The Martian Journal by Michael Burnside Read Free Book Online

poisoned. I also told her about the theory that there might be more than just us aboard. She looked at me as if I was mad, saying that was impossible. I pointed out that considering the size of the ship, and how few of us there are, that it’s entirely possible. Especially considering the ship is a larger model than the ones I’m familiar with.
    I must have been a little harsh when I told her because she began to look quite frightened. I apologised and said I’d escort her to her quarters. S he made a joke about the boogeyman attacking her if she was alone. It wasn’t particularly funny but I pretended to laugh.
    I took her back and as we parted I told her that we should do a patrol in groups of the ship later on. She agreed and said we should probably do it sooner rather than later. I told her it was just a theory I had and it probably was stupid anyway.
    Well, I hope it is.

Log 0036

14:12 Tuesday 19 January 2178
    This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. I need to keep my head clear.

Log 0037

23:08 Tuesday 19 January 2178
    It happened sometime after everyone had picked up their own personal food supplies. I was just leaving my quarters when the emergency alarm went off. From what the alarm was telling me over the speakers, it was on the top floor of the ship which meant it was the bridge, the meeting room or the communication room.
    It turned out it was the comms room. The place was on fire and the smoke was starting to fill the rest of the floor. Hutchie came charging down the corridor with a fire extinguisher in each hand. He handed one to me and together we filled the place with foam. Fortunately we put the fire out before it spread to anywhere else in the ship. Unfortunately, the comms room was completely destroyed.
    Hutchie slumped down to his knees, coughing and spluttering. He breathed in quite a bit of the smoke and the massive dash that he did with the fire extinguishers probably didn’t help either.
    Malcolm and Lloyd came along. Lloyd checked to see if Hutchie was alright while Malcolm looked into the comms room to survey the damage. He asked me how this was going to affect us. I told him he’d be better asking Sarah that.
    I was about to ask where she was, when I heard her call me from the bridge. We rushed in to find her standing over Aaron, who was slumped in his chair with blood running down his face. At first I feared the worst but as I approached them I could see that Aaron was alive, despite being disorientated. A broken glass bottle lay by his chair. I asked Lloyd if he would take Aaron down to the lab and see what he can do about the bleeding. Hutchie had gotten back on his feet but was still wheezing. I told him to go down with them also. He protested he was fine so I told him to go down anyway and help with Aaron’s wound.
    That left me with Sarah and Malcolm. Malcolm asked Sarah the question he asked me, how does this affect us now. Sarah shook her head and told us she really didn’t know. She hoped that maybe when Lloyd and Hutchie came back then the two of them together might be able to fix the comms room. I told her to take a good look next door because there’s no way the two of them, despite being damn good at what they do, are going to be able to fix that.
    Malcolm asked if I was thinking of still carrying on to the Clarke or to return to the Aldrin. I thought about it and maybe it was time we went back before anybody else gets killed. I looked to see Sarah’s reaction but she kept her head down and said nothing. We were barely through the journey and already we’ve had death and sabotage. At this rate, we’ll all be dead before we reach the Clarke. I think she understood my decision to head back to the Aldrin.
    I suggested we wait in the bridge for the others to return. Malcolm did say he wanted to return to his quarters but I said until we figure out why the comms room decided to spontaneously combust I wasn’t happy about people being separated at the moment. Thankfully, he