The Final Expedition

Day One Hundred and Forty-Five

“I just can’t see how he could have got out.” Morrison murmured, chewing thoughtfully on his breakfast. We had all gathered together in the Unity node. “No way could he have opened the hatch from the inside. No way.”

“What are you saying?” Aki looked at him accusingly. “Are you seriously implying one of us let him out and pushed him into the airlock?”

“All I said was that I can’t see how he could have gotten out.” Morrison repeated carefully, before returning her accusing gaze. “Though you seem to have jumped to conclusions very quickly…”

“Screw you, Wes.” Aki shot back hotly. “You were the last one to see him alive. Maybe you left the hatch open!”

“Fuck you, Aki.” Morrison’s eyes blazed with fury. “He was my friend!”

“Enough.” Karpov interjected firmly. “However he managed to escape, the most likely explanation is that he killed himself. Any other explanation is moot at this point. We have more important things to worry about now than whether or not one of us took the law into their own hands.” I felt sure that Karpov’s eyes flicked momentarily in my direction. Glancing back at the Russian, I wondered if Karpov really did suspect me of murder. I looked at the morose faces of the rest of the crew as they continued their breakfast in silence, morale at an all-time low.