The Freezer Read online

  Marius shot a look at Dinova. He really was terrified of this place. I had heard of people snapping in intense situations; his time here at The Freezer must have really been intense for him. His hands were clenched and he was suddenly breathing heavily.

  “Just a normal creak, Tanner,” Dinova said with a glance to Marius. “They happen all the time. The ice is always moving, flexing. The pressure ridge next to the station is still building. The surface under us is fine though, as long as the station doesn’t get warmer.”

  Sato said, “It sounded really loud. As if the crack occurred right under Module A.”

  * * *

  I sent Dr. Dinova and Dr. Marius to the work area Sato and I had been at earlier while he studied my ailment. Sato went as well. They were to work on a way to deactivate the bomb. In the meantime, I would begin my investigation at The Freezer.

  On the same level in Module A, I found Aoki Tali, the lab technician. She had seemed the most likely to provide assistance earlier, so I decided to question her first.

  She was in a lab space on the far side of the dome, about twenty meters from the others. I found her hunched over a microscope. She was studying images on a computer monitor beside her. I watched it for a few moments. Particles were visible but there were no internal structures that I would describe as being the innards of a cell. I didn’t see nuclei, cytoplasm, a cell wall, or anything organic. Just solids.

  Around us in the area—which a thin wall divided from the rest of the dome—were a variety of consoles, tables, glassware and cabinets with glass doors.

  “What’s that?” I asked her.

  She bolted up, startled. “I didn’t know you were here, sorry,” she said with a salute.

  She was now following military regs, which I appreciated. I returned the gesture. I pointed to the monitor and she followed my eyes.

  “Oh. Salts and minerals.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “The ocean below us is salty. There is a rocky core on this moon. That’s where it comes from.”

  “But no life.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Do you expect to find some?”

  A shrug. “I’m a technician, Lieutenant. I do what they ask me.” She motioned toward some imaginary people, who I assumed were the three officers at the station.

  “Where’s the sample you’re studying?”

  “Here.”

  On the table in the center of the chamber was a beaker of water. It looked extremely clear. I frowned. If life were there—as we knew it, at least—the water should have been murky with single-celled creatures, green algae, plankton, or other things of the sort. But this just looked...dead.

  “Where are the drill sites?”

  She looked confused. “Pardon me, sir?”

  “You drill through the ice to collect the water, correct?”

  She nodded. “Oh, yes, but I don’t do that. It’s one of Crewman Dyson’s jobs. I’m not sure where the actual drilling is done.”

  “It’s not done here at the station, is it?” I was wondering if one of the modules had a drilling device and the researchers brought samples up from directly under the dome.

  “No. Too dangerous I guess. Don’t want to damage the ice right under us.”

  “I heard a crack earlier.”

  A look passed over her face, perhaps fear. “I heard it too. They happen all the time. You just get used to it, I guess.”

  I paused as I searched the area. I didn’t care about invading her privacy; in the CCF, there was no such thing. Especially during a murder investigation.

  “Tell me about the dissidents,” I said absently.

  Her expression immediately hardened. “They are criminals. They left because Director Lefave had had enough of their talk.”

  “They were open about it?”

  “Yes. They even discussed how to bring down the Council.” Her words were harsh, a rasp. She seemed intensely angry now, much different from her previous pleasant attitude. Despite it, however, I couldn’t help but notice her beauty. She was young and her Asian features exotic. She was thin but fit, toned and curvy at the same time. The whole package was enticing and sexual.

  I swallowed before continuing. Even though she was beautiful, I immediately felt guilt over such thoughts because of Shaheen’s death. I said, “Who is the Council rep here?”

  Every facility, ship, station and colony had a Council rep whose job was to report directly to the Council. They were always on the lookout for treasonous activity and anti-Council sentiment. They rarely had friends and people often suspected that they spied on those around them. They had powers that made others nervous. The position often attracted a certain type of personality that others would classify as power-hungry. People who wanted to be in control, who wanted to make others scared. If the search for dissidents was a witch-hunt, the people who held the position of Council rep were most responsible for rooting out the witches.

  Aoki smiled slightly at me; she had noticed the effect that she’d had on me. “Director Lefave is our Council rep.”

  Ah. It explained why Dr. Dinova hated him.

  But it still left a major question unexplained. Why hadn’t Lefave reported the dissidents here?

  * * *

  I found Lefave on the level below us. He was going through data on a flatscreen. I sat next to him; he didn’t even look up as I lowered myself onto the stool.

  “Find what you’re looking for?” he mumbled.

  “Not yet.”

  “What exactly do you think you’ll discover?”

  “Information. Perhaps a murderer.”

  “What about the people you came with? You don’t suspect them?”

  “Two were friends with Bojdl.”

  “Friends can’t commit murder?”

  It made me pause. Of course they could, and often did. “Not in this case.”

  He finally looked at me. “How long are you going to stay?” His unspoken question was obvious.

