The Space Hotel by Victor Appleton

Author:Victor Appleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2006-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Marooned

We returned to the galley. With the station’s skeleton crew, the search of the hotel would be a slow process. But David authorized the two crew members he could spare to scour the entire hotel from top to bottom for Victoria Fogarty.

While we waited, David used the galley monitor to call Earth and apprise Above and Beyond of the situation. Elaine Kaufman, meanwhile, gobbled everything in her condensed food tubes while writing long notes in her notebook. Then she finished everything in my tubes, and then in Sandy’s.

“I can’t help it,” she said through a mouth full of food. “I was a crime reporter before I was a travel reporter, and I always get hungry when I’m on a really good story.”

“Stop talking about my mother like she’s just a story!” Brendan Fogarty demanded emotionally. He hadn’t touched any of his food. “There could still be a simple explanation for all of this that we just haven’t thought of! We don’t even know if a crimes been committed!”

“Assuming a crime has been committed,” David Wong said quietly, turning to the monitor on the wall. Giles Burton’s solemn face stared back at him from the screen. “I think the best thing to do is have all of our guests return to Earth as soon as possible, for their own safety,” David continued.

Giles nodded. “You’re right. The authorities will meet you at Above and Beyond headquarters to question you and you’ll remain there until Ms. Fogarty is located and this situation is resolved.”

“We’re being detained?!” Ms. Kaufman yelped incredulously.

“Ms. Kaufman,” Giles said, “for the moment, unfortunately, you’re all suspects in her disappearance. I expect we’ll have found Ms. Fogarty long before your shuttle gets you home…. I’m just speaking in terms of worst-case scenario.” He sighed heavily. “All right, everyone’s coming home.”

I could see the deep concern beneath Giles’s features. Not only was he as worried about what might have happened to Ms. Fogarty as we were, he had to contend with the fact that a situation such as this aboard his hotel could be a fatal blow to any hope of making Apogee a working resort. But Giles—and David were trying hard to appear calm and poised. They were choosing their words very carefully, quite aware that there was a reporter in the room with them.

“And I’m sorry to have to do this,” Giles continued, “but out of respect to Brendan’s family, and in regard to any investigation, I’m afraid I’m going to have to restrict communication between all of you and Earth for the duration of your stay on Apogee, which I hope will be brief. The only communication between Apogee and home will be carried out by Apogee staff in the hotel’s Command Center, under my orders.”

“That’s censorship!” shouted Ms. Kaufman, throwing down her pen with a clatter. It rebounded off the table and hung lazily before our eyes.

“I suppose it is,” David said, nodding, “and you’re welcome to lodge a complaint. When you get home.”

The travel reporter sat back in her chair, clearly upset and disappointed.

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