ASCENT X50 BOOK I

BULGE Part 2

CHAPTER TWO (BULGE)

So, Dela. She's been ejected from the ship and is now in holding. But as far as everyone on AscentX50 knows, she's dead. And that's not the only thing going wrong on Earth. Kwahin has been told he has to employ the use of a consultant named Samuel Amoah and he's not happy about it. Back on AscentX50, Lizzy talks with William about the murder. The crisis, you see, probably makes people freak out. Because they've met everyone they'll ever meet. And things aren't going great on the ship. Because just as a love triangle blossoms between Prince, Hawa and Samuel Asante, an explosion takes place. It's the saboteurs!

As the medical team works on treating everyone for smoke inhalation and minor burns, Dr. Owusu worries that his son might have feelings for Hawa and breaks up their conversation. Ali Taha runs afoul of the councilwoman, who reminds him that while his wife's power seems to be going okay for now, soon it will be taken again.

Meanwhile, back on earth, Samuel and Kwahin talk about the kinds of people on the ship (no gays allowed, apparently) and Samuel begins his investigation. It gets off to a rocky start when Dela attacks him.

On AscentX50, Ali Taha suggests that it's time for a party, something to boost morale. Meanwhile, William goes looking for one of the missing cobalt generators and gets hit in the face with a wrench while the steward plan for the party of the century. Back on earth, Samuel meets with the Director of the program and the two discuss the fact that there's more going on than meets the eye. When Samuel confronts Kwahin, he shows him the video feeds and asks him if he were born on AscentX50, would he really want to know the truth?

Back on the ship, Dr. Owusu and Prince discuss Bebey, and how he made clothes. Prince is pretty upset about the fact that eventually a computer will match him with someone, so he's decided to have fun while he can. When William realizes that the Cobalt generators started the fire 25 years ago, he goes to the Captain, who tells him to focus on the task at hand. Hawa catches up to William and asks him to help her get into a program that would lift her out of the sector B, and then offers to help him find Ayibusa who's a suspect in Bebey's murder by telling him to check section 35.

See, section 35 was damaged in a fire 25 years ago. That's the big fire everyone keeps talking about, and that part of the ship is so damaged that anyone on that section could probably hear the technicians talking, so Kwahin orders everyone to be quiet. Of course that doesn't go great, and William doesn't necessarily know that they're out there, but he knows something is up. And then he gets hit in the face, again, but this time by Ayibusa. They fight, William escapes, and Ayibusa dies.

The whole thing infuriates Samuel, of course. And then Kwahin goes to the warehouse to get the seahorse necklace, which is there under some pretty mysterious circumstances, no? He gives the necklace to his wife. Because he's sort of creepy.

When Joyce goes to get her shot on the ship, Lizzy goes with her and has to prove that nothing is wrong with the shots. When Lizzy takes the shot herself, she has a seizure and falls down. Dr. Mike is worried and in secret, reveals that he has to get Joyce the shot as soon as possible or her system will really start breaking down. Meanwhile, Samuel meets with Veronica Hippson who tells him that 50 scientists were abducted in the 15s.

There are also some problems between The Captain and Ali. One of the stewards, Washington, has begun sleeping with The Captain, and Ali is mad about it. He relieves Washington of his duties after a good massage. When Mike tries to get Joyce to take her inoculations through a glass of milk, she looks up at the camera and dumps it on the floor. When Mike tells them to use their "man inside" to make her take the inoculation, Joyce freaks out, and screams, and shatters the lights, but the "man inside" also cuts himself on the arm. And bleeds on Joyce's dress.

Ali learns that someone (his wife probably) squelched her order to have Washington transferred. No matter, the business at hand is to debut Sarkodie to the world as the latest sexy stewardess type. Meanwhile, William talks with Joyce about her inoculations and gets her to take them, but when the creepy man shows up to give her the shot, she refuses and he holds her down and injects her.

When the DNA evidence on Joyce's dress turns up to match the intern (Rudolph) they rush to his room to find that he's already dead. By hanging. It looks like a suicide, but the way things are going lately on this ship, is anyone sure? Finally, Prince and Hawa meet down by the shore to talk about well, it's unclear. Prince likes Hawa. Hawa seems to like Prince but also resents him for making her feel poor.

But the real kicker comes when Joyce sits down with Lizzy, who is still in a coma and Joyce can READ HER MIND!