  “As long as I feel necessary.” I shrugged. “Why not help me and speed the process?”

  “Of course. I’ve cooperated already. I’m just curious.”

  I gestured at the screen after a short silence. “What is that?”

  “Looking for enzymes in the sea. Proteins. Evidence of life.”

  “Why is there liquid water under the ice?” Europa was the only body in Home System other than Earth with liquid water. And if life needed it to survive...

  “Ah. Good question. Astrophysicists figured centuries ago that tidal stresses between Europa, Titan and Jupiter flexed the moon enough to generate a lot of heat. Europa orbits the planet quickly—once every three-and-a-half days. That keeps the water and icy crust moving. There’s also tectonic activity in the core.”

  “Volcanic activity?”

  “Some. There’s evidence of immense geysers here. Clouds of steam and water shooting up above the ice. The probable explanation is a hot core.” He shrugged. “It’s not really my area though. I’m more concerned with finding life.”

  I glanced out a viewport. “The scenery is extraordinary. Are you used to it now?”

  He followed my gaze. “The moon is locked in position toward Jupiter. The planet is always in the same place, either light or dark. Even when it’s dark we can still see it.”

  “The light show.”

  “Have you noticed?”

  “It’s amazing.”

  He sighed. “It’s beautiful for sure, but yes, I guess I’m used to it.”

  “I want to see your files on the personnel here.” I hit him with it to study his reaction.

  He raised his eyebrows and hesitated. Then, “Sure. If it’ll help find this killer. I’ll send them to your reader.”

  Seemed normal en
ough.

  And then, “But afterward, feel free to get the fuck out of here.”

  I snorted. And there it was—his attitude that I’d inferred earlier. “Why? What are you doing that’s so important? Looking for enzymes?”

  “You’re intruding, that’s all.”

  He rose to his feet and I followed. He was a few inches taller than me, and we were standing close together. I had to look up into his eyes. Still, despite his size, I knew he was no match for me. I could destroy him in less than ten seconds if it came to it.

  “I’m not leaving until I’m confident that I’ve explored every avenue here, Doctor,” I snarled. “And if you can’t handle it, I’ll ship you off to CCF HQ on Fort Iridium until I’m done.”

  We stared at each other for long moments while he debated silently whether he wanted to lose his project or not. Eventually, however, he sighed. “I guess.” But it still wasn’t convincing.

  “I want to see your drill sites.”

  This startled him. “What?”

  “Where you bring water to the surface. I want to go there.”

  “But it’s outside. In the freezing cold.”

  “You have vacsuits for it. Crewman Dyson goes there, doesn’t he?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, he can take you there. I’m just surprised by your request. What does it have to do with a murder?”

  “As I said, I want to explore everything here at The Freezer.”

  A silence stretched out between us.

  * * *

  The control center was on the upper level of the dome. It was a round area ringed with consoles. The ceiling was completely transparent. It was a nice addition to the engineering of the facility, because it afforded an uninterrupted view of Jupiter. The planet hung there solemnly, massive beyond imagination. I had once been so close to the sun that it had stretched across the “sky” from horizon to horizon. This was a similar view to that one.

  I watched the planet for many minutes, transfixed by it all. I could make out the other three Galilean moons as they passed across the face. Titan, Ganymede and Callisto. Europa was the fourth. They were large enough that amateur astronomers could see them with simple telescopes on Earth. Galileo had discovered Europa in 1610.

  The terminator separating night from day on Jupiter had moved quite a bit since our arrival that morning. Europa was orbiting quickly...soon the gas giant would be full in our sky. Even with half the planet lit, however, I could still see the lightning raging across the dark half of Jupiter’s gas clouds.

  I sat at the communications station and keyed in the code for the colony on Pluto. It was necessary to inform them that I did not want an autopsy of any sort performed on Shaheen.

  I also gave another order. One that I had been considering for quite some time.

  * * *

  Bojdl’s correspondence was on my reader. I had given Captain Lawrence this order before leaving Fort Iridium. I was happy to see that he had complied.

  There was not much there, however. Not even messages to his family on Venus. They really were estranged. To not even write his daughter...

  It made me shake my head. I had grown up without family. After meeting Shaheen, I had come to realize how important human contact was. To have family and not make an effort to communicate now seemed outlandish.

  There were a few notes to Dinova and Marius. They had met infrequently for meals, coffee, drinks, that sort of thing. They worked together in the clinic so they saw each other every day, but as for socializing, Bojdl didn’t do much.

  I still wondered how and where the murderer had implanted that bomb in him.

  Lawrence had also included a brief note about Europa: there had been no contact between the facility and Fort Iridium, and no transports had connected the two settlements in six months.

  I sent a quick message inquiring about Bojdl’s activities over the past few weeks. He was still working on that, apparently, and I was curious what it would turn up. It was a long shot, but there was a chance that the killer had actually met with Bojdl in the days leading up to his arterial rupture. Based on the decay rate of the artery, it had to have been within four days of his death at the very most.

