A Step Beyond Read Free Page A

thoughts regarding possible causes had paralleled Titov’s.
    “I cannot tell from here,” Chertok responded.
    “Commence depressurization of the cabin,” Titov said.
    They had the equipment and materials to patch a breach. It was a standard drill, and they had practiced it several times underwater. Titov was more disturbed by the damage to the flight-deck console. Without the console they would be unable to alter the course of the
Volnost
. He wondered how Gorbatko was progressing. Pushing against the wall, Titov propelled himself toward the engineer.
    “Appears we’re going to have to do without the main processor,” Gorbatko said.
    Titov nodded that he understood. He sat down and brought up the directory for the habitat computer. It contained many of the same files as the main processor, but was not powerful enough to perform some of the more complex functions. He was studying a schematic of the ship when an image of the forward cabin appeared on monitor one. Chertok had entered the flight deck and was scanning his surroundings with the remote video camera. The burned shell of the cabin swung back and forth on the monitor. Pieces of the console floated within a maze of twisted metal and loose wires. The camera lingered on Demin’s charred remains for a moment, then turned away. Chertok located the breach. It enlarged and filled the screen as the camera zoomed in. Titov could see stars through the hole. Although he had anticipated the damage, he had not expected it to be so bad.
    “Looks like the explosion was caused by an external force,” Gorbatko said. “The metal of the opening is definitely bent inward.”
    The camera made several slow circles outside the hole, revealing sheets of twisted metal blackened by the explosion. Titov grew pale as he studied the monitor.
    “I think it is the remnants of the main oxygen tank,” he said. “Mikhail, if you could scan to the left. Back a little. It looks as if both tanks are gone. Boris, check the reserve tanks.”
    “One second,” Gorbatko replied. His throat went dry. The two reserve tanks were located in the aft cabin and contained a forty-eight-hour supply of oxygen for six men. Titov had already switched over to the reserve tanks.
    “Ninety-five percent full,” Gorbatko replied. They were six months from Earth with less than two days’ worth of air. A long minute passed in uneasy silence. Titov could see the fear building in the eyes of his men. A thought occurred to him, but in the back of his mind he wasn’t sure if it would work.
    “We still have a chance,” he said. “It may be possible to dock with the supply ship.”
    He had their attention. They all knew that the supply ship had been designed to accommodate the crew in the event the
Volnost
experienced catastrophic failure.
    “Without a flight deck we are unable to control the
Volnost,
but Kaliningrad can still control the supply ship. If they can bring her in close enough to dock, we could transfer over. I will contact ground control and consult with them regarding the rendezvous. They can perform the calculations to determine the feasibility. Meanwhile, we need to proceed with our investigation of the damage.” He switched on his microphone. “Mikhail?”
    “Yes, Colonel.”
    “We have less than forty-eight hours of oxygen. It is imperative that we act quickly. We need to salvage what we can, as quickly as we can. I want you to gather the necessary gear to patch the breach so that we can restore pressure to the flight deck.”
    “Affirmative.”
    Titov turned to face his crew, and said firmly, “I would appreciate any other suggestions that you may have.”
    C olonel Leonid Schebalin stood in the main hall of mission control with his hands clasped behind his back. He appeared to be unaware of the noise and commotion that surrounded him. His uniform was sharply pressed and crisp, his boots recently polished; despite his haste to reach mission control that morning, he had taken extra care