Exquisite Corpse Realignment

Well folks, as it turns out, @fromage is in the horse spittle having his gallbladder extricated. So we're going to have to re-order the exquisite-corpse writing exercise. The line-up now is ...

As before, you have 3-5 days to write your part of the story. Pick up where the last writer left and leave room for the next to pick up. Tag each participant so we can follow along. Story legs should 1,000 to 3,000 words.

Again, the set up:

Earth has been attacked by aliens. Five private space explorers managed to escape before its ultimate destruction. One of them is the brilliant but mad scientist who built the space-faring vehicle from scraps he's/she's collected over the years. Another is a serial killer who escaped prison just before the invasion. A third is a successful financier whose money is all but useless now but he's (she's?) carried $1 million of it in a briefcase onto the vessel. The fourth passenger is a child. The fifth is a failed political activist.

The story is set in the space vessel. What is it? How large is it? What facilities does it have? Where are they going? What conflicts arise between the characters?

@felt.buzz will take the lead. He'll pick the genders of the characters and start the story. Each writer can take it wherever, but don't violate the principles of good storytelling. Facts remain facts.