  I took one last look at Jupiter. Time to steel myself for what was coming. I wasn’t much of an astronaut—I was much better at dealing with criminals—but sometimes things like what I was about to do were necessary during investigations.

  Chapter Seven

  It was necessary to venture outside.

  Before I did so, however, I needed to take care of something.

  Ed Sato was in the lab on level two of Module A working on deciphering the problems with the micro-bomb in my aorta. I hated to pull him from his work, but I needed to make some headway on the murder investigation.

  “Have you found anything at this facility related to nano research or something used to build that bomb?” I asked him. He was hunched over a computer image of the innards of the weapon, studying its circuitry and processors.

  A frown. “No, but I’ve hardly seen the whole station. Just this lab, the mess and the living spaces.” He looked quizzical, but that smile was on his face again. “Do you want me to nose around a bit?”

  “Just a bit. But be subtle about it.”

  As an expert in these matters, surely he would recognize a workspace that focused on nano weapon development. And if the murderer were indeed at The Freezer, then such a place should exist. Somewhere.

  He seemed excited to be involved. “But what about this? You’ve only got a few days—”

  I raised my hand to cut him off. “Don’t say it. Just try to divide your time. I really need information about this facility.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Going outside.”

  Dinova and Marius, who were also working in the lab, turned to me. “Why?” Marius asked.

  “I need to understand what’s going on here. If Shaheen died because of something here, I want to know what, exactly.” I glanced at Sato. “Go look around. I’ll come back later.”

  * * *

  Crewman Lenn Dyson was in Module D, the vehicle air lock. It was a dome the same size as the rec and living area, but there the similarities ended. Within were ten single-person vehicles lined up against a bulkhead. Nearby was a work table littered with tools. Beside that was a wall of lockers with a long bench for changing into vacsuits. And on the far side, a flattened segment of the bulkhead clearly labeled with yellow lettering marked the hatch to the outside. Beyond it was the actual air lock, which I could see through a porthole. The hatch was wide enough—and the air lock long enough—to permit the passage of two vehicles at once.

  I turned my attention to the vehicles. My eyebrows lifted; they were snowmobiles. No, icemobiles was a more accurate term. A single large tread at the bottom of the machine. Handlebars and a long, wide seat that could permit two people. Double headlight at the front. There was no windscreen, however, and nothing enclosed the vehicle in any way. To operate it, one had to be in a vacsuit.

  Dyson was working at the table on a piece of machinery, a pump of some sort.

  “What are your responsibilities here?” He hadn’t reacted to my entrance—which would have been obvious due to the opening and closing hatch at the end of the travel tube—and didn’t turn at my question.

  He also hadn’t saluted.

  “I maintain the equipment.” He gestured at his current project. “This is a water pump from the lavatory. I’m running a routine repair right now. I also keep things functioning around here. It’s a big job for just one person. Keeping the scientists happy.” He grunted. “There needs to be two of me, really.”

  He hadn’t mentioned the drill sites outside.

  “I’d appreciate a salute, Crewman.” My voice was ice.

 
He dropped his tools and turned slowly. His salute was perfunctory only.

  It made me growl.

  In the military there was a reason for discipline and order. We crushed rebellion during the academy and rebuilt CCF personnel with discipline, routine and regulations. Once their defiant side was gone, they were much easier to train and indoctrinate into the system. We needed everyone in the CCF to behave as one, so to speak. Respect for the chain of command and authority was the single most important ideal in the military. Dyson had just crossed it, and in the process, had illustrated his character. I had experienced it before, of course, but this time...

  This time, I decided, maybe I would take a different tack.

  “You’re going to take me outside now, Crewman.”

  His jaw dropped. “What? But I—”

  “I don’t care what you’re doing. You’re taking me to the drill sites.”

  “Say again?”

  “The sites where you obtain samples for the scientists.”

  He considered this for a moment, then finally deflated. “All right. You’ll need a vacsuit.”

  His response further irritated me. All right. That was not how a lowly crewman answered an officer’s order.

  I shot an angry look at him and stepped closer. He was shorter and skinnier than me. His arms did look toned and powerful—he had rolled his sleeves up and there was grease on his skin—but I knew if it came to a physical confrontation, he would lose quickly.

  And then he’d be in prison somewhere.

  Or a hospital.

  He stepped back after a tortured moment while he considered his options. Finally he straightened his back. “Yes, sir. I’ll get you a suit. We’ll have to take the icetracks.”

  * * *

  The icetrack was easy to operate. It was battery powered, which made sense in the environment. It held a charge, even at this temperature, for six hours of constant use at full speed. The headlights were extremely bright and lit a large area before each vehicle.

  We maneuvered into the air lock, which held both of us, and the inner hatch closed silently. Pumps drained the chamber of air, and the outer hatch opened.