I took a shower and was sitting on my bed mulling over the recent events when somebody knocked on the door.
“It's open,” I replied, thinking that given Cheng's death, it wouldn't hurt to start locking the door.
Unexpectedly, it was Anna.
“Max, that's terrible! Sheila told me about the murder,” she said in a manner much more informal than before. “This kind of thing never happens here.”
“Please sit down,” I offered.
“Have you talked to Trevor?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?“
“He said there would be an investigation,” I shrugged. “He believes it's one of us.”
“It can't be you,” she said adamantly.
“Thanks, but you don't know me well enough.”
“I just see it. I feel people. But your shifty-eyed friend could well be the killer.”
“Leonov? Nah, he wouldn't hurt a fly. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I'd like to take you with me tomorrow to show the power supply systems of the base. You should get down to work as soon as possible, and being an engineer makes you my subordinate,” she smiled.
“Aye, boss,” her smile made me feel like melting, “but I can't come tomorrow. Leonov is going to torture us with medical tests. If he's satisfied, I will be at your disposal the day after tomorrow.”
“That's quite reasonable,” she said, getting up. “Well then, see you when you are free. Good night.”
I walked her to the door and locked it, because a danger foreseen is a danger half avoided. Then I dropped on the bed and passed out.
My sleep was unceremoniously interrupted by the sound of someone smacking their hand on the door, and it took me a while to realize where I was. Luckily, Boris Leonov's voice barking from the corridor brought me back to reality quickly enough.
“Max, John, get up. Sheila is already waiting; they've provided me with a full set of equipment for one day only. Come on, Lisa is already here. We are waiting for you two.”
I valiantly suppressed the urge to pull the blanket over my head and tell the Russian to get lost. Five minutes later I was in the corridor, a minute ahead of the captain. We greeted each other.
“Follow me, you lazybones,” Leonov led us down the corridor.
We took an elevator down to the medical bay again, but not to the compartment where our capsules were. Boris handed me and John over to Sheila's care and nudged Lisa into another room. There were two scan beds against the right wall. Sheila told us to lie down there. She had a disgruntled look again. Maybe it's her natural expression, I thought, making myself comfortable. I knew a guy like that back in college. Everyone thought he was an idiot, because he smiled all the time when he talked. Then we found out that his facial nerves had been damaged in an accident.