Chapter 13

Unexpected Encounter

Victoria was passing through the Earth’s magnetic field. The Earth, mother of countless living creatures...Victoria was getting away from the planet’s protective surface. It headed towards the space where particles from the sun made furious winds and lunged at the spacecraft, like sea waves hitting a ship’s bow.

Hugh went across to the Destiny module and manually closed the hatch connecting to the Hypnos module. The Hypnos-Leonardo modules where hibernation devices were at, had to be absolutely safe in all cases. So, it was necessary to close the hatch. Hugh went to the pilot private space where there were sleeping bags for resting. This was the only space in the whole spacecraft where there was no CCTV. He checked the ‘Stanley Hugh’ name sign and opened the cabinet zipper. He got out a tape player “mymy” and the headphone. The cupola observation window had its shield plugged on. Hugh opened the hatch and moved to temporary air lock. At the right side of the passage, there was the docking gate, at the left was a hatch where one could go outside wearing a spacesuit.

Next to the four directions of the air lock, there hung one spacesuit each. Hugh signed remembering Christina asking him,“Why don’t you just jump off?” He remembered Christina’s swollen eyes and the bandaged finger. He knew why she was so absorbed in this project and even destroying herself to accomplish it. It was because of love.

Hugh mumbled,“If I go back to Earth...” But he knew that the problems will not come to an end even if he goes back to earth. Hugh sighed. Even though he sets Victoria back to Earth, discloses that Mars Two project had a problem, the story will not end there. It would be the beginning of a bigger fight. Hugh believed that Howard Mason who no longer shows himself in public is plotting a hidden conspiracy. At that moment, coincidently, nobody could connect with X. Inside Humanity, many people worried about the situation – the grand confrontation has not even started, but Humanity was facing the danger of getting disorganized. It was difficult to deny X’s power of command and funding skills.

Hugh shook his head fast. It was a common sense to solve tasks right in front first of all. Hugh opened the air lock hatch and went over to the command module. He cut in half the 3.5 pie jack on the headphone. A D-type connector was hidden in it. Hugh put his hand under the right side instrument board to connect the terminal with the connector. It was the channel to connect to Victoria’s main computing system. Hugh took in a deep breath. He pressed the button on the tape player. The first track song played was none other than .

Hugh concentrated. He wasn’t listening to the music. The mymy was a delicately designed hacking tool. Besides the 2 channels of stereo track, was hidden another track. A code that intercepts Victoria’s operational control authority of auto pilot and communication devices were recorded. When pressed the play button, as well as music playing, the hacking code enters through the D-type connector. Next to the play button, a small light emitting diode was blinking a green light. This meant that everything was being proceeded as planned.

“Thump”

“Thump”

“Thump”

All of a sudden, Victoria’s command module turned pitch black. After that, the air lock and the Destiny one by one became all dark. Hugh froze. Then, he moved like mad. It was not only the light which went out. The whole system connecting Victoria-air lock-Destiny went off at the same time.

He removed the D-type connector, but nothing changed. The tunnel patch which showed the influx of various information turned black. He moved up and down the mechanical ancillary switch and the manual operation lever, but no response. Even the emergency power source and warning light did not work. All the electronic devices which were beaming multi colored lights had turned black and white like motionless fossils. Hugh became pale. He breathed fast. He was pouring sweat on his forehead and they stayed there like a gel. He wiped off the sweat. In microgravity space, sweat or blood gets sticky and do not roll down.

The structure of Victoria was an old design. However, the computing system inside was of most high-tech specifications. It was a integrated technology combining software and hardware system of Dragonfly, which was once a robot manufacturing company. The system was so well knit that even Humanity members could not dare penetrate. Hugh’s hacking program was therefore tested numerous times and highly credible.

Hugh put both two hands on his forehead. He tried to wipe off the sweat with his palms. This way, everything they have planned will go down the drain. Moreover, he himself and the other three pilots’ life would be in danger. As the life support system had stopped, carbon dioxide density will rise. When the density rises up to 3%, they would have difficulty breathing, and from 8% density, they will lose their consciousness. If he wanted to survive, he must go into the hibernation device. The life support system of Hypnos-Leonardo was designed to operate separately from that of Victoria-Desnity system. Even if Victoria-Destiny system stops, the other system will not halt from operating. Yet, even that is last for 8 months at the longest.

If Victoria does not get hit by unidentified objects such as asteroids, or encounter any other danger during the way, Victoria will eventually reach Mars. However, even if it arrives on Mars, the consequences are equally dreadful. If it does not reduce speed by operating the main engine, it gets caught by the red planet’s gravity field. The speed will become faster. Like skydivers unable to open their parachutes they would dive into Mars. Even with the help of frictional heat, they will disappear completely. Christina wanted Hugh to jump off from the spacecraft, but it was too late to jump. Even if he opens the air lock and escape, it would be impossible for him to change direction, which means he would be heading towards Mars together with Victoria.

Hugh clenched his teeth. There was only one possible way. Hugh pulled off the top below the right hand side of the instrument board. There was the emergency manual designed to be used at emergency times. More than half way through, he found the right page. By operating the communication module outside of the spacecraft via an emergency power supply, he could still report to Earth the distress situation.

Hugh went across to the temporary air lock. He started wearing his spacesuit. He kept making mistakes binding the wrist and ankle parts. It was dark as well, but Hugh was in a hurry. Victoria was getting 32.73km away from Earth every second.

At that time...

The system hacking prevention emergency lock mode had been relieved.

As if nothing had happened, the power supply was back on. Through the open hatch, Hugh looked up to the direction of the command module. It seemed that all instrument board had come back to its normal status. During the Victoria simulation, they had practiced few hundred times, various scenarios of emergency situation, but the “emergency lock mode” was never on the list. “Hacking prevention” was also a word Hugh had never heard of before. Then, it meant that somebody at Dragonfly had forecasted that hacking may occur at Victoria, and prepared for the situation.

'They forecasted the situation?'

A faint noise was heard, and it soon became bigger and bigger. Hugh was surprised as if hit by an electric shock, and turned his head to the other direction. It was the direction of Destiny. The noise stopped. Hugh’s eyes widened. This time, the door lock of the hatch connecting Destiny and air lock started moving. Whoever it is turning the lock from the opposite side cannot be a human. Once one gets into the hibernation device, it is impossible to wake up before arriving on Mars. That is the principle construction of the hibernation device. If not human? Hugh became tense. Finally the hatch opened.

“Michelle!” cried Hugh, startled.

It was none other than Michelle Chang who opened the Hatch and stood in front of Hugh’s eyes. Hugh’s eyes were wide open but he himself could not believe in the scene laying in front of him. Hugh called upon Michelle but Michelle did not respond. Her face was telling him that she had never before felt any kind of emotion, never before in her life. She was walking fast towards Hugh.