Planets Falling Read Online Free Page A

material.  How bad was the damage topside?  I hope they used biocide once they discovered what it was."
    "Maintenance and security found out the hard way.  The bacteria ate through one of the tech's suits and caused it to decompress.  The poor bastard.  Henson, I think is his name, suffered a bad case of the bends.  When the air pressure dropped, the gas es in his blood fizzed out like soda pop.  They have him in a recovery chamber right now.  He’ll probably pull through. They rushed in with the disinfectant right after that."
    Jon set down his spoon.  "My God you two.  Who had access to the storage facility?  Given the high level of security in those labs, it should be fairly simple to whittle down the potential suspects.  I'm just a soil geologist but it seems pretty clear to me that it was someone with sophisticated knowledge, access, and highly technical materials."
    Ferris and Holst glanced at each other.  Holst laughed dryly.
    "Well Jon, security wasn't our strongest asset, contrary to what the suits in corporate might think," Pinch noted.  "I mean, we were hired here to improve conditions on the planet, not threaten them.  So, while only Tash and Namis plus me and Will had full clearance, lots of technicians and students were in and out of that space all the time. Not that anyone else was supposed to know about the strain.
    But you know how we all talk openly about things around here.  It wouldn't be that hard for someone with microbiological knowledge to stash a small sample of spores in a containment vial and slip it out of the facility in their coat.  If they kept the bacteria away from moisture and airtight in a freezer, they could hold it indefinitely.”  She slumped into a chair.  “It just doesn't seem possible that one of us did this."
    Holst ran his hands through his thinning hair, wrinkling his brow.
    "You have to be kidding me," Jon croaked, throwing his cup across the room.  "If you can keep all this," he pointed to the dripping foilage outside the room's portal, "a secret, then it seems to me that you could hold some bioterrorist's dream goo in a locked safe."
    Pinch sighed.  "I suppose we ought to tell the company that security was lax.  That should let Ta sh get back to his family.  It’ll set our research back, but we'll survive."
    "Now Pinch, do we really want to risk losing all the progress we've made the last decade?"  Holst countered.  "They may come back and tell us that the risk is not worth the bottom line.  We need to try and contain this within our group.  When we have more information, then we can go to them."
    "So you’d be willing to let Tash rot in confinement?  What is wrong with you?"  Jon asked.  He stood to leave.  Then he realized he had no idea where to go.
    "I understand your frustration Jon. A wise person told me to avoid rushing to judgment before I have my facts straight.  Give me 48 hours before you go forward with this."  Will stood up and headed for the portal. "I'll find out the truth behind this.  Tash will be fine until then."
    Ferris rested her hand lightly on Jon's shoulder.  His anger washed away and was replaced by a warm calm.
    As Will walked out, Pinch and Jon sat silently in tacit allegiance to his plan.

 
    Chapter 3 – Aftermath
     
    Within 24 hours of what the colony's residents were calling the "big breach", the nefarious brown slime had eaten various sized holes in five other sectors of the colony.
    Dome 2 was devoted to administration and interment.  When a portion of the north wall collapsed, two lunching bureaucrats were sucked clear of the structure into the dusty martian air.  Their bodies were recovered a day later, frozen and desiccated, like Peruvian mummies curled up in their shallow desert graves on earth.
    Dome 6 housed the schooling sectors.  Luckily, the children were on holiday and the breach was contained with no injuries.  In Sector 2 of housing Dome 3, three boys who were born and raised as true