Submitted for the March 2025 prompt: Begin at the Big Ending

She'd been right after all. Hans, Delwyn, Schroeder, even Glynys herself — all dead. Now it was my turn.

 

I only hoped it wouldn't hurt much.

 

* * *

 

The Captain was the first to go. He'd been alone on the Bridge when the meteor struck. Never knew what hit him.

 

The alarm dragged me from a dead sleep. I was upright and had my shipsuit half on before my eyes were even open. Such is training.

 

Hans was halfway along the corridor, hopping on one foot. I'd never seen anyone trying to seal their boots while running before. Seemed to be working.

 

"What happened?"

 

"No clue," he replied. "Maybe an impact?"

 

By then we were running. He popped into Damage Control just off the Galley while I went down to my station in Engineering. It was a real mess.

 

The hatch to the Reactor Room had been dogged down from the inside, so I knew where Schroeder was. I tapped it with my pocket wrench to let him know I was there, then got to work. The coolant main had ruptured — not just a joint, an actual fissure running lengthwise down the cast metal tube. Must have been a major pressure spike. I slapped a patch on and brought the system back gradually, plugging pinhole leaks when they popped up.

 

Comms were dead. I kept hoping for orders from Hans, but — nothing. I began work on Auxiliary Power, which had taken the brunt of the coolant leak — shorts everywhere. It was half-functional when everyone started talking all at once.

 

Hans took charge. "Schroeder, check in."

 

"Reactor damage. I'm sealed in with the leak. Nearly under control."

 

"Jess?"

 

"Engineering, bringing systems online," I replied. "Big mess here."

 

"Glynys?"

 

"-iegonnadiealldiediedi-" No help there.

 

"Delwyn?"

 

"Trapped on the Observation Deck. Open to space, can't get the hatch open. Half the crew's here. They're... they're all dead."

 

"Right. Jess, sounds like you're the only one available. See what you can do with Glynys and then go fetch Del. We need those extra hands."

 

"On it, Chief."

 

* * *

 

Our ship wasn't huge, but it still took ten minutes to locate Glynys. She was curled up in a corner of the galley, dried blood on her face, babbling. Shock. Hits us each differently.

 

I couldn't even get her attention, so I dragged her over to one of the wardroom autodoc stations. She wouldn't go in, though, fought me hard. I fetched a blanket and left her.

 

Delwyn's problem was tough, but at least it was engineering. You can't simply open a door from high-pressure into vacuum, and building an airlock from scratch ain't easy.

 

"Easiest would be for you to go out through the hole in the hull and get to the side airlock," I said.

 

"Not a chance! I'm in a shipsuit here," he said. Tough to blame him. Ship's coveralls are airtight and pretty tough, but for spacewalks you want a hardsuit: mag boots, thrusters, rad shielding. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.

 

"How's your air?"

 

"Plugged in to the emergency supply." Every compartment has spare bottles, just in case.

 

"Right. I'm on it. Sit tight."

 

He chuckled grimly. "No worries. I'm not going anywhere."

 

I was working on the door when she came up behind me, audible even with my helmet sealed.

 

"Doesn't matter. We're all gonna die," Glynys said in a child's voice. Then she giggled. Spookiest shit ever.

 

I couldn't have her underfoot, so I hauled her back and duct taped her into her rack. Took ten minutes I didn't have.

 

On the way back topside I told Hans my plan, such as it was. He wished me luck.

 

"I've got to relieve Schroeder. He's way past safe rad levels, needs an autodoc badly. I've got a hardsuit on, should be OK to finish up in there."

 

"Fingers crossed."

 

The short corridor leading to Observation had two hatches. I sealed the one behind me, then activated the fire suppressors. Fifteen seconds later, air pressure was zero and I could open the outer hatch. Del came in and I dogged it down behind him. Then I flipped the fire pump to reverse. Nothing.

 

"What the—?"

 

The lights went out.

 

"Jess! What's happening?"

 

"No clue," I told him. "Maybe a short—"

 

Glynys giggled over the comms. "All gonna die," she sang. "Die, die, doomed to die. Dooooomed." She giggled again.

 

"Crap, she's in Damage Control!"

 

"Quick! Give me a hand," said Del.

 

He was pulling apart the reserve air panel by his helmet light. I grabbed my wrench.

 

Never take the valve off an air bottle. If you do, it becomes a bullet, and the tank an unguided missile. We opened it all the way and started on the inner hatch with the hand crank. It took two full minutes to shift it. All the while Glynys babbled away while poor Hans cursed the seals on the Reactor Room hatch.

 

Finally, there was enough space for me to wriggle free. I left Del and went pelting up the corridor toward Damage Control.

 

There she was, glowing in the red light from the console, flipping switches at random and cackling madly. I slammed her with my fist, realizing too late I still held my wrench.

 

"Jess..."

 

I shoved her out of the way and got to work.

 

* * *

 

We made Mars orbit, but Elevator Station had to tow us the last few clicks.

 

Schroeder recovered, all but his hair, which never did come back. Hans and Del brought our transport back to Luna Two and the wrecker's yard. Me, I never left Mars again. Couldn't face space after that. Worked the ice mines instead, and eventually started a family.

 

Glynys was dead before she hit the deck. I've relived that moment again and again, but... Too late now.

 

It's been sixty years, and I'm the last. They say it won't be long. Bone cancer, nothing they can do. Stopped taking the painkillers, want my mind clear until the end.

 

Turns out Glynys was right after all.