A Step Beyond

Commander Alexander Titov rose to his elbows at the sound of the first explosion. As he twisted his head to check the monitors above him, he was thrown suddenly against the compartment walls, bashing his head and nearly breaking his nose. A rush of adrenalin drowned the pain. The general alarm sounded.

Dazed, Titov checked the monitors, where the messages "FLIGHT DECK - O PRESSURE" and "FLIGHT DECK - FIRE" were flashing red. He coughed to clear his throat as he extracted himself from his sleep restraint. Before releasing the safety latch of his compartment, he verified that the pressure in the habitat module was one hundred kilopascals, standard sea level. It appeared that only the flight deck had been affected.

Colonel Titov was the first to emerge into the open space of the habitat module. The yellow lights of the emergency system cast ghostly shadows about the room. Pushing with his legs, he propelled himself toward the control panel, where he switched to the emergency oxygen supply and strapped a portable oxygen mask to his head. Just then, Mikhail Chertok, the ship's pilot, sprung half-dressed from his compartment. "What the hell's going on?"

Titov pointed toward the oxygen masks, then flipped the switch to the electrical backup system. The shadows faded as white light filled the cabin.

Chertok watched as his commander threw several more switches. He was activating emergency backup systems that had not come automatically on line. The computer monitor blinked brightly. Within seconds, the local processor had booted and prompted for instructions. Titov attempted to access the main processor but failed as the message "System unavailable" flashed on the screen.

"Check the portal," directed Titov, his eyes fixed on the monitor while he tapped at the keyboard.

As Chertok pushed his way toward the portal, the other three cosmonauts tumbled from their sleeping compartments, disheveled and confused. Squinting from the sudden change in light, the cosmonauts surveyed their surroundings. They were relieved to find the cabin intact, but they were still fearful. Titov turned to address them.

The sight of the oxygen mask, attached like a spidery creature to the face of Titov, heightened their fears. The commander motioned for the others to don their masks.

"There has been an explosion in the flight deck," began Titov. "The extent of the damage is unknown. I am unable to access the primary computer. The emergency warning system indicates there is a fire in the forward cabin and the pressure is zero kp's. I cannot verify this." He pointed at the console behind him. "Boris, I want the main processor back on line."

"Commander," Mikhail Chertok said as he peered through the portal, "the laboratory does not appear to be damaged. I can't see beyond the second portal--everything is dark. I should be able to see some light."

"Not necessarily," Titov replied. "The emergency lights may be too dim to see from here."

Chertok and the others knew this to be false, but said nothing. It was unlike Titov to be less than truthful. A terrible silence followed as they slowly realized that something else was wrong.

"Where is Sergei?" Boris Gorbatko asked finally.

Surprised, they all looked around to verify that Sergei was indeed not with them. All except for Colonel Titov, who stood perfectly still as he observed and noted each reaction.

"He was on the flight deck," said Titov when their gazes eventually returned to him.

****