by Cindy Borgne
Sonny slipped and stumbled over and over.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel asked.
“It’s my dang leg.” Sonny turned around and sat down. “Let the slack out and I’ll slide down.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s like a slide.”
She let the slack out and down he went without a problem, reaching Phantom One before me. In an attempt to catch up, I stumbled the rest of the way down and joined Sonny in brushing the dust off the hatch. We found the keypad, but there was no light.
“Now what?” Sonny asked. “The light is off.”
“Punch it in anyway, it’ll work,” she said over the helmet radio.
Sonny punched in the numbers as she read them off. We pulled up the handle and slowly opened the heavy hatch. There was no release of pressure. We dropped down into the cargo hold. In the darkness, our helmet lights lit up blackened walls from a burned out engine.
“Sonny….” My heart jumped at the sight of a body laying face down, still in an envirosuit, by an open panel to the engine compartment.
Sonny pulled him over. “It’s Bret.”
“How is he?” Rachel’s voice trembled.
Sonny checked the gauges in sleeve of Bret’s suit. “He’s alive, but oxygen is at zero.”
He was next to a couple of empty oxygen tanks. Damaged equipment and a mix of parts were scattered like Bret had been trying to make repairs. Sonny checked the vital signs on the wrist control of his suit. His heart still beat at about forty beats per minute, but he wasn’t breathing.
“What’s going on?” Rachel asked.
“I’ve gotta help him quick,” Sonny said as I helped him take off the backpack. I also tried to sense anyone else, but nothing came to me. I strained to choke back my fears, not wanting to believe that Kayla might be dead.
“Go find the others,” Sonny said.
With no hesitation, I ran in search of Kayla through the vessel. I stopped in the dark infirmary. “Two bodies.” My voice trembled.
Two people were in the medi-beds – one large, one small. Both bodies were frozen solid. The larger person had half of his envirosuit burned off. The smaller one’s head was at a crooked angle. My fears were coming true, and with that thought acid rose up in the back of my throat. I swallowed hard, bracing myself for the worst and checked the smaller ones wrist indicator. It had no power.
“I-I-I think they died from wounds during the crash,” I guessed.
“Who are they?” Rachel asked.
“I’m checking.” I held my breath as I looked through the visor of the smaller one. At seeing a wrinkled face and gray hair, I took in a gulp of air. “It’s an older woman.”
“That was our medic,” she said.
A small wave of relief gave me the courage to check the burned body. Through the visor was the half-burned face.
“It’s a young guy with red hair. H-he’s dead.”
“That was Justin,” Rachel said, sadly. “He was only twenty.”
“Sorry.” I hurried through the bunk section where my helmet light lit up ice crystals sparkling on the ceiling. I continued to the bridge, but found no one. “I can’t find Kayla.”
“Oh no, no,” Rachel said.
“What?” I asked.
“We have to hurry. A couple of Marc blips showed up on the south edge of the radar.”
I opened every closet and looked under any possible hiding place. Each time I didn’t find her brought me a centimeter closer to panic. My breathing increased to the point where I felt myself on the verge of hyperventilating. I held my breath, trying to get myself under control.
There was nowhere else to look, so I back tracked. The helmet light bounced around the dark vessel as I made my way back to the hatch.
“Rachel, send a cable down,” Sonny said over the helmet radio. “I have to get Bret inside. Stat!”
“I’m already lowering it,” she said.
As I reached Sonny, a cable dropped down through the open hatch. I helped him attach it to the back of Bret’s suit.
“Pull’em up,” Sonny ordered.
We maneuvered Bret’s limp body out of the open top hatch. His body slid up the slope.
I held back tears. “But where is Kayla?”
Sonny started up alongside him. “Go check outside around the ship – quick.”
I crawled up and stood on the roof of Phantom One. The tight area didn’t leave much to search. On the opposite slope my helmet light rested on a cable leading up. “Someone tried to climb up the other side.”
“They must’ve been desperate,” Sonny said, out of breath. “Damn it.”
