Chapter 9

"Rosie? Do you know where they are?" asked Jody.

"Yes, Jody," she answered from the monitor, her hands folded demurely in front of her. The same holo-grid image of the Junk zone that appeared before popped up in front of Jody. "They are right about here." An orange dot started blinking in the center of the image. "As a matter of fact, I believe they have docked with the vehicle they are seeking. Let me see if Garth's helmet-cam link is up yet." Rosie got a thoughtful look on her face and then looked back down at Jody. "Yes, it's coming up now."

Jody turned and called to the rest of the gang. "Hey, everyone. Check it out, Garth's camera's about to come on."

Yavi and Farhad were on the other side of the control cabin examining some of the attitude thruster controls that Red had dismantled. Mavis was writing in her book while Alex worked in his Pocket Pal and Tasha sat looking out the window.

Everything is going okay, so far. Garth and Red have gone to get the part for the bus we need. I wonder if they're getting along? As different as they are I think deep down they really like each other, although they would never admit it. I really hope they get back soon. I am ready for this adventure to be over. I miss my room and all my stuff. I wonder if Ms. Braidon knows what happened to us. I'm sure she'll be proud of the way Alex has been handling everything. I won't say anything to her about how he looks to me for advice.

"All right," exclaimed Alex as he shut the lid. "Hey, Mavis. Where's Ethan?"

"I detect that Ethan has gone back to the Galley," said Rosie.

"Big surprise there," Mavis closed her book.

"Now pay attention and you'll be able to see everything on Monitor 3, my children."

They all stopped what they were doing and went over to the monitor, except for Tasha. She just watched the rest of them stare up at the screen.

Alex looked over at her. "Tash? Don't you wanna come see?

"Nah." She got up from her chair. "I think I'm gonna go check out the living quarters."

"Well, be careful. You never know what you might find," cautioned Alex.

"Yes sssir, Captain Alex, Sir." She stiffened her body and mock saluted him. Alex shook his head.

"Don't worry, Alex. I'll keep an eye on her. Now, children," Rosie said turning her attention to the group, "You'll be able to hear Garth and see what he sees but that's all."

The image flicked on showing Red, in her suit, sitting in the Rascal looking into the camera.

"You mean we can't talk to him?" asked Farhad.

"That is correct," she replied.

"But why?" asked Jody.

"Red has seen fit to remove my transmitting equipment, but my receivers are still intact and operational. Thanks to you," she smiled warmly at them.

The picture of Red shook a little as Garth adjusted the helmet. "All right, Bus driver like you said, your bus your part, make this quick. We got other stuff to do."

"What other stuff?" Garth's voice sounded from inside the helmet.

"Stuff. Other stuff. Now go on. Git" She turned him around toward the rear of the Rascal and the sound of air cycling whooshed through as the small door as the back opened into the vacuum of space. Garth exited the Rascal.

From the back of the control room, Tasha stared at the group looking up at the monitor. She took a deep breath before pushing the hatch release switch and then passed through upon its opening.

Garth's camera showed him climbing down the side of Red's Rascal, which had securely grappled itself to the roof of the Chrysler. His voice came from behind the camera as the picture continued to move. "I hope everyone can hear me back there. I wish I could talk to you guys. Everyone behaving? Tasha? I hope you're being nice to everyone. Alex? I hope you're not bossing everyone around."

"Boy, he sure does have your number, Alex." Jody said as he smiled and playfully nudged Alex.

"Jody, I know you're behaving." The picture on the screen began to enter the bus. "Well, this beast is pretty much just like ours. Just a little worse for wear." The camera looked down at the floor of the bus and the access plate. Garth knelt down as his hands came into frame holding a mechanical screwdriver and began to unscrew the hatch. "Yavi and Farhad, make sure you put back together whatever it is that you took apart."

"How did Garth know that we were taking apart things?" Yavi looked at Farhad. Mavis, Alex and Jody all turned their heads to Yavi at the same time and gave her a 'you must be joking' look."

Jody's Pocket Pal chimed from inside his pants. A look of exasperation came over his face as it reminded him of the realities back home on Folden. As fast as he could, he retrieved it and punched the silence button.

Alex looked over at him, "Why don't you just listen to her and get it over with. I mean, how bad could it be? It's just a message. It's not like you could really speak to her."

Jody shoved the small computer back in his pocket. "I don't know, Alex. I just don't want to yet. And maybe... I do want to speak to her."

Alex smiled at him, "Okay, I understand."

Tasha walked through the tubular passageway. Only a couple of the glow panels in the ceiling were working and even they weren't working too well. Fortunately, there were view ports lining each side of the access way and sunlight from one side shined through making it lighter. The ultra violet sensors in the glass automatically darkened to protect the former occupants inside from raw unfiltered sun. The connecting module was about twenty feet in length with debris scattered along the floor plates.

"Boy, you'd think Red would have taken better care of the place." She said kicking aside some of the small empty cargo containers and twisted pieces of metal and plastic.

At the end of the module was an intersection. A placard on the wall indicated the women's sleeping quarters to the right, and the men's quarters to the left. Directly in front of her was another access hatch with a sign on the front that read "Personal Care Facility." Someone, long ago had crossed out the words and written the word "Bathroom" in marker underneath. Tasha chuckled to herself, "At least someone had the sense to tell it like it is."

She punched the button on the side of the panel, but the door only opened slightly and then stopped. She could hear the mechanism that drove the door straining against some unknown force.

"Piece a junk. Just like everything else in this place," she muttered.

She then squeezed in between the hatchway jam and the edge of the door and pushed hard against the door. With her help, the door relented and opened the rest of the way. Like the rest of the station, the bathroom wasn't in the greatest shape either. Much of the equipment had been removed by Red and sold for scrap, Tasha guessed. The rest of the place just looked old and dingy. Tasha tried to imagine what the place must have looked like when people actually lived here. It certainly wasn't self-sufficient like the Orbit Stations. She put her nose in the air; "Guess I'll just use the bus if I have to go."

Walking out of the bathroom, she turned left and walked the ten or so feet to the women's quarters. The door was already partially open, but she hit the button on the wall panel anyway, which remained depressed after she removed her hand. The sound of motors straining to open the door could be heard from inside the walls, but the door only shuddered slightly as it tried to perform the requested operation. She turned sideways and slipped through the opening.

Inside, the module it was about forty feet long with five three-tiered bunks lining the entire length of one side. Small personal storage spaces lined the other wall with a few dressing tables in between. Some small mirrors were embedded into the walls over the tables. Tasha inspected one of the dressing tables. A tattered piece of a scarf was hanging off the side of one of the units.

She reached out to pull it down and the old material just crumbled in her hands like some dried old Mummy bones.

"Ewww! That's creepy."

She quickly swiped her hands together to get the scarf residue off of her hands. Again, only a few of the glow panels worked, sort of, and in this space there weren't any windows to provide extra lighting, like in the access tube. The empty bunks made it feel all the more weird. Tasha began to imagine the bunks being filled with people and then her mind wondered if there were any ghosts of former crewmembers lurking about. But just as her mind started to let itself wander into that territory, it just as quickly snapped it back.