plate on the door. It was old and barely readable but she was certain they had arrived "I think so." she began to look around for a switch then realized that even if she found it she couldn't make it work. The light went out completely at that moment and in fearful frustration Emma slumped against the wall.

            "I guess that’s, that.” Dinah said as she leaned beside Emma.

"Yeah, I guess so." Emma felt so tired that all she could think about was sleep. Maybe if she just rested for a minute she could think better. She let her body slide toward the floor.

"Ouch!" Dinah cried out. She reached behind her and felt for the offending object that had gouged her in the back. It was round and kind of recessed into the door. "Em, take a look at this!" When Emma didn't reply she reached over and grabbed her sleeve. "Emma! Wake up. Look!"

            Emma mumbled and slapped at Diana’s hand that was trying to pull her back to her feet. Dinah was starting to penetrate the deep fog encumbering her thinking. She opened her eyes but saw nothing then Dinah guided her hands to the wheel. It was cold and not much larger than a platter. What interested her most was that it was attached to the door and that mean it had to be what they were looking for. She tried to turn it but found it immovable. ”Dinah, help me." They placed themselves on each side of the wheel and strained to turn it. It held fast. Angry that they had come so far only to be denied for lack of strength, Emma strained with one final surge of adrenaline before falling to her knees, breathless.

            Dinah sank to the floor in defeat. Her breathing was raspy. ”Even if the air is musty it has to be better in there."

            Emma nodded "Yeah, I think Alan said they used an oxygen rich, high pressure atmosphere in these old things. Someone once thought that men functioned on the surface if the body was saturated with---" she stopped suddenly, mouth agape. "That's it! The pressure!" she started feeling around the door frame. "Dinah, help me. there has to be a bleed off valve here somewhere." They began to search frantically.

            To the casual observer one could not tell the turmoil brewing within Helena by her calm exterior. She sat silently by her best friend's bedside wondering what could have pushed her so far as to try to take her own life and worrying about her own daughter and future daughter-in-law. Only blind faith that John was doing everything possible kept her from racing to the scene. She looked over at her patient to find Sandra looking at her.

            "Helena? What happened?"

            The question hung heavy in the air between them. "That's what I want to ask you, Sahn.  You were found unconscious in your quarters and your blood tox screen showed a very high level of pain medication and tranquilizers. You could easily have died tonight.”

            Sahn looked at Helena surprised, “You do not think I tried to...? Helena, I would not...could not do such a thing.”

            “Alex told me that Alan had been to see you tonight and that the visit had not gone well,” she said as she sat down on the bed next to her friend.

            Sahn looked away for a minute, “It is true the visit from Alan went poorly. I was in no way prepared for what he had to say. And I have to say I think he is a fool. Perhaps I overreacted, I have not felt myself lately. What he said hurt, but do you think that would make me take my life after this...” she held her gnarled hands up in front of her.

            Taking one of Sandra’s bent hands in her own, Helena relaxed a little. Perhaps it had been a side effect of the medication. It had been known to happen. There was enough doubt to give Sandra the benefit of it, but she still wanted to keep her under close observation. “Okay, let’s get you on some different medication, but I still want to keep you and observe you until I know there are no lasting effects.”

            “That is fair.”

            “Good, “ Helena said getting to her feet. “I ‘ll come back later tonight and we’ll talk.” She walked out purposely not mentioning Emma and Alan’s situation for fear it would seed feelings of guilt. There was very little Sandra could do until her mind cleared of the effects of the drugs. She pulled her slate out to call John. She would fill him in on the latest development, then she could do nothing but worry and trust that John would do whatever had to be done as he had so many times in the past.

            Emma shook her head. The effects of anoxia were making the simplest thoughts a supreme effort. She closed her eyes against the double vision. It all seemed helpless. As though from a great distance she heard Dinah speak to her, but the words were meaningless until she felt her hands directed to yet another valve. Almost by their own volition they closed around it and with her strength added to Dinah’s she felt it give. She was rewarded by a hissing sound. She put her face to the escaping gas and breathed in deeply. Almost instantly she was rewarded by clearer thinking. She pulled Dinah closer.

            “Commander!”

            Koenig spun to face Ben who had been monitoring the atmospheric levels for the section. “What is it?”

            “O2 levels are on the rise and so is the temperature.”

            Koenig swore under his breath. Now they knew there was a fire and the air would only serve to fuel the fire. Until the safeties kicked in. “How much time?”

            Ben shrugged. “Not much.”

            Emma felt her strength returning and with it a sense of extreme urgency. She tried the dog-wheel again and it gave, but only a little. With a little encouragement she got Dinah to help her. “Now remember, when it loosens get out of the way. There may still be enough pressure to blow the door back.” Dinah nodded and there began to work on the wheel. After the third fruitless attempt Emma sank back against the wall to catch her breath.

            Dinah who had remained silent most of the past hour gave the door a frustrated glare. Suddenly she let out a war-yell and attacked the wheel. Much to Emma’s amazement and her own, the wheel began to spin furiously. It took only a moment for her to realize that if the door did blow out Emma was in the line of fire. She launched herself toward Emma, but   before she could breach the distance the swinging door caught her solidly in the back of the head.

