Fatal Boarding Read Online Free PDF

everything in my stomach. The by-products
of too many cups of black coffee left dingy-black splatter marks
which I promptly flushed away for fear someone might inadvertently
notice them and realize how human I was after all. A quick swish of
mouthwash and a repulsive swallow of Dismal liquid and I was ready
for the bourbon. On the way to the bed, I fished the bottle from
the desk drawer, then plunked down against the soft pillows,
unzipped my clean gray coveralls to the chest, and began to unscrew
the cap when the door chime made its untimely 'ting'. I stuffed the
bottle between two cushions, but held to it for psychological
comfort.
    "Yes?"
    The door popped open and R.J. barged in. He
flopped down into the black, high-back seat by the desk and walked
it around to face me. He had changed into a blue, collared dress
shirt that was old and frayed. An antique pair of bifocals hung at
his chest from a black, nylon cord around his neck. His stretch
jeans were ancient and he wore white deck shoes with no socks. He
was tapping the eraser of a mechanical pencil against a crossword
puzzle taped to the back of an ultra-thin e-reader. He smiled
incorrigibly as he spoke. "Well, that was fun. What'd ya wanna do
now?"
    "Have a stiff drink?"
    "Well, I wish I could help you with that
one. I really do."
    "You can, if you'll go into the bathroom and
get two plastic cups half full of cold water."
    R.J.'s eyes lit up. He slapped his pencil
and reader down on the desk top, jumped up and returned a moment
later with the requested items. I poured the necessary additive and
he sat back in his seat and stared thoughtfully. "So, you appear no
worse for the wear, kebosabe."
    "I have felt better."
    "Things could have been much worse."
    "So I've been told."
    "What went wrong?"
    "All things possible."
    "They say Nira and Frank are both going to
be okay."
    "Physiologically at least."
    R.J. paused to sip from his cup. He eye'd me
appraisively. "It was quite a strange place over there, wouldn't
you say?"
    "I understood very little of it. I would not
apply for a tour of duty. Have they come up with anything from the
data we brought back?"
    "Oh yeah, the hand scanners did pick some
things. They are still arguing whether it is corrupted data or an
actual language. This is all privileged, by the way."
    "What about the crap on the lower deck?"
    "You mean the amazing goop? Well this will
get you. The scanners picked up intense levels of etheric, beta,
and mu energy. Plus some other unexpected stuff. Gobs of it in
fact, no pun intended."
    "What are you talking about? You're saying
they picked up brain waves down there for Christ's sake?"
    "Not brain waves, just high nueronic energy
levels. No patterns. Just flat-line levels of wave length. The
analysis group is working on it furiously. Brandon is behaving like
a kid in a candy store. That's really all I've heard. What about
you? Anything happen over there I haven't heard about?"
    "Just one thing. You remember suiting me up
in the airlock?"
    "Yeah..."
    "I don't."
    "What do you mean?" R.J. looked as though he
expected a punch line.
    "I don't remember entering the airlock and I
don't remember leaving it. I take it you'll vouch for my having
been there."
    "What are you talking about, Adrian. You
were Mr. Solemn and Serious as usual. All business, no fun. You
paraded around in there like Sergeant York. You even barked at me a
few times. I rejoiced when the helmet finally went over your head.
You don't remember any of that?"
    "Not a thing."
    "Have you been checked out by the
Doctor?"
    "Who can find the time?"
    "This is no joke, Adrian. You've got to get
checked out by the Doctor."
    "He was just a tad busy with the mortally
wounded and all, R.J."
    "Does the Captain know?"
    "It came up at the debriefing but it seemed
incidental at the time."
    "What did they say?"
    "They said report to sick bay at the first
opportunity. I thought I'd go in the morning. I'd guess they're
still pretty busy down there."
    R.J. sat back