Fluctuating gravity. That’s what his mistake caused. They’d float for about forty-five minutes then drop back into gravity. This went on for the next few hours. Giovanni suspected it’d last for the whole day.
All four of them had to find their way out of the lower deck first while they floated. Awkward did not even begin to cover it.
The tirade began the minute they got upstairs. Everybody started firing questions all over the place, mostly at Logan.
What’s going on? What happened to the air pressure? Why are we floating? Did we hit another debris? Asteroids? When are we going to start calling home?
Giovanni watched Logan ignore them as guilt started to nab at him. They didn’t even give him a chance to catch his breath first. Boy, they were a cranky bunch.
The crew members were livid, but there was hardly anything they could do about it. Giovanni could almost feel the intensity of their scowls on his body.
He could not even tell between Borja and Adams who was the angriest. The engineer looked like his fists were itching to dent somebody’s head. His head.
Logan was handling it well. He and Borja were currently floating by the pilots and nothing about the conversation suggested nice words. Giovanni could not hear them because he was at the back of the cabin, but he’d bet civility was far from the AA at the moment.
Logan’s face, however, gave nothing away. He was stoically calm. Giovanni squirmed between the latches of his seat. This was all his fault.
The conversation lasted a whole ten minutes yet Giovanni could not blink, let alone look away from the two scientists. How could he? This was his mess to fix.
That righteous vehemence soon dissipated though. A few moments later, Logan glanced in his direction and Giovanni hoped the ground would swallow him up. He was not even showing his anger anymore; he probably figured he wasn’t worth the effort. Logan looked exhausted.
After the first forty-five minutes of weightlessness, everyone could feel the ground beneath their feet again. Unfortunately, he was the only person strapped in his seat— because everyone else was busy doing everything possible to fix the transmitter that he ruined and there was literally nothing he could do to help —so they fell.
One lady named Yaya was trying to get something from a ledge up on the wall and face-planted on the floor when the gravity returned. Borja’s head hit something again. Dr. Donald fell right onto a metal machine on the floor. Logan was floating upright already, so he just stumbled a little when he hit the floor.
His friend Blessing, however, must have fallen on her lady parts, because she suddenly screamed “argh! My boobs!” from the lower deck.
Giovanni sank into his seat.
The verdict was out hours later: only three crew members could put a call through to their families, as a result of what he did last night. Adams was not pleased.
He gave Giovanni the death stare all through as he worked. He had the courtesy to be sneaky about it, at least. Whenever Giovanni glanced at him, he’d quickly turn to Logan and pretend to give him the stink-eye instead.
“I’d like to apologize to you on behalf of–” Logan was saying to the crew now. He seemed to debate something within himself before continuing. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter. The transmitter’s capabilities have been temporarily limited. The reason is not important, so I will take responsibility for this. This is my fault and I’m sorry, but only three people will get a chance to speak to their family today.”
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The place instantly turned into an uproar. It was like a mini riot. Giovanni had never seen anything like it.
“How could you let this happen, Commander? Some of us have kids, you know,” someone yelled from the back of the room.
Logan nodded. “I’m terribly sorry, Renée. I–”
“What good is sorry gonna do? How about an explanation?”
“Yes, Foxxman. How about an explanation?” Borja echoed.
Logan pursed his lips and paused. The look on his face said he was having an internal battle with himself. Giovanni wondered why he did not just name the real culprit. He shouldn’t take the fall for this.
“I don’t think that’s important.”
“The transmitter is damaged!” Adams said. “I’ve been going crazy for the past two months. Now I might not be able to hear my wife or kid’s voice? You bet your ass it’s important.”
Logan fidgeted. Giovanni knew he was fidgeting whenever he pocketed his hands. “I’m telling you that it’s not.”
Borja snorted. “I beg to differ. Why can’t you tell us, Commander?” She stood up. “Tell us what happened. Tell us how the–”
“That’s enough, Dr. Borja. I said it’s my fault.”
That only seemed to fuel her. “Why though? Why the secrecy? Why can’t you just tell us? I mean you’ve nearly brought us to our deaths seven times now, but at least this one isn’t your fault.”
Giovanni fumed in his seat.
“Stand down, Borja” was all Logan said. His composure was astonishing. Giovanni wanted to interrupt, to save Logan from taking the heat for him, but he knew he’d only make everything worse.
“Eight people have now been denied a chance to speak with their families. Who knows when we’d be at the right altitude again? Why the hell should I stand down?”
He took three steps closer to her, still as calm as a millpond. “Because I said so.”
Then came the stare down. Logan was a hair’s breadth away from her, fiercely glaring down into her eyes, but the AA did not back down. Giovanni sighed. This was all his fault.
“How are you going to choose the lucky three without causing an argument? Congratulations, Foxxman. You have successfully turned the spacecraft into a madhouse.”
“This is your final warning. Unless you’d like to get thrown off of the shuttle, I suggest you swallow your words,” he yelled in her face. “That’s an order.”
The AA woman visibly recoiled into herself. “Alright, Foxxman.”
Logan advanced toward her like a tiger stalking its prey. “It’s Commander to you.”
She cringed again. “Fine. Yes, Commander.”
But she was not the only person ready for a fight. While Logan was focused on the woman, Adams was reaching for a metal rod by his feet. Giovanni knew his intentions before he even started walking towards them.
He shoved Borja out of the way and swung the rod in Logan’s face. Giovanni was quicker. He rushed over to them and grabbed his arm just before the rod met his own face.
Adams didn’t stop there. He threw his fist now and this time, it hit Giovanni square in the jaw.
Adams lost his balance somehow and threw his weight on Giovanni as well. Both of them fell against Logan and they all crashed to the floor. Giovanni massaged his cheek as he writhed against Logan’s body.
Adams had a mean left hook, that was for sure.
Logan helped him up. “Are you alright?”
Would it make any difference if he said no? Giovanni’s hand went to his beards again, and he rubbed against the ache throbbing in it. It would definitely scar later on.
Logan touched his cheek too. “Sorry about that.”
He spun around to the rest of the crew. “Do you know what you just did, Adams? How dare you?”
The man’s eyes dazed over. “I’m sorry, Commander. I don’t know what came over me.”
Nobody was yelling furiously anymore. Adams’ punch seemed to have cast a spell on the entire shuttle, even Borja. They stood there quietly, watching it all unfold.
“Too bad that’s not enough. I have to let you go.”
Adams fell to his feet immediately. “Please! Please don’t do this! I’ll wait for a better altitude. I am begging you.”
“You just assaulted a man who’s not only your boss but also one of the wealthiest men on the planet. You should be thankful that he’s not pressing any charges.”
“I am.” He crawled to Giovanni’s legs now. “I’m thankful, sir. Please forgive me.”
“You punched me in the face.”
“I didn’t expect your face to get in the way. I was trying to hit Dr. Foxxman!”
He sighed. “That’s not helping your case, buddy.”
Logan dragged him away from Giovanni. “You have contributed to an uproar and assaulted Mr. Gambetti. I cannot let this slide.”
“This is my life’s work. Please don’t do this.”
“You only have yourself to blame, Adams. I’m sending you back to earth.”