            Emma who had been climbing to her feet was at Dinah’s side in an instant. “Dinah, are you---” She saw the blood that smeared the floor around Dinah’s head.  Only when she heard Dinah moan did she feel slightly relieved. There was only one thing to do now. She grabbed Dinah under the arms and pulled her into the door and closed it behind them. She pushed the buttons by the door and felt the air cycling in. Behind it she saw a rack of very antiquated spacesuits. Laying Dinah gently on the floor she went to the suits and examined them. Much to he surprise they were in perfect condition. Her mental clock told her they were running out of time. She took two of the suits down; it would be easiest to suit up Dinah first.

            Alan felt his heart pounding in his chest as he rounded the last outcrop. Suddenly, the hatch was in sight and he forgot all discomfort.  He signaled to Alex to quicken his pace. It wouldn’t be long now. “Hold on, please God let them be all right,” he pleaded silently. As soon as he reached the airlock he began to check its viability. Much to his surprise, despite lack of proper maintenance it seemed to be in working order. He began the cycling process.

            Emma struggled desperately with Dinah’s dead weight. Finally, they were both suited and sealed. After she made a detailed examination of the chest controls she was satisfied that they were functioning perfectly. Her worst fear was that the seals wouldn’t hold after their extended neglect.  She pushed the thought away, if they failed hers and Dinah’s deaths would be only quicker. She approached the console and began to study the controls. It took her a couple of minutes of intense study before she found the cycling controls. Her vision blurred and her head began to ache. Her body wouldn’t respond to her commands to start bleeding off the atmosphere in the chamber. Suddenly, everything went black.

            “Settle down, Alan. I’m as anxious as you are.” Alex complained. Alan was trying to pace around in the cumbersome suit and was only serving to stir up more lunar dust. The cycling process was much slower than they were used to and it only compounded their anxieties about the women. Alan leaped at the door as the light turned green and before Alex could react, Alan disappeared inside.

            Alex’s heart dropped as he heard Alan’s grievous moan over his suits mike. He shouldered past Alan and entered the room. He was met with a sight that would haunt him in his nightmares for many nights afterward; two unmoving figures littered the room.

            Medical Center was silent except for the humm of certain life support machines, but Alan couldn’t sleep. He looked over at Emma’s sleeping form again. Her face was washed and bandages and ointments had been appied to her injuries. He lay a gentle hand next to her cheek and caressed her soft skin. Catching himself he withdrew his hand and looked around at the door. Helena Koenig stood in observation.

            “I’m sorry.” she said as she moved to her sleeping daughters side.  “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

            Alan smiled slightly, “It’s just that I caught a glimpse of John standing at the doorway a couple of times...I guess I’m still a little self conscious.”

            Helena smiled knowingly as she continued to check Emma. “He’s a very protective father and he loves Emma very much.”

            “I would never do anything to hurt her, Helena. I had hoped if anything John would believe that.” he paused and looked away. “I suppose I can only thank you for keeping him from throttling me.”

            Helena came around the side of the hospital bed and pulled Alan to the door. She spoke quietly, “Don’t thank me, there have been times I would have done it myself.” she shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “But, I know Emma is just enough like her father that no one is going to tell her who to love and who not to love...and I know you wouldn’t hurt her.” She cast a glance back at her sleeping daughter and then squeezed Alan’s arm. “Just give it time. You caught a lot of people off guard, not just John.”

            “Thanks.”

            “Like I said, don’t thank me. I’ve got to check on Sandra now.”

            Alan looked up quickly “How is she? You know I just can’t believe she would try to take her own life.”

            “Me either, but there is no denying that your announcement couldn’t have come at a worse time for her. She’s self conscious and probably scared.” Without another word Helena left.

            Alan walked back to Emma and watched her sleep. He knew she was the most precious thing to him. He couldn’t help loving her even though he had tried. It just felt too right. Too pure. True, what he had shared with Sandra had been special; she was attentive and caring, bright and sensitive. He had an over-whelming urge to protect her. At one time her would taken her as his wife. A long time ago, before Emma...before Emma was even born. He shook his head, ‘get it together, Carter’. 

            Alan took a seat by Emma’s bedside and took out his slate. He sat in quiet contemplation as his watched Emma’s steady breathing. Where would he start? What could he say that he hadn’t already? He took a deep breath and began to pour out his heart, telling the woman he had shared so much with in the past about the new feelings he had for another and why they weren’t wrong. At least he hoped for a truce, at best and understanding that his heart was pure and full of happiness. When the message was complete he read it through once more. Satisfied he push send and hoped for the best. Pushing his slate off to the side he took Emma’s small hand in his own and lay his head next to hers.

            Sandra was glad to be back in her own quarters. She never liked being in Medical Center, it was far too noisy and you couldn’t rest. With some minor adjustments to her medication and a solemn promise to seek some therapy Helena had been obliged to send her back.  She couldn’t really see the point to the therapy, she hadn’t really tried to kill herself---she had just made an error and overdosed, but she had promised Helena and she intended to keep her promise.  It really was time for a change she admitted.  She decided to get more exercise, something Helena was always after her about. She would try to eat better and socialize more, at least as much as she could stand. Lastly she promised to rid herself of some emotional baggage. Alan was out of her life now, of that she was certain. She could and would move on. At least she still had a shred of dignity to build on.

            She was walking toward her bedroom when she saw the light on her terminal indicating she had email.  Her eyebrows shot up as she noticed it’s sender. It was obvious this was a moment of decision; in opening it she would open herself to all the old feelings. Once they were upon her and eating at her how would she deal with them?  With greater resolve than she knew she possessed she highlighted the message and deleted it. She knew what she had to do to make the change. The change would start now.

Paula Austin

2003