Escape

Polina's eyes snapped open and she gasped.

She was floating mid-air in the center of the module while the station lights flickered on and off around her.

'Did I pass out?' she thought nervously as she looked around. 'Was I dreaming?'

"You are not dreaming" a robotic female voice sounded in her head. "Synchronization: 34%"

Polina sighed. 'I must have hit my head.'

The robotic voice chimed in, "You did not injure your head. Local data has been used to extrapolate language syntax, this includes ... memories. Synchronization: 42%"

Polina flinched as a section of wall exploded showering the module in pieces of burnt plastic. Every light and electronic device in the module went dark.

She frowned. "My father told me only the weak listen to voices in their head."

The robotic voice immediately replied, "I am not just a voice."

Polina thought it sounded petulant.

She chided herself, 'Polina, you hit your head and are imagining things. Get your act together.'

The voice seemed to grumble and said, "I'm real. Synchronization: 52%"

Polina shook her head and tightened the strap on her backpack, she then gently kicked off the floor and grabbed the module hand rails and climbed towards the Soyuz docking station. As she neared the entrance hatch she floated up to the airlock and looked through the small window.

Something was wrong. Dmitri told her they were prepping the Soyuz, but when she tried to open the hatch it was locked.

The Soyuz was a Russian designed spacecraft and their only way to get back to the planet surface right now. The station was already damaged beyond repair.

'What are they up to?' she thought.

Polina activated her radio, "Commander, I'm outside. Open the hatch."

When there was no reply, her eyes narrowed. This wasn't like Dmitri. She placed her suit's helmet right up to the window but couldn't see anything.

"Mike, this is Polina. What are you guys doing? The hatch is locked."

Polina heard a muted thud and felt the entire station tremble beneath her feet. She slammed her fist against the hatch and screamed, "Dmitri, open the hatch!"

The voice sounded in her head, "Such a primitive species unable to open a door."

Polina was dumbfounded. She knew hallucinations were a possibility after suffering head trauma, but why did she hallucinate such a rude thing?

The voice sounded peeved, "I am not a hallucination, I'm real! If you can't open the door, why not ask me for help? If you ask nicely I might consider it."

Polina turned around and started to look for something to wedge the hatch open.

"Fine, if you can help me open the hatch I'd appreciate it." she said sarcastically.

A whirring sound came from behind Polina and when she looked around she saw the hatch opening.

She laughed and said, "Took you guys.. long enough.." but stopped when she saw Dmitri on the floor just inside the hatch.

"Dmitri!"

Polina squeezed through the hatch and quickly took Dmitri in her arms. He was wearing his helmet but after she looked closely she could see a nasty bruise on the side of his head. At least he was breathing steadily.

'What happened?' she wondered.

The docking station was essentially an airlock with some controls for refueling and prepping the docked Soyuz spacecraft. Most of the systems were able to run automatically and required minimal input from an operator.

Polina clenched her fist and activated her radio, "Mike, where are you? Dmitri is injured. Do you know what happened?"

Her helmet speaker remained silent.

She floated up to the Soyuz access hatch. The inner station airlock was open but the Soyuz hatch was locked.

Polina paused for a moment before slamming her fist against the Soyuz hatch. "Michael!" she shouted, but there was no reply.

She placed her hand on the Soyuz hatch and felt a slight vibration. Her eyes widened in shock.

'That bastard!' she thought and quickly checked the nearby terminal.

The Soyuz launch sequence had been activated and the system was pumping fuel into the spacecraft for its return trip to the planet surface.

'He's going to leave us here?' she thought incredulously.

She heard her own voice sounding in her head, "Do you need my help? Synchronization: 83%"

Polina's face tightened, "What are you? Is this all your doing?"

The voice replied, "I am Object 32089176, retrieved from a world aeons ago. Integration will commence, do not fight it."

Tears started to stream from Polina's eyes forming small floating puddles in the weightless environment. "Will I die?"

There was a moment of silence before it replied, "You will not die, but you will be changed. Synchronization: 95%"

Polina glanced at Dmitri, her vision was blurred from the tears but she could make out his spacesuit clear enough. She hooked her suit to his with a clasp and held him in her arms. She retrieved her backpack and opened it.

In her haste some small items floated out of the backpack including a photograph. She ignored the other items but held the photograph carefully in one hand. It was an aged photo with her grandfather and mother taken when she was a child and everyone was smiling happily.

As Polina stared numbly at the photo, red lights flashed in the docking station warning of the Soyuz spacecraft's impending launch.

