Terradox Reborn by Craig A. Falconer

Author:Craig A. Falconer [Falconer, Craig A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-25T22:00:00+00:00

Part II

fifteen

Shortly after breakfast in the Isolation Kompound, Steve Shepherd’s borderline obsessive behaviour spilled over into real interpersonal strife for the first time.

Sitting under the light a full hour before it was due to flash to signal the changeover of the latest six-hour shift among their external observers, Steve took exception to a comment from Marcel Platt that he was only going to drive himself crazier by watching the light for longer and longer each day.

Marcel, a close friend of both Chase Jackson and Nisha Kohli who, like them, had always gotten along well enough with the other three subjects of the isolation test, intended no harm or criticism in his words. He apologised when Steve took exception and repeatedly tried to calm him down, but Steve’s angry reaction to being called crazy — as he interpreted it — ultimately beckoned Chase from the kitchen area.

Chase rebuked both Marcel and Steve in no uncertain terms, insisting that he didn’t care who had started it — he was stopping it. The hubbub also attracted the attention of Lee Kim and Sara Helms, the two would-be astronauts who rounded out the group and had done their chances of selection for future missions little good by largely keeping to each other’s company. Neither woman had ever been overtly distant or isolationist, but neither Chase nor any of the external observers expected that either would even pursue future selection. Both had conducted productive research in their fields — Kim in botany and Sara in biology — but both had been fairly open in telling the privacy room’s camera that they couldn’t wait to get out almost as soon as they went in.

Until now, no one in the group had ever posed any kind of problem. Chase encouraged Kim and Sara to leave the central corridor while he dealt with the situation, and his tone was firm enough to ensure their immediate cooperation. He asked the same of Nisha, who was only peeking into the corridor, before authoritatively telling Steve and Marcel to shake hands and apologise to each other.

“Now go and apologise to the others for disrupting their morning with your bullshit,” he said, taking them by surprise. It was a deliberate tactic to unify the two in arguing against the necessity of such an action, thus giving them a common ground which couldn’t help but push their prior disagreement to the back of their minds and even more importantly to move the issue of the light from the front of Steve’s.

“I hardly think that’s necessary,” Marcel replied to his good friend, assuming Chase would be more responsive if he spoke up first than if Steve made their case.

Chase didn’t blink. “Did I ask what you think?”

Marcel and Steve looked at each other in even greater surprise at Chase’s tone; again, just as he intended. He remained focused on Marcel and subtly raised his eyebrows when Steve momentarily looked away.

Marcel eventually understood what Chase was getting at and let out a passably legitimate sigh. “If it’ll shut him up…” he said to Steve.

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