Page 7 of Found
Day One
03:51
We’re taking one last trip to the Spire. It feels like a suitable place to say goodbye. We’ve left before sunrise to make it there for the spectacle of the orange light hitting the smooth, reflecting stone of this natural wonder.
We’re going to lose access to the loading bay where the rover is usually stored, but Bastian’s said that eventually, we might be able to restore power to it. Still, this might be our last chance to take a ride on it for a long time. Or for the last time.
Toby, Will and Jordan are with me in the rover. Of course, Bastian stayed behind, Han helping him, and Jim is still trying to hack his way into whatever signal might be able to reach the bomb. None of them wanted our help, and with our supplies all stored away in the safe part of the station, there was nothing left for us to do.
We never make it though. We’re minutes away from cresting the hill that will give us a full view of the Spire when the comm crackles and silence falls over the rover.
“Guys, come back!” Jim shouts. “I’ve figured it out!”
***
02:37
Jim has channelled his comm to all of us, so we can hear his progress no matter where we are, which means that Bastian and Han can continue working on preparing the separation of the three parts of the station, while the rest of us are still parking the rover.
“Whoever programmed this was a genius. They’ve given themselves an option to control the intensity of the blast. There are six levels, I assume that means that there are six cartridges of explosives within the bomb. Somehow, they can disengage them individually, no idea how though. Maybe there’s a chemical in there that renders the explosives useless? Or soaks it in water for long enough not to explode when triggered? No idea, but the how doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that we can disable them one by one.”
A short crackle announces that someone else is trying to speak, and Jim pauses for a moment.
“Can you disable them all at once?” Han asks. Even without seeing him, I can hear the trace of hope in his voice that is beginning to settle in my heart.
“Maybe, if I had more time to figure out the code,” Jim replies. “But I can either do that without knowing if I’ll manage to succeed in time, or disable them one by one, which might take longer, but at least I know that it’s possible.”
I lift my comm bracelet to my mouth and speak. “Don’t waste time on finding another way,” I instruct. “Get rid of them individually. I don’t suppose you know which one will affect what system? Like, can we disable the one destroying the oxygen pipes first?”
“Sadly, this doesn’t come with a manual,” Jim replies drily. “It’s trial and error, so I can’t promise anything. I’ve got the first section disabled already, five more to go.”
I nod before noticing that he can’t see me.
“Good. Need any help?”
A moment of silence, before the comm crackles again. “A cup of tea, perhaps?”
***
02:28
Dark circles surround Jim’s striking blue eyes and he looks like he could do with several days’ worth of sleep. Couldn’t we all. Hopefully, in less than three hours we’ll have averted this disaster and can continue our life as before. Or we’ll be sleeping forever. Permanently.
I shake off that thought and put the large mug of tea in front of Jim, together with a plate of biscuits.
“Wish I could add some milk, but well... no milk on Mars,” I chuckle. “I added two pieces of sugar though for this special occasion.”
“Appreciated,” he mutters, taking the mug and breathing in deeply. “Not the last supper but the last breakfast.”