I turned around and my light spotted Sonny on his knees again halfway up.
“Sonny, get up.” Rachel pleaded. “Hurry.”
“My leg won’t cooperate with this slope. Just pull me up fast.” Sonny started up again, being half dragged.
Using the visor zoom, I looked far up the slope, but saw only drifting dust. Grabbing the cable, I struggled up. It was slightly less steep on this side, so I climbed up. The cable led me to a hook dug into a narrow ledge.
I pulled myself up and overlooked a gap between the outcropping and the main part of the hill. Someone would’ve had to jump the gap to continue climbing, but there was no cable on the other side. It didn’t make sense that someone would choose this side to climb, except for it being less steep.
I looked down into the gap about seven meters below me and spotted a body laying in a tight groove. The size looked about right to be Kayla, but I couldn’t feel any thoughts from her. “Kayla? Can you hear me?”
“You found her?” Rachel asked, sounding hopeful.
Rachel wouldn’t understand the panic welling up inside me. I tried to control my breathing and steadied my voice. “Maybe, but she’s not moving.” I started down toward her. My mind raced, but my progress moved in slow motion. When I tried to hurry, my feet slipped. No matter what I did, I couldn’t move fast enough.
“Hurry, damn it.” Rachel said.
I pulled her up into a sitting position and shined my helmet light through her visor. “Kayla?”
Her head rested to the side with her eyes shut. The wrist indicator was still lit up. She had about twenty minutes of oxygen left, however, the temperature gauge read only one Celsius. Trying not to panic, I brought up the vitals. Pulse was only fifty and blood oxygen at seventy percent.
“Hurry, Ian.” Rachel continued to rush me.
“I am! Her heater unit is barely working.”
She had to be moved regardless of anything that might be broken. I grabbed her under her arms. “Pull me up.”
The cable dragged us both up to the ledge. The muscles in my arms strained as I struggled to hang on. After pulling Kayla the last few centimeters onto the ledge, I crawled to my knees and breathed heavily.
I had to go back down the other side. “Let the slack out.” I maneuvered Kayla and slid down the other side with her.
Rachel had already sent down another cable. I attached the hook to the back of Kayla’s suit. “Pull her up.” I climbed up alongside her, struggling to keep up as Kayla went up fast.
Sweat ran down my cheeks as I reached the cargo hold. Rachel helped me pull her inside. I dropped to my knees and took in several deep breaths. She sealed the rear hatch and re-pressurized the cargo hold. I took off my helmet and gloves.
Rachel grabbed Kayla’s hand. “Sonny, get over here.”
Sonny came through the door. We carried Kayla to the infirmary and set her on a medi-bed while Rachel bolted to the bridge.
Bret slept in the bed opposite Kayla. He squirmed with a low moan and coughed several times with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. I had idolized him so much that it was hard to believe he was in such a weakened condition. At least he was breathing again.
Sonny took off Kayla’s helmet and put her on oxygen right away. I pulled her boots off and helped him take off her suit. She only had on a sleeveless undershirt and pant
ies. I felt a rush of shame and looked away.
Sonny went around the bed, putting restraints on her legs and arms. “See if you can find a blanket.”
The vessel lifted off, swaying back and forth. I went through the cabinets in the bunk area and found a thick blanket.
“Bret thought of everything.” Sonny avoided looking at Kayla and worked the controls at the front of the bed. “These beds even have built in warmers.”
I covered Kayla with the blanket and touched her icy hand. A slight improvement of her vitals showed on the screen. I couldn’t see Bret’s screen, and he was very still. Sonny finished connecting the IV tube to a port in Bret’s suit.
“How is he?”
“I think he’s stable.” Sonny inserted a needle into Kayla’s arm for the IV.
“Stand by,” Rachel said over the intercom. “I have to destroy Phantom One.” The ship turned, rose up and tilted downward. A vibration rattled the floor and the ship turned again. Beyond the porthole, a bright light flashed from the laser blast. Dust rose up, rock collapsed and fell on the crushed metal of Phantom One. It resembled a tomb, and we flew away, speeding into the darkness.