"Synchronization: 100%. Integrating."

Polina's body jolted and after a moment she raised her head and looked around. She moved the cosmonaut to the side, stood up and walked to the Soyuz spacecraft airlock.

She lifted her hand and an arc of electricity flashed into the airlock.

A distressed voice sounded inside her helmet speakers, "Polina, stop it! You know the protocol. You're a contamination risk, there's no way we can let you in."

Polina glanced at a nearby camera. She then reached up and undid the clasps on her helmet. There was a hiss of air being released as she removed the helmet and stared into the camera.

- - -

Mike watched Polina through the monitor in the Soyuz spacecraft and activated his radio, "Polina, there's no way Space Command will allow you to return. Dmitri didn't agree and got aggressive so we had to knock him out."

Polina tilted her head to the side and spoke in a monotonous tone, "I am not Polina. You can call me 32089176."

A bead of sweat rolled down Mike's forehead and he frowned. ".. What?"

He was sitting in the pilot seat of the Soyuz spacecraft, while a Canadian astronaut sat to his left.

After Mike saw her encounter with the electrical being on the monitor, he and his colleague quickly overpowered Dmitri and locked the hatch to the docking station from the inside.

Chris, the Canadian astronaut, said "Mike if we don't leave now we could end up in the desert, or worse."

Mike looked at the Canadian and said coldly, "You know this will kill them."

Chris shrugged, "It's us or them. I don't know about you but I'm not willing to be dragged down by a ruskie."

Mike hesitated for a long moment, and then flicked a few switches and tapped a couple of keys on a keypad. An alarm blared but he quickly silenced it.

The spacecraft trembled slightly as its maneuvering thrusters fired moving it slowly away from the International Space Station.

The docking station experienced immediate explosive decompression and the station's air and many small objects flew past the Soyuz. There was a dull thud as something heavier slammed into the spacecraft.

Mike tapped a few buttons and said, "Command, this is Michael Jones, ISS actual. Activating emergency re-entry procedure."

Chris nodded, "Confirmed. Emergency re-entry procedure activated."

The Canadian paused and then looked at the astronaut next to him, "What was that thing?"

Mike's face was pale and the blue light shining through the window made it seem even paler. "I don't know. It looked like Polina."

Chris said quietly, "It should be dead right? Nothing can survive that type of decompression."

He sounded shaken.

Their speakers buzzed with static and a faint voice sounded, "Command to ISS actual, confirm protocol compliance."

Mike turned on his mic and was about to reply, but at that moment a shrill cry came through the intercom causing him to jump. He saw Chris point at the spacecraft view port.

Outside the spacecraft in hard vacuum, Polina's face stared back at them, her previously emotionless face contorted with rage.

Polina's cold machine-like voice sounded through every speaker in the spacecraft, "Vraždebnyj, podtverždeno."

"Why is it speaking Russian? Get it off !" Chris shouted.

"Grab on to something," Mike shouted and immediately flicked a switch and twisted the maneuvering control stick all the way it could move.

The maneuvering thrusters fired causing the Soyuz to start spinning on its longitudinal axis. Chris and Mike were pushed to the edge of their seats but were held in place by straps.

A scream sounded throughout the speakers that slowly faded and Mike let go of the control stick, letting the automatic-stabilizers slow the craft's rotation.

Chris looked around in a panic, "Is it gone?"

The two astronauts were as white as sheets.

Mike flicked a few buttons and brought up the external camera feeds on the front monitors. They could see the outside of the Soyuz clearly except for one area where the camera feed was dark.

It seemed clear, but just when they started to relax another camera went dark.

"What the fuck is that thing?" Chris cried in a distressed voice.

The screech of metal scraping metal came from the Soyuz airlock and clouds of sparks flew inside.

Mike reached under his seat and pulled out a sidearm modified for use in space.

He decided Chris was not going to be any help. The Canadian had covered his helmet with his arms and was mumbling incoherently.

A thud resounded throughout the Soyuz that Mike felt through his seat and the airlock snapped open. Immediately the air inside the spacecraft was jettisoned causing every loose item to be sucked out into space.

A small metal ornament Chris had hung on the console in front of his seat was ripped from its string as it flew towards the airlock. It caused a small nick in Chris' spacesuit as it flew past. Chris desperately grabbed his arm to prevent his suit's oxygen from being drained.

"It's coming," Mike said.

Polina crawled through the open airlock like a spider. Dmitri's spacesuit was still attached to her via a cable and he was pulled in behind her.

After she entered the Soyuz she stood up and stared at the two astronauts.