“Ian, can you give me a hand?” Sonny asked.
I took one step toward Sonny, and the ship tilted sharply. Loose medical supplies rolled off a table. We fell into the wall by the radar.
“Hang on back there,” Rachel yelled.
Thankfully, the restraints kept Bret and Kayla in place. I checked the radar. Red blips appeared both to the south and to the north.
“Hang on!” Sonny said.
The ship tilted downward. The force pushed us down. We knelt on the floor until the ship leveled out. I hurried up to the bridge while Sonny stayed with Bret and Kayla.
The heads up display was in night vision mode, which outlined everything in green. Rachel worked the console quickly as we dipped down and descending into a crater. Her visor was up, revealing puffy eyes. A tear from each eye rolled down her face, but she ignored her emotions and continued to fly.
“What’s going on?” I sat in the co-pilot’s seat and touched her shoulder.
“Long range scanners picked up three heat signatures on the ground – north edge.” She pointed to the heat scanner, which displayed the red spots spread out several kilometers from each other.
The radar still showed a couple of enemy blips circling to the south. She brought the vessel down to the bottom of the crater and up against the wall.
“These heat signatures are vessels of some kind, and they’re blocking our way to the mine.” Rachel looked inward. “You can bet they’ll come after us the minute we try to pass.” She switched on the radio, but a red light flashed. “Don’t even tell me.”
“What?” I asked.
“I tried to signal the mine, but they’ve found a way to block outgoing transmissions.” Rachel took a deep breath, swallowed and new tears welled up. “They must’ve picked up on Bret’s flight pattern.” She closed her eyes and spoke quickly. “At least they don’t seem to know we’re here. The deflector probably shielded us from their scans.” She leaned back and let the rest of the tears fall.
“It’ll be okay.” I took her hand. “You just need to rest.”
Rachel stayed still with her eyes shut while I continued to hold her hand.
“I think Bret’s going to be alright. Remember the dust devils?” I asked.
“Yes, and I hope the saying is true about them.” She opened her eyes. “I can see why Sonny is so fond of you. You’re a nice boy.”
“I’m a man now.”
She smiled wider. “My mistake.”
Rachel straightened and adjusted the long range monitors. “For now we’re going to hide since they already brought down Bret once.” She zoomed in on a dark area along the wall of the crater. “There’s a perfect spot to hide.”
“Huh?” All I saw was a solid wall.
Rachel switched to the targeting system and opened fire. Laser blasts struck the lower wall of the crater. Bits of rocks flew out.
“Whoa, aren’t they gonna notice that?”
“They’re too far away. Keep in mind the Phantom scanners are much better than theirs.”
When the dust cleared, there was an opening like a cave - big enough to hide the ship. She crept the Phantom toward the opening, hovering only a few meters above the ground.
“When Bret and Kayla are better, they’ll be able to help us find a way out of here.” She backed the Phantom into the pocket, so we could view the outside.
“But how long can we hide without running out of oxygen?”
“The Phantom is self-sufficient,” she said. “We can stay out here six months if necessary.”
“After flying in the Phantom, I just have to wonder. How did a small group like the Genners create such an advanced ship?”
“We have a talented scientist who helped Bret design the Phantom. But it wasn’t easy. It took ten years to develop this vessel. We didn’t have the resources to produce another one, until Vallar formed.”
I had wanted to design ships, but I felt shy to mention it. Learning from someone like Bret would be a dream come true. Yet, beyond the viewport, I was so close to freedom, but so far away.
“Rachel?” Sonny’s voice came over the intercom. “What’s going on? Why have we backed into a cave?”
I headed back to tell him the bad news.
Chapter 20
After several hours, we took off the envirosuits. Rachel had powered down the main engine and insisted nobody would be able to find us in the cave. A generator kept the inside systems running. The ship also had power cells, oxygen/nitrogen converters and plenty of food.
As Kayla slept, the lack of color in her face made her look like a doll. Her puffy auburn hair had grown out another inch. I wanted to stay by her the entire time and hold her, but I could only sneak in a brief touch of her hand since Rachel rarely left Bret’s side.
We’d taken him out of his envirosuit. He had a large bruise on his side and one on his upper leg. Bret moaned and coughed as he fought to regain consciousness. Rachel kissed him and caressed his forehead while whispering in a soothing tone.
I longed to do the same with Kayla. She deserved to have some comforting after almost dying, but if I dared try to hold her it would be wrong.
So I leaned along the back wall where I could keep an eye on Kayla’s heart rate and blood pressure without appearing strangely concerned over someone I wasn’t supposed to know that well. Yet, thanks to my visions, it felt like I’d known her for years.
I caught my knees folding, forced my eyes open and shook my head to stay awake. Even though my legs and feet ached, I refused to give up my spot and glanced back at Sonny. He sat at the medic’s console reading up on medic procedures, too focused on his new job to notice my tiredness.
Bret mumbled loudly, sounding like a bear about to awaken. As he continued to stir, I nibbled on my thumb nail, anticipating an angry reaction at seeing the two of us. His hands fumbled along the side of the bed.
“Easy now, you’re on Phantom Two.” Rachel said.
Bret’s arms trembled as he tried to push himself up. The tube for the IV swung about. I feared he would yank it out. He moved a leg toward the edge of the bed. I raced over and held both legs down.
“No, no. . . .” His head lifted up. He blinked at seeing me, swung his arm out and bumped it into the monitor.
Sonny spun around. “Hey now. You’re not getting out of that bed.” He took both of Bret’s arms and gently put them back by his sides.
Rachel caressed Bret’s forehead, trying to calm him down.
He looked back and forth between us in disbelief. “W-what are they - what are t-they doing here. . . .”
I took a step backwards and bit my lower lip.
“It’s okay,” Sonny said. “We came to help you.”
After a long stare, he let his head fall back onto the pillow. “But how?”
Rachel took his hand. “Ian found out the Marcs
were waiting for you to pass by Red Ridge.” She gave him a few more details. “After all this, I have to trust them.”
Bret’s eyes widened at me. “You knew about us?”
I gave a small nervous nod. “Yes.”
His teeth chattered. “Rachel, you shouldn’t have come out here.” A tear ran out of the corner of his eye.
“Of course I did.” Rachel leaned over and held him as if she never wanted to let go. She kissed him several times on the cheek and lips. Bret buried his face in her shoulder. He was a lucky man to have a woman love him so much.
More awareness returned to Bret’s eyes. “Kayla. She tried to climb up and fell. I couldn’t get her out.”
“Now, now, we got her - look.” Sonny looked at Kayla. “She’s right there.”
Bret lifted his head and looked at Kayla. “Is she okay?”
“She’s improving.” Sonny studied the monitor attached to the bed and adjusted the drip on the IV.
Tears ran out of the edges of his eyes. “Did you see . . . .” He paused, breathing erratically. “Susan and Justin.”
“Yes,” Sonny said.
“There was no power.” He coughed. “I couldn’t save them.” He continued to cough harder, jolting and causing the blanket to slide down.
Rachel gave him a sip of water.
“Don’t get all worked up.” Sonny straightened his blanket. “You need to rest.”
My nervousness about Bret faded. I liked him more, knowing he was human, but we needed him to be that tough guy who intimidated the hell out of me.
Bret’s eyes shifted around as he listened for something. “Why aren’t we moving?”
We hesitated and glanced at each other.
Bret’s eyelids fell. He was about to fall back asleep, but he forced them back open. “We’re hiding, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Sonny said. “Rachel blasted a cave in a deep crater.”
“The Marcs are still monitoring this area,” Rachel explained. “I picked up several hiding to the north. Others are patrolling south